A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian EthicsBaxter, Richard
Religion
A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian Ethics
Baxter, Richard
Casuistry; Christian sociology
And the sect which imitateth the father of pride in affecting to be
from under the government of God, and to be the law-givers and rulers
of themselves and all others, (which I therefore call the
autonomians,) are licentious and much more. They equally contend
against Christ's government, and for their own: they fill the world
with wars and bloodshed, oppression and cruelty, and the ears of God
with the cries of the martyrs and oppressed ones; and all that the
spiritual and holy discipline of Christ may be suppressed, and
seriousness in religion made odious, or banished from the earth, and
that themselves may be taken for the centre, and pillars, and
lawgivers of the church, and the consciences of all men may be taught
to cast off all scruples or fears of offending God, in comparison of
offending them; and may absolutely submit to them; and never stick at
any feared disobedience to Christ: they are the scorners and
persecutors of strict obedience to the laws of God, and take those
that fear his judgments, to be men affrighted out of their wits; and
that to obey him exactly (which, alas! who can do, when he hath done
his best) is but to be hypocritical or too precise: but to question
their domination, or break their laws, (imposed on the world, even on
kings and states, without any authority,) this must be taken for
heresy, schism, or a rebellion, like that of Korah and his company.
This Luciferian spirit of the proud autonomians hath filled the
christian world with bloodshed, and been the greatest means of the
miseries of the earth, and especially of hindering and persecuting the
gospel, and setting up a pharisaical religion in the world: it hath
fought against the gospel, and filled with blood the countries of
France, Savoy, Rhætia, Bohemia, Belgia, Helvetia, Polonia, Hungary,
Germany, and many more; that it may appear how much of the Satanical
nature they have, and how punctually they fulfil his will.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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