An End of Doctrinal Controversies, Title page – Preface
An END of Doctrinal CONTROVERSIES Which have Lately Troubled the Churches BY Reconciling Explication, WITHOUT MUCH DISPUTING.
Written by RICHARD BAXTER,
Psal. 120. 6, 7.
My Soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth Peace: I am for Peace; but when I speak, they are for War.
Luke 9. 46, 49, 50, 54, 55.
There arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest, &c.
LONDON, Printed for Iohn Salusbury at the Rising SUN in Cornhil, M. DC. XCI.
THE PREFACE.
WARS are most dreaded and hated by the Country where they are; but not so much by the Souldiers, who by them seek their Prey and Glory, as by the suffering Inhabitants that lose thereby their Prosperity and Peace, who yet are forced, or drawn to be siders, lest they suffer for Neutrality.
Religious (irreligious) Wars are of no less dismal Consequence, being about God himself, his Will, and Word, and that which more nearly toucheth our Souls and everlasting state, than our Houses and worldly Welfare does: And yet because Men are more sensible of their corporal than their spiritual Concerns, these Dogmatical Wars are far less feared, and too commonly made the Study, and Delight, not only of the Military Clergy, but also of the seduced and sequacious Laity: Though those that have the Wisdom from above, which is pure and peaceable, condole the Church's Calamity hereby; knowing that Envy and Strife, the earthly sensual and devilish Wisdom, causeth Confusion, and every evil Work: And it is a heinous Aggravation, that the Militants, being Men consecrated to Love and Peace, profanely father their Mischiefs upon God, and do all as for Religion and Church.
Having these four and forty Years at least, been deeply sensible of this Sin, Danger, and Misery of Christians, I have preach'd much, and written more against it: To confute those Extreams which cause Divisions, and to reconcile those that think they differ where they do not; sometime also using importunate Petitions and Pleas for Peace, to those that have power to give it, or promote it, and that use either Word or Sword against it. And with the Sons of Peace it hath not been in vain: But with those that are engaged in Faction and malicious strife, I am proclaimed to be the militant Enemy of Concord, for perswading them to Concord, and writing many Books for Peace and Love, is taken for writing them against these. Controversies I have written of, but only to end them, and not to make them: And who can reconcile them that never mentioneth them? or arbitrate in a Cause unheard and not opened?
But, Readers, I must tell you, that my title An End of Doctrinal Controversies] is …ot intended as prognostick, but as ded…ctical …nd directive. I am far from expecting an end …f Controversies, while consecrated Ignorance is …y worldly Interest, Faction, and Malice, mix…d with Pride sublimated to an envious Zeael (Jam. 3. 15, 16.) and hath set up a Trade of slandering all those that are true Peace-ma…ers, and concur not with them to destroy it, on …retence of defending it, by their impossible per…icious terms. He that will now be taken for a Peace-maker, must be content to be so called by a few, even by the Sect that he chuseth to please, and be contrarily judged of by all the rest. And this satisfieth some, because their Faction seemeth better than others, be they never so few; and others, because their Faction is great, or rich, or uppermost, how noxious and unpeaceable soever: For vespae habent favos, saith Tertullian, & Marcionitae Ecclesias: We could wish the Bees seldom used their stings, for it is their Death; but those of Wasps and Hornets, that make no Honey, are less sufferable.
It is partly for unprejudiced Students that I write, and partly for the times to come, when the Fruits of malignant Faction and Wars, have disgraced them, and made the world a weary of them.
I am blamed by Dissenters, as coming too near by Conciliatory Explications, to some things which they call dangerous Points of Popery, Arminianism and Prelacy; but whether it be by Truth or by Error, I leave to trial: Sure our English Universities and Canonists are not like to receive any hurt by it, who will not read a Book that they see my Name to, though the Doctrine would never so much gratifie them. And others (at home and Foreigners) are satisfied by Knowledge and Prepossession against such seeming Danger.
The great blemish of this, and other of my Writings is, That I say oft the same thing which I have said before. Much of this Book is in my Catholick Theology, and my Meth. Theol. and my Treatise of Iustifying Righteousness. But, 1. Forgetfulness in Old Men that have written so much, is no wonder. 2. But it sheweth that I have not forgotten the Matter, nor take it up suddenly and superficially, which I so oft repeat. 3. And there may be great use for such Repetitions, when it is for clearer Method, or for epitomizing larger Writings, which many cannot, or will not read; but those that can, may have the benefit of more Explicatory Copiousness. If it profit the Reader, I am not sollicitous for the Reputation of the Writer.
You will find here one Chapter answering Exceptions about Futurity; concerning which you must know, that my Catholick Theology was so bold and large an attempt to reconcile the Calvinist, and Lutheran or Arminian, and the Dominican and Jesuit, &c. that I lookt to have been sharply assaulted for it by many: But after many Years expectation I have heard of nothing written or spoken against it, save one MS. Paper of Objections about the Cause of Futurity, and Physical Predetermination to sin, by Mr. Polhill a Councellor, a Man of extraordinary Knowledge, and Godliness, (now enjoying the Fruit of it with Christ; O Blessed England, if its Rulers, Senators and Lawyers, yea, or Bishops and Teachers, were all such men) having many Years past sent him my Answer, (and having no Reply) as to the question, I refused to answer the second, having said so much to it in my Methodus Theol. and lest the quality of the Subject should make my Reply seem sharp to so good a man: And I thought it meet to publish this, because it is an unusual Dispute; and as no one else hath called me to it, so I know not where the Reader that differeth from me, will find so much for him; nor whither to refer him for an Answer. I publish not Mr. Polhill's Paper, because I recite so much of it as may tell the Reader what it was; and I must not swell the Book too much.
The Glorious Light will soon end all our Controversies, and reconcile those that by unfeigned Faith and Love are united in the Prince of Peace, our Head, by love dwelling in God, and God in them: But falsehearted, malignant, carnal Worldlings that live in the fire of wrath and strife, will find (so dying) the woful maturity of their Enmity to holy Unity, Love, and Peace; and the causeless shutting the true Servants of Christ out of their Churches, which should be the Porch of Heaven, is the way to be shut out themselves of the heavenly Jerusalem.
If those that have long reproached me as unfit to be in their Church (and said, ex uno disce omnes, with their Leader) find any unsound or unprofitable Doctrine here, I shall take it for a great favour to be confuted, even for the good of others excluded with me, when I am dead.
Jan. 21. 1691. Richard Baxter.