:'514 'The HISTORY of the PuRITANs; Vot 1T. hKing 11 They conclude thus, " We are fo far from believing that his majefl:}i's ··C arles ' " d r. d' h ' 'ft d d "! I 1660, , c?n e1cen mg to t e mm1 ers . eman s, w1l ta {.e away not only our ,~ ' differences, but the roots and caufes of them, that we are confident ·cc it will prove the feminary of new differences, both by giving diffatif. <c faction to thofe that are well pleafed with what is already efl:ablil11ed, " who are much the greateft part of his majefty's fubjects; and by en– •• couraging unquiet fpirits, ~vhen thefe things lhall be granted, to make ·« further demands; there bemg no affurance by them given, what will " content all diffenters, than which nothing is more neceffary for fettling " a firm peace in the church." '/iljlraEI of About a week after, the pre!byterian divines fent the bilhops a warm re– the pre!byte• monftrance, and defence of their propofals, drawn up chiefly by Mr. Bax· nans ~efence ter to the following purpofe, . of thezr pr~· ' pofals. K. Chr, p. 205, Baxter, part [I, p. Z48, Concerning the preamble. '' We are not infenfible of the danger of the church, through the doe~ " trinal errors of thofe with whom we differ about points of government " and worlhip; but we choofe to fay nothing of the party that we are " agreed with in doctrinals, becaufe we both fubfcribe the fame holy fcrip– ,, tures, articles of religion, and books of homilies; and the contradictions " to their own confeffions, which too many are guilty of, we did no~ ~· think juft to charge upon the whole,'' Concerning church-government. •• Had you read Gerjon, Bucer, Parker, Baynes, Salmafus, Blonde/, n &c. you would have feen juft reafon given for our diffent from the ec-: «~ clefiaftical hierarchy as fiated in England." Ir!}lances of things amifi, •• You would eafily grant tha~ diocefes are too great, !f you had ev:r " confcionably tried the tafk. wh1ch Dr. Hammond defcnbeth as the bl– " lhop's work; or had ever believed Ignatius, and .other antient def– " criptions of a bilhop's church. You cannot be 1gnorant, that our " bilhops have the foie government of paflors and people; that the •• whole power of the keys is in their hands, and that their preibyters •' ·~re but cyphers.". •
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