TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL

SIR HENRY HERBERT, KNT., &c.

SIR,

THE reasons are many which induced me to presume to direct these papers first to you, and to tell the world how much I honour you; first, my personal, ancient obligations to you; secondly, principally, your approved wisdom and moderation, and taking part with the ways of charity and peace, in your most public capacity, in these trying times; thirdly, your relation to the noble author, on whose writings I here animadvert; which, as it is your honour to be the brother of so learned and ingenious a lord, and the brother of so excellently holy, as well as learned and ingenious a person, as Mr. George Herbert, orator to the university of Cambridge, and a faithful pastor in the English church; so it obligeth me the more to give you an account of this animadversion. It is long since. I sought after the book, as provoked by the title and the honour of the author's name, and received it from you as your gift. The premised letter from an unknown person of the same name, occasioned me to review it: the sad case of many of my acquaintance, and the increase of infidelity of late, especi ally among debauched, sensual gallants, and the danger of England hereby, and the temptations against which the best of Christians have need of help, were the reasons of my presumption; it being my calling to propagate and vindicate the

christian faith. I am so far from writing against his whole book, that I take most of his rules and notions, de veritate, to be of singular use; and had so great a wit had but the internal conditions due to such an intellectual apprehension, as his and your holy and excellent brother had, no doubt but our supernatural revelations and verities would have appeared evident to him, and possessed his soul with so sweet a gust, and fervent, ascendant, holy love, as breatheth in Mr. G. Herbert's poems; and as would have made them as clear to him in their kind, as some of his notitiæ communes. The truth is, as he was too low to us, who number not our divine revelations with the veresimilia, but with the certain verities; so he was too high for the atheistical sensualists of his age and I would they would learn of him, that the being and perfections of God, the duty of worshipping him, and of holy conformity and obedience to him, and particularly all the Ten Commandments, the necessity of true repentance, and the rewards and punishments of the life to come, with the soul's immortality, are all notitie communes, and such natural certainties, as that the denial of them doth unman them. To know this, and to live accordingly, would make a great alteration in our times; and Christianity could not be disrelished by such that so know and do. I may well suppose that your approbation of the cause I plead for, will make it needless for me to apologise for my boldness in meddling with such an author, while I do it with all tenderness of his deserved honour. I remain,

Your obliged servant,

Jan. 17, 1671.

RICHARD BAXTER.

MORE REASONS

FOR

THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

1. IN ANSWER TO A LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN PERSON, CHARGING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES WITH CONTRADICTION.

SIR,

THE LETTER.

I was right glad when I first heard that you had written and put to print a book of the reasons of the christian religion, and I did immediately buy the book, hoping, that in the reading and perusing of it, I might have received satisfaction as to any doubt or scruple, and an answer satisfactory to all objections that in reason may be raised against the grounds of the said christian religion; because I did think you to be as able to say and write as much as any man in that thing, having, as I thought, studied it as much as any that I had heard of; but, in the reading and perusing it, I, contrary to my expectation, found it to be short of giving me satisfaction.

For the greatest occasion of any doubt or scruple in any thing. tending or relating to the christian religion, that I at any time had or have, were from that variousness and contrariety, if not contradictions, which are, or at least seem to be, in the writings of the apostles and evangelists, and other books received for Scripture.

But you, in answer to that objection, p. 412, say, "Nothing but ignorance maketh men think so; understand once the true meaning, and allow for the errors of printers, transcribers, and translators, and there will no such thing be found."a

But you neither tell me which are those errors, nor yet how I may know them.

1. Therefore, I humbly pray you, in writing, to tell me, whether that which is written in the first chapter of Matthew's Page 347 of the present volume.

a

Gospel, ver. 8, 9, where Matthew writes, "That Joram begat Ozias, and Ozias begat Joatham," be any error of the transcribers, translators, or printers, or the contrary to it, which is written in the second book of the Kings, and in the books of the Chronicles; if not, how may they be understood? for in those books it is written, "That Joram was father to Ahaziah, and Ahaziah was father to Joash, and Joash was father to Amaziah, and Amaziah was father to Azariah, and Azariah was father to Joatham;" by the account of which books, there is above an hundred years between the death of Joram, the son of Jehosaphat, and Joatham.

2. And, secondly, whether that which is written by Luke in his Gospel, chap. xxiv., ver. 9, 10, 22, 23, where Luke writes, "That Mary Magdalene, and other women, told the disciples, that they had seen a vision of angels, which said, that Jesus was risen from the dead, and was alive;" whether this be any error of the transcribers, translators, and printers, or any of them; or the contrary, which is written by St. John in his Gospel, for he writes, chap. xx., v. 2, “That Mary Magdalene told two of the disciples, and said to them, They (I suppose meaning the adversaries) have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.”

If not, how may I understand them to be both true testimonies or reports, for it seemeth by Luke, ver. 11, 12, 23, and 24, of his 24th chapter, that Mary and the other women had told those things of their seeing the angel, which said that Jesus was risen and alive, before that Peter ran or went to the sepulchre.

3. And, thirdly, whether that which is written by Matthew, in the 28th chapter of his Gospel, that the angel said to Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, "Fear not ye, for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified; he is not here, for he is risen: as he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead ; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall you see him; lo! I have told you."

"And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold Jesus met them." xxviii. 1, 5-9.)

(See Matt.

Whether, I say, was this which is written in St. Matthew's Gospel, that I have here transcribed, said to the women, and

that the women returned from the sepulchre to tell the disciples, before that Mary Magdalene said to him that she supposed to be the gardener, "If thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away;" (John xx. 15;) or whether there be any error of transcribers, translators, or printers in those texts; if not, how may I understand them to be true reports?

Sir, I shall trouble you with no more but these few places which I have proposed in three questions or particulars, although there are several other texts, that I do not understand how they may be reconciled, but if you shall, by strength of argument grounded upon sound reason, make appear that it was nothing but ignorance hath made me to think that those testimonies agree not, but are contrary one to the other; and that they may be so understood as that no such thing will appear in them, then I shall be ready, and will with you conclude, and say so too, and for the future suppose that other places of those books which are received for Scripture, as seem to be contrary to one another, may be reconciled, though I do not understand how.

But, on the contrary, if you do not endeavour by such sound and plain arguments to make it appear that these texts here transcribed by me, may be understood so as that no contradiction is in them, I must think that it was nothing but ignorance that made you say that which you have said, in answer to that and some other objections.

Therefore, I humbly and earnestly pray and beseech you, both in defence of your own writings, as also in defence of those books in which you say you think that no one error or contradiction in any matter can be proved, to make it appear in truth and plainness.

If you judge I have erred from the truth, I hope you will endeavour to convert me from the error of my way, if any such be; which if you shall do, no doubt but it will be a good work. (See James v. ult.)

Sir, It is your advice, that in such kind of scruples, the doubtful should apply himself for satisfaction to some minister; therefore do I write to you, and if you shall not give me a gentle and plain answer, I shall be discouraged to make my scruples known to any other; therefore, in expectation of your plain I remain

answer,

Your loving Friend in the bond of Peace.

To Mr. Baxter.