More proofs of infants church-membership and consequently their right to baptism, or, A second…

§. 4. One of the greatest things that offended me, was that (even in the Parishes where there were the ablest faithful laborious Ministers,) they laboured to gather separated Churches, upon the account of their opinion; And when they had gathered them, they were militant Churches: Presently that Town was in a war; and the meetings employed for the extolling of their opinions, ⟨p. 218⟩and vilifying the Ministers and Churches that were against them, and making them odious or contemptible to their followers: which could not be the work of God.

§. 5. I dare challenge any man to make it good, that ever I fought to persecute any Anabaptists, or stirred up others to persecute them for their judgements: I know not that ever I did any of them any harm, except by not being of their minds, or contradicting them.

But though my sufferings by them were nothing, (that honour being assumed by another party) yet they have not carried it so to me: But have convinced me that were they uppermost they would then have had too little tenderness for those that hindered their successes: Even some of Mr. Tombs his flock, my neighbours and familiar friends, I think, sought my life or ruin when I meddled not with them. When Sir George Booth had done what was done in Cheshire, I wrote a Letter to Major Beak at Coventry, and the Messenger telling them at Bewdley that he had a Letter from me, some of them made themselves Soldiers, and in arms way-laid the messenger, assaulted him, and took his Letters, and though they found not what I suppose they expected, yet finding in it but a great mans name, who then much ruled public affairs, they sent it up to the Council to him, who summoned Major Beak to London to answer it, who had never seen it and knew nothing of it: And though he so scaped, I was loudly threatened; but General Monks approach out of Scotland stayed the execution of their displeasure.