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effect, is bequeathed only as a celestial gift to the virgins of Sion, of which I have the honour to be not as a member only, but a fetter forth of the word alfo, being one of their elders for upwards of forty years; my venerable afpect declares the greatnefs of my calling.

Luth. If a venerable face and corpulent body declares our nobility, old age and long labour in the vineyard, hard-treading the wine-prefs, exemplifying and analyfing the holy books; if this and numberlefs feats through a long feries of pilgrimage will entitle virginity, I am not a whit behind, but have every claim with yourself.

Calv. I have repeatedly refuted your claim. Luth. You truly inherit, with your whole flock, goat like, the implacable, uncharitable, difgufting, and in every degree diabolical fpirit as I have often repeated of your old father; he wrestled with his Saviour, the mighty Luther and you, with great Newton, who, as you wifely obferved, laboured and fweated for 20 years to establish; the whole reformation on the ruins of popery, to make virgins of himself, though an old veteran in the wars of Venus, and the whole proteftant world; his charity was so vehement that he feeked into paft ages to loofen the bonds of many fhoals of Calvinifts and other condemned heretics, and bring them into this haven of tranquility and virgin ftate; yet you dare fhut the door and put out this great benefactor of Calvinifm, and his pious flock amongst Jews and papifts.

Mof. Poor Luther has loft his birthright and turned out amongst heathens and publicans, a wretched crew!

Calv. In fcripture we find but one Efau, the type of Luther, who ftands alone, I mean in name, as Efau.

Mof. And birthright?

Luth. Undutiful and reprobate children. Calv. You, as Luther, affume an authority you are not entitled to; mark the fcripture fimili tude, Ifaac was father to Jacob and Efau. Efau, being a brother, could claim no paternal jurif diction; fo that claiming the birthright was no breach of duty to his father, but a matter of equality, and, as twin brothers, made it his own by joint confent, and confirmed by purchafe to him and his heirs for ever; to which was annexed the bleffing that there may be ho feparation or divifion but a fullness to him that will be full, and total exclufion to the lukewarm and his posterity.

Mof. Efau and Jacob were twin-brothers, iffue of one father and one mother, which bears no anology to Luther and Calvin; one a German, the other a Frenchman, and no ways related but in wickedness.

Luth. In the reformation we are brethren or a fpiritual brotherhood, tied together as a bunch of fweet perfumes.

Calv. Efau and Jacob were twins, according to the course of nature; Luther and Calvin, according as was foretold by the old fcriptures, by the fpirit; fo that they were as the new covenant, twin-brothers by the fpiritual lineage,

as

as our new fcripture takes notice of Melchifedech, without father, without mother, without genealogy. That is a fpiritual birth; but when Luther, in imitation of Efau, or the fallen angels, rendered himself obnoxious and odious in the fight of heaven, his fpiritual or new man, forgetful of himfelf, interfered, fwine, or cow like, wallowing in ftench, copartner with the animal, or old man, his birthright was transferred to Calvin and his pofterity, who are daily inhabiting new Sion, with delicious fruits of the moft fweet odour.

Mof. Ifrael knows of no fcriptures that speak either of Luther, Calvin, or of your pretended reformation, either at large, or in part, in the fixteenth century.

Luth. You cannot deny the expectation of the Meffiah by Ifrael, according to your prophecies, when Chrift appeared.

Calv. Our common father Abraham, from whom we derive our pedigree, you in a carnal and us Calvinifts in a fpiritual lineage, give teftimony to our adoption by a fuperior and fpiritual birth, by paying tithes; and Livy, the father of your carnal priesthood, who received tithes of his brethren, paid tithes in Abraham, to our ancestor and type, Melchifedech.

Mof. Ifrael acknowledges that according to their fcripture prophecies, the time of expectation was accomplished for their Meffiah at the time Chrift appeared; but why he did not ma nifeft himself they know not, but wait the good pleasure of their God; but this they af

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fert,

fert, that your reformation, either in whole, or in part, is no where taken notice of either by our fcriptures, or what you call yours; fo that you are utterly excluded by both. If the new be the fulfilling and accomplishment of the old, which, according to the chriftian faith, in their fcripture, and yours, if you allow yourselves to be chriftians (but your tenets prove you not) are the laft words of Chrift when he was expiring. All this is confummated. The conclufion is this: if the Jewish covenant ended and was perfected in the new by Jefus Chrift, there can be no adding or taking away from what is perfect. Our prophecies are equally full, without diftinction, dividing or feparation, to Chrift and his church; the obftacle that feparates the Jew from the chriftian is the perfon of the Meffiah; remove this, we would feek no further; what the Almighty pronounces perfect; he must be a vile reptile, mifcreant, obnoxious and bane of fociety. Thefe peft, what title can be given them, who spatter their poifon wherever they are permitted to open their blafphemous throats, fpurting and vomitting into the hearts of poor filly women and children impieties and contradictions, clipping and feparating the fcriptures, changing and obliging the letter to speak what their ins fefted fpirits are intoxicated with.

Luth. Thefe are the words proceding from a good fpirit, and we hope foon to fee it verified that the fpirit will leave nothing imperfect, that it has taken in hand to perfect. We fhall look upon your converfion as the greatest

work

work of our miniftry and labours in the Lord's vineyard.

Calv. I proved to you, in the time of the apoftles, chriftianity was, as might be faid, in its infancy or leading-ftrings, in the time of the Jews, in the womb; but by Calvinifm the perfect man Luther ufhered the youth, when Calvin made him the perfect man, I mean a ftate of perfection. :

Mof. You have proved yourselves ideots and knaves; ideots, in facrificing happiness for mifery, prefenting yourfelves to the eyes of honeft, and whoever are not in your plot or knot, illegitimate, ignominious, and depraved race; and knaves, knowing yourselves a fpurious and counterfeit breed; yet ufe every means and contrivance in your power to perfuade all who are fo ill informed not to fee into your wicked defigns and poverty of birth. This to me is as great a mystery as any our reformation has produced.

Luth. Luther, our pious ancestor, used his fatherly, perfuafive, and mild correction, to bring Calvin and his adherents to a proper fenfe of their duty, but claim a lad their leader, being incorrigible and obdurate, would not comply with the mild remonftrance of the meekeft of parents; but perfifting in his stubborn and crafty peftilence, became, with his abettors, enemies to the fpiritual christendom, that our gracious progenitor was fo anxious to eftablish, upon a permanent and lafting foundation; this produced a grief which ended with his life, and obliged the meekeft of men