Of Justification, Title page 2 – Letter 3
LETTERS That paſt between This REVEREND, Much HONOURED BROTHER, And my SELF. 1649, and 1650.
LONDON, Printed by Robert White, for Nevil Simmons, Book-ſeller in Kederminſter.
HAving heard that Mr. — diſliked ſome things in my Aphoriſms, and by the perſwaſions of ſome, intended a Confutation of them: I wrote to him an earneſt Requeſt, that he would acquaint me with what he diſliked, annexing his Reaſons to convince me of my Errors, profeſsing my earneſt Deſire of Information, eſpecially from him: To which he replyed, as followeth.
Dear Sir,
I Have indeed declared to ſome, who happily may have informed you of it, as I deſired, that there were ſeveral▪ Doctrinal points aſſerted in your Book, to which I could not pedibus ire, much leſs corde; ſuch are many poſitions about Chriſts Righteouſneſs, about faiths Juſtification in your ſenſe, and the Efficacy of new Obedience in this work as well as faith. Yea Love made ſome kind of the actings of Faith: The good old ſound definition of Faith waved, and a new one ſubſtituted. Not the foreign, credere, but the foreign operari alſo called into Evangelical Righteouſneſs, and this made our perſonal Righteouſneſs. Theſe things and divers others do make me vehemently diſſent from you in the matters aſſerted. Yet I do really honour you, for your great Abilities and zealous Piety, earneſtly deſiring of God that he would prolong your life, and have mercy upon hss Church by ſparing this Epaphroditus.
But whereas you have been told, that I had animadverſions on your Book, this was a miſtake: for the truth is, though I have caſt my thoughts upon ſome part of it, yet I have not any digeſted or prepared conſiderations about it: but do defer ſuch a work, till I ſhall have opportunity to diſcharge that part I have publiquely promiſed about imputed Righteouſneſs; which Subject I cannot yet proſecute, being hindred by other avocations: It is true, I have had advertiſement from ſome honoured friends of mine at London, that it is expected, I ſhould do ſomething in thoſe points, becauſe by your Inſcription of my name (which I take as an Act of your real Love and reſpect to me, though I am unworthy of any ſuch Teſtimony) they think I am intereſted. Had I known the Contents of the book before publiſhed, I would have moſt importunately urged you at leaſt to have taken more time of deliberation about the divulgation of them, which you know have much novelty in them. I know things are not to be embraced or rejected, becauſe either old or new; yet Paul doth diſlike foreign, if we may ſo read it, and not foreign. I ſhall conclude with this: Let not any difference from you in Judgement be any obſtruction to improve your utmoſt Abilities (which are many and lovely) to the finding out, and propagating of Truth. If God prolong your life, I hope this next Summer we may have mutual oral Conference together, which is the moſt conducible way to clear both Truth and our Opinions.
Your faithfull Friend and Brother — Decemb. 3. To the Reverend, and his much Honoured Friend, Mr. Baxter, Preacher of the Word of God at Kederminſter, thoſe Deliver.
Sir,
I Received yours, which I acknowledge a Favour: but not ſo great as I expect. Your diſſent is ſo generally known, that I cannot but hope to know ſome of the Grounds of it. I hope you cannot ſo vehemently diſſent in points of ſuch Moment, and yet deny me a diſcovery of mine Error. The defering of ſuch a work till you have wrote another Book, doth intimate what will be injurious to the Church, your ſelf and me: If you intend to publiſh a Confutation, when I am dead, and deny me any help for conviction while I live. 1. The Church will loſe the fruit of my own Recantation. 2. And your ſelf, one part of the fruit of your Labor. 3. And I may dye in error unrecanted, and you (being now importuned for, your help) be guilty of it. If you did but know how gladly I would publiquely recant, you would not deny your help. You that would have ſo importuned me to deliberate, if you had known before, I hope will not deny your aſſiſtance for my recovery. I did not haſtily that I did. But though I wanted the opportunity of conſulting you before, yet I hope it is not too late. I am confident if you know me, you are not ſo uncharitable as to think me uncurable. It is therefore your flat duty not to ſuffer ſin upon me. Let me therefore intreat you to ſend me one or two of your ſtrongeſt Arguments againſt ſome of the weightyeſt points in difference; and to anſwer mine. I know it is not an hours work with you to do that much; and I would beſtow twenty for you. If you ſuſpect that I will any way miſ-imploy your papers, you ſhall preſcribe me the Law therein your ſelf. Whether you will read foreign or foreign, I am indifferent, being no friend to either. I thought it a greater novelty to ſay, Faith juſtifieth only or primarily as an Inſtrument, then to ſay, it juſtifieth as the Condition, which the free Lawgiver hath promiſed Juſtification upon. I knew it was no novelty to ſay, we muſt have a perſonal Righteouſneſs beſides that imputed: And I took it to be as old as the Goſpel, to ſay, that this conſiſteth in Faith and ſincere Obedience. I called it Evangelical, becauſe I trembled to think of having an inherent Righteouſneſs which the Law of works will ſo denominate. What you ſay of the [Efficacy of Obedience and Faith] I diſclaim both, as never coming into my thoughts: I acknowledge no efficiency as to Juſtification in either, but a bare conditionality. I aver confidently that I give no more to works, then our Divines ordinarily do, viz. to be a ſecondary part of the Condition of the new Covenant, and ſo of Juſtification, as continued and conſummate, and of Glorification: only if I err, it is in giving leſs to Faith, denying it to be the Inſtrumental Cauſe of Juſtification, but only a condition. My Definition of Faith is the ſame (in ſenſe) with Dr. Preſtons, Mr. Calverwell, Mr. Throgmorton, Mr. Norton of new England in his Catechiſm, &c. O how it grieveth me to diſſent from my Reverend Brethen! Some report it to be a pernitious Book: others overvalue it, and ſo may receive the more hunt if it be unſound. Truly Sir I am little prejudiced againſt your Arguments; But had rather return into the common road then not, if I could ſee the Light of truth to guide me. I abhor affected ſingularity in Doctrine: therefore I intreat you again to defer no longer to vouchſafe me the fruit of one hours labour, which I think I may claim from your Charity and the Intereſt God hath given one member in another, and you ſhall hereby very much oblige to thankfulneſs
Jan. 22. 1649. Your unworthy fellow-ſervant Richard BAXTER. To my Reverend and very much valued friend, Mr. — Preacher of Gods Word at — Theſe preſent.
Dear Sir,
I Received your letter, and I returned ſome Anſwer by Mr. Bryan, viz. that now the daies growing longer and warmer, I ſhall be glad to take occaſion to confer with you mouth to mouth about thoſe things wherein we differ, for I conceive that to be a far more compendious way, then by letters, wherein any miſtake is not ſo eaſily rectified: I ſhall therefore be ready to give you the meeting at Bremicham any Thurſday you ſhall appoint that may be convenient with your health; that ſo by an amicable collation, we may find out the truth. In the mean while I ſhall not wholly neglect your requeſt in your letter, but give you an hint at one of thoſe ſeveral Arguments that move me to diſſent from you; which although it be obvious, yet ſuch Arguments as moſt men pitch upon, have the greateſt ſtrength: and that is the peculiar and proper expreſſions the Scripture giveth to faith in the matter of Juſtification, and that when the Doctrine is purpoſely handled, as Paul in his Epiſtle to the Romans. attributing it ſo to faith, as it excludes not the preſence, but the co-operation of any other. He doth ſo include faith, as that he doth exclude all works under any notion: for Abraham was then godly, and abounded in other Graces, yet the Apoſtle faſtens his Juſtification upon this: in ſo much that if a man would have deſired the Apoſtle to make a difference between faith and other Graces, it could not have been done more evidently. As for the Apoſtle James, your ſence cannot be admitted to reconcile them, but rather makes that breach wider: the one ſaith, a Juſtification without works; you make Faith as well as works, though one primarily: whereas the Orthodox both againſt Papiſts and Arminians, and Socinians, do ſweetly reconcile them. By the hint of this, I ſee a Letter cannot repreſent the vigor of an Argument. I ſhall only add one thing: we may hold Opinions, and diſpute them ſpeculatively in Books; but practically, and when we come to dye, we dare not make uſe of them. I know not how a godly man at his death can look upon his Graces as Conditions of the Covenant fulfilled by him; though the Grace of God and the Merits of Chriſt be acknowledged the procuring cauſe. The Papiſts alſo verbally come to that refuge: For how come the Imperfections in the Conditions to be pardoned, and conditions have a moral Efficiency? Raptim. But of theſe things more fully when I ſee you.
The Lord preſerve you an Inſtrument in his Church, and direct and ſanctifie all your parts and abilities for his Glory.
Feb. 13. Your loving Brother in the Lord — To his very loving and much reſpected Friend Mr. BAXTER, Miniſter of Gods Word at Kederminſter, theſe be delivered.