I am told by divers, That I have written enough already on these Subjects, were it only my first and second Plea for Peace, my Treatise of Episcopacy, and that of Concord, and my Apology for our Preaching. And they say, You must expect to do no good, nor so much as to be read by Adversaries, much less with Diligence and impartial Willingness to know the Truth; but contrarily to be hated, and accused of some odious Crime, and laid in Jail, among Malefactors till you die; and a Prison will be more grievous to one in your pain and languishing than to another. On the other side, I have been long importuned to give an account of the Reasons of our Nonconformity: I have by Bishops been reproved for not doing it: Lords and Persons of great Quality have been persuaded, that we keep up a dangerous Schism in the Land, to the cherishing of Discontents and Sedition, only for things which we confess to be indifferent, and no Sin: the Laws accuse us: The numerous Addresses of Counties, Cities and Corporations, revile us as the Nurses of Rebellion: No small number of Preachers plead for our Ruin on the same Supposition, and tell the People that it is no Sin that we stick at, but Humour, Pride and Faction make us disobedient Schismatics without any reason for what we do. The Jails are filled with Nonconformists: Nine Ministers are now in Newgate, and many more in other Places. And almost all of them Mulct and Fined in far more than ever they were worth. Their Goods and Books taken by Distress: They are fain to fly or abscond that are not in Prison: Their Wives and Children in Distress and Want: They are judged by the Justices unworthy so much as to be summoned to ⟨image 4⟩Answer for themselves before they are judged, or to be heard Plead their own Cause, or to know and question their Accusers and Witnesses; But as I my self was Distrained of all my Goods and Books on five Convictions before ever I heard of any Accusation, or saw a Judge, so is it with many others, and more. In a word, Lords, Knights and Clergy-men take us for unsufferable Persons in the Land, unfit for Humane Society, Enemies to Monarchy, Obedience and Peace, and Corporations promise to choose such Parliament Men as are for our Extirpation. And all this is for our Nonconformity, which they all confess to be our Duty if it be any Sin that by the Impositions is required of us.
I am told by divers, That I have written enough already on these Subjects, were it only my first and second Plea for Peace, my Treatise of Episcopacy, and that of Concord, and my Apology for our Preaching. And they say, You must expect to do no good, nor so much as to be read by Adversaries, much less with Diligence and impartial Willingness to know the Truth; but contrarily to be hated, and accused of some odious Crime, and laid in Iail, among Malefactors till you die; and a Prison will be more grievous to one in your pain and languishing than to another. On the other side, I have been long importuned to give an account of the Reasons of our Nonconformity: I have by Bishops been reproved for not doing it: Lords and Persons of great Quality have been perswaded, that we keep up a dangerous Schism in the Land, to the cherishing of Discontents and Sedition, only for things which we confess to be indifferent, and no Sin: the Laws accuse us: The numerous Addresses of Counties, Cities and Corporations, revile us as the Nurses of Rebellion: No small number of Preachers plead for our Ruine on the same Supposition, and tell the People that it is no Sin that we stick at, but Humour, Pride and Faction make us disobedient Schismaticks without any reason for what we do. The Iails are fill'd with Nonconformists: Nine Ministers are now in Newgate, and many more in other Places. And almost all of them Mulct and Fined in far more than ever they were worth. Their Goods and Books taken by Distress: They are fain to fly or abscond that are not in Prison: Their Wives and Children in Distress and Want: They are judged by the Iustices unworthy so much as to be summoned to ⟨image 4⟩Answer for themselves before they are judged, or to be heard Plead their own Cause, or to know and question their Accusers and Witnesses; But as I my self was Distreined of all my Goods and Books on five Convictions before ever I heard of any Accusation, or saw a Iudge, so is it with many others, and more. In a word, Lords, Knights and Clergy-men take us for unsufferable Persons in the Land, unfit for Humane Society, Enemies to Monarchy, Obedience and Peace, and Corporations promise to choose such Parliament Men as are for our Extirpation. And all this is for our Nonconformity, which they all confess to be our Duty if it be any Sin that by the Impositions is required of us.
