A27050:76
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.
7. While Noblemen, Knights, Gentlemen, conformable Clergy men, and many others of all Ranks, are possessed with these thoughts of us, that we are persons who hypocritically pretend to Godliness, while indeed we are so humoursome, that we will forbear our Ministry, and our Maintenance, and suffer any thing, and divide the Church, rather than yield to indifferent things▪ this is a scandal, a grievous scandal, either given or taken, and tendeth to wrong their souls that are scandalized: And if we give them this scandal, it is our heinous sin▪ But if they take it by misinformation, we are obliged to do our part to heal it: Souls are precious; and scandal doth endanger them, even to distaste Religion it self, for the sakes of such as they take us to be: And we must not stand by and see men perish, if we can do any thing to save them.
7. While Noblemen, Knights, Gentlemen, conformable Clergy men, and many others of all Ranks, are possessed with these thoughts of us, that we are persons who hypocritically pretend to Godliness, while indeed we are so humoursome, that we will forbear our Ministry, and our Maintenance, and suffer any thing, and divide the Church, rather than yield to indifferent things▪ this is a scandal, a grievous scandal, either given or taken, and tendeth to wrong their souls that are scandalized: And if we give them this scandal, it is our heinous sin▪ But if they take it by misinformation, we are obliged to do our part to heal it: Souls are precious; and scandal doth endanger them, even to distast Religion it self, for the sakes of such as they take us to be: And we must not stand by and see men perish, if we can do any thing to save them.
8. The sufferings of many of the Ministers are very great, that have not bread for their children, nor clothes to cover them, and are ashamed to make known their wants: And if with all this, we suffer the burden of unreproved calumny to lie on them, and keep them not to the necessary comfort which conscience should find in sufferings with innocency, we shall be guilty of uncharitableness our selves.