of Your Relations from Error, was my Defign; that therein I may be Successful, and thereby Contribute fomething to Your Satisfaction, in the midst of thofe many Temporal Bleffings, wherewith the Divine Providence hath furrounded You; and that all may be fucceeded by a Bleffed Immortality, is the Constant and Hearty Prayer of,

i

THE

PREFACE to the

READER.

T may contribute towards the better Understanding of the

Ifollowing Papers, to give a Brief Account of the Occafion

of this Controverfie, and how I came to be engaged in it; the Order wherein it was carried on, the Course I have taken in managing my Part of it; together with the Motives of its Publication, and the Reafon why it was no fooner.

1. As to the first, it may fuffice to acquaint the Reader, That a Popifh Gentleman having Marry'd the Daughter of a Proteftant without his Confent; when a Portion came to be Treated of, and the latter demanded the Education of the Children by his Daughter in the Proteftant Religion, the Popish Gentleman made a Challenge to bring a Friend (provided he might be safe from the Laws) to Debate any Point Controverted between us and them, not excepting Tranfubftantiation itself, with any Proteftant Divine that should be produced.

2. This being Communicated to me by the Proteftant Gentle man, I forthwith in a Letter acquainted our Right Reverend Diocefan with this Challenge, that he might nominate one to undertake it, in whofe Management he could Confide: Hoping be would have waved me as unfit for fuch an Undertaking, as on other Accounts, fo efpecially for a late contracted Weakness in my Sight, tho' otherwife my Station feemed to entitle me to that Burden. But his Lordship's Answer encouraging me to undertake it, provided it might be managed in Writing both to prevent Mifreprefentation, and the Difcouragement of a modest Difputant by a noify Adverfary, and that fome particular Subject should be agreed on beforehand, either Tranfubftantiation or Half-Communion: I acquainted the Gentleman that had made the Challenge with thefe Conditions, which were accepted, and Transubftantiation agreed on for our Subject. And together with this Answer he sent me T. B's Reafons about Education, which is

the

the firft Paper in the introduction, and in the close of which the Author undertakes to be the Champion.

3. Hereupon Feb. 1. 170. was Appointed for our first Meeting, with no more Witnesses than the two Gentlemen who had been the Occafion of it. There were first Read T. B's Reasons about Education, which is the firft Paper in the Introduction, and my Remarks in the fecond Paper: And afterwards my Arguments against Tranfubftantiation, which are in the first Pa per in the fecond Part, and then a Paper of his for it. After Reading, the Papers were mutually Subfcrib'a and Deliver'd to be Examin'd against our next Meeting. But before we parted T. B. came to me with the Popish Gentleman, defiring his Papers again to Copy out, and promifing to return them in three Days. Upon which promife I lent them, but hearing nothing from them in a Fortnight, I fent Feb. 15. for them; and at the return of my Meffenger, receiv'd that which is now Printed, the first Pa per in the first Part, but not the fame Paper T. B. had Read at our Meeting, which I never recover'd.

Having my Answer to this ready, the fecond Paper in the firft Part, I fent March 13. to defire a fecond Meeting: The Anfwer was, That T. B. was gone from Home, but had left fome Papers; which the Gentleman brought himself March 17. containing T. B's Teftimonies out of the Fathers, Paper 3. of the first Part; and his Answer to my Arguments, Paper 2. of the fecond Part.

Having drawn up a l'indication of the Fathers (Paper 4. Part 1.) and a Reply to T. B's Answer (Paper 3. Part 2.) I fent them by a Meffenger Sept. 4. who brought me T. B's Vindication of his firft Paper (Paper 5. Part 1.) And in this finding my felf charged with falfe Citations, I demanded that we might proceed according to our first Agreement, and propos'd a Meeting in Manchefter-Library, where Books might be produc'd, and that our Papers might be Read, and mutually Subfcrib'd and Deliver'd as at the first. The first of thefe Propofals was declin'd, but after much Tergiverfation, another Meeting was Confented to, where fhould be a Review of all our Papers before Two Proteftant and Two Popish Gentlemen; which with fome occafional verbal Debates, took up four Days, December 15, 16, and 27, 28. And there we agreed to Read our Papers in that Order, wherein I now Publish them.

4. ots

4. As to my Performance, I hope the Reader will not expect any thing new on a Subject, that hath been fo oft exhausted by the most able Writers. For if I Glean after the Great Ufher, Morton, Coufins, Tillotson and Stillingfleet, with others that defended our Caufe fo well in the Reign of K. James II. and apply their Obfervations to the Confutation of my Adverfary, I have attain'd my End, and answer'd (I doubt not) the Expe tations of my Friends. And yet this farther I affure him, that I have taken nothing upon the bare Credit of thofe Great Men, but have confulted the Original in all material Citations. In my firft Paper, befides the Tranflation in the Text, I tranfcrib'd the Original in the Margent: But finding my Adversary never gave bimfelf that Trouble, and he for whom we writ, not pretending much to the Learned Languages; I afterward contented my selfto give only a faithful Tranflation in English, unless where fomething remarkable in the Original required more. And fince, as 1Writ, fo I Publish for Use, and not for Oftentation, I have fent out my Papers without the Ornament of great Marginal Citations: Which are the lefs neceffary, becaufe the principal Teftimonies I make use of, are well known to the Learned of both fides;, who may at their Leifure compare them with the Originals.

5. But what can justify the Publication of thefe Papers, if they pretend to present the World with no new Difcoveries? Ianfwer- 1. It may be fome Service to let the World fee with what Affurance Papifts produce their formerly baffled and exploded Ar-guments, as if they had never Read any Answer to them (as many of them read only their own fide, and I am perfwaded my Adverfary, tho' he have read Mr. Arnaud, never read Mr. Claude) or thought them unanswerable.-2. They that enquire. only after new Books, may hence learn what they would not seek. for from former Writers, and better Hands. 3. The Boafts

the Adverfe Party hath contributed no little to this Publication; of whofe Triumphs, as if their Champion had been Victo... rious, I have receiv'd Information from feveral Parts, both of this and the Neighbouring County. To which add-4. That the Proteftant Gentleman being inclin'd in tenderness to his Daughter, to give a Portion upon fuitable Settlements, it is concluded, that unless the World fee the Arguments on botk”, fides, it will be infinuated as if his Condefcentions were the Ef

fects

fects of T. B's. Arguments, rather than (as in Truth they are) of natural Affection, and the Ladies Tears. Upon thefe Confi derations, I have refolv'd to Publicfh thefe Papers, which have made fome Noife in thefe Parts, and Many have defir'd to fee, too many, to be otherwife gratify'd than from the Prefs.

I must confefs there are fome large Digreffions, efpecially in the fixth Paper of the first Part; but I hope the Reader will obferve, that I was drawn into them by my Adverfary's Importu nity; who bath learnt of his Party to start up a new Hare, when the old One is almost run down; and who in his former Paper takes advantage of my waving his Digreffions, as if they were not only very Pertinent, but unanswerable Arguments.

6. It only remains, That I give fome Account, why thefe Papers came out no fooner, fince foon after our Meeting in December last, the Printing of them was refolv'à on. Thus then it was. My Papers being written with many Abbreviations, there was a neceffity of Tranfcribing them; and becaufe T. B. in a Poftfcript to one of his Papers excus'd his Hafte, I thought. it but fair to offer him the liberty of Tranfcribing his for the Prefs; which I did, allowing him to make any verbal Alterations, that should not alter the State of the Controverfy between us; a Condition I have strictly obferv'd my self in Tranfcribing mine. Upon this Offer, T. B. promis'd in a Letter to have his ready by Eafter, if I would stay fo long. That I agreed to, and fending in Eafter Week for them, his Answer was, that they were ready, and if I would allow him another Week to Review them, he would fend them. But at the end of that Week came a Letter from him with a Retractation of his former Promifes, and an abfolute Refusal of his Papers. This con/train'd me to delay a while longer, till I had got his Papers in my Hands Tranfcrib'd, in which all poffible Care hath been taken to do him no Wrong; apparent literal Overfights have been rectify'd, Abbrevi ations writ at large, and only fuch Words left unalter'd, as in his Papers he always Spells contrary to our common Ufage.

nay,

all

That God would Biefs thefe my fincere Endeavours for the fhewing of thofe, that are in Errour the Light of his Truth, to the end they may return into the way of Righteoufnefs, and for the refcueing of our Holy Religion from the Scandal of this Popish Doctrine, is the hearty Prayer of Henry Newcome.