A Third Defense of Peace, Title page – Preface
A THIRD DEFENCE Of the CAUSE of PEACE, PROVING 1. The need of our Concord. 2. The Impoſſibility of it, on the Terms of the preſent Impoſitions. Againſt the Accuſations and Storms of, VIZ.
Mr. John Hinckley.
A Nameleſs Impleader.
A Nameleſs Reflector, or Speculum, &c.
Mr. John Cheney's Second Accuſation.
Mr. Roger L'Strange, Juſtice, &c.
The Dialogue between the Pope and a Fanatic.
J. Varney's Phanatic Propheſie.
By RICHARD BAXTER.
Pſalm 120. 6. 7.
My Soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace, but when I ſpeak they are for war.
Rom. 3. 17.
The way of peace they have not known.
London, Printed for Jacob Sampſon, next to the Wonder Tavern in Ludgate-Street. 1681.
Readers,
IF this ſtriving work be unpleaſant to you, it muſt be much more ſo to me: It is not the leaſt advantage that Satan getteth againſt the Church, that by other mens ſins he can occaſion that to become our duty, which elſe would be a ſinfull loſs of time, and againſt the peace of our ſelves and others. A multitude of hereſies make it our duty, to read abundance of Books, and ſtudy thoſe languages, and trifling Arts, which elſe were needleſs: And the multitude of Erroneous, malignant, and other adverſaries, and the variety of their aſſaults, maketh many Defences, Evidences, Witneſſes, and Confutations neceſſary, which elſe would ſignifie that evil Contentiouſneſs, which the aſſaulters manifeſt. Though the ſervant of the Lord muſt not ſtrive, yet muſt we contend earneſtly for the Faith, and muſt not forſake and betray truth and innocency. And the neceſſitated Defender may do his duty, while the wilfull Aggreſſor doth ſinfully militate againſt Truth, Charity, and Peace. And as we muſt love our Enemies, ſo we take our ſelves bound much more, to love our tempted envyous brethren; and if they uſe us as Joſeph, caſt us into the Pit and ſell us as ſlaves, we will call them brethren ſtill, and hope one day their repentance will render them more lovely than they are. And though ſome Preach Christ in Envy, Strife, and Contention, to add to our affliction, and not ſincerely, we rejoyce and will rejoyce that Chriſt is Preached: And though they would drive us out from the inheritance of the Lord, 1 Sam. 26. 19. We will not venture with David to curſe them, but ſay as he in another purſuit, 2 Sam. 15. 25. 26. Carry back the Ark of God into the City: If I ſhall find favour in the Eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and ſhew me both it and his Habitation. But if he thus ſay, I have no delight in thee, behold, here am I, let him do to me as ſeemeth good to him. In my endeavours for peace theſe Thirty Four Years, as I have been put to publiſh many things which I had rather might have been ſpared, ſo I have written to ſatisfie others, the Quantity of many Volumes, which I caſt away as unneceſſary to the World. But ſome men that I have dealt with, will not give me and the Reader ſuch an indulgence.
Mr. Dodwell is one who ſhall have his anſwer by it ſelf. Mr. Hinkley is another, to whoſe laſt Letter I wrote an anſwer about Nine Years ago: But he would not ſo bury his Talent, but hath printed my former Letters with his anſwer, and ſo called and conſtrained me to publiſh my laſt reply. Fame reporteth that the Impleader is Mr. Long of Exeter, who heretofore wrote an Accuſing Book, of which I gave him a private Epiſtolary Animadverſion. Who the Reflector or the Author of the Speculum is I know not, the Subject calleth me to no particular Anſwer. He and Mr. Roger le ſtrange, who argue in the ſame Mood and Figure, make me little work: which concerneth others, They miſtook the queſtion, as if it had been, what the World ſhould think of me. In which I leave them to their Liberty without much contradiction.
But our queſtion is Firſt, whether the Concord of Proteſtants being ſuppoſed neceſſary, the ſilencing, impriſoning, fining, and baniſhing from Corporations, all Miniſters that take Conformity to the preſent Impoſitions to be a ſin, be the way of Peace and Concord, either probable or poſſible to attain the end. Mr. John Cheny, I judge a godly ſerious man: who being neer me and familiar with me, never told me a word of his exceptions, nor gave me the leaſt touch of a private Admonition for all the Atheiſm, Infidelity, Wickedneſs, Abomination, deſtroying all Religion &c. Which he accuſeth me of in print: And his Book is ſo diſmal a piece of work, in its extraordinary privation of Common Reaſon, Truth, Charity, Tenderneſs and Modeſty, that I am conſtrained to think that the honeſt man is diſeaſedly melancholly: And I have known ſome well meaning men in that diſeaſe, that are ſo tenacious of all their own Conceptions, that they are ſtill fiercely confident that the groſſeſt things that they hold and ſay are right, and paſſionately reject all that is ſaid againſt them. Whom he hath reported to be his Inſtigator, I ſhall not here proclaim. The Dialogue between the Pope and a Phanatick, and Joh. Varney's Propheſie, I leave the Reader to anſwer himſelf, as he findeth cauſe. If any man think it a ſervice to God to accuſe me and others, and justifie our ſilencing and the impoſed penalties, I intreat him to remember the Ninth Commandement, and that God and his Church need not Lies for their Service, but its he that is both the Father of them, and a Lyar from the beginning. That was a lying Spirit in the Mouth of all Ahabs Prophets, (even of him that ſmote Mica…ah, for ſuppoſing the Spirit of God departed from him,) and whoſe work on Earth againſt Chriſt and Souls, is done by Deceit, and Wrath, and Hurtfulneſs; Imitating him will diſgrace your cauſe and you: And Light will not ſo eaſily be hid. Great is truth and will finally prevaile. And all the waves do but break themſelves, who daſh againſt this impregnable rock. I call this Book, A Third Defence of the cauſe of Peace, with reſpect to two former, One in anſwer to the Accuſation of Mr. John Cheny, the other in anſwer to Dr. Edward Stillingfleet, men whom I once thought more unlikely than moſt other to become our Accuſers.