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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94087	A vindication of that prudent and honourable knight, Sir Henry Vane, from the lyes and calumnies of Mr. Richard Baxter, minister of Kidderminster. In a monitory letter to the said Mr. Baxter. By a true friend and servant of the Commonwealth of England, &c.	Stubbe, Henry, 1632-1676.	1659 (1659)	Wing S6068; Thomason E985_21; ESTC R203679	15,324	23

M●rtyrs but their sayings are recorded by Mr. Fox in his Acts and Monuments 10. This practise of Persecution meerly for Religion hath been likewise disavowed by some of the most learned and famous Princes of Christend●m King James in his Speech in Parliament saith That it is a sure Rule in Divinity That God never leves to plant his Church by violence and bloodshed and in his Apology pag. 4. and 60. I have good proof that I intended no persecution against the Papists for conscience sake but onely desired to be secured for civil obedience which for conscience sake they are bound to perform And speaking of the Arch-priest Blackwel he faith It was never his intention to lay any thing to the Arch-priests charge as he never did to any for the cause of conscience The saying of Stephen that wise King of Poland is observable That he was King of men not of consciences a Commander of Bodies not of Souls and that it is one of the three things which God hath kept in his own hands to urge the conscience this or that way and to cause a man to profess a Religion by working it first in his hea●t And the King of Bohemia writeth thus That the success of latter Times wherein sundry opinions have been hatched about the subject of Religion may make one clearly discern with his eye and as it were touch with his finger That according to the verity of holy Scripture and a Maxime heretofore maintained by the antient Doctors of the Church That mens consciences ought in no sort to be violated urged or constrained And whensoever men have attempted any thing by this violent course whether openly or by secret means the issue hath been pernicious and the cause of great and wonderful innovation in the migh●iest Kingdomes and Countries of CHRISTENDOM I might also reci●e the sayings of those potent and famous Princes CHARLS the Fifth Emperour of Germany Henry the Third and Henry the Fourth Kings of France with other Christian Princes who after many Trials and much experience of men and times grew weary of the practise of Persecution for the cause of Religion as having seen the sad and dreadful effects of it in Christendom And if this practise should be again re-assumed in these poor distracted Nations what can we expect therefrom as the condition of our affairs stands but greater troubles wars and bloodshed then yet we have seen Whereas you Mr. Bax●er●nd other Minister● who I Sect. X could wish were better imployed do endeavour by your Sermons and writings ●o bring an ●dium upon the present Government and Gove●nour● a● i●●hey who have such considerable Estates and inte●est in the Land had a desi●n to pull down the Ministry level me●● E●●●●es and proprie●y and reduce all to ●n An●●chy and confusion because forsooth they think it not meet to fulfil your ambitious lusts and desires I would ●aine know of you whether ever the Godly Ministry of this N●●ion had ●o much incouragement and maintenance allowed ●h●m by any power or authority as they had and may have ●rom the long Parliament Ungrateful men what would you have them do for you will nothing content you unless you may Exercise a Lordly and Tyrannical Domination over the consciences of your Brethren and bring the civil Magistrate under your Girdle to be at your Beck and Command that you may dispose of civil ●ffairs as you please in ordine ad spiritualia Are there not many pretious Godly Ministers now with the Lord no whit inferior to you that would have blessed God for and rejoyced in tha● liberty freedome and incouragement which you enjoy or may enjoy if you will ca●ry your selves as you ought to do under this ●overnment They good men prized their condition though they had but for●y or fifty pounds per annum But many of our Ministers are so peevish and unthankful That they grow weary of and mourn under their mercies and inveigh most bitterly against the famous long Parliament by whose means they have obtained greater incoura●ements and revenues then ever was enjo●ed by men of their parts and principles Is this your kindness to your Ben●factors and do you thus requi●e them for all their good offices Surely it is high time for them to look about them and to have a watchful eye over such men as you are And when it sh●ll please God to bring the●e Nations to a better consistency and to establish an equal and righteous Government by just and good laws ●or the benefit of the whole Community If you or any other party shall go about by promo●i●g a faction to disturbe the peace and orders of the Commonwealth by your words or actions under what p●etence soever Truly Mr Baxter in such a case you will have but little comfort if you be exposed to sufferings for your miscarriages Let no man suffer saith the Apostle as an evil doer or as a busy body in other mens matters but he that suffereth let him suffer as a Christian 1 Pet. 4. 15 16. Is it your desire that Church-Government should be established in this Land why then If it be such a Government as is ●ure Divino you may set it up by the spiritual Sword though you have no assistance from the civil Magistrate The Kingdome of Christ is not of this world and we know that when the Churches of Christ had least countenance from Earthly powers they were best governed and had most beauty unity and order among themselves You and we have the like liberty and opportunity to improve our spiritual weapons and skill But if one party will impose upon another and go about to supplant those that conscientiously differ from them doubtless the Lord who loves and tenders his people under many weaknesses and mistakes will still witness against such an unchristi●n practise That Counsel which is of God shall stand but that which is not shall be brought to nothing To conclude give me leave Sir to propound something to you by way of advise T is true you have to give you your due a pregnant wit and many commendable natural parts and you are fluent in your words and writings But I beseech you be earnest with the Lord to give you true humility and self-denyal and that wisdom which is from above and which is pure and peaceable and easy to be intreated Lean not too much to your own understanding and reasonings Be not high in your own conceit you know who saith that there is more hope of a fool then of a man that is wise in his own conceit Prov. 26. 12. Hence it is that you are so apt to sleight and undervalue others as deserving as your self which your best friends have noted in you and do much complain of Consider and digest your thoughts well before you speak or write Remember what a wise man saith m That the heart of the Righteous studieth to answer and the heart of the wise Teacheth his mouth and addeth learning to his lips A fool uttereth all his mind but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards Look up to God for spiritual strength that you may be crucified to the fame and praise of men upon which Rock many have split themselves who have had as excellent parts and as much seeming piety as Mr. Baxter He that thinketh he knoweth any thing let him know that he knoweth nothing as he ought to know I write this in true love to you and I wish you may accept it accordingly For better are the wounds of a true friend then the kisses of an Enemy FINIS a Prov. 4 3 * K●y of catholiques b Prov. 21. 23. Prov. 29. 20. Jam. 1. 26. * Antisthenes Exod. 23. 2. * K●y of Cathol. pag. 312 313. 3●● 331 335 391 c Job 13. 7. Rom. 3. 7. d Vide Declar of Parliam 〈…〉 Fr●e State March 17. 1648. * See Mr. Tho. Barlowe Mr. Owen Mr. Kendall Mr. Ly●●r● Mr. Burgess Mr. Eyre Mr. Crandon Mr. Warner their Books against Mr. Baxter K●y p●g 312 313. Key pag. 331. Matth. 7. 5. e Aphoris of Justif. p. 70. 78. 82 83. 91. 45. Direction for Comfort afflict Cons● pag. 34 37 38 45 39 42 44 45 47 49 51 c. f Saints●●●rlasting Rest g Ad Scapulam h Hillary Contra Aux●nt i Jerom. in poenit lib 4. in Jerem. k Luth. postil Dom. 1. post Epiph Comment in 1 Pet. 3. m Prov. 15. 24. Prov. 16. 23. Prov. 29. 11.

the Mediatory Kingdome of Christ is a mee●Usurper and may be lawfully deposed and so whilst you seem to attribute much to the Christian Magistrate you destroy Magistracy in most Nations and Countries in the world where neither Magistrate nor people acknowledge the Lord Jesus Concerning this point of Toleration let it be considered 1. That Christ commands that both the tares and the wheat should remain together in the world and not be plucked up till the day of harvest which is the end of the world Matth. 13. 30 38. 2. He reproved his Disciples who would have had fire come down from heaven to destroy the Samar●tans that would not entertain him in these words You know not what spirit you are of for the Son of man came not to destroy mens lives but to save them Luk. 9. 54 55. 3. The Apostle Paul would not have the servant of God to strive but to be gentle towards all men in meekness in●tructing those that are contrary minded if peradventure God will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth 2 ●im 2 ●4 25. and it is prophesied of Gospel times Isa. 11. 9. that none sha●l hurt or destroy in the mountain of Gods holiness i. e. in his Churches and the assemblies of his people 4. The weapons wherewith the Ministers of the Gospel should fight are not carnal 2 Cor. 10. 4. And Christs Disciples shou●d be so far from persecuting those that are not of their Religion that when they themselves are persecuted they should pray when they are cursed they should bless Mat. 5. 44. outward violence and rigor is so far from being the Character of the Christian Church that it is the undoubted mark of the An●ichristian Synagogue 5. They who now are tares may hereafter become wheat they that are now blinde may hereafter see they that are now Blasphemers may obtain mercie as Paul did 1 Tim. 1. 13. Some there are that come not in till the eleventh hour Mat. 20. 6. if you destroy them that come not in till the last hour because they come not at the first then they are never like to come 6. We know that God is not pleased with hypocritical unwilling worshippers forced thereunto by outward violence nor are Christian Societies bettered no nor the persons themselves by such outw●rd force but the plain contrary God alone being Lord over the conscience for as Solomon saith There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit Eccles. 8. 8. 7. 'T is hard for the most judicious and learned men to give a right Judgement of many points now in Controversie and yet not withstanding many ingaged persons are ready to force dissenters in such Controversies by the coercive power of the Magistrate if the Magistrate were as forward to execute as they are to propose 8. Persecution for Religion hath caused or at least occasioned most of the Wars Devastations and Bloodshed in Christendome whilst Princes would force their Subjects to be of their Religion against the light of their own consciences witness the VVars in G●rmany the Low-Countries France Poland England Scotland c. nor doth it agree well with a Free-State or Common-wealth to exercise outward force in matters of Religion there being various apprehensions and diversity of opinions among all sorts and ranks of men and perhaps if Mr. Baxter were called to consult about the weighty affairs of the State as you may be in due time for you pretend to some skill in the Politicks as appears by your most judicious censure on the Commonwealth of Oceana and its Author in your political Epistle to the Nobility and Gentry of England you may after some grave debates be more for Toleration then now you are 'T is far more easie for you to write Syllogisms in your study sutable to your own private and narrow apprehensions then to ke●p three Nations in peace and hinder godly men of different Judgements from supplanting one another by force and violence and putting an opportunity into the hand of the common Enemy to destroy them all 9. Outward violence in the cause of Religion is condemned by divers antient and modern VVriters of the best note No man is forced by the Christians against his will saith Lactantius seeing he that wants faith and devotion is unserviceable to God and God not being contentious would not be worshipped of the unwilling Tertullian saith g That it is of humane right and of natural liberty that every man worship God uncompelled and believe what he will Nor doth it beseem any Religion to compel another to be of their Religion which willingly and freely should be embraced and not by constraint forasmuch as God requires a free-will offering The Christian Church saith Hillary h doth not persecute but is persecuted 'T is lamentable to see the great folly of these times in that men think by humane ayde to help God and by worldly pomp and power to defend the Christian Church And Hi●rom saith i That heresie must be cut off by the sword of the spirit and that we should strike all misled hereticks thorough with the sharp arrows of the Spirit that is with the T●stimonies of the Scriptures the slaughter of hereticks being by the word of God Luther in his book of the civil Magistrate saith That the Laws of the civil Magistrate extend no farther then the body and go●ds and that which is external for over the conscience God alone ruleth therefore whosoever undertakes to give Laws to the conscience he usurpeth the Government that appertains onely to God In the building of the Temple saith he there was no sound of Iron heard to signifie that Christ will have in his Church a free and willing people not compelled by humane Laws and Statutes And upon Luk. 22. It is not the true Catholique Chur●h which is defended by the secular arm or humane power but the false and fa●ned Church And again upon Psal. 17. he saith That the true Church of Christ knoweth not Brachium Seculare which the Bishops now adayes chiefly use And in his other books k he saith Let no Christian be commanded but exhorted for he that willingly will will not do that whereunto he is friendly exhorted is no Christian wherefore they that compel those that are not willing shew thereby that they are not Christian preachers but worldly beadles If the Civil Magistrate shall command me thus and thus saith he I would answer him after this manner Sir look you to your worldly or civil government your power extends not so far as to command any thing in Gods Kingdom therefore herein I may not hear you for if you cannot bear it that any should usurp authority where you are to command how should you think that God will suffer you to usurp that government that belongs to him I might here mention the sayings of Brentius and other for●aign Writers upon this subject and also divers of our English