A sermon preached before the Right Honourable House of Lords, in the Abbey Church…A sermon preached before the Right Honorable House of Lords, in the Abbey Church…

Thirdly, the Spirit of the Lord is a Dove, the spirit of grace is a gall-less and gentle spirit. Grace, grace is the innocentest thing of the world, there is no wild fire of sinful wrath in grace. Bitterness, railing, jeering, persecution with the tongue, outcries against Assemblies, Presbyteries, are not the tools of the spirit of grace; yea calumnies, salt writings on either side are not from that spirit of Christ which hath a hand to wipe tears off the faces of the mourners in Zion; To all railings, all bitter mockings against Presbyteries and Assemblies, we say, we are desirous not to be driven off the road way to heaven, but to go on, Through honour and dishonour by evil report and good report, as deceivers, and yet true. One inch of a good conscience is rather to be chosen, then a thousand yards of windy credit. Meek Jesus Christ and his Apostles used not such a stile of language, nor is such Grammar from heaven, nor smelleth it of the holy Ghosts pen.

Thirdly, the Spirit of the Lord is a Dove, the spirit of grace is a gaul-lesse and gentle spirit. Grace, grace is the innocentest thing of the world, there is no wild fire of sinfull wrath in grace. Bitternesse, rayling, jeering, persecution with the tongue, outcries against Assemblies, Presbyteries, are not the tooles of the spirit of grace; yea calumnies, salt writings on either side are not from that spirit of Christ which hath a hand to wipe teares off the faces of the mourners in Zion; To all raylings, all bitter mockings against Presbyteries and Assemblies, wee say, wee are desirous not to bee driven off the roade way to heaven, but to goe on, Through honour and dishonour by evill report and good report, as deceivers, and yet true. One inch of a good conscience is rather to bee chosen, then a thousand yards of windie credit. Meeke Jesus Christ and his Apostles used not such a stile of language, nor is such Grammar from heaven, nor smelleth it of the holy Ghosts pen.

Fourthly, if we be the children of one father, it might breed strange thoughts in our minds, when the sons of one father Independents and Presbyterians (spare me, necessity, not love of factions forceth me to these terms) shall sing one song up before the throne, to him that liveth and reigneth for ever, that we cannot gather heat and warmness of love in one ark, and in one Church here in the earth, pens and tongues salted and steeped in the gall of bitterness are not the