Symptom of a large and noble Soul History should inform admonish instruct and reclaim reform encourage Men that read it And therefore they that write it should 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. discern things Excellent and those things in their difference each from other and in their importance to the Reader and so take care that nothing doubtful false impertinent mean injurious cloudy or needlesly provoking or reflecting be exposed to Publick View by them nor any thing excessive or defective as relating to the just and worthy Ends of History The Author of the subsequent History now with God had an Eagle's Eye an honest Heart a thoughtful Soul a searching and considerate Spirit and a concerned frame of Mind to let the present and succeeding Generations duly know the real and true state and issues of the Occurrences and Transactions of his Age and Day and how much Judgement Truth and Candour appear in his following Accounts of Things the Candid and Impartial Reader will easily and quickly be resolved about Scandals arising from Ignorance and misreports of what related to our Church and State greatly affected his very tender Spirit and the removal and prevention of them and of what Guilt Calamities and Judgments might or did attend those Scandals was what induced Mr. Baxter to leave Posterity this History of his Life and Times § III. Memorable Persons Consultations Actions and Events with their respective Epochs Successions and Periods are the Subject Matter of History Propriety clearness and vigour of Expression is what duly and gratefully represents the Matter to the Reader Accurate Method gives advantage to the Memory as well as satisfaction to the Judgment The faithfulness fulness and freedom of relation conciliates a good Reputation to the Writer by its convincing Influences upon the Reader 's mind and thus it powerfully claims and extorts his Submission to the evident credibility of what he peruses and the weight and usefulness of the Things related makes the Reader serious and concerned to observe what he reads for finding the Matter great the Expression proper and lively the Current of the History orderly and exact and the Purposes and Ends various and important which the History subserves he accordingly values and uses it as a Treasure And from thence he extracts such Maxims and Principles as may greatly bestead him in every Exigence and in every Station and Article of Trust and Concern and Negotiation History tells us who have been upon the Stage how they came into Business and Trust what was the Compass and Import of their Province what they themselves therein signified to others and what others to them and what all availed to Posterity and how they went off and so what Figure they most deserv'd to make in the Records of Time § IV. He that well considers the Nature of Man his Relation to God God's governing of Man and the Conduct of Providence pursuant to God's concerns with Men and their concerns with him as also the Discipline and Interests of the Holy War with Satan will read History with a finer Eye and to better purpose than others can To covet endeavour and obtain ability and furniture from History Philology Divinity c. to minister to discursive Entertainment or Self-conceitedness Ambition Preferment or Reputation with Men is a design when ultimate so mean in God's Eye so odious and noysom to others when by them discerned and so uncomfortable and fatal to our selves when at last accounâ—ed for as that no wise Man would terminate and center himself or his Studies there I have seen all sorts of Learning differently placed used and issued I can stay patiently to see the last Results of all I have seen Learning excellently implanted in a gracious heart So it was in Mr. Baxter and in several Prelates and Conformists and Non-conformists and others it is so at this day I have seen it without Grace or not so evidently under the influences and conduct of Grace as I have greatly desired it might have been and here what Partiality Malignity Faction Domination Superciliousness and Invectives hath his History and other Learning ministred unto Indeed sanctified Learning hath a lovely show And the Learning of graceless Persons hath in many Instances and Evidences greatly befriended God's Interest in the Christian World And the Knowledge which could not keep some from doing Mischief in the World and from their being fitted for Hell and from drawing others after them thither hath yet helped others to heavenliness and Heaven But he that well considers what Man is to God and God to Man what an Enemy degenerate Man is to God and himself what a state and frame and posture of War sin hath put Men into both against God themselves and each other what an Enemy Satan is to all and what advantages Sin gives him against us and how Christ is engaged against Satan for us as the Captain of our Salvation and how he manages this War by his Spirit Oracles Ordinances Officers and under-Agents in Church and State and by the Conduct of Providence over crowned Heads Thrones Senates Armies Navies greater and less Communities and single Persons in all things done by them for them or upon them or against them how he uses and influences the Faculties Actions Projects Confederacies and Interests of Men by poizing them changing them and turning them to his own purposes and praise He I say that well attends to these things in his Historical Readings and Studies will to his profit and delight discern God's Providence in and over the Affairs of Men to be expressive of God's Name ministring to his avouched purposes and a great Testimony to his Word and Son and to his Covenant and Servants § V. And such a Person was the Reverend Author and in part the Subject Matter of the subsequent Treatise He was an early Votary to his God so early as that he knew not when God engaged him first unto himself And hence he in great measures escaped those Evil Habits and Calamities which old Age ordinarily pays so dear for though he laments the carelesness and intemperance of his first childish and youthful days And if the Reader think it strange and mean that these and some other passages inferioris subsellij should be inserted amongst so many things far more considerable written by himself and published by me I crave leave to reply 1. That Conscience is a tender thing and when awaken'd it accounts no sin small nor any Calamity below most serious Thoughts and sensible and smart Resentments that evidently springs from the least Miscarriage which might and ought to have been prevented 2. That the apprehension of approaching Death made him severer in his Scrutinies and Reflections 3. That he thence thought himself concerned and bound in duty to warn others against all which he thought or found so very prejudicial to his own Soul and Body 4. That as mean passages as these are to be found in Ancient and Modern Lives and
observing or laying to Heart the strict Commands of the Lord herein as if there had been no such Passages in our Bibles But blessed be the Lord that beginneth mightily to awaken the Hearts of his Servants and cause them to observe the Truths which they overlook'd and at last to lay to heart the Duty so much neglected We now hear from many Countries of this Nation the Voice of the Spirit of Peace our Brethren begin to get together and consult of the means of reparing our Breaches and in many Places are associated and though the Work be but beginning and mightily resisted by the Enemies of Holyness and Peace yet are we in great Hopes that these Beginnings do promise more and that God hath not awakened us to this Work in vain And now by the Tidings of your Concord we have received an increase of these our Hopes and Consolations Go on dear Brethren as One in the Centre of Unity and prevail in the Strength of the great Reconciler This is the way that will prevail at last and however it be thought of by others will certainly be comfortable to ourselves in the review when dividing ways will be all disgraced and look with another Face than now they do He that is for Vanity and Love is likest to have his Approbation who is one and who is Love Our Hearts are with you and our Prayers shall be for you that you may abundantly reap the Fruits of Concord in the Conviction of Gain-sayers and the farther Confirmation and Edification of your own Your Motion for a Correspondency we gladly entertain and shall rejoice in the Assistance of your Advice and Prayers and willingly to that end communicate our Affairs We are now upon a joint Agreement to bring all the ancient Persons in our Parishes who will not do it in the Congregation to our Houses on certain Days every Week by turns to be catechised or instructed as shall be most to their Edification A Work that requireth so much unwearied Diligence Self-denial and holy Skill and wherein we are like to meet with so much Resistance and yet doth appear to us of great necessity and use that we earnestly crave your Prayers for such Qualifications and Successes The State of your Affairs we partly understand by the Information of Coll. Bridges We heartily pray the Lord of the Harvest to send forth more Labourers among you and could we contribute any thing to so good a Work we should willingly do it But able Ministers fit for the Work with you are too few and many of them so weak of Body that they are unfit for Travel and most of them so engaged to their Godly People and the People so impatient of a Motion for their remove that the Work will be very hard but we hope to be faithful in our Endeavours whatever be the Success Brethren we crave your Prayers to God that we may be faithful and Successful in his Work as also that Brotherly Correspondency which you motion might abide and we remain Your Brethren in the Faith of Christ Rich. Baxter Teacher of the Church at Kiderminster Jarvis Bryan Teacher of the Church at Old Swinford Henry Oasland Teacher of the Church at Bewdeley Andr. Tristram Teacher of the Church at Clent Tho. Baldwin Minister at Wolverly In the Name of the associated Ministers meeting at Kiderminster August 12. 1655. To the Reverend our much honoured Brother Dr. Winter Pastor of the Church at Dublin to be communicated by him to the associated Churches in Ireland These They wrote us also a Second Letter which I here subjoin Reverend and much valued Brethren YOUR Affectionate Letter in Answer to ours by that Honourable Person we have received and do desire that these Lines may testify our Thankfulness to you for your loving and free Acceptation of our Desires of a Brotherly Correspondency Those Pantings of yours for the Peace and Union of the Saints we doubt not will be to your Comfort at the great Day of your Account God is not unjust to forget your Work and Labour of Love Go on therefore dear Brethren in his Strength whose work it is and of whose Power and Presence you have had so great Experience We trust as our Hearts are with you so our Prayers shall not be wanting for you at the Throne of Grace We thank you for your Ioy at our Association and Success and that we still breath after that happy Work Surely if after our long Experiences of those woful Desolations that Divisions and Dissentions have involved the Saints in our Hearts should not be enlarged after Union and Peace that must repair our Breaches we should have Cause to suspect our Union with and Love to our Head We are not ignorant how much the Self-love and Pride of some and the misguided Zeal of others of approved Sincerity have advanced the Design of the grand Enemy by over eager and unbrotherly Bitterness even in matters circumstantial Neither are we altogether ignorant how subtilly that old Serpent and Deceiver hath laboured by a pretext of Love to swallow up Truth it being for a while the only Cry Love Love yet not the least hint of Truth which had most need of their Charity being miserably torn and mangled To which our Charity leads us to attribute the Praise of many of our Brethren as being unwilling to buy Love with the Loss of Truth It is the Apostles Advice that the Truth should be spoken in Love and that we should contend earnestly for the Faith once delivered to the Saints But Thanks be to the Lord God of Truth that hath preserved his Darling from the Devourer making the way of Love exceeding aimable because of Truth so that we trust it will not lie untrodden by the Lord's People through circumstantial Differences whilst all hold the Form of wholesom Words considering one another and walking together in what they are agreed and waiting upon the Lord for the revealing of that wherein they differ perfection being reserved for another World That there are any Beginnings and that by you we hear of more we earnestly desire our Hearts may be duly and thankfully affected therewith praying the God of truth and Peace to uphold his Truth and to shower down plentifully the Spirit of Love and Peace that at the Lord is One so his People may be One. Your present Work we are in some measure sensible of its Necessity and Weightiness Wherefore our Prayers shall be for you that the Lord whose Servants ye are and whose work it is would be with you to counsel encourage strengthen and prosper you in it as we crave your daily Prayers for these Infant Churches that our God may vouchsafe his Spirit and Presence to us whose lot is cast in this Wilderness having many Enemies to conflict withal from within as well as without your Advice and brotherly Assistance we request as we shall have Occasion and Opportunity to communicate our Affairs to you Lastly the deep
Pinch upon his Cause would fain persuade us that this could yet be no Ordination till afterwards when he came in and submitted to the Solemnities Baron in An. 233. p. 407 408. we will not contend about the Word Ordination but it was an authoritative Consecration to God as a Bishop and a Constituting him over that Church by Prayer and solemn Words of Consecration And it seems Apollos and many others preached in the Apostles Days without Ordination But our Divines having dealt so much with the Papists on this Subject I suppose you may see more in their Writings than you can expect from Your Brother and Fellow Servant Rich. Baxter Sept. 9. 1653 Mr. Iohnson's Second Letter to Mr. Baxter SIR I Have here enclosed sent you back the Papers which I borrowed of you and I have been so scrupelous in sending them back exactly the same as they were first sent to you that I have not so much as mended some Errata which I observed in the Copying them over to have slipt my Pen when I wrote them first I have since I received my own Papers perused the Answer which you make to them but what I am like to return I cannot guess For I cannot yet tell whether you have satisfied my Arguments or not This I know and shall not be ashamed to confess that if you have I have not yet Wit enough to understand you But before I will say you have not I will a little more consider your Answer and try my own Reason a little farther Only this I will venture to say in the mean time that if I can any whit judge of my own Heart I never enquired more unbiassedly after any Truth than I do after this present Question and therefore I do not doubt but if Light be before me I shall at length see it though for the present it be hid from me For as I said if I know my own Heart I can sincerely say that in this Question I could be well content to find the Truth though it ran cross against every Line in my own Papers But I must needs confess if I have Truth on my side in this Question and after the most diligent Examination which I can make it shall still appear that to plead for an uninterrupted Succession be of absolute necessity for the justifying of our Ministry I shall never dispute the other Matters with the like indifferency For in this combat I could be content to take a foyl and it is in a manner all one to me whither of us get the better But in the other matters which I am after to proceed upon I have many temptations before me to be afraid of owning Truth if I should meet with her out of my own Quarters And therefore beside the Pains which it will cost me to discharge the Task the very Fear which I shall be in least I should miscarry in the Managing makes me more than willing to take a Supersedeas here But if this cannot be done you shall have the rest which I promised performed in the same order as your self have stipulated viz. before I make any Reply to yours I shall endeavour to discharge the three other Particulars which remain behind and all in due time from SIR Your Fellow-labourer and Enquirer after Truth M. Iohnson Wamborn Octob. 6. 1653. For my Reverend c. very worthy Friend Mr. Baxter Minister of the Word at Kidderminister These Mr. Johnson's Third Letter to Mr. Baxter SIR IN my late Letter which I sent you I told you That I could not resolve my self whether you had answered my Arguments or not but intended to try my own Reason a little farther before I would say positively that you had not And now upon further Consideration I return you this to your whole Discourse 1. Whereas you say to my first Argument that it was necessary for our English Bishops to prove an interrupted Succession against the Papists because they might thereby argue ad hominem more strongly against them I answer That such learned Men as I have had the luck to meet withal do not intend their Arguments or their Pains to any such end and I prove that sufficiently thus Because they that do use such kind of Replies do usually frame their Answers thus 1. That there is no necessity of such a Succession But Secondly If there was a necessity yet the nullity of our Calling would not follow because we can prove such a Succession But say I the learned Authors which I have hitherto met withal have no such Concessions And because you seem often to hint some such thing I desire you would point me out to some English Bishop who having written about this Subject do concede that a Succession in Office or a Succession of legitimate Ordination is not necessary And I do the more confidently require this from you because I have it from one who is much better acquainted with Authors than my self that the Socinian Faction were the first that ever owned that Assertion And if he be able to make good what he saith you gain as little Credit by abetting such a Faction as they are in your Assertions as we get by abetting the Papists while we plead for the quite contrary But Secondly Whereas you deny the Consequence and tell me that all which they thought necessiary is not necessary they being not infallible I answer that you lay more stress upon my first Argument than I intended For I never intended to argue thus That therefore it was infallably necessary because they thought it necessary but that it was a good inducing Motive to persuade that it was a matter of more consequence than your Papers made of it since learned Men took so much Pains about it And though this indeed will not extend to a Demonstration yet it may serve as far as I intended it viz. as far as an Argument will reach drawn only from that inartificial Topick a Testimonio which you know in all contests is familiarly used and not to be rejected if the Testees be Men of Worth and Learning And if so then this Argument will stand good so far as it will serve or was intended notwithstanding any thing that hath been said to the Contrary To the Second Argument Whereas you doubt not to say That if you answer me well in this you carry the whole Cause afore you I shall so far gratify you as to acknowledge that you have sufficiently answered it though I must also profess that I cannot find wherein you have given a formal answer to it For the Apex or the Quick of the Argument as you are pleased to phrase it was laid down in this Proposition That there is no where in Scripture such a Form of Words as these That they that are thus and thus qualified may Preach the Word Now to this you answer That there is quod sensum And I reply That this will serve my turn if you do but make it
Sin from dark and doubtful Providences which are not our Rule but only some Effects of the Will of God that as to Events are clear but as to Truth and Duty can tell us nothing or very little but in full Subordination to our Rule from which they must receive their Light And of all Providences few are darker than Motions and Troubles from our own Thoughts so many and secret and powerful Causes are there within us and about us of Misapprehensions and misled Passions that its very dangerous boldly to Judge of the Mind of God by our own disturbed Minds when it is our Duty to judge our own Minds by God's and God's Mind by his Word his particular Providences being mostly but to help the Word in working in a Subordination to it 2. I cannot be sure that know him not but I suspect by the Narrative that this is Mr. L.'s Case 1. His Heart being upright in what he had before done God in Mercy gave into his Mind that Light concerning Catholicism and Brotherly Love and other Truths contained in his Papers which tended to his Satisfaction and Recovery 2. Upon the sight of this much Truth it must needs raise some Trouble in his Mind that he had acted contrarily before and yet the Words of the contrary Minded holding him in suspence and unresolved about his future Practice at least increased his Trouble an unresolved Mind in great Matters being a Burden to it self 3. And the terrible Threats and hard Prognosticks of these Dissenters and their Censures of him might yet sink deeper For it is the way of some to fall upon our Passions instead of our Judgments and stir up Fears in us instead of convincing us As the Papists win abundance by telling them that no others can be saved as if we should be frightened to the Party that will be most uncharitable when Charity is the Christians Badge So I doubt too many do that we have now to speak of 4. The Apprehension of his Peoples Discontent and some bad Consequents to them and himself that he Apprehended would follow his Return did yet make the disturbance more 5. The long and serious Study of the Matter with much Intention might yet go farther 6. And by all these means I conjecture he is somewhat surprized with Melancholy 7. And then if that prove so its very hard to gather the Mind of God from his Disturbances for they will follow the Impresses on his own disturbed Mind But all these are but my distant Conjectures from what you write But to come nearer 3. Whether he have contracted any Melancholy or no this is my Judgment of the Causes of his Changes 1. God caused his Light and Convictions in much Mercy that 's evident by the Conformity of his Assertions here to the Word of God and the Principles of Christianity 2. Satan envyed him and others the Mercy that was given in and therefore I verily think he is the cause of his Horrors and Troubles when he thinks of returning to Unity with others and wholly withdrawing himself from the Schism My Reasons are 1. Because I know that the Work is of God and Ergo who but Satan should be against it 2. Because that Troubling and Terrifying and Disturbing the Passions is usually his Work especially when it is against God's Light God worketh by Light and drawing the Heart to Truth and Goodness But Satan usually worketh by stirring in the Passions to muddy the Judgment 3. Common Experience tells us That it is his ordinary way where once he hath got Power to give quiet in Sin and to trouble and terrify upon Thoughts of Recovery Quest. But how should he have such Power with a Servant of God This leadeth me more particularly to answer your first Question God frequently giveth him such Power over his own Servants 1. When the Service we are upon is a recovering Work which implyeth our former Guilt It was no small Sin though ignorantly committed by an honest Heart for Mr. L. to separate and draw so many with him and put so much Credit and Countenance upon a Cause that hath made such sad and miserable work among the Saints O! What Churches might we have had by this time in England if the Enemy had not made use of our dividing Friends to his Advantage and to do his Work Now you must not marvel if the Accuser and Executioner have some Power given him to be a Vexation to a Godly Man after such Guilt And indeed so few look back that fall into Divisions that Mr. L. should not grudge at a little Perplexity that meets him in the way of so great a Mercy An ingenuous Mind would not come out of so great a Sin whithout some moderate Trouble for it and for it it is meritoriously and should be intentionally 2. Especially if Melancholy give him advantage Satan that commonly worketh by that means and Instrument may do Wonders 3. And I shall tell you of some other ends in the conclusion that I conjecture at To your Second Question I say it seems to me as is said a hard thing yea impossible to judge of his Cause by these his Passions But it 's most probable by far that this Distress of Spirit is for his former Sin in separating to say nothing of Re-baptizing and that it is also a gracious Providence for some further Good that yet he knows not of To the Third Question I answer I know not the State of Mr. Goodwin's Church and Ergo can say nothing to it whether he should return thither But my Judgment is 1. That he should in Prudence a little forbear deserting his separated Church for the ends in the Conclusion mentioned 2. That when he removeth he should preach the Gospel on the Terms in the end 3. That if he must be a private Member he should rather go to Mr. Goodwin's Church than another if it be rightly constituted because he thence removed But if it be disorderly gathered out of many Parishes without Necessity were I in his case I would rather join with another Church and that in the Parish where he lives if there be a Church that is fit to be joined with if not I would remove my Dwelling to the Parish that I would join with Cohabitation is the Aptitude requisite to Church-Membership To Your Question Why his Conscience feels not this Duty I know not unless providence mean as I shall speak anon But I marvel if he feels not the Sin of his Separation To your Fourth I answer Having drawn so many into a Schism it is his great unquestionable Duty to do all that he can to get them out of it and if he cannot to leave them and partake no longer in their Sins yea and do more than this for his Recovery and theirs To your Fifth Question It is answered in the former he ought openly to disown the Sin of Separation To the Sixth If he be Melancholy let him forbear Studies if not he should
the enclosed wishing I knew how to requite your Love and answer that Favour I found with you in your large Letter which is not in vain to us-ward but of much use the Lord requite your Labour of Love I only redouble my Request for an Interest in your Prayers that God would deliver my dear Husband from all his Fears and guide him by his Light our God will hear who keepeth Covenant and Mercy for ever with those that fear him I rest SIR Your Sister and Lover in our Lord Jesus B. L. Sept. 20. 1658. For Mr. Rich. Baxter Minister at Kidderminster Dear Brother AS sure as Love is a Fruit of the Spirit the Character of a Saint yea the more excellent way and as terminated on him whom we love in the Saints is the most high and noble Grace as being the Beginning and End the Spring of all other Holy Affections and Actions and the enjoyning Act that 's next our End so far is that State to you a growing State in which you increase in Holy Love and so sure was that a declining State in which your Charity was streightned and diminished and as sure is that Doctrine of Christ that leadeth to an universal Love of Saints and that against Christ which is against it It is not the least Grief of my own Soul that in the eager Defence of that which still I judge to be the Truth I have done any thing prejudicial to my own or Brethrens Charity Upon perusal I now find that many of my Speeches in my Book of Infant Baptism have been too provoking of which I heartily repent though I dare not of the Doctrine The Frame of our Affections doth much advantage or disadvantage our Judgments and Experience is a help to both This I perceive you have found as well as I All Holy Truths must be entertained with mixt Affections with Sorrow for any thing that we have done against them and with Love and Joy and Gratitude to the bountiful Revealer of them These that you here enumerate as revealed to you are very weighty because of such a practical Nature and publick use and Ergo you must be true to them and use them accordingly they are such as leave no room for Doubting as bearing their Testimony so legible in their Forehead This being concluded that they are certain Truths it may much help you to judge of your following Troubles I shall reduce all that I have to say for Resolution to these Propositions 1. The Word of God and not the Troubles of your own Spirit is the standing Rule by which you must judge of Duty and Sin You cannot know either by your Troubles immediately but as they awaken or help you to understand that Word 2. It is Ergo most certain that none of your Troubles should in the least measure move you from the certain Truths which by the Light of this Word hath been made known to you All the Troubles in the World will not alter Scripture and make Truth to be no Truth You must not once offer to try Scripture Truths by your Feelings but your Feelings by these Truths 3. You must therefore first see whether you obey the Truth revealed to you which plainly requireth you first to manifest Repentance for so much breach of Truth or Unity or Chrity as you have seen your self Guilty of 2. And to be Guilty of the same no more Now whether you live in that Sin or out of it I leave to you to judge And no doubt but it is your Duty to do your utmost to draw all those out of it whom you have encouraged in it and as many more as you can There are but these two Questions then before you What is the Cause of your Trouble and how you should dispose of your self for the future And to the first I answer in this fourth Proposition Though we know in general that Sin is the deserving Cause and God's Wisdom and Love the disposing Cause yet it is not easy to find out the particular Sins nor the particular Design of Love but the former is the more easy by the help of Scripture which sheweth us our Sin more fully than God's future intended Works 5. But as it is certain that no Providence is to be interpreted against a Precept so as far as I can conjecture at this distance your Trouble is most likely to arise from these connexed Causes 1. From some Melancholy that hath got Advantage of your Head by the Thoughtfulness Perplexity and the first actual Disquietments 2. From Satans Temptations working on this Advantage but of the first I am no competent Judge because distant But I strongly suspect it by long Experience in Multitudes of that Distemper who few of them will believe that they have it themselves But of the second I am more confident Satan cannot trouble us when he will but 1. When Sin hath procured him a Permission and 2. When some Melancholy or Disquietments have given him an Advantage I have met with few Persons that ever fell into any Calamity by Sin but Satan did very much trouble them when they attempted the means of their Recovery The Disquietments and Horrors that seize upon most ungodly Persons when they are about coming home by Christ may be from God principally but from Satan as the Instrument of his Wrath and as permitted to try them Whenever any escape any notable Snare of Satan in State or Fact usually Satan roareth and rageth to hinder them if posible till the escape is made and then God meeteth them with further Eight and Love Pharaoh follows them into the Red Sea and God receives them and puts a Song of Praise into their Mouths on the dry Land But this first Question is not such as you need much to stick at You may easily see for what Sin its like you should have this Affliction or if you could not after a faithful Search get rid of all and sweep as clean as possibly you can and then you will remove that Sin with the rest The resolving of the next Question is your principal Business which is to know now where your Duty lyeth for the time to come For when once you are setled in the way of Duty Peace will return and the dark Face of your now disconsolate Soul be cleared up unless any deep Melancholy or unusual Providence should continue your Trouble and indeed it is not very easy to see the way of your Duty to the end but part of it is very easy 1. That you should obey the Light that God hath manifested to you and help to communicate Catholick Principles and Affections to all your People to the utmost of your Power this is certain and do all that you are able to cure uncharitable dividing Principles or Dispositions 2. That you may not live in a Practice contrary to your Doctrine is as plain and Ergo may not be guilty of continuing a divided Church though you may prudently observe the
peaceable Reformation among us than to break down This Partition-Wall for there is nothing provokes more than this doth to deny such Churches to be true Churches of Christ. For do but think with your selves and I will give you a familiar Example You come to a Man whom you think to be a godly Man you tell him He hath these and these Sins in him and they are great ones It is as much as he can hear though you tell him he is a Saint and acknowledge him so but if you come to him and say besides this You are a Limb of the Devil and you have no Grace in you this provoketh all in a Man when there is any Ground in himself to think so or in another to judge him so so it is here Come to Church and say You have these Defects among you and these things to be reformed But if you will come and say Your Churches and your Ministers are Antichristian and come from Babylon there is nothing provoketh more Therefore if there be a Truth in it as I believe there is Men should be Zealous to express it For this is the great Partition Wall that hindreth of twain making one Then again This is that which I consider and it is a great Consideration also I know that Jesus Christ hath given his People Light in Matters of this Nature by degrees Thousands of good Souls that have been bred up and born in our Assemblies and enjoy the Ordinances of God and have done it comfortably cannot suddenly take in other Principles You must wait on Christ to do it In this Case Men are not to be wrought off by Falshoods God hath no need of them no rather till Men do take in Light you should give them all that is comfortable in the Condition they are in we should acknowledge every good thing in every Man in every Church in every thing and that is a way to work upon Men and to prevail with them as it is Philem. v. 6. That the Communication of thy Faith may become effectual acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Iesus It is that which buildeth Men up by acknowledgment of every good thing that is in them Lastly The last Inconvenience is this It doth deprive Men of all those Gifts that are found amongst our Ministers and in this Kingdom that they cannot hold any Communion or fellowship with them So that I profess my self as Zealous in this Point as in any other I know And for my part this I say and I say it with much Integrity I never yet took up Religion by Parties in the Lump I have found by tryal of things that there is some truth on all Sides I have found Holiness where you would little think it and so likewise Truth And I have learned this Principle which I hope I shall never lay down till I am swallowed up of Imortality and that is that which I said before To acknowledge every good thing and hold Communion with it in Men in Churches or Whatsoever else I learn this from Paul I learn this from Jesus Christ himself He filleth All in All He is in the Hearts of his People and filleth them in his Ordinances to this Day And where Jesus Christ filleth why should we deny an Acknowledgment and a right Hand of Fellowship and Communion My Brethren this Rule that I have now mentioned which I profess I have lived by and shall do while I live I know I shall never please Men in it Why It is plain for this is the Nature and Condition of all Mankind if a Man dissents from others in one thing he loseth himself in all the rest And therefore it a Man do take what is good of all sides he is apt to lose them all But he pleaseth Christ by it and so I will for this particular Thus far Dr. T. Goodwin prefaced and commended by Thankful Owen and Iames Barron worthy and peaceable Men deceased The Transcriber craveth judicious Resolutions of these two Questions 1. Whether it be lawful to be a fixed Member of a grosly Schismatical Church that is guilty of such separating from slandering almost all others as is here reproved when Communion with better may be had Quest. 2. How far others are bound to reprove and Testify against such dividing Principles Ministers and Churches especially after and under doleful Experience of their sinful calamitous Effects Dear Brother I Have felt that in my own Soul and seen that upon my Brethren for these two or three Years last past which persuadeth me that God is about the healing of our Wounds having communicated more healing Principles and Affections and poured out more of the Spirit of Catholick Love and Peace than I have perceived heretofore Love is arisen and shineth upon the Children of the Day and your congealed Stiffness begins to vanish and a Christian Tenderness to succeed The Prince of Peace erects his Banner and the Sons of Peace flock in apace It is a shame to be the last but a misery to be none God will bring his divided distracted Servants nearer together and it is Pity he should be put to bear down any resisting Saints among the Instruments of Satan and that any of their Carcasses should be found on the Ground when he conquereth the Enemies of Peace The Lord is about revealing to his Servants the Error of their Consoriousness Harshness Uncharitableness and Divisions and how grievously they have wronged him and themselves by departing so far from Christian Love and Unity He will let them see how much of the Cause was secret and undiscerned Pride and Self-conceitedness and want of Holy Christian Love while little was pretended or discerned but Strictness and Obedience He will shew them more fully wherein the true Nature of Grace and Holy Obedience doth consist and teach them by the Impress of his Spirit what he so emphatically commanded them by his Word to go learn what that meaneth I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice It 's pity we should not understand the meaning of Words so plain but it 's Sin and Shame as well as Pity that we have studied them no better after such a Memorandum and Command as this But many of God's Servants have in the Points of Unity and Peace been like those miserable Souls that are described to have Eyes and see not Ears and hear not Hearts and understand not these blessed Precepts of Love and Unity though none more plain and frequent and urgent for the time was not come that they should be recovered and healed though this Defection be not in the Essence of Christianity but the Degrees nor for Perpetuity but a Time yet it 's sad that such a Spirit of deadness should so far prevail that Men inquisitive after Truth and zealous of Holiness should least understand the plainest nearest frequent Precepts and so little feel their Obligations to such weighty Duties that the Lord is pleased to stir upon their
to this but will hold separated Churches shall acknowledge us true Churches and profess their Brotherly Love and distant Communion 3. That we all agree on some Rules for the peaceable management of our Differences without hardning the Wicked ensnaring the Weak hindering the Gospel and wronging the common Truths which we are agreed in If this motion take with you I will send you a Form of such Agreement and get as many as you can of your way to Subscribe it and the Associated Ministers of this County I doubt not will Subscribe it and we will do our parts to lead the World to Peace Seek God's direction and return your Resolution to Your faithful Brother Rich. Baxter Novemb. 6. 1658. To Mr. William Allen. Worthy Sir I Received yours of the 9th past wherein you are pleased to endeavour my Satisfaction touching the Passages in your Key which I wrote about as if I had taken Offence at them I do acknowledge I was a little troubled But I can truly say so far as I know my own Mind I was not troubled so much for my own sake as for the sake of others who I was afraid would make worse use thereof than ever I am like to do and so receive more prejudice thereby For I am not thereby set back a Hair's Breadth in my earnest desire to general Communion but do fear the general Inclinations of some others thereto are weakened thereby and an Advantage taken by such who have a mind to oppose an Agreement and the Minds of many prejudiced against your worthy Proposals for Government and the reading of them As for Example I was within these five Days commending your wholly Common-wealth and truly I desire with all my Heart a Government exactly calculated to your practical Model and there was one in Company who is Author of a small Piece called A sober Word to a serious People that took occasion to give a dash to my Commendation and to weaken the Reputation of your Writings as if you were easy in suggesting and asserting things upon Surmises or very slender Information Instancing what you say of himself in p. 332. of your Key as insinuating him to be such an one as did not think as he wrote but to be a Designing Jesuit When as all that know him and have known him a Tradesman here in London and in publick Imployment for many Years would be ready to acquit him in their Thoughts from any such thing which indeed I believe And I am informed that one Stubbs of Oxford who is said to have written Sir H. V. Vindication c. how true it is I know not is imployed to scrape together such things out of your Writings as may any wise reflect Disparagement The which things I still inform you of for no worse end than that you might avoid occasion towards those that seek occasion and that the Devil may have no Opportunity given him to hinder the Propagation and Fruit of your worthy Labours As for Sir H. V. I did not intend to interess my self in the Vindication of his Principles by that touch of him in my Letter for I do not know but that I am at as great a distance from them as you may be and am heartily glad to hear that his Interest and sway in the present House is much fallen I am not without a deep Sense of our Danger and that the preventing of near approaching Confusion and Blood under God depends much upon the speedy and well Settlement of the Militia through the Nation if it be not too late I cannot but have a jealous Eye upon the Quakers as well as the C. and Popish Party c. Sir I suppose my Brother Lambe will suddenly be with you if he be not already and therefore I shall earnestly intreat you to caution him against Extremes to which his temper doth much addict him I hear Mr. Gunning and what he is I presume you know giveth out that Mr. Lambe is come over to them And my Brother Lambe hath been too apt to let fall odd Expressions shewing how far his Thoughts incline him to hold Communion with Papists as those that wish him well do affirm And he hath oft been speaking to me how hard a thing it is to justify our Separation from Rome and to condemn it among our selves I thought good to give you this hint as being persuaded you may improve it for his good who I hope will much regard your Advice All against Infant Baptism are not esteemed Anabaptists for then Turks and Iews would Nor could you intend it in that Sense about King-killing for then there would have been no place for the Vanists to have been another Party distinct from them Nor does an after owning of their Act who took off the King prove them to be Agents in it that had no Hand in it when it was done These times have discovered as abundance of Wickedness in some so of Weakness in all sorts of good Men in one kind or other O that God would pardon what 's past and reduce his People into right Order Pray Sir excuse these confused Lines the Fruit of Haste and Diversion of Thoughts I had left at my House this Day a large Manuscript Intituled Romanism discussed or An Answer to the Nine first Articles of H. T. his Manual of Controversies c. Written by Mr. Io. Tombes The Printer that left it with my Wife in my Absence told her that Mr. Tombes desired me to write to you to prefix an Epistle to it but I have not spoke with Mr. Tombes nor the Printer about it or if I had should be loath to be so bold to desire such a thing unless I knew how acceptable it would be to you Sir the good Lord keep you and him who is YOURS Affectionately to serve you Will. Allen. London July 12. 1659. To his very Worthy Good Friend Mr. Rich. Baxter in Kidderminster Dear Brother I Take my self exceedingly beholden to you for your last it is so plain and purely Friendly And though I seem by my Reply to excuse those things which I take it for a kindness to be told of I beseech you believe that I speak but my Heart and the truth of my meaning The Author of the Sober Word I commended I never talkt of his being a Jesuit His Assertion forced me to conclude that either he was of a very lamentable Understanding or else he wrote not as he thought One of the two must needs be true Judge you whether a Christian of good Understanding can believe that Christ came at the end of Four Thousand Years to gather him a Church and settle Ministry and Ordinances for Eighty or a Hundred Years only and so to permit them to be extinguished Is not this the next Step to Flat Infidelity Is not a Christ that comes on so low a Design and settles a Church of so narrow a Space and short Continuance next to no Church I must profess if I believed this
Conversation amongst all Protestants and upon avoiding Divisions amongst Christ's Followers as that whatever obstructed these Concerns he was impatient of and warm against Truth Peace and Love was he a Votary to and Martyr for and hereunto did he devote most of his Life and Labours Dicam quod res est It is scandalous that there should be Divisions Distances Animosities and Contentions amongst Christians Protestants Dissenters against each other and in the Bowels of each Party But much hereof arises from unhappy Tempers Self-ignorance Confidence and Inobservance want of frequent patient and calm Conference and impartial Debates about things controverted addictedness to Self-Interest and Reputation with our respective Parties impatience of severe Thoughts and Studies and of impartial Consideration before we fix and pass our Judgment taking things too much upon Trust Prejudice against those whose Sentiments are different from our own laying too great a weight upon eccentrical and meaner things prying too boldly into and talking too confidentlyâ— about things unrevealed or but darkly hinted to us in the Sacred Text and representing the Doctrine of our Christianity in our own Artificial Terms and Schemes and so confining the Interest Grace and Heart of God and Christ to our respective Parties as if we had forgot or had never read Rom. 14. 17 19. Acts 10 34 35. Gal. 6. 14 16. and Eph. 4. 1 〈◊〉 That Person whose Thoughts Heart and Life shall meet me in the Spirit and Reach of 2 Pet. I. I II. shall have my hearty Love and Service although he determine never to hear me Preach or to Communicate with me all his days through the Impression of his Education or Acquaintance though at the same time I should be loth that such a narrow Thought should be the Principle Poise and Conduct of my Church Fellowship Spirit or Behaviour God hath I doubt not his eminent and valuable Servants inâ—all Parties and Perswasions amongst Christians An heavenly mind and Life is all in all with me I doubt not but that God hath many precious faithful Ones amongst the Men called Independants Presbyterians â—â—â—nabapâ—ists Prelatical And I humbly judge it reasonable that 1. The Miscarriages of former Parties be not imputed to succeeding Parties who own not nor abet their Principles as productive of such practical Enormities 2. That the Miscarriages of some particular Persons be not charged on the rest until they profess or manifest their Approbation of them 3. That what is repented of and pardoned be not so received as to foment Divisions and Recriminations 4. That my trust from Mr. Baxter and faithfulness to him and to Posterity be not constrâ—ed as the Result of any Spleen in me against any Person or Party mentioned in this following History 5. And that we all value that in one another which God thinks lovely where he forms and finds it And 6. O Utinam that we form no other Test and Canon of Christian Orthodoxy and Saving Soundness and Christian Fellowship than what the Sacred Scriptures give us as Explicatory of the Christian Baptismal Creed and Covenant as influencing us into an holy Life and heavenly Hopes and Joys I thought once to have given the World a faithful Abstract of Mr Baxter's Doctrines or Judgment containing the Sence of what he held about Justification Faith Works c. and yet laying aside his Terms of Art that hereby the Reader might discern the Consonancy of it to the Sacred Text and to the Doctrinal Confessions of the Reformed Churches his Consistence with himself and his nearer approach in Judgment to those from whom he seems to differ much than the prejudiced Adversaries are aware of But this must be a Work of Time if not an Enterprize too great for me as I justly fear it is But I will do by him as I would do by others and have them do by me viz. give him his owned Explication of the Baptismal Creed and Covenant as a fit Test to try his Judgment by and if his Doctrines in his other Treatises consist herewith others perhaps will see more Cause to think him Orthodox in the most weighty Articles and less to be suspected notwithstanding his different Modes of Speech The Things professedly believed by him as may be seen in his Christian Concord were THat there is one only God The Father Infinite in Being Wisdom Goodness and Power the Maker Preserver and Disposer of all things and the most just and merciful Lord of All. That Mankind being fallen by Sin from God and Happiness under the Wrath of God the Curse of his Law and the Power of the Devil God so loved the World that he gave his only Son to be their Redeemer who being God and one with the Father did take to him our Nature and became Man being conceived of the Holy Ghost in the Virgin Mary and born of her and named JESUS CHRIST and having liv'd on Earth without Sin and wrought many Miracles for a witness of his Truth he gave up himself a Sacrifice for our Sins and a Ransom for 〈◊〉 in suffering Death on the Cross and being buried he is Lord of all in Glory with the Father And having ordained that all that truly repent and believe in him and love him above all things and sincerely obey him and that to the Death shall be saved and they that will not shall be damned and commended his Ministers to preach the Gospel to the World He will come again and raise the Bodies of all Men from Death and will set all the World before him to be judged according to what they have done in the Body and he will adjudge the Righteous to Life Everlasting and the rest to Everlasting Punishment which shall be Executed accordingly That God the Holy Ghost the Spirit of the Father and the Son was â—â—nt from the Father by the Son to inspire and guide the Prophets and Apostles that they might fully reveal the Doctrine of Christ And by multitudes of Evident Miracles and wonderful Gifts to be the great Witness of Christ and of the Truth of his Holy Word And also to dwell and work in all that are drawn to believe that being first joyned to Christ their Head and into one Church which is his Body and so pardoned and made the Sons of God they may be a peculiar People sanctified to Christ and may mortifie the Fesh and overcome the World and the Devil and being zealous of good Works may serve God in Holiness and Righteousness and may live in the special Love and Communion of the Saints and in hope of Christ's Coming and of Everlasting Life In the belief hereof the Things consented to were as followeth THat he heartily took this one GOD for his only GGD and his chief Good and this IESUS CHRIST for his only Lord Redeemer and Saviour and this HOLY GHOST for his Sanctifier and the Doctrine by him revealed and sealed by his Miracles and now contained in the Holy Scriptures he took for the Law of God
indeed I had such clear Convictions my self of the madness of secure presâ—mptuous Sinners and the unquestionable Reasons which should induce men to a holy Life and of the unspeakable greatness of that Work which in this hasty Inch of Time we have all to do that I thought that Man that could be ungodly if he did but hear these things was fitter for Bedlam than for the Reputation of a sober rational Man And I was so foolish as to think that I had so much to say and of such Convincing Evidence for a Godly Life that Men were scarce able to withstand it not considering what a blind and sensless Rock the Heart of an obdurate Sinner is and that old Adam is too strong for young Luther as he said But these Apprehensions determined my choice § 17. Till this time I was satisfied in the Matter of Conformity Whilst I was young I had never been acquainted with any that were against it or that questioned it I had joyned with the Common-Prayer with as hearty â—ervency as afterward I did with other Prayers As long as I had no Prejudice against it I had no stop in my Devotions from any of its Imperfections At last at about 20 years of Age I became acquainted with Mr. Simmonds Mr. Cradock and other very zealous godly Nonconformists in Shrewsbury and the adjoyning parts whose fervent Prayers and savoury Conference and holy Lives did profit me much And when I understood that they were People prosecuted by the Bishops I found much prejudice arise in my heart against those that persecuted them and thought those that silenced and troubled such Men could not be the genuine Followers of the Lord of Love But yet I resolved that I would study the Point as well as I was able before I would be confident on either side And it prejudiced me against the Nonconformists because we had but one of them near us one Mr. Barnel of Uppington who though he was a very honest blameless Man yet was reputed to be but a mean Scholar when Mr. Garbet and some other Conformists were more Learned Men And withal the Books of the Nonconformists were then so scarce and hard to be got because of the danger that I could not come to know their reasons Whereas on the contrary side Mr. Garbet and Mr. Samuel Smith did send me Downham Sprint Dr. Burges and others of the strongest that had wrote against the Nonconformists upon the reading of which I could not see but the Cause of the Conformists was very justifiable and the reasoning of the Nonconformists weak Hereupon when I thought of Ordination I had no Scruple at all against Subscription And yet so precipitant and rash was I that I had never once read over the Book of Ordination which was one to which I was to Subscribe nor half read over the Book of Homilies nor exactly weighed the Book of Common-Prayer nor was I of sufficient Understanding to determine confidently in some Controverted Points in the 39 Articles But my Teachers and my Books having caused me in general to think the Conformists had the better Cause I kept out all particular Scruples by that Opinion § 18. At that time old Mr. Richard Foley of Stourbridge in Worcestershire had recovered some alienated Lands at Dudley which had been lest to Charitable Uses and added something of his own and built a convenient new School-House and was to choose his first School-Master and Usher By the means of Iames Berry who lived in the House with me and had lived with him he desired me to accept it I thought it not an inconvenient Condition for my Entrance because I might also Preach up and down in Places that were most ignorant before I presumed to take a Pastoral Charge to which I had no inclination So to Dudley I went and Mr. Foley and Iames Berry going with me to Worcester at the Time of Ordination I was Ordained by the Bishop and had a Licence to teach School for which being Examined I Subscribed § 19. Being settled with an Usher in the new School at Dudley and living in the House of Mr. Richard Foley Junior I there preached my first Publick Sermon in the upper Parish Church and afterwards Preached in the Villages about and there had occasion to fall afresh upon the study of Conformity For there were many private Christians thereabouts that were Nonconformists and one in the House with me And that excellent Man Mr. William Fenner had lately lived two miles off at Sedgeley who by defending Conformity and honouring it by a wonderfully powerful and successful way of Preaching Conference and holy Living had stirred up the Nonconformists the more to a vehement pleading of their Cause And though they were there generally godly honest People yet smartly censorious and made Conformity no small fault And they lent me Manuscripts and Books which I never saw before whereupon I thought it my Duty to set upon a serious impartial Trial of the whole Cause The Cause of Episcopacy Bishop Downham had much satisfied me in before and I had not then a sufficient Understanding of the difference betwixt the Arguments for an Episcopacy in general and for our English Diocesans in particular The Cause of Kneeling at the Sacrament I studied next and Mr. Paybody fully satisfied me for Conformity in that I turned over Cartwright and Whitgift and others but having lately procured Dr. Ames fresh suit I thought it my best way to study throughly Dr. Burges his Father-in-law and him as the likeliest means to avoid distraction among a multitude of Writers and not to lose the Truth in crowds of Words seeing these two were reputed the strongest on each side So I borrowed Amesius his Fresh Suit c. and because I could not keep it I transcribed the strength of it the broad Margin of Dr. Burges his Rejoynder over against each Paragraph which he replied to And I spent a considerable time in the strictest Examination of both which I could perform And the result of all my Studies was as followeth Kneeling I thought lawful and all meer Circumstances determined by the Magistrate which God in Nature or Scripture hath determined of only in the General The Surplice I more doubted of but more inclined to think it lawful And though I purposed while I doubted to forbear it till necessity lay upon me yet could I not have justified the forsaking of my Ministry for it though I never wore it to this day The Ring in Marriage I made no Scruple about The Cross in Baptism I thought Dr. Ames proved unlawful and though I was not without some doubting in the Point yet because I most inclined to judge it unlawful never once used it to this day A Form of Prayer and Liturgy I judged to be lawful and in some Cases lawfully imposed Our Liturgy in particular I judged to have much disorder and defectiveness in it but nothing which should make the use of it in the ordinary Publick
through all my Life to be an unvaluable mercy to me For 1. It greatly weakned Temptations 2. It kept me in a great Contempt of the World 3. It taught me highly to esteem of time so that if any of it past away in idleness or unprofitableness it was so long a pain and burden to my mind So that I must say to the Praise of my most wise Conductor that time hath still seemed to me much more precious than Gold or any Earthly Gain and its Minutes have not been despised nor have I been much tempted to any of the Sins which go under the name of Pastime since I understood my Work 4. It made me study and preach things necessary and a little stirred up my sluggish heart to speak to Sinners with some Compassion as a dying Man to dying Men. These with the rest which I mentioned before when I spake of my Infirmities were the Benefits which God afforded me by Affliction I humbly bless his gracious Providence who gave me his Treasure in an Earthen Vessel and trained me up in the School of Affliction and taught me the Cross of Christ so soon that I might be rather Theologus Crucis as Luther speaketh than Theologus Gloriae and a Cross-bearer than a Cross-maker or Imposer § 33. At one time above all the rest being under a new and unusual Distemper which put me upon the present Expectations of my Change and going for Comfort to the Promises as I was used the Tempter strongly assaulted my Faith and would have drawn me towards Infidelity it self Till I was ready to enter into the Ministry all my Troubles had been raised by the hardness of my heart and the doubtings of my own Sincerity but now all these began to vanish and never much returned to this day And instead of these I was now assaulted with more pernicious Temptations especially to question the certain Truth of the Sacred Scriptures and also the Life to come and Immortality of the Soul And these Temptations assaulted me not as they do the Melancholy with horrid vexing Importunity but by pretence of sober Reason they would have drawn me to a setled doubting of Christianity And here I found my own Miscarriage and the great Mercy of God My Miscarriage in that I had so long neglected the well settling of my Foundations while I had bestowed so much time in the Superstructures and the Applicatory part For having taken it for an intolerable Evil once to question the Truth of Scriptures and the Life to come I had either taken it for a Certainty upon Trust or taken up with Common Reasons of it which I had never well considered digested or made mine own Insomuch as when this Temptation came it seemed at first to answer and enervate all the former Reasons of my feeble Faith which made me take the Scriptures for the Word of God and it set before me such Mountains of Difficulty in the Incarnation the Person of Christ his Undertaking and Performance with the Scripture Chronology Histories and Stile c. which had stalled and overwhelmed me if God had not been my strength And here I saw much of the Mercy of God that he let not out these terrible and dangerous Temptations upon me while I was weak and in the infancy of my Faith for then I had never been able to withstand them But Faith is like a Tree whose Top is small while the Root is young and shallow and therefore as then it hath but small rooting so is it not liable to the shaking Winds and Tempests as the big and high-grown Trees are But as the top groweth higher so the root at once grows greater and deeper fixed to cause it to endure its greater Assaults Though formerly I was wont when any such Temptation came to cast it aside as fitter to be abhorred than considered of yet now this would not give me satisfaction but I was fain to dig to the very Foundations and seriously to Examine the Reasons of Christianity and to give a hearing to all that could be said against it that so my Faith might be indeed my own And at last I found that Nil tam certum quamquod ex dublo certum Nothing is so firmly believed as that which hath been sometime doubted of § 34. In the storm of this Temptation I questioned a while whether I were indeed a Christian or an Infidel and whether Faith could consist with such Doubts as I was conscious of For I had read in many Papists and Protestants that Faith had Certainty and was more than an Opinion and that if a Man should live a godly Life from the bare apprehensions of the Probability of the Truth of Scripture and the Life to come it would not save him as being no true Godliness or Faith But my Judgment closed with the Reason of Dr. Iackson's Determination of this Case which supported me much that as in the very Assenting Act of Faith there may be such weakness as may make us cry Lord increase our Faith We believe Lord help our belief so when Faith and Unbelief are in their Conflict it is the Effects which must shew us which of them is victorious And that he that hath so much Faith as will cause him to deny himself take up his Cross and forsake all the Profits Honours and Pleasures of this World for the sake of Christ the Love of God and the hope of Glory hath a saving Faith how weak soever For God cannot condemn the Soul that truly loveth and seeketh him And those that Christ bringeth to persevere in the Love of God he bringeth to Salvation And there were divers Things that in this Assault proved great Assistances to my Faith 1. That the Being and Attributes of God were so clear to me that he was to my Intellect what the Sun is to my Eye by which I see it self and all Things And he seemed mad to me that questioned whether there were a God that any Man should dream that the World was made by a Conflux of Irrational Atoms and Reason came from that which had no Reason or that Man or any Inferiour Being was independent or that all the being Power Wisdom and Goodness which we conversed with had not a Cause which in Being Power Wisdom and Goodness did excel all that which it had caused in the World and had not all that formaliter vel eminenter in it self which it communicated to all the Creatures These and all the Suppositions of the Atheist have ever since been so visibly foolish and shameful to my Apprehension that I scarce find a Capacity in my self of doubting of them and whenever the Tempter hath joyned any thing against these with the rest of his Temptations the rest have been the easier overcome because of the overwhelming cogent Evidences of a Deity which are always before the Eyes of my Soul 2. And it helped me much to discern that this God must needs be related to us as our Owner
our Governour and our Benefactor in that he is related to us as our Creator and that therefore we are related to him as his own his Subjects and his Beneficiaries which as they all proceed by undeniable resultancy from our Creation and Nature so thence do our Duties arise which belong to us in those Relations by as undeniable resultancy and that no shew of Reason can be brought by any Infidel in the World to excuse the Rational Creature from Loving his Maker with all his heart and soul and might and devoting himself and all his Faculties to him from whom he did receive them and making him his ultimate End who is his first Efficient Cause So that Godliness is a Duty so undeniably required in the Law of Nature and so discernable by Reason it self that nothing but unreasonableness can contradict it 3. And then it seemed utterly improbable to me that this God should see us to be Losers by our Love and Duty to him and that our Duty should be made to be our Snare or make us the more miserable by how much the more faithfully we perform it And I saw that the very Possibility or Probability of a Life to come would make it the Duty of a Reasonable Creature to seek it though with the loss of all below 4. And I saw by undeniable Experience a strange Universal Enmity between the Heavenly and the Earthly Mind the Godly and the Wicked as fulfilling the Prediction Gen. 3. 15. The War between the Woman's and the Serpent's Seed being the daily Business of all the World And I saw that the wicked and haters of Godliness are so commonly the greatest and most powerful and numerous as well as cruel that ordinarily there is no living according to the Precepts of Nature and undeniable Reason without being made the Derision and Contempt of Men if we can scape so easily 5. And then I saw that there is no other Religion in the World which can stand in competition with Christianity Heathenism and Mahometanism are kept up by Tyranny and Beastly Ignorance and blush to stand at the Bar of Reason And Judaism is but Christianity in the Egg or Bed And meer Deism which is the most plausible Competitor is so turned out of almost all the whole World as if Nature made its own Confession that without a Mediator it cannot come to God 6. And I perceived that all other Religions leave the People in their worldly sensual and ungodly state even their Zeal and Devotion in them being commonly the Servants of their Fleshly Interest And the Nations where Christianity is not being drowned in Ignorance and Earthly mindedness so as to be the shame of Nature 7. And I saw that Christ did bring up all his serious and sincere Disciples to real Holiness and to Heavenly mindedness and made them new Creatures and set their Hearts and Designs and Hopes upon another Life and brought their Sense into subjection to their Reason and taught them to resign themselves to God and to love him above all the World And it is not like that God will make use of a Deceiver for this real visible Recovery and Reformation of the Nature of Man or that any thing but his own Zeal can imprint his Image 8. And here I saw an admirable suitableness in the Office and Design of Christ to the Ends of God and the Felicity of Man and how excellently these Supernatural Revelations do fall in and take their place in subserviency to Natural Verities and how wonderfully Faith is fitted to bring Men to the Love of God when it is nothing else but the beholding of his amiable attractive Love and Goodness in the Face of Christ and the Promises of Heaven as in a Glass till we see his Glory 9. And I had felt much of the Power of his Word and Spirit on my self doing that which Reason now telleth me must be done And shall I question my Physician when he hath done so much of the Cure and recovered my depraved Soul so much to God 10. And as I saw these Assistances to my Faith so I perceived that whatever the Tempter had to say against it was grounded upon the Advantages which he took from my Ignorance and my Distance from the Times and Places of the Matters of the Sacred History and such like things which every Novice meeteth with in almost all other Sciences at the first and which wise well-studied Men can see through § 35. All these Assistances were at hand before I came to the immediate Evidences of Credibility in the Sacred Oracles themselves And when I set my self to search for those I found more in the Doctrine the Predictions the Miracles antecedent concomitant subsequent than ever I before took notice of which I shall not here so far digress as to set down having partly done it in several Treatises as The Saints Rest Part 2. The Unreasonableness of Infidelity A Saint or a Bruit in my Christian Directory and since more fully in a Treatise called The Reasons of the Christian Religion my Life of Faith c. § 36. From this Assault I was forced to take notice that it is our Belief of the Truth of the Word of God and the Life to come which is the Spring that sets all Grace on work and with which it rises or falls flourishes or decays is actuated or stands still And that there is more of this secret Unbelief at the Root than most of us are aware of and that our love of the World our boldness with Sin our neglect of Duty are caused hence◠I observed easily in my self that if at any time Satan did more than at other times weaken my Belief of Scripture and the Life to come my Zeal in every Religious Duty abated with it and I grew more indifferent in Religion than before I was more inclined to Conformity in those Points which I had taken to be sinful and was ready to think why should I be singular and offend the Bishops and other Superiours and make my self contemptible in the World and expose my self to Censures Scorns and Sufferings and all for such little things as these when the Foundations themselves have so great difficulties as I am unable to overcome But when Faith revived then none of the Parts or Concernments of Religion seemed small and then Man seemed nothing and the World a shadow and God was all In the begining I doubted not of the truth of the Holy Scriptures or of the Life to come because I saw not the Difficulties which might cause doubting After that I saw them and I doubted because I saw not that which should satisfie the mind against them Since that having seen both Difficulties and Evidences though I am not so unmolested as at the first yet is my Faith I hope much stronger and far better able to repel the Temptations of Satan and the Sophisms of Infidels than before But yet is my daily Prayer That God would
Captain of Thieves or of Pyrates that shall surprize the Ship which we are in but we are not bound to consent to his Government or formally obey him but contrarily to disown his Villany and to do all that we can against his Tyranny which tendeth not to the hurt of the Society So here it is our Duty to keep the state of things as entire as we can till God be pleased to restore the King that he may find it a whole and not a ruin'd irrepairable State And thus for my part was my Practice I did seasonably and moderately by Preaching and Printing condemn the Usurpation and the Deceit which was the means to bring it to pass I did in open Conference declare Cromwell and his Adherents to be Guilty of Treason and Rebellion aggravated with Perfidiousness and Hypocrisie to be abhorred of all good and sober Men But yet I did not think it my Duty to rave against him in the Pulpit nor to do this so unseasonably and imprudently as might irritate him to mischief And the rather because as he kept up his approbation of a godly Life in the general and of all that was good except that which the Interest of his Sinful Cause engaged him to be against so I perceived that it was his design to do good in the main and to promote the Gospel and the Interest of Godliness more than any had done before him except in those particulars which his own interest was against And it was the principal means that hence-forward he trusted to for his own Establishment even by doing good That the People might love him or at least be willing to have his Government for that Good who were against it as it was Usurpation And I made no question at all but that when the Rightful Governour was restored the People that had adhered to him being so extreamly irritated would cast out multitudes of the Ministers and undo the Good which the Usurper had done because he did it and would bring abundance of Calamity upon the Land And some Men thought it a very hard Question Whether they should rather wish the continuance of an Usurper that will do good or the restitution of a Rightful Governour whose Followers will do hurt But for my part I thought my Duty was clear to disown the Usurper's Sin what Good soever he would do and to perform all my Engagements to a Rightful Governour leaving the Issue of all to God but yet to commend the Good which a Usurper doth and to do any lawful thing which may provoke him to do more and to approve of no Evil which is done by any either Usurper or a lawful Governour And thus stood the Affections of the Intelligent sort to Cromwell but the Simpler sort believed that he designed nothing of all that came to pass but that God's Providence brought about all without his Contrivance or Expectation § 115. The little Parliament having resigned their Commission to Cromwell that we might not be ungoverned a Iuncto of Officers and I know not who nor ever could learn but that Lambert and Berry were two Chief Men in it did draw up a Writing called The Instrument of the Government of the Commonwealth of England Scotland and Ireland This Instrument made Oliver Cromwell Lord Protector of the Commonwealth The Lord Mayor and Aldermen the Judges and the Officers of the Army were suddenly drawn together to Westminster-Hall and upon the reading of this Instrument installed Cromwell in the Office of Protector and swore him accordingly and thus the Commonwealth seemed once more to have a Head § 116. I shall for brevity over-pass the particular mention of the Parliaments summoned by Cromwell of their displeasing him by ravelling his Instrument and other means and of his rough and resolute dissolving them One of the chief Works which he did was the purging of the Ministry of which I shall say somewhat more And here I suppose the Reader to understand that the Synod of Westminster was dissolved with the Parliament and therefore a Society of Ministers with some others were chosen by Cromwell to sit at Whitehall under the Name of Triers who were mostly Independants but some sober Presbyterians with them and had power to try all that came for Institution or Induction and without their Approbation none were admitted This assembly of Triers examined themselves all that were able to come up to London but if any were unable or were of doubtful Qualifications between Worthy and Unworthy they used to refer them to some Ministers in the County where they lived and to approve them if they approved them And because this Assembly of Triers is most heavily accused and reproached by some Men I shall speak the truth of them and suppose my word will be the rather taken because most of them took me for one of their boldest Adversaries as to their Opinions and because I was known to disown their Power insomuch that I refused to try any under them upon their reference except a very few whose Importunity and necessity moved me they being such as for their Episcopal Judgment or some such Cause the Triers were like to have rejected The truth is that though their Authority was null and though some few over-busie and over-rigid Independants among them were too severe against all that were Arminians and too particular in enquiring after Evidences of Sanctification in those whom they Examined and somewhat too lax in their Admission of Unlearned and Erroneous Men that favoured Antinomianism or Anabaptism yet to give them their due they did abundance of good to the Church They saved many a Congregation from ignorant ungodly drunken Teachers that sort of Men that intended no more in the Ministry than to say a Sermon as Readers say their Common Prayers and so patch up a few good words together to talk the People asleep with on Sunday and all the rest of the Week go with them to the Ale-house and harden them in their Sin And that sort of Ministers that either preacht against a holy Life or preacht as Men that never were acquinted with it all those that used the Ministry but as a Common Trade to live by and were never likely to convert a Soul all these they usually rejected and in their stead admitted of any that were able serious Preachers and lived a godly Life of what tollerable Opinion soever they were So that though they were many of them somewhat partial for the Independents Separatists Fifth-Monarchy-men and Anabaptists and against the Prelatists and Arminians yet so great was the benefit above the hurt which they brought to the Church that many thousands of Souls blest God for the faithful Ministers whom they let in and grieved when the Prelatists afterward cast them out again § 117. And because I am fall'n upon this Subject I will look back to the Alterations that were made upon the Ministry by the Long Parliament before both by the Country Committees and the
sporting with them but he thought Secrecy a Vertue and Dissimulation no Vice and Simulation that is in plain English a Lie or Perfidiousness to be a tollerable Fault in a Case of Necessity being of the same Opinion with the Lord Bacon who was not so Precise as Learned That the best Composition and Temperature is to have openness in Fame and Opinion Secrecy in habit Dissimulation in seasonable use and a power to feign if there be no remedy Essay 6. pag. 31. Therefore he kept fair with all saving his open or unreconcileable Enemies He carried it with such Dissimulation that Anabaptists Independants and Antinomians did all think that he was one of them But he never endeavoured to perswade the Presbyterians that he was one of them but only that he would do them Justice and Preserve them and that he honoured their Worth and Piety for he knew that they were not so easily deceived In a word he did as our Prelates have done begin low and rise higher in his Resolutions as his Condition rose and the Promises which he made in his lower Condition he used as the interest of his higher following Condition did require and kept up as much Honesty and Godliness in the main as his Cause and Interest would allow but there they left him And his Name standeth as a monitory Monument or Pillar to Posterity to tell them The instability of Man in strong Temptations if God leave him to himself what great Success and Victories can do to lift up a Mind that once seemed humble what Pride can do to make Man selfish and corrupt the Heart with ill designs what selfishness and ill designs can do to bribe the Conscience and corrupt the Iudgment and make men justifie the greatest Errours and Sins and set against the clearest Truth and Duty what Bloodshed and great Enormities of Life an Erring deluded Judgment may draw Men to and patronize and That when God hath dreadful Judgments to execute an Erroneous Sectary or a proud Self-seeker is oftner his Instrument than an humble Lamb-like innocent Saint § 145. Cromwell being dead his Son Richard by his Will and Testament and the Army was quietly setled in his place while all Men look'd that they should presently have fallen into Confusion and Discord among themselves the Counties Cities and Corporations of England send up their Congratulations to own him as Protector But none of us in Worcestershire save the Independants medled in it He interred his Father with great Pomp and Solemnity He called a Parliament and that without any such Restraints as his Father had used The Members took the Oath of Fidelity or Allegiance to him at the Door of the House before they entred And all Men wondred to see all so quiet in so dangerous a Time Many sober Men that called his Father no better than a Trayterous Hypocrite did begin to think that they owed him Subjection They knew that the King was by Birth their Rightful Sovereign and resolved to do their best while there was hopes to introduce him and defend him But they were astonished at the marvellous Providences of god which had been against that Family all along and they thought that there was no rational probability of his Restoration having seen so many Armies and Risings and Designs overthrown which were raised or undertaken for it They thought that it is not left to our liberty whether we will have a Government or not but that Government is of Divine Appointment and the Family Person or Species is but of a subservient less necessary determination And that if we cannot have him that we would have it followeth not that we may be without That twelve years time from the Death of the last King was longer than the Land could be without a Governour without the Destruction of the Common Good which is the End of Government Therefore that the Subjects seeing they are unable to restore the King must consent to another That the House of Commons having sworn Allegiance to him have actually subjected the Nation to him And though his Father Trayterously made the Change yet the Successor of a Traytor may by the Peoples consent become a Governour whom each Individual must acknowledge by Subjection That the Bishops and Churches both of East and West as all History sheweth have professed their Subjection to Usurpers in a far shorter time and upon lighter Reasons That this Man having never had any hand in the War but supposed to be for the King nor ever seeking for the Government and now seeming to own the Sober Party was like to be used in the healing of the Land c. Such Reasonings as these began to take with the minds of many to subject themselves quietly to this Man though they never did it to his Father as now despairing of the Restitution of the King And I confess such Thoughts were somewhat prevalent with my self But God quickly shewed us the root of our Errour which was our limiting the Almighty as if that were hard to him that was impossible to us So that the Restoration of the King which we thought next impossible was accomplished in a trice And we saw that twelve or eighteen years is not long enough to wait on God The Army set up Richard Cromwell it seemeth upon Tryal resolving to use him as he behaved himself And though they swore Fidelity to him they meant to keep it no longer than he pleased them And when they saw that he began to favour the sober People of the Land to honour Parliaments and to respect the Ministers whom they called Presbyterians they presently resolved to make him know his Masters and that it was they and not he that were called by God to be the chief Protectors of the Interest of the Nation He was not so formidable to them as his Father was and therefore every one boldly spurned at him The Fifth Monarchy Men followed Sir Henry Vane and raised a great and violent clamorous Party against him among the Sectaries in the City Rogers and Feake and such like Firebrands preach them into Fury and blow the Coales But Dr. Owen and his Assistants did the main Work He gathereth a Church at at Lieutenant General Fleetwood's Quarters at Wallingford House consisting of the active Officers of the Army this Church-gathering hath been the Church◠scattering Project In this Assembly it was determined that Richard's Parliament must be dissolved and then he quickly fell himself Though he never abated their Liberties or their Greatness yet did he not sufficiently befriend them Dictum factum almost as quickly done as determined Though Col. Richard Ingolsby and some others would have stuck to the Protector and have ventured to surprise the Leaders of the Faction and the Parliament would have been true to him yet Berry's Regiment of Horse and some others were presently ready to have begun the Fray against him and as he sought not the Government he was resolved it should cost no
the several Articles which I did in a small Book called Christian Concord In which I gave the reasons why the Episcopal Presbyterians and Independants might and should unite on such Terms without any change of any of their Principles But I confess that the new Episcopal Party that follow Grotius too far and deny the very being of all the Ministers and Churches that have not Diocesan Bishops are not capable of Union with the rest upon such Terms And hereby I gave notice to the Gentry and others of the Royalists in England of the great danger they were in of changing their Ecclesiastical Cause by following new Leaders that were for Grotianism But this Admonition did greatly offend the Guilty who now began to get the Reins though the old Episcopal Protestants confessed it to be all true There is nothing bringeth greater hatred and sufferings on a Man than to foreknow the mischief that Men in power are doing and intend and to warn the World of it For while they are resolutely going on with it they will proclain him a Slanderer that revealeth it and use him accordingly and never be ashamed when they have done it and thereby declared all which he foretold to be true § 170. 15. Having in the Postscript of my True Catholick given a short touch against a bitter Book of Mr. Thomas Pierce's against the Puritans and me it pleased him to write another Volume against Mr. Hickman and me just like the Man full of malignant bitterness against Godly men that were not of his Opinion and breathing out blood-thirsty malice in a very Rhetorical fluent style Abundance of Lies also are in it against the old Puritans as well as against me and in particular in charging Hacket's Villany upon Cartwright as a Confederate which I instance in because I have out of old Mr. Ash's Library a Manuscript of Mr. Cartwright's containing his full Vindication against that Calumny which some would fain have fastened on him in his time But Mr. Pierce's principal business was to defend Grotius In answer to which I wrote a little Treatise called The Grotian Religion discovered at the Invitation of Mr. Thomas Pierce In which I cited his own words especially out of his Discussio Apologetici Rivetaini wherein he openeth his Terms of Reconciliation with Rome viz. That it be acknowledged the Mistress Church and the Pope have his Supream Government but not Arbitrary but only according to the Canons To which end he defendeth the Council of Trent it self Pope Pius's Oath and all the Councils which is no other than the French sort of Popery I had not then heard of the Book written in France called Grotius Papizans nor of Sarravius's Epistles in which he witnesseth it from his own mouth But the very words which I cited contain an open Profession of Popery This Book the Printer abused printing every Section so distant to fill up Paper as if they had been several Chapters And in a Preface before it I vindicated the Synod of Dort where the Divines of England were chief Members from the abusive virulent Accusations of one that called himself Tilenus junior Hereupon Pierce wrote a much more railing malicious Volume than the former the liveliest Express of Satan's Image malignity bloody malice and falshood covered in handsome railing Rhetorick that ever I have seen from any that called himself a Protestant And the Preface was answered just in the same manner by one that stiled himself Philo-Tilenus Three such Men as this Tilenus junior Pierce and Gunning I have not heard of besides in England Of the Jesuites Opinion in Doctrinals and of the old Dominican Complexion the ablest Men that their Party hath in all the Land of great diligence in study and reading of excellent Oratory especially Tilenus junior and Pierce of temperate Lives but all their Parts so sharpened with furious persecuting Zeal against those that dislike Arminianism high Prelacy or full Conformity that they are like the Briars and Thorns which are not to be handled but by a fenced hand and breathe out Tereatnings against God's Servants better than themselves and seem unsatisfied with blood and ruines and still cry Give Give bidding as lowd defiance to Christian Charity as ever Arrius or any Heretick did to Faith This Book of mine of the Grotian Religion greatly offended many others but none of them could speak any Sence against it the Citations for Matter of Fact being unanswerable And it was only the Matter of Fact which I undertook viz. To prove that Grotius profest himself a moderate Papist But for his fault in so doing I little medled with it § 171. 16. Mr. Blake having replye to some things in my Apology especially about Right to Sacraments or the just subject of Baptism and the Lord's Supper I wrote five Disputations on those Points proving that it is not the reality of a Dogmatical or Justifying Faith nor yet the Profession of bare Assent called a Dogmatical Faith by many but only the Profession of a Saving Faith which is the Condition of Mens title to Church-Communion Coram Ecclèsiâ and that Hypocrites are but Analogically or Equivocally called Christians and Believers and Saints c. with much more to decide the most troublesome Controversie of that Time which was about the Necessary Qualification and Title of Church-Members and Communicants Many men have been perplexed about that Point and that Book Some think it cometh too near the Independants and some that it is too far from them and many think it very hard that A Credible Profession of True Faith and Repentance should be made the stated Qualification because they think it incredible that all the Jewish Members were such But I have sifted this Point more exactly and diligently in my thoughts than almost any Controversie whatsoever And fain I would have found some other Qualification to take up with 1. Either the Profession of some lower Faith than that which hath the Promise of Salvation 2. Or at least such a Profession of Saving Faith as needeth not to be credible at all c. But the Evidence of Truth hath forced me from all other ways and suffered me to rest no where but here That Profession should be made necessary without any respect at all to Credibility and consequently to the verity of the Faith professed is incredible and a Contradiction and the very word Profession signifieth more And I was forced to observe that those that in Charity would belive another Profession to be the title to Church-Communion do greatly cross their own design of Charity And while they would not be bound to believe men to be what they profess for fear of excluding many whom they cannot believe they do leave themselves and all others as not obliged to love any Church-Member as such with the love which is due to a True Christian but only with such a Love as they owe to the Members of the Devil and so deny them the Kernel of Charity by giving
on the Wax is caused by that on the Seal Therefore I do more of late than ever discern a necessity of a methodical procedure in maintaining the Doctrine of Christianity and of beginning at Natural Verities as presupposed fundamentally to supernatural though God may when he please reveal all at once and even Natural Truths by Supernatural Revelation And it is a marvellous great help to my Faith to find it built on so sure Foundations and so consonant to the Law of Nature I am not so foolish as to pretend my certainty to be greater than it is meerly because it is a dishonour to be less certain nor will I by shame be kept from confessing those Infirmities which those have as much as I who hypocritically reproach me with them My certainty that I am a Man is before my certainty that there is a God for Quod facit notum est magis notum My certainty that there is a God is greater than my certainty that he requireth love and holiness of his Creature My certainty of this is greater than my certainty of the Life of Reward and Punishment hereafter My certainty of that is greater than my certainty of the endless duration of it and of the immortality of individuate Souls My certainty of the Deity is greater than my certainty of the Christian Faith My certainty of the Christian Faith in its Essentials is greater than my certainty of the Perfection and Infallibility of all the Holy Scriptures My certainty of that is greater than my certainty of the meaning of many particular Texts and so of the truth of many particular Doctrines or of the Canonicalness of some certain Books So that as you see by what Gradations my Understanding doth proceed so also that my Certainty differeth as the Evidences differ And they that have attained to greater Perfection and a higher degree of Certainty than I should pity me and produce their Evidence to help me And they that will begin all their Certainty with that of the Truth of the Scripture as the Principium Cognoscendi may meet me at the same end but they must give me leave to undertake to prove to a Heathen or Infidel the Being of a God and the necessity of Holiness and the certainty of a Reward or Punishment even while he yet denieth the Truth of Scripture and in order to his believing it to be true 6. In my younger years my trouble for Sin was most about my Actual failings in Thought Word or Action except Hardness of Heart of which more anon But now I am much more troubled for â—nward Defects and omission or want of the Vital Duties or Graces in the Soul My daily trouble is so much for my Ignorance of God and weakness of Belief and want of greater love to God and strangeness to him and to the Life to come and for want of a greater willingness to die and longing to be with God in Heaven as that I take not some Immoralities though very great to be in themselves so great and odious Sins if they could be found as separate from these Had I all the Riches of the World how gladly should I give them for a fuller Knowledge Belief and Love of God and Everlasting Glory These wants are the greatest burden of my Life which oft maketh my Life it self a burden And I cannot find any hope of reaching so high in these while I am in the Flesh as I once hoped before this time to have attained which maketh me the wearier of this sinful World which is honoured with so little of the Knowledge of God 7. Heretofore I placed much of my Religion in tenderness of heart and grieving for sin and penitential tears and less of it in the love of God and studying his love and goodness and in his joyful praises than now I do Then I was little sensible of the greatness and excellency of Love and Praise though I coldly spake the same words in its commendations as now I do And now I am less troubled for want of grief and tears though I more value humility and refuse not needful Humiliation But my Conscience now looketh at Love and Delight in God and praising him as the top of all my Religious Duties for which it is that I value and use the rest 8. My Judgment is much more for frequent and serious Meditation on the heavenly Blessedness than it was heretofore in my younger days I then thought that a Sermon of the Attributes of God and the Joys of Heavenâ— were not the most excellent and was wont to say Every body knoweth this that God is great and good and that Heaven is a blessed place I had rather hear how I may attain it And nothing pleased me so well as the Doctrine of Regeneration and the Marks of Sincerity which was because it was suitable to me in that state but now I had rather read hear or meditate on God and Heaven than on any other Subject for I perceive that it is the Object that altereth and elevateth the Mind which will be such as that is which it most frequently feedeth on And that it is not only useful to our comfort to be much in Heaven in our believing thoughts but that is must animate all our other Duties and fortifie us against every Temptation and Sin and that the Love of the end is it that is the poise or spring which setteth every Wheel a going and must put us on to all the means And that a Man is no more a Christian indeed than he is Heavenly 9. I was once wont to meditate most on my own heart and to dwell all at home and look little higher I was still poring either on my Sins or Wants or examining my Sincerity but now though I am greatly convinced of the need of Heart-acquaintance and imployment yet I see more need of a higher work and that I should look often upon Christ and God and Heaven than upon my own Heart At home I can find Distempers to trouble me and some Evidences of my Peace but it is above that I must find matter of Delight and Ioy and Love and Peace it self Therefore I would have one thought at home upon my self and sins and many thought above upon the high and amiable and beatifying Objects 10. Heretofore I knew much less than now and yet was not half so much acquainted with my Ignorance I had a great delight in the daily new Discoveries which I made and of the Light which shined in upon me like a Man that cometh into a Country where he never was before But I little knew either how imperfectly I understood those very Points whose discovery so much delighted me nor how much might be said against them nor how many things I was yet a stranger to But now I find far greater Darkness upon all things and perceive how very little it is that we know in comparision of that which we are ignorant of and and have
or to turn to something else which though there be some reason for it I feel cometh from a want of Zeal for the Truth and from an impatient Temper of Mind I am ready to think that People should quickly understand all in a few words and if they cannot lazily to despair of them and leave them to themselves And I the more know that it is sinful in me because it is partly so in other things even about the Faults of my Servants or other Inferiours if three or four times warning do no good on them I am much tempted to despair of them and turn them away and leave them to themselves I mention all these Distempers that my Faults may be a warning to others to take heed as they call on my self for Repentance and Watchfulness O Lord for the Merits and Sacrifice and Intercession of Christ be merciful to me a Sinner and forgive my known and unknown Sins THE LIFE OF THE REVEREND Mr. Richard Baxter LIB I. PART II. § 1. IN the Time of the late unhappy Wars in these Kingdoms the Controversies about Church Government were in most Mens mouths and made the greatest Noise being hotly agitated by States-men and Divines by Words and Writings which made it necessary to me to set my self to the most serious study of those Points The result of which was this confident and setled Judgment that of the four contending Parties the Erastian Episcopal Presbyterian and Independant each one had some Truths in peculiar which the other overlookt or took little notice of and each one had their proper Mistakes which gave advantage to their Adversaries though all of them had so much truth in common among them as would have made these Kingdoms happy if it had been unanimously and soberly reduced to practice by prudent and charitable Men. § 2. 1. The Erastians I thought were thus far in the right in asserting more fully than others the Magistrates Power in Matters of Religion that all Coercive Power by Mulcts or Force is only in their hands which is the full sence of our Oath of Supremacy and that no such Power belongeth to the Pastors or People of the Church and that thus as Dr. Ludov. Molinaeâ—â— pleadeth there should not be any Imperium in Imperio or any Coercive Power challenged by Pope Prelate Presbytery or any but by the Magistrate alone that the Pastoral Power is only Perswasive or exercised on Volunteers yet not private such as belongeth to every Man to perswade that hath a perswading Facultyâ— but Publick and Authoritative by Divine appointment And not only to perswade by Sermons or general Speeches but by particular oversight of their particular Flocks much like the Authority of Plato or Zenâ— in his School or a Master in any Academy of Volunteers or of a Physician in his Hospital supposing these were Officers of God's Institution who could as the ground of their perswasitantâ— produce his Commission or Command for what they said and did But though the Diocesans and the Presbyterians of Scotland who had Laws to enable them opposed this Doctrine or the Party at least yet I perceived that indeed it was but on the ground of their Civil Advantages as the Magistrate had impowered by them by his Laws which the Erastians did not contradict except some few of the higher 〈◊〉 sort who pleaded as the Papists for somewhat more which yet they could not themselves tell what to make of But the generality of each Party indeed owned this Doctrine and I could speak with no sober Judicious Prelatist Presbyterian or Independant but confessed that no Secular or Forcing Power belonged to any Pastors of the Church as such and unless the Magistrates authorized them as his Officers they could not touch mens Bodies or Estates but the Conscience alone which can be of none but of Assenters § 3. 2. The Episcopal Party seemed to have reason on their side in 〈◊〉 that in the Primitive Church there were some Apostles Evangelists and others who were general unfixed Officers of the Church not tyed to any particular Chaâ—ge and had some Superiority some of them â—â—over-fixed Bishops or Pastors And though the extraordinary Parts of the Apostles Office ceased with them I saw no proof of the Cessation of any ordinary part of their Office such as Church Government is confessed to be All the doubt that I saw in this was Whether the Apostles themselves were constituted Governours of other Pastors or only over-ruled them by the Eminency of their Gifts and Priviledge of Infallibility For it seemed to me unmeet to affirm without proof that Christ setled a Form of Government in his Church to endure only for one Age and changed it for a New one when that Age was ended And as to fixed Bishops of particular Churches that were Superiours in degree to Presbyters though I saw nothing at all in Scripture for them which was any whit cogent yet I saw that the Reception of them in all the Churches was so timely even in the days of one of the Apostles in some Churches and so general that I thought it a most improbable thing that if it had been contrary to the Apostles mind we should never read that they themselves or any one of their Disciples that conversed with them no nor any Christian or Heretick in the World should once speak or write a word against it till long after it was generally setled in the Curches This therefore I resolved never to oppose § 4. 3. And as for the Presbyterians I found that the Office of Preaching Presbyters was allowed by all that deserve the Name of Christians and that this Office did participate subserviently to Christ of the Prophetical or Teaching the Priestly or worshipping and the Governing Power and that both Scripture Antiquity and the perswasive Nature of Church Government clearly shew that all Presbyters were Church Governours as well as Church Teachers and that to deny this was to destroy the Office and to endeavour to destroy the Churches And I saw in Scripture Antiquity and Reason that the Association of Pastors and Churches for Agreement and their Synods in Cases of Necessity are a plain duty and that their ordinary stated Synods are usually very convenient And I saw that in England the Persons which were called Presbyterians were emiment for Learning Sobriety and Piety and the Pastors so called were they that went through the Work of the Ministry in diligent serious preaching to the People and edifying Mens Souls and keeping up Religion in the Land § 5. 4. And for the Independants I saw that most of them were Zealous and very many Learned discreet and godly Men and fit to be very serviceable in the Church And I found in the search of Scripture and Antiquity that in the beginning a Governed Church and a stated worshipping Church were all one and not two several things And that though there might be other byâ—Meetings in places like our Chappels or private Houses
the more Christian and Orderly managing of this our Brotherly Agreement and Association we do agree First That every Man at his entering into this Society tender us a Certificate of his Painfulness in the Ministry and of his Godliness in Conversation under the Hands of two godly Ministers at least not of the Society and of two or three godly Christians known to some of the Society And that all the Certificates be brought into and kept in the Hands of one of the Brethren that by common Consent shall be appointed thereunto Secondly That every Man that cometh into this Society and Agreement be desired to express his willingness in case of any Miscarriage whereby he shall give just occasion of Offence unto the Society to submit unto the Reproof and Determination of the whole or the major part of the Society so farforth as their Reproof and Determination shall be warranted by the Scripture Thirdly That our Meetings be constantly begun and ended with Prayer to be made by the Moderator pro tempore who at the first Meeting is to be chosen for the Meeting next following and so continually for the better ordering of our Meetings and Debates Fourthly That no private Matters be propounded in our General Meetings but by the Moderator and that not while any Publick Business is in debate without the leave and consent of the whole Society or the major part Fifthly That any Brother that shall be willing to joyn hereafter into this Society may upon the same Terms be freely accepted into this Brotherly Agreement The Independant Churches also in Ireland led by Dr. Winter Pastor of their Church in Dublin associated with the moderate Presbyterians there upon these Provocations and the Perswasions of Col. Iohn Bridges my Neighbour And they sent us together their Desires of Correspondency with which our Answer is here subjoyned Honoured and Beloved Brethren in the Lord IT hath pleased the good hand of Heaven to bring into our Parts our much esteemed Friend Coll. Bridges in much Mercy to us all and by him as also by several other hands to give us some acquaintance with the State of Christ's Affairs among you which very much obliges us to Sympathise with you according to the several Administrations of Providence as becomes the Relation of Fellow-members and Subjects in Christ's Kingdom His Return into your Parts affords us an Opportunity to signify the same and how much we desire to manifest it by real Demonstrations through the good Will of him that dwelt in the Bush. In order thereunto we thought fit to testify our Willingness to contribute our utmost through his Assistance to the maintaining of a Christian Correspondency between us that we may mutually receive and give the Right Hand of Fellowship in a Season of so much need Whilst the common Enemy is still labouring to divide and destroy the Friends of Christ in all parts it concerns us nearly to be so much the more industrious and active in the promoting of Christ's Interest against his Power and Policy the bitter Fruits of unchristian Divisions we have too much tasted of and through the Lord's Goodness have reaped already some Benefit from our brotherly Association whereinto we entered not long ago The present Condition of God's People in Foreign Parts as among us calls a loud for a more cordial Union and Communion among all such who desire to fear his Name It 's therefore our Hearts Desire not to be wanting in our Faith and Prayers Resolves and Endeavours to the fulfilling of those exceeding great and precious Truths do eminently centre in these latter Days that Christ's Friends may receive one Mind and Heart to serve him with one Lip and Shoulder We are thereby much encouraged to request your Christian Assistance and Brotherly Correspondency that we may all be the better able in our several Stations and Relations to promote more vigorously the Interest of Christ and of his People After the sad shakings of this Land and his many turnings of things upside down the Lord is pleased to promise us a little Reviving and to open a Door of Hope even in the Valley of Achor Your favourable help is therefore earnestly craved that Ireland may once more partake of the glad Tidings of Heaven and the wants of many Thousand starving Souls may be seasonably supply'd with the Bread of Life The particular of our Affairs Coll. Bridges will give you a more exact Account of and will be ready to convey to us the Signification of your Christian Compliance with our longing Desire To the Blessing of the most High we humbly recommend the care of the several Nurseries of Christ among you that the Plants of his House may flourish in his Courts through the Supplies of Christ's Spirit in whom we cordially desire to be and appear Your affectionate Brethren in the Bonds of the Gospel to serve you through Grace Sam. Winter Pastor of the Church in Dublin Claudius Gilbert Pastor of the Church at Limerick Ed. Reynolds M. J. Warren M. Will. Markham Tho. Osmonton M. In the Name of the associated Churches of Christ in Ireland Dublin 5. M. 8. D. 1655. Iuly 5. These for the Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter Pastor of the Church of Christ in Kiderminster to be by him communicated to the several Churches of that Association Our Answer whereto was as follows Much honoured and beloved Brethren in the Lord WE received your welcome Lines from the Hand of our faithful and much honoured Friend Coll. John Bridges It much rejoiceth us to hear of your brotherly Affeciation and the Success and more that your Hearts are enlarged with such Desires for the farther promoting of this healing Work and that you thus breath after the Union of the Saints It doth not only rejoice us on your own behalf and on the behalf of that desolate Land where you abide but also on the behalf of the Churches in general because we seem to discern the gracious Thoughts of God unto his People in sounding a Retreat to their unbrotherly Contentions by sending forth that Spirit of Love and Peace which we know must build us up if ever we are built When God was pulling down and laying Waste be witheld this Mercy and let out upon his Churches a Spirit of Contention Bitterness and Division which hath gone on to demolish and break in pieces and made our own Hands the Executioners of those heavy Iudgments which have laid us so long in Shame and Sorrow and filled our Enemies Mouths with Scorn While this evil Spirit that made desolate did prevail Division seemed aimable and dividing Principles seemed glorious Truths and all Motions to Reconciliations were unsavory things and rejected as a Defection from Truth or Zeal and as a carnal Compliance with the ways of Darkness and even those that were zealous for Truth and Holiness were too many of them cold for Peace and Unity reading those Scriptures which so earnestly press them as if they read them not never
set all in joint again by Violence and secure the Peace of Church and State And neither Pope Prelate nor Council should take this Work upon them which is his And therefore Magistrates should be Wise and Holy and fit for so great a Charge as they undertake It must be still noted that all this was when Diocesanes were put down and few saw any probability of restoring them and many religions Persons dreaded such a Restoration § 50. When Cromwell's Faction were making him Protector they drew up a Thing which they called The Government of England c. Therein they determined that all should have Liberty or free Exercise of their Religion who professed Faith in God by Iesus Christ After this he called a Parliament which Examined this Instrument of Government and when they came to those words the Orthodox Party affirmed That if they spake de re and not de nomine Faith in God by Iesus Christ could contain no less than the Fundamentals of Religion whereupon it was purposed that all should have a due measure of Liberty who professed the Fundamentals Hereupon the Committee appointed to that Business were required to nominate certain Divines to draw up in terminis the Fundamentals of Religion to be as a Test in this Toleration The Committee being about Fourteen named every one his Man The Lord Broghill after Earl of Orery and Lord President of Munster and one of his Majesty's Privy Council named the Primate of Ireland Archbishop Usher When he because of his Age and Unwillingness to wrangle with such Men as were to join with him had refused the Service the Lord Broghill nominated me in his Stead Whereupon I was sent for up to London But before I came the rest had begun their Work and drawn up some few of the Propositions which they called Fundamentals The Men that I found there were Mr. Marshal Mr. Reyner Dr. Cheynell Dr. Goodwin Dr. Owen Mr. Nye Mr. Sydraâ—â— Sympson Mr. Vines Mr. Manton and Mr. Iacomb § 51. I knew how ticklish a Business the Enumeration of Fundamentals was and of what very ill Consequence it would be if it were ill done and how unsatisfactorily that Question What are your Fundamentals is usually answered to the Papists My own Judgment was this that we must distinguish between the Sense or matter and the Words and that it 's only the Sense that is primarily and properly our Fundamentals and the Words no further than as they are needful to express that Sence to others or represent it to our own Conception that the Word Fundamentals being Metaphorical and Ambiguous the Word Essentials is much fitter it being nothing but what is Essential or Constitutive of true Religion which is understood by us usually when we speak of Fundamentals that quoad rem there is no more Essential or Fundamental in Religion but what is contained in our Baptismal Covenant I believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and give up my self in Covenant to him renouncing the Flesh the World and the Devil He that doth this truly shall be saved or else sincere Covenanting could not entitle us to the Blessings of the Covenant And therefore it is that the Ancient Church held that all that are Baptized duly are in a Justified State of Life because all that sincerely give up themselves in Covenant to God as our God and Father our Redeemer and Saviour our Sanctifier and Comforter have right to the Blessings of the Covenant And quoad verba I suppose that no particular Words in the World are Essentials of our Religion Otherwise no Man could be saved without the Language which those Words belong to He that understandeth not Credo in Deum may be saved if he believe in God Also I suppose that no particular Formula of Words in any or all Languages is Essential to our Religion for he that expresseth his Faith in another form of words of the same importance professeth a Saving Faith And as to the Use of a Form of Words to express our Belief of the Essential it is various and therefore the Form accordingly is variable If it be to teach another what is the Essence of Religion a dull hearer must have many Words when a quick intelligent Person by few Words can understand the same thing I believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost expresseth all the Essentials intelligibly to him that hath learned truly to understand the meaning of these Words But to an ignorant Man a large plain Catechism is short enough to express the same things But as to the Use of Publick Professions of Faith to satisfie the Church for the Admittance of Members or to satisfie other Churches to hold Communion with any particular Church a Form of Words which is neither obscure by too much Conciseness not Tedious or Tautological by a needless Multiplication of Words I take to be the fittest To which ends and because the Ancient Churches had once a happy Union on those Terms I think that this is all that should be required of any Church or Member ordinarily to be professed In General I do believe all that is contained in the Sacred Canonical Scriptures and particularly I believe all explicitly contained in the Ancient Creed and I desire all that is contained in the Lord's Prayer and I resolve upon Obedience to the Ten Commandments and whatever selfe I can learn of the Will of God And for all other Points it is enough to preserve both Truth and Peace that Men promise not to preach against them or contradict them though they Subscribe them not § 52. Therefore I would have had the Brethren to have offered the Parliament the Creed Lord's Prayer and Decalogue alone as our Essentials or Fundamentals which at least contain all that is necessary to Salvation and hath been by all the Ancient Churches taken for the Sum of their Religion And whereas they still said A Socinian or a Papist will Subscribe all this I answered them So much the better and so much the fitter it is to be the Matter of our Concord But if you are afraid of Communion with Papists and Socinians it must not be avoided by making a new Rule or Test of Faith which they will not Subscribe to or by forcing others to Subscribe to more than they can do but by calling them to account whenever in Preaching or Writing they contradict or abuse the Truth to which they have Subscribed This is the Work of Government And we must not think to make Laws serve instead of Iudgement and Execution nor must we make new Laws as oft as Hereticks will mis-interpret and subscribe the old for when you have put in all the Words you can devise some Hereticks will put their own Sence on them and Subscribe them And we must not blame God for not making a Law that no Man can misinterpret or break and think to make such a one ourselves because God could not or would not These Presumptions and
between us whether Men should wait for farther objective Revelations or Additions to the written Word or whether we should condemn the Errors of the Enthusiasts herein we are agreed in all this 5. Nor is the Question de Officio whether it be the Duty of all Men to look out after the written Word as far as they can and rest in it 6. Nor is the Question whether the Scripture only have the proper Nature of a Rule to Judge Controversies by 7. Nor yet whether Scripture be of necessity to the Church in General 8. Nor whether it be necessary as a means to the Salvation of all that have it 9. Nor whether it be the only sufficient means of safe keeping and propagating the whole Truth of God which is necessary to the Church 10. But the Question is of every particular Soul on Earth whether we may thus assert that there is no Salvation for them unless they know Christ by the Revelation of the Scripture And I cannot assent to the Article for these Reasons 1. It seems a Snare by the unmeet Expressions 2. We cannot be certain of the Truth of it 3. It is not of so great necessity as that all should be cast out of the Ministry though in other things Orthodox that will not own it 4. Much less is it a Fundamental Nor dare I judge all to Damnation that are not herein of your Opinion 5. It seems to me to be injurious to Christianity it self 6. And to the present intended Reformation 7. And to the Parliament 8. And to our selves 1. For the First of these Reasons It is confessed by some here that a Man may be converted by the Doctrine of the Scripture before he know the Writings or their Authority and that you intend not to assert that the divine Authority of the Scripture is that primum credibile which must needs be believed before any Truth therein contained can be savingly believed And it is thought by some that your Assertion is made good if it be but proved that all saving Revelation that is now in the World is from Scripture originally and subordinate to it and not co-ordinate But the obvious Sense of your Words will seem to many to be this that the particular Knowledge of that Person who will be saved must be by Scripture Revelation as the objective Cause or Instrument even under that Consideration either in the Mind of the Speaker or Hearer or both If it should be said that the Revelation which converted this or that Sinner did arise from the Scriptures a Thousand Years ago But hath since been taken up as coming another way and so there hath been an Intermission of ascribing it to the Scripture as to those Men by whom it was carried down this will not seem to agree with your Expressions And seeing many others must be Judges of your Sense who shall have Power to trie Ministers hereby you enable them by your obscure Expressions to wrong the Church oppress their Brethren and introduce Errors And so it seems you frame a â—nare 2. And you will put every poor Christian in these Places where Christ's Faith is known to many but by Verbal Tradition into an Impossibility of knowing that they have any true Faith because they cannot know that it came from the Scriptures 2. That we are not certain of the Truth of this Assertion nor can I be Judge 1. Because there was Salvation from Adam to Moses by Traâ—â—â—ion without the written Word and there was a considerable space of time after Christ's Assention before the Scriptures of the New Testament were written The first Christians were savingly called and the Churches gathered without these Writings by the preaching of the Doctrine which is now contained in them And though that be now necessary to the Safety of the Church and Truth which was not so necessary when the Apostles were present yet it is unproved that there is more necessary to the Salvation of every Soul now than was in those Days And it is considerable that it was not only the preaching of the Apostles but of all other Publishers of the Gospel in those Times that was in suo genere sufficient for Conversion without Scripture Yea and to the Gentiles that knew not the Scriptures of the Old Testament 2. If there be no Salvation but by a Scripture Revelation then either because there is no other way of revealing the Marrow of the Gospel or because it will not be saving in another way But neither of these can be proved true Ergo for the latter 1. The Word of God and Doctrine of his Gospel may save if revealed supposing other Necessaries in their Kinds For it sufficeth to the formal Object of Faith that it be veracitas revelantis and to the material Object that it be Hoc verum bonum revelatum but it must be truly revelatum though not by Scripture Ergo 2. God hath promised Salvation to all that truly believe and not to those that believe only by Scripture-Revelation nor hath he any where told us that he will annex his Spirits help to no other Revelation 2. For the former That there is now in the World no other way of revealing the Marrow of the Gospel but by Scripture or from it 1. It cannot be proved by Scripture as will appear when your Proofs are tryed 2. The contrary is defended by most learned Protestants 1. A Praecepto another collateral way of Revelation is commanded by God Ergo there 's another 2. From certain History and Experience which speak of the Performance of those Commands and the Instances they give of both are these 1. Ministers are commanded to preach the Gospel to all Nations before it was written and a Promise annexed that Christ would be with them to the end of the World In Obedience whereunto not only the Apostles but Multitudes more did so preach which was by delivering the great Master-Verities which are now in the written Word This Command is not reverst by the writing of the Word And therefore is still a Duty as to deliver the Gospel Doctrine in and by the Scripture so collaterally to preach the Substance of that Doctrine as delivered from the Mouth of Christ and his Apostles 2. Christ commanded before the Gospel was written to baptize Men into the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost for the Pardon of Sin upon repenting and believing and for the hope of everlasting Glory upon a holy Life This was done accordingly both before and since the writing of the Gospel And so the very Sum and Kernel of the Gospel and indeed all the true Fundamentals and Essentials of the Christian Faith have been most certainly and constantly delivered down by Baptism as a collateral way distinct from the written Word which is evident in the very Succession of Christians to this Day 3. Another means hath been by Symbols called Creeds and Catechising which was mostly by opening the Creeds As Reverend Bishop Usher hath
Scripture revealeth for us to believe which are many I only instance in the Point of Sovereignty is contrary to the Determination of our General Councils That which is contrary to what a General Council pronounceth to be believed is in the Papists sence a Heresie But that the Pope is above a General Council and that a General Council is above the Pope are both determined to be believed by General Councils The first by the Councils at the Laterane and Florence and the second by the Councils at Constance and Basil They are both Heresies therefore because they are both against General Councils and they are both Points of Popery because both determined in General Councils as I have proved in my Key c. If you will peruse a Catalogue in the End of my Book called The Safe Religion or the Thirty two Novelties mentioned in my Key pag. 142 143 144. you will see whether Popery be Error If any other Doctrine contrary 〈◊〉 Christ's do infer an Anathema then everlasting Woe to Papists And here you may see the Safety of the true Catholicks that have rejected Popery Our Religion is all contained in the Holy Scripture we profess to have no other Rule and you charge us not that I know of with believing too much by holding any positive Error but with believing too little because we believe not your supernumerary Articles And therefore you cannot say that we teach any other Doctrine than Christ's though you fancy that we teach not all because we teach not your Traditions But on the contrary we prove that you teach another Doctrine and many such which Christ never delivered to the Church But yet to abate your severe Selâ—condemnation let me excuse you thus far as to say that you do it upon mistake For Gal. 1. saith not Let him be accursed that preacheth another Doctrine but another Gospel While it is the same Gospel in the Essentials that is preached and believed this Anathema belongs not even to you that err till you come to contradict the Essence and make it another Gospel as well as another Doctrine If you have made it your whole business till seventeen Years of Age to pray to God to direct you to follow his Doctrine it 's like that I and many another have made it at least as much of our Business till forty six Years of Age as ever you did and with better Advantage and yet are as confident of the Falseness of your Doctrine as we are that the Earth doth bear us here therefore you are not beforehand with us But what have you found that cheated or frighned you into Popery 1. The variety of Iudgments But you never found the far greater variety among Papists You never read the voluminous Dispute between the Dominicanes and Jesuits to overpass the rest or perhaps you will as others do expect that the very same Opinion be a Heresy in a Calvanist and none in a Dominicane or Iansenist or a Heresy in a Lutheran and none in a Iesuit You will run out of England because of Mens diversity of Complexions and finding a greater Diversity in France expect it should be esteemed none If I prove not before any impartial Judge that the Papists have far more and greater Differences amongst themsâ—â—ves than the reformed Churches called Protestants yea I doubt not I may add than Greeks Calvinists Lutherans and many more such set together then let your Imagination go for Truth Bellarmine himself hath enumerated enough 2. You say the Scripture admits of no private Interpretation But 1. You abuse the Text and your self with a false Interpretation of it in these Words An Interpretation is called private either as to the Subject Person or as to the Interpreter You take the Text to speak of the latter when the Context plainly sheweth you that it speaks of the former The Apostle directing them to understand the Prophesies of the Old Testament gives them this Caution That none of these Scriptures that are spoken of Christ the publick Person must be interpreted as spoken of David or other private Persons only of whom they were mentioned but as Types of Christ It is subjectively a private Interpretation to restrain that Scripture e. g. the Second Psalm to David or other ordinary Men which the Holy Ghost intended of the Messiah But here 's no talk against Private Interpreters but only against a Private Interpretation 2. But suppose it were as you imagin and the publick Judgment of any Case suppose a Publick Interpreter yet every Man must see with his own Eyes and their private Judgment of Discretion must be according to their private that is personal Interpretation Or else your Churches Interpretation must have another publick Interpretation and that another and so endlesly If we can understand your Councils which your Doctors disagree about without another publick Interpretation we may as easily understand the Scripture or at least much of it And therefore that can be none of the Sence which you imagine no Scripture c. 3. Yea suppose all Interpretation must be publick and you may not presume to misunderstand the Commands of Repentance Faith or Love without a publick Commentary do you think this doth not make against you Is not the Interpretation of the Papal Sect a more private Interpretation than that of the whole Church The Greek Arminians Abassines Protestants and so all the far greatest part of the Church interpret those Texts which you wrest for the Papal Soveraignty in a quite other Sense And is not the Interpretation of your Fourth or Third part of the Church that 's partial in the Cause more private than that of all the rest would you have Men care no more for their Souls than to cast them away upon the Delusion of such Reasonings as these 3. You next speak of Interpretations by Apostolical Tradition But are sober People capable of such a Bafflle as to lay their Salvation on a Dream that never had a Being Was there ever such a thing as an Interpretation of the Bible by Apostolical Tradition without which no Scripture must be interpreted Where is that Commentary that the World never knew and yet all must know it that will be saved Written it is not by Fathers Popes or Councils and if unwritten in whose Memory is it and how learnt they it Not in the Peoples nor the generality of Pastors for they that were most learned presume to write their private Interpretations and Commentaries never giving us the publick Commentary and take Liberty to differ about many hundred Texts among themselves and are not these then gross Delusions 4. You say the Church is a City set upon a Hill Christ speaks there of Preachers but let it be of the whole Church In good sadness can you believe that the Universality of Christians which is the true Catholick Church is not more conspicuous than the Papal Faction or any one particular Part Should your Sect be judged more visible than the
you know that there are many Dissenters as Papists Quakers c. for whom we never medled And we think this an unjust Answer to be given to them who craved of his Majesty that they might send to their Brethren through the Land to have the Testimony of their common Consent and were denied it and told that it should be our work alone and imputed to no others In Conclusion we perceive your Counsels against Peace are not likely to be frustrated Your Desires concerning us are like to be accomplished You are like to be gratified with our Silence and Ejection and the Excommunication and Consequent sufferings of Dissenters And yet we will believe that blessed are the Peace-makers and though Deceit be in the Heart of them that imagin Evil yet there is Ioy to the Counsellors of Peace Prov. 12. 20. And though we are slopt by you in our following of Peace and are never like thus publickly to seek it more because you think that we must hold our Tongues that you may hold your Peace yet are we resolved by the help of God if it be possible and as much as in us lieth to live peaceably with all Men Rom. 12. 18. § 102. Hereupon some very very learned godly Men renewed their former Speeches That it was a vain Attempt to Endeavour a Reconciliation with such Men that their Minds were exasperated and they were resolved to monopolize the Favour of our Prince and all Honours and Preferments to themselves That there was no hope they would do any thing for the promoting of strict serious Godliness or any thing that deserved the Name of Ecclesiastical Discipline That undoubtedly they do but draw us on partly to spin out the time till they are ready to persecute us without any danger to themselves and partly to set us together by the Ears and otherwise abuse us by drawing us to grant them that which they know our Brethren cannot grant § 103. To all this I answered for my own part That though Charity commanded me to hope that there were some Men among them better than this Description doth import yet my Reason forced me all things considered to have as low Expectations of this Conference as they had and that I made no doubt but that the End would verefie much that was said that for my own part I looked e're long to be silenced by them with many hundred more and that all this was but to quiet Men till the time But yet for all that I was fully convinced that it was our Duty not only to yield to an offered Treaty but to be the Seekers of it and follow it on till we see the Issue 1. Because we are commanded if possible as much as in us lieth to live peaceably with all Men. 2. Because though we have too great a probability of such an issue as they describe yet we are not certain of it and the least possibility of a better Issue may shew us that we should wait on God in the use of the Means till we are disappointed 3. Because we have no other means at all to use To keep our Flocks and publick Work we cannot For the old Laws will be in force again if we say nothing and new ones will further enforce them if there be need And for our parts we are not formidable to the Bishops at all were our Number five times as great as theirs For we abhor all Thoughts of Sedition and Rebellion and they know that this is our Judgment and therefore how should they be afraid of Men whose Consciences bind them to make no resistance to the legal Exercise of a lawful Authority If it were the Anabaptists Millinaries or Levellers they would fear them But for my part I thought it very unmeet that such a Word as intimated any formidableness in us should ever come out of our Mouths either to them or to our People or among our selves for it seemeth to intimate either that we would resist or would have them think so 4. And I looked to the end of all these Actions and the chief things that moved me next the pleasing of God and Conscience is that when we are all silenced and persecuted and the History of these things shall be delivered to posterity it will be a just Blot upon us if we suffer as refusing to sue for Peace and it will be our just Vindication when it shall appear that we humbly petitioned for and earnestly pursued after Peace and came as near them for the obtaining it as Scripture and Reason will allow us to do and were ready to do anything for Peace except to sin and damn our Souls And for my own part I could suffer much more comfortably when I had used these means and been repulsed than if I had used none 5. And Lastly I gave them all notice that I hoped if we got no more to have an opportunity by this Treaty to state our Difference right to the understanding of Foreigners and Posterity and to bear my Testimony to the Cause of Truth and Peace and Godliness openly under the Protection of the King's Authority both by Word and Writing which they that sat still would never do but look on with secret silent Grief till all is gone and then have their Consciences and others tell them that they never made any just attempt or spake a Word to prevent the Ruine § 104. But as to the point of yielding too far to them I told them first that moderate Episcopacy was agreeable to my Judgment and that they knew that I medled not as a Presbyterian but as a Christian that is obliged to seek the Churches Peace And also that others may accept of those Terms as better than worse which yet they cannot take to be the best And if we mist it as to the way or terms our Brethren that thought so had the Liberty to acquaint us with our Error and to set us right § 105. Shortly after this instead of the Diocesans Concessions it was told us that the King would put all that he thought meet to grant us into the Form of a Declaration and we should see it first and have Liberty to give notice of what we liked not as not consistent with the desired Concord◠and so the Diocesans cannot be charged with any mutability as having ever granted us such Abatements which after they receded from We thankfully accepted of this Offer and received from the Lord Chancellor the following Copy of the Declaration This Copy of a Declaration the Lord Chancellor next sent us to peruse and alter before it were published that it might satisfie our Desires Received on Sept. 4. His Majesty's Declaration to all his loving Subjects of his Kingdom of England and Dominion of Wales concerning Ecclesiastical Affairs HOW much the Peace of the State is concerned in the Peace of the Church and how difficult a thing it is to preserve Order and Government in Civil whilst there is no Order
passion or prejudice give us such a further assistance towards a perfect Union of Affections as well as Submission to Authority as is necessary And we are the rather induced to take this upon us by finding upon the full Conference we have had with the Learned Men of several Perswasions that the Mischiefs under which both the Church and State do at present suffer do not result from any formed Doctrine or Conclusion which either Party maintains or avows but from the Passion and Appetite and Interest of particular Persons who contract greater Prejudice to each other from those Affections than would naturally arise from their Opinions and those Distempers must be in some degree allayed before the Meeting in a Synod can be attended with better Success than their Meeting in other places and their Discourses in Pulpits have hitherto been and till all thoughts of Victory are laid aside the humble and necessary Thoughts for the vindication of Truth cannot be enough entertained We must for the Honour of all those of either Perswasion with whom we have conferred declare That the Professions and Desires of all for the Advancement of Piety and true Godliness are the same their Professions of Zeal for the Peace of the Church the same of Affection and Duty to us the same They all approve Episcopacy They all approve a Set-From of Liturgy And they disapprove and dislike the Sin of Sacriledge and the Alienation of the Revenue of the Church And if upon these excellent Foundations in Submission to which there is such a Harmony of Affections any Super-structures should be raised to the shaking those Foundations and to the contracting and lessening the blessed Gift of Charity which is a Vital part of Christian Religion we shall think our self very unfortunate and even suspect that we are defective in that Administration of Government with which God hath intrusted us We need not profess the high Affection and Esteem we have for the Church of England as it is established by Law the Reverence to which hath supported us with Gods Blessing against many Temptations Nor do we think that Reverence in the least degree diminished by our Condescensions not peremptorily to insist upon some Particulars of Ceremony which however introduced by the Piety and Devotion and Order of former Times may not be so agreeable to the present but may even lessen that Piety and Devotion for the improvement whereof they might happily be first introduced and consequently may well be dispensed with And we hope this Charitable compliance of ours will dispose the Minds of all Men to a chearful Submission to that Authority the preservation whereof is so necessary for the Unity and Peace of the Church and that they will acknowledge the Support of the Episcopal Authority to be the best Support of Religion by being the best means to contain the Minds of Men within the Rules of Government And they who would restrain the Exercise of that holy Function within the Rules which were observed in the Primitive Times must remember and consider that the Ecclesiastical Power being in those blessed Times always subordinate and subject to the Civil it was likewise proportioned to such an Extent of Jurisdiction as was agreeable to that And as the Sanctity and Simplicity and Resignation of that Age did then refer many things to the Bishops which the Policy of succeeding Ages would not admit at least did otherwise provide for so it can be no Reproach to Primitive Episcopacy if where there have been great Alterations in the Civil Government from what was then there have been likewise some Difference and Alteration in the Ecclesiastical the Essence and Foundation being still preserved And upon this Ground without out taking upon us to Censure the Government of the Church in other Countries where the Government of the State is different from what it is here or enlarging our self upon the Reasons why whilst there was an Imagination of Erecting a Democratical Government here in the State they should not be willing to continue an Aristocratical Government in the Church it shall suffice to say That since by the wonderful Blessing of God the Hearts of this whole Nation are returned to an Obedience to Monarchique Government in the State it must be very reasonable to Support that Government in the Church which is established by Law and which with the Monarchy hath flourished through so many Ages and which is in truth as ancient in this Island as the Christian Monarchy thereof and which hath always in some respects or degrees been enlarged or restrained as hath been thought most conducing to the Peace and Happiness of the Kingdom and therefore we have not the least doubt but the present Bishops will think the present Concessions now made by us to allay the present Distempers very just and reasonable and will very chearfully Conform themselves thereunto 1. We do in the first place declare That as the present Bishops are known to be Men of Great and Exemplary Piety in their Lives which they have manifested in their notorious and unexampled Sufferings during these late Distempers and of great and known Sufficiency of Learning so we shall take special Care by the Assistance of God to prefer no Men to that Office and Charge but Men of Learning Vertue and Piety who may be themselves the best Examples to those who are to be Governed by them and we shall expect and provide the best we can that the Bishops be frequent Preachers and that they do very often preach themselves in some Church of their Diocess except they be hindered by Sickness or other bodily Infirmities or some other justifiable occasion which shall not be thought justifiable if it be frequent 2. If any Diocess shall be thought of too large an Extent we will appoint Suffragan Bishops for their Assistance 3. No Bishop shall Ordain or Exercise any part of Jurisdiction which appertains to the Censures of the Church without the Advice of the Presbyters and no Chancellour shall exercise any Act of Spiritual Jurisdiction 4. As the Dean and Chapters are the most proper Council and Assistants of the Bishop both in Ordination and for the other Offices mentioned before so we shall take care that those Preferments be given to the most Learned and Pious Presbyters of the Diocess that thereby they may be always at hand and ready to advise and assist the Bishop And moreover That some other of the most Learned Pious and Discreet Presbyters of the same Diocess as namely the Rural Deans or others or so many of either as shall be thought fit and are nearest be called by the Bishop to be present and assistant together with those of the Chapter at all Ordinations and at all other Solemn and Important Actions in the Exercise of Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction especially wherein any of the Ministers are concerned And our Will is that the great Work of Ordination be constantly and solemnly performed by the Bishop in the
containeth 1. The Wisdom of the Mind which is the Knowledge of God 2. The Rectitude of the Will which is the Love of God And 3. The Promptitude Obedience and Fortitude of the Executive Power in and for the Service of God and this is the moral Part of God's Image 3. God having the only Aptitude by his three great Properties Infinite POWER WISDOM and GOODNESS and the only Right Iure Creationis and since Redemptionis Regenerationis immediately stood related to Man in the three great Relations contained expressively in the Name God 1. Our absolute proprietary Owner or Lord. 2. Our Supreme Rector 3. Our bountiful Benefactor or Father and End all flowing from his Relation of our most potent wise good CREATOR Man is related to him 1. As his own to be wholly at his dispose 2. As his Subject to be wholly at his Government 3. As his Beneficiary or Child to love him with all the Heart Now God hath given Man to bear his Image in these Relations which is in Unity caled his Dominion over the bruit Creatures And in Trinity containeth 1. That we are their Owners and they our own 2. we are their Governors according to their Capacities 3. We are their Benefactors and they have and had more dependance on us and were made for us as their End as we were immediately for God as our End This part of God's Image is partly not totally lost The moral part is that which the Spirit restoreth The Wisdom of the Mind the Righteousness or Rectitude of the Will and the Holiness and Obedience of the Life If we had a right Scheme of Theology which I never yet saw Unity in Trinity would go through the whole Method It 's easy to follow it a little way and to see how God's three grand Relations of Owner Ruler and Father or End and chief God and the Correspondent Relations in Man and the mutual Expressions go far in the great parts of Theology But when we run it up to the Numerous and small Branches our narrow Minds are lost in the search But the Day is coming when all God's Works of Creation and Providence and all his Truths shall be seen to us uno intuitu as a most entire perfect Frame Pardon my too many words to you on this As for the divine Government by the Saints which you mention I dare not expect such great Matters upon Earth lest I encroach upon the Priviledge of Heaven and tempt my own Affections downwards and forget that our Kingdom is not of this World Certainly if Christianity be the same thing now that it was at first it is much unsuitable to a reigning State on Earth Bearing the Cross Persecution Self-denial c. found something of another Nature The Rich will rule in the World and few rich Men will be Saints He that surveyeth the present State of the Earth and considereth that scarcely a sixth Part is Christian and how small a Part of them are reformed and how small a part of them have much of the Power of Godliness will be ready to think that Christ hath called almost all his Chosen and is ready to forsake the Earth rather than that he intendeth us such blessed Days below as we desire We shall have what we would but not in this World As hard as we think God dealeth with us our King's Dominions are yet for the Power of Godliness the Glory and Paradise of the Earth Success tempted some here into reigning Expectations and thence into sinful Actions and Attempts and hardened them in all but God hath done much already to confute them Through Faith and Patience we must inherit the Promise May I know Christ crucified on Earth and Christ glorified in Heaven I shall be happy Dear Sir the Lord be your Support and Strength I rest Your Weak Fellow-Servant Richard Baxter § 403. That you may the better understand these Letters and many other such Passages you must know that the great Reason why my self and some of my Brethren were made the King's Chaplains in Title was that the People might think that such Men as we were favoured and advanced and consequently that all that were like us should be favoured and so might think their Condition happy And though we our selves made no doubt but that this was the use that was to be made of us and that afterward we should be silenced with rest in time yet we thought that it was not meet to deny their Offer The People at London who were near judged as we did and were not much deceived But those in the Country that were further off understood not how things went above But especially those in France and in New-England who were yet more remote were far more deceived by these Appearances and the more ready to bless us in our present State and almost wish it were their own Insomuch that there grew on a sudden in New-England a great Inclination to Episcopal Government For many of them saw the Inconveniencies of Separations and how much their way did tend to Divisions and they read my Books and what I said against both the Souldiers and Schismaticks in England and they thought that the Church-Government here would have been such as we were pleased with so that these and many other Motives made them begin to think of a Conformity Till at last Mr. Norton with one Mr. Broadstreet a Magistrate came over and saw how things went and those in New-England heard at last how we were all silenced and cast out And then they began to remember again that there is something beside Schism to be â—eared and that there lyeth as perilous an Extreme on the other side But they have in their Synod past some such moderating Conclusions about Baptism and constant Synods as have ended most of the Differences between them and the moderate Presbyterians § 151. I am next to insert some Businesses of my own which fell in at this same time When I had refused a Bishoprick I did it on such Reasons as offended not the Lord Chancellor and therefore instead of it I presumed to crave his Favour to restore me to preach to my People at Kidderminster again from whence I had been cast out when many hundreds of others were ejected upon the Restoration of all them that had been sequestred It was but a Vicaridge and the Vicar was a poor unlearned ignorant silly Reader that little understood what Christianity and the Articles of his Creed did signifie but once a Quarter he said something which he called a Sermon which made him the Pity or Laughter of the People This Man being unable to preach himself kept always a Curate under him to preach Before the Wars I had Preached there only as a Lecturer and he was bound in a Bond of 500 l. to pay me 60 l. per An. and afterward he was sequestreâ— as is before sufficiently declared my People were so dear to me and I to them that I would
when it is a thing not requiâ—ed of the Infant but only that he be the Child of a Believer and by the Parent dedicated to God in Baptism and there engaged in his Covenant to Believe and Obey when he is capable Of the Cross in Baptism we have said more in due place but here only add that it is a very great disorder besides the other faults to express the Terms of the Covenant as signified by the Cross more fully than as signified by baptizing viz. We sign him with the sign of the Cross in tâ—ken that hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the Faith of Christ crucified and manfully to fight under his Banner against Sin the World and the Devil and to continue Christ's faithful Soldier and Servant unto his lives end Amen The Conclusion that the Child is Regenerate and the Thanksgiving for Regenerating it by the Spirit are doubly faulty First in concluding that all Children baptized are Regenerate when we admit those before mentioned whose Interest in the Covenant which Baptism sealeth cannot be proved that is such whose Parents can lay no just claim to the Grace of the Covenant At least here is a private Opinion thrust into our Liturgy Secondly in concluding all Infants regenerate by the Holy Ghost when so many Learned Divines think that it is but a Relative Regeneration that is ascertained them and the Controversie is yet undecided The Exhortation to the Godfathers and Godmothers imposeth on them the Duty of the Parents to see to the holy Education which ordinarily they cannot do nor are to be required to do nor is it ordinarily done and yet we go on in the abuse The concluding Rubrick hasteneth Children too soon to Confirmation contrary to some Clauses in the Rubrick for Confirmation Divers Defects besides these expressed will appear by comparing this part of the Common Prayer with the Forms which we offer In the Private Baptism it is disorderly to make the Godfathers and Godmothers renew solemnly the Covenant-Ingagement of the Child when before we are to certifie them that all is well done and according to due order and the solemnizing of the Covenant is the principal use of Baptism so that its doubtful whether the repeating of so great a part of Baptism be not a great part of Anbaptism And it is not orderly that twice we must say to the Godfathers and Godmothers Dost thou in the Name of this Child as if we spoke but to one of them and the third time we say Do you in his Name Also the Prayer of giving the Spirit to the Infant that he being born again seems to import the Effects of Baptism on Christ's part as understood by the Common Prayer Book to be not given by the Private Baptism In the Rubrick for Confirmation the Order that Children shall be Confirmed when they can say the Creed Lord's Prayer and Ten Commandments and answer the Questions of the Catechism seems contrary to the first and third Reasons which require that Solemn Renewal or owning of their Covenant which ordinarily they are not ripe for of many years after they can say the Catechism And though we suppose the meaning was only to exclude the Necessity of any other Sacrament to baptized Infants yet these Words are dangerous as to mislead the Vulgar He shall know for a Truth that it is certain by God's Word that Children being baptized have all things necessary for their Salvation and be undoubtedly saved The meaning is ex parte Ecclesiae but it hath mislead many to think it is absolute and comprehendeth all things necessary in every respect In a Catechism where so many necessary Points are passed over it 's disorderly to put two such frivolous Questions in the beginning as What is your Name and Who gave you this Name In the Catechism there is omitted some of the Essential Attributes of God without which he cannot be rightly known There is also omitted the Doctrine of the Law made to Adam and of Man's Fall and the Doctrine of our Misery is insufficiently touched The Person Office and Properties of the Redeemer are so insufficiently opened as that we should think the Essentials of Christianity are omitted were it not that they are generally at least expressed in the Creed it self which is more full than the Explication of it There is no mention of the Holy Scriptures in it and the Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace is very defectively expressed and so is the Doctrine of Sanctification and other parts of the Work of the Holy Ghost and the whole Doctrine of God's Judgment and Execution and that of Man's Duty and even the Nature and Use of the Sacraments in which it is fullest as will appear by a true comparing it with what we offer The Prayers and Administration of Confirmation suppose all the Children brought to be Confirmed to have the Spirit of Christ and the forgiveness of all their Sins whereas a great number of Children at that Age that we say not the far greater part do live a carnal careless Life and shew no Love to God above all no prevalent Self-denial Mortification nor Faith in Christ and Heavenly-mindedness nor serious Repentance for the Life of Sin which they continue in after Baptism Therefore to these Children Confirmation is not to be Administred till besides the saying of the Catechism they make a credible Profession of Faith Repentance and Obedience And to them that do not thus Confirmation is a gross and perillous Abuse In the concluding Rubrick there is no care taken for the multitude that being past Childhood understand not what it is to be a Christian who also have need of Catechizing In Matrimony these Words For be ye well assured that so many as be coupled together otherwise than God's Word doth allow are not joined together by God neither is their Matrimony Lawful do dangerously speak that of Irregularities in General which is true only of some greater Faults that are contrary to the Essentials of Matrimony For in many Cases quod fieri non debet factum valet The Ring should not be forced on those that scruple it The obsolete Phrases With my Body I thee Worship c. should be changed The Prayers at the Table are disorderly Repetitions not delivering that in many Words which may be exprest in few It is unfit to keep all Persons unmarried that are unmeet for the Communion being Infidels and unbaptized and prophane Persons may marry and it is unmeet to force such to receive the Communion the same Day that they Marry If it were requisite to put the private Work of visiting the Sick into the publick Liturgy of the Church yet the Variety of the Cases of the Sick is such that these Forms are not suitable to all In the Communion of the Sick the ancient Custom of the Church was where time and place allowed it to send the Deacon to the Sick at the time of the Celebration with a Portion of the
Believers that the Covenant of God is made and not that we can find to all that that have such believing Sureties who are neither Parents nor Prâ—parents of the Child Ans. Repentance whereby they forsake sin and Faith whereby they stedfastly believe the Promises of God c.  20 Quest. Why then are Infants baptized when by reason of ther tender Age they cannot perform them  Ans. Yes they do perform by their Sureties who promise and vow them both in their Names  In the general we observe That the Doctrine of the Sacraments which was added upon the Conference at Hampton-Court is much more fully and particularly delivered than the other parts of the Catechism in short Answers fitted to the memories of Children and thereupon we offer it to be considered First Whether there should not be a more distinct and full Explication of the Creed the Commandments and the Lord's Prayer Secondly Whether it were no convenient to add what seems to be wanting somewhat particularly concerning the Nature of Faith of Repentance the two Covenants of Justification Sanctification Adoption and Regeneration Of Confirmation The last Rubrick before the Catechism  ANd that no Man shall think that any detriment shall come to Children by deferring of their Confirmation he shall know for truth that it is certain by God's Word that Children being baptized have all things necessary for their Salvation and be undoubtedly saved ALthough we charitably suppose the meaning of these words was only to exclude the necessity of any other Sacraments to baptized Infants yet these words are dangerous as to the misleading of the Vulgar and therefore we desire they may be expunged Rubrick after the Catechism  So soon as the Children can say in their Mother-tongue the Articles of the Faith the Lords Prayer and the Ten Commandments and can answer such other Questions of this short Catechism c. then shall they be brought to the Bishop c. and the Bishop shall Confirm them We conceive that it is not a sufficient qualification for Confirmation that Children be able memoriter to the repeat the Articles of the Faith commonly called the Apostles Creed the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments and to answer to some Questions of this short Catechism for it is often found that Children are able to do all this at four or five years old 2dly It crosses what is said in the third Reason of the first Rubrick before Confirmation concerning the usage of the Church in times past ordaining that Confirmation should be ministred unto them that were of perfect Age that they being instructed in the Christian Religion should openly profess their own Faith and promise to be obedient to the Will of God And therefore 3dly we desire that none may be Confirmed but according to his Majesty's Declaration viz. That Confirmation be rightly and solemnly performed by the Information and with the Consent of the Minister of the place Rubrick after the Catechirm  Then shall they be brought to the Bishop by one that shall be his Godfather or Godmother This seems to bring in another sort of Godfathers and Godmothers besides those made use of in Baptism and we see no need either of the one or the other The Prayer before the Imposition of Hands  Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate these thy Servants by Water and the Holy Ghost and hast given unto them the forgiveness of all their sins This supposeth that all the Children who are brought to be confirmed have the Spirit of Christ and the forgiveness of all their sins Whereas a great number of Children at that Age having committed many sins since their Baptism do shew no Evidence of serious Repentance or of any special Saving Grace And therefore this Confirmation if administred to such would be a perillous and gross Abuse Rubrick before the Imposition of Hands  Then the Bishop shall lay his hand on every Child severally This seems to put a higher value upon Confirmation then upon Baptism or the Lord's Supper for according to the Rubrick and Order in the Common-Prayer-Book every Deacon may Baptize and every Minister may consecrate and administer the Lord's Supper but the Bishop only may Confirm The Prayer after Imposition of Hands  We make our humble Supplications unto thee for these Children upon whom after the Example of thy Holy Apostles we have laid our Hands to certifie them by this Sign of thy Favour and gracious Goodness towards them We desire that the Practice of the Apostles may not be alledged as a ground of this Imposition of Hands for the Confirmation of Children both because the Apostles did never use it in that Case as also because the Articles of the Church of England declare it to be a corrupt imitation of the Apostles practice Acts 25. We desire that Imposition of Hands may not be made as here it is a Sign to certifie Children of God's Grace and Favour towards them because this seems to speak it a Sacrament and is contrary to that fore-mentioned 25th Article which saith That Confirmation hath no visible Sign appointed by God The last Rubrick after Confirmation We desire that Confirmation may not be made so necessary to the Holy Communion as that none should be admitted to it unless they be confirmed None shall be admitted to the holy Communion until such time as he can say the Catechism and be confirmed  Of the Form of Solemnization of Matrimony THe Man shall give the Woman a Ring c. shall surely perform and keep the Uow and Covenant betwixt them made whereof this Ring given and received is a Token and Pledge c. SEeing this Ceremony of the Ring in Marriage is made necessary to it and a significant Sign of the Vow and Covenant betwixt the Parties and Romish Ritualists give such Reasons for the Use and Institution of the Ring as are either frivolous or superstitious It is desired that this Ceremony of the Ring in Marriage may be left indifferent to be used or forborn The Man shall say With my Body I thee worship This word worship being much altered in the Use of it since this Form was first drawn up We desire some other word may be used instead of it In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost These words being only used in Baptism and herein the Solemnization of Matrimony and in the Absolution of the Sick We desire it may be considered whether they should not be here omitted least they should seem to favour those who count Matrimony a Sacraâ—â—â— Till Death us depart This word depart is here improperly used Rubrick Exception Then the Minister or Clerk going to the Lords Table shall say or sing this Psalm We conceive this Change of Place and Posture mentioned in these two Rubricks is needless and therefore desire it may be omitted Next Rubrick  The Psalm ended and the Man and the Woman kneeling before the Lord's Table the Priest
standing at the Table and turning his face c. Collect. Exception Consecrated the state of Matrimony to such an excellent Mystery Seeing the Institution of Marriage was before the Fall and so before the Promise of Christ as also for that the said Passage in this Collect seems to countenance the Opinion of making Matrimony a Sacrament we desire that Clause may be altered or omitted Rubrick Exception Then shall begin the Communion and after the Gospel shall be said a Sermon c. This Rubrick doth either enforce all such as are unfit for the Sacrament to forbear Marriage contrary to Scripture which approves the Marriage of all Men or else compels all that marry to come to the Lord's Table though never so unprepared And therefore we desire it may be omitted the rather because that Marriage Festivals are too often accompanied with such Divertisements as are unsuitable to those Christian Duties which ought to be before and follow after the receiving of that Holy Sacrament Last Rubrick  The new married Persons the same day of their Marriage must receive the Holy Communion  Of the Order for the Visitation of the Sick Rubrick before Absolution Exception HEre shall the sick Person make a special Confession c. after which Confession the Priest shall absolve him after this sort Our Lord Jesus Christ c. and by his Authority committed to me I absolve thee FOrasmuch as the Conditions of sick Persons be very various and different the Minister may not only in the Exhortation but in the Prayer also be directed to apply himself to the particular Condition of the Person as he shall find most suitable to the present occasion with due regard had both to his Spiritual Condition and Bodily Weakness and that the Absolution may only be recommended to the Minister to be used or omitted as he shall see occasion That the Form of Absolution be Declarative and Conditional as I pronounce the◠absolved instead of I absolve thee if thou doest truly repent and believe Of the Communion of the Sick Rubrick  BUt if the sick Person be not able to come to Church yet is desirous to receive the Communion in his House then he must give knowledge over-night or else early in the Morning to the Curate and having a convenient place in the sick Man's House he shall there administer the Holy Communion COnsider that many sick persons either by their ignorance or vicious Life without any evident manifestation of Repentance or by the Nature of the Disease disturbing their Intellectuals be unfit for receiving the Sacrament It is proposed that the Minister be not enjoyned to administer the Sacrament to every sick Person that shall desire it but only as he shall judge expedient Of the Order for the Burial of the Dead WE desire it may be expressed in a Rubrick that the Prayers and Exhortations here used are not for the benefit of the Dead but only for the Instruction and Comfort of the Living First Rubrick  The Priest meeting the Corps at the Church-Stile shall say or else the Priest and Clerk shall sing c. We desire that Ministers may be left to use their Discretion in these Circumstances and to perform the whole Service in the Church if they think fit for the preventing of these Inconveniences which many times both Ministers and People are exposed unto by standing in the open Air. The second Rubrick  When they come to the Grave the Priest shall say c.  Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the Soul of our dear Brother here departed We therefore commit his Body to the Ground in sure and certain hope of Resurrection to Eternal Life These words cannot in Truth be said of Persons living and dying in open and notorious sins The first Prayer  We give thee hearty thanks for that it hath pleased thee to deliver this our Brother out of the miseries of this sinful world c. These words may harden the wicked and are inconsistent with the largest rational Charity That we with this our Brother and all other departed in the true Faith of thy Holy Name may have our perfect Confirmation and Bliss  The last Prayer These words cannot be used with respect to those Persons who have not by their actual Repentance given any ground for the hope of their Blessed Estate That when we depart this Life we may rest in him as our hope is this our Brother doth  Of the Thanksgiving of Women after Child-birth commonly called Churching of Women THe Woman shall come unto the Church and there shall kneel down in some convenient place nigh unto the place where the Table stands and the Priest standing by her shall say c. In regard that the Womens kneeling near the Table is in many Churches inconvenient we desire that these words may be left out and that the Minister may perform that service either in the Desk or Pulpit Rubrick Exception Then the Priest shall say this Psalm 121. This Psalm seems not to be so pertinent as some other viz. as Psalm 113. and Psal. 128. O Lord save this Woman thy Servant It may fall out that a woman may come to give thanks for a Child born in Adultery or Fornication and therefore we desire that something may be required of her by way of Profession of her Humiliation as well as of her Thanksgiving Ans. Which putteth her trust in thee  Last Rubrick  The Woman that comes to give Thanks must offer the accustomed Offerings This may seem too like a Jewish Purification rather than a Christian Thanksgiving The same Rubrick  And if there be a Communion it is convenient that she receive the Holy Communion We desire this may be interpreted of the duly qualified for a scandalous Sinner may come to make this Thanksgiving Thus have we in all humble pursuance of his Majesty's most gracious Endeavours for the publick weal of this Church drawn up our Thoughts and Desires in this weighty Affair which we humbly offer to his Majesty's Commissioners for their serious and grave Consideration wherein we have not the least thought of depraving or reproaching the Book of Common Prayer but a sincere desire to contribute our Endeavours towards the Healing the Distempers and as soon as may be reconciling the Minds of Brethren And inasmuch as his Majesty hath in his gracious Declaration and Commission mentioned new Forms to be made and suted to the several Parts of Worship We have made a considerable progress therein and shall by God's assistance offer them to the Reverend Commissioners with all convenient speed And if the Lord shall graciously please to give a Blessing to these our Endeavours we doubt not but the Peace of the Church will be thereby setled the Hearts of Ministers and People comforted and composed and the great Mercy of Unity and Stability to the immortal Honour of our most dear Soveraign bestowed
for my fear that he symbolized with the Papists was abated now I perceived that he knew not what they held And Dr. Gunning answered against him and said that the Papists do so use the Word I went on and told him That I also granted that a Man for a certainspace might he without any Act of Sin end as I was proceeding here Bishop Morley interrupted me according to his manner with vehemency crying out what can any Man be for any time without Sin And he founded out his Aggravations of this Doctrine and then cryed to Dr. Bates what say you Dr. Bates is this your Opinion Saith Dr. Bates I believe that we are all Sinners but I pray my Lord give him leave to speak I began to go on to the rest of my Sentence where I lest to shew the Sense and Truth of my Words and the Bishop whether in Passion or Design I know not interrupted me again and mouthed out the odiousness of my Doctrine again and again I attempted to speak and still he interrupted me in the same manner Upon that I sat down and told him that this was neither agreeable to our Commission nor the common Laws of Disputation nor the Civil Usage of Men in common Converse and that if he prohibited me to speak I desired him to do it plainly and I would â—â—sist and not by that way of interruption He told me I had speaking enough if that were good for I spake more than any one in the Company And thus he kept me so long from uttering the rest of my Sentence that I sat down and gave over and told him I took it for his Prohibition At last I let him talk and spake to those nearer me which would hear me and told them that this was it that I was going to say That I granted Bishop Lany that it was possible to be free from acting Sin for a certain time that so he might have no matter of Objection against me and that the Instances of my Concession were these 1. In the time of absolute Infancy 2. In the time of total Fatuity or Madness as natural Ideots that never had the use of Reason 3. In the time of a Lethargy Carus or Apoplexy or Epilepsie 4. In the time of lawful sleep when a Man doth not so much as dream amiss And whether any other Instances might be given I determined not But as I talked thus Bishop Morley went on talking louder than I and would neither hear me nor willingly have had me to have been heard Behind me at the lower end of the Table stood Dr. Crowther and he would consute me and I defended Dr. Lany in that Ieroboam made Israel to Sin What gather you thence quoth I that they had no Sin but that or never sumed before He answered yes and with a little Nonsence would defend it that Israel sinned not till then When I had proved the contrary to him in the general Acceptation of the Word Sin I told him that if he took the Word Figuratively the Genus for a Species I granted him that they sinned not that Species of Sin which Ieroboam taught them which is in the Text emphatically called Sin If he meant that they sinned no Sin of Idolatry or no National Sin till then It was not true and if it were it was nothing to our Question which was about Sin in the General or indefinitely He told me they Sinned no National Sin till then I asked him whether the Idolatry the Unbelief the Murmuring c. by which all the Nation save Caleb and Ioshua fell in the Wilderness and the Idolatry for which in the time of the Judges the Nation was conquered and captivated were none of them National Sins I give the Reader the Instance if this Odious kind of Talk to shew him what kind of Men we talkt with and what a kind of Task we had § 196. And a little further touch of it I shall give you When I beg'd their Compassion on the Souls of their Brethren and that they would not unnecessarily cast so many out of the Ministry and their Communion Bishop Cosins told me that we threatned them with Numbers and for his part he thought the King should do well to make us name them all A charitable and wise Motion To name all the Thousands of England that dissented from them and that had sworn the Covenant and whom they would after Persecute § 197. When I read in the Preface to our Exceptions against the Liturgy That after twenty years Calamity they would not yield to that which several Bishops voluntarily offered twenty Years before meaning the Corrections of the Liturgy offered by Archbishop Usher Archbishop Williams Bishop Morton Dr. Prideaux and many others Bishop Cosins answered me That we threatned them with a new War and it was time for the King to look to us I had no shelter from the Fury of the Bishop but to name Dr. Hammond and tell him that I remembred Dr. Hammond insisted on the same Argument that twenty Years Calamity should have taught Men more Charity and brought them to repentance and Brotherly Love and that it is an Aggravation of their Sin to be unmerciful after so long and heavy Warnings from God's Hand He told me if that were our meaning it was all well And these were the most logical Discourses of that Bishop § 198. Among all the Bishops there was none who had so promising a Face as Dr. Sterne the Bishop of Carlisle He look'd so honestly and gravely and soberly that I scarce thought such a Face could have deceived me and when I was intreating them not to cast out so many of their Brethren through the Nation as scrupeled a Ceremony which they confess'd indifferent he turn'd to the rest of the Reverend Bishops and noted me for saying in the Nation He will not say in the Kingdom saith he lest he own a King This was all that ever I heard that worthy Prelate say But with grief I told him that half the Charity which became so grave a Bishop might have sufficed to have helpt him to a better Exposition of the Word Nation from the Mouths of such who have to lately taken the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy and sworn Fidelity to the King as his Chaplains and had such Testimonies from him as we have had and that our case was sad if we could plead by the King's Commission for Accommodation upon no no better Terms than to be noted as Traytors every time we used such a Word as the Nation which all monarchical Writers use § 199. Bishop Morley earnestly pleaded my own Book with me my fifth Disput. as he had done before the King And I still told him I went not from any thing in it He vehemently aggravated the mischiefs of Conceived Prayer in the Church and when I told him that all the Action of Men would be imperfect while Men were imperfect and that the other side also had its
however I disallowed it Thus have I found the old saying true That Reconcilers use to be hated on both side and to put their hand in the Clift which closeth upon them and finished them § 269. The next time I went to the Lord Chancellour about the New-England Corporation after the Bishop of Worcester's Anger and Invective Book he entertained me with his usual Condescension and Courtesie but with some chiding Language that I would meddle with Dr. Morley to provoke him which when I had briefly spoke to he followed on his Reprehension thus Was it a handsome thing of Mr. Baxter to speak so to so mild a Man as Dr. Earles Clerk of the King's Closet as when he offered you a Tippet when you preached before the King to turn away in scorn and say I le none of your Toyes Would not a fairer Answer have been better I replyed to him That I still perceived more and more the truth of what I told the Bishops what Consequents would follow the Continuance of unhealed Factions and what usage we must expect however we lived and how little Innocency would do to our vindication I told him that I never spake any such word as he mentioned nor ever had such a thought in my heart nor no more scrupled to wear a Tippet than to sit on a Cushion But I thanked his Lordship that by the benefit of his free Reprehension I came to understand how much I had been wronged by this Report to his Majesty above a year before I heard of it and might never have heard of it but by him and told him that it was just thus in other Matters And I truly told him that I was unfeignedly thankful to his Lordship that would reprove me for that to my face which others only whispered behind my back where I had opportunity to defend my self § 270. Hereupon I wrote this following Letter to Dr. Earles a mild and quiet Man who was since Bishop of Worcester and afterwards Bishop of Salisbury Reverend Sir BY the great Favour of my Lord Chancellour's Reprehension I came to understand how long a time I have suffered in my Reputation with my Superiours by your misunderstanding me and misinforming others as if when I was to preach before the King I had scornfully refused the Tippet as a Toy when as the Searcher and Iudge of Hearts doth know that I had no such thought or word I was so ignorant in those matters as to think that a Tippet had been the proper Insign of a Dr. of Divinity and I verily thought that you offered it me as such And I had so much pride as to be somewhat ashamed when you offered it that I must tell you my want of such Degrees and therefore gave you no Answer to your first offer but to your second was forced to say It belongeth not to me Sir And I said not to you any more nor had any other thought in my heart than with some shame to tell you that I had no Degrees imagining I should have offended others and made my self the laughter or scorn of many if I should have used that which did not belong to me For I must profess that I no more scruple to wear a Tippet than a Gown or any comely Garment Sir Though thus be one of the smallest of all the Mistakes which of late have turned to my wrong and I must confess that my ignorance gave you the occasion and I am far from imputing it to any ill will in you having frequently heard that in Charity and gentleness and peaceableness of Mind you are very eminent yet because I must not contemn my Estimation with my Superiours I humbly crave that favour and justice of you which I am confident you will readily grant me as to acquaint those with the truth of this business whom upon mistake you have misinformed whereby in relieving the Innocency of your Brother you will do a work of Charity and Iustice and therefore not displeasing unto God and will much oblige SIR Your humble Servant Richard Baxter June 20. 1662. I have the more need of your Iustice in this Case because my distance denieth me access to those that have received these misreports and because any publick Vindication of my self whatever is said of me is taken as an unsufferable Crime and therefore I am utterly uncapable of vindicating my Innocency or remedying their Mistastes To the Reverend and much Honoured Dr. Earles Dean of Westminster c. These To this the Dr. returned this Civil peaceable Answer Hampton-Court Iune 23. SIR I Received your Letter which I would have answered sooner if the Messenger that brought it had returned I must confess I was a little surprized with the beginning of it as I was with your Name but when I read further I ceased to be so Sir I should be heartily sorry and ashamed to be guilty of any thing like Malignity or Uncharitableness especially to one of your Condition with whom though I concur not perhaps in point of Iudgment in some particulars yet I cannot but esteem for your personal worth and abilities And indeed your Expressions in your Letter are so civil and ingenuous that I am obliged thereby the more to give you all the satisfaction I can As I remember then when you came to me to the Closet and I told you I would furnish you with a Tippet you answered me something to that purpose as you write but whether the same Numerical words or but once I cannot positively say from my own Memory and therefore I believe yours Only this I am sure of that I said to you at my second speaking That some others of your Perswasion had not scrupled at it which might suppose if you had not affirmed the contrary that you had made me a former refusal Of which giving me then no other reason than that it belonged not to you I concluded you were more scrupulous than others were and perhaps the manner of your refusing it as it appeared to me might make me think you were not very well pleased with the motion And this it is likely I might say either to my Lord Chancellour or others though seriously I do not remember that I spake to my Lord Chancellour at all concerning it But Sir since you give me now that modest reason for it which by the way is no just reason in it self for a Tippet may be worn without a Degree though a Hood cannot and it is no shame at all to want these Formalities for him that wanteth not the Substance but Sir I say since you give that reason for your refusal I believe you and shall correct that Mistake in my self and endeavour to rectifie it in others if any upon this occasion have misunderstood you In the mean time I shall desire your charitable Opinion of my self which I shall be willing to deserve upon any Opportunity that is offered me to do you Service being SIR Your very humble
In the best sence which hath Evidence of Truth Charity requireth us to take all the words of others But the question is first Which is the true sence and not which is the best And if it can be proved that another is either certainly or probably the true meaning of any words we must not feign a better sence because it is better In the Case in hand the Law-makers have plainly declared their own sence by their Speeches and Votes and deliberate plain Expressions and by another Act for Corporations If I might take all Oaths and Statutes in the best sence which possibly those words may be used to express than I could take almost any Oath in the World and disobey any Law in the World under pretence of obeying it and tell any Lie under the pretence of telling Truth and Jesuitical Equivocation would be but the common Duty of the Charitable But Charity is not blind nor will it prove a fit Cover for a Lie He that knoweth the Parliament and is but willing to know their sence may know the mistakes of this pretended Charity And especially Laws and Oaths are to be taken in the sence which is plainest in the words § 391. Besides all that is already said I shall end this Subject with this question on the Non-subscribers part Whether an Oath doth not bind Men in the sence of the Takers though they be bound to take it in the sence of the Imposers if they know it As if I had been commanded to swear Allegiance to the King and he that commandeth it should mean Cromwell or some Usurper and I thought he had meant my rightful King Am I not bound hereby to the King indeed And if so Query further Whether any Man so well know the sence of every Man and Woman in England Scotland and Ireland as to be able to say that it was so bad that they are not obliged to it And in what Age it was that all Ministers were forbidden to Preach the Gospel of Christ till they knew the Hearts of all the People in three Kingdoms so far as to justifie them before God from the Obligations of such Vows and Oaths § 392. And though I heartily wish that the Prelates would have been intreated to have chosen another course of proceeding with their Brethren and not have tempted any to Repinings or Complaints for endeavouring which I lost their love yet I would admonish all my Brethren to take heed of aggravating this Difference so far as to bring the present Ministry into Contempt and hinder the Efficacy of their Labours I did my best to have prevailed beforehand that we might not have had any occasion of Divisions but if we must needs be divided that it might have been upon some lower Points than the Obligation of Oaths and Vows It had been better for the Prelates that the Non-subscribers had seemed to be scrupulous Persons that refused only some tolerable Ceremonies than that the fear of so great a Crime as justifying three Kingdoms from the Bond of an Oath and the guilt of Perjury should be the occasion of their Ejection and the Matter of this Publick Controversie But seeing this could not by us be prevented let us not be so partial as to wrong the Church by making them odious to justifie our selves It was sad when the Names of Formalists and Puritans and afterwards of Malignants and Rebels and Cavaliers and Roundheads distinguished the divided Parties But it is now grown worse when they are called PER-fidious jured secutors and PURITANS For the most odious Names do most potently tend to the extinguishing of Charity and the increase of the Difference between them § 393. III. The next Controversie is Political That it is not lawful on any pretence whatsoever to take up Arms against the King or as is after said against any Commissionated by him In this the Lawyers are divided yea and Parliament themselves one Parliament saying one thing and another another thing And the poor ejected Ministers of England are commonly so little studied in the Law that in these Controversies they must say as they are bidden or say nothing And they think it hard that when Lawyers and Parliaments cannot agree every poor ignorant Preacher must be forced to decide the Controversie and say and subscribe which of them is in the right upon pain of being cast out of their Office and silenced which they think as hard as if they were required to decide a Controversie between Navigators or Pope Zachary and Boniface's Case about the Antipodes or else be silenced We are ready to Subscribe That King Charles the Second is our lawful King and that we owe him Obedience in all his lawful Commands and that we are bound to defend his Person Dignity Authority and Honour with our Lives and Estates against all his Enemies and that neither Parliaments nor any other at home or abroad have any power to judge or hurt his Person or depose him or diminish any of his Power and that it is not lawful on any pretence whatsoever to conspire against him or â—stir up the People to Sedition or to take up Arms against either his Authority or his Person or against any lawfully Commissioned by him or any at all Commissioned by him except he himself by a contrary Commission or by his Law do enable us or not forbid us or when the Law of Nature doth oblige us In all these Cases we are ready to Subscribe And one would think this much might procure our Peace But that which is scrupled by the Non-subscribers is as followeth The words on any pretence whatsoever studiously put into a Form of Declaration by a Parliament are so universal as to allow no Latitudinarian Evasions or Limitations or Exceptions by any Man that is sincere and plain-hearted and doth not Equivocate with God and his Governours Now 1. Though the King's Authority or Person may not be resisted by Arms they are not certain that his Will may not in any Case be resisted 2. Though none Authorized that is Legally Commissioned by him may be resisted yet they are not certain that all that are Commissioned by him are Authorized or Legally Commissioned 3. Either this Declaration requireth us to suppose that the King never will Commission any illegally or else that though he do yet such may on no pretence whatsoever be resisted by Arms. If the former be the sence then either it is because no King will do it or only because no King of England will do it The former all Historians Politicians Lawyers and Divines are against And the latter hath no Evidence of Certainty to us But yet if that had been the sence we should have consented that on supposition the King commission Men legally they are not to be resisted But this no Man will say is to be supposed as an Event certainly and universally future But if the worst that is possible might be supposed possible then in these several Cases
Prelatical Dignity is not some way retrenched and whether they bear still that irreconcileable hatred against good and godly Presbyterians that they may not be suffered to exercise their Charge and Duty Or if they are wholly deprived of the power and authority to serve their Parishes as to our great Scandal we are informed I had many things more to write to you but dare not trouble you most worthy Sir any further fearing to keep you from your weighty Business Only I crave very humbly your Answer and as much Information of the true present Estate as opportunity will give you leave Whether we have so much cause to fear the Introduction of Popery in England as some by the News amongst us are wholly perswaded In the mean while we will continue to pray the Lord our God and most merciful Father with all our Hearts and Souls to preserve your Person for the General Good and Edification of his whole Catholick Church that your great Light may shine more and more and so I remain Reverend and most worthy Sir Your humble and most Affectionate Servant Iohn Sollicâ—ffer unworthy Servant of Christ. Saingall in Helvetia Reformatâ 16 April 1663. The vigilant Eye of Malice that some had upon me made me understand that though no Law of the Land is against Literate Persons Correspondencies beyond Seas nor have any Divines been hindered from it yet it was like to have proved my ruine if I had but been known to answer one of these Letters though the Matter had been never so much beyond Exceptions So that I neither answered this nor any other save only by word of mouth to the Messenger and that but in small part for much of this in the latter part was Matter not to be touched Our Silencing and Ejection he would quickly know by other means and how much the Judgments of the English Bishops did differ from theirs about the Labours and Persons of such as we § 443. About this time I thought meet to debate the Case with some Learned and Moderate Ejected Ministers of London about Communicating sometimes in the Parish Churches in the Sacraments For they that came to Common Prayer and Sermon came not yet to Sacraments They desired me to bring in my Judgment and Reasons in writing which being debated they were all of my mind in the main That it is lawful and a duty where greater Accidents preponderate not But they all concurred unanimously in this That if we did Communicate at all in the Parish Churches the Sufferings of the Independents and those Presbyterians that could not Communicate there would certainly be very much increased which now were somewhat moderated by concurrence with them I thought the Case very hard on both sides That we that were so much censured by them for going somewhat further than they must yet omit that which else must be our Duty meerly to abate their Sufferings that censure us But I resolved with them to forbear a while rather than any Christian should suffer by occasion of an action of mine seeing God will have Mercy and not Sacrifice and no Duty is a Duty at all times § 444. In Iuly 1665. the Lord Ashley sent a Letter to Sir Iohn Trevor That a worthy Friend of his in whose Case the King did greatly concern himself had all his Fortunes cast upon my Resolution of the enclosed Case which was Whether a Protestant Lady of strict Education might marry a Papist in hope of his Conversion he promising not to disturb her in her Religion It came at Six a Clock Afternoon and knowing it was a Case that must be cautelously resolved at the Court I took time till the next Morning that I might give my Answer in Writing The next day the Lord Ashley wrote again with many words to incline me to the Affirmative for the Lady told them she would not consent unless I satisfied her that it was lawful Who the Lord and Lady were I know not at all but have an uncertain Conjecture So I sent the following Resolution The Case was thus expressed Whether one that was bred a strict Protestant and in the most severe ways of that Profession lived many years without giving offence to any well known in her own Country to be such may without offence to God or Man marry a profest Roman Catholick in hopes of taking him off the Errour of his ways he engaging never to disturb her My Lord's Letter was as follows SIR THere is a very good Friend of mine and one his Majesty is very much concerned for that this enclosed Case has the power of his Fortunes None but that worthy Divine Mr. Baxter can satisfie the Lady this has been the way by which the Romanists have gained very much upon us they are more powerful in perswasion than our Sex besides the putting this Case shews some inclination to the Person though not to the Religion Sir If Mr. Baxter be with you pray let me have his Opinion to this Case in writing under it Wherein you may oblige more than you think for Your very affectionate Friend to serve you ASHLEY For his much honoured Friend Sir Iohn Trevor at Acton To this Case I drew up the following Answer and sent it to Sir John Trevor to be by him conveyed to my Lord Ashley SIR THough I cannot be insensible how inconvenient to my self the Answer of this Case may possibly prove by displeasing those who are concerned in it and medling about a Case of Persons utterly unknown to me yet because I take it to be a thing which Fidelity to the Truth and Charity to a Christian Soul requireth I shall speak my Judgment whatever be the Consequents But I must crave the pardon of that Noble Lord who desired my Answer might be Subscribed to the Case because Necessity requireth more words than that Paper will well contain The Question about the Marriage is not An factum valeat but An fieri debeat There is no affirming or denying without these necessary Distinctions 1. Between a Case of Necessity and of no Necessity 2. Between a Case where the Motives are from the Publick Commodity of Church or State and where they are only Personal or Private 3. Between one who is otherwise sober ingenuous and pious and a faithful Lover of the Lady and one that either besides his Opinion is of an ungodly Life or seeketh her only to serve himself upon her Estate 4. Between a Lady well grounded and fixed in Truth and Godliness and one that is weak and but of ordinary setledness Hereupon I answer Prop. 1. In general It cannot be said to be simply and in all Cases unlawful to marry an Infidel or Heathen much less a Papist 2. In particular It is lawful in these following Cases 1. In Case of true Necessity when all just means have been used and yet the Party hath a necessity of Marriage and can have no better If you ask Who is better I answer A suitableness
as that the Bishop of the lowest degree instead of ruling one Church with the Presbyters ruleth many hundred Churches by Lay-Chancellors who use the Keys of Excommunication and Absolution c. And they take it for an Act of Rebellion against God if they should Swear never to do the Duty which he commandeth and so great a Duty as Church-Reformation in so great a Matter If it were but never to pray or never to amend a fault in themselves they durst not Swear it 12. This Oath seemeth to be the same in Sence with the Et caetora Oath in the Canons of 1640. That we will never consent to an alteration of the Government by Arch-Bishops Bishops Deans c. And one Parliament voted down that and laid a heavy charge upon it which no Parliament since hath taken off 13. As the National Vow and Covenant seemeth a great Snare to hinder the Union of the Church among us in that it layeth our Union on an exclusion of Prelacy and so excludeth all those learned worthy Men from our Union who cannot consent to that Exclusion so the laying of the Kingdoms and Churches Union upon the English Prelacy and Church-Government so as to exclude all that cannot consent to it doth seem as sure an Engine of Division We think that if our Union be centered but in Christ the King of all and in the King as his Officer and our Soveraign under him it may be easie and sure But if we must all unite in the English Frame of Prelacy we must never Unite § 15. Those that take the Oath do as those that Subscribe resolve that they will understand it in a lawful Sense be it true or false and so to take it in that Sense To which end they say that nullum iniquum est in Lege praesumendum and that all publick Impositions must be taken in the best Sense that the Words will bear And by force and stretching what words may not be well interpreted But the Nonconformists go on other grounds and think that about Oaths Men must deal plainly and sincerely and neither stretch their Consciences nor the Words nor interpret universal Terms particularly but according to the true meaning of the Law-givers as far as they can understand it and where they cannot according to the proper and usual signification of the Words And the Parliament themselves tell us That this is the true Rule of interpreting their Words Beyond which therefore we dare not stretch them § 16. And therefore 14. They dare not take the Oath because if it be not to be taken in the proper or ordinary Sense of the Words then they are sure that they cannot understand it for it doth not please the Parliament to expound it And Oaths must be taken in Truth Judgment and Righteousness and not ignoranatly when we know that we understand them not § 17. The Lawyers even the honestest are commonly for a more stretching Exposition And those that speak out say That an illegal Commission is none at all But we our selves go further than this would leads us for we judge That even an illegally commissioned Person is not to be resisted by Arms except in such Cases as the Law of Nature or the King himself by his Laws or by a contrary Commission alloweth us to resist him But if Commissions should be contradictory to each other or to the Law we know not what to Swear in such a case § 18. But because much of the Case may be seen in these following Questions which upon the coming out of that Act I put to an able worthy and sincere Friend with his Answers to them I will here Insert them viz. Serjeant Fountain Queries upon the Oxford Oath We presuppose it commonly resolved by Casuists in Theology from the Law of Nature and Scripture 1. That Perjury is a Sin and so great a Sin as tendeth to the ruin of the Peace of Kingdoms the Life of Kings and the Safety of Mens Souls and to make Men unfit for Humane Society Trust or Converse till it be repented of 2. That he that Sweareth contrary to his Iudgment is Perjured though the thing prove true 3. That we must take an Oath in the Imposer's Sense as near as we can know it if he be our Lawful Governour 4. That an Oath is to be taken sensu strictiore and in the Sense of the Rulers Imposing it if that be known if not by the Words interpreted according to the common use of Men of that Profession about that subject And Vniversals are not to be interpreted as Particulars nor must we limit them and distinguish without very good proof 5. That where the Sense is doubtful we are first to ask which is the probable Sense before we ask which is is the best and charitablest Sense and must not take them in the best Sense when another is more probable to be the true Sense Because it is the Truth and not the Goodness which the Vnderstanding first considereth Otherwise any Oath almost imaginable might be taken there being few Words so bad which are not so ambiguous as to bear a good Sense by a forced Interpretation And Subjects must not cheat their Rulers by seeming to do what they do not 6. But when both Senses are equally doubtful we ought in Charity to take the best 7. If after all Means faithfully used to know our Rulers Sense our own Vnderstandings much more incline to think one to be their meaning than the other we must not go against our Vnderstandings 8. That we are to suppose our Rulers fallible and that it 's possible their decrees may be contrary to the Law of God but not to suspect them without plain cause These things supposed we humbly crave the Resolution of these Questions about the present Oath and the Law Qu. 1. Whether upon any pretence whatsoever refer not to any Commissionated by him as well as to the King himself 2. Whether not lawful extendeth only to the Law of the Land or also to the Law of God in Nature 3. Whether I Swear that it is not lawful do not express my peremptory certain Determination and be not more than I Swear that in my Opinion it is not lawful 4. What is the Traytorous Position here meant for here is only a Subject without a Praedicate which is no Position at all and is capable of various Praedicates 5. If the King by Act of Parliament commit the Trust of his Navy Garrison or Militia to one durante vita and should Commissionate another by force to eject him whether both have not the King's Authority or which 6. If the Sheriff raise the Posse Commitatus to suppress a Riot or to execute the Decrees of the Courts of Justice and fight with any Commissioned to resist him and shall keep up that Power while the Commissioned Persons keep up theirs which of them is to be judged by the Subjects to have the King's Authority 7. If a Parliament or a
the Governours for the greatest part 2. And as a Congregational Church doth specifically differ from a Diocess of 1000 or 600 Churches the former de fine being for Personal Communion in God's Worship and not the latter so therefore the Bishop of a Congregation must needs differ specifically from the Bishop of such a Diocess Therefore so to change were to change the Species of the Government as I am confident the Bishops themselves would say if the Question were put to them 16. By Endeavouring here he understandeth only unlawful endeavouring and not Petitioning or other lawful means whereas the Word in the Oath is absolute and unlimited And I cannot be so bold as to Swear not to endeavour and secretly mean except it be by petitioning or other lawful means for no sober Man will think that we may do it by unlawful means if he know them to be so And the old Et caetera Oath in 1640. the Antecessor of this had not consenting which could not be so limited And further it seems plain that this cannot be their Sense because it is equally applyed to both Governments in the Oath save that the Church-Government is put first And who dare say that this is the meaning as to the Government of the State I will not endeavour the deposing of the King or the change of Monarchy unless it be by lawful means Whereas the Oath seemeth to me that it is never to be done at all and no means is lawful for such an Aid And therefore we must so understand it as to the Diocesanes too if we will not Swear absolutely or universally and mean limitedly and particularly yea and limit and not limit the same Word as respecting the several Governments without any colour from the Terms 17. Lastly When the Oath Sweareth us not at any time to endeavour which is as plainly an Exclusive of Exceptions as to Time as can briefly be uttered he thinketh that by any time is meant any time except when the King shall command me the contrary or the Law shall change c. Now when so much violence must be used with the Words of such an Oath and when the Imposers will not after many Years knowledge of our Doubts and Difficulties make them any plainer and so when they are at the best to us so unintelligible and no Lawyer nor Parliament that we can speak with can resolve us but all the Answer we can get from the Parliament Men is You must understand it in the proper usual Sense of the Words And from the Lawyers An unlawful Commission is none and lawful Endeavours are not forbidden who can take such an Oath in Judgment and Uprightness of Heart that is satisfied in the Points forementioned § 20. The Act which Imposeth this Oath openly accuseth the Nonconformable Ministers or some of them of Seditious Doctrine and such hainous Crimes wherefore when it first came out I thought that at such an Accusation no Innocent Persons should be silentâ— especially when Papists Strangers and Posterity may think That a Recorded Statute is a sufficient History to prove us guilty and the Concernments of the Gospel and our Callings and Men's Souls are herein touched Therefore I drew up a Profession of our Judgment about the Case of Loyalty and Obedience to Kings and Governours and the Reasons why we refused the Oath But reading it to Dr. Seamaâ— and some others wiser than my self they advised me to cast it by and to hear all in silent Patience because it was not possible to do it so fully and sincerely but that the malice of our Adversaries would make an ill use of it and turn it all against our selves And the wise Statesmen laughed at me for thinking that Reason would be regarded by such Men as we had to do with and would not exasperate them the more § 21. After this the Ministers finding the pressure of this Act so great and the loss like to be so great to Cities and Corporations some of them studied how to take the Oath lawfully And Dr. Will Bites being much in seeming Favour with the Lord-Keeper Bridgeman consulted with him who promised to be at the next Session and there on the Bench to declare openly That by Endeavour to change the Church-Government was meant only lawful Endeavour which satisfying him he thereby satisfied others who to avoid the Imputation of Seditious Doctrine were willing to go as far as they durst And so Twenty Ministers came in at the Sessions and took the Oath viz. Dr. Fates Mr. Sam. Clarke Mr. Sheffield Mr. Hall or Mr. Church Mr. Matth. Pool Mr. Lood Mr. Stancliffe Mr. Roles Mr. Lewis Mr. Smith Mr. Arthur Mr. Bastwick Mr. Brooks Mr. Overton Mr. Batcheler Mr. Cary Mr. Butler Mr. Wildâ—ore Mr. Hooker And not long after Dr. Iacomb took it and Mr. Maâ—â— and Mr. Newton of Taunton in Somersetshire being then in London Mr. Iohn Howe in Devonshire and in Somersetshire Mr. William Thomas Mr. Cooper of Southwark then there And in Northamptonshire Dr. Conant late Regius Professor of Divinity and Vice-Chancellor in Oxford and about Twelve more with him I heard of no more Nonconformists that took it § 22. Dr. Bates wrote me presently the following Letter which because it sheweth the Truth of their Case and Inducements I think meet here to add the rather because when they took the Oath the Lord-Keeper left out the Word only And Judge Keeling openly told them That he was glad that so many of them renounced the Covenant with more such like which made Mr. Clarke openly tell him That they took this Oath only in such a Sense as they conceived to be not inconsistent with the Covenant And because the People in London reviled the Ministers as Turn-Coats when they had done which Insultings and Revilings much grieved some of them Dr. Bates's Letter of their Case about the Oath Dear Sir I Iudge it due to our Friendship and necessary for my Fame to give you an account of what past amongst us in Reference to the Oath In several Meetings of the Ministers the special Enquiry was about the meaning of the Word Endeavour Whether to be understood in the universal Extent so as to exclude all Regular or only tumultuous and seditious Actings The Reasons which persuaded us to understand it in a qualified Sense were 1. The Preface to the Act which declares the occasion and the end of the Oath was to prevent the distilling the Poison of Schism and Rebellion now it is a known Rule ratio juris est jus from whence it appears That only Schismatical and Rebellious Endeavours are excluded to avoid which there was an antecedent Obligation 2. It is necessary to interpret this Oath in congruity with former Laws in particular with that which concerns tumultuous Petitions wherein this Parliament declares it to be the priviledge of the Subject to complain remonstrate Petition to King or Parliament or to advise with any Member of Parliament for the altering of
which still more destroy it as any thing of long time hath been published It is true that in many things they were real weaknesses which he detected and that he knew more himself than most of those whom he exposed to scorn And it is true that many of them by their censoriousness of the Conformists did too much instigate such Men But it is as true that while Christ's Flock consisteth of weak ones in their Earthly State of Imperfection and while his Church is an Hospital and he the Physician of Souls it ill becometh a Preacher of the Gospel to teach the Enemies of Christ and Holiness to cast all the reproach of the Diseases upon the nature of Health or on the Physician or to expose Christ's Family to scorn for that weakness which he pittieth them for and is about to cure if he had first told us where we we might find a better sort of Men than these faulty Christians or could prove them better who meddle with God and Heaven and Holiness but formally and complimentally on the by he had done something And it is certain that nothing scarce hardened the faulty persons more in their Way and weaknesses than his way of reprehending them For my part I speak not out of partiality for he was pleased to single me out for his Commendations and to exempt me from the Accusations But it made my Heart to grieve to perceive how the Devil only was the gainer whilst Truth and Godliness was not only pretended by both parties but really intended § 89. Yea it would have grieved the heart of any sober Christian to observe how dangerously each party of the Extremes did tempt the other to impenitenitency and further Sin Even when the Land was all on a Flame and we were all in apparent danger of our ruin by our Sins and Enmities the unhappy prelates began the Game and cruelly cast out 1800 Ministers and the people thâ—â—eupon esteeming them Wolves and malignant prosecutors fled from them â—s the Sheep will do from Wolves not considering that notwithstanding their Personal Sin they still outwardly professed the same Protestant Religion and when any Prelatist told the Sectaries of their former Sin Rebellions or Divisions they heard it as the words of an Enemy and were more hardened in it against Repentance than before yea were ready to take that for a Vertue which such Men reproached them for when as before they had begun from Experience to repent And on the other side when the Prelatists saw what Crimes the Army-party of the Sectaries had before committed which they aggravated from their own Interest they noted also all the weaknesses of Judgment and Expression in Prayer which they met with not only in the weaker sort of Ministers but of the very Women and unlearned People also and turned all this not only to the reproach of all the Sectaries but as their Passion Interest and Faction led them of all the Non-conformists also of whom the far greatest part were much more innocent than themselves § 90. And so subtil is Satan in using his Instruments that by their wicked folly crying out maliciously for repentance he hindered almost all open Confession and Profession of repentance on both â—ides For these self Exalters did make their own interest and Opinions to pass with them for the sure Expositor of the Law of God and Man And they that never truly understood the old Difference between the King and Parliament did state the Crime according to their own shallow passionate conceits and then in every book cryed out Repent Repent Repent of all your Rebellions from first to last you Presbyterians began the War and brought the King's head to the 〈…〉 cut it off And as they put in Lies among some truths so the people thought they put in their Duties among their sins when they called them to repent And if a man had professed repentance for the one without the other and had not mentioned all that they expected and made his Confessions according to their prescripts they would have cryed out Traytors Traytors and have pressed every word to be the Proclamation of another War So that all their calling for repentance was but an Ambuscade and Snare and most effectually prohibited all open repentance because it would have been Treason if it had not come up to their most unjust measures And all men thought silence safer with such men than Confession of fin And the sectaries were the more persuaded that their sin was no sin And this occasioned the greater obduration of their Enemies who cryed out None of them all repenteth and therefore they are ready to do the same again And so they justifyed themselves in all the Silencings Conâ—inings Imprisonments c. Which they inflicted on them and all the odious representations of them § 91. But that great Lie that the Presbyterians in the English Parliament began the War is such as doth as much tempt men that know it to question all the History that ever was written in the World as any thing that ever I heard spoken Reader I will tell it thee to thy admiration When the War was first raised there was but one Presbyterian known in all the Parliament There was not one Presbyterian known among all the Lord Lieutenants whom the Parliament Committed the Militia to There was not one Presbyterian known among all the General Officers of the Earl of Essex Army nor one among all the English Colonels Majors or Captains that ever I could hear of There were two or three swearing Scots of whom Vrrey turned to the King What their opinion was I know not nor is it considerable The truth is Presbytery was not then known in England except among a few studious Scholars nor well by them But it was the moderate Conformists and Episcopal Protestants who had been long in Parliaments crying out of Innovations Arminianism Popery but specially of Monopolies illegal taxes and the danger of Arbitrary Government who now raised the War against the rest whom they took to be guilty of all these things And a few Independents were among them but no considerable Number And yet these Conformists never cry out Repent ye Episcopal Conformists for it was you that began the War Much less Repent ye Arminian Grotian innoveling prelates who were reducing us so near Rome as Heylin in the Life of Laud describeth for it was you that kindled the Fire and that set your own party thus against you and made them wish for an Episcopacy doubly reformed 1 with better Bishops 2 with less secular power and smaller Diocesses § 92. Some moderate worthy men did excellently well answer this Book of Dr. Patrick's so as would have stated matters rightly but the danger of the Times made them suppress them and so they were never printed But Mr. Rowles late Minister at Thistleworth printed an Answer which sufficiently opened the faultiness of what he wrote against but wanting the Masculine strength and cautelousness
who will also sure enough exclude themselves and do from any such Agreement But have you done the same as to the Socinians who are numerous and ready to include themselves upon our Communion The Creed as expounded in the Four first Councils will do it 3. Whether some Expressions suited to prevent future Divisions and Separations after a Concord is obtained may not at present to avoid all exasperation be omitted as seeming reflective on former Actings when there was no such Agreement among us as is now aimed at 4. Whether insisting in particular on the power of the Magistrate especially as under civil Coercition and Punishment in cases of Error or Heresie be necessary in this first Attempt These Generals occurred to my Thoughts upon my first reading of your Proposals I will now read them again and set down as I pass on such apprehensions in particular as I have of the Severals of them To the first Answer under the first Question I assent so also to the first Proposal and the Explanation Likewise to the second and third I thought to have proceeded thus throughout but I fore-see my so doing would be tedious and useless I shall therefore mention only what at present may seem to require second Thoughts As 1. To Propos. 9. by those Instances what Words to use in Preaching in what Words to Pray in what decent Habit do you intend Homilies prescribed Forms of Prayer and Habits superadded to those of vulgar decent use Present Controversies will suggest an especial Sense under general Expressions 2. Vnder Pos. 13. Do you think a Man may not leave a Church and joyn himself to another unless it be for such a Cause or Reason as he supposeth sufficient to destroy the Being of the Church I meet with this now answered in your 18th Propos. and so shall forbear further particular Remarks and pass on In your Answer to the Second Qu. Your 10th Position hath in it some-what that will admit of further consideration as I think In your Answer to the 3d. Qu. have you sufficiently expressed the accountableness of Churches mutually in case of Offence from Male-Administration and Church Censures This also I now see in part answered Prop. 5th I shall forbear to add any thing as under your Answer to the last Question about the power of the Magistrate because I fear that in that matter of punishing I shall some-what dissent from you though as to meer Coercion I shall in some Cases agree Vpon the whole Matter I judge your Proposals worthy of great Consideration and the most probable medium for the attaining of the End aimed at that yet I have perused If God give not an Heart and Mind to desire Peace and Vnion every Expression will be disputed under pretence of Truth and Accuracy But if these things have a place in us answerable to that which they enjoy in the Gospel I see no reason why all the true Disciples of Christ might not upon these and the like Principles condescend in Love unto the Practical Concord and Agreement which not one of them dare deny to be their Duty to Aim at Sir I shall Pray that the Lord would guide and prosper you in all Studies and Endeavours for the Service of Christ in the World especially in this your Desire and Study for the Inâ—â—â—â—â—ing of the Peace and Love promised amongst them that Believe and do beg your Prayers Your truly affectionate Brother And unworthy Fellow-Servant Iohn Owen Ian. 25. 1668. § 143. For the Understanding of this you must know 1. That the way which we came to at last for the publication of the Terms if he and I had agreed secretly should be That as I had Printed such a thing called Vniversal Concord 1660. which was neglected so I would Print this as the Second Part of the Vniversal Concord that it might lye some time exposed to view in the Shops before we made any further use of it that so the State might not suspect us for our Union as if we intended them any ill by doing our Duty which course he approved 2. That I oft went to him and he had written this Letter ready to send me and so gave it me into my hand but we first debated many things in presence in all which there remained no apparent Disagreement at all so far as we went And in particular the great Point about separating in the Cases enumerated he objected no more but what I answered and he seemed to acquiesce 3. But I so much feared that it would come to nothing that I ventured to tell him what a difficulty I feared it would be to him to go openly and fully according to his own Judgment when the Reputation of former Actions and present Interest in many that would censure him if he went not after their narrowed Judgment did lye in his way and that I feared these Temptations more than his Ability and Judgment But he professed full Resolutions to follow the Business heartily and unbyassedly and that no Interest should move him And so I desired him to go over my Proposals again and fasten upon every Word that was either unsound or hurtful or unapt or unnecessary and every such Word should be altered which he undertook to do and so that was the way that we agreed on but when I came home I first returned him this following Answer to his Letter and Exceptions Feb. 16. 1668. SIR UPon the perusal of Yours when I came home I find your Exceptions to be mostly the same which you speak and therefore shall be the briefer in my Answer upon Supposition of what was said To your First Qu. I answer I am as much for Brevity as you can possibly wish so be it our Agreement be not thereby frustrated and made insufficient to its ends I would desire you to look over all the Particulars and name me not only every one that you think unsound but every one which you judge unprofitable or needless But if we leave out that which most or many will require and none have any thing against it will but stop our Work and make Men judge of it as you did of the want of a longer Profession than the Scriptures against Socinianism And it will contradict the Title The Iust Terms of Agreement For our Terms will be insufficient And as to your Words the first attempt my business is to discover the sufficient Terms at first that so it may facilitate Consent For if we purposely leave out any needful part as for a second attempt we bring contempt upon our first Essay and before the second third and perhaps twentieth Attempt have been used to bring us to Agreement by Alterations and cross Humours and Apprehensions things will go as they have done and all be pulled in pieces Therefore we must if possible find out the sufficient Terms before too many hands be ingaged in it Your own Exceptions here say That if too many Explications had not afterward occurred
account of Religion earnestly declaming against Popery and becoming the Head of the Party that were zealous for the Protestant Cause and awakened the Nation greatly by his Activity And being quickly put out of his place of Chancellourship he by his bold and skillful way of speaking so moved the House of Lords that they began to speak higher against the danger of Popery than the Commons and to pass several Votes accordingly And the Earl of Shaftsbury spake so plainly of the Duke of York as much offended and it was supposed would not long be born The Earl of Clare the Lord Hollis the Lord Hallifax and others also spake very freely And among the Bishops only that I heard of Sir Herbert Crofts who had sometimes been a Papist the Bishop of Hereford And now among Lords and Commons and Citizens and Clergy the talk went uncontrolled that the Duke of York was certainly a Papist and that the Army lately raised and encamped at Black-heath was designed to do their Work who at once would take down Parliaments and set up Popery And Sir Bucknall told them in the House of such Words that he had overheard of the late Lord Treasurer Clifford to the Lord Arundell as seemed to increase their Satisfaction of the Truth of all but common observation was the fullest satisfaction In a word the offence and boldness of both Houses grew so high as easily shewed men how the former War began aâ—d silenced many that said it was raised by Nonconformists and Presbyterians § 255. The third of February was a publick Fast against Popery the first as I remember that besides the Anniversary Fasts had ever been since this Parliament sate which hath now sate longer than that called the long Parliament did before the major part were cast out by Cromwell But the Preachers Dr. Cradock and Dr. Whitchcot medled but little with that Business and did not please them as Dr. Stillingfleet had done who greatly animated them and all the Nation against Popery by his open and diligent endeavours for the Protestant Cause § 256. During this Session the Earl of Orery desired me to draw him up in brief the Terms and Means which I thought would satisfie the Non-conformists so far as to unite us all against Popery professing that he met with many Great Men that were much for it and particulary the New Lord Treasurer Sir Thomas Osborn and Dr. Morley Bishop of Winchester who vehemently profess'd his desires of it And Dr. Fullwood and divers others had been with me to the like purpose testifying the said Bishop's resolution herein I wisht them all to tell him from me that he had done so much to the contrary and never any thing this way since his Professions of that sort that till his real Endeavours convinced Men it would not be believed that he was serious But when I had given the Earl of Orery my Papers he returned them me with Bishop Morley's Strictures or Animadversions as by his Words and the Hand I had reason to be confident by which he fully made me see that all his Professions for Abanement and Concord were deceitful Suares and that he intended no such thing at all And because I have inserted before so much of such transactions I will here annex my Proposals with his Strictures and my Reply To the Right Honourable the Earl of Orery My Lord I Have here drawn up those Terms on which I think Ministers may be restored to the Churches Service and much union and quietness be procured But I must tell you 1. That upon second Thoughts I forbore to distribute them as I intimated to you into several Ranks but only offer what may tend to a Concord of the most though not of every man 2. That I have done this only on the suppositions that we were fain to go upon in our Consultation with Dr. 〈◊〉 viz. That no change in the Frame of Church-Government will be consented to Otherwise I should have done as we did in 1660 offered you Arch-bishop Vsher's Reduction of the Government to the primitive state of Episcopacy and have only desired that the Lay-Chancellours have not the Power of the Keys and that if not in every Parish at least in every Rural Deanry or Market-Town with the adjacent Villages the Ministers might have the Pastoral power of the Keys so far as is necessary to guide their own Administrations and not one Bishop or Lay-Chancellour's Court to have more to do than Multitudes can well do and thereby cause almost all true Discipline to be omitted 3. I have forborn to enumerate the Particulars which we cannot subscribe or swear to or practise because they are many and I fear the naming of them will be displeasing to others as seeming to accuse them while we do but say what a Sin such Conformity would be in our selves But if it should be useful and desired I am ready to do it But I now only say that the matters are far from being things doubtful or indifferent or little Sins in our Apprehensions of which we are ready to render a Reason But I think that this bare Proposal of the Remedies is the best and shortest and least offensive way In which I crave your Observation of these two Particulars 1. That it is the matter granted if it be even in our own Words that will best do the Cure For while other men word it that know not our Scruples or Reasons they miss our Sence usually and make it ineffectual 2. That the Reason why I crave that Ministers may have impunity who use the greatest part of the Liturgy for the Day is 1. To shorten the Accommodation that we may not be put to delay our Concord till the Liturgy be altered to the Satisfaction of Dissenters which we have cause to think will not be done at all Now this will silently and quietly heal us and if a Man omit some one Collect or Sentence without debate or noise it will not be noted nor be a matter of offence 2. And he is unworthy to be a Minister that is not to be trusted so much as with the using or not using of a few Sentences or words in all his Ministration 3. And almost every Minister that I hear all the Year of the most Conformable do every day omit some part or other and yet are not Silenc'd nor taken notice of as offenders at all And may not as much for our Concord be granted to Dissenters in the present case He that thinks that these Concessions will be more injurious to the Church and the Souls of Men than our Uncharitableness and Divisions have been these Eleven Years and are yet like to be is not qualified to be at all an Healer In Conclusion I must again intreat you that this Offer may be taken but as the Answer of your desire for your private use and that no Copy be given of it nor the Author made known unless we have encouragement from our Governours to
operate a qualitative change on the Receiver's mind or heart is not necessary to the being of a Sacrament nor yet that it be instituted to do so by 〈◊〉 or Physical Operation per modum Naturae without Intellectual Consideration and Moral Operation The First will be granted that the effecting of such Qualities is not necessary to it And as to the 2d Observe that we grant as followeth 1. That Sacraments by Investiture or Delivery of Right as Instruments convey all that Relative Grace which the Covenant of God doth give immediately to Consenters 2. That it Morally worketh also Holy Qualifications by Man's Considering-Improvement 3. And that with the use of it though not by the Instrumentality of it God may Physically or Miraculously without any second cause give qualitative grace to Infants or whom he please in a way to us unknown But that this last is not Essential to a Sacrament I am now to prove 1. All that is essential to a Sacrament is found in the Sacrament as used by the Adult Yea they are the more notable and Excellent Subjects to whom it was first administred and the Case of Infants is more obscure and non notum per ignotius sed ignotius per notius probandum est But the Sacrament as administred to or used by the adult doth necessarily contain no more than 1. mutual covenanting 2. The Instrumental Conveyance or Confirmation of the Relative Grace of the Covenant or Ius 3. Moral Aptitude to work holy Qualities 4. And that it be Symbolum Ordinis id est Christianismi 1. This is proved as to the Baptism of the Adult 1. They make their solemn signal Profession of Federation Consent Reception c. 2. God by his Minister doth invest the Receiver in his Right of special relation to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and in his right to Pardon Reconciliation Justification and Adoption and Right to Glory 3. It is a Means adapted to work Morally on the Will by the just Considerations of the Understanding 4. It is the Symbol of Christianity called Our Christening 2. The same I say of the Lord's Supper and therefore crave leave not to repeal them 1. That Sacraments are acts of Solemn Mutual Covenanting none deny that know what Christianity is The Uninterrupted Form of Baptizing in all Ages proveth it 2. That God by their Instrumentality delivereth the Adult their Ius or Relative Grace or right to present Pardon c. is not denyed 3. That they are Moral Instruments of Holy Acts and so of Habits in the Adult neither Papist Arminians Lutherans or Calvinists deny And above all the Arminians should not deny it who I think acknowledge no means but Moral if any other Operations on Man's soul. 4. And that they are Tesserae vel Symbola Christianae Religionis none that I know of do deny But that they are instituted to operate on the Adult any any otherwise than Morally and this Essential to them I deny upon three Reasons 1. There is no Scripture that asserteth it Et quod Scriptum non est Credendum non est about such Matters 2. Else not only the Armenians but the greatest part of Christians should deny the Sacraments who deny such use and operations of them And specially all those Protestants who dealing with the Papists opus Operatum largely write to prove that Sacraments work but Morally 3. And the Nature of the thing sheweth it impossible without a Miracle For the Grace to be conveyed is the Act or Habit or Disposition of Love to God and the Conjunct Graces with that Antecedent Light of knowledge and faith which must excite it And how but Miraculously Water in Baptism should be an Instrument of conveying holy Love or Knowledge no Man conceive For 1. Our Love of God is not put into the Water 2. If it were the Water doth not touch the Soul 3. If it did Corporal Contact or attingencie would not cause Love The same is said of the â—ucharist And the truth is many Papists are by Protestants mistaken in their Doctrine de Opere Operato who speak but as distinguishing it ab Opere Operantis And when they have puzled themselves to tell what the Indelible Character given by Ordination is they can satisfactorily carry it no higher than with Durandus to say it is a Relation that is A fixed Relation to the Vndertaken Work and a power right and obligation to it And they that tell us as Ioseph Anges c. that Ordination is a true Sacrament though sinfully used when given to an Infant and a Bedlam and that none hut Durandus denieth it a false Doctrine no doubt quia deest dispositio recipientis yet can tell us of no more that it doth convey to the Infant or Bedlam-Priest or Bishop but a Relation Nor can they that say Receive the Holy Ghost assure us that any more is given by Ordination And so of Baptism And if they say that If the Water be not the Instrument of given-grace to the Adult yet it may be to me other means let them tell us if they can what they mean and what means besides a Moral means it can be If they say that if God give not grace qualitative or Active by it as a means yet he giveth grace with it without any second cause I answer God can do so no doubt He can give grace while we are hearing though inconsiderately without any use of the Word heard And so in the time of baptizing without any causality of Baptism But he that will assert as in any Miracles and Immediate Operations as Sacraments must bring very clear proof of his assertion Sure we are that Faith and Repentance are prerequisite in the Adult and therefore the Sacrament is not so much as the Time of first-giving them by Institution And we are all agreed that in the Sacraments Sacred truth and Goodness Christ and his Gracious benefits are objectively set before us as Moral means of our Information Excitation and increase of faith and hope and love And when we are sure that the Word and Sacraments are instituted for one way of giving gracious Acts or Qualities he that will add another must prove it 4. And the case being thus with the Adult the instance of Infants will not prove the Sacraments no Sacraments to the Adult the Noblest Subjects And though God may immediatly or Miraculously at the same time give holy Habits or Acts to Infants yet it is past Man's Conception how Water or Words should be any Cause of them any more on them than on the Adult as aforesaid And he that will say that yet so it is though We know not how as the Papists do about Transubstantiation must first prove that it is so indeed We grant that the Parents are to use it Morally in dedicating their Children to God and believing and Covenanting for them And that God useth it as his investing or delivering sign morally to give the Infant all the Relative Grace which
I never spake for liberty herein for Episcopal Independents yea and Anabaptists that only deny Infant Baptism I wrote that hindering men's Ministry for their being against the Parliament And I think I kept many and many thousands from taking the Covenant 7. At least do you deny Liberty to none but those that denyed it to others and we shall thankfully acquiesce Strict I cannot think the maker of these Proposals could imagin that any much less all of them would or could be agreed to Answ. 1. You speak truly if you mean by those men of whom upon former tryal he had so great Experience It were great weakness in him to have expected it But yet he is so charitable as to be confident though not certain that if these Proposals were made to the Conformable London Ministers such as Dr. Whitchcot Dr. Stillingfleet Mr. Gifford Dr. Tillotson Dr. Cradock Dr. Outram Dr. Ford and many more such Learned worthy peaceable men in this City they would either grant all that is here desired or abate so little as should be no hinderance to our present Concord And though I have no great acquaintance with any of them yet my knowledge of them by fame and hearing them preach doth render me so fully persuaded that if we could get the Case but referred to their Judgment and Counsel instead of the Interessed Bishops who brought us to the state that we are in I make no doubt but we should be all healed in a few weeks time And that you may not think my confidence vain take this proof Bishop Wilkins was no fool nor fanatick These men are much of his spirit and judgment who was a Lover of Mankind and of honesty peace and Impartiality and Justice And we agreed with him upon Terms like these upon the Lord Keeper Bridgman's Invitation so far that by mutual Consent the Agreement was drawn up into the form of an Act to have been offered to the house so that as much as lay in him and us we were all agreed and healed And why should I suspect that any of these worthy persons are less peaceable 2. But by this Conclusion those many persons who have talk't so loud how ready some great Clergy-men are to Condescend agree and abate all Unnecessary things to Unite us and prevent Popery may now see past all doubt the very truth of the Case This Animadverter you see would not grant any one of all these Proposals no not our forbearance of an Oath or Subscription to Ceremony or any piece of their imposed formalities not the leaving out of a word of the Liturâ—ie c. What is it then that they would abate such Dealing will make men see at last Strict Or that if the Non-conformists were upon such Terms as these permitted to exercise their Ministry and made capable of Pastoral charges and other Preferments in our Church this would be a means to heal our lamentable Divisions that are now among us unless he will say that the best expedient to suppress Schism is to embrace and cherish and to reward Schismaticks still professing and resolving to be so Or that it is better and safer for the Church to have a fire within her bowels than without her doors or contraries by being mingled together would thereby become less contrary or destructive to one another No certainly And therefore if they will still continue Non-conformists it is better and safer for the Church they should be still kept out than taken into it Answ. 1. But 't is our Opinion pardon our folly that if the Law had not been made which forbad Daniel to pray to God or commanded the worshiping of the Golden Image they had been no Inconformists that kept not such a Law And that if the Law were repeated which requireth Corporations to declare that no man is bound by the solemn vow no not to repent nor against Popery Schism or Prophaness they would be no Inconformists that did not so declare And that if the Laws commanded us not to swear subscribe declare Cross c. We were no Inconformists or Schismaticks if we did them not But the name of Schismaticks is by such Godfathers as Ithacius Idacius and the rest of the Council of Bishops from whom Ambrose dissended put upon such as St. Martin who separated from them to the death for their Church-Tyranny and wicked Lives and bringing Godly people into the suspicion and reproach of Priscillianism if they did but meet for mutual edification and live Religiously As Grotius saith that by a Papist he meaneth one that approveth of all that any Pope shall say or do and I hope there are few such so with some men a Schismatick is one that approveth not of all that a Pope or Prelate will prescribe And if all the present Non-conformists were commanded to Preach with horns on their heads to signifie the conquering power of the Church or Word they were Schismaticks by such men's nomination if they disobeyed But I will now only ask 1. Q. Were all the Apostles and the Churches in their time and long after Schismaticks who knew not our Oaths Declarations Subscriptions Liturgie Ceremonies c. Q. 2. Did they not take as wise a course for the Churche's concord and the avoiding of Schism as either the English or Roman Bishops take Q. 3 Had not the Omission or the Romish Canons about Transubstantiation Tradition and such like been a better way to prevent heresie than the obeying them And may it not be so in our case Would any be Schismaticks for dissenting from Lay men's power of the Keys from Crossing c. if there were no such Laws And did not Peter and Paul please God as well without them as you do with them And did not Peter and Paul go as safe a way to Heaven as you And is he that consenteth to go the same way to heaven as they did and to do all that the Universal Church imposed for an hundred two hundred years after them at least yet worthier of the Name of a Schismatick than the New Lords that by new Laws do make and call all Schismaticks that live as the Apostles did or did command them and no more 2. You have tryed your Better and safer way by silencing 1800 Ministers of Christ by which the Flocks are scattered and divided and we are as Guelphes and Gibelines in Contention And if yet it seem best to you a few years by Death's interposition will help you to be of another mind But alas must the souls of Millions and the Nation pay so dear for your mistake while you are preparing for the too late Convictions of sad Experience Strict The only certain and safe way of healing these Divisions as I conceive is for all that are taken into the Church to submit to one and the same Rule as well in Agendis as Credendis as well in circumstantials and ceremonials as in Substantials and Essentials as well in the manner as the matter of Religious
fittest manner and Season of your coming off Therefore it seems to me your Duty freely lovingly compassionately to communicate your Reasons to your Auditors if they can prove them unsound which I am sure they cannot in the main then yield to them if they cannot then beg their Pardon for misguiding them and beseech them to return not to any Sin against God but to the Love of the Saints and the Unity of the universal Body of Christ and the Communion of Brethren 3. To return to Mr. I. Goodwin's Church again I dare not dissuade you or advise you but I would not do it if I liv'd in another Parish where I could have Lawful Communion yea or if I could live in such a Parish I would not be a Member of a Church gathered out of many Parishes in such a Place as London Co-habitation is in Nature and Scripture Example made the necessary Disposition of the Materials of a Church 4. My Thoughts still are that you should Preach the Gospel in some Congregation most suitable to you But I am very glad that you give me the Reasons of your Trouble for it is a sad kind of Work for you or another to plead against Troubles in the dark which a Man can give no Reason for 1. Your First I need say nothing to If you had ever had a Temptation to thrust in a wrong Motive into a good Cause it neither proves the Cause bad else all our Preaching were too bad or your Heart bad as you see your Sin I hope you see your sufficient Remedy 2. The Second is carnal to resist so great a Truth and Duty lest good People be displeased what are they your God God must be enough for you if ever you will have enough and it must satisfie you that he is pleased if ever you will be satisfied Tell those Christians you will not cease to Love them by Loving more nor cease any due Communion with them by having Communion with more Keep in with them by Love and Correspondency even whether they will or no even when you have left their Separation Do not reproach them when you leave them but enjoy the Good of their Communion still as you have Opportunity God's House hath many Mansions if your Friends think that their Closet is all the House convince them of their Mistake and confine your self to that Closet no longer but yet renounce it not it may be a part though sinfully divided though it be not the whole 3. The way that you are called to is God's High way and though the Churches have many in them that are dead yet have they with them as many living Members as yours and many more if these parts may be Witnesses I would not be a Member of that Church willingly that is composed of none but not able Christians though I most Love the best and delight most in their Fellowship and wish that all were such yet when I see a Church so gathered I easily find it is a wrong Constitution and not according to the Mind of Christ. I will never join with them that will have but one Form in Christ's School I would have the A B C there taught as well as the profoundest Mysteries 'T is no Sign of the Family of God to have no Children what if I said Infants in it but strong Men only Nor of the Hospital of Christ to have none Sick nor of his Net to have no Fish but Good nor of his Field to have no Tares Flesh and Blood hath ticed me oft to Separation for Ease but it s too easy a way to be of God I undergo another kind of Life you are extreamly mistaken if you think that you are put on so much Duty and Self-denial by many Degrees among your Hundred Professors as we must undergo Your Work is Idleness to ours how then is yours the streighter way 4. For Riches and gay Apparel you may help to cure Excess where you find it What! a Physician fly because his Patients are Sick O that we had no sorer Diseases to encounter than fine Cloaths If you were with me I could tell you quickly where to find Forty Families of humble godly Christians that are as bare and Poor as you would Wish and need as much as you can give them or procure them that scarce lose a Day 's Work by Sickness but the Church must maintain them And I could send you to Sixty Families that are as poor and yet so Ignorant as more to need your spiritual Help When they have sat by me to be instructed in my Chamber they sometimes leave the Lice so plentifull that we are stored with them for a competent space of time Never keep in a Separated Church to avoid Riches and fine Cloaths and for fear lest you cannot meet with the Poor I warrant you a Cure of that Melancholy Fear in most places in England 5. The next is the great Block 1. If you gather out the choicest Members that should help the rest and then complain of Parishes when you have marr'd them you do not justly 2. If you will not do your Duty in a Parish because some Ministers do not theirs your excuse is frivolous 3. If I durst have gathered a separated Church here I could have had one large and numerous enough or such as would allow me ease but I think Parish Work the best We here agree on these Four Heads 1. To teach all In which Work in my Parish I could find Work for Ten Ministers if I could maintain them 2. To admit none as adult Members without a personal credible Profession of Faith and Holiness of which I refer you to my Treatise of Confirmation 3. To exercise Discipline with these 4. To hold Communion of Churches by Associations and Assemblies of the Officers And I bless God I find not my Parish such a dead Body as you speak of Among Eight Hundred Families Six Hundred Persons are Church-Members I hope there is not very many of these without such a Profession as giveth us good Hopes of their Sincerity and none whose Profession I am able any way to disprove and this satisfieth me as God's Way and many I hope Scores there be of those that join not with us on divers Accounts that I hope fear God If you have Charity to judge that our Parishes have Christians you may have Charity to judge that they have Life and some fit for Communion How tender is Christ of his weakest Members and shall not I imitate him yea shall I judge them that am so bad my self and pluck them from his Arms that designeth it as his highest Honour to be admired and glorified in the freeness and fulness of his Grace and Love to the Unworthy 6. Your Followers Souls are by you endangered while you leave them in their Sin will it endanger them to tell them of that Danger and help them out What! to lead Men to Holy Love and Unity with the Catholick
Faction or Turbulency who preacheth but to a few in his own House And where should he use his Ministry if not in so vast a Parish where so many Thousands are untaught and where he is not sure that his old relation is dissolved though the Tythes and Temple be given to another One Mr. Grove that oft heard me being lately dead and his Widow sick she sent for Mr. Sanger to visit her who after a short Instruction prayed with her while he was at Prayer Dean Lampley the Parson or Vicar of the Parish came in and heard him at Prayer staying till he had done in an outer Room and as soon as he had done as Mr. Sanger affirmeth came in upon him and fiercely askt him What he did there He told him Nothing but what beseemed a Minister of the Gospel to visit the Sick when he was sent for And to the second Expostulation told him That he thought he should be thankful to him for helping him in such a Parish To which the Doctor answered That then he should have done it according to the Liturgy fiercely adding Get you out of the Room At which when he demurred he more fiercely took him by the breast and thrust him and said Get you out of the Room which to avoid unpeaceableness he forthwith did I saw not this but I think no Man that knoweth Mr. Sanger will question the Truth of his deliberate Affirmation of it In what Parish of England should a Man expect leave to visit the Sick when sent for rather than in St. Martins From what Minister in England should one rather expect leave than from Dr. Lampley who hath so many Thousands more than he and his Curate and Lecturer can suffice to teach and visit and who I hear is a very worthy Man and a Teacher of more than ordinary diligence and especially excelleth almost all that I hear of in Constancy in the needful Work of Catechising for which though I know him not I do much honour him And what Minister in England may expect leave to visit the Sick or privately help the Peopleâ— if not Mr. Sanger who was lately the Publick Incumbent himself and is a man as unlikely to stir up any Man to Envy or Wrath as most that ever I knew I will not parallel my own Case with his If I be unworthy of such liberty might not such as he be tolerated so far This being our Case will you be the Man that shall tell us and the world that we should have kept our Residence and joyned with the succeeding Ministers in private helps and how well we and Religion had then sped as if you had not lived in England to make Men think that the Parish Ministers are willing of this Yet I will again say Necessity is laid upon me and wo be to me if I preach not the Gospel though Men forbid it And if I either give but to one poor Man when I might give to a thousand or teach but one ignorant Sinner when I might teach a thousand how shall I look my Judge in the Face who gave me that terrible warning 2 Tim. 4. 1 2. as well as Matth. 2â— And did I think that ever you would have been one that should publickly have perswaded us to this When it is the grand Work of Satan to Silence the Preachers of the Gospel and the great Character of all sorts of his Agents one way or other on their various pretences to effect it Papists would silence me Prelatists would silence me Quakers Anabaptists Antinomians and Separatists would silence me and would my dear and judicious and experienced Friends silence me also Alas how many Difficulties have we to overcome while our weary Flesh and too cold Love and the Relicks of Sloth and Selfishness which loveth not a laborious suffering Life doth hinder us more than all the rest But the Judge is at the Door To Mr. W. Allen. Number V. SIR I Find that in a Book of yours defending Schism against Mr. Halis on pretence of opposing it you were pleased to think many Passages in my Writings worthy of your Recital to your ends I thank you that you chose any Words for Peace which some may make a better use of than your self But I think if you had referred Men to my own Books to read them with what goeth before and after they would have been more easily understood I understand by your Book that you think that you are in the Right which is the most that I have yet learned out of it unless it be also that you think the Nonconformists be not yet hated and afflicted enough or that he that sweareth must ascend by treading upon him that feareth an Oath I am in some doubt least you have wronged our Prelacy by so openly proclaiming the Enmity of so great a Man as Hales against them and by enticing Men by your Noise to read his Book which you contradict which if they do I doubt your Confutation will not save them from the Light But the Reason of my troubling you with these Lines is only to crave some Satisfaction about two or three Matters of Fact in your Book which would seem strange to me did I not find such things too common in Invectives against the silenced Ministers and did I not know that is part of Satan's Work to persuade the World that no History hath any certainty of Truth that so sacred History may be disadvantaged I. One is in these Words p. 101. When they had in the gand Debate given in their Objections to the Liturgy some of the Brotherhood had prepared another Form but a great part of their Brethren objected many things against that and never as yet did as I hear of agree upon any other nor I think ever will I crave the Justice of you to tell us which was that you call the Grand Debate and who those were that dissented or what Proof you have of any such thing Either you knew what you say or not If not and publish it in such a manner while you are accusing others of Sin What is this to be called if you did it is yet far worse either you speak of the Westminster Assembly which made the Directory or of the Commissioners in 1660. Not the first sure for none I think was yet ever vain enough to pretend that they thus drew up another Liturgy It must needs then be the latter Of which this is past denyal by any but the 1. That the King's Commission under the Broad-Seal authorizing to make some Additional Forms 2. The late Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Sheldon when we came according to appointment to try by Friendly Conference what Alterations each Party might yield to for our desired Concord without any injury to their Consciences began with a Declaration that we being the Plaintiffs they would no farther proceed or treat with us till we had given them in entirely in Writing 1. What we blamed in the Liturgy and our
Spirit among others is a great rejoicing to me And I hope I may tell you that it is in vain as I am sure I may tell you it is no small Sin any more to resist and strive against him If the Hand of our dear and tender Lord be setting you in joint again shrink not on account of present pain much less should you fear the Reproach of being in Communion with the Body but impartially hearken unto him and yield but lay by all Tumults of Spirits and Passions and get out of the Noise of vulgar Clamours for the Voice of Peace is a still Voice and in Calmness must be attended unto And when you are restored if you find not the Sweetness and Advantages of Peace if you are indeed restored in Mind as well as Practice the Lord hath not spoken in this by me I can hardly think that he that hath raised these Thoughts within you and begun these Convictions will let them die In order to the Ends desired and hoped for I shall offer you so much of my present Thoughts as your described Case requires And 1. though I desire not to dispute the Case of Infant Baptism with you now yet I may say we believe you live in a constant Sin against the Lord in neglecting denying and opposing it and that if you will by one erroneous Supposition draw on a Chain of hurtful Consequences you are the Cause of your own Disorders At a fitter Season I should desire you but to answer me this one Argument All that should be sacramentally or solemnly inticed into the Holy Covenant with God as his People should be Baptized or at least be taken as true Members of the Church and their Entrance just but the Infants of believing Parents should be sacramentally and solemnly entred into Covenant with God or his People Ergo c. The Minor we give you the abundant Proof of Law and Promise for before Christ. It was Abraham's Duty and Priviledge according to the Tenour of the Promise which was made with him before the Law to enter his Children sacramentally and solemnly into the holy Covenant It was all the Churches Duty after both Jews and Proselytes both the uncircumcised Females and the circumcised Males and all the uncircumcised Church in the Wilderness Deut. 29 c. Tell me now how I should answer it before the Lord if I tell Parents that they are absolved from this Duty of solemn entring their Children into the Covenant and are divested of the blessed Priviledge especially when you here tell me well that you know of none but his Body that Christ is the Saviour of and that the Church is this Body Ergo you know of no Salvation for Infants if they be not of the Church Ergo Exclussion would be a heavy Case shall I say that Christ hath recalled this Law and Grant but how should I prove it I shew you the Law and Grant do you shew me the Repeal and we have done Christ never speaks a word to repeal it nor any of his Apostles Entring our Children into the holy Covenant is not a Ceremony If God say to a Father why didst thou not dedicate this Child to me and solemnly enter him into Covenant with me what can he say The Precept Promise and long Practice were plain was the Repeal also plain Yes if it be a Repeal for Christ to take such Children into his Arms and bless them and tell us of such is his Kingdom and to be offended with those that would have kept them from him and to command that all Disciples be Baptized He knew well enough when he instituted Baptism and exercised it first upon the adult that the Iews did so too with their Proselites And Ergo when he did in that no more than they did that yet admitted the Infants of Church-Members his baptizing the Adult could no more signify his Denial of Infants to be baptized than the Iews baptizing the Adult could signify it who at that time baptized Infants also nor could the Disciples interpret Christ's Doctrine and Will to be contrary to the Iews when his Practice was no more than theirs And when he never uttered a Syllable to intimate a Repeal of that great Mercy and Duty of entring Infants solemnly into the Covenant which by God's Appointment had continued so long And the Covenant was I will be thy God and thou shalt be my People But all this falls in besides my first intent and therefore I rather expect your Pardon than your regard of it at the present though time may shew you Light in that which now seems Darkness 2. But if our Infant Baptism were irregular how will you prove it a Nullity never by any sound Argument every Irregularity is not a Nullity Whether you take the Word as signifying Faedus Sacramentale a Sacramental Covenant as Scripture commonly doth more notably intending the Covenant than the outward Act or Sacramentum Faederale a Federal Sacrament or Action most notably signifying the Sign or Act it 's all one to our purpose for Infants are capable of both the Covenant and the outward Sign and of all that is essential to Baptism That they are capable of being entred into Covenant 1. Nature tells us we commonly enter them under Princes as their Subjects and into private Contracts with Landlords for Possessions 2. The ancient Law Promise and Practice of the Church before Christ tells us for then it was actually done by God's Command And that they are capable of the outward Sign is undeniable Prove it a Nullity if you can though it were a Sin 3. But if both were granted the Sin and Nullity I come now to give you my Reasons why it warrants you not to deny Communion with the Churches that were thus Baptized in Infancy And 1. I beseech you note that Baptism is as necessary if not much more to the Admission of Men into the universal visible Church as such or into a particular Church Ergo If Men may be admitted into the universal visible Church without adult Baptism then he may be admitted into a particular Church without it But yet here grant that he may be a Member of the universal Church without it Ergo Baptism is indeed appointed to be our regular entrance by way of Sacramental Covenant and Investiture into the Church Universal and not into a particular Church necessarily though it may be into both yet it is but indirectly into the particular Church The Eunuch and all that were baptized first in any place by the Apostles were baptized only into the Church universal and afterward setled in Order under Pastors in particular Churches Baptism as such as it was called our Christening doth only list Men under Christ as Christians and if it do any more as to the thing in Question it is accidentally and not always nor necessarily We are not directly sure baptized to our Pastors and so not to that Particular Church nothing then is more plain