Penitent Confession and Vindication in Answer to a Book, Letter
A LETTER to Mr. BAXTER.
Reverend SIR,
I am a ſtranger to your perſon, but not to your Excellent Writings, for which I praiſe God, and give you my hearty thanks; I have many, I have read many, I have given away, and recommended many to others to read, and I bleſs God have received much light and warmth from many of them, whereby I am engaged to pray for you, and to take all occaſions to ſpeak, write, and act, whatſoever may tend to your good here, and hereafter. And to that end, I cannot be at peace with my ſelf until I have deſir'd you to take into your ſerious dying thoughts how you have walk'd towards the Church of England, in your Practice and your Writings, that, before you appear at Gods Tribunal, you may foreſee your Sentence what it will be, and whether your Writings, and Practice have done, or are likely after your death, to do more Good, or Evil to the Profeſſors of the Chriſtian Religion; for this is generally ſaid by many of your Friends concerning your Writings, Ubi benè nemo melius; ubi malè nemo pejus. And for your Enemies, they are generally ſo prejudiced with your Malè, that they are not able to read, or think, or ſpeak well of your Benè, but diſcourage many good Souls from reading, or minding your moſt profitable Diſcourſes. Now my humble ſuit to you is to conſider, whether, as St. Auguſtine that great Light, and voluminous Writer Crowned all his Works with his Retractations of what was amiſs, Mr. Baxter might not do the ſame to Gods Glory, the eſtabliſhing of good Chriſtians in the Truth, bringing the miſled out of their Errors; ſtopping the Mouths of your Enemies, and cauſing your Perſon and good Works to be had in Everlaſting Remembrance, and the preventing the ill conſequences of what has been acted and writ by you, which may attend the Church of God for many Ages after your death. Sir, I doubt not but you have heard, and read the dreadful things that you are charged withal, I have been amazed at them, and heartily ſorry for them. I beſeech you conſult ſome Religious, Wiſe, Faithful Perſon whom you know to be a true Son of the Church of England, (as no doubt there are ſome among ſo many learned Biſhops and Paſtors) and deſire them freely to deal with you in helping you to ſee the great Errata's of your Sarcaſtical Writings againſt the Biſhops and Clergy of the Church of England; or take but that one Book call'd, The Unreaſonableneſs of Separation, the Second Part, &c. with ſpecial Remarks on the Life and Actions of Mr. R. Baxter, 1681. and let God and Men ſee that you cannot only write well of Humility, Repentance, and Self-denial, but you can act them alſo. Where a Croſs in time of Plagues is upon the Door, every Man that paſſes by is ready to pray, Lord have mercy on that Family: Sir, if you with your own Hand would pleaſe to acknowledge which of your Works is Infectious and may hurt Souls, all Men that read it, would bleſs God for you, and heartily ſend up their Prayers to Heaven (if they be but Perſons that ever frequent the Throne of Grace) with a Domine Miſerere R. B. wherefore I beſeech you think of the advice of a mean Brother of yours in the Work of the Miniſtry, who in real gratitude for the benefit he has received by your Works, and for your own Comfort, Honour, and Happineſs, and Gods Glory above all, preſumes, before he goes to his Grave, to expreſs his Love and Duty to you before you go to yours, for he finds that you and we both entred into the Church of Chriſt, March 12. 1614 and therefore cannot be long from appearing before Almighty God to receive a Sentence to an Eternal ſtate.
Liberavi animam meam. Deus Omnipotens dirigat Te in omnibus viis tuis.
Many years paſt I met with an Expreſſion in a Preface to another Mans Writing, with your Name to it, which much troubled me that it ſhould fall from that Pen which had writ ſuch Excellent Helps to follow Chriſt Jeſus his Rules and Example. It was this; You was ſpeaking of Hell, and the Government and Order among Devils, and clapt in that common Pulpit-prayer Expreſſion concerning the Miniſtry of the Church of England, viz. By what Names or Titles ſoever Dignified or Diſtinguiſhed, which I thought one of the bittereſt unchriſtian Reflections I ever read; and I was heartily troubled to read it, becauſe I thought it impoſſible for Hell to have crouded it in where there was ſo much of Heaven.
Sir, You have the beſt Prayers I can put up to God for you, and humbly beg your Prayers that I may follow Paul's advice to Timothy, in taking heed to my Self and Doctrine, and continue therein, that (thorough Gods Mercy and Chriſts Merits) my own Soul may be ſaved and theirs that hear me.
So, I hope we ſhall meet in Heaven, for we have an Advocate with the Father.
Feb. 169… Cantianus D Minimis.