A vindication of the Animadversions on Fiat lux

Only I desire you once more that when you would endeavour to render any thing, way, or acting of men odious; that you would forbear to cast the Scripture into a Copartnership therein, which here you seem to do. The Puritan, ⟨p. 102⟩you say, with the Scripture rose up and rebelled. Rebellion is the name of an outrageous Evil, such as the Scripture giveth not the least Countenance unto. And therefore when you think meet to charge it upon any, you may do well not to say, that they do it with the Scripture. It will not be to your comfort or advantage so to do. This is but my advice, you may do as you see cause. —Tales Casus Cassandra canebat. 5. The Differences you suppose and look upon as undeterminable by the Scripture, are about things that in themselves really and in truth belong unto Christian Religion, or such as do not so indeed, but are only fancied by some men so to do. If they are of this latter sort, as the most of the Controversies which we have with you are, as about your Mass, Purgatory, the Pope; we account that all Differences about them are sufficiently determined in the Scriptures, because they are no where mentioned in them. And this must needs be so, if the Word of God be, as you here grant, the sufficient and only means both of our Conversion and Settlement as well in Truth as in Virtue. Sir I had no sooner written these words, in that haste, wherein I treat with you, but I suspected a necessity of craving your pardon, for supposing my Inference confirmed by your Concession. For whereas you had immediately before, set down the Assertion supposed to be yours about the Scriptures, you add the words now mentioned, Gods, Word is the sufficient and only means of our Conversion and Settlement in the Truth. I did not in the least suspect that you intended any Legerdemain in the business; but that the Scripture and Gods Word had been only various denominations with you of the ⟨p. 103⟩same precise Thing, as they are with us. Only I confess at the first view, I wondered how you could reconcile this Assertion with the known Principles of your Church; and besides, I knew it to be perfectly destructive of your design in your following Enquiry. But now I fear you play hide and seek in the ambiguity your Church hath put upon that Title Gods Word, which it hath applied unto your unwritten Traditions, as well as unto the written Word;

Only I desire you once more that when you would endeavour to render any thing, way, or acting of men odious; that you would forbear to cast the Scripture into a Copartnership therein, which here you seem to do. The Puritan,