A26951:467
The life of faith in three parts, the first is a sermon on Heb.…
The life of faith in three parts, the first is a sermon on Heb. 11, 1, formerly preached before His Majesty, and published by his command, with another added for the fuller application : the second is instructions for confirming believers in the Christian faith : the third is directions how to live by faith, or how to exercise it upon all occasions / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed by R.W. for Nevil Simmons, 1670
Part 2 › Chapter 8: The rest of the Directions for strengthening our Faith.
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.
6. If it be said, that men that had some good, and some bad in them, did contrive it (such as those Fanatics, or Enthusiasts, who have pious notions and words, with pride and self-exalting minds) I answer, The good is so great which is found in Christianity, that it is not possible that a bad man ▪ much less an extremely bad man, could be the Author of it▪ And the wickedness of the plot would be so great if it were false, that it is not possible that any but an extremely bad man ⟨p. 139⟩could be guilty of it: Much less that a multitude should be sound at once so extremely good as to promote it, even with their greatest labour and suffering, and also so extremely bad as to join together in the plot to cheat the world, in a matter of such high importance. Such exceeding good and evil, cannot consist in any one person, much less in so many as must do such a thing. And if such a heated brain sick person as Hacket, Nailer, David, George, or John of Leiden, should cry up themselves upon prophetical and pious pretences, their madness hath still appeared, in the mixture of their impious doctrines and practices: And if any would and could be so wicked, God never would or did assist them, by an age of numerous open miracles, nor lend them his Omnipotency to deceive the world; but left them to the shame of their proud attempts, and made their folly known to all.
6. If it be said, that men that had some good, and some bad in them, did contrive it (such as those Fanaticks, or Enthusiasts, who have pious notions and words, with pride and self-exalting minds) I answer, The good is so great which is found in Christianity, that it is not possible that a bad man ▪ much less an extreamly bad man, could be the Author of it▪ And the wickedness of the plot would be so great if it were false, that it is not possible that any but an extreamly bad man ⟨p. 139⟩could be guilty of it: Much less that a multitude should be sound at once so extreamly good as to promote it, even with their greatest labour and suffering, and also so extreamly bad as to joyn together in the plot to cheat the world, in a matter of such high importance. Such exceeding good and evil, cannot consist in any one person, much less in so many as must do such a thing. And if such a heated brain sick person as Hacket, Nailer, David, George, or John of Leyden, should cry up themselves upon prophetical and pious pretences, their madness hath still appeared, in the mixture of their impious doctrines and practices: And if any would and could be so wicked, God never would or did assist them, by an age of numerous open miracles, nor lend them his Omnipotency to deceive the world; but left them to the shame of their proud attempts, and made their folly known to all.