A27050:768
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.
4. Moreover the Conviction of a sinner before Excommunication or Absolution, requireth a great deal of time, and a great many words, and those chosen with the greatest skill, and set home with the greatest Life, and Light, and Love, that can be manifested by the speaker; Many a time I have tried it, and could never satisfy my Conscience without more frequent, long and earnest exhortation, and prayer with it, than ever I knew Chancellor or Bishop use to forty delinquents set together. The present Pastor hath opportunity to do this: But the Chancellor or Diocesan hath not. I never heard of any such means used in their Courts that was of such a nature as true Pastoral exhortations are, to melt a sinners heart into repentance. But of this before.
4. Moreover the Conviction of a sinner before Excommunication or Absolution, requireth a great deal of time, and a great many words, and those chosen with the greatest skill, and set home with the greatest Life, and Light, and Love, that can be manifested by the speaker; Many a time I have tried it, and could never satisfie my Conscience without more frequent, long and earnest exhortation, and prayer with it, than ever I knew Chancelor or Bishop use to fourty delinquents set together. The present Pastor hath opportunity to do this: But the Chancelor or Diocesane hath not. I never heard of any such means used in their Courts that was of such a nature as true Pastoral exhortations are, to melt a sinners heart into repentance. But of this before.
2. Another case of particular judgment is, what sinner in his sickness before death, is fit for Absolution. Here they cannot make the Bishop Judge, who is many a mile off; nor can they tell how to deny it to be without the office of the Parish Pastor, and therefore they allow him to be the Absolver; and yet, lest he be the Judge, they bind him to Absolve all that require it, and do but say they repent: which must needs be a pernicious deceiving course to impenitent souls, when it is known that nothing is more ordinary with many in sickness and in health, than to say I repent of some one gross disgraceful sin, and live in others worse without any profession of repentance, and die so at last. And must I absolve him from that sin which he repenteth of without the rest? or from all because he repenteth of one? yea, commonly men have a Confession which is like a Profession of their sin, and a Repentance which declareth it self to be Impenitence it self: some stoutly some stupidly saying [I confess I am a swearer and a drunkard, a whoremonger, but you Precisians are as bad and worse, for you are but hypocrites: I repent of my sins daily, and ask God mercy, though I commit them daily, and I doubt not of forgiveness, for all are sinners] and if one of these say also on his sick bed, he repenteth, without any signs of serious contrition or change of heart, we must Absolve him: But yet though we are not free in this, it is no Diocesans proper work, and therefore requireth not their office.