fight, that in myown acquaintance, I have found that fort of men, whom Dr. Heylin and fuch other reproach as Presbyterians and Puritans, to be the moil ferious, confcionable,praEfical, fcber, and charitable Chriflians that e- ver I knew, yea verily the knowledge of them hath. been a great help to the ftedfaflnefs of my Faith in Chritt : Had I known no Chrittians but car- nal, worldly, and formal men, who excel not Heathens in any thing but O- pinion, it wóúld have tempted me to doubt whether Chrift were the Sa- viour of Souls; as I fhould think meanly of the Phyftian that Both no cures: But whén I fee holy mortified perfons, living in the love of God and man, Ifee that Faith is not dead fancy : And when I have lived in intimate familiarity with filch, frommy Childhood,'to the fixty fifth year of my age, and known their integrity, notwithffanding their infirmities; and then read fuch Hiftories as reprefent them as themoil odious, flagitious perlons, I fer it is not for nothing that Tome men arecalled todßo:,ar in the Scripture, and the Childrenof their Father the Devil, who was from the be- ginning a lying malignant Murderer. TwoCrimesI have longago heard the Rabble charge on thofewhom they called Puritans, Lying and° Covetoufnefs; whereas near two thoufandMini- ilers atecall out, and fuller, which they could motli? efcape, if they durft but lye ; and if I ask money for the Poor (of what party foever) I can fooner get a Pound from thofe called Puritans, than a Shilling from others far richer than they. Can I take any men to be other than malignant lyars who wouldenake menbelieve that filch men as Hilderfham, Dod, Rogers, Ball, Paul Bagne, Anies, Bradfhaw, &c. were Rogues and feditious Rebels, or that revile filch as V/her, Hall, Davenánt, &e. ? .Reader, believe not a word of any of the revilings orodious charaEters and ftories, which any afpiring worldly faftious Clergymanwriteth of Poch as are his Adverfaries: Iying is their too common language ; yea , if they- do: but once let themfelves eagerly to feek Preferment, I will never trail them, or take their words: It hath been fo of old, the fame man that was a Saint to his Acquaintance, bath been defcribed as wicked, or a Devil by others : How bad were Origen and Chryfffome to heophilut, Blexand. and Epifhanioes ? And how bad- was ?'teophilus to the Élilloriansthat write hisafttons? How excellent a perton was Cyril Alex. t ) the Council of Calcedon, and how bad a man was he to Theodoret, Iflidore, Paul. &c. Ignatius Conti%was a Saint to.Nicetas, and- many others, and to Photius he was an Antiehriff, and wicked limb of the Devil: Photius was a holyman to his Party, and a wicked wretch to Nicetxs, and o- thers : Yea, fee thecredit of worldly Prelates ; the fame Bifhops one year crydown Ignatius as a wicked man, and call Photius a holy perfon; and the next year, or fhortlyafter, cry down Photius for a Rogue, and cry up Igna= tius; yea, and upon the next turn cry up holy. Photius whom they had ana- thematized Thefdoings were familiar with carnal Prelates. Eut as Gods Spirit in his fervants is fo. fuited to the Doétrine of the fame Spirit, that they relifh it where they find it ; to their piety and honefly is fuch afell evidencing thing, that pious andhoned men that knew them, cannot believe their lying flanderers, And
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