Rich. Baxters apology against the modest exceptions of Mr. T. Blake and the digression…

yea I must profess my self ignorant in a very great part of those Controversies, which are most commonly and confidently determined by my Brethren. I speak not all this as to Mr Bl. but to other Brethren that have made so strange an exposition of this one word, and of one more pag. 51. [Vulgar Divines] as that they can thence conclude and publish me a slighter and contemner of my Brethren: As if they that know England, could be ignorant, that the Churches among us have many such guides, as may well be called Vulgar Divines: Take them by number, and ⟨p. 50⟩judge (in those Counties that I am acquainted in) whether the greater number be of the Profound, or Subtle, or Angelical, or Seraphical, or Irrefragable sort of Doctors? or equal to some of these Reverend Excepters, whose worth I confess so far beyond my measure, that had I spoke of them as Vulgar Divines, they might well have been offended. But O that it were not true that there are such, through most of England, Wales, and Ireland (if any) on condition I were bound to Recant at every Market Cross in England, with a fagot on my back; so be it there were the same number of such choice men, as some of these my offended Brethren are in their stead. And then who knows not that the Vulgar or ordinary weaker Teachers, do take up that opinion, which is most in credit, and which is delivered by the most Learned Doctors whom they most reverence? So that the sum of my speech can be no worse then this: [It is the most common opinion] which is all one as to say [It is the opinion of the Vulgar Divines and some of the Learned, the other part of the Learned going the other way,] which is it that men censure for such an opprobrious, injurious speech. Yet I will not wholly excuse it, nor this that Mr Bl. toucheth upon. I confess it was spoken too carelessly, unmannerly, harshly, and I should better have considered how it might be taken.

yea I must profess my self ignorant in a very great part of those Controversies, which are most commonly and confidently determined by my Brethren. I speak not all this as to Mr Bl. but to other Brethren that have made so strange an exposition of this one word, and of one more pag. 51. [Vulgar Divines] as that they can thence conclude and publish me a slighter and contemner of my Brethren: As if they that know England, could be ignorant, that the Churches among us have many such guides, as may well be called Vulgar Divines: Take them by number, and ⟨p. 50⟩