7. Full as many were the offences that lay in the way of even the sincere members of the church of _England_, when the people called _Quakers_ first professed, that they were sent of God to reform the land. Whether they were or no, is beside our question: it suffices for the present purpose to observe, that over and above their open, avowed, total _separation_ from the church, and their vehement _invectives_ against many of her _doctrines_, and the whole frame of her _discipline_: they spent their main strength in disputing about _opinions_ and _externals_, rather than in preaching faith, mercy, and the love of God. In these respects, the case was nearly the same when the _Baptists_ first appeared in _England_. They immediately commenced a warm dispute, not concerning the _vitals_ of Christianity, but concerning the _manner_ and _time_ of administering one of the _external ordinances_ of it. And as their _opinion_ hereof totally differed from that of all the other members of the church of _England_, so they soon openly declared their separation from it, not without sharp _censures_ of those that continued therein. 8. The same occasion of offence was, in a smaller degree, given by the _Presbyterians_ and _Independents_: for they also spent great part of their time and strength, in opposing the commonly received _opinions_, concerning some of the _circumstantials_ of religion; and for the sake of these, _separated_ from the church. * But I do not include that venerable man, Mr. _Philip Henry_, nor any that were of his Spirit, in this number. I know they abhorred contending about _externals_. Neither did they _separate themselves_ from the church. They continued therein, till they were driven out, whether they would or no. I cannot but tenderly sympathize with these; and the more, because this is, in part, our own case. Warm men spare no pains, at this very day, to drive us out of the church. They cry out to the people, wherever one of us comes, “A mad dog, a mad dog!” If haply we might fly for our lives, as many have done before us. And sure it is, we should have complied with their desire, we should merely for peace and quietness have left the church long before now, but that we could not in conscience do it. And it is on this single motive, it is for conscience sake, that we still continue therein; and shall continue, (God being our helper) unless they by violence thrust us out. 9. * But to return. What are the stumbling-blocks in the present case, compared to those in any of the preceding?