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

And on the other side we are agreed, that in things no way against the Laws of God, the Commands of our Governors must be obeyed: that if they command what God forbids, we must patiently submit to Suffering; and every Soul must be subject to the higher Powers, for Conscience sake, and not resist: that Public Judgment, Civil or Ecclesiastical, belongeth only to public Persons, and not to any private Man: that no Man must be causelessly and pragmatically inquisitive into the Reasons of his Superiors Commands; nor by Pride and Self-conceitedness exalt his own Understanding above its worth and office; but all to be modestly and humbly self-suspicious: that none must erroneously pretend God's Law against the just Command of his Superior, nor pretend the doing of his Duty to be sin: that he who suspecteth his Superiors Commands to be against God's Laws, must use all means for full Information, before he lettle in a course of disobeying them: and that he who indeed discovereth any thing commanded to be sin, though he must not do it, must manage his Opinion with very great tenderness and care of the Public Peace, and the Honour of his Governors. These are our Principles: If we are otherwise represented to your Majesty we are misrepresented: If we are accused of contradicting them, we humbly crave that we may never be condemned till we are heard. It is the desire of our Souls to contribute our Parts and Interests to the utmost, for the promoting of Holiness, Charity, Unity, and Obedience to Rulers in all lawful Things: But if we should sin against God, because we are commanded, who shall answer for us, or save us from his Justice? And we humbly crave, that it may he no unjust grievance of our Dissent, that thereby we suppose Superiors to err; seeing it is but supposing them to be Men, not yet in Heaven; and this may be imputed to every one that differeth in Opinion from another. And we beseech your Majesty to believe, that as we seek no greater Matters in the World, than our daily bread, with Liberty to preach the Gospel, and Worship God according to his Word, and the practise of the Primitive purest Church, so we hope it is not through pusillanimity and overmuch tenderness of Suffering that we have pleaded so much for the avoiding of Suffering to our Selves or others:

And on the other side we are agreed, that in things no way against the Laws of God, the Commands of our Governours must be obeyed: that if they command what God forbids, we must patiently submit to Suffering; and every Soul must be subject to the higher Powers, for Conscience sake, and not resist: that Publick Judgment, Civil or Ecclesiastical, belongeth only to publick Persons, and not to any private Man: that no Man must be causelesly and pragmatically inquisitive into the Reasons of his Superiours Commands; nor by Pride and Self-conceitedness exalt his own Understanding above its worth and office; but all to be modestly and humbly self-suspicious: that none must erroneously pretend God's Law against the just Command of his Superiour, nor pretend the doing of his Duty to be sin: that he who suspecteth his Superiours Commands to be against God's Laws, must use all means for full Information, before he lettle in a course of disobeying them: and that he who indeed discovereth any thing commanded to be sin, though he must not do it, must manage his Opinion with very great tenderness and care of the Publick Peace, and the Honour of his Governours. These are our Principles: If we are otherwise represented to your Majesty we are misrepresented: If we are accused of contradicting them, we humbly crave that we may never be condemned till we are heard. It is the desire of our Souls to contribute our Parts and Interests to the utmost, for the promoting of Holiness, Charity, Unity, and Obedience to Rulers in all lawful Things: But if we should sin against God, because we are commanded, who shall answer for us, or save us from his Justice? And we humbly crave, that it may he no unjust grievance of our Dissent, that thereby we suppose Superiours to err; seeing it is but supposing them to be Men, not yet in Heaven; and this may be impured to every one that differeth in Opinion from another. And we beseech your Majesty to believe, that as we seek no greater Matters in the World, than our daily bread, with Liberty to preach the Gospel, and Worship God according to his Word, and the practise of the Primitive purest Church, so we hope it is not through pusillanimity and overmuch tenderness of Suffering that we have pleaded so much for the avoiding of Suffering to our Selves or others: