A26865:174
An apology for the nonconformists ministry containing I. the reasons of their preaching, II.…
An apology for the nonconformists ministry containing I. the reasons of their preaching, II. an answer to the accusations urged as reasons for the silencing of about 2000 by Bishop Morley ..., III. reasons proving it the duty and interest of the bishops and conformists to endeavour earnestly their restoration : with a postscript upon oral debates with Mr. H. Dodwell, against his reasons for their silence ... : written in 1668 and 1669, for the most of it, and now published as an addition to the defence against Dr. Stillingfleet, and as an account to the silencers of the reasons of our practice / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for T. Parkhurst and D. Newman, 1681
AN APOLOGY FOR THE SILENCED MINISTERS, Especially for their not cea… › Part 4
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Yea more, if the poor be idiots, foolish, proud and surly, and will rather famish than beg relief of their Overseer, I will take my self as guilty of their death, if I relieve them not when I am able; and if I think their folly to be my excuse, I shall be deceived.
Yea more, if the poor be ideots, foolish, proud and surly, and will rather famish than beg relief of their Overseer, I will take my self as guilty of their death, if I relieve them not when I am able; and if I think their folly to be my excuse, I shall be deceived.
And here I cannot but confess my dissent from the Ecclesiastical Politician in the case of Scandal, Pag. 230, 231. I do not believe that the Schools distinction of Scandal into datum & acceptum, is apparently false and impertinent, and is the main thing that hath perplexed all discourses of this Article: Much less that all the obligations of scandal proceed purely from that extraordinary height of charity and tenderness, of good nature, &c. Nor yet that if it proceed from humour, or pride, or wilfulness, or any other vicious principle, then is the man to be treated as a peevish and stubborn person; and no man is bound to part with his own freedom, because his neighbour is froward and humorous, &c. I perceive by many such passages as these, that we differ in Doctrinals as well as in Ceremony, from some that are for our suffering; yea that indeed we are not of the same Religion: For love is the life of our Religion. And our love is not not so limited and narrow a kind of love, nor so feeble and impotent as this here described; much less do we number it with things indifferent, or that are left to our liberty, or with those that some call either works of Supererogation, or of Evangelical perfection, as answering to counsels and not to commands. We are not ashamed of our judgment in this point, whoever shall account it heresy or error, we hold that it is our duty to love our neighbours as our selves; and that this is not an act of extraordinary charity (unless as the malice of uncharitable men doth eventually make and denominate it extraordinary.) But that it is essential to all true saving love, and common to every true member of Christ that shall be saved. We believe that this love must be extended to the proud and peevish, and unto our very enemies; and therefore we pray (more conformably to the Liturgy than such Conformists) that God will forgive our enemies, persecutors and slanderers, and turn their hearts. Accordingly it is part of our Religion, that we are obliged to do good to the proud and peevish, as well as others; yea unto all men to the utmost of our power; except those who by Law are taken out of our care,