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

Hereupon I did in the first Page signify to M. Blake, this my Resolution, which when I was forced to alter, I would not alter the words of my writing, but having given this account of the reason of them, I shall let them go as I wrote them.

Hereupon I did in the first Page signifie to M. Blake, this my Resolution, which when I was forced to alter, I would not alter the words of my writing, but having given this account of the reason of them, I shall let them go as I wrote them.

Before I had finished my Reply to Mr. Blake, comes out Mr. Kendall's Book against M. Goodwin, with his Digression against me: After-this, I was informed of divers others that were ready to write against my Doctrine, and some that had written, and were ready to publish it, and divers others that were desirous to send me their Animadversions. I did therefore apprehend (and so did many learned Friends) an unavoidable Necessity of appearing more publicly, both to spare my Friends the labour of writing the same things to me over and over, which so many others had written before; and to spare my self the time and pains of endless private Replies (which have this three years taken me up, and hindered me from more profitable work:) and also to prevent mens publication of more such writings as have already been published; seeing when none know what I can say against them, the rest may go on in the way as these have done, and trouble themselves and the world in vain. Besides, I understood that some were offended at my silence, as mis-interpreting ⟨image 12⟩it to be from contempt. Being therefore necessitated to do something of this kind, I could not (according to the Laws of Justice or Friendship) deal publicly with any, but those that had begun to deal publicly with me. Its true, there hath been long unanswered, a Book of Mr. Owens against some things which I had wrote which concerned him. But I never thought fit (nor yet do) to Reply to that: 1. Partly because it containeth so little matter of real difference between him and me (and most of that is answered by Mr. Blake, and in my Reply to Mr. Kendall:) The main Points being, Whether Christ suffered the same which the Law threatened, or the Value, or that which was equivalent? (wherein he yieldeth as much as I need) and, Whether the Covenant be Conditional? and, Whether the Obligation to Punishment be dissolved before we Believed, sinned, or were born? And to vindicate the Truth in these two or three Points, I conceive it not so meet a way, to do it in Answer to that Book, wherein ten times more words would be bestowed in altercations, and upon the by. 2. Besides, I was never never necessitated to a Reply to that Book, nor once desired, and I will do nothing of that kind, which I know how to avoid. 3. But indeed my greatest reason, was the consciousness of my temerity in being so foolishly drawn to begin with him;