Richard Baxter's Catholic theology plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriors who,…Richard Baxter's Catholick theologie plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriours who,…

6. Ignorance and timorousness cause superstition, which is a conceit that God is pleased by overdoing in external things, and observances and laws of their own making, and so they that make part of their own Religion superstitiously (as most good people do in some things through ignorance,) will censure all others as Good or Bad, by the measure of their own mistakes.

6. Ignorance and timerousness cause superstition, which is a conceit that God is pleased by overdoing in external things, and observances and laws of their own making, and so they that make part of their own Religion superstitiously (as most good people do in some things through ignorance,) will censure all others as Good or Bad, by the measure of their own mistakes.

7. He that thus mistakingly thinks that men sin when they do not, will have a proportionable dislike of them, and aversation from them: And will be ready to speak as he thinks of them, and so will be guilty of calumny, and calling Evil Good, and Good Evil.

8. The World will abound still with real evil and scandals; And all parties will be faulty: And usually the greater part of the Clergy in the Christian World will be guilty of so much Ignorance, pride, contentiousness, worldliness and sensuality, as will greatly grieve and offend good people. And this will occasion alienation and separations even with Godly persons: The sacrifice of the Lord was abhorred through the sins of Eli's sons: The case of the ⟨image 13⟩Clergy at this day in the Greek Church in Muscovy, Armenia, Syria, Abyssinia, &c. yea among too many of the German Churches, is very lamentable, by Ignorance and scandal: And the corruption of the Roman Clergy was it that facilitated the revolt from the Papacy, at Luther's reformation. He that readeth Cornel. Mus, Ferus, Espencaeus, Erasmus, Alvan Pelagius, Clemangis and such others describing their own Clergy, and Jos. Acosta of them in India, &c. will see much of the Cause of the Divisions in the World: And all the old Writers that write against the Waldenses, do make us understand that the ignorance and wickedness of the Clergy then, was it that drove them from the Roman Church. Saith Wicelius Meth. Concord. c. 11. p. 39. Quum tales ad nullum honestius vitae institutum idonei sunt, mirum sit si bonos sacerdotes praestabunt: sic itaque procedente tempore regetur Ecclesia ab asinis, & praedicabunt imperitissimi misero populo, quod nunquam didicerunt ipsi. Adolescents optimi quique abhorrent propterea ab instituto illo, quod nolint suam libertatem sibi eripi, &c. I have oft said, what caused St. Martin to separate during life from the Synodical Bishops about him: And what Gildas saith of such, that no excellent Christian will call them Ministers: And it's very observable not only as Dr. James in the Margin of Wicelius hath cited, that there are many Canons against wicked Priests celebrating and Massing, but Wicelius himself saith (p. 17.) Non admittantur sacra concubinariorum, quos Deus pejus odit, atque manifestarios incestus: Meminerimus in Decretis Pontificum piè caveri, Ne quis Missam ejus Presbyteri audiat quem scit indubitanter concubinam habere, aut subintroductam mulierem. (And yet there are now men pretending to piety among Protestants, that speak of, and use those Godly persons more hatefully who refuse to hear such wicked Priests, than they do those Priests themselves.)