A26888:451
The certainty of the worlds of spirits and, consequently, of the immortality of souls…
The certainty of the worlds of spirits and, consequently, of the immortality of souls of the malice and misery of the devils and the damned : and of the blessedness of the justified, fully evinced by the unquestionable histories of apparitions, operations, witchcrafts, voices &c. / written, as an addition to many other treatises for the conviction of Sadducees and infidels, by Richard Baxter.The certainty of the worlds of spirits and, consequently, of the immortality of souls of the malice and misery of the devils and the damned : and of the blessedness of the justified, fully evinced by the unquestionable histories of apparitions, operations, witchcrafts, voices &c. / written, as an addition to many other treatises for the conviction of Sadduces and infidels, by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for T. Parkhurst, 1691
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.
It is a doleful Instance, of the effect of a perverse kind of opposition to Popery, and running from one Extreme to another, to note how little Sense most Protestants show ⟨p. 223⟩of the great Benefits that we receive by Angels: How seldom we hear them in public or private, give thanks to God for their Ministry and Helps? And more seldom pray for it? When hear we any Ministers Teach Believers, what Love and what Thanks they owe to Angels, whereas the Excellency and Holiness of their Natures obligeth us to love them, and their Love and Care of us, bespeaketh Thankfulness: Yea, we have Teachers that would persuade Men that this Savoureth of Popery, and doth Derogate from Christ: And yet if the People Love and Honour and maintain them, they take this to be no Derogation from Christ. As if they were more Amiable then Angels, or Christ may not use the Ministry of Angels as well as their's. The Lord pity the distracted divided Societies of Christians, who in all Countries are fallen into Uncharitable Sects, that on pretence of saving the Truth, and the Church from the Errors of each other, do corrupt both by the Addition of contrary Errors; so that it's hard to find out many Errors of Popery or Ancient Heresy; which hath not been avoided by contrary faults, in the Corruption of Doctrine, Charity or Concord.
It is a doleful Instance, of the effect of a perverse kind of opposition to Popery, and running from one Extream to another, to note how little Sence most Protestants shew ⟨p. 223⟩of the great Benefits that we receive by Angels: How seldom we hear them in publick or private, give thanks to God for their Ministry and Helps? And more seldom pray for it? When hear we any Ministers Teach Believers, what Love and what Thanks they owe to Angels, whereas the Excellency and Holiness of their Natures obligeth us to love them, and their Love and Care of us, bespeaketh Thankfulness: Yea, we have Teachers that would perswade Men that this Savoureth of Popery, and doth Derogate from Christ: And yet if the People Love and Honour and maintain them, they take this to be no Derogation from Christ. As if they were more Amiable then Angels, or Christ may not use the Ministry of Angels as well as their's. The Lord pitty the distracted divided Societies of Christians, who in all Countries are fallen into Uncharitable Sects, that on pretence of saving the Truth, and the Church from the Errours of each other, do corrupt both by the Addition of contrary Errours; so that it's hard to find out many Errours of Popery or Ancient Heresie; which hath not been avoided by contrary faults, in the Corruption of Doctrine, Charity or Concord.