The Reasons of the Christian Religion Part 1, To the doubting reader
To the Doubting and the Ʋnbelieving READERS.
THE natural love to knowledge and to my ſelf, which belong to me as I am a Man, have commanded me to look beyond this life, and diligently to enquire, whether there be any certainty of a better? and which is the way to it, and to whom it doth of right belong. And what I have certainly diſcovered in this ſearch, the love of Mankind, and of Truth, and of God, oblige me to communicate. But it was not a curſory glance at Truth, nor a look towards it afar off, in my ſtate of ignorance and diverſion, which brought the ſatisfying light into my mind: nor can you reaſonably expect it ſhould do ſo by you. I ſaw that in one Savonarola, Campanella, Ficinus, Vives, Mornay, Grotius, Cameron, Micraelius, which I now ſee might ſatisfie all the world, if it were duly received. But it was not a bare reading of one or all of theſe and others, which was a due reception: I found that truth muſt be ſo long retained, and faithfully elaborated by a diligent and willing mind, till it be concocted into a clear methodical underſtanding, and the Scheme or Analyſis of it have left upon the ſoul its proper image, by an orderly and deep impreſſion; yea, till the Goodneſs of the matter become as nutriment, bloud and ſpirits to the Will, before it is truly made our own. It expecteth (I ſay not greater courtſhip, but) more cordial friendſhip, than a tranſient ſalute, before it will unveil its glory, and illuſtrate, beautifie and bleſs the ſoul. It is food and Phyſick: it will nouriſh and heal: but not by a bare look or hear-ſay, nor by the reading of the preſcript. Could I procure the Reader to do his part, I doubt not but this Treatiſe will ſuffice on its part, to bring in that light, which the Sagae, the Lemures and Daemones of Atheiſm, Infidelity and Ungodlineſs will not be able to endure.
But I am far from expecting univerſal ſucceſs; no not if I brought a Book from Heaven. The far greateſt part have unprepared minds, and will not come up to the price of truth. And nothing is more ſure than that recipitur ad modum recipientis; & Pro captu lectoris habent ſua fata libelli. Theſe drones imagine, that they are fit to judge of a Scripture-difficulty, or of an argument concerning the myſteries of Religion, before they know what it is to be a Man, or underſtand the Alphabet of Nature, even thoſe points which ſupernatural Revelations preſuppoſe: ſuch uncapableneſs in the Reader is as a great hinderance, as the want of ſolid proof and evidence in the Writer. Moſt men are drowned in filthy ſenſuality, or worldly cares; and their reliſh is vitiated by luſcious vanities; their reaſon is debaſed by ſubjection to the fleſh, and darkned and debilitated by long alienation from its proper work: and yet they are ſo conſtituted of ignorance and pride, that they can neither underſtand plain truth, nor perceive that it is long of themſelves that they underſtand it not. And …othfulneſs and ſenſuality have ſo far conquered humanity it ſelf, even the natural love of truth and of themſelves, that they will take up with what their play-fellows have taught them, and venture their ſouls and their everlaſting concernments, …nleſs they can ſecure them by an idle, gameſome, …leſhly life, or grow wiſe by the ſhort ſuperficial ſtudies of an alienated, unwilling, tired mind. Unleſs the great things of God and Immortality, will …e ſavingly known by a few diſtracted thoughts of a diſcompoſed mind, or the rambling talk of their companions, whoſe heads are as unfurniſhed and giddy as their own; or by the curſory peruſal of a few Books, which croſs not their carnal intereſt and humour in the midſt of their more beloved employments and delights, they will neither be ſolid Chriſtians, nor wiſe and honeſt men. If God will be converſed with in the midſt of their feaſting, cups and oaths, in their pride, and revelling, and with their whores; if he will be found of them that hate his holineſs, and all that love it, and ſeriouſly obey him, then God ſhall be their God, and Chriſt ſhall be their Saviour, and if this be the way, they may become good Chriſtians: But if retired ſerious thoughts be neceſſary, and an honeſt faithfulneſs to what they know, they muſt be excuſed: They that know that it is not an hours peruſal of a book of Aſtronomy, Geometry, Muſick, Phyſick, &c. which will ſerve to make them skilful in theſe Arts, do expect to attain far higher wiſdom, by inconſiderable induſtry and ſearch; and will not be wiſe unleſs they can be taught by viſion in their dreams, or in the crowd and noiſe of worldly buſineſs, and of fleſhly luſts.
I find that it is a difficult task which I have undertaken, to be the inſtructer of ſuch men: if I be large and copious, their lazineſs will not ſuffer them to read it: if I be conciſe, I cannot ſatisfie their expectations; for they think nothing well proved, if every objection be not anſwered, which idle cavilling brains can bring: Neither have they ſufficient attentiveneſs for brevity, nor will their ignorance allow them to underſtand it. The contradicting vices of their minds, do call for impoſſibilities for the cure. Their Incapacity ſaith, It muſt be a full explication, or I cannot apprehend the ſenſe or truth. Their averſeneſs and ſlothfulneſs ſaith, It muſt be ſhort, or I ſhall be tired with it, or cannot have while to read it. I cannot anſwer both theſe expectations to the full: but though the greatneſs of the matter have made the Book bigger than I intended, the nauſeating ſtomack of moſt Readers hath perſwaded me to avoid unneceſſary words: and as big as the Book is, I muſt tell the Reader, that the ſtyle is ſo far from redundancies (though ſome things be oft repeated) that if he will not chew the particular words, but ſwallow them whole, and beſtow his labour only on the Sentences, I ſhall ſuppoſe that he hath not read the Book.
Ficinus very truly noteth, that while children and youth are ſufficiently conſcious of their ignorance, to keep in a learning courſe, they may do well; but when they firſt grow to a confidence of their own underſtandings, and at ripeneſs of age imagine, that their wits are ripe, and think that their unfurniſhed minds (becauſe they have a natural quickneſs) are competent judges of all that they read; then they are moſt in danger of infidelity, and of being undone for ever; (from 18 to 28 being the moſt perilous age.) But if God keep them as humble diligent learners, till they have orderly gone through their courſe of ſtudies, and ſanctifie their greener youthful knowledge; they then grow up to be confirmed Chriſtians. Ficin. de Verit. Rel. cap. 3. It is therefore the diligence and patience of the Reader which I ſtill intreat, and not his belief: for I will beg nothing of his underſtanding, but juſtice to the truth; but (ſuppoſing God's help) do truſt to the cogencie of evidence.
Yet I muſt tell you, that I expect the Reader, by the truths which he learneth, ſhould be able himſelf to anſwer an hundred trivial objections, which are here paſſed by: and that in particular textual difficulties, he have recourſe to Commentaries and Tractates on thoſe ſubjects: for this Book is long enough already. He that will diligently conſider the connection of the conſequent Propoſitions to the Antecedent, and will underſtand what he readeth as he goeth along, will ſee that I give him ſufficient proof of all which I deſire him to aſſent to. But I make no doubt but a haſty and half-witted Reader can find objections and words enough againſt the plaineſt truth here written; and ſuch as he thinks do need a particular anſwer. When an underſtanding Reader would be offended with me, if I ſhould recite them. I had more compaſſion on the ſober Reader, than for the humouring of every brainſick Sceptick, to ſtand proving that two and two are four. I write for ſuch as are willing to be wiſe and happy, and that at dearer rates than jeſting: For others, I muſt leave them, whether I will or no, to be wiſe too late.
And for thoſe capricious brains who deride our ordinary preaching, as begging and ſuppoſing that which we do not prove, when they have here, and in other ſuch writings, found our fundamentals proved, let them hereafter excuſe our ſuperſtructure, and not think that every Sermon muſt be ſpent in proving our Chriſtianity and Creed.
In the firſt part of this Book, I give you no teſtimonies from the Chriſtian writings or authorities, becauſe I ſuppoſe the Reader to be one that doth not believe them; and my buſineſs is only to prove Natural Verities by their proper evidence: But leſt any ſhould think that there is not ſo much legible in Nature, becauſe the wiſeſt Heathens ſaw it not, I have cited in the margin their atteſtations to moſt particulars, to ſhew that indeed they did confeſs the ſame, though leſs diſtinctly and clearly than they might have done, (as I have plainly proved.) But, being many years ſeparated from my Books, I was forced to do this part leſs exactly than I would have done, had I been near my own or any other Library. Again, I ſeriouſly profeſs, that I am ſo confident of the juſt proofs and evidences of truth here given, that I fear nothing as to fruſtrate the ſucceſs, but the Reader's Incapacity, (through half-wittedneſs or wickedneſs) or his Lazineſs in a curſory and negligent peruſal of what is conciſely but evidently propoſed. It's true that Seneca ſaith, [Magna debet eſſe eloquentia, quae in vitis placet.] I may adde, Et Veritatis evidentia quae caecis, malignis vel ignavis prodeſt. And who feeleth not the truth of Hierom's words, (ad Paul.) Nunquam benefit, quod fit praeoccupato animo. Be true and faithful to your ſelves, and to the Truth, and you ſhall ſee its Glory, and feel its Power, and be directed by it to everlaſting Bleſſedneſs. This is his End, who is
Octob. 31. 1666. An earneſt deſirer of Mankind's Felicity, RICHARD BAXTER.