A FRIENDLY CHECK TO Dr BASTWICK: Sent unto him in a Letter from a Presbyterian friend.  JAMES 5. 9 
Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned; Behold, the Judge standeth before the door.  
Published according to Order.  
LONDON, Printed for Tho. Vnderhill at the Bible in Wood-street. M. DC. XLV.   

TO THE WORTHILY HONOURED, Dr John Bastwick.  
Honoured Sir,  
IT was the enquiry sometime of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (What do men say of me? or, who do they say I am?) not that he cared for the popular vote, nor that he was ignorant of the opinion the world had of him, or the construction or interpretation they gave of his actions; he knew the world was evil, and therefore would speak evil: but he was more inquisitive to know what the godly said of him, and therefore demands a second question: But who do (you) you, my Disciples, say I am? It would be convenient for a man, for a Christian man to say sometimes, what do the godly and wise say of me, and what interpretation do they give of my actions? for by this means sometimes they may hear by others what is in their own hearts, and come to know that in themselves, which because of self they knew not before. Such a question as this, Sr, I heard you not long since ask in company where providence cast both you and me, viz, what acceptation hath my book (meaning, the Presbyterian dependent, etc.) found among the people? but I must confess it was in modest terms beseeming you; the answer then returned was not so plain as was desired. Sr, I shall give you now an account of what approbation that book and two more, viz. hath had by the wise and godly; but before I speak to that, let me say something of the first question, viz. what men say of you? Sr, they recognize and call to mind, that not long since God called you to suffer under a proud and insulting generation of men, which for their pride and partiality God hath made them vile and base before all the people: herein God honoured, I say honoured, because God honoureth us more to set us about any of his work, though it be to suffer for him, than we honour him; I say again, honoured you, and two or three more, whereas if he pleased, he might have honoured many others of his then upright servants to suffer for him, which by the same assisting and supporting grace God gave you, they would have honoured God as much as you did; But as if you three were the only three Worthies, to you it was given to suffer for his Name. For the carriage and constancy you all showed in your sufferings, where your persons were not known beyond the confines of three Kingdoms; your names were honoured, and were like a precious box of ointment poured out, sending forth an odoriferous and fragrant smell, God brought you out of your sufferings, heard the prayers and tears of his people for you, enlarged you, imprisoned your adversaries: a great mercy and to be had in everlasting remembrance. This called for thankfulness and circumspection at your hands. Suffering Saints, when delivered, should walk humbly, or else they lose their glory. Hezekiah as faithful and upright a servant of God as God had any, was sick, sick to the death in the opinion of his doctors, and in the observation of the Jews, the first man say they that ever recovered of that disease; but his heart was lifted up, he rendered not to God according to his great goodness, you know the consequence. Sr, this is the fear, the godly jealousy your friends godly and wise have of you, that you are lifted up, that you render not to God according to his great goodness, and they fear this is the effect that will ensue upon this, that as when you humbled yourself and honoured God, God honoured you, so now you beginning to exalt yourself, and so dishonouring God, God will humble you. St Paul was beholding to God for a preventing Pill in this kind, a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan: Sr, in one word, your friends, your godly wise friends, your Presbyterian friends, must I call them so, fear you have lost a great deal of the exercise of your graces, by which you have lost a great deal of the lustre of your graces, and clouded that good report you had once amongst the Saints; and this is that which the godly say of you; and I shall say no more to the first query, only the Lord show you your own heart, and humble you for your own sin.  
Now, Sr, I shall give you an account what men say of your late works; As for your Presbyterian dependent God's ordinance, the wise and godly say, that for the first part of it, there is worth and weight in it, being founded upon the Scripture; though they that are of the contrary opinion slight it, and puffed at it; a fault of theirs, and savours too much of pride and selfishness: yet I do not see they shake those Arguments by any of their encounters. But as for many passages by the buy, many expressions, especially in the latter part of that book, wherein more particularly you disparage their learning and their preaching, the Presbyterians dare not own but do disclaim, they being not of the number of them that commend themselves, and discommend and disparage the gifts and graces of dissenting Brethren: they can I fear too truly say of some of the Independent party, they are too proud, and censorious, and selfish, that they are passionate, and carry on private interests under public pretences, and that there is more self and passion in some of their Arguments, than there is reason or Divinity: yet for all that, they can acknowledge their parts, their graces; they can say, such an one is an Independent, for distinction, and yet say he is a godly man, and a learned man, and they can spy grace, and love grace in a dissenting Brother: If there be any that fail herein among the Presbyterians, as why may there not be one that may somewhat disparage that party, as there is in the contrary party those that are a shame to them, those whom they disclaim either their persons or practices; I say, if there be any such amongst them or us, let them bear it themselves, but let not the whole suffer. This is the fault you charge upon Mr I. L. charging the whole Parliament, when but some particular persons do offend. I conceive, Sr, you have to do with the worst of them, and suppose they are the very worst of men, yet your Master Christ never taught you to revile them that revile you, and to upbraid all for the folly and weakness of some of that party: Michael the Archangel disputed with the Malignant's father, the grand Malignant, yet me thinks there is a great deal of emphasis even in the translation, it saith, he [durst] not bring in, and he durst not bring in [a] or one railing accusation against Satan: how then should any dare to bring many railing accusations against them, whereof some of them at the least are dissenting brethren? and if we should ungrace some of them, if I may so speak, we should be as faulty as some of them are for unchurching us.  
It may be you will say, Sr, all this is too general, and charges must be particular, but wherein in particular do my godly friends and Presbyterians dislike and disclaim me? In these things more especially do your friends bewail your apparent mistakes.  
First, In your commending of yourself, and there is a vein of this that runs thorough your three last books; this I am sure as Solomon doth dislike, and counsels the contrary, so you never learned it of your Master Christ, nor of any godly, wise, sober and praiseworthy Presbyterian. It is the fault (and worthily taken notice of) of some of the Independent party, for commending themselves as the only learned, the only Saints, that they look as impartially on things as flesh and blood can in any juncture of time (a phrase of theirs) when others that indeed are impartial in this can see the contrary in some of them, and do bewail it, in stead of upbraiding them with it.  
Secondly, Your Presbyterian friends think you faulty, and herein go not along with you, in discommending and disparaging the gifts or graces of the contrary party. Sr, cannot the Nutshell be thrown away; and the kernel kept? must the least of good be thrown away, because it hath much dross? doth God see a little grace in us in a deal of corruption, and shall not we do so too? because some of that party have done much disservice to the Church and state, shall we say all of them do so? I myself know to the contrary, and of some I dare say, it is through their weakness and infirmity. It is the fault of the Caviliers, where they come and find a little goods, they leave none: will you where you find but a little goodness, plunder them of all? this is a fault, and worthily calls for your taking notice of it. You will fetch an argument from Bellarmine, or another Popish writer, yea and commend his learning. We say, give the Devil his due, much more to a dissenting Brother.  
Thirdly, The Presbyterians disclaim your charging of the whole party to be such as the worst of them are: Some are proud, imperious and impetuous in their way, censorious, uncivil, full of wrath, they can see nothing praiseworthy but in themselves, no light like theirs, nor no reason like theirs; others are unlearned, irrational and brutish in respect of those; now to say all are thus and thus, as this and this man is, so are all the rest; this the wise and godly do disclaim.  
Fourthly, The bitterness of your expressions are justly disliked and disclaimed. Sr, it needs not; let them that have bad causes use bad words and Billingsgate dialect: ill words, bitter expressions prove nothing, nor commend not the cause vindicated. The Presbyterian Cause is no such Cause that needs railing expressions, or bitter speeches. Sr, to speak plain, there are many expressions in your first, second and third book, that are much below the parts and learning of Dr Bastwick; many of them are unbeseeming, unsaintlike, uncivil expressions. Look but in your just defence to I. L. pag. 39 and 40. and many other places. I am ashamed to name the expressions: And in the mean time you cry out against them for their unchristian and uncharitable expressions; as Plato charged Diogenes, to tread down his pride (as Diogenes called it) with greater pride. What needs so much gall? one would have thought you of all other men had learned the just measure and proportion of every ingredient. Doth Jests and Jeers, light and extravagant expressions become Dr Bastwick? they are quite below you; and you put these jeers in their mouths to deride your friends, for truly, Sr, this is the fruit of many of your expressions in your books, where you have eased yourself, you have burdened your friends, and they lie under them.  
I shall name no more; but herein in these particulars especially I dare say, and that not without some ground of what I say, all the godly and wise that are of the Presbyterian party, that I do hear of or meet with upon any occasion, do dislike you, and do bewail your mistakes herein.  
As for your Adversary Mr I. L. you easily persuade your friends that he hath wronged and abused you; he sticks at none, but strikes at all; a learned and religious Assembly of Ministers, yea the Supreme Court must pass under his Satirical lash, and he impetuously must rage's and rail at both of them. I am confident that if God loves him he will lay his proud spirit low enough, before God hath done with him; Yet I will not Reprobate him by no means, he may come and see his errors, and obtain pardon of the Parliament; yea and God yet may make use of him, when he is fitted for employment; so I shall leave him with this request to him, that whilst he writes and fights against an Arbitrary power, he be not a servant to his own lusts and passions, whilst he speaks against the powers that are of God.  
And for you, Noble Sr, let this request be granted by you, that which you desire of others, Read your own Books over with candid ingenuity, because your Pen is not infallible; take it once more in your hands, not to write more till you have got more humility, because we suffer much by what you have written, but to correct what you have written; such a margin as this I presume would be very pleasing to God, and profitable to yourself and others: by doing this you will make your parts to be acknowledged, your graces to shine; you would endear your friends, and stop the mouths of your adversaries; and which is more than all, in this God would be glorified. The Lord put it into your heart to do that which will be most for God's glory and for the Churches good, increase all the graces of his Spirit in you, make you shine more and more like the Sun to the midday, when the light of the wicked shall be put out like a candle: This is the prayer of,  
Sir, Your Brother in Christ, S. E.  
FINIS.