SOme few dayes since a book intituled Vindiciae Veritatis, came into my hand subscribed with your name, which deliberately I perused, and was grieved at heart to read such lines from Mr. Henry Burton, against his quondam fellow-sufferer (Doctor Bastwicke) I medle not with your Arguments about Presbyterian de­pendant, and Presbyterian independant: but I question the selfeishnes, the false accusing, the fiery spirit, the aspersing Language, which you have scattered in severall pages of your booke against your fellow-suf­ferer. Sir, God hath bestowed on Doctor Bastwicke, your selfe, and others, extraordinary gifts, for to you it was given, not onely to believe, but to suffer for his sake; yea, and to suffer at one time, yea and at that time for one cause, (your judgement then being different to that it is now) so that there was an onenesse in the cause, and sufferings; O then why maintaine you not this onenesse still! (at least in your affections) but page the second, you seeme your selfe to insinuate this question (for say you,) How comes it to passe that my two fellow-sufferers, and my selfe, should fall at this ods? was it by any divine providence ominated, or presaged, by your two standing on one Pillory, and mine alone on the other, that we should come upon one Theatre, to become spectacles to the world by mutuall digladiations, as if the one Pillory should contend with the other? thus you. Sir before I answer your question, I beseech you in all chri­stian love give me leave to advise you: O take heed, take heed, how you harbour such a thought, as to charge divine providence with your humane frailties, and self seeking Vindications, make not God the author of your divisions, who is a God of unity, peace, and love; it is true by way of permission, there is no evill in a City, that the Lord hath not done: Amos 3.6. and the Scripture tells us, it must needs be that of­fences come; but woe be to that man, by whom the offence cometh: and therefore I cannot but deale ingenuously with you, and for answer to your question, tell you, what Godly, holy selfe-denying men, not one­ly converts in part, as you censure all of a contrary judgement to your selfe to be, but some of your owne judgement have said, which is this, That it came to passe by your unadvised thrusting your self in, to con­tend with Mr. Prynne by name, one of your quondam fellow sufferers, whereas according to all rules of friendship you were the unfittest man for that worke of any, there being many other sober minded chri­stians [Page 4]besides Mr. Henry Burton: and as some of your owne party have said, more able to defend, and maintaine their cause then your selfe; but for my part I question not your abilities; but this is very cleare, that you, and you onely did make this odds, with your fellow-sufferer: and so primarily and originally you have caused all the difference be­tweene you, by proclaiming all of a contrary judgement to your selfe, though otherwise never so godly, to be enemies to the government of the Lord Iesus Christ; which opinion Doctor Bastwicke Learnedly and Christianly confuted and reproved, naming no man: Sir I ho­nour you, and in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ beseech you, who am a fellow-sufferer with you, and that in as deepe a measure as any, though not to blood; lay this to heart, that you have had a hand in causing offences in the Church by your unchristianing and censuring the dear people of God. O pull downe every high thought that exalteth itself! and humble your selfe before the Lord for this miscarriage, lest you be lyable to that woe pronounced, Mat. 18.7. Thus in christian love I have faithfully and truely, as in the sight of God, answered your que­stion. But you will say, how make you good that charge in the be­ginning of your Letter? Sir, I shall doe it from your owne writings, for I find in them that your chiefe labour and paines is spent to vindi­cate and exalt your selfe; for the Arguments of difference they are but coldly and unsatisfactorily handled; but when you come to your selfe, who you say have beene unsufferably wronged, then you are so heated, that while you seem to blame the Doctor, you forget your promise, page 2. where you say, [you will answer him in sobernesse and in the spirit of meeknesse and love] and you fall into unadvised, unseemly, unbrotherly Language, and false accusations against Do­ctor Bastwicke: But you have beene provoked not a litle [for say you] the Doctor speakes of a grave man, with a white basket-hilted beard [though not naming any, yet you were the man aimed at.] Why, good Sir, if you were: Here is gravity acknowledged, which speakes a re­verence borne to the man, though a dislike of his uncharitable and un­warrantable writings: But the Doctor expresseth himselfe with a scurrilous Epithite (say you.) I deny it, for it is but a harmelesse jest, and no other; it can never hurt you; and truely a meeke hearted Mo­ses, would have passed it by, and have taken no notice of it, nor have made such acclamation about a merry word. But it is a disgrace which you cannot beare; O! Oh! selfe appeares exceedingly in all your lines; and because you have made such an out-cry, and make a man an offender for a word, take a view of your owne Language to your quon­dam fellow-sufferer, worthy Doctor Bastwick, but before I give you [Page 5]in your Catalogue of unsavory words, I here protest in the presence of God [who knowes the secrets of all hearts, and from whose eyes nothing can be hid] that neither Doctor Bastwick, nor any mortall man, as yet, doth know of this Letter unto you: for the noble Doctor did ride into the Country before your booke came forth, and is not yet returned, so that he hath never seene your booke, therefore no in­stigation from him hath procured me to write; but when I saw how all along your booke, you falsly accused that deserving Gentleman, labouring to take away his good name, which Solomon saith, is better then precious oyntment; Ecclesi. 7.1. And I having had such experience [as none in England hath had more] of the Doctors worth, Zeale for Gods glory, and Christian Conversation; it made me that I durst not be silent, lest I should be partaker with you in your sinne. And for the Doctors expressions in his bookes, which you make so much adoe about, I assure you the many affronts, the base unworthy Language, that he hath from time to time undergone, from many both men & wo­men, of your judgement, vilifying, reviling, & scorning him to his face some of them being of no mean account amongst you, was the cause of them; for before he had published any booke [onely they heard he was writing against their opinion] they dayly abused him most un­worthily, for which he privately in Christian love reproved them, but when he saw that his silence and patience did no good, this caused him to make his Postscript, and the other booke truly relating their unchri­stian Carriage, and laughing at their unreprovable folly. And doth not God laugh at the wicked, who will go on in their sinfull and per­verse wayes, and will not be reproved; see Prov. 1.25.26. Truly Mr. Burton, I am confident had you beene so provoked by the Con­trary party, as Doctor Bastwick hath beene by your party, your spirit would not have brookt it, with so much patience as he hath done.

Sir, this by the way being premised, I beseech you now take and peruse the catalogue of all your unbrotherly Invectives against your quondam fellow-sufferer. You render him to the world an Hypocrite, pag. 17. (one that hath but faire flourishes of holinesse) pag. 18. You conclude him an Adversary to Christs King dome, and an open enemy and persecuter of the Church. Pag. 20, you charge him with doing wrong, and walking scandalously, to the great offence and shame of the very name of Christian Religion. Pag. 21. You make him to be worse then a naturall Heathen, a base, and barbarous man. Pag. 25. You a­verre, and do seem to take upon you to prove him one of the greatest Incendiaries in the Land. Pag. 28. You speak of him as of a dishonest man, and subtily calling him Serpent. You then run your selfe out of [Page 6]breath with calumnies, pag. 29, telling him, he is a hollow-hearted man, hath a shallow brain, which in plain English is a Foole, And that not only his heart is divided, but his head, &c. So that by your railing Rhetorick you present him to the world, a mad man. You say not as Ioab, he hath smote you in the fift rib; but I dare say and affirme it, you have unchristianly and causlesly laboured to wound him in the head, the most excellent part of man; And all this hot and furious pursuit after the good Doctor, is for nothing else but because he plaid with your Beard. But, pag. 28. you seem to have a further charge a­gainst your brother, in that he speaks of some that did set in the fron­tispieces of their Books, Christs words, Mat. 10.34, 35, 36. And be­cause he [out of respect to the Author] named no man; but with Christian wisdome reproved the unseasonablenesse of applying that place of Scripture, in a time when divisions are already so great and many amongst brethren; insomuch that every man, especially such a one as you, should improve all your time, graces, knowledge, wit and learning, to make up these breaches, and to compose the sad dif­ferences. For certainly, to urge such places of Scripture in a time of so great distractions, will give too too much incouragement to the ruder sort of your party, who are not afraid to do whatsoever seems good in their eyes, and to say they will have liberty of conscience, now they have the sword in their own hands, [for thus some of them have said] yea, where they think themselves strong, if a Minister preach against their way, they rise up against that man to destroy him. This I speak of, because, pag. 24. you mention a late mis-rule at Colchester [but you do not say it was your party that was so unruly] you call it, the Doctors Town of Colchester. The Doctor indeed for many yeares lived in that Town, and did much good among the people, and there I had the hap­pinesse to enjoy his society very frequently: But the Prelate of Can­terbury by his Purseuvants fetcht him from thence above eleven yeares agone, and cast him into prison, since which time he was never in Colchester. But you say, upon his Books, and T.E. his preaching, this mis-rule happened. Sir, the mentioning of this disorder, in my judge­ment discovers some weaknesse in you; for it may be a great disad­vantage to your Cause, and ratifies what the Doctor hath said of your party: for, because a Gentleman hath written against their way, and that the Ministers do preach against it, conceiving there is not any ground for it in Gods word; was this a sufficient warrant for them to rise and make a tumult: wherefore did they come into the Congre­gation? for they knew before they came, that Mr. T.E. was of a con­trary [Page 7]judgement to them, and they at other times will not endure to heare any other Ministers but their own: so that it is plain, they then came on purpose to make a disturbance in the Congregation. I heare in that Town severall Opinions do increase, and this action of theirs speaks loud in the eares of every sober-minded Christian. Where that party is strong, they will not suffer any of a contrary opinion to write, or preach any thing against their way. Sir, I never heard of this up­rore, untill I read of it in your Book: but the last night I spake with some that were at Colchester at that time when the Independents so mo­lested the people, (to the shame indeed of the very name of Christian Religion) And they told me, That had not the Magistrates aided the Minister, it was feared they would have kill'd him. We see what it is like to come to where they have power. Sir, you preach, and write, and other of your Ministers preach publikely against the Presbyterian way, and you are not in danger of your lives, nor are you molested when you preach publikely; and yet, as with one consent, you have of late set your selves to preach up your way, where ever you come; tru­ly it is time for a setled Government, when your party comes to this height, that they will not suffer any thing to be preached or writ a­gainst their way, but they wil rise, (they will give Laws at last, if this goon) I know there are some truly Godly, that are different in judgements: but there are, we see by this president, and that tumultuous Company that abused Doctor Bastwick at Westminster, many of your judgement that misaply our Saviours words, Mat. 10.34, 5, 36. And therefore I am of this mind, and many who are godly and wise do agree with me, and the Doctor herein, that this was not a time nor leason for such as desire the peace of Gods Church, to urge that Scripture; so that all things considered, you complaine causlessely against the Doctor still. O Mr. Burton! I humbly intreate you bethinke your selfe what you have done; you blame bitter speaking (and it is blame worthy in any) but you know the Apostle saith, he is inexcusable, whosoever he be, that judgeth another, and doth the same thing, Rom. 2.1. This is your case, the Lord lay your sinne open before your owne face as it lies open to the view of all men, and to every impartiall Christian. Sir, I would draw to an end, but I cannot with the discharge of a good conscience conclude, untill I have declared unto you, the truth of what I know, concerning Doctor Bastwick, with whom I have had the honour to en­joy intimate acquaintance above this twenty yeares: and if I should say no more of him then this in generall, (which without all partiality I speake in the presence of God) I know him to be a man whose whole frame of foule is set against all sinne; this might be enough to wipe [Page 8]away those blacke Calumnies which you have laboured to besmeare both his soule and body with; for indeed you have strucke your stroks so, as aiming to hit both; therefore give me leave to speake a litle more particularly, to manifest his inocency and set forth his integri­ty. First, for his shewes of holinesse they are no flourish but the fruits of his sincerity to God; his naturall inclination is to be merry, yet with sobriety [allow a few drams of lawfull mirth to his constitution] he is a man not easily provoked to wrath; he is a man, of an aimable, loving, and courteous carriage; and however malice may seeke to de­tract from him, yet I can truely say, and many of the poorest of Gods people, which tries humility, can testifie the same with me, That he is of a most sweet, humble spirit, pitifull to all, but transcendently com­pasionate to the poor people of God; an honest man, and just in all his actions; one of them, David speakes of, Psal. 15.4. A man much in meditation, and walketh closely with his God; so that he may de­fie the Devill, or any man, in that particular, who shall accuse him, as a scandalous walker.

He travelled for nine yeares together into other Countryes, and hath as large and ample testimonies from all the reformed Churches where he lived beyond the seas, for his godly life and blamelesse conversation, and his abilities in learning, as ever I saw or read of any man; also he hath as ample a testimony from the magestrates and ministers of the towne of Colchester, for his godly life, quiet, and peacable conversati­on, whilest he lived amongst them; and what I speake is not from heare-say, but all of my owne Knowledge, through the intimate and long acquaintance I have had with him. He hath severall Languages in perfection, so as he is able to do service, to the Church and State at home, and abroad. O Sir! much more may be said in the due com­mendations of this your quondam fellow-sufferer, and that without flattery, for the gifts and graces of God are to be acknowledged and honoured in an enemy, much more in a friend, and sufferer; and God hath given to Doctor Bastwicke a rich portion of spirituall and natu­rall endowments; and will you, good Sir, suffer your selfe to be so farre transported with passion, as to deny the graces of God that is in him, because he is not of your Judgement, or because he played too famili­arly with your beard; the Lord shew you the evill of your so doing; and give you a self-derving heart, a sorrowfull, humble, and contrite spirit, for the offence you have occasioned in the Church of God, and strengthen you so with his might, that now you may spend your whole indeavours to make up the sad breaches amongst Gods people. This shall be the dayly prayer of;