The Royal remembrancer, or, A Healing letter with arguments and reasons, to the Presbyterians…

I profess Ingenuously, That I have much Charity for many who have been accounted Presbyterians, Independents, Anabaptists, and Quakers; and therefore I heartily desire them to beware of Spiritual pride: Consider seriously, how great a blow, how great a fall, Religion has received by your Pride, Hypocrisy, & Ambition: Remember how sad a woe Christ hath pronounced against those, through whom offences come.

I profess Ingenously, That I have much Charity for many who have been accounted Presbyterians, Independents, Anabaptists, and Quakers; and therefore I hartily desire them to beware of Spiritual pride: Consider seriously, how great a blow, how great a fall, Religion has received by your Pride, Hypocrisie, & Ambition: Remember how sad a woe Christ hath pronounced against those, through whom offences come.

Consider, That you of all Parties, that ever were in the World, have most of all arrogated unto your selves the names of Holy, Godly, and Religious men: Let nor the Truth and Ways of God be any longer blasphemed, or evil spoken of for your sakes; but now give glory unto God▪ and satisfaction to the Church; return unto her Communion, and despise her not: be less Censorious, and more Charitable towards others, who are sinners, Knowing that you are also in the Body: be not high-minded therefore but fear. God Almighty so defend me by his Grace as that I may not so sin, as to rejoice that you have thus sinned; or to insult over you, that you are, or may be miserable, because you have thus sinned. In Ecclesiastical Matters (seeing Gods Word commands not expressly any one certain Form of Church-Discipline, to be imposed upon the Churches of Christ,) he expects your submission unto the Episcopal Discipline as his established Form of Church Government, most agreeable to the Word of God, or at least, not repugnant unto it; and most commonly, and generally, practised by the most pure, Primitive and Apostolical Churches of Christ; and lastly, as most agreeable, suitable, and convenient for, and unto the Temper and Constitution of this English Nation: And for the Ceremonies, which if I may so say) are Pendent upon, and appertaining unto that Form, as they are Circumstances of it, and themselves of an indifferent and Adiaphorous nature; yet belonging to Order Decency, and Conveniency, they be wisely prudently, and justly, enjoined by the King, whose Power is exercised about indifferent things. I will herein so freely declare my judgement, as to assert, that though I approve not of a Church gorgeously decked and trimmed with Superstitious Ceremonies; yet am I not so mad so rude, & so slovenly, as, with many of our Non-conformists, to desire to honour, or embrace, a Church in this World naked of all outward Beauty, Splendour, Ornaments, or Comeliness whatsoever. It must be granted, that visible and external things are many times serviceable, and profitable, for the attainment of things invisible, and internal: The serious observation of the making that Transient and Aerial Cross on the fore-head of the Child without any Superstition, may many times become unto us an occasion of true devotion outlasting the aforesaid Action.