Part III. `Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter. 9 thofe fame Men, who when Commiflioned with us to make filch 1ltcrations in the Liturgy as were necePry to fatisfie tender-Cenfciences]did maintain thatno alteration was heeeffary to fatisfie them , and did moreover contrary to all our importunity, make fo many new burdens of their own to be anew impofed on us , had now, littleto fay, but that they muft be obeyed, becaufe they are impofed. Before the impaling Lawswere made, they could by n_o means be kept from making them; that when they were made, they might plead Lam againft thofe that denied to ufe their Impofitions. Befote. the Law was made, they pleaded the Ceremonies and Formalities will be all duties when their is a Law made for them, Ergo. a Law !hall be made not only for them, but for fwearing, unfwearing, fubfcribing, declaring all things impofedtobe fo true, and fo good, thatwe affent and confent toall : And when the Laws aremade, then, O what Rebelsare thefe that will not obey theLaw ! Then they cry' out, If every Man !hall be Judge what is Lawful and (hall prefer his own -Wit above the Law, what is become. of Order and Government : How inconhfent are thefe Rebellious Principles with a Commonwealth, or any Rule or Peace. ] As if they knew not, that the fame words may be faid for obedience to the Laws about Religion under Lutfierans, Catvnifts, Arians, PapiJts, Turks, &c. And, if Hobbs Leviathan be not fet up a Magifts ate, that muff be Matter of oar_Religion, what fignifieth all this ? Yet had this talkbeen more ingenuous by Men that had found all thefe Laws, andcould not proc are them to be amended : But for thofe Men that Crib refolutely procure them for thefe ends, to plead them afterwards in this manner, . as the reason of all their A&ionsand violence, is like the Spider in the Fable, to make Webs with great Induftry to catch theFlies, and hang them in their way, and then to accufe. them of a mortalCrime forcoming into their Webs : Or to make Nets to catchthe Filly and take thorn in it, and then accnfe them for coming into their Nets. I fpeak not this of the Law-makers, but of the Prelatical Commiffioners before- mentioned, and their afterPra&ices. § 88. About this time, or before, came out a Book called Afriendly debate be- tween a Conformiff, añd Nonconformift, written,(as was doubted) by Dr. Simon Pa- trick,which made much talk; and a fecond part after that; and a third past, with an Appendix after that. He had beforewritten a Book called the Pr{yrim, which with many laudable things, . had Iharply pleaded that Obediencewaft enter the defini- tion of yujtf5ong . aith; and had cenfured tartly thofe that taught otherwife: And by this he incurredas [harp a cenfüre by many ofthe Nonconformilts : Some thought that this exafperated him ; others thought that without exafperation he followed his ownGenius and Judgment. He wasone óf thofe then called a Latitudinarian , a fq- ber, learned, able Man, that had written many things well, and was well e- nough effeemed. But this Book was fo dif-ingenuous and virulent as caufed molt ReligiousPeopletoabhoritforthe ftrainand tendency, and probable Effe&s. It cannot he denied, but that many godly, zealous Minifters are guilty of weaknefs of Judgment and expreffion, and that many miftakes are found among them (for who is it that bath no Errors ?) And it cannot be denied but that the greater number of thecommonPeople who are ferioully Religions and Confcionable, are yet much weaker in Judgment and Language than the Minifters : (Fof if fudden Converfion and Repentance as footsas it bathchanged a Man's mind, and will, and life, in the matters which his Salvation Beth on, did alfo poffefs him with all the exactnefs of Notionsand Language which Academicksattain to in many years Rudy, to what purpofe were Academies, and thofe Studies ? And thenit would be as miraculous a work as the finI gift of Tongues.) This Learned Man having met with the weak paffages of force Minifters (efpecially Mr.Brid'ge,and force of the then Inde- pendent Party, who in an exceRve oppofition to the Arminian fpake fomething unwarily, if not unfoundly under the pretence of extolling fret Grace) he fcrapes thefe together for matter of Reproach : And having heard the crude and un- meet Exprellions of many well-meaningWomen and unlearned private Men, e- fpecially, that are inclined molt to Self-conceitednefs, andunwarrantable fingularities and feparation, he bundlethup thefe, and bringeththem all forth in a way of Dia- logue between a Conformift and a Nonconformilt, inwhich he maketh the Noncon- formiflfpeak as foolilhly as he had a mind to reprefenthim,and only filchfilly things as he knew he could ealìly fhame. And while he pretendeth but to. humble the Nbnconformifts for over-valuing themfelves, and cenfnring others as Ungodly and erroneous, and tofltew themwhat errourn and weaknell'es are among themfelves, he
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