PART. I. (Book 1)
CHAP. I.
A Sober Enquiry into the Apocryphal Causes of Non∣conformity, pretended by the serious Enquirer: St. Au∣gustin, and the Synod of Dort Vindicated; the Ar∣ticles of the Church of England Cleared. The Learn∣ing, Preaching, and Conversations of the N. C. mo∣destly justified, against the scandalous Reflections of the pretended Compassionate Enquirer, but without Recrimination.
AFter a very short Epistle, (or to speak Canonically, that which stands instead of the Epistle) to very little, and a tedious Introduction to much less purpose, the Enquirer falls full drive upon the Causes of the separa∣tion from the English Reformed Church. In imitation of the French Embassadors Musicians, who would needs give the Grand Seignior a fit of Mirth; but were so cruelly tedious in tuning their Fiddles, that the Sultans Patience was quite worn out, and he could not be perswaded to hear the first Lesson.
Now the Causes are either Apocryphal, and pretended, or Canonical, and Real; and it's a wonder to me, when his Inven∣tion was once broached, that he did not feign this for another Cause of separation, that such Heterogeneous Causes should be bound up together in the same Volume, and Covers.
For these Apocriphal Causes, let it not beget another scruple, in your Captious Heads, whether they are pretended by Dissenters, or only pretended by this Enquirer. to be amongst their preten∣ces; for it will come all to one, there being some collateral matters, which it shall go hard but he will entice, or force into the Discourse, or else the Reader might have sung wh•…•…p Bar∣naby! and Retreated to his Recreations, the longest Holy day in the Year.