124 Revelation o f theApecaiypfe. CA P. 3. warmi eftate which I haveofmine own, Both fully content me. Neither r did I ever count any morefooli(h , then for a man to goe about to vaine pleafe himfelf,by difpleafingothers. Yea how foule.and fhamefull a glorious thing is it for one to . lye raking in the ulcers ofhis brethren, like a Laodicea fly, ? My mind and difpofition is, and hath been aiwayes fuch, that I could never abide filch courfes. Butwhen as I perceived that thefe (even Cities, were propounded foraType of all the churches among theGentiles, and whenL.did moreover fee cleerly, both theorder of the time, and themarvellous agreeing of all things together, I dtult not perfidioufly bury the truth in filence, leafy I fiiould makemy felf acceffary to fo bloody a fin, as is, the damnation of other mens foules. God forbid that I should willingly difhaine that church with any the. lc& blot ofinfamy,which bythemercyofGodhath brought meforth, hath brought meup,& doth fuftain me;the which therefore I dowith my daily wifhes & endeavours, define to be, & tomake a moft blefièd Church. But feeing aBile cannot be healedunleffe it be handled, neitherhandled without feme pain and fmartinggrief; I thought it my duty to caft my felf rather upon whatfoever troubles, then to be- tray the falvationofthat Church, _whofe eftate ought, to be ofmore account with every one of us thenhis own. Truly he that gather- eth the tears ofhis children into his bottle., knoweth right well that I have not with dry eyes taken a furvey ofthisLaedicea. I could not but poure forth tearesand fighes from thebottomofmy heart, when I beheld in it, Chrift himfclf loathing ofus , andpro voked extreamly to anger againff us. Wherefore let no manblame me.forfpeakingthat', which not fo. muchmine ownminde,as theduty of faithfull Interpreterconflrray nethme to utter. And I hope that thofe.which love the truth, wall not difdarne and'rejeef fo equall a petition ; onwhichhope relying, but chiefly onhis helpe ; who istheguide ofmy wayand ofmy life , I willforthwith.addrefe my felfto come to the matter. The Coyrn- terpaine (I fay) ofLoodicea, is the third refermed church , namely , Our Church ofEngland. For all the purer Churches are ina three- fold difference to beconfidered : for either they follow the fteps,. which Zither trode out before them, ofwhich fort are the churches of Germeny , chiefly , that OfSaxonie, and thofe ofSWedeland, and. Denmark_ that bordered upon it ; or els they abhor that errour, of Confubflantiation, as do all the tell withone confent; which. yet .do not in all. things ,confpire together ,,.but follow a diffe-, L. rent
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