Last Legacy in Select Admonitions and Directions, Title page – Preface
Mr. RICHARD BAXTER's LAST LEGACY IN SELECT ADMONITIONS AND DIRECTIONS TO ALL Sober Diſſenters.
To whom—Being dead, he yet ſpeaketh.
LONDON: Printed and are to be Sold by E. Whitlock, near Stationer's-Hall. 1697.
THE PREFACE TO DISSENTERS.
THE Inſtructions here recommended as Mr. Baxter's Legacy, were collected out of his own genuine Writings, and peruſed by him in his Life-time, and being much for his Reputation with all ſober Perſons; he ſeemed well pleaſed with them, notwithſtanding much obloquy and reproach from divers Diſſenters; for in the Preface to his Chriſtian Directory, he ſays, It was objected, that his Writings differing from the common Judgment, had already cauſed offence to the Godly; to which he anſwers, If God bleſs me with opportunity and help, I will offend ſuch Men much more, by endeavouring farther than ever I have done, the quenching of that Fire which they are ſtill blowing up, and detecting the Folly and Miſchief of thoſe Logomachies by which they militate againſt Love and Concord, and inflame and tear the Church of God. And in his Second Admonition to Bagſhaw, he ſtiles himſelf a Long-maligned and reſiſted endeavourer of the Churches Vnity and Peace; and in p. 11. of that Book, he thus declares his Chriſtian temper and reſolution. If Injuries or Intereſt would excuſe any Sin, I think their are few Miniſters in England who have more inducement to the angry ſeparating way than I have; But ſhall I therefore wrong the Truth? God forbid! and p. 52. He further tells Bagſhaw, I repent that I no more diſcouraged the Spirit of peeviſh quarrelling with Superiours and Church Orders, and though I ever diſliked it and oppoſed it, yet that I ſometimes did too much encourage ſuch as were of their temper, by ſpeaking too ſharply againſt thoſe things which I thought to be Church Corruptions, and was too loth to diſpleaſe the Contentious, for fear of being uncapable to do them good, meeting with too few Religious Perſons that were not too much pleaſed with ſuch invectives; and when Mr. Bagſhaw objected, that he choſe to communicate on Eaſter-day in a very populous Church, purpoſely that it might be known; he anſwered, p. 76. If a Man by many years forbearing all publick Prayers, and Sacraments ſhould tempt others to think that he is againſt them or counts them needleſs, How ſhould he cure that Scandal, but by doing that openly and pleading for it which he is ſuppoſed to be againſt? Miniſters being bound to teach the People by Example as well as Doctrine. The Queſtion which he maintained againſt Mr. Bagſhaw was, Is it lawful to hold communion with ſuch Chriſtian Churches as have worthy or tollerable Paſtors, notwithſtanding the Parochial order of the Miniſters Conformity and uſe of the Common Prayer-Book? And concludes, p. 89. That we ought to do ſo when ſome ſpecial Reaſons as from Authority, Scandal, &c. do require it.
He ſaith,In the 3d. Part of his Life. p. 169. I wrote a Book at the end of my Cain and Abel on purpoſe to ſhew the lawfulneſs of communicating with the Church of England; but before it was printed, Dr. Owen (having heard of it) ſent me 12 Arguments againſt joyning with the Church of England, which I anſwered; whereupon a ſwarm of Revilers poured out their keeneſt Cenſures upon me; one ſaid I was an Apoſtate; another ſaid that my Treatiſe of Epiſcopacy fully proved the duty of Separation, and I were reported to be a pleader for Baal and Anti-chriſt; in Anſwer to all which, I publiſhed a Treatiſe in defence of Catholick Communion, to which I refer you.
I will tell the World a certain Truth, I Preach, I Write, I frequently and openly talk againſt Separation, and for the lawfulneſs of joyning with the Church in the uſe of the Liturgy, and to rebuke Mens extreams and cenſures of the Epiſcopal Clergy, and for an impartial Love of all true Chriſtians. I ſharply reprove the weak Reaſonings of thoſe that are otherwiſe minded, and by this I occaſion the true Sectarians every where to ſpeak againſt me, Apol. p. 62. I take it for a duty to Preach againſt Schiſm, Sedition, and Rebellion and all Principles that tend to breed or feed them, and to uſe all Opportunities and Intereſt in the People to promote their Loyalty and Publick Peace, p. 18, 19.
I did not vary from my moſt early Opinion concerning theſe things, for in my Epiſtle to the Saints Reſt, I gave the ſame Admonition to my Flock at Kidderminiſter in theſe words. I charge you in Chriſt's name, as you will anſwer it when we ſhall meet at Judgment, that you faithfully and conſtantly practiſe theſe Directions—Above all, ſee that ye be followers of Peace and Vnity in the Church, and among your ſelves. I differ from many in ſeveral things of conſiderable moment, yet if I ſhould zealouſly preſs my judgment on others ſo as to diſturb the Peace of the Church, and ſeparate from my Brethren, I ſhould fear leaſt I ſhould prove a Firebrand in Hell, for being a Firebrand in the Church: And for all the intereſt I have in your Judgments and Affections, I charge you, that if God ſhould give me up to any Factious Church-rendring courſe, that you forſake me, and follow me not a ſtep, believe not thoſe to be Friends of the Church, who would cure her by cutting her Throat.
VponUpon writing my Cure of Church Diviſions, Mr. Bagſhaw, p. 152. Publiſhed other Invectives againſt me, as that one worthy of credit told him, that the Learned and Judicious Mr. Herle, having read that Book, ſaid, That it had been better for the Church of God, if Mr. Baxter's Friends had never ſent him to School, and that Mr. Cawdry had a like opinion of that Book, and that another Perſon as knowing in the Myſtery of Godlineſs, as either of them, told a Friend of his, that notwithſtanding the noiſe about Mr. Baxter, he would end in Fleſh and Blood. But Mr. Baxter was well fortified againſt theſe obloquies, having been ſurfeited, as he ſays, with humane Applauſe.
But notwithſtanding all theſe Clamours and vexatious Troubles, Mr. Baxter kept a conſtant courſe, pleading for Concord and Vnity almoſt in every Book which he ſet forth, and that with ſuch cogent Arguments, as the like are ſcarce to be found on any other Subject which he hath written upon, as from the following Admonitions collected out of a few of his many Treatiſes will appear to the Judicious Reader; and many more may be obſerved in thoſe that are converſant in his Writings, wherein although ſome things accidentally written, may ſeem to be contradictory, yet as he told Mr. L'Eſtrange he was well able to reconcile them. And by his diſtinctions he hath reconciled many ſeeming Contradictions, by help whereof, as Mr. Silveſter obſerved in the Preface to his Life, as he could ſpeak what he would, ſo he could prove what he ſpake. I am well perſwaded, that by the following Collections, any impartial Separatiſt may find ſufficient Arguments to reſolve all his Scruples and Objections againſt Conformity to the Eſtabliſhed Worſhip, for which end they are now Publiſhed by the Collector. But I foreſee it will be neceſſary to obviate two Objections that will be made againſt theſe Admonitions: Firſt, That Mr. Baxter hath written plain Contradictions to them, and the Separating Brethren will adhere to his Firſt Sentiments which lead them to their Non-conformity; to which I Anſwer, That Mr. Baxter gave them this Precaution in one of his first and best Treatiſes, charging them strictly, that if God ſhould give him over to any Church-rendring courſe, that they would forſake him, and not follow him a ſtep. Secondly, That what they interpret as Contradictions, were in Truth no other then Confeſſions of his former miſ-apprehenſions and paſſionate heats of his intemperate Zeal; but theſe are the Reſults of his ſedate and rational Deliberation. The great Apoſtle St. Paul, was not aſhamed to record in Holy Writ, what enormities a miſgrounded Zeal had hurried him into, while he was in an eſtate of Ignorance and Vnbelief, 1 Tim. 1. 13. and this doubtleſs was Mr. Baxter's practice for reflecting upon what he had ſaid, or done, to countenance the Separating way; he ſaw it had done more hurt than good, for which reaſon he recanted them. But theſe inſtructions of his are like the Coeleſtial Bodies, which carry light and benign influences with them; they are ſelf-evident, and ſpeak home to the Judgment and Conſciences of all unprejudiced Men, who cannot reſiſt the force of that Reaſon and Demonſtration, which inſpires every part of them with ſo much Life and Power, Beauty and Ornament, Conſiſtency and Symmetry, as will render them highly Acceptable, Amiable, and Beneficial to ſuch as ſhall embrace and practiſe them. As for ſuch Diſſenters as have conceived any hard thoughts of Mr. Baxter, or theſe his Admonitions, I intreat them to conſider, whether they can anſwer or confute them to the ſatisfaction of their own Conſciences, and if they cannot, then whether it be not rational and pious to walk by theſe directions which tend ſo much to the eſtabliſhment of the publick Peace of this divided Church and Nation, and to their own preſent and eternal welfare.
2. Objection. It may be ſaid that theſe Amonitions are now become unſeaſonable, there being a Toleration granted to Men of all Perſwaſions to Worſhip God after their ſeveral modes.
Anſw. To this I ſay, that Schiſm is a Sin antecedent to all Humane Conſtitutions, as being directly forbid in the Holy Goſpel, and conſequently will continue to be ſinful, tho' all the Kings and Rulers of the Earth ſhould indulge, and tolerate them; for the Laws of Men cannot make void the Law of God, nor alter the nature of things, and juſtifie or make that to be good which the only Lawgiver of Chriſtians hath condemned as unlawful; and as it is ſaid of Poligamy among the Jews, that the Law of Moſes connived at it, for the hardneſs of their hearts, ſo it is for the hardneſs and uncharitableneſs of Mens Spirits, that Rulers are conſtrained for a time to tolerate and bear with many things that are Offenſive and Prejudicial to the proſperity of their Government. For Toleration far differs from the approbation of a thing, and implieth the unlawfulneſs thereof, rather than the Juſtification of it. Beſides, the preſent Toleration is far from intending or making an eſtabliſhment of the Practiſes which are tolerated to the prejudice of the Church, which hath for many Ages, and now doth continue in actual poſſeſſion of all its Powers and Priviledges as in time past. So that as the preſent Schiſm and Separations is poſſitively condemned by the Laws of the Goſpel, ſo they have not any approbation from the Laws of Men, but what the corruptions of Men, and their ungovernable Tempers make tolerable on ſome preſſing occaſions, and unhappy juncture of Affairs.
I beſeech you therefore read the following Admonitions without Prejudice, and judge of them by the end for which they were first written by Mr. Baxter, and are now publiſhed by, &c.
Mr. RICHARD
Mr. RICHARD BAXTER's LAST LEGACY TO ALL Sober Diſſenters.
Of the Church.
IN a Petition drawn by Mr. B. to be preſented to the King, He makes this a part of the Profeſſion of his Religion. I do willingly profeſs my conſent to all the Holy Canonical Scriptures, as the Word of God; And to the Doctrine of the Church of England profeſſed in the 39 Articles of Religion, as in ſenſe agreeable to the Word of God. And I renounce all Errors or Hereſies contrary to any of theſe. And I do hold, that the Book of Common-Prayer, and of Biſhops, Prieſts and Deacons, containeth in it nothing ſo diſagreeable to the Word of God, as maketh it unlawful to live in the peaceable Communion of the Church that uſeth it. Mr. Baxters Life Part 3. p. 161.