The English nonconformity as under King Charles II and King James II truly stated…

L. Obj. XIII. But they say that it is but a company of self-conceited, bad, rebellious People that befriend or fellow you, and the sober People are for them.

M. These things are unfit matter for a controversy with any English-Men of this age, but only with Foreigners and Strangers. I thought once it would never have been so hard to know good Men from bad, as these would make it. But I remember how bad Christ and his Apostles were thought by their persecutors. Wherein doth such mens badness lie? In not coming to their Churches? Thousands do, and the rest go to other Churches: But thousands of our adversaries go to none, but very rarely. Is it in any other Vice? Why do they then charge them with avoiding Vice in Hypocrisy? And what is that Vice? Here are, some say, many hundreds that practise Physic in London: The Posts, Walls, and Gates are stuck with Physicians offers to cure the Lecherous pox: To day I read Kirleu's Bill, that saith he hath cured eight hundred of that disease. I dare bet with you all the Money I have, that if you enquire, not eight, or perhaps two of that eight hundred were Puritans, or such as you now cast out for Non-Conformists, (unless you call Papists or such other, Non-Conformists) except any of them were Wives that catched it of Husbands that are of your Church or Parishes and not of us, or Husbands that catched it of such conformable (or Papist) Wives. But of these things we need no defence. 3. But if our hearers be bad, they have the more need of teaching; and whether more are converted from ignorance, sensuality, worldliness and profaneness, by their teaching or ours, ask others and not us.

M. These things are unfit matter for a controversy with any English-Men of this age, but only with Foreigners and Strangers. I thought once it would never have been so hard to know good Men from bad, as these would make it. But I remember how bad Christ and his Apostles were thought by their persecutors. Wherein doth such mens badness lie? In not coming to their Churches? Thousands do, and the rest go to other Churches: But thousands of our adversaries go to none, but very rarely. Is it in any other Vice? Why do they then charge them with avoiding Vice in Hypocrisie? And what is that Vice? Here are, some say, many hundreds that practise Physick in London: The Posts, Walls, and Gates are stickt with Physicians offers to cure the Lecherous pox: To day I read Kirleu's Bill, that saith he hath cured eight hundred of that disease. I dare bet with you all the Money I have, that if you enquire, not eight, or perhaps two of that eight hundred were Puritans, or such as you now cast out for Non-Conformists, (unless you call Papists or such other, Non-Conformists) except any of them were Wives that catcht it of Husbands that are of your Church or Parishes and not of us, or Husbands that catcht it of such conformable (or Papist) Wives. But of these things we need no defence. 3. But if our hearers be bad, they have the more need of teaching; and whether more are converted from ignorance, sensuality, worldliness and prophaneness, by their teaching or ours, ask others and not us.