A26965:629
The nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of their judgment in certain things…
The nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of their judgment in certain things in which they are misunderstood written to reconcile and pacify such as by mistaking them hinder love and concord / by Richard Baxter.The nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of their judgment in certain things in which they are misunderstood written to reconcile and pacifie such as by mistaking them hinder love and concord / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for Benj. Alsop, 1679
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.
SECT. XI.
The Third Part of Conformity.
THE Third Part of Conformity is the Subscribing against the obligation from the Vow [To endeavour any change or alteration of Government in the Church,] with the Oxford Oath [That we will never endeavour any alteration;] and the Articles for our Prelacy; and the Ordination-promise, and Oath of Canonical Obedience before-mentioned, as to this point together.
2. Even those Nonconformists that are for the lawfulness, yea the need and desirableness of Bishops, ⟨p. 209⟩and Archbishops, have so much against this Subscription, as that to avoid prolixity, we will forbear reciting the particulars, any further than to tell you, that while a thousand or many hundred Parish-Churches are all without any particular appropriate Bishops (great Towns and Villages) when in Ignatius's days the Unity of each Church was known by having One Altar, and One Bishop, with the Presbyters and Deacons. And Jerome defineth a Church to be Plebs unita Episcopo; and consequently they are without the Discipline and Pastoral oversight of such Bishops; and while all these Parishes are in the old sense become No Churches (for ubi Episcopus, ibi Ecclesia) but only Parts of a Diocesan Church: And while the old form of Churches, Presbyters and Bishops is thus changed: And while one Bishop hath now more work of Discipline (besides Confirming and all his other work) than an hundred of the ablest and best men can do; and so such Discipline is necessarily undone: And while the Case is as if the Bishop of Carthage had put down six hundred neighbour-Bishops, and become the sole Bishop of all their Churches; or as if all the Schools in a Diocese have but one Governing School-master, who had power to judge what Scholar to receive, or to refuse: And while the Keys are to be exercised by Lay-men, these will be unsatisfying things.