Part x;1' fá.everend A4r. Richard Baxter. z 9. § 39. But tome good rote out of all thefe Evils : TheChurches beingburnt, and he Parilh Minihers gone (for want of places and maintenance) the Nonconformills were nowmire refolved than ever, to preachtill they were imprifoned : Dr. Manton had his rooms fill in Covent-Garden ; Mr. Thomas Vincent, Mr. Thomas. Doolittle, Dr. Samuel Anneflcy, Mr. Wadsworth, Mr. yanowayat Rotherfrith, Mr. Chefler, Mr. Franklin, Mr. Túrner, Mr. Grimes, Mr. Nathaniel rrincent, Dr. f acomb, (in the Counters of Ewe- , ten's- Houfe) and Mr. Thomas hí'atfon, &c. Did keep their Meetings very openly, and prepared large Rooms, and fume of them plain Chappels, with Pulpits, Seats, and Galleriesfor the receptionof as many as could come. For now the peoples neceffity was i nqueftionable: For they had none otherto hear, favinga few Churches that could hold no coníiderable part of the people : So that to forbid them now to hear the Nonconfcrmiffs, was all one as to forbid them all publick worshiping of God, and to Command them to fortke Religion and to live like Atbeills :. And thus to forbid themto feek forFleaven when theyhad loft ahnoft all that they had on Earth, andto take from themtheir fpiritual Comforts, after all their oktward Comfortswere gone, they thought a Cruelty fobarbarous, as to be unhefeeming any Man, that wouldnot own himfelf to be a Devil. But all this little moved the Ruling Prelates, facing that 'flume retrained them from imprifoning thePreachers fo hotly and forwardlyas before. The Independents elfo let up their Meetings more openly than before ; efpecially Mr. Griffiths Mr. Brooks Mr. Caryl, Mr. Barker, &C. And Dr. Omen (who hadbefore kept far off)' and Mr. Philip Nie, and Dr. Thomas Goodwin, who were their Leaders, came to theCity. So that many of the Citizens went to thofe Meetings called pri- gate, more, than went to the publick Parifh Churches. § 40. Yet at the fame time it happily'alfo fell out that the Pariah Churches, that were left (landing, had the heft and ableft of the Conformifts in them.; efpecially Dr. Stilfinfleet, Dr. Tillo fon, Mr. White, Dr. Ontram Dr. Patrick, Mr. Gifford, Dr. Whitchcot, Dr.Horton, Mr. Nell, &c. So thatthe moderatefort of the Citizens,heard either fort; in publickand private indifferently; Which thole on the one extreme reproached all Mens preaching fave their ownas being feditious Conventicles ; And thofe on the other extreme, would hear none that did Conform; Or if any heard them, they would never joyn with them in the Common prayersnor the Sacra- ments. § 45. Mr. Philip Nye before this (feting the Independents like to fall under the greater fufferings, if they refiifed to hear in publick) had written a Mannfcript to prove it lawful to hear Conformable Pariíh Minihers (but not medling with Com- mon Prayer or Sacraments). (For before the Wars in 5639 or i 64ohe and Mr.Tho- anas Goodwin, had fall'n off from hearing Or joyning in Common Prayer and Sacra- ments withthe Parifhes, and my Lord Say and Mr. Pi;n and fonhe others had gotthem to a difpute with Mr. john Ball, the Nonconformistwho as fame faith, utterly baffled them). But when Mr. Nye's Manufcript carne out, one Mr. Stoneham of their own partyconfuted it, maintaining that to hear the Conformable Minifers was a fin. And before that a Pamphlet came out in Mr.7obvGoodwin's namebefore his death, to provePrelatical Preachers to be no Teachers or Minihers of Chrift, and the Com- mon Prayer to he Idolatry : And a (harper than that to the fame porpore came out from ayoung hot fifth Monarchy Preacher of Worcefìerfhire called Mr. Brown. Which Mr. `ïohn rombes the Anabaptift anfwered, proving Parifh Communion lawful. To which Brown largely replyed, and Mr. Tombes made foie fhort defence. § 42. About this time they renewed the talk of liberty of Confcience (for their ordinary ends, to keep people in hopes) s Whereupon manywrote for it (efpecially Mir. `John Humfrees and Sir CharlesWolfley), andmany wrote againft it, as Dr. Perin- eh if, and others mo¡tlywithout Naines ; for the Conformists were now grown fo hardened as not only to do all themfelves that was required Of them, but alfo to think themfelves sufficient for the whole Minihcrial work through the Land, and not only toconfect to their filencing of their brethren, but alfo to oppofe their reftituti- oa, and write molt vehemently againft it, and against any toleration of them : So little do men know when they once enter into an Evil way, where they ¡hall flop. Not that it was fowith all, butwith too many, especially with molt of the young men, that were of pregnant wits, and ambitious minds, and had fet themfelves to feel: preferments. § 43. On which accounts agreat part of thofe that were called Latitudinarians be- gan tochange their temper, and to *amnia {blue malignity against thofe that were muchmore Religious than themfelves. At firft .they were only Cambridne Armini- Cece z aas,
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