Baxters Narrative of His Life and Times, Part 2 · Section 12 · Letter 1
To the King's most Excellent Majesty:
The due Account and humble Petition of us Ministers of the Gospel lately Commissioned for the Review and Alteration of the Liturgy.
May it please your Majesty;
WHen this distempered Nation, wearied with its own Contentions and Divisions, did groan for Unity and Peace, the wonderful Providence of the most Righteous God appearing for the removal of Impediments, their Eyes were upon your Majesty, as the Person born to be, under God, the Center of their Concord, and taught by Affliction to break the Bonds of the Afflicted, and by Experience of the lad Effects of Mens Uncharitableness and Passions, to restrain all from Violence and Extremities, and keeping Moderation and Mediocrity, the Oyl of Charity and Peace. And when these your Subjects Desires were accomplished in your Majesty's peaceable possession of your Throne, it was the Joy and Encouragement of the Sober and Religions, that you began the Exercise of your Government with a Proclaimation full of Christian Zeal against Debauchery and Prophaneness, declaring also your dislike of [those who under pretence of affection to your Majesty and your Service, assume to themselves the liberty of Reviling, Threatning, and Reproaching others, to prevent that Reconciliation and Union of Hearts and Affections, which can only with God's Blessing make us rejoyce in each other]. Our Comforts also were carried on by your Majesty's early and ready Entertainment of Motions for Accommodation in these Points of Discipline and Worship in which we were disagreed, and your professed Resolutions to draw us together by Mutual Approaches, and publishing your Healing Declaration, which was received with the Thanks of your House of Commons, and the Applause of the People, and the special Joy of those that longed for Concord and Tranquility in the Church: In which your Majesty declareth so much Satisfaction in the Foundations of Agreement already laid, as that you [should think your self very unfortunate, and suspect that you are defective in the Administration of Government, if any Superstructures should shake these Foundations, and contract or lessen the blessed Gift of Charity, which is a Vital part of Christian Religion.] And as in the said gracious Declaration, your Majesty resolved to [appoint an equal number of Learned Divines of both Perswasions to review the Liturgy, and to make such Alterations as shall be thought most necessary, and some additional Forms (in the Scripture Phrase as near as may be) suited unto the nature of the several parts of Worship; and that it be left to the Minister's choice, to use one or other at his Discretion]; so in Accomplishment thereof, your Majesty among others, directed your Commission unto us for the review of [the several Directions, Rules, and Forms of Prayer, and things in the said Book of Common Prayer contained]: and [if occasion be, to make such reasonable and necessary Alterations, Corrections and Amendments therein, as by and between us shall be agreed upon to be needful or expedient for the giving of Satisfaction to tender Consciences, and the restoring and continuance of Peace and Unity in the Churches under your Protection and Government] and what we [agree upon as needful or expedient to be done, for the altering, diminishing or enlarging the said Book of Common Prayer, or any part thereof, forthwith to certifie and present it in Writing] to your Majesty.
In Obedience to this your Majesty's Commission, we met with the Right Reverend Bishops, who required of us, that before any Personal Debates, we should [bring in Writing, all our Exceptions against the Book of Common Prayer, and all the Additional Forms which we desired]: Both which we performed; and received from them an Answer to the first, and returned them our full Reply: The last Week of our time, being designed to Personal Conference, was at the Will of the Right Reverend Bishops spent in a particular Dispute by three of each part, about the sinfulness of one of the Injunctions, from which we desired to be free; and in some other Conference on the by. And though the Account which we are forced to give your Majesty of the Issue of our Consultations, is that, No Agreements are Subscribed by us, to be offered your Majesty, according to your Expectation; and though it be nono of our intent to cast the least unmeet Reflections upon the Right Reverend Bishops and Learned Brethren who think not meet to yield to any considerable Alterations to the Ends expressed in your Majesty's Commission, yet we must say, that it is some quiet to our Minds that we have not been guilty of your Majesty's and your Subjects disappointments, and that we account not your Majesty's gracious Commission, nor our Labour, lost, having Peace of Conscience in the discharge of our Duties to God and you: that we have been the Seekers and Followers of Peace, and have earnestly pleaded, and humbly petitioned for it; [and offered for it any price below the offence of God Almighty, and the wounding or hazard of our own, or of the Peoples souls; These underlined Passages were left out in that presented to the Kingand that we have in season born our testimony against those Extreams, which at last will appear to those that do not now discern it, to have proceeded from uncharitable mistake, and tended to the division and trouble of the Church: that whatever shall become of Charity, Unity and Concord, our Life, our Beauty, and our Bands, our Conserences tell us we have not deserted them, nor left any probable means unattempted, which we could discern within our power]. And we humbly beseech your Majesty to believe, that we own no Principles of Faction or Disobedience, nor Patronize the Errours or Obstinacy of any: It is granted us by all, that nothing should be commanded us by Man, which is contrary to the Word of God: that if it be, and we know it, we are bound not to perform it; God being the Absolute Universal Soveraign; that we must use all just means to discern the Will of God, and whether the Commands of Man be contrary to it: that if the Command be sinful, and any through the neglect of sufficient search, shall judge it lawful, his culpable Errour excuseth not his doing of it from being sin: and therefore as a reasonable Creature must needs have a Judgment of discerning, that he may rationally obey, so is he with the greatest care and diligence to exercise it in the greatest things, even the obeying of God and the saving of our Souls; and that where a strong probability of great sin and danger lyeth before us, we must not rashly run on without search; and that to go against Conscience, even where it is mistaken, is sin and danger to him that erreth. And on the other side we are agreed, that in things no way against the Laws of God, the Commands of our Governours must be obeyed: that if they command what God forbids, we must patiently submit to Suffering; and every Soul must be subject to the higher Powers, for Conscience sake, and not resist: that Publick Judgment, Civil or Ecclesiastical, belongeth only to publick Persons, and not to any private Man: that no Man must be causelesly and pragmatically inquisitive into the Reasons of his Superiours Commands; nor by Pride and Self-conceitedness exalt his own Understanding above its worth and office; but all to be modestly and humbly self-suspicious: that none must erroneously pretend God's Law against the just Command of his Superiour, nor pretend the doing of his Duty to be sin: that he who suspecteth his Superiours Commands to be against God's Laws, must use all means for full Information, before he lettle in a course of disobeying them: and that he who indeed discovereth any thing commanded to be sin, though he must not do it, must manage his Opinion with very great tenderness and care of the Publick Peace, and the Honour of his Governours. These are our Principles: If we are otherwise represented to your Majesty we are misrepresented: If we are accused of contradicting them, we humbly crave that we may never be condemned till we are heard. It is the desire of our Souls to contribute our Parts and Interests to the utmost, for the promoting of Holiness, Charity, Unity, and Obedience to Rulers in all lawful Things: But if we should sin against God, because we are commanded, who shall answer for us, or save us from his Justice? And we humbly crave, that it may he no unjust grievance of our Dissent, that thereby we suppose Superiours to err; seeing it is but supposing them to be Men, not yet in Heaven; and this may be impured to every one that differeth in Opinion from another. And we beseech your Majesty to believe, that as we seek no greater Matters in the World, than our daily bread, with Liberty to preach the Gospel, and Worship God according to his Word, and the practise of the Primitive purest Church, so we hope it is not through pusillanimity and overmuch tenderness of Suffering that we have pleaded so much for the avoiding of Suffering to our Selves or others: May none of our Sufferings hinder the Prosperity of the Church, and the good of Souls [of Men! May not our dread Soveraign, These underlined Passages were left out in that presented to the King.the Breath of our Nostrils, be tempted by mis-representations to distast such as are faithful, and unawares to wrong the interest of Christ, and put forth his hand to afflict those that Christ would have him cherist, left their Head should be provoked to jealousie and offence! May not the Land of our Nativity languish in Divisions, nor be filled with the Groans of those that are shut out of the holy Assemblies, and those that want the necessary breaking of the Bread of Life! Nor be disappointed of its expected Peace and Ioy! Let not these things befall us] and we have enough. And we suppose those that think the Persons inconsiderable in number and quality for whom we plead, will not themselves believe that we have done this for Popular Applause: This were not so much to seek the Reward of Hypocrites, as to play the Game of Fools; seeing the Applause of inconsiderable Men can be but inconsiderable; and we know our selves that we are like thus to offend those that are not inconsiderable. The Lord that searcheth hearts, doth know that it is not so much the avoiding of Suffering to our selves or any particular Persons, that is the end of our Endeavours (though this were no ambitious end) as the Peace and Welfare of the Church and Kingdoms under your Majesty's Government: We know that, supposing them that are for the Ceremonies to be as pious and charitable as the rest, it cannot so much offend them that another Man forbeareth them, as it must offend that other to be forced to use them: and we know that consciencious Men will not consent to the practice of things in their Judgments unlawful, when those may yield that count the Matters but indifferent.
And for the management of this Treaty, it being agreed at our first meeting, that nothing be reported as the Words or Sence of either Part, but what is by them delivered in writing, we humbly crave that your Majesty receive no more as ours, and that where is charged on any particular Person, he may be answerable for himself: And though the Reverend Bishops have not had time to consider of our Additions to the Liturgy, and of our Reply, that yet they may be considered before a Determination be made. And though we seem to have laboured in vain, we shall yet lay this Work of Reconciliation and Peace, at the feet of your Majesty, beseeching you to prosecute such a blessed Resolution till it attain success. We must needs believe, that when your Majesty took our Consent to a Liturgy, to be a Foundation that would infer our Concord, you meant not that we should have no Concord, but by consenting to this Liturgy without any considerable Alteration. And when you comforted us with your Resolution to draw us together, by yielding on both sides in what we could, you meant not that we should be the Boat, and they the Bank that must not stir. And when your Majesty commanded us by your Letters Patents to treat about such Alterations as are [needful or expedient for giving Satisfaction to tender Consciences, and the restoring and continuance of Peace and Unity] we rest assured that it was not your sence, that those render Consciences were to be forced to practise all which they judged unlawful, and not so much as a Ceremony abated them: Or that our Treaty was only to convert either part to the Opinion of the other; and that all our Hopes of Concord or Liberty consisted only in Disputing the Bishops into Nonconformity, or coming in every Ceremony to their minds.
Finally, as your Majesty under God, is the Protection whereto your People flie, and as the same Necessities still remain, which drew forth your gracious Declaration, we most humbly and earnestly beseech your Majesty, that the Benefits of the said Declaration may be continued to your People, and in particular [That none be punished or troubled for not using the Common Prayer, till it be effectually reformed] and the Additions made as there expressed.
We crave your Majesty's pardon for the tediousness of this Address, and shall wait in hope, that so great a Calamity of your People, as would follow the loss of so many able faithful Ministers as rigorous Impositions would cast out, shall never be Recorded in the History of your Reign: but than these Impediments of Concord being forborn, your Kingdoms may flourish in Piety and Peace, and this may be the signal Honour of your happy Government, and your Joy in the Day of your Accounts. Which is the Prayer of
Your Majesty's Faithful and Obedient Subjects—
§ 240. And in the Conclusion of this Business, seeing we could prevail with these Prelates and Prelatical Men, (after so many Calamities by Divisions, and when they pretended Desires of Unity), to make no considerable Alterations at all; the Reason of it seeming unsearchable to some, was by others confidently conjectured to be these:
1. They extremly prejudic'd the Persons that sought this Peace, and therefore were glad of means to cast them out and ruin them.
2. The Effects of the Parliament's Conquest had exasperated them to the height.
3. They would not have any Reformation or Change to occasion Men to think that ever they were in an Errour, or that their Adversaries had reasonably desired, or had procured a Reformation.
4. Some confidently thought that a secret Resolution to unite with the Papists (at least as high as the old Design which Heylin owneth in Laud's Life) was the greatest cause of all: And that they would never have lost so great a Party, as they did but to gain a greater (at home and abroad together.)
§ 241. And here, because they would abate us nothing at all considerable, but made things far harder and heavier than before, I will annex the Concessions of Archbishop Usher, Archbishop Williams, Bishop Morton, Bishop Holdsworth, and many others in a Committee at Westminster (before mentioned) 1641.