A26883:2790
A26883:2790
Richard Baxter's Catholic theology plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriors who, 1. by contending about things unrevealed or not understood, 2. and by taking verbal differences for real,Richard Baxter's Catholick theologie plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriours who, 1. by contending about things unrevealed or not understood, 2. and by taking verbal differences for real,
London: printed by Robert White for Nevill Simmons, 1675
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
C. I hear of your undertaking to manifest the smallness of our Differences in the long controverted Articles of Predestination, Redemption, Grace and Free-will. *But these Reconcilers do but hal• between two Opinions; and while they will be of neither side, they are like• and loved by neither.
B. Blessed are the Peace-makers, for they shall be called the Children o• God. We will seek to please all men for their good to edification; an• yet seek to please no man before God, nor in sin, nor place any of ou• happiness in their favour, nor think much to bear their displeasure o• contempt: For if we (so) seek to please men, we are no longer the Servants of Christ. If Gods favour were not enough for us, he were not our God.
C. I am afraid your study of Syncretism or Concord will tempt you to war• and turn half an Arminian, and forsake the Truth.
B. I thank you for your care of me, and I wonder not at your fears• as long as you mistake one another as you do. As all persecution o• Gods Servants is raised by mis-reports, and misapprehending them to be very bad and dangerous persons, and as all sinful Schisms and separations in Churches arise from mens thinking one another to be very bad and unfit for communion; Even so these factions, and Church-dividing Contentions, come from a false conceit that each side is so dangerously erroneous, as that all good men must stir up their zeal, and with all their disputing-skill and contending-fervency must arm, to defend the Truth against them, and to save the Church and the Souls of men from the infection of their Error. Since I saw the nature of these present Controversies, it filleth me with shame and pity to think, what fierce and fiery work• there hath long been, what hatred, slanders, scorns, persecutions; what voluminous Contentions, what Snares laid for young Students; what factious Oppositions to each other among Pastors and People, throughout much of the learnedst part of the Christian World; and all in a dream, for the most part about mere names and words, or things, that none of them at all understood, nor ever will do in this World. O subtle Tempter! O foolish men! even wise and learned men! O lamentable Churches! O miserable World!
B. I thank you for your care of me, and I wonder not at your fears• as long as you mistake one another as you do. As all persecution o• Gods Servants is raised by mis-reports, and misapprehending them to be very bad and dangerous persons, and as all sinful Schisms and separations in Churches arise from mens thinking one another to be very bad and unfit for communion; Even so these factions, and Church-dividing Contentions, come from a false conceit that each side is so dangerously erroneous, as that all good men must stir up their zeal, and with all their disputing-skill and contending-fervency must arm, to defend the Truth against them, and to save the Church and the Souls of men from the infection of their Errour. Since I saw the nature of these present Controversies, it filleth me with shame and pity to think, what fierce and fiery work• there hath long been, what hatred, slanders, scorns, persecutions; what volumnious Contentions, what Snares laid for young Students; what factious Oppositions to each other among Pastors and People, throughout much of the learnedst part of the Christian World; and all in a dream, for the most part about meer names and words, or things, that none of them at all understood, nor ever will do in this World. O subtile Tempter! O foolish men! even wise and learned men! O lamentable Churches! O miserable World!
C. I pray you tell me what good you look for by this attempt? Do you no• know how many such have come to nothing?
B. I'll tell you what good I expect. I expect that here and there an impartial sober Divine should search into and find pacificatory truth: And that divers Students, not yet engaged in any Faction, should discern it: And that most of the idle, ignorant and factious, who find it most for their interest, ease and honour, to be fervent for the Opinion which that party holdeth, with whom they do embody, will reproach my self and these attempts, and call me a Calvinist or an Arminian, or one that holdeth dangerous Opinions, and self-conceitedly over-valuing my own apprehensions, do trouble the Church, and strengthen the Adversaries by pretended Reconciliation. But I look that those that receive the Truth, should themselves be saved from the guilt of all that uncharitableness, faction and injury to others, which is caused by mens mistakes: And also that they should be a seed of Peace-makers, to propagate Truth to Posterity, till the Age come when God will heal the Churches, and banish contentious Error from among them. And in the mean time, I look for peace of Conscience in the Service of God, and in his approbation. And it will be reward enough to live out of the fire of Contention my self, and to escape the Fever of that zealous Wisdom which is earthly, sensual, and devilish, and with envy and strife doth bring in confusion, and every evil work: And to feel the sweetness of some of the Wisdom from above, which is first pure, then peaceable, &c. J••. 3. 14, 15, 16, 17. And I am the more resolved not to omit my Duty through despair, for the experience which I have already had. I remember the time when in the Country where I lived, Sacraments and Discipline were neglected, through the distances of the Episcopal, Presbyterians and Independents, about the way of Administration, and we looked strangely at each other. I thought it our Duty to join in love and practice so far as we agreed, and pass by the rest till we could better see our way. But many years I thought I should be but scorned if I attempted it, and so for bore it in despair. But at last attempting it, almost all consented with whom I did endeavour this way of Concord, and I found no considerable opposition, and many other Countries began to follow our example.
B. I'le tell you what good I expect. I expect that here and there an impartial sober Divine should search into and find pacificatory truth: And that divers Students, not yet engaged in any Faction, should discern it: And that most of the idle, ignorant and factious, who find it most for their interest, ease and honour, to be servent for the Opinion which that party holdeth, with whom they do embody, will reproach my self and these attempts, and call me a Calvinist or an Arminian, or one that holdeth dangerous Opinions, and self-conceitedly over-valuing my own apprehensions, do trouble the Church, and strengthen the Adversaries by pretended Reconciliation. But I look that those that receive the Truth, should themselves be saved from the guilt of all that uncharitableness, faction and injury to others, which is caused by mens mistakes: And also that they should be a seed of Peace-makers, to propagate Truth to Posterity, till the Age come when God will heal the Churches, and banish contentious Error from among them. And in the mean time, I look for peace of Conscience in the Service of God, and in his approbation. And it will be reward enough to live out of the fire of Contention my self, and to escape the Feaver of that zealous Wisdom which is earthly, sensual, and devilish, and with envy and strife doth bring in confusion, and every evil work: And to feel the sweetness of some of the Wisdom from above, which is first pure, then peaceable, &c. J. 3. 14, 15, 16, 17. And I am the more resolved not to omit my Duty through dispair, for the experience which I have already had. I remember the time when in the Country where I lived, Sacraments and Discipline were neglected, through the distances of the Episcopal, Presbyterians and Idependants, about the way of Administration, and we looked strangely at each other. I thought it our Duty to joyn in love and practice so far as we agreed, and pass by the rest till we could better see our way. But many years I thought I should be but scorned if I attempted it, and so for bore it in dispair. But at last attempting it, almost all consented with whom I did endeavour this way of Concord, and I found no conderable opposition, and many other Countries began to follow our example.
After this I saw that whilst Ministers only preached publicly, and spake but now and then occasionally with the people personally, they were ignorant of their own Flocks, and edified them but little, and occasioned Disputes about examining them before a Sacrament, and many other inconveniences; And I earnestly wished that they would set up the course of Catechizing and familiar Conference with all, from Family to Family in order through each Parish. And I thought that if a few Ministers should attempt this without the consent and concurrence of the rest, they would but be contemned by the people: But if all the Ministers of Reputation would consent, it might happily go on: But to motion such a thing I thought as vain, as to attempt that which seemed next to an impossibility. But when I did attempt it at last, I found little or no opposition; but the Ministers readily consented, and other Countries began the like; In so much that some Ministers of Helvetia sent to me their desires, of setting on foot the same course there. These instances confute despair, the great Enemy of all good, and make me resolve to do my part in any good Work, and leave the issue to God. I confess, and its too well known, that some attempts since these for concord between Church contenders in England, were without success: But they have afforded my Conscience that peace, which doth abundantly compensate ⟨p. 26⟩all my sufferings. When I pray, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, I mean, Let us with the most holy alacrity perform thy preceptive Will and do our Duty; and then with confidence expect, and with complacence rest in thy disposing Will, what ever be the event.
After this I saw that whilst Ministers only preached publickly, and spake but now and then occasionally with the people personally, they were ignorant of their own Flocks, and edified them but little, and occasioned Disputes about examining them before a Sacrament, and many other inconveniences; And I earnestly wisht that they would set up the course of Catechizing and familiar Conference with all, from Family to Family in order through each Parish. And I thought that if a few Ministers should attempt this without the consent and concurrence of the rest, they would but be contemned by the people: But if all the Ministers of Reputation would consent, it might happily go on: But to motion such a thing I thought as vain, as to attempt that which seemed next to an impossibility. But when I did attempt it at last, I found little or no opposition; but the Ministers readily consented, and other Countries began the like; In so much that some Ministers of Helvetia sent to me their desires, of setting on foot the same course there. These instances confute dispair, the great Enemy of all good, and make me resolve to do my part in any good Work, and leave the issue to God. I confess, and its too well known, that some attempts since these for concord between Church contenders in England, were without success: But they have afforded my Conscience that peace, which doth abundantly compensate
C. I have read your Undertaking, and what you have said to A. before, and I think you favour them too much, and make their Errors to seem smaller than they are.
B. Do you follow the same method that he did. Begin with the same Point, and suppose me an Arminian for this time, and tell me the worst that you have against their Opinions, (not meddling with the Pelagians, who deny Original Sin; nor with the rash or odd sayings of particular men,) and let us try how wide you can prove the difference here to be, and whether all be not resolved into the Controversies of Grace and Free-will.
B. Do you follow the same method that he did. Begin with the same Point, and suppose me an Arminian for this time, and tell me the worst that you have against their Opinions, (not medling with the Pelagians, who deny Original Sin; nor with the rash or odd sayings of particular men,) and let us try how wide you can prove the difference here to be, and whether all be not resolved into the Controversies of Grace and Free-will.
C. I. They destroy the comfort of the Faithful, by *denying that God did certainly and immutably elect individual persons to Salvation.
B. You mistake them: They hold that he did certainly and immutably elect particular persons to Salvation. They hold that he foreknoweth what motions means and circumstances will eventually take with mens Wills, without such necessitation as is inconsistent with their liberty; and that to certain persons he immutably decreeth to vouchsafe them all those means and motions; and that he then fore-seeth that 1these will prevail, and that they will believe, yea decreeth that they shall thus prevail, and so decreeth that all those persons shall be justified: And in like manner that he fore-seeth what means and motions will prevail to their perseverance; and that he decreeth to give them those means and motions; and that by them they shall eventually persevere, and shall infallibly be saved. The moderate Jesuits, and Arminians, and Lutherans do maintain, and will grant all this. And all this is from eternity. And is not here then an eternal ascertaining immutable Election of individuals.
B. You mistake them: They hold that he did certainly and immutably elect particular persons to Salvation. They hold that he foreknoweth what motions means and circumstances will eventually take with mens Wills, without such necessitation as is inconsistent with their liberty; and that to certain persons he immutably decreeth to vouchsafe them all those means and motions; and that he then fore-seeth that 1these will prevail, and that they will believe, yea decreeth that they shall thus prevail, and so decreeth that all those persons shall be justified: And in like manner that he fore-seeth what means and motions will prevail to their perseverance; and that he decreeth to give them those means and motions; and that by them they shall eventually presevere, and shall infallibly be saved. The moderate Jesuites, and Arminians, and Lutherans do maintain, and will grant all this. And all this is from eternity. And is not here then an eternal ascertaining immutable Election of individuals.