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.

CHAP. XIII.

To cry out of the intolerable mischiefs of Tolera∣tion, and call for sharper execution, while di∣viding snares are made the terms of Vnion, is the work of ignorant, proud and malignant Church-destroyers.

§. 1. TO tolerate all evil that pretendeth Reli∣gion, is to be no friend to Religion, Go∣vernment or peace. To tolerate no error in Reli∣gion, is for no Prince to tolerate himself, his wife, his child, or any one subject: And to pretend to this, is to crave self-destruction (neque enim lex justior ulla est, &c.) and to proclaim himself igno∣rant, yea grosly ignorant, what is a Church, a Pastor, a Government, a Christian, or a Man.

§. 2. Multitudes of Books are written for and against Toleration: They that are lowest usually write for it (Even Jer. Taylor's Liberty of Prophe∣cying before he was a Bishop, was thought a com∣mendable or tolerable Book). But most are against it that are in power, and think they can force others to their wills. But it is wise and just and impartial men, that are here the discerners of the truth, whose judgements are not biassed by interest or passion, nor blinded by unacquaintedness with their adversaries

or their cause, or perverted by using only one ear and one eye. He knoweth not mankind, who knoweth not how greatly (not only the common gang, but) even learned men, yea, and zealous religious men, are to be suspected in their evil characters and re∣ports of those that they are speaking against as ad∣versaries. It grieveth me to know and think, how little most adversaries in this case are to be be∣lieved.

§. 3. To describe the due bounds of Toleration is far from being impossible, or very difficult to an understanding and impartial man: But to stop the mouth or rage of Contradicters, and to reconcile the multitude of ignorant, proud, tyrannical, un∣charitable, interessed, factious, partial men to such certain measures, is next impossible, and never yet even among the Clergy was attained, since the Spirit of infallibility, simplicity and Love departed, and the Spirit of darkness, pride and malignity in most places got the upper hand.

§. 4. Many and many Books of this nature I have lately read, that cry down liberty and Toleration, and call for greater severities, and describe those whose ruine or sufferings they plead for, as ignorant∣ly and falsly, as if they talkt of men at the Anti∣podes, whom they had never seen, and as if they had never heard their Cause; and as cruelly, as if they had been preaching to Souldiers, and confuting John Baptist, or preaching a Visitation Sermon to Bonner or Gardiner: And yet the falshoods or inju∣ries set off, with so great confidence, and well com∣posed words, and zeal against schism, and error, and especially for the Church and Government, that it grieveth my soul to think, how difficult such men do make it, to strangers that must know all on trust from others, and men of other business, that

cannot have while to search into the truth, to escape deceit and the consequent mischiefs: Zeal for piety is not more abused by Sectaries, than zeal for them∣selves, and their power and wealth, called zeal for the Church and truth and order, is abused by bad domineering men. Or else the world had not been embroiled by the Clergy these twelve hundred years at least, nor Rome arrived at its pernicious Great∣ness, and power to destroy.

§. 5. And let mens different Religions or Opinions be never so many and notable, yet every where the same plea against Toleration is used, and the same Arguments seem good for every party that is in power. In Japan and China, and Heathen Lands, they can copiously declaim against the mischiefs of tolerating Christianity: The Papists think torment∣ing Inquisitions, and burning Christians, and mur∣dering thousands and hundreds of thousands better than to tolerate Protestants. The Lutherans cry down the toleration of Calvinists: What need I name more? As the Papists say, that every Sect pleadeth the Scripture, so we may say, that every powerful party, be their cause never so false, cry out against tolerating others, though in the truth.

§. 6. And doubtless Concord even in perfection is so desirable, that it's easie for a man to set forth the beauty and excellency of it: And discord is so bad, that it's easie to declaim against it: But for him that Causeth it, to do it, is self-condemnation. And for him that falsly describeth the cause, and justifieth the Schismatick, and accuseth the innocent, to write Books and preach Sermons against Schism and To∣leration, is but delusion tending to their own shame, and others deceit and ruine.

§. 7. And he never was a good Musician, Builder, Watch-maker, nor good at any Art or Science, that

thought all diversity was discord: He that would with zeal and learning write a Book to prove that a Lute or Organs must not be tolerated, if each string and key be not of the same sound; or that all the parts in a Clock, Watch, Building, &c. must be of the same shape and magnitude, or all men of one language or complexion, &c. would scarce get so much credit as most of our Hereticaters do, when they call for fire and faggot and Jaylors, as more meet and able confuters of error than them∣selves.

§. 8. The men on whom they cry for vengeance, either are really religious, or not: If not, it's a mar∣vel that they are not of the accusers mind, being supposed to follow the upper side: It's possible that some advantage may turn a man that hath no reli∣gion, out of the Kings high-way, into some Secta∣rian cottage, especially in some storms: But it's very rarely that Gain goeth not for Godliness, and the way of reputation, ease and profit, for religion, with such as indeed have none at all. But if they are seriously religious, they take it as from the Law of the Almighty, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; to whom all men are less than the vilest worms to us: and they take it to be that which they lay their salvation and everlasting hopes on; be∣lieving that God will bear them out, and if they dye for it, will reward them with the crown of Glory: They believe that they shall be damned in Hell for ever, if they break Gods Law, and obey man against him: And in this case it should not be hard to reasona∣ble men, especially Bishops and Teachers, to know what means and measures are meetest to be used with such men; and when he that must suffer, hath flesh that is as unwilling to suffer as other mens, it should be considered how far Satan useth the flesh for

his interest, and how far the Pastors of the Church should take part with it; when as St. Paul saith, He that doubeth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith.

§. 9. There is no heed to be taken by mens crying out against error or schism, to discern who is the erroneous or Schismatick. None more cry out against them than the guilty: Who condemneth er∣ror and schism more than the Papists, and who are greater causes and authors of them than the Pope? As our common prophane rabble are so great hy∣pocrites, that they live quite contrary to their Baptismal Vow, and the Religion which they nomi∣nally profess, and yet commonly cr•• ••ut against hypo∣crisie, and call all men hypocrites that seem to be seri∣ous in living as they vowed and profess; even so the greatest Schismaticks and Hereticks, partly in blind∣ness, and partly to avert both men and conscience from accusing themselves, do usually first cry down Schismaticks and Hereticks, and perhaps preach and write most vehemently against them. I take a man to be never the more Orthodox, Catholick, or of the true Church, for crying up the true Church, Ca∣tholicism and Orthodoxness, and crying down the contrary, and accusing others.

§. 10. I have long observed with the best judge∣ment I have, that usually those Divines that write most for Peace and Reconciliation of hot conten∣ders, are men of clearer judgement than others, and usually see further into the cause, than either of the fierce contending parties: Though the Turks in po∣licy give some liberty to Christians, as a necessary preservation of their Empire; and the Socinians have much pleaded for peace and concord, partly by ne∣cessity for themselves, and partly from common light of reason; yet among real Reformed Christi∣ans,

the greatest judgement is found in the greatest Pacificators: such as Le Blank, Amyrald, Phaceus, Camero, Lud. Crocius, Bergius, Martinius, Calixtus, Dallaeus, Blondel, Vsher, Davenant, Hall, Morton, Chillingworth, and such others: Darkness doth best fit the Spirit of contention.

§. 11. There is nothing in humane actions that is free from inconveniences; especially actions of pub∣lick consequence. And the collecting and aggrava∣ting of such inconveniences, and making tragical exclamations thereupon, without looking to the mischiefs that men imagine must be the remedy, or seeing the evils on the other side, is the common practice of these Church-Mountebanks. How easie is it to say [If we be not all of one Religion, it will cherish contention, bring Ministers into con∣tempt, scandalize the weak, harden the enemies, raise factions, shake the peace of Kingdoms] and more such like: How easie is it to say [If men be tolerated to break the Laws, and gather Conven∣ticles, souls will be poysoned, error propagated, Christianity disgraced, &c.] When in the mean time 1. Their course tendeth not at all to make men of one Religion: 2. Nay, they plead for that which is the great divider: where do fire and banishment or prisons cause true faith, or make men think that their persecutors are in the right? Is there any thing in the nature of the thing so to perswade men? nay what more inclineth men to think that other mens opinions are false, than to feel that their practice is hurtful? All will say, Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? By their fruit they may be known. If it be forcing some to dissemble, and destroying the rest, that they mean, by [making men of one religion] thus saith Tertullian did the Heathen persecutors: Solitudinem

faciunt & pacem vocant. But 1. This will not do: France, Ireland, Belgia, and Queen Mary in England cryed it in vain: God will still have some that shall be seriously religious, and shall fear him more than man, and not sell their souls to save their bodies: If you have no hope of making men to be of one Religion, but by making them to be of no Religion (as all are that fear not God more than man) your hopes are vain as well as wicked. There is so full testimony given to the world, that there is a God and a life to come, that still some men will believe it, and will think whither they must go next, and therefore will not forsake their religion through fear, seeing that is to forsake their God, and their salvation.

2. And if you could accomplish it, it were not worth your labour: If all the Princes on earth should force their subjects to be of One Religion, it would be their own: And then five parts of six would be Heathens and Mahometans, and of the sixth part a third or fourth would be Papists, and above two parts of the other three would have foul corruptions, for which they would be sharply censured by the rest. Is it not better that in Congo, China, &c. Christianity is tolerated, than that they had all continued of their One Religion? And so is it that the Turks do tolerate the Greeks and other Christians. And I think if Spain had both Papists and Protestants, it were better than to have but Papists only; And if the Swedes, Danes and Saxons did tolerate the more Reformed, it would do more good than harm. If Prelacy were banished out of Scotland and England, many would think it better to tolerate it.

§. 12. It is certain, that Unity and Concord is most desirable; and as certain that these over-doers

do destroy it, while they lay it upon impossible terms. 1. The most desirable Concord is in common perfection of wisdom and holiness: But it's certain it will not be, nor are any perfect.

2. The next desirable Concord is in such high degrees of Wisdom and Goodness, as that all Chri∣stians be strong and excellent, and err not notably in a word, ceremony or mode: But it is certain, this is not to be expected.

3. The next degree desirable is, that all should be so far teachable and perswadeable, as to yield to every truth▪ and lawful imposition, when reason is set before them: But it is certain this is not to be expected: And he that denyeth it, knoweth not man.

§. 13. A Peace-maker therefore must understand 1. What Concord is already among all Christians, and what is of necessity to Communion with the Church universal: 2. And what more is necessary to Com∣munion in a particular Church. 3. And what more is necessary to the Association and Concord of such particular Churches: 4. And what is necessary only to eminency, praise and special encouragement: 5. And what is necessary to meer humane neighbourhood and converse.

And accordingly he should study, 1. How all men may be used like men, and all peaceable men as peaceable: 2. How all Christians may be used as Christians: 3. How all the members of particular Churches may hold such Concord as the ends of their society require: 4. How all such Churches may keep such Love and Correspondency as tendeth to the good of all. 5. And how eminent Christians may be used according to their worth: 6. And how heresie and sin may be suppressed without contra∣dicting any of these ends.

§. 14. If once unnecessary terms of Unity and Con∣cord be taken for necessary, even multitudes of ho∣nest well meaning men, will hence bend all their strength to do mischief: They will think that all Peace-makers must promote these terms: and all must be used as Schismaticks that are against them: and so all the fore-mentioned accusations, cruelties and persecutions will (alas) go for the work even of Peace-makers: And so the common engine of Church-division and persecution and discord, will be preaching and writing against Schism, and crying up peace, and aggravating dissent as a heinous crime, even when it is a duty, and making all odious as far as they can that are not of their mind.