700 / 846
><S
11I'
BENDIX.
Numb.II.
if
I
yield
it
you,
is
nothing againft
our Agreement.
3.
The
Third
I cannot dif-
pute
well
till I
know
what you
will
yield
in
the excepted Cafe.
I
would defireyou
as a
moreorderly
and effeetual
way to our
Ends,
to
do
theft
three Things
:
r.
Tell
me
plainly
whether you
take the Reformed Churches
of
Holland, France, Scotland,
Helvetia,
Geneva,
be.
for true
organized Churches, and
their
Paflors
for
true
Pa-
lters and
Presbyters
?
and
Ordination
by Presbyters
to
he
valid
in
their
Cafe.
z.
teeing
you plainly
lèem
to
take an
uninterrupted
Succefüon
of
authoritative
Ordi-
nation
to
be
of
flat
Neceflity to
the being
of
the
Miniftry, will
you
give
us a
clear
Proof
of
fuch
a
Succelfion
de
Fatïo,
either to
your felt;
or any Man
now
li-
ning.
I
earneftly intreat you deny
me
not this, nor
fay
it
is
needlefs
I
have
told
you
the
need
of
it
in thofe Papers. Again
I pray you put
it
not
off.
3.
Seeing
you
profefs
to
be
for
Concord,
and
yet reje& our Terms,
as a
Schifnatical Com-
bination,
will
you propound
your own
Terms, the
lowelt
condefcending
Terms
which
you
can
poflibly yield
to,
which
may tend to our
Clofure
?
If
you only corn
tend againft
our
Way
and
will
not find
a
better, nor
ufe
any Endeavours
of
your
own in
its (lead,
what
Man
of
Reafon
will
believe
your Profeffion
of
[the
Prong
Inclination
of
the
Heart to
Concord
and Peace]
?
I
again
intreat you inflead
of
contending, to perform
thefè
Three
things,
which
will
exceedingly
further
the
much defired
Work. And for my
pare,
though you
and
Millions
of
Men
oppofe
it, I
ant
refolved, by the Grace
of
God, to
defire,
pray,
and labour
for
Peace
and
the
Unity of
the
Church, upon
Honelt
and
Polüble,
not Romifh or
Sinful Terms,
while
I
am
Dec.
23. u653.
Rich.
Baxter.
N
°.
H.
Mr.
Johnfon's
Firfi Letter
to
Mr.
Bax
ter,
about
the
`Point
of
Ordination.
S
I
R,
I
N
G
very much unfatisfied
in
the reading
of
your
late
Difcourfe
con-
cerning
the
Interruption
of
the Succellion
of
the
Miniftry,
I
thought
good
to take Advantage
from your
own
Offer, friendly
and
freely
to
debate
the
Qaeftion
with
you
:
And
I
than
lay out
nay
Thoughts to you
in
this
Method;
r.
I
will
give
you
the
Reafons
which
makes me
(if
it
be
Papiftical) to
abet
the Pa-
`
pills
in pleading
for
an
uninterrupted
Succeflion. z.
I
will
reply to your
Argil-
'
menu, whereby you difpute
the Succellion
of
the
Miniftry of
England
to
be
inter-
rupted.
3.
I
will
offer you
tome
Reafons
why
an
infallible Proof
of
the
Point
io
'
not
neceffary
in
the
Cafe. 4.
I
will
produce fuch Arguments
as
(hall put
it
beyond
doubting,
and
fo
(hall leave
indubitable, though not infallible
Proof
of
the Que-
Ilion in
your
Hands.
I.
F1rf?,
I
(hall
give you the
Reafons
why
I
plead
fo
fetioufly for
the
uninter
rupted
Succeflìon, and
I
(hall
do this
in
the
fink
place,
`secaufe
all the
relt
will
be
Supe vacaneous,
if'
if
be
a
Matter
of
no greatConfequence; whether there
be a
Succéf%
n
or not.
If
therefore you
Can
fitisfy
my
Arguments whereby
I
plead
for
the
N.
ceflity,
and
give
me
Reafon enough to
underftand, that
an
Uninterrup-
`
don
of
the Succelüon
is
not much material,
I
will
fave
nay Pelf
the
Trouble
of
Confuting what you
have
laid againft
it,
and
you rune Trouble
of
making
a
need
-
'lef
hepl
Now
the
firff
Reafon
which
induceth
me
to
believe
that
iris
a
matter
of
much
more Confequence than you
talk of;
is
the Serioufnefs
of
our Divines
in their
En-
'
deavours
to
prove
that
the Bilhops
in
Edward
VI.
and Queen
Elizabetb'r
Days
were
Ordained
by Bilhops, againft the Calumnies
of
Sanders,
Rellifbn, Chair/may,
`
and
other Jefuits, who in their Writings would
have bore the
World in
Hand, that
the Succeflion
of
the
Miniftry of
England had been
interrupted at
the Ref
becau(è
there were none
but Popilh
Bilhops
to Ordain them,
and they
would
not,
and
fis
none
did. But
as
you
know,
had
deseifed a
Story
of
the
Nag's-
'
Head
Ordination,
New
you
If
know
there hath
been
much
E.ndeavonr made
`.by