Baxters Narrative of His Life and Times, Part 2 · Section 10 · Letter 6
My Lord,
YOUR great Favour and Condescention encourages me to give you more of my Sense of the Business which your Lordship was pleased to propound. I was till I saw the Declaration, much dejected, and resolved against a Bishoprick as unlawful. But finding there more than on Octob. 22. his Majesty granted us (in the Pastor's Consent, &c. the Rural Dean with the whole Ministry enabled to exercise as much persuasive Pastoral Power as I could desire (who believe the Church hath no other kind of Power, unless communicated from the Magistrate) Subscription abated in the Universities, &c.) And finding such happy Concessions in the great point of Parochial Power and Discipline, and in the Liturgy and Ceremonies, &c. my Soul rejoiced in thankfulness to God and his Instruments, and my Conscience presently told me it was my Duty, to do my best with my self and others as for as I had Interest and Opportunity, to suppress all sinful Discontents; and having competent Materials now put into my Hands, (without which I could have done nothing) to persuade all my Brethren to Thankfulness, and obedient Submission to the Government. And being raised to some joyful hopes of seeing the Beginnings of a happy Union, I shall crave your Lordship's Pardon for presuming to tell you what farther endeavours will be necessary to accomplish it; 1. If your Lordship will endeavour to get this Declaration pass into an Act. 2. If you will speedily procure a Commission to the Persons that are (equally) to be deputed to that work, to review the Common-Prayer-Book, according to the Declaration. 3. If you will further effectually the Restoration of able, faithful Ministers (who have and will have great Interest in the sober part of the People) to a setled station of Service in the Church, who are lately removed. 4. If you will open some way for the ejection of the insufficient, scandalous and unable. 5. If you will put as many of our Persuasion as you can into Bishopricks (if it may be, more than three.) 6. If you will desire the Bishops to place some of them in inferior Places of trust; especially Rural Deanries, which is a Station suitable to us, in that it hath no Sallery or Maintenance, nor coercive Power, but that simple, pastoral persuasive Power which we desire: This much will set us all in joint.
And for my own part, I hope by Letters this very Week to disperse the Seeds of Satisfaction into many Countries of England. But my Conscience commanding me to make this my very Work and Business (unless the things granted should be reverst, which God forbid) I must profess to your Lordship, that I am utterly against accepting of a Bishoprick (as because I am conscious that it will over-match my sufficiency, and afright me with the remembrance of my Account for so great an Undertaking, &c. so) specially because it will very much disable me from an effectual promoting of the Churches Peace. As Men will question all my Argumentations and Persuasives, when they see me in the Dignity which I plead for, but will take me to speak my Conscience impartially, when I am but as one of them, so I must profess to your Lordship, that it will stop my own Mouth, so that I cannot for Shame speak half so freely as now I can (and will if God enable me) for Obedience and Peace, while I know that the Hearers will be thinking I am pleading for my self. Therefore I humbly crave,
1. That your Lordship will put some able Man of our perswasion into the place which you intend me (Though I now think that Dr. Reignolds and Mr. Calamy may better accept of a Bishoprick than I, which I hope your Lordship will promote). I shall presume to offer some Choice to your Consideration; Dr. Francis Roberts of Wrington in Somersetshire (known by his Works), Mr. Froyzal of Clun in Shropshire and Hereford Drocess (a Man of great worth and good interest), Mr. Daniel Cawdrey of Biiling in Northamptonshire, Mr. Anthony Burgess of Sutton-Coldfield in Warwickshire (all known by their printed Works); Mr. John Trap of Glocestershire, Mr. Ford of Exeter, Mr. Hughes of Plymouth, Mr. Bampfield of Sherborne, Mr. Woodbridge of Newbury, Dr. Chambers, Dr. Bryan and Dr. Grew both of Coventry, Mr. Brinsley of Yarmouth, Mr. Porter of Whitchurch in Shropshire, Mr. Gilpin of Cumberland, Mr. Bowles of Your, Dr. Temple of Brampston in Warwickshire: I need name no more.
2. That you will believe that I as thankfully acknowledge your Lordship's Favour, as if I were by it possessed of a Bishoprick: And if your Lordship continue in those Intentions, I shall thankfully accept it in any other state or relation that may further my Service to the Church and to his Majesty. But I desire for the forementioned Reasons that it may be no Cathedral Relation. And whereas the Vicar of the Parish where I have lived will not resign, but accept me only as his Curate, if your Lordship would procure him some Prehendary, or other place of Competent Profit (for I dare not motion him to any Pastoral Charge, or Place that requireth preaching), that so he might resign that Vicaridge to me, without his Loss, according to the late Act, before December, for the sake of that Town (of Kidderminster) I should take it as a very great favour. But if there be any great Inconvenience or Difficulties in the way, I can well be content to be his Curate. I crave your Lordship's pardon of this trouble (which your own Condescension hath drawn upon you) and remain
Your Lordships much obliged Servant, Rich. Baxter. Nov. 1. 1660.
I have presumed to tender you the inclosed List of desired Members of the Indian Corporation, supposing your Lordship will Name what Persons of higher Quality you see meet. And also the French Project with this of London for a Corporation for the Poor, that by such Generals you may be prepared to receive the Londoner's Petition when it is offered.
§ 124. Mr. Calamy blamed me for giving in my Denial alone, before we had resolved together what to do. But I told him the truth, that being upon other necessary Business with the Lord Chancellour, he put me to it on the sudden, so that I could not conveniently delay my Answer.
§ 125. And Dr. Regnolds almost as suddenly accepted it, saying, That some Friend had taken out the Conge d'eslier for him without his knowledge. But he read to me a Profession directed to the King, which he had written, wherein he professed that he took a Bishop and Presbyter to differ not ordine but gradu, and that a Bishop was but the Chief Presbyter, and that he was not to Ordain or Govern but with his Presbyter's Assistance and Consent, and that thus he accepted of the place, and as described in the King's Declaration, and not as it stood before in England, and that he would no longer hold or exercise it than he could do it on these terms]: To this sence it was; and he told me that he would offer it the King when he accepted of the place; but whether he did or not I cannot tell. He dy'd in the Bishoprick of Norwich An. 1676.
§ 126. On Friday Novemb. 2. being All-Souls-day, the Queen came in: And there were that day on the Thames three Tydes in about Twelve hours, to the common admiration of the People.
§ 127. Mr. Calamy long suspended his Answer, so that that Bishoprick was long undisposed of; till he saw the issue of all our Treaty, which easily resolved him. And Dr. Manton was offered the Deanery of Rochester, and Dr. Bates the Deanery of Coventry and Lichfield, which they both (after some time) refused: And, as I heard, Mr. Edward Bowles was offered the Deanery of York (at least) which he refused, (and not long after died of the stone).
§ 128. When the King's Declaration was passed, we had a Meeting with the Ministers of London called Presbyterian (that is, all that were neither Prelatical, nor of any other Sect,) to consult with them about their returning Thanks to the King for his gracious Declaration; that so it might appear that those that were not with us were thankful for it, as well as we. At the first Meeting the City Ministers first voted their Thanks to be given to us for our Labours in procuring it, Nemine contradicente: But old Mr. Arthur Iackson (a very worthy Man) and Mr. Crofton, spake against returning Thanks to the King: Not that they were not truly thankful; but because their Thanks, would signifie an approbation of Bishops and Archbishops which they had covenanted against. This I undertook to confute, by proving, that the Bishops and Archbishops in the King's Declaration are not ejusdem speciei with what they were before: And that there is the same Name, but not the same Thing; and withal by proving that the Covenant did not meddle against all Bishops and Archbishops, but only those of the English Diocesan Species: And that there was a Specifical Difference, I proved, in that by the King's Declaration the Essentials at least of Church-Government is restored to the Pastors, whereas before the Pastors had no Government; and this altereth all the Frame, as much, as if you let the Foundation. Walls, and Roof of your House stand, and all that is visible without, but within you pull down the Partitions and turn it into a Church. For before every Bishop was the lowest and sole Governour (with his Court and Consistory) of many hundred Churches: and now every Pastor is the lowest Governour of his Flock, and the Bishop is but the Superiour Governour of the lower Governours and the Flocks: and indeed are all Archbishops, though they have the Name of Bishops still. Most of the Ministers were satisfied, but to me remained unsatisfied to the end.
§ 129. But at the next Meeting, those that were satisfied resolved upon Thanksgiving to the King, and they drew up this following Writing.