172 The L IFE of the L.IS.I. Tour great Plenty together with your Affciatian , and nearnefi of Habitations mak»,g Your Palore and People as one, betides the Univerfities are with you, which ( bleed be God) are well replenifhed with many gracious Plants , to whom your Unamity will doubt. left be a very great 'Encouragement tofettle amongft you ; whereas our defiance from them, together with thofefad Reports which are call upon this Land, render us hopele of any confderableSupply that way. Thefe things we humbly offer as Motives toyou for flareg fame that may be helpfulto us inthis Day of our ExtreamNecefty. And now, dear Pre_ thren, moil thankfully acceptingyour Love, we recommendyour Perfons,Labosers and Flocks to the Care and Overfgbt of our Lord 7efusChri$, who is the Chief Shepherdand B/op of our Souls, whole Grace be with yeu. Amen. Your Brethen, unfeignedly Dublin, yam 16th. i65' S loving you in the Lord, Sam. Winter. The. Hook, Ol. Huchinfon, William Markham, 7abn Price, In rise Name and by the Appointment of the Churchcs in Ireland. Elders of the Church of Chrift in Dullin, whereof Dr. Samuel Winter is Pallor. tell of the Affociated § 37. About this time, Mr. vines extolling the Judgment and Learningbf Dr. Ralph Brownrigg, Bithop of Exeter, and advifing me to chufe him as the &tell Man to treat with for Concord with the Diocefane Party, I wrote to him to that End, and fnt with all fome Terms of Concord. He returned me a very kind Letter, profefBng his W illingnefs to profecute that Work, and withal an anfwer loamy Pro. pofals ; which granted themain Matters which I defired, andw ould have united us all, if fuck terms had been granted when the King came in, and felled the Church Government ; for he granted with Bithop Ufber, that every Presbyter is, and mull be a Governor as well as a Teacher of his own Flock; and that fubordi- nate Affemblies like Rural Denaries might be fee up in every Market Town, or in certainDivifions for the Performancehereof. But becaufe I found him too te- naeious of the titular Honours of theBitbops ( which though I could have contented to my Pelf, yet thofe times would not permit) I wrote to him no more, and Peeing we were nos like that way toattain our Ends, which was a prefenrUnion with that Party : But had I forefeen what fence is come to pats, I would have profecuted it farther, that I might have had more of his Confeffions to vilify againit un peaceable Men. TheLetter I wrote to him was as follows : Moil Reverend andmuch Honoured Sir! ¡Hat Ian utter Stranger to you Ihould make this Addref, I fuppofe will he no 1 firanger matter to you, than that the Weak lhould feek for help unto the Strong, and that theLaws of Nature and of Grace fhould tye us to a mutual Communication according to our powers. So much of my own time being (pent in fuck Paper Converfe with Men whofe Faces I never raw, bath fomewhat hardened me to this Attempt: And I know, that as far as you excel me in true Wifdom and Humility, fo far will you excel in Condefcenfion to Inferiours, and in Readinefs to do good : and therefore -I have nodoubt of your favourable ` Acceptance of this Addrefs, if there be nothing in the Matter or Manner to bin- ` der. I leall take leave firlt to tell you my General Errand, with the Ground of ir, and then my Particular one. Nature inclinetr us to defile toknow : and Grace ' to de/re the right Knowledge of God and of his Will ; from himfelf only, who is the Father of Lights, mofe we have thisLight, and from him by his appointed Means and Revelations. If I learn not of thole that God hath taught but ex.
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