A Key for Catholics, Title page 1 – Dedication
A Key for Catholicks, To open the Jugling of the Jeſuits, and ſatisfie all that are but truly willing to underſtand, whether the Cauſe of the Roman or Reformed Churches be of God; and to leave the Reader utterly unexcuſable that after this will be a Papiſt.
The firſt Part.
Containing ſome Arguments by which the meaneſt may ſee the Vanity of Popery; and 40. Detections of their Fraud; with Directions, and Materials ſufficient for the Confutation of their Voluminous Deceits: particularly refelling Boverius, Richlieu, H. Ts. Manual, ſome Manuſcripts, &c. With ſome Propoſals for a (hopeleſs) Peace.
The Second Part ſheweth (eſpecially againſt the French, and Grotians) that the Catholick Church is not United in any meerly Humane Head, either Pope or Council.
By Richard Baxter a Catholick Chriſtian, and Paſtor of a Church of ſuch at Kederminſter.
LONDON, Printed by R.W. for Nevil Simmons, Bookſeller in Kederminſter, and are to be ſold by him there, and by Thomas Johnſon at the Golden Key in St. Pauls Church-yard, 1659. At 4. s. bound.
To his Highneſs RICHARD Lord Protector OF THE Common-wealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, &c.
SIR,
THeſe Papers preſume to tender you their ſervice, becauſe the Subject of them is ſuch, as it moſt neerly concerneth both us and you that you be well acquainted with. The Roman Canons that batter the Unity, Catholiciſm and Purity of the Church of Chriſt, are mounted on the frame which I have here demoliſhed. The ſwords, and pens, and tongues that you are now engaged againſt, and which you muſt expect from henceforth to aſſault you, are whetted and managed by the ſenſeleſs, tyrannous, ungodly principles, which I have here Detected. As unreaſonable as they appear to the unprejudiced, they are ſuch as have animated the ſtudies and diligent endeavours of thouſands to captivate the Princes and Nations of the Earth to the Roman yoke. As vain as they appear to us that ſee them naked, they are ſuch as have divided and diſtracted the Churches of Chriſt, and troubled and dethroned Princes, and laid them at the feet of the Roman Pope; They have abſolved ſubjects from their Oaths and other obligations to fidelity: They have involved many a Nation in blood: O the ſtreams of the blood of Saints that have been ſhed by theſe Roman Principles, in Savoy, France, Bohemia, Poland, Germany, Ireland, England, and many other Lands! As eaſie a war as here I manage, it is againſt thoſe adverſe Principles that have armed Thouſands and Millions againſt the innocent, or againſt their lawful Soveraigns, whom God had bound them to obey: They have faſtned knives in the breaſts of the greateſt Kings, as the lamentable caſe of Henry the third and fourth of France doth teſtifie: They have in a few days time in Paris, and the adjoyning parts of France, perfidiouſly butchered Nobles and other perſons of eminency, and people of all ſorts, to the number of neer thirty thouſand (as Thuanus reckoneth them, if not forty thouſand, as Davilah.) The Doctrines which I here confound, have invaded England by a Spaniſh Armado, (whether by the Popes conſent, and upon the account of Religion, I have after ſhewed out of their own Writers:) they have prepared knives and poyſon for our Princes, which God did fruſtrate: they have laid Gunpowder to blowup King and Parliament, and helliſhly execute the fury of the deluded zealots in a moment, and then to have charged the Puritans with the fact: They have in a time of Peace, by a ſudden inſurrection, murdered ſo many thouſands in Ireland in a few days or weeks, as poſterity will ſcare believe. They are dreadful Practicals, and not meer ſpeculations that we diſpute againſt. I beſeech you therefore that you receive not this as you would do a Scholaſtick or Philoſophical Diſputation about ſuch things as ſeem not to concern you; but as you would intereſs your ſelf in a Diſputation upon the Queſtion, Whether you ſhould be depoſed or murdered as an Heretick? And whether we ſhould be Tormented and burnt as Hereticks? And whether the lives of all the Princes and People upon earth whom the Pope judgeth Hereticks, ſhould be at his mercy? &c. ſo do in this cauſe. I ſpeak not this to provoke you to deal bloodily with them, as they do with the ſervants of the Lord! I abhor the thoughts of imitating their cruelty! It is only the Neceſſary Defence of your Life, and Dignity, and the Lives of all the Proteſtants that are under your Protection and Government, and the ſouls of men, that I deſire. On what terms we ſtand with thoſe men whoſe Religion teacheth them to kill us if they can; and to venture their lives for it, is eaſie to underſtand. When we have no ſecurity from them for our lives, but their diſability to deſtroy us, we muſt diſable them or die. I utter no melancholy dreams nor ſlanders: I have here ſhewed it in the too plain and cepious Decrees of the approved General Council at Lateran, that the depoſing of Princes, and abſolving their Subjects from their fidelity and giving their Dominions to others, not only for ſuppoſed Hereſie, but for not exterminating ſuch as deny Tranſubſtantiation, &c. is an Article of their Faith; and no man can diſown it, without diſowning Popery in the Eſſentials. If once they will renounce the Decrees of General Councils approved by the Pope, we ſhall be ſoon agreed. Saith Coſterus Enchirid. cap. 1. p. 46. Quae ſanc Decreta ſi veritatem, ſi obſignationem Spiritus Sancti, ſi praeſentiam Chriſti ſpectes, idem habent pondus & momentum quod Sancta Dei Evangelia. They believe theſe Decrees to be as true as the Goſpel. I need not therefore tell you that Bozius Hoſtienſis, and many more of them make the Pope to be the Lord of all the World: Or that Bellarmine and the ſtronger ſide do carry it, as [The common judgement of all Catholick Divines, (ſee what a rabble he heaps up De Pontif. Rom. li. 5. c. 1.) that the Pope, ratione ſpiritualis, habet ſaltem indirectè poteſtatem quandam, eam que ſummam in temporalibus. Which cap. 6. he ſaith, [is juſt ſuch over Princes as the ſoul hath over the body or ſenſitive appetite; and that thus he may change Kingdoms, and take them from one and give to another, as the chief Spiritual Prince, if it be but neceſſary to the ſafety of ſouls.] cap. 78. He gives us his proof of this. And whether the Pope do take your Government to be for the good of ſouls, I need not tell you. It is the ſtupendious judgement of God on Chriſtian Princes for their ſins, that they have been ſo far blinded as to endure ſuch an uſurper ſo long, and have not before this blotted out his name from among the ſons of men. [Non licet, &c. It is not lawful (ſaith Bellarmine ib. c. 7.) for Chriſtians to Tolerate an Infidel, or Heretical King, if he endeavour to draw his Subjects to his Hereſie or unbelief: but to judge whether a King do draw to Hereſie or not, belongeth to the Pope, to whom the care of Religion is committed: therefore it belongs to the Pope to judge a King to be depoſed, or not depoſed.] You ſee here it is not Lawful for ſuch Chriſtians as the Papiſts to Tolerate you: which may help your judgement in the point of their Toleration. Si Chriſtiani (ſaith Bellarib.) olim non depoſuerunt Neronem—Valentem Arianum & ſimiles, id fuit quia deerant vires temporales Chriſtianis.] You have your Government and we our Lives, becauſe the Papiſts are not ſtrong enough. They tell you what to truſt to. Saith Tollet (one of the beſt of the Jeſuites, li 1. de Inſtruct. Sacerd. c. 13.) [They that were bound by the bond of fidelity or Oath, ſhall be freed from ſuch a bond, if he fall into Excommunication: and during that, Debtors are abſolved from the obligation of paying to the Creditor that debt that is contracted by words—] Theſe are no private uneffectual Opinions. Saith Pope Pius the 5th himſelf in his Bull againſt our Queen Elizabeth, [Volumus & mandamus, We will and command that the Subjects take Arms againſt that Heretical and Excommunicate Queen.]
But their crueltie to mens ſouls, and the Church of Chriſt, doth yet much more declare their uncharitableneſs. It is a point of their Religion to believe, that no man can be ſaved but the Subjects of their Pope, as I have after proved, and is to be ſeen in many of their writings, (as Knot, and a late Pamphlet called Queſtions for Reſolution of Unlearned Proteſtants, &c.) and Biſhop Morton hath recited the words of Lindanus, Valentia and Vaſquez. (Apol. lib. 2. c. 1.) [defining is to be of Neceſsity to Salvation to be ſubject to the Roman Biſhop.] And would not a man think that for ſuch horrid doctrines, as damn the far greateſt part of Chriſtians in the world, they ſhould produce at leaſt ſome probable Arguments? But what they have to ſay, I have here faithfully detected. If we will diſpute with them, or turn to them, the Scripture muſt be no further Judge then as their Church expoundeth it: The Judgement of the Ancient, yea or preſent Church, they utterly renounce; for the far greateſt part is known to be againſt the Headſhip of their Pope; and therefore they muſt ſtand by for Hereticks. Tradition it ſelf they dare not ſtand to, except themſelves be Judges of it; for the greateſt part of Chriſtians profeſs that Tradition is againſt the Roman Vice-chriſt. The internal ſenſe and experience of Chriſtians they gainſay; concluding all beſides themſelves to be void of charity or ſaving grace, which many a thouſand holy ſouls do find within them, that never believed in the Pope. Yea when we are content to lay our lives on it, that we will ſhew them the deceit of Popery, as certainly and plainly as Bread is known to be Bread when we ſee it, feel and taſte it, and as Wine is known to be Wine when we ſee and drink it; yet do they refuſe even the judgement of ſenſe, of all mens ſenſes, even their own and others. So that we muſt renounce our honeſty, our Knowledge of our ſelves, our ſenſes, our reaſon, the common experience and ſenſes of all men, the Judgement and Tradition of the far greateſt part of the preſent Church or elſe by the judgement of the Papiſts we muſt all be damned.
Whether ſuch opinions as theſe ſhould by us be uncontradicted, or by you be ſuffered to be taught your Subjects, is eaſie to diſcern. If they had ſtrength, they would little trouble us with Diſputing. Nothing more common in their Writers ſcarce, then that the Sword or Fire is fitter for Hereticks then Diſputes. This is hut their after-game. Though their Church muſt rule Princes, as the ſoul, ruleth the body, yet it muſt be by Secular Power; excommunication doth but give fire: it is Lead and Iron that muſt do the execution. And when they are themſelves diſabled, it is their way to ſtrike us by the hands and ſwords of one another. He that ſaw England, Scatland and Ireland a while ago in blood; and now ſees the lamentable caſe of ſo many Proteſtant Princes and Nations deſtroying one another, and thinks that Papiſts have no hand in contriving, counſelling, inſtigating, or executing, is much a ſtranger to their Principles and Practices.
Obſerving therefore that of all the Sects that we are troubled with, there is none but the Papiſt that diſputeth with us with flames and Gun-Powder, with Armies and Navies at their backs, having ſo many Princes, and ſo great revenews for their proviſion, I have judged it my duty to God and his Church, 1. To Detect the vanity of their cauſe, that their ſhame may appear to all that are impartial; and to do my part of that neceſſary work for which Vell. Paterculus ſo much honoured Cicero (Hiſt. lib. 2. c. 34.) Ne quorum arma viceramus, corum ingenio vinceremur] And 2. To preſent with greateſt earneſtneſs theſe following Requeſts to your Highneſs on the behalf of the cauſe and people of the Lord (wherein the Papiſts alſo ſhall ſee, that it is not their ſuffering, but only our Neceſſary Defence that we deſire.)
1. We earneſtly requeſt that you will Reſolvedly adhere to the cauſe of Truth and Holineſs, and afford the Reformed Churches abroad the utmoſt of your help for their Concord and Defence, and never be tempted to own an Intereſt that croſſeth the Intereſt of Chriſt. How many thouſands are ſtudiouſly contriving the extirpation of the Proteſtant Churches from the Earth? How many Princes are conſederate againſt them? The more will be required of you for their aid. The ſerious endeavours of your Renowned Father for the Proteſtants of Savoy, diſcovered to the world by Mr. Morland in his Letters, &c. hath won him more eſteem in the hearts of many that fear the Lord, then all his victories in themſelves conſidered. We pray that you may inherit a tender care of the cauſe of Chriſt.
2. We humbly requeſt that you will faithfully adhere to thoſe that fear the Lord in your Dominions. In your eyes let a vile perſon be contemned; but honour them that fear the Lord, Pſal. 15. 4. Know not the wicked; but let your eyes be upon the faithfull of the Land, Pſal. 101. 4, 6. Compaſſionate the weak and curable, Puniſh the uncurable; reſtrain the froward; but Love and cheriſh the ſervants of the Lord. They are under Chriſt the honour and the ſtrength of the Commonwealth; It was a wiſe and happy King that profeſſed that his Good ſhould extend to the Saints on earth, and the excellent in whom was his delight, Pſal. 16. 2, 3. This ſtrengthening the vitals is one of the chief means to keep out Popery and all other dangerous diſeaſes. We ſee few underſtanding Godly people receive the Roman infection, but the prophane, licentious, ignorant or malignant that are prepared for it.
3. We earneſtly requeſt your utmoſt care, that we may be ruled by Godly, Faithfull Magiſtrates under you: and that your Wiſdom and Vigilancy may fruſtrate the ſubtilty of Masked Papiſts or Infidels that would creep into places of Council, Command, or Juſtice, or any publick office. If ever ſuch as theſe ſhould have a hand in your affairs, or be our Rulers, we know what we muſt expect. The Reaſons of our jealouſies of ſuch men are, becauſe we know that the deſign is agreeable to their principles and intereſts: and we know it is their uſual courſe: and we find that ſuch men ſwarm among us: we hear their words, we read their writings, we ſee their practices for Popery and Infidelity. The jealouſies of many wiſe men in England are very great concerning the preſent deſigns of this Generation of men; and not without cauſe. We fear the Masked Papiſts and Infidels, more then the bare-faced, or then any enemy. The men that we are jealous of, and over whom we deſire you to be Vigilant, are theſe Hiders that purpoſely obſcure and cover their Religion. He that wilfully concealeth his Faith, alloweth me to ſuſpect it to be naught: The chief of them are, 1. The Seekers that have not yet found a Church, a Miniſtry, Ordinances, or Scripture, nor ſome of them a Chriſt to believe in. 2. The Paracelſians, Behmeniſts, and other Enthuſiaſts, that purpoſely hide themſelves in ſelf-deviſed, uncouth, cloudy terms, and pretend to viſible familiarity with ſpirits. 3. The Vani, whom God by wonders confounded in New England, but have here prevailed far in the dark. 4. The ſecret guides of the Quakers. 5. Thoſe that make it their buſineſs to argue againſt the Religion of all others, but aſſert little of their own, endeavouring to bring all men to uncertainties, and looſe them from the faith. 6. Thoſe that are ſtill vilifying or undermining the faithfull Godly Miniſtry. 7. Thoſe that do ſecretly or openly plead the cauſe of Infidels: (which are alas, too many: whether ex animo, or for promoting Popery, time will diſcloſe:) that deride the Scriptures, and deny the Immortality of the Soul, the Reſurrection of the body, or that there are any Devils, or is any Hell. 8. The Libertines, that would have liberty for all that they can call Religion, though againſt the certain Principles of Chriſtianity; and that tell us the Magiſtrate hath nothing to do with mens Religion (of which anon.) 9. The Democratical Polititions, that are buſie about the change of Government, and would bring all into confuſion under pretence of the Peoples Liberty or Power, and would have the Major Part of the Subjects to be the Soveraign of the reſt; that is, the worſt, that are ſtill the moſt; and the ignorant, that cannot Rule themſelves; and the vicious, that are enemies and hinderers of piety; and the worldlings, that mind nothing but what is under their feet, and have no time to think of Heaven, they have ſo much to do on earth; and as Auguſtine ſaith, had rather there were one Star leſs in Heaven, then One Cow loſs in their Paſtures: theſe muſt be our Soveraigns. 10. Thoſe that under pretence of defending Prelacy, and of uniting us with Rome, do adhere to the courſe of Grotius and Sancta Clara, and Unchurch all the Reformed Churches, degrade all the Miniſters that are not of their way, while they maintain the verity of the Church of Rome, and the validity of her Ordination, and would have the Pope to be the Principium Unitatis to all the Church, and the Weſtern Parts to obey him as their Patriatch, yea and himſelf to be the Ruler of the whole, ſo he do it by the Laws of General Councils, and deprive not inferiour Biſhops of their Priviledges. Theſe ten ſorts of men we are Jealous of; and if ever you advance them into places of Command or Power, it will increaſe our jealouſies. God knows, I have no perſonal grudge to any of them. But the Goſpel and the ſouls of men, and the hopes of our poſterity, are not ſo contemptible as to be given away as a bribe to purchaſe theſe mens good will, or to ſtop their mouths leſt they ſhould reproach us. As it is the common, but a poor redreſs, that after the Maſſacres of thouſands, the ſurviving Proteſtants have ſtill had from the Papiſts, viz. to diſclaim the fact, or caſt it upon ſome raſh diſcontented men (which will not make dead men alive again.) So will it be a poor relief to us, when theſe men are our Maſters, and have deprived us of all that was dear to us in the world, that we eſcaped their ill language while the work was doing.
4. We alſo humbly beſeech you, that you will go on with the purging, and encouraging of the Miniſtry: Caſting out the Ignorant and Ungodly; and countenancing thoſe that are Able, and Faithfull. They deny their eaſe, and dignity and the riches of the world (which other employments would afford) to encounter with Satan and the worlds corruptions, for the happineſs of ſouls! And therefore the more oppoſe them and revile them, and unthankfully requite them, the more are you obliged for the ſake of Chriſt, and mens ſalvation, to aſſiſt them. All their enemies contending to ſurpaſs the Devil in impudency, accuſe them of Covetouſneſs, Idleneſs and Ambition, as if theſe were the things that they ſeek after in the world. If our practice ſeconding our profeſſion, be not enough to confute theſe calumnies of malignant men, let this be added to confute them, that we make it our earneſt requeſt to your Highneſs, that all ſuch Ambitious, Idle, Covetous, or otherwiſe ſcandalous Miniſters may be caſt out. You have Commiſſioners in every County for this work: Require them to do it faithfully: If we deſired this much againſt our Reproachers, they would ſay we perſecuted them: We deſire you therefore but to turn this perſecution againſt our ſelves. We alſo deſire you, that you will not advance us to Temporal Honours, or Dignities, or Power; nor make us Lord Biſhops, nor to abound with the riches of this world: Theſe things agree not with our caling: We only deſire food, and rayment, and neceſſaries to furniſh us for our work, and expreſs ſome charity to the needy that daily expect it from us; and we crave of you that we may be no richer. We alſo deſire you, never to put the ſword into our hands, nor enable us to execute any of our private paſſions upon any, nor yet to touch mens Bodies or Eſtates; but only to manage the word and Keyes of the Kingdom of Chriſt upon mens Conſciences, and Guide his Church according to our office, and let it prevail as God ſhall bleſs it. This is all the advancement we deſire. We have doubly renounced all the world, as Chriſtians, and as Miniſters of Chriſt; we have given up our ſelves to a difficult fleſh-diſpleaſing work: we crave no more of you but ſo far to countenance us as Chriſt commandeth you, and the good of our peoples ſouls requires. And God will be judge between us and our malitious reproachers, whether theſe requeſts are Covetous, Ambitious, or Unreaſonable.
5. We alſo humbly crave your aid, for the procuring and maintaining an Union and Concord among all the Paſtors and Churches in your Dominion. All that fear God are Agreed in the main: and they have a ſpecial Love to one another; and theſe are good preparatives to their fuller reconcilement. I know that there is no ſuch diſtance in their principles, but that they may in bleſſed Concord carry on the work of God: Our poor people need this, that are offended at our ſmalleſt diſtances: All our ſtrength united is too little to bear down the oppoſitions of Hell and Earth that we muſt daily encounter in our work. Your help may do much to procure our Concord, of which I ſhall preſume to ſay more to you in another addreſs.
6. Laſtly we beſeech you that Toleration may be limited by Execution as well as by Law; And therefore that as the Approved Miniſters muſt have an Inſtrument of Approbation, and muſt be reſponſible before the Commiſſioners of ejection, for any thing that forfeiteth it; ſo the Tolerated may be tryed according to your Laws of Toleration, and may have an Inſtrument for their Toleration, before they have Liberty publikely to propagate their Opinions to others: and that they may be as reſponſible before the Commiſſioners for ejection as we. And that publikely nor privately Papiſts, nor Infidels, nor any that deny the eſſentials of the faith may not be ſuffered to ſeduce the people. If any think that this is deſired by us, becauſe we fear the power of truth, or would deprive them of any juſt freedom of debate, I provoke them ſolidly to anſwer what is here ſaid in the following Diſpute; and we diſſwade not your Highneſs if you were in any doubt (which we do not imagine) of the truth of the Chriſtian or Reformed Doctrine, to invite us to an equal Diſputation, and try whether we ſhall not open the ſhame of Infidelity and Popery (the two great evils that threaten this land) at any time. But if you are reſolved of the wickedneſs of both theſe wayes, we have reaſon to expect that you ſuffer not the poyſon to be adminiſtred to your people. Give not leave to every ſeducer to do his worſt to damn mens ſouls; When you will not tolerate every Traytor to draw your Armies or people into Rebellion; nor to every wicked man to ſolicite others to whoredom, murder, theft or deceit. And verily if men have leave to preach againſt the Scripture, Churches, Miniſtry, Ordinances, yea and againſt the life to come under the name of Seekers, Quakers or ſuch other Sects, we had far rather that they had leave to pull off their vizor, and do it openly in the name of Papiſts. For as Papiſts they will diſown abundance of the abominations, which as Seekers, &c. they propagate on deſign: And as plain dealing in Religion is better then jugling, ſo we had rather that open quiet Papiſts were tolerated, then theſe jugling deceivers. They that pretend to know the Jeſuites and Fryars, do profeſs that they are more common in Princes Councils and Families, and in the houſes, if not the cloſets of Noble men, Commanders, and perſons of publick truſt or ſervice, then we that live and mean ſimply do imagine. And who would have thought that had not know it, that they had ſo inſinuated into the ſeveral ſects among us, and that they were ſo induſtrious in their work, as the Newcaſtle Scottiſh Jew was, to be circumciſed or become Jew, and then rebaptized, &c. and all to decieve?
Judge I beſeech you by theſe three Reaſons, how far their ſeduction is to be tolerated. 1. That they preach Treaſon againſt Princes and States, I have ſhewed undenyably, is part, and a principal part of their Religion.
2. Their doctrine corrupteth almoſt all Morality: What need we fuller clearer proof, then the Janſenian hath given us in his Myſterie of Jeſuitiſm? and much more may be added. Morton hath long ago produced enough to tell us what to expect from ſuch men: Apolog. Part. 1. l. 2. c. 13. As from Tollet himſelf l. 4. de inſtruct. ſacerd. c. 9. [Quantum ad intentionem dilectionis, non tenemur ſub praecepto Deum plus omnibus diligere] Stapleton l. 6. de juſtif. c. 10. & Valent. l. de Votis c. 3. [Hoc praeceptum diligendi Deum ex tota mente, doctrinale eſt, non obligatorium] See here, a precept, and the greateſt precept, even to Love God above all, is not Obligatory? A ſtrange precept! And p. 322. he reciteth the words of Tollet, ibid. l. 4. c. 21. & 22. teaching Equivocation upon oath before a Magiſtrate, and ſo maintaining perjury. And p 327. he citeth the ſame Author maintaining that Murder, and Blaſphemy in a paſſion and not deliberate, is no mortal ſin, unleſs in one that is uſed to Blaſpheme. And p. 329. how Bellarm. Coſterus, Valentia maintain that Fornication in a Prieſt is better, or a ſmaller ſin then to marry. The like he ſhews of their doctrine of Theft, Falſe witneſs, &c. p. 332, 333, &c. This from him.
3. But above all their other miſchiefs, the Propagating of Infidelity by them is the greateſt: Which they do in two wayes. 1. Under the Vizard of Infidels and Seekers they plead againſt Scripture and Chriſtianity, in deſign to looſen men from all Religion, and perſwade them that they muſt needs be Infidels or Papiſts: Veron and his followers have given them full Directions to manage this deſign. And while (with debauched Conſciences) they thus perſwade men to be Infidels in jeſt, they have made abundance ſuch in good ſadneſs: ſo that upon my knowledge there are many ſuch ſwarm among us, that ſometime ſeemed pious perſons, that plead againſt Chriſtianity it ſelf. 2. And no wonder, when ſome of the leading Papiſts do ſeem to be Chriſtians in jeſt, and Infidels in good ſadneſs themſelves. I ſhall inſtance now but in their Champion, Tho. White, who in his Euclid. Metaphyſ. Stoech. K. pr. 16. maintaineth that in a manner, or almoſt all incorporated ſouls ſhall be ſaved by the world as the Inſtrument, or elſe the world were ſubſtantially evil, and the ſouls that fail of Bleſſedneſs, non ſint ſufficientes ad partem conſiderabilem totius multitudinis conſtituendam. He that believeth this, cannot believe Chriſt, nor well perſwade men to believe in Chriſt. This happy news to the Pagans and Mahometans, might ſomewhat affright the Chriſtians being the feweſt, leſt they ſhould be that inconſiderable number, but that he that talks of the damnation of ſo few, its like by his Arguments believeth it of none. The ſame he aſſerts in his Treatiſe of the middle ſtate of ſouls, Rat. 5. p. 41. And Rat. 10. he diſputeth againſt Vindictive Juſtice as a thing not becoming God: and p. 88. denyeth that ſinners injure God, forſooth becauſe he ſuffereth it willingly. Pag. 95 (Tranſlat.) he ſaith that ſouls are exempt from all ſuch pains as may be cauſed by any outward agent: And pag. 111. That God Governeth not the world as a Monarch, but as an Engineer; And pag. 134. he ſaith [the puniſhment of ſin whether external or internal, is nothing elſe but the increaſe and exaggeration of ſins in thoſe who are perverſe, and the decreaſe and diminution of them in thoſe who amend] And pag. 90. that [the defect of Gods honour occaſioned by Peter, was not ſupplyed and repaired by any other] and ſo not by Chriſt. And pag. 146. [that Gods aim is alwayes the utmoſt good of every creature] And he oft enough tels us that God attaineth all his will. And is this man a Papiſt? or are Papiſts in good ſadneſs, that tell the world that none but the ſubjects of the Pope can be ſaved? and yet now the number that periſh will be inconſiderable; and God aimeth at the utmoſt Good of every creature. Sure he thinks that all the Toads muſt be made men: and all men made Angels; and every ſtar muſt be made a Sun! I ſhall paſs by the Books that are written againſt the Creation, and againſt Scripture, and againſt Hell, &c. which ſwarm among us; only adviſing your Highneſs to take heed that you venture not upon any worldly motives, to ſtand guilty before the living God of allowing or tolerating ſuch Books to be publiſhed, and ſuch doctrines as theſe to be preached to your People, to the everlaſting undoing of their precious ſouls.
If you ask who it is that preſumeth thus to be your Monitor? It is one that ſerveth ſo great a Maſter that he thinks it no unwarrantable preſumption, in ſuch a caſe to be faithfully plain with the greateſt Prince. It is one that ſtands ſo neer Eternity, where Lazarus ſhall wear the Crown, that unfaithfull man-pleaſing would be to him a double crime: it is one that rejoyceth in the preſent happineſs of England, and earneſtly wiſheth that it were but as well with the reſt of the world; and that honoureth all the providences of God by which we have been brought to what we are; but dare not own all the actions of men that have been the Inſtruments, as he hath thought meet to manifeſt in this writing, and leave upon record. And he is one that concurring in the Common Hopes of greater Bleſſings yet to theſe Nations under your Government, and obſerving your Acceptance of the frequent Addreſſes that from all parts of the Land are made unto you, was encouraged to do what you dayly allow your Preachers to do, and to concur with the reſt, in the tenders (and ſome performance) of his ſervice; and particularly the County of Wilts who have Petitioned you for the Summ of what I have here expreſt; and whoſe Petitions I deſire may be written upon your heart. That the Lord will make you a healer and preſerver of his Chucrhes here at home, and a ſucceſsfull helper to his Churches abroad, is the earneſt prayer of
Your Highneſſes faithfull Subject Rich. Baxter.