A Second True Defense of the Nonconformists, Treatise · Postscript
POSTSCRIPT.
Five Additional Notices to the Reader.
THere are ſome things of which I thought meet to add this notice to the Reader.
I. That I am more alienated from Conformity in the point of Aſſent, Conſent and Uſe, in denying Chriſtendom to all Children who have no Godfathers and Godmothers, and excluding the Parents from that Office, by ſome late Obſervations which my retiredneſs kept me unacquainted with: I am requeſted by ſome poor People to Baptize their Children: I tell them the Pariſh Miniſters muſt do it. They anſwer me, That they cannot have them Baptized by the Pariſh Miniſters, becauſe they are poor; and can neither pay the Curate nor the Godfathers: I ask them, Cannot you get Godfathers without money: They ſay, No: No body will be Godfather to their Children for nothing? Whereupon enquiring into the caſe, I am informed, that among the poor it is become a trade, to be hired perſons to be Godfathers and Godmothers; and ſome that have not money muſt leave their Children unbaptized, and till lately, Popiſh Prieſts Baptized many. I am not willing to aggravate this Hiring, nor the cauſes of it, nor that the ſame men that think Baptiſm neceſſary to Salvation, (or as Mr. Dodwell ſpeaks, to a Covenant right to Salvation) ſhould yet ſhut out all that have not money to hire ſuch Covenanters; But I am not Conformable to ſuch Church-Orders.
II. Whereas there is a great ſtreſs laid on Mr. Rathband's Book of the old Nonconformiſts Doctrine againſt the Browniſts, as if they thought that meer obedience to the Law required them to forbear Preaching when they were ſilenced, when indeed they only thought, 1. That it bound them to give up the Temples and Tithes and publick maintenance (which are at the Magiſtrates diſpoſe,) 2. And to forbear that manner and thoſe circumſtances of their Miniſtry as no Law of God in Nature or Scripture do oblige them to, but will do more hurt than good; I have now for fuller ſatisfaction, here added the Teſtimony of his Son concerning his judgment and practice: who nineteen years had his liberty in Lancaſhire to Preach publickly, in a Chappel, and after that in Northumberland, and no wonder if the diſorders of Browniſm that would have deprived them of all ſuch liberty were oppoſed. I have peruſed Mr. Rathband's Book (written by ſome others) and I find nothing in it that I conſent not to, but deſire him that would underſtand it to read the Book it ſelf.
Mr. Rathband's Letter to me is as followeth.
Reverend Sir,
WHereas Doctor Stillingfleet in a late Book of his hath alledged a Book publiſhed by my Father, to prove that Preaching contrary to our Eſtabliſhed Laws is contrary to the Doctrine of all the Nonconformiſts in former times, I aſſure you, Sir, that my Father is not to be reckoned in that number; for he exerciſed his Miniſtry, though contrary to the Law, for many years at a Chappel in Lancaſhire, and after he was ſilenced he Preached in private, as he had opportunity and the times would bear; of which I my ſelf was ſometime a witneſs. Afterward, upon the invitation of a Gentleman, he exerciſed his Miniſtry at Belſham in Northumberland, for about a year, and from thence he removed to Owingham in the ſame County, where he Preached alſo about a year, till being ſilenced there, he retired into private as formerly. This I thought expedient to ſignifie to you, and you may make what uſe of it you pleaſe, for what is written here ſhall be owned by
SIR, Yours in all Chriſtian reſpects, William Rathband. London, April 2. 1681.
(He is a Grave and worthy Nonconforming ejected Miniſter, living uſually in High-gate.) His Father read part of the Common-Prayer, and kept in as aforeſaid.
And I thank Doctor Stillingfleet for ſo full a Vindication of ſuch old Nonconformiſts againſt the Accuſations of their Proſecutors.
III. When my Book was almoſt Printed, I received the Manuſcript of a faithful Learned ejected Miniſter, in which, he manifeſteth the fallacy of Doctor Stillingfleet's Allegations of Hiſtory for the Antiquity of Dioceſan Biſhops, and fully proveth that for the firſt three hundred years the Biſhops were Congregational and Parochial, and that with ſo full evidence, as that out of Strabo and other Geographers he ſheweth that many of their Seats were but about four Miles from one another, as our Pariſh Churches are; and he confuteth what is ſaid againſt it. And he ſheweth the Doctors groſs abuſe of Hiſtory, to prove that Biſhops needed not the Peoples conſent, and proveth that the Peoples choice or conſent was neceſſary by the conſtant judgment of the Churches.
But this Book is of ſo great worth, that I will not diſhonour it by making it an Appendix to mine, but intend to make ſo bold with the Author, as to publiſh it by it ſelf.
1. As a fuller Confutation to Doctor Stillingfleet.
2. As a full Anſwer to Mr. Dodwell's Letters on that ſubject; And 3. As a Confirmation of my full proof of the ſame things, in my Treatiſe of Epiſcopacy.
IV. And if any will receive that from a Conformiſt, which he will not receive from ſuch a one as I, he may read,
1. Our full and faithful Vindication by a Beneficed Miniſter, and a Regular ſon of the Church, Called A Compaſſionate Conſideration of the Caſe of the Nonconformiſts: I am not ſo happy as to know the Author, but he confirmeth my former Judgment, that a great part of the Paſſive Conformiſts are moderate worthy men, with whom we ſhould earneſtly endeavour as near and faſt a coalition as is poſſible to be had by lawful means.
2. And either the ſame hand, or ſuch another Conformiſt, hath written Reflections on Doctor Stillingfleet, in which the like candor and charity appeareth, though with ſome exceſs of kindneſs to me.
V. With this Defence againſt Doctor Stillingfleet, I at once pubbliſh in another Volume, An Apology for the Nonconfirmiſts Preaching, with an Anſwer to a multitude of their Accuſers, and Reaſons to prove that it is the Biſhops and Conformiſts great Duty and Intereſt to ſeek their Reſtoration. Which is the moſt material part of the Confutation of Doctor Stillingfleet, who would perſuade us that our Preaching is a ſin, and make us guilty of ſilencing our ſelves.
FINIS.