A26865:244
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 › Objection 5
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.
7. I gave to every family in Town and Parish (being beside a great Borough about twenty Villages) a Catechism, and some of my lesser Books, and of every Book I wrote usually as many as my Purse could well afford. And to every Family a Bible, which either for want of money, or of willingness to buy, had none, where any one in the house could read.
8. After the Lecture at evening, as many as had leisure and will, assembled at my Lodgings, where one of them repeated the Sermon; and any one that would did by word or writing, put in such doubts about the things delivered, the solution of which would tend to their further satisfaction, which I then answered. And if they had any other cases of Conscience, they offered them to me in writing (that I might see whether they were fit for public mention), and then we sung a Psalm, and I or one of them did pray.
8. After the Lecture at evening, as many as had leisure and will, assembled at my Lodgings, where one of them repeated the Sermon; and any one that would did by word or writing, put in such doubts about the things delivered, the solution of which would tend to their further satisfaction, which I then answered. And if they had any other cases of Conscience, they offered them to me in writing (that I might see whether they were fit for publick mention), and then we sung a Psalm, and I or one of them did pray.
9. All the Ministers of the County whose names are Printed in our Book of Concord, did agree (seeing the Rulers that then were did leave all Discipline to the Churches will, and constrained none; and seeing we were divided about Church-Government, to the great damage of the Church), That we would all practise so much of the spiritual discipline as all three parties, Episcopal, Presbyterian and Independents were agreed in, (which we thought enough for our union and reformation) and leave the rest without the compass of our agreement; that so the Episcopal party might not say, that we break the Laws, or shut them out; nor the rest say, that our narrow principles excluded them from our Communion.