Second Reply to Baxter, Part 2 · Admonition
An Admonition to Mr. Baxter.
SIR,
THat I have according to your admonition improved some time in secret seriously to consider those hainous crimes you laid to my charge, I hope the foregoing lines may be some witness for me to your own Conscience and to all good men. It has I assure you been no small triall to me to finde a man so famed for learning and piety so pressing to peace and unity as your self, so to exceed the bounds of civillity, charity, and morallity, and give way to such a Shimei and Rabsheka spirit, and how I have improved your unchristian dealing for the benifit of my soul, and to pray for such a one that so despitefully useth and persecuteth me, is best known to him that knows all things. If I have in this my return (under your highest provocations) used too much sharpness at any time, I allow not my self in it, though you know some are sharply to be reproved that they may be sound in the faith: And you are pleased to tell us, that you stand in more need of faithfull reproofs, then your friends administer to you (and I think so too, or else it would not be so bad with you as it is:) your own words are these: 1 Disp. 5. Sacram. p. 487. I confess my pride needs sharper reprehensions than friends have ever used about me; and therefore they are better from any body than from no body; And therefore saith Dr. P. p. 164. of his Append. That you had convinced him of the irrefragable Orthodoxy and truth of what you have there put upon record, telling you (he did but eccho your own words) that he must cross his own inclinations and change his stile for no other end then to serve your needs: For you gave it him under your hand, both that your malady is dangerous, and that it needs a rough cure, and that you are not like Alexanders Bucephalus to be subdued with soft usage.
Therefore Sir having made so good use of your Admonition, and reproofs, as to discharge my self of those Forgeries and immorallities charg'd upon me, getting the beam out of my own eye; may with more freedom endeavour the getting the mote out of my Brothers eye: And you that with so much liberallity dispence your Admonitions to others, ought also as well to take them your self when they come to your turn.
You must therefore bear with me, if I do (taking your own method) beseech you when you are sometime alone to answer these following Questions seriously to your own conscience.
First,Slaunder and false accusation. whether you that knew that slaundring and false accusing your Neighbour is such a dreadfull kind of folly and and unpleasing to any but diabolicall natures so expresly reproved and threatned by Gods word; which at large you have so excellently held forth in your Christian Directory, and whereof I have before given some small account from your own Pen, p. 158. (and to which I refer you for the refreshing of your memory) are you not much more inexcusable if you your self become guilty thereof, as saith the Apost…e Rom. 2.1, 2, 3. And whether you are not hainously guilty therein, let those 2 famous instances of your dealing with the Anabaptists and the Vanists determine in your Conscience: And to which may not I add for your better search into that matter, your late dealing with me, whilst you charge me to be so notoriously guilty of such stupendious forgery, Prevarication, and falshood, yea, so to abound in untruths, that scarce a line in my Book is free, and yet not able to demonstrate the same in any one materiall thing, is it not worthy your Consideration, that you might the better know what spirit you are of, taking Deut. 19.18. Exod. 23.1. Ps. 15.3. along with you?
Railing and reviling language.Secondly, whether you who so very well know that rayling is so hainous a sin, which makes one so like the Devil, and so unlike God, and which is ranked with the highest immorallityes, 1 Cor. 5.10. so expresly forbid Tit. 3.2. 1 Tim. 3.3. Eph. 4.31. so dangerous to contract the guilt thereof, Math. 5.22.
Yet whether in your, writings you do not too much give way thereto, which others you know have much complained of, and of which I could give you some particular account. And whether the language you have with so much freedom bestowed upon me is not of the same nature, I submit to your Conscience and the judicious Reader, and whereof I shall give you a few instances. For have not you told me, That I am a non-conformist to truth, Christian duty and common honesty, one whom sense and truth hath forsaken, a John Becald, a fabler, and slaunderer, a soul-troubling seducer, an Impudent hypocrite; rash calumniator, brazen-fac't lyer; distracted dotard, one fitter for Bedlam, then humane society; and that my falshoods are bold fac't, rash, horrid, deliberate, concatenate, and not to be matcht with any falsifyer in the world, my forgeries strange, monstrous, sad, and morally gross; and my untruths of such a stupendious magnitude that might fright the conscience of a sober Turk, or make a Pagan to blush to be guilty of some of them; one of the bawling unclean [or shitten] Children, that defiles and disturbs the house, and much more of such durty stuff. [And such an entertainment that I presume you never gave a red coat heretofore.]
But whether this way of treat proceeds from the wisdom that is from above, which is pure, peacable, gentle? &c. or from that which is from beneath, from whence envy, wrath, strife, sedition, &c. proceeds, and which is earthly, sensuall, devilish, James 3.14. is left to your second thoughts and better consideration? And whether this is in meekness to instruct those that oppose? and to speak evil of no man? And with the tongue of the wise to use knowledg aright? and by a soft answer to turn away wrath? and to answer the Exhortation and command of letting all bitterness, wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice, and to be kinde one to another, tender-harted? or the contrary, is submitted to your conscience in the sight of God.
Notorious contradictions.Thirdly, whether you that know, that contradiction is such a scandalous thing, so prejudiciall to truth and reproachfull to the Gospell; to make the Trumpet found uncertainly; to be yea and nay, backwards and forwards, of, and on, for, and against, and to be a weathercock in religion, especially in the great poynts thereof, respecting faith and worship, the Doctrine & Discipline of Christ: yet whether you have not abounded therein? and are not notoriously guilty thereof? is by the several instances tendred you in the forgoing collection brought to your consideration?
Adding to and al…ering Gods worship.Fourthly, you that know how dangerous a thing it is, as you have worthily told us, from Deut. 12.32. (as before remark't) to adde to things that God commanded us, respecting his worship, bespeaking men as you tell us arrogantly proud, pretending to be wiser then their maker, or redeemer, not only to equalize themselves with him, but exalt themselves above him, by correcting his Laws, and making better Laws and Orders for his Church than himself has done.
And yet whether you have not in your late writings, especially in your Christian Directory and Cathol. Theology, fully done the same thing; in many particulars, relating to the worship & service of Christ, is earnestly recommended to your conscience in the sight of God?
Proud dictatorship.Fifthly, whether you that at so high a rate condemn and censure proud Dogmatizers, and super…titious ones, Church-Tyrants, and Dictators, are not your self notoriously guilty of the same? And do not your Writings abound in Dictatorship? and your severe censuring and judging of others that embrace not your sayings as Oracles, and magisterially too? that as Dr P. observes to you, that there are no sort of Christians in the world you h…ve not endeavoured to disgrace one time or other, and what a son of Ishmael you are who have your hand against every one and every ones hand against you: Consider I beseech you, whether those 2 late passages savours not of great pride, which should be mortifyd in you: 1st, That in your Preface to More Pro…fs, viz. A man may finde words at length to say for almost any cause: I partly know what can be sayd against this and every Book that I have written, and I know what I can reply; and I partly fore-know what they can say to that reply, and what I can further say in defence of it: whether this very passage doth not bespeak much arrogancy? whereby you would be thought to be one of the greatest seers in the world? for I presume few men can say the like that hath written at that rate that you have done. And surely I am apt to believe and others it may be may be of my minde too, that if you had known what I should have answered, & conscious to your self that you had given so just occasion to me, you was neither friend to your self, peace of the Church, or the truth, to have written us such a Book, as well as others, that you have given us, that I could pick out of your great Catalogue, and some of which you tell as also you have recanted.
The other is that undesent passage, p. 213. viz. But my purpose is to meddle with them but this once [viz. The Anabaptists] (so that if Mr B. and Mr W's will but keep their words, it seems we are not any more to be troubled with them upon that subject): And if after this, these crying children will bawl and wrangle, and foul the house, and think that I am made for no better work then either to rock the cradle, or to make them clean; I will let them cry, and take their course [and is not that spoke like a cruel step-father? what, let them lye in their filth, and spoyl themselves] and will no more believe that their humors are the masters of my time: But who must then futor our Father, when in his drunken fits he so defiles himself, and makes such a noysom smell, and licks up his very vomit again.
Forgery and abuse of Authors.Sixthly, you that have so severely reproved blinde temerarious andacity for abusing and falsly, and forgedly, quoting of Authors; and yet whether whilst you are administring your reproofs to others, you are not notoriously guilty thereof your self, of which take these few Instances of many, viz. 1st, For that most injurious fathering that most notorious popish confession out of Wendover upon the Waldenses, of which you only produce but part for Infants-Baptism to save them (though you have so often acknowledg'd they disownd Infants Baptism to that end) concealing in the mean time the rest of it, that you knew would detect the cheat, viz. For their Masse, popish priesthood, Real presence, penance, &c. and yet deal so severely with me for overlooking it, as p. 380. of your Book. And which is fully detected by me, p. 84.
2ly, That I sayd, that Bruno Archbishop of Triers persecuted Beringarius for denying Infants-Baptism, and most sharply reproved me for the same, p. 377. when I sayd no such thing, as demonstrated to you before, p. 94. besides 6. or 7. absurdities and gross mistakes that you committed about the same, p. 96.
3dly, your notorious abuse of Dr Prideaux, and temerarious Oscitancy about the 2d. Lateran Council, respecting Pct. Bruis and Arnoldus, denying Infants-Baptism, p. 385. denying positively that there was the least proof of any such matter medled with in that Council, and that Binius tells us, that the Acts of that Council are not extant, and that Otto Frisingensis who gives some account of what was done therein about an Antipope; yet his words have not a syllable about any such subject; whereas, as I have before demonstrated, p. 98. That Binius doth expresly tell us, the acts of that Council, particularly mentions Bruis and Arnolds denying Infants-Baptism at that time, and records the Canon that judgd these that denyd Infants-Baptism; and expresly tells us, that Otto Frisingensis did record passages about Arnolds denying Infants-Baptism; and of his being dealt with in the Council about it.
4ly, Your most notorious abuse of Wickliff, in curtailing his words, in the 11. and 12. Chap. of his Tryalog. in mist-ranslating him, misrepresenting him quite contrary to his declared sense in several particulars, making him a very Papist in diverse things, which he so eminently witnessed against, as p. 535. and which is by meat large detected, p. 121, &c. But we shall repeat no more, the rest being before you.
Seventhly, Whether you have not so countinanc'd and abetted M. W's in all his gross miscarriages as to make them your own, not only by the high commendation of the eminent service you say he had done in detecting so fully my mistaks to merit the great thanks of the Church, but when his forgeryes and mistakes were so evidently discovered by me, yet to endeavour as you have done to palliate and smother the same? And whether in like manner you have not so abetted Mr Allen in his injurious complaint, as to contract his guilt also, is submitted to your conscience, and how well such cariage comports with Eph. 5.11. have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but reprove them rarher, 1 Tim. 5.22. Neither be partakers of …ther mens sins, keep thy self pure, is left with you.
False worship and dolatry.Eightly, Whether you that know, that Idolatry and false worship, which consists (as you have informed us) not only in worshiping false Gods, Images, and Idols, but the true God falsly, by altering, changing, or adding to his Laws of worship, and for which sin, God as a jealous God has been more severe in inflicting his judgments then in any other thing.
Yet who hath offered us more additions and alterations and new inventions in Gods worship, then your self; who hath more struck at Reformation, more censured and disgraced all the Conscientious contenders for it and friends of it whether Presbiterians, Independants, Anabaptists, &c. as giddy foolish sectaryes, and sinful separatists then your self? nay, who hath more pull'd up the wall and hedge of separation, not only of the former, but even the Protestant pale it self? as Dr. Peirce tells you, having vilified the Protestants of every sort and so make men run into Popery by way of refuge.
And how favourably you have spoken of Popish doctrines, Ministry, discipline, to the disgrace of Protestanism, do not your late Books sadly witness and whereof I have given some little account; though your self also grant, what an Anti-christ, the Pope is, and what an Idolatrous strumpet that Romish false Church.
Thus Sir, I have done, concluding with your own words. If pride, partiality, and passion, will not let your conscience work upon these things, but you will turn them into gall instead of Repentance; and come forth again, which I expect from you (notwithstanding your firm resolution to meddle no more with such bawling durty brats) with greater rage & fury, your arrogant haughty spirit being not to be reacht with any of my corrosives, but excited and inflamed rather; I offer them to the consideration of others to prevent or remedy their infection: though with the hazard of name, reputation, and what not, in this faithful and plain hearted ingaging, with such a man of wrath and tongue, as you have discovered your self to be.
And remember, which you have told the world in print, that I did indeed send my Book-seller to you, in a friendly way, to have received your exceptions against my book, that I might have given you all fair and full satisfaction, and have prevented thereby all this mischief, and inconveniency, that has since occurred, which you utterly refused, and chose this way rather which you so much gloried in, p. 339. And with what daring challenges and mennaces you draw forth the proof (of what is tendred you from your own writings) is not unknown to you.
It is Sir, your recovery and repentance I heartily and sincerely desire, and that instead of being such a disturber of the peace of the Church, as you have notoriously been (all partyes being judge) fulfilling so eminently that prophecy (as said of Bishop Ʋsher) your parts and abillityes may yet be improved to the service of Christ; and of an ignorant Saul (as Samuel Fisher told you) who as concerning zeal yet persecutes the Church, and pours out repreach upon them, you may become a seeing and preaching Paul, of the faith, doctrine, and discipline of Christ, that you have so much disgraced, and as much as in you is distroyed and laid waste.