Baxters Narrative of His Life and Times, Part 2 · Section 10 · Letter 10
Reverend and much esteemed in the Lord!
HOwever black the Cloud is, and big the Storm, yet by all this the Work and Design of Jesus Christ goeth on, and prospereth, and in these Clouds Christ is coming to set up his Kingdom. Yea, is he not come, in Power and great Glory? When had the Truth a greater, or so great and glorious a Cloud of Witnesses? Is not this Christ, in Power and great Glory? and if Christ hath so much Glory in the slaughter of his Witnesses, what will his Glory be in their Resurrection! Your Constancy who are in the heat of the Storm, and Numbers, ministers matter of humbling and quickning to us, who are at a distance, and ready to totter and comply at the noise of a probable approach of our Temptation. We are not without our Snares, but hitherunto the Lords own Arm hath brought Salvation. Our Tents are at Ebenezer. However the trials and troubles be, we must take care of the present Work, and not cease and tarry for a calm time to work in. And this Principle doth give me occasion to take the boldness to trouble you with these Lines at present. My Work about the Indian Bible being (by the good hand of the Lord, though not without difficulties) finished, I am meditating what to do next for these Sons of this our Morning: they having no Books for their private use, of ministerial composing. For their help, though the Word of God be the best of Books, yet Humane Infirmity is, you know, not a little helped, by reading the holy Labours of the Ministers of Jesus Christ. I have therefore purposed in my heart (seeing the Lord is yet pleased to prolong my life) to translate for them a little Book of yours, intituled, [A Call to the Unconverted]: The keenness of the Edge, and liveliness of the Spirit of that Book, through the blessing of God, may be of great use unto them. But seeing you are yet in the Land of the Living, (and the good Lord prolong your days) I would not presume to do such a thing, without making mention thereof unto your self, that so I might have the help and blessing of your Counsel and Prayers. I believe it will not be unacceptable to you, that the Call of Christ by your holy Labours, shall be made to speak in their Ears, in their own Language, that you may preach unto our poor Indians. I have begun the Work already, and find a great difference in the Work from my former Translations: I am forced sometime to alter the Phrase, for the facilitating and fitting it to our Language, in which I am not so strict as I was in the Scripture. Some things which are fitted for English People, are not fit for them, and in such cases, I make bold to fit it for them. But I do little that way, knowing how much beneath Wisdom it is, to shew a Man's self witty, in mending another Man's Work. When this Work is done, if the Lord shall please to prolong my Life, I am meditating of Translating some other Book, which may prescribe to them the way and manner of a Christian Life and Conversation, in their daily Course; and how to worship God on the Sabbath, fasting, feasting Days, and in all Acts of Worship, publick, private, and secret; and for this purpose I have Thoughts of translating for them, the Practice of Piety; or some other such Book: In which Case I request your Advice to me; for if the Lord give opportunity, I may hear from you (if you see cause so far to take Notice hereof) before I shall be ready to begin a new work; especially because the Psalms of David in Metre in their Language, are going now to the Press, which will be some Diversion of me, from a present Attention upon these other proposed Works.
Sir, I am very well satisfied with your Explications of the Point of Free-will in fallen Man, which I have read in a small Treatise of yours, which I once had the happiness to see. I doubt not but you will give me leave to talk a little according to my weakness, Gen. 1. 26. God made Man after his own
Image,
Likeness.
I have oft perplexed my mind to see the difference of these two Divine Stamps upon Man. That God's Image consisteth in Knowledge, Holiness, and Righteousness, is clear and agreed, expressed in Scripture. But what our likeness to God is, is the Question: Why may it not admit this Explication? that one chief thing is, to act like God, according to our light freely; by choice without compulsion, to be Author of our own act to determine our own choice: this is spontaniety. The Nature of the Will lyeth in this.
Between God's Image in Man, and the Likeness of God in Man, are these two Differences:
1. God's Image was lo…t and changed, and in the room of it, Original Sin was infused, inflicted upon the Soul; and in this Change the Will suffered.
But the Spontaniety was not lost; nor changed. But the Will doth freely act according to these new ill Qualities, and freely chooses to Sin, as afore this Change it freely acted according to the good Qualities which it was endewed withall.
So likewise at Conversion, and in Sanctification, the Will suffereth the Powerful Work of the Spirit to change these Qualities, to kill the old Habits of Sin, and to create the new Habits of Grace; that it may freely act according to Grace, as afore it freely acted in Sin.
2. Difference is, that God's Image are separable Qualities of the Will, and the moral Ground which maketh our Actions good, legal, regular, and virtuous: As orignal Sin is the ground that maketh our Actions illegal and sinful. But Spontaniety is the Form and Nature of the Will, which if it cease, we should cease to be Men, and to act by Choice; and so not capable to sin, or to act virtuously.
Sir, I pray pardon my Boldness and Weakness thus to talk; but it is for my Information in this Point. I observe also in yours, a thing which I have not so much observed in other Mens Writings; viz. That you often inveigh against the Sin of Gluttony, as well as Drunkenness. It appeareth to be a very great point of Christian Prudence, Temperance and Mortification, to rule the Appetite of eating as well as drinking, and were that Point more inculcated by Divines, it would much tend to the Sanctification of God's People, as well as to a better Preservation of Health, and lengthening of the Life of Man on Earth.
I lately met with an excellent Book of learned Dr. Charleton's, about the Immortality of the human Soul, composed in a gallant Dialogue, where speaking of the admirable Advancement of Learning in these late Days, he, among other excellent matters, speaketh of that long talk'd of and desired Design of a universal Character and Language, and what Advance hath been made towards it, by some of the learned of these Times, and that by the way of Symbols. Of this he speaketh, p. 45, 46. I doubt not, but that it is a divine Work of God, to put it into the Heart of any of his Servants, to promote this Design, which so great and eminent a Tendency, to advance the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, which shall be extended over all the Kingdoms and Nations of the Earth, Rev. 11. 15. Not by the personal Presence of Christ, but by putting Power and Rule into the Hands of the Godly, Learned in all Nations: Among whom, a universal Character and Language, will be both necessary, and a singular Promotion of that great Design of Christ: Now, whereas the Proposal of it is by way of Symbols, I would make bold to propose a way, which seemeth to be of more Hopes of Success, and that is by the Hebrew Language, which above all other Languages, is most capable to be the Instrument of so great a Design. If you please to look into a Book called. Iordini Hebreae radice…, composed by Decads into Heroick Verses; the Hebrew Radix, with the Signification in Latin, helping to smooth it into a Verse; a worthy Work, wherein bene meruit de Lingua Hebraica. This Author in his Preface, speaketh most honourably of the Hebrew Tongue; and sheweth that by the trigramical Foundation, and divine Artifice of that Language, it is capable of a regular Expatiation into Millions of Words, no Language like it. And it had need be so, for being the Language which shall be spoken in Heaven, where knowledge will be so enlarged, there will need a spacious Language; and what Language fitter than this of God's own making and composure? And why may we not make ready for Heaven in this Point, by making and fitting that Language, according to the Rules of the divine Artifice of it, to express all imaginable Conceptions and Notions of the Mind of Man, in all Arts and Sciences? Were this done, (which is so capable of being done, and it seemeth God hath fitted Instruments to fall to the Work) all Arts and Sciences in the whole Eucyclopaedie would soon be translated into it; and all Paganish and prophane Trash would be left out: It would be (as now it is) the purest Language, in the World: And it seemeth to me, that Zeph. 3. 9. with other Texts, do prophesie of such a universal and pure Language. Were this done, all Schools would teach this Language, and all the World, especially the Commonwealth of Learning, would be of one, and that a divine and heavenly Lip.
Moreover, This learned Doctor speaketh very honourably of that renowned Society, the Colledge of Physicians in London, and no whit above their Deserts, as appeareth by the admirable Effects by the blessing of God, upon their Studies and Labours, which they have found out and produced for the Benefit of the Life of Man. In which Art, by the Blessing of God upon them, they seem to me to design such a Regiment of Health, and such an exact Inspection into all Diseases, and Knowledge of all Medicament, and Prudence of Application of the same, that the Book of divine Providence seemeth to provide for the lengthning of the Life of Man again, in this latter End of the World, which would be no small Advantage unto all kinds of good Learning and Government. And doth not such a thing seem to be Prophesied, Esay. 65. 20. If the Child shall die one hundred Years old, of what Age shall the old Man be? But I would not be too bold with the Holy Scriptures.
If unto all this, it may please the Lord to direct his People into a Divine Form of Civil Government, of such a Constitution, as that the Godly, Learned in all Places, may be in all Places of Power and Rule, this would so much the more advance all Learning, and Religion, and good Government; so that all the World would become a Divine Colledge. And Lastly, when Antichrist is overthrown, and a divine Form of Church-Government is put in practice in all Places; then all the World would become Divine: or at least, all the World would become very Divine or very Prophane, Rev. 22. 11, 15. And so the World should end as it began, Gen. 4. 26. some calling on the Name of the Lord, and some prophaning it; eminently distinguish'd from each other. I rejoice to see and taste the wonderful gracious Savour of God's Spirit among his Saints, in their humble Retirements. Oh! how sweet is the trodden Cammomile! How precious and Powerful is the Ministry of the Cross! It is a dryer time with us, who are making after Compliances with the Stream. Sir, I beseech you, let us have a share in your holy Prayers, in your holy Retirements, in your blessed Chambers, when the Lord shuts the Door, and yet is among you himself, and maketh your Hearts to burn by the Power of his Presence. Thus commending you and all your holy Labours to the Lord, and to the Word of his Grace, I rest
Your unworthy Fellow-Labourer In the Lord's Vineyard, John Eliot. Roxbury, this 6th of the 5th. 1663.
To his Reverend Friend and Brother, Mr. Baxter.