P A R. T IL ReverendMi.. Richard Baxter, which proved falte : And thoughupon ftridteft Examination both Ì and It Men are convinced that very many of the Things were true ( as the drying up of the River Derwent in Darbyfhire, upon no known Cade, in Winter; the Earth opening and fwallowing a Woman bear Afhburn in the fame County, upon her own Impre; cation,the Appearance of an Army to many near Monrgomery,and abundance more); yet were Fallhoods chruft in through their heady Temerity and Credulity; whereby it came to pats, that thefe Wonders were fo far from moving Men to Repentance, or the fearofGod's Judgments,. that they greatly hardened them, and made them fay, [Theft Fanaticks are the odious lying Deceivers ofthe World, that to Cheat the Poor People into afeditime Humour, care not to bey evenGod bimfelf]. And what the Fa- naticks had been guilty of was imputed, to the ejeeted Minilters and their Follow- ers, by them who thought it their intereft to do fo. $o that the poor obdurate E= (temies of Godlinefs did not only lofe the benefits of God's ftrange and dreadful Warnings, but were much hardened by them , to the increale of their En- inky: § 4zs: In the beginning ofTune r6G1: the old .peaceable Archbifhop of Canter. bury, Dr. yuxten, died, and Dr: Gilbert Sheldon, Bilhop òf London , fucceeded in his room. § 426. About thefe Times the talk of Liberty, to the frlenced lv(inifters ( for what ends I knownot) was revived again, and we were blamed by many that wehad never once petitioned the Parliament ( for which we had Efficient Rea- fons); and it was talkt about that they were refolved to grant us either ari Indúi- gence (by way of Difpenfation) or a Comprebenfson by fome additional Abt, taking in all that could Conform in tome particular Points. Hereupon there was great talkupon the Queftion, Whether the wayof Indulgence, or the way of Comprebenfs. on were more defirable ? And it was debated as ferioully, as if indeed fuch a thing as one of them had been expefted. And Parliament Men themfelves perfwaded them that it would be done; The Sebtarians (as they then called all thatwere for Libertyof Sedia, and forfeparated Churches) were for the way of Indulgence, that the Aû might not enlarge the Terms of the Publick Miniltry, but give Liberty for gathering private Churchesto all : Elf íhey thought that when the molt con- fiderableof the Missilery were embodied with the Conformifis ; their own Exclu- fion andSuppreilìon would be unavoidable : The moll of the Independents yet were refolved againft Petitioning for the Papifts Liberty as well as the Presbyteri- ans. But fome of the Politick Leaders ofthem laid, you are blind if you fee not that this very Ail ofUniformity was. made.fo rigorous, and the weight of Conformity fo much increafed, that fò the Number of the ejeúedMiniflersmight be fe great as toforce them to be glad of ageneral Toleration, which might take in ehe Papiils: And if you think tofiend it out, they will yet bringyou, to it in defßigbt of you r They will inireafè your, Burdens, and lay you all in Prof,,,,, till you areglad to petitienfor fisch a Toleration.: and fiend it out as long as youpan, you fha/be forced to procure the Papifls Liberty ; and the odmm of itfhall not lye on the Bithops, but onyou that arefo muchagdinfl it : The Bi- (hops fhallpeak againfl it; and they will forceyou to beg for it who are againf it : And if, you will not dolt now, yea do but flay till the Market rife, andyour Sufferings be made greater, and you fhgll be glad to do it at dearer rates. Ón the other fide, the Presbyte- rians laid, It u againfl our Covenant to promote Popery and Schifm, and whatever we filer, we will never do it : norwill we contrail that odium with the People, nor contri- bute fo mach to betray them by deceiving them! And if we(houlddo it, we are alaredwe fhall he never the better for it : for the Toleration(hall be clogged with the Renunciation of . all Obligationsfrem the Covenant, orfame one other particular Condition, which (hallfeern. no matter of Religion, which they know we will nor conform to, and the Papifls wi/h and fo when we bave,petitiorred for a Common . Liberty, we fhad have the odium, and they/ only the Liberty: And thus they fate Bill, and medled not with that Bufinefs. 4z7. For my own part, I medled but little with any filch Bufinefs fince the fail- ing of that which incurred fo much difpleafure; and the rather bemire, though the' Brethren Commiffioned with me Buck to me as to the Caufe, yet they were nor forward enough to bear their part of the ungrateful part in the management, nor of the confequent difpleafure: But yet when 'an HonourablePerfon was Barnett with me, to givehimmy Judgment, Whether theway of Índnlgence or Comprebenfson was more defirable, that he might difcern which way to go in Parliament. himfelf; I gavehim my Thoughts in the following Paper , thoughI thought it was to lit- tle purpola. K k k SIR¡
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