Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, or, Mr. Richard Baxters narrative of the most memorable passages of his…

6. I put in the Forms and Order of Discipline, partly because else we should never have had Opportunity therein to express our Minds; and partly because indeed it belongeth to the Integrity of the Work, and to show the difference between their kind of Discipline in Chancellors Courts, and ours by Pastors in Christian Congregations.

6. I put in the Forms and Order of Discipline, partly because else we should never have had Opportunity therein to express our Minds; and partly because indeed it belongeth to the Integrity of the Work, and to shew the difference between their kind of Discipline in Chancellors Courts, and ours by Pastors in Christian Congregations.

7. Note that the method of the Litany and general Prayers, is according to the Direction of the Lord's Prayer, of which and the Ten Commandments it is a Commentary. The first Commandment falleth in with the Preface, and the three first Petitions of the Lord's Prayer: All the other Commandments, with the Evangelical Precepts, come in under the third Petition, Thy Will be done; and then I proceeded to the other three Petitions and the Conclusion. Doubtless the Lord's Prayer is the most perfect method for universal Prayer or holy Desires, that can be possibly invented.

§ 174. When I brought my Draught to the Brethren, I found them but entering on their Work of Exceptions against the Common-Prayer, and so I was fain to lay by mine above a Fortnight longer, till their work was done: In which divers of them took their Parts. The chief Actors in that part were, Dr. Reignolds, Dr. Wallis, Mr. Calamy, Mr. Newcomen, Dr. Bates, Mr. Clarke, Dr. Jacomb, &c. Dr. Horton never came among us at all, nor Dr. Tuckney (alleging his backwardness to speak, though he had been the Doctor of the Chair in Cambridge) nor Dr. Lightfoot but once or twice; nor Mr. Woodbridge but twice or thrice (dwelling far off): Mr. Clarke brought in that large Enumeration of Corruptions in the Liturgy recited in the Abridgement of the Lincolnshire Ministers; but it was refused, because we would be as little querulous as possible, lest it should offend, and hinder our desired Accommodation: and what Passages soever seemed to make the Common-Prayer-Book odious, or savour of Spleen and Passion, they did reject whoever offered them. My principal Business was to keep out such Accusations as would not bear weight, and to repress the Opinions of one of the Brethren (who came from far, and so came not till late among us) who was absolutely against all parts of the Common-Prayer, because they had been used by Papists to Idolatry. And I drew up such Faults as in perusing the Common-Prayer-Book it self, did occur to me; and which were they which I most disliked in the Forms; being not so much offended with some other things, as some others were: But the Brethren reduced it to a few brief Exceptions in general, and would not by so particular an Enumeration of Faults provoke those that we had to do with (which I misliked not). But from the beginning I told them that I was not of their Mind who charged the Common-Prayer with false Doctrine, or Idolatry, or false Worship in the Matter or Substance, nor that took it to be a Worship which a Christian might not lawfully join in, when he had not Liberty and Ability for better: And that I always took the Faults of the Common Prayer to be chiefly Disorder and Defectiveness: and so that it was a true Worship, though imperfect; and Imperfection was the Charge that we had against it (considered as distinct from the Ceremonies and Discipline).