Mr. Richard Baxter's last legacy in select admonitions and directions to all sober dissenters

Of Superstition.

Do you not hate Superstition?¹ Consider then, what Superstition is; it is the making of any new parts of Religion to our selves, and fathering them upon God. Of this there are Two sorts, Positive, and Negative. When we falsely say, This is a duty commanded by God, or when we falsely say, This is a sin forbidden by God, take heed of both. For instance,² The Scripture telleth us of no Church-Elders, but what were ordained, and of none but such as were of the same Office with the Preaching Pastors or Elders, of none that had not Authority to Baptize and Administer the Lord's Supper; nor doth Church History tell us of any other, as a Divine Office. But now we have concluded, that there is a distinct Office of Ruling Elders, who need not be Ordained, and who have no power to Baptize, or to Administer the Lord's Supper. This I think is Superstition,³ for we feign God to have made a Church Office which he never made.—That it is simply unlawful to use a Form of Prayer, or to read a Prayer on a Book; That if a School-master impose a Form upon a Scholar, or a Parent on a Child, it maketh it become unlawful; That our presence maketh us guilty of all the errors, or unmeet expressions of the Minister, in public Worship, at least if we before know of them, and therefore that we must join with none, whose Errors or Mis-expression we know of before;—That we are guilty of the sins of all unworthy or scandalous Communicants, if we communicate with them, though their admission is not by our fault; That he whose judgment is against a Diocesan-Church may not lawfully join with a Parish-Church, if the Minister be but subject to the Diocesan; That whatsoever is unlawfully commanded, is not lawful to be obeyed; That it is unlawful to do any thing in the Worship of God, which is imposed by Men, and is not commanded in the Scripture: These and more such as these are Superstitions, which some Religious People have brought in. And by all such inventions fathered upon God,