A vindication of the Animadversions on Fiat lux

Let us now see what you further except against the account I gave of the progress and declension of Religion in these, and other Nations. You add, then say you, succeeded times of Luxury, Sloth, Pride, ⟨p. 430⟩ambition, scandalous riots, and corruption both of faith and manners over all the Christian world, both Princes, Priests, Prelates and people. But you somewhat pervert my words, so to make them liable unto your exception: for as by me they are laid down, it seems you could find no occasion against them. I tell you p. 253. that after these things a sad decay in faith and holiness of life befell professors, not only in this Nation, but for the most part all the world over; the stories of those days are full of nothing more then the Oppression, Luxury, Sloth of Rulers, the pride, ambition and unseemly scandalous contests for preeminence of Sees, and extent of Jurisdiction among Bishops, the sensuality and ignorance of the most of men. Now whether these words are not agreeable to Truth and Sobriety, I leave to every man to judge, who hath any tolerable acquaintance with History, or the occurrences of the Ages respected in them. Your reply unto them is, not a grain of virtue or Goodness we must think in so many Christian Kingdoms and Ages: But why must you think so? who induceth you thereunto? when the Church of Israel was professedly far more corrupted, then I have intimated the state of the Christian Church in any part of the world to have been, yet there was more then a grain of virtue or goodness, not only in Elijah, but in the meanest of those seven thousand who within the small precincts of that Kingdom had not bowed the knee to Baal: I never in the least questioned, but that in that declension of Christianity which I intimated, and remission of the most from their pristine Zeal, but that there were thousands and ten thousands that kept their integrity and mourned for all the Abominations that they saw practiced in the world. Pray reflect a little upon ⟨p. 431⟩the condition of the Asian Churches mentioned in the Revelation. The discovery made of their Spiritual State by Christ himself chap. 2. 3. was within less then forty years after their first planting, and yet you see most of them had left their first love, and were decayed in their faith and Zeal. In one of them there were but a few names remaining that had any life and integrity for Christ;

Let us now see what you further except against the account I gave of the progress and declension of Religion in these, and other Nations. You add, then say you, succeeded times of Luxury, Sloth, Pride,