§ 45. Before this there were two very sober Men in London (Mr. Lamb and Mr. Allen) who were Pastors of an Anabaptist separated Church: The Wife of one of them (an extraordinary intelligent Woman) wrote me a Letter that her Husband was in troubled Thoughts (not about Anabaptistry, but) about Separation upon that account, and that if I would write to him now, it might do him good; which I did, and gave him many Arguments to prove that though he should continue in his Opinion against Infant-Baptism, yet he ought not to make it a Reason of denying Communion with his Brethren of another Mind. These Arguments met with Thoughts of his own that tended the same way, and in conclusion ⟨p. 181⟩he was satisfied: Afterwards the same Woman persuaded me to try with Mr. Allen also; who in conclusion was satisfied: And they dissolved their Church. When this was done, the Men being of extraordinary Sincerity and Understanding, were very zealous for the reduction of their Brethren of the Anabaptists way: And to that end they had a Meeting with divers of the most moderate Pastors of the Rebaptized Churches: And they desired my Proposals or Terms on which we might hold Peace and Communion with them. I sent them these Terms, and they entered into Consultation of them, and were in a very hopeful way of Agreement (I saw no likelihood of the contrary): And suddenly the Broils of the Army, pulling down Richard Cromwell, and setting up I know not what, and keeping all in Confusion, broke off all our Consultations, till the King came in: And since then Men dare not prosecute the Agreement, left they be taken as Conspirators, that do it in preparation to a Plot; so unhappily are the Affairs of the Church oft crossed, by Secular Interests and Divisions in the World. But these two Brethren at last cast off their Anabaptistry also, and are now more zealous than other Men against Independency and Separation, by how much the more they smarted by it. The Terms of Agreement here ensue, with a short Disputation preparatory thereto. The Letters that passed on this Occasion betwixt Mr. Baxter, and Mr. Lamb and Mr. Allen, are inserted in the Appendix.
§ 45. Before this there were two very sober Men in London (Mr. Lamb and Mr. Allen) who were Pastors of an Anabaptist separated Church: The Wife of one of them (an extraordinary intelligent Woman) wrote me a Letter that her Husband was in troubled Thoughts (not about Anabaptistry, but) about Separation upon that account, and that if I would write to him now, it might do him good; which I did, and gave him many Arguments to prove that though he should continue in his Opinion against Infant-Baptism, yet he ought not to make it a Reason of denying Communion with his Brethren of another Mind. These Arguments met with Thoughts of his own that tended the same way, and in conclusion ⟨p. 181⟩he was satisfied: Afterwards the same Woman perswaded me to try with Mr. Allen also; who in conclusion was satisfied: And they dissolved their Church. When this was done, the Men being of extraordinary Sincerity and Understanding, were very zealous for the reduction of their Brethren of the Anabaptists way: And to that end they had a Meeting with divers of the most moderate Pastors of the Rebaptized Churches: And they desired my Proposals or Terms on which we might hold Peace and Communion with them. I sent them these Terms, and they entered into Consultation of them, and were in a very hopeful way of Agreement (I saw no likelyhood of the contrary): And suddenly the Broils of the Army, pulling down Richard Cromwell, and setting up I know not what, and keeping all in Confusion, broke off all our Consultations, till the King came in: And since then Men dare not prosecute the Agreement, left they be taken as Conspirators, that do it in preparation to a Plot; so unhappily are the Affairs of the Church oft crossed, by Secular Interests and Divisions in the World. But these two Brethren at last cast off their Anabaptistry also, and are now more zealous than other Men against Independency and Separation, by how much the more they smarted by it. The Terms of Agreement here ensue, with a short Disputation preparatory thereto. The Letters that pass't on this Occasion betwixt Mr. Baxter, and Mr. Lamb and Mr. Allen, are inserted in the Appendix.
