A Defense of the Principles of Love, Part 2 · Exception 24

A Defense of the Principles of Love · Part 2 · Exception 24

p. 87EXCEPT. XXIV. p. 14. [He hath found out a new Cause of Separation, and such as we doubt not the Pope will thank him for, when he saies, [Almost all our contentions and divisions, are caused by the ignorance and injudiciousness of Christians;] For it is evident that our contentions at this day, are principally, if not wholly caused, by the pride, impertinencie and tyranny of imposers; which guilt Mr. Baxter would ease them of, by charging it on the ignorance and injudiciousness of Christians.]

Answ. These last words are your 17th. 17 Untruth.Untruth; 1. Where have I said a word to ease them of it? May not two persons orOf flattering Christians. parties be both guilty of Division? Yea, if one were guilty [wholly] that is, of the whole, yet he may not be guilty solely, and no one with him.

2. Have you or any of your party, done so much to have stopt that cause of divisions which you accuse, as I have done? And did I ever change my mind?

3. O that God would make you know what spirit you are of, and what you are doing! Alas, brother, will you leave England no hope of a Cure? What hope, while we are impenitent? What Repentance, while we justifie our sins? Yea, while the Preachers teach the people to justifie them,Whether any … be … ignorant, and injudicious. and become the defenders of the sins which they should preach against; and fight against their brethren that do but call m…n to … p…nt: p. 88What! is Godliness up, and in honour among us, while Repentance is down, as an intolerable abhorred thing! What a Godliness is that, which abhorreth Repentance? I am offended greatly with my own heart, that melteth not into tears over such lines as th…se, for England's sake▪ and for Religions sake; For the honour of God, and for the souls of men. Is that [a new Cause of separation] which hath been the Cause since the daies of the Apostles to this day? Did ever man read the histories of the Schismes and Heresies of the Churches, and not find out this Cause, this old, this ordinary Cause? If you had remembred but what Socrates and Sozomene say of the Church of Alexandria alone, what contentions, what tumults, what blood-shed these weaknesses and faults of Christians caused, it might have told you, it is no new thing. O lamentable case of miserable England, that even among the zealouser sort of Ministers, any should be found, that either vindicateth all Christians from the charge of Ignorance and Injudiciousness! Or that thinketh these are no Causes, or no culpabie Causes of divisions! That have no more acquaintance with the people of this land! And know no better them that they plead for! That such should seek to flatter poor souls in despite of that open light, and undeniable … of all the Christian World! That in an age when the weaknesses and faults of Christians have wrought p. 89such heinous effects among us, they should be denied! And when God by judgements hath so terribly summoned us to repent, by silencing, dissipations, imprisonments, reproaches, and most dreadful plagues and flames; alas, shall we call to professors that have ruined us by Ignorance and Injudiciousness (the gentlest names that their sin will bear) and say, Repent not Christians, you are not ignorant or injudicious; It is not you that are the causes of our divisions and calamities, Our Contentions at this day are principally, if not wholly caused by the pride, impertinency, and tyranny of the Imposers.

Believe not, Christians, that you are innocent; Believe not that you are not ignorant and injudicious as you love your souls, and as you love the land: If once God deliver us up to Antichristian darkness and cruelties, it will be cold comfort to you, to think, that you once were flattered into impenitency, and made believe that you were not the Cause.

But that our hearts may yet more relent in this sad condition of the seduced, let us hear the following words.

Besides, (saith he) we cannot understand the meaning of such phrases as [dull Christians, Ignorant and injudicious Christians;] For whoever are Christians indeed have received an anointing, by which they know all things, 1 Joh. 2. 20. 27. And should not have such vile Epithets affixed to them, which only …nd to expose even Christianity it self, as if it did p. 90not cure those that sincerely imbraced it, of their Ignorance and Injudiciousness.

Answ. It is no disgrace to Christianity, that it is set off by the presence of Ignorance and Injudiciousness; As sickness maketh us know the worth of health. Nor is it long of life or health, that doleful diseases remain yet uncured; For were it not for them, instead of diseases there would be death. It is Godliness and Christianity which bringeth that Light and Health into the World that is in it; And men are not ignorant and bad because they are Christians and Religious, but because they are not better Christians, and more Religious. Perfect Christianity would make men perfectly judicious. The weakest true Christian exceedeth the Learnedst Ungodly Doctor even in judgement and knowledge; Because he practically and powerfully knoweth, that God is God, and to be preferred in honour, obedience, and love before all the World; and that Christ is Christ, and to be believed in for Justification and Salvation; And that the Holy Spirit is his Advocate and our Quickener, Illuminater and Sanctifier, to be believed and obeyed; and that there is a Life of Happiness to be hoped for, which is better than all the pleasures of sin, and the felicity of worldlings; In a word, they have a real, though imperfect understanding of the Baptismal Covenant, and of the Creed, or Symbole of Christian Faith: And this is a great and noble knowledge, and p. 91Cure of them that were lately ignorant of all these things, and were led Captive …y the Prince of darkness at his will. If the Reader that would see the difference will peruse my small Tractate of Catholick Unity, he may be informed of it.

But yet is there no such thing as Ignorant, See my book of Directions to weak Christians to grow in grace.dull, injudicious Christians, because they know all things; Must we not use such phrases and Epithetes, because Christianity cureth them. Dear brother, I have no mind to make you odious, nor to open your sin to others; But you have opened it to the World, and I must open it to you, if possibly you may repent; But especially I am bound to try to save mens souls from this perilous deceit; And theref… I shall prove to you that there are such … and ignorant and injudicious Christians; And 2. I shall tell you the greatness of your error and sin.

That there are such is proved, 1. By the words of Scripture, Heb. 5. 11, 12, 13, 14. [Seeing yee are dull of hearing: For when for the time yee ought to be teachers, yee have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the Oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat; For every one that useth milk is unskilfull (or unperienced) in the word of Righteousness; for he is a babe: But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

p. 921 Tim. 3. 6. Not a novice, lest being lifted up with Pride, he fall into the condemnation of the Devil. The verb foreign is otherwise by our Translators in the margin turned [besotted.] And Strigelius saith that it signifieth not only puffed up, but one crack'd brain'd and phanatick: And Lyserus saith of the same word, 2 Tim. 3. 4. translated High minded, that it answereth an Hebrew word which signifyeth, to be dark, and not to shine clearly; which Leigh reciteth. See Martinius de Typho.

1. Cor. 3. 1, 2, 3, 4. And I brethren could not speak unto you as unto Spiritual, but as unto Carnal, as unto babes in Christ: I have fed you with milk▪ and not with meat. For hitherto yee w…t able to bear it, neither yet now are yee able: For yee are yet Carnal: For whereas there is among you, envying (the word is, Zeal, that is, emulation) and strife, (or contention [and divisions,] or factions,) are yee not Carnal, and walk as men (or according to man;) For when one saith, I am of Paul, and another I am of Apollo, are yee not Carnal?

Eph. 4. 14. That we henceforth be no more children, tost to and fro, and carried about with every wind by the sleight (or cousenage) of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in wait, to deceive; but speaking the truth in Love may grow up, &c.

Luke 24. 25. O fools and slow of heart to believe, all that the Prophets have spoken.

p. 93Mark 6. 52. They considered not the miracle of the Loaves, for their heart was hardened.

Mark 8. 17. Why reason yee because yee have no bread? Perceive yee not yet, neither understand? Have yee your hearts yet hardened? Having eyes see yee not? And having ears, hear yee not? And do you not remember?

Luke 12. 16. These things understood not his Disciples at the first.

Luke 18. 32, 33, 34. They shall scourge him, and put him to death, and the third day he shall rise again: And they understood none of these things; and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

1 Cor. 8. 2. 7. 10. If any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know,—Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: but some with Conscience of the Idol unto this hour, eat it as a thing offered to an Idol, and their Conscience being weak is defiled. Shall not the Conscience of him that is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to Idols.

See Rom. 14 and 15. Gal. 6. 1. 1 Cor. 9. 22. Gal. 3 and 4. throughout. Col. 2. 21, 22, &c. Heb. 13. 9. 1 Tim. 1. 3. Should I recite all such Epithetes, convictions, and reproofs in Scripture it would be tedious.

2. The thing is further proved by the common experience of mankind, which it p. 94amazeth me to think a man that liveth among men in the world, awake and in his senses, can be ignorant of? Enemies know it: Friends know it; not only that there are Ignorant and Injudicious Christians, but that the far greatest part are such though not in a damning, yet in a sad and troublesome degree! And that the far greatest part of those that we hope are truly godly, remain so lamentably ignorant of abundance of things, that should be known, and continue in such an infancy of understanding, as is a great advantage to the Tempter, and many waies calamitous to themselves, and to the Church: It is the lamentation of all experienced Ministers. Alas, how ignorant even honest people remain; And how slowly they come on in knowledge?

3. If God have made it one half the work of the Pastors of the Churches, to labour all their daies to heal the Ignorance of good people, then, such Ignorant ones there are: But the antecedent is plain in Scripture; and believed by most Ministers, as their daily Sermons tell you.

4. Do not the multitudes of Sects and Errors, and Contentions that have torn the Church from the Apostles daies till now prove it? Were all those in the Catalogues of Epiphanius, Augustine, Philastrius, &c. Certainly graceless? Or were none of them Ignorant and Injudicious?

And though Church-tyranny be a grand p. 95Divider, that this was not the only Cause, two instances prove to the great disgrace of this assertion of his. First, the instance of the said sects of Christians, for the first 300 or 400 years, when there were no such Impositions. Secondly, our late twenty years (or neer) contentions and divisions, and numerous parties, when there were little or no impositions. Was it impositions or tyranny that bred sects in the Armies, and in England and Ireland in the daies of liberty?

5. And is it not sufficient proof to England, that there are weak, ignorant, injudicious Christians, when the ruines of twenty years experience overwhelmeth us, and when so many years unreconcilable differences prove i? And when we have so many sects and differences to this day: What all these differences, these wars, these disputings, these censurings, divisions and confusions, and yet no Ignorant Injudioious Christians? O what will pass for proof with them that will not take such experience for proof?

6. And what say you by all the Greek, the Abassine, Armenian, Nestorian, Iacobite, &c. Christians, that are alas, in National general Ignorance: Which will you affirm, Brother; That all these Nations are damnable Infidels, or no Christians? Or that there are no Ignorant Christians among them?

7. And what say you by all the Contentions of Lutherans and Calvinists, Arminians p. 96and Antiarminians, the troubles of Germany by Muntzer and his Anabaptists, and those at Munster, and those in Holland, and many other Countreys.

8. And what say you by all the books now extant (Dr. Crispes, Mr. Saltmarshes, Cop's, Mr. Cradocks, Mr. Dels, Mr. Dens, Mr. Randalls, Iacob Behmens, and all the Germane Prophets, Andr. Osiander, Swenkfieldius, &c.) Is there no Christianity? or no ignorance and injudiciousness apparent in them? Besides all the writings of Episenpal, Presbyterian, Independents, Separatists, Anabaptists, &c. against one another.

9. Do you not think your self, that multitudes of Conformists, yea Ministers are Ignorant and Injudicious? Sure you do; And can you judge them all to be no Christians?

10. Do you not think that I am Ignorant and Injudicious? If not, you must not only think that I am no Christian, but also extreamly maliciously wicked. But if you do so think of me, can you think so of all the non-Conformable Ministers of my judgement. I am sure if you believe your self, and as you write; Ignorance is the easiest charge we can expect from you.

11. And will you put sorth such a book as your own to the World, and when you have done deny the Ignorance and Injudiciousness of all Christians? This is all one as to swear that there is never a swearer among Christians.

p. 9712. I appeal to the common Charges of Ministers in their Sermons and books, who charge weak Christians with dulness, ignorance, and injudiciousness.

13. I appeal to the experience of all Masters of Families, whether they meet with no such Christians there? Yea, how hard it is to meet with better?

14. I appeal to the experience of every self-knowing Christian, whether he find not abundance of dulness, ignorance and injudiciousness in himself?

15. I appeal to the prayers of almost all Christians, whether they charge not themselves with this to God?

16. I appeal to almost all the disagreeing disputers of this and every age, whether they charge not one another with it?

17. I appeal to most Parishes in England, whether many of the people charge not their Ministers themselves with it?

18 I appeal to Universities, Tutors and Schools, whether they know none such?

19. I appeal to any judicious man, whether he find not the judicious even among good Christians; yea, and Ministers to be, alas, too rare?

20. And I appeal to all men that are awake, whether there be no Christian children in the World? And whether all such children are cured of Ignorance and Injudiciousness, and know all things by the anointing of the Spirit? And if all this be no proof, it is time to give over teaching and disputing.

p. 98And now that, if perhaps, you may repent, and others be preserved, I shall tellThe greatness of the sin of thus flattering Christians. you what nature this sinful doctrine and practice is of; 1. It is a cherishing of Pride, which is the first-born of the Devil: Yea of spiritual Pride, even a Pride of mens Knowledge and Iudiciousness, which is worse than Pride of wealth or ornaments.

2. Hereby it resisteth a great work of the Gospel and Spirit of Christ, which consisteth in the humbling of souls, and making them become as little children, conscious of Ignorance, and teachable.

3. It defendeth that sin which all experienced judicious men complain of, as that common calamity of mankind, which is the grand cause of contentions, and errors in the World. Which is, mens thinking that they know what they do not, and overvaluing their own understandings, & thinking that they are wise when it is otherwise.

4. It contradicteth the Holy Ghost, and reproveth his language and reproofs, as I have before shewed. To which I adde 2 Tim. 3. 6, 7. They lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Cor. 15. Where Paul is put to prove the Resurrection; ver. 34. Some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame: ver. 36. Thou fool, that which thou s…west, &c. Hos. 9. 7. The Prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, &c. 1 Cor. 3. 18. Let him become a fool that he p. 99may be wise. If you say that some of these were not true Saints, I answer, 1. Paul calleth the Church of Corinth in general, Saints. 2. Our question is of more than true Saints; even such as may by others (who are no heart-searchers) be called, Christians; whether we may call any [dull, ignorant, or injudicious Christians?]

5. You teach Parents and Masters to neglect and betray the souls of their children and servants, that are Christians: And children and servants, to reject the teaching of Parents and Masters: For if they are not dull, nor ignorant, what need they to be taught or to learn? And at what age do they come to know all things, and to be past the title of Ignorant? Is it at 4, or 5, or 7 years old? Doubtless they may have the spirit then: If not, where is it that you will set the bounds? At what age were you past your ignorance and injudiciousness, and knew all things?

6. You thus make the work of Schoolmasters needless; and also of Tutors and Academies.

7. You encourage and countenance idle Ministers, as to the labours necessary to Christians: If there be no dull nor ignorant Christians, they are not so blame-worthy as we have made them.

8. You excuse those that unjustly hinder Christs Ministers to preach to Christians, in any part of the World: If there be no ignorant Christians, Preachers are not so necessary, p. 100nor silencing them so bad a thing as we have made it.

9. You encourage the contemners of the Preaching of Gods word, who say, what need we go to hear, we know as much as they can tell us.

10. You contradict the Sermons of almost all Ministers, as if they abused Christianity, and belyed the people, when they reprove their ignorance and dulness.

11. You encourage the bold invaders of the Ministry, who thinking that they know all things, and are not ignorant, do turn Teachers of others, before they have learned themselves.

12. You encourage the disputing, contentious wrangling, and insolent spirit that is abroad, which maketh men tear and divide the Church, by confidence in their several opinions; while all of them may think that they are not ignorant nor injudicious.

13. You seek to keep Christs Disciples in continual Ignorance, while you would make them believe that they are not Ignorant, and so keep them out of a learning way, which is a Disciples state.

14. You condemn your own practice, who preach to those that you judge your self to be Christians; For what need they your teaching (as to their understandings) if they are not Ignorant, but know all things?

15. You countenance the Q…akers and Papists in their doctrine of Perfection: Yea you go far beyond them, inasmuch as they p. 101ascribe perfection but to a few.

16. You justifie all the Errors of the times, which Christians hold, and teach them to say, we are Christians, therefore we erre not, for we are not ignorant.

17. You justifie Contradictions: For if ten men be of ten several contrary minds, e. g. about the exposition of a Text, it is but one of them that can be right; And yet you teach them all to think that they are right.

18. You do this against the full light and experience of an age of Errors, yea of almost all ages of the Church.

19. You shew your self insensible of the sinful ignorance and divisions, and ruines thereby procured, these twenty years.

20. You teach all those that are or have been guilty, to be impenitent.

21. You do this in an age, when dreadful judgements, which have begun at the house of God, do call his houshold most loudly to Repent, and to be an example of penitence to others.

22. Should you prevail thus to keep Christians in impenitence, you would keep us in our calamities, and turn away the peace and deliverance which we hope and pray for, and be the prognostick of our continued woe, if not of the undoing of the land, and an utter forsaking.

23. You teach Christians in prayer not to confess their dulness or ignorance, and make them speak falsly that do consess it.

p. 10224. You vilifie all those means which God hath instituted to cure his peoples ignorance, as a needless thing, if it be cured in all already; As reading, hearing, meditating, conference, &c.

25. You cross the use of all the World, even the works of Creation and Providence, so far as they are Gods means to teach Christians knowledge, and cure their ignorance.

26. You teach men to lose the most of their lives, as to growth in knowledge, when they must believe that they are cured of their ignorance as soon as they are Christians, and know all things perhaps at seven years old.

27. You teach almost all Christians to despair of their sincerity, and to deny themselves to be Christians. For when you have taught them that [whoever are Christians indeed, have received the anointing by which they know all things, and are cured of their ignorance and injudiciousness, & are not to be called dull, or ignorant, or injudicious Christians.] They will quickly assume [But it is not thus with me, I am dull and ignorant, &c. therefore I am not a Christian indeed.]

28. You almost if not wholly deny and un-Church Christs Church on earth, while you deny all to be Christians indeed that are ignorant, injudicious, dull, and know not all things.

29. By cherishing the pride and ignorance of Christians, you cherish all their other p. 103sins, which these two are the common parents of.

30. You make us hereby seem a tender and a factious people, that see motes in the eyes of others, but not beams in our own▪ who can aggravate the sins of others, yea, the publick worship into Idolatry it self; But when we come to our party, we take it for a reproach to Christianity, to be called dull, or ignorant, or injudicious.

31. You shew by this that your censure of the Conformists is so high, as to make them all to be no Christians indeed. For you cannot think that an Idolater is not Ignorant and Injudicious: and so no Christian with you. But he that wrote Mr. Bolton's life, thought otherwise.

32. You abuse the Scripture, 1 Ioh. 2. 20. 27. to countenance all this; As the Quakers do [He that is born of God sinneth not.] Calvin truly noteth that by [knowing all things, he meaneth not universally; sed ad praesentis loci circumstantiam restringi debet;] It is, the All things which the apostates there reproved did deny. As the Prophet saith, They shall not need to teach one another saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know him:—And yet they might have need to teach one another an hundred other truths, though they all knew the true God from Idols. So here to know all things, is to be knowing persons, in comparison of the infidels and apostates; (which, saith Calvin, he speaketh to procure a fair audience with them:) As if he should p. 104say, [I speak not to you as so rude and ignorant persons that know not these great things which these apostates deny.] Dr. Hammond thinketh that it meaneth, that the Holy Ghost by which you are anointed, or preferred before others, is a certain proof or evidence to you, of the Truth of all the doctrine which Christ taught, and therefore you cannot forsake him by the seducement of these apostates. Beza …aith, Atqui cogn… scimus omnes ex parte, 1 Cor. 13. 9. Est igitur Hyperbole, qua significat Apostolus, se nihil afferre quod illi jam antea non intellexerint, quos ipse commonefaciat potius quam doceat, ut loquitur etiam ipse Dominus, Jer. 31. 34. Vel quod etiam simplicius est, omnia intelligit necessaria agnoscendis Anti-Christis, & …avendis illorum insidiis: And to that purpose the English Anotations.

But further I grant, that all Christians have that spirit which teacheth them all things needful to Salvation. But how? Not in the first moment. Nor without their pains and patience in learning: But in blessing them by degrees in the use of those means, which they must continue learning by, while they live; which notwithstanding, most are long dull and ignorant, and injudicious, though not in comparison of unbelievers.

But what if the Text had meant properly [yee know all things;] Do you prove that this is spoken of all true Christians, and that in all ages? And that it is not partly grounded p. 105on the extraordinary anointing of the spirit, poured out, Act. 2. proper to those primitive times, for the obsignation of the Gospel.

33. It's a heinous sin to be a flatterer of mens souls! And to sowe pillows under mens elbows, and to call evil good, and to sooth multitudes up in their Ignorance, and tell them, It is not an Epithete fit for them.

34. And thus you teach them to oppose and hate a faithfuller sort of Ministers, who will tell them of that which you would draw them to deny.

35. And it is a double sin for a Minister to do this, who is a watch-man for the peoples souls.

36. And yet more, for one that so sharply reprehendeth the faultyness of Conformists, as to separate from them.

37. And to pretend that the consession of our own faults is not only an easing of other mens, but even a meriting of the Pope; As if either the Pope must be in the right, or no Christians must be said to be Church-Dividers by their ignorance; Even in a time when our Divisions so shew themselves, that no one can doubt of them: What is this but to perswade men to be Papists?

38. And what is all this but to expose us to the scorn of all that are inclined to scorn us. To teach them to look on us as they do on the Quakers, as a proud, distracted p. 106sort of people, that will make the World believe that none of us are ignorant,How sad is it to read in Ho… nius, Salmasius and others abroad, such horrid descriptions of the English sects and scandals? Though the Actors were not so many as some of them thought. injudicious, or dividers, against such notorious publick evidence: Yea, to harden them that have voluminously reproached the non-Conformists, and to engage your self to justifie all the ignorant, injudicious sayings that they are charged with; or else to prove that the speakers were no Christians.

39. And this you do in the very day of our scandals and reproach, where thousands are already hardened into a distaste of serious Religion, by our former divisions and injudicious miscarriages; As if you would thrust these miserable souls yet deeper into Infidelity and Atheism. And when the scandal of our divisions hath turned many (and some old professors of Religiousness) unto Popery; you take the course to turn off more.

40. Yea, by making us thus odious, you do very much to increase the distaste and displeasure of our Afflicters, and to bring more sufferings upon us, as a people that are Phanaticks indeed: Even while you make Proud imposition and persecution the cause of our divisions. And when the world knoweth, not only that in the first 300 years of the Church, there were swarms of heresies and sects, and also after Luther's reformation, and among us in Armies, Cities, and Countrey for about 20 years, even to our own confusion; yet would you tempt them p. 107to take us for a people not to be believed, by seeming to deny all this. And when I proved to you, that it is Gods way after our misdoings, to take the shame to our selves, that it may not fall on our Religion; and the Devils way to justifie the misdoings of Christians, that Christianity and Religion may bear the blame; you give no confutation of any of this, and yet go on to wrong the truth, by defending that which is not to be defended; If there be none of all this that in your eyes is matter fit for your Repentance, I still pray that you may better know what manner of spirit you are of.

Yet I wish you to observe, that I do not say, that in terms you assert all these ill consequences; nor do I think that you so practically hold them, as not in some measure to hold the contraries of them; I take you not to be so bad: But I only advise both you and others, to own no more the opinions which infer such things, nor to do that which tends to cherish them.

And I here protest to all that shall take the occasion of your paper, to asperse the Protestants, or the non-Conformists in general, that they will be inhumanely disingenuous in so doing, when none but the guilty should be accused.