PART l. ReverendMr. Richard Baxrer; á the placedefcribed, I perceived it was the fin-eft for me ; for there was jiff filch Employment as I deified, and could fubmit to, withoutthat which I templed, and with time probabilityof peace and quietnefs. The Mintfter of the place was Mr. William Madflard, a grave and fevere Anci- ent Divine, very honeft and confcionable, and an excellent Preacher, but tome- what of iEted with want of Maintenance, and much more with a dead- hearted unprofitable People. The Town Maintenance being inconfderable, he took the Parfonage of Oldbury near the Town, a Village of fcarce twenty Routes, and fo defired me tobe one half day in the Town, and the other at theVillage ; but my Lot after fell out to be moftly in the Town. The place is priviledged from all Epifcopal Jurifdi &ion, except- the Archbifhop's Triennial Vifitation. There are fix Parishes together, two in the Town, and four in the Country, thathave all this Priviledge. At Bridgnortb they havean Ordinary of their own, who, as an Of- ficial, keepeth a confant Ecclefiaftical Court, having the Jurifdi&ión of chore fix Parilhes. This reverend and good man, Mr. Madfìard, was both Pallor and Offi- cial, the Placeufually going along with that ofthePreacher ofthat Town (though feparable ) : By which means I had a very full Congregation to preach to , and rÉ freedom from all thofe thingswhich I fcrupledor thought unlawful; I ofteri read the Common Prayer before I preached, both on the Lord's-days and 'Holy-days ; but Inveradminiftred the Lord'sSupper, nor ever Baptized any Child with the Signofthe Crofs, nor ever wore the Surplice, nor was ever put to appear at any Bilhop's Court. But the People proved a very ignorant, dead-hearted People, ( the Town con- lifting too much of Inns and Alehoufes, and having no general Trade to imploy the Inhabitantsin, which is the undoing of great Towns): fo that though through the great Mercy of God, my firlt Labours were not without Succefs, to the Con- verfion of Tome ignorant carelefs Sinners unto God, and were over-valued by thofe that were already regardful of the Concernmentsof their Souls, yet were theynot to fuccefsful as they proved afterwards in other places. Though I was in thefer your of my Affections, and never any where preached with more vehement de- fires of Mens Converfion ( and I account my Liberty with-that,meafure of Suc- eels which Ithere had, to be a Mercy which I can never be fufficiently thankful for) yet with the generality anApplaufe ofthe Preacher was muff of the fucceft of the Sermon which I could hear of; and their tipling and ill company and dead- heartednefs quickly drowned all. § zz. Whilft I hereexercifed the first Labours ofmy Miniftry, two feveral. Af- faults did threaten my Expulfion: Theone was a new Oath, which was made by Ae.0 4ei the Convocation, commonly called The Er ceteraOath : For it was to fwear us all, That we would never Confent to the Alteration of-the prefent Government of the Church, by ArcbbJhopo, Bifhopa, Deans, Arch-deacons, &c. This raft the Minifters through- out England into a Divifron,and newDifputes. Some woúld take the Oath, and. Tome would not. Thofe that were for it, laid, ThatEpifcopacy was yure Divino, and alto fettled by a Law, and therefore if the Sovereign Power required it, we might well fwear that we would nevercontent toalter it; and the King's Approbation of thefe Ca- nons made them fuffrcientlyobligatoryunto us. Thofe that were againft ir, laid, s. That Epifcopacy was either contra jai Divi- seam, or at beft not jure Divino, and therefore mutable when the King and Par- liamentpleated. z. Or at lean that it was undeniable, ThatArchbifhops, and Deans, and Chap -; ters, and Archdeacons &. were not all jure Divino: nay,that the Englifh frameof Diocefans having many hundred Parilh Churches tinder one Bithop in fini graduss, was not only againft theWord of God, but deftruetive of all theEpifcopacy which was known in the Church at leafs for zoo years. ;. They raid that it was intolerable to fwear to a blind Et cetera ; for litterally it included all theOfficers of the Ecelefiafiieal Courts that are now in Exer= cite of the Government ; Lay-Chancellors ( that ate the Keys for Excommunica- tion and Abfolution) Surrogates, Commiffaries, Officials , and the reit. And was it ever known that all the Clergy was fworn to fuch an Anomalous Rab- ble? 4. They laid that for ought they knew this Goverment in whole, or in tome part, might be altered by the King and Parliament by a Law : And to tie up our (elves by anOath that we would neverobey filch a Law, nor confent to that which the King night command us, this they thought was a Bond of Difobedience, next to aRebellion. y. They
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