A Christian Directory, Part 4: Christian PoliticsBaxter, Richard
Religion
A Christian Directory, Part 4: Christian Politics
Baxter, Richard
Casuistry; Christian sociology
20. Live as those that are going to the grave; die daily, and look on
this world as if you did look on it out of the world to which you go.
Let faith as constantly behold the world unseen, as your eye seeth
this. Death and eternity make men wise: we easily confess and repent
of many things when we come to die, which no counsels or sermons could
make us penitently confess before. Death will answer a thousand
objections and temptations, and prove many vanities to be sin, which
you thought the preacher did not prove: dying men are not drawn to
drunkenness, filthiness, or time-wasting sports; nor flattered into
folly by sensual baits; nor do they then fear the face or threats of
persecutors. As it is from another world that we must fetch the
motives, so also the defensative of an upright life. And oh happy are
they that faithfully practise these rules of uprightness![21]
Though it be my judgment that much more of the doctrine of politics or
civil government belongeth to theology,[22] than those men understand,
who make kings and laws to be mere human creatures, yet to deliver my
reader from the fear lest I should meddle with matters that belong not
to my calling, and my book from that reproach, I shall overpass all
these points, which else I should have treated of, as useful to
practise in governing and obeying. 1. Of man as sociable, and of
communities and societies, and the reason of them, of their original,
and the obligation on the members. 2. Of a city, and of civility. 3.
Of a republic in general. (1.) Of its institution, (2.) Of its
constitution, and of its parts. (3.) Of its species. (4.) Of the
difference between it, 1. And a community in general. 2. A family. 3.
A village. 4. A city. 5. A church. 6. An accidental meeting. (5.) Of
its administrations. (6.) Of the relation between God's government and
man's, and God's law and man's, and of their difference; and between
man's judging and God's judging. Nay, I will not only gratify you, by
passing over this and much more in the theory, but also as to the
practical part, I shall pass over, 1. The directions for supreme
governors. 2. And for inferior magistrates towards God, and their
superiors, and the people. 3. And the determination of the question,
How far magistrates have to do in matters of religion? Whether they be
christian or heathen? 4. How far they should grant or not grant
liberty of conscience, (as it is called,) viz. of judging, professing,
and practising in matters of religion; with other such matters
belonging to government: and all the controversies about titles and
supremacy, conservations, forfeitures, decays, dangers, remedies, and
restorations, which belong either to politicians, lawyers, or divines;
all these I pretermit, save only that I shall venture to leave a few
brief memorandums with civil governors (instead of directions) for
securing the interest of Christ, and the church, and men's salvation;
yet assuring the reader that I omit none of this out of any contempt
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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