A26906:168
The cure of church-divisions, or, Directions for weak Christians to keep them from being…
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.
London: printed for Nevil Symmons, 1670
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.
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.
YET I shall anon tell you, that neither of these must be undervalued, nor accounted needless useless things. But the overvaluing them, hath caused great distempers in the minds and affections, and communion and practise, of many very well meaning Christians. When God had first brought me from among the more ignorant sort of people, and when I first heard religious persons pray without forms, and speak affectionately and seriously of spiritual and heavenly things, I thought verily that they were all ⟨p. 24⟩undoubted Saints; and the sudden apprehension of the difference of their gifts and speech from others, made me think confidently that the one sort had the mark of God upon them, and the other had nothing almost of God at all: Till ere long of those whom I so much honoured, one fell off to sensuality and to persecuting formality, and another fell to the foulest heresy; and another to disturb the Churches peace by turbulent animosities and divisions. But the experience of this Kingdom these twenty six years, hath done so much to convince the world what crimes may stand with high professions, that I know not that I ever met with the man, that would deny it: seeing every sect casteth it upon all the rest, however some of them would justify themselves. But I greatly fear lest the generation which is now springing up and knew not those men, nor their miscarriages, will lose the benefit of these dreadful warnings, and scarce believe what high professors did turn the proudest overturners of all Government; and resisters and despisers of ministry and holy order in the Churches and the most railing Quakers, and the most filthy and blaspheming Ranters; to warn all the world to take heed of being Proud of superficial gifts and high professions and that he that standeth in his own conceit should take heed lest he fall.