An account of all the proceedings of the commissioners of both persuasions appointedAn accompt of all the proceedings of the commissioners of both persvvasions appointed

If the furnace that should have refined us, and purified us all to a greater height of love, have but inflamed us to greater wrath, woe to us, and to the Land that beareth us. What doleful things doth this prognosticate you, that Prisons, or other penalties, will not change mens Judgements: And if it drive some to comply against their Consciences, and destroy their Souls, and drive the more conscientious out of the Land, or destroy their bodies, and breed in mens minds a rooted opinion, that Bishops that are still hurting and afflicting them, (even for the things in which they exercise the best of their understanding, and cautiously to avoid sin against God) are no Fathers, Friends or Edifiers, but Destroyers; alas! who will have the gain of this? O let us no more bite and devour one another, lest we be devoured one of another, Gal. 5. 15. or Christ be provoked to decide the Controversy more sharply then we desire or expect. 4. But really, hath liberty to forbear the Liturgy produced such divisions as you mention? The licence or connivance that was granted to Heretics, Apostates, and foul-mouthed railers against the Scripture, Ministry, and all Gods Ordinances, indeed bred confusions in the Land; but it is to us matter of admiration to observe (clean contrary to your intimation) how ⟨p. 9⟩little discord there was in Prayer, and other parts of Worship among all the Churches throughout the three Nations, that agreed in Doctrine, and that forbore the Liturgy. It is wonderful to us in the review to consider, with what love, and peace, and concord, they all spoke the same things that were tied to no Form of words, even those that differed in some points of Discipline, even to a with-drawing from local Communion with us, yet strangely agreed with us in Worship. And where have there been less Heresies, Schisms, then in Scotland, where there was no such Liturgy to unite them? If you tell us of those that differ from us in Doctrine, and are not of us, it is as impertinent to the point of our own agreement in Worship, as to tell us of the Papists.

If the furnace that should have refined us, and purified us all to a greater height of love, have but enflamed us to greater wrath, wo to us, and to the Land that beareth us. What doleful things doth this prognosticate you, that Prisons, or other penalties, will not change mens Judgements: And if it drive some to comply against their Consciences, and destroy their Souls, and drive the more conscientious out of the Land, or destroy their bodies, and breed in mens mindes a rooted opinion, that Bishops that are still hurting and afflicting them, (even for the things in which they exercise the best of their understanding, and cautelously to avoid sin against God) are no Fathers, Friends or Edifiers, but Destroyers; alas! who will have the gain of this? O let us no more bite and devour one another, lest we be devoured one of another,