376 T he LIFE o f the L I L L Shifmatical, nor Seditious; but a People that quietly followed their hard Labour, and learned the Holy Scriptures, and lived a holy, blamelef Life, in Humility and Peace with all Men, and never had any See} or feparaced Party among them, but abhorred all Fa&ion and Sidings in Religion, and lived in Lore and Chrisiían U- nity. Yet when the Bishop was gone, the Dean came and preached about three hours or near, to cure them of the Admiration of my Perfon ; and a month after came again and preached over the fame , per wading the People that they were Presbyterians and Schifmatical, and were led to it by their over valuing of me,. The People admired at the temerityof thefe Men, and really thought that they were fcarce well in their Wits, that would go on to fpeak things fò far lion truth of Men whom they never knew, and that to their own faces. Many have gone about by backbiting to make People believe a {fame report of others : but few will think to perfvade any to believe it of themfelves, who know themfelves much better than the Reprover troth. Yet betides all this, their Ledturers were to go on in the fame Drain, and one Mr. Pitt (who lived in Sir 7obn Packigton's Houle, with Dr. Hammond) was oftenat this work (being of the Judgment and Spirit of Dr. Gunning and Dr. Pierce) calling them Presbyterians , Rebellious, Serpents, and Generation of Vipers, unlikely to fcape the Damnation of Hell, yet knowing not his Accufttion tobe true of one Manof them ( For there was but one, if one Presbyterian in the Town, but plain honeft People, that minded nothing but Pie- ty, Unity, Charity, and their Callings). This dealing (instead of winning them to the Preacher) drove therm G0171 the Lecture, and then ( as I raid) they accufed the People as deferting it, and put it down. § 2 a.Forthis ordinary Preacher they fat up one of the .bet parts they could get ` A mod (0 war far from what his Patrons fpake him to he)who wasquickly a weary and went fcer away And next they fee up a poor dry Man,that had been a School- malternear us, vandal Y- Y P P Y and after a little timehe died: And fince they have taken another Courfe,and fét up young Man (tire lief they canget) who taketh the contrary way to the fief, and over - applaudeth me in the Pulpit to them, and fpeaketh well of then,, and ufeth them kindly : And they are glad of one that path fome Charity. And thus the Bishop hash used that Flock, who fay that till then they never knew fh well what a Bishop was, nor were before fo guilty of that dillike of Epifcopacy, of which they were f, frequently andvehemently accufed. I hear not of one perfon among them, who is won to the Love of Prolacy or Formality fince my removal. § 253. Having parted with my dear Flock (I need not fay, with mutual fenfe and tears) I left Mr. Baldwin to live privately among them, and ovedèe them in my Dead, and ville them front !louse to Houle; advifing them, notwithftanding all the lujuries they had received, and all the Failings ofthe Minillers that preach- ed to theta, and the Defects of the prefent Way of Worfhip, that yet they fhonld keep to the Publick Affemblies, and make ufe of furls I-Ielps as might be had in Pablick, together with theirprivate Helps : Only in three Cafes co abfent them- fives ; r. When the Minifler was one that was utterly infutficienr, as not being able to reach them the Articles of the Faith and Effentials of true Religion ( fuch as alas, they had known to their furrow). 2. When the Minifer preached any 1- lerefie, or Doctrine which was direâly contrary to any Article of the Faith, or receffary par t of Godlinefs. 3. When in the Application he let himfelf gainll the Ends of his Office, tomake a holy Life feem odious, and to keep Men from it, and to promote the Interelkof Satan : Yet not to take every bitter Reflection up- on themielvesor others, occaltoned by difference ofOpinion or Interest, to be a Efficient Cause to fay that the Minifer preacheth agamf Godlinefs, or to with- draw themfelves. § 254. When I was gone from them, I wrote not a Letter to them pall once in a year, fell it fhould bring Suffering upon theta (the Cade altowhy I removedmy Dwelling from them was, becaufe they apprehended themfelves that my prefence would have been their ruine, as to Liberty and Ellates ) : For had they but recei- ved a Letter from me, any difpleahng thing that they had done, would have been imputed to that. As for infante, not long after, there came out the Aa that all that had any Place of Trull in Cities, Corporations or Countreys, fhould be put out, uniels they declared that they held [That there it no Obligation lying upon them, or any other pertn, from the Oath called The Solemn League andCovenant jr Here- upon all the Thirteen Capital Burgeffes, Bailiff; Justice, and all, favo one that had been an Officerin the King's Army, were turned out (though Ifuppole never any more titan two or three of them took the Oath and Covenant themfelves) ; and alma all the25 in£eriour Burgeffes were turned out with them. Whereupon
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