196 / 846
162
The
LIEEof
the
LYB.I.
theirXills of
us.
Sir,
Pardon the
Plainnefs, and accept
the
true Account
of
my
Thoughts,
from
Fkb. z. 1655.
Tour
Servant,
Richard
Baxter.
§
;
.
About
the
fame time
that we
were thus associating in
Worceflerflrire,
it
pleated
God
to Rir
up the
Ministers
of
Cumberland,
and
Westmorland
to the
fame
Courfe
;
who thoughthey
knew
not what we
had done,
yet
fell
upon the
fame
way,
and agreed on Articles
to
the fame purpofe
and
of
the fameSeule and Impor-
tance
as ours
were
;
of
which Mr.
Richard
Gilpin
(one
of
them,
a
worthy
faith-
ful
Minister)
fent me
word, when he
kw
our Articles in
Print;
and they
alto
printed
theirs
(to
fave
the writing
of
many Copies, and to excite.
others
to the
fame way
)
and they found the
fame readinefs
to
Union
among
the
Brethren
as
we had done.
Their
Agreement you may
find
printed
;
our Letters were
as
foiloweth
:
Dear Brethren,
WÉ
falafel you
in
the
Lord:
It was
no
fmall reviving
to
w
to behold
your Order
and mutual
Candefcentions.( expreffid in your Book
of
Concord
)
to promote
the
Reformation
of
your
People
in
ways
of
Peace. We unfeignedly rejoice
on
your behalf ;
and
thought
our
felves
bound to ftgnifie bow
grateful and
helpfulyour Endeavours are to
w.
The Scornen
of
this Age bave
a
long
time
bent
their
Tongueas
a Bow, and
dips
their
Ar-
rows
in
Gall,
and
font
forth
bitter
Accufations
and
Slanders
again$'
all the Ministers
of
the
Gospel,
calling them Difeurbers, implacable,
&c.
as
if
the very
Elfe of
a Minifter
were
to
contradill, and
to
be
averfe
from
Peace: Surely
your
carnal
profecutfon
of
Con-
cord
will
be
a /landing
Confutation
of that
Charge,
at
'call
fo
far
as
to cut off
the
Note
of
Univerfality
font
it But that which
ma£í
Fitts
ar
ia,
that
you
arena
willing
to
look upon the
gasping
Condition
of
the Church here,
as
idle,Speálators, or
as
meer Witneffes
of
ber.
Funeral without trying
any Remedy
at
all,
and that
you
do
not apprehendyour
'elves
to bave
done
all
your
Duty,
when you have bewailed berTrouble,
and
complained
of
brr
AdverJaries
Cruelty.
Sion
indeed
herb
been
thrown
down
to
the Ground,
and bath
been
covered
with a
Cloud in the
Day
of
the Lord's
Anger,
and
ber Adverfaries are round
about
In this Difirefi
flu bath spread forth
ber
Nandi, and
had,
looked upon
berLovers
for
Help,
and that
fo
long,
that
fhe is ready to
fay,
that
ber,
Strength and
ber Hope
is
poriibed
from
the
Lord. Now
bet Sons
while
they
bave
been
eonfulting bow to relieve
her
have
fallan
out about the Cure,
and
becaufe they
have
not
been
admitted
to
administer
the
Pbyfick
according
to
their
Minds, bave
negletted
to
administer
any
at all;
becaufe they
could not
be
/offered
to do
what
tbeywould,
they
have forgotten
that
it
was their
Duty
to do
what
they
might.
Some
bave thrown
all
afide
but preaching, as
it
were
in a
pettiflo
Dis-
content;
fume have
fatioed
themfelves
with
adminifiring Cordials, without purging
the
noxious Humours,
becaufe
they
thought this
neceffary
and
safe
though in
an
unpresbyterated
Church. Others
it
may
be
have fear
a
neceffity
of
making
farther
Progrefs,
and have
been
grouping after
it,
but bave
been
difeouraged
a;,,
the fight
of
the
thwarting
and
inconfiftont
Principles, the Animoftiea
and want of Condefentionof
different
Parties. Otbereit
may
be
have in their
Thoughts overcomethis Difficulty,
and
yet have
flack at
one
that
is
lets,
they
bave
been
afraid
to be
the
find
Propounders
of
their
conceived Remedy,
fearing the
Entertainment and
Succefi
that
their charitable Endeavours mightfind,
being more
willing
to
follow than
to
lead
in fach a
doubtful
and
unbeaten
Path. This
Defign
which
you
bave
refolved
on
will
(we
hope)
convince
Men
that
though we cannot as
yet a:peat
that
the
Lord's
Hoare
(horsld be
fo
finished
that
all fhall cry, Grace, Grace unto
it:
Yet
that
the
Building
need not wholly to eeafe,
you are
the
first
that
have in this publickway
broken the
Ice,
and
who knows bow powerful your Example may
be to
call
Men
of
from their
Con-
tentions
andStrivings
one
again.?
another,
by
a
brotherly Combination to carry
on
the
work
of Chrill
as
far
as they can
with
one
Shoulder.
Whatsoever
Advantage
others may reap
by
your Endeavours, we
are fare
the
Ad-
vantage that we
have
by
them is
double.
t.
We,
before
we bad beard
of
your Book, had
undertaken a Work
of
the
like nature
:
Several
of w
meetingtogether to
confide
about
ma-
naging the Lord's Work in oar Hands, were convinced
that
for
Reformation
of
our
People
more ought
to
be
done
by
or
than
bare Preaching,
a
brotherly Afleosation
of Minifers
ap-
peared