The defence of the nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of the matter…

§ 4. I perceive by your mistaking Inferences, that you understood not my distinction of Private and Public, and thought I had meant Secret, or Open, or before Few or Many: Whereas I speak in the sense that these words are commonly used in Politics, e. g. When they distinguish Index publicus & privatus, Res publicae & privatae, Actions publicae & privatae, &c. Public is that which either belongeth to the Society, or a Public ⟨p. 44⟩Officer as such: As a mere Subject is Homo privatus, so his Actions and Affairs, merely as his, are private: The Aerarium of the Commonwealth though kept secretly is the public Treasure. The judgment of a public Judge, when few are present in his Chamber, is Judicium publicum; and the judgment of a mere Arbitrator before thousands, is Judicium privatum: A private Man's arbitrary Words or Actions in Westminster-Hall at the Bar, are Actions privatae.

§ 4. I perceive by your mistaking Inferences, that you understood not my distinction of Private and Publick, and thought I had meant Secret, or Open, or before Few or Many: Whereas I speak in the sense that these words are commonly used in Politicks, e. g. When they distinguish Index publicus & privatus, Res publicae & privatae, Actiones publicae & privatae, &c. Publick is that which either belongeth to the Society, or a Publick ⟨p. 44⟩Officer as such: As a meer Subject is Homo privatus, so his Actions and Affairs, meerly as his, are private: The Aerarium of the Commonwealth though kept secretly is the publick Treasure. The judgment of a publick Judge, when few are present in his Chamber, is Iudicium publicum; and the judgment of a meer Arbitrator before thousands, is Iudicium privatum: A private Man's arbitrary Words or Actions in Westminster-Hall at the Bar, are Actiones privatae.

§ 5. I have more reverence for the Ancient Christians, than to be a bold condemner of all their Actions, which I wish they had not done (and had they foreseen the Consequents, they would not have done). And I must, Fide humanâ, give some credit to those ancient Writers, specially such as Augustine, who tells us of Miracles adjoined to some use of the Cross: And considering how they used it, I find it was (when those things were done) as a private arbitrary professing Sign, such as it would have been to say by words [I am a Christian,] or [I trust in Christ,] or [I am not ashamed of a Crucified Saviour.] And if when one asked them of their Faith, or derided them for trusting in a Crucified Man, they answered by crossing, I judge them not for so doing: The occasions and Persons might excuse such a private professing Action. But if they would turn this into a public Church-Ordinance by a Law, and into a Humane Sacrament of the Covenant of Grace, requiring all to receive it as the common Badge of Christianity; I reproach not the approvers, but I dare not approve it, or so use it.