Letter I answered the Objections of your laft, but one; but in your last Letter you took no notice of my Answer, but only acknowledged the Receipt of it, which difcourages me from writing any more to you; and I pray you your felf to judge, if I had not reafon to expect from your Ladyship an account of what effect my Anfwer to one of your Objections especially had upon you; I mean that which you faid gave you the first Offence against the Church of England. Pray, Madam, be pleased to write your mind plainly to me, and you'll thereby very much oblige.

Your Ladyship's

moft obedient Servant

Geo. Hickes.

October 9. 1708.

SIR,

I

Have the Favour of yours with the Book, for which I return you my Thanks, notwithstanding I had one of the fame long fince by me, and made use of it as an Argument to convince Gainfayers; but pardon me if I tell you their Reply viz. that in Thort it was nothing but a bundle of Lies: However, I am otherwife fatisfied of the Truth of a great part of it, and am the more confirm'd by your good Opinion of it: And your prevalent Arguments in your former Letter, to which I thought I had given fo fatisfactory an Anfwer, as had left you no room to doubt of my continuance in the Communion of the Church of England; but if that were defective, I here will let· you know I received the Holy Communion in this our Church of England laft Sunday, which, I hope, will confirm you that I am still a Member of it: Which, if a Bleffing, I acknowledge it in a great measure

measure owing to you, and shall always think my felf happy in your good Correfpondence, which I beg a continuance of, and by which you will oblige

Tour Friend and Servant,

St. Andrew. 1708.

MADAM,

I

Have not been in good Health since I received your Ladyship's Letter of October the 9th, and for the last Month have been very ill of a Feaver and Strangury, and am not yet well able to write with my own Hand. In your Letter you tell me, that the Gainfayers reply, that the little Book I fent you is a bundle of Lies, which yet they have not prov'd, tho' the Book hath been published almost these Thirty Years. Their faying that it is a bundle of Lies, is, in my Judgment, a Prefumption that they think it not capable of a fair and fatisfactory Answer.

Your Ladyfhip knows I have dealt with you as becomes me, with great Plainnefs and Sincerity, therefore you must give me leave to tell you, that your last Letter hath not given me the fatisfaction I defire, of your continuance in the Communion of the Church of England. Because the Gainfayers, with whom you converse, think theirs the true Church of England, and therefore your faying that you

received the Holy Communion in this our Church of England laft Sunday, may have a double Sense, especially when I confider your following words: Which, if a Bleffing, I acknowledge it in a great meafure owing to you. Which laft words are alfo of doubtful fignification to me, who have known 'fome, and have heard of others converted to the Church of Rome, who are wont to say they ow'd the bleffing of their Converfion (as they call'd it) to fuch and fuch Minifters of the Church of EngLand, from whom they could not receive fatisfaction.

Where

Wherefore it had been much more fatisfactory to me, if your Ladyfhip had faid, I received the Holy Communion in our Parish Church, of

our

Parish Minifter, laft Sunday; for which Blessing I acknowledge my felf in a great measure, under God, obliged to you. If your Ladyship please to affure me, that, by the Grace of God, you ftill continue in the Faith and Communion of the Reform'd Church of England, as by Law establish'd fince the Reformation; and that you neither are, nor are refolv'd to be reconciled to the Church of Rome, it will be perfect Satisfaction, and a great Comfort to

1

Tour Ladyfhip's most faithful

and obedient Servant

Geo. Hickes.

6

A RE

A

REPLY

TO THE

PAPER

INSCRIBED,

That the Doctrines declared, &c. in AnSwer to fome Paffages in Dr. George Hickes's Book

T

a

HE Paffages of Dr. Hickes's Book, to which the first Part of this Paper pretends to be an Answer, are contained in four Leaves of it, from p. 188 to p. 197. And to fhew the Sophiftry of this pretended Answer to them, it will be expedient to obferve the feveral fenfes of the word FAITH, which hath a General, Special, and moft Special Signification. In the general fignification it is taken for all Divine Revelations, or all Verities, be they Doctrines or Facts, which

• Entituled, Several Letters which passed between Dr. George Hickes and a Popifh Priest. London, Printed for Richard Sare at Grays-Inn-Gate in Holbourn 1705.

are

are to be believed, because they are revealed. But in the fpecial fignification it is taken only for those Verities of Doctrine, or Fact, which are revealed, because they are to be believed. We are to be lieve the first fort of Verities, when we happen to know them, or upon fuppofition that we know them to be revealed; but we are bound to know and learn the latter, that we may believe them, and therefore they are neceffarily to be taught and proposed to the Belief of Chriftians, and to be profeffed by them, which the other are not. A Christian may be fafely ignorant of the first fort of Revelations, and after he knows them is not bound to remember them, but he must not be ignorant of the Second fort, because he cannot be a Chriftian till he knows them and professes them; and he is bound to profefs them, and by confequence to remember them all the Days of his Life. In fhort, the first fort of Revelations are not fimply and abfolutely neceffary to be believed, nor fufficient for Salvation to them, who believe them; but the latter are fimply and abfolutely to be believed, and fufficient for Salvation to all those who truly believe and practise them; and in truth are meant by that Faith which St. Jude faith was once deliver'd to the Saints. Now thefe revealed Do&trines or Traditions of the latter fort, which are neceffary to be believed, and fufficient for Salvation to all thofe, who truly believe and practise them, are Twofold, as the words Believe and Pra&ife import, Speculative and Practical. By Speculative I mean fuch as are called the Credenda of the Chriftian Religion, as being Points of mere Belief, of which the Creed, commonly called the Apoftle's Creed is a fufficient Summary. By Practical, I mean fuch as are called the Agenda of the Chriftian Religion, which are to be practifed as well as believed, as consisting of Divine Precepts for Ritual, or Moral Obedience; but of these practical re