P A It T II. Reverend Mr. Richard. Baxter. 4173 ` pea all immediately from himfelf, I may live in Darknefs. Wher¢ I hear of the greaten Revelation from Heaven, thither do I take it for my Duty toAddrefs `my (elf: and if therewere infpired Prophets no* as heretofore, I would go to ` them : But feeing God now takethanother way, I think I ought to follow him, ` and to bea Learner ( if poffible ) of thofe whom he bath any way mot emi. ` nately illuminated. And though my Anions maybe more ruled bymany than ` byone, where they have more Authority, yet my Judgment may be better in- formed by one that excelleth in Light , than by many others. While I have ` made enquiry after thefe Divine Communications, the concurrent Vote of any `molt learned, fober, judiciousFriends hath direaed me firft tayou, as the Man ` who for cleamefsandfoundnefsofyudgment, is theOracleof this our Theologi- ' cal World. Though I may Learn of many hundreds, yet did L know where fo well to profit, and were fo/ rong a judgmentas common as many other excelled ' Qualifications, in learned Men, I Ihould have taken up nearer home, and not ` prefumed to have invited you to any trouble. My firs Queftion therefore is in ` general, Whether yourMind andLeifure will vouchfafeme the Liberty now and ` then to intrude for theRefolution of fome Difficulties; not frequently nor con- ' tentioury, but feldomand as a nicer Learner. Ifyou are unwilling, or not va- ` cant, fay fo, and rid yourfelfof thisTrouble in a word. ` And though the greaten Matters that I would enquire about arePoints ofFaith ( whereinifyou have taken notice that I have wronged the Church byany ofmy ` crude and hafty Writings, your Check wouldtend to a Reformationand be wet- ' come),yet the particular that at prefent I (hall try your willingnefsin, is in Point ` of Difcipline. I have long been very fenfible of the fad Divisions of the Refor- ' med Churches hereabouts, and efpecially in England ; and longed to fee the day ` that force wife compaffionate Hand would rightly attempt the Cure. As igno- ' rent Men know not fo much as the Difficultyof things, fò I have thought that if ' there were no greater Hinderance in Mens Affeaions, than in their Principles,it would be aneafie matter fpeedily toReconcile the moderate Epifcopal and Pref. ` byterian Divines. My earner Requefl to you is, that you will bepleafed free- ' ly to tell me your Thoughts, how far this Accommodation following may tendtd a clofure. r. In every Parilh, where there are more Presbyters than one, let one be the Chief, and his Confent chiefly taken in the Guidance of the Church. ` a. Let many filch Churches be affociated ( call it a Clafr or what you will) and let the frtteft Manbe your Prefident as long as he is fit,that is, during Life,un- ' lefs hedeferve aRemoval. ;. Let divers of thefe Claffesmeet once or twice a year in a Provincial Affetn- ` bly, and let the fitter Man in the Province be their ftanding Prefident Hither- ' to there is no Concefiìonon the Presbyterian fide, but that the Prefident pro tern- pore, be turned to a handing Prefident; nor any on the Epifcopal fide, but that (moR neceffary one) that every Presbyter be acknowledged a Church Guide, and not a meet Preacher. ` 4. Let it be left to eachMan's Confcience, whether the Prefident be calledby the Nameof Bifhop, Prefident, Superintendent, Moderator,&c. feeing a Name is ` nomeet Reafan of a Breach. ç. Let no Man be forced to exprefs hisJudgment de yore , whether the Prefi- dent have a Negative Voice in Ordination or Excommunication, nor whether he ` be diflindt inorder, or only in degree, feeingit is not the unanimousandright belief ' concerning theft things that is of Neceflity ( for then they mull have been inour Creed) bur theunanimous and right pradite: But let all agree that they will joyn in thefe Clafflcal and Provincial Affemblies, and then om'y Ordain, and that they will notOrdainbut when the Prefident is one, unlefs incafe of flat neceffï- ` ty, which is never like to befal us if this way be taken. My Queftion now is, Whether the godly, moderate Epifcopal and Presbyterí- an Divines;on fuppofttionthat they canat prefent come nb nearer to each other,' ` maynot andought not thus far toclofe i and thus live in Chriftian Love and U- pity ; feeing that we are bound toConcord in Praaice fo far as we agree in Judgment: and feeingthat if any nearer Clofure be yet neceffary, in fuchUnited ' Bodies, and Amicable Affociations, Affemblies, and Correfpondencies, its moll likely to be attained this way ; and indeed no other that I can as yet dif= ' tern. Thole
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