70 The LI FEofthe Part 111 knew how Uncouth it would feem to put fo much ofthefe Do&tines into a Body of Divinity : But the three firft Chapters of Geniis affured me, That it was the Scri_ ptnre-Method. And when I had drawn up one Scheme of theCreation, and fent it the LordChief Baron (besaufe of our often Communicationon filch Subjeäs, and being now banifhed from his Neighbourhood, and the County where he Lived) he received it with fo great Approbation, and importunedme fo by Letters, to go on with that work, and not to fear being too much on Philofophy, as added fome- what to my Inclinations and Refolutions. And through the great Mercy of God, inmyRetirement at Totteridge, ina troublefome, poor, fmoaky, fuffocating Room, in the midft of daily painsof the Sciatica, and many worfe, I fet upon, and fini(Ired all the Schemes, and half the Elucidations in the end of the Year 166y. and the be- ginning of 167o. which coil me harder Studies than any thing that ever I hadbefore, attempted. § 148. In the fame time and place, I alfo wrote a large Apology forthe Non- conformifis: Partly, to prove it their Duty to Exectife their Mioiflryas they can when they are Silenced; and partlyto open theState of thePrelacy, theSubfcriptions, Declarations, des. which they refufe : for the furious Revilings of Men did fo in- creafe, and their Provocations, and Accufations, and Infilltings, werefomany and great, that it droveme to this work as it were againi my will : But when I had done it, I faw that the Publication of it would ( by Imprifonment or Banifnment) put an end to my other Labours, which made me lay it by ; for I thought that the finifhing of my MethodusT teologiie was a far greater work : But if that had beendone, I think I Ihould have publishedit whatever it had coil me. § 149. ThisYear t 6¡o my forementioned Cure of Church Divifions came out. which had been before raft by, whichoccafioned a ftorm of Obloquy among almoft all the feparating Party of Profelfors, and filled the City and Country with mat- ters of Difcourfe : which fell out to be as followeth. I had longmade ufe of two Bookfellers, Mr. Tyton, and Mr. Simmons, the former, lived in London and the later in Kiderminfter : But the latter removing to London, they envyed each other, in a meer defire ofgain, o:e thinking that the other got more .than he was willing fhould gobifideshimfelf Mr. Tyson firfì refiifed an equal Co-partnerfhip with the other Whnreupen it fellto the others Share to Print my LifeofFaitb, and Cure of Chord Divifions, after myDirelfionsto weakChriftians together : Which occafioned Mt. Tyton to tell feveral that came to his Shop, that theBook, as he heard was a- gainit private Meetings, at leafs, at the time of Publick, and made thofe Scliimaticks that ufed them : Mr. Simmons met with a credible Citizen that gave ithim under his Hand, that Mr. Tyton faid that [ hemight have had the Printing of theBook, but would not, besaufe it fpakéagainft thofe things which he had feen me Praftife tax. ; ] whichwere all grofs Untruths ; for the Book was never offered him, nor had he never feen a word of it, or ever Spoken with any one that had feen it, and told him what was in it. Mr. Tyton being a Member of an Independent Church, this fort of People the eafilier believed this; and fo it was carriedamong them from one to one, lira that I wrote againft private Meetings, and then that Iaccufed them all of Schifm, and then that Iwrote for Conformity, and laftly, that (conformed fo that before a Line of my Book was known, this was grown thecommon Fame of the City, and thence of all the Land, and fent as certain intoScotland and Ireland: yea, they named the Text that I preached my Recantation Sermon on before the King, asflirting him up to Cruelty agaiult the Nonconformifis. So common was the Sin of Back-biting and slandering among the Separating Party, fo it werebut done at the fecond hand; and they that thought themfelves too good to joys with the Conformifts or ufe their Liturgy, or Communion, yet neverRuck at the com- mon carryingof'all thefeFallhoods, besaufethey could fay, a good Mantold it me. So that Thoúfands made no bones of this, that would not have defiled themfelves with a Ceremony, or an intpofed Form of Prayer, by any means. Yea, the Streets rang with Reproaches againft me for it, without anymore proof. Some faid that (took part with the Enemies of Godlinefs, and countenancedtheir Church-Tyranny; and fonte faid that I fought to reconcile my felf to them, for fear of further Suffering: And thus the Chriflians that were molt tenderly afraidof the Liturgy and Ceremonies, were fo little tenderof receiving and vending the moR dif- ingenuous
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