Baxter - BV669 B3 1681

1150 to fay nothing of the notorious effe&s ofgrofs webaritablenefr, covétoufrrefr, and pride. Thefe and more than thefe are here. 2. And for the numberof timers ; i. Conje6lure ffy the number ofper- Ions : 2. And then by the commonnefsof the fins. I. I have before oft told you that fome Diocefeshave many hundred Parifhes, force above a thoufand ; and in the letter fort ofthefe Parilhes, commonly there are in force 5o, in moil too or 200 families ; and in the greater and Market Towns, there are in force of the letter about a oeo fouls, in the middle fort about 2600 or 3000 or 4000 ; and in the bigger about 5000 or 6000,and force few a0000 : And in the greatenParilhes ofallinLondon,fome 20oco, force 40000, force 50000, and it is Paid in force many thoufands more. 2. And for the fins, r.TheBi(hops themfelves fay,that Atheifin,lnfidelity,and derifion of Scripture and Religion abour Beth among firth as I will not name 2. They faythemfelves that Rebels, and Quakers, and Seekers, and Enthufrafis, &c. are fo many as that they know not what to do with them. 3. They fay themfelves that Papiis fo increafe, as that they give o,t their hopes to fwallow up all. 4. One fa,-t lo,-hamraticks, as being againit their intereft, they really exercife their power again(} : and find that this one fort are more than they know what to do with. 5. The number that malignantly labourto make allferioufnefr and diligence in feeling God,tobecomea fcprned hated thing, and make it to feem meer felf-conceitedncfsand hypocrifie, and tokeep people from obeyingGod, is fo great, as we cannot reckon them. 6. The number of thegrofly'gnorant is lamentably, great. 7.. Common fwearers andcurfers are ufually met with in our ordinary converfe. 8. How common drunkennefs is, let lamenting Parents, grieved wives, and beggered families tell you. g. Whe- ther fornicationandadultery (rarely heard oftill of late, comparatively) benow grown common,ifnot in falhion,I leave the Prelates themfelves to judge. ao.To pafs by allthe ref,Whetherferiouscredible Repentance(though not expreffed by the ancient fevere penances ) be now a common thing, for thefe or many other fins, I am content thatany Engli(h man be judge, that ever laboured to bring men toRepentance, andknoweth what Repentance is. 'And now by this conjeElure I. Howmany thoufands (I faynot the Bi(hop who puts it off, but ) the Lay-chancellor bath toRand at his bar at once, if difcipline were tolerably exercifed. 2. Howmany years, theaccufers and offen- ders were like to wait before a caute could beheard. 3. Or how fpiritually, powerfully, meltingly this Lay-man ( that never preached) is like todraw all. theft thoufands to Repentance. 4. What the Sinner and the Church (hall do till the yearcome that they can be heard. 5. Whether it be poflible for any fuck thing as true Patioral convietion, exhortation, difcipline, to be ever exercifed on them at all, whiled that new fins, even heinous ones are hill committed and the Bi(hop orChancellor or Surrogate, that had á thoufand, or ten thou- fandfinners at once to (peak to, when he could deal but with fix or feven in a day (if he did nothing elfe,) (half before hecan examine their cafes have thou- fands more ( oftheir and others) to examine. So thatnothingof this nature-canbe more notorious,than that our çontroverfie with,

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