were sufficient in their kind before though more full and excellent since his coming If you would not be deluded into Infidelity by this objection which indeed is one of the greatest difficulties of Faith you must not further one error by another 1. Think not that God is hired or perswaded by Christ as against his will to forgive mens sins and save their souls or to do them any good Understand that no good cometh to man or any Creature but totally from Gods will and Love who is the Original and Eternal Goodness All the question is but of the modus conferendi the way of his Conveyance And then it will not seem incredible that he should give out his mercy by degrees and with some diversity 2. Think not that Christianity doth teach men that all those who were not of the Jewish Nation or Church then or that are not now of the Christian Church were so cast off and forsaken by God as the Devils are to be left as utterly hopeless or remediless nor that they were upon no other terms for salvation than man in innocency was under which was Obey perfectly and live or if thou sin thou shalt die For this had been to leave them as hopeless as the Devils when once they had sinned 3. And think not that Christ can shew no mercy nor do any thing towards the salvation of a sinner before he is known himself to the sinner especially before he is known as an incarnate Mediator or one that is to be incarnate He struck down Paul and spake to him from Heaven before Paul knew him He sent Philip to the Eunuch before he knew him and Peter to Cornelius and sendeth the Gospel to Heathen Nations before they know him If the Apostles themselves even after that they had lived long with Christ and heard his preaching and seen his Miracles yea and preached and wrought Miracles themselves did not yet understand that he must suffer and die and rise again and send down the Spirit c. you may conjecture by this what the common Faith of those before Christs coming was who were saved 4. Think not therefore that Christ hath no way or degree of effectual Teaching but by the express doctrine of his Incarnation Death and Resurrection which is now THE GOSPEL 5. And think not that all the mercies which Pagan Nations have from God are no acts of Grace nor have any tendency to their conversion and salvation Doubtless it is the same Redeemer even the eternal Wisdom and Word of God who before his Incarnation gave greater mercy to the Jews and lesser to the Gentiles He doth by these mercies oblige or lead men to Repentance and Gratitude and reveal God as mercifull and ready to forgive all capable sinners As even under the Law Exod 34. he revealed himself fullyer to Moses The Lord the Lord God mercifull and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin c. though he will by no means no not by Christ clear the guilty that is either say to the wicked thou art just or pardon any uncapable subject Doubtless mercy bindeth Heathens to know God as mercifull and to love him and to improve that mercy to their attainment of more and to seek after further knowledge and to be better than they are and they are set under a certain course of Means and appointed Duty in order to their recovery and salvation Else it might be said that they have nothing to do for their own recovery and consequently sin not by omitting it By all this you may perceive that Christ did much by Mercies and Teaching before his Incarnation and since for all the World which hath a tendency to their conversion recovery and salvation Obj. XI The conception of a Virgin without man is improbable and must all depend upon the credit of her own word And the meanness of his Parentage breeding and condition doth more increase the difficulty Answ 1. It was meet that the birth of Christ should begin in a Miracle when his life was to be spent and finished in Miracles 2. It is no more than was promised before by the Prophet Isa 7.14 A Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son c. And why should the fulfilling of a Prophesie by miracle be incredible 3. It is neither above nor against the Power Wisdom or Love of God and therefore it should not seem incredible There is no contradiction or impossibility in it nor any thing contrary to Sense or Reason Reason saith indeed that it is above the power of man and above the common course of Nature but not that it is above the Power of the God of Nature Is it any harder for God to cause a Virgin to conceive by the Holy Ghost than to make the first of Humane kinde or any other kinde of nothing 4. It was meet that he who was to be a Sacrifice for sin and a Teacher and pattern of perfect righteousness and a Mediator between God and Man should not be an ordinary Childe of Adam nor be himself defiled with Original or actual sin and therefore that he should be in a peculiar sense the Son of God 5. And this doth not depend only on the Credit of the Virgin-mothers word but on the multitude of Miracles whereby God himself confirmed the truth of it And as for the Meanness of his Person and Condition 1. It was a needfull part of the humiliation which he was for our sins to undergo that he should take upon him the form of a Servant and make himself of no reputation Phil. 2.7 8 9. 2. It was a suitable testimony against the pride carnality and worldly-mindedness of deluded men who over-value the honour and pleasure and riches of the World And a suitable means to teach men to judge of things aright and value every thing truely as it is The contrary whereof is the cause of all the sin and misery of the World He that was to cure men of the Love of the World and all its riches dignities and pleasure he that was to save them from this by the Office of a Saviour could not have taken a more effectual way than to teach them by his own example and to go before them in the setled contempt of all these vanities and preferring the true and durable felicity 3. Look inwardly to his God-head and spiritual perfections Look upward to his present state of Glory who hath now all power given into his hands and is made Head over all things to the Church Eph. 1.22 Look forward to the day of his glorious appearing when he shall come with all his Celestial Retinue to judge the World And then you will see the Dignity and excellency of Christ If you preferre not spiritual and heavenly dignities your selves you are uncapable of them and cannot be saved But if you do you may see the excellencies of Christ He that knoweth how
Farewell vain World As thou hast been to me Dust a Shadow those I leave with thee The unseen Vitall Substance I committ To him that 's Substance Light Life to it The Leaves Fruit here dropt are holy seed Heaven's heirs to generate to heale feed Them also thou wilt flatter molest But shalt not keep from Everlasting Rest THE REASONS OF THE Christian Religion The FIRST PART OF GODLINESS Proving by NATVRAL EVIDENCE the Being of GOD the Necessity of HOLINESS and a future Life of Retribution the Sinfulness of the World the Desert of Hell and what hope of Recovery Mercies intimate The SECOND PART OF CHRISTIANITY Proving by Evidence Supernatural and Natural the certain Truth of the CHRISTIAN Belief and answering the Objections of Vnbelievers First meditated for the well-setling of his own Belief and now published for the benefit of others By RICHARD BAXTER It openeth also the true Resolution of the Christian Faith Also an APPENDIX defending the Soul's Immortality against the Somatists or Epicureans and other Pseudo-philosophers LONDON Printed by R. White for Fran. Titon at the three Daggers in Fleet-street 1667. TO THE CHRISTIAN READER BEcause there are some who judging of others by themselves will say what need this labour among Christians to prove a God a Life to come and the Truth of the Gospel Or at least what need is there of it after so much already written I take my self obliged to give you an account of this attempt For my own Reason is much against over-doing and wasting our little time in things superfluous which is but enough for necessary things But it hath recorded this among the indubitata Boni rarò nimis optimi nunquam indifferentes saepissimè mali semper The true Reasons of this work are no fewer than these following 1. Quod cogitamus loquimur That which is most and deepest in my thoughts is aptest to break forth to others Man is a communicative Creature Though it be to my shame I must confesse that necessity through perplexed thoughts hath made this Subject much of my Meditations It is the Subject which I have found most necessary and most usefull to my self And I have reason enough to think that many others may be as weak as I. And I would fain have those partake of my satisfaction who have partaked of my difficulties 2. I perceive that because it is taken for a shame to doubt of our Christianity and the Life to come this hindereth many from uttering their doubts who never get them well resolved but remain half Infidels within whilest the Ensigns of Christ are hanged without and need much help though they are ashamed to tell their needs And prudent Charity will relieve those who are ashamed to beg 3. As the true knowledge of God is the beginning and maintainer of all holinesse and honesty of Heart and Life so latent Atheisme and Infidelity in the mindes of Hypocrites in the Church is the root of their prophanenesse dishonesty and wickednesse Did they seriously Believe as Christians they would not live as the Enemies of Christianity I take it therefore to be the surest and most expeditious Cure of the security presumption pride perfidiousnesse sensuality and wickednesse of these Hypocrites to convince them that there is a God and a Life to come and that the Gospel is true 4. And this prophaneness and sensuality tendeth to greater Infidelity They that will not live as they profess to Believe may most easily be drawn to Believe and profess as they are willing to live And therefore this Prognostick commandeth me to endeavour to prevent mens open profession of Infidelity lest the present torrent of ungodlinesse selfishnesse malice uncharitablenesse perjury treachery faction whoredom and other sensualities should fall into this gulf or one that is not much unlike it 5. The best complain of the imperfection of their Faith And too many good Christians especially if Melancholy surprise them are haunted with such temptations to Atheisme blasphemy and unbelief as make their lives a burden to them And one that hath heard so many of their complaints as I have done is excusable for desiring to relieve them It hath many a time been matter of wonder to me to observe that there is scarce one deep melancholy person among ten religious or not religious before but is followed with violent suggestions to doubt of the God-head and of the truth of the Gospel or to utter some word of Blasphemy against God And he that must pray Lord increase my Faith and help my Unbelief must use other means as well as pray 6. The imperfection of our Faith even about the Gospel and the Life to come is the secret root of all our faults of the weaknesse of every other grace of our yielding to temptations and of the carelesnesse badnesse and barrennesse of our Lives So Transcendent are the Concernments of the Life to come that a certain clear and firm belief of them would even deride temptations and bear down all the trifles of this World by what names or titles soever dignified as things not worthy of a look or thought What manner of person will that man be in all holy Conversation and Godliness who believing that all these things must be dissolved doth look for the coming of Christ and for the Blessed Consequents 2 Pet. 3.11 12 14. 2 Thess 1.10 O what a life would that man live what Prayers what Prayses what holy discourse would employ his tongue with what abhorrence would he reject the baits of sin who did but see but once see those unseen and future things which every Christian professeth to believe How contemptibly would he think and speak both of the pleasures and the sufferings of this dreaming life in comparison of the everlasting things What serious desires and labours and joyes and patience would such a sight procure How much more holy and Heavenly would it make even those that by the purblind World are thought to exceed herein already And if we took our Belief to be as certain as our sight Believing would do greater matters than it doth I oft think what one told me that an Infidel answered him when he asked him How he could quiet his Conscience in such a desperate state saith he I rather wonder how you can quiet your Conscience in such a common careless course of life believing as you do If I believed such things as you do I should think no care and diligence and holiness could be enough 7. The Soul in flesh is so much desirous of a sensitive way of apprehension and sensible things being still before us do so increase this Malady and divert the minde from spiritual things that we have all great need of the clearest evidence and the most suitable and frequent and taking explication of them that possibly can be given us not only to make us Believe things unseen but to make us serious and practical and affectionate about the things which in a
hate such deceivers and make them a common scorn instead of being converted by them § 61. The foresaid impossibilities are herein founded 1. There is no effect without a sufficient cause 2. A necessary cause not sufficiently hindred will bring forth its answerable effect But the opposed supposition maketh effects without any sufficient cause and necessary causes without their adequate effects § 62. The providence of God permitted dissentions and heresies to arise among Christians and rivals and false Teachers to raise hard reports of the Apostles and the people to be somewhat alienated from them that the Apostles might by challenges appeal to miracles and future ages might be convinced that the matter of fact could not be contradicted The Romans had contentions among themselves the strong and the weak contemning or condemning one another about meats and days Rom. 14. and 15. The Corinthians were divided into factions and exasperated against Paul by false Apostles so that he is fain at large to vindicate his Ministry and he doth it partly by appealing both to miracles and works of power wrought among them and by the Spirit given to themselves 2 Cor. 12.12 and 13.3 4 5. and 1 Cor. 12.7 12 13. The Galatians were more alienated from Paul by Jewish Teachers and seemed to take him as an enemy for telling them the truth and he feared that he had bestowed on them labour in vain and in this case he vehemently rebuketh them and appealeth first to miracles wrought among them and before their eyes and next to the Spirit given to themselves Gal. 3.1 2 3 4 5. O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among you This only would I learn of you Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith He therefore that ministreth to you the Spirit and worketh miracles among you doth he it by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith Now if no such miracles were wrought among them and if no such Spirit was received by themselves would this argument have silenced adversaries and reconciled the minds of the Galatians or rather have made them deride the cause that must have such a defence and say Who be they that work miracles among us and when did we receive such a Spirit So to the Romans this is Paul's testimonial Rom. 15.18 19. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed Through mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God c. And to the Corinthians he saith 1 Cor. 14.18 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all So Gal. 2.8 1 Cor. 14.22 Tongues are for a sign to them that believe not So Acts 2.43 and 4.30 and 5.12 and 7.36 and 8.13 and 14.3 and 6.8 and 8.6 13. and 15.12 and 19.11 1 Cor. 12.10 Miracles are still made the confirmation of the Apostles testimony and doctrine And in Heb. 2.3 4. you have the just method of the proof and progress of Christianity Which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord but how is that known and was confirmed to us by them that heard him But how shall we know that they said truth God also bearing them witness with signs and wonders and with divers miracles and gifts of the holy Ghost according to his own will And Act. 4.33 And with great power gave the Apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus 1 Joh. 1.1 2 3. That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life for the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us c. § 63. III. The miracles of the Apostles are not only attested by the Churches which were eye-witnesses of them 1. By the way of most credible humane testimony 2. And by natural evidence of infallible certainty but also 3. By supernatural testimony of God himself as appeareth in these following evidences § 64. 1. Many miracles were wrought by those first Churches who were the witnesses of the Apostles miracles which is a divine attestation to their testimony 1. The Scriptures fore-cited tell us that the same holy Ghost was given to them all though all had not the same gifts and that tongues and healing and miracles were the gifts of many though not of all which as I have shewed they could not themselves have believed of themselves if it had not been true Yea sufficient historical testimony telleth us that for three or four hundred years at least till Constantine owned and protected Christianity by Secular Power miracles were wrought in confirmation of the Christian faith It hath been the devils craft to seek to destroy the credit of them partly by hypocrites who have counterfeited miracles and partly by lying Legends of the carnal proud domineering part of the Church who have told the world so many palpable lies that they seemed to do it in design to perswade them to believe nothing that is true But yet all wise men will know the difference between History credible and incredible The many testimonies of the miracles of Gregory Thaumaturgus and many others mentioned by Eusebius and almost all other Christian Writers of those times and those mentioned by Augustine de Civitate Dei lib. 22 cap. 8. and Retract lib. 1. cap. 13. passim and by Cyprian Tertullian and many more will not be thought incredible by impartial considering men § 65. 2. The eminent sanctity of the Pastors of the Churches with the success of their testimony and doctrine for the true sanctification of many thousand souls is God's own attestation to their testimony and doctrine How far the sanctifying renewing success of the doctrine is a Divine attestation to its verity I have before opened and how far God owneth even the truths of Philosophy by blessing them with an adequate proportionable success The defective partial truths of Philosophy produce a defective partial reformation how far God accepteth it belongeth not to my present business to determine The more full and integral discovery of God's will by Jesus Christ doth produce a more full and integral renovation And 1. The cause is known by the effect 2. And God will not as is before said bless a lie to do the most excellent work in all the world Now it is a thing most evident that God hath still bless'd the Ministry of the Christian Pastors in all ages to the renewing of many thousand souls That this is truly so I shall somewhat fullier shew anon but that
no way incredible that God should value man according to his natural worth and usefulness as an intellectual agent capable of Knowing and Loving and Praising him and Enjoying him His creating us such and his abundant mercies to us do abundantly prove the truth of this Nor is it incredible that he should be willing that his depraved creature should be restored to the use and ends of its nature nor is it incredible that God should choose the best and fittest means to effect all this Nothing more credible than all this 4. And it is not incredible at all that the Incarnation of the Eternal Word should be the fittest means for this reparation If we consider 1. What question we should have made of the word of an Angel or any meer creature that should have said he came from God to teach us seeing we could not be so certain that he was infallible and indefectible 2. And how short a creature would have fallen in the Priestly part of Mediation 3. And how insufficient he would have been for the Kingly Dignity and universal Government and Protection of the Church and Judgement of the world 4. And withall that God Himself being the Glorifier of Himself and the Donor of all felicity to us it is very congruous that he should most eminently Himself perform the most eminent of these works of mercy 5. And it much assisteth my belief of the Incarnation to consider that certainly the work that was to be done for man's recovery was the winning of his heart to the Love of God from himself and other creatures and there was no way imaginable so fit to inflame us with love to God as for him most wonderfully to manifest his love to us which is more done in the work of man's Redemption than any other way imaginable so that being the most suitable means to restore us to the love of God it is fittest to be the way of our recovery and so the more credible 6. And it much suppresseth temptation to unbelief in me to consider that the three grand works in which God's Essentialities declare themselves must needs be all such as beseemeth God that is most wonderful transcending man's comprehension And as his Omnipotency shewed it self with Wisdom and Love in the great work of Creation so was it meet that his Wisdom should shew it self most wonderfully in the great work of Redemption in order to the as wonderful declaration of his Love and Goodness in the great work of our Salvation our Regeneration and Glorification And therefore if this were not a wonderful work it were not fit to be parallel with the Creation in demonstrating God's Perfections to our minds Object III. But how incredible is it that humane nature should in a glorified Christ be set above the Angelical nature Answ There is no arguing in the dark from things unknown against what is fully brought to light What God hath done for man the Scripture hath revealed and also that Christ himself is far above the Angels But what Christ hath done for Angels or for any other world of creatures God thought not meet to make us acquainted with There have been Christians who have thought by plausible reasonings from many Texts of Scripture that Christ hath three Natures the Divine and a Super-angelical and a Humane and that the Eternal Word did first unite it self to the Super-angelical nature and in that created the world and in that appeared to Abraham and the other Fathers and then assumed the Humane nature last of all for Redemption And thus they would reconcile the Arrians and the Orthodox But the most Christians hold only two Natures in Christ but then they say that he that hath promised that we shall be equal with the Angels doth know that the nature of Man's Soul and of Angels differ so little that in advancing one he doth as it were advance both and certainly maketh no disorder in nature by exalting the inferiour in sensu composito above the Superiour and more excellent Let us not then deceive our selves by arguing from things unknown Object IV. There are things so incredible in the Scripture-Miracles that it is hard to believe them to be true Answ 1. No doubt but Miracles must be Wonders they were not else so sufficient to be a divine attestation if they were not things exceeding our power and reach But why should they be thought incredible Is it because they transcend the Power of God or his Wisdom or his Goodness Or because they are harder to him than the things which our eyes are daily witnesses of Is not the motion of the Sun and Orbs and especially of the Primum Mobile which the Peripateticks teach yea or that of the Earth and Globes which others teach as great a work as any miracle mentioned in the holy Scriptures Shall any man that ever considered the number magnitude glory and motions of the Fixed Stars object any difficulty to God Is it not as easie to raise one man from the dead as to give life to all the living 2. And are not Miracles according to our own necessities and desires Do not men call for signs and wonders and say If I saw one rise from the dead or saw a Miracle I would believe Or at least I cannot believe that Christ is the Son of God unless he work Miracles And shall that be a hinderance to your belief which is your last remedy against unbelief Will you not believe without miracles and yet will you not believe them because they are Miracles This is but meer perversness as much as to say we will neither believe with Miracles nor without 3. Impartially consider of the proof I have before given you of the certain truth of the matter of Fact that such miracles were really done and then you may see not only that they are to be believed but the doctrine to be the rather believed for their sakes Obj. V. It is hard to believe the Immortality of the Soul and the Life to come when we consider how much the soul dependeth in its operations on the body and how it seemeth but gradually to exceed the bruits Especially to believe the Eternity of it or its joyes when omne quod oritur interit And if Eternity à parte ante be proper to God why not Eternity à parte post Answ 1. The Immortality of the Soul and consequently its perpetual duration and a life of Retribution after this did not seem things incredible to most of the Heathens and Infidels in the World And I have proved it before by evidence of Nature to common Reason So that to make that incredible in Christianity which Philosophers and almost all the World hold and which hath cogent natural evidence is to put out the eye of Reason as well as of Faith 2. And that it hath much use of or dependance on the body in its present operations is no proof at all that when it is out of the body