Richard Baxter's penitent confession and his necessary vindication in answer to a book called…

III. I have long thought it my duty to call this sinful, divided, self-tearing, bleeding Nation to Repentance, in a Treatise called, REPENT O ENGLAND, (Bradford's dying Words,) though Experience telleth me, that such Men as this will take the Motion for a greater Crime, than all the Sins that I call them to repent of; so odious a thing is Repentance ⟨p. 86⟩and Confession to the Proud and Impenitent. And before I call others to Repentance, (several sorts,) I take it for my first Duty to exercise my own: To which end, I unfeignedly resolved to confess what I could by any means find to be my Sin; and being referred to this Accuser for my Conviction, I found the Falsehoods and Calumnies so many, and so gross, that I took it for my Duty not to seem by Silence to give Credit to them; but having confessed what Sins I found, to do my part to save others from the Temptations to Hatred, and Lying, and Persecution, which such Men lay before them.

III. I have long thought it my duty to call this sinful, divided, selftearing, bleeding Nation to Repentance, in a Treatise called, REPENT O ENGLAND, (Bradford's dying Words,) though Experience telleth me, that such Men as this will take the Motion for a greater Crime, than all the Sins that I call them to repent of; so odious a thing is Repentance ⟨p. 86⟩and Confession to the Proud and Impenitent. And before I call others to Repentance, (several sorts,) I take it for my first Duty to exercise my own: To which end, I unfeignedly resolved to confess what I could by any means find to be my Sin; and being referred to this Accuser for my Conviction, I found the Falshoods and Calumnies so many, and so gross, that I took it for my Duty not to seem by Silence to give Credit to them; but having confessed what Sins I found, to do my part to save others from the Temptations to Hatred, and Lying, and Persecution, which such Men lay before them.

IV. And having laboured most of Forty two Years, by Writing to profit Posterity, as well as the present Age; and written above a hundred and twenty Books to that End, and God having prospered them far beyond my expectation, (in Germany, and other Foreign Lands, as well as in Britain,) I thought it Treachery to suffer the Devil and his Agents to blast them all, (with those that know me not,) without any Contradiction and Confutation of the Slanderers. Sure if they were worth so many Years Labour, 'tis worth a little to take them out of the Fire or Water where Diabolism casteth them: Which I am the more moved to, because while I have the Thanks of Thousands that have read them, common Fame, and Mr. Cantianus, that called me to this Work and others, do tell me, that the Generality now known by the Name of Tories (or malignant Haters of serious Piety) in England, especially among the Universities and Clergy, do so much hate my Name, that they will read no Book which they see my Name prefixed to, (unless as the Adversary against whom it is written.) And as I have small hope of curing that malignant Prejudice, (which is more the hurt of the Envious than of me,) so I must not by Sloth or Silence contribute to its Increase, and Men's Guilt.