PART IL ReverendMr. Richard ",áxter;. 335 ginning, and becaufe 1artictìlars may be anfwered fatisfaâorily in a Few Words, when the General Differences are fully cleared: t88. By this time ourCommiftion was almoft expired, and therefore our Bre. thren were eargeftly defirousof perfonal Debates with them, upon the Papers put in to try how much Alteration they would yield to : Therefore we fent to the Bit shops to defire it of them ; and at lait they yielded to it, whéh we had bht Ten Days more to treat. § 189. When we met them, Idelivered them the Anfwer oftheir former Papers (the largenefs of which Ifaw difpleafed them) and they receivedit. And we ear- nettly preft them to fpend the little time remaining infuchpacifying Conference as tended to the ends whichare mentioned in the King'sDeclaration and Commiffi- on, and told them, that fach Difputes which they hadcalled us toby their manner of Writing, were not the thingwhich we defiled or thought molt conducing to -thole ends. $ 19o.1 have reafon to think that the Generalityof theBithops and Do&ors pre- Tent never knew what we offeredthem in the reformed Liturgy, nor in this Reply, nor in any ofour Papers, fave thofe fewwhich we read openly to them. For they were put up and carried away, and I conje&ure fcarce any but the Writers of their Confutations would be at the Labour of reading them over. And I remem- ber in the midit of our laft Difputation, when I drew out the (hors Preface to this talc Reply (which Mn Cslamy wrote, to enumerate in the beginning before their Eyes, manyof thegroffeft Corruptions which they flifly defended and refu- fed to reform) the Company was more afhamed and filent, than at any thingelfe that I had Paid ; by whichI perceived that they hadnever read or heard that very Preface, which was as an Epiftle to themfelves : Yea, the chief of them confer. fed when theybid me read ir, that they knew no fuch thing : So that it kernsbe- fore they knew what was in them, they refolved to rejeet our Papers, right or Wrong, and to deliver them up to their Contradi&ors. ;9t. When we carne to ourDebates, I firft cravedo£ them their Animadverfi- ons on our Additions, and Alterationsof the Liturgy, which we had put in long before; and that they would tell us what they allowed, or difallowed in them, that we might have the ufeof them according to the Words in the King's Declara- tion and Commif ion. But theywould not by any Importunitybe intreated at all to debate that, nor to give any of their Opinions about thofe Papers. There were no Papers that ever we offered them that had the Fate ofthofe: Though it was there that Tome of them thought to have found recriminating matter of Ex- ceptions : yet could we never prevail with them to fay any thing about them its Word or Writing ; but onceBithop Morley told us of theirlength, to which I an- fwered that we had told them inour Preface,that we were ready to abbreviate any thing which on debate fhould appear too long ; but that the Purity of the Pray- ers made the ordinaryLord's day Prayers far Ironer than theirs. And lince wehad given our Exceptions againft theirs, if they would neither by Word nor Writing except againft ours, nor yet give their Content to them, they would not honour their Caufe orConference. But all couldnot extort either Debates on that Subjea, or any Reprehenfions of what we had offered them. Nor have they fine to this Day, in any of theirWritings ( which ever I could feeor hear of) laid a Word in wayofException again! thofe Papers : Yea, when RogerL'Eflrangehimfelf wrote (according to his manner) a malicious Inve&ive againft our leverai Papers, when they were afterwards printed, he could find little to fay againft our Liturgy, but that we left it to the Liberty of the Minifter in feveral Cafes, to pray [ in tbefe Word,, or to this Senfe]. And is that all the fault (betides the Length foremention ed) ? Did theynot know that it belongeth to the Prelates, and not to loch as we, to deprive Men of their Liberty in praying? If they had defired it, how eafy bad it been for them to have dafht out thatone Glade [or to this Senfe]? and then it had been beyond their Exception. What meafureof LibertyMinifters (hall have, it is not we, but they that mutt determine. § x92. When they had calf out that part of our defired Conference', our next bufinefs was to delire them by friendly Conference, to go over the Particulars which we excepted againft, and to tell us how much they could abate, and what Alterations they could yield to. This BilhopReignolds oft preft them to, and fo did all the re of us that fpake. But they refolutely infifted on it, that they had nothing to do till we had proved that there wasany neceftìry of Alterati- on, which we had not yet done; and that theywere there ready to anfwer to our Ptçlofs: We urged them again and again with the very Words of the King's Decla- ration
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