An apology for the nonconformists ministry containing I. the reasons of their preaching, II.…

But because you talk to the world of things that you never knew, let your patience bear while I trouble you and the Readers with the story which you extort.

When the Long Parliament sate 1640, and showed a forwardness to reform the Clergy, the people of all Countries fled to them with Petitions, that thought they greatly needed better Pastors; and too many in dislike of Altars, and Rails, and Lords-day dancing, which they judged hardly of. And among others many people of Kidderminster drew up Articles against their Vicar, under three general Heads, Insufficiency, and Negligence, Scandal and Innovation. (True or false I am not now telling you), With these their Agents go to London, and the Vicar after them, where seeing how matters went, he got the people by the mediation of Sir Henry Herbert to yield to this agreement, That they should choose a Lecturer to preach to them, and leave the Vicar in his place and Vicarage to read Common-prayer, (not forbidding him to preach when he would, so he hindered not the Lecturer.) For which he bound himself in a Bond of 500l. to pay the said Lecturer Threescore pounds a year. After this agreement, the Bailiff and Improp•iator, and others of the people, sent to me to Bridgrorth where I lived, to invite me to accept this Lecture. At last I came and Preached there twice every Lords-day, and a Thursday-Lecture every fort-night, besides Funeral-Sermons, &c. for about a year and half; in all which time I never heard or knew that the Vicar Preached above twice, (though indeed before and since he Preached once a Quarter, or at least once in half a year; (I am not now concerned to tell you how.) Being driven away at the end of a year and half by the Wars, I came again by the peoples importunity, when the War was ended, (about four years after.) For all that time I never ⟨p. 80⟩asked the Vicar for a farthing according to his Bond, though I was forced away. But before I came back to them (without any concurrence of mine) they had again Articled against the Vicar as before, (That he was utterly insufficient; that when he did preach once a Quarter, his own Wife (though fully conformable) would not hear him; and a great deal of such stuff; to which certain Witnesses, (well accounted of for veracity by the people) took their Oaths: Whereupon the Vicar was sequestered by the Committee, and the Vicarage put into the hand of several of the neighbours to receive the profits, and pay it to one to officiate the cure. After this the people importune me to take it: I absolutely denied it.