Mr. Woodbridge, in his "Treatise of Justification," says, that Mr. Baxter was a man made on purpose to encounter with opposition for the sake of truth.
And Dr. Manton, upon occasion, declared in the hearing of several, that he thought Mr. Baxter came nearer the apostolical inspired writers, than any man in the age.
_It having been proposed to reprint the PRACTICAL WORKS of the excellent Mr. BAXTER, in Four Volumes; a design fitted to promote and propagate serious religion, not only in the present age, but to posterity: we whose names are subscribed, do most heartily recommend it to all ministers, gentlemen, and others, (to whom the interest of our Lord Jesus Christ is dear,) that they would to their utmost encourage so good a work._
Among all the great and useful projects of this kind that have been set on foot this age, perhaps there have been none so likely to reach all the desirable purposes this may be serviceable for. Here you have not only a few particular heads of christian faith and practice, but christianity itself, in its full extent and compass, most accurately handled, and at the same time with greatest plainness suited to the meanest capacities, and pressed home upon the consciences of readers with inimitable life and fervour. And how great an advantage must it be to have such a help at hand in families, to which you may have recourse upon all occasions, to clear your judgments in the great articles of religion, to ease your minds in the most perplexing cases of conscience, to engage and direct you in the several most important exercises of godliness! You need not fear any danger from hence of being influenced for or against any party of christians, as such. For in all his writings you will find the evidences of a large and truly christian spirit, too great to be confined to the narrow limits of one or other party; and that noble catholic temper is what he every where labours to infuse into his readers: a temper not only most pleasant to the persons themselves in whom it has place, but which at last must heal all the unhappy differences in the christian world, if ever God have so much mercy for us.
GEORGE HAMMOND, ABRAHAM HUME, SAMUEL STANCLIFF, THOMAS DOOLITTLE, RICHARD STRETTON, JOHN QUICK, MATTHEW SYLVESTER, DANIEL WILLIAMS, DANIEL BURGESS, JOHN SPADEMAN, SAMUEL POMFRET, JOHN SHOWER, TIMOTHY ROGERS, THOMAS GOODWIN, JOSHUA OLDFIELD, BENJAMIN ROBINSON, THOMAS COTTON, WILLIAM TONG, ROBERT FLEMING, JOHN SHEFFIELD, JOHN BILLINGSLEY, DANIEL ALEXANDER, ROBERT BILLIO, THOMAS REYNOLDS, EDMUND CALAMY, SAMUEL BURY, SAMUEL DOOLITTLE, ZACH. MERRELL, THOMAS FREKE, WILLIAM HARRIS, SAMUEL PALMER, BENJAMIN GRAVENER, MICHAEL POPE, SAMUEL ROSEWEL.