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

Quest. Are men of the high Prelacy, or high and rigid Sons of the Church, men of the highest form in Religion, and of a more perfect, serious and solid Godliness, than the poor silly scrupulous Nonconforming-Turn-ours? (See Debate, p. 155.)

Answ. 'Tis very strange if Preferment, if great places of Power and Profit should indeed make men more truly and seriously godly, and particularly should by an Antiparistasis produce the great work of Self-denial, Mortification, &c. We will not at present compare Godliness; but this I think, That 'tis no demonstration of a higher degree of Godliness to jeer at Godliness, though in a Dissenter, and accompanied with some Weaknesses and imperfections, to make the door to the Theatre and Stage so wide, and to the Church and Pulpit so strait and narrow: Certainly the true right perfect godly man, is neither your Nonconformist godly man, nor Conformist as described in the Debate; but made up of both put together: whose Character we ⟨p. 36⟩have in a great measure in the 165th page of the Treatise, in my opinion the best page in the Book: Where the Power of Godliness is set forth after this manner:

Answ. 'Tis very strange if Preferment, if great places of Power and Profit should indeed make men more truly and seriously godly, and particularly should by an Antiparistasis produce the great work of Self-denyal, Mortification, &c. We will not at present compare Godliness; but this I think, That 'tis no demonstration of a higher degree of Godliness to jeer at Godliness, though in a Dissenter, and accompanied with some Weaknesses and imperfections, to make the door to the Theatre and Stage so wide, and to the Church and Pulpit so strait and narrow: Cer••inly the true right perfect godly man, is neither your Nonconformist godly man, nor Conformist as described in the Debate; but made up of both put together: whose Character we ⟨p. 36⟩have in a great measure in the 165th page of the Treatise, in my opinion the best page in the Book: Where the Power of Godliness is set forth after this manner: