Mof. Why was Luther and the proteftants, in our days, excommunicated by the council of Trent, which ftill remains?

Luth. This was, and ftill is, occafioned and held up by Calvinians, Quakers, Anabaptifts, and a fpawn of many others too numerous to be recounted.

Mof. They make a handle of you and the church of England, having the power to uphold them, in their oppofition.

Luth. This we well know; but when you have made a league or communicate with villains, you will find it difficult to diffpoffefs yourself from the contract, which is our cafe.

Mof. The head of poor Charles the First fpeaks to this point.

Luth. Oliver Cromwel, that prefbyterian fanatic, confirms it in the English monarchy, and we may trace them wherever their power extends.

Mof. I will now declare my most inward fentiments all I am poffeffed of has iffued from the benevolent boasts of chriftians, both catholics and, proteftants, and to many of my ancestors; I fhould be the bafeft of men did I not acknowledge this truth. I have been educated, perhaps, in a more liberal school than many others, which has taught me, that gratitude to benefactors is one of the most effential duties of the human fpecies; and could I be inftrumental to the happiness of my fellowcreatures, no man would fhare more in this general bleffing than a poor defpifed Jew. My lot is, O my God. Mofes weeps and strikes Luth.

his breast.

Luth. Why do you weep?

Mof. At the miferies that attend us. Luth. From whence doth the diftreffes of the mind take its fource?

Mof. From education, pride and luft; we examine our neighbour, but will not fcrutinize ourselves.

Luth. I am a chriftian proteftant, but why I prefer it I cannot know. In my education I am inftructed the original church founded by Jefus Chrift became an adultrefs and was caft off by Jefus Chrift; but the merits of the charge I never knew. She is charged with many idolatrous and diabolical principles, &c. themselves are in the dark, and them alfo who conjecture fuch charges. The protestants charge them with placing the image of our Lord and his apoftles and other faints in their churches, and paying a refpect to them.

We Lutherans, church of England and other chriftians, Calvinifts excepted, have our images, pictures, and whatever may excite love and devotion to our amiable and good God and his fervants alfo; they pay no other respect to images and pictures than to the Bible and other books of religion. We do the fame. I will grant that amongst us converfant with prefbyterians, and that never looked into our religion, nor the advantage of travelling, imbibe their diabolical tenets, stuffed with their unnatural councils; and, though not defignedly, yet, through cuftom, fuck in the poison, and become one mafs with thofe they pity or def pife; for, were you to tell them their prin

B 3

ciples

ciples are Calvinifm, they would immediately confider it as an infult on their judgment, knowing the principles of a Calvinift or pref byterian are oppofite to monarchy, order, and due fubordination effentially and abfolutely. requifite and neceffary to a civilized state or community. Thefe fanatics make no fcruple of charging the church of England and others of the Lutheran communion with the appellation of Baftard Papist, idolatrous and heathenish conventicles, and many atrocious calumnies; and this to draw the community at large to their intereft, and place the power of the ftates in their hands.

Calv. I have been embowelled and tortured in a moft cruel engagement for upwards of half an hour; but am refreshed.

Mof. Rehearses to Calvin what paffed in his abfence. Luther rehearses.

Calv. You are not fo bold and rancorous as to place the Father of Spirit and the Bulwark of Reformation under the tuition of old Arius, an old condemned heretic. You may with equal propriety place him in the fchool of the Iconoclaft and other condemned heretics, which we as heartily deteft as the papift.

Luth. Calvinifm is no more than a revival of Arianifm, which does honour to your church, given her a rank of priority, up to the year 300, whose apostle Arius, champion in the cause of reformation in the first age, and establishment of popery, ftood up against their first general council of Nice. Entering his protest against the popish council and divinity of Chrift, he died a martyr

a martyr to his caufe, his entrails or bowels falling out of his fundament, as Judas is mentioned in the Acts, who, in the fame cause, fuffered nearly a fimilar martyrdom, his bowels gufhing out. This grand effort of Arius and the reformation against the commencement and bringing in of popery. For it is upon this tenet our proteftant religion is founded, that in 300 years after Chrift, whole Christendom changed into popery. This is the faith of our reformation. Taking this for granted, you Calvinists have great merit; it is allowed by all that the reign of the Arians was the most formidable and lafting againft popery, computed at 400 years, upon the heel of which you made another ftrong fort against the images called the Iconoclaft Herefy, which was formidable, and continued 120 years; and many other hard battles, in different ages, you have rifqued against popery. In our prefent conteft we place you as our body-guard and weapon of violence or flaming fword that guarded paradife.

Calv. I am tortured with excruciating pain and muft retire.. Returns to the privy. Mof. Poor Calvin; he looks ghaftly..

Luth. You must know it is an effential article which in their fpiritual warfare never to overpower or stifle the rule of the fpirit. To keep up this liberty of fpirit, when they find the flesh turbulent and refractory, to difpel these mifts they with an impetuous zeal glut the carnal man, to restore vigour and harmony to the fpiritual man; he was roused throngh this zeal, at dinner, beB 4

ing

ing from Scotland, at a haggefs made of boar's entrails, which conflict I thought would have been of a very alarming nature; it is happy the matter operates medicinally, and will terminate in a long feries of health.

Mof. By this Calvinian tenet you don't mean that they hold it lawful to offend against the commandments or any other wickednefs.

Luth. The firm they place their tenet on, there is no created fin, confequently all things pure and lawful, and requifite, when oppreffive, to be allayed. This is the medicine nature has pointed out to invigorate and renew the inward man; for, though in fleshly tabernacles, yet, not fleshly but fpiritually, as the lives of angels.

Mof. I do not understand that a beast can be an angel.

Luib. They pride themfelves upon their new. SION, mentioned in the Revelations.

Mof. Which Spiritualift's, Wickedness?

Luth. That fhall be difcuffed at our next. I am as a person on travel, cut and devoured by mad cats. Help, help, help. I faint. Oh, difpatch-Quick-it's all over.

Mof. What is all this? I am stifled with the abominable fwine ftench that iffues from these enormous gluttons. I am filled with what I never eat, and this in its excremental and putrid ftate. Take him hence, or I fhall never recover my breath. I also faint. Remove me into the air. Mofes faints. In this plight the firft day's conference was ended.

Meffrs.