Certain disputations of right to sacraments, and the true nature of visible Christianity defending…

Answ. It is one thing to scorn or persecute a Godly man, and another to scorn at Godliness: Or, it is one thing to persecute and scorn a man as he is Godly, directly on that account, and another thing to scorn and persecute him for something else; as upon some personal falling out, or for some sin, or false opinion, or the like cause. The later can be no certain discovery of an Ungodly man.

Quest. 12. But what if they deride and persecute Godliness it self, or a man because he is Godly?

Answ. It is certainly a heinous sin: But we must distinguish between the deriding of a man for the Essentials of Christianity, or for Godliness, as such; and deriding him for some doctrine or practice of Godliness, which is not essential: also between a known Truth and Duty, and an unknown. It is too possible ⟨p. 333⟩for a Godly man to persecute and deride the Godly for some Truths which he took to be Errors, or some Duties which he mistook to be Sins, or to be no Duties; or for the manner of some Duties which he took to be wrong. Alas I how common is it for the Separatists and Anabaptists (many of them) to deride our Ministry, Assembles and Duties: and many among us to deride theirs? And they are the bitterest taunts and persecutions that come from blind zeal. These times have by sad experience convinced us, that men seeming otherwise Godly may both scorn (in press and pulpit) persecute and kill each other. As one Godly man may persecute another for some Truths and Duties, which he knows not to be such; so in particular, it is possible that such may imagine that private Meetings tend to schism or proud singularity, and so may deride them: Or he may by strangeness to them entertain some false report of the stricter Professors of Religion, as if they were proud, humorous, schismatics, disobedient, and differed only in these things, and not in true piety from others. And I believe I have known some in former times that were such; who had such thoughts as these of all the Godly that were not conformable, and of others that used any private Meetings, living where they had little acquaintance with any of them, save two or three that by scandals increased their prejudice, and hearing no better language of them, these persons would reproach them as bitterly as most that ever I heard, and yet themselves lived not only uprightly to men, but so piously, that they seemed to hate all profaneness, and spent more time in secret prayer and reading, then most I have known. It is not therefore all scorn or persecution of Godly persons, Doctrines, or Duties that will prove a man to be Notoriously Graceless or Ungodly.