Baxter - BX5207 B3 A2 1696

274` The L I P . of áFbe L IL 1. CónceQon3 of Liberty in this Declaration extendeth not either to the abatement of Re-ordination, or of fabfcr,ptional Ordination, or of the Oath'of Obedience to the Bifhopr. We therefore humbly and earneftlyCrave, that Your Majefty will declare your Plealure. I. [` That Ordination, and Inftitution, and Indu&ion may be confer- , red without.the laid Sut,.fcriptión or Oath: And z. That none be urged to be ` reordained, or denied Inftitucinn for wantof OrdinationbyPrelates, that was or- dained by Presbyters. 3. And that none be judged to have forfeited his Prefen- ` cation or Benefice, nor by deprived of it for not reading.thofe Articlesof the gy that contain the controvertedPoints of Government andCeremonies. Láflly, We humbly crave that your Majetty will not only grant us this Liberty ` till theneat Synod, bat wi11 indeavoar that the Synod be impartially chof,n, and that your ` Majeliy will be pleated to endeavour the Procurementtof fuch Laws as (hall bene- ` neceffary for our fecurity till the Synod, and for the Ratification ofmoderate and healing Conclulons afterwards, andthat nothing by meet Canon be impofed on us, without loch Statute Laws ofParliament. Thefe Favours ( which will be injurious to none) if your People may obtainof your Welty, it will revive their Hearts todaily and.earneft Prayer for your Pro- fperity, and to rejoice in the thankful Acknowledgment of that graciousProvidence of Heaven, that bath bleffedus in your Reftoration, and putit into your Heart to 'heal our Breaches, and tohave compa{ron on the faithful People in your Domini- ons, who do not petition you for Liberty tobe Schifmatical, Faßious, Seditious, or abufive to any, but only for leave to obey the Lord, who created and redeemed them, according to that Lawby whichthey muff all befhortly judged toeverlaR- ing Joy or Mifery. And it will excitethem to, and unitethem in the cheerful Ser- vice of your Majefìy, with their Eftates and Lives, and to tranfmit your deferved Praifes to Pollerity. A little before this, theBilhops Party had appointed (at our Requeft) a Meet- ing with fome of us, to try how near we could come, in preparation to what was to be refolved on. Acçordingly. Dr. Morley, Dr. Hinebman, and Dr. Cofano, met Dr. Reignoldr, Mr,Celgmy, and myfell; andafter a few rovingDifcourfes we parr ed without bringing them to any particular Concefliions for Abatement, only their general talk was from the beginning, as if theywould do anything for Peace, which wasfit tobedone, and they being at that time newly cielt ( butnot confecrated) to theirfeveral Bifhopricks, we called them [myLordo] which Dr. Morley once re- turned with fucis a Pafl'age as this fwe may call you alfo I fappofe by thefame Title] t by which I perceived theyhad fome Purpofes to try that way with us. § rog.This Petition . beingdelivered to the Lord Chancellor wasfo ungrateful that we were never called to prefent it to the King : But infteadof that, it was offered us that we lhouid make f tch Alterations in the Declaration as wereneceffary to at- tain itsEnds: But with thefe Cautions, that weput in nothing but what we judg- ed of flat necelì_y. And a. That we altered not the Preface or Language of ir. For it was to be the King's Declaration, and what he fpake as exprefing his own Senfe, was nothing tous; but if we thought he impofed any thing intollerableup- on us, we had leave to exprefs our Delires for the altering of it. Whereupon we agreed to offer this following Paperof. Alterations, letting all the reft of the Decla- ration alone ; But withal, by Word totell thalle we offered it to ( which was the Lord Chancellor) [That this was not the Model of Church -Government which we a: fittt offered, nor which wethought molt expedient for the healing of the Church: But teeing that cannot be obtained, we lháll;humbly fubmit, and thank- fully acknowledge bis Majefty's Condefcention, if we may obtain what now we offer, and !hall faithfully endeavour to improve it to the Churches Peace, to the utmoll of our Power]. Having declared this ( with more) we delivered in the following Paper. The

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