The Imputation of Christs Righteousness, Errata 3 – Postscript
In a Curſory view of ſome Pages, I ſince ſee theſe faults.
PReface, Page 8. Line 22. for and, r. as. Book 1. P. 172. l. 1. r. is it true.
Anſwer to the Letter, P. 93. l. ult. for Conformiſts; r. Nonconformiſts. Book 2. Part 3. P. 16. l. 20. for tum, r. tu. P. 54. l. 14. for apt, r. yet, l. 28. for produceth, r. proceedeth. P. 56. l. 13. for ſtill, r. not. P. 65. l. 13. for Guilt, r. Gift. Book 2. Part 1. P. 259. l. 8. r. Cauſas. P. 268. l. 4. for firſt, r. full. P. 269. l. 28 fore Jure, r. iu re.
And I muſt tell the Reader that it is ſo long ſince the Papers to Mr. Cartwright were written, that if there be any paſſage which in my later Writings I correct, I muſt deſire him to take the latter as my Judgment: For I am none of thoſe that pretend my Youthful Writings to be ſufficiently Accurate, much leſs Faultleſs, or that to avoid the Imputation of Mutability, profeſs to be no wiſer than I was between twenty and thirty Years ago. I find ſomewhat, Book 2. Part 3. P. 51, 52. which needeth this Explication, viz.
[God as Judg of lapſed Man, when He was judging him, added an Act of Grace, which in ſeveral reſpects is, 1. A Promiſe. 2. A Deed of Gift. 3. An Act of Oblivion or univerſal conditional Pardon. 4. A Law. 5. And as it hath reſpect to Chriſts abſolutely promiſed and foreſeen Merits, it may be ſaid, to be like or Equivolent to an univerſal conditional Sentence: But taking the word [Sentence] ſtrictly as it is [a Sentence of the Individuals according to the Rule of a Law as kept or broken], ſo it is not properly a Sentence as to us (as is after proved.)
A POSTSCRIPT, ABOUT Mr. DANVERS's Laſt BOOK.
WHen this Book was coming out of the Preſs, I received another Book of Mr. Danvers againſt Infants Baptiſm, in which he mentioneth Dr. Tullies proving what a Papiſt I am, in his Juſtif Paul. (with Dr. Pierces former Charges) and lamenting that no more yet but one Dr. Tully hath come forth to Encounter me, Epiſt. and Pag. 224. The peruſal of that Book (with Mr. Tombs ſhort Reflections) directeth me to ſay but this inſtead of any further Confutation.
That it is (as the former) ſo full of falſe Allegations ſet off with the greateſt Audacity (even a few Lines of my own about our meeting at Saint James's left with the Clerk, groſly falſified) and former falſifications partly juſtified, and partly paſt over, and his moſt paſſionate Charges grounded upon Miſtakes, and managed by Miſreports, ſometime of Words, ſometime of the Senſe, and ſometime of Matters of Fact; in ſhort, it is ſuch a bundle of Miſtake, Fierceneſs and Confidence, that I take it for too uſeleſs and unpleaſant a Work to give the World a particular Detection of theſe Evils. If I had ſo little to do with my Time as to write it, I ſuppoſe that few would find leiſure to read it: And I deſire no more of the willing Reader, then ſeriouſly to peruſe my Book (More Reaſons for Infants Church-memberſhip) with his, and to examine the Authors about whoſe Words or Senſe we differ. Or if any would be Informed at a cheaper rate, he may read Mr. Barrets Fifty Queries in two ſheets. And if Mr. Tombes revile me, for not tranſcribing or anſwering more of his Great Book, when I tell the Reader that I ſuppoſe him to have the Book before him, and am not bound to tranſcribe ſuch a Volume already in Print, and that I anſwer as much as I think needs an Anſwer, leaving the reſt as I found it to the Judgment of each Reader, he may himſelf take this for a Reply; but I muſt judg of it as it is.
I find but one thing in the Book that needeth any other Anſwer, than to peruſe what is already Writt…n: And that is about Baptizing Naked: My Book was written 1649. A little before, common uncontrolled Fame was, that not far from us in one place many of them were Baptized naked, reproving the Cloathing way as Antiſcriptural: I never heard … deny this Report: I converſed with divers of … Church, who denied it not: As … denied it to me, ſo I never read one that did … to my knowledg: He now tells me Mr. Fiſher, Mr. Haggar, and Mr. Tombes did: Let any Man read Mr. Tombes Anſwer to me, yea and that Paſſage by him now cited, and ſee whether there be a word of denial: Mr. Fiſher or Haggar I never ſaw: Their Books I had ſeen, but never read two Leaves to my remembrance of Mr. Fiſhers, though I numbered it with thoſe that were written on that Subject, as well I might: I knew his Education and his Friends, and I ſaw the Great Volume before he turned Quaker, but I thought it enough to read Mr. Tombes and others that wrote before him, but I read not him, nor all Mr. Haggars: If I had, I had not taken them for competent Judges of a fact far from them, and that three years after: Could they ſay, that no one ever did ſo? The truth is that three years after, miſtaking my words, as if I had affirmed it to be their ordinary practice (as you may read in them) which I never did, nor thought, they vehemently deny this: (And ſuch heedleſs reading occaſioneth many of Mr. Danvers Accuſations). I never ſaid that no Man ever denied it ▪ for I have not read all that ever was written, nor ſpoken with all the World: But no Man ever denied it to me, nor did I ever read any that denied it. And in a matter of Fact, if that Fame be not credible, which is of things Late and Near, and not Contradicted by any one of the moſt intereſſed Perſons themſelves, no not by Mr. Tombes himſelf, we muſt ſurceaſe humane Converſe: Yet do I not thence undertake that the ſame was true, either of thoſe Perſons, or ſuch as other Writers beyond Sea have ſaid it off. I ſaw not any one Baptized by Mr. Tombes or any other in River or elſewhere by Dipping at Age: If you do no ſuch thing, I am ſorry that I believed it, and will recant it. Had I not ſeen a Quaker go naked through Worceſter at the Aſſizes, and read the Ranters Letters full of Oathes, I could have proved neither of them. And yet I know not where ſo long after to find my Witneſſes: I abhor Slanders, and receiving ill Reports unwarrantably: I well know that this is not their ordinary Practice: The Quakers do not thoſe things now, which many did at the riſing of the Sect; and if I could, I would believe they never did them.
2. This Book of Mr. Danvers, with the reſt of the ſame kind, increaſe my hatred of the Diſputing Contentious way of writing, and my trouble that the Cauſe of the Church and Truth hath ſo oft put on me a neceſſity to write in a Diſputing way, againſt the Writings of ſo many Aſſailants.
3. It increaſeth my Grief for the Caſe of Mankind, yea of well-meaning godly Chriſtians, who are unable to judg of many Controverſies agitated, otherwiſe than by ſome Glimpſes of poor Probability, and the eſteem which they have of the Perſons which do manage them, and indeed take their Opinions upon truſt from thoſe whom they moſt reverence and value; and yet can ſo hardly know whom to follow, whilſt the groſſeſt Miſtakes are ſet off with as great confidence and holy pretence, as the greateſt Truths. O how much ſhould Chriſtians be pitied, that muſt go through ſo great Temptations!
4. It increaſeth my Reſolution, had I longer to live, to converſe with Men that I would profit, or profit by, either as a Learner hearing what they have to ſay, without importunate Contradiction, or as a Teacher if they deſire to Learn▪ of me: A School way may do ſomething to increaſe Knowledg; but drenching Men, and ſtriving with them, doth but ſet them on a fiercer ſtriving againſt the Truth: And when they that have need of ſeven and ſeven years Schooling more, under ſome clear well ſtudied Teacher, are made Teachers themſelves, and then turned looſe into the World (as Sampſons Foxes) to militate for and with their Ignorance, what muſt the Church ſuffer by ſuch Contenders?
5. It increaſeth my diſlike of that Sectarian dividing hurtful Zeal, which is deſcribed James 3. and abateth my wonder at the rage of Perſecutors: For I ſee that the ſame Spirit maketh the ſame kind of Men, even when they moſt cry out againſt Perſecutors, and ſeparate furtheſt from them.
6. It reſolveth me more to enquire leſs after the Anſwers to Mens Books than I have done: And I ſhall hereafter think never the worſe of a Mans writings, for hearing that they are anſwered: For I ſee it is not only eaſie for a Talking Man to talk on, and to ſay ſomething for or againſt any thing, but it is hard for them to do otherwiſe, even to hold their Tongues, or Pens, or Peace: And when I change this Mind, I muſt give the greateſt belief to Women that will talk moſt, or to them that live longeſt, and ſo are like to have the laſt word, or to them that can train up militant Heirs and Succeſſors to defend them when they are dead, and ſo propagate the Contention. If a ſober Conſideration of the firſt and ſecond writing (yea of poſitive Principles) will not inform me, I ſhall have little hope to be much the wiſer for all the reſt.
7. I am fully ſatisfied that even good … are here ſo far from Perfection, that they muſt bear with odious faults and injuries in one another, and be habituated to a ready and eaſie forbearing and forgiving one another. I will not ſo much as deſcribe or denominate Mr. Danvers Citations of Dr. Pierce, to prove my Popery and Crimes, nor his paſſages about the Wars, and about my Changes, Self-contradictions, and Repentances, leſt I do that which ſavoureth not of Forgiveneſs: O what need have we all of Divine Forgiveneſs!
8. I ſhall yet leſs believe what any Mans Opinion (yea or Practice) is by his Adverſaries Sayings, Collections, Citations, or moſt vehement Aſſeverations, than ever I have done, though the Reporters pretend to never ſo much Truth, and pious Zeal.
9. I ſhall leſs truſt a confounding ignorant Reader or Writer, that hath not an accurate defining and diſtinguiſhing Underſtanding, and hath not a mature, exerciſed, diſcerning Knowledg than ever I have done; and eſpecially if he be engaged in a Sect (which alas, how few parts of the Chriſtian World eſcape!) For I here (and in many others) ſee, that you have no way to ſeem Orthodox with ſuch, but to run quite into the contrary Extream: And if I write againſt both Extreams, I am taken by ſuch Men as this, but to be for both and againſt both, and to contradict my ſelf. When I write againſt the Perſecutors, I am one of the Sectaries, and when I write againſt the Sectaries, I am of the Perſecutors ſide: If I belie not the Prelatiſts, I am a Conformiſt: If I belie not the Anabaptiſts, Independants, &c. I am one of them: If I belie not the …piſts, I am a Papiſt; if I belie not the Arminians, I am an Arminian; if I belie not the Calviniſts, I am with Pſeudo-Tilenus and his Brother, purus putus Puritanus, and one Qui totum Puritaniſmum totus ſpirat (which Joſeph Allen too kindly interpreteth): If I be for lawful Epiſcopacy, and lawful Liturgies and Circumſtances of Worſhip, I am a temporizing Conformiſt: If I be for no more, I am an intollerable Non-Conformiſt (at this time forced to part with Houſe, and Goods, and Library, and all ſave my Clothes, and to poſſeſs nothing, and yet my Death (by ſix months Impriſonment in the Common Goal) is ſought after and continually expected. If I be as very a Fool, and as little underſtand my ſelf, and as much contradict my ſelf, as all theſe Confounders and Men of Violence would have the World believe, it is much to my coſt, being hated by them all while I ſeek but for the common peace.
10. But I have alſo further learned hence to take up my content in Gods Approbation, and (having done my duty, and pitying their own and the Peoples ſnares) to make but ſmall account of all the Reproaches of all ſorts of Sectaries; what they will ſay againſt me living or dead, I leave to themſelves and God, and ſhall not to pleaſe a Cenſorious Sect, or any Men whatever, be falſe to my Conſcience and the Truth: If the Cauſe I defend be not of God, I deſire it may fall: If it be, I leave it to God how far He will proſper it, and what Men ſhall think or ſay of me: And I will pray for Peace to him that will not hate and revile me for ſo doing. Farewell.
Septemb. 4. 1675.
FINIS.
End of the text · Richard Baxter, The Imputation of Christs Righteousness (1675)