A26883:378
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,…
Richard Baxter's Catholic theology plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriors who, 1. by contending about things unrevealed or not understood, 2. and by taking verbal differences for real,Richard Baxter's Catholick theologie plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriours who, 1. by contending about things unrevealed or not understood, 2. and by taking verbal differences for real,
London: printed by Robert White for Nevill Simmons, 1675
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
136. If you say that by reciting these difficulties, I do but confound mens understandings, rather than elucidate the things in hand, I answer, If 1you are lost in them, I have my end, which is to make you sensible how unmeet it is, that the Peace of the Church, and the Concord and Communion of Brethren should at all be laid on such multitudes of difficult and unsearchable things which are many vain, and others past mans understanding. Shall we call one another by the names of Sects, and reproach our brethren, as for the truth of God, and as if it were for his Glory, till all these Controversies are cleared to us all? I who profess them to be beyond my reach, and profess my Ignorance of very many of them, am yet censured by my Brethren as too Scholastically curious for so much as naming them, or meddling with them; yea, and for deciding cases which may and must be decided: And of all our present Ministers, I am confident there is not one of fifty (if of a hundred) that hath either throughly studied them, or ever will do. Now if the Church must have Love and Concord, how will it be had? Of those few (one of a hundred that study them throughly) six men it's like are of three opinions. And what shall the ninety nine do that never so studied them? Either they must know what they never studied, and be in the Right where they understand not what they say: Or else they must unite by an Implicit faith. And in whom shall that be? If the Church, what Church is it? Are not many Churches of many minds? If of the Papal Church, it hath more wit than to decide such Controversies; so that their Doctors are almost Sectaries by divisions to this day.
136. If you say that by reciting these difficulties, I do but confound mens understandings, rather than elucidate the things in hand, I answer, If 1you are lost in them, I have my end, which is to make you sensible how unmeet it is, that the Peace of the Church, and the Concord and Communion of Brethren should at all be laid on such multitudes of difficult and unsearchable things which are many vain, and others past mans understanding. Shall we call one another by the names of Sects, and reproach our brethren, as for the truth of God, and as if it were for his Glory, till all these Controversies are cleared to us all? I who profess them to be beyond my reach, and profess my Ignorance of very many of them, am yet censured by my Brethren as too Scholastically curious for so much as naming them, or medling with them; yea, and for deciding cases which may and must be decided: And of all our present Ministers, I am confident there is not one of fifty (if of a hundred) that hath either throughly studied them, or ever will do. Now if the Church must have Love and Concord, how will it be had? Of those few (one of a hundred that study them throughly) six men it's like are of three opinions. And what shall the ninety nine do that never so studied them? Either they must know what they never studied, and be in the Right where they understand not what they say: Or else they must unite by an Implicit faith. And in whom shal that be? If the Church, what Church is it? Are not many Churches of many minds? If of the Papal Church, it hath more wit than to decide such Controversies; so that their Doctors are almost Sectaries by divisions to this day.