employ my time otherwise and would gladly hope they will so seriously weigh what opinion Mr. Baxter and M. Daillé who was no less sincere and free and disinteressed in his judgment have of this troublesome man's ability and honesty as to consider how little credit is to be given to what he hath written in his most false Account of our Advances toward Rome Where for example he affirms in his furious rage and passion 1. that the Prelates in their proceedings have exceeded the barbarousness of the Heathens in the persecution of the Christians p. 27. And 2 dly that there are some excellent Protestants who see as much reason to abhor the ways of the Church of England as those of Rome p. 28. And 3 dly to name no more of his mad frantick sayings that the best interpretation can be made of the present zeal of the Prelatical party against the Papists is that they are awakened by the love they have to their Benefices which they hoped the Papists being their kind Friends would have suffered them to have kept but now see they meant to have all p. 46 47. What is all this but lewd and ignorant if not malicious railing It being apparent to speak one word of the last that many Years before the late Popish Plot was discovered the Prelatical party as he calls them were not only awake but honestly gave the Nation warning of their danger and were the only men that did it for the Non-conformists were either then asleep or so silent that we could hear nothing of their fears of Popery but they lay still fondly hugging the Indulgence that was given them This is known to all those that have observed any thing of the Passages of late Years and may satisfie all those who have any list to be rightly informed how little conscience this man makes of what he says And therefore as they ought not to mind what he hath written so it would be well if they would consider how little good or rather how much hurt they are like to get by what he intends to write I mean his Ecclesiastical History which he tells us he designs composed by a man who in Mr. Baxter's opinion wants the principal quality of an Historian veracity and impartial fidelity of which he says he is not much guilty His error in writing being when he had to do with him and then he was publick Professor of History at Oxford a multiplication of palpable untruths in matters of fact A foul error indeed which made Mr. Baxter ashamed and grieved his heart as it ought to do all other good men to think there is no more honesty among men that pretend Conscience so much partiality in siding Divines and so little faithfulness in a publick Professor of History O that all those who now greedily entertain his Books would lay it to heart and see how they suffer themselves to be misled and what kind of men they are who labour might and main to make the breach wider between us than really it is Let them open their eyes and behold what such violent spirits are a doing disgracing the best men in the Church and making the World believe they are marching towards Popery when they are ready I am confident to lay down their lives rather than submit to it or move one step towards it though they might thereby not only keep all their dignities but have the addition of all that the Papacy is able to heap upon them Why are you so injurious to such men who are not angry with you because you dissent from them if you did not withall rail upon them or love and cherish those that do This shows you would destroy them and pull our Church in pieces Men of this spirit are not content meerly not to be of it but they would have it not to be Else we might all joyn together against the Common Enemy though we cannot in all things agree one with another But as long as they take this course they become also an Enemy of another sort and cannot justly blame those of our Church who they complain cry out against them and remember them of old things when they should in their opinion only preach against the Papists Why do they tempt them to it by their out-cries against the Church and by pouring forth such scurrilous language in their Pamphlets For my part I hope the greatest part of the Body of Non-conformists do not desire to destroy this Church But they that rave so furiously against it give too much ground to men to believe otherways the rest not contradicting them nor endeavouring to bring them to moderation Which is a work now very seasonable for them and which they are always calling for from our men if they would indeed secure this Church and perswade the members of it that they desire not to subvert or unsettle it Let them openly declare that they look upon this Lewis du Moulin as no better than M. Daillé and Mr. Baxter have described him one whose reports they do not trust a vain Writer and malicious if not mad and distracted Who endeavours to infuse ungrounded jealousies into your minds of the Divines of our Church many of which he would perswade you have for these Hundred Years been moving towards Popery at least since the beginning of the Reign of King James have been daily making nearer advances to it And yet when by such wicked suggestions this Church was pulled down how few of them were there found that revolted unto Popery How can these things consist together that men should be making their advances nearer and nearer to Rome and not then close with it Why did not the corrupt party as he terms it then follow their inclinations if they had any that way when there was so great a temptation All their maintenance being then taken away and little hope left of seeing it restored This one would think should open your eyes to see how you have been cheated by evil minded men And make you more careful how you involve your selves in a new guilt of the same kind by joyning with those among you who would once more destroy this Church which hath been so miraculously restored and had not been in such danger as now it is if it had not been for the miserable havock and confusion which you made by the last War For which I doubt you have not shed any tears nor to use this man 's own words p. 4. are touched as you ought to be though he would have us believe p. 42. your life is a continual practice of repentance For then he that says this would not have had the confidence to affirm almost in the same breath p. 41. that they who are distinguisht from us by the Names of Puritans Presbyterians Independents Fanaticks c. are the best Christians the best Protestants the best Englishmen the most loyal subjects the greatest pillars burtresses and supporters of Monarchy c. and
Religion and do laugh at the imputative righteousness of Jesus Christ at Justification by Faith and have preached that Heathens may do good works as meritorious and well pleasing to God without the grace of Jesus Christ c. as the Alms and prayers of a devout Cornelius p. 85. Which are accusations that have not one word of Truth in them but were suggested to him by his own inraged imagination which most unjust hatred to us to use M. D. 's words again hath disturbed or by his unconscionable jealousies to speak in Mr. Baxter's phrase which will not let him understand aright For I am as sure there are no such Divines not one much less a Cloud of Witnesses to these things as I am that Amyraldus was no Patron of the Jesuits M. Daillé no Arminian Mr. Baxter no Papist and that they are not persecuted who are suffered to write even such Books as this without any punishment But I will leave those Divines as I said to purge themselves if they think fit or turn him over to the Author of the Friendly Debate who can I fancy if he will attempt it make this Lewis repent at least of this that he hath mentioned his Book with such reproach When it is visible in my poor opinion it is nothing so sharp and severe upon the N. C. as M. Daillé is upon their Champion L. du Moulin And yet such is their partiality of which I pray God they may all repent they never speak of M. Daillé but as of a holy Man of an excellent temper who is highly reverenced by all the Party but generally condemn the other as a prophane and scurrilous Writer an Enemy of the People of God and I know not what O the power of studium causae as M. Daillé calls it zeal to serve the cause and affection to a side I beseech again the Father of lights to give them a better mind and us all grace thoroughly to search and try our ways and to see and acknowledge our errors That 's a good Prayer will some perhaps be apt to say who dislike all the rest and we have a wish for you as you have for us that you would see and reform the present error that is among you in accusing us of intending to destroy the Government Is not that as great an out-cry every where as this of du Moulin's I answer sincerely there are many I believe very jealous of you and declare it freely But their suspicions are raised by such kind of writings as his which clearly demonstrate they think that the Dissenters at least such as He intend to stir up the hatred of the People against the Men of our Church as much as against the Papists if not more For He mentions the Lord Castlemain p. 26. with far more respect than he doth our Divines the consequence of which can be nothing else than an indeavour to pull us in pieces But for my part as I said before I am willing to hope the main body of N. C. are not so disposed though there be factious spirits among them too many that would thrust them forward to our and their own destruction They understand better and are better inclined I hope than to pull down a well setled Government when it is apparent as I have noted above they can set up none in the room of it And the best Demonstration they can give of this will be to disown such Writers as L. du Moulin by some publick Declaration and therein assure us that they mean not to disturb the Church of England as it is established but will heartily joyn with us against the Papists to uphold and maintain it desiring only to have their own just liberty under that Government which they will highly deserve when they have contributed to its support As for the project of Lewis du Moulin it is as vain as himself for were the Ceremonies which he most unconscionably reviles as Popish removed out of the way it would not make up the breach but the main body of Non-conformists would still remain divided from us because they will not admit of a prescribed form of Prayer Nay He himself I have too much reason to believe would not be satisfied unless the Articles of the Church of England be expounded to the sense of Mr. Calvin which will never down with very great numbers of the Dissenters no more than with them among us against whom he hath spit out all this venome But I must not inlarge upon this subject having other business that expects me now that the Twelve days are expiring In the midst of which I told you his Book first coming to my hand I imployed the remainder of them as you see in giving this short account of it and of him Who may thereby be convinced that we are not so ill taught as to spend our time in the Play-house or with a Pack of Cards which he would have you believe is the common divertisement of our Ministers p. 36. though I think that had been far more innocent than to be writing such Books as his For therein I should at the worst only have done a little harm to my self whereas his business is to abuse the Nation with false reports nay to poison it with destructive opinions and t◠slander those Divines as men that satisfie themselves with the profession of a superficial piety p. 35. who are most laborious in their studies devoutly attend the Divine Service and make it their business by Word and Writing to do good to Men. Jan. 6. 1679. THE END * De Sp. Sancto Cap. 30. ☞ ☜ ☞ ☜ ☞ ☞ ☜ ☞
terms I meet with so many of Amyraldus mind in the point of Universal Redemption that if I might judge of all the rest by those of my acquaintance I should conjecture that half the Divines in England are of that opinion And then proceeds to show it is a thing famously known that this hath been maintained by writing disputing and preaching by as excellent Divines for learning judgment holiness and powerful preaching as far as we can judge as ever England bred mentioning among others Archbishop Usher and the Divines sent to the Synod of Dort c. and then concluding are not these more than unus Baxterus And now I mention Mr. Baxter I shall desire this may be seriously considered before I conclude that if Lewis du Moulin had that honest zeal in him to which he pretends he would have handled Mr. Baxter as smartly and complained of him as heavily as he doth of any men he hath accused for advancing towards Popery For though he be not of the Church of England yet no body is more guilty of what he objects to our Divines if it be a crime than Mr. Baxter in what he hath written about Faith and Justification and Christs imputed Righteousness which he explains just as those men whom he reviles who have no other opinions about these things I am well assured from my acquaintance with them than what Mr. Baxter himself hath Nor is there any man alive among us from whom Lewis du Moulin unless he have changed his mind differs more than he doth from Mr. Baxter For He defended as M. Daillé observes this monstrous opinion against his own Brother Cyrus Molinaeus that we are not justified by Faith but justified before we have faith Which Mr. Baxter I am certain accounts a portentous Doctrine as well as M. Daillé and hath also said all that this Lewis condemns in the discourses of our Divines about faith in this short sentence It is all one in my account to believe in Christ and to become a Christian And yet we hear not one word or syllable such is this man's partiality of Mr. Baxter's leading the way to Popery No by no means He hath something of the Nonconformist in him and for that reason he spares him But time was when such fiery spirits as L. du Moulin reviled Mr. Baxter just as he doth the Divines of our Church They said he attributed too much to good works nay according to Mr. Eyre and Mr. Crandon the Papists give no more to Works than He who taught the People also they said to depend too much upon their Guides and in down-right terms He was called a Papist And all because he left their way of speaking and endeavoured to make things plainer and state them more clearly which is all the fault they can now find with those Persons whom L. du Moulin hath belied and grosly abused by his Impostures They may if they think it worth their while bestow a particular Answer upon him and show how he hath misrepresented them But in my poor opinion they had better never trouble themselves with such a Reviler whom no body will mind that will consider this description which M. Daillé hath given of him Or it may be sufficient for any of them to say in the Name of the rest I beg their pardon if they think I take too much upon me in directing them what to do as Mr. Baxter doth to those who would have had him made a particular reply to Mr. Crandons Book God hath given me my hours for better and more useful works And if any object that the ignorance of common people is such that confidence and railing and slanders will take with them as if they were valid Arguments and therefore have need of as diligent confutation I answer it is not in my power to cure the ignorance of such people nor the slanderous Tongues or Pens of such Writers And if I must write as long as slanderous tongues will make me work or ignorant men need it then I shall have work enough to do and my labours be at the command of every man's Vices If any object farther that our Divines are bound to vindicate their Reputation I may Answer for them as Mr. Baxter doth there in his Confession of Faith p. 7 8. that God hath suffered the Calumniator to play his part so grosly c. that I think such a tongue is not much capable to diminish a man's reputation nor is it any way needful to vindicate it from such Yet if you please take Mr. Baxter 's judgment also of this man whereby you may see what kind of understanding he hath and how fully I have vindicated their reputation You may find it in his Preface to the Disputations about the Sacraments Printed the same Year with M. Daillé 's Book forementioned where he censures that Book in the Preface to which he used M. Daillé so coursly A Book says Mr. Baxter that hath much learning and more truth than is fairly used the face of it being writhen to frown upon them that own it and parties wronged where truth is defended though through the unhappiness of the distinctions oft clouded when it seems to be explicated and through I know not what the controversie seldom truly stated In short he says it is an ungrateful task to answer a Writing Whose error is a multiplication of PALPABLE UNTRUTHS IN MATTER OF FACT But he lays no less than XX. Considerations in his way where his Conscience he tells him may find them At the end of which He cries out mark it I beseech you This is the faithfulness of the World it shames and grieves me to say of fiding Divines and as much almost to say of a PUBLICK PROFESSOR OF HISTORY IN OXFORD For the principal honour of an Historian is his Veracity and impartial fidelity and how much of that his Preface to the Paraenesis is guilty of I leave to consideration c. This is Mr. Baxter's judgment of the understanding and sincerity of Lewis du Moulin who ought to submit unto it and confess himself unqualified to be a Writer For if he speak his true mind in his late Book p. 64. he thinks Mr. Baxter to be one of the sincerest persons in the World and the most disengaged and free in his judgment To which would to God our dissenting Brethren would be pleased to trust and to rely upon Mr. Baxter's judgment so far as not to give much credit to the reasonings or reports of a man who hath such a flaw in his understanding and such partiality in his affections as make the one very weak and the other very false As it will be very easie to demonstrate if they shall still think him so considerable as to expect a particular discovery of all the falsities impostures and calumnies wherewith his late Book abounds and hath grosly abused both the dead and the living I will now forbear the instances because I had rather