A26897:218
Church concord
Church concord containing I. a dissuasive from unnecessary division and separation, and the real concord of the moderate independents with the Presbyterians, instanced in ten seeming differences, II. by Richard Baxter.Church concord containing I. a disswasive from unnecessary division and separation, and the real concord of the moderate independents with the Presbyterians, instanced in ten seeming differences, II. by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for Tho. Parkhurst, 1691
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.
THE Ninth seeming Difference is, about our Parishes in England, whether they are true Churches of Christ, or not. But here is little or no difference that is stood to whatever any particular persons may think, it is not a difference between the parties. For, 1. It is not desired of them to grant that a Parish as a Parish (that is, the people, yea the Christians inhabiting such a space of ground) is a Church. It's possible they may be of many Churches, or of none (but the Universal.) 2. Nor is it desired that they take every Member of the Parish, no nor every Hearer, for a Member of the Church. Men of several Churches, or of no Church may live in the Parish, and hear together. 3. Nor are they desired to take any Parish for a true Political Church that hath not a true Pastor, with a competent number of professed Christians joined together for personal Communion in Gods Worship.
But that our ordinary Parishes in England that have true Ministers are true Churches is so familiarly granted by the Congregational party, that to recite their words seems needless: And therefore they utterly disclaim separating from us as no true Churches. 1. That our want of a Church Covenant nullifieth not these Churches, I told you before they grant, because our consent is our Covenant: And our ordinary practice tolerably signifieth that consent. Saith Mr, Norton, p. 21. [Siuna externa fidei professione, veritatis & sanctitatis praxi, eodem baptismate uniantur, & eundem publicum cultum uno in loco frequentent, iisdem inspectoribus Ecclesiae subsint, &c.] See the place, where he acknowledgeth this a Church without an Explicit Covenant.
2. And that the impiety of our Parishes, or other incapacity of the Members is not such as to nullify our Churches they confess. Because a good Church may have some bad Members: And where the greater number are bad, the Pastor and the better (smaller) part may denominate the Church, and it may be true, though polluted. What Doctrinal and Practical Corruptions were in the Churches of Corinth, Galatia, and divers of the Asian Churches,