A26906:166

The cure of church-divisions, or, Directions for weak Christians to keep them from being…

Name: The cure of church-divisions, or, Directions for weak Christians to keep them from being…
Author: Richard Baxter

The cure of church-divisions, or, Directions for weak Christians to keep them from being dividers or troublers of the church with some directions to the pastors how to deal with such Christians / by Richard Baxter.

Richard Baxter 1615–1691London: printed for Nevil Symmons, 1670

[48], 430, [15] p. · 130k words · Wing B1234 · ESTC R1684

Title page: Internet Archive scan of the Early English Books microfilm (opens the Internet Archive in a new tab)

DIRECTIONS FOR Weak Christians, How they may escape the troubling,… › Direction 2: DIRECT. II.DIRECTIONS FOR VVeak Christians, How they may escape the troubling,… › Direction 2: DIRECT. II.

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.

[ Earlier:163–178 of 1,298

:163p. 20–21

And this Religious Pride of Goodness, doth ordinarily work under the pretext of Thankfulness to God for his grace, and Zeal for Holiness: But it may be known by this, that it always tendeth to lift us up, and to the diminishing of Love to others, and to the contempt of the weak, and the censuring of our brethren, and the division and disturbance of the Church of God. They are lamentable effects which this Pride produceth, in the Church and all Societies where it cometh. It maketh all mens Goodness seem little, except our own: It causeth the people to undervalue their Pastors, and turneth compassion of me•s weaknesses into a sour contempt: It setteth a man in his own conceit, so near to God, that he looketh down on other men, as earthly animals in comparison of himself. It maketh new terms of Church-Communion, and teacheth men to make narrower the door of the Church, than God hath ⟨p. 21⟩made it: It causeth men to deny and vilify Gods grace, in those that answer not their expectations: And to think that the Church is not worthy of their Communion: And to think that none are so fit as they, to be the Reformers of the Church and of the world.

And this Religious Pride of Goodness, doth ordinarily work under the pretext of Thankfullness to God for his grace, and Zeal for Holyness: But it may be known by this, that it always tendeth to lift us up, and to the diminishing of Love to oothers, and to the contempt of the weak, and the censuring of our brethren, and the division and disturbance of the Church of God. They are lamentable effects which this Pride produceth, in the Church and all Societies where it cometh. It maketh all mens Goodness seem little, except our own: It causeth the people to undervalue their Pastors, and turneth compassion of me•s weaknesses into a sowr contempt: It setteth a man in his own conceit, so near to God, that he looketh down on other men, as earthly animals in comparison of himself. It maketh new terms of Church-Communion, and teacheth men to make narrower the door of the Church, than God hath ⟨p. 21⟩made it: It causeth men to deny and v•li•ie Gods grace, in those that answer not their expectations: And to think that the Church is not worthy of their Communion: And to think that none are so fit as they, to be the Reformers of the Church and of the world.

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The book

Title as printed

Author

Richard Baxter 1615–1691

Place

London

Bookseller

Nevil Symmons

Year

1670

Size

[48], 430, [15] p.

Words

130,067

Catalogue

Wing B1234 · ESTC R1684

Text

EEBO-TCP A26906

Passages

1,298

Sections

105

Title page

The cure of church-divisions, or, Directions for weak Christians to keep them from being…

DIRECT. III.

Overvalue not the common gift of utterance, nor a high Profession, as if the presence or absence of either of them, did prove the presence or absence of true saving grace.

Overvalue not the common guift of utterance, nor a high Profession, as if the presence or absence of either of them, did prove the presence or absence of true saving grace.

DIRECT. IV.

Affect not to be made eminent and Conspicuous in Holiness, by standing at a further distance from these lower Professors, than God would have you.

Reformers309

Puritans1,782

Westminster Assembly24

Evangelicals36

DIRECT. III.

Overvalue not the common gift of utterance, nor a high Profession, as if the presence or absence of either of them, did prove the presence or absence of true saving grace.

Overvalue not the common guift of utterance, nor a high Profession, as if the presence or absence of either of them, did prove the presence or absence of true saving grace.

DIRECT. IV.

Affect not to be made eminent and Conspicuous in Holiness, by standing at a further distance from these lower Professors, than God would have you.