A26911:486
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 32
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.
Ans. 1. The Bishop is not made the Expounder of the Law, but the Receiver of your Subscription according to the Law.
2. If you will confound Indulgent Connivance, and Conformity, must we do so too? This is Mr. Humphrey's project, And I freely confess to you, That if you can meet with an Indulgent Bishop, it's a fairer way to intromit a Dissenter, than any that you have named in your Book. All words are ambiguous: The sense is the Soul of them. If, e.g. I were commanded to say that [The Scripture is not God's Word,] and I had leave to expound it;
1. [All Scripture, or Writing, is not God's Word, but the sacred Bible is:] Or [It is not God's Eternal Coessential Word, which is Christ;] were it not for Scandal, this might be said as true. And some think the Scandal is sufficiently avoided, if you give in your sense in Writing, and make ⟨p. 129⟩it as public as is your Subscription. But I think that the very subscribing such scandalous Words, will scandalously harden others, and encourage Tyrannical Imposers more, than your Exposition can Cure; and therefore I would not use them.
1. [All Scripture, or Writing, is not God's Word, but the sacred Bible is:] Or [It is not God's Eternal Coessential Word, which is Christ;] were it not for Scandal, this might be said as true. And some think the Scandal is sufficiently avoided, if you give in your sense in Writing, and make ⟨p. 129⟩it as publick as is your Subscription. But I think that the very subscribing such scandalous Words, will scandalously harden others, and encourage Tyrannical Imposers more, than your Exposition can Cure; and therefore I would not use them.