Richard Baxter's penitent confession and his necessary vindication in answer to a book called…

4. Almost two years before the Wars, the Vicar conscious of his obnoxiousness, entered into Bond with the chief Magistrates and others of the Town and Parish, to pay 60 l. per Annum to a Lecturer of their choice, he keeping his Vicarage and officiating as Reader: And so he put out Mr. Jo. Did his Preaching Curate, in whose place I came, being before in another County: Which Mr. Did though more offensive before than the Vicar to the Religious people, being after on my Testimony for him, received into a Benefice of his own, was so reconciled to the people of Kidderminster that he Bequeathed much of his Estate to them.

4. Almost two years before the Wars, the Vicar conscious of his obnoxiousness, entred into Bond with the chief Magistrates and others of the Town and Parish, to pay 60 l. per Annum to a Lecturer of their choice, he keeping his Vicaridge and officiating as Reader: And so he put out Mr. Jo. Dide his Preaching Curate, in whose place I came, being before in another County: Which Mr. Dide though more offensive before than the Vicar to the Religious people, being after on my Testimony for him, received into a Benefice of his own, was so reconciled to the people of Kiderminster that he Bequeathed much of his Estate to them.

5. In my absence some years Mr. Dance by Bond owed me about ⟨p. 58⟩120 l. of which I never desired or asked for a Penny: And if Mr. Dance when forced out had right to his Benefice I that was forced away had right to my Salary: Which yet I think was no good Title in him or me. But he was sequestered when I was in another Country not like to live: And the Sequestration put into the hands of divers of the Inhabitants to maintain one to Officiate. They offered it me, and I refused it: And told them that I would take neither Sequestration nor Pastoral Cure, but my former Lecture; but if they would get a competent Pastor, let them take care to pay him: For I would have out of the Vicarage but the 60 l. that the Vicar was bound to pay: And because I refused a Living of 400 l. or 500 l. to be with them I would try other ways to make my Stipend 100 l. by getting for Mitton Chapel, which had but ten pound a year, an Augmentation of forty pound from the Parliament aliunde; and in sum while I was there, the maintenance of the Vicarage was thus paid; viz. forty pound a year to Mr. Dance, about twenty pound to the Crown and Poor, and Taxes; ten pound to the old Curate of Mitton, which was all he had before: sixty pound to me, and the rest to a truly faithful Minister that preached once a day at Kidderminster and once at Mitton, and did the rest of the Offices. And the Augmentation added from the Parliament made up my sixty pound to be eighty pound, and the Rent of a few Rooms in the top of another Mans old House. And I had no more: Nor did ever set my foot in the Vicarage House, much less offer to put out Mr. Dance; nor had we any disagreement. And when he was restored, he freely gave me a full discharge for all between him and me.