To the Postscript

The best beauty that you could have added to your discourse, brethren, had been honesty and truth both in your allegations of testimonies, and inferences of argumentation; in both of which I must needs say (and I speak it in the presence of God to whom I must shortly give an account) that I never saw any writer that would dare to profess Christian sincerity, so foully to overlash; as if you had no qualms about what means you use to uphold a side, or win a proselyte; God touch your hearts with a true sense of that of which you cannot be but in this discourse convinced.

Now you think to garnish your work with a goodly Pasquin borrowed (for a great part) out of Sion's Plea, and the Breviate consisting of a rhapsody of histories, concerning the pride, insolence, treachery, cruelty, and all other the deadly sins of popish prelates, but especially of those, who swayed the See of Canterbury, in those days of darkness and Renish Tyranny. To which I suppose you expect no answer as being a thing utterly unconcerning us; and that, of which I might say (setting aside the ill intention of an application) as Huntingdoniensis said of the Cardinal's adultery, Celari non potuit, negari non debuit. But tell me brethren what can be your drift in this your tedious relation? Is there any man that offers to undertake their patrocination? Or is it any advantage to you to make their memory yet more odious? Let them have been as foul as ill will can make them; let them have been in their times devils incarnate; what is that to us? They were bishops you say. True, but they were popish bishops; limbs of that body, whose head we abjure; the fault of their wickedness was in the Popery, not in the Episcopacy, in the men, not the calling, why should you think to choke us with these hateful instances? If I should go about to rake together all the insolences, murders, incests, treasons, and villainies, that have been done by Popish Presbyters in the time of that lawless ignorance and superstition, would you think these could be any blemish to you? Why will you then be so miserably uncharitable, as to cast upon us the crimes of those whom we equally condemn, and to enfeoff their faults upon their chairs? What one profession is there in all mankind, which if we should go about to ransack, would not yield some persons extremely vicious, shall the vocation be condemned, for the crimes of the men? At last to make up the mouth of your admirable charity, you tell us of the gracious practices of the prelates from the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign to this present day; whose great design, you say, still has been to hinder reformation, to further Popery and Arminianism, to beat down preaching, to persecute zealous professors, and some such other noble projects of Episcopal piety: tell me brethren, as you will answer it before the just Judge of all the world; have these been the main designs of bishops? Are they all guilty of these woeful enormities, or are they not; if you say they are, the world will cry shame on your falsehood; if they are not, the world will cry no less shame on your injustice, in taxing all for the fault of some: what? Are these the only remarkable works that your eyes could discover to fall from the hands of bishops? Could you see no colleges, no hospitals built? No churches re-edified? No learned volumes written? No heresies confuted? No seduced persons reclaimed? No hospitality kept? No great offenders punished? No disorders corrected? No good offices done for the public? No care of the peace of the Church? No diligence in preaching? No holiness in living? Truly, brethren, I can say no more, but that the fault is in your eyes, and not in your object: wipe them, and look better; indeed, I beseech God to open them rather, that they may see good, as well, as evil.

As for that base and scurrilous proverb, to which you say it is now [reconstructed: come] (whereas the world knows it is elder than your grandsires, and was taken up, in the popish times) it were more fit for a Scurra in trivio, or some ribald upon an ale-bench, than for grave divines.

How easy were it for me to reckon up a hundred of such spiteful adages which vulgar envy has been wont to cast upon the rest of the clergy, worthy of nothing but scorn? And so had this been, if your wit and charity had not been alike; but surely, brethren, if whatever is spoiled, they say, the bishops foot has been in it; I doubt not but they will say, the bishops foot has been in your book, for I am sure it is quite spoiled by this just confutation. [reconstructed: After] your own pottage (for your proverb sapit ollam) you tell us of Boner's broth; I should have too much wondered at this conclusion, but that I hear it is the fashion in some countries, to send in their keal in the last service, and this, it seems, is the manner among our Smectymnuans.

Well; to shut up all, let them of their Boner's beef and broth, make what brewis they please for their credulous guests: learned and worthy Doctor Moulin shall tell them, that the restoration of the English Church, and eversion of Popery, next under God, and our King, is chiefly to be ascribed and owed to the learning and industry of our bishops; some of them being crowned with martyrdom, subscribed the Gospel with their blood; thus he; nor do I doubt but that many of them (if occasion were offered) would be ready to imitate them in those red characters.

In the mean time I beseech the God of Heaven to humble you in the sight and sense of your own grievous uncharitableness, and to put (at last) into your hearts and tongues, the counsels of peace.