A defence of the principles of love, which are necessary to the unity and…

2. If a humble Physician may put a probatum to his Receipt, and say I have much experience of this or that; I pray you why may not a humble Minister tell England, that I (and you) have had experience of the hurt of divisions, and of the healing uniting power of Love? Did all the Independent Churchmembers whose Experiences are printed in a book, take Experience to be a word of pride.

2. If a humble Physitian may put a probatum to his Receipt, and say I have much experience of this or that; I pray you why may not a humble Minister tell England, that I (and you) have had experience of the hurt of divisions, and of the healing uniting power of Love? Did all the Independent Churchmembers whose Experiences are printed in a book, take Experience to be a word of pride.

3. And is it pride to thank the World for their Civilities to me, in mixing commendations, which I disown, with their censures? What! to confess the remnants of ⟨p. 22⟩their moderation (notorious in matter of fact, the truth of which you durst not deny) in the midst of their many false censures and calumnies.

3. And is it pride to thank the World for their Civilities to me, in mixing comm•ndations, which I disown, with their censures? What! to confess the remnants of ⟨p. 22⟩their moderation (notorious in matter of fact, the truth of which you durst not deny) in the midst of their many false censures and calumnies.

4. Or to tell you how unable I have •ound back-biters, to prove their accusations in doctrinals to my face? 5. Or to tell you, that some (even Independents) persuaded me, when I was silenced to write sermons for some of the weaker Conformists (such as are too many youths from the University) to preach? Where lieth the pride of these expressions? Is it in supposing that there are any Conformists weaker than my self? Whether, think you, this brother or I, think meanlier of them? Or set our selves at the greater distance from them? 6. When I plead against charging forms with [Idolatry] I say, that for my self [it is twenty times harder to me to remember a form of words, than to express what is in my mind without them.] If this be not true, why did you not question the truth of it? If it be, why is it pride to utter it, as a proof that I plead for Love, and not for my own interest? Is it pride to confess so openly the weakness of my memory? I never learnt a Sermon without book in my life: I think I could not learn an hours speech, sufficiently to utter the very words by memory in a fortnights time. And is it pride for a man to say that he can easier speak what is in his mind? Truly brother, I was so far from intending it as a boast, that I meant it as a