HAving lately received from you, by the hands of my loving Neigh­bour and Friend M ^ris. Ducker, a booke undeserved and unexpected favour, one of your last bookes, intituled, Innocencie and Truth triumphing toge­ther; I acknowledge it a just engagement of obliged gratitude, and there­fore, accordingly, I doe here returne you deserved and most humble thankes for the same, by the same friendly hand. And because (worthy Sir) I con­ceived and considered with my selfe, that you sent it by way of love and desire to give mee (who am, as I acknowledge, a poore and unworthy Presbyterian) satis­faction, if it might bee, touching your Independent Church-way: I having now perused it all over, even à capite ad calcem (and I hope with that pietie and impar­tialitie, as my God hath enabled mee, which becomes a Christian and fellow-ser­vant to the same Lord Jesus Christ with you) I therefore hope you will, not so much pardon (which I pray not) as accept (which I heartily desire) with Chri­stian Candor, mine ingenuitie and plaine dealing with you, in now giving you an account, briefely, as I thought it most fit, of what light or content and satisfaction I have received from it. Truely Sir, I having read your Epistle to the Reader, found therein very full and faire promise of your ingenuous ayme and intention in the sub­sequent discourse, viz. that you projected foure things therein, Brevitie, Perspicuitie, Moderation and Satisfaction. But having, I say, purused your Booke, truely Sir, (if I am not mistaken, as I beleeve I am not) you have come extreame short of your promised project, in every of the foure branches thereof. For first, if I found you short, I am sure I found you sharpe and tart; For Perspicuitie, I assure you I found much cloudie obscuritie; Veri similitudinem multam, non ipsam veritatem; satisfaction, therefore none at all. But especially, in that of projected moderation, and promi­sed temperature in writing, (the great defect, and foule fault, so cryed out upon by Independents against all Presbyterian Writers or Speakers) in stead of mode­ration I found abundance of bitternesse and unsavory jerkes and jeers (the light issues, mee thought, rather of a youthfull green-head, than the solid expressions of a grave heart) sprinkled, almost, over all your whole discourse; which I must con­fesse, much troubled and affected mee with wonder to meet with, after such a see­ming promise of moderation: Some few of very many whereof (because I knew, Dolosus versatur in generalibus) I have here particularized with their pages where they are evidently and easily to bee seene. As first, (to omit your Via Sanguinea, with all its most bitter and biting, yea sorely wounding expositions of that terme, in your Theomachia, &c.) Pag. 13. you compare Mr. Prynne in his Reply, to the two false witnesses, who falsely accused our blessed Saviour. And in the same Page you tell the Reader, Here Mr. Prynne vapours in his Reply; and immediatly after, in the same page how notably doe you jeere and scoffe him about three Taber­nacles? And with what an elated spirit doe you answer him, page 16. line 4. toge­ther with a downe-right jeere about a Nationall Church, some 12. lines after? You also grossely tax him with errors, Page 17. Sect. 21. And Page 18. and 19. you fre­quently jeere him, and among those jeeres you tell him, that Acts 15. is onely Mr. Prynnes Gospel; what a bitter and unchristian censure lay you upon him, and all Presbyterians, Page 24. Sect. 26. towards the end of it? And ô how you jeere him with his quotations, Page 37. towards the bottome; as also Page 49. and Page 51. you slander him with want of Reason and Truth too; and Page 52. you tell him, his pen spits black reproaches in the face of Independents. You also accuse him (Page 65.) of much untruth; and the same also againe most fouly, Page 84. Together with a Notable jeere, exalting your selfe, and vilifying Mr. Prynne, which I have noted at large in your booke, Page 85. Together with very many other such like expressions, too tedious to bee here recited; And yet (strange to consider) you conclude them all (with the conclusion of your booke) Page 99. in a hortatorie way to Mr. Prynne in these [Page] words: That hee would put lesse Vinegar and Gall into his Inke, and more Wooll and Cotten. And in the Apostles words, Ephes. 4. 31. That all bitternesse and evill speaking bee put away, as becomes Brethren. And now any impartiall person may judge whether you your selfe have followed this brotherly exhortation; Nay, whether contrariwise, you have not with unbrotherly aspersions, indeavoured to besmeare the face of that precious Gentle­man, most worthy ever to bee honored both by you all and us all? Truely Sir, you Independent Gentlemen have dealt with this most worthy servant of the Lord, just as the people of Lystra did with the Apostle Paul, whom at first they so honored and admired, as that they were ready to deifie him and make him a God; but short­ly after they furiously indeavored to stone him to death: So yee, at the first, in the time of Mr. Prynnes first most elaborate and learned divine writings, yea and for his most glorious and Saint-like sufferings; O then, how yee all (with us) most highly (and that most justly too) honored him, and brought him home from banishment, as it were in the triumphing Chariot of your love and prayses! But now, since hee hath piously and faithfully written against your Independent way, and onely for this, O how have you and almost all of your way, indeavored as much as in you is, to stone to death his illustrious reputation, by most unworthy and unchristian reviling and vi­lipending of him, both in words and writings! Even him I say, who for his pietie, humilitie, incomparable constancy, fortitude and magnanimitie in suffering for Gospel Truths, was not inferiour to any of his most faithfull fellow-sufferers, yea, whose soundnesse and sinceritie, whose profound learning and indefatigable labours in wri­ting upon deepest points of Divinitie and controverted Gospel Truths (witnesse his Perpetuitie of the estate of a regenerate man; his Anti-Arminianisme, Unbishoping of Timothy and Titus, his Histrio-Mastix; and many other his later, most learned, or­thodox and precious peeces) have made his never-dying name and fame most wor­thily renowned both in England and other parts of the world, beyond the Seas. And yet this noble Gentleman to bee thus, I say, besmeared and bespattred with your un­just accusations, onely I say againe, for writing the Truth against Independent novelties; O! it is most sad and bad to consider. Truely Sir, you must here give mee leave to bee yet more plaine with you, I professe in the sinceritie of my soule, that I doe most groundedly beleeve, that (had Mr. Prynne beene such a Non-sense, Consciencelesse, Irra­tionall, false and frivolous writer, as you and others of your way onely have strugled (but all in vaine) to make and demonstrate him by your lavish tongues and pens) that yet, I say certainly, Mr. John Goodwin was the most unfit man of all I know in Lon­don, to lay those undeserved criminations to Mr. Prynnes charge. For, you know good Sir, that Qui in alterum paratus est dicere, ipsum vitio carere oportet. For you there­fore, Reverend Sir, to take upon you to tax Mr. Prynne of errours, untruths, and such like, as you have done, it was surely most absurd and unbeseeming you: for it is too well knowne, how deepely you your self (before ever this most unhappy and unholy diffe­rence of Independency with Presbytery was dream'd of) have beene censured both of Socinianisme; (and how justly too, others have most learnedly in publick declared) and more lately also how you have beene discovered to hold a most dangerous, yea a most damnable opinion (as a learned Independent brother of yours termed it in my hearing, and who then said hee would justifie it against you) touching justifying Faith by Christ. And now also, how fiercely you are fallen on this unhappily distur­bant new way of Independencie. I beseech you therefore, Reverend Sir, seriously to consider these things, to muster up your saddest thoughts, and to see into what a Labyrinth you are strangely and strongly intricated. Sir, I doe not, I cannot denie, but ingenuously confesse that God hath given you much learning and eminent parts, but truely Sir, if I bee not mistaken, I greatly feare, your Independent Proselytes doe too much magnifie, if not (almost) deifie you for them, and as it was with Pytha­goras his Scholars, an Ipse dixit is enough, I, feare for many, if not most of your disciples, jurare in verba Magistri; Whereby I pray God, your great parts and gifts bee not (thus) a great Snare to your soule, which I much feare, if not timely and truely seene into and prevented by Cordiall selfe-denyall, and holy humilitie in your [Page] selfe, being more kindly affectioned with brotherly love, and in honour preferring others before your felfe, Rom. 12. 10. And thus (Reverend Sir) I have made humbly bold, by your owne occasion, lovingly, and (I hope) fairely and friendly as a poore true Christian brother ought ( Levit. 19. 17.) Liberare animam meam, and thus to manifest my reciprocall love and gratitude unto you, praying our good God it may bee accep­ted with the like right handed Christian Candor, and simplicitie of heart with which it is sent and intended; I humbly take my leave and rest, Sir,