An humble apology for non-conformists with modest and serious reflections on the Friendly debate…

I shall not detain you much longer, Good Reader, in the Porch, being sensible of being so long already: May I crave your leave to make a brief Declaration, a short Petition, and to enter a reasonable Protestation.

I Declare, I do hold the Elders that Preach Well, or Rule well, or Live well, by what names or titles soever dignified or distinguished, whether they be Archbishops, Bishops, Pastors or Curates; whether they be Conformists or Nonconformists, to be worthy of double honour. And that I had much rather we could meet each other half-way, to reconcile our Differences, and to give each other the right hand of Fellowship, than to try it out for Victory by these Pen and Paper Combats any longer; lest Atheism and Popery be advantaged by our dissentions, and enter in at our breaches. I would not have Ministers of either persuasion, be like the silly Coneys that continually fight and tear one another, without ever joining to make resistance against the Polcat. I declare also, I do not, in, or by this Treatise, condemn Conformists, or commend Non-conformists as such; yet ⟨image 7⟩I cannot but own my utter dislike of the Principles and Practises of some high Conformists or Hectors for Conformity; namely, such as prefer the Romish Church, before the Reformed Transmarine Churches; Arminius before St. Austin; who judge Aerius a greater Heretic than Arrius; who have more charity for those that deny the Deity of our Saviour, than for those that scruple the strict jus divinum of Episcopacy; and who can with more Patience hear a Dispute against the very Being of a Deity, than about the taking away of a Ceremony; that profess themselves the chiefest Sons of the Church of England, and yet dissent from her Doctrine contained in the Articles, Homilies, and Liturgy; and transgress the Laws of the Church about Rites and Ceremonies, by going too far on the right hand, or running too far before them, and become Non-conformists themselves, and breakers of the Act of Uniformity, even by their extreme Conformity. These, these are the Hectors, I mean, who when they have persuaded a man to strain hard to go a mile with them in Conformity, will compel him to go twain; that are implacable Enemies to Non-conformists, though peaceable and Pious; and are no good Friends to Conformists, except under the same degree of Longitude and Latitude with themselves: Yea, I may say, that notwithstanding their pretended zeal hard devotion to the Hierarchy,