below you Your standing is unsafe when you do little or nothing for God He is not bound to hold you the Candle to do nothing or to work for your self Work therefore while it is day the night comes when none can work 5. Another Temptation that you must expect will be to have your minde swell with your Condition and to disrespect the inferiour sort of your Brethren But I hope the Lord will keep you small in your own eyes as remembring that you are the same in the eyes of your Judge and your shadow is not lengthened by your successes and that you must lie down with the Vulgar in the common dust Sir Because the matter of this Book may be less useful to you I could not direct it to your hand without some words that might be more useful I do not fear least you should take my faithful dealing for an injury or interpret my Monition to be an Accusation as long as you so well know the Affections of your Monitor The Lord be your Teacher and Defence and Direct Excite Encourage and Succeed you and all that have Opportunity to do any thing to the Repairing of our Breaches by furthering The Reformation and Unity of the Churches Which is the earnest Desire and daily Prayer of Your Servant in the work of Christ RICHARD BAXTER Kederminster Marc. 8th 1653. RICH. BAXTERS ACCOUNT Given to his Reverend Brother Mr T. BLAKE OF THE Reasons of his Dissent FROM The Doctrine of his Exceptions in his late TREATISE of the COVENANTS JOHN 3.7 Little Children let no man Deceive you He that doth Righteousness is Righteous even as he is Righteous 1 TIM 4.8 Godliness is Profitable unto All things having Promise of the Life that now is and of that which is to come LONDON Printed by A. M. for Thomas Vnderhill at the Anchor and Bible in Pauls Church-yard and Francis Tyton at the three Daggers in Fleetstreet 1654. The Preface Apologetical SO sweet a thing is Christian Love and Concord and so precious are the thoughts of Peace to my Soul that I think it unmeet in this contentious Age to publish such a Controversie as this without an Apology which its likely may be needful both as to the Matter and the Manner Not that I dare rather choose to Excuse a fault then to forbear the committing of it But that I would have the Reader judge of things as they are Just Apologies are not a cover to our faults but for removal of mis-representations and healing of misapprehensions that those may not be taken for faults which are none or those to be of the greater size which are but ordinary infirmities Whether my Apology be Just the Reader must judge I do so heartily Love Peace that I have hard thoughts of Controversie yet do I so Love the Truth that I refuse not to contend for it Though the strait be great yet it s no other then we are usually put to even in lower things The most noble and excellent ends may have some distastful means which as none that is in his right senses will choose for themselves so none but a slave to his senses will refuse when they are necessary It is no Contradiction in such a case but true Discretion to Choose the thing which at the same time we do Abhor To choose it as a necessary Means and yet to abhorre it for its Ungrateful Nature We are contented to seek and buy and take that Physick which we so abhorre that we have much ado to get it down or to retain it The Lord knows that contending is distastful to my soul though my corrupt nature is too prone to it Much studying of Controversies hath oft discomposed my minde and interrupted my more sweet and heavenly thoughts and unfitted me for publick and private duties so that I as sensibly finde my self a loser by it as by some other avocations of a more aliene nature Yet dare I not be so selfish as to cast it off That must be endured which may not be desired We may not pretend the disadvantages to our souls much less any lower against apparent duty and service to the truth of God Many wayes hath our Master to make us a full reparation for our losses What then shall I resolve on Neither to Delight in Controversie nor totally to Refuse it Not to rush upon it unadvisedly nor to be carried into it by blinde Passion and partiality nor yet to cast away my Captains Colours nor to draw back when I am prest Not to militate for any Faction but for the Faith nor for vain-glory and credit but for Christ And this with such a differencing the Person from the Cause that as it respecteth the errour it shall be bitter and contentious but as to my Brother it shall be a Conference of Love I abhorre almost nothing more in Divines then laying too much upon the smaller controvertible Doctrinals and making too much of our Religion to consist in curious and unnecessary speculations if not unsearchable unrevealed things contradicting one of their first Maxims that Theology is a Practical Science An honest Philosopher saw the evil of this Yet must Gods commands be obeyed and the Truth defended and the Church confirmed and edified and the soul of an erring Brother be relieved though at a dearer rate then a verbal Disputation It is about five years since I wrote a small book about Justification and being in great weakness and expectation of death I was forced to deliberate Whether to publish it with its many Imperfections or not at all I chose the former supposing the Defects and Crudities would be charged only on the Author and that some Light might notwithstanding appear to the Reader which might further him in the understanding of several truths I durst not so far value reputation as to be injurious to Verity for fear of discovering my own infirmity It s no time to be solicitous about the esteem of men when we are drawing near to the Judgement Seat of God When this Book came abroad it fell under very different Censures as most things use to do that seem to go out of the ordinary road Too many overvalued it Some were offended at it Hereupon being afraid lest by Ignorance or Rashness I should wrong the Church and Truth I did in the end of my Book of Baptism desire my Brethrens animadversions and advice which accordingly many of the most pious and Learned men that I know in the Land were pleased to afford me and that with so much Ingenuity Love and Gentleness as I must needs confess my self their Debtor as having no way deserved so great a favour and I do hereby return them my most hearty thanks After this my Reverend and Dear Brother Mr Blake in a Treatise of the Covenants did publish a Confutation of some things in my Book among many others whom he deals with Mr Powell Mr. Tombes Mr. Owen Mr. Firmin c. wherein I found nothing
but tenderness and brotherly Love as to my person and no such inclination to extreams in his Doctrine as I found in some others but much Moderation and Sobriety as indeed the Gravity Piety and Integrity of the man would promise to any that know him Only I thought it might have been more convenient to him to me and to others if I had seen his exceptions before they had been published that so having known what I would reply he might have published only so much as he remained unsatisfied in But as it seems his Judgement was otherwise so is it no whit to me offensive Yet when I had read his Book it was my Resolution to send him privately my Reply that so we might consider how farre we were agreed and how farre the difference was onely seeming and about words and might publish only the remainder to the world by joynt Consent The Reasons of this Resolution were these First Because I was loath by tedious altercations to hinder the Reader from discerning the Truth It is the course of most voluminous Disputers to tire their Readers with Contendings about words that they can hardly finde out the true state of the Controversie much less discern on which side is the Truth Which might be much remedied if men would but lovingly first debate the matter in private and cut off all the superfluities and verbal Quarrels and then put out only the material differences by joynt Consent having Corrected even in the language and manner of debating whatsoever was displeasing or seemed injurious to either party Secondly Because I unfeignedly abhorre contending and never wrote any thing that way but when I was unavoidably necessitated Thirdly Because I so well know my own frailty and proneness to be over-eager and keen and unmannerly in my stile and the frailty of most Brethren in being Impatient hereof yea of many in judging themselves wronged when they are not and making some plain speeches which were but necessary or innocent to seem proud contemptuous and sleighting as to mens persons racking them to a sense that was never intended I therefore thought it safest to avoid all occasions of such mistakes which may be injurious to themselves as well as to me Fourthly Because the Lord hath of late years by a strange unresistible work of his power fastned in my soul so deep an Apprehension of the Evil of Dissentions and of the Excellency and Necessity of the Unity of Brethren and the Peace of the Church and in order hereto of the healing of our Divisions that it sticks in my thoughts night and day and the Zeal of such a Reconciliation doth eat me up so that I make it the main study and business of my Meditations which way I might do any thing towards its accomplishment And I was much afraid lest if I wrote by way of Controversie I might by exasperating my Brethren hinder this happy work He that knoweth my heart knoweth that these were my thoughts Hereupon I did in the first Page signifie to M. Blake this my Resolution which when I was forced to alter I would not alter the words of my writing but having given this account of the reason of them I shall let them go as I wrote them Before I had finished my Reply to Mr. Blake comes out Mr. Kendal's Book against M. Goodwin with his Digression against me After-this I was informed of divers others that were ready to write against my Doctrine and some that had written and were ready to publish it and divers others that were desirous to send me their Animadversions I did therefore apprehend and so did many learned Friends an unavoidable Necessity of appearing more publickly both to spare my Friends the labour of writing the same things to me over and over which so many others had written before and to spare my self the time and pains of endless private Replies which have this three years taken me up and hindered me from more profitable work and also to prevent mens publication of more such writings as have already been published seeing when none know what I can say against them the rest may go on in the way as these have done and trouble themselves and the world in vain Besides I understood that some were offended at my silence as mis-interpreting it to be from contempt Being therefore necessitated to do something of this kinde I could not according to the Laws of Justice or Friendship deal publickly with any but those that had begun to deal publickly with me It s true there hath been long unanswered a Book of Mr. Owens against some things which I had wrote which concerned him But I never thought fit nor yet do to Reply to that 1. Partly because it containeth so little matter of reall difference between him and me and most of that is answered by Mr. Blake and in my Reply to Mr. Kendall The main Points being Whether Christ suffered the same which the Law threatned or the Value or that which was equivalent wherein he yieldeth as much as I need and Whether the Covenant be Conditional and Whether the Obligation to Punishment be dissolved before we Believed sinned or were born And to vindicate the Truth in these two or three Points I conceive it not so meet a way to do it in Answer to that Book wherein ten times more words would be bestowed in altercations and upon the by 2. Besides I was never never necessitated to a Reply to that Book nor once desired and I will do nothing of that kinde which I know how to avoid 3. But indeed my greatest reason was the consciousness of my temerity in being so foolishly drawn to begin with him and the consciousness of my fault in one or two unmannerly words of him and consequently the consciousness of my duty to be first silent It is not fit that I should both begin and end But these Brethren that I here Reply to did begin with me Upon these Reasons I sent not my papers to Mr. Blake but resolved to publish them with my Reply to Mr. K. As for Mr. K. himself I know not the man but by his writings he appears to be a Learned man And I will hope his humility may be answerable to his Learning though he here express it not We are all poor frail sinners and above all do hardly Master our Pride the fire whereof in an unmortified soul doth make fewell to it self of Gods excellent Gifts till it have turned them all into salt and ashes That which this Learned man hath troubled himself to write concerning my self I will not insist on It is not for my self that I am disputing but for the Truth so farre as I know it I can truly say as Augustine to Hierom Obsecro te per mansuetudinem Christi ut si te laesi dimittas mihi nec me vicissim laedendo malum pro malo reddas Laedes enim si mihi tacueris errorem meum quem forte inveneris in Scriptis
that Conclusion to be de fide § 75. pag. 133 That Divine Faith hath Evidence as well as Certainty Rob. Baronius and Rada's words to the contrary examined § 75. pag. 134 The difference between Mr. Bl. and me contracted and a plain â—ogent Argument added to prove that the Conclusion fore-mentioned is not sealed § 76. pag. 139 The possibility but vanity of Conditional sealing § 77. pag. 140 More of Mr. Bl's Reasons answered § 78 to 81. pag. 141 The danger of teaching men that they are bound to believe that they are Justified and shall be saved § 81. pag. 142 In what sense the Covenant commandeth perfect obedience § 82. pag. 144 Mr. Bl's Reasons examined concerning the Covenants commanding perfection § 82 to 91. pag. 144 How far true believers are Covenant-breakers § 84. pag. 148 The Covenant is Gods Law § 91. pag. 152 The Conclusion Apologetical against the charge of singularity § 92. pag. 152 The Prologue MY Reverend and dearly beloved Brother I remember that when I met you last at Shrewsbury you told me that you had sent to the Presse a Treatise of the Covenants and desired me not to be offended if you published in it some things against my Judgement Your Treatise is since come to my hands and upon a brief perusall of some part of it I am bold to let you know this much of my thoughts 1. That I very much value and honour your Learned Labours and had I been Mr Vines or Mr Fisher I might rather have given in some respects a higher commendations of your Book And especially I love it for its sound discoveries of the Vanity of the Antinomians 2. So farre am I from being offended at your Writing against my Writings that as I have oft said concerning Mr Owen since I saw his Book against me even so do I by you I never honoured you so much though much nor loved you so dearly though dearly before as since for I see more of your worth then I saw before For where I erre why should I be offended with any brother for loving Gods Truth and mens souls above my Errours or any seeming Reputation of mine that may be ingaged in them and for seeking to cure the hurt that I have done God forbid that I should seek to maintain a Reputation obtained by or held in an opposition to the Truth I take all my Errors in Theology even in the highest revealed points participaliter to be my sinnes but especially my divulged Errors And I take him for my best friend that is the greatest enemy to my sins And where I erre not I have little cause for my own sake to be offended at your opposition For as you are pleased to honour me too highly both in your Epithetes and tender dealing yea in being at so much pains with any thing of mine and in stooping to a publick opposition of that which you might have thought more worthy of your contempt so I know you did it in a zeal for God and Truth and you thought all was Error that you opposed so that in the general we fight under one Master and for one Cause and against one Enemy You are for Christ 1. For Truth and against Errors so farre as you know it and so am I. I know you wrote not against Me but against my Errors reall or supposed And truly though I would not be shamelesse or impenitent nor go so far as Seneca to say we should not object a common fault to singular persons Vid. Cor. de Irâ l. 3. c. 26. p. mihi 452. no more then to reproach a Blackmore with his colour yet I see so much by the most Learned and Judicious to assure me that humanum est errare and that we know but in part that I take it for no more dishonour to have the world know that I erre then for them to know that I am one of their Brethren a son of Adam and not yet arrived at that blessed state where that which is childish shall cease and all that is imperfect shall be done away Only if my Errors be greater then ordinary I must be humbled more then ordinary as knowing that my sin is the cause that I have no greater illumination of the Spirit I have truly published to the world my indignation against the proud indignation of those men that account him their enemy that shall publiquely contradict them 2. Yet must I needs tell you that in the points which you contradict I finde no great alteration upon my understanding by your Writings whether it be from the want of evidence of truth in your Confutation or through the dulnesse of my Apprehension I hope I shall better be able to judge when I have heard from you next I think I may safely say It is not from an unwillingness to know the Truth And one further difference there is in our Judgements For my Judgement is that it is not so convenient nor safe a way to publish suddenly a reply to your opposition as to tell you my thoughts privately seeing we live so near and to bring the Points in difference by friendly collations to as narrow a compass as we can and make as clear a discovery of each others meanings as may be and then by joynt consent to tell the world our several Judgements and our Reasons as lovers of the Truth and of each other that so others may have the benefit of our friendly Collations and Enquiries and may be thereby advantaged for the more facile discovery of the Truth Truly I would have all such Controversies so handled that all the vain altercations might lye in the dust in our studies and that which is published might be in one Volume friendly subscribed by both parties In this I perceive by your practise your Judgement differs from mine and that you rather judge it fittest to speak first by the Presse that the world may hear us I crave your acceptance of these Papers rather in this private way and that you will signifie to me in what way I shall expect your return wherein I think it fitter you please your self then me I shall faithfully give you an account of the effect of your Arguments on my weak understanding but not in the order as they lye in your Book but I will begin with those Points which I judge to be of greatest moment §. 1. Mr Blake Treat of Covenants pag. 79. IT is also true that faith accepts Christ as a Lord as well as a Saviour But it is the Acceptation of him as a Saviour not as a Lord that Justifies Christ Rules his People as a King Teacheth them as a Prophet but makes Atonement for them only as a Priest by giving himself in Sacrifice his blood for Remission of sins These must be distinguished but not divided Faith hath an eye at all the blood of Christ the command of Christ the doctrine of Christ but as it lies and fastens on his blood so it Justifies