An Antidote Against the Venom Regarding Richard Baxter, Section 10
SECT. 10. Of the Anabaptiſts confident expreſſions, and weakneſſe upon triall, and the diſpute at Bewdley, Jan. 1. 1649.
YEt Mr. Baxter hath not done with us. They have confident expreſſions, ſayth he, to ſhake poore ignorant Soules, whom God will have diſcovered in the day of triall: But when they meet with any that can ſearch out their fallacies, how little have they to ſay? you know I have had as much opportunity to try their ſtrength as moſt: and I never yet met with any in Gariſon, or Army, that could ſay any thing which might ſtagger a ſolid Man.
Anſw. For other men I cannot make anſwer: my own expreſſions in my Bookes and Sermons have no more confidence then ſtrength of proofe, or anſwer, as there was occaſion. As ſolid men as Mr. Baxter have met with that which not only hath ſtaggered, but alſo hath brought them to aſſent to my Tenet. Me thinks the inſtitution, Mat. 28. 19. the practiſe of Iohn Baptiſt, the Apoſtles, and firſt Churches, who did Baptize no Infants that can be found, might ſtagger as ſolid a man as Mr. Baxter, and it is very likely, Mr. Baxter met with ſome in Gariſon or Army that alledged theſe, or ſome of theſe to him. For my part I cannot tell how to conſtrue it any other then a Judgement of God on men that hold ſo earneſtly againſt Papiſts, and Prelates, and Presbyterians too, that in Gods Worſhip humane Inventions are to be left as Will-worſhip, and yet contend ſo much for Infant-baptiſme ſo cleerly proved, and ſo frequently confeſſed, not only by learned Papiſts, but alſo many of the more ingenuous of the Prelatical party, and others, to be onelyonly a Church Tradition. Yea, the Oxford Divines in their late Reaſons of the preſent Judgement of the Ʋniverſity of Oxford about the Solemne Covenant, &c. Approved by generall conſent in a full Convocation, June 1. 1647. doe Sect. 4. Pag. 9. ſay, that without the conſentient Judgement and Practiſe of the Ʋniverſall Church, (which they are not able to prove) they ſhould be at a loſſe, when they are called upon for proofe in the Point of baptizing Infants.
But there yet remaines that which it ſeemes was firſt in his intention, though laſt in execution; to wit, the blazing abroade his Diſpute with me Ianua. 1. at Bewdley, of which he ſpeaks thus. You heard in my late publick Diſpute at Bewdley Ianuary 1. With Mr. Tombes, who is taken to be the ableſt of them in the Land, and one of the moſt Moderate, how little they can ſay even in the hardeſt point of baptiſme; what groſs abſurdities they are driven to, and how little tender conſciencious fear of erring is left among the beſt.
Anſ. Mr Baxter not content to be cryed up by his party, hath thought good to glory in his imagined victory, and to crow over me in print, for that which I am aſſured the moſt conſiderate and godly Auditors of that Diſpute have thought meet to mourn, as perceiving it to have been his hour of temptation: and God I hope will yet open his eyes, to ſee how he hath been abuſed, to become an Inſtrument to hinder the receiving of Truth, and the Ringleader to a party of men, who neither mind the things of Chriſt, nor regard Mr Baxter, ſaving wherein they make uſe of the keenneſs of his ſpirit, and abilities, to oppoſe the Truth, and to uphold their repute. But to the matter, Mr Baxter reckons me among the Heretiques he had before deſcribed, yet with difference. In an Accuſation of Hereſie, Jerom ſaith, a man is not to be patient. Mr Baxters Opinions about Juſtification, Univerſal Grace in Amyralds middle way avowed by him in this place of his Epistle, his Tenet about the Magistrates being an Officer under Christ as Mediator in his Aphoriſms of Iustification, Vide Dr Chaloners Credo Eccleſiam Catholicam. Davenant Exhort. to Peace.pag. 273. may and are taken to ſavour more of Hereſie then any Tenet I hold; yea ſure, as our Proteſtant Divines are wont to anſwer Papiſts, that the Tenets of the Proteſtants denying their additions, when otherwiſe the ſame Faith is avouched, cannot be juſtly charged as Hereſie; ſo neither can I be juſtly charged with Hereſie, who do avouch the Baptiſm appointed by Chriſt, and practiſed by his Apoſtles, and onelyonly deny that the Conſequences from the Old Teſtament are convincing to prove Infant-Baptiſm: They that alter Chriſts way, and introduce another way, from Circumciſion, or the Jewiſh Church-ſtate, as Mr Baxter doth, are more juſtly chargeable with Hereſie. His conceits of me I regard not: His Neighbors of Kederminſter might hear how little I did ſay, but ſurely they could not hear in that Dispute how little I could ſay, much leſs how little Anabaptists ſo called can ſay in the hardest point of Baptiſm: His Neighbors and others may know by this, and my other Writings and Sermon… that I can ſay more then I ſaid then; and I know other learned men who can ſay more in the point then diſputed, though I then ſaid enough in anſwer to Mr Baxters Arguments then produced, notwithſtanding my care to ſpeak no more then was neceſſary, and my natural heſitancy in anſwering an Argument at the firſt hearing. And how ever the buſineſs was packed, to cry up a Baxter, as if they had been a company of Boys at a game, yet the whole Auditory might know, and many did, that Mr Baxter gave no ſufficient Anſwer to that which I alledged, That no good Argument could be drawn from the Infants of the lews viſible Church memberſhip to our Infants viſible Church-memberſhip, becauſe the viſible Church of the Iews was the whole Nation brought into Covenant together by Abraham and Moſes without previous inſtruction; but the Chriſtian viſible Church had another ſtate and conſtitution, being gathered by Apoſtles and other Preachers, by teaching them the Gospel, and thereby making them Diſciples, ſome in one Country, City, Family, ſome in another; no one Country, or City, or Tribe together, but ſo many of all as the Lord vouchſafed to call by his Word and Spirit. Which was enough to anſwer the main Argument Mr Baxter brought from Deut. 29. 10, 11, 12. Rom. 11. 19, 20. The groſſeſt of abſurdities he conceived I was driven to, I take it was that I conceived [thou] Deut. 29. 12. not to comprehend little ones, of which I have given account above: What other groſs abſurdities I was driven to, when Mr Baxter will ſhew them, I ſhall then make an Anſwer: He neither did charge me with any ſuch groſs abſurdities, nor could drive me to any, when he and I had a whole Afternoons Conference at Kederminſter in his Chamber with him alone, Ianua. 25. after that he knew my Anſwers to his Arguments, delivered in a Sermon at Bewdly Chappel, Ianua. 20. And for his laſt cenſure, as if there were little tender conſcientious fear of erring left in me, it ſhews a very great height of pride in him, to take on him to judg my ſpirit, and uncharitableneſs or malignity towards me, who would thus cenſure me, when if he had any ſpark of charity to me, he might have perceived a very great and conſciencious fear of erring in me, who, afore I did publiſh any thing, did firſt try what the London Miniſters could ſay for Infant Baptiſm, in ſix days private diſpute, and after applyed my ſelf to a Committee of the Aſſembly, and particularly to Mr Marſhal, and waited nineteen moneths afore I publiſhed my Writings about Infants Baptiſm, as may be ſeen in my Examen and Apology, not unknown to Mr Baxter: Yea, my proceedings with Mr Baxter ſhewed the ſame fear of erring, having, afore I would adventure to preach at Bewdly, firſt endevored to get his Animadverſions in writing on ſome part of my Review, not yet printed, which he would not yeeld: and after that many moneths endeavored to get his Arguments in writing, that my Neighbors and my ſelf might be ſatisfied, and I deſiſt from preaching what I intended, or elſe might go more ſurely to work in aſſerting my Tenet. But it ſeems Mr Baxter was reſolved to lie cloſe, till he could by provocations draw me to a publique Diſpute, preſuming he ſhould carry the fame of a victory, which would ſerve his and the reſt of his parties turn, to leſſen my eſteem, and to hold the people in the ſuperſtition of Infant-Baptiſm.
And for himſelf, I leave it to his own Conſcience and underſtanding men to judge, how little conſcientions feare, of erring he had, who would not, though ſo often requeſted, communicate his Arguments in Writing to me, to be examined afore he vented them ſo openly; and how little Brotherly care he had to keepe me from error, by giving me his Arguments to ſtay me from Preaching that which his Speeches provoked me to, and he knew as I am aſſured that I did intend. To conclude I am enforced to expreſſe it as a grievance, that I have neither found that love of Truth, Candor, nor love to me, either before, or in the Diſpute, or ſince, which I expected in Mr. Baxter, and which encouraged me to yeeld to the Diſpute mentioned by him. As for the two flings he hath at me in the ſixth direction of his Epiſtle, where he mentions ſome that ſay, no truth muſt be concealed for Peace, and ſaith, they have uſually as little of the one as the other, I had hoped I had ſatisfied Mr. Baxter in a Letter, by acquainting him with what limitation I meant, if not expreſſed my poſition thereof, which if he had been willing to deale fairely with me, he ſhould have mentioned. As for Mr. Baxters wayes, how far they are from Truth or Peace, may eaſily be diſcerned, by his managing the buſineſs between him and me: My friendly and ready coming to him, Ianua. 25. ſhewed my deſire of both. The other is in thoſe words, Temptations are now come neer your doors, which I imagine he ſpake becauſe of my Vicinity to them: His Neighbors I think will bear me witneſs I taught them many Truths when they did hear me, which formerly was very frequent, and I ſtill tender their good ſo far, as to be unwilling to miſlead them, how ever they may think of me by Mr Baxters deſcriptions of me. And were I fit to give them Counſel, I would warn them to take heed of the Temptations that are indeed now come neer their doors, in the high eſteem they have of Mr Baxter, which may cauſe them to drink in his Errors, of which I have ſaid before he ſeems to me not to be free; and others in all parts, as his own words in a Letter to me do import, do charge him with more largely then I do. Other things in his Treatiſe I let them paſs: But for the point in diſpute between him and me, if he add any thing more, as I am told he intends, if the Lord aſſiſt I ſhall examine it when I have it in writing: and in the mean time do wiſh him mentem ſanam in corpore ſano.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Tombes, An Antidote Against the Venom Regarding Richard Baxter (1650)