Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BX5151 .B3 1659

t 6 The Preface. have anfivcred this already ; to which I add : 1. Its a fine world, when men will feparate them(elves from the Churches of Chrifl to avoid fchQ(m , and they that are againfi feparation, and offer Communion to the Separa= tills, mull be taken to be the Sehifmaticks themfelves. It isfchifm that we detef, andwoulddraw you from, or elfe what need we fay fo muchfor Concord and Communion ?. 2. Ihave told you already, that st is not one Minifler of a multitude in our Communion that did cafe off the Pre- lates ; half of them didnothing to it, and the other half were ordainedfince. 3. Nor canyon only fay, that now they refufe obedience to Bsthops, where there arenone to obey, or none that command them. 4. Again 1 tell you, it is not Epifcopacy, but only the fanfrtl fpecies of Prelacy, which the Parliament, and Affembly, andcovenanters did cat?of. Andwhat if you think this ípecies bell ? mnfl all think fo, or elfe be Schifmaticks ? And why not all Schif. maticks then that are againfl the Papacy, which is thought by others the bellform ? Ihave heregivenyou forme Ar- guments to prove your Prelacy which was call off, tobe againfi the will ofChrifl,and the welfare of the Churches. And Ifhall not believe that its Miry) to be again() fin and the Churchesswine. And 1 cannot but admire to read inyour writings, that Difcipline andPiety are pretended by you, as the things which you promote, and we defray, when I ammoll certain that the deflrutálon of Piety and Difcipline are thevery things by which you have fo much ofended your Brethren; and we would heartily come as near yens aswe can, fo that Piety and Difcipline may not be deflroyed. Hadwe not kno,vn that the able faithfl Preachers whom yeti called Puritans (conformable and not conformable) that laboured inthe word anddolfrine, were fitter to promote piety then the ignorant, drunken, worldly Readers, arid lazy Preachers, that once abymild reacl3

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