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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26865	An apology for the nonconformists ministry containing I. the reasons of their preaching, II. an answer to the accusations urged as reasons for the silencing of about 2000 by Bishop Morley ..., III. reasons proving it the duty and interest of the bishops and conformists to endeavour earnestly their restoration : with a postscript upon oral debates with Mr. H. Dodwell, against his reasons for their silence ... : written in 1668 and 1669, for the most of it, and now published as an addition to the defence against Dr. Stillingfleet, and as an account to the silencers of the reasons of our practice / by Richard Baxter.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1681 (1681)	Wing B1189; ESTC R22103	219,337	268

Catalogue of Questions for our Disputations at those Meetings and never then talkt to us of what he here writeth in a Book called Dubitantius Firmianus 2. Mr. Thomas Foley a Nonconformist Gentleman eminent for Charity having built near Stourbridge a Hospital and endowed it with about 500 l. per annum being my friend Dr. Good wrote to me to move him to give maintenance for two Scholarships in Baliol-Colledge and I wrote this Letter in answer to that but the sending was delayed till he was dead Accus 29. Another to save the Nation from the labours of a Concordant Ministry and from the blessings of Unity Peace and Innocence hath written a book lately called The Modern Pleas for Comprehension Toleration c. considered who at his enterance saith I would fain have any of our dissenting brethren to answer directly Whether there be any one thing sinful in her Communion the Churches as by Law established or only some things as they conceive inexpedient And p. 11. he saith Suppose that the terms of the Communion of the Church are not only inexpedient but really sinful if so then I shall readily grant that the Church ought not to be communicated with while the terms of her Communion are such But I shall presume to say with some confidence that it is not easie to find a considerable man among them who will not be ashamed to own it publickly or who doth himself really believe it And p. 12. I have been credibly informed not to say that I am able to make it good that Mr. Calamy did before his Majesty and divers Lords of the Council profess that there was not any thing in the constitution of the Church to which he could not conform were it not for the scandalizing of others so that in his esteem the Constitutions of the Church were in themselves innocent and the whole objection against them lay in the mistakes of other men Yet saith he p. 11. That the separation from the Church is so avowed and pressed upon the people as if that it were highly necessary and that communion with the Church was highly criminal at least in the opinion of the teachers Ans. And now Reader what a shake doth this instance give to the credit of History at least such as is written by interessed factious men yea what a reproach to humane nature For what untruth can be imagined so gross and what thing so nakedly evil as may not be expected to be found in Man yea in professed Christians yea in Divines of such a character Either this man and such others believe what they say themselves or not If not what Preachers what Christians what Men are these If they do what matter of fact can ever be so notorious as that we can hope that such men can know it What History of such Writers can deserve any credit What regard can the people be encouraged to give to the Words and Writings of such Doctors that no better know such publick notorious matters of fact and so confidently and boldly deceive the world in cases where so many thousands yea the Churches Peace and Concord is so much concerned Reader judge by these notorious evidences of fact of these mens credibility and usage 1. The judgment of the ancient Nonconformists is declared to the world by abundance of Writings in which they thought that they proved much in the English Constitutions to be sinful and such as men must suffer deprivation and death rather than consent to And are all these Writings no evidence of their judgments nor their sufferings neither 2. Since his Majesties Restoration the present Nonconformists still distinguished 1. Between Diocesan or National Churches and Parish-Churches 2. Between the Communion and Conformity of private men and of Ministers And 3. Between Approbation of the Church-Constitutions Practising all imposed and peaceable behaviour and submission And though some exasperated persons have by the late sufferings of conscionable men been tempted to separate from the Prelates and their party as far as St. Martin did from the Bishops about him and their Synods yet the main body of the Nonconforming Ministers as far as ever we could learn did judge as followeth 1. That those Parish-Churches which had true Ministers not utterly uncapable persons were true Churches of Christ. 2 That the ordinary Liturgy appointed for the publick worship was such as a good Christian may lawfully joyn in not speaking of Baptizings Burials c. in which some things they thought more dubious 3. That though combined Churches whether you call them Diocesan or National are not any otherwise a Divine Institution than as Concord is commanded us in general and may not be set up to the detriment of the particular Churches which are of Divine Institution yet a good Christian may and must live peaceably and submissively where some such combined Churches are guilty of Usurpation and sinful abuse 4. That Conformity to all the Subscriptions Declarations Oaths Covenants and Practices now imposed on Ministers would be to us a very great and heinous sin modesty forbidding us to meddle uncalled with the Consciences of the Conformists 3. Their judgment of the sinfulness of Ministerial Conformity they declared to his Majesty and the Bishops in many Writings when they had encouragement to attempt once the healing of the divisions And when because they agreed to leave out all harsh provoking words in their accusations of the Church-Orders and Ceremonies the Lord Chancellor had put into the first draught of a Declaration That we do not in our judgments believe the practice of those particular Ceremonies which we except against to be in it self unlawful In our next Address we desired that those words might be expunged and so they were Yet this extended not to Subscriptions Oaths c. And afterward many particulars were mentioned which we thought sinful and the supposition vindicated in a Reply to which the Bishops never answered And in a long Petition for Peace p. 6. we make this Protestation following Who can pretend to be better acquainted with their hearts than they are themselves For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man which is in him And they are ready to appeal to the dreadful God the searcher of hearts and the hater of hypocrisie that if it were not for fear of sinning against him and wounding their consciences and hazarding and hindering their salvations they would readily obey you in all these things That it is their fear of sin and damnation that is their impediment they are ready to give you all the assurance that man can give by the solemnest professions or by Oath if justly called to it And one would think that a little charity might suffice to enable you to believe them when their non-compliance brings them under suffering and their compliance is the visible way to favour safety and prosperity in the world And if men that thus appeal to God concerning the intention of

led them to call in the Scots and Presbytery came in with them If you doubt of it see the Propositions to the King at Nottingham where a limited Episcopacy is one II. The Lord Lieutenants that seized on the Militia were far most Conformists and scarce any Presbyterians at all III. The General Officers and Colonels of the Earl of Essex's Army were ten to one Conformists and few if any Presbyterians save a few deboist Mercenary Scots if they were such which I know not and the General Episcopal himself IV. The Major Generals of the Militia in the several Counties were mostly Conformists and scarce any Presbyterians V. The Assembly at Westminster when they went thither were all Conformists save about eight or nine and the Scots Commissioners V. One of the two Archbishops was a General in the Parliaments Army VI. Many of the present Conformable Ministers were in arms against the King and some wrote for his death and many of them took the Covenant and Engagement VII The most of the Conformable Gentry of my acquaintance that were put upon it took the Engagement against the King and House of Lords VIII The Nonconformable Ministers of Gloucestershire Mr. Geery Mr. Capel Mr. Marshall c. were against the Parliaments War though the Parliaments Garison was over them Mr. Bampfield who hath lain six or seven years in the Common Goal for Preaching with his brother sometimes Speaker of the House of Commons was so much against the Parliaments cause that to this day even while he lay in Goal he most zealously made his followers renounce it Many Nonconformists in many Counties were of the same mind IX Many of the Nonconformists lived in the Kings quarters and never were drawn the other way as Dr. Conant lately one of them and others in Oxford and so in other parts X. Some of the Nonconformists were in the Kings Army Poor Mr. Martin of Weeden lost an Arm in his Army and yet the other arm lay long with him in Warwick Goal for Preaching XI Almost all the Nonconformists of my acquaintance in England save Independents and Sectaries refused the Engagement and took Cromwell and the Commonwealth Parliament for Usurpers and never approved what they did nor ever kept their days of Fasting or Thanksgiving To tell you of the London Ministers Printed Declarations against the intended death of the King you will say is unsatisfactory because too late XII Most of the Nonconformable Ministers of my acquaintance were either boys at School or in the University in the Wars or never medled with it so that I must profess that setting them all together I do not think that one in ten throughout the Kingdom can be proved to have done any of these things that you name against the King XIII We have oft with great men put it to this trial Let them give leave but to so many to Preach the Gospel as cannot be proved ever to have had any hand in the Wars against the King and we will thankfully acquiesce and bear the silence of the rest make but this match for us and we will joyfully give you thanks XIV Who knoweth not that the greatest Prelatists were the masters of the Principles that the War was raised on Bilson Jewel c. and Hooker quite beyond them all XV. But because all proof must be of individuals I intreat you as to our own Countrey where you were acquainted tell me if you can I say it seriously if you can whatever was done or said against the King by Mr. Ambrose Sparry Mr. Kimberlye Mr. Lovell Mr. Cowper Mr. Reignolds Mr. Hickman Mr. Trustram Mr. Baldwin Senior Mr. Baldwin Junior Mr. Sergeant Mr. Waldern dead Mr. Joseph Baker dead Mr. Wilsby Mr. Brian Mr. Stephen Baxter Mr. Badland Mr. Butcher Mr. Eccleshall Mr. Read Mr. Rocke Mr. Fincher of Wedgbury Mr. Wills of Bremicham Mr. Paston c. I pass by many more And in Shropshire by old Mr. Samuel Hildersham Old Mr. Samuel Fisher Mr. Talents Mr. Brian of Shrewsbury Mr. Barnet Mr. Keeling Mr. Berry Mr. Malden of Newport Mr. Thomas Wright dead Mr. Taylor c. These were your neighbours and mine I never heard to my remembrance of any one of them that had any thing to do with the Wars against the King It 's true except Mr. Fisher and some few they were not ejected but enjoyed their places And did not you as well as they If I can name you so many of your neighbours that were innocent will you tell the King and Parliament and the Papists and Posterity that All the Nonconformists without any exception had their hands stained with the Royal blood What! Mr. Cook of Chester and Mr. Birch c. that were imprisoned and persecuted for the King What! Mr. Geery that dyed at the news of the Kings death What Sir Francis Nethersole and Mr. Bell his Pastor who wrote so much against the Parliament and was their Prisoner at Kenelworth Castle almost all the Wars What may we expect from others when Dr. Good shall do thus I put not in any excuse for my self among all these It may be you know not that an Assembly of Divines twice met at Coventry of whom two Doctors and some others are yet living first sent me into the Army to hazard my life after Naseby fight against the course which we then first perceived to be designed against the King and Kingdom nor what I went through then two years in opposing it and drawing the Soldiers off Nor how oft I preached against Cromwell the Rump the Engagement but specially their Wars and Fasts and Thanksgivings Nor what I said to Cromwell for the King never but twice speaking with him of which a great man told me but lately that being an ear-witness of it he had told his Majesty But yet while I thought they went on Bilsons principles I was then on their side and the observator Parker had almost tempted me to Hookers principles but I quickly saw those reasons against them which I have since published His principles were known by the first book before the last came out and I have a friend that had his last in M. S. But I am willing unfeignedly to be one of those that shall continue silenced if you can but procure leave to Preach Christs Gospel only for those that are no more guilty of the Kings blood than your self and that no longer than there is real need of their Ministerial labour Reverend Sir if you will but so long put your self as in our case I shall hope that with patience you will read these lines and pardon the necessary freedom of London Feb. 20. 1673. Your truly loving friend and obliged servant RICHARD BAXTER Note 1. That this Dr. Good was one of the most peaceable moderate and honest Conformists of my acquaintance and subscribed our Worcestershire Agreement published for Concord and joyned with us in our Association and Meetings at Kidderminster and was the man that drew up the

such Wars and wasting Plagues yet nothing moveth you to see so great and grievous sins as the silencing so many hundred Ministers and the starving so many hundred thousand souls that never deserved evil at your hands That the instances of the obduration of Pharoah and the Pharisees with the consequents make you not afraid lest the wrath should come upon you to the uttermost while you please not God and are contrary to all men forbidding Christs labourers to gather in his harvest and to preach to the ignorant and impenitent that they might be saved 1 Thess. 2. 15. That you are no more sensible of the foretold tenor of Christs final doom on them that did not feed cloath and visit the least of his servants but think that you please him by reproaching those whom he calleth his Brethren and think still that you do God service when you do so much against his servants and against the peoples souls Wonderful when Christ had so plainly rebuked his Disciples for striuing who should be the greatest and forbidden them to Lord it over his Heritage and told them the necessity that they become as little children and the servants of all that yet the pomp and vanities of this world and an uncharitable mind can make the very name of Obedience to your selves seem a sufficient pretence for the lamentable dissipations and confusions of the Churches of true believers That ever you can preach for Loving your neighbours as your selves and not feel the convictions and sentence of your Consciences for what you have already done For my own part I have little sense of any of your injuries to my self Nor am I unthankful for that respect of my Governours which would have advanced me to your degree of honour But I must profess if it were the last word that I should speak in the world that I had rather be the basest scavinger yea and suffer many deaths than be found at the Judgment-seat of Christ in the place and under the guilt of those of you who have done what is done against the Gospel and Church of Christ among us in this Land I am not so foolish as not to know that all this talk is grievous to you and not the way to my ease or honour with you nor to procure favour in your eyes But if in such a day and in such a case we should all be silent and none so much as call you to repentance nor plead the Cause of an injured Saviour and deserted souls we should partake of the crimes which we are lamenting and not only Gildas and Salvianus and such like but all the Prophets and Apostles would condemn us And if all that is here said have no other effect than to increase your indignation and our sufferings Judg O posterity Judg all disinteressed impartial men between these Reverend Lords and us whether the Petitions here presented to them be selfish or unreasonable or such as should be rejected at so dear a rate as our lamentable divisions and Church-distractions come to yea Christ whose cause and interest we plead will certainly and shortly judge before whom their worldly grandeur and dignities will be insignificant and wrathful reproaches will not prove the innocent criminal nor justifie them that condemn the just or that will not understand the will and interest of their Lord. Even so Come Lord Jesus Come quickly Amen If you ask why I write all this to you and not to His Majesty and the Parliament I answer It is not them nor any of their Laws or Actions which in all this book I intend to speak against The most pious Princes and Rulers have been most addicted to reverence the Counsels of the Bishops in the matters of Religion All men are supposed to know more than other sorts of men in their own professions Uncontrolled Fame imputeth all our sufferings to your designs and wills And I have reason to remember that when his Majesty did graciously authorize you by his Letters Patents to make such Alterations in the Liturgy as were necessary to the satisfaction of tender Consciences you would make none at all but what is now done which maketh our burden much greater than before And more than once his Majesty by his publick Declarations hath warranted us to be confident that his Desires are and have been for the quiet peace and welfare of his Subjects upon moderate terms And I know not any man alive that doubteth but if you would cordially desire it and endeavour it the King and his Parliament would soon be found the healers of our wounds and the restorers of Unity and Concord by casting out that which hath cast out Love and turned the people as into Guelphes and Gibelines and we might soon see the blessed fruits of Concord Amen A Postscript to the Apologie for our Preaching SInce the writing of what goeth before I have heard so much from the most learned Accusers of their accusations of us as enableth me the better to know what objections to answer And the ablest that I have met with argueth at this rate Mr. H. Dodwell 1. He confesseth that we cannot subscribe declare and swear as is required without stretching the words to an improper sense and such as I think will allow by parity of reason almost any lying equivocation or perjury in the world Some others of them say If Rulers will go about by fraudulent impositions to turn us out of our Ministry we will countermine them and take their words in any tolerable sense to which we can subdue them But we cannot practice that art 2. He confesseth that we ought not to perform active obedience herein against our consciences 3. But he saith it is Schism in us to preach as we do because the passive obedience of silence is our duty His reasons are 1. Because a Presbyters calling is dependent on the bishop and not otherwise to be exercised 2. Because by preaching we become Church Rulers and take the Bishops Office on us as if a man should depose the King and take his place because he governeth not aright as he conceiveth 3. Because without such passive obedience no peace can be kept by any Government 4. Because the Bishops and not we are Judges who should preach or not 5. And Presbyterians are for silencing some 6. And the hurt that followeth our silence must be charged on the Bishops and not on us So that the great crime of the Nonconformists is preaching Christs Gospel when the Bishops forbid them Here he granteth all the following matter of fact and right 1. That the Preachers in question e. g. my self c. are consecrated to God in the Sacred Ministerial Office 2. That it is Sacriledg and soul-murder to alienate our selves 3. That in God's ordinary way men cannot be saved without knowledg faith and obedience 4. Nor be brought to these but by Teaching 5. That few of the Churches that were burnt in London are rebuilt 6. That many Parishes