Honoured Sirs; We cannot conceal from you, some of those Afflictive Resentments, that your Friends as far off as America, have had upon your Contentions. We have Mourned, as often as we have Thought, how much the Dove like Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, hath been distasted by the over-flowings of Gall, that we have seen, in some Disputations; and Grieved by your Bitterness towards one another. That Spirit, in You, (O ye Followers the Lamb,) it Lusteth AGAINST Envy: You need not be told, That Variance, Emulations, Wrath, Strife, and Envyings, are Works of the Flesh, to be mortified by that Spirit. We have Mourned, when we have Thought, What Scandal, and what Scoffing, hath been afforded unto our Common Enemies, by the Treats that you have given unto one another; They have had you greatly in Derision: because you have declined from the Law of the Lord, whose Dying Prayer, and Charge it was, That we should Love one another. But we Remember with Horror, what horrible Storms quickly came upon the Primitive Christians, when the Feuds among them, were such as to be ⟨image ?⟩Exposed upon the Pagan Theatres. We have Mourned, when we have Thought, what Invaluable Opportunities, to get a Redress of Troublesome Inconveniences yet remaining upon you, have been Lost, while your Time, and Zeal hath been misemployed, in Studying how to Trouble one another. When your Father Abraham, was making overtures of Accommodation to his Kinsman, God immediately showed him the Land of Promise, and said, All this Land, unto thee will I give it. But alas, why should Good men, do any thing to delay the Enjoyment of Promised, and Expected Salvations! We have Trembled, when we have se•n our Nation, by a Flood of Wickedness, Ripening apace for the Judgments of God, and for an Overflowing Scourge; and we have been Afraid, lest the Day of Temptation, of late upon You, may have produced those miscarriages, that shall defeat you, of a Share, in any Notable preservation, from the Day of Destruction, that Some fear to be at hand. Were there any likelihood, that the Fury of the Caroline Persecution, could be Revived by any future changes upon the Nation, according to the Good-will, that High Church-men continue to Express unto that way of handling you, how likely would be new Sorrows to Chastise your misimprovement of your wondrously Restored Liberty▪ and, How Righteous the Dealings of God!
Honoured Sirs; We cannot conceal from you, some of those Afflictive Resentments, that your Friends as far off as America, have had upon your Contentions. We have Mourn'd, as often as we have Thought, how much the Dove like Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, hath been distasted by the over-flowings of Gall, that we have seen, in some Disputations; and Grieved by your Bitterness towards one another. That Spirit, in You, (O ye Followers the Lamb,) it Lusteth AGAINST Envy: You need not be told, That Variance, Emulations, Wrath, Strife, and Envyings, are Works of the Flesh, to be mortified by that Spirit. We have Mourn'd, when we have Thought, What Scandal, and what Scoffing, hath been afforded unto our Common Enemies, by the Treats that you have given unto one another; They have had you greatly in Derision: because you have declined from the Law of the Lord, whose Dying Prayer, and Charge it was, That we should Love one another. But we Remember with Horror, what horrible Storms quickly came upon the Primitive Christians, when the Feuds among them, were such as to be ⟨image ?⟩Exposed upon the Pagan Theatres. We have Mourn'd, when we have Thought, what Invaluable Opportunities, to get a Redress of Troublesome Inconveniencies yet remaining upon you, have been Lost, while your Time, and Zeal hath been misemploy'd, in Studying how to Trouble one another. When your Father Abraham, was making overtures of Accommodation to his Kinsman, God immediately shew'd him the Land of Promise, and said, All this Land, unto thee will I give it. But alas, why should Good men, do any thing to delay the Enjoyment of Promised, and Expected Salvations! We have Trembled, when we have se•n our Nation, by a Flood of Wickedness, Ripening apace for the Judgments of God, and for an Overflowing Scourge; and we have been Afraid, lest the Day of Temptation, of late upon You, may have produced those miscarriages, that shall defeat you, of a Share, in any Notable preservation, from the Day of Destruction, that Some fear to be at hand. Were there any likelihood, that the Fury of the Caroline Persecution, could be Revived by any future changes upon the Nation, according to the Good-will, that High Church-men continue to Express unto that way of handling you, how likely would be new Sorrows to Chastise your misimprovement of your wondrously Restored Liberty▪ and, How Righteous the Dealings of God!
