A26911:257
The defence of the nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of the matter…
The defence of the nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of the matter of their nonconformity against Mr. J. Cheney's answer called The conforming nonconformist, and The nonconforming conformist : to which is added the second part in answer to Mr. Cheney's Five undertakings / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for Benjamin Alsop, 1680
A DEFENCE OF THE NON-CONFORMIST'S Plea for Peace, AGAINST Mr. J. CH… › Chapter 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.
6. The Lawyers that I speak with, take all for mere Falsehood that you say of the Priests power, of public admonition of sinners by name, not censured by the Ordinary. You say, Where is it forbidden? I ask you, Where is the Priest authorized to do it? If not, the Man will have his Action against him, and Ruin him; and the Bishop may suspend him for Usurpation. And, 2. Of all the worthy Parish Incumbents in London, who did you ever hear once do it? I never one heard one do it, nor heard of one that did it in my life, except a Non-conformist, or a hot Parson point at a Puritan in the Church for some Non-conformity in a Circumstance. Reverse then your charge of Hypocrisy, if you find it must fall on all the worthy London Incumbents: For they all speak for Discipline, though not for more.
6. The Lawyers that I speak with, take all for meer Falshood that you say of the Priests power, of publick admonition of sinners by name, not censured by the Ordinary. You say, Where is it forbidden? I ask you, Where is the Priest authorized to do it? If not, the Man will have his Action against him, and Ruine him; and the Bishop may suspend him for Usurpation. And, 2. Of all the worthy Parish Incumbents in London, who did you ever hear once do it? I never one heard one do it, nor heard of one that did it in my life, except a Non-conformist, or a hot Parson point at a Puritan in the Church for some Non-conformity in a Circumstance. Reverse then your charge of Hypocrisie, if you find it must fall on all the worthy London Incumbents: For they all speak for Discipline, though not for more.
7. If there be half as many bad Ministers as the Country saith there is, it's a small honour to ⟨p. 73⟩the Church, to reproach the Fathers that admit them as sinning against Church, Law, and Conscience; and a small relief to Peoples Souls to tell that some Body had power to have provided better. But the People had no such power, to save themselves from a bad one; though the Church for 700, if not more Years, took him to be no Bishop but an Usurper, that came not in by the consent of the Flock, and election of the Clergy, of which more elsewhere.