Reader, when the last sheet of the foregoing Paper was Printed, I received these Twelve Arguments, famed to be Dr. John Owen's: Whether Fame truly or falsely father them, I know not: It is the Cause that I am concerned in. After Three and Twenty years practice since the Bishops return, I was by Accusations, called to give the Reasons of my Practice, which yet I had often done in part before. They said, That my communicating in the Parish-Churches, even when my self and others were maliciously persecuted by a sort of proud and worldly Clergy-men, did more harm than ever I did good: Tho I am bound with meekness to •ender them a Reason of my practice; I have found by experience, that neither side can bear the account which they call for. Some wise and good men will blame me for making our differences to be so much known, especially for remembering old miscarriages: I obey my Conscience: All these things are commonly known already; and we hear sharply of them from God and Man, because Men hear not our Repentance, but our Justification: Had we conf•st, God is faithful to forgive. Impenitence threatens our yet greater suffering. When we give glory to God, and take shame to our selves, our hopes will revive. Nothing bringeth so much scandal, and armeth Enemies against us, as owning sin, or hiding it. I durst no longer see Thousands of good Christians misguided into mistakes, and like to be ruined for them, and hereby hardening their Persecutors, rejoicing the Papists, who join with them in Separation, reducing the Protestant Religion into corners, and giving it up as public to—we may know whom; censuring one another, and dividing on these mistakes, and fathering all this on God: I say, I durst not stand by in silence to see all this, no more than to see men drowning, or the City on fire, without endeavouring to save men. It is an exceeding great quiet to my Conscience, under all the Confusions and Divisions that have befallen us, that in 1660, and 1661. I plainly and earnestly foretold the King and Bishops of them, and did my best to have prevented them.
REader, when the last sheet of the foregoing Paper was Printed, I received these Twelve Arguments, famed to be Dr. John Owen's: Whether Fame truly or falsly father them, I know not: It is the Cause that I am concerned in. After Three and Twenty years practice since the Bishops return, I was by Accusations, called to give the Reasons of my Practice, which yet I had often done in part before. They said, That my communicating in the Parish-Churches, even when my self and others were maliciously persecuted by a sort of proud and worldly Clergy-men, did more harm than ever I did good: Tho I am bound with meekness to •ender them a Reason of my practice; I have found by experience, that neither side can bear the account which they call for. Some wise and good men will blame me for making our differences to be so much known, especially for remembring old miscarriages: I obey my Conscience: All these things are commonly known already; and we hear sharply of them from God and Man, because Men hear not our Repentance, but our Iustification: Had we conf•st, God is faithful to forgive. Impenitence threatens our yet greater suffering. When we give glory to God, and take shame to our selves, our hopes will revive. Nothing bringeth so much scandal, and armeth Enemies against us, as owning sin, or hiding it. I durst no longer see Thousands of good Christians misguided into mistakes, and like to be ruined for them, and hereby hardening their Persecutors, rejoycing the Papists, who joyn with them in Separation, reducing the Protestant Religion into corners, and giving it up as publick to—we may know whom; censuring one another, and dividing on these mistakes, and fathering all this on God: I say, I durst not stand by in silence to see all this, no more than to see men drowning, or the City on fire, without endeavouring to save men. It is an exceeding great quiet to my Conscience, under all the Confusions and Divisions that have befall•n us, that in 1660, and 1661. I plainly and earnestly foretold the King and Bishops of them, and did my best to have prevented them.
