Numb. IV. APP E N D I aX 9 ` or if Iliad, fhouldbe loathto befo bold todefire fuch a thing, unlefs I knew hew ' acceptable it would be to you. , Sir, the goodLord keep you and him who is TOURS, London, July rt: r6í9. Affeftionatey to ferve you, Will. Allen. To bit very Worthy, Good Friend, Mr. Rich. Baxter, in Kidderminfter. Dear Brother, ' ¡ Take my felfexceedingly beholdento you for your laft, it is fo plain and pure; e I ly Friendly. And though I feem by my Reply to excufe chofe things, whichI take it for a kindnefs to be told of, I bet ech you believe, that I fpeakbut ' my Heart, and the truth of my meaning. The Author of theSober Word I coin- ' mended : I never talkt of his being a Jefuit : His Affertionforced meto conclude, e that either he was of avery lamentable Underftanding, or elfe he wrote not as he e thought: One of thetwo mutt needs be true. Judge you whether a Chriftianof e good Underftanding can believe that Chrift came at the endof Four thoufand ' Years togather him a Church, and fettle Miniftry and Ordinances for Eighty or e a Hundred Years only, and fo to permit them to be extinguidted ! Is not this the ' next Step to Flat Infidelity? Is not a Chrift that comes on fo low a Defign, and e fettles aChurch of fo narrow aSpace and Ilion Continuancenext to noChurch? ' Imuft profefs, if I believed this to Day, I fltould be an Infidel to Morrow: Be- ' fides the plainnefi of Scripture against it. But that this Author is no Dullard, is ' apparent by hisingenuous Writing : I meet with few that err fofar, that write in ' fo clear and judicious a Stile ; So that I frill profefs, be he what he will, I much ' value the clearnefs of the Author. Being then in aneceffrty of judginghim ei- ther lamentablyweak(andworfe)or elfe tobe one thatthinks better than he writes, Reafon andcharity commanded me to judge the latter tobemore likely : And that e likelihood is all that I have affected. But if he had rather that I judged much ' worfe of him (viz. that he bath as contemptible Thoughts of the Kingdom and Defign of Chrift as he expreffeth) if I may know his Mind I (hall content. Will ' you do me the Favouras totell me his Name? 4 To your other Objeáions : r. Not Infidels, but yet all Chriftians with us, ' that deny Infant Baptifm are commonly called Anabaptifis, and in that Senfe I didintend it : But fo as that I diftinguilh between Anabaptifis and meer Anabap- e tilts; fome are only Anabaptifts, and thole I diftinguifh from other Parties of ' their Mind ; fome are Anabaptifts and more, and thofe are commonly denomina- ted from the greateft Differences. The greater Error in the Denomination is to carry it before the lets. And yet (E. G.) a Quaker pleading againft Infant-Bap- 'tifm, ceafeth not tobe an Anabaptift, becaufe he is a Quaker, but yet is to Been- e tituled from the wont. And this diftinguifhed from meer Anabaptifts: Thisall ' know is the common Cuftom of Speech, and a Man Ihould not be well under- ' flood that departsfrom it. i. An after owning proveth guilty, though not Agents :, But I know well of e abundance in the Army (more thanyou mention that pleaded againft Infant Bap- ' tifm before, and I caneafily prove that (even the belt that ever I knew of) the Anabaptift Churchespetitioned for Jullice onthe King, and laboured for Hands from others to it. I am loath to Name Men publickly, and ftir in this,' leaft it occafion Offence : But I intreat you freely give me your Advice in it. I purpo- fed not to have anfwered Stabe's Vindication, and the Minifters commonly were ' the Caufe by diffuading me, laying none regarded it, and that I Ihould exafperatc e Sir H. V. againft them all for my fake. But now I am told that fame very honed Anabaptifis take it for granted, that I have written Untruths of Sir H. V and ' that I owe him a Recantation, and theyqueftion History that fpeaks againft them ' for my fake. ,HereuponI have changed my purpofe, and writ a plain Confute.- 'tion of Stabe's Vindication. Now I crave your Advice in Three Things, r, M a ' Whether
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