Your artificial, squibbling suggestions to the world about myself,
my imprisonment, and the like, I freely bind unto me as an ornament
among the rest of my reproaches, till the Lord shall wipe them off
at his coming.
Faith and holiness are my professed principles, with an endeavor, so
far as in me lieth, to be at peace with all men. What shall I say?
Let mine enemies themselves be judges, if any thing in these
following doctrines, or if aught that any man hath heard me preach,
doth or hath, according to the true intent of my words, savored
either of heresy or rebellion. I say again, let them themselves be
judges, if aught they find in my writing or preaching doth render me
worthy of almost twelve years' imprisonment, or one that deserveth
to be hanged or banished for ever, according to their tremendous
sentence. Indeed my principles are such as lead me to a denial to
communicate in the things of the kingdom of Christ with the ungodly
and open profane; neither can I consent that my soul should be
governed in any of my approaches to God by the superstitious
inventions of this world, because commanded to the contrary, or
commended for so refusing. Wherefore, excepting in this one
thing--for which I ought not to be rebuked--I shall, I trust, in
despite of slandor and falsehood, discover myself at all times a
peaceable anl obedient subject.
Pages:
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527