ires
that the argumentative part may be so prosecuted as that the charge of
covenant-breaking may be laid aside; which, if it be taken up, he lets me
know beforehand it shall be esteemed by them a _nihil respondes_. It is
also declined by Mr Hussey, p. 15: "The argument of the covenant is too
low to be thought on in the discourse: we are now in an higher region than
the words of the covenant," &c.:--a tenet looked upon by the reformed
churches as proper to those that are inspired with the ghost of
Arminius;(1355) for the remonstrants, both at and after the Synod of Dort,
did cry down the obligation of all national covenants, oaths, &c., in
matters of religion, under the colour of taking the Scripture only for a
rule. Well, we see the charge declined as nothing. But this is not all.
Almost two months after my proof of the charge, Mr Coleman comes out with
his _Male Dicis_, and declines both the charge itself (which he calls an
"impertinent charge," p. 22), and my five arguments too, without so much
as taking notice of them, or offering replies to them; yea, all that I
said in my _Nihil Respondes_, p. 27-34, in prosecution of this argument
concerning covenant-breaking, the reverend brother hath skipped over
_sicco pede_ in the half of one page, p. 23; all that follows is new and
other matter, wherein he did not mind his own answer to the learned
viewer, p. 33, "I will keep you to the laws of disputation, and will not
answer but as it is to the matter in hand." I leave it to be judged by men
of knowledge and piety, whether such an one doth not give them some ground
to apprehend that he is {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~}, that is, self-judged, who first
calleth so eagerly for making out a charge against him, and then when it
is made out, doth decline the charge, and not answer the arguments; and
such as esteem the charge of covenant-breaking to be a _nihil respondes_,
and the argument of the covenant too low to be thought on in a controversy
about church government, "O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto
their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united."