Baxter - BV669 B3 1681

s7> So alfo in Societies ; thewhole world, or a Kingdom is too big to be a F'á- roily : And a Family is too little to bea Kingdom. Pag e,Victu, Civitas, Reg- neon differ principally in their Ends, and next in their Quantity of the fubjed{ matter, becaufe every quantity is not capable ofthe fame Effential End. Thefe things being premifed, for the ufe offilch ignorant Lads only as know them not, who may pofïibly fludy the controverts, I proceed tomy proofs. L And I will begin ( though it be weakeff in it fell) withan Argument adhominem; For with the men that I nowdeal with, I (hall take that to be the moll effo tual argument, which is fetcht from their intereft, and fitted to their wills. I remember that once when anArmy was refolved for Liberty ofCon- fcience, forall that profeffed the fundamentals of faith in God by Jefbe Chrìft, and the Parliament appointed fome of us to draw up a Catalogue of funda- mentals, ( which I thought was bell done by giving them theSacramental Co- venant, the Creed, Lords Prayer, and Decalogue ) a good man, ( with o- thers ofhis mind ) would needs have many more fundamentals, than I was for, and among others; (That to allow our felves or others in known fin, is irtcon- fij2'ent with falvation ( or is damnable ) I told him that I would not difpute againu it, but undertake to make him call it by without diCpute : And when they would not believe me, but went on, I did all that I promifed prefcntly with telling them,Youknow that the.Parliament takeindependency to be afin; and they will fay, Ifwe allow or tolerate them, they here pronounce the fen- tence of damnation onus under their own hands] Dictum faliwn ; wehad no more of that fundamental. I have greater confidence ofprevailing with Diocefans by filch an argument: In taking the Covenant, in the Wellminffer Affembly,it would not pats till the parenthcfis defcribing the Englishfpecies ofPrelacy was inferted ; becaufe many declared that they were not againft all Epifcopacy, but only the prefent English f ecies. Accordingly thole that took the Covenant in that fenfe, take not themfelves bound to endeavour the extirpation of all Epifcopacy but only of that fpecies : And they that would have conformed on the terms of the Kings Declaration about Ecclefiaflical Affairs, went on this fuppofìtion that the f eeies of Prelacy, was altered by. it. Now I put thefe quel}ions to the Diocefans. &O. r. Ifa L7îurper by power fhould take down all the Diocefans (and their lands, Lordíhips, and Courts) and turn them into Parilh Bithops, and fay, I alter not thefpecies but the degree, would they believe him? 9_ge)l. 2. If one that thinketh himfelfobliged by the Vow or. Covenant againft this fpecies only, fhould think that heanfvereth his obligation, if he procure no other alteration than is made in the Kings forenamed Declaration, would they tell him, You alter not thefpec'ies unlefs you totally extirpate Epifcopacy : ( fuppotng that he had power todo it.) o ft.; 3._ Seei igmoil that we fpeak with who con- form, and who take or plead for the c , 'ct Oath [Never to endeavour any al- teration ofChurch Government ] do tell no that the meaning is only that wewill not endeavour to alter the prefent fpecies, which is Epifcopaeÿ, and not the ap- purtenances, as Chancellors, &c. I ask; If it lhould pleafe the King to take down

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