For first in reference to my own, I could not find any thing, any Doctrine, any Expressions, any Words reflected on, which the Exceptions of this Man do give me the least occasion to alter, or to desire that they had been otherwise either expressed or delivered; not any thing which now after near twenty years, which I do not still equally ⟨p. 8⟩approve of, and which I am not yet ready to justify. The other part of my Surprisal was somewhat particular, though in Truth it ought to have been none at all. And this was with respect unto those Doctrinal Principles which he manageth his oppositions upon. A surprisal they were unto me, because Wild, Uncouth, Extravagant, and contrary to the common Faith of Christians; being all of them traduced, and some of them transcribed from the Writings of the Socinians; yet ought not to have been so, because I was assured that an opposition unto that Discourse could be managed on no other. But however the Doctrine maintained by this Man, and those opposed or scorned by him, are not my special concernment. For what is it to me what the Rector of &c. Preacheth or Publisheth, beyond my Common Interest in the Truths of the Gospel with other Men as great strangers unto him as my self, who to my knowledge never saw him, nor heard of his Name till infamed by his Book. Only I shall take leave to say, that the Doctrine here published ⟨p. 9⟩and Licensed so to be, is either the Doctrine of the present Church of England; or it is not: If it be so, I shall be forced to declare that I neither have, nor will have any Communion therein, and that as for other Reasons, so in particular, because I will not renounce or depart from that which I know to be the True Ancient and Catholic Doctrine of this Church; if it be not so, as I am assured with respect unto many Bishops and other Learned Men, that it is not, it is certainly the concernment of them who preside therein, to take care that such kind of Discourses be not countenanced with the stamp of their public Authority, lest they and the Church be represented unto a great disadvantage with many.
For first in reference to my own, I could not find any thing, any Doctrine, any Expressions, any Words reflected on, which the Exceptions of this Man do give me the least occasion to alter, or to desire that they had been otherwise either expressed or delivered; not any thing which now after near twenty years, which I do not still equally ⟨p. 8⟩approve of, and which I am not yet ready to justifie. The other part of my Surprisal was somewhat particular, though in Truth it ought to have been none at all. And this was with respect unto those Doctrinal Principles which he manageth his oppositions upon. A surprisal they were unto me, because Wild, Uncouth, Extravagant, and contrary to the common Faith of Christians; being all of them traduced, and some of them transcribed from the Writings of the Socinians; yet ought not to have been so, because I was assured that an opposition unto that Discourse could be managed on no other. But however the Doctrine maintained by this Man, and those opposed or scorned by him, are not my special concernment. For what is it to me what the Rector of &c. Preacheth or Publisheth, beyond my Common Interest in the Truths of the Gospel with other Men as great strangers unto him as my self, who to my knowledg never saw him, nor heard of his Name till infamed by his Book. Only I shall take leave to say, that the Doctrine here published ⟨p. 9⟩and Licensed so to be, is either the Doctrine of the present Church of England; or it is not: If it be so, I shall be forced to declare that I neither have, nor will have any Communion therein, and that as for other Reasons, so in particular, because I will not renounce or depart from that which I know to be the True Ancient and Catholick Doctrine of this Church; if it be not so, as I am assured with respect unto many Bishops and other Learned Men, that it is not, it is certainly the concernment of them who preside therein, to take care that such kind of Discourses be not countenanced with the stamp of their publick Authority, lest they and the Church be represented unto a great disadvantage with many.
