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
who is Lord of his House Heb. 5. He doth likewise write very dubiously about justification whether we are to take it to be by faith or by Works and we fear he is not sound in that point since we find him calling it The presumptuous boast of being Righteous by Christt imputed Righteousness The Lord we hope in mercy to his Church and particularly to those who have been deceived into a good opinion of him will bring this Man upon his knees that he may make a publick acknowledgment of his folly in venturing to use such daring expressions and in pretending to be wise especially in so fundamentall a point as justification above what is written For if there is possibility for us to be saved any other way in any sense but by the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by Faith not only the Scripture was written but likewise Christ died in vain Gal. 2. 16. 21. and 5. 3. 5. Let them saith he that think they can never speak bad enough of nature take heed least they run into excess this is strange counsel to them that have learned from Scripture That every imagination of the Heart of Man is evil only evil and that continually That The Natural Man cannot receive the things of the spirit of God That The wisdom of the flesh is enmity against God and the like so that we do not see if we will allow the Spirit of God to be the best counsellour how we can speak bad enough of corrupted Nature as the Nature of every man now is And had not Mr. Baxter told us before that he understood by Flesh only the sensitive appetite when the Apostle means the whole corrupt Nature even the Understanding Col. 2. 18. as well as the affections we should have wondred at this passage but now we see one firm reason to deny the least allowance of Free-will in the things of God since those that hold it in any degree are strongly inclined to deny Original sin and corruption which if Mr. Baxter hath not felt yet we see daily occasion to complain of and to abhor our selves for I find saith he many surly proud professors much proner to Reproof then to exhortation Their Pride and self conceitedness makes them forward But Mr. Baxter would have done well to have spared himself for he is doing the very same thing throughout his whole book and therefore we hope he is content to be accounted a surly proud Professor Christian Magistrates are a blessing for believers which is a Truth we doubt not of but when he adds by way of Reason for if they persecute some yet they usually protect more we think we ought to reply That if they persecute any 〈◊〉 they contract a Guilt upon all The whole Land of Israel suffered for Manassâ—â—s sinful persecution and we think they do a very ill office to Magistrates that insinuate it is possible for them to persecute some and yet be innocent That the spirit of separation is the same with that of persecution is a most ungrounded as well as unchristian assertion For in many cases we may and ought to separate in love 2 Thes 3 14. 15. but Persecution in no case can consist with it which after many virulent unhandsome expressions upon this subject he is forced at last himself to confess He asks many questions about Church Communion but he knows the Proverb and let that answer him He takes it ill that we should think the Church of Christ to consist but of a few but when he says the belief of this is the next way to Infidelity he casts the reproach upon the word of God which affirms this expresly and not upon us who from thence have received it I have saith he much 〈◊〉 to forbear naming some high Professors who died Apostate Infidels deriding Christianity and the immortality of the Soul who once were Separatists And cannot he name many of the Church of England who daily do the same or might not the Heathen have thus reproached the Primitive Christians because many went out from among them 1 John 2. 19. Thus to reproach a whole party for the miscarriages of some few without taking notice how many more and greater Fauâ—ts are in those whom they wouâ—d defend is the usual artifice of such that think themselves concerned upon any wretched terms whatever to maintain an ill cause and have prostituted their consciences to defend an Argument In defence of Forms of Prayer which he would seem very tender of he saith Restore the same Spirit unto the former words and they will be as good as they were at the beginning which is very true but impertinent For therefore we say The same words ought not to be used much less imposed because no man can Restore the same spirit to them and we cannot believingly expect that God will do it because we have no promise for it nay it would be a tempting of God to expect any such thing in a worship which he hath not commanded He compares Cromwell unto the Tyrant Maximus which may be true but is most unbecomingly done in Mr. Baxter who dedicated a flattering book to his Son We have many more things to except against but we confess we are tired in gathering so many noisome weeds and therefore shall relieve our selves and the Reader and conclude all with the Comical Description of some whom Mr. Baxter calls an ignorant sort of Ministers that have clumsie wits unlearned Sots that should be conscious of the dulness and ignorance of their fâ—mbling and unfurnished Brains silly Souls and the like which had Ben. Johnson of old or Hudibras writ now we might have passed it by as a peice of Wit and Drollery and only blamed the Poet but for Learned Mr. Baxter Mortified Mr. Baxter judicious Mr. Baxter one that thinks himself many removes from those that he stiles the younger and emptier sort of Ministers to fall into such levity will I hope warn all to take heed how they overvalue themselves least God in judgement doth leave them to themselves as he hath evidently done this poor man whose recovery we can sincerely pray for and should much rejoyce if taking a review of what he hath writ from these exceptions of ours he might be stirred up to give satisfaction unto the Churches of Christ by a second and more seasonable Retractation FINIS ERRATA Page 2. line 23. for sensures read sensurers p. 3. l. 3. for rash r. rush p. 3. l. 13. for cime r. crime p. 3. l. 21. for there r. their p. 5. l. 28. for sence r. since p. 8. l. 3. r. â—ou p. 8. l. 20. for go r. got p. 11. l. 27. for arrogance r. arroganst p. 12. l. 4. for that r. at p. 12. l. 30. for surely r. since p. 13. l. 19. r. peace p. 13. l. 20. r. but it is Except 1. Except 2. a p. 25. 6. Except 3. Pref. Par. 12 a p. 153. b p. 141. Except 4. a Pref. Pec. 3. 3. b p. 142. c p. 143. d p. 182. e p. 193. f p. 358. g p 383 Excep 5. Pref. s 2â—6 a p. 83. Excep 6. p. 31. 32. Excep 7. Dir. 5. p. 33. Excep 8. p. 55. Excep 9. p. 93. p. 84. Excep 10. p. 116. Except 11. p. 132. Except 12. p. 135. Excep p. 140. Excep p. 152. p. 201. Excep p. 158. p. 158. Excep p. 167 Excep p. 176. Excep p. 187. a p. 9. a p. 21. b p. 188. c p. 192. Except p. 193 d p. 84. Excep p. 194. 195. a p. 203. b p. 240. Except p. 196 a p. 200. Excep p. 207. Excep p. 210. Excep p. 212 Except p. 214. p. 215. Excep p. 216. Excep p. 219. Excep p. 221. Excep p. 220. Excep p. 220. Excep p. 232 233. Except p. 138. Excep p. 241. Excep p. 244. Excep p. 254. a p. 262. Excep p. 265. Excep p. 267. Excep p. 268. Excep p. 281. Except p. 374. Excep p. 393.
ill if we thinke he invented them as he did the Pharisees 〈◊〉 on purpose to make his brethren odious and to justifie the persecution against them Nor can we imagine any other endin that strange Prayer O Lord pitty thy pâ—or Church whose Pastors themselves are so pievish in their ignorance and tempt other men by their fâ—llies to justifie all their severities against them and others But Mr Baxter being once got into the chair of the â—â—â—rnful will not easily out and therefore goes on It is 〈◊〉 odious sound to â—ear an ignorant rash self-conceited person especially a Preacher to cry out Idolatry Idolatry against his brethrens prayers to 〈◊〉 because they have something in them to be amended Whereas we do not therefore think any thing to be guilty of Idolatry because it hath something in it to be amended but because it is used in the worship of God without any command from God to make it lawful and this we must tell our Dictator is a species of Idolatry and â—orbid in the second command and if he will not receive it so It is to use his own arrogane and imperious words because he understands not Christian sence and Reason That what is unlawfull â— commanded may be lawfully obeyed he asserts but according to his usual manner neither proves nor at all pertinently urgetâ— it Since the question is about the worship of God and not about the matters of little importance In which for peace sake we would part with our right though in the matters of God we may not and when Mr. Baxters adds some accidents may make even an indifferent thing so great an evil at no mans command can preponderate and make it lawfull He leaves the question as he found it and overthrows the design of his own assertion For we say such accidents do at this day attend the things imposed on our practice that no command can proponderate and make them lawful so that we have Mr. Baxter at length though very unwillingly defending those that he endeavours to traduce and condemn which is not the only time so great is the force of truth that we find him so doing For in showing what Pastors we are to joyn with In venturing to tell us that by Separatists he means only those that account true Churches of Christ to be no Churches or that account it unlawful to hold Communion with those Churches whose Communion is not unlawful and lastly when he calls them Church-dividers who fly from the antient simplicity and primitive terms of Church-Communion and add their own little Novelties as necessary things He hath hereby discharged us from being either Separatists who are willing to communicate with all true Churches so far as they are true or Church-dividers since we impose nothing but are at this day violently imposed upon of which we have often though without any hope of redress complained in order to Communion and we hope the Bishops will no longer reproach us with Mr. Baxters authority He says Our presence at the Prayers of the Church is no Profossion of consent to all that is 〈◊〉 in those Prayers but since the Apostle thought otherwise in a like case of sitting at Meat in an Idols Temple 1 Cor. 8. 10. And yet in defence of that ungrounded assertion Mr. Baxter speaks boldly if not blasphemously How doth foreknowing the pastors faults make them mine take 〈…〉 you make not God the greatest sinner and the worst being in all the world we tremble to read this passage for how God concurrs even to sin it self as it is an action and hinders not that yet without sin in himself which he foreknows will be ill done by others this we profess is a Mâ—stery which we fathome not but cry out concerning it as the Apostle Paul did Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding â—t Rom. 11. 33. and this relieves ns in all those perplexing enquiries that God hath tied us to a known Rule but his own soveraign will is that by which he himself acts and for which he cannot be to us accountable and therefore for any to argue from men who are under a Law to God who is infinitely above it is an unjustifiable Rashness neerly bordering upon Impiety and prophaneness When he says it is she opinion of injudicious furious spirits that no truth is to be silenced for Peace besides the bitterness of his spirit discovered in the phrase he useth we have this to observe that we wish he had observed his own Rule and then this injuditious furious peace of his had been spared It being very true what he afterwards dictates a Who are impatient of holding in their opinions do but proudly esteem their own understandings pretious we hope Mr. Baxter will apply it to himself and he humbled for his proud impatience It were easie saith he to instance in unseasonable and imprudent words of truth spoken to Princes which have raised persecutions of long continuance but it is not more easie to instance in Princes ruined by Flatteries or by the sinful silence of those whose duty it was to reprove them and secondly were not those Princes who could not bear truth much more to be blamed then those who how imprudently soever speak only truth to them or thirdly doth Mr. Baxter think that Elijah and Micajah did well in reproving Ahab and John Baptist in reproving Herod though it is certain that it caused persecution and the last was imprisoned and afterward lost his head upon it Luke 3 19. 20. And fourthly may not Gospel Ministers follow these holy mens example since all Scripture is written for our instruction If indiscretion and fear of consequences may discharge from doing so necessary a duty whoever hear of their sins yet Princes never shall but must be left by our desperate and forbidden silence Isa 58. 1. unto an hopeless state of impenitence He hath found out a new cause of separation and such as we doubt not the Pope will thank him for when he says almost all our contentions and divisions are caused by the ignorance and injâ—diousnesse of Christians For it is evident that our contentions at this day are principally if not wholly caused by the Pride impertinence and tyranny of imposers which guilt Mr. Baxter would ease them of by charging it upon the ignorance and injuditiousness of Christians but who thus justifies the wicked and condemns the righteous must expect the punishment threatned to such an undoing practice Is 5. 20. Besides we cannot understand the meaning of such phrases is Dull Christians Ignorant and injuditious Christians for whoever are Christians indeed have received an aâ—ointing by which they knew all things 1 John 2. 20 27 and should not have such vile epithites affixed to them which only tend to expose even Christianity it self as if it did not cure those which
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