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

But the Bishops would have that to be our Task or none; to prove by Disputation that any Alteration was necessary to be made; while they confuted our Proofs. We told them, that the End being [to satisfy tender Consciences and procure Unity,] those tender Consciences did themselves profess, that without some Alteration, and that considerable too, they could not be satisfied; and Experience told them, that Peace and Unity could not without it be attained. But still they said, that none was necessary, and they would yield to all that we proved necessary. And here we were lest in a very great Strait: If we should enter upon Dispute with them, we gave up the End and Hope of our endeavours: If we refused it, we knew that they would boast that when it came to the setting to, we would not so much as attempt to prove any thing unlawful in the Liturgy, nor durst dispute it with them. Mr. Calamy with some others of our Brethren would have had us refuse the Motion of disputing, as not tending to fulfil the King's Commands: We told the Bishops over and over, that they could not choose but know that before we could end one Argument in a Dispute, our time would be expired; and that it could not possibly tend to any Accommodation: And that to keep off from personal Conference, till within a few Days of the Expiration of the Commission, and then to resolve to do nothing but wrangle out the time in a Dispute, as if we were between jest and earnest in the Schools, was too visibly in the sight of all the World, to defeat the King's Commission, and the Expectations of many Thousands, who longed for our Unity and Peace. But we spoke to the Deaf; they had other Ends, and were other Men, and had the Art to suit the means unto their Ends. For my part, when we saw that they would do nothing else, I persuaded our Brethren to yield to a Disputation with them, and let them understand that we were far from fearing it, seeing they would give us no hopes of Concord: but withal, first to profess to them, that the Guilt of disappointing his Majesty and the Kingdom, lay not upon us, who desired to obey the King's Commission, but on them.

But the Bishops would have that to be our Task or none; to prove by Disputation that any Alteration was necessary to be made; while they confuted our Proofs. We told them, that the End being [to satisfy tender Consciences and procure Unity,] those tender Consciences did themselves profess, that without some Alteration, and that considerable too, they could not be satisfied; and Experience told them, that Peace and Unity could not without it be attained. But still they said, that none was necessary, and they would yield to all that we proved necessary. And here we were lest in a very great Strait: If we should enter upon Dispute with them, we gave up the End and Hope of our endeavours: If we refused it, we knew that they would boast that when it came to the setting to, we would not so much as attempt to prove any thing unlawful in the Liturgy, nor durst dispute it with them. Mr. Calamy with some others of our Brethren would have had us refuse the Motion of disputing, as not tending to fulfil the King's Commands: We told the Bishops over and over, that they could not choose but know that before we could end one Argument in a Dispute, our time would be expired; and that it could not possibly tend to any Accommodation: And that to keep off from personal Conference, till within a few Days of the Expiration of the Commission, and then to resolve to do nothing but wrangle out the time in a Dispute, as if we were between jeast and earnest in the Schools, was too visibly in the sight of all the World, to defeat the King's Commission, and the Expectations of many Thousands, who longed for our Unity and Peace. But we spoke to the Deaf; they had other Ends, and were other Men, and had the Art to suit the means unto their Ends. For my part, when we faw that they would do nothing else, I persuaded our Brethren to yield to a Disputation with them, and let them understand that we were far from fearing it, seeing they would give us no hopes of Concord: but withal, first to profess to them, that the Guilt of disappointing his Majesty and the Kingdom, lay not upon us, who desired to obey the King's Commission, but on them.