Baxter - BX5207 B3 A2 1696

Numb.VII. APPENDIX Drench ; I mean; to none againft their wills : none but Volunteers or Confen- ters being capable of fo great Benefits according to Chrift the Donor's mind: But this requireth many Cautions, and belongeth not to the Cafe in hand. Numb. VII. A Letter of Mr. Baxter's about the Cafe of Nevil Symmons. SIR, '(( Thinknot the Confuting of any of the Calumnies that are call upon me by 1 Backbiters ( whether from Ignorance or Envy ) worth any great care or la- bout were it not for the fakeofthe Guilty themfelves , and others whom they ` may draw into the fame Guilt, or hinder from profiting by my Labours, in the Calling that Godbath placedme in. But I will not defpife all thefe fo much, as ` not to think them worthy the labour ofa few Lines. ` It is not long since fomeGentlemen at a Coffee-Houle affirmed , That I had ` kill'd a Man in cold Blood with my own Hand, that is, a Tinker beating his ` Kettle at my Door, and difturbing mein my Studies , I piftoll'd him , and was ` tried at Worceffer for my Life. But theft Gentlemen were fo ingenuous as to ask Forgivenefs, and confefs their Fault, and oneof themopenly to my Vindication. ` Though Dr. Boceasen, ParfonofSt. Giles's in the Fields, that in a printed Pam-. ' phlet led the way, never did fo. (Yet lived three or four years Sufpended, or. fuppofing himlelf Sufpended , and fo died ). Another ( caraâerized James ;. y ` reporteth that I am fohot a Difputant, that at a Gentleman's Table, I threw the Plate at him that I difputed with. The whole Story feigned ; nor did I ever ` know the leaf}occafion for the Report. The greateft Reproach that's laid on me, is by Conformiffs for not Conforming, or not giving over my Preaching and Minifiry : And if they accule mefor not turning Paptft, and for not giving o- ver Prayer as theydid Daniel, it would have thefame effeót with me. .But now comes anew one (my Sufferings are my Crimes) my Bookfelle Nevil Symmons, is broken, and it is reported that I am the Caufe, by the excel. five Rates that I took for my Books of him ; and a great Dean ( whom I much value) foretold that I. would undo him. Of all Crimes in the. World I leali ex- ' peEted to be aceufed of Covetoufnefs. Satan being the Mailer of this Defrgn, to hinder theSuccefs of my Writings whenI amdead, it is part of my warfare un- der Chrift to refill' him. I tell you therefore truly all my Covenants and Deal- ' ings with Bookfellers to this day. When I firft ventured-upon the publicationof my Thoughts, I knew nothing ` of the Art of Bookfellers. I did as an a& ofmeet kindnefs, offer my Book cal- ' led The Saints. Reff to Thomas Underbid and Francis Tyten to print , leaving the ` Matter of Profit without any Covenants to their Ingenuity. They gave me Ten pounds for the firft Imprellion, andTen pounds apiece, that is, Twenty pounds for every after Impreffion till x665. I had in the mean time altered the Book by ' the Addition of divers Sheets: Mr. Underhill dieth ; his Wife is poor: Mr 7yton ` hash Loffes by the Fire 1666. They never gave me nor offered me a Farthing ` for any Imprellion after, not fo much as one of the Books, but I was fain, out ' of my ownPurfe , to buy all that I gave to any Friend or poor Perlon that ask- ' ed it. ' This loofening me from Mr. *ton, Mr. Symmons ftept in, and told me, That Mr. Tyron Paid he had never got Three pence by me; and brought witnefs. `Hereupon I ufed Mr. Symmons only. When I lived at Kidderminffer, Tome had defamed me of a covetous getting many hundred pounds by the Bookfellers. I had till then taken of Mr. Underhill, Mr. Tyro; and Mr. Symmons ( for all fave ` the Saints Reff) the fifteenth Book, which ufuilly I gave away ; but ifany thing ` for Second Impreflions were due, I had little in Money from them, but in filch Books as Iwanted at their Rates. But whenthis Report of my great Gain came abroad,

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