AN ABSTRACT of a Letter from a Bishop of this land sent to—.  
A Copy for the rest.  
THis Earthly Moon the Church, hath her fulls and wanings, and sometimes her Eclipses, whilst the shadow of this sinful mass hides her beauty from the world. Whilst she wadeth in this planitary World it should be vain to expect better. It is enough when she is fixed above, to be free from all change. She is not yet in the full of her glory. Goodness repulsed gives height to sin; therefore have we been worse than our Predecessors, because we might have been better; because there was never more light of knowledge. Turn over all Records, and Parallel such helps, such care, such cost, such expectation, with such fruit; yet this censure is not confined to our Sees; and I joy not in this large society, would God we were evil alone; where shall a man mew up himself, that he may not be a witness of what he would not. They are rare hands, that are free either from aspersion of blood, or spots of filthiness, close Atheism, secret Idolatry, unmerciful oppression, greedy covetousness, fymonicall sacrilege, bloody treachery, hypocritical fashionableness, have spread themselves; the Sun of peace looking upon our unclean heap, hath bred these Monsters, and hath given light to this brood of darkness. If any insult in my confession, tell him that I account these the greatest part of our evil, who knows not that as the Earth is the dregs of the world, so Italy is the dregs of the Earth. Rome of Italy? and who doth not confess to find such as our Paradise is grievous. Let them alone that will die, and hate to be cured. Oh that remedies were as easy, as complaints against us? that we could be as soon cleared as convinced, that the taking of the Medicine were but so difficult as the prescription; and yet nothing hinders us from our health but our will: Neither Gospel, nor grace, nor glory, are shut up, only our hearts are not open; yet the secure, and perverse, must break if they bow not, what should be done then? Except we would feign smart, each man amend one, and we all live. Let us each of us, pull out one brand of this fire, and the flame will go out alone. Till then, alas what avails it to talk whilst every man censures, and none of us amend, though our care begin at ourselves it may not end there. Oh ye Sons of Levi, gather to your Moses in the gate of the Camp; Consecrate your hands to God, and sound forth your voice like a Trumpet. Cry down sin in earnest, and, thunder out of that sacred chair of Moses, and let your lives speak yet louder. Thus as one that delights more in amendment than excuse, I have both censured and directed. So judge of my severe taxation. It shall be happy for us, if we can at once excuse and diminish, accuse and redress iniquity. Let but the endeavour be ours, the success to God.  
FINIS.