be believed concerning them which only Papists and the more carnal sort of the Episcopal party have ever ventured to give them We must therefore appeal to God against this slâ—ndeâ—er and eatnestly pray that he would please to rebuke him He speaks very slightly of Prayer in comparison of study for the attaining of wisdom calling it too cheap a way which shows you how little he understands the Nature of True Prayer which is a travail of the spirit and calls for the whole attention of mind and inward workings of thoughts in a far more intense and earnest manner then any study can nor doth Solomon direct to any other way principally when he commands us to lift up our voice for understanding Prov 2. 3. so the Apostle James if any man want wisdom let him ask it of God Jam 1. 5. Which when we call to mind we cannot but wonder that any dares so expresly go against the very letter of Scripture and likewise the reason of the command since it is not study but the blessing of God which is obtained by Faithful and diligent prayer that makes either â—ich or knowing but we have done with wondring at Mr. Baxters boldness for what follows in justification of his unwarrantable conceit exceeds all ordinary bounds of sobriety Iâ— is considerable saith he not only that Christ increased in wisdom in his Youth but also that he would not enter upon his publick Ministry till he was about thirty Years of age when it had been more easie for Christ to have go all knowledge by two or three earnest prayers thou for any of us Whether will not Pride and overwening carry a man he that had so trampled upon his brethren without any regard to their innocence or snfferings now speaks but slightly of our Lord Christ himself For doth he think or if he doth not how dares he insinuate it That our Saviour staid till he was 30 years old before he entred upon his ministry that he might be more perfect in wisdom was it not that he might in all respects fulfill the Law that time of Life being ordained for the Priests of old to enter upon the Tabernacle-service Numb 4. 2 3. Or may we suppose that that Lord Christ in whom dwelt all the Fulness of the Godhead bodily and who was infinitely perfect as God and Man in the fiast moment he was born had any adition of Grace or wisdom except as to the manifestation of it in his Humane Nature upon his earnest prayers Was he not rather herein a pattern to us that we should be instant in prayer since he who needed it not for himself did so constantly use it so that to speak so lessingly of prayer and Christ to undervalue so much the unspeakableness usefulness of one and the incomprehensible majesty of the other becomes very well the Spirit that Mr. Baxter writes with but not at all that which hitherto he hath pretended to He calls them Poor Fanciful Women and melancholly persons that ordinarily receive comfort by suggested Texts of Scripture and would abuse their piety herein by using a Phrase more beseeming a Jester then a Judicious Divine If a Text of Scripture come into their minds they say saith he this Text was brought into my mind and that text was set upon my spirit If this be not to sit in the chair of scorners what is For is not this the very language of Holy men that Mr. Baxter would expose to scorn In the multitude of my perplexed thoughts for so the Hebrew word signifies within me saith Holy David thy comforts delight my soul Ps 94. 19. Where by Comforts he means some Scripture promises at that very time suggested in which he found satisfaction as is plain Ps 119 50. 52. And is not this the ordinary safe way of receiving comfortâ— for what the word speaks that the spirit speaks and he is promised by our Saviour for this very end to bring Scripture to his peoples remembrance John 14. 26. And indeed when a soul oppressed with sorrow before shall suddenly find ease by having some Scripture brought to their mind which before they thought not of if this be not the Spirits work as a Comforter we shall be alwayes doubtful how and when he performs that office which way of Doubting Mr. Baxters Divinity leads into which sufficiently shews it is not of God For God calls us to Hope perfectly and to rejoyce in that Hope But as if he could never speak meanly enough about Prayer he adds further It is a wonder how they that believe Scripture can make themselves believe that God makes such a matter as they do of their several foâ—mâ— and words of Prayer But doth not God regard the manner of our addressing to him must not we pray in the Spirit and doth not God seek such to worship him so that we rather wonder how any that believes Scripture can be guilty of such crude and ungrounded assertions And were we as forward to pass a censure as Mr. Baxter is we should quickly conclude every such Trifler that in defence of Humane Inventions and impositions in Prayer will affirm rashly that the Pharisees had a Lithurgy and our Saâ—iour and his Apostles of enjoined with them in it doth neither believe Scripture nor himself but tries to abuse the credulity of his Reader by his weak and peremptory assertions It is well Mr. Baxter is grown so scruplous and tender that he is offended if any break jests upon Common prayer VVe must in charity believe he is serious but then he should have given us occasion to think that not many years ago he was delighted in such kind of things himself for we must appeal to all unprejudiced Readers whether any thing could be more Ironically spoken then what he or at least those from whom he did not discent writ in the Savoy dispute Cold prayers are like to have a cold return and therefore even for peace sake let us pray more heartily and copiously then the Common-prayer-book will help us to do And whether this be the cause or whether it be that the Common-prayer book hath never a prayer for it self we find that its prayers prevail not to reconcile many sober serious persons to it that live in Faithful Fervent prayer Thus being High Priest for that Year he prophesied but since he is so much better informed that he hath much ado to forbear making Homilies and pleads strongly for them though at that time he was afraid of them least they should make us Ruffians which Reason still continues in force against them though Mr. Baxter hath either left or lost it We pass by his prophane story as fitter for Ranters and the persons he pleads for Communion with then for separatists and we challenge him to tell us the names of those that used such Ruffian like expressions which we judge Mr. Baxter did greatly sin in repeating or else let him not take it
the best argument that all learned men have ever defended it by is the proportion it hath to Circumcision from whence they conclude by a parity of Reason that what was used to Infants before in order to their admission unto Church priviledges may be continued now to them under a New administration and the very same manner of reasoning will hold in the present case which is not an effect of Ignorance and Rashness but of Spiritual Soundness and Sobriety He doth at large recite the Corruptions that were in Former Churches and thence would inferr the unlawfulness of separation where such corruptions are still continued But this he doth very Impertinently For though many errors both in Doctrine and Life were formerly admitted yet none of them were imposed as Conditions of Communion which is at this day the complaint and grievance of all the Separate and of which they have frequently desired redress but in vain in order to communion He relates that he hath met with many conscientious professors who would not communicate with the Parish Churches because the people were ignorant who when he had examined them have proved ignorant of the very substance of Christianity It is hardly possible to believe that he hath met with many such or if he had yet ought not such things to be concealed are not we commanded not to reveal the secret of another which pious and prudent Rule Mr. Baxter hath not scrupled to sin against and therefore may justly fear what follows in the text That He who hears it will put him to shame and his infamy shall not turn away Prov 25. 9. 10. They are very unweighed and rash words when he says Shew me in Scripture or in Church History that either there ever was De facto or ought to be De Jure such a thing in the world as the Papists call the Church and I profess I will immediately turn Papist We think none can write thus but declares a great unsteddiness in his Religion for none that knows Church History but can prove that such a Church as the Roman hath been near 1300. years actually in being and we much wonder that any Protestant should be found though but by the by equalling of Church History to Scripture as if the uncertain tradition of the one were to be as much accounted of and followed as the divine and infallible Revelation of the other Having profecuted the grounds of our departure from the Church of Rome he concludes insolently if this answer seem not plain and full enough to you it is because you understand not Christian sence and Reason But certainly it can be nothing else but intollerable Pride that dares charge another with want of Christian sence and Reason who doth not understand the force of a consequence of Mr. Baxters making sence he too often faileth in the truth and evidence of his deductions When he sayes We may have local presential Communion with that particular Church where we are present unless they hinder us by Unlawful terms this bating that insignificant Jargon of Local Presential Communion is no more then we all affirm Only we add that at this day unlawful terms are imposed upon us and because of them we are necessitated not so much to separate for we never yet were of them as to forbear Communion Among the sects which charge one another he reckons the Papists and Protestants but this is a very New and odious Nick-Name to call the Protestant by the title of a Sect and to make it part of their guilt that they conclude A Papist cannot go beyond a Reprobate nor a worshipper of the Beast be saved Which being the express words of Scripture Rev. 14. 9 10 11. And mentioned in so slight and abusive a manner by Mr. Baxter makes us judge that he may in time be brought to a compliance with them of whom he is pleased to write more favourably then the Scripture allows us that are in his sence the plainner and duller sort of Christians to speak or conceive He speaks something but very triflingly about scandall and shows how little he understands the true Notion of it when he dares affirm Many times I have the rather gone to the Common-prayers of the Publick assemblies for fear of being a scandal to those same Men that called the going to them a scandal But the Apostle Paul would not eat flesh which certainly is far more Lawful then to go to those prayers which are of a suspected if not Idolatrous Original rather then he would offend his weak brother whose practice we wish Mr. Baxter would have condescended to conform unto And then all such expressions as these would have been forborn He reports that many a faithful Minister he hath known who have freely confessed to him that pievish self-conceited Christians inclined to separation were a far stronger temptation to them to forsake or over run their own understandings then all the offers of Honours or Riches could be on the other side We may well doubt of the truth of this story for we can hardly think that any much less many a faithful Minister would so reproach their people and their Honourable Name which is upon them as to call them pievish and self conceited Christians But if some have indeed formerly complained of the too great proneness to separation when there was no such evident and pressing necessiâ—ies for it we doubt not but they expected so much prudence and faithfulness from Mr. Baxter as to conceal their complaints and not vent them now when the state of affairs is so wholly altered I hoâ—e hereafter all that fear God will be very careful how they make any complaint unto a Person who will take the next worst occasion to revile a whole Innocent and Godly and likewise suffering and afflicted Party by a malitious and unworthy publishing of it He compares odiously the Separatists to the Quakers and affirms of them that as the Quakers by the very terrour of their words did frighten many women and boys into their sâ—ct before they understood at all what it was that they were against or for so do the Separatists declaim against our sinfulness of Parish assemblies and Communion till they have frightned the ignorant into their mistaken Zeal And as if this were not enough to make them all absurd and ridiculous He doth in another pâ—ace endeavour to render them Perverse and malitious by saying uncharitably as well as falsly every Separatist Anabaptist Antinomian doth too willingly put his errors into his Prayers Where by mentioning the Separatist as a distinct body of Men from the Antinomian Quaker and Anabaptist it is evident he can mean no other but his Presbiterian and congregational brethren of whom to affirm that they all too willingly put their errors into their Prayers and preach meerly to fright the ignorant into their mistaken Zeal this is to do what he can to make that Character
sincerely imbraced it of their ignorance and injuditiousnesse It is not saith he the least pitty that many good people especally youth and women should be so weak as to value an affectionate tone of speech above a juditious opening of the Gospel and again a it grieveth my very soul to think what pittifull raw and ignorant kind of Preaching is crowded most after is many place for the meer affectionate manner of expression and lowdness of the 〈…〉 voice What could Parker or his Brother the Dialogist have spoken more reproachfully against that Preaching which God doth ordinarily own as his instrument in working conversion by And indeed we may easily forgive those Shimeiâ—sâ— from whom we had no reason to expect better when one from our own bowels doth thus seek our Life But is Mr. Baxter grieved indeed that ignorant preaching is crowded after we hope then he will ease himself by discovering who they are that deceive such Multitudes But if he continus silent and leaves the charge at randome we must think it concern all that are at this day ingaged in a Gospel Separation and then not so much to right our selves whose work is with the Lord that knows us as to make this proud man know his sin and folly we must tell him that for depth and variety of Learning skill in the Languages knowledge of Scripture Sobriety of Life and which in preaching is equal to any of these an affectionate and zealous earnestness in expressing the truth of God for the salvation of Souls very few exceed those Preachers whom for some foolish stories that in former days he knew Mr. Baxter doth not fear to contemn and villifie If we shall be accounted fools in this glorying we can sincerely say He hath compelled us 2 Cor. 12 11. But we had rather glory in our infirmities and among others in this very reproach that we suffer that so the excellency of the power whereby God is pleased to work in such weak instruments may more evidently appear to be of God who we doubt not as he hath so will continue to own the affectionate and earnest Preachers of his free Grace when such juditious selfesavers as Mr. Baxter who have left off the Lords work and instead of helping it forward with us are weakning our hands and disgracing us before the builders Neh. 4. 2. 5. shall be ashamed of their envy It is altogether a new 〈…〉 to affirm Dictator like 〈…〉 which are of necessity to 〈…〉 you must ever keep company with the Universal Church 〈◊〉 who shall tell us what is the Universal Church and where we may find it or how comes the Scripture not so much as to be mentioned from which alone the Nature and 〈◊〉 of a 〈◊〉 Church is to be taken But what he adds is much more conceited and singular In 〈◊〉 of high and difficult speculation the judgement of one man of extraordinary understanding clearness is to be preferred before both the Rulers and the Major vote we suppose Mr. Baxter hopes as Haman did in a like case 〈◊〉 6. â— that he shall be the man or else he would not have advised us to preferr the judgement of any one man whatever when he knowâ— we believe that the Scripture is both perfect and plain and for his matters of high and difficult speculation such as are the Reconciling the absoluteness of Gods decree with the freedom of Mans will and the like which Mr. Baxter troubles himself and his Readers about we know we may be safely ignorant of them since they are things we are not able to understand and for other points which possibly Mr. Baxter may think too plain and easie for his profound understanding we are already taught by a greater then 〈◊〉 that if an Angel from Heaven 〈◊〉 any thing against them we are to wish an Anathema to him which sad imprecation we desire Mr. Baxter to be very careful he doth avoid the occasion of deserving He seems to us very much to dispurage the reputation of honesty when he scruples not to affirm It oft falleth out that honest people are like straying sheep if one leap over the Hedge the rest will crowd and strive to follow him This we think is enough to make people afraid of being honest if indeed when they are so they are so apt to go astray and we hope it will be a warning to those that are truly Honest to take heed how they follow Mr. Baxter in these his Out-leaps But as if his enmity was against strictness as well as honesty he tells us Sometimes the 〈…〉 after one opinion and sometimes after another and therefore if we may think one who dares write 〈◊〉 he adviseth study well what is the common error of the Religious party in the times and places where you live that you may take a special care to escape them We believe such counsel was never given to Christians before we are indeed commanded not to conform our selves to the World nor to have any fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but first to suppose that the Religious party have generally some common error among them and then to advise that we should carefully study that to escape them This counsel we think Mr. Baxter may be the Father of nor do we envy him the honour of it But he that a few pages before bids us keep to the Universal Church and to agree with the generallity of Christians should not so soon have forgot himself and made both that Doctrine and his present aduice ridiculous It is a pritty odd expression If any sect should rise up in England who should deny Christ or the Scripture or the Resurrection or the Life to come This we look upon as very soft words to call open Impiety and prophaneness by the name of a Sect but yet very well agree with the Spirit of one who had given so many worse to them that are innocent careful to please God by a Gospel Separation Notwithstanding he makes slight of that Argument that hath been often urged against the Common-prayer How many saith he do take a form of Prayer or Liturgy to be unlawful 〈◊〉 because most of the worser sort are for it And have they not reason for may we not justly suspect that to be had in the worship of God which the wickedest sort do love and doth not the Apostle John warrant us thus to argue 1 John 4. 5. They are of the World therefore they speak of the World and the World 〈◊〉 them we desire Mr. Baxter to read that Scripture upon his knees and then we hope he will retract what he hath written He flies upon all sides that are for Order in any kind without expressing himself whether he is for Papal Presbyterian or Independent Government in the Church And as if this was not crime enough to seem unsetled in so necessary a point which so nearly concerns the honour of Christ