A26897:26
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.
§ 8. The present Conformists I know will take occasion to call our Congregations such Antichurches now, as I wrote against then. And some on the other side will say, What need was there now to publish your old Dissuasives from Separation: I will speak briefly to both these.
§ 8. The present Conformists I know will take occasion to call our Congregations such Antichurches now, as I wrote against then. And some on the other side will say, What need was there now to publish your old Disswasives from Separation: I will speak briefly to both these.
§ 9. I. I know none now that are so much against Schism and sinful Separation, as the moderate Nonconformists; nor any more guilty of it than those (Papists and Tories) that most fiercely talk against it. Had we not been greatly against Schism, we had never done and suffered so much as we have done to have prevented or healed it: and to have kept the Church from tearing Laws, and Canons that have battered Peace and Concord: we had never written and stooped and humbly begged for Unity and Peace of malicious, ambitious, revengeful men, that made all our Endeavours fuel to increase the flames of their Cruelty. We foresaw what the Legion was like to do, to make the Church and Land like the man among the Tombs, that ragingly cut and tore himself: But the cure is too hard for us. Is it lawful and good to shut the Churches Doors against us, and throw Stones at us to drive us away, and banish us five Miles from all the Churches of the Cities and Corporations of the Land, and all places where of long time we had Preached, and to order the Jailers to keep us from the Churches, and Informers to accuse us if we come there; and then to call us Schismatics for not coming: And is it Schism for men thus used, to worship God elsewhere?
§ 9. I. I know none now that are so much against Schism and sinful Separation, as the moderate Nonconformists; nor any more guilty of it than those (Papists and Tories) that most fiercely talk against it. Had we not been greatly against Schism, we had never done and suffered so much as we have done to have prevented or healed it: and to have kept the Church from tearing Laws, and Canons that have battered Peace and Concord: we had never written and stoopt and humbly beg'd for Unity and Peace of malicious, ambitious, revengeful men, that made all our Endeavours fuel to increase the flames of their Cruelty. We foresaw what the Legion was like to do, to make the Church and Land like the man among the Tombes, that ragingly cut and tore himself: But the cure is too hard for us. Is it lawful and good to shut the Churches Doors against us, and throw Stones at us to drive us away, and banish us five Miles from all the Churches of the Cities and Corporations of the Land, and all places where of long time we had Preached, and to order the Iailers to keep us from the Churches, and Informers to accuse us if we come there; and then to call us Schismaticks for not coming: And is it Schism for men thus used, to worship God elsewhere?