A26865:415
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 14
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.
Will not all sober by-standers think that we have very hard measure, and have to do with a strange generation? When they shall know that Bishoprics were offered us without seeking directly or indirectly, and refused with as much modesty as we could use; and after all are denied not only the place of the poorest Curates, but even all liberty to Preach for nothing, to the rudest, poorest Inhabitants of the Land; and yet after all this, to be told that we are against Bishops, because we could not be Bishops our selves? O happy Christians, that must be finally judged by a more righteous Judg!
Will not all sober by-standers think that we have very hard measure, and have to do with a strange generation? When they shall know that Bishopricks were offered us without seeking directly or indirectly, and refused with as much modesty as we could use; and after all are denied not only the place of the poorest Curates, but even all liberty to Preach for nothing, to the rudest, poorest Inhabitants of the Land; and yet after all this, to be told that we are against Bishops, because we could not be Bishops our selves? O happy Christians, that must be finally judged by a more righteous Judg!
If you say that you mean it of those that never had such offers, why should you not rather judg of them by us that were tried, than boldly judg that of them which they were never tried in, and of which it is impossible for you to have knowledge?
If you say that you mean it of those that never had such offers, why should you not rather judg of them by us that were tryed, than boldly judg that of them which they were never tryed in, and of which it is impossible for you to have knowledge?
But the later objector telleth us whom he speaketh of. To whom I must say, There were but five or six Nonconformists of all England, that ever I heard of, that had any Church-Dignities offered them since his Majesties Restoration: And of these but three that had Bishoprics offered them, which were Dr. Edward Reignolds, Mr. Calamy, and my self: And of these three, I refused it the next day, or next save one, after the first offer of it by the Lord Chancellor (for private overtures by inferiors before, I answered with as much refusal as was fit to such uncertain offerers): Dr. Reignolds in a very short time accepted: Only Mr. Calamy delayed: And if Dr. Bates and Dr. Manton, who were offered Deanries (as they said, for I am certain of no offer but my own), did delay their refusal, it was on the same account.