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A29189
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A review and conclusion of The antidote agianst [sic] Mr. Baxter's palliated cure of church-divisions wherein Mr. Baxter's late repentance is examined, all his immodest calumnies confuted, and the grounds of separation further cleared / by Edward Bagshaw.
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Bagshaw, Edward, 1629-1671.
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1671
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Wing B421; ESTC R37056
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15,565
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24
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and did you in spirit believe and apprehend how dreadful that Appearance would be you would not have spake so like those Mockers who deride the Promise of his coming Thirdly I might justly blame your scarce Tolerable Sophistry and Fallacious way of arguing fit only for Boyes and Children as when you pretend to know no difference in point of Imposition between one that useth a Form of his own page 119 120. and he that is Imposed upon to use always the Form of another Whereas in the one case the hearer is at perfect libertie how far and how often he will joyn In the other he is always tied up and must either joyn in such a Prescript Form of Words or none at all and this he knoweth before-hand which maketh the difference vastly Disproportionable Lastly Give me leave to wonder since the Apostle maketh it so dangerous a sign of a proud distempered mind to dote about Questions 1 Tim. 6. how it comes to pass that you so strangely delight in asking of them especially in matters where Faith alone must give the last Solution and therefore to all your twenty bold Quaeries about the Scripture take this general Answer that when you have satisfied me you did not sin greatly in raising such Mists and Doubts about them and when you can give me security that you will not be asking me twenty Questions more I will endeavour your satisfaction I conclude therefore with this Short but True Character of your self and your late work that you have writ neither with that Gravity which became your Age with that Sobriety which became your Profession nor that Modesty which became any tolerable Education and since you so much forget your self I must tell you that that Person whom you so insolently despise is to say no more that your best your Equal but what he reckoneth he might Glory in as some of his outward Advantages above you he willingly waveth as chusing rather to glory in this as God hath chosen him a Poor despised Publican as one born out of due time together with those Women and Boyes whom you contemn to cry Hosanna to the Lords Christ and to bear witness unto that very Truth and at that very time of the Day when you a Learned Scribe and Pharisee under the Notion of Repenting have most unworthily betrayed and deserted it Farewel Edward Baghaw From my Prison by Newgate 9th m. 4th An. 1671. A POST-SCRIPT CONTEINING An ADVERTISEMENT to the CHRISTIAN READER IN Answer to Mr. Baxters Post script I have this to say briefly Holy Com. Wealth pef That I have read and considered those Words of his The Lord Protector did Prudently Piously Faithfully to his Immortal Honour exercise the Government And I still think that Mr. Baxter could not be serious if he meant them of Richard Cromwell who lost the Government before he was well setled in it and never did any thing that I have heard of to deserve so large a Character But since Mr Baxter is pleased to affirm that he intended him I shall not be Critical in another mans words but take it for granted that indeed it was so But then I shall desire to be saâ—isfied in two things First what is become of Mr. Baxters Repentance For when I urged that passage to him page 47. as spoken of Oliver he tells me in one part of his Book I thank you for calling me to review those words and do freely declare that I do take them to be unmeet and that I do unfeignedly Repent of them and yet in the Conclusion he complaineth that he too rashly beleived me For upon perusal he finds it most Notrious that he spake it not of Oliver but of his Son at which he wipeth his Mouth and thinks all is very well But may not this be expected as likely to be the issue of all Mr. Baxter's other Repentance that upon second thoughts he will complain he was too rash and hasty in it Secondly I would fain â—now by what Propriety of speech he can affirm 〈◊〉 he doth that Oliver Cromwell was guilty of most â—erfidious Treason and Rebellion page 42. and he himself an unquestionable Vsurper â—â—d yet own and allow his Son to be a Pious Prudent Faithful Governour Was not Richard his Fathe s Successor and did not he succeed him in his Sinful Vsurpation and can Mr. Baxter continue to justifie such words which must be accounted either down riâ—â—â— calling against the one or sordid Flattery to the othâ—â— and yet hold himself Innocent As for the Oath of Allegiance which I am in Prison for refusing and Mr. Baxter I perceive pleads for and would fain engage all the Non-Conformists to be Defenders of I must needs say that if I understood that Oath in no stricter a sense and had as many Distinctions to elude the true meaning and force of it as Mr. Baxter hath lately found out about the Covenant I might perhaps be induced to take it too But I bless God I dare not Trifle with Oaths For I look upon one that is once deliberately Sworn to be alwayes strictly Obliged and where the Name of God is used to make a Tye sacred I think that Reverence is due to it that we are not afterwards to mince Matters but bound to go unto the uâ—most Latitude that the words will bear for the Advantage of the Party unto whom we are Sworn This being my sense of every Oath I must take leave freely to profess that in this of Allegiance I do not understand the meaning of Crown and Dignity for if those word signifie as I verily believe they do The Laws in being for so both Sr. Orlando Bridgeman and Dr. Sanderson have interpreted them then I cannot swear to Defend them For some of those Laws and particularly those about Conformity I daily break and which is more think I am bound in Conscience to do so And though I should erre and be mistaken in the Grounds of such a Practice yet every one knoweth and Dr. Sanderson hath fully stared it that even an Erronious Conscience doth alwayes oblige not to do any thing against the Dictates of it More I could say but two Arguments against this Oath I have already pubâ—ickly urged at the Bar in which I have not yet received any satisfaction One is that I am required to say VVhich Oath I acknowledge by good and full Authority to be Lawfully Administred to me which I am so far from being able to swear that on the contrary I am fully satisfyed this Oath was to me most unlawfully administred The design and end of the Oath which was to discover and to suppress Popish Recusants and many other Legal Circumstances having not been at all observed Another Exception which I urged was that I am to say This Recognition I make heartily willingly c. Which word Willingly being then under an undue force deteined a Prisoner after I was acquitted by a Jury and to take that Oath as the Condition of obteining my Liberty unto which 〈…〉 my self as having a just title 〈…〉 unless I would directly h◠〈…〉 â—â—ed my self by some 〈…〉 These were some of my Reasons which I pleaded at the Barr and whatever Mr. Baxter thinks of them who undervalueth most mens judgement but his own yet they are still of weight to me and at that time they were judged so considerable by those that heard them that the Justice who passed Sentence upon me said publickly in the hearing of many Witnesses That he did not doubt but I refused the Oath out of Conscience and from a good Principle wherein though he did ill to condâ—mn one whom he judged Innocent yet he was more just and Generous then Mr. Baxter who calleth me Brother and yet useth me as Edom did Israel not fearing to adde what weight he can to make my Bonds heavier and so far as his Censure can prevail seeking to leave me without the common Relief of Calamity Pity But the Lord will certainly judge between him and me with whom I leave my Cause and the Issue of this whole Controversie who hath already in his Word and will in due time by his Works decide who are most to be approved for Integrity whether those who are content to endure the utmost Extremity rather than deny the Truth or depart from a well taken up Resolution or such who are like â—â—eds shaken with every Wind and scruple not to change their Judgement For and Against things as the stream of outward success doth guide and influence them There being no other visible Reason why Mr. Baxter should at this day profess his Repentance for what he so stiffly held and defended before but only that Argument of the Jewish Conformists of old Gal. 6.10 That he may not be Persecuted by the Cross of Christ in which yet as the Apostle did so every True Christian ought to Glory
A REVIEW and CONCLUSION OF THE ANTIDOTE Agianst Mr. BAXTER'S Palliated Cure OF CHURCH-DIVISIONS WHEREIN Mr. Baxter's late Repentance is examined All his Immodest Calumnies confuted AND The Grounds of Separation further cleared By EDWARD BAGSHAW Ephraim is joyned to Idols let him alone Hos 4.17 If I build again the things which I destroyed I make my self a transgressor Gal. 2.18 London Printed in the Year 1671. An Advertisement to the Christian Reader TO prevent all those Mistakes and Misunderstandings which Mr. Baxter in his late Answer was guilty of these are to certify that I did desire several Brethren 10 or 11. in number to read diligently the following Treatise and to examine the Quotations as I have cited them out of Mr. Baxters printed Books which they did and have unanimously attested under their Hands that I have been very careful to repeat not only his very words but also according to their best udnerstanding his true Meaning This I thought good to give thee notice of Christian Reader that thou maist be confident as I dare not so I have not wronged Mr. Baxter by any Wrested False or Mistaken Quotation Edw. Bagshaw 8th M. 16th 1671. To Mr. Richard Baxter Mr. Baxter NOtwithstanding your angry intimation that you intended not to answer me yet it was easie to fore-see and accordingly I told you that you would not keep your word for I knew your Pride would put you upon writing and your guilt would necessitate you to do it just in as unbecoming a manner as you have done for an ill cause must be maintained by Calumny It shall not therefore be any part of my concernment to return your unhandsom Language but I am content to let you enjoy the priviledge of Railing alone and if there be any of so easie a belief as to take your word and can imagin I would be so foolish as well as wicked as in a matter of five or six sheets of Paper to publish fourscore untruths I will not envy you such kind of partial Favourers nor trouble my self to rectifie their erronious apprehensions only I shall desire all that will be at a little pains to consider things to judge seriously betwixt us and to determine impartially whether that proud contempt and folly which almost in every line of your last book accompanieth your expressions doth not abundantly discover that your heart was never yet truly humbled and consequently that Repentance you take occasion to mention meerly Hypocrytical and Pretended Without entring therefore into other By-matters which are nothing to the Purpose of our main Controversie I must bring you back to the Question as it was first designedly handled between us and that is briefly this Whether Conformity at this day upon Conscientious grounds can be defended by any or at least with any kind of honesty contended for by your self This Sir is the thing I have enquired about and I must keep you close to the stating of it for as you Stand or Fall in the right handling of this so will all your Reasonings appear either Solid and Convincing or else degenerate into a railing and needless impertinence Sir Whoever goeth about to instruct the World but especially the Churches of Christ in such a Critical day as this had need be very careful to give all possible satisfaction in two things First that he writeth something that is worth our knowing and doth not abuse the patience and leisure of his Readers Secondly That he doth himself shew so much Stability and Stediness of judgement as that he may not discredit his own work by having that replyed upon him Thou that teachest another teachest thou not thy self In both these particulars I have already prov'd that you are grosly Defective For you plead altogether for an Vnclean thing and that is for Conformity after a Covenanted for Reformation and likewise which is more absurd this you doe after you have your self writ so much and to speak truth so well against all such kind of Communion Amongst other things that I charged upon you this was one I said It became not you to blame the War and the evil effects of it with so much bitterness since you were as Active an Instrument in promoting of it as any one whatsoever This Sir notwithstanding your peremptory denyal I must again confirm For you do in your Holy Common-wealth at large justifie and defend that War you say you did encourage many thousands to it and that you thought when you engaged in it you never did God that outward service as then Put all which together and they serve to discover an Activity which very few did equal scarce any could exceed and it will be a very vain excuse to say or think you did but little because perhaps some others might do more for the measure of every ones Activity in a common cause must be taken from that place which they fill up which in your Capacity as a Preacher especially if you sent in Souldiers by Thousands you did as notably discharge as any of the Generals or Parliament Men who would have signified but little had they not had such Chaplains to work upon Conscience I therefore wronged you not by asserting what you formerly did but you much wrong the Truth and Goodness of your own cause if indeed you think you ever had it by seeking so meanly to finde out a Subter-fuge how you might disguise and hide it I am not ignorant that you now tell me you Repent and you ought to thank me that I have beenâ— means to bring you to it but as if you had long agoe foreseen whether your Temptations were likely to hurry you you have very seasonably forestalled and Antidoted whatever ill use may be made of your present Profession of Repentance Your words because they are very memorable I have taken pains verbatim to transcribe as I find them in your Holy Common-wealth page 486 487. I cannot see say you that I was mistaken in the main cause nor dare I repent of it nor forbear the same if it were to do again in the same state of things I should do all I could to prevent such a War but if it could not be prevented I must take the same side as then I did and my judgement telleth me that if I should do otherwise I should be guilty of Treason and Disloyaltie against the Sovereign power of the Land and of perfidiousness to the Common wealth c. And you conclude yet more remarkably It were too great folly by following Accidents that were then unknown for me to judge of the former Cause That which is Calamitous in the event is not always sinful in the Enterprize Should the change of times make me forget that state that we were formerly in and change my judgement by losing the sence of what then conduced to its Infortion this folly and forgetfulness would be the way to a sinful and not to an obedient Repentance Thus as I have already told you