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A26962:78

Naked popery, or, The naked falsehood of a book called The Catholic naked truth,…Naked popery, or, The naked falshood of a book called The Catholick naked truth,…

Naked popery, or, The naked falsehood of a book called The Catholic naked truth, or, The Puritan convert to apostolical Christianity, written by W.H. opening their fundamental error of unwritten tradition, and their unjust description of the Puritans, the prelatical Protestant, and the papist, and their differences, and better acquainting the ignorant of the same difference, especially what a Puritan and what a papist is / by Richard Baxter ...Naked popery, or, The naked falshood of a book called The Catholick naked truth, or, The Puritan convert to apostolical Christianity, written by W.H. opening their fundamental errour of unwritten tradition, and their unjust description of the Puritans, the prelatical Protestant, and the papist, and their differences, and better acquainting the ignorant of the same difference, especially what a Puritan and what a papist is / by Richard Baxter ...

Richard Baxter 1615–1691London: printed for N. Simmons, 1677

196, [8] p. · 61k words · Wing B1315 · ESTC R13884

Title page: Princeton Theological Seminary Library copy, digitized by the Internet Archive (opens the Internet Archive in a new tab)

Chapter 2

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.

[ Earlier:75–90 of 699

:75p. 32¶2

2. But which ever it is, observe here that you own the Puritans Religion still, and say, [I have not so much left Puritanism, as Prelaticks call it, as added that to it wherein I found it come short of the holy Apostles Doctrine and Institutions,] p. 1. And when you have described the Puritan as one seriously conscionable and regardful of his Salvation, (at large) you add, [If this be to be a Puritan, would to God all the World were Puritans! I am so far from being Converted from thus much of a Puritan, that I most heartily wish I could Convert all the World to it.]

2. But which ever it is, observe here that you own the Puritanes Religion still, and say, [I have not so much left Puritanism, as Prelaticks call it, as added that to it wherein I found it come short of the holy Apostles Doctrine and Institutions,] p. 1. And when you have described the Puritane as one seriously conscionable and regardful of his Salvation, (at large) you add, [If this be to be a Puritane, would to God all the World were Puritanes! I am so far from being Converted from thus much of a Puritane, that I most heartily wish I could Convert all the World to it.]

:76p. 32¶3

3. But yet your description of him is so very false, that I may conclude when you turned, as you think, from being a mere Puritan to be a Papist, you never knew what a Puritan is, nor indeed ever were a Puritan your self, unless you take the word as fitted to your self, and such as you.

3. But yet your description of him is so very false, that I may conclude when you turned, as you think, from being a meer Puritane to be a Papist, you never knew what a Puritane is, nor indeed ever were a Puritane your self, unless you take the word as fitted to your self, and such as you.

:77p. 33

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Position

Cited: :78
On this page: :75–90
Section: :66–110
Whole work: 699 passages

Cite

Richard Baxter, Naked popery, or, The naked falshood of a book called The Catholick naked truth,… (London, 1677), ch. 2, p. 33. EEBO-TCP A26962.

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The book

Title as printed: Naked popery, or, The naked falsehood of a book called The Catholic naked truth, or, The Puritan convert to apostolical Christianity, written by W.H. opening their fundamental error of unwritten tradition, and their unjust description of the Puritans, the prelatical Protestant, and the papist, and their differences, and better acquainting the ignorant of the same difference, especially what a Puritan and what a papist is / by Richard Baxter ...Naked popery, or, The naked falshood of a book called The Catholick naked truth, or, The Puritan convert to apostolical Christianity, written by W.H. opening their fundamental errour of unwritten tradition, and their unjust description of the Puritans, the prelatical Protestant, and the papist, and their differences, and better acquainting the ignorant of the same difference, especially what a Puritan and what a papist is / by Richard Baxter ...
Author: Richard Baxter 1615–1691
Place: London
Bookseller: N. Simmons
Year: 1677
Size: 196, [8] p.
Words: 60,859
Catalogue: Wing B1315 · ESTC R13884
Text: EEBO-TCP A26962

Passages: 699
Sections: 22

:79p. 33–34

A Non-conformist in Scotland is one thing, in England another thing, as the Impositions are different. Nonconformity twenty years ago, or forty years, was one thing. Non-conformity since 1662. is quite another thing. And Non-conformists differ among themselves: If twenty things be imposed as necessary to the Ministry, he is a Non-conformist who consenteth but to nineteen of them; and so is he that consenteth but to eighteen, or to seventeen, or to sixteen, and so on, as well as he that consenteth to none of them. And that there is so much difference among them is no wonder to them, nor any considerate Man; for they hold Christian Love and Communion with those that agree with them in the foresaid common Principles and Practice of Christianity, (as far as they require not them to sin:) And they are not of a different Religion from every one that fasteth not on Fridays, or Saints Vigils, &c. as you seem to be, nor ⟨p. 34⟩from every one that doth so; nor from every one that thinketh not in every thing as they think, or that prayeth in other words than they; for no two Men in the World should on such Terms be of one Religion: They believe Socrates and Sozomen, who tell us of the great diversity of Rites and Orders in the ancient Churches, which all consisted with the same Religion, Faith, and Love. They abhor the Principle of hating, persecuting, yea and separating from one another for such differences as will unavoidably adhere to the imperfect condition of Christians here on Earth.

A Non-conformist in Scotland is one thing, in England another thing, as the Impositions are different. Nonconformity twenty years ago, or fourty years, was one thing. Non-conformity since 1662. is quite another thing. And Non-conformists differ among themselves: If twenty things be imposed as necessary to the Ministry, he is a Non-conformist who consenteth but to nineteen of them; and so is he that consenteth but to eighteen, or to seventeen, or to sixteen, and so on, as well as he that consenteth to none of them. And that there is so much difference among them is no wonder to them, nor any considerate Man; for they hold Christian Love and Communion with those that agree with them in the foresaid common Principles and Practice of Christianity, (as far as they require not them to sin:) And they are not of a different Religion from every one that fasteth not on Fridays, or Saints Vigils, &c. as you seem to be, nor ⟨p. 34⟩from every one that doth so; nor from every one that thinketh not in every thing as they think, or that prayeth in other words than they; for no two Men in the World should on such Terms be of one Religion: They believe Socrates and Sozomen, who tell us of the great diversity of Rites and Orders in the ancient Churches, which all consisted with the same Religion, Faith, and Love. They abhor the Principle of hating, persecuting, yea and separating from one another for such differences as will unavoidably adhere to the imperfect condition of Christians here on Earth.

:82p. 34–35

There are two things which you say they mistake in: 1. Their Doctrine of Imputed Righteousness, and the Covenant, and not solicitously endeavouring after the acquisition of Virtue, because they trust to the Imputed Righteousness;] your words are too large to recite: You partly here unworthily injure them by ascribing to them the very opinions and words of the Antinomians, whom they have better confuted than ever you did. And as to their Doctrine ⟨p. 35⟩of Imputed Righteousness, even Bellarmine in one sense owneth it: And whether our sense be sound I provoke you to try particularly by your perusal of my own Writings on that Subject, especially a late Treatise of [Justifying Righteousness and Imputation,] and a Treatise called [Catholic Theology:] In which if there be nothing which you dare or can confute, judge whether your mere derision of [Imputative Righteousness] be not delusory: If you dare say, that you trust not to Christs Sacrifice, and meritorious perfect righteousness, as procuring you pardon and life, (Jus ad Impunitatem & Regnum Coelorum,) enjoy your self-confidence while you can. But if you say in this as we, then make public Confession of the injury of your reproach of such Imputed Righteousness, as you trust your salvation upon your self.

There are two things which you say they mistake in: 1. Their Doctrine of Imputed Righteousness, and the Covenant, and not solicitously endeavouring after the acquisition of Virtue, because they trust to the Imputed Righteousness;] your words are too large to recite: You partly here unworthily injure them by ascribing to them the very opinions and words of the Antinomians, whom they have better confuted than ever you did. And as to their Doctrine ⟨p. 35⟩of Imputed Righteousness, even Bellarmine in one sense owneth it: And whether our sense be sound I provoke you to try particularly by your perusal of my own Writings on that Subject, especially a late Treatise of [Justifying Righteousness and Imputation,] and a Treatise called [Catholick Theologie:] In which if there be nothing which you dare or can confute, judge whether your meer derision of [Imputative Righteousness] be not delusory: If you dare say, that you trust not to Christs Sacrifice, and meritorious perfect righteousness, as procuring you pardon and life, (Jus ad Impunitatem & Regnum Coelorum,) enjoy your self-confidence while you can. But if you say in this as we, then make publick Confession of the injury of your reproach of such Imputed Righteousness, as you trust your salvation upon your self.

:88p. 37¶3

3. By the way I would you could impartially consider, if the Puritans be so good men, as you fairly confess them to be, what the reason is that Papists generally are far more fiery against them than against those whom you speak so meanly of as Prelatical Protestants? Remember how your Writer after the London Fire, answered by Dr. Lloyd, did flatter these as more suitable to the Papists genius in comparison of the Puritans: And the Unmasker against J. Corbet will tell you out of Watson (an honourable Witness hanged for Treason in Cobham's, &c. Conspiracy) how bad the Puritans are, (comparing them with the Jesuits:) And if your Laws took place in England, what abundance of these Puritans would you make Bonfires of? yea your own Relations were not like to scape you. They have told me to my face, how quickly they would otherwise silence me than the Prelates do, if I were in their power. And the Decrees De Haereticis comburendis & exterminandis more fully tell it us. Yea, whence is it, that most certain experience proveth it, that by how much the nearer any Protestants genius is to the Papists, by so much the more bloody, cruel, malicious, or slanderous and unmerciful he is to the Puritans?

3. By the way I would you could impartially consider, if the Puritans be so good men, as you fairly confess them to be, what the reason is that Papists generally are far more fiery against them than against those whom you speak so meanly of as Prelatical Protestants? Remember how your Writer after the London Fire, answered by Dr. Lloid, did flatter these as more suitable to the Papists genius in comparison of the Puritans: And the Unmasker against J. Corbet will tell you out of Watson (an honourable Witness hanged for Treason in Cobham's, &c. Conspiracy) how bad the Puritans are, (comparing them with the Jesuites:) And if your Laws took place in England, what abundance of these Puritans would you make Bonfires of? yea your own Relations were not like to scape you. They have told me to my face, how quickly they would otherwise silence me than the Prelates do, if I were in their power. And the Decrees De Haereticis comburendis & exterminandis more fully tell it us. Yea, whence is it, that most certain experience proveth it, that by how much the nearer any Protestants genius is to the Papists, by so much the more bloody, cruel, malicious, or slanderous and unmerciful he is to the Puritanes?