More Reasons for the Christian Religion, Title page – Dedication
MORE REASONS FOR THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, AND No Reaſon Againſt it. Or a Second Appendix to the Reaſons of the Chriſtian Religion, BEING
I. An Anſwer to a Letter from an unknown Perſon, Charging the Holy Scriptures with Contradictions.
II. Some ANIMADVERSIONS On a Tractate De Veritate, Written by the Noble and Learned Lord Edward Herbert, Baron of Chizbury, &c. and Printed at Paris 1624. And at London 1633. Reſolving Twelve Queſtions about Chriſtianity.
By Richard Baxter.
LONDON, Printed for Nevil Simmons at the Princes Arms in St. Pauls Church-Yard, 1672.
TO THE Right Worſhipfull Sir Henry Herbert, Kt. &c.
SIR,
THe reaſons are many which induce me to preſume to direct theſe Papers firſt to you, and to tell the world how much I honour you: firſt my perſonal ancient obligations to you: ſecondly, Principally, your approved wiſdom and moderation, and taking part with the waies of Charity and Peace, in your most publick capacity in theſe trying times: thirdly, your Relation to the Noble Author on whoſe writing I here Animadvert; which as it is your honour to be the Brother of ſo learned and ingenious a Lord, and the Brother of ſo excellently holy as well as learned and ingenious a perſon, as Mr. George Herbert, Orator to the Univerſity of Cambridge, and a faithful Paſtor in the Engliſh Church; ſo it obligeth me the more to give you an account of this Animadverſion. It is long ſince I ſought after the Book, as provoked by the Title and the honour of the Authors name, and received it from you as your gift. The premiſed Letter from an unknown perſon of the ſame name, occaſioned me to review it: The ſad caſe of many of my acquaintance, and the increaſe of Infidelity of late, eſpecially among debauched ſenſual Gallants, and the danger of England hereby, and the Temptations against which the best of Chriſtians have need of help, were the Reaſons of my preſumption, it being my Calling to propagate and vindicate the Chriſtian Faith: I am ſo far from writing againſt his whole Book, that I take moſt of his Rules and Notions de Veritate, to be of ſingular uſe. And had ſo great a wit had but the Internal Conditions due to ſuch an Intellectual apprehenſion, as his and your holy and excellent Brother had; no doubt but our ſupernatural Revelations and Verities, would have appeared evident to him, and poſſeſt his ſoul with ſo ſweet a guſt, and fervent aſcendent holy LOVE, as breatheth in Mr. G. Herbert's Poems, and as would have made them as clear to him in their kind, as ſome of his Notitiae Communes. The truth is, as he was too low to us, who number not our Divine Revelations with the Vereſimilia, but with the Certain Verities; ſo he was too high for the Atheiſtical Senſualiſts of this age: And I would they would learn of him, that the Being and Perfections of God, the duty of worſhipping him, and of holy Conformity and Obedience to him, and particularly all the ten Commandments, the neceſſity of true Repentance, and the Rewards and Puniſhments of the Life to Come, with the Souls Immortality, are all Notitiae Communes and ſuch Natural Certainties, as that the denyal of them doth unman them. To know this and to live accordingly, would make a great alteration in our times: And Chriſtianity could not be diſreliſhed by ſuch, that ſo know and do. I may well ſuppoſe that your approbation of the Cauſe I plead for, will make it needleſs to me to Apologize for my boldneſs in medling with ſuch an Author, while I do it with all tenderneſs of his deſerved honour:
I remain Your obliged Servant, Richard Baxter. Jan. 17. 1671/2;.