Answer to Dodwell and Sherlock, Chapter 5 · Letter 4
A Copy of the Letter to Mr. Dodwell, March 12. 1681.
SIR,
SInce your Speech with me, I have thought again of what you insisted on, and find it consist of these four Points: 1. Whether I charge you with Popery, or at least, do not vindicate you when so accused. 2. Your reasons against answering Voetius and me. 3. Your desire to know my terms of concord. 4. Your perswading me to give over Preaching. Lest words be mis-understood, or forgotten, I send you my Answer to each of these.
I. I take it to be none of my business, to tell what Religion other men are of, till I am called to it: And then I take my self bound to judg every man what he professeth to be, till I can disprove it. 2. I distinguish the Name (e. g. of Protestant, or Papist) from the Thing. Accordingly, 1. I am sure you deny your self to be a Papist, and I believe you. 2. What you mean by the word, I refer all men that talk of it to your Books, which are fitter to tell your mind than I am, that know no mans heart: Grotius took a Papist to be one that flattered Popes, taking all to be just which they said and did, and not one that consented to all the General Councils. 3. You shall chuse what Name I shall call you by: If it be Protestant, far be it from me to deny it you; But as your Book publisheth your judgment to the world, you will give me leave to tell men what is in it: And to profess my self, that I am no such Protestant, as takes the Church of Rome to be a true Church of uninterrupted succession, which gave our Bishops their Office and Power; and that all the Reformed that have not Diocesan Bishops, are no Churches, no Ministers, have no Sacraments, no pardon of sin, or hope of salvation, by promise, and known ordinary grounds, which the Roman Church hath. Yea, that they sin against the Holy Ghost: Yea, and that this is the case of the Episcopal Protestants, that have not had an uninterrupted succession of Episcopal Ordination; and that the French Protestants were better turn Papists, than to continue such Protestants as they are. I take all this for your judgment: But I vindicate you so far as to say, that you oft contradict your self, and so possibly may yet come off. If you should say, that neither such Protestants, nor Papists, have Sacraments, and part in the Covenant of grace, pardon, and salvation, you would leave so few for Heaven, and so many for Hell, as I will not imagine you to be guilty o….
II. As to the Second, I must tell all, that I take it but for trifling, to call us to answer the same things again, which are answered so long ago, and have no reply from Papists, or any other. And I doubt not, but you know that it is the main charge which the Papists assault the Reformed Churches with, and put their chief trust in, which you also bring against them: And we still believe, that Iansenius did it much stronglier than you; and much more than yours, is by Vo…tius against him fully answered; and your denial moveth us not.
III. To satisfie your Third demand, I remember a small Script, which I published 1659, or 1660, and therewith send it you; by which (with what I read to you) you may conjecture at my terms, specially if you joyn my Preface to Cathol. Theologie, I take it for granted, that it will not satisfie you. But pardon my freedom for saying that, while I perceive your Confidence ordinarily to go quite beyond your Proofs; and while my Principles call me to love more as brethren, than yours do, and engage me not to justifie persecution of men better than my self, I shall think never the worse of them for that.
IV. As to your judgment for my ceasing to Preach, I dare not obey it: I think if I say, these men forbid me, God will not take it for an excuse, after such charges as Scripture layeth down, and such promises as in Ordination I made, and such necessity of souls as I am sure of, and such encouragements as God hath given me. I fear hearing, Thou slothful servant, &c. as much as the guilt of other heinous sins: I have not lived idly; and if I silence my self, I invite God by death to silence me, and judg me, as obeying man against him. I am past doubt, that Satan and my flesh give me the same counsel as you do. I have abundant arguments for my Preaching, which I never heard a …ational answer of, and which such a poor Objection as, Then there will be no Order, will not confute, especially when all the Ministers of England are bound to be Nonconformists, and consequently to …ease Preaching, if I am so bound. And why not next, all Christians to cease hearing, and praying, if so forbidden? If it be only Christs Gospel that I Preach, I cannot but suspect the voice that saith, Give over Preaching. Accept this account of the sense of
Your Friend, Rich. Baxter.