A26865:752
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
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.
4. You greatly injure Christian Monarchs, while you would make the world believe that they are the great adversaries of the Churches peace and unity; For it is not only from the Will of their several Princes, that several Churches must unite only on Catholic terms, or not at all: but it is from the impossibility that all the Christian World should ever come in all things controvertible and indifferent to be of one opinion, any more than to be of one stature and complexion: And now you come and tell them, that if they had all one Emperor, they must all agree upon all the controvertible ⟨p. 218⟩and indifferent things, which Canons and Laws should impose upon them, or else their Ministers be forbidden to preach Christs Gospel to the people, and the Churches forbidden to meet and worship God; yea, prisons and other penalties shall constrain them. And what a temptation is this to men that know the wonderful variety of humane temperaments, educations, advantages, apprehensions, that is, who know what it is to be a mortal man, and a weak Christian, to pray against the largeness of Empire, and to dread it as the most certain Engine to wrack the Churches in pieces, and to silence, imprison, unchurch and distress the Christian Ministers and Churches.
4. You greatly injure Christian Monarchs, while you would make the world believe that they are the great adversaries of the Churches peace and unity; For it is not only from the Will of their several Princes, that several Churches must unite only on Catholick terms, or not at all: but it is from the impossibility that all the Christian World should ever come in all things controvertible and indifferent to be of one opinion, any more than to be of one stature and complexion: And now you come and tell them, that if they had all one Emperor, they must all agree upon all the controvertible ⟨p. 218⟩and indifferent things, which Canons and Laws should impose upon them, or else their Ministers be forbidden to preach Christs Gospel to the people, and the Churches forbidden to meet and worship God; yea, prisons and other penalties shall constrain them. And what a temptation is this to men that know the wonderful variety of humane temperaments, educations, advantages, apprehensions, that is, who know what it is to be a mortal man, and a weak Christian, to pray against the largeness of Empire, and to dread it as the most certain Engine to wrack the Churches in pieces, and to silence, imprison, unchurch and distress the Christian Ministers and Churches.