BURROUGHS. 0 meeting with one Nichols, a man of vile and dangerous sentiments : whereas Mr. Burroughs thus declared, " I know no such man as this Nichols. I never heard there was such a man in the world, till I read it in Mr. Edwards's book. I, to this day, know of no meeting about him, or any of his opinions, either intended, desired, or resolved upon ; much less that there was any such meeting.". What he thus declared under his own hand, he afterwards proved,from the most correct and substantial evidence, casting all the re- proach upon the false statement of his bitter adversary.t This peevish and bigotted writer,indeed, warmly censures Mr. Burroughs for endeavouring to propagate his own senti- ments upon church discipline ; and even for pleading the cause of a general toleration. But our pious divine, with his usual christian meekness, repelled the foolish charges, proved his own innocence, and exposed the rancour of his enemy.t Being charged with conformity in the time of the bishops, he says, " Though I did conform to some of the old ceremonies, in which I acknowledge my sin; I do not cast those things off as inconvenient or discountenanced by the state only, but as sinful against Christ; yet I think there can hardly be found a man in that diocese where I was, that was so eyed, who conformed less than I did; if he conformed at all. As for the new conformity, God kept me from it; and my sin in the old makes me be of a snore forbearing spirit towards those who now differ from me. I see now what I did not; and I bless God 1 saw it before the times changed : and others, even some who scorn at new light, must acknow- ledge they see now what a while since they saw not. Why then should they or I fly upon our brethren, because they see not what we think we see ? 0, how unbecoming is it for such who conformed to old and new ceremonies, now to be harsh and bitter in the least degree against their brethren, who differ from them, when theydiffer so much from what they were not long since themselves ! Some of them know. I loved them as brethren, when they conformed to what I could not, but was suspended for refusing it. Let me have the same love from them as brethren, though I cannot now* . conform to all they now do." Mr. Edwards and old Mr. John Vicars were his most bitter and furious enemies. The latter he addressed in the 4. Edwards's Gangrwna, part i. p. 25. Third Edit.-part ii. p. 71. Eurroughs's Vindication, p. 5-8. t Edwards's Antapologia, p 216.-Gangrvena, part i. p. 78. ii. 86.- Burroughs's Vindication, p. 5-12. 5 Ibid. p. 17, 18.
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