Baxters Narrative of His Life and Times, Part 2 · Section 11 · Letter 2
CHARLES the Second, by the Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. To our trusty and wellbeloved the most Reverend Father in God accepted Archbishop of York, the Right Reverend Father in God Gilbert Bishop of London, Iohn Bishop of Durham, Iohn Bishop of Rochester, Henry Bishop of Chichester, Humphrey Bishop of Sarum, George Bishop of Worcester, Robert Bishop of Lincoln, Benjamin Bishop of Peterburgh, Bryan Bishop of Chester, Richard Bishop of Carlisle, Iohn Bishop of Exeter, Edward Bishop of Norwich, and to our trusty and well-beloved the Reverend Antbony Tuckny Dr. in Divinity, Iohn Conant Dr. in Divinity, William Spurstow Dr. in Divinity, Iohn Wallis Dr. in Divinity, Thomas Manton Dr. in Divinity, Edmund Calamy Batchelour in Divinity, Richard Baxter Clerk, Arthur Iackson Clerk, Thomas Case, Samuel Clark, Matthew Newcomen Clerks, and to our trus…y and well-beloved Dr. Earles Dean of Westminster, Peter Heylin Dr. in Divinity, Iohn Hacket Dr. in Divinity, Iohn Barwick Dr. in Divinity, Peter Gu…ing Dr. in Divinity, Iohn Pierson Dr. in Divinity, Thomas Pierce Dr. in Divinity, Anthony Sparrow Dr. in Divinity, Herbert Thorndike Batchelour in Divinity, Thomas Horton Dr. in Divinity, Thomas Iacomb Dr. in Divinity, William Bates, Iohn Rawlinson Clerk, William Cooper Clerk, Dr. Iohn Lightfoot, Dr. Iohn Collins, Dr. Benjamin Woodbridge, and William Drake Clerk, Greeting. Whereas by our Declaration of the Five and twentieth of October last concerning Ecclesiastical Affairs, we did amongst other things express an esteem of the Liturgy of the Church of England, contained in the Book of Common Prayer, and yet since we find some Exceptions made against several things therein, we did by our said Declaration declare we would appoint an equal number of Learned Divines of both Perswasions, to review the same, and to make such Alterations therein as shall be thought most necessary; and some additional Forms in the Scripture phrase, as near as might be, suited to the nature of the several Parts of Worship, we therefore in accomplishment of our said Will and Intent, and of our continued and constant Care and Study for the Peace and Unity of the Churches within our Dominions, and for the removal of all Exceptions and Differences, and Occasions of Differences, and Exceptions from amongst our good Subjects for or concerning the said Book of Common Prayer, or any thing therein contained, do by these our Letters Patents require, authorize, constitute and appoint you the said accepted Archbishop of York, Gilbert Bishop of London, Iohn Bishop of Durham, Iohn Bishop of Rochester, Henry Bishop of Chichester, Humphrey Bishop of Sarum, George Bishop of Worcester, Robert Bishop of Lincoln, Benjamin Bishop of Peterburgh, Bryan Bishop of Chester, Richard Bishop of Carlisle, Iohn Bishop of Exeter, Edward Bishop of Norwich, Anthony Tuckney, Iohn Conant, William Spurstow, Iohn Wallis, Thomas manton, Edmund Calamy, Richard Baxter, Arthur Iackson, Thomas Case, Samuel Clark and Matthew Newcomen, to advise upon and review the said Book of Common Prayer, comparing the same with the most ancient Liturgies which have been used in the Church, in the primitive and purest Times: And to that end to assemble and meet together, from time to time, and at such times, within the space of four Kalender Months now next ensuing, in the Masters Lodgings in the Savoy in the Strand in the County of Middlesex, or in such other place or places as to you shall be thought fit and convenient, to take into your serious and grave Considerations, the several Directions, Rules and Forms of Prayer, and Things in the said Book of Common Prayer contained, and to advise and consult upon and about the same, and the several Objections and Exceptions which shall now be raised against the fame. And if occasion be, to make such reasonable and necessary Alterations, Corrections and Amendments therein, as by and between you and the said Archbishop, Bishops, Doctors, and Persons hereby required and authorized to meet and advise as aforesaid, shall be agreed upon to be needful or expedient for the giving Satisfaction unto tender Consciences, and the restoring and continuance of Peace and Unity, in the Churches under our Protection and Government. But avoiding, as much as may be, all unnecessary Alterations of the Forms and Liturgy wherewith the People are already acquainted, and have so long received in the Church of England. And our will and pleasure is, that when you the said Archbishop, Bishops, Doctors and Persons authorized and appointed by these our Letters Patents, to meet, advise and consult upon about the Premises aforesaid, shall have drawn your Consultations to any Resolution and Determination which you shall agree upon as needful or expedient to be done for the altering, diminishing …r enlarging the said Book of Common Prayer, or any part thereof, that then you forthwith certifie and present unto us in Writing, under your several Hands, the Matters and Things whereupon you shall so determine, for our Approbation. And to the end the same, or so much thereof as shall be approved by us, may be established. And forasmuch as the said Archbishop and Bishops, having several great Charges to attend, which we would not dispense with, or that the same should be neglected upon any great occasion whatsoever, and some of them being of great Age and Infirmities, may not be able constantly to attend the Execution of the Service and Authority hereby given and required by us in the Meetings and Consultations aforesaid, We Will therefore, and do hereby require and authorize you the said Dr. Earles, Peter Heylin, Iohn Hacket, Iohn Barwick, Peter Gunning, Iohn Pearson, Thomas Pierce, and Anthony Sparrow, and Herbert Thorndike, to supply the place or places of such of the said Archbishop and Bishops (other than the said Edward Bishop of Norwich) as shall by Age, Sickness, Infirmity, or other occasion, be hindred from attending the said Meeting or Consultations, (That is to say) that one of you the said Dr. Earles, Peter Heylin, Iohn Hacket, Iohn Barwick, Peter Gunning, Iohn Pearson, Thomas Pearce, Anthony Sparrow, and Herbert Thorndike shall from time to time supply the Place of each one of them, the said Archbishop and Bishops, other than the said Edward, Bishop of Norwich, which shall happen to be hindred, or to be absent from the said Meeting or Consultations, and shall and may advise, and consult, and determine, and also certifie and execute, all, and singular the Power and Authority before mentioned, in and about the Premises as fully and absolutely, as such Archbishop or Bishops, which shall so happen to be absent, should or might do by Vertue of these our Letters Patents, or any thing therein contained, in case he or they were personally present. And whereas in regard of the Distance of some, the Infirmities of others, the multitude of constant Imployments, and other incidental Impediments; some of you the said Edward Bishop of Norwich, Anthony Tuckney, Iohn Conant, William Spurstow, Iohn Wallis, Thomas Manton, Edmund Calamy, Rich. Baxter, Arthur Iackson, Thomas Case, Samuel Clarke, and Matthew Newcomen may be hindred from the constant Attendance in the Execution of the Service aforesaid, We therefore will, and do hereby require and authorize you the said Tho. Horton, Thomas Iacomb, William Bates, Iohn Rawlinson, William Cooper, Iohn Lightfoot, Iohn Collins, Benjamin Woodbridge, and William Drake to supply the Place or Places of such the Commissioners last above mentioned, as shall by the means aforesaid, or any other Occasion be hindred from the said Meeting and Consultations (that is to say) that one of you the said Thomas Horton, Thomas Iacomb, William Butes, Iohn Rawlinson, William Cooper, Dr. Lightfoot, Dr. Collins, Mr. Woodbridge, and Mr. Drake shall from time to time supply the Place of each one of the said Commissioners last mentioned, which shall happen to be hindred, or be absent from the Meetings and Consultations, and shall and may advise, consult and determine, and also certifie and execute all and singular the Powers and Authorities before mentioned, in and about the Premises, as fully and absolutely as such of the said last mentioned Commissioners which shall so happen to be absent, should or might do by vertue of these Our Letters Patents, or any thing therein contained, in case he or they were personally present.
In Witness whereof we have caused these our Letters to be made Patents. Witness Our self at Westminster, the five and twentieth Day of March, in the Thirteenth Year of Our Reign.
Per ipsum Regem Boocker.
Note that Dr. Roger Drake's Name being miswritten William Drake, he there fore went not publickly with us.
§ 171. A Meeting was appointed, and the Savey (the Bishop of London's Lodgings) named by them for the Place. There met us Dr. Frewen, Archbishop of York; Dr. Sheldon, Bishop of London; Dr. Morley, Bishop of Worcester; Dr. Saunderson, Bishop of Lincoln; Dr. Cosins, Bishop of Durham; Dr. Hinchman, Bishop of Salisbury; Dr. Walton, Bishop of Chester; Dr. Lany, Bishop of Peterborough; Dr. King, Bishop of Rochester; Dr. Sterne, Bishop of Carlisle (but the constaniest Man after was, Dr. Gauden, Bishop of Exeter). On the other side there met, Dr. Reignolds, Bishop of Norwich, Mr. Clerk, Dr. Spurstow, Dr. Lightfoot, Dr. Wallis, Dr. Manton, Dr. Bates, Dr. Iacomb, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Rawlinson, Mr. Case and my self. The Commission being read, the Archbishop of York (a peaceable Man) spake first, and told us, that he knew nothing of the Business, but perhaps the Bishop of London knew more of the King's Mind in it, and therefore was fitter to speak in it than he. The Bishop of London told us, that it was not they, but we that had been the Seekers of this Conference, and that desired Alterations in the Liturgy; and therefore they had nothing to say or do, till we brought in all that we had to say against it in Writing, and all the additional Forms and Alterations which we desired. Our Brethren were very much against this Motion, and urged the King's Commission, which requireth us to [meet together, advise and consult]: They told him that by Conference we might perceive as we went what each would yield to, and might more speedily dispatch, and probably attain our End; whereas Writing would be a tedious, endless Business, and we should not have that Familiarity and Acquaintance with each others Minds, which might facilitate our Concord. But the Bishop of London resolutely insisted on it, not to do any thing, till we brought in all our Exceptions, Alterations and Additions at once. In this I confess, above all things else, I was wholly of his Mind, and prevailed with my Brethren to consent; but I conjecture, upon contrary Reasons. For I suppose he thought that we should either be altogether by the Ears, and be of several Minds among our selves, at least in our new Forms; or that when our Proposals and Forms came to be scanned by them, they should find as much Matter of Exception against ours, as we did against theirs; or that the People of our Persuasion would be dissatisfied or divided about it: And indeed our Brethren themselves thought either all, or much of this would come to pass, and our Disadvantage would be exceeding great. But I told them the Reasons of my Opinion: 1. That we should quickly agree on our Exceptions, or offer none but what we were agreed on. 2. That we were engaged to offer them new Forms (which was the Expedient which from the Beginning I had aimed at and brought in, as the only way of Accommodation, considering that they should be in Scripture Words, and that Ministers should choose which Forms they would.) 3. That verbal Disputes would be managed with much more Contention. 4. But above all, that else our Cause would never be well understood by our People, or Foreigners, or Posterity; but our Conference and Cause would be misreported and published as the Conference at Hampton-Court was to our Prejudice, and none durst contradict it. And that what we said for our Cause, would this way come fully and truly to the Knowledge of England and of other Nations; and that if we refused this Opportunity of leaving upon Record our Testimony against Corruptions, for a just and moderate Reformation, we were never like to have the like in hast again. And upon these Reasons I told the Bishops that we accepted of the Task which they imposed on us; yet so as to bring all our Exceptions at one time, and all our Additions at another time, which they granted.
§ 172. When we were withdrawn, it pleased our Brethren presently to divide the undertaken Work: The drawing up of Exceptions against the Common-Prayer, they undertook themselves, and were to meet from day to day for that end: The drawing up of the Additions or new Forms they imposed upon me alone, because I had been guilty of that Design from the beginning, and of engaging them in that piece of Service (and some of them thought it would prove odious to the Independents, and others who are against a Liturgy as such): Hereupon, I departed from them, and came among them no more till I had finished my Task (which was a Fortnight's time). My leisure was too short for the doing of it with that Accurateness, (which a Business of that Nature doth require) or for the consulting with Men or Authors: I could not have time to make use of any Book, save the Bible and my Concordance (comparing all with the Assemblies Directory, and the Book of Common-Prayer, and Hammond L'Estrange.) And at the Fortnight's end I brought it to the other Commissioners.
§ 173. And here for the better understanding of this Work, I must give the Reader these few Advertisements.
1. That one of my chief Reasons for the doing of this Work was, that if really the Declaration were in force and executed, our Brethren that scrupled the use of the Common Prayer, might have the Liberty of using such Forms taken out of the Word of God, which they need not Scruple.
2. And another was, That the Nation might see that in our Desires of reforming the Liturgy we were not for none, or for a worse.
3. That it might be a standing Witness to Posterity, both against the Sectarians, who would have all Reformers run into Extreams, and against our Slanderrers who would make the World believe that we do run into Extreams, and are against all Liturgies, and a Record that once such a thing was proposed which we could our selves agreee in.
4. I made it an intire Liturgy, but might not call it so, because our Commission required us to call it Additions to, or Alterations of the Book of Common Prayer.
5. I put in the Directive Part called Rubricks, that the rest might not be unintelligible, and the whole defective.
6. I put in the Forms and Order of Discipline, partly because else we should never have had Opportunity therein to express our Minds; and partly because indeed it belongeth to the Integrity of the Work, and to shew the difference between their kind of Discipline in Chancellors Courts, and ours by Pastors in Christian Congregations.
7. Note that the method of the Litany and general Prayers, is according to the Direction of the Lord's Prayer, of which and the Ten Commandments it is a Commentary. The first Commandment falleth in with the Preface, and the three first Petitions of the Lord's Prayer: All the other Commandments, with the Evangelical Precepts, come in under the third Petition, Thy Will be done; and then I proceeded to the other three Petitions and the Conclusion. Doubtless the Lord's Prayer is the most perfect method for universal Prayer or holy Desires, that can be possibly invented.
§ 174. When I brought my Draught to the Brethren, I found them but entring on their Work of Exceptions against the Common-Prayer, and so I was fain to lay by mine above a Fortnight longer, till their work was done: In which divers of them took their Parts. The chief Actors in that part were, Dr. Reignolds, Dr. Wallis, Mr. Calamy, Mr. Newcomen, Dr. Bates, Mr. Clarke, Dr. Iacomb, &c. Dr. Horton never came among us at all, nor Dr. Tuckney (alledging his backwardness to speak, though he had been the Doctor of the Chair in Cambridge) nor Dr. Lightfoot but once or twice; nor Mr. Woodbridge but twice or thrice (dwelling far off): Mr. Clarke brought in that large Enumeration of Corruptions in the Liturgy recited in the Abridgment of the Lincolnshire Ministers; but it was refused, because we would be as little querulous as possible, lest it should offend, and hinder our desired Accommodation: and what Passages soever seemed to make the Common-Prayer-Book odious, or savour of Spleen and Passion, they did reject whoever offered them. My principal Business was to keep out such Accusations as would not bear weight, and to repress the Opinions of one of the Brethren (who came from far, and so came not till late among us) who was absolutely against all parts of the Common-Prayer, because they had been used by Papists to Idolatry. And I drew up such Faults as in perusing the Common-Prayer-Book it self, did occur to me; and which were they which I most disliked in the Forms; being not so much offended with some other things, as some others were: But the Brethren reduced it to a few brief Exceptions in general, and would not by so particular an Enumeration of Faults provoke those that we had to do with (which I misliked not). But from the begining I told them that I was not of their Mind who charged the Common-Prayer with false Doctrine, or Idolatry, or false Worship in the Matter or Substance, nor that took it to be a Worship which a Christian might not lawfully join in, when he had not Liberty and Ability for better: And that I always took the Faults of the Common Prayer to be chiefly Disorder and Defectiveness: and so that it was a true Worship, though imperfect; and Imperfection was the Charge that we had against it (considered as distinct from the Ceremonies and Discipline). I looked at it as at the Prayers of many a weak Christian that I have heard, who prayed with Disorder and Repetitions and unfit Expressions: I would not prefer such a weak Christian in Prayer before a better; but yet if I separated from such an one, or thought it unlawful to join with him, I should be sinfully Curious and Uncharitable. And I think this was the Mind of all our Brethren, save one, as well as mine: And old Mr. Ash hath often told us, that this was the Mind of the old Nonconformists, and that he hath often heard some weak Ministers so disorderly in Prayer, especially in Baptism and the Lord's Supper, that he could have wish'd that they would rather use the Common-Prayer. Yet when we desired the Reformation of it, especially at a time when the Peoples Hearts were so much set against it, I thought it best to open the true Disorders that they might be reformed. The Paper which I offered, and we laid by, lest it should offend them, was this following.