A review of the true nature of schism, with a vindication of the Congregational…A review of the true nature of schisme, with a vindication of the Congregationall…

And if on any other account this Reverend ⟨p. 19⟩person suppose I may foster opinions and thoughts of mine own and their ways which I dare not own, let him at any time give me a command to wait upon him, and as I will freely and candidly answer to any enquiries he shall be pleased to make after my judgment, and apprehensions of these things, so he shall find that (God assisting) I dare own, and will be ready to maintain what I shall so deliver to him. It is a sufficient evidence that this reverend Author is an utter stranger to me, or he would scarce entertain such surmises of me as he doth. Shall I call in witnesses as to the particular under consideration? one evidence by way of instance lies so near at hand, that I cannot omit the producing of it: not above 14 days before this treatise came to my hands, a learned Gentleman whom I had prevailed withal to answer in the Vespers of our Act, sent me his Questions by a Doctor of the Presbyterian judgment, a friend of his, and mine. The first Question was, as I remember, to this purpose: Utrū ministri Ecclesiae Anglicanae ⟨p. 20⟩habeant validam ordinationem; I told the Doctor, that since the Questions were to pass under my approbation, I must needs confess my self scrupled at the limitation of the subject of the Question in that term Ecclesia Anglicana, which would be found ambiguous and equivocal in the disputation; and therefore desired that he would rather supply it with Ecclesiarum reformatarum, or some other expression of like importance, but as to the thing it self aimed at, namely the assertion of the ministry of the Godly ministers in England, I told him and so now do the Reverend Author of this treatise, that I shall as willingly engage in the defence of it, with the lawfulness of their Churches, as any man what ever. I have only in my treatise questioned the institution of a national Church, which this Author doth not undertake to maintain, nor indeed hath the least reason so to do, for the asserting of true ministers and Churches in England; I mean those of the Presbyterian way.

And if on any other account this Reverend ⟨p. 19⟩person suppose I may foster opinions and thoughts of mine owne and their waies which I dare not owne, let him at any time give me a command to waite upon him, and as I will freely and candidly answer to any enquiries he shall be pleased to make after my judgment, and apprehensions of these things, so he shall find that (God assisting) I dare owne, and will be ready to maintaine what I shall so deliver to him. It is a sufficient evidence that this reverend Author is an utter stranger to me, or he would scarce entertaine such surmizes of me as he doth. Shall I call in witnesses as to the particular under consideration? one evidence by way of instance lies so neare at hand, that I cannot omit the producing of it: not above 14 daies before this treatise came to my hands, a learned Gentleman whom I had prevailed withall to answer in the Vespers of our Act, sent me his Questions by a Doctor of the Presbyterian judgment, a friend of his, and mine. The first Question was, as I remember, to this purpose: Utrū ministri Ecclesiae Anglicanae