And herein I must do you the Justice to acknowledge, that you speak like a Christian, like a Protestant, like an _Englishman_, and a reasonable Man; like a Man concerned for Truth, like a Man of Conscience; like a Man concern'd for the Consciences of others; like a Man concern'd to have some Sense, Learning, and Virtue in the World; and, in a word, like a Man who is not for abandoning all the valuable Things in Life to the Tyranny, Ambition, and Covetousness of Magistrates and Ecclesiasticks. But you observe, that "municipal Laws[30], how trivial soever in their intrinsick Value, are never to be _insulted_; never to be treated with _Buffoonery_ and _Banter_, _Ridicule_ and _Sarcastick Irony_. So that Dr. _Rogers_'s grand Adversary will have from you no measure of Encouragement to his manner of Writing." Again, you "never [31] desire to see the Magistrate fencing in the publick Religion with so thick a Hedge as shall exclude all Light, and shall tear out the Eyes of all such as endeavour to see thro' it. _Sober arguing_ you never fear: _Mockery_ and _bitter Railing_, if you could help it, you would never bear, either _for the Truth or against it_." Upon which I offer these following Considerations. I. _First_, If what you call _Insult_, _Buffoonery_, _Banter_, _Ridicule_ and _Irony_, _Mockery_ and _bitter Railing_, be Crimes in Disputation, you will find none more deeply involv'd in it than our most famous Writers, in their controversial Treatises about _serious_ Matters; as all Notions and Practices in Religion, whether reasonable or absurd, may be equally and justly deem'd: the Notions and Practices of Papists, Presbyterians, Quakers, and all other Sects, being no less _serious_ to their respective Sects than ridiculous to one another. Let any Man read the Writings of our most eminent Divines against the _Papists_, _Puritans_, _Dissenters_, and _Hereticks_, and against one another, and particularly the Writings of _Alexander Cook_, _Hales_, _Chillingworth_, _Patrick_, _Tillotson_, _Stillingfleet_, _Burnet_, _South_, _Hickes_, _Sherlock_ and _Edwards_, and he will find them to abound with _Banter_, _Ridicule_, and _Irony_. _Stillingfleet_ in particular, our greatest controversial Writer, who passes for _grave_ and _solemn_, is so conscious of his use thereof, that he confesses that Charge of the Papists against him, saying[32], "But I forget my Adversary's grave admonition, that I _would treat these Matters seriously, and lay aside Drollery_." And again, after a _Banter_ of near a Page, he says[33], "But I forget I am so near my Adversary's Conclusion, wherein he so _gravely_ advises me, that I _would be pleas'd for once to write Controversy, and not Play-Books_." Nor did I ever hear the Divines of the Church condemn the Doctor for his sarcastical Method of writing Controversy. On the contrary, I remember at the University, that he used to be applauded no less for his Wit than for his Learning. And to exalt