A26865:461
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 21
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.
The cause of Nonconformity as of old, and as owned now by us, was punctually expressed to you in our many Papers given in when we vainly attempted unity; and the new Conformity is known by the Acts which are lately made. And what is the matter of the Debaters Dialogues to any of this? Doth any Act of Parliament ⟨p. 118⟩forbid men to say, I am well through mercy. Or is there any Nonconformity in that speech (or any unfitness either.) And so of abundance of such other passages.
6. And is it for the interest of Justice, honesty, and charity, to persuade the world that the Nonconformists Religion is foolish, senseless and unpeaceable, when they profess to own no Religion at all, but naked Christianity? Is Christianity so vile a thing? And indeed is not your Religion the same with ours? I thought we had not been of different Religions, but only of different opinions about Discipline and modes of worship in the same Religion. But you know your selves better than we do. But if really you are of another Religion from us, why were there never any attempts to reconcile us in Doctrinals, when the work of reconciliation was (vainly) on foot? Why did you never charge us with errors in Doctrine? Nay why did Dr. Cornelius Burgess his Reasons for Reformation in Doctrine, Discipline, &c. so much offend, as you may see even in the Kings Declaration about Ecclesiastical Affairs, where he takes it ill that some pretend that we differ in Doctrinals. But now the Religion of one must be wise, and the other foolish. The King there declareth our unity in Religion, after his trial of both sides. And this Author maketh our Religions as different as light and darkness, that is, as wisdom and folly.
6. And is it for the interest of Justice, honesty, and charity, to perswade the world that the Nonconformists Religion is foolish, senseless and unpeaceable, when they profess to own no Religion at all, but naked Christianity? Is Christianity so vile a thing? And indeed is not your Religion the same with ours? I thought we had not been of different Religions, but only of different opinions about Discipline and modes of worship in the same Religion. But you know your selves better than we do. But if really you are of another Religion from us, why were there never any attempts to reconcile us in Doctrinals, when the work of reconciliation was (vainly) on foot? Why did you never charge us with errors in Doctrine? Nay why did Dr. Cornelius Burgess his Reasons for Reformation in Doctrine, Discipline, &c. so much offend, as you may see even in the Kings Declaration about Ecclesiastical Affairs, where he takes it ill that some pretend that we differ in Doctrinals. But now the Religion of one must be wise, and the other foolish. The King there declareth our unity in Religion, after his trial of both sides. And this Author maketh our Religions as different as light and darkness, that is, as wisdom and folly.