A26911:515
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.
XI. I dare not provoke God to desert me in my Ministry, (yea, and in my secret Comforts) nor tempt Men to think basely of the Ministers as a Perjured sort of Men, who cry down other Mens Sins, while they have greater of their own.
XII. It is a dreadful aggravation to do all this (not by sudden Surprise, but) upon Deliberation, and to make a Covenant against Duty and for Sin, and to say I ought to do it, and never to Repent; yea, and by justifying it to harden multitudes against Repentance: Especially if it tend to ⟨p. 134⟩corrupt the public state of the Church, and Worship.
XII. It is a dreadful aggravation to do all this (not by sudden Surprize, but) upon Deliberation, and to make a Covenant against Duty and for Sin, and to say I ought to do it, and never to Repent; yea, and by justifying it to harden multitudes against Repentance: Especially if it tend to ⟨p. 134⟩corrupt the publick state of the Church, and Worship.
For these Reasons I cannot use Violence with imposed Oaths, Covenants, or Professions; but must expound them in the common sense of Men of that Profession, till the Law-makers themselves shall declare that they mean otherwise.