The Preface. our mofl applauded Preachers, the things of God were [oaken with fo little life and feriou[nefs, as if they bad not been believed by the fpeaker, or came not from the heart; yea Godtinefs and Diligence for Heaven, was the thing that they ordinarily preached againfl under the name of precilenefs, and being righteous overmuch. And the Puritans were the men that Pulpits renderedmoll odious to the people, andyour Preachers exercised their wit and zeal aainft 5 while aimoft all their hearers through the Land did take a Puritan to be one that was ferioufly Religious. many a place have I lived in, where there was not a man that ever [poke a word againfi Bilhops or ceremonies ; but a few there were (alai, a few ) that would fometime read a chapter ìn the Bible ,and pray with their Families, and 'peak of the life to come, and the way to it, and for this they were commonly called Puritans. If a man had but mildly askt a [wearer why he fwore, or a drunkard why he would be drunk, or had once named Scripture, or the life to come, onler, prophanely, the firfl word he Jhould hear, was, 0you areone of the holy Brethren ! you would not drink or [wear, but you will do worfe fecret ! It was never 4 good world fince there was fo much talk of Scripture and Religion : but the Kingand theBijhops will take an order with you, and all the Puritans and Precifi- ans in the Land] I profefs upon my commonfad experi- ence, that this was the common language of thepeople that were ignorant andprophane in all parts of England that ever I came in ( which were not afew5) and thefe were the men that theyCalled Puritans, and en fuch ac- counts. .4nd what could the Prelates and Preachers of the Land have done more to mens damnation , then to preach them into an hatred of Puritanifm, when it was known by allthat lived among them, that Pietywas Puri- tanifm in their account, andno man WAS fofree from it as-
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