A26892:43
A Christian Directory
A Christian directory, or, A sum of practical theology and cases of conscience directing Christians how to use their knowledge and faith, how to improve all helps and means, and to perform all duties, how to overcome temptations, and to escape or mortify every sin : in four parts ... / by Richard Baxter.A Christian directory, or, A summ of practical theologie and cases of conscience directing Christians how to use their knowledge and faith, how to improve all helps and means, and to perform all duties, how to overcome temptations, and to escape or mortifie every sin : in four parts ... / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed by Robert White for Nevill Simmons, 1673
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
Answ. 1. Are all your Sermons, in the Scripture? And all the good Books of your Library in the Scripture? 2. Will you have none but Readers in the Church, and put down Preachers? Sure it is the Reader that delivereth all and only the Scripture. 3. Are we not Men before we are Christians? And is not the Light and Law of Nature, Divine? And was the ⟨image 5⟩Scripture written to be instead of Reason, or of a Logic, or other subservient Sciences? Or must they not all be sanctified and used for Divinity? 4. But I think that as all good Commentaries and Sermons, and Systems of Theology are in Scripture, so is the Directory here given, and is proved by the evidence of the very thing discoursed of, or by the plainest Texts.
Answ. 1. Are all your Sermons, in the Scripture? And all the good Books of your Library in the Scripture? 2. Will you have none but Readers in the Church, and put down Preachers? Sure it is the Reader that delivereth all and only the Scripture. 3. Are we not Men before we are Christians? And is not the Light and Law of Nature, Divine? And was the ⟨image 5⟩Scripture written to be instead of Reason, or of a Logick, or other subservient Sciences? Or must they not all be sanctified and used for Divinity? 4. But I think that as all good Commentaries and Sermons, and Systems of Theology are in Scripture, so is the Directory here given, and is proved by the evidence of the very thing discourst of, or by the plainest Texts.
Object. VI. You confound your Reader by Curiosity of distinctions.
Answ. 1. If they are vain or false, shame them by detecting it, or you shame your selves by blaming them, when you cannot show the error: Expose not your selves to laughter by avoiding just distinction to escape confusion; that is, avoiding knowledge to escape Ignorance, or Light to escape darkness. 2. It is ambiguity and confusion that breedeth and feedeth almost all our pernicious Controversies: And even those that bring in error by vain distinction, must be confuted by better distinguishers, and not by ignorant Confounders. I will believe the Holy Ghost,