curing them in their Rights, and Properties, and Liberty of Confcience, and the Sufpenfion of all Penal Laws against them, which we have, thro' the Goodness of God, and the Favour of the Government, thus far enjoy'd; and for which you, and fome others of your Spirit, are still declaiming against us as Schifmaticks.

This is the fhort and true Account of the Cafe, which I could not well put in fewer Words, but might eafily have enlarg'd; and from which I conclude,

1. That it is an Argument of a great Stupidity, or Bigottry, not to fee from what Fountain all the Troubles, Perfecutions and Schifms, that have for thefe Hundred years and more fo harraffed the Churches in thefe Kingdoms, have iffued, and at whofe Doors the guilt muft be laid..

2. That Non-conformity is no fuch Unreafonable, nor Contemptible Thing, as you would reprefent it to be; in which the moft Pious, and moft ufeful and Learned Part of the Nation have from the beginning been engag'd,

3. That the Old Puritans were another fort of People than you, and fome others have maliciously represented them to be; that is, fuch as have been opprobriously fo called.

4. How improper and ineffectual a Course Perfecution is to reclaim Men from the real Sentiments of their own Confciences; or to convert them to the Party that Perfecutes them; and how little reafon you have to plead for it, or to vindicate it, pray read Mr. Lock's Three Letters of Toleration. 5. What a piece of Non-fenfe it is to blame us for ufing the Liberty which is the fruit of fo much Prayer and Patience, when it is graciously allowed

6. Whether your damning us for Schifmaticks on this account, be not a Reflection on the Wisdom

and

and Integrity of the Government that hath granted This Liberty to us?

p. 12.

But it is now time to return to your Preface. VIII. You charge me with giving you an intimation, that fince fo much favour hath been fhewn us by the Government, our minds are more alienated from you than ever; which, you fay, is a very perverse use of the Act of Indulgence, for that was made to unite the Proteftant Subjects in affection, and for which you refer to my p. 31, 32. which if any. Indifferent Reader will be at the pains to perufe, he will find how perverse a Use you have made of my Words. The

alienating of our minds from you, was Difc. p. 88. your own Complaint, and which you

.

there propos'd to our Enquiry, because of our feting up Oppofite Churches and Officers, and joyning with them. To this we reply'd, That the Separate Churches we now commonly frequent, are not fet up in Oppofition to yours, but by a neceffity which your Obftinate uncharitableness hath brought us under. Could we have enjoy'd those Gofpel-Priviledges, which our Dearest Saviour hath by his precious Blood purchas'd for us, and by his Laft Will and Teftament bequeath'd to us, we had never forfaken you; but now, if the more we come to understand the wrong you have done us, the more our minds are alienated from you, you must thank your felves for that. Who but you would by this have pretended to understand an alienation in Affection, which is the Duty we owe and own to all Men in General, but particularly to all Chriftians, and much more to Proteftants, which is only an alienation in thofe Acts of Church-Communion with you, on the Terms on which 'tis offer'd us and which is the matter in Controverfy betwixt us? But if there be an alienation in Affection, contrary

"

to

to the Design of the Act of Indulgence, 'tis wholly on your own fide.

p. 13.

IX. Another thing that is very remarkable in your Preface is, the wonderful Confidence you have, that We are out of the Way. You fay, you know it, and you know that we are in danger. Great, no doubt is your Knowledge, tho' it will hardly amount to Demonstration, no not to Probability to any but those of your own Party and Perfwafion: And fhould I tell you, that I know you are herein mistaken, the Argument will be all as good on our fide. You know (you fay) that we are out of the Way, that is, out of your Way; and this we know as well as you. You know that we are in danger, that is, of your Difpleasure, and the Effects of it, as far as you can reach us, and this alfo we have known to our forrow, well nigh thefe Forty years. But you would now refcue us from the Danger, that is, you would Profelite us to your Party, and perfwade us to proftituté our Confciences to your Impofitions, and if not, tho' you can't for the prefent perfecute us here, you will cut us off. from Chrift, and damn us to Eternity, and this (you fay) is the Charity you have for us. But here I

muft do you the right to acknowledge, that in the fame Paragraph where you fay, you know that you tell us the Truth, you explain your felf with an, or what you take to be fo; fo that by your own Confeffion, your Knowing is but your Taking, as indeed I always take it to be..

Lastly, Your Conclufion is a piece of very good practical Advice which you borrowed from Mr. Baxter, whom I fee you can fometimes fet on our fide, and under the fame Condemnation with us; and fometimes on your own fide, when you can pick up any thing from him to throw at our Heads, tho never fo unjustly, or contrary to his plain

meaning.

meaning. However the good Counsel that is there given in the General, we accept, and heartily embrace, and hope that you have not been at the pains to transcribe it for our fakes only, but for your own

too.

Sir, Having thus far attended you in your Preface, which gives us the first Specimen of the Ingenuity of your Following Difcourfe, and finding the reft to be ejufdem farina, of the fame Complexion, I fhall not concern my felf to wipe off every little Spot of Dirt, which with fuch an haughty fcorn and impotent Spite, you caft at me, left I fhould feem too much like you, or to fet up for the Art of Scolding; but fhall diligently attend your Arguments, and examine the strength of 'em, leaving the other Stuff to fuch as have a mind to practice at Billingsgate to entertain by-ftanders..

You complain, that I did not in my Letter quote your Pages, which I thought not fo very neceflary, while I follow'd you as your fhadow, by Sections and Paragraphs throughout your Book, and did not ftart here and there, forward and backward with you, as you have pleas'd to do with me. Wherefore this great Fault fhall now be very carefully corrected. And fo much for your Preface.

THE

The Author being at a great Diftance from the Prefs had ⚫ not the Opportunity of Correcting the Errata of it, amongft others the Reader is defired to Correct with his Pen these, and to excufe the lighter.

r.

Reface, Page XII. line 2. for them read you. p.5. line 26. for Sedes read Sodes. p. 8. 1. 21.. Effected. p. 11. 1. 11. T. left in the Dark. 14. 1. 21. add acquiefce in. p. 21. 1. 26. r. Hands. p. 25. 1. 13. r. much. p. 26. 1. 28. r. thinking. p.27. 1. 34. r. Word. p.38. 1. ult. r. tenuente. p. 41. 1.2. r. Culpable. P. 42. 1. 37. r. on. p. 44. 8. r. Kingdom. p. 59. 1. penult. r. Eximious. p. 80.1. 4. repeat. p. 83. 1. 12. r. Solos. ibid. 1. 36. r. manuum. p. 84. 13. for ipfam r. ipfam Ordinem. p. 90. 1. 34. r. Exegetical p. 97. 1. 20 r. Virum. p. idem 1. 17. r. Vacaret. p.98. 1.1. r. Prefidence. p.idem 1.35. r. ouve gevldt. p. idem 1. ult for 789 r. 631. p. 100l. 4. r.are. p. 112. 1. 25. dele of the Dignified ones. p. 114. 1.4.dele of. p.132.1. 36. r. Novatu. p. 146.1. 7, & 8. for of the greater part 1. of a great part. it has no de deserved correcting