Irenicum, to the lovers of truth and peace heart-divisions opened in the causes and…

13. We have complained of others who are in place of power,§13 to be of harsh cruel dispositions. We have said if they had been of gentle, loving, peaceable dispositions, tendering the glory of God dearly, & the good of their brethren as their own, what abundance of good might they have done! We have thought in those times, Oh if such men were in place, who were then our dear brethren, whom we conceived to be of holy, humble, sweet, peaceable spirits, very tender-hearted towards any they saw godliness in; had they power in their hands, what safety, peace, rest, would the Saints have! How comfortably should they go ⟨p. 216⟩on in their work! How would they be edified, praising the Lord! What a heaven upon earth should we have! And yet we find it otherwise. We may say, we looked for light, and behold, (I will not say darkness) but behold dimness even from them: for brightness, but behold obscurity. Oh how do the carriages of these men in some degree justify the harshness, sourness, domineering and cruelty of some of the Prelates! We hope nothing shall ever befall us as to be such a temptation to us, as to justify their places. But some of their persons are so far justified, as there is occasion given to think they were not such vile men as heretofore we thought they were. For now we see what a temptation there is in having the times shine upon me, in having power put into mens hands. We see now that men who have other manner of principles then ever they had, yet how sadly they miscarry when they come under the like temptations. How can we answer Christ Jesus for these things?

13. We have complained of others who are in place of power,§13 to be of harsh cruel dispositions. We have sayd if they had been of gentle, loving, peaceable dispositions, tendring the glory of God dearly, & the good of their brethren as their own, what abundance of good might they have done! We have thought in those times, Oh if such men were in place, who were then our dear brethren, whom we conceived to be of holy, humble, sweet, peaceable spirits, very tender-hearted towards any they saw godlinesse in; had they power in their hands, what safety, peace, rest, would the Saints have! How comfortably should they goe ⟨p. 216⟩