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

In mentioning this, these three things are my end. 1. To tell the world the judgement of these Ministers; who are misjudged by their actual forbearance of public Communion, that they take it for a thing unlawful: whereas they are thus accidentally hindered from it (Besides many other accidents not here to be mentioned, this before named is one.) 2. To show the Prelates who and what it is that hath hindered mens nearer Communion with them; And that while rigour and severity is trusted to as the only means to further it, it proveth the principal means of hindering it. 3. To show the Independents, that we have been so far from dealing hardly or uncharitably with them, that we have forborne that Communion, which else our own judgements would have charged on us as our duty, either only, or chiefly for fear of being the least occasion accidentally of their sufferings: And if yet they are impatient with us for obeying our Consciences, who can help it

In mentioning this, these three things are my end. 1. To tell the world the judgement of these Ministers; who are misjudged by their actual forbearance of publick Communion, that they take it for a thing unlawful: whereas they are thus accidentally hindered from it (Besides many other accidents not here to be mentioned, this before named is one.) 2. To shew the Prelates who and what it is that hath hindered mens nearer Communion with them; And that while rigor and severity is trusted to as the only means to further it, it proveth the principal means of hindering it. 3. To shew the Independents, that we have been so far from dealing hardly or uncharitably with them, that we have forborn that Communion, which else our own judgements would have charged on us as our duty, either only, or chiefly for fear of being the least occasion accidentally of their sufferings: And if yet they are impatient with us for obeying our Consciences, who can help it

What the rest did after this consultation in ⟨p. 40⟩their practices, I enquired not: But for my own part on the same argument I forbore Communion with the Parish Churches in the sacrament a long time, till at last I saw that the Reason seemed to me to cease, and I durst not for I knew not what, go against my judgement: But lest it might possibly have any such hurtful consequents, I chose a very private Country Parish to Communicate with, where I sometime sojourned, and where there was neither that, nor any other reason to hinder me: But yet after many years further observation, lest men that know not of my practice, should be scandalized or ensnared, to think that I forbore Parish Communion as unlawful, and so to do the like themselves, I once chose an Easter day to Communicate in a very populous Church in London, purposely that it might be the further known: But having some reasons to forbear at the Parish where I lived most constantly, it so far provoked the Parson that—I may suppose no Independent suffered so much through my Communicating, as I have done by forbearing for their sakes.