A26865:68
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 1
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.
19. Also we judg it our duty to preach those plain and necessary things which the salvation of men doth most depend on, and the people generally have most need to hear; that is, the opening to them their Baptismal Covenant, and the Articles of the Creed, the Lords-Prayer, the Decalogue and the Gospel-precepts; or more briefly the Doctrine of faith in Christ, and repentance towards God, and of the love of God and man; to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this world, as looking and hoping for a ⟨p. 19⟩better, Tit. 2. 12. And not to fill the peoples heads with needless controversies, or vain jangling, or contending about words which edify not, but subvert the hearers; much less to perplex them with talking of the unrevealed Counsels of God; nor yet to corrupt their minds by talking against our Superiors, or against dissenters behind their backs, or by aggravating the faults of other mens manner of worshipping God, or breeding in them distaste of the public Worship; or talking against Bishops, or Ceremonies, or Liturgy; nor by representing any sort of Christians who differ from us in points not fundamental, as odious to the hearers; whether Lutherans, Calvinists, Arminians, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Independent, yea or Anabaptists; no, nor to injure the Papists themselves, by making our differences seem greater than indeed they are. Our office is to preach up love, and not to preach it down and mortify it, which all those do, whatever they pretend, that attempt to represent their brethren as odious, and to hide or deny, or extenuate that in them which is good and amiable.
19. Also we judg it our duty to preach those plain and necessary things which the salvation of men doth most depend on, and the people generally have most need to hear; that is, the opening to them their Baptismal Covenant, and the Articles of the Creed, the Lords-Prayer, the Decalogue and the Gospel-precepts; or more briefly the Doctrine of faith in Christ, and repentance towards God, and of the love of God and man; to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this world, as looking and hoping for a ⟨p. 19⟩better, Tit. 2. 12. And not to fill the peoples heads with needless controversies, or vain jangling, or contending about words which edifie not, but subvert the hearers; much less to perplex them with talking of the unrevealed Counsels of God; nor yet to corrupt their minds by talking against our Superiors, or against dissenters behind their backs, or by aggravating the faults of other mens manner of worshipping God, or breeding in them distaste of the publick Worship; or talking against Bishops, or Ceremonies, or Liturgy; nor by representing any sort of Christians who differ from us in points not fundamental, as odious to the hearers; whether Lutherans, Caelvinists, Arminians, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Independent, yea or Anabaptists; no, nor to injure the Papists themselves, by making our differences seem greater than indeed they are. Our office is to preach up love, and not to preach it down and mortifie it, which all those do, whatever they pretend, that attempt to represent their brethren as odious, and to hide or deny, or extenuate that in them which is good and amiable.