A26932:376
Gildas Salvianus: The Reformed Pastor
Gildas Salvianus, the reformed pastor showing the nature of the pastoral work, especially in private instruction and catechizing : with an open confession of our too open sins : prepared for a day of humiliation kept at Worcester, Decemb. 4, 1655 by the ministers of that county, who subscribed the agreement for catechizing and personal instruction at their entrance upon that work / by their unworthy fellow-servant, Richard Baxter ...Gildas Salvianus, the reformed pastor shewing the nature of the pastoral work, especially in private instruction and catechizing : with an open confession of our too open sins : prepared for a day of humiliation kept at Worcester, Decemb. 4, 1655 by the ministers of that county, who subscribed the agreement for catechizing and personal instruction at their entrance upon that work / by their unworthy fellow-servant, Richard Baxter ...
London: printed by Robert White for Nevil Simmons, 1656
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.
When alas their own friends, some of their fellow-sufferers animated and assisted by many temporizers, did suddenly disappoint their hopes and shut them out of the Vineyard of the Lord, and would suffer none to labour in it, but themselves and theirs. Alas that persecution should be so soon forgotten! and that they should have no more sense of the cruelty of the Papists, to have moved them to some more tenderness of the consciences and liberties of their Brethren. That they had no more compassion on the Church of Christ, then to deprive it of the labours ⟨p. 152⟩of so many choice and worthy men; and that at such a time of necessity. When Popish Priests were newly cast out, and multitudes of Congregations had no Preachers at all, but some silly Readers, yet might not these men be allowed to Preach. If the Judgements of these Prelates were never so absolute for the Divine right of their own government, yet could it not be so for the absolute Necessity of the Cross, Surplice, and every part of the forms in their Liturgy! Had they but countenanced most their own party, and silenced all that did speak against their Government and Ceremonies, and only allowed them to preach the Gospel without subscription to the lawfulness of these things, and with a silent forbearance of the use of the Ceremonies, they might have better secured their own power and way, and have exercised some sense of brotherly love, and compassion on the necessitous state of the Church, and in all likelihood might have stood safe themselves to this day. A wonderful thing it seems to me, that wise and good men (for such I doubt not but many of them were) should think it better that many hundred Congregations in England (to say nothing of Ireland or Scotland) should be without any preaching at all to the apparent hazard of the damnation of means souls (who were so deep in Popish ignorance before) then that a man should preach to them that durst not use the Cross or Surplice? were these of more worth then so many souls? It was lawful in the Apostles days to baptize without the Cross, and to pray, and praise God without the Surplice? and why might not the Prelates of England have tolerated that in the Churches necessities, at ⟨p. 153⟩least as a weakness in well-meaning Brethren which the Apostolical Churches used not at all? What if they were lawful? They that thought so might have them.
When alas their own friends, some of their fellow-sufferers animated and assisted by many temporizers, did suddenly disappoint their hopes and shut them out of the Vineyard of the Lord, and would suffer none to labour in it, but themselves and theirs. Alas that persecution should be so soon forgotten! and that they should have no more sense of the cruelty of the Papists, to have moved them to some more tenderness of the consciences and liberties of their Bretheren. That they had no more compassion on the Church of Christ, then to deprive it of the labours