A27066:18
Mr. Baxter's vindication of the Church of England in her rites and ceremonies, discipline,…
Mr. Baxter's vindication of the Church of England in her rites and ceremonies, discipline, and church-orders as faithfully taken out of his own writings, without either false citation, or fraudulent alteration : to which is prefixed his epistle to the non-conformists, being a just and true abstract of his book entitled, A defence of the principles of love.Mr. Baxter's vindication of the Church of England in her rites and ceremonies, discipline, and church-orders as faithfully taken out of his own writings, without either false citation, or fraudulent alteration : to which is prefixed his epistle to the non-conformists, being a just and true abstract of his book entituled, A defence of the principles of love.
London: printed for Walter Kettilby, 1682
Letter: Mr. BAXTER's EPISTLE TO THE Non-Conformists, Being a just and true Abstract of his Defe…
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.
When I think what learned, holy,1 incomparable men, abundance of the old Conformists were, my heart riseth against the thoughts of separating from them; If I had come to their Churches when they read the Common-prayer and administered the Sacrament, could I have departed and said, It is not lawful for a Christian here to communicate with you. What! Such men as Mr. Bolton, Mr. Whateley, Mr. Fenner, Mr. Crook, Mr. Dent, Mr. Dike, Mr. Stock, Mr. Smith, Dr. Preston, Dr. Sibbs, Dr. Taylor, and abundance other such; yea, such as Bishop Jewell, Bishop Grindall Bishop Hall, Bishop Potter, Bishop Davenant, Bishop Carleton, &c. yea, and the Martyrs too, as Cranmer, Ridley, Hooper, Farrar, Bradford, Philpot, Sanders,2 &c. I think not my self worthy to be compared with Mr. Bolton, Whateley, Fenner, Preston, Sibbs, White, Field, Usher, Jewell, and abundance other old Conformists; and you might forgive me, if I tell you again, that if they were all alive, and used now the same Liturgy and Ceremonies as they did then, I could not find in my heart to think their communion in Prayer and Sacrament unlawful, nor to censure that man ⟨p. 4⟩as injurious to the Church, who should write to persuade others not to separate from them on that supposition, I am sure the Assembly of Divines that sate heretofore at Westminster, were so conformable when they went thither, that I never heard of five Non-conformists among them, except the five dissenting Brethren; their Judgment was (as Mr. Sprints) that Conformity was lawful in case of necessity, rather than to be deprived of Liberty to preach the Gospel.
When I think what learned, holy,1 incomparable men, abundance of the old Conformists were, my heart riseth against the thoughts of separating from them; If I had come to their Churches when they read the Common-prayer and administred the Sacrament, could I have departed and said, It is not lawful for a Christian here to communicate with you. What! Such men as Mr. Bolton, Mr. Whateley, Mr. Fenner, Mr. Crook, Mr. Dent, Mr. Dike, Mr. Stock, Mr. Smith, Dr. Preston, Dr. Sibbs, Dr. Taylor, and abundance other such; yea, such as Bishop Jewell, Bishop Grindall Bishop Hall, Bishop Potter, Bishop Davenant, Bishop Carleton, &c. yea, and the Martyrs too, as Cranmer, Ridley, Hooper, Farrar, Bradford, Philpot, Sanders,