Thing he faid in the former Conversation, if the Cafe of the Church of England, whofe Advocate he is, be there fairly ftated by him, I am fure that of the Church of Rome (which is moft shamefully mifreprefented in that Converfation) is now fairly ftated by his Lordship in this. And fo I hope every Thing will fully anfwer the Title, I have chofen.

Some will perhaps tell me, I have taken a great Deal of Pains to no Purpose, fince the Gentleman's Cafe ftated (as I shall always call it to diftinguish it from this) has already been fufficiently anfwer'd, particularly by the learned Author of the Church of Chrift show'd, &c. and many will be apt to think we fet too great a Value upon the Gentleman's Performance by Anfwering it fo often. But for my Part I can fee no folid Reafon why a Book should be valued the more for having been often confuted, and all that can be inferr'd from it is, that there are more than one of Opinion, that the Gentleman's Cafe ftated is very much overrated by thofe, who cry it up for an unanswerable Piece. I own it is already fufficiently anfwer'd by the foremention'd Author, and even more than fufficiently. For his Book may properly be call'd a Magazine of Erudition; where Plenty of all Sorts of controverfial Arms both offenfive and defenfive is laid up. But to many 'tis as a Treasure lock'd up, and to these my Answer will ferve as a key to let them into it. So that I ftick not to own here very frankly without Fear of being call'd a Plagiary, that I have borrow'd many of my choiceft Materials of him, and it has been my principal Bufinefs to put them together in fuch a Manner, as I judg'd would be beft accommodated to the Capacity of thofe, whofe Inftruction I have principally in View.

But I had other Reasons to induce me to under. take this Work: and that particularly by Way of Dialogue betwixt the fame Perfons; 1. to convince the Gentleman (if it be poffible) that Idiot, and Popish Lord are not fynonimous Terms as he seems to fuppofe in the whole Course of his Dialogue, in which his Popish Lord perfonates the Dunce to the Life. Nay his Lordship feems to be brought upon the Stage only to be laugh'd at, and fet off the ima ginary Triumphs of his Adverfary. 2. Because the Way of Dialogue is certainly the most eafy and familiar Way of Conveying Truths to Vulgar Capacities, and even the fairest Way, provided no Partiality be used to the Prejudice of either Side, and each Difputant be allow'd to fay as much for his Caufe, as it will fairly bear. All which the Reader will find in this Converfation, wherein the Gentleman delivers his own Senfe as he did before, and his Lordship is no longer under the Tutelage of his Proteftant Master.

This inclines me to think, that tho the Gentleman's Book had been anfwer'd by more Hands than it has, it would be no Objection against this Anfwer of mine by Reason of the Newnefs as well as Usefulness of it's Method. For it prefents the Reader with two Books in one. When he reads the Gentleman's Part in this Converfation, it will be the fame as if he had that Author's own Book before him And when he reads his Lordship's Anfwer to him, as he now fpeaks the true Senfe of his Church, it may come to put him in Mind of an old useful Proverb, Viz. that one Story is good till the other be told. In a Word, the Method I have confined my self to, feems to have it's peculiar Advantage in putting me under a Neceffity not only to lead the

Reader in an easy and familiar Way through all the Parts of Controverfy, but to do it in fuch a Manner as cannot but have the Approbation of both Churches. Because the Proteftant as well as Catholick Reader will here find the whole Caufe of Religion fairly pleaded by one of his own Communion. So that neither of the contending Parties will be accused of Partiality, or of Wronging his Adverfary by making him fpeak Things, which he may justly difown.

But 3dly, I was induced to undertake this Task, because there is a large Difference between Anfwering a Book in the Lump, and doing it in a Manner Word for Word. The firft is indeed the common Way, and (provided there be no wilful O miffion of any Thing of Moment) fuffices undoubtedly to fatisfy thofe, who are content with a reafonable Satisfaction. But it seems our Proteftant Adverfaries will not be content with this. All their Geefe are Swans, and every Thing they write, tho it be never fo trivial in itself, is immediately magnified into an unanfwerable Piece, if any one thinks it not worth the Trouble of an Answer."

I shall give a remarkable Inftance of this my Obfervation. The Gentleman begins his Cafe ftated with these introductory Questions. Pray, My Lord, what is there in the Communion of the Church of England should make you think your Soul in Danger? Would there be any Hazard of your Soul, if there were no Invocation of Saints that are Dead in the publick Offices of the Church? No Pictures or Images of God to be feen there? No Elevation of the Hoft? c. Now the Reftater, who began first to write against the Gentleman's Cafe stated, and intended no more than a brief Anfwer to the most material Points, thought those Questions too fri

1

volous to deserve his Notice; and I am wholly of his Mind. Nay I do not only think them fo, but what is more, I have proved them to be frivolous in the Introduction, where they are now anfwer'd. Not that they deferve it, but because the Method, to which I have tied myself down, obliged me to it. For otherwise it is probable I should have follow'd the Example of my Predeceffor, and pass'd them over as not worth an Anfwer.

But the Vindicator, who took up the Cudgels for the Gentleman against the Reftater, crows moft unmercifully over him for this Omiffion, which he confidently takes for a tacit Acknowledgment that he could not answer them. The Author of the Cafe farther stated (who I prefume is no ftranger to the Vin dicator do's the fame. All this (says he) the Restater paß'd over in a profound filence. He knew the Ques tion was not to be answer'd, and was therefore fo wife, as to fuppress it all he could. pag. 122. and again. It was an unlucky Difficulty started, and fince it cannot otherwife

be
got over, it was necessary to throw it aside, and say
nothing of it: And we must therefore not be so unreaso-
nable as to expect an Answer, where it is not to be had.
Ibid. I am really forry this worthy Gentleman has
thus exposed himself in Print. For what a Rout is
here about a Trifle! Which muft by all Means be
adopted into the Catalogue of Proteftant Unanswera.
bles to repair the Affront put upon it by a Papift, who
flighted it as a Thing beneath his Notice., How great
Wits will fometimes overshoot themselves!

But let that be as it will, it is manifeft, that tho a Book be fufficiently anfwer'd, there may still be Room left for a farther Anfwer to it: not to fupply any real Defects of former Anfwers, but to Glence the unreasonable Clamours of thofe, who fet

it

a Value upon every infignifiant Objection, and cry up for unanswerable, meerly because it is not anfwer'd. Now the Method I have obliged myself to, permits me not to omit Things, which others, who only answer the Gentleman in the Lump, may legally país over without any unfair Dealing, or Deferving the fevere Reflections made by the Vindi_ cator, or his alter idein, the Author of the Cafe farther stated.

I flatter myself over and above, that my Anfwer will have it's peculiar Advantage in this Ref pect, viz. because it not only contains all the ufual Questions in Difpute between us and Proteftants, but likewife feveral odd Subjects, which being out of the common Road are not usually treated by other Controvertists; and tho the Objections relating to these Subjects be not material in themselves, they have for the moft Part as powerful an influence upon weak Minds, and Vulgar Capacities, as Arguments of the greatest Weight.

But, tho I have obliged myself, as I have already acquainted the Reader, to follow my Adverfary Step by Step, whenever it was poffible to make him repeat his own Words with any Manner of Connection, yet I was forced fometimes to recede a little from the Rigour of this Method, which happens only when the Gentleman in his Cafe ftated undertakes to confute either with ferious Arguments or fome fine Drollery the Nonfenfe his Lordship has utter'd; That is, when his Anfwer contains nothing, but a Confutation of that Nonsense. In which Cafe it was impoffible to repeat the Gentleman's Words without Repeating the Blunder, to which they are a direct Answer. And 'tis only in fuch Occafions that any Thing of the Gentle

man's