Richard Baxter's Catholic theology plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriors who,…Richard Baxter's Catholick theologie plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriours who,…

A. Our judgment is, 1. That he that truly at the present preferreth the pleasing of God, and his Salvation, before all this World, is sincere, and justified. 2. That of these some have well settled apprehensions and resolutions; but others have such shallow Conceptions, and weak Resolutions, as that a very strong Temptation would change their minds, and overcome them. 3. But if they escape such Temptation and be not overcome, they shall be saved: For God will not damn men for possible Sin and Apostasy, which they were never guilty of, but only for that which they did commit. 4. And that it is no certain sign of hypocrisy, that they would have fallen away, had their Temptations been great, but only a proof that they were weak: 5. Else to pray [Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,] should be rather [discover not our sincerity or hypocrisy by temptation]. 6. Therefore God useth to proportion mens trials to their strength: And that young and weak Believers may persevere, he exposeth them not (antecedently to their provocation) to great Temptations as he doth the strong. Even as while a young Tree hath little rooting, it hath also but a little top: else had it the top of a great Tree, and but the roots of a Plant, the first great Wind would overturn it. 7. Even strong Christians might possibly have some Temptations, which would overmatch their strength, and turn them from Christ, if God should not keep them from such Temptations. 8. Therefore there are some Temptations so far above the very nature of man, by such Grace as is not a mere Miracle, to be overcome, as that God doth not suffer Mankind to be tried with them: As to be most exquisitely tormented many months, or a longer time. And in that unusual trial of the poor Christians in Japan, though many endured those torments many weeks, yet nature could not sustain them to the last; but when they had suffered as much as many Smithfield burnings to death, at last almost all denied Christ, so that Christianity is now there extirpated. Now if Rogers, Bradford, Hooper, showed sincerity by suffering death, why should we not think that these did so that suffered far more than they, though afterward the degree was greater than their strength. 9. We hold that Gods Punishments and Mercies to men in this World, are very much exercised in either permitting or not permitting great Temptations.

A. Our judgment is, 1. That he that truly at the present preferreth the pleasing of God, and his Salvation, before all this World, is sincere, and justified. 2. That of these some have well setled apprehensions and resolutions; but others have such shallow Conceptions, and weak Resolutions, as that a very strong Temptation would change their minds, and overcome them. 3. But if they escape such Temptation and be not overcome, they shall be saved: For God will not damn men for possible Sin and Apostacy, which they were never guilty of, but only for that which they did commit. 4. And that it is no certain sign of hypocrisie, that they would have fallen away, had their Temptations been great, but only a proof that they were weak: 5. Else to pray [Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,] should be rather [discover not our sincerity or hypocrisie by temptation]. 6. Therefore God useth to proportion mens trials to their strength: And that young and weak Believers may persevere, he exposeth them not (antecedently to their provocation) to great Temptations as he doth the strong. Even as while a young Tree hath little rooting, it hath also but a little top: else had it the top of a great Tree, and but the roots of a Plant, the first great Wind would overturn it. 7. Even strong Christians might possibly have some Temptations, which would overmatch their strength, and turn them from Christ, if God should not keep them from such Temptations. 8. Therefore there are some Temptations so far above the very nature of man, by such Grace as is not a meer Miracle, to be overcome, as that God doth not suffer Mankind to be tried with them: As to be most exquisitely tormented many moneths, or a longer time. And in that unusual trial of the poor Christians in Japon, though many endured those torments many weeks, yet nature could not sustain them to the last; but when they had suffered as much as many Smithfield burnings to death, at last almost all denied Christ, so that Christianity is now there extirpated. Now if Rogers, Bradford, Hooper, shewed sincerity by suffering death, why should we not think that these did so that suffered far more than they, though afterward the degree was greater than their strength. 9. We hold that Gods Punishments and Mercies to men in this World, are very much exercised in either permitting or not permitting great Temptations.