Aphorisms of Justification, To the reader 1
To the Reader.
THe slow progresse of knowledge, and the small addition that each age doth make to the foregoing, both in common Sciences and Divinity, doth seem a wonder to many. Among many others, these foure are no small impediments to this desirable increase.
1. Every ignorant, empty braine (which usually hath the highest esteem of it selfe) hath the liberty of the Presse, whereby (through the common itch that pride exciteth in men, to seeme somebody in the world) the number of bookes is grown so great, that they begin with many to grow contemptible; and a man may bestow a great many yeares to find out the Authors weaknesse, and that his books have nothing in them but common; and so many must be tossed over before we find out those few that are cleare and solid, that much of our lives are spent in the discovery: And yet he is thought to scape well that onelyonly loseth his time and labour and gets no more hurt by them. Some think the truth will not thrive among us, till every man have leave to speak both in Presse and Pulpit that please: God forbid that we should ever see that day! If ten mens voyces be louder then one, then would the noyse of Errour drown the voyce of Truth: Ignorance is usually clamorous and loud, but Truth is modest, though zealous: One Orthodox faithfull Teacher, would scarce be seen or finde room for the crowd of seducers: For the godly, compared with the ungodly, are not neer so few as the men of cleer understanding, in comparison of the ignorant: And they are most forward to speake, that know least.
2. Others there are of much like understanding and ends as the former, who yet take the contrary meanes to obtaine those ends. They know no such way to be the onelyonly men, as magisterially to silence all contradictors: If it were onelyonly for apparent and weighty truths, I should commend their zeale: But the mischiefe is, that they will bee Creed-makers themselves, or put their Commentaries into the Text, or so conjoyne them, as the Rhemists, that the Text may not walk in the day-light alone: And so the Creed of many, who have a quicke and easie faith is swelled as big almost as Aquinas Summes. If one of the Primitive Martyrs were alive among us, and professed but what was in his ancient Creed, hee would scarce be taken by many for a Christian. I am not all so narrow in my Creed, as Doctor Taylor urgeth: but I have observed more of this sort of men contemne his arguments, then are able to answer them. These men themselves beleeve so much (fide humana) that they know but little; and yet they would have no body know more then they, or no body speake that saith not as they. They would have nothing said but what is said already; and then it is better (in print) say nothing. They think it a reproach to change our opinions, or hold them with reserves: Pudet haec opprobria nobis, &c. But O that these men could tell us how to remedy it! To cry down that ignorance which dwelleth in me, is more to the credit of Knowledge then of me. But these men are like many superficiall Schollars, who when they have spent many yeares in the Vniversities, have no way to prove themselves proficients, but to extoll Learning, and cry down the unlearned, that so they may cast the suspition from themselves upon others: Even so doe these in crying down errours. I know this small Tract will not rellish well with these mens pallats, neither is it ambitious of their favour, or yet so quarrelsome as purposely to provoke them; though some words may not be cut meet to their conceits. As I abhorre the project of Iulian to destroy the Christian Faith, by giving all Sects a liberty of contending; so am I loath that any such monster should be produced by nature who should be a professed enemy to the advancement of Reason; or should presume to bound that sea of Knowledge which God hath promised shall cover the earth; and to say, hitherto shalt thou go, and no further: For my part, I must say as Burgersdicius in praefat. ad secundam edit. Logic. foreign Vis enim humanae mentis ita circumscripta est, ut omnia non videat omni tempore; & quae ante a probavit, post accuratius examen iterum improbet, rejiciatque. Hoc adeo reipsa comperio saepius in studiis meditationibusque meis, ut quae olim mihi visa sunt certissima & quasi ex tripode pronunciata, ea melioribus rationibus motus deprehendam, admodum esse a veritate aliena. And sure Divinity hath as great depths as Philosophy; especially where it is interwoven with it▪ And to them that will certifie me in my mistakes, I must say as Aristotle to his Physitian when he prescribed him the meanes of his cure (referente Aeliano, lib. 9. de var. Hist.) Ne, inquit, me cures velut bubulcum, velut fossorem, fed prius causam edissere, sic enim facili persuasione me morigerum reddideris. Crudelissima enim est (inquit Ritschel) & infanissima tyrannis, cum quis alios, ut à se dictis assurgant, cogere vult, nulla dictorum evidentia allata.
3. But the greatest enemy to knowledge of all, is mens studying onelyonly names and words, in stead of things. Both in Sciences and Divinity this hath debased mens understandings. Men get all the termes of Art, and Theologicall definitions, Distinctions, Axiomes, &c. at their fingers end; but to study the nature of the things themselves, they are utterly carelesse. Their learning lyeth more in their memory, than in their reason and judgement: There you may finde perhaps a large Nomenclature, or a Farrago Notionum secundarum, sed ferè sine primis. They have learned (as Parrots) to speak the same words which their Tutors and Authors have put into their mouthes; but put them out of their beaten road, and they are at a stand: These men may with industry make good Linguists or Historians▪ or perhaps be able to muster an Army without their Roles: But for Philosophy and Divinity, they have little more then the Carriers horse when he hath a Library on his back. As learned Thomas White saith, in Dialog de mundo, pag. 370▪ Doctorum duae sunt Classes, Alii enim cruditi sunt quasi memoria tenus docti; alii veritatum pensitatores. Duo itaque ad authoritatem petuntur, ut & artis peritus sit, & ex eorum numero penes quos depositum est scientiae Tribunal. What I would say to these men, they may read (if they will bestow the labour) in Ritschell's Preface to his late Contemplationes Metaphysicae.
And (which is the killing effect of this venome) these Preachers usually teach their people a Christianity suitable to their owne Theologie, which consisteth in repeating certaine words, and formes, and using certain ceremonious actions, and then they are as good Christians as they themselves are Divines.
4. And yet were there no miscarriage in our studies, Knowledge could not make that happy progresse which some expect: For it is not in studies as it is in Manufactures, that one man may begin where another left; but every man must fetch it from the very principles himselfe: Neither can we take the words of those that have studied it before us; for that is neither a sound, nor satisfactory knowledge: whence it comes to passe, (saith Pemble Vind. Grat. p. 168.) that while wee are busie in examining our forefathers inventions, and posterity imployed in trying our examinations, neither we nor they have much time to adde any thing for the increase of Learned Knowledge: Whence you may guesse at one cause, why many Sciences, for some thousands of yeares have kept one pitch, and not growne above that dwarfish stature that they had in their infant invention: and also what the reason is that many that read most, prove not the deepest Schollers; for no greater impediment to exact Learning then to make use of other mens understandings, and neglect our owne.
I speak not this, as if I had overcome these impediments any more then others; but because I have perhaps more beene hindred by them, and so take my selfe bound to warne thee of the pit that I have falne in: And with all to let thee know, that if godly men themselves while they lye in these snares, shall oppose any truth in this Tract, it is no wonder, but a thing to be expected.
To give thee the History of the conception and nativity of these Aphorismes, & the reason why I trouble the world with more Bookes, which I blame in others; understand, that this is but an Appendix to another Treatise going to the Presse on a more excellent Subject: Also, that having occasion therein to touch upon▪ Matth. 25. 35. I was desired to explaine in what sence it is, that Christ giveth the reason of his sentence in judgement from mens works: In answer hereto (and to cleare some other incident doubts of the like nature) I wrote these Positions or Aphorismes? which when some had got, they complained of obscure brevity, and desired some fuller explication; which when I had done, that which before was but two or three leaves, annexed as an Appendix to the fore-mentioned Treatise, did swell to this bignesse, that I was faine to let it goe alone. Could I have got Copies enow for my owne friends, whom I am bound to instruct, other men had not beene like to have been troubled with it; If thou please, thou mayest let it passe without thine observation: If otherwise, it is so small, that it will take up but little of thy time to read it, nor adde much to the common burden. Some few passages here are which I am not so cleare and confident in my selfe; As the nature of the Death threatned in the first Covenant; The necessity of the punctuall performance or execution of all threatnings; The interest of Christs Active Obedience to those Laws which did binde men in innocency, in the work of satisfaction, as conjoyned with his Passive Obedience to make up the same price. But as these are but few, so I am not utterly at a losse concerning them, but seeme to discerne a strong probability of what I have written therein,
For you, my Friends, whom Christ hath committed to my Teaching and Oversight, as to an unworthy Vsher under him in his Schoole, and Steward in his House, and of his Mysteries; I publish this for your sakes and use:
1. Because I have still thought that points controverted are better written than preached, and read than heard; especially, where the greatest part of the Auditory is uncapable of understanding them.
2. Yet is this Doctrine of so great concernment, and so neer the Foundation, that of all the controversies agitated in the Church, there's few that doe better deserve your study, and few that I am so loath you should be ignorant of. It is my exceeding joy, that God hath kept you in his distracted age, from doting about questions that engender strife, and hath given you to cleave to the most fundamentall, undoubted, and practicall Truths, and to spend your time in practice, and peace, and promoting the salvation of the ignorant about you, when others are taken up in censuring their brethren, renting the Church, opposing the truth, or wrangling about lesser things; which are quite above their understandings. Hold on this way; and if you have not in it more Communion with Christ, more growth in Grace, and on your Death-beds a more comfortable review of your lives, and at last a better reckoning made thereof, then the other, then say, I have deceived you. Yet, as I would have you neglect no truth, so especially what time …ou can spare for controversie, let it chiefely be spent upon these that are so weighty. Be ashamed that men sh…uld heare you disputing about Circumstanti…lls of Discipline, Baptisme, Supper, &c. before you know how to bee justified before GOD, or understand the Doctrine of the Covenants, Redemption, Faith, Obedience, &c,
3. The Bookes that are written of justification are many, and some great, which I knew you had not time to read; and if you did, perhaps would lose much of your labour, as I have done: Therefore I desired to set the most necessary part before you in a narrower compasse. I never intended the full handling of the Doctrine of justification, these Apherismes being but for the Answering of a particular Question: Especially what is in Master Bradshaw I omit, because I expect that you will read and study him, the Book being so small, and of such singular worth, containing as much as the greatest Volumes. In some places I have omitted the proofe of my Assertions, partly because they seemed plaine, or to be the evident consectaries of former Positions; partly for brev…ty, and partly because it is for your use, to whom I am (yet) at hand to cleare what you doubt of; and who, I hope, doe understand, that to take upon trust from your Teachers what you cannot yet reach to see in its owne evidence, is lesse absurd, and more necessary than many doe imagine. Moreover, knowing, that I must shortly put off this Tabernacle, and be taken from you, I thought good to use this endeavour, that you may bee able after my departure, to have these things in your understandings and remembrance (2 Pet. 1. 14. 15.) And while I am in this flesh, I shall not cease to admonish you, and pray on your behalfe, that you may beware lest yee also being led away with the errour of the wicked, fall from your owne stedfastnesse; but may grow in Grace, and in the Knowledge of our LORD and SAVIOVR, JESUS CHRIST: Nor shall I desire any greater Honour or Advancement on this Earth, than with Abilitie, Sinceritie, and Successe, to be.
A Servant of Christ, in the work of your Salvation, RI. BAXTER. Kederminster. Novemb. 17. 1648.