Half a Sheet against Mr. Baxter: or, A PARAPHRASE upon a part of his Works.  
MR. Baxter in the Preface of his Book entitled, The world crucified, addresseth himself unto the Nobility and Gentry, and all that have the riches of this world, in this manner.  
Were but your senses rational, or were your will but disengaged and morally free,— what a shaking would Satans kingdom feel? then neither SEDUCERS] A word derived from Sea and Duck.  
Should have this pretence, nor the Seduced] Or such as follow like Sea-Ducks.  
This temptation to call their various Models] Or Decoys.  
By such splendid names] As Leviathan, that glowes like a smelled; and Oceana, that foams Moonshine.  
And to think Christ reigns when they reign.] It was the judgement indeed of the Heathens, that where Laws reigned, there God reigned: but the clergy know, that where such men as themselves reign, there onely can Christ reign.  
Or that it is the onely Government, to have all to be Governours] As in the 20 of Judges, where the whole people of Israel, or at least four hundred thousand of them, are all Governours.  
Which is but to have the greatest liberty to be bad.] Seeing that but for dealing with a Priests Leman, they destroyed Benjamin. It appears by the Text, that the four hundred thousand in Israel who did this, were foot; and it is thought that half the Horses in England are now dead: for whereas in the late Monarchy men might have been lucky unto Horseflesh; later Parliaments, being all Governours, have quiter spoiled the possibility.  
No Forms will reform us, till we are reformed within.] No Goal will hold a thief, till there be no thief.  
led will not be Gold, what form soever you mould it into.] Therefore doughty cannot be moulded and baked into bread.  
And though some ways may be more effectual to restrain the evil,] As the murderous and incestuous.  
And improve the good,] As industry.  
Yet still the wicked will do wickedly.] So that you had as good have no Laws at all against Murder, Incest, of Idleness, seeing they are not to be reformed, but at home or within.  
The Sword-fish and the Thresher.] Being good fishes, & reformed within.  
Would be the tormentors of Leviathan.] But never look that men should be able to do that by Forms, or by their heads, which I tell you fishes can do with their snouts, or with their tails.  
And the brother of Leviathan] For a Tyranny and a free Commonwealth are of the same venture.  
Would mend the matter, who by giving the power to the vast tumultuous Ocean itself.] For whatever is called Oceana, is first splendid in the name, and secondly tumultuous in the thing. But the Author's Commonwealth is called Oceana: Therefore the Author's Commonwealth, name and thing, is splendid and tumultuous.  
He, I say, may find] I warrant you, somewhere or other in his Book, though I have not had the leisure to look in it.  
That his republic( an high commendation) is not onely inconsistent with a clergy,] Forasmuch as it excludeth all such interest and ignorance as give sufficient latitude, and so forth.  
But may possbly] Though, for the reasons mentioned, I cannot readily say where.  
Be as injurious to his moral honesty,] Much better known then mine.  
As any other sort of Tyranny.] For, in the 20 of Judges, where the whole people have the making of their own Laws, it is of that sort of Tyranny which was invented by Moses.  
He might have learnt of his chief Master Seneca,] For the chief Master of your Political Heads must be Seneca or euclid.  
That the free city of Athens] Free, as being then newly recovered of the Thirty Tyrants, otherwise greatly disordered in the Frame or Policy.  
Could less endure Socrates.] Being still invective against their corruptions.  
Then the tyrants.] Whom perforce they were to endure.  
And did put him whom the tyrants had tolerated, unto death.] Though according to Law, yet upon the testimony of false Witnesses, whose fraud( it is true) being afterwards discovered, the people put them also to death, or banished them, and erected a Statue for Socrates; a thing not yet done for Sir Thomas More or Sir Walter Raleigh. But of this, or, as some think, that in the Monarchies there have been thousands of like examples for one in the Commonwealths, or that Seneca himself was put to death by Nero without either Law or accusers, I do not find he maketh any mention.  
Gentlemen] Let me be plain and rousing.  
For the Lords sake, for your souls sake, give up yourselves and all that you have] In such manner as is directed by my Catalogue of good works, that is, under the contingency of a Minister, or of a clergy.  
Unto God and Christ. Convince all self-conceited founders or troublers of the Commonwealth.] For Reason unanswerable, is Self-conceitedness, and to such of the clergy who as myself are new christened with Courtholywater, so exceedingly troublesone, that we are agreed as one man to declare them that shall dare to use it, to be Seducers, self-conceited and absurd.  
Convince them, I say, that you have hit the way of true Reformation] Or of disbanding all Armies, abolishing all Taxes, and remedying all the grievances of this Nation.  
Without any alteration of the Form] Called, The humble Petition and Advice.  
By correcting yourselves the principal materials.] Or by reducing all Government unto internal Principles, and resigning all internal principles unto the direction of the clergy. That Jethro was able to advice Moses, and that the wisdom of Ahitophel was as the Oracles of God, came from being reformed within: there, there lye the Principles of all Government.  
And let them see, by your seeking the weal of all] As we may think some Christians do in turkey, and some Protestants in France.  
That your Form is as truly a Commonwealth as theirs, and that they absurdly] Licurgly and with Burgly.  
Appropriate the title to their own. If you deny us this] Question which we beg for the Lords sake, namely, That all Government consisteth in internal principles, and so forth.  
On you be the blame and shane] That you will not swallow gudgeons.  
And not on our want of a Popular form] Who have made foot-balls of Parliaments.   

The PARAPHRASE perused.  
MY Lords and Gentlemen, who have the Riches of this World, and to whom Mr. Baxter hath appealed: Upon perusal of this Paraphrase, I desire you, as a matter of no less public then private concernment, to look well unto your purses; and to have good attention unto what Mr. Baxter shall say, why he is not onely guilty of bearing false witness against his Neighbour, but also of all those Crimes whereof he, by such false witness, hath gone about to charge another: As first, of Absurdity, in having written divers fustian Sheets, full of like Absurdities unto those whereof he is hereby convinced; secondly, of self-conceitedness, by going still on in writing like fustian; thirdly, of troubling the Commonwealth, by defaming principles which he not so much as offers to confute; fourthly, of being a Seducer, in that his Doctrine is quiter contrary to human prudence; and indeed of sly Athiesm, in regard that his Doctrine being brought to light, is point-blank against Scripture: of all which Crimes and Enormities, I charge him before your Lordships; and to the end he may know his Accuser, subscribe  
JAMES HARRINGTON.   

An apology to the READER.  
I Am sorry the Paraphrase should be so short of the Text. But if, in things subject unto Reason, a man, to fend Priestly scorn, must not strive who shall have the better Reason, but who shall be the most impertinent, and yet be worsted; what remedy? should we use such Arms as Divines( some reputed of the gravest in this Town, while without so much as an offer of any proof, it is familiar with them to call the Author of the Principles hereby defended Atheist and Mad-man) would thrust into our hands, it were not our fault. But if they will once reason, or be civil,( it is upon some ground I make the promise) they shall have of either kind, as much as they shall be able to bring in, or carry off. The hot-headedness of these men, and the depth of their dint, were well enough measured from the first, to prepare us for their Sallies: but it was never imagined, that, for their own honour, they would have attempted any thing in so flinching ways as backbiting, or this of Mr. Baxter's, who comes to no point, neither charges nor asserts any Principle. Be therefore pleased, before you censure this Defence, to say ingenuously at what other ward you could have lain, in case of a like assault: and to have letten this pass, had been to be every day so assaulted.   

The main Question between Politicians and Divines, truly stated.  
HAve such Laws as will save the Commonwealth, both the people and the Clergy will mind the Salvation of their Souls. But have the most effectual Laws for the Salvation of Souls; if they will not save the Commonwealth, it is a Prey, for which not onely Lay-men, but the Clergy themselves, will venture their Souls: or where ever, in like cases, was it otherwise? Laws or Rules for the Salvation of Souls, must be left indeed unto internal principles, or to choice, because through obedience by mere force, no Soul can be saved. But Laws or Rules for the safety of a Commonwealth, must be founded upon external principles, because through obedience by mere choice, no Commonwealth can be safe. Yet with Divines, a Politician so stating external principles, that they must needs have influence upon the internal, or Religion itself for good, is absurd, self-conceited, a Seducer, a Troubler of the Commonwealth, an atheist, a Madman. While Divines so stating internal principles, that they may have influence upon external, or Government for evil, must be learned, gracious, precious, reverend, and I know not what. Now this is foul play.  
Upon consideration therefore of these things, and in order unto the better square of future disputation between Divines and Politicians, I shall make a fair Proposition: Let the Politician who leaveth not internal principles unto Divines, be an Atheist or a Mad-man; upon condition that the Divine who leaveth not external principles unto Politicians, be a Fool or a Knave.