I only meant that Chriftians fhould judge charitably, and not entertain too contracted an opinion of a very few being faved; and by an open and catholic fpirit, I mean, that we fhould love all ranks of profeffing people, though they differ from us in doctrines and worship; we fhould spread a mantle of love over their errors, where we have reafon to believe that the root of the matter is in them. Cufbi. I defire to love all that love our Lord Jefus Chrift in fincerity and truth. This is the love that Paul poffeffed; he loved all that loved our Lord Jefus Chrift in fincerity and truth; and if they love Chrift fincerely, the root of the matter is in them; and if they love him in truth, then they will not differ from us in doctrine. That foul that loves Chrift in truth, will not ftand in need of thy mantle to cover his errors, for love is the root of all real evangelical obedience; while, on the other hand, enmity is the root of all rebellion: and although a young believer cannot fee eye to eye with an old one, yet he will not fight again any truth that is brought from the word of God; love will produce the obedience of faith-charity believeth all things. The foul that opposes any plain truth does not love Chrift in truth, nor does he love him in fincerity, because he is not obedient. The new creation is full as uniform as the old; God did not send man into the world to walk about without a head, nor does he create a foul anew anew without giving him an understanding :-We and hath given us know that the Son of God is come, My reafon for answering thee fo fharply is, because I have heard fo much of late about an open catholic fpirit, that it feems to be a cant word, that ftands for any thing or nothing. We have many in our days who feem to be very open in their fermons, crying out, "Come "all, Jefus ftands with open arms to receive tr you, roll yourfelves upon him-my foula "for yours if he cafts you out." And yet. thefe men, that preach this univerfal gofpel, are so incensed at the cordial reception of a returning prodigal, that they would rob him of his kid, and ftop his mouth from declaring what God has done for his foul. I am a living witnefs of this truth, and fo are thousands more. Their refentment has run fo high, that the intreaties of the Father of all Mercies is not fufficient to bring them into an acquiefcence with his fovereign difplay of difcriminating grace. It appears as if they would have been better pleased if he had perished in his own deceivings, than they are at the Father's receiving him fafe and found. Now Mofes was of a different spirit from thefe; for although his doctrine was nothing like theirs in latitude, yet his heart was as wide as their fermons. When a young man ran and told Mofes, faying, Eldad and Medad do prophefy in the camps, and fofbua faid, My lord Mofes, forbid them; his open reply is, Envieft thou for my fake? I would to God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that he would put his Spirit upon them. Numb. xi. 27, 28, 29. If this be an open fpirit in reality, how little of it have they got who will load a found teftimony with fcandal, and use their utmost endeavour to hinder the ufefulness of those that God is pleased to fend into the church. The bible will hardly furnish us with a minifter (who pretends to preach Chrift) of fuch a spirit as this, except it be Diotrephes; and God fays nothing in his favour. I wrote unto the church (faid John): but Diotrephes, who loveth to bave the pre-eminence among them, receivet us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which be doeth, prating against us with malicious words; and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and cafteth them out of the church. 3 John, 9. 10. This man is one of a catholic fpirit; he kept John John himself out of the pulpit,-he forbad his epiftles being read to the congregation, he would admit no labourer that John fent into his pulpit, and those that would have let them preach in their houses, he forbad alfo; and if they difputed his ufurped authority, he excommunicated them; or, as the text faith, he caft them out of the church. This man was a lord over God's heritage; and this wretched fpirit is cherished too much in our days. For my part I wifh never to hear the word catholic again. It is a word that, I believe, was coined in Egypt at the time of the difpute between that dreadful monfter Arius, the grandfather of our prefent Arians, and Athanafius, whom God raised up to oppofe him. The cause of Satan againft Chrift, carried on by Arius, was called the Arian caufe, or the Arian faith; while, on the other hand, the cause of truth, pleaded by Athanafius, by way of distinction, was called the Catholic caufe, or Catholic faith; fo that those fouls that enjoyed the Father's love, the Saviour's atonement, and the Holy Ghoft's testimony in their fouls, were ftyled people of the catholic faith; while thofe that ridiculed and abufed the Lord Jefus Chrift, declaring him a mere creature, were called Arians, being the recipients of his damnable heresy, as the Holy Ghost ftyles it, 2 Pet. ii. 1. While the true faith flourished at Rome, thofe believers believers that were of that city were ftyled Roman Catholics; but as they have now exalted a Pope, in oppofition to Chrift, and have caft out his word, and introduced their own fuperftitious vanities instead of it, and yet appropriate the name catholic to themselves, it is now big with nothing but mischief; for he is deemed the beft catholic that opposes truth, kills the faints, and burns the bible; therefore it is high time to drop the word, and bring in those that are better understood, and that are of a more antient date; fuch as, faints, believers, children of God, difciples of Christ, partaker of the Spirit, the household of faith, &c. are terms that have a better meaning than a catholic man, catholic spirit, and catholic church. Let us be no longer plunderers of the whore of Babylon ;-let her names go with her relics, merit, and all the rest of her trumpery, and let us fay, Good rid of bad rubbish. Abimaaz. I find you are no friend to the Roman Catholics, and yet you are beholden to them; for your Common Prayer Books were entirely of their compofing, only our reformers purged out fome few popish dregs-fuch as praying to faints and angels, &c. &c. And you know we have many good and able minifters of Jesus Christ, who exalt its excellency publicly above all extempore prayer; and others, who were not in the establishment when they took on them the miniftry, are taking the form with them, even at the risk of the bishop's |