A27050:620
A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort…
A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort of diocesan churches, prelacy and government, which casteth out the primitive church-species, episcopacy, ministry and discipline and confoundeth the Christian world by corruption, usurpation, schism and persecution : meditated in the year 1640, when the et cætera oath was imposed : written 1671 and cast by : published 1680 by the importunity of our superiors, who demand the reasons of our nonconformity / by Richard Baxter.A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort of diocesan churches, prelacy and government, which casteth out the primitive church-species, episcopacy, ministry and discipline and confoundeth the Christian world by corruption, usurpation, schism and persecution : meditated in the year 1640, when the et cætera oath was imposed : written 1671 and cast by : published 1680 by the importunity of our superiours, who demand the reasons of our nonconformity / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for Nevil Simmons, 1681
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
2. Because Conversion and Baptism as such is but mens admission into the Universal Church (as in the Eunuchs case, Act. 8. is manifest) and not into any particular Church: It uniteth them to Christ, but not to any particular Pastor: For they Baptize not into their own name.
3. Because when two or three go together, as Paul and Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Luke, &c. it is to be supposed that one converteth not all, but one some and another some; and therefore if converting gave right there must be many Bishops and Churches in a place.
4. Because when a Church is settled, a strange preacher that cometh ⟨p. 124⟩after, yea one that hath a charge elsewhere, may convert many neighbours, that were not Converted, and yet it will not follow that he must come, and set up another Church there for that, nor that they must remove their dwelling to follow him.
5. Because a man may (and abundance of excellent preachers have