their own Infirmity nor yet the nature of Pastoral Government which ought to be Paternal and by Love nor do they know the way to win a Soul nor to maintain the Churches Peace 23. My Soul is much more afflicted with the thoughts of the miserable World and more drawn out in desire of their Conversion than heretofore I was wont to look but little further than England in my Prayers as not considering the state of the rest of the World Or if I prayed for the Conversion of the Jews that was almost all But now as I better understand the Case of the World and the method of the Lord's Prayer so there is nothing in the World that lyeth so heavy upon my heart as the thought of the miserable Nations of the Earth It is the most astonishing part of all God's Providence to me that he so far forsaketh almost all the World and confineth his special Favour to so few That so small a part of the World hath the Profession of Christianity in comparison of Heathens Mahometans and other Infidels And that among professed Christians there are so few that are saved from gross Delusions and have but any competent Knowledge and that among those there are so few that are seriously Religious and truly set their hearts on Heaven I cannot be affected so much with the Calamities of my own Relations or the Land of my Nativity as with the Case of the Heathen Mahometan and ignorant Nations of the Earth No part of my Prayers are so deeply serious as that for the Conversion of the Infidel and Ungodly World that God's Name may be sanctified and his Kingdom come and his Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven Nor was I ever before so sensible what a Plague the Division of Languages was which hindereth our speaking to them for their Conversion nor what a great Sin Tyranny is which keepeth out the Gospel from most of the Nations of the World Could we but go among Tartarians Turks and Heathens and speak their Language I should be but little troubled for the silencing of Eighteen hundred Ministers at once in England nor for all the rest that were cast out here and in Scotland and Ireland There being no Employment in the World so desirable in my Eyes as to labour for the winning of such miserable Souls which maketh me greatly honour Mr. Iohn Eliot the Apostle of the Indians in New-England and whoever else have laboured in such work 24. Yet am I not so much inclined to pass a peremptory Sentence of Damnation upon all that never heard of Christ having some more reason than I knew of before to think that God's dealing with such is much unknown to us And that the Ungodly here among us Christians are in a far worse Case than they 25. My Censures of the Papists do much differ from what they were at first I then thought that their Errours in the Doctrines of Faith were their most dangerous Mistakes as in the Points of Merit Justification by Works Assurance of Salvation the Nature of Faith c. But now I am assured that their mis-expressions and mis-understanding us with our mistakings of them and inconvenient expressing our own Opinions hath made the difference in these Points to appear much greater than they are and that in some of them it is next to none at all But the great and unreconcilable Differences lye in their Church Tyranny and Usurpations and in their great Corruptions and Abasement of God's Worship together with their befriending of Ignorance and Vice At first I thought that Mr. Perkins well proved that a Papist cannot go beyond a Reprobate but now I doubt not but that God hath many sanctified Ones among them who have received the true Doctrine of Christianity so practically that their contradictory Errours prevail not against them to hinder their Love of God and their Salvation but that their Errours are like a conquerable Dose of Poyson which Nature doth overcome And I can never believe that a Man may not be saved by that Religion which doth but bring him to the true Love of God and to heavenly Mind and Life nor that God will ever cast a Soul into Hell that truly loveth him Also at first it would disgrace any Doctrine with me if I did but hear it called Popery and Antichristian but I have long learned to be more impartial and to dislike Men for bad Doctrine rather than the Doctrines for the Men and to know that Satan can use even the Names of Popery and Antichrist against a Truth 26. I am deeplier afflicted for the disagreements of Christians than I was when I was a younger Christian. Except the Case of the Infidel World nothing is so sad and grievous to my thoughts as the Case of the divided Churches And therefore I am more deeply sensible of the sinfulness of those Prelates and Pastors of the Churches who are the principal Cause of these Divisions O how many millions of Souls are kept by them in ignorance and ungodliness and deluded by Faction as if it were true Religion How is the Conversion of Infidels hindered by them and Christ and Religion heinously dishonoured The Contentions between the Greek Church and the Roman the Papists and the Protestants the Lutherans and the Calvinists have wofully hindered the Kingdom of Christ. 27. I have spent much of my Studies about Terms of Christian Concord and have over and over considered of the several ways which several sorts of Reconcilers have devised I have thought of the Papists way who think there will be no Union but by coming over wholly to their Church and I have found that it is neither Possible nor desirable I have thought and thought again of the way of the moderating Papists Cassander Grotius Balwin c. and of those that would have all reduced to the state of the Times of Gregory the First before the Division of the Greek and Latin Churches that the Pope might have his Primacy and govern all the Church by the Canons of the Councils with a Salvo to the Right of Kings and Patriarchs and Prelates and that the Doctrines and Worship which then were received might prevail And for my own part if I lived in such a state of the Church I would live peaceably as glad of Unity though lamenting the Corruption and Tyranny But I am fully assured that none of these are the true desirable Terms of Unity nor such as are ever like to procure an Universal Concord And I am as sure that the true Means and Terms of Concord are obvious and easie to an impartial willing mind And that these three Things alone would easily heal and unite all the Churches 1. That all Christian Princes and Governours take all the Coercive Power about Religion into their own hands though if Prelates and their Courts must be used as their Officers in exercising that Coercive Power so be it And that they make a difference between the approved
baptised without the transient Image of the Cross which hath at least the Semblance of a Sacrament of human Institution being used as an ingaging Sign in our first and solemn Covenanting with Christ and the Duties whereunto we are really obliged by Baptism being more expresly fixed to that airy Sign than to this holy Sacrament 3. That none may receive the Lord's Supper that dare not kneel in the act of receiving but the Minister must exclude all such from the Communion although such kneeling not only differs from the practice of Christ and of his Apostles but at least on the Lord's Day is contrary to the practice of the Catholick Church for many hundred Years after and forbidden by the most venerable Councils that ever were in the Christian World All which Impositions are made yet more grievous by that Subscription to their Lawfulness which the Canon exacts and by the heavy Punishment upon the Non-observance of them which the Act of Uniformity inflicts And it being doubtful whether God hath given power unto Men to institute in his Worship such Mystical Teaching Signs which not being necessary in genere fall not under the Rule of doing all things decently orderly and to edification and which once granted will upon the same reason open a door to the Arbitrary Imposition of numerous Ceremonies of which St. Augustine complained in his days and the things in Controversie being in the Judgment of the Imposers confessedly indifferent who do not so much as pretend any real Goodness in them of themselves otherwise than what is derived from their being imposed and consequently the Imposition ceasing that will cease also and the Worship of God not become indecent without them Whereas in the other hand on the Judgment of the Opposers they are by some held sinful and unlawful in themselves by others very inconvenient and unsuitable to the Simplicity of Gospel Worship and by all of them very grievous and burthensome and therefore not at all fit to be put in ballance with the Peace of the Church which is more likely to be promoted by their removal than continuance Considering also how tender our Lord and Saviour himself is of weak Brethren declaring it much better for a Man to have Milstone hang'd about his neck and be cast into the depth of the Sea than to offend one of his little Ones And how the Apostle Paul who had as great a Legislative Power in the Church as any under Christ held himself obliged by that Common Rule of Charity not to lay a stumbling block or an occasion of offence before a weak Brother chusing rather not to eat flesh whiles the world stands though in it self a thing lawful than offend his Brother for whom Christ died We cannot but desire that these Ceremonies may not be imposed on them who judge such Impositions a Violation of the Royalty of Christ and an Impeachment of his Laws as insufficient and are under the holy awe of that which is written Deut. 12. 32. what thing soever I command you observe to do it Thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it but that there may be either a total Abolition of them or at least such a liberty that those who are unsatisfied concerning their lawfulness or expediency may not be compelled to the Practice of them or Subscription to them But may be permitted to enjoy their Ministerial Function and Communion with the Church without them The rather because these Ceremonies have for above an hundred years been the Fountain of manifold Evils in this Church and Nation occasioning sad Divisions between Ministers and Ministers as also between Ministers and People exposing many Orthodox Pious and Peaceable Ministers to the displeasure of their Rulers casting them on the edge of the Penal Statutes to the loss not only of their Livings and Liberties but also of their Opportunities for the Service of Christ and his Church and forcing People either to Worship God in such a manner as their own Consciences condemn or doubt of or else to forsake our Assemblies as thousands haâ—e done And no better Fruits than these can be looked for from the retaining and imposing of these Ceremonies unless we could presume that all his Majesty's Subjects should have the same Subtilty of Judgment to discern even to a Ceremony how far the Power of Man extends in the Things of God which is not to be expected or should yield Obedience to all the Impositions of Men concerning them without inquiring into the Will of God which is not to be desired We do therefore most earnestlyâ— entreat the Right Reverend Fathers and Brethren to whom these Papers are delivered as they tender the Glory of God the Honour of Religion the Peace of the Church the Service of his Majesty in the Accomplishment of that happy Union which his Majesty hath so abundantly 〈◊〉 his Desires of to joyn with us in importuning his most Excellent Majesty that his most gracious Indulgence as to these Ceremonies granted in his Royal Declaration may be confirmed and continued to us and our Posterities and extended to such as do not yet enjoy the Benefit thereof 19. As to that Passage in his Majesty's Commission where we are authorized and required to compare the present Liturgy with the most ancient Liturgies which have been used in the Church in the most purest and primitiveâ— Timesâ— We have in Obedience to his Majesty's Commission made Enquiry but cannot find any Records of known Credit concerning any entire Forms of Liturgy within the first Three hundred years which are confessed to be as the most primitive so the purest Ages of the Church Nor any Impositions of Liturgies upon any National Church for some hundreds of years after We find indeed some Liturgical Forms fathered upon St. Basil St. Chrysostome and St. Ambrose but we have not seen any Copies of them but such as give us sufficient Evidence to conclude them either wholly spurious or so interpolated that we cannot make a judgment which in them hath any primitive Authority Having thus in general expressed our Desires we come now to particulars which we find numerous and of a various nature some we grant are of inferiour Consideration verbal rather than material which were they not in the Publick Liturgy of so famous a Church we should not have mentioned others dubious and disputable as not having a clear Foundation in Scripture for their warrant but some there be that seem to be corrupt and to carry in them a repugnancy to the Rule of the Gospel and therefore have administred just Matter of Exception and Offence to many truly religious and peaceable not of a private station only but learned and judicious Divines as well of other Reformed Churches as of the Church of England ever since the Reformation We know much hath been spoken and written by way of Apology in Answer to many things that have been objected but yet the Doubts and Scruples of Tender Consciences still continue or rather
and Applications 5. Inasmuch as he stands an Elder over them and is weakened in his Confidence against Infant Baptism which they are so confident against and also cannot baptize Believers otherwise than to satisfie their Scruple of Conscience that shall desire it out of doubt of the Defect is in their Infant Baptism and with Cautioning of such to take heed of their taking it up so as to denominate their Christianity Saint-ship or Church-ship thereby if any Party of the Congregation can not bare him thus but should separate and so want means of Edification or as some say rather be Quakers than so indifferent or as one of them says he would join with the Church of Rome if he thought that true which Mr. Lambe says namely That he may have Communion with Persons not so baptized whether considering their Danger he ought not hide or cease to desist on his Sense or what he ought to do 6. Considering his present Temptatious and Assaults to his Faith and Sense of God's Love it be his present Work to study to be setled in a full Persuasion one way or other about Baptism But to mind his spiritual Defence against these Violent Assaults which makes him say O that he were in his late confidence again and so is resolved to study the Arguments that are against Infant Baptism And he is directed to your Twenty Arguments in the Book about right to Sacraments about the necessity of Faith to interest in Baptism Now sweet Mr. Baxter shall I have so much Grace in your Sight as to have your distinct Answer to these Particulars truly it will be Service to Jesus Christ whom we have desired to serve in all singleness of Heart from our Youth up and have no desire in this World like to this to know his Will and do it whose Love and the Light of whose Countenance is better than Life to our Souls having no Design but to serve our Lord upon the best Terms who hath dealt bountifully with us whose Mercy and Faithfulness we have often experienced I trust it is of God that put it into my Heart to write to you and I will wait that the Son of Righteousness may shine through you a Star in his Right Hand to our Guidance in this Night of our Temptation I acquaint none that I do it were it known it might occasion me some farther Tryals Therefore I intreat your Secrecy in it My Husband hath indeed sometimes said he would write to you but hath said again Mr. Baxter will not regard me and indeed he hath scarce freedom of Mind to any Business he should take a Journey to Worcester which if he do he says he will come to you I do not acquaint him with this but your Advice I know I shall be able to help him by Now our Lord Jesus Christ who still giveth Gifts to Men and doth continue Means in his Church sufficient to the help of all his poor Servants be your Helper to us ward with craving Pardon for my great Boldness I take leave and remain YOURS in our Lord Iesus Barbara Lambe London in Great St. Bartholomews this 12th of August 1658. I have inclosed sent a Copy of the mentioned Arguments which pray peruse and keep private Sir I desire what you write in answer to me may be inclosed in a Cover to Mr. James Marshal in Friday-Street at the Half Moon who is my Son in Law and so I shall have it with privacy I shall long to know that these come safe to your Hands For Mr. Rich. Baxter Minister of the Gospel in Kidderminster These present Dear Mrs. Lambe HOW true did I feel it in the reading of your Husband's Lines and yours which you say in the beginning that unacquaintedness with the Face is no hindrance to the Communion of the Saints So much of Christ and his Spirit appeared to me in both your Writings that my Soul in the reading of them was drawn out into a strong a Stream of Love and closing Unity of Spirit as almost ever I felt it my Life There is a Connaturality of Spirit in the Saints that will work by Sympathy and by closing uniting Inclinations through greater Differences and Impediments than the external Act of Baptism As a Load-stone will exercise its attractive Force through a Stone Wall I have an inward Sense in my Soul that told me so feelingly in the reading of your Lines that your Husband and you and I are one in our dear Lord that if all the self-conceited Dividers in the World should contradict it on the account of Baptism I could not believe them About a Year ago Sir Henry Herbert gave me one of your Husband's Books about Baptism which when I had read I told him that the Author and I were one in Love though not of one Opinion and that he wrote in the most savory honest moderate Style of any of that Mind that ever I read But truly the perusal of these Arguments persuade me yet to higher Thoughts of him much more may be said than he hath said in that great and weighty Case but yet I have met with none that hath said so much in so small a room It delighteth me to feel the workings of a Catholick Spirit in his Lines Nothing hath more undone us except flat Ungodlyness than the loss of Catholick Principles and Affections among Christians few are more void of them than the Papists that boast of them It must be this loving a Christian as a Christian that must hold when all is done He that loveth Christ in Christians will love all Christians where Christ appears Should not Dividers fear least Christ say to them that castoff most of his Holy Members for this Opinion sake Ye did it unto me Is Christ in these Saints or his he not What! a Saint and Christ not in him that cannot be And is he in them and shall he be used so unkindly so uncharitably as to be cast by Oh dear Mrs. Lambe the Lamb of God hath reconciled greater Differences and closed greater Differences than these and his tender Bowels yearn over those that we sullenly reject He that said to his sluggish Followers The Spirit is willing but the Flesh is weak and that sent so kind a Message to Peter that lately denyed him as soon as he was risen and that still shewed such matchless Compassions to the weak will give little Thanks to dividing Spirits that cast out his poor Servants whom he himself doth not cast out I know not Mr. Lambe by Face but Mr. Allen I know could he find in his Heart to deny me Brotherly Communion if I desired it of him and protested that I would be of his Opinion and Practice if I durst and my contradicting Judgment did not hinder me I have told the Pastors of the Re-baptized Churches here that if any of their Judgment and Practice will satisfie themselves with being again Baptized and will live in peaceable Communion with us they shall
of his publick Ministry in London p. 301. His going to the Archbishop to beg a License p. 302. His Majesty's Commission for the Savoy Conference p. 303. an Account of what past at the Conference p. 305. Exceptions that Mr. Baxter drew up against the Common Prayer at that time p. 308. the Exceptions against the Book of Common Prayer that were deliver'd in to the Commissioners p. 316 c. Of the choice of the Convocation and of Mr. Calamy and Mr. Baxter for London p. 333. a further account of the Conference p. 334 c. a Paper then offer'd by Dr. Cosins about a way to terminate the differences with an Answer to it p. 341 c. An Account of the Dispute manag'd in Writing at that time between Dr. Pierson Dr. Gunning Dr. Sparrow and Dr. Pierce and Dr. Bates Dr. Jacomb and Mr. Baxter who were deputed for that purpose p. 346 c. A Reply to the Bishops Disputants which was not answer'd p. 350. a Continuation of the Conference p. 356. a Copy of the Part of the Bishops Divines in the Disputation p. 358. A Censure of this Conference and Account of the Managers of it p. 363. of the Ministers going up to the King after the Conference p. 365. the Petition they presented to his Majesty on that occasion p. 366. to which by reason of their Affinity is annexed a Copy of the Concessions that were made by Bishop Usher Bishop Williams Bishop Moreton Bishop Holdsworth and many others in a Committee at Westminster 1641. p. 369. Books written against Mr. Baxter by Mr. Nanfen Dr. Tompkins and others p. 373. He goes to Kidderminster to try if he might be permitted to preach there p. 374. Bishop Morley and his Dean endeavour to set the people there against him p. 375 376. Bp. Morley and Dr. Boreman write against him p. 377. Mr. Bagthaw writes against the Bishop p. 378. Of the surreptitious publication of the Savoy Conference p. 379. other assaults that Mr. Baxter met with p. 380. a false report rau'd of him by Dr. Earls p. 381. a Letter of Mr. Baxter's to him on that occasion with his answer to it p. 382. Divers Ministers imprison'd particularly in Worcestershire on occasion of a pretended Conspiracy p. 383. Of BLACK BARTHOLOMEW DAY 1662. wherein so many Ministers were silenc'd p. 384. of the sad consequences of that day p. 385. Mr. Calamy's imprisonment for preaching occasionally after the silencing p. 386. the state of the Conformists and Nonconformists in England at that time p. 336. the sum of their several Causes and the Reasons of their several ways p. 387 c. Of the King's Declaration Dec. 26. 1662. p. 430. Old Mr. Ashes Death and Character ibid Mr. James Nalton's Death and Character p. 431. How Mr. Baxter and Dr. Bates had like to have been apprehended for going to pray with a sick person p. 431. of the imprisonment of divers Ministers about the Country p. 432. Strange Iudgments of God about this time turn'd by the Devil to his own advantage ibid. Much talk about an Indulgence or a Comprehension in 1663. p. 433. An Answer sent in a Letter to an honourable Person at that time to this Question Whether the way of Comprehension or Indulgence be more desirable p. 434. But the Parliament that then sate considerably added to former rigour p. 435. Mr. Baxter and others go to the Assemblies of the Church of England p. 436. His Answer to the Objections against this practice and Reasons for it p. 438. He retires to Acton p. 440. A Letter to Mr. Baxter from Monsieur Amyraut another from Monsieur Sollicoffer a Switzer which by reason of the Iealousies he was under he thought not fit to answer p. 442. He debates with some ejected Ministers the Case about Communicating sometimes with the Parish Churches in the Sacraments p. 444. A Letter from my Lord Ashley with a special Case about the lawfulness of a Protestant Lady's marrying a Papist in hope of his Conversion with Mr. Baxter's reply p. 445. PART III. Written for the most part in the year 1670. OF the Plague in the year 1665 p. 1. during the Sickness some of the ejected Ministers preach in the City Churches p. 2. at the same time the Five-mile Act was fram'd at Oxford ibid a Censure of the Act p. 3. the reasons of mens refusal to take the Oath imposed by that Act p. 5. Queries upon the Oxford Oath p. 7. further Reflections on it p. 10. Twenty Nonconforming Ministers take this Oath p. 13. a Letter from Dr. Baâ—es to Mr. Baxter about that affair p. 14. of the Dutch War p. 16. of the Fire of London ibid. of the Instruments of the Fire p. 18. The Nonconformists set up seperate publick Meetings p. 19. of the burning of our Ships at Chatham by the Dutch p. 20. the disgrace and banishment of my Lord Chancellour Hide ibid. Sir Orlando Bridgman made Lord Keeper p. 22. the Nonconformists conniv'd at in their Meetings ib. Mr. Baxter sent for to the Lord Keeper about a Toleration and Comprehension p. 23. Proposals then offer'd by Mr. Baxter and others p. 24. the Lord Keeper's Proposals p. 25. Alterations made by Mr. Baxter and his Associates in his Proposals p. 27. falsly pag'd 35. Reasons of these Alterations p. 28. falsly pag'd 36. Alterations of the Liturgy c. then offer'd p. 31. falsly pag'd 39. two new Proposals added and accepted with alterations p. 34. an Address of some Presbyterian Ministers to the King with a Letter of Dr. Manton's to Mr. Baxter about it p. 36. great talk of Liberty at this time but none ensued p. 38. Of the Book call'd A Friendly Debate p. 39. of Parker's Ecclesiastical Policy p. 41. of Dr. Owen's Answer and Parker's Reply p. 42. An Apologue or two familiarly representing the Heats and Feuds of those times p. 43 c. Mr. Baxter's further account of himself while he remain'd at Acton p. 46. of his acquaintance with worthy Sir Matth. Hale p. 47. of the disturbance he receiv'd at Acton p. 48. he is sent to New Prison p. 49. a Narrative of his Case at that time p. 51. the Errours of his Mittimus with an Explication of the Oxford Act p. 56. His Reflections during his imprisonment p. 58. His Release and perplexity thereupon p. 60. His Benefactours while in prison ibid. His bodily weakness ibid. An Account of his Writings since 1665. p. 61. on Account of a Treaty between him and Dr. Owen about an Agreement between the Presbyterians and the Independants p. 61. a Letter of Dr. Owen's to Mr. Baxter about that matter p. 63. Mr. Baxter's Reply to it p. 64. how it was dropp'd p. 69. of his Methodus Theologiae ibid. and some other Writings p. 70. the heat of some of his old people at Kidderminster p. 73. the renewal of the Act against Conventicles p. 74. Dr. Manton's imprisonment ibid. Great offers made to Mr. Baxter by the Earl of Lauderdail if he would go
LIFE OF THE REVEREND Mr. Richard Baxter LIB I. PART I. § 1. MY Father's Name was Richard the Son of Richard Baxter His Habitation and Estate at a Village called Eaton-Constantine a mile from the Wrekin-Hill and above half a mile from Severn River and five miles from Shrewsbury in Shropshire A Village most pleasantly and healthfully situate My Mother's Name was Beatrice the Daughter of Richard Adeney of Rowton a Village near High-Ercall the Lord Newport's Seat in the same County There I was born A. D. 1615. on the 12th of November being the Lord's Day in the Morning at the time of Divine Worship and Baptized at High-Ercall the 19th day following And there I lived from my Parents with my Grandfather till I was near Ten years of Age and then was taken home My Father had only the Competent Estate of a Freeholder free from the Temptations of Poverty and Riches But having been addicted to Gaming in his Youth and his Father before him it was so entangled by Debts that it occasioned some excess of worldly Cares before it was freed We lived in a Country that had but little Preaching at all In the Village where I was born there was four Readers successively in Six years time ignorant Men and two of them immoral in their lives who were all my School-masters In the Village where my Father lived there was a Reader of about Eighty years of Age that never preached and had two Churches about Twenty miles distant His Eye-sight failing him he said Common-Prayer without Book but for the Reading of the Psalms and Chapters he got a Common Thresher and Day-Labourer one year and a Taylor another year for the Clerk could not read well And at last he had a Kinsman of his own the excellentest Stage-player in all the Country and a good Gamester and good Fellow that got Orders and supplied one of his Places After him another younger Kinsman that could write and read got Orders And at the same time another Neighbour's Son that had been a while at School turn'd Minister and who would needs go further than the rest ventur'd to preach and after got a Living in Staffordshire and when he had been a Preacher about Twelve or Sixteen years he was fain to give over it being discovered that his Orders were forged by the first ingenious Stage-Player After him another Neighbour's Son took Orders when he had been a while an Attorney's Clerk and a common Drunkard and tipled himself into so great Poverty that he had no other way to live It was feared that he and more of them came by their Orders the same way with the forementioned Person These were the School-masters of my Youth except two of them who read Common Prayer on Sundays and Holy-days and taught School and tipled on the Week-days and whipt the Boys when they were drunk so that we changed them very oft Within a few miles about us were near a dozen more Ministers that were near Eighty years old apiece and never preached poor ignorant Readers and most of them of Scandalous Lives only three or four constant comperent Preachers lived near us and those though Conformable all save one were the common Marks of the People's Obloquy and Reproach and any that had but gone to hear them when he had no Preaching at home was made the Derision of the Vulgar Rabble under the odious Name of a Puritane But though we had no better Teachers it pleased God to instruct and change my Father by the bare reading of the Scriptures in private without either Preaching or Godly Company or any other Books but the Bible And God made him the Instrument of my first Convictions and Approbation of a Holy Life as well as of my Restraint from the grosser sort of Lives When I was very young his serious Speeches of God and the Life to come possessed me with a fear of sinning When I was but near Ten years of Age being at School at High-Ercall we had leave to play on the Day of the King's Coronation and at Two of the Clock afternoon on that Day there happened an Earthquake which put all the People into a fear and somewhat possessed them with awful thoughts of the Dreadful God I make no Commentary on the Time nor do I know certainly whether it were in other Countreys At first my Father set me to read the Historical part of the Scripture which suiting with my Nature greatly delighted me and though all that time I neither understood nor relished much the Doctrinal Part and Mystery of Redemption yet it did me good by acquainting me with the Matters of Fact and drawing me on to love the Bible and to search by degrees into the rest But though my Conscience would trouble me when I sinned yet divers sins I was addicted to and ost committed against my Conscience which for the warning of others I will confess here to my shame 1. I was much addicted when I feared Correction to lie that I might scape 2. I was much addicted to the excessive gluttonous eating of Apples and Pears which I think laid the foundation of that Imbecillity and Flatulency of my Stomach which caused the Bodily Calamities of my Life 3. To this end and to concur with naughty Boys that gloried in evil I have oft gone into other men's Orchards and stoln their Fruit when I had enough at home 4. I was somewhat excessively addicted to play and that with covetousness for Money 5. I was extreamly bewitched with a Love of Romances Fables and old Tales which corrupted my Affections and lost my Time 6. I was guilty of much idle foolish Chat and imitation of Boys in scurrilous foolish Words and Actions though I durst not swear 7. I was too proud of my Masters Commendations for Learning who all of them â—ed my pride making me Seven or Eight years the highest in the School and boasting of me to others which though it furthered my Learning yet helped not my Humility 8. I was too bold and unreverent towards my Parents These were my Sins which in my Childhood Conscience troubled me for a great while before they were overcome In the Village where I lived the Reader read the Common-Prayer briefly and the rest of the Day even till dark Night almost except Eating time was spent in Dancing under a May-Pole and a great Tree not far from my Father's Door where all the Town did meet together And though one of my Father 's own Tenants was the Piper he could not restrain him not break the Sport So that we could not read the Scripture in our Family without the great disturbance of the Taber and Pipe and Noise in the Street Many times my Mind was inclined to be among them and sometimes I broke loose from Conscience and joyned with them and the more I did it the more I was enclined to it But when I heard them call my Father Puritan it did much to cure me and alienate me from them
him as knowing no better my self and it suited well with my Parents minds who were willing to have me as near to them as possible having no Children but my self And so I left my School-master for a supposed Tutor But when I had tried him I found my self deceived his business was to please the Great Ones and seek Preferment in the World and to that end found it necessary sometimes to give the Puritans a flirt and call them unlearned and speak much for Learning being but a Superficial Scholar of himself He never read to me nor used any savoury Discourse of Godliness only he loved me and allowed me Books and Time enough So that as I had no considerable helps from him in my Studies so had I no considerable hinderance And though the House was great there being four Judges the King's Attorney the Secretary the Clerk of the Fines with all their Servanâ—s and all the Lord President 's Servants and many more and though the Town was full of Temptations through the multitude of Persons Counseâ—lors Attorneys Officers and Clerks and much given to tipling and excess it pleased God not only to keep me from them but also to give me one intimate Companion who was the greatest help to my Seriousness in Religion that ever I had before and was a daily Watchman over my Soul We walk'd together we read together we prayed together and when we could we lay together And having been brought out of great Distress to Prosperity and his Affections being fervent though his Knowledge not great he would be always stirring me up to Zeal and Diligence and even in the Night would rise up to Prayer and Thanksgiving to God and wonder that I could sleep so that the thoughts of God's Mercy did not make me also to do as he did He was unwearied in reading all serious Practical Books of Divinity especially Perkins Bolton Dr. Preston Elton Dr. Taylor Whately Harris c. He was the first that ever I heard pray Ex tempore out of the Pulpit and that taught me so to pray And his Charity and Liberality was equal to his Zeal so that God made him a great means of my good who had more knowledge than he but a colder heart Yet before we had been Two years acquainted he fell once and a second time by the power of Temptation into a degree of Drunkenness which so terrified him upon the review especially after the second time that he was near to Despair and went to good Ministers with sad Confessions And when I had left the House and his Company he fell into it again and again so oft that at last his Conscience could have no Relief or Ease but in changing his Judgment and disowning the Teachers and Doctrines which had restrained him And he did it on this manner One of his Superiours on whom he had dependance was a man of great Sobriety and Temperance and of much Devotion in his way but very zealous against the Nonconformists ordinarily talking most bitterly against them and reading almost only such Books as encouraged him in this way By converse with this Man my Friend was first drawn to abate his Charity to Nonconformists and then to think and speak reproachfully of them and next that to dislike all those that came near them and to say that such as Bolton were too severe and enough to make men mad And the last I heard of him was that he was grown a Fudler and Railer at strict men But whether God recovered him or what became of him I cannot tell § 5. From Ludlow Castle after a year and half I returned to my Father's House and by that time my old School-master Mr. Iohn Owen was sick of a Consumption which was his Death and the Lord Newport desired me to teach that School till he either recovered or died resolving to take his Brother after him if he died which I did about a quarter of a year or more After that old Mr. Francis Garbett the faithful learned Minister at Wroxeter for about a Month read Logick to me and provoked me to a closer Course of Study which yet was greatly interrupted by my bodily weakness and the troubled Condition of my Soul For being in expectation of Death by a violent Cough with Spitting of Blood c. of two years continuance supposed to be a deep degree of a Consumption I was yet more awakened to be serious and solicitous about my Soul 's everlasting State And I came so short of that sense and seriousness which a Matter of such infinite weight required that I was in many years doubt of my Sincerity and thought I had no Spiritual Life at all I wondred at the sensless hardness of my heart that could think and talk of Sin and Hell and Christ and Grace of God and Heaven with no more feeling I cried out from day to day to God for Grace against this sensless Deadness I called my self the most hard hearted Sinner that could feel nothing of all that I knew and talkt of I was not then sensible of the incomparable Excellency of Holy Love and Delight in God nor much imployed in Thanksgiving and Praise But all my Groans were for more Contrition and a broken Heart and I prayed most for Tears and Tenderness And thus I complained for many Years to God and Man and between the Expectations of Death and the Doubts of my own Sincerity in Grace I was kept in some more care of my Salvation than my Nature too stupid and too far from Melancholy was easily brought to At this time I remember the reading of Mr. Ezek. Culverwell's Treatise of Faith did me much good and many other excellent Books were made my Teachers and Comforters And the use that God made of Books above Ministers to the benefit of my Soul made me somewhat excessively in love with good Books so that I thought I had never â—now but scrap'd up as great a Treasure of them as I could Thus was I long kept with the Calls of approaching Death at one Ear and the Questionings of a doubtful Conscience at the other and since then I have found that this method of God's was very wise and no other was so like to have tended to my good These Benefits of it I sensibly perceived 1. It made me vile and loathsome to my self and made Pride one of the hatefullest Sins in the World to me I thought of my self as I now think of a detestable Sinner and my Enemy that is with a Love of Benevolence wishing them well but with little Love of Complacency at all And the long continuance of it tended the more effectually to a habit 2. It much restrained me from that sportful Levity and Vanity which my Nature and Youthfulness did much incline me to and caused me to meet Temptations to Sensuality with the greatest fear and made them less effectual against me 3. It made the Doctrine of Redemption the more savoury to me and my
Schism and Herefie come to be opened it will not be found to lye where you imagin nor so easily proved as rashly affirmed or intimated 2. Do not be too sensible of Persecution when Liberty of Conscience is so proclaimed though the Restriction be somewhat on your side O the difference of your Persecution and theirs that suffered by you 3. The only conscionable and safe way for the Church and your own Souls is to love long for pray and consult for Peace Close in the unanimous practice of so much as all are agreed in In amicable Meetings endeavour the healing of all breaches Disown the ungodly of all Parties Lay by the new violent Opinions inconsistant with Unity I expect not that this advice should please the prejudiced But that it 's the only safe and comfortable way is the Confident Opinion of Your Brother Richard Baxter All the Disturbance I had in my own Parish was by Sir Ralph Clare's refusing to Communicate with us unless I would give it him kneeling on a distinct Day and not with those that received it fitting To which Demand I gave him this following Answer SIR UPon Consultation with others and my own Conscience I return this Answer to your last motion beseeching you to believe that it had been more pleasing if it would have stood with the pleasing of God and any own Conscience 1. In general it is my resolution to be so far from being the Author of any Divisions in any part of the Church of Christ as that I shall do all that lawfully I can to avoid them 2. I am so far from the Judgment and Practices of the late Prelates of England in point of compelling all to obey or imitate them in gestures and other indifferent things on pain of being deprived of God's greatest Ordinances which are not indifferents beside the ruine of their Estates c. that I would become all things lawful to all Men for their good and as I know that the Kingdom of God standeth not in such things so neither would I shut any out of his visible Kingdom for such things as judging that our Office is to see God's Law obeyed as far as we can procure it and not to be Law-gives to the Church our selves and in Circumstantials to make no more Determinations than are necessary left they prove but Engines to ensnare Mens Consciences and to divide the Church And as I would impose no such things on other Churches if I had power so neither will I do it on this Church of which I have some oversight 3. More particularly I am certain that sitting in the receiving of the Lord's Supper is lawful or else Christ and his Apostles and all his Churches for many hundred years after him did sin which cannot be And I take it to be intolerable arrogancy and unmannerliness to speak easily to call that unreverence and sawciness as many do which Christ and the Apostles and all the Church so long used with one consent He better knew what pleaseth himself than we do The vain pretended difference between the Apostles Gesture and ours is nothing to the matter He that sitteth on the Ground sitteth as well as he that sitteth on a Stool And if any difference were it was their Gesture that seems the more homely and no such difference can be pretended in the Christian Churches many hundred years after And I think it is a naked pretence having no shew of reason to cover it of them that against all this will plead a necessity of kneeling because of our unworthiness For 1. The Churches of so long time were unworthy as well as we 2. We may kneel as low as the Dust and on our bare knees if we please immediately before in praying for a blessing and for the pardon of our sins and as soon as we have done 3. Man must not by his own Conceits make those things necessary to the Church which Christ and his Church for so long thought unnecessary 4. On this pretence we might refuse the Sacrament it self for they are more unworthy to eat the Flesh of Christ and to drink his blood than to sit at his Table 5. The Gospel is Glad Tidings the Effects of it are Faith and Peace and Joy the Benefits are to make us one with Christ and to be his Spouse and Members the work of it is the joyful Commemoration of these Benefits and living in Righteousness Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost And the Sacramental Signs are such as suit the Benefits and Duties If therefore Christ have called us by his Example and the Example of all his Church to sit with him at his Table to represent Our Union Communion and joyful redeemed State and our everlasting sitting with him at his Table in his Kingdom it as little beseems us to reject this Mercy and Duty because of our Unworthiness as to be our own Lawgivers And on the like Reasons men might say I will not be united to thee nor be a Member of thy Body or married to thee nor sit with thee on thy Throne Rev. 3. 21. according to thy Promise because it would be too great sawciness in me Gospel Mercies and Gospel Duties and Signs must be all suited and so Christ hath done them and we may not undo them 4. I must profess that upon such Considerations I am not certain that sitting is not of commanded Necessity as I am sure it is lawful nor am I certain that kneeling in the Act of Receiving when done of choice is not a flat sin For I know it is not only against Scripture Example where though Circumstances apparently occasional bind not as an upper Room c. yet that 's nothing to others but also it is against the Canons of Councils yea a General Council at Trull in Constantinople and against so concurrent a Judgment and Practice of the Church for many hundred years that it seems to fight with Vincentius Lerinens Catholick Rule quod semper ubique ab omnibus receptum c. Let them therefore justifie kneeling as lawful that can for I cannot and therefore dare not do that which shall be an owning of it when we may freely do otherwise 5. Yet for all this I so much incline to Thoughts of Peace and Closure with others that I will not say that sitting is of necessity nor that kneeling is unlawful unless where other Circumstances make it so nor condemn any that differ from me herein Yea if I could not otherwise Communicate with the Church in the Sacrament I would take it kneeling myself as being certain that the Sacrament is a Duty and not certain that kneeling is a sin and in that Case I believe it is not 6. As for them that think kneeling a Duty because of the Canons of the late Bishops enjoyning it I have more to say against their Judgment than this Paper will contain Only in a word 1. If it be the Secular Powers establishing those Canons that binds
in the Administration of the Discipline of Christ. For further Proof whereof we have that known Testimony of Tertullian in his general Apology for Christians In the Church are used Exhortations Chastisements and divine Censures for Judgment is given with great Advice as among those who are certain they are in the sight of God and it is the chiefest foreshewing of the Judgment that is to come if any Man hath so offended that he be banished from the Communion of Prayer and of the Assembly and of all holy Fellowship The Presidents that bear rule therein are certain approved Elders who have obtained this Honour aud not by Reward but by good Report Who were no other as he himself elsewhere intimateth but those from whose hands they used to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist For with the Bishop who was the Chief President and therefore styled by the same Tertullian in another place Summus Sacerdos for distinction sake the rest of the Dispensors of the Word and Sacraments were joined in the common Government of the Church And therefore in matters of Ecclesiastical Judicature Cornelius Bishop of Rome used the received Form of gathering together the Presbytery Of what Persons that did consist Cyprian sufficiently declareth when he wished him to read his Letters to the flourishing Clergy that there did reside or rule with him The presence of the Clergy being thought to be so requisite in matters of Episcopal Audience that in the fourth Council of Carthage it was concluded that the Bishop might hear no Man's Cause without the Presence of the Clergy which we find also to be inserted into the Canons of Egbert who was Archbishop of York in the Saxons Times and afterwards into the Body of the Canon-Law it self True it is that in our Church this kind of Presbyterian Government hath been long disused yet seeing it still professeth that every Pastor hath a right to rule the Church from whence the Name of Rector also was given at first unto him and to administer the Discipline of Christ as well as to dispence the Doctrine and Sacraments And the restraint of the Exercise of that Right proceedeth only from the Custom now received in this Realm No Man can doubt but by another Law of the Land this Hindrance may be well removed And how easily this ancient Form of Government by the united Suffrages of the Clergy might be revived again and with what little shew of Alteration the Synodical Conventions of the Pastors of every Parish might be accorded with the Presidency of the Bishops of each Diocess and Province the indifferent Reader may quickly perceive by the perusal of the ensuing Proposition I. In every Parish the Rector or the incumbent Pastor together with the Church-wardens and Sidemen may every Week take notice of such as live scandalously in that Congregation who are to receive such several Admonitions and Reproofs as the quality of their Offence shall deserve and if by this means they cannot be reclaimed they may be presented unto the next Monthly Synod and in the mean time be debarred by the Pastor from access unto the Lord's Table II. Whereas by a Statute in the Twenty sixth of King Henry VIII revived in the first Year of Queen Elizabeth Suffragans are appointed to be erected in twenty six several Places of this Kingdom the Number of them might very well be conformed unto the Number of the several rural Deaneries into which every Diocess is subdivided which being done the Suffragan supplying the place of those who in the ancient Church were called Chorepiscopi might every Month assemble a Synod of all the Rectors or incumbent Pastors within the Precinct and according to the major part of their Voices conclude all Matters that should be brought into Debate before them To this Synod the Rector and Churchwardens might present such impenitent Persons as by Admonition and Suspension from the Sacrament would not be reformed who if they should still remain contumacious and incorrigible the Sentence of Excommunication might be decreed against them by the Synod and accordingly be executed in the Parish where they lived Hitherto also all things that concerned the Parochial Ministers might be referred whether they did touch their Doctrine or their Conversation As also the censure of all new Opinions Heresies and Schisms which did arise within that Circuit with Liberty of appeal if need so require unto the Diocesane Synod III. The Diocesane Synod might be held once or twice in the Year as it should be thought most convenient therein all the Suffragans and the rest of the Rectors or Incumbent Pastors or a certain select Number out of every Deanery within that Diocess might meet with whose Consent or the major part of them all things might be concluded by the Bishop or Superintendant call him whither you will or in his Absence by one of the Suffragans whom he should depute in his stead to be Moderator of that Assembly Here all matters of greater Moment might be taken into Consideration and the Orders of the Monthly Synods revised and if need be reformed And if here also any matter of Difficulty could not receive a full Determination it might be referred to the next Provincial or National Synod IV. The Provincial Synod might consist of all the Bishops and Suffragans and such of the Clergy as should be elected out of every Diocess within the Province The Primate of either Province might be the Moderator of this Meeting or in his room some one of the Bishops appointed by him and all Matters be ordered therein by common Consent as in the former Assemblies This Synod might be held every third Year and if the Parliament do then sit according to the Act for a Triennial Parliament both the Primates and Provincial Synods of the Land might join together and make up a National Council wherein all Appeals from inferior Synods might be received all their Acts examined and all Ecclesiastical Constitutions which concern the State of the Church of the whole Nation established May it please your Grace I would desire you to consider whether Presentments are fit to be made by the Churchwardens alone and not rather by the Rector and Churchwardens Then whither in the Diocesan Synod the Members of it be not too many being all to judge and in their own cause as it may fall out Therefore after this Clause and the rest of the Rectors or incumbent Pastors whether it be not fit to interline or four or six out of every Deanery Ri. Holdsworth We are of Judgment that the Form of Government here proposed is not in any point repugnant to the Scripture and that the Suffragans mentioned in the second Proposition may lawfully use the Power both of Jurisdiction and Ordination according to the Word of God and the Practice of the ancient Church § 97. When we went with these foresaid Papers to the King and expected
Christians and enough for any one of the Reformed Churches had they possessed them to have gloried in and many far meaner are yet the glory of the Ancient Churches and called and reverenced as Fathers But we doubt this same Spirit will make you think that many Hundred more are but a few to be Silenced e're long And then your Clemency will comfort the poor People that have ignorant or deboist Readers instead of Ministers for too many such we have known that it was their Pastors faults that obstinately refused to Conform when they had promised it that is that repented of the Sin of their Subscription when they discerned it And had they never been ignorant enough to Subscribe they had never entered And the many hundreds which you thus keep from the Ministry you make nothing of § 26. Whether Diocesanes be a lawful Authority as claiming Spiritual Government and how far Men may own them even in lawful things are Controversies to be elsewhere managed We justify no Man's leaving his Ministry upon the Refusal of any thing but what he judged unlawful yea and what was really so § 27. Whether any Offence were given though not enough to warrant Separation let our Argumentations on both sides declare The said Declaration of the Churches Sense is not the smallest part of the Scandal Calling a humane Sacrament indifferent or no Sacrament proveth it not to be as it is called That the Nonconformists were the Cause of Separation who did most against it is easily said and as easily proved as the Arrians proved that the Orthodox were the cause of the Schism of the Luciferans who separated from the Church for receiving the Arrians too easily to Communion § 28. Church Matters in this much differ from Civil Matters and its one thing to change a Church Custom when it dangerously prevaileth to corrupt Mens Understandings and another thing when there is no such Danger So Hezekiah thought when he destroyed the Brazen Serpent and Paul who before circumcised Timothy when he said If ye be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing Could Men have foreseen that the Primacy of the Bishop of Rome in the imperial Churches would have been sublimated to such a challenged Supremacy over all the Christian World we suppose the Ancients would have held it their Duty to have removed the Primacy to some other Seat § 29. According to your Councils will you be judged of God The Not-abating of the Impositions is the casting off of many hundreds of your Brethren out of the Ministry and of many thousand Christians out of your Communion But the abating of the Impositions will so offend you as to silence or excommunicate none of you at all For e. g. we think it a Sin to Subscribe or swear canonical Obedience or use the transient Image of the Cross in Baptism and therefore these must cast us out But you think it no Sin to forbear them if the Magistrate abate them and therefore none of you will be cast out by the Abatement But it seemeth that your Charity judgeth the bare displeasing of your Apetite to the Ceremonies is a greater evil than the silencing and excommunicating all us your poor Brethren though our Imprisoment follow Nay this is not all For your Displeasure will be only that another Man subscribeth not crosseth not c. while you may do it your selves as much as you please Whether the casting out of so many Ministers and Christians for such things do more subserve the main ends of publick Government than the forbearance would do if you know not we leave you to God's Conviction As also whether these things be well imposed and Mens Obedience to Authority and the Peace of the Church and its Uniformity or Unity be well and justly laid upon them Such Concessions indeed might bear you out far Concerning particular Ceremonies § 30. Why then is it not as meet that one Gesture be used by all in singing Psalms or hearing Sermons Why doth the Ministers stand in Prayer even in the Sacrament Prayer while the People kneel We speak against none of your Liberty in using either kneeling or Holy-days and perhaps some of us mean to use both our selves but only beseech you that they may be no more imposed than the ancient Church imposed them and we desire no more and if you reverence Antiquity why will you not imitate it in point of Imposition as well as in the thing it self But yet that Antiquity was against Kneeling on the Lord's Day at the Sacrament and that they had but few of our Holy-days for many hundred Years we suppose you are not ignorant § 31. It 's well you have no more to say against Liberty to forbear the other three Ceremonies the more unexcusablde will you be when you silence and excommunicate those that use them not § 32. And its strange that meaner understandings than yours cannot see why Men should forbear that which is not to be valued with the Churches Peace A Lye or a false Subscription is not to be valued with the Churches Peace And is it therefore a Wonder to you that Men should scruple them It is fitter Matter for the Wonder of good Men that after so long Experience those that will needs be the Lords and Governors in spiritual Matters should so resolvedly lay the Churches Peace upon such things as these where they know beforehand that Men of no Conscience will all be peaceable and thousands of godly People are unsatisfied and that they will needs take all for Disturbers of the Peace who jump not with their Humour in every Ceremony how willing soever to be ruled by the Laws of God § 33. We are glad that you justify not Innovation and Arbitrariness and yet desire not such a Cure as some do by getting Laws which may do their Work § 34. If your want of Charity were not extraordinary it could not work effectually to the afflicting of your Brethren and the Church when we tell you what will end your Differences you know our Minds so much better than our selves that you will not believe us But you will be confident that we will come on with new Demands This is your way of Conciliation when you were to bring in your utmost Concessions in order to our Unity and it was promised by his Majesty that you should meet us half way you bring in nothing and persuade his Majesty also that he should not believe us in what we offer that it would be satisfactory if it were granted You say that it will give Dissatisfaction to the greater Part of his Majesty's Subjects We are more charitable than to believe that a quarter of his Majesty's Subjects are so uncharitable as to be dissatisfied if their Brethren be not silenced and excommunicated for not swearing subscribing or using a Ceremony while they may do it as much as they list themselves And whereas you say that there is no assurance given that it will content all Dissenters
till it be effectually reformed by Divines of both Perswasions equally deputed thereunto And that your Majesty would procure that Moderation in the Imposition hereafter which we before desired 4. Concerning Ceremonies Returning our humble Thanks for your Majesty's gracious Concessions of which we are assured you will never have cause to repent we further crave 1. That your Majesty would leave out those words concerning us That we do not in our Iudgments believe the practice of those particular Ceremonies which we except against to be in it self unlawful for we have not so declared our Judgments Indeed we have said that treating in order to a happy uniting of our Brethren through the Land our Work is not to say what is our own Opinion or what will satisfie us but what will satisfie so many as may procure the said Union And we have said that some think some of them unlawful in themselves and others but inconvenient And while the Imposers think them but indifferent we conceived they might reasonably be entreated to let them go for the saving of their Brethrens Consciences and the Churches Peace We are sure that a Christian's Conscience should be tender of adding to or diminishing from the Matter of God's Worship in the smallest Point the Laws of God being herein the only perfect Rule Deut. 12. 32. And that a Synod infallibly guided by the Holy Ghost would lay upon the Churches no greater burden then necessary things Acts 15. 28. And that for things indifferent Christians should not despise or judge each other Rom. 14. much less by silencing the able and faithful Ministers of the Gospel to punish the Flocks even in their Souls for the tolerable Differences and supposed Mistakes of Ministers We doubt not but Peter and Paul went to Heaven without the Ceremonies in question And seeing your Majesty well expresseth it That the Universal Church cannot introduce one Ceremony in the Worship of God that is contrary to God's Word expressed in the Scriptures and Multitudes of Protestants at home and abroad do think that all Mystical Sacramental Rites of Humane Institution are contrary to the perfection of God's Law and to Deut. 12. 32. c. though the Determination of meer Circumstances necessary in genere be not so and therefore dare not use them for fear of the Displeasure of God the Universal Sovereign it must needs be a great Expression of your Majesty's wisdom and tenderness of God's Honour and the Safety of your Peoples Souls to refuse in things unnecessary to drive Men upon apprehended Sin and upon the Wrath of God and the Terrours of a Condemning Conscience 2. We beseech your Majesty to understand that it is not our meaning by the Word abolishing to crave a Prohibition against your own or other Mens Liberty in the things in question but it is a full Liberty that we desire such as should be in unnecessary things and such as will tend to the Concord of your People viz. That there be no Law or Canon for or against them commanding recommending or prohibiting them As now there is none for any particular Gesture in singing of Psalms where Liberty preserveth an uninterrupted Unity For the Particular Ceremonies 1. We humbly crave as to kneeling in the Act of Receiving that your Majesty will declare our Liberty therein that none should be troubled for receiving it standing or sitting And your Majesty's Expressions upon Reasons best known if not only to themselves command us to render some of our Reasons 1. We are sure that Christ and his Apostles sinned not by not receiving it kneeling and many are not sure that by kneeling they should not sin and therefore for the better Security though not for absolute Necessity we crave leave to take the safer side 2. We are sure that kneeling in any Adoration at all in any Worship on any Lord's Day in the Year or any Week-day between Ester and Pentcost was not only disused but forbidden by General Councils as Concil Nicen. 1 Can. 20. and Concil Trull c. and disclaimed by ancient Writers and this as a general and uncontroled Tradition And therefore that kneeling in the Act of receiving is a Novelty contrary to the Decrees and Practice of the Church for many hundred Years after the Apostles And if we part with the venerable Examples of all Antiquity where it agrees with Scripture and that for nothing we shall depart from the Terms which most Moderators think necessary for the Reconciling of the Churches And Novelty is a Dishonour to any part of Religion And if Antiquity be Honourable the most ancient or nearest the Legislation and Fountain must be most honourable And it is not safe to intimate a Charge of Unreverence upon all the Apostles and primitive Christians and the Universal Church for so many hundred Years together of its purest Time 3. Though our meaning be good it is not good to shew a needless Countenance of the Papists Practice of Adoring the Bread as God when it is used by them round about us Saith Bishop Hall in his Life pag. 20. I had a dangerous Conflict with a Sarbonist who took occasion by our kneeling at the Receipt of the Echarist to persuade all the Company of our Acknowledgment of a Transubstantiation 4. Some of us that could rather kneel than be deprived of Communion should yet suffer much before we durst put all others from the Communion that durst not take it kneeling which therefore we crave we might not be put upon it 2. We humbly crave also that the religious Observation of Holy-days of human Institution may be declared to be left indifferent that none be troubled for not observing them 3. We humbly tender your Majesty our Thanks for your gracious Concession of Liberty as to the Cross and Surplice and bowing at the Name Iesus rather than Christ or God But we farther humbly beseech your Majesty 1. That this Liberty in forbearing the Surpliâ—â— might extend to the Colledges and Cathedrals also that it drive not thence all those that Scruple it and make not those Places receptive only of a Party and that the Youth of the Nation may have just Liberty as well as the Elder If they be engaged in the Universities and their Liberties there cut off in their beginning they cannot afterwards be free many hopeful Persons will be else diverted from the Service of the Church 2. That your Majesty will endeavour the repealing of all Laws and Canons by which these Ceremonies are imposed that they might be left at full Liberty 4. We also humbly tender our Thanks to your Majesty for your gracious Concession of the Forbearance of the Subscription required by that Canon But 1. we humbly acquaint your Majesty that we do not dissent from the Doctrine of the Church of England expressed in the Articles and Homilies But it is the controverted Passages about Government Liturgy and Ceremonies and some Byâ—passages and Phrases in the doctrinal Part which are scrupled by
when it is a thing not requiâ—ed of the Infant but only that he be the Child of a Believer and by the Parent dedicated to God in Baptism and there engaged in his Covenant to Believe and Obey when he is capable Of the Cross in Baptism we have said more in due place but here only add that it is a very great disorder besides the other faults to express the Terms of the Covenant as signified by the Cross more fully than as signified by baptizing viz. We sign him with the sign of the Cross in tâ—ken that hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the Faith of Christ crucified and manfully to fight under his Banner against Sin the World and the Devil and to continue Christ's faithful Soldier and Servant unto his lives end Amen The Conclusion that the Child is Regenerate and the Thanksgiving for Regenerating it by the Spirit are doubly faulty First in concluding that all Children baptized are Regenerate when we admit those before mentioned whose Interest in the Covenant which Baptism sealeth cannot be proved that is such whose Parents can lay no just claim to the Grace of the Covenant At least here is a private Opinion thrust into our Liturgy Secondly in concluding all Infants regenerate by the Holy Ghost when so many Learned Divines think that it is but a Relative Regeneration that is ascertained them and the Controversie is yet undecided The Exhortation to the Godfathers and Godmothers imposeth on them the Duty of the Parents to see to the holy Education which ordinarily they cannot do nor are to be required to do nor is it ordinarily done and yet we go on in the abuse The concluding Rubrick hasteneth Children too soon to Confirmation contrary to some Clauses in the Rubrick for Confirmation Divers Defects besides these expressed will appear by comparing this part of the Common Prayer with the Forms which we offer In the Private Baptism it is disorderly to make the Godfathers and Godmothers renew solemnly the Covenant-Ingagement of the Child when before we are to certifie them that all is well done and according to due order and the solemnizing of the Covenant is the principal use of Baptism so that its doubtful whether the repeating of so great a part of Baptism be not a great part of Anbaptism And it is not orderly that twice we must say to the Godfathers and Godmothers Dost thou in the Name of this Child as if we spoke but to one of them and the third time we say Do you in his Name Also the Prayer of giving the Spirit to the Infant that he being born again seems to import the Effects of Baptism on Christ's part as understood by the Common Prayer Book to be not given by the Private Baptism In the Rubrick for Confirmation the Order that Children shall be Confirmed when they can say the Creed Lord's Prayer and Ten Commandments and answer the Questions of the Catechism seems contrary to the first and third Reasons which require that Solemn Renewal or owning of their Covenant which ordinarily they are not ripe for of many years after they can say the Catechism And though we suppose the meaning was only to exclude the Necessity of any other Sacrament to baptized Infants yet these Words are dangerous as to mislead the Vulgar He shall know for a Truth that it is certain by God's Word that Children being baptized have all things necessary for their Salvation and be undoubtedly saved The meaning is ex parte Ecclesiae but it hath mislead many to think it is absolute and comprehendeth all things necessary in every respect In a Catechism where so many necessary Points are passed over it 's disorderly to put two such frivolous Questions in the beginning as What is your Name and Who gave you this Name In the Catechism there is omitted some of the Essential Attributes of God without which he cannot be rightly known There is also omitted the Doctrine of the Law made to Adam and of Man's Fall and the Doctrine of our Misery is insufficiently touched The Person Office and Properties of the Redeemer are so insufficiently opened as that we should think the Essentials of Christianity are omitted were it not that they are generally at least expressed in the Creed it self which is more full than the Explication of it There is no mention of the Holy Scriptures in it and the Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace is very defectively expressed and so is the Doctrine of Sanctification and other parts of the Work of the Holy Ghost and the whole Doctrine of God's Judgment and Execution and that of Man's Duty and even the Nature and Use of the Sacraments in which it is fullest as will appear by a true comparing it with what we offer The Prayers and Administration of Confirmation suppose all the Children brought to be Confirmed to have the Spirit of Christ and the forgiveness of all their Sins whereas a great number of Children at that Age that we say not the far greater part do live a carnal careless Life and shew no Love to God above all no prevalent Self-denial Mortification nor Faith in Christ and Heavenly-mindedness nor serious Repentance for the Life of Sin which they continue in after Baptism Therefore to these Children Confirmation is not to be Administred till besides the saying of the Catechism they make a credible Profession of Faith Repentance and Obedience And to them that do not thus Confirmation is a gross and perillous Abuse In the concluding Rubrick there is no care taken for the multitude that being past Childhood understand not what it is to be a Christian who also have need of Catechizing In Matrimony these Words For be ye well assured that so many as be coupled together otherwise than God's Word doth allow are not joined together by God neither is their Matrimony Lawful do dangerously speak that of Irregularities in General which is true only of some greater Faults that are contrary to the Essentials of Matrimony For in many Cases quod fieri non debet factum valet The Ring should not be forced on those that scruple it The obsolete Phrases With my Body I thee Worship c. should be changed The Prayers at the Table are disorderly Repetitions not delivering that in many Words which may be exprest in few It is unfit to keep all Persons unmarried that are unmeet for the Communion being Infidels and unbaptized and prophane Persons may marry and it is unmeet to force such to receive the Communion the same Day that they Marry If it were requisite to put the private Work of visiting the Sick into the publick Liturgy of the Church yet the Variety of the Cases of the Sick is such that these Forms are not suitable to all In the Communion of the Sick the ancient Custom of the Church was where time and place allowed it to send the Deacon to the Sick at the time of the Celebration with a Portion of the
are increased We do humbly conceive it therefore a Work worthy of those Wonders of Salvation which God hath wrought for his Majesty now on the Throne and for the whole Kingdom and exceedingly becoming the Ministers of the Gospel of Peace with all holy Moderation and Tenderness to endeavour the removal of every thing out of the Worship of God which may justly offend or grieve the Spirits of sober and godly People The Things themselves that are desired to be removed not being of the Foundation of Religion nor the Essentials of Publick Worship nor the Removal of them any way tending to the prejudice of the Church or State Therefore their Continuance and rigorous Imposition can no ways be able to countervail the laying aside of so many pious and able Ministers and the unconceivable grief that will arise to multitudes of his Majesty's most Loyal and Peaceable Subjects who upon all occasions are ready to serve him with their Prayers Estates and Lives For the preventing of which Evils we humbly desire that these Particulars following may be taken into serious and tender Consideration Concerning Morning and Evening Prayer Rubrick Exception THat Morning and Evening Prayer shall be used in the accustomed place of the Church Chancel or Chappel except it be otherwise determined by the Ordinary of the place and the Chancel shall remain as in times past WE desire that the words of the first Rubrick may be expressed as in the Book established by Authority of Parliament 5 6 Edw. 6. Thus the Morning and Evening Prayer shall be used in such place of the Church Chappel or Chancel and the Minister shall so turn him at the People may best hear and if there be any Controversie therein the matter shall be referred to the Ordinary Rubrick Exception And here is to be noted that the Minister at the time of the Communion and at other times in his Ministration shall use such Ornaments in the Church as were in use by Authority of Parliament in the Second year of the Reign of Edward the Sixth according to the Act of Parliament Forasmuch as this Rubrick seemeth to bring back the Cope Albe c. and other Vestments forbidden by the Common Prayer Book 5 and 6 Edw. 6. and and so our Reasons alledged against Ceremonies under our Eighteenth general Exception we desire it may be wholly left out Rubrick Exception The Lords Prayer after the Absolution ends thus Deliver us from Evil. We desire that these words For thiâ—â— is the Kingdom the power and the glory for ever and ever Amen May be always added unto the Lord's Prayer and that this Prayer may not be enjoyned to be so often used in Morning and Evening Service Rubrick Exception And at the end of every Psalm throughout the year and likewise in the end of Benedictus Benedicite Magnificat Nunc Dimitis shall be repeated Glory to the Father c. By this Rubrick and other places in the Common Prayer Books the Glâ—riâ— Patri is appointed to be said six times ordinarily in every Morning and Evening Service frequently eight times in a Morning sometimes ten which we think carries with it at least an appearance of that vain repetition which Christ forbids for the avoiding of which appearance of evil we desire it may be used but once in the Morning and once in the Evening Rubrick Exception In such places where they do sing there shall the Lessons be sung in a plain Tune and likewise the Epistle and Gospel The Lessons and the Epistles and Gospels being for the most part neither Psalms nor Hymns we know no warrant why they should be sung in any place and conceive that the distinct Reading of them with an audible voice tends more to the Edification of the Church Rubrick Exception Or this Canticle Benedicite omnia opera We desire that some Psalm or Scripture Hymn may be appointed instead of that Apocryphal In the Letany Rubrick Exception FRom all Fornication and all other deadly sin IN regard that the wages of sin is death we desire that this Clause may be thus altered From Fornication and all other heinous or grievous sins Rubrick Exception From Battel and Murther and sudden Death Because this Expression of sudden death hath been so often excepted against we desire if it be thought fit it may be thus read From battel and murther and from dying suddenly and unprepared Rubrick Exception That it may please thee to preserve all that travel by land or by water all women labouring with child all sick persons and young children and to shew thy pity upon all prisoners and captives We desire the term All may be advised upon as seeming liable to just Exceptions and that it may be considered whether it may not better be put indefinitely those that travel c. rather than universally The Collect on Christmas Day Rubrick Exception ALmighty God which hast given us thy only begotten Son to take â—â—r Nature upon him and this day to be born of a pure Uirgin c. WE desire that in both Collects the word This day may be left out it being according to vulgar acceptation a Contradiction Rubrick  Then shall follow the Collect of the Nativity which shall be said continually unto New-years-day  The Collect for Whitsunday Rubrick  GOd which upon this day c.  Rubrick  The same Collect to be read on Monday and Tuesday in Whitson-week  Rubrick Exception The two Collects for St. John's day and Innocents the Collects for the first day in Lent for the fourth Sunday after Easter for Trinity Sunday for the sixth and twelfth Sunday after Trinity for St. Luke's day and Michaelmas day We desire that these Collects may be further considered and debated as having in them divers things that we judge fit to be altered The Order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper Rubrick Exception SO many as intend to be partakers of the Holy Communion shall signifie their Names to the Curate over-night or else in the Morning before the beginning of Morning Prayer or immediately after THe time here assigned for notice to be given to the Minister is not sufficient Rubrick Exception And if any of these be a notorious evil liver the Curate having knowledge thereof shall call him and advertize him in any wise not to presume to the Lord's Table We desire the Ministers power both to admit and keep from the Lord's Table may be according to his Majesty's Declaration 25 Octob. 1660. in these words The Minister shall admit none to the Lord's Supper till they have made a credible Profession of their Faith and promised Obedience to the Will of God according as is expressed in the Considerations of the Rubrick before the Catechism and that all possible diligence be used for the Instruction and Reformation of Scandalous Offenders whom the Minister shall not suffer to partake of the Lord's Table until they have openly declared themselves to have truly repented and amended their
former naughty lives as is partly expressed in the Rubrick and more fully in the Canons Rubrick Exception Then shall the Priest rehearse distinctly all the ten Commandments and the People kneeling shall after every Commandment ask God's mercy for transgressing the same We desire 1. That the Preface prefixed by God himself to the ten Commandments may be restored 2. That the fourth Commandment may be read as in Exod. 20. Deut. 5. He blessed the Sabbath day 3. That neither Minister nor People may be enjoyned to kneel more at the reading of this than of other parts of Scriptures the rather because many ignorant Persons are thereby induced to use the Ten Commandments as a Prayer 4. That instead of those short Prayers of the People intermixed with the several Commandments the Minister after the reading of all may conclude with a suitable Prayer Rubrick Exception After the Creed if there be no Sermon shall follow one of the Homâ—â—â—es already set forth or hereafter to be set forth by common Authority We desire that the Preaching of the Word may be strictly enjoined and not left so indifferent at the Administration of the Sacraments as also that Ministers may not be bound to those things which are are as yet but future and not in being After such Sermon Homily or Exhortation the Curate shall declare c. and earnestly exhort them to remember the Poor saying one or more of these sentences following Two of the Sentences here cited are Apocryphal and four of them more proper to draw out the Peoples Bounty to their Ministers than their Charity to the Poor Then shall the Church-wardens or some other by them appointed gather the Devotion of the People Collection for the Poor may be better made at or a little before the departing of the Communicants Exhortation  We be come together at this time to feed at the Lords Supper unto the which in Gods behalf I bid you all that be here present and beseech you for the Lord Iesus Christ sake that ye will not refuse to come c. If it be intended that these Exhortations should be read at the Communion they seem to us to be unseasonable The way and means thereto is first to examine your Lives and Conversations and if ye shall perceive your offences to be such as be not only against God but also against your Neighbours then ye shall reconcile your seâ—ves unto them and be ready to make Restitution and Satisfaction And because it is requisite that no man should come to the holy Communion but with a full trust in Gods mercy and with a quiet Conscience We fear this may discourage many from coming to the Sacrament who lye under a doubting and troubled Conscience Before the Confession  Then shall this general Confession be made in the name of all those that are minded to receive the holy Communion either by one of them or else by one of the Ministers or by the Priest himself We desire it may be made by the Minister only Before the Confession Exception Then shall the Priest or the Bishop being present stand up and turning himself to the people say thus The Minister turning himself to the People is most convenient throughout the whole Ministration Before the Preface on Christmas day and 7 days after  Because thou didst give Iesus Christ thine only Son to be born as this Day for us c. First We cannot peremptorily fix the Nativity of our Saviour to this or that day particularly Secondly it seems incongruous to affirm the Birth of Christ Upon Whitsunday and six days after and the descending of the Holy Ghost to be on this day for seven or eight days together According to whose most true promise the Holy Ghost came down this day from Heaven  Prayer before that which is at the Consecration  Grant us that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his Body and our Souls washed through his most precious blood We desire that whereas these Words seem to give a greater efficacy to the Blood than to the Body of Christ they may be altered thus That our sinful souls and bodies may be cleansed through his precious Body and Blood Prayer at the Consecration We conceive that the manner of the consecrating of the Elements is not here explicite and distinct enough and the Ministers breaking of the Bread is not so much as mentioned Hear us O merciful Father c. who in the same night that he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he brake it and gave to his Disciples saying Take eat c.  Rubrick  Then shall the Minister first receive the Communion in both kinds c. and after deliver it to the people in their hands kneeling and when he delivereth the bread he shall say The Body of our Lord Iesus Christ which was given for thee preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting Life and take and eat this in Remembrance c. We desire that at the Distribution of the Bread and Wine to the Communicants we may use the Words of our Saviour as near as may be and that the Minister be not required to deliver the Bread and Wine into every particular Communicants hand and to repeat the words to each one in the singular number but that it may suffice to speak them to divers jointly according to our Saviours Example  We also desire that the Kneeling at the Sacrament it being not that Gesture which the Apostles used though Christ was personally present amongst them nor that which was used in the purest and primitive times of the Church may be left free as it was 1. and 2. EDW. As touching Kneeling c. they may be used or left as every Mans Devotion serveth without blame Rubrick Exception And note that every Parishioner shall Communicate at the least three times in the year of which Easter to be one and shall also receive the Sacraments and other Rites according to the Orders in this Book appointed Forasmuch as every Parishioner is not duly qualified for the Lord's Supper and those habitually prepared are not at all times actually disposed but many may be hindered by the Providence of God and some by the Distemper of their own Spirits we desire this Rubrick may be either wholly omitted or thus altered  Every Minister shall be bound to administer the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper at least thrice a Year provided there be a due number of Communicants manifesting their Desires to receive And we desire that the following Rubrick in the Common-Prayer-Book in 5 and 8 Edw. established by Law as much as any other part of the Common-Prayer-Book may be restored for the vindicating of our Church in the matter of Kneeling at the Sacrament although the Gesture be left indifferent Although no order can be so perfectly devised but it may be of some either for their Ignorance and Infirmity or else of Malice and Obstinacy misconstrued depraved and
Believers that the Covenant of God is made and not that we can find to all that that have such believing Sureties who are neither Parents nor Prâ—parents of the Child Ans. Repentance whereby they forsake sin and Faith whereby they stedfastly believe the Promises of God c.  20 Quest. Why then are Infants baptized when by reason of ther tender Age they cannot perform them  Ans. Yes they do perform by their Sureties who promise and vow them both in their Names  In the general we observe That the Doctrine of the Sacraments which was added upon the Conference at Hampton-Court is much more fully and particularly delivered than the other parts of the Catechism in short Answers fitted to the memories of Children and thereupon we offer it to be considered First Whether there should not be a more distinct and full Explication of the Creed the Commandments and the Lord's Prayer Secondly Whether it were no convenient to add what seems to be wanting somewhat particularly concerning the Nature of Faith of Repentance the two Covenants of Justification Sanctification Adoption and Regeneration Of Confirmation The last Rubrick before the Catechism  ANd that no Man shall think that any detriment shall come to Children by deferring of their Confirmation he shall know for truth that it is certain by God's Word that Children being baptized have all things necessary for their Salvation and be undoubtedly saved ALthough we charitably suppose the meaning of these words was only to exclude the necessity of any other Sacraments to baptized Infants yet these words are dangerous as to the misleading of the Vulgar and therefore we desire they may be expunged Rubrick after the Catechism  So soon as the Children can say in their Mother-tongue the Articles of the Faith the Lords Prayer and the Ten Commandments and can answer such other Questions of this short Catechism c. then shall they be brought to the Bishop c. and the Bishop shall Confirm them We conceive that it is not a sufficient qualification for Confirmation that Children be able memoriter to the repeat the Articles of the Faith commonly called the Apostles Creed the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments and to answer to some Questions of this short Catechism for it is often found that Children are able to do all this at four or five years old 2dly It crosses what is said in the third Reason of the first Rubrick before Confirmation concerning the usage of the Church in times past ordaining that Confirmation should be ministred unto them that were of perfect Age that they being instructed in the Christian Religion should openly profess their own Faith and promise to be obedient to the Will of God And therefore 3dly we desire that none may be Confirmed but according to his Majesty's Declaration viz. That Confirmation be rightly and solemnly performed by the Information and with the Consent of the Minister of the place Rubrick after the Catechirm  Then shall they be brought to the Bishop by one that shall be his Godfather or Godmother This seems to bring in another sort of Godfathers and Godmothers besides those made use of in Baptism and we see no need either of the one or the other The Prayer before the Imposition of Hands  Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate these thy Servants by Water and the Holy Ghost and hast given unto them the forgiveness of all their sins This supposeth that all the Children who are brought to be confirmed have the Spirit of Christ and the forgiveness of all their sins Whereas a great number of Children at that Age having committed many sins since their Baptism do shew no Evidence of serious Repentance or of any special Saving Grace And therefore this Confirmation if administred to such would be a perillous and gross Abuse Rubrick before the Imposition of Hands  Then the Bishop shall lay his hand on every Child severally This seems to put a higher value upon Confirmation then upon Baptism or the Lord's Supper for according to the Rubrick and Order in the Common-Prayer-Book every Deacon may Baptize and every Minister may consecrate and administer the Lord's Supper but the Bishop only may Confirm The Prayer after Imposition of Hands  We make our humble Supplications unto thee for these Children upon whom after the Example of thy Holy Apostles we have laid our Hands to certifie them by this Sign of thy Favour and gracious Goodness towards them We desire that the Practice of the Apostles may not be alledged as a ground of this Imposition of Hands for the Confirmation of Children both because the Apostles did never use it in that Case as also because the Articles of the Church of England declare it to be a corrupt imitation of the Apostles practice Acts 25. We desire that Imposition of Hands may not be made as here it is a Sign to certifie Children of God's Grace and Favour towards them because this seems to speak it a Sacrament and is contrary to that fore-mentioned 25th Article which saith That Confirmation hath no visible Sign appointed by God The last Rubrick after Confirmation We desire that Confirmation may not be made so necessary to the Holy Communion as that none should be admitted to it unless they be confirmed None shall be admitted to the holy Communion until such time as he can say the Catechism and be confirmed  Of the Form of Solemnization of Matrimony THe Man shall give the Woman a Ring c. shall surely perform and keep the Uow and Covenant betwixt them made whereof this Ring given and received is a Token and Pledge c. SEeing this Ceremony of the Ring in Marriage is made necessary to it and a significant Sign of the Vow and Covenant betwixt the Parties and Romish Ritualists give such Reasons for the Use and Institution of the Ring as are either frivolous or superstitious It is desired that this Ceremony of the Ring in Marriage may be left indifferent to be used or forborn The Man shall say With my Body I thee worship This word worship being much altered in the Use of it since this Form was first drawn up We desire some other word may be used instead of it In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost These words being only used in Baptism and herein the Solemnization of Matrimony and in the Absolution of the Sick We desire it may be considered whether they should not be here omitted least they should seem to favour those who count Matrimony a Sacraâ—â—â— Till Death us depart This word depart is here improperly used Rubrick Exception Then the Minister or Clerk going to the Lords Table shall say or sing this Psalm We conceive this Change of Place and Posture mentioned in these two Rubricks is needless and therefore desire it may be omitted Next Rubrick  The Psalm ended and the Man and the Woman kneeling before the Lord's Table the Priest
that all the Snares that ever they could lay for us never procured them just advantage once truly to say that we disagreed among our selves For though there were enow at a distance who could not have agreed to all that we did yet we so far left them out though to the displeasure both of the Prelatists and them that no discord was found in any of our Proposals or Debates which cut some of them more to the heart than all that else we did to their displeasure § 209. By this time our frequent crossing of their Expectations I saw had made some of the Bishops angry above all Bishop Morley who over-ruled the whole business and did interess himself in it deeplier than the rest and was of a hotter Spirit and a readier Tongue But that which displeased them most was the freedom of my Speeches to them that is that I spake to them as on terms of Equality as to the Cause yet with all honourable Titles to their Persons For I perceived that they had that eminency of Power and Interest that the greatest Lords were glad of their favour did expect that the presence of so many of them should have awed us into such a silence or cowardliness as should have betrayed our Cause or at least that their Vehemency and Passions and Interruptions should have put us out of Countenance But I intreated them to give us leave with the due honour of their Persons to use that necessary liberty of Speech to them as beseemed such as are very confident that they plead for the Cause of God and the happiness and healing of a bleeding Church and that upon the warrant of the King's Commission And I must say that though they frowned at my freedom of Speech they never once accused me of any unmannerly or unreverent Language § 210. When we were going to our Disputation Dr. Pierce asked whether he that was none of the three deputed by them to that Service might joyn with the rest And we told that we cared not how many joyned the more the better for if any one of them could see any Evidence of Truth which the rest did overlook it would redound to our Benefit who desired nothing but the Victory of Truth § 211. And before he began with them he would fain have had one bout with me himself Whereas I moved them to some Christian Charity to all those Consciencious Christians that were to be put away from the Communion of the Church if they did but scruple the lawfulness of kneeling in the reception of the Sacrament though I still profest to them that I held it not unlawful my self when the Sacrament could not be otherwise had Dr. Pierce offered himself to a Disputation to prove that let them be never so many it is an Act of Mercy to them to put them all from the Communion of the Church I easily perceived what advantage his Confidence and Passion gave me and I intreated him to try his skill but his Brethren would not give him leave I earnestly entreated them to give him leave but to try one Argument but I could not prevail with them being wiser than to suffer his Passion to expose their Cause to Laughter and Contempt But yet he could not forbear to cast out his medium and tell us how he would have argued viz. That they that receive the Sacrament being in judgment against kneeling in the Act of Receiving do receive it Schismatically and so to their own Damnation Ergo it is an Act of Charity to keep them from the Communion of the Church Where note That our Dispute was only whether the Legistators should by Laws or Canons keep them away and not whether a Pastor supposing such Laws existent should keep them away And therefore by making it damnable Schism antecedently to our Laws he must needs mean that some Foreign Laws or General Councils do prove it Schism or else the Custom of the Universal Church And as to the first I did at large there prove that the Twentieth Canon of the Council at Nice and the Concil Trull and the most ancient Writers do unanimously decree against kneeling and make it universally unlawful and that by Apostolical Tradition to adore kneeling on any Lord's Day in the Year and on any other Day between Easter and Whitsunday and that no General Council hath reversed this till meer Disuse and contrary Custom did it And for Custom the Protestant Churches concur not in that Custom nor are they Schismaticks for differing from the Papists and others that do so nor is it better for them all to be without any Church Communion than not to kneel in the Act of Receiving Nor do the Papists themselves make every Man a Schismatick that followeth not the Custom of their Church in every particular Gesture unless he separate from their Church it self much less do they pronounce Damnation on all such But if it were the Law of our own Land or Church which he thought made it Schism then he might as well have so argued for sitting or standing and against kneeling viz. That it is Charity to make a Law is keep all from Church◠Communion that will kneel because when such a Law is made it is damnable Schism to kneel But the very truth is I perceived so little Compassion to Souls in the zealous and swaying Managers of these Controversies and so little regard of the Scruples and Tenderness of Godly People who were afraid of Sinning a◠that I scarce thought among Protestants there had been any such Whether they would have abated one Ceremony if they had had an hundred more to keep all the Dissenters in three Nations from being cast out of the Ministry and Church I know not but of those they have they would not abate one which made me oft think that their Spirits are much more like the Papists than their Formal Worship and Discipline is so much do they agree in destroying Men for their Opinions and Ceremonies sake and in Building the Tombs of the Prophets and over-honouring the dead Saints while they go on to hate and destroy the living And it made me oft remember Bishop Hall's Character of an Hyprocrite who boweth at the Name of Iesus and sweareth by the Name of God and would set all the World on fire for a Circumstances And it made me remember what that learned godly Minister Mr Spinage hath oft told me and many others and is still ready to justifie upon Oath that being heretofore familiar with this Mr. Thomas Pierce and saying once to him These Men that you so abhor are very godly Men and have much Communion with God he brake out into this Answer A pou on this Communion with God And it made me think of Augustine's Description of the sottish Worldlings that had far rather thus were one Star fewer in Heaven than one Cow or one Tree the fewer in their Grounds So had these Men rather One thousand eight hundred godly
Men are about to do § 213. You have had the Substance of our wandering Discourses you are next to have our as unprofitable Disputes In which all was to be managed in Writing ex tempore by Dr. Pierson Dr. Gunning and Dr. Sparrow with Dr. Pierce on one side and Dr. Bates Dr. Iacomb and my self on the other side we withdrawing into the next Room and leaving the Bishops and them together while we wrote our part And we began with the Imposition of Kneeling upon two Accounts though I took the Gesture it self as lawful 1. Because I knew I had the fullest Evidence and the greatest Authority of Antiquity or Church-Law and Custom against them 2. Because the Penalty is so immediate and great to put all that kneel not from the Communion And it was only the Penalty and to the Imposition on that Penalty which we disputed against § 214. Oppon Arg. 1. To enjoin all Ministers to deny the Communion to all that dare not kneel in the Reception of the Sacrament on the Lord's days is sinful But the Common-Prayer-Book and Canons enjoin all Ministers to deny the Communion to all that dare not kneel in the Reception of the Sacrament on the Lord's Days Ergo the Common-Prayer-Book and Canons do or contain that which is sinful Resp. Not granting nor denying the Major in the first place prove the Minor Oppon We prove both 1. Prob. Major To enjoin Ministers to deny the Communion to Men because they dare not go against the Practice of the Apostles and the universal Church for many hundred Years after them and the Canons of the most venerable Councils is sinful But to enjoin Ministers to deny Communion to all that dare not kneel in the Reception of the Sacrament on the Lord's Days is to enjoin them to deny Communion to them because they dare not go against the Practice of the Apostles and the universal Church for many hundred Years after them and the Canons of the most venerable Councils Ergo. To enjoin all Ministers to deny Communion to all that dare not kneel in the Reception of the Sacrament on the Lord's Day is sinful Prob. Minor The Words of the Common-Prayer-Book and Canons prove it Resp. The Minor viz. as to the Common-Prayer-Book of which the Proof must proceed is not yet proved But the Major which we had not then spoke to but now do clearly denying that Major also of the first Syllogisin you prove by the Syllogism brought in which we deny the Minor § 215. Here we told them That for the Proof of both Propositions denyed the Presence of the Book is necessary which we desired them to procure us but they were not fatcht And first we had a large Debate about the Words of the Common-Prayer He shall deliver it them kneeling on their knees Dr. Pierson confessed that the Canons did reject them that kneel not from the Communion but these Words of the Common-Prayer-Book do not But they only include Kneelers but exclude not others We answered them that either the Common-Prayer-Book doth exclude them that kneel not or it doth not If it doth the Proposition is true If it do not then we shall willingly let fall this Argument against it and proceed to another Therefore I desired them but to tell us openly their own judgment of the Sense of the Book for we professed to argue against it only on Supposition of the exclusive Sense § 216. Hereupon unavoidably they fell into Discord among themselves Dr. Pierson who was to defend the Book told us his judgment was that the Sense was not exclusive Bishop Morley who was to offend the Nonconformists gave his judgment for the exclusive Sense viz. That the Minister is to give it to Kneelers and no others So that we professed to them That we could not go any further till they agreed among themselves of their Sense § 217. And for the other Minor denied though the Books were not present I alledged the 20th Canon Concil Nicaen Concil Trull and Tertullian oft and Epiphanius with the common Consent of ancient Writers who tell us it was the Tradition and Custom of the universal Church not to adore by Genuflexion on any Lord's Day or on any Day between Easter and Whitsuntide Ergo not so to adore in taking the Sacrament § 218. Bishop Morley answered That this was the Custom but only between Easter and Whitsuntide and therefore it being otherwise the rest of the Year was more against us I answered him that he mistook where a multitude of Evidences might rectifie him it was on every Lord's Day through the Year that this Adoration by Genuflexion was forbidden though on other Week-days it was only between Easter and Whitsuntide § 219. Next he and the rest insisted on it that these Canons and Customs extended only to Prayer To which I answered That 1. The plain words are against them where some speak of all Adoration and others more largely of the publick Worship and offered to bring them full Proof from the Books as soon as they would give me time 2. And if it were only in Prayer it is all one to our Case For the Liturgy giveth the Sacrament with Words of Prayer and it is the common Argument brought for kneeling that it 's suitable to the conjunct Prayer And I told them over and over that Antiquity was so clear in the point that I desired all might be laid on that and I might have time to bring them in my Testimonies But thus that Argument was turned off and the Evening broke off that part of the Dispute The next Days Argument § 220. Oppon To enjoin Ministers to deny the Communion to such as the Holy Ghost hath required us to receive to the Communion is sinful But to enjoin Ministers to deny the Communion to all that dare not kneel in the Reception of the Sacrament is to enjoin them to deny the Communion to such as the holy Ghost hath required us to receive to the Communion Ergo. to enjoin Ministers to deny the Communion to all that dare not kneel in the Reception of the Sacrament is a Sin Resp. We deny the Minor Oppon The Holy Ghost hath required us to receive to the Communion even all the weak in the Faith who are charged with no greater Fault than erroneously refusing things lawful as unlawful But many of those who dare not kneel in the Reception of the Sacrament are at the worst but weak in the Faith and charged with no greater Fault than erroneously refusing things lawful as unlawful Ergo To enjoin Ministers to deny the Communion to all who dare not kneel in the Reception of the Sacrament is to enjoin them to deny the Communion to such as the Holy Ghost hath required us to receive to the Communion Resp. We say This is no true but a fallacious Syllogism of no due Form For this Reason That whereas both Subject and Predicate of the Conclusion ought to be somewhere
Servant Io. Earles To my honoured Friend Mr. Richard Baxter These § 271. Before this in November many worthy Ministers and others were imprisoned in many Counties and among others divers of my old Neighbours in Worcestershire And that you may see what Crimes were the occasion I will tell you the story of it One Mr. Ambrose Sparry a sober learned Minister that had never owned the Parliament's Cause or Wars and was in his Judgment for moderate Episcopacy had a wicked Neighbour whom he reproved for Adultery who bearing him a grudge thought now he had found a time to shew it He or his Confederates for him framed a Letter as from I know not whom directed to Mr. Sparry That he and Captain Yarrington should be ready with Money and Arms at the time appointed and that they should acquaint Mr. Oasland and Mr. Baxter with it This Letter he pretended that a Man left behind him under a Hedge who fate down and pull'd out many Letters and put them all up again save this and went his ways he knew not what he was nor whether he went This Letter he bringeth to Sir Iohn P the Man that hotly followed such work who sent Mr. Sparry Mr. Oasland and Captain Yarrington to Prison This Mr. Oasland was Minister in Bewdley a servent laborious Preacher who had done abundance of good in converting ignorant ungodly People And he had offended Sir Ralph Clare in being against his Election as Burgess in Parliament for that Town But who that Mr. Baxter was that the Letter named they could not resolve there being another of the name nearer and I being in London But the Men especially Mr. Sparry lay long in Prison and when the Forgery and Injury was detected he had much ado to get out § 272. Mr. Henry Iackson also our Physician at Kidderminster and many of my Neighbours were imprisoned and were never told for what to this day But Mr. Iackson was so merry a Man and they were all so cheerful there that I think they were released the sooner because it appeared so small a Suffering to them § 273. Though no one accused me of any thing nor spake a word to me of it being they knew I had long been near a Hundred miles off yet did they defame me all over the Land as guilty of a Plot and when Men were taken up and sent to Prison in other Counties it was said to be for Baxter's Plot so easie was it and so necessary a thing it seemed then to cast such filth upon my Name § 274. And though through the great Mercy of God I had long been learning not to overvalue the thoughts of Men no not so much as the Reputation of Honesty or Innocency yet I was somewhat wearied with this kind of Life to be every day calumniated and hear new Slanders raised of me and Court and Country ring of that which no Man ever mentioned to my face and I was oft thinking to go beyond Sea that I might find some place in retired privacy to live and end my days in quietness out of the noise of a Peace-hating Generation But my Acquaintance thought I might be more serviceable here though there I might live more in quietness and having not the Vulgar Language of any Country to enable me to preach to them or converse with them and being so infirm as not to be like to hear the Voyage and change of Air These with other Impediments which God laid in my way hindred me from putting my Thoughts in Execution § 275. About this time also it was famed at the Court that I was married which went as the matter of most heinous Crime which I never heard charged by them on any Man but on me Bishop Morley divulged it with all the Odium he could possibly put upon it telling them that one in Conference with him I said that Ministers marriage is lawful and but lawful as if I were now contradicting my 〈◊〉 And it every where rung about partly as a Wonder and partly as a Crime whilst they cried This is the Man of Charity little knowing what they talkt of 〈◊〉 that at last the Lord Chancellour told me He heard I was married and wondered at it when I told him it was not true For they had affirmed it near a year before it came to pass And I think the King's Marriage was scarce more talked of than mine § 276. All this while Mr. Calamy and some other Ministers had been endeavouring with those that they had Interest in and to try if the Parliament would pass the King's Declaration into a Law and sometimes they had some hope from the Lord Chancellour and others but when it came to the trial their hopes all failed them and the Conformity imposed was made ten times more burdensome than it ever was before For besides that the Convocation had made the Common Prayer Book more grievous than before the Parliament made a new Act of Uniformity with a new Form of Subscription and a new Declaration to be made against the Obligation of the Covenant of which more anon So that the King's Declaration did not only die before it came to Execution and all Hopes and Treaties and Petitions were not only disappointed but a weight more grievous than a Thousand Ceremonies was added to the old Conformity with a grievous Penalty § 277. By this means there was a great Unanimity in the Ministers and the greater Number were cast out And as far as I could perceive it was by some designed that it might be so Many a time did we beseech them that they would have so much regard to the Souls of Men and to the Honour of England and of the Protestant Religion as that without any necessity at all they would not impose feared Perjury upon them nor that which Conscience and Common Esteem and Pâ—pish Adversaries would all call Perjury that Papists might not have this to cast in our Teeth and call the Protestants a Perjured People nor England or Scotland Perjured Lands Oft have we proved to them that their Cause and Interest required no such thing But all was but casting Oyl upon the Flames and forcing us to think of that Monster of Millan that made his Enemy renounce God to save his Life before he stabb'd him that he might murder Soul and Body at a stroke It seemed to be accounted the one thing necessary which no Reason must be heard against that the Presbyterians must be forced to do that which they accounted Publick Perjury or to be cast out of Trust and Office in Church and Common-wealth And by this means a far greater Number were laid by than otherwise would have been and the few that yielded to Conformity they thought would be despicable and contemptible as long as they lived A Noble Revenge and worthy of the Actors § 278. When the Act of Uniformity was passed it gave all the Ministers that could not Conform no longer time than till Bartholomew-day
him 3. That executively it is to be done by every one in their places the Pastors giving or denying the Sacraments c. and the People holding or refusing Communion or Company with Men according as they are judged by the Church I think there is no Controversie among us about these § 325. 3. And therefore the Work will resolve us of the place viz. That the Execution must be in that place where he had or desired Communion or was capable of it And therefore that the Iudgment should be by those that being upon the place have fullest opportunity to know the Persons and the Case Even by those Pastors who labour amongst the People that are over them in the Lord 1 Thess. 5. 12 13. who have the rule over them and preach to them the Word of God Hebr. 13. 7 17 24. and not by those that are strangers to them § 326. 4. And as to the Manner all Divines are agreed That it is not to be like the proceedings of a Civil Court where there is no more to be done but examine the Cause and pass the Sentence and execute it by Corporal Penalties and Mulcts But 1. That it is to be managed by grave Divines the Physicians of Souls for the saving of the Sinner if it may be with great seriousness and light and weight of Scripture Argument convincing the Erroneous terrifying the Secure with the terrours of the Lord reproving and admonishing and perswading the penitent Offender and all this with Love and Compassion and due Patience and restoring the Penitent with Tenderness and Consolation and necessary Caution From all which it is evident That one single Person thus dealt with in case of Heresie may hold the Pastor or Bishop many days time and one gross Sinner may hold him many hours time before this Work can be done as the Nature and Ends of it do require 2. And it is to be done by the meer Keys of the Kingdom of Christ by managing God's Word by particular Application to the Case and Conscience of the Sinner and not by outward Force of Penalties § 327. 5. And all this is apparent in the Ends of it which is 1. That Churchâ—Communion may be a Communion of Saints 2. That the Sinner may be saved and converted to that end 3. Or however that others may be warned by his sad Example 4. And that the unbelieving and ungodly World may see the Excellency of Christian Religion and not be hardened in their Infidelity and Impietyâ— 5. And so that Christ and the Father by him may be honoured in his holiness among the Sons of Men These are the Ends of Church-Discipline § 328. 3. And as you see what the Discipline is that is to be Exercised so the Number of Persons on whom it is to be exercised may be gathered from what is said in the beginning where is shewed 1. How many hundred Parishes are in a Diocess 2. How many hundred or thousand Souls in a Parish unless the very smallest 3. And how many Hereticks Atheists Papists Infidels or Swearers Cursers Railers Drunkards Fornicators and other scandalous Sinners there are proportionably in most Parishes I leave to the judgment of every faithful Pastor that ever tried it by a particular knowledge of his Flock § 329. 4. And lastly who they be that are to Exercise all this Discipline I have shewed before even one Court or Consistory in a whole Diocess with the inconsiderable subserviency of the Arch-Deacon's Court For the Rural Deans do nothing in it and are themselves scarce known and the Pastor and Churchwardens do nothing but present Men to the Courts and execute part of their Sentences § 330. All this being laid together the impossibility of Christ's Discipline in our Churches is undeniable 1. Because by this Computation there must stand at once before the Court many thousand Persons to be at once examined convinced reproved exhorted or a great Multitude at least whenas they can speak but to one at once 2. Because the second Admonition which should be before two or three is there before an open Judicature which is not suited to the appointed End so that really our Controversie with the Diocesans is the same in effect as if it were controverted whether a thousand or six hundred Schools shall have as many governing School-masters or whether one only shall govern all these Schools and the rest of the School-masters have only power to â—each and not to govern were it only whether one should have a general Inspection over the rest that they may be punished for Malc-administration we should not be so far disagreed for though we might question whether Christ ever made or allowed any such Officer besides the Magistrate yet if the Work were but done by any we should judge it more tolerable Or the Controversie is as if it were questioned whether all the Diocess should have any more than one Physician that should have any power to prescribe any Government to the Patients and all the rest should only read general Lectures of Physick to them and be his Apothecaries to carry them his Prescripts and Medicines which were to question whether most shall have any Physician or none and whether the People shall have their Lives sacrificed to the mad Ambition of some one Man that would be their only Physician Shifting may deceive the unexperienced but let any Minister in England be but so faithful as to know all his Flock and regard their Souls and he can never deny that this is the true Case For my own part the Lord knoweth that I did with too much remisness exercise some Discipline a few years when I had liberty in one Country Parish upon one of the most Reformed People in the Land and that with the help of many Fellow-Ministers and of many of the People in their places and the countenance and presence of three Justices of the Peace and yet I found the burden too great for me and that one half of that Parish would have been enough It is in this as in Military Discipline or Navigation The Judgment of that Man that never tried it is of very little value in the Case Do but try the Government of one Parish in the Scripture way and we shall not differ § 331. And the Nonconformists further prove that our Prelacy maketh this Discipline morally impossible thus Were it not morally impossible some one godly Bishop in England would have executed it as Christ appointeth But no one godly Bishop in England doth or ever did so execute it Ergo The Major will not be denied of a Moral Impossibility or at least of a difficulty next it That which no one Man no not the wisest or the best ever did may well be called morally impossible or neer it And that England hath had some such Bishops we are not so uncharitable as to question when we remember Hooper Farrar Latimer Cranmer Ridley Iewel Grindall Hall and many more And I never met with
medling with State Matâ—â— nor Secular Affairs and therefore well spoken of by all Only the Interest of the piece of the Long Parliament which ejected the rest and was called The Rump and cherished Cromwell till he pull'd them down also did cause them to persecute Mr. Nalton with many other London Ministers at the time when Mr. Love was beheaded by them for being true to the Covenant in endeavouring to restore the present King And then when good old Mr. Iackson Dr. Drake a very holy man Mr. Ienkins and many more of them were in the Tower Prisoners Mr. Nalton and Mr. Cawton were glad to fly into Holland where the latter died and the former lived to see himself and every one of those imprisoned Ministers with the rest of their Brethren all cast out and forbidden upon pain of Imprisonment and Banishment to preach the Gospel in the King's Dominions § 422. And as we were forbidden to preach so we were vigilantly watcht in private that we might not exhort one another or pray together and as I foretold them oft they would use us when they had silenced us every Meeting for Prayer was called a dangerous Meeting for Sedition or a Conventicle at least I will now give but one instance of their kindness to my self One Mr. Beale in Hatton-Garden having a Son his only Child and very towardly and hopeful who had been long sick of a dangerous Fever as I remember a Quartan and by relapse brought so low that the Physicians thought he would die desired a few Friends of whom I was one to meet at his House to pray for him and because it pleased God to hear our Prayers and that very night to restore him his Mother shortly after falling sick of a Fever we were desired to meet to pray for her Recovery the last day when she was near to Death Among those that were to be there it fell out through some other occasions that Dr. Bates and I did fail them and could not come But it was known at Westminster that we were appointed to be there Whereupon two Justices of Peace were procured from the distant parts of the Town one from Westminster and one from Clerkenwell to come with the Parliaments Serjeant at Arms to Apprehend us They came in the Evening when part of the Company were gone there were only a few of their Kindred there besides two or three Ministers to pray They came upon them into the Room where the Gentlewoman lay ready to die and drew the Curtains and took some of their Names but missing of their Prey returned disappointed What a joy would it have been to them that reproached us as Presbyterian seditious Schismaticks to have found but such an occasion as praying with a dying Woman to have laid us up in Prison Yet that same Week there was published a witty malicious Invective against the silenced Ministers in which it was affirmed that Dr. Bates and I were at Mr. Beal's House such a day keeping a Conventicle But the Lyar had so 〈◊〉 extraordinary modesty as within a day or two to print a second Edition in which those words so easily to be disproved were left out Such Eyes were every where then upon us § 423. Many holy excellent Ministers were about these times laid in the Jails in many Counties for private Meetings to preach and pray and some for venturing to preach publickly in Churches which had no Ministers for so many were cast out that all their Places could not presently be supplyed In Cheshire Mr. Cook of Chester was imprisoned who not long before had lain long a Prisoner in Southwark by Lambert's Faction for Delivering up Chester to Sir George Booth for the Restoring of the King In Somersetshire were imprisoned Mr. Norman of Bridgwater Mr. Allen of Taunton and other In Dorsetshire were imprisoned Mr. Francis Bampfield Mr. Peter Ince taken at a private Meeting in Shaftsbury Mr. Sacheverill and divers others In Dorchester Jail they preached to the People of the Town who came to them every day once and on the Lord's Day twice till at last the Jaylor was corrected and an Order made against Jaylors letting in People into the Prisons to hear The rest at last were released upon some Bonds given for their good Behaviour but Mr. Francis Bampfield abode in the Common Jail several years although he was all along against the Parliament War His Brother Mr. T. Bampfield was a Member of many Parliaments and Speaker of the Parliament in Richard Cromwell's time which the Army broke He was Recorder of Exeter and though he sequestred Recorder had Satisfaction from the City for his Place yet he succeeding him in time of Cromwell's Usurpation restored to the Poor of the City all that he had received in that place and perswaded Ministers to restore all that they received from Sequestrations in time of the Usurpation because it was not Law that gave it them Though they had but their Bread while they preached which was hardly restored He was chosen by 〈◊〉 Gentlemen of the West to carry their Remonstrance to encourage General Monk when he came in He is a Man of most exemplary Sincerity and Conscientiousness He never took the Covenant nor any other Oath in his Life till he was a Member of the Parliament that brought in the King and then he was put upon taking the Oath of Supremacy which I had much ado being my dear and much valued Friend to perswade him to so fearful was he of Oaths or any thing that was doubtful and like to sin Yet hath this prudent holy Man been laid in Jail as well as his Brother because having a worthy Minister Mr. Philips in his House he would set open his Doors and meet freely for preaching and prayer in his House forbidding none But though he and his Brother were the likest Men I knew in England successfully to have perswaded those that are contrary minded that it is unlawful for a Parliament to take up Arms to defend themselves or punish Manufactures against the Will and Word of the King yet this would not keep either of them out of Prison And so their endeavours for that work were stopt against their wills § 424. It is worthy the mentioning how God's strange Judgments about this time were turned by the Devil to his own advantage Most certainly abundance of real Prodigies and marvellous Works of God were done which surely he did not cause in vain But the over-fervent spirits of some Fanaticks Fifth-Monarchy-men caused them presently to take them up boldly with the Commentary of their own Applications and too hastily venting Matters of Common Report before they were tried they published at several times three Volumes of the History of these Prodigies in which there were divers lesser Matters magnified and some things which proved false And though upon strictest Examination both I and all Men are convinced that very many of the Things were true as the drying up of the River Derwent
I must confess I have great reason to believe the clean contrary if by Light they mean Knowledge that the old Non-conformists had much more insight into these Controversies than Professors have of late For 1. We know that when the Parliament had cast out Bishops Liturgy and Ceremonies the generality both of Ministers and People took it for granted that they were all bad and so had more Light than their Forefathers had before they ever studied the Controversies I have asked many of them that have boasted of this Light whether ever they read what Cartwright Bradshaw Ames Parker Baynes Gersome Bucer Didoclavius Salmasius Blondell Beza c. have said on one side and what Saravia Bilson Whitgift Covell Downham Burges Hooker Paybody Hammond c. have said on the other side and they have confest they never throughly studied any one of them 2. And we see it by experience that one of those Men have written more on these Subjects than any of these can say or understand who boast that they have greater Light How weakly do they talk against Bishops Liturgy and Ceremonies in comparison of these ancient Non-conformists However that which was Truth then is Truth now And we have the same Scripture to be our Rule as they had Therefore let them that say they have more Knowledge bring it forth and try it by the Law and Testimony Isa. 8. 20. § 439. Having lived three years and more in London and finding it neither agree with my health or studies the one being brought very low and the other interrupted and all Publick Service being at an end I betook my self to live in the Country at Action that I might set my self to writing and do what Service I could for Posterity and live as much as possibly I could out of the World Thither I came 1663. Iuly 14. where I followed my Studies privately in quietness and went every Lord's Day to the Publick Assembly when there was any Preaching or Catechizing and spent the rest of the Day with my Family and a few poor Neighbours that came in spending now and then a day in London and the next year 1664. I had the Company of divers godly faithful Friends that Tabled with me in Summer with whom I solaced my self with much content Having almost finished a large Treatise called A Christian Directory or Sum of Practical Divinity that I might know whether it would be Licensed for the Press I tried them with a small Treatise of The Characters of a Sound Christian as differenced from the Weak Christian and the Hypocrite I offered it Mr. Grig the Bishop of London's Chaplain who had been a Non-conformist and profest an extraordinary respect for me But he durst not Licence it Yet after when the Plague began I sent three single Sheets to the Archbishop of Canterbury's Chaplain without any Name that they might have past unknown but accidentally they knew them to be mine and they were Licensed The one was Directions for the Sick The second was Directions for the Conversion of the Ungodly and the third was Instructions for a Holy Life for the use of poor Families that cannot buy greater Books or will not read them § 440. March 26. being the Lord's Day 1665. as I was preaching in a Private House where we received the Lord's Supper a Bullet came in at the Window among us and past by me and narrowly mist the Head of a Sister-in-law of mine that was there and hurt none of us and we could never discover whence it came § 441. In Iune following an ancient Gentlewoman with her Sons and Daughter came four Miles in her Coach to hear me Preach in my Family as out of special Respect to me It fell out that contrary to our custom we let her knock long at the Door and did not open it and so a second time when she had gone away and came again and the third time she came when we had ended she was so earnest to know when she might come again to hear me that I appointed her a time But before she came I had secret intelligence from one that was nigh her that she came with a heart exceeding full of Malice resolving if possible to do me what Mischief she could by Accusation and so that Danger was avoided § 442. Before this divers Forreign Divines had written to me and expected such Correspondence as Literate Persons have with one another But I knew so well what eyes were upon me and how others had been used in some such accounts that I durst not write one Letter to any beyond the Seas By which some were offended as little knowing our Condition here Among others Amyraldus sent one upon the occasion of a word of honest Ludae Molinaeus a Dr. of Physick who had said that he had heard that Amyrald had said somewhat as slighting the Non-conformists in England and me in particular which with what vehemency and great respect he disowneth his Letter following will shew Another was from a Minister in Helvetia who would have had my Advice about setting up the Work of Ministerial Instruction of the Families and Persons of their Charge particularly which I will also add but I sent him an Answer by his Friend by word of mouth only And so I refused the answering of all others Literae D. Amyraldi Ad Reverendum Virum Dom. Dominum Baxterum Fidelem Evangelis Jesu Christi Ministerium Londinum VIrtutum tuarum fama Vir Reverende ad aures meas ante aliquot annos pervenit nec omnino me latuerat quam honorifice de me privatam sentias publice loquaris Verum quia audio scripsisti Anglice tantum modo cognitio autem linguoe vestrae quam ante quadraginta Annos qualemcunque Londini adeptus eram e memoria mea desuetudine obliterata est parum commercii mihi est cum libris vestris nec hactenus contigit ut quidquam quod à te prodixerit oculis usurpaverim Eo de causâ quamvis nonnunquam ceperit me impetus aliquis ad te scribendi ut honorem quo te prosequor testificarer ut significarem quod me publice laudasti ingrato non accidisse Etsi enim tenuitatem meam agnosco non dissimulabo tamen non esse mihi fibram adeo corneam qui◠laudari amen à te potissimum laudato Viro Attamen quotiuscunque id in Animum induxi vel occasio literas ad te mittendi suppeditata non est vel me repressit aliquis metus nequid de me suspicaveris At quod hucusque distuleram Vir Reverende expressit à me indignatio concepta ex lectione literarum Domini Simonii ad me in quibus vidi nescio quem male feriatum hominem etenim eum ne de nomine quidem novi scripsisse ad Molinaeum Amyraldum de te deque Scriptis tuos loqui valde contemptem adeo ut si verum esset quod ille quisquis est dicit justissimam causam haberes cur
Prelatical Dignity is not some way retrenched and whether they bear still that irreconcileable hatred against good and godly Presbyterians that they may not be suffered to exercise their Charge and Duty Or if they are wholly deprived of the power and authority to serve their Parishes as to our great Scandal we are informed I had many things more to write to you but dare not trouble you most worthy Sir any further fearing to keep you from your weighty Business Only I crave very humbly your Answer and as much Information of the true present Estate as opportunity will give you leave Whether we have so much cause to fear the Introduction of Popery in England as some by the News amongst us are wholly perswaded In the mean while we will continue to pray the Lord our God and most merciful Father with all our Hearts and Souls to preserve your Person for the General Good and Edification of his whole Catholick Church that your great Light may shine more and more and so I remain Reverend and most worthy Sir Your humble and most Affectionate Servant Iohn Sollicâ—ffer unworthy Servant of Christ. Saingall in Helvetia Reformatâ 16 April 1663. The vigilant Eye of Malice that some had upon me made me understand that though no Law of the Land is against Literate Persons Correspondencies beyond Seas nor have any Divines been hindered from it yet it was like to have proved my ruine if I had but been known to answer one of these Letters though the Matter had been never so much beyond Exceptions So that I neither answered this nor any other save only by word of mouth to the Messenger and that but in small part for much of this in the latter part was Matter not to be touched Our Silencing and Ejection he would quickly know by other means and how much the Judgments of the English Bishops did differ from theirs about the Labours and Persons of such as we § 443. About this time I thought meet to debate the Case with some Learned and Moderate Ejected Ministers of London about Communicating sometimes in the Parish Churches in the Sacraments For they that came to Common Prayer and Sermon came not yet to Sacraments They desired me to bring in my Judgment and Reasons in writing which being debated they were all of my mind in the main That it is lawful and a duty where greater Accidents preponderate not But they all concurred unanimously in this That if we did Communicate at all in the Parish Churches the Sufferings of the Independents and those Presbyterians that could not Communicate there would certainly be very much increased which now were somewhat moderated by concurrence with them I thought the Case very hard on both sides That we that were so much censured by them for going somewhat further than they must yet omit that which else must be our Duty meerly to abate their Sufferings that censure us But I resolved with them to forbear a while rather than any Christian should suffer by occasion of an action of mine seeing God will have Mercy and not Sacrifice and no Duty is a Duty at all times § 444. In Iuly 1665. the Lord Ashley sent a Letter to Sir Iohn Trevor That a worthy Friend of his in whose Case the King did greatly concern himself had all his Fortunes cast upon my Resolution of the enclosed Case which was Whether a Protestant Lady of strict Education might marry a Papist in hope of his Conversion he promising not to disturb her in her Religion It came at Six a Clock Afternoon and knowing it was a Case that must be cautelously resolved at the Court I took time till the next Morning that I might give my Answer in Writing The next day the Lord Ashley wrote again with many words to incline me to the Affirmative for the Lady told them she would not consent unless I satisfied her that it was lawful Who the Lord and Lady were I know not at all but have an uncertain Conjecture So I sent the following Resolution The Case was thus expressed Whether one that was bred a strict Protestant and in the most severe ways of that Profession lived many years without giving offence to any well known in her own Country to be such may without offence to God or Man marry a profest Roman Catholick in hopes of taking him off the Errour of his ways he engaging never to disturb her My Lord's Letter was as follows SIR THere is a very good Friend of mine and one his Majesty is very much concerned for that this enclosed Case has the power of his Fortunes None but that worthy Divine Mr. Baxter can satisfie the Lady this has been the way by which the Romanists have gained very much upon us they are more powerful in perswasion than our Sex besides the putting this Case shews some inclination to the Person though not to the Religion Sir If Mr. Baxter be with you pray let me have his Opinion to this Case in writing under it Wherein you may oblige more than you think for Your very affectionate Friend to serve you ASHLEY For his much honoured Friend Sir Iohn Trevor at Acton To this Case I drew up the following Answer and sent it to Sir John Trevor to be by him conveyed to my Lord Ashley SIR THough I cannot be insensible how inconvenient to my self the Answer of this Case may possibly prove by displeasing those who are concerned in it and medling about a Case of Persons utterly unknown to me yet because I take it to be a thing which Fidelity to the Truth and Charity to a Christian Soul requireth I shall speak my Judgment whatever be the Consequents But I must crave the pardon of that Noble Lord who desired my Answer might be Subscribed to the Case because Necessity requireth more words than that Paper will well contain The Question about the Marriage is not An factum valeat but An fieri debeat There is no affirming or denying without these necessary Distinctions 1. Between a Case of Necessity and of no Necessity 2. Between a Case where the Motives are from the Publick Commodity of Church or State and where they are only Personal or Private 3. Between one who is otherwise sober ingenuous and pious and a faithful Lover of the Lady and one that either besides his Opinion is of an ungodly Life or seeketh her only to serve himself upon her Estate 4. Between a Lady well grounded and fixed in Truth and Godliness and one that is weak and but of ordinary setledness Hereupon I answer Prop. 1. In general It cannot be said to be simply and in all Cases unlawful to marry an Infidel or Heathen much less a Papist 2. In particular It is lawful in these following Cases 1. In Case of true Necessity when all just means have been used and yet the Party hath a necessity of Marriage and can have no better If you ask Who is better I answer A suitableness
the Churches of England and faithfully to preserve the peace and happiness thereof And all those who are qualified with abilities according to the Law and take the Oaths and Declarations abovesaid shall be allowed to preach Lectures and Occasional Sermons and to Catechize and to be presented and admitted to any Benefice or to any Ecclesiastical or Academical promotions or to the teaching of Schools 3. Every person admitted to any Benefice with cure of Souls shall be obliged himself on some Lord's day within a time prefixed to read the Liturgy appointed for that day when it is satisfactorily altered and the greatest part of it in the mean time and to be often present at the reading of it and sometimes to administer the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper according to the said Liturgies And it shall by himself or some other allowed Minister be constantly used in his Church and the Sacraments frequently administred as is required by the Law 4. The 4th was against the Ceremonies without alteration in their own words save about bowing at the Name â—esus as after 5. No Bishop Chancellor or other Ecclesiastical Officers shall have power to silence any allowed Minister or suspend him 〈◊〉 officio vel beneficio arbitrarily or for any cause without a known Law And in case of any such arbitary or injurious silencing and suspension there shall be allowed an appeal to some of his Majestie 's Courts of Iustice so as it may be prosecuted in a competent time and at a tolerable expence being both Bishops and Presbyters and all Ecclesiastical persons are under the Government of the King and punishable by him for gross and injurious male-administrations 6. Though we judge it the Duty of Ministers to Catechize instruct exhort direct and comfort the people personally as well as publickly upon just occasion yet lest a pretended necessity of Examinations before the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper or an unwarrantable strictness should introduce Church-Tyranny and wrong the faithful by keeping them from the Communion let all those be admitted to the Communion who since their Infant baptism have at years of discretion manifested to the Bishop or the Ministers of the Parish Church where they live a tolerable understanding of the Essential points of Faith and Godliness that is of the Baptismal Covenant and of the nature and use of the Lord's Supper and have personally owned before them or the Church the Covenant which by others they made in Baptism professing their Resolution to keep the same in a Faithful Godly Righteous Charitable and Temporal Life and are not since this profession revolted to Atheism Insidelity or Heresy that is the denying of some Essential Article of faith and live not impenitently in any gross and scandalous sin And therefore in the Register of each Parish let all their Names be written who have either before their Confirmation or at any other time thus understandingly owned their Baptismal Covenant and a Certificate thereof from the Minister of the place shall serve without any further examination for their admission to Communion in that or any other Parish Church where they shall after live till by the aforesaid revolts they have merited their suspension 7. Because in many families there are none who can read or pray â—or call to remembrance what they have heard to edify themselves and spend the Lords day in holy Exercises and many of these live so far from the Church that they go more seldom than the rest and therefore have great need of the assistance of their Neighbours it is not to be taken for a Conventicle or unlawful meeting when Neighbours shall peaceably joyn together in reading the Scripture or any good books or repeating publick Sermons and praying and â—ging â—salms to God whilst they do it under the inspection of the Minister and not in opposition to the publick Assemblies Nor yet that meeting where the Minister shall privately Catechize his Neighbours or pray with them when they are in sickness danger or distress tho persons of several Families shall be present 8. Whereas the Canon and Rubrick forbid the adâ—ission of notorious scandalous sinners to the Lords table be it enacted that those who are proved to deride or scorn at Christianity or the holy Scriptures or the Life of Reward and Punishment or the serious practice of a Godly Life and strict obedience to Gods Commands shall be numbered with the Scandalous sinners mentioned in the Canon and Rubrick and not admitted before repentance to the holy Communion § 69. The following paper will give you the reasons of all our alterations of their form of Words But I must add this that we thought not the form of Subscription sufficient to keep out a Papist from the established Ministery much less from a Toleration which we medled not with And here and in other alterations I bore the blame and they told me that no Man would put in such doubts but I. And I will here tell Posterity this Truth as a Mystery yet only to the blind which must not now be spoken that I believe that I have been guilty of hindering our own Liberties in all Treaties that ever I was employ'd in For I remember not one in which there was not some crevice or contrivance or terms offered for such a Toleration as would have let in the moderate Papists with us And if we would but have opened the Door to let the Papists in that their Toleration might have been charged upon us as being for our sakes and by our request or procuâ—ement we might in all likelihood have had our part But though for my own part I am not for Cruelty against Papists any more than others even when they are most cruel to us but could allow them a certain degree of liberty on Terms that shall secure the common Peace and the People's Souls yet I shall never be one of them that by any renewed pressures or severities shall be forced to petition for the Papists liberty if they must have it let them Petition for it themselves No craft of Iesuits or Prelates shall thunder me cudgel me or cheat me into the Opinion that it is now necessary for our own Ministry Liberty or Lives that we I say we Nonconformists be the famed Introducers of the Papists Toleration that so neither Papists nor Prelatists may bear the odium of it but may lay it all on us God do what he will with us his way is best but I think that this is not his way § 70. Upon these Alterations I was put to give in my Reasons of them which were as followeth The Reasons of our Alterations of your Proposals 1. I Put in Presidents c. to avoid Dispute whether such were meer Presbyters or as some think Bishops 2. I leave out time of disorder because it will else exclude all that were Ordained by Presbyters since the King came in 3. I put in Instituted and Authorized to intimate that it is not an Ordination to
read against Atheism Sadduceism and Infidelity to prove first the Deity and then the immortality of Man's Soul and then the truth of Christianity and the holy Scripture answering the Infidels Objections against Scripture It is strong and masculine only too tedious for impatient Readers He saith he wrote it only at vacant hours in his Circuits to regulate his meditations finding that while he wrote down what he thought on his thoughts were the easilyer kept close to work and kept in a method and he could after try his former thoughts and make further use of them if they were good But I could not yet persuade him to hear of publishing it The Conference which I had frequently with him mostly about the immortality of the Soul and other Foundation points and Philosophical was so edifying that his very Questions and Objections did help me to more light than other mens solutions Those that take no Men for Religious who frequent not private Meetings c. took him for an Excellently righteous moral Man But I that have heard and read his serious Expressions of the Concernments of Eternity and seen his Love to all good Men and the blamlessness of his Life c. thought better of his Piety than of mine own When the People crowded in and out of my House to hear he openly shewed me so great respect before them at the Door and never spake a word against it as was no small encouragement to the Common People to go on though the other sort muttered that a Judge should seem so far to countenance that which they took to be against the Law He was a great Lamenter of the Extremities of the Times and the violence and foolishness of the predominant Clergy and a great desirer of such abatements as might restore us all to serviceableness and Unity He had got but a very small Estate though he had long the greatest Practice because he would take but little Money and undertake no more business thâ—n in he could well dispatch He often offered to the Lord Chancellor to resign 〈…〉 when he was blamed for doing that which he supposed was Justice He had been the Learned Selden's intimate friend and one of his Executors And because the Hobbians and other Infidels would have persuaded the World that Selden was of their mind I desired him to tell me truth therein And he assured me that Selden was an earnest Professor of the Christian Faith and so angry an Adversary to Hobbs that he hath rated him out of the Room § 108. This year 1669 the Lord Mayor of London was Sir William Turner a Man Conformable and supposed to be for Prelacy but in his Government he never disturbed the Nonconformable Preachers nor troubled men for their Religion And he so much denyed his own gain and sought the Common good and punished vice and promoted the rebuilding of the City that I never heard nor read of any Lord Mayor who was so much honoured and beloved of the City Insomuch that at the End of his year they chose him again and would have heard of no other but that he absolutely refused it partly as being an usual thing and partly as was said because of a Message from his superiours For the Bishops and Courtiers who took him for their own were most displeased with him § 109. The liberty which was taken by the Nonconformists in London by reason of the plague the fire the connivance of the King and the resolved quietness of the Lord Mayor did set so many Preachers through the Land as is said on the same work that in Likelyhood many thousand Souls are the better for it And the predominant Prelates murmured and feared For they had observed that when serious Godliness goeth up they go down So that they bestirred themselves diligently to save themselves and the Church of England from this dreaded danger § 110. At this time our Parson Dean Rive got this following advantage against me As I had it from his own mouth At Wolverhampton in Staffordshire where he was Dean were abundant of Papists and Violent Formalists Amongst whom was one Brasgirdle an Apthecary who in Conference with Mr. Reignolds an able Preacher there silenced and turned out by his bitter words tempted him into so much indiscretion as to say that the Nonconformists were not so contemptible for Number and Quality as he made them that most of the people were of their mind that Cromwel tho an Usurper had kept up England against the Dutch c. And that he marvelled that he would be so hot against private Meetings when at Acton the Dean suffered them at the next door With this advantage Brasgirdle writeth all this greatly aggravated to the Dean The Dean hastens away with it to the King as if it were the discovery of a Treason Mr. Reignolds is questioned but the Justices of the Country to whom it was referred upon hearing of the business found meer imprudence heightened to a Crime and so released him But before this could be done the King exasperated by the name of Cromwell and other unadvised words as the Dean told me bid him go to the Bishop of London from him and him so to the suppression of my Meeting which was represented to him also as much greater than it was whereupon two Justices were chosen for their turn to do it One Ross of Brainford a Scot before-named and one Phillips a Steward of the A. Bishop of Canterbury § 111 Hereupon Ross and Philips send a Warrant to the Constable to apprehend me and bring me before them to Brainford When I came they shut out all persons from the Room and would not give leave for any one person no not their own Clerk or Servant or the Constable to hear a Word that was said between us Then told me that I was convict of keeping Conventicles contrary to Law and so they would tender me the Oxford Oath I desired my Accusers might come Face to Face and that I might see and speak with the Witnesses that testified that I kept Conventicles contrary to the Law which I denied as far as I understood Law but they would not grant it I pressed that I might speak in the hearing of some Witnesses and not in secret for I supposed that they were my Judges and that their presence and business made the place a place of Judicature where none should be excluded or at least some should be admitted But I could not prevail Had I resolved on silence they were resolved to proceed and I thought a Christian should rather submit to violence and give place to Injuries than stand upon his right when it will give others occasion to account him obstinate I asked them whether I might freely speak for my self and they said yea but when I began to speak still interrupted me and put me by Only they told me that private Meetings had brought us to all our Wars and it tended to raise new Wars and Ross told me
for that way now which most suiteth with the Inclination of the People who most esteem them which is to go far enough from the Conformists or too far but the rest who are less followed by the People are generally more for Peace and Moderation § 163. This Year the Act against Conventicles was renewed and made more severe than ever And as all that ever I spake with of it supposed with an Eye upon my Case they put in divers Clauses As that the fault of the Mittimus should not disable it that all doubtful Clauses in the Act should be interpreted as would most favour the suppression of Conventicles that they that fled or removed their Dwelling into another County should be pursued by Execution to this Sense What a strait is a Man in among People of such Extremes One side pursueth us with implacable Wrath while we are charged with nothing but Preaching Christ's Gospel in the most peaceable manner we can And the other censureth us as Compliers with Persecutors and Enemies to Piety because we desire to live peaceable with all Men and to separate from them no further than they separate from God § 164. Their own Laws against Conventicles hinder us from doing their own Wills They write and clamour against me for not perswading the People to Conformity And when I would draw them but to that Communion which I had within my self the Law disableth me to Communicate a Letter to them seeing no more than four must meet together which way among many hundred or thousand Dissenters would make many Years work of Communicating that one part of my Advice Thus do our Shepherds use the Flocks § 165. At this time Mr. Giles Firmin a worthy Minister that had lived in New-England writing against some Errors of Mr. Hooker Mr. Shepherd Mr. Daniel Rogers and Mr. Perkins gave me also also a gentle reproof for tying Men too strictly to Meditation whereto I wrote a short answer called A Review of the Doctrine of Meditation § 166. A worthy Lady was perverted from the Lord's Day to the Saturday-Sabbath desiring my Judgment and Mr. Francis Bamfield a Minster who hath lain about seven Years in Dorchester-Goal the Brother of Sir Iohn Bamfield deceased being gone to the same Opinion and many following them I wrote by the Perswasion of some Friends a small Tractate also on that Subject to prove the divine appointment of the Lord's Day and the cessation of the Iewish Sabbath § 167. Dr. Manton though he had the greatest Friends and promise of Favour of any of the Presbyterians vvas sent Prisoner to the Gatehouse for Preaching the Gospel in his own House in the Parish vvhere he had been called formerly to the Ministery and for not taking the Oxford-Oath and coming within five Miles of a Corporation where he continued six Months but it proved convenient to his â—ase because those six Months were spent in London in a hot pursuit of such private Preaching by Bands of Soldiers to the terrour of many and the death of some § 168. Madam the King's Sister dyed in France when she returned from visiting His Majesty in England to his very great grief § 169. Sir Iohn Babor talk'd to the Lord Arlington of our late Treaty upon the Lord Keeper's Invitation with Bishop Wilkins whereupon Dr. Manton sent to me as from him to Communicate the Terms and Papers But they were at Acton from whence they had driven me and I had medled enough in such Matters only to my cost So that though he said the King was to see them I could not then answer his desire and I heard no more of it § 170. Upon the Publication of my Book against Divisions and the Rumour of my Conforming the Earl of Lauder dale invited me to speak with him Where he opened to me the purpose of taking off the Oath of Canonical Obedience and all Impositions of Conformity in Scotland save only that it should be necessary to sit in Presbyteries and Synods with the Bishops and Moderators there being already no Liturgy Ceremonies or Subscription save only to the Doctrine of the Church Hereupon he expressed his great Kindness to me and told me he had the King's Consent to speak with me and being going into Scotland he offered me what place in Scotland I would choose either a Church or a Colledge in the University or a Bishoprick And shortly after as he went thither at Barnet he sent for me and I gave him the Answer following in these Papers besides what I gave him by word to the same purpose But when he came thither such Acts against Conventicles were presently made as are very well worthy the Reader 's serious Persual who would know the true Complexion of this Age. § 171. My Lord BEing deeply sensible of your Lordship's Favours and in special of your Liberal Offers for my Entertainment in Scotland I humbly return you my very hearty Thanks But these Considerations forbid me to entertain any hopes or further thoughts of such a remove 1. The Experience of my great Weakness and decay of Strength and particularly of this last Winter's Pain and how much worse I am in Winter than in Summer doth fully persuade me That I shall live but a little while in Scotland and that in a disabled useless Condition rather keeping my Bed than the Pulpit 2. I am engaged in Writing a Book which if I could hope to live to finish is almost all the Service that I expect to do God and his Church more in the World A Latin Methodus Theologiae And I can hardly hope to live so long it requiring yet near a Years labour more Now if I should go spend that one half Year or Year which should finish that Work in Travel and the trouble of such a Removal and then having intended Work undone it would disappoint me of the ends of my Life For I live only for Work and therefore should remove only for Work and not for Wealth and Honour if ever I remove 3. If I were there all that I could hope for were liberty to Preach the Gospel of Salvation and especially in some Vniversity among young Scholars But I hear that you have enough already for this Work that are like to do it better than I can 4. I have a Family and in it a Mother-in-Law of 80 Years of Age of Honourable Extract and great Worth whom I must not neglect and who cannot Travel And it is to such a one as I so great a business to remove a Family and all our Goods and Books so far as deterreth me to think of it having paid so dear for Removals these 8 Years as I have done and being but yesterday settled in a House which I have newly taken and that with great trouble and loss of time And if I should find Scotland disagree with me which I fully conclude of to remove all back again All this concurreth to deprive me of this Benefit of your Lordship's Favour But
Prisoners and helpeth them to books and preacheth repentance to them The poor and the ignorant are those that he liveth for doing good to Soul and Body daily save that he Soliciteth the Rich to contribute to such uses The reading of Mr. Ios. Allen's Life hath raised his Resolution and Activity to such a Course of Life which was far higher than other Mens before § 268. Mr. Sherlock's book before mentioned making a great noise and he and the Author of the sober Inquiry and others of them when they reproached other Nonconformists being pleased to put in some Exceptions of me by Name I thought my self the more obliged to disown their Miscarriages And I first in Discourse sought to convince Mr. Sherlock and lest he should not either understand or report me aright Writings being surer Vindications than Memory I sent him some Animadversions which have since been Printed § 269. My old friend Dr. Thomas Good now published a book called Dubitantius and Firâ—ianus against Atheism Infidelity Popery and then Presbytery Independency and Anabaptistry very superficial He was formerly indeed a professed Prelatist but moderate and himself never hindered from his Ministerial work and maintenance and joyned with us in our Disputations at Kederminster and our Concord in Worcestershire among the dissenting parties Yet being Canon of Hereford and Mr. of Baliol Colledge in Oxford tho old waiting for more he asserted in his Book that they were confessed things indifferent that we refused Conformity for and that all the Nonconformists without Exception had a hand in the late King's Death one way or other by Consent c. The Impudency of which assertion moved me to write the Contradiction here adjoined To my Reverend Friend Dr. Good Mr. of Baliol Coledge in Oxford Reverend and Worthy Sir IT is now about a Month since I received a Letter from you for the furthering of a good work which I sent to Mr. Foley by his Son Mr. Paul F. not having opportunity my self to see him I have stayed so long for an Answer not hearing yet from him that I think it not meet any longer to forbear to acquaint you with the Reasons of the delay He liveth quite at the other end of London from me and my weakness and business keep me much within Doors and it 's hard to find him within except at those hours when I am constrained to be in bed But I have reason to Conjecture that his Answer will be 1. That the Rich men whose Judgments are for Conformity are far more Numerous than those of another mind and therefore fitter to promote that work And there are so very few that do any thing for the ejected Ministers that some of them live on brown bread and water which hindereth these Gentlemen from other kind of Charitable works 2. And I must crave your patience being confident by your ancient kindness of your friendly Interpretation while I tell you that this day I heard one say we can expect that Dr. Good do make his Scholars no beter than himself And what reason have we to maintain and breed up Men to use us as he hath done in his late Treatise I got the book and was glad to find much good and several moderate passages in it And I knew you so well that I could not but expect moderation But when I perused the passages referred to I could say no more for them but that I would write to you to hear your Answer about them For I confess they surprized me Tho at the same time I received many new books of a sanguine Complexion from other hands without Admiration I. The first passage referred to was pag. 104. Which are confessedly things indifferent This is spoken indefinitely of the Presbyterians Where have I lived I know not one Presbyterian living that divideth from you for any thing which he confesseth indifferent I crave your Answer containing the proof of this At least to name some one of them that we may reprove him We take conformity to be so far from indifferent that we forbear to tell the World the greatness of the Sin which we think to be in it lest Men cannot bear it and lest it should disaffect the people to the Ministry of the Conformists II. Your pag. 156. I pass by The main matter is pag. 160. 161. that tho All the Nonconformists were not in Actual Arms against the King nor did they all as natural Agents cut off his head but morally that is very sinfully and wickedly they had their hand stained with that Royal blood For whosoever did Abet these Sons of Belial in their Rebellions Treasons Murders of their King and fellow Subjects either by consenting to their Villanies praying for their Prosperity praising God for their Successes c. The Charge is high If it be not true 1. They are almost as deeply wronged as you can wrong them 2. Our Rulers are wronged by being so provoked to abhor them Silence and Destroy them 3. Posterity is wronged by a misinforming History I. You are too old to be ignorant that it was an Episcopal and Erastian Parliament of Conformists that first took up those Arms in England against the King The Members yet living profess that at that time they knew but one Presbyterian in the House of Commons Interest forced or 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 Army were ten to one Conformists and few if any Presbyterians save after 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 Countries were mostly Conformists and Scarce any Presbyterians V. The assembly at Westminster when they went thither were all Conformists save about 8 or 9 and the Scots Commissioners VI. One of the two Arch-Bishops was a General in the Parliament's Army VII 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 VIII The most of the conformable Gentry of my acquaintance that were put upon it took the Engagement against the King and House of Lords IX The Non-conformable Ministers of Gloucestershier Mr. Geery Mr. Capell Mr. Marshall c. were against the Parliament's War though the Parliament's Gaâ—â—ison was over them Mr. Bampfield who hath lain 6 or 7 years in the common Jail for Preaching with his Brother sometimes Speaker of the House of Commons were so much against the Parliament's Cause that to this day even while he lay in Jail he most zealously made his followers renounce it Many Non-conformists in many Counties were of the same mind X. Many of the Non-conformists lived in
the Parish Churches through the greatness of some Parishes the lowness of the Minister's voices and the paucity of Churches since the burning of the City And they confess that the knowledge of the Gospel is ordinarily necessary to salvation and teaching and hearing necessary to knowledge and that to leave the people untaught especially where so many are speaking for Atheism Beastiality and Infidelity is to give them up to Damnation But yet they say that to do so is my duty because the Bishop is against my Preaching And I ought to rest satisfied that it is the Bishop and not not I that must answer for their Damnation Alas poor Souls Must they needs be damned by thousands without making any question of it as if all the question were who should answer for it I will not believe such cruel men I undertake to prove to them to them 1. That our English Species of Dioâ—â—san 〈◊〉 and Lay Choncellours power of the Keys is contrary to God's Word and destructive of true Discipline and of the Church form and Offices instituted by Christ. 2. That were the Offices Lawful the men have no true calling to it being not chosen or consented to by the Clergy or the People 3. That if their Calling were good they have no power to forbid the present Silenced Ministers to Preach the Gospel but thereby they serve Satan against Christ and Men's salvation Paul himself had his power to edification and not to destruction And Christ the Saviour of the World giveth his Ministers only a saving power and to none a power to samish and damn the people's Souls 4. That we are Dedicated as Ministers to the Sacred Office and it is Sacriledge in our selves or others to alienate us from it while we are not unfit or unable for it 5. That we are Charged as well as Timothy before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the Dead at his appearing that we Preach the Word and be in season and our ef season reprove rebuke exhort c. 6. That the Ancient Pastors for many Hundred years did Preach the Gospel against the Wills of their Lawful Princes both Heathens and Aâ—â—ians 7 That the Bishop hath no more power to forbid us to Preach than the King hath And these men confess that Ministers unjustly Silenced may Preach against the Will of Kings but not say they of Bishops 8. That were we Lay-men we might teach and exhort as Lay-men as Origen did though we might not do it as Pastors much more being Ordained the Ministers of Christ. And that now to us it is a work which both the Law of Nature and our Office or Vow do bind us to even a Moral Duty And that when Christ judgeth men for not Feeding Clothing Visiting his Members it will not excuse us to say that the Bishop forbad us That if King or Bishop forbid us to feed our Children or to save the lives of drowning or famishing men we must disobey them as being against a great command of God Love and the Works of Love being the great indispensable Duties And Souls being greater Objects of Charity than Bodies 9. That it was in a Case of Pharifaical Church Discipline when Christ avoided not converse with sinners when their good required it that Christ sent the Pharisees to learn what this meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice and at two several times repeateth the same words 10. That Order is for the thing Ordered and it's ends and a power of Ordering Preachers is not a power to depose necessary Preaching and famish Souls 11. And I shew them that I my self have the License of the Bishop of this Diocess as well as Episcopal Ordination and that my License is in force and not recalled 12. And that I have the King's License 13. And therefore after all this to obey these Silencers nay no Bishop doth forbid me otherwise than as his Vote is to the Acts of Parliament which is as Magistrates and to fulfill their will that will be content with nothing but our forsaking of poor Souls and ceasing to Preach Christ this were no better than to end my Life of Comfortable Labours in obeying the Devil the Enemy of Christ and Souls which God forbid § 272. Yet will not all this satisfie these men but they cry out as the Papists Schism Schism unless we will cease to Preach the Gospel And have little to say for all but that No society can be governed if the Rulers be not the Iudge Yet dare they not deny but a Iudgment of discerning duty from sin belongeth to all Subjects or else we are Brutes or must be Atheists Idolaters Blasphemers or what ever a Bishop shall command us But under the Censures of these unreasonable Men who take our greatest Duties for our heinous sin must we patiently serve our Lord But his approbation is our full reward § 273 On Iuly 5th 1674. at our Meeting over St. Iamses's Market-house God vouchsafed us a great Deliverance A main Beam before weakened by the weight of the People so cracked that three times they ran in terrour out of the room thinking it was falling But remembring the like at Dunstan's West I reproved their fear as causeless But the next day taking up the boards we found that two rends in the Beam were so great that it was a wonder of providence that the floor had not faln and the roof with it to the destruction of multitudes The Lord make us thankful § 274 A person unknown professing Infidelity but wâ—ether an Infidel or a jagling Papist I know not sent me a Manuscript called Examen 〈◊〉 charging Scripture with Immorality Falshoods and Contradictions from the beginning to the end and with seeming Seriousness and Respectfulness importâ—ned me to Answer him I was in so great pain and weakness and engaged in other work that I sent him word that I had not time or strength for so long a Work He selected about a Dozen Instances and desired my Answer to them I gave him an Answer to them and to some of his General accusations but told him That the rational Order to be followed by a Lover of Truth is first to consider of the proofs brought for Christianity before we come to the Objections aganst it And I proved to him that Christianity was proved true many years before any of the New Testament was Written and that so it may be still proved by one that doubted of some words of the Scripture and therefore the true order is to try the truth of the Christian Religion first and the perfect Verity of all the Scriptures afterwards And therefore Importuned him first to Answer my Book called The Reasons of the Christian Religion and then if I lived I would answer his Accusations But I could not at all prevail with him but he still insisted on my Answering of his Charge And half a year or more after he sent me a Reply to the Answer
I was then desired to Communicate it to some Nonconforming Brethren Dr. Manton was gone into the Countrey Dr. Bates was sick I Communicated it to Mr. Iohn Corbet Mr. aâ—ents Mr. Pool Dr. Iacomb and Mr. Humphrey When we had made such further small Corrections as all agreed on Mr. Pool and I were desired to meet the two Doctors for a further procedure They met us and we again read the Draught but would give them no Copy and agreed with them that they should take the present time while Bishop Morley was out of Town as likest to frustrate and to desire Bishop Ward and Bishop Pierson of Chester a Learned sober Man to meet us and to hear what we had agreed on and promise us secrecy Bishop Ward once came in upon us when we were together but withdrew They promised us to try it speedily But when they had only in General told Bishop Ward c. how far we had gone and how fair we were for Agreement and told them some of the particular Materials there was a full end of all the Treaty The Bishops had no further to go We had already carryed it too far Hearing no more of the Doctors we sent to know how the Case went and understood by them that their Hopes and Labours were at an end I sent to Dr. Tillotson to know whether they would give me leave to tell any to promote our Concord how far they agreed with us that their Names might be some advantage to the work And he wrote to me as followeth Apr. 11. 1675. Sir I took the first opportunity after you were with us to speak to the Bishop of Sal. who promised to keep the matter private and only to acqaint the Bishop of Ch. with it in order to a Meeting But upon some General Discourse I plainly perceived several things could not be obtained However he promised to appoint a time of Meeting but I have not heard from him since I am unwilling my Name should be used in this Matter not but that I do most heartily desire an Accommodation and shall always endeavour it But I am sure it will be a prejudice to me and signify nothing to the effecting of the thing which as Circumstances are cannot pass in either House without the Concurrence of a considerable part of the Bishops and the Countenance of His Majesty which at present I see little reason to expect I am Your affectionate Brother and Servant Iohn Tillotson § 288. A short time after told these Doctors what these same Bishops were even then contriving when they cryed up Agreement and set them on this work even to bring things much higher than they were by putting on Oath on the Lords Commons and Magistrates of which more anon But because some would know the Terms which we agreed on I shall here annex the Form to a word only telling them that would understand it 1. That it is not what we would have had we our Choice but what we would possibly hope might have been granted us We had not the least hopes of more 2. That we did not so annex the latter Particulars as if we would not have been glad of the former alone could no more be had For the bare opening of the Door for our Entrance would have done something for a present shift 3. That the passage that shortening Common Prayer in extraordinary Cases should not be punishable had several uses which unless we had opportunity here to open as we debated it cannot be suddenly understood by each Reader And many will say that too much or too little is yielded that know not our Circumstances and hear not our Reasons But it may somewhat satisfy considering Men that both parties did agree in the form here annexed tho the Bishops had rather all our Distractions and Miseries were by the greatest Cruelty continued An Act for the Healing and Concord of his Majestie 's Subject 's in matters of Religion WHereas the Concord and Conjunct Labours of all able Godly Ministers of Christ are of great use to the safety of the true Religion and peace of the Kingdom and the Salvation of their Flocks and Experience proveth that this Concord cannot be now obtained without some Abatement of the terms of Uniformity required by the present Laws Be it enacted by His Majesty c. I. That no other Oath Subscription Declaration Covenant or promise shall henceforth be necessary to or required of any Priests or Deacons for their Ordination Institution Induction License to preach and perform their Office nor of Students in the Universities nor School-Masters besides the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy and the promises at Ordination of Ministerial fidelity contained in the form of Ordination and the subscribing to the Doctrine and Sacraments of the Church of England according to the statute of Eliz. 13. in the words J. A. B. do unfeignedly assent to the Doctrine of Faith and Sacraments of the Church of England as they are expressed in the Articles of the Church And the Oaths for the proper privileges of the Universities and Colledges and to this following Declaration against Rebellion and Disloyalty J. A. B. do hold that it is not lawful for any of his Majestie 's Subjects upon any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King his Person Authority or Rights and Dignity nor against any Authorized by his Laws or Legal Commission and that there lyeth no obligation on me or any of his Majestie 's Subjects from the Oath commonly called the solemn League and Covenant to endeavour any Change of the present Government of his Majestie 's Kingdoms nor to endeavour any reformation or alteration of the Church Government as it is not by Law established by Rebellion Sedition or any other unlawful means II. And be it enacted by c. That in such Churches or places of publick worship where the Liturgy is read and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper accordingly administred by the Incumbent or the Lecturer or Curate or other Minister no other shall be punished for not using it there or for not baptizing or not administring the Lord's Supper provided that such other Minister be oft present at the reading of the Liturgy and that he read it himself at least twice a year and as often baptize Children if offered thereto and administer the Lord's Supper according to the Liturgy if he have cure of Souls Provided that no Minister shall be punished as guilty of Omission for any brevity which is caused unavoidably by sickness weakness or any just extraordinary cause But if otherwise the Liturgy be in any Church disused the Incumbent shall be punishable as is already appointed by the Law And Be it enacted that no Parent shall be forbidden to enter his own Child into Covenant with God in baptism by speaking such promising and undertaking words as by the Liturgy and Canon are now required of the Godfathers and Godmothers alone Nor shall any Minister be forced against
Stomach and extream Acrimony of Blood by some Fault of the Liver About the Year 1658. finding the Inflation much in the Membranes of the Reins I suspected the Stone and thought that one of my extream Leanness might possibly feel it I felt both my Kidnies plainly indurate like Stone But never having had a Nephritick Fit nor Stone came from me in my Life and knowing that if that which I felt was Stone the Greatness prohibited all Medicine that tended to a Cure I thought therefore that it was best for me to be ignorant what it was And so far was I from melancholy that I soon forgot that I had felt it even for about Fifteen Years But my Inflations beginning usually in my Reins and all my Back daily torn and greatly pained by it 1673. it turned to terrible Suffocations of my Brain and Lungs So that if I slept I was suddenly and painfully awakened The Abatement of Urine and constant Pain which Nature almost yielded to as Victorious renewed my Suspicion of the Stone And my Old Exploration And feeling my Lean Back both the Kidneys were greatlier indurate than before and the Membrane so sore to touch as if nothing but Stone were within them The Physicians said That the Stone cannot be felt with the Hand I desired Four of the Chief of them to feel them They all concluded that it is the Kidneys which they felt and that they are hard like Stone or Bone but what it is they could not tell but they thought if both the Kidneys had Stones so big as seemed to such feeling it was impossible but I should be much worse by Vomiting and Torment and not able to Preach and go about I told them besides what Skenkius and many Observators say That I could tell them of many of late times whose Reins and Gall were full of Stone great ones in the Reins and many small ones in the Gall who had some of them never suspected the Stone and some but little But while One or Two of the Physicians as they use did say It could not be lest they should as they thought discourage me I became the Common Talk of the City especially the Women as if I had been a melancholy Humourist that conceited my Reins were petrified when it was no such matter but meer Conceit And so while I lay Night and Day in Pain my supposed Melancholy which I thank God all my Life hath been extraordinary free from became for a Year the Pity or Derision of the Town But the Discovery of my Case was a great mercy to my Body and my Soul For 1. Thereupon seeing that all Physicians had been deceived and perceiving that all my Flatulency and Pains came from the Reins by Stagnation Regurgitation and Acrimony I cast off all other Medicine and Diet and Twice a Week kept clean my Intestines by an Electuary of Cassia Terebinth Cypr. and Rhab. c. or Pills of Rhab. and Terebinth Scio. Using also Syrup of Mallows in all my Drink and God hath given me much more Abatements and Intermissions of Pain this Year and half than in my former overwhelming Pains I could expect 2. And whether it be a Schyrrus or Stones which I doubt not of I leave to them to tell others who shall dissect my Corps But sure I am that I have wonderful Cause of Thankfulness to God for the Ease which I have had these Forty Years Being fully satisfied that by ill Diet Old Cheese Raw Drinks and Salt Meats whatever it is I contracted it before Twenty Years of Age and since Twenty One or Twenty Two have had just the same Symptoms as now at Sixty saving the different strength of Nature to resist And that I should in Forty Years have few hours without pain to call me to redeem my Time and yet not one Nephritick Torment nor Acrimony of Urine save One Day of Bloody Urine nor intolerable kind of Pain What greater Bodily Mercy could I have had How merciful how suitable hath this Providence been My Pains now in Reins Bowels and Stomach c. are almost constant but with merciful Alleviations upon the foresaid means § 312. As I have written this to mind Physicians to search deeper when they use to take up with the General Hiding Names of Hypochondriacks and Scorbuticks and to caution Students so I now proceed to that which occasioned it I had tried Cow's Milk Goats Milk Breast Milk and lastly Asses Milk and none of them agreed with me But having Thirty Years ago read in many great Practitioners That for Bloody Vrine and meer Debility of the Reins Sheeps Milk doth Wonders see Gordonius Forestus Schoubo c. I had long a desire to try it and never had Opportunity But as I was saying this to my Friend a Child answered That their next Neighbour a Quaker did still milk their Sheep a Quarter of a Year after the usual time or near Whereupon I procured it for six Weeks to the greatest increase of my Ease Strength and Flesh of any thing that ever I had tried 2. And at the same time being driven from Home and having an Old License of the Bishop's yet in Force by the Countenance of that and the great industry of Mr. Berisford I had Leave and Invitation for Ten Lord's Days to Preach in the Parish-Churches round about The first Parish that I Preach'd in after Thirteen Years Ejection and Prohibition was Rickmersworth and after that at Sarrat at Kings Langley at Chessam at Chalford and at Amersham and that often Twice a Day Those heard that had not come to Church of Seven Years and Two or Three Thousand heard where scarce an Hundred were wont to come and with so much Attention and Willingness as gave me very great Hopes that I never spake to them in vain And thus Soul and Body had these special Mercies § 313. But the Censures of Men pursued me as before The Envious Sort of the Prelatists accused me as if I had intruded into the Parish-Churches too boldly and without Authority The Quarrelsome Sectaries or Separatists did in London speak against me for drawing People to the Parish-Churches and the Liturgy and many gave out That I did Conform And all my Days nothing hath been charged on me so much as my Crimes as my costliest and greatest Duties But the pleasing of God and saving Souls will pay for all § 314. The Countries about Rickmersworth abounding with Quakers because Mr. W. Pen their Captain dwelleth there I was desirous that the Poor People should Once hear what was to be said for their Recovery Which coming to Mr. Pen's Ears he was forward to a Meeting where we continued speaking to Two Rooms full of People Fasting from Ten a Clock till-Five One Lord and Two Knights and Four Conformable Ministers besides others being present some all the Time and some part The Success gave me Cause to believe that it was not labour lost An Account of the Conference may be published ere
and also how the Plot was laid to Kill the King Thus Oates's Testimony seconded by Sir Edmund Bury Godfrey's Murder and Bedlow and Pranse's Testimonies became to be generally believed Ireland a Jesuit and Two more were Condemned as designing to Kill the King Hill Berry and Green were Condemned for the murder of Godfrey and Executed But Pranse was by a Papist first terrified into a Denyal again of the Plot to Kill the King and took on him to be Distracted But quickly Recanted of this and had no Quiet till he told how he was so Affrighted and Renewed all his Testimony and Confession After this came in one Mr. Dugdale a Papist and confessed the same Plot and especially the Lord Stafford's interest in it And after him more and more Evidence daily was added â—â—â—man the Dutchess of York's Secretary and one of the Papists great Plotters and Disputers being surprized though he made away all his later Papers was hanged by the Old Ones that were remaining and by Oates his Teâ—â—imony But the Parliament kept off all Aspersions from the Duke The Hopes of some and the Fears of others of his Succession prevailed with many § 28. At last the Lord Treasurer Sir Thomas Osborne made Earl of Danby came upon the stage having been before the object of the Parliament and People's jealousy and hard thoughts He being afraid that somewhat would be done against him knowing that Mr. Montague his Kinsman late Ambassadour in France had some Letters of his in his keeping which he thought might endanger him got an order from the King to seize on all Mr. Montagues Letters who suspecting some such usage had conveyed away the chief Letters and telling the Parliament where they were they sent and fetcht them and upon the reading of them were so instigated against the Lord Treasurer they impeached him in the Lords House of High Treason But not long after the King disolved the long Parliament which he had kept up about 17 or 18 years But a new Parliament is promised § 29. Above 40 Scots men of which 3 Preachers were by their Council sentenced to be not only banished but sold as servants called slaves to the American Plantations They were brought by ship to London Divers Citizens offered to pay their ransom The King was petitioned for them I went to the D. of Lauderdale but none of us could prevail for one man At last the Ship-Master was told that by a Statute it was a Capital crime to Transport any of the King's Subjects out of England where now they were without their consent and so he set them on shoar and they all escaped for nothing § 30. A great number of Hungarian Ministers had before been sold for Gally slaves by the Emperour's Agents but were released by the Dutch Admiral 's Request and some of them largely relieved by Collections in London § 31. The long and grievous Parliament that silenced about 2000 Ministers and did many works of such a nature being dissolved as aforesaid on Ian. 25. 1678. A new one was chosen and met on March 6 following And the King refusing their chosen speaker Mr. Segmore raised in them a greater displeasure against the Lord Treasurer thinking him the cause and after some days they chose Serjeant Gregory § 32. The Duke of York a little before removed out of England by the King's Command who yet stands to maintain his Succession § 33. The Parliament first impeached the foresaid Papist Lords for the Plot or Conspiracy the Lord Bellasis Lord Arundel Lord of Powis Lord Scafford and Lord Peter and after them the Lord Treasurer 34. New fires breaking out enrage the People against the Papists A great part of Southwark was before burnt and the Papists strongly suspected the cause Near half the buildings of the Temple were burnt And it was greatly suspected to be done by the Papists One Mr. Bifeild's house in Holbourn and Divers others so fired but quenched as made it very probable to be by their Conspiracy And at last in Fitter-Lane it fell on the house of Mr. Robert Bird a Man employed in Law of great Judgment and Piety who having more wit than many others to search it out found that it was done by a new Servant Maid who confessed it first to him and then to a Justice and after to the Lords that one Nicholas Stubbes a Papist having first made her promise to be a Papist next promised her 5 l. to set fire on her Master's house telling her that many others were to do the like and the Protestant Hereticks to be killed by the middle of Iune and that it was no more sin to do it than to kill a Dog Stubbes was taken and at first vehemently denyed but after confessed all and told them that one Giffard a Priest and his Confessor engaged him in it and Divers others and told them all as aforesaid how the Firing and Plot went on and what hope they had of a French Invasion The House of Commons desired the King to pardon the woman Eliz. Oxley and Stubbes § 35. If the Papists have not Confidence in the French Invasion God leaveth them to utter madness to hasten their ruine They were in full junctness through the Land and the noise of rage was by their design turned against the Nonconformists But their hopes did cast them into such an impatience of delay that they could no longer stay but must presently Reign by rage of blood Had they studied to make themselves odious to the Land they could have found out no more effectual way than by Firing Murder and Plotting to kill the King All London at this day is in such fear of them that they are fain to keep up private Watches in all streets besides the Common ones to save their houses from firing Yea while they find that it increaseth a hatred of them and while many of them are already hanged they still go on which sheweth either their confidence in Foreign Aid or their utter infatuation § 36. Upon Easter day the King dissolved his privy Council and settled it a new consisting of 30 men most of the old ones the Earl of Shaftsbury being President to the great joy of the People then tho since all is changed § 37. On the 27th of April 1679. Tho it was the Lord's Day the Parliament State excited by Stubbes his Confession that the Firing Plot went on and the French were to invade us and the Protestants to be murdered by Iune 28 and they voted that the Duke of York's declaring himself a Papist was the cause of all our dangers by these Plots and sent to the Lords to concur in the same Vote § 38. But the King that week by himself and the Chancellour acquainted them that he should consent to any thing reasonable to secure the Protestant Religion not alienating the Crown from the Line of Succession and Particularly that he would consent that till the Successour should take the Test he should exercise
before I give any Answer I shall first willingly yield these two Propositions 1. That an infallibly lawful Ordination is necessary to make us infallibly lawful Ministers 2. That an infallible Proof that we have been lawfully ordained is necessary to make us infallibly know that we have been lawfully Ordained But I deny that an infallible Knowledge tâ—at we have been lawfully Ordained is necessary to make us lawful Ministers Or that an infallible Knowledge that we have been lawfully ordained is necessary to give us true Peace in the exercise of our Ministry The former Negative is so clear from the extrinsical Nature of Knowledge to the Essences of the things known and the Posteriority of the Nature of Scientiae a re Scibilis that it is altogether superfluous to say any thing in order to the Proof of it But the other being indeed the thing you doubt of I shall offer you what is upon my own Understanding and what it is that persuades me to take the negative part And my Reason is this I do therefore think that an infallible Knowledge that his Ordainers had full Authority is not necessary to give a Man true Peace in the Exercise of his Ministry Because true Peace according to Gospel Equity is not founded upon exactness but upon utmost diligence and sincere Endeavours And particularly in point of Knowledge or in the Question What is our Duty to know True Peace is not founded upon exact or infallible Knowledge but upon an utmost Diligence or sincere Endeavour to know And therefore if we can but truly say that we do use our utmost Diligence to know we have the Foundation of true Peace though we be in the mean time in much Ignorance about the thing we enquire after And to the Question in hand if we can truly say that we have used our utmost Endeavours to know whether our Ordainers had full Power to Ordain we may have true Peace in the Exercise of our Ministry though in the mean time we cannot infallibly prove and by consequence cannot infallibly know that they had any such Authority True Peace according to Gospel measure very well agreeing with inculpable Ignorance And the Truth is if it were not thus in óther things I do not see how any Man could with Peace of Conscience enjoy those things which we call their Inheritances For it can never be infallibly proved nor they by consequence infallibly know that they have just Right and Title to them If they be not lawfully begotten they have no just claim to their Inheritances Now if they do not or indeed cannot infallibly know that they have been lawfully begotten they cannot know infallibly that they have a just claim to their Inheritances But they can never come to an infallible Knowledge that they have been lawfully begotten and by consequence upon such Principles as these can never with Peace of Conscience enjoy that which all Men usually call their due Inheritances And I conceive upon the same Grounds The Levites and Iewish Priesthood could never with any Peace of Conscience have exercised their Sacred Offices in regard they could never come to an infallible certainty that they did descend from Aaron upon which account only they had their just claim to those holy Employments Yea and all the Princes in the World who derive by dissent their Titles to their Crowns would upon such a Principle as this fit either very loose or with little ease in their imperial Chairs being never able upon infallible Proof to make good that they were the true legitimate Heirs to their Predecessors Which Considerations a posterioris as the Argument alledged doth a priori over-rule my Iudgment to determine that an infallible Knowledge that our Ordainers had full Authority to Ordain is not necessary to give us true Peace in the Exercise of our Ministry which was the only thing intended at the present By Your Fellow-labourer and Enquirer after Truth M. Iohnson Wamborn Decemb. 26. 1653. Numb III. Letters between Mr. Baxter and Mr. Lambe Mr. Lambe's Letter to Mr. Baxter SIR PERHAPS my Boldness may seem much in this Address to one unknown by Face but want of that is no sufficient Plea to restrain me knowing it 's no Impediment to the Communion of Saints These Lines are writ out of much Affliction of Heart and in many Tears which have run over at the Throne of Grace many a time about the Case presented The Reason of my Address to you rather than any other is because of some Converse I have had with your Writings whereby I judge you to have the Tongue of the Learned to speak a Word in Season being experienc'd your self in Spiritual Affairs and Temptations the immediate Cause of this Address was my reading your last Direction in the Book of Getting and keeping Peace and Comfort The Case is mine only as it is the Case of one who is my self in the dear Relation of a Husband it is an unusual one and therefore will require I doubt you more Pains to reach it and so is the more boldness in me but from you will be the more Service to Christ Jesus if you engage in it I would be brief but must of necessity declare Circumstances This dear Husband of mine Mr. Lambe is one that hath been devoted to God's Fear from his Youth up and hath desired exceedingly and delighted greatly to serve Christ Jesus our Lord the Ministry he was nourished and bred up in was Mr. Iohn Goodwin's for Twelve or Thirteen Years where he joined a Member and afterward by common Consent and Prayer and Fasting was ordained an Elder over that Flock and did labour in the Word and Doctrine then with great delight striving to adorn the Gospel in all Acts of Love Righteousness and Mercy Going on thus with Joy about Five Years ago the great Controversion of Baptism had some access into his Judgment through the means of another Member of that Body Mr. Allen a very Holy and good Man who having had long doubts about Infant Baptism was carried to the other by means of Mr. Fisher since Quaker by these Arguments presented Mr. Lambe was taken in his Judgment and in Conscience of his Duty did practice accordingly not thinking then but still to hold communion with the Church notwithstanding but then suddenly was led farther namely to love the Communion of that Church and finding not where to find any Society in that Engagement where they could have such means of Edification as they had left they were induced to join in a Body with some others about Twenty that came off by their means from the same Fellowship and so for Five Years have gone on till there is an Addition of about an Hundred Pray Sir pardon my troubling of you with this Story but that which follows cannot so well be understood without it Which is That now about Nine Months last past by some Experiences and Sights of the Faults of some particularly that of Fishers and
Publick Worship which yet Mahometans offer him some it is Schism not to obey But if the Bishop do but say the word we may meet daily without Schism and the Place Person Exercise that before was Schismatical if he do but licence them are presently lawful So that the Bishop's word against the King's yea against God's command to preach in season and out can make a thing Schism and his word can make it none again in a moment 17. Whether it be Schism to go to a better Minister in another Parish in the same Diocess though we separate from no Church in their sense the Diocesan being the lowest proper Church is not well agreed on Feigning Schisms is making Schism by turbulent noise and 〈◊〉 Accusations We that impose on no Man and that obey them in lawful things that we for Universal Love and Peace even with that meet in different Assemblies and in different Forms we that hold Communion with all true Churches as aforesaid and yet because we can be but in one place at once do choose the best obeying God's Command Let all things be done to edification and knowing best what edifieth our selves we suppose are farther from Schism than those that as from the Throne of Authority pronounce Schism and never help us to understand the sense and reason of their words but use it as for the advantage of their Cause And as one lately writeth Have led that Bear so long about the streets till the Boy lay by fear and do but laugh at it Nor are there many more effectual Causes of Schism and that harden true Schismaticks against all Conviction then when it is seen that Men of Contention Pride and Worldly Interest first make the Schism by sinful or impossible terms of Unity and next falsly call the most Innocent that obey not their Domination Schismaticks and the greatest Duties even Preaching where many and many thousands have no Preaching nor no Publick Worship of God by the Name of Schism as if we must let London turn Heathens for fear of being Schismaticks Dear Friend though these things have these Forty years had my deep and I hope impartial thoughts and I dare not for a thousand Worlds think to do otherwise than I do in the main yet I shall heartily thank you if by true light you help me to see any Errour which I yet perceive not And seeing Experience hath justly taught you to dread Anabaptistry and Separation think further 1. Whether they that forbid Parents to enter their Children into Covenant with God in Baptism and lay all that Office on those that have no power to covenant in their names nor shew any purpose to perform what they promise and deny Baptism as aforesaid to the Children of such as submit not to this and the Cross be not quantum in se Destroyers of Infant Baptism which is no Baptism if there be no Covenant 2. Again Whether they be not Separatists that both un-Church all the Parish-Churches quantum in se and also deny Communion with the Nonconformists Churches as null or unlawful even when they had his Majesties Licence Be impartial against Antipedobaptists and Separatists I constantly heard and communicated with the Parish-Church where I lived but the Conformists usually fly from the Nonconformists Assemblies as unlawful but if both sides were heard in their Charge against the other I know which would have the more to say Accept this freedom from the unfeigned Love of Your much obliged Friend Rich. Baxter May 13. 1626. The Instances promised you I. WHen I was cast out at Kidderminster and you know what a Minister was there I offered while the Indulgence of the King's Declaration continuâ—d to have been the Reading Vicar's Curate and to have preached for nothing and could not prevail I was by the Bishop forbidden to preach in his Diocess and when I offered him to preach only Catechistical Principles to some poor Congregation that else must have none he told me It was better they had none than me My presence at Kidderminster was thought so dangerous that Force was assigned to have apâ—â—â—hend me and had I stayed it must have been in the Jail and many another for my sake When I was forced away at Venner's Rising I wrote but a Letter to my Mother in-â—aw and it was way-laid intercepted opened and sent up to the Court though there was nothing concerning them in it but some sharp Invectives against the Rebellion which my Lord Chancellour acknowledging caused my Lord Windsor personally to bring me back my Letter so that I durst not write to them of many years My Neighbours I had perswaded to do as you advise to joyn in the Publick Church and help each other as private Men and for so doing repeating Sermons and praying and singing a Psalm many of them lay long among Rogues in the Common Jail and others of them impoverished by Fines II. When I came to live at Acton I drew all the People constantly to Church that were averse sometime I repeated the Parsons Sermon and sometimes taught such as came to my House between the Sermons When the Reverend Parson saw them come into Church he would fall upon them c. And not being able to bear my little Endeavours for their Instruction he caused me to be sent to the Common Jail not one Witness or Person being suffered to come into the Room while I was examined and committed III. I am now in a Parish where some Neighbours say that there are Fourscore thousand Souls suppose they be fewer Not above Two thousand of all these can hear in the Parish Church so that it 's like above Sixty thousand have no Church to go to no not so much as to hear the Scripture or the Common-Prayer Here I need not tell you what Prohibitions I have had and what my Endeavours to teach a few Publickly have lost me and others And lately because one that preached for me did without my knowledge at the importunity of a Parent Baptize a poor man's Child when they told him it was in danger of death the Curate of the Parish came to my House to expostulate the matter when yet many are baptized by Papist Priests for want of others to do it as they say I never my self Baptized a Child or administred the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper these fifteen years but ordinarily received it in the Parish Church at Totterridge and elsewhere one of the first times that I received it in private a Bullet was shot into the Room among us and came near to the Heads of divers of us I never gathered any Church from among them and yet have been usually the first sought after to be imprisoned or ruined in each assault and was put to sell my Goods and Books to save them from Distress Near me in the same Parish liveth Mr. Gabriel Sanger the late Incumbent Pastor of the Parish a Man of Age and Gravity great Moderation and Peaceableness and far from