those Principles in mens minds which cause Divisions in all other Churches as well as that and will never suffer Christians to Unite and Agree where they prevail 2. That I was so far from perswading any Minister to the present Conformity that I perswaded not the Readers 1. Either to use the Ceremonies 2. or to communicate with any Persecutors 3. or to own Diocesans 4. nor to communicate with or own a Diocesan Church 5. nor to communicate with or own any Parish Minister that is intolerable through Insufficiency Heresie or Wickedness 6. nor to speak one false word nor to do one sinful action to obtain Communion with the best Church in the world 7. nor to prefer Communion with a worse Church and Minister before Communion with a better where it may be had without greater loss than benefit 8. nor to forbear any lawful endeavours in private for each others good 9. nor to forsake a lawful faithful Pastor merely because he is cast out of the Tythes and Temple 10. nor to take a man for your Pastor merely because he hath possession of the Tythes and Temple 11. nor that a lawful faithful Minister should give over his Ministerial work or not perform it to the best Edificacation of the Church whoever is displeased by it or whatever it cost him which I take to be downright Perfidiousness against his Ordination and Sacrilege as being the alienation of a devoted consecrated person yea greater Sacrilege than alienating Church Lands 12. Nor did I perswade any Minister that instead of flying to another City as Christ once commanded he must needs fly from all Cities For the Diocesans that think Cities only were the seats of Churches and Bishops might inferr that if it be lawful to desert the souls of all in Cities and Corporations it is but a little step farther to dâ—sert the Villages also 13. Nor did I ever perswade any Minister to go to a Parish Church in City or Corporation who is by Law forbidden to come within five miles of it and who by appearing there doth put himself into prison for six months in the common Jayl 14. Nor did I ever perswade any to hear the common Prayer or go to the Parish Churches merely for fear of punishment and to save themselves None of all these were the matters I that medled with 3. But the things that I perswaded men to were these 1. To disclaim the foresaid Love-killing and Church-dividing Principles 2. Particularly to joyn with a Parish Church that hath a good Minister and that ordinarily in case you can enjoy no better without more loss than the benefit is like to be 3. And extraordinarily to joyn sometimes with such a Parish even when you have a better to shew by what Principles you walk unless when some apparent hurt forbid it which for that time is like to be greater than the good Pardon this Repetition of the state of my Case for without it I cannot be understood and his repeated untruths require it And now to his third Libel called the Review Sect. 1. The Title Page speaks of All my immodest calumnies confuted when 1. He neither proveth one Calumny in my Book nor confuteth one detection of his Untruths Sect. 2. He cunningly tells you in an Advertisement that ten or eleven have read his present citations of my words As if that justified fourscore falshoods before written Sect. 3. Pag. 1. He confesseth it is foolish and wicked to publish fourscore Vntruths in five or six sheets of Paper And yet thinks not himself obliged it seems any farther to vindicate himself by one considerable word but as it were by hoping his Readers will not believe that he was so foolish and wicked Doth Church-discipline require no better defence nor no more repentance for above fourscore published Untruths than this Sect. 4. Instead of Repentance he inviteth his Readers to usurp Gods prerogative as he doth and to judge my Heart that it was never truly humbled and that my Repentance is hypocritical Sect. 5. Thus lying down impenitently under all the crimes false doctrines and untruths which he published he now puts them off as Bye-matters and taketh on him to return to the Question which he saith was first designedly handled between us which he saith is Whether Conformity at this day upon conscientious grounds can be defended by any or at least with any kind of honesty be contended for by you Thus he will play small game no more nor write Untruths by parcels but let you know that it is not one untruth shall be the substance of his discourse If telling the Church be a duty it is not Railing to name the sin I therefore desire the Church to consider whether it be easie among the parties that he separateth from or worse than they to meet with so great Impudency in forgeries I know by equivocation almost any words may be verified But when there is no explication adjoyned the rule of humane speech is that Analogum per se positum stat prosignificato famosiore that is Analogous or equivocal words put alone without an ex exposition are to be taken in the most common or famous sense Now the word Conformity in its old and usual sense doth signifie that Conformity by Subscriptions Oaths and Ceremonies which distinguish the people called Non-conformists from the Conformists who yet were notoriously distinguished from the Separatists It 's true that it may be called Conformity if we are baptized if we profess Christianity if we read the Scriptures if we use the common Translation if we go to hear a Sermon in publick if we use the Lords Prayer c. in all this we do as the Church of England doth But this is not it that is notified by the common use of this name Now do but note the front of the man 1. The world knoweth that I never Conformed as the Law obligeth Ministers to do that I lose my whole Ministerial maintenance much more than ever he did all things considered and which is a thousand times more the liberty of my Ministry in publick because I do not conform 2. He knoweth that I have professed in all the three Books which he writeth against that I neither am for Conformity nor ever wrote for it He knoweth how distinctly I excluded that from the Question and stated the Question far otherwise which I meddle with Yet dare this man make this false profession of our difference 3. Yea when it is separation in plain words and not mere Non-conformity which he undertakes to defend on his very Title Page 4. And that I have oft professed to plead for the same cause that Dod Hildersham Cartwright Paget Bradshaw Brightman Ball Gifford and the other Nonconformists defended against the Separatists of those times â—â—d will you believe him if he say that they pleaded for Confâ—rmity Sect. 6. He again repeateth his most palpable untruth in comparing me in the warrs with any one whomsoever passing over my answers
THE CHURCH TOLD OF Mr. ED. BAGSHAW's SCANDALS AND Warned of the dangerous snares of Satan now laid for them in his LOVE-KILLING PRINCIPLES WITH A farther proof that it is our common duty to keep up the interest of the Christian Religion and Protestant Cause in the Parish Churches and not to imprison them by a confinement to tolerated meetings alone By RICHARD BAXTER A Militant Servant of Christ for Faith Hope and Love Unity Concord and Peace against their contraries on both extremes LONDON Printed in the Year MDC LXX II. ERRATA PAge 13. l. 32. for Amareduci r. Amazedness p. 25. l. 6. for Care r. Cure l. 13. for impertinently r. impenitently p. 31. l. 12. for Perry r. Peury p. 33. l. 2. r. up by some l. 3. dele the. l. 13. r. live l. 38. for unmeasurably r. unanswerably THE CHURCH TOLD OF Mr. BAGSHAW's SCANDALS And warned of his Dangerous Snares THE SVMME 1 Cor. 5. 6. Your glorying is not good Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump Rom. 3. 8. Let not us do evil that good may come whose Damnation is just Jam. 1. 20. For the wrath of man worketh not the Righteousness of God Jam. 3. 6 8 9 13 14 15 16. The tongue is a fire a world of iniquity So is the tongue among our members that it defileth the whole body and setteth on fire the course of nature and it is set on fire of hell The tongue can no man tame it is an unruly evil full of deadly poison Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meckness of wisdome But if ye have bitter zeal envying and strife in your hearts glory not and lye not against the truth This wisdome descendeth not from above but is earthly sensual devillish For where envying and strife is there is confusion and every evil work Rom. 16. 17 18. Now I beseech you brethren mark them which cause Divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them But not the Churches or the innocent for their sake For they that are such serve not the Lord Iesus Christ but their own belly and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Act. 20. 30. Also of your own selves shall men arise speaking pervâ—rse things to draw away disciples after them 1 Cor. 11. 19. For there must be also heresies or sects among you that they which are approved may be made manifest among you Matth. 22. 15 16 17 18 19 20 21. Then went the Pharisees and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not But Iesus perceived their wickedness and said Why tempt ye me ye hypocrites shew me the Tribute-money Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods Matth. 17. 26 27. Then are the Children free Notwithstanding lest we should offend them Rev. 22. 15. For without are dogs and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye Psal. 15. 2 3. Lord who shall abide in thy Tabernacles who shall dwell in thy holy hill He that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousness and speaketh the truth in his heart that backbiteth not with his tongue nor doth evil to his neighbour nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour Christs own Doctrine and Practice Luke 4. 16. As his custome was he went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read John 18. 20. I spake openly to the world I ever taught in the Synogogue and in the Temple whither the Iews alwayes resort and in secret have I said nothing Mark 1. 44. Shew thy self to the Priest and offer for thy cleansing ... Matth. 23. 2. 3. The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses seat All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe observe and do but do not ye after their works for they say and do not what they were see in the rest of the Chapt. Mat. 7. 1 2 3 4. Iudge not that ye be not judged For with what judgement ye judge ye shall be judged and with what measure ye measure it shall be measured to you again And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brothers eye but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye Thou hypocrite first cast out the beam out of thy own eye TO THE CHURCH AND TO POSTERITY CHAP. I. HAd I seen as I have done the spring multiplication growth and fruits of Dividing Principles Dispositions and Practices in these Kingdomes not being totally innocent therein my self in my unexperienced youth Had I seen so much bloud shed so many Governments overturned and so many Ministers openly reviled abused ejected silenced and so many damnable heresies risen up and all this done in the Name of God Had I my self been one of them that have been cast out of my publick Ministry and maintenance with about 1800 more at once and seen the pittiful case of too many Congregations in the land and all this as the fruit of former Church-Divisions obstinately continued twenty years to look no farther and the new effect of the same spirit still working in both extremes I say Had I seen and felt all this and yet taken the spirit the principles and practises of Division in one side or other for a virtue or a little sin I had been guilty of such horrid wilful blindness as every Christian's soul should hate And had I seen what strong temptations are lately given to propagate these evils and what advantage Satan hath got by the malignity of some to increase the bitter censoriousness of others and to pull down the good old principles of Concord on pretence that now the case is changed Had I seen the fruits of Gods indignation against a self-destroying people in Londons plague and dreadful flames and in our present Church-convulsions Had I seen what visible dangers are over us of a condition yet worser than all this Had I seen how many thousand honest Christians are in danger of being sinners or sufferers by this evil I say had I stood by and seen all this and held my tongue and let men sight like Dog and Bear and not interposed a word of counsel or controulment to the wasting fire I had been guilty of an obduratious self-saving and perfidious silence unbeseeming the Ministry or the Christian name Having therefore begun long ago to publish my Testimony and Council against the Dividing-evils in 1660 fore-seeing the critical day and danger I took the liberty of the season once more to discharge my Conscience though with slender hopes and to reason and even beg for Peace that had it been possible as much as in us lay we might have lived peaceably with all When those opportunities and hopes were gone and some glimmering once and again since vanished one side having
discharged me from speaking to them any more and God I think discharged me at present I saw nothing more to be attempted but with the other whose duty for Concord and Christian Love after many years silence I opened in a Treatise called The Cure of Church-Divisions But yet would not publish it without an Addition of the Duty of those Pastors that most complain against separation lest I should exasperate their minds against those that I instructed and should tempt them to overlook their own miscarriages But more of this then I there adjoyned it could not be expected that the Licenser should pass The only man that rose up against this Writing with furious indignation was Mr. Edw. Bagshaw a man that had before written against Bishop Morley's Letter published against me and lain in prison many years And gave the world a notable proof of one of the chief passages displeasing to them in my Book viz. That there is a marvellous affinity between the spirit of Persecution and of sinful SEPARATION though several opinions or capacities cause them to operate several wayes By this time I discerned the guilty from the innocent by the Cry which signified their smart I had seen so much of the workings of that spirit that I expected not to escape their sharpest censure And verily I expected neither preferment nor so much as Liberty to preach as a reward from the other side instead of the favour of those that I knew I was to lose Nor yet had I such a contempt of them or a desire to be bitterly censured and reviled as to invite men to it as the Circumcellians importuned men to kill them I foresaw that some interessed men would be angry as supposing that I would hinder their alienating work though they could not deny but that I spake the truth I foresaw that many that look but to the present day and place would say It was unseasonable and served the Prelates design not considering that their design is not to bad but that some things which seem their design do also seem the design of Christ and his Churches good and mens salvation I foreknew those that make uncharitable Divisions their very Religion would make it a part of their religious dutys to call me as bad as their distempers do incline them These things I prognosticated in my Preface As Tertullian saith of the Christians martyrdome It is more the choice of our own will than the effect of your power i. e. We dye because we will dye rather than not do our duty by the omission of which we could escape so I say I could easily have kept as large an interest in the favour and applause of all the parties that ever railed at me as most men of my profession as their own words have told me What did it gain me in the world to do what I have done to lose the favour of the Papists the Ithacian Prelatists the Anabaptists the Separatists the Quakers the seekers c. But I saw whither the temptations of this age did tend And this was a work that some body must do or else woe to the Ministry that in their very sufferings would be so unfaithful And I thought my reputation with the Uncurable as fit to be cast away and my self as fit to bear their slanders as most of my brethrens who had more use for an interest in them than I had And I remembred that ill-gotten goods must be restored and without restitution no remission Though I can truly say that I disliked and decryed this spirit from my beginnings yet when I preached first the favour and loud applause of some good people tainted a little with this disease did tempt me to please them too often by exclaiming too smartly against the corruptions of the Church Though I said nothing but what I was confident was true yet I think I did not well to cherish their inorâ—inate censoriousness in such matters And having gotten sometime a great stock of estimation with such angry persons by means which I dare not wholly justifie though it made me the more capable to do them good I did voluntarily surrender it to them again before they took it from me and I did yield to serve God at the rate of so small a part of self-denial rather than be silent at such a time as this I have long ago preached to Drunkards and other ungodly people till they openly rose against me in tumults in the streets and sought my life And shall I forbear to speak that truth to Ignorant-proud Dividers which is necessary to heal the Church and them and all for fear lest their passion and partiality should shew their guilt by their calling me what they are themselves They call out for Valiantness in suffering themselves And shall I be so cowardly as to fear their false reports They cry out against the fear of man And shall I fear their impotent revilings They will be my witnesses that it is a duty to deny our selves and to forsake all for the Cause of Christ And I am as certain that Love and Unity are his Cause as I am that he is the Christ And shall I think the good thoughts and words of some of his froward Children too great a matter to forsake and lose They themselves think that we should rather suffer a prison or death then joyn with the holiest Minister and people in the use of the Common Prayer And should I that know the difference think that LOVE and CONCORD are not matters more worthy to be suffered for When first the City and Countrey had sounded with abundance of untruths about my Book while it was yet but in the Press at last the man that openly assaulted it when it came forth did use the same instruments which himself decryed and filled his Libel with as many untruths as ever I saw heaped up in so small a room except once in such another piece that was about eight years elder And the Cause it self he shamefully slip'd over as if his spirit and interest had directed him to no other means but only to attempt to asperse the person that was against him I wondred that no soberer a man rose up to defend Dividing-Principles And I was glad that in an age of such Temptations he had no more approvers among the Ministers When I had answered that Libel he sent forth another which instead of professing repentance did double the number of his Vntruths and cast out more of his bilious excrements but pretended also to say somewhat for his Separating Principles and Cause When I had replyed to that and Admonished him to repent of his false Doctrines and Crimes and above fourscore visible Vntruths he hath vented a third Libel of which I am now to give you a more particular account CHAP. II. I Must needs again remember the Readers 1. That the design of my Book was not particular to reconcile men only to the Parish Churches but universal against
dissent And what hinders me from doing so at Common-Prayer He saith I must joyn in that form or none at all True And so must I when the Minister either prayeth freely or in a stinted form of his own You must joyn in that or none at all for that time I told him of old Mr. Fen a zealous Non-conformist at Coventry that would say Amen loud to every Prayer of the Liturgy save that for the Bishops Did he not use as much liberty here as he could have done at free prayer 2. And for fore knowledge he passeth by all the answer I oft gave to that objection and singeth over the same song again Fore-knowing what will be said doth more enable me to know what clause to forbear my consent to than in sudden Prayer not foreknown And what if by his constant custome I foreknow that Iohn Simpson Randal Iohn Goodwin Saltmarsh Dr. Crisp Canne Iohnson Blackwood or any other tolerable Opinionist will put his opinion into his Prayers Doth not that make them in this all one with an imposed prayer as to fore-knowledge And when I fore-know that the Matter of the Liturgy used on the Lords dayes by the Minister and people is sound this fore-knowledge maketh it not evil in the use Sect. 28. When I gave him no less than twenty Queries containing plain evictions of the falseness of his Doctrine about the Scriptures his answer is that he will answer them when I have satisfied him that I sinned not greatly in raising such mists and doubts and when I give him security that I will not ask him as many more Reader Is not this man an easie disputant Did you ever know any that answered all with less ado than so silly a reason Why he should not answer it Sect. 29. He concludeth by telling us that he is to say no more your best your equal I know what he meaneth though not what he saith And really it was but need that he should tell the world how good or worthy a man he is or else a sober person that had but read one of his three Libels would hardly have believed it Sect. 30. Having ended the second time he begins again with a Postscript to tell us his reasons for his refusing the Oath of Allegiance which he is imprisoned for But I have no mind to meddle with him where I have no call And shall only say that had it been more even the Oath of Supremacy it self if he will regard either Non-conformist Independents or Anabaptist Mr. Bradshaw Mr. Nie and Mr. Tombes have each written enough to teach him better to understand that English CHAP. IV. An Admonition to that part of the Church which is inclined to Mr. Bagshaw's Errours Sect. 1. VVEre it not my present Duty to Tell the Church I should take it to be as inconvenient as unpleasing to open Mr. Bagshaw's sins But as Christ did it by the Pharisees yea and Peter himself and as Paul in his Epistles did it by many so I think it is now become my duty though he and his believers be displeased by it I shall but desire the impartial sober Readers that have perused his Writings and mine to judge 1. Whether so great Ignorance as he discovereth in himself be not scandalous in a Preacher of the Gospel 2. Whether such dangerous errours in Doctrine against the very foundations of our faith with many other proved against him make him not an unsafe Guid for souls And give not incomparably greater occasion for renouncing him as an Heretick to such as are apt to take such occasion than most called Hereticks in the ancient Churches gave 3. Whether it be not rare among the worst of men to meet with so many evidences of Insolent Pride above the common measure of Proud men as his three Libels do contain 4. Whether it be not a hard matter to find among the worst of men on earth two Libels so small containing above fourscore visible Vntruths in matter of fact And a third to follow them substantially constituted of the like Vntruths scarce now to be numbred any more than drops that are aggregate in a Pond 5. Whether it be not rare to meet with more malicious contrived snares to make up his ends upon the person instead of defending of his Cause 6. Whether ever you saw a controversie so managed by any sort of men of what heresie soever that said so little for their Cause as he hath done for his Love-killing Principles I confess I remember not one no not excepting the very Quakers Read over several debates and see whether ever a cause so hotly contended for had so little said for it 7. Whether ever you saw Books so answered as mine are by him In all his three Libels not medling at all with any considerable part of my Books as to any answer But silently passing them over as if he had never read them And yet going on to repeat the same things which I had confuted 8. Whether his Calumny or false accusations of me and of Calvin Perkins Hildersham Preston c. be not an unchristian act 9. Whether it be not rare among the worst to find such footsteps of great Impenitence as he giveth in so silent a passing over his guilt of the fore-mentioned fourscore Vntruths without any considerable Vindication and after Admonition adding so many worse 10. Whether it be not rare to meet with so much audacious impudence in sinning 11. Whether the slandring of so many millions yea almost all Christs Churches on Earth as differ from him in point of Forms c. as guilty of Idolatry be not a most heinous sin against Christ and them as representing them as odious in the world 12. And is it not a sin to draw so many poor souls as will beieve him so far towards the hatred of Christs Churches and â—om Communion with them and to confine all their Communion 〈◊〉 so narrow a compass 13. Whether Fathering all this on God and Religion make â—â—t the sin to be yet greater 14. Whether according to his power he shew not as Cruâ—â— and bloudy and silencing a disposition as any of those that 〈◊〉 he accused of it 15. Whether he do not injuriously to labour by his insiâ—tions to bring many honest well-meaning Christians 〈◊〉 into the same guilt with himself or into the shameâ—â— reputation of it Insomuch that â—lready the common 〈◊〉 dishonoureth many of the Semi-separatists saying that they 〈◊〉 rejoyce at his Writings and so hate my Treatise against Church-dividing Principles as that for the sake of it they will read no other of my Books And if that hurt them no more than me the matter is but small Sect. 2. And when you have well considered of these things I shall next desire you to consider Whether this man hath not brought you as great a Care or Caution against unlawful Separations and Divisions as most men ever did in the world For 1. Here you see how much you