Baxters Narrative of His Life and Times, Part 2 · Section 12 · Floating text 6 – Letter 5
To the Reverend and most Learned Mr. Richard Baxter, a Zealous Minister of the Gospel of Christ, his most worthy and most honoured Brother in Christ, at Kidderminster. Recommended to the care of Mr. Dorvile.
The Grace of our Lord Iesus, and the Peace of God, be increased among us.
Most worthy and most honoured Sir,
THE Occasion of two Cosins of mine going for London, invites me to take the liberty to write this Letter to you (most honoured Sir,) and hope you will excuse my boldness in so doing; being unknown to you, I should have forborn troubling you in your weighty Affairs, which besides the great zeal and care for your Parishioners, yea for the whole Church of God, are made known: But I could not pass by so good an Opportunity, to acquaint you, how much your Name and your Person, (although with your Body so far from us,) is esteemed by me, an unworthy Servant of Jesus Christ, and by many other faithful Brethren in the Lord in this our Town, and also in our Neighbour Protestant Confederate Cities of Zuric and Schaffhousen; insomuch that we often remember one another the great cause we have to pray the Lord joyntly and constantly with your beloved Parishioners, yea with whole England, for your health and long life, that you may further continue to us all your edifying Doctrines and Admonitions. I dare not write to you, most godly Sir, in what fame you are among us, that you may not suspect me of flattery, which doubtless you despise as a great vanity: But I pray, Sir, to believe me confidently, that after Providence had led me some years agone into England, but time would not permit to stay long there, but as speedily as possible to learn the English Tongue, and am heartily sorry I did not visit you, most worthy Sir, at Kidderminster that time, for to take upon several Points your godly Advice: being in ten Months time, as long as I stayed in London, Oxford, and Cambridge, I did learn (God be thanked) so much English that I could understand reading and preaching. And by the Advice of the most zealous and worthy Men, Mr. Edmund Calamy, Mr. Cranford, Mr. Nalton (of whom I received great Courtesie and Friendship, though a Stranger) I bought a good number of English Divinity Books of your most solid and selected Divines; and among others your Everlasting Rest, Item Gildas Salvianus, or Reformed Pastor, Item True Christianity, Item A Sermon of Iudgment, &c. being at that time recalled to my own Country, I had no time to peruse those heavenly Meditations; but since have made it my chief work, and cannot express the great Advantage I received by them: so that I commended the very same Books to others of our Brethren who have endeavoured without delay to get them, by means of some of our Merchants here; and also the remainder of your Works, that we could bring to our notice, viz. The Unreasonableness of Infidelity, your Confession of Faith, The right Method for a setled Peace of Conscience, The safe Religion, Key for Catholicks, The Crucifying of the World, Item of Self-denial, Item A Treatise of Conversion, Call to the Unconverted, your Apology against Mr. Blake, &c. Item your Holy Commonwealth, The Catholick Unity, your Treatise of Death: For which Works we thank God with one accord, for the great and heavenly Gifts he hath so largely bestowed upon you, for the common good of his Church; and wish that by this occasion we might also be partakers of what we want of your Works that are extant; Sermons or other Treatises: Particularly I must acquaint you with the high esteem we make of those two Chief Pieces, the Everlasting Rest and Reformed Pastor: in which latter you strike home to the very heart many Ministers: and we must needs confess that living among a rude and unlearned People, ignorant and self-conceited, that according to your Advice in the Reformed Pastor, it is most necessary to take in hand, with all speed and care, the private Instruction and Catechizing: But we can find no way to obtain it: And being your Admonitions and Perswasions to the Practice thereof, are very home and close upon all Ministers, that they must make it their chief Business, and neglect nothing until they have perswaded and brought their Flock to it; I pray you, most worthy Sir, to resolve this Enquiry to me and others of my Neighbours and fellow Brethren, who in reading your Reformed Pastor, made the same Scruple of Conscience, viz. Whether a Minister that heartily strives for the honour of God and the Edification of his Church, doth not discharge his Duty, when according to your wholsome and true Doctrine, he hath conferred and made known his mind and willingness to the performance of it, to his Fellow-Brethren that joyntly with him are Shepherds of the same Flock, yea, perswaded them of the necessity and usefulness of it, yet can get no Assistance by Ministers nor Magistrates.
We long also heartily to know, being you have perswaded the Ministers of the County of Worcester to that most necessary and useful Catechizing and Private Instruction, Whether by the present great Change in England, both in Churches and Government, and chiefly, being that we hear that Episcopacy prevaileth, the Prelatical Dignity is not some way retrenched; and whether they bear still that irreconcileable hatred against good and godly Presbyterians, that they may not be suffered to exercise their Charge and Duty? Or if they are wholly deprived of the power and authority to serve their Parishes, as to our great Scandal we are informed. I had many things more to write to you, but dare not trouble you, most worthy Sir, any further, fearing to keep you from your weighty Business. Only I crave very humbly your Answer, and as much Information of the true present Estate, as opportunity will give you leave, Whether we have so much cause to fear the Introduction of Popery in England, as some, by the News amongst us are wholly perswaded? In the mean while, we will continue to pray the Lord our God and most merciful Father, with all our Hearts and Souls, to preserve your Person for the General Good and Edification of his whole Catholick Church, that your great Light may shine more and more; and so I remain,
Reverend and most worthy Sir, Your humble and most Affectionate Servant Iohn Sollic…ffer, unworthy Servant of Christ. Saingall in Helvetia Reformatâ, 16 April 1663.
The vigilant Eye of Malice that some had upon me, made me understand that (though no Law of the Land is against Literate Persons Correspondencies beyond Seas, nor have any Divines been hindered from it, yet) it was like to have proved my ruine, if I had but been known to answer one of these Letters, though the Matter had been never so much beyond Exceptions. So that I neither answered this nor any other, save only by word of mouth to the Messenger; and that but in small part; for much of this (in the latter part) was Matter not to be touched. Our Silencing and Ejection he would quickly know by other means, and how much the Judgments of the English Bishops did differ from theirs about the Labours and Persons of such as we.
§ 443. About this time I thought meet to debate the Case with some Learned and Moderate Ejected Ministers of London, about Communicating sometimes in the Parish Churches in the Sacraments: (For they that came to Common Prayer and Sermon, came not yet to Sacraments). They desired me to bring in my Judgment and Reasons in writing: which being debated, they were all of my mind in the main, That it is lawful and a duty where greater Accidents preponderate not. But they all concurred unanimously in this, That if we did Communicate at all in the Parish Churches, the Sufferings of the Independents and those Presbyterians that could not Communicate there, would certainly be very much increased, which now were somewhat moderated by concurrence with them. I thought the Case very hard on both sides, That we that were so much censured by them for going somewhat further than they, must yet omit that which else must be our Duty, meerly to abate their Sufferings that censure us: But I resolved with them to forbear a while, rather than any Christian should suffer by occasion of an action of mine, seeing God will have Mercy and not Sacrifice, and no Duty is a Duty at all times.
§ 444. In Iuly 1665. the Lord Ashley sent a Letter to Sir Iohn Trevor, That a worthy Friend of his, in whose Case the King did greatly concern himself, had all his Fortunes cast upon my Resolution of the enclosed Case, which was, Whether a Protestant Lady, of strict Education, might marry a Papist, in hope of his Conversion, he promising not to disturb her in her Religion. It came at Six a Clock Afternoon, and knowing it was a Case that must be cautelously resolved at the Court, I took time till the next Morning, that I might give my Answer in Writing. The next day the Lord Ashley wrote again, with many words to incline me to the Affirmative; for the Lady told them she would not consent unless I satisfied her that it was lawful. (Who the Lord and Lady were I know not at all, but have an uncertain Conjecture): So I sent the following Resolution.
The Case was thus expressed.
Whether one that was bred a strict Protestant, and in the most severe ways of that Profession, lived many years without giving offence to any; well known in her own Country to be such; may without offence to God, or Man, marry a profest Roman Catholick, in hopes of taking him off the Errour of his ways, he engaging never to disturb her?
My Lord's Letter was as follows.
SIR,
THere is a very good Friend of mine, and one his Majesty is very much concerned for, that this enclosed Case has the power of his Fortunes. None but that worthy Divine Mr. Baxter can satisfie the Lady; this has been the way by which the Romanists have gained very much upon us: they are more powerful in perswasion than our Sex;— besides, the putting this Case shews some inclination to the Person, though not to the Religion. Sir, If Mr. Baxter be with you, pray let me have his Opinion to this Case in writing under it. Wherein you may oblige more than you think for,
Your very affectionate Friend to serve you, ASHLEY.
For his much honoured Friend Sir Iohn Trevor, at Acton