Church Concord, Letter – Table of contents 2
To the UNITED Protestant Nonconformists IN LONDON.
THough I was, by the Confinement of decrepit Age, and Pain, hindred from having any part, in the Form or Contract of your Agreement, I think it my Duty to signifie my Sence of what you have done, and by the Publication of my old Endeavours of that Kind, to promote the Execution. I greatly rejoyce in your very Attempt: That God exciteth you to a practical desire of speedy healing our pernicious, shameful Strifes: Much more that you have so Skilfully made the present Plaister for the Wound: No man doth any thing so well, but it might be better done: You must look that it should be assaulted by Cavil and Reproach: Those that these Thirty Years have denied you Brotherly Communion with them, will be loth you should be thought to have any Union among your selves: And the Potent Schismaticks that to divert the Infamy from themselves, have Stigmatized you with their own Name, will be loth that your Concord should confute them: while you offer your Reasons to prove that what they make necessary terms of Ministration and Communion, would be to you if obeyed (not medling with them) no less than [deliberate Covenanted Perjury or Lying and renunciation of repentance and amendment of Church-Corruptions, and of the Law of Nature and Nations, and the Kingdoms Self-defence;] they must stretch their Wits, and gift of Tongue, to make all this seem but a melancholy or feigned Fear, and that it is but things indifferent that you refuse: As they call me Antiepiscopal, and against the Church, because I would have more Bishops over a Thousand or many Hundred Churches than One, and would have as many hands to do the work, at least as are necessary to the Hundredth part of it; and would have more Churches in a Diocess than one, and would have Incumbents to be Pastors and Rectors: But dreaming Men that build Cities, or Travel in their Sleep, can build more or go further in an hour (specially if they lye soft in a University or a Great man's House, than a waking Man can do in a Year or in his Life. My own Judgment of Episcopacy and Church Constitution I have oft Published, and you may see it in Lascitius and Commenius Books of the Bohemian Waldenses Church-Government.
Brethren, I hope you fix not your Bounds of Pacification, in the words or limits of this Form of Concord, with a ne plus ultra. Either (when I am dead) the Publick Church Doors will be unlock'd to your lawful Communion or not: If yea, it will be so great a Mercy, that the Prospect of a Possibility of it, will justifie my Publishing my old Reasons against unnecessary Antichurches, or Militant contentious Gatherings; But if God have not so much Mercy for this Land, but that the Doors be lock'd up against desired Concord, or Venient Romani, our Foreign Jurisdiction men will prevail to deliver up the Land to a pretended Universal Foreign Power, and make all believe that it is Treason to resist either a French or Irish Army, if they be but Commissioned to perform it; Then your Concord with such as are not Enemies to Peace, will be a comfortable help to your patient Sufferings, and may keep up some sparks of the Reformed Religion from being utterly extinguished: And while you dwell in the Secret of the most High, you may lodge under the shadow of the Almighty: And may enter into your Chambers, and shut the Doors on you, for a little moment till the indignation be over-past; and God be known by the Judgments which he executeth, when the wicked are insnared in the work of their own hands. Thus praying God to save you from violating the Concord you consent to, and from being perverted by the ignorant Dividing sort of Teachers or People, and that you will study Mr. Meade's Reasons against Division, well and seasonably urged, I bid you Farewel.
Your Quondam Fellow-Labourer, Ri. Baxter. London, April 23. 1691.
The Contents of the First Part.
Chap. I. THe Necessity of Concord, and Mischief of unnecessary Separations manifested, in Twenty of the ill Effects. Pag. 1.
Ch. II. What is Incumbent on the Pastors for the Prevention and Cure hereof. p. 13.
Ch. III. The first Difference with the Independents Reconciled, viz. Of the necessary qualification of Church Members. p. 15.
Ch. IV. The second Difference reconciled: Of a Church Covenant. p. 19.
Ch. V. The third Difference reconciled: Of the extent of a particular Church. p. 21.
Ch. VI. The fourth Difference reconciled, whether a particular Church hath Power in it self to Ordain and impose hands on their chosen Pastors. p. 23.
Ch. VII. The fifth Difference reconciled: Of the first subject of the Power of the Keys; Or of Right to Govern and Censure. p. 25.
Ch. VIII. The sixth Difference reconciled: Whether a Pastor of one Church may do the work of a Pastor in other Churches for that time, being called to it. p. 32.
Ch. IX. The seventh Difference reconciled: Whether each particular Church hath Power to exercise all Government and Church Ordinances within it self, without subjection to Synods or any other Clergy Governours as over them. p. 33.
Ch. X. The eighth Difference reconciled: Whether Lay-men may Preach in the Church; or as sent to gather Churches. p. 38.
Ch. XI. The ninth Difference reconciled: Whether the Parish Churches are true Churches. p. 41.
Ch. XII. The tenth Difference reconciled: Of taking Members out of other Churches, and of Gathering Churches in other mens Parishes. p. 42.
Ch. XIII. The sum of this Agreement reduced to Practice. p. 55.
The Contents of the Second Part.
Q. 1. VVHat are the necessary terms of Communion of Christians as Members of the Universal Church? p 62.
Q. 2. What are the necessary terms of the Communion of Christians personally in a particular Church?
Q. 3. What are the terms on which Neighbour Churches may hold Communion with one another?
Q. 4. What are the terms of Communion between the Churches of several Kingdoms? (Foreign Iurisdiction is confuted in another Book.)
Q. 5. What is the Magistrates Power and Duty about Religion and the Churches and Ministers of Christ: and the Peoples to Magistrates, (further opened in a Treatise of NATIONAL CHURCHES.)