Many a place have I lived in, where there was not a man that ever spoke a word against Bishops or Ceremonies; but a few there were (alas, a few) that would sometime read a Chapter in the Bible, and pray with their Families, and speak of the life to come, and the way to it, and for this they were commonly called Puritans. If a man had but mildly asked a swearer why he swore, or a drunkard why he would be drunk, or had once named Scripture, or the life to come, unless profanely, the first word he should hear, was, [O you are one of the holy Brethren! you would not drink or swear, but you will do worse in secret! It was never a good world since there was so much talk of Scripture and Religion: but the King and the Bishops will take an order with you, and all the Puritans and Precisians in the Land] I profess upon my common sad experience, that this was the common language of the people that were ignorant and profane in all parts of England that ever I came in (which were not a few;) and these were the men that they called Puritans, and on such accounts. And what could the Prelates and Preachers of the Land have done more to mens damnation, then to preach them into an hatred of Puritanism, when it was known by all that lived among them, that Piety was Puritanism in their account, and no man was so free from it, ⟨p. 19⟩as he that would scorn at the very name of Holiness, and drink and swear, as if he had defied God. This is true, and England knows it: and if you will after this think that you have wiped your mouths clean, by saying as M r Pierce, that by Puritans, he means none but [men of blood, sedition, violence, despisers of dominion, painted sepulchres, Protestants frightened out of their wits, &c.] the righteous God that loveth righteousness, and hath said, Be ye holy for I am holy, will make you know to your penitent or tormenting sorrow, that the thing which commonly was reputed Puritanism in England, was no such thing as you describe: And that its none of your wisdom to •ick against the pricks, and play with the apple of Gods eye, and bring men to hate the members of Christ, and then tell them you meant the members of the Devil, and to thrust men into Hell in jest:
Many a place have I lived in, where there was not a man that ever spoke a word against Bishops or Ceremonies; but a few there were (alas, a few) that would sometime read a Chapter in the Bible, and pray with their Families, and speak of the life to come, and the way to it, and for this they were commonly called Puritans. If a man had but mildly askt a swearer why he swore, or a drunkard why he would be drunk, or had once named Scripture, or the life to come, unless prophanely, the first word he should hear, was, [O you are one of the holy Brethren! you would not drink or swear, but you will do worse in secret! It was never a good world since there was so much talk of Scripture and Religion: but the King and the Bishops will take an order with you, and all the Puritans and Precisians in the Land] I profess upon my common sad experience, that this was the common language of the people that were ignorant and prophane in all parts of England that ever I came in (which were not a few;) and these were the men that they called Puritans, and on such accounts. And what could the Prelates and Preachers of the Land have done more to mens damnation, then to preach them into an hatred of Puritanism, when it was known by all that lived among them, that Piety was Puritanism in their account, and no man was so free from it, ⟨p. 19⟩as he that would scorn at the very name of Holiness, and drink and swear, as if he had defyed God. This is true, and England knows it: and if you will after this think that you have wiped your mouths clean, by saying as M r Pierce, that by Puritans, he means none but [men of blood, sedition, violence, despisers of dominion, painted sepulchres, Protestants frightened out of their wits, &c.] the righteous God that loveth righteousness, and hath said, Be ye holy for I am holy, will make you know to your penitent or tormenting sorrow, that the thing which commonly was reputed Puritanism in England, was no such thing as you describe: And that its none of your wisdom to •ick against the pricks, and play with the apple of Gods eye, and bring men to hate the members of Christ, and then tell them you meant the members of the Devil, and to thrust men into Hell in jest:
