The True Way of Concord of All the Christian Churches, Title page – Preface
THE TRUE AND ONLY WAY OF CONCORD Of all the Chriſtian Churches: The deſirableneſs of it, and the detection of falſe dividing Terms.
Opened by RICHARD BAXTER.
LONDON, Printed for John Hancock at the Three Bibles in Popes-head-alley, over againſt the Royal Exchange in Cornhil, 1680.
Act. 15. 28.
It ſeemed good to the Holy Ghoſt and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than theſe neceſſary things.
Rom. 14. 17, 18.
The Kingdome of God is not meat and drink, but righteouſneſs, and peace and joy in the Holy Ghoſt: for he that in theſe things ſerveth Chriſt is acceptable to God and approved of men.
2 Tim. 4. 1, 2.
I charge thee before God and the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who ſhall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdome, Preach the word, be inſtant in ſeaſon and out of ſeaſon.
Act. 4. 19.
Whether it be right in the ſight of God, to hearken to you more than unto God, judge ye.
1 Theſ. 2. 15, 16.
They pleaſe not God and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to ſpeak to the Gentiles that they might be ſaved; to fill up their ſin alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermoſt.
Mr. Jones of the … Soveraign, p. 344.
Id fit quod jure fit: … but great Lords of Nullities, by the exemption of the Will and ſoul from, and the frown of Heaven upon all bruitiſh injuſtice and force.
Read him alſo p. 23.
THE PREFACE; To the Honourable and Reverend Dr. George Morley, late Lord Biſhop of Worceſter, and now of Wincheſter: and Dr. Peter Gunning, Lord Biſhop of Ely.
IT is now about eighteen years ſince you and many others were appointed by his Majeſties commiſſion with divers of us who deſired ſome Reformation of the Church Diſcipline and worſhip, to conſider what Alterations of the Liturgy were neceſſary and expedient for the ſatisfaction of tender conſciences, and the reſtoring and continuance of peace and Vnity to the Churches under his Majeſties protection and government. His Majeſties Gracious Declaration about Eccleſiaſtical Affairs, had before ſhewed ſo much of his Wiſdome and care to attain this Unity, as we thought had almoſt done the cure; the differences about Church Government and moſt of the reſt being thereby as we hoped fairly ended: As (with the help of the Reverend Dr. Sparrow now Biſhop of Norwich, and Dr. Pierſon now Biſhop of Cheſter) you maintained that no Alteration was neceſſary to theſe ends, ſo I with others endeavoured to prove the contrary: But ſince, the ſaid Declaration being dead, ſuch Alterations were made as greatly increaſed our Impoſſibility of Conforming: we never treated with you for Presbyterian Government, or Independent, but for Vnity and peace; Nor did we herein offer you any worſe than Arch-biſhop Vſhers Form of the Primitive Epiſcopal Government, (which I had declared my judgement of before in print); And I never heard of the name of Epiſcopal Presbyterians, or Presbyterian Archbiſhops till of late. And we thankfully accepted much leſs than that Form, as granted in his Majeſties foreſaid Declaration. As I doubt not but you ſtill think that your way was beſt for the healing of the Church and Land; ſo I know that I have greatly incurred both your diſpleaſures for what I have ſaid and done againſt your way. One of you ſhewed it in a Printed Letter long ago, which when I had anſwered I caſt that aſide for Peace, (believing that the opening of ſo many miſtakes in matter of fact, would not be eaſily born:) The other of you ſince told me, that he would Petition authority that we might be compelled to give our Reaſons; as if we kept up a Schiſm and would not tell why! I rejoiced at the motion, and offered to beg leave on my knees to do it. Since then your Mr. Walton in his Life of Biſhop Sanderſon hath called me by name to remember our debate aforeſaid. I know not of any two men living, that I am now more obliged to give an account to of my continued diſſent, than unto you. My judgement is not in my own power nor in yours. Many are dead who were in that conſultation: You and I by Gods great mercy are yet alive, and may review our actions before we come to the Bar of God, which is like to be ſpeedily to me, and to you it cannot be far off, eſpecially to the elder of you; ſo that I ſuppoſe that all three of us are really beyond the motives of any perſonal worldly intereſt: what is this world to us who are taking our farewel of it for ever? All the doubt then remaining is, whether your terms or thoſe deſired by us, are the true way of Love and Concord? and which are the true cauſes of Schiſms, and the attendant evils.
I doubt not but you ſtill think that the good which you have done doth far weigh down all the direct and accidental hurt. What that Good is, you know better than I: Dr. Heylin in the Life of Arch-Biſhop Laud tells us what ſome accounted then moſt deſirable; And how much more deſirable it is to open the Church doors ſo wide as that moderate Loyal Romaniſts may come in, as they did in Queen Elizabeths firſt years, and to reconcile them by nearer approaches or conceſſions, rather than to go further from them to unite with a few inconſiderable Puritans, whoſe principles are againſt the Power and Wealth of the Church, we have often heard from others: As alſo that the ejection of the near two thouſand non-conforming Miniſters, was the Churches deliverance from them that would have done more hurt within, than they can do without. The converted Prieſt Mr. Smith, in his Narrative of the Popiſh Plot, dedicated to the King, nameth more reaſons, which I will not name, which ſome were moved by.
For my part, as with fear I foreſaw, ſo with grief I ſee, ſo many hundred Miniſters under the reſtraints and penalties which you know of, of whom I have better thoughts than you have: believing from my heart, by the acquaintance which I have had with very many, that notwithſtanding the faulty former actions of ſome few of them, and the unjuſtifiable ſcruples of others, you cannot name that Nation under heaven out of our Kings Dominions, which hath this day ſo many Miniſters, more ſound in doctrine, heart and life, and liker to further mens ſalvation, than thoſe that in England have been ſilenced and caſt out. Name that countrey if you can! And I believe that Chriſt hath given us no ſupernumeraries of ſuch uſeful men; but if all faithful Miniſters Conformiſts and Non-conformiſts were employed and encouraged, they would be ſtill too few to do the work upon the ignorant, ungodly and vicious which is to be done. And conſidering how many ſouls a faithful Miniſter may hope to edifie and ſave, I conſider then how many thouſands are like to be loſers where ſuch are loſt and wanting. It grieveth my ſoul to ſee what advantage Satan hath got in England, againſt that Chriſtian Love which is the life and character of Chriſts diſciples, and to cauſe wrath, envy, hatred and ſtrife, when God ſaith, He that hateth his brother is a murderer, and no murderer hath eternal life in him, 1 Joh. 3. 15. It grieveth me to ſee preachers againſt preachers, and Churches againſt Churches, and in Preſs and Pulpit, Learning and Oratory imployed to render brethren odious, and keep up a heart war againſt each other, and all this (O fearful) as in the name of Chriſt, and as for the ſafety of the Church and Kingdome. To ſee families againſt families, and father againſt ſon, and as Guelphes and Gibelines Cities and Countreys in their ordinary diſcourſes (at the leaſt) accuſing, contemning, and reproaching one another! It grieveth me to think how much firſt the honour, and then the ſucceſs of the Miniſtry on both ſides is hereby hindered, and what temptations ſome have to further injuries which I am loth to name: And how by all this the wicked and Infidels are hardened, the weak are ſcandalized, the Papiſts are encouraged to deſpiſe us all, and many turn to them, ſcandalized by our diſcord, ſects are advantaged, the Church and Kingdome by diviſions weakened, and the King denyed the comfort which he might have in a loving, united and concordant people.
I believe that you diſlike all this as well as I: All the queſtion hath been and ſtill is, which is the true way of Cure. And one would think that 1. the nature of the thing, and 2. the experience of all the Chriſtian world, 3. and our own new experience theſe ſeventeen or eighteen years, might reſolve men of lower parts than ours! Is there no better way to the Churches concord, than that which muſt caſt out either ſuch men as you or I, and that ſo many? Can a wiſe Phyſicion (a true Peace-maker) find out no remedy which may better avoid the foreſaid evils? O what a loſs had England in the removal of ſuch healing men, as Biſhop Vſher, Hall, Davenant, Brownrig, &c. Far was I and am I from liking any former injury to ſuch men, by Covenant or abuſe. But it hath been ever the juſt miſery of the perſecutors of worthy men, to have the ſtone fly back on their own heads, and to be themſelves undone by ſtriving to undo others, while they firſt make, and then ſtir up a multitude of enemies for their own defence, who elſe would be friends and live in peace.
I am fully perſwaded that in this book I have told you a righter way of Chriſtian Church concord; more divine, ſure, harmleſs, and comprehenſive, fitted by Chriſt himſelf, to the intereſt of all good men, yea of the Church and all the world. I offer it firſt to you, that you and poſterity may ſee what it was that I deſired; and that if I here err you will faithfully detect my errour, that I may repent before I die, and may leave behind me the recantation of this and all my other miſtakes and miſcarriages, as I intend to do upon juſt conviction. But do it quickly or elſe I am not like to ſee it: And I purpoſe not to provoke you by any confutation, but to improve your evidence for my ſelf.
And to anſwer the earneſt demand of our Reaſons by you the Lord Biſhop of Eli, I have alſo publiſhed an Hiſtorical Narrative of our caſe and judgement in another Book called, The Non-conformiſts Plea for Peace.
If (much contrary to my expectation) you ſhould be convinced that Theſe Terms of Vnity and Concord, are righter than thoſe which you (above all men that I know) have effectually helpt to bring us under, I humbly crave that you will uſe as much earneſtneſs and diligence to procure the Churches concord by promoting them, as you did for that which you then thought righter. I have here opened thoſe reaſons which made me believe that the fourteenth and fifteenth Chapter to the Romans decideth our controverſie; and is to be underſtood as I then maintained.
If it prove the neceſſary Truth which is here offered you, I beſeech you ſee that prejudice reſiſt it not. It would be a happy work could we procure the reviving of Chriſtian Love, Unity and Concord, that all Chriſts ſervants might ſtrive together for the hallowing of Gods name, the promoting of his Kingdome and the doing of his will with Love and Concord as it is done in Heaven. And when inſtead of worldly wealth and grandure we are contented with our daily bread, and inſtead of cruelty to the innocent or weak, we bewail our own ſins, and forbear and forgive one another, and inſtead of tempting men to the evil of wrath, and making battering Cannons and tearing engines of Schiſm, we ceaſe to be over-wiſe in our own conceits, and to judge, deſpiſe and ruine others, then we ſhall be in a hopeful way to this: we ſhall then receive him that is weak even in the faith, (much more about our leſſer matters) even as Chriſt received us, and not to doubtful diſputations; and he that pleaſeth God by that in which his Kingdome doth conſiſt, will be alſo approved by us; and we ſhall better learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not ſacrifice, and that none of our Church power is given for deſtruction but for edification; and ſo we ſhall not condemn the guiltleſs, nor ſmite the Shepherds and ſcatter the flocks, and then hunt them about as Schiſmaticks, and ſee the mote of diſſent from a formality, ceremony or word, in their eye, while we ſee not this great beam in our own. How joyfully ſhould we die, might we leave behind us by our endeavours a healed Church and Nation, and ſee firſt this deſired unity, which would be the ſtrength, eaſe and joy of Miniſters and people, King and Subjects, and a hopeful pattern to the divided Churches abroad to imitate. If you will not contribute your help hereto, thoſe will who ſhall have the honour and comfort of being the bleſſed inſtruments of our concord, if God have ſo much mercy for us.
I once more repeat to you the pacificators old deſpiſed words,
Si in Neceſſariis ſit Vnitas; in non-neceſſariis Libertas,
In utriſ que Charitas, optimo certe loco eſſent res noſtrae.
Pardon this freedome, and accept this Account of the reaſons of all his former and later diſſent from your judgement, words and way, to
Nov. 15. 1679. Your unfeigned well-willer, RICHARD BAXTER.