Part1H. Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter. S. I 3. About that time I had finilhed a book called, Cbatholic.k Theakgie ;, in which I undertake to prove that befides things unrevealed, known to none, and ambiguous words, there is no confiderable difference between the Arminigns and Calviniftr, except fore very tolerable difference in the point of perfeve- rance i This book hath hitherto had the ftrangelt fate of any that I have writ- ten, except our Reformed Liturgy, not to be yet fpoken against, or openly eon- traditted, when I expeEted that both fides would have fallen upon it : And I doubt not but fore will do fo when, Iant dead, unlefs Calamities find menother work. S. n4. Having almoff then finifhed a Latin Treatife, called, Methodes Theologig, containing near Seventy Tables or Schemes with their Elucidations and fore Difputations on Schifm, containing the Nature, Order and Ends of all Beings, (, with three more ) I gave my Lord Chief)office, Hale a Specimen of it, with my forefaidgatholickTheologie; but told him it was only to thew my refpeâs, but de- firedhim inhis weaknefs to read things more dire&tly tending to prepare for death.: But yet I could not prevail with him to laythofe by, fo much as I defired, but he oft gave me fpecial Thanks above all the reff for that book and that febeme: And while he continued weak Mr. Stevens his familiar Friend publifhed two Volumes ofhis own Meditations,which,thongh but plain things,yet were fo greedily bought up and read for hisfake, even by fach as would not have read filch things of others, that theydid abundance of good. And Ihortly after, he publifhed himfelf, in Folio aTreatife of theOrigination of Man, to prove the Creation of this World, very Learned, but large. He left many Manufcripts : One I have long ago read, a great Volumein Folio, to prove the Deity, the Immortality of the Soul, Chrifti- anity, the Truth of Scripture in General, and feveral books in particular ; folio. ly done, but too copious, which was his fault. Two or three fmal Trackates written for me I have publifhed expreffing the fimple and excellent Nature of trueReligion, and the Corruption and great evils thatfollow Men's Additaments, called wrongfully by the Name of Religion and contended for above it and a- gainft it ; and thewmg how moft Parties are guilty of this fin. Ihear he finifhed a Treatife of the Immortality of the Soul, a little before he dyed. Bnt unhappily there is conteft about his Manufcripts, whether to Print themor not, becaufehe puta claufe into hisWill that nothing of his Mould be Printed but what he gave out himfelfto bePrinted beforehe dyed. He went into the Common Church-yard, and there chofe his grave, and died a few daies after (on Chriltmaffäay.) Though I never 'received any mo- ney from him (fave a Quarter's Rent he paid when I removed out of my honfeat Alton, that he might buy it and facçeed me) yet as a token of his love he left me) forty [billings in his Will, withwhich to keep his memory I bought the grcateft Cambridge Bible, and put hispifture before it, which is a Monument to my bode. But waiting for my own Death I gave it Sir William Ellis who laid out about Ten pounds, toput itinto a more curious Cover, and keeps it for a Monu- ment in his honour. S. i q. I found by the people of Landon that many, in the fenfe of the late Con- fufions in this Land, had got an apprehenfion that all Schien and Diforder came from Minilters and People's refitting the Bithops, andthat Prelacy is themeans to care Schifm, and being ignorant what Church Tyranny bath done in the World, they fly to it for refuge againft that mifchiefwhich it loth principally introduce.: Wherefore I wrote the Hiffory of Prelacy, or a Contra:ion ofall the Hiftory of the Church, efpecially Bienios, and Baronies, and others of Councils ; to (hew by the teftimony of their greateft flatterers what the Councils and Contentions of Prelates have done. But the Hiftoryeven as deliveredby Binnius himfelf, was fo ugly and frightful to me in the penning, that I wasafraid left it Ihould prove when opened by me, a temptation to fore to contemn Chriftianity it felf, for the _ fake and Crimes of filch a Clergy. But as an Antidote I prefixed the due Com- mendationofthebetter humble fort of Paftors. But I muff; profefs that the Hi- ltory ofPrelacy and Councils, doth affare me that all the Schifms and Conffufions that have been caufed by Anabaptßs, Separatilts, or any of the Popular unruly Sectaries, have been but as flea-bitings to the Church, incomparifon of the wounds that Prelatical Ufurpation, Contention and Herefies have caufed. And I am fo far from wondering that all Baronius's induftry was thought necelfary to put the belt vifor on all filch Actions, that I wonder that the Papifls have not ra- ther
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