The second part of The nonconformists plea for peace being an account of their…

And men will never be all bold among such dangers as these ⟨p. 174⟩seem. 12. From the nature of mans understanding, and of God Grace, and of his promise, which will never suffer all his children to agree in such things as we think some of these in controversy to be. 13. And experience of the continuance of these differences showeth, what may be expected for the time to come. One that hath not commenced Doctor of Divinity, nor is eminent for Reason, may easily know, 1. that All the Kings Subjects in three Kingdoms and America, are not like to attain to more Learning, wisdom or honesty for the just decision of such controversies, than Doctor Ames, Doctor Reignolds, Doctor Humphrey, &c. or than at present Doctor Tuckney, Doctor Seaman, and many other such men have. 2. And (unless they prove much wiser and more learned than they have done of late) it is almost as easy to prognosticate, that conformity will not be better justified by them that must change the judgements of so many, than it hath been already by Downame, Morton, Burges, Covel, Bridge, Bilson, Hooker, and the most judicious Doctor Field: Much less that our Diocesans are like to exceed them so exceeding far in ability and success, as the maintaining of the present conformity exceedeth in difficulty the maintaining of the old. (For I do verily think that if Doctor Burges, Doctor Field, Bishop Downame, &c. were now alive, they would all be Nonconformists; And their own writings put us past doubt, that Hooker and Bilson would be Nonconformists, unless they would forsake their published judgement: yea and more than Nonconformists.)

And men will never be all bold among such dangers as these ⟨p. 174⟩seem. 12. From the nature of mans understanding, and of God Grace, and of his promise, which will never suffer all his children to agree in such things as we think some of these in controversie to be. 13. And expereince of the continuance of these differences sheweth, what may be expected for the time to come. One that hath not commenced Doctor of Divinity, nor is eminent for Reason, may easily know, 1. that All the Kings Subjects in three Kingdoms and America, are not like to attain to more Learning, wisdom or honesty for the just decision of such controversies, than Doctor Ames, Doctor Reignolds, Doctor Humphrey, &c. or than at present Doctor Tuckney, Doctor Seaman, and many other such men have. 2. And (unless they prove much wiser and more learned than they have done of late) it is almost as easie to prognosticate, that conformity will not be better justified by them that must change the judgements of so many, than it hath been already by Downame, Morton, Burges, Covel, Bridge, Bilson, Hooker, and the most judicious Doctor Field: Much less that our Diocesans are like to exceed them so exceeding far in ability and success, as the maintaining of the present conformity exceedeth in difficulty the maintaining of the old. (For I do verily think that if Doctor Burges, Doctor Field, Bishop Downame, &c. were now alive, they would all be Nonconformists; And their own writings put us past doubt, that Hooker and Bilson would be Nonconformists, unless they would forsake their published judgement: yea and more than Nonconformists.)