perhaps fee reason to believe that it was not defenfible. With thefe Thoughts, I was prevailed upon to draw up a few Queries (the jame that appear now, excepting only fome flight verbal Alterations) and when I had done, gave them to a common Friend to convey to Him. I was the more inclined to it, for my own Inftruction and Improvement, in fo momentous and important an Article: Befides, that I had long been of Opinion, that no method could be more proper for the training up one's Mind to a true and found Judgment of Things, than that of private Conference in Writing; exchanging Papers, making Anfwers, Replies, and Rejoinders, till an Argument fhould be exhaufted on both Sides, and a Controverfy at length brought to a Point. In that private way (if it can be private) a Man writes with Eafinefs and Freedom; is in no pain about any innocent Slips or Miftakes; is under little or no Temptation to perfift obftinately in an Error (the Bane of all publick Controversy) but concern'd only to find out the Truth, which) on what Side foever it appears) is always Victory to every honest Mind.

I had not long gone on with my Correfpondent, before I found all my Meafures broken, and my Hopes intirely frustrated. He had fent Me, in Manufcript, an Anfier to my Querics; which Answer I received and read with due Care; promis'd Him immediately a

Reply;

This

Reply; and foon after prepared and finish'd it, and convey'd it fafe to his Hands. Then it was, and not till then, that He discovered to Me what He had been doing; fignifying, by Letter, how He had been over perfwaded to commit his Anfwer, with my Queries, to the Prefs; that They had been there fome time, and could not now be recalled; that I must follow Him thither, if I intended any thing farther; and must adapt my publick Defenfe to his publick Anfwer, now altered and improved, from what it had been in the Manufcript which had been fent me. News furprized Me a little at the firft; and forry I was to find my Correspondent fo extremely defirous of inftructing Others, instead of taking the most prudent and confiderate Method of informing Himfelf. As He had left Me no Choice, but either to follow Him to the Prefs, or to defift, I chofe what I thought most proper at that Time; leaving Him to inftruct the Publick as He pleased, defigning my Self to keep out of Publick Controversy; or, at leaft, not defigning the Contrary. But, at length, confidering that Copies of my Defense were got abroad into feveral Hands, and might perhaps, fome time or other, fteal into the Press without my Knowledge; and confidering farther that this Controversy now began to grow Warm, and that it became every boneft Man, according to the Measure of his Abilities, to bear his Teftimony in fo A 3

good

good a Caufe; I thought it beft to revife my Papers, to give them my last Hand, and to fendThem abroad into the World; where They muft ftand or fall (as I defire They Should) according as They are found to have more or lefs Truth or Weight in Them.

Dr. Clarke has lately publish'd a Second Edition of his Scripturc-Doctrine: Where, I perceive, He has made feveral Additions and "Alterations, but has neither retracted, nor defended those Parts, which Mr. Nelson's learned Friend had judiciously replied to, in his True Scripture-Doctrine continued. I hope, impartial Readers will take care to read One along with the Other.

One thing I must obferve, for the Doctor's Honour, that in his new Edition He has left out thefe Words of his former Introduction. 'Tis plain that every Perfon may reason

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ably agree to fuch Forms, whenever He can "in any Senfe at all reconcile them with

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Scripture. I hope, none hereafter will pretend to make use of the Doctor's Authority, for fubfcribing to Forms which They believe not according to the true and proper Senfe of the Words, and the known intent of the Impofers, and Compilers. Such Prevarication is in it felf a bad Thing, and would, in Time, have a very ill Influence on the Morals of a Nation. If either State-Oaths, on one Hand, or Church Subfcriptions, on the Other, once come to be made light of; and Subtilties be

invented to defend or palliate fuch grofs Infincerity; we may bid farewell to Principles, and Religion will be little else but difguis'd Atheism.

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The learned Doctor, in his Introduction, has inferted, by way of Note, a long Quotation out of Mr. Nelfon's Life of Bishop Bull. He can hardly be prefumed to intend any Parallel between Bishop Bull's Cafe and his own: And yet Readers may be apt so to take it, fince the Doctor has not guarded against it, and fince otherwise it will not be eafy to make out the pertinence of it. The Doctor has undoubtedly fome meaning in it, tho' I will not prefume to guess what. He obferves, That there is an exact account given, what Method that learned Writer (Bishop Bull) took to explain the Doctrine of Juftification (viz. the very fame and only "Method which ought to be taken in explaining all other Doctrines what foever) how zealously He was accufed by many Syftema"tical Divines, as departing from the Doctrine and Articles of the Church, in what He had done; how learnedly and effectually He defended Himself against all his Adverfaries; and how fuccessful at length his Explication was, it being after fome Years almost univerfally received. This account is true, but defective; and may want a Supplement for the Benefit of common Readers,

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who may wish to know, what that excellent Method of Bishop Bull's was, by means of which his Explication proved fo fuccessful, and came at length to be almost univerfally received. It was as follows.

1. In the first place, his way was to examine carefully into Scripture, more than into the Nature and Reafon of the Thing abftract. edly confider'd. He pitch'd upon fuch Texts as were pertinent, and clofe to the Point; did not chufe Them according to the Sound only, but their real Senfe; which He explain'd justly and naturally, without any wresting or ftraining. He neither neglected nor diffembled the utmost force of any Texts which feem'd to make against Him; but propofed them fairly, and anfwer'd them folidly; without any artificial Elufions, or any fubtile or furprizing Glosses.

2. In the next place, however cogent and forcible his reafonings from Scripture appeared to be, yet He modeftly declined being confident of them, unless He could find them likewife fupported by the general Verdict of the primitive Church; for which He always express'd a most religious Regard and Veneration: believing it easier for himself to err in interpreting Scripture, than for the univerfal Church to have erred from the Beginning. To pass by many other Inftances of his fincere and great Regard to Antiquity, I shall here

men