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

Are my Betters better than Peter and the Apostles, that were for obeying God before Men? Or than Paul, that charged Timothy so dreadfully, as before God and Christ, to preach the Word, and be instant, in Season, and out of Season? &c. Are my Betters so good at Alchemy, that they can transform the most heinous Crimes into sacred Virtues, and the greatest Duties into odious Sins?

Are my Betters better than Peter and the Apostles, that were for obeying God before Men? Or than Paul, that charged Timothy so dreadfully, as before God and Christ, to preach the Word, and be instant, in Season, and out of Season? &c. Are my Betters so good at Alchimy, that they can transform the most heinous Crimes into sacred Vertues, and the greatest Duties into odious Sins?

Reader; Oh, Who governeth that part of the World, where the greater the Sin is, the more heinous is his Crime that blameth it? And where Repentance, and Persuading Men to repent, goeth for the most intolerable Evil? Were it not that fleshly and worldly Interest were against it, I should fear that at last Murderers, Thieves, Traitors, Adulterers, Perjured, and all such, should accuse all those that either accuse them, or dissent from them; and demand against them the same Punishment for calling them faulty, that their own Crimes deserve? But though those that have died in Goals for Preaching (nothing ⟨p. 83⟩but the Gospel) are out of the reach of these that would kill them again, if they did but say, You killed us; yet One that is better than these persecuting Betters, will say, In as much as you did it to one of these, you did it to me. And to accuse us as the Priests and Sadducees did the Apostles, [You would bring this Man's Blood in us,] will not transfer the Guilt or Punishment, from the Blood-guilty, to the Reprover.

Reader; Oh, Who governeth that part of the World, where the greater the Sin is, the more heinous is his Crime that blameth it? And where Repentance, and Persuading Men to repent, goeth for the most intolerable Evil? Were it not that fleshly and worldly Interest were against it, I should fear that at last Murderers, Thieves, Traytors, Adulterers, Perjured, and all such, should accuse all those that either accuse them, or dissent from them; and demand against them the same Punishment for calling them faulty, that their own Crimes deserve? But though those that have died in Goals for Preaching (nothing