The Grotian religion discovered, at the invitation of Mr. Thomas Pierce in his Vindication. With a preface, vindicating the Synod of Dort from the calumnies of the new Tilenus; and David, Peter, &c. And the Puritanes, and sequestrations, &c. from the censures of Mr. Pierce. / By Richard Baxter, Catholick.

SECT. V.

THE things then that I dissallow in * 1.1 Grotius his design and doctrines, are these. 1. That he was not truly Catholick in those designs and doctrines. So far am I from condemning him for extending his charity & Healing attempts as far as to the Papists, that my greatest dislike is that he extended them no further. He begun his Pacificato∣ry attempts with the Protestants only, for the uniting of the Arminians and Calvinists (see his notable Oration in Senatu Amstelo∣damensi.) Afterwards he thought this too narrow a design, and unanswerable to his later principles, and so turning Papist, ima∣gined that Rome must be the Head of the Unity, or else it could not be expected. But by this means he dropt into a deplorable Schism, excluding all the Affrican, Asian and European Churches that cannot submit to the Roman Head, and to many of those Do∣ctrines which Grotius now at last doth pa∣tronize. Saith Bishop Bromhal to Mileterius (p. 51.) [If you seek to obtrude upon him the Roman Church with its adherents for the Ca∣tholick Church, excluding three parts of four of the Christian world from the Communion of

Christ, or the opinions thereof for Articles and Fundamentals of Catholick Faith, nei∣ther his Reason, nor his Religion, nor his Charity will suffer him to listen to you.] Was this Catholicism, ro set up a Head or Center of Union, with other termes of Union and Peace which three parts of four of the (al∣ready) Catholick Church do dissent from? What may be called Schism if this be a Catholick design? This is my first dislike.

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 5.