Part III: Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter. 93 One Reafon more alfo, as additional, moveth me, That the People of Scotland would havefach jealousThoughts of a Stranger, efpeciallyat this time when Fame bath rung it abroad that I Conform, that I Ihould do little good among them, and efpecially when there are Men enough among themfelves, that are able, ifImpedi- meats werereasoned. Another Letter to the E. ofLauderdale. Scarce account him worthy the Name of a Man, much lefs of an Engijjfh-man, I and leanof all of a ChriJlian, who is not fenfible of the great Sinfulnefi and Ca- lamity ofour divided and ditradledCondition in his Majetty's Dominions. The Sin is a Compendium of very many heinous Crimes : The Calamity is i. The King's, to have the troubleandperil of Governing filch a divided People : a. The Kingdom's, to be as Guelphes and Gibelines, hating and reviling one another, and living in a Heart- War, and a Tongue-War, which are the Sparks that ufually kindlea Hand-War ; and 1 tremble to think, what a Temptation it is to Secret and to ForeignEnemies, to make Attempts against our Peace, and to read Infallibility it felt pronouncing it, a Maxim which the Devil himfelf is praftically acquainted with, That a Houfe or Kingdom divided againft it felfcannot nand. 3. The Churches : To have Paftors againR Pat-tors, and Churches againn Churches, and Sermons againn Sermons, and the Bithops to be accounted the perfidioufeft Enemies of the People's Souls, andthe Wolves that devour the Flock of Chrih ; and fo many of the People tóbe account- ed by Bithops to be Rebellious, Schifmaticks, and Fanaticks, whofe Religioufnefs and Zeal is the Plague of theChurch, and whofe ruineor depreffion is the Pafor's Interen, againn whom the molt vicious may be imployed, as being more trunyand obedient to the Orders of the Church ! How doleful a Cafe is it, that Chriftian Love, and delight in doing good to one another, is turned almoft every where into wrath andbitternefs, and a longing after the downfulof eachother; and tohear in mobCompanies, the edifying Language of Love and Chriftianity, turnedinto molt odious Defcripttons of each other, and into the pernicious LanguageofMalice and Calumny? It is to fober Men a wonderful fort ofwickednefs, that all this is foob- ninately perfifted in, even by thofe that decry the evil of it inothers : And toone fort all feemeth juftified, by Paying, that others are their Inferiours; and to the other by faying, that they are Perfecuted. And 'tis a wonderful fort of Calamity, which is fo much loved, that in theface of fach Light, and in thefore-fight of fuck Dangers, and in the prefent Experience of fach great ConculliionsandConfiniions, the Peace -killers willnot hold theirhands. My Lord, Many fober By-handers think, That this Sin might ceafe, and MK mifery be healed, at a very eafieRate, and therefore that it is not fo much Ignorance as Intereft, that hindereth the Cure : Andthey wonder who thofe Perfonsare who can take fach a State as this to be their Interen. Sure I am, ThatPeace-makers Shall be Melted as the Children of God; thatfafe and boneft Terms might eafìly be foundout, ifMenwere impartial and willing; and that he that Call be our Healer, will be our Deliverer ; and ifyour Lordlhip could be Inhrumental therein, itwould be a greater honour to you in theEftimation of the trueFriends of the King, and Kingdom and Church, and a greater Comfort toyour Confcience, than all worldly Greatnefs can afford. For the Means, I am not fo vain as to prefume to offer you any other Particulars, than to tell you, that I am perfuaded, That if therewere firft a Command from His Majefty to theBilhops of Chefter and Norwich on one fide, and two Peaceable Men on the other, freely to Debate and offer filch Expedients as they think molt proper to healall ourDivifions, they would foonagree : And when they had made that Preparation, iffome more furls Moderate Divines were joyned to
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=