181 / 846
PART
Reverend
rllr. Richard
Baxter.
4
7
§.26.
Next
this I
wrote
to
Reverend
and
Judicious Mr.
Richard
Vines,
ßbóut an
attempt for
Concord with.aII,
but efpecially
the EpifcopalParty
:
And
alfo
about
Lay
-
Elders
;
and
his Judgment
fully
concurred with
met,
and
(
betides
etheis
)
he
wrote
to me the following Letter.
SIR,'
1
THauggh
I
fbould
have
defired
to
have
underfloodyour thoughts about the
Point
of
Sa-
eriledge,
that
fo
I
might have farmed
up my thoughts intofame
better
order
and
clear-
er
iffue
than
I
did in
my
laft:
yet
to
fhew unto you how
much
I
value
tbù
Correfsondence
with
you,
I
am
willing
to
wake
fame
return to your felf. And
firfl
touching the
School-
mailer intended,
&c.
-The
Accommodation you
'peak of n a great
and a
good
work
for
the
gaining into
the Workfuch ufeful
parts
and
interefts
as might very
muyh...heal
the
Difcord,
and
:mite the
ffrengtb
of
Men
to
oppofe
de(trudive
ways,
and
in
my apinion more
feafsble
with
thole men
than
any other,
if
they
be
moderate
and
godly
:
for
we differ
with
them
rather
about
force
Pinacles
of
the
Temple,
than
the Foundation
or
Abbuttreffet thereof.
I
would
not
have
much
timeJbentin
a formula of
Doiirine
àr Worfhipt
for
we
are not
much defiant in
tbem,and
happily nomore
than
with
one
anotber.But
I
would have the Agree-
mentattempted
in
that
very thing
which
chiefly
made the
Divifson,andtbat
is
Government;
Beal
that
breach
and
heal all
; there begin,anch therein
labour allyou can.
What
influence
this
may
have
upon
others,
I
knownot,
intbis
exulceration ofinene
minds:
but the
WorkJeaks
it
felf
good,
and
your
Reafens,
fartbe
attempting
of
it
are very
confiderable..
For the Affem-
bly,
ÿou know,
they
can meddle
with
juft
nothing but whae
is
feat
unto them
by
Parlia-
ment,
or
one
Houfe
thereof
(
as the Order
faith
)
and
for
that
realen never took
upon
them
to intermeddle
therein.
What
they
do
in
fuck
a thing,
muff
be
done
as private
perfns, and
not as
in
the capacity
of
Af
ernbly
-men,
except
it
come to
them recommended
by
the
Parlia-
ment. The
great
bufinef! is to
find a
temperament
in Ordination and
Government,
in
both
which the Exclufien or
Admittance
of
Presbyters
(
dices
Caufa) for
a fhadow
,
was not
regular; and
no
doubt the Presbyters ought
and
may
Both
teach
andgovern,
as
men
that
muff
give
account
of
Souls.
For
that
you fay
of
every
particular
Church
having
many
Presbyters,it
bath
beenconfidered
in
our Alfembly,and the Scripture
fjeakífair
for it,but
then
the
Church
and
City
was
of
ene
Extent:
No
Parifhes or Bounds
aligned
out to
particular
men
(as
now)
but the
Minified
preached
in circuita,
or
in
common,
andflood
in relation
to
the Churches
assn
one
Church,
-though meeting haply
in divers
bouts
or places
(as
is
(laU
the
manner
of
fome Cities in the
Low
Countries.)
If
you
will
follow
this
model, you
mull
lay the
City all into
one
Church
particular, and
the Villages
half a
dozen
of
tbeminto
a
Church
e
which
is
a bufneß
here
in
England ofveil
deftgn
and
confequence.
An
das for
that
you fay
of a
Billie') over
many
Presbyters,
not
over
many Churches
;
I
believe
no fuck
Bofhops
will
pleafe
our
men
e
but the
Nation,
sir
you
conceive
it,
hack
been,
and
is
the Opinion
of
learned Men.
Grotius
in
Psi,Commencery
on
the
Alts,
in divers places,and
particularlycap.
07.
faith, That
as in
every
particular
Synagogue
(many
of
which
was in
fame me City) there
was
drroo4aye
-,
fucbtwas
the
Primitive
Rifhop:
and
doubtlefi
the
firfl
Bi)hops
were over
the Community
of
Presbyters, as Presbyters
in joint
relation
to one
Church or
Region.;
which
Region
being
upon
the increafe
of
Believers,
divided
into
more
Churches,
and in after
times thole Churchesalggned to
particular
men
e
yet
be,
the
Bifhop,con-
tinned
Bithop
ever them
lid.
For
that
you
fay,
he
had
a
negative
voice,'that's
more
thin
ever
I
few
proved,
or
everfha/l,
I
believe
for the
firft two
.hundred
:years
; and yet
I
have
laboured to enquire into
it. Tknt
makes
him
Angelus
princeps,
not
Angelus præfes, as
Dr. Reignolds
faith
;
Calvin
denies
that,
and
makes
him
Conlin in Senate.
Or
as
the
Speaker
in
the Houfe
of
earliament,. which
as
I
have beard
that D.
B.
did'fay,
was
but to
make
him
Foreman
of
the
jury.
Take
heed
of
yielding
a Negative
Voice.
As
touching the
introdailsen
of
Ruling Elders,
fuck
as
are modelled outby
Parliament ,
my
judgment
is
fuffsciently
known
e
Ì
am
of
your judgment in the Point. There
fhould be fuch
El-
ders
as
have
power to preach
as
well
as
rule
:
I
fay
power
; but
how
that
will
be
see-
ded
here
I
know not,
except
we
could
or
would return
to the
primitive nature and
conftitu-
tien
of
particular
Cha
rrebes
e
and
therefore
it
mu"
be
helped
by
the combination
of
more
Churches togetherinto
one
as
to
the
matter
of
Government,
and
let
them
be
Rill diflinit
as
tel
Word
and
Sacraments:
That
se
the
eafsefi
way
of
Accommodation
that
yet
occurs
to my
thoughts.
Sir,
Ifear
I
troubleyou
too
long,
but
it
rs
to
fhew how
much
I
value
you
and
your
Letter,
to
me
; for
which
'thank
you
and
sell
Yours in the bell Bonds;
V
z
.
Vines;
4
27