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A60790 Some cursory reflexions impartially made upon Mr. Richard Baxter his way of writing notes on the Apocalypse, and upon his advertisement and postcript / by Phililicrines Parrhesiastes. More, Henry, 1614-1687. 1685 (1685) Wing S4499; ESTC R3969 20,096 40

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any Evidence for their Opinion but that such or such a Private Teacher has told them so 2. He conceives That this interpreting the usual Places of the Revelations p. 11. of the Papacy that all Romanists are tempted thereby to hate us and destroy us 3. To make such Interpretations as these is to add to the Sense of the Book and to incur the Curse thereof Rev. 22. 18. the Plagues written in the Book 4. He says The Sense must needs be uncertain where five of the wisest are of four minds 5. I blame not modest Conjectures saith he if men will but confess their uncertainty when they are uncertain nor use their Interpreting to kindle a partial hating dividing Zeal 6 I confess saith he I am less able to expound Prophecies than Daniel who yet thus concludes ch 12. 8. And I heard but understood not Then said I O my Lord what shall be the end of these things And he said Go thy way Daniel for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end And yet he says he makes no doubt but the Revelation is God's Word though he understands it not 7. And lastly pag. 12. To them that say saith he The Pope is the Beast the Whore of Babylon the Man of Sin the Antichrist you have a shift of the contempt of his Words as of a controverted uncertain thing but who knoweth not that the plain Law of God concludeth that the Proud the Worldly the Malignant the Idolatrous Murderers Persecutors Liars the Enemies of Christ's Gospel and serious Godliness are Satan's Slaves and shall not enter into the Kingdom of God There is something of Good mingled in some of these Sayings but little Good intended so far as I discern But I shall briefly answer to each Particular To the 1. first I say Here R. B. bewrays an ill Nature as they that have the Jaundies things seem to them yellow I know by experience the contrary and the Doctors Interpretations of the Apocalypse of the truth of which I am sufficiently confident though they make the Papal Corruptions concerned in the Vision of the Beast the Whore and False-Prophet yet I never had the more hatred or disgust against the Romanists for that But as for their Corruptions I thought their being shewn them in those and the like Visions to be so lively prefigured were the most likely way to make them reflect on their Condition and seek timely by an orderly Reformation to amend it those Interpretations ever avoiding the least shew of encouragement for such a Reformation as is to be carried on by Popular Tumults and the Sword and suggesting also that the most effectual Instruments in the Hands of Princes and Prelates will be those that he calls the Philadelphian Church who are made up of Loyalty to their Prince be he of the Reformèd or Unreformed Religion and of an hearty sincere Love to all Christendom and to Universal Mankind This Spirit Aromatizes the Doctors whole Interpretation of the Apocalypse But there are some Diseased Persons that cannot bear the scent of sweet Odours Grosser Minds are for a Gross War and Gross Revenge which is Diametrically opposite to the Doctors Interpretations Which it may be therefore R. B. being of a more Iron Martial Spirit may be the more averse from if Age has not as he pretends mellowed him into a better Mind And as for such Interpretations as concern the Papacy that they are onely the dictates of some private Teachers the Antichristianity of the Papacy was the general Doctrine of the Reformed Churches And R. B. upon his Private Spirit adventuring to be a Separative Guide has thus bewildred himself and his followers Whenas this Antichristianity of the Church of Rome is a Doctrine own'd by the Church of England and Jewel against Harding was ordered to be placed in every Parish Church And the main things of this kind are so plain that ordinary People are able to understand them and not believe them onely because the Reformed Churches say so To the 2 second It seems to me to be a piece of uncharitableness in R. B. that he should have such an harsh opinion of the Romanists when they cannot but see that it is not any malice in us Protestants but the Natural Interpretableness of the Apocalypse that way that we use those Prophetick Scriptures to defend our own Religion and convince them of the errour of theirs For my own part I think better of them nor can I who have so often admired those Divine strains of Morality in that Pagan Emperours Meditations M. Antoninus notwithstanding his Idolatrous Religion that could not debase his noble Nature forbear heartily to imbrace that Virtue Piety Faithfulness and Generosity that shines forth in any Romanist in despight of his Romanism that cannot suppress it These horrid conceits of R. B. of Hatred and Murder from the Papists on this account are effects of Melancholy and Old Age. If the Doctor be Murdered for speaking Truth in the behalf of the Church of England he will find good Company in the other World and be bid welome by that glorious Martyr of our Church the Pious Wise and Virtuous Charles the First or rather our Blessed Lord Jesus who was Martyr'd and Crucified for us will be ready to receive those that conscientiously suffer for maintaining his Truth and Honour Ye believe in God believe also in me saith he in my Fathers House there are many Mansions If it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and recieve you to my self that where I am there you may be also As certainly as Christ himself after his sufferings enjoys any thing in the other State he that Conscientiously suffers for him will thereupon be happy in the other World And who would not adventure all in one Bottom with him to whom the Prophecies of old have given such ample Testimony besides the History of his Miracles and that Stupendious Volume of Visions the Apocalypse imparted by him to his Church and whom so great a part of the World acknowledge to be the Son of God and Saviour of Mankind Certainly Divine Providence is more benign and faithful than to lay such a train as to entrap the most intelligent and sincere to the loss of their lives in the World as it fared with the Primitive Martyrs under the Pagan Dragon and with some hundred thousands under the healed Beast if there be no Recompense for such sufferers in the World to come To the 3 third If to make such Interpretations as R. B. counts uncertain which yet may be true according to his own account for ought he knows be to add to the Book and incur the Plagues written therein what does his Buffonry incur in his Notes that takes away in a manner all that is writ of chiefest concern for the Instruction and Amendment of the Church Roguing all