Mr. P, ichard Baxter's Funeral Sermon. After the AB: of Uniformity had taken its effefr, in the Ejefrion of fo many Minifiers, there was fomctimes a Connivance at the private Exercife of their Minifl:ry, fometime publick Indulgence granted, and often a fevere Profecmion of them, as the Popifi1 and Politick lnterefl of the Court varied. When there was Liberty, Mr. B.1xter appl ied himfdf to his deligbtful Work, to the great Advantage of thole who enjoyed his Miniflry. But the Church-Party oppos'd vehemently the Liberty that .was granted. Indeed fuch was their Fiercenefs, that if the Diffenting Miniflers· had bee1t M wife as Serpents, and t/5 inuoccnt M Dove.;, they. cq4td,-not efcape -the\r deep Cenfure~. The Pulpit reprefented them as ,feditioufly ~iralf.~Cl:ed to .tl1e State, as.ol)flinate Sclufmattcks, and often the Name of God WtU #ot~ f:mly taken m vam, b~tt tn violwce, to authorife their hard Speeches, and harder ACfions againfl them. Some drops of that Storm fell upon Mr. Baxter, who calmly fubmitted to their injurious dealings. I iliJll fpeak of that afterward. ' In the Interval, between his Deprivation and his Death, he wrote and publifht the mofl of his Books, of which I !hall give fome account. His Books,. for their number .and 'variety of Matter in them, make a Library. They contain a Trea[ure of Controverfial, Cafuiflical, Pofitive and Prafrical Divinity. Of them I fuall relate the words of one, whofe exafr Judgment, joyn'd with his Moderation, will give a grea.t value .to his Tefl:irnony ; they are of the very Reverend Dr. Wilkim, afterwards Birnop of Chejier: he faid that Mr. f3axter had cultivated every Subjea he handled; and if he had lived i1t the P>·imitive Time{, he had bem one of the Fatherr of the Church. I !hall add what he faid with admiration ofhim another ti\[le, i~;r, ~::n;;r:;Ut~ 1:1~ 41~:~{!;:s~"r~fi:c!i~~i~~ti!ii~:ti~~: a~ddr:~ l~figt; and depth of Judgment, as rarely meet together. His lnqll!rin~; Mind was freed from the fervile dejefrion and bondage of on implicit Faith. He adher'd to the Scriptures as tlte perfefr Ru)e of Faith, and fearcht whether the Doll:rines received and tauaht were Confonant to it. This is the duty of every Chrif'dan acording to his capacity, efpeciajly of Miniflers, and the neceffary means to open the Mind for Divine Know- ~~ffi~s ·~~tt~0itl~~: ~~:~~~~~=~x 0tr!~~tr,"':~~vilr~g~~~~~,f~fe~~~B~~~sv~~~~n~:~~ ~~i~·i~io~d;"ke~i:r~~ t,m~;t;;de~:;li~~d i~;"lg~;;zj:ff;:/r;;:;. ~~"d':!:'h~; Countries. However they may appear on the Stage, they are always the fame perfans in the Tyring-room: their Religion binds them to extirpate Hereticks, and often over-rules the milder inclinations of their Nature : Antiquity, becaufe they are inveigled with a fond pretence to it, as if it were favourable to their Caufe: but it has been demonflrated by many learned Proteflants, that the Argument of Antiquity is direfrly againfl the principal Dofrrines of Popery, as that of the Supremacy, of Tranfubfi:antiation, of Image-worfhip, and others. He has wrote Ceveral excellent Books againfl: the impudent Atheifin of this loofe H;s Books of Age. In them he eflablifhes the fundamental Principle, upon which the whole Fa- ths R.Uo"'· brick of Chri~ianity is_ built; that after this fitort uncertain ~ife, there is a future ~~~~~ia~r ~~: State ofHappmefs or Mifery equally Eternal, and that Death IS the lafl irrevocable I;g;on. flep into that unchangeable State. From hence it follows by infallible Confequence that the reafonable Creature fhould prefer the interefl of the Soul before that of th~ Body, and fecure Eternal Life. This being laid, he proves. the Chriflian Religion to be the only way of fallen Man's being reflor'd to the Favour of God, and obtaining a bleffed Immortality. This ~;reat Argument l1e manages with that clearnefs and flrength, that none can refufe affent unto it, without denying the infallible Principles of Faith, and the evident Principles of Nature. He alfo publifht Come warm Difcourfes, to Apologize for the Preaching of Diffenring Miniflers, and to excite them to do their Duty. He did not think that AB: of Uniformity could difoblige them from the Exercife of their Office. Tis true, ~':f~~~~~~t~bl;t~uba~d~~~~!!' t~ti?G~~t~~~:~~ 'bf~d7~;r~i~eb~~o~u~h~db~~= fci ence, but from his Command; and if contrary to his Law, are to be difobeyed. The Miniflers Co?fecrated to. the Service of God are under a moral perpetual Obliga tion of Preachmg the favmg Truths of the Gofpel, as they have opportunity. There needs no miraculous Teflimony of their Commiffion from Heaven, to authonze the domg their ordmary Duty. Nnnnn 2 In
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