X.

The Petition of the Ministers to the King upon the first draft of his Declaration.'-Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, by Sylvester, pp. 265-74.

May it please your Majesty,

So great was the comfort created in our minds by your majesty's oft-expressed resolution to become the effectual moderator in our differences, and yourself to bring us together by procuring such mutual condescensions as are necessary thereto, and also by your gracious acceptance of our Proposals, which your majesty heard and received not only without blame, but with acknowledgment of their moderation, and as such as would infer a reconciliation between the differing parties, that we must needs say, the least abatement of our hopes, is much the more unwelcome and grievous to us. And it is no small grief that surpriseth our hearts, from the complaints of the students ejected in the universities, and of faithful ministers removed from their beloved flocks, and denied institution, for want of subscription, re-ordination, or an oath of obedience to the bishop; but especially from many congregations in the land, that cry out they are undone by the loss of those means of their spiritual welfare which were dearer to them than all worldly riches, and by the grievous burden of ignorant, or scandalous, or dead, unprofitable ministers set over them, to whom they dare not commit the guidance and care of their immortal souls, and whose ministry they dare not own or countenance, lest they be guilty of their sin. And it addeth to our grief and fear in finding so much of the proposed necessary means of our agreement, especially in the point of government, here passed by in your majesty's Declaration, as if it were denied us. But yet remembering the gracious and encouraging promises of your majesty, and observing your majesty's clemency in what is here granted us, and your great condescension in

'This paper was drawn up by Baxter. The alterations, marked in the notes, were made by him, with much reluctance, at the instance of Mr. Calamy, Dr. Reynolds, the Earl of Manchester, the Earl of Anglesey, and Lord Hollis.— Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, by Sylvester, p. 265.

vouchsafing not only so graciously to hear us in these our humble addresses and requests, but also to grant us the sight of your Declaration before it is resolved on, with liberty of returning our additional desires, and hope that they shall not be rejected; we re-assume our confidence, and comfortably expect, that what is not granted in this Declaration that is reasonable and necessary to our agreement, shall yet be granted upon fuller consideration of the equity of our requests.

As our designs and desires are not for any worldly advantages or dignities to ourselves, so have we not presumed to intermeddle with any civil interest of your majesty, or any of your officers; nor in the matters of mere convenience to cast our reason into the balance against your majesty's prudence; but merely to speak for the laws and worship and servants of the Lord, and for the peace of our consciences, and the safety of our own and brethren's souls. It lifts us up with joy to think what happy consequences will ensue, if your majesty shall entertain these healing motions: how happily our differences will be reconciled, and the exasperated minds of men composed; how temptations to contention and uncharitableness will be removed; how comfortably your majesty will reign in the dearest affections of your subjects; and how firmly they will adhere to your interest as their own; how cheerfully and zealously the united parts and interests of the nation will conspire to serve you; what a strength and honour a righteous magistracy, a learned, holy, loyal ministry, and a faithful, praying people will be to your throne; and how it will be your glory to be the king of the most religious nation in the world, that hath no considerable parties, but what are centred (under Christ) in you; what a comfort it will be for the bishops and pastors of the church, to be honoured and loved by all the most religious of their flocks; to see the success of their labours and the beauty of the church promoted by our common concord, and brethren to assemble and dwell together in unity, serving one God, according to one rule, with one heart and mouth.

[And on the contrary, it astonisheth us to foresee the doleful consequences that would follow, if (which God forbid) your majesty should refuse the most necessary, moderate ways of concord, and be engaged by a party to exalt them by the suppression of the rest! How woful a day would it prove to your majesty and your dominions, in which you should thus espouse a cause and interest injurious to the interest of Christ, and the cause of unity and love, and, contrary to your majesty's gracious inclinations, be engaged unawares in a seeming necessity to deal hardly with the ministers and servants of the Lord! How considerable a part of the three nations for number, wisdom, piety, and interest, you would be drawn to govern with a grievous hand; and to lay them under the greatest sorrow who restored and received your majesty with joy! How the dissent of ministers from the government and ceremonies of the church, were it expressed but by their groans and tears, and moderate complaints to God, or not praying for that church government which they dare not pray for, would be reckoned as discontent and sedition; and it would be judged a crime to feel when they are hurt! What occasion this would give to irreligious temporizers to arrogate the name of your majesty's best subjects, and to let out their malice against the upright, and make religion a reproach! And then what a hindrance that would be to the conversion and saving of the people's souls, and what a fruitful nursery of all vice! How grievously charity would be overthrown, while the people are engaged in the hardest thoughts and speeches of each other! What a temptation it would be to the afflicted part to abate their honour and due respect to those they suffer by, when they are deprived of that which is dearest to them in the world; and when the groans and cries of afflicted innocents arrive at heaven, and have awakened the justice of the King of kings, the greatest cannot stand before him. And what a snare and grief will it be to the bishops and pastors of the church to be esteemed wolves, and to be engaged to suppress them as their adversaries, that else might be the honour of their ministry, and

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the comfort of their lives. And when divisions and separated assemblies are thus multiplied (the people being driven from the public congregations), either it will bring them under trouble, or let in papists and others that are intolerable into an equal toleration: and such discontents and distractions in the church, will not be without their influence on the state. And by all this how much will Satan and the enemies of our religion be gratified, and God dishonoured and displeased. And, seeing all this may safely and easily be now prevented, we humbly beseech the Lord, in mercy to vouchsafe to your majesty a heart to discern of time and judgment.]2

And as these are our general ends and motives, so we are induced to insist upon the form of synodical government conjunct with a fixed presidency or episcopacy, for these

reasons:

1. We have reason to believe that no other terms will be so generally agreed on. And it is no way injurious to episcopal power; but most firmly establisheth all in it that can pretend to divine authority or true antiquity. It granteth them much more than Reverend Bishop Hall (in his Peacemaker) and many other of that judgment, do require; who would have accepted the fixing of the president for life, as sufficient for the reconciliation of the churches.

2. It being most agreeable to the Scripture and the primitive government, is likest to be the way of a more universal concord, if ever the churches arrive on earth at such a blessing. However, it will be most acceptable to God, and

to well-informed consciences.

3. It will promote the practice of discipline and godliness

2 "All this enclosed part was left out of the Petition as presented to his "majesty, this only being inserted in the room of it.

"And on the contrary, should we lose the opportunity of our desired recon"ciliation and union, it astonisheth us to foresee what doleful effects our "divisions would produce, which we will not so much as mention in particulars "lest our words should be misunderstood. And, seeing all this may safely and "easily now be prevented, we humbly beseech the Lord in mercy to vouchsafe "to your majesty an heart to discern a right of time and judgment."

without disorder, and promote order without the hindering of discipline and godliness.

4. And it is not to be silenced (though in some respects we are loath to mention it) that it will save the nation from the violation of the Solemn Vow and Covenant, without wronging the church at all, or breaking any other oath. And, whether the Covenant were lawfully imposed or not, we are assured, from the nature of a vow to God, and from the cases of Saul, Zedekiah, and others, that it would be a terrible thing to us to violate it on that pretence. Though we are far from thinking that it obligeth us to any evil, or to go beyond our places and callings to. do good, much less to resist authority; yet doth it undoubtedly bind us to forbear our own consent to those luxuriances of church government which we there renounced, and for which no divine institution can be pretended.

[It is not only the Presbyterians, but multitudes of the episcopal party,]3 and the nobility, gentry, and others that adhered to his late majesty, in the late unhappy wars, that (at their composition) took this Vow and Covenant. [[And God forbid that ever the souls of so many thousands should be driven upon the sin of perjury, and upon the wrath of God, and the flames of hell: or, that under pretence of calling them to repent of what is evil, they should be urged to commit so great an evil. If once the consciences of the nation should be so debauched, what good can be expected from them? or what evil shall they ever after be thought to make conscience of? or what bonds can be supposed to oblige them? or how can your majesty place any confidence in them, notwithstanding the oaths of allegiance and supremacy which

"This was thus expressed in the Petition that was presented :-[Not "presuming to meddle with the consciences of those many of the nobility "and gentry, &c.]

"What follows in this double enclosure, was omitted in the copy presen"ted, this only being inserted in the room of it.

"We only crave your majesty's clemency to ourselves and others, who "believe themselves to be under its obligations. And God forbid that we that "are ministers of the Word of truth, should do anything to encourage your "majesty's subjects to cast off the conscience of an oath."