Ans. 1. It is a shrewd suspicion that their Cause is not good, who are put to uphold it by accusing their adversaries of heart sins, as Hypocrisy is, which are quite out of the sight of men. Either you mean that it is Hypocrisy latent, or Hypocrisy detected by a wicked life. If the former, I confess you have us at an advantage; For as you pretend to be as Gods in knowing the heart; so we who confess our selves but men, have no way of defence against heart-accusations, but denial, and calling for your proof: And our Denial were not enough, if you knew the heart indeed. Our judgment is, that Hypocrisy is a most hateful sin; and (as I have declared my opinion at large, in a Discourse called The Formal Hypocrite) we think that all men (except the professed Atheists and Infidels, who have multiplied since the Ministers were silenced) among us in England, are either Saints or Hypocrites; For all that profess true Christianity, according to their Baptismal-Covenant, do profess Sanctity: And therefore we suppose, that the more any mans life is contrary to his profession, the more notorious Hypocrite he is. For the difference lieth not in the Materials of our Profession: For we profess nothing as our Religion, but Christianity: If any go further, we renounce their profession. And all of you that stand to your Baptism, profess Christianity, the same Christianity as we. The question therefore is, Whose lives do most contradict their profession? I doubt not but you will confess (for you cannot deny it), that a proud, domineering, worldly, covetous, drunken, gluttonous, malicious, persecuting Christian, is an Hypocrite. If you prove any among us guilty of these, you were best name the men, unless you think that Nonconformity to Oaths and Subscriptions, make all that are endued with it, eat and drink too much. As for these other zealous ⟨p. 92⟩Villainies which you charge upon us, they are to be spoken of by themselves. We are content, that if the Nonconformists lives do contradict their Christian profession more than the Conformists (proportionably) that you write in Capital Letters, the name [Hypocrite] upon every ones back and breast, that the people may know them as they go along the streets; and may gratify the Politician, by hating them more for their hypocrisy, than they admired them for their pretended Saint ship.
Ans. 1. It is a shrewd suspicion that their Cause is not good, who are put to uphold it by accusing their adversaries of heartsins, as Hypocrisie is, which are quite out of the sight of men. Either you mean that it is Hypocrisie latent, or Hypocrisie detected by a wicked life. If the former, I confess you have us at an advantage; For as you pretend to be as Gods in knowing the heart; so we who confess our selves but men, have no way of defence against heart-accusations, but denial, and calling for your proof: And our Denial were not enough, if you knew the heart indeed. Our judgment is, that Hypocrisie is a most hateful sin; and (as I have declared my opinion at large, in a Discourse called The Formal Hypocrite) we think that all men (except the professed Atheists and Infidels, who have multiplied since the Ministers were silenced) among us in England, are either Saints or Hypocrites; For all that profess true Christianity, according to their Baptismal-Covenant, do profess Sanctity: And therefore we suppose, that the more any mans life is contrary to his profession, the more notorious Hypocrite he is. For the difference lyeth not in the Materials of our Profession: For we profess nothing as our Religion, but Christianity: If any go further, we renounce their profession. And all of you that stand to your Baptism, profess Christianity, the same Christianity as we. The question therefore is, Whose lives do most contradict their profession? I doubt not but you will confess (for you cannot deny it), that a proud, domineering, worldly, covetous, drunken, gluttonous, malicious, persecuting Christian, is an Hypocrite. If you prove any among us guilty of these, you were best name the men, unless you think that Nonconformity to Oaths and Subscriptions, make all that are endued with it, eat and drink too much. As for these other zealous ⟨p. 92⟩Villanies which you charge upon us, they are to be spoken of by themselves. We are content, that if the Nonconformists lives do contradict their Christian profession more than the Conformists (proportionably) that you write in Capital Letters, the name [Hypocrite] upon every ones back and breast, that the people may know them as they go along the streets; and may gratifie the Politician, by hating them more for their hypocrisie, than they admired them for their pretended Saint ship.
