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

And it was not the least Cause, that my being for Primitive Episcopacy, and not for Presbytery, and being not so far from them in some other Points of Doctrine and Worship, as many Nonconformists are, they thought I was the abler to undermine them. 7. And another Cause was, that they judged of the rest of my Talk and Life, by my Conference at the Savoy, not knowing that I took that to be my present Duty, which Fidelity to the King and Church commanded me, faithfully to do, whoever was displeased by it: and that when that time was over, I took it to be my Duty, to live as peaceably as any Subject in the Land, and not to use m• Tongue or Pen against the Government which the King was pleased to appoint, however I disallowed it. Thus have I found the old saying true, That Reconcilers use to be hated on both side, and to put their hand in the Cleft, which closeth upon them and finished them.

And it was not the least Cause, that my being for Primitive Episcopacy, and not for Presbytery, and being not so far from them in some other Points of Doctrine and Worship, as many Nonconformists are, they thought I was the abler to undermine them. 7. And another Cause was, that they judged of the rest of my Talk and Life, by my Conference at the Savoy, not knowing that I took that to be my present Duty, which Fidelity to the King and Church commanded me, faithfully to do, whoever was displeased by it: and that when that time was over, I took it to be my Duty, to live as peaceably as any Subject in the Land, and not to use m• Tongue or Pen against the Government which the King was pleased to appoint, however I disallowed it. Thus have I found the old saying true, That Reconcilers use to be hated on both side, and to put their hand in the Clift, which closeth upon them and finished them.

§ 269. The next time I went to the Lord Chancellor (about the New-England Corporation) after the Bishop of Worcester's Anger and Invective Book, he entertained me with his usual Condescension and Courtesy, but with some chiding Language, that I would meddle with Dr. Morley to provoke him: which when I had briefly spoke to, he followed on his Reprehension thus, [Was it a handsome thing of Mr. Baxter, to speak so to so mild a Man as Dr. Earls, Clerk of the King's Closet, as when he offered you a Tippet when you preached before the King, to turn away in scorn, and say, Ple none of your Toys? Would not a fairer Answer have been better?] I replied to him, That I still perceived more and more the truth of what I told the Bishops, what Consequents would follow the Continuance of unhealed Factions: and what usage we must expect however we lived, and how little Innocency would do to our vindication! I told him that I never spake any such word as he mentioned, nor ever had such a thought in my heart, nor no more scrupled to wear a Tippet than to sit on a Cushion: But I thanked his Lordship, that by the benefit of his free Reprehension I came to understand how much I had been wronged by this Report to his Majesty, above a year before I heard of it; and might never have heard of it but by him; and told him that it was just thus in other Matters: And I truly told him, that I was unfeignedly thankful to his Lordship, that would reprove me for that to my face, which others only whispered behind my back, where I had opportunity to defend my self.