upon Philofophick Principles, and yet fhould let the Foundation alone upon which it refts; and more yet, that one of my Advertaries fhould in the Title Page of his Book (the only place where fome Authors Confute thofe they write against) pretend to answer all the Arguments, &c. and yet not meddle with the Philofophical, which is the chief part of the Difcourfe. But 'tis New Philofophy, and that he does not care to trouble his Head with, but likes the Company of his Syftematical Divines berter; whofe Appretiative, Comparative and Intensive, (whatever my Thoughts may be of them in other refpects) 1 no more envy him than he does me the French Poets and Divines.

But though our Learned Author thus itarts and boggles at New Philofophy, yet he has the Courage to venture boldly and hardily upon New Logick, whereof he has given us a very preg nant Inftance, and fuch as is not to be parallel'd in the whole Art of Thinking. Had Mr. N. p. 96. fays he, when he faid there are pise but two forts of Love, that of Defire and Benevolence, confider'd that this Love of Defire may be branched into Religious and Natural Defires, Defire of things Spiritual and Temporal, of things good for the Body and for the Soul, of things to be used here, and to be enjoyed here and hereafter, of things as neceffary for our being and our wellbeing, of things to be defired for their own and for Gods Jake, he would have difcerned as great a difference betwixt one Love of Defire and another, as betwixt Love of Defire and of Benevolence. As much as to fay, had Mr. N. when he faid there were but two forts of Lines, Strait and Crooked, confider that Crooked might be branched into a Circle, an Ellipfis, a Parabola, &c. he would have difcern'd as great a difference between this Crooked and that Crooked, as between Crooked and Strait. Well faid Logician: What do things that differe genere, the Co-ordinate Members of a Divifion, differ no more than things that differ only Spe cie? Do a Strait Line and a Crooked Line differ no more than a Circle and an Ellipfis? This 'tis to think freely, and to leave the Company of the Syftematical Men. Not that I would infinuate hereby that our Author does not understand Logick. On the contrary, I verily believe he does. But as the Belt Men have their Failings, fo the Wifeft have their Oversights and Blunders. And all the ufe I would make of this is only to ad vise him not to be too fecure of his Understanding, which by this he may fee is lyable to Confufion and Miflake as well as other Mens, and to look better to his hits the next time.

But to return, having thus ftated and explained my Senfe, I leave it to the Rational part of the World to confider whether my Learned Adverfaries have Confuted me, or fo much as oppoled me or no. In the mean time, I fhall take the liberty to Conclude that they have not, and accordingly thall not think my

felf

felf any further concern'd with them at prefent, than to grant them the main Conclufion they contend for, as being aliene from the Business, and utterly befide the Point in Question. I was inclining once to have made fome Remarks upon the particular Arguments, together with other incidental Paffages that run through the Bulk of their Difcourfes, but a Kind and Ingenious Hand has faved me that Pains in relation to Mr. Land as to the other, I confider that there needs only a particular Application of that general Ground I have laid, which may ferve as a Key to unlock his Difficulties and Objections, which run upon a mistaken Senfe of my Meaning, and Light with all their Weight (whenever they have any) upon a Propofition that is not mine. And indeed I think I have taken the only proper Method to answer a Book that is written as his is. For when the whole runs upon a falle Ground, to have taken him Piecemeals, Paragraph by Paragraph, and to have confider'd every fingle Objection diftinctly, by fhewing that fuch a thing is true in this Senie, which is not to the purpose, but not true in that Sense which only is fu, would have been a thing fome what tedious and Troublesome to me (who have neither Time nor Health to spare) and not very delightfome to my Reader, who also need not find the want of it, if taking the general Ground I have laid along with him, he makes a particular Application of it as he goes. Upon which Confideration I fball concern my felf no further at this time: And let not any fo far prejudge my Answer as to think it lefs Juft and Perfect because fo fhort; for as fhort as it is, 'twill be found as long as the Objection; and if I do not answer more largely, 'tis because my Adverfaries have not opposed me Pertinently; which is also the Reafon why I did not Reply to Dr. Wby's Private Papers. A Fencer that fees his Adverfaries Pafs verywide of him,and running quite befide him need not be very follicitous of his Defence, nor ufe a great deal of Guard; but when he finds him to strike di rectly at him he is concern'd to ward off the blow as well as he can. And fo fhall I;and doubt not but byGod's Affiftance to be able to do it. And they may begin theExperiment affoon as they please. In the mean time,may the good Spirit of God fhine forth upon all our Minds with his Heavenly Light, and affift our weak Understandings in the Study and Contemplation of all that Truth which it concerns us to know; and also by his Divine Grace fo difpofe our Wills to all Charity and Brotherly Love, that whether we find and confent in the Truth or no, we may yet continue well-affected to each other, and may study to preferve the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace, and in Righteousness of Life. Which Things I value more highly, and am, I hope, more heartily concern'd for, than for any Hypothefis in the World. FINIS

7. N