The English nonconformity as under King Charles II and King James II truly stated and argued by Richard Baxter ; who earnestly beseecheth rulers and clergy not to divide and destroy the land and cast their own souls on the dreadful guilt and punishment of national perjury ...

THE True CASE OF THE English Nonconformity. In a DIALOGUE between A Silenced MINISTER and a LAWYER.

CHAP. I. The Introductory Conference.

Lawyer.

SIR, the danger of the Kings Dominions by our Irre∣ligious Contentions about Religion, possesseth the observers with just indignation; but all know not on whom to lay the blame; some lay it on the Bishops, and some on the Nonconformists, and some on both: I am unwilling to wrong any; but when I think of our danger, and hear that it is but Cere∣monies, and things indifferent for which you break the Law, and make a Schism in the Church, and weaken us by divisions; I cannot but think you deeply guilty.

Minister.

How long have you so judged?

L.

These twenty years, ever since you were put out.

M.

Did you ever by Reading and Conference with those that

you censure, acquaint your self truly with their Case.

L.

I have seen some of your Books, but I have not talkt much of these matters with any of you, but I read and hear from the Doctors of the Church what you are, and what you hold.

M.

Will you take us to be the just reporters what they are and hold?

L.

No, you are Adversaries and partial.

M.

And are not they as much so to us? Is not every man fit∣ter to profess his own Faith than his Adversary is? And have you done well to judge before you heard and tryed? Shall Judges do so on the Bench? Have you not all these years, continued guilty of false judging and uncharitableness, and that against a great number of the innocent? And if you every day prayed for for∣giveness but as you forgive, even an enemy and real injury, what have you done all this while in condemning the guiltless?

L.

Why have you not in Writing given the World just satisfacti∣on if you are guiltless? What sin have you proved to be in the Con∣formity required of you? I see no such proof.

M.

You know what penalties the Law layeth on any that de∣prave the Common-Prayer Books, and that all are Excommuni∣cate ipso facto, that do but affirm any thing to be against Gods Word, in any Office of your Church Government, in any Word or Ceremony in your Liturgy, &c. Can. 5. 6, 7, 8. And you know what follows Excommunication here. And you know that till of late years the Press was shut up to us: But have you seri∣ously read and studyed what is written by us? I my self have told you; 1. In a Book called A Plea for Peace, what things they be which Nonconformists take to be sinful in Conformity, and how great and hainous the sin is which they fear; and what sepa∣ration is unlawful and what is necessary. 2. In a full Treatise of Episcopacy I have shewed what Episcopacy we are for, and what we are against, and why, and what Antiquity held here∣about, and what we have to say to most of the Learned Men that have written for that Diocesan form, which we cannot approve 3. In an Apology, I have proved it our duty to Preach, though forbidden, as far as we are able, and mens necessities require it. 4. In a second Plea for Peace, I have fully given the World an account of our Doctrine, of Magistrates Power and Subjects Duties in matters Civil and Ecclesiastical, &c. 5. In a Treatise

of Church Concord, I have fully proved that the Primitive simpli∣city in things divine, few, plain and sure is the only possible mat∣ter of Universal Christian Unity and Concord. I know not of any one of these that are Answered, or any thing like an Answer to them written, save that to some part of the first, some meer impertinent noise was made by some one that is confuted.

L.

We that have other Employment have not leisure to read so many tedious Writings: Tell us your Case in a few words if you would have us understand you.

M.

Did you get your skill in Law by so easie and so short a Study? Or is any kind of Knowledge so easily got, where Con∣troversie hath drowned the matter in contradicting words. You know that it is multitudes of Volumes that are written on the other side: And it's impossible to Answer them all in a few words: And if they be unanswered, they will say, we have done nothing. But had you as seriously studyed but one or two of these Books, (e.g. my first Plea for Peace, and Treatise of Episcopacy) as you do Law Books, I scarce think you would have been long unsatis∣fied. But if indeed you have no time to hear, read and study, say also you have no time to know or judge: And no more cen∣sure what you know not.

L.

How comes your Case to be so little understood if you have done so much to open and justifie it?

M.

You may know by your self. 1. Men study their own matters in which they feel themselves concerned; and as for ours they think they are not much concerned to know them. 2. At least not at the rate of any hard and diligent study, which nei∣ther love nor necessity leads them to. 3. Most are strangers to us, even they that dwell near us, and converse not with us. 4. The rather because that as we are out of the rising way, and are under publick discountenance, and banished from Corporati∣ons, and much from converse with men of publick place and in∣terest, so our familiarity is become fearful, lest it brings those that are familiar with us into suspicion. 5. And they converse with those that through Ignorance or Malice do describe us and our Cause and Books, as they would have all men think of us; and it is not good manners or safe to contradict them. And so the notice of our Mind and Case must be received, not from us, but from our accusers. Do you observe this method in West∣minster

minister-Hall. 6. And how much interest can byas mens judg∣ments, common experience too easily tells us: They that are uppermost seldom want applauders, nor dejected men accusers. Every School-boy can tell you out of Ovid. de Trist. Dum fueris foelix multos numerabis amicos: Nullus ad amissas ibit amicus opes. Aspicis ut veniunt ad candida tecta Columbae: Accipiet nullas sor∣dida turris aves. A few serious Believers that look for a more righteous and important judgment after death, do not lose the treasure of Truth and Innocency in Shipwrack, it being as near them as themselves: But caetera fortunae non mea turba fuit.

L.

But if there be no cause, how come you to be so odious to others?

M.

If you that dwell in England cannot answer that your self, when you have taken a survey of the quality and lifes of them that hate us, and them that they hate, and of their distinct in∣terests and motives, I will not answer it to you?

L.

But whence is it that Clergy-men of the same Profession so much disagree?

M.

The former answer shall serve to this: Whence is it that the Clergy by disagreement about Opinions and Superiority have broken the whole Christian World into that state of doleful divi∣sion, in which in Asia, Africa and Europe, it lyeth to this day? If you know not read the History of the Church.

L.

Which part of you soever is guilty, the guilt must needs be very hainous, when the Preachers of the Gospel of Love and Peace, so hate each other, and perswade all to do the like, and will not let the World be quiet.

M.

No doubt but Love and Concord are so great Duties and Blessings, and there is so much of Satan in the contrary, that you can hardly aggravate the guilt too much. If it were better for that man that offendeth or stumbleth one of the least, that he had never been born, or he had been cast with a millstone about his neck into the Sea; what a case are these Church Pastors in that tear the Church, and Preach down Love, and harden thousands in Ungodliness and Cruelty, and endanger the loss of Religion to the Land.

L.

If I knew which of you had done most for Love an Peace, and least against them, I should know to whom to impute our troubles.

M.

We justifie not our selves, and we leave others to their judge: We have deserved worse from God, than we have suf∣fered. But we must say; 1. That we impose not our words, our books, our forms, our different rites on any, nor would do, by violence, had we power: We put no Oaths, Subscriptions, Convenants, Professions or Practices doubtful upon any: To them that tell us we did so in former times, we still say, let them use no other so but those that used them so, and we are satisfied: I know not six in England of all the present Nonconformists that did so: We are not for Silencing or Imprisoning them, nor for∣bidding them to worship God: In 1660 we motioned no change of Church Government, which should take down any of their Lordships Maintenance or Episcopal Power, but only Arch-Bishop Vshers Draught of the antient Episcopacy, and thankfully ac∣cepted what the King then granted in his Declaration of Eccle∣siastical Affairs. 2. We never craved Preferment of them, but leave to serve Christ and his Church in the Office which we were Vowed to. We certainly knew what impediments hindered the desired Unity, and what divisions must needs follow were they not removed, which by others they might easily have been, with∣out cost or danger. We Pleaded, we Wrote, we Petitioned, and Beg'd for Peace, even for that which the King had granted: And what could we do more? Since then above twenty years we have laboured as we could, sometime to few, and sometime to more; and have patiently lived upon Charity, and suffered—I need not tell you what.

L.

But why could not you Conform to the Law as well as they?

M.

1. Can men believe what others list because they bid us? Is there nothing that you or they would refuse if it be but com∣manded you? What use have we for a Law of God then? If we must disobey it as oft as we are bid, that were to renounce God, and all Religion and Salvation. And we have not our own understandings at command; we have offered them our Oaths these twenty years, that we would obey them in all, except at the rate of sinning and damnation.

2. And if we had done as they did we must have profest our Assent and Consent to all things contained in and prescribed by a Book which we never saw: For so did we suppose above seven thousand men, the Book not coming out of the Press till about the

day that they were so to Assent to it, Aug. 24. so that no doubt they did it on an implicite trust in others; except the few that were in or near London: This fully shews that, though almost all the nine thousand or more Ministers that were in possession when the King came in, did before conform to the way of the Directo∣ry, and not to the Common-Prayer Book, yet there was a great latent difference between the seven thousand that conformed, and the two thousand that did not.

L.

But seeing all the stress lyeth upon the question, Whether it be only things Lawful, indifferent or good, which you refuse, or any thing which God forbiddeth: I pray tell me plainly, what it is that you take to be sinful in the Conformity required? And what it is that you would have as necessary in its stead.

M.

I will tell you on these Conditions; 1. That you pardon me for repeating here what I have already written. 2. That you bring not your self a Conscience so laxe as will take nothing for sin, which men use to make light of, though God forbid it, and then think that our Consciences should be as wide as yours. 3. That we may premise the things presupposed as agreed on.