A26906:280
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.
But then you must understand, that the Universal Visible Church is nothing else, but all professing Christians in the world, as visibly subjected to Christ as their Head: And that there is no such thing in being, as the Papists call the Catholic or Universal Church; that is, the universality of Christians subjected to one Vicar of Christ as their Head, either Constitutive or Governing. Such a pretended Head is an Usurper and no true authorized Vicar of Christ; And therefore such a Church as such, is nothing but a company of seduced Christians, following such a traitorous Usurper. And to separate from the Pope, is not to separate from Christ or from his Church.
But then you must understand, that the Universal Visible Church is nothing else, but all professing Christians in the world, as visibly subjected to Christ as their Head: And that there is no such thing in being, as the Papists call the Catholick or Universal Church; that is, the universality of Christians subjected to one Vicar of Christ as their Head, either Constitutive or Governing. Such a pretended Head is an Usurper and no true authorized Vicar of Christ; And therefore such a Church as such, is nothing but a company of seduced Christians, following such a traiterous Usurper. And to separate from the Pope, is not to separate from Christ or from his Church.
Secondly, Consider also, that Union is not only an Accident of the Church, but is part of its very essence, without which it can be no Church, ⟨p. 68⟩and without which we can be no members of it. It is no Kingdom, no City, no family, and so no Church, which doth not consist of United members: As it is no house which consisteth not of united parts. And he is no Member which is not united to the whole. It is the great course of mens boldness in dividing ways, that they take union to be but some laudable accident, while it may be had; which yet in some cases we may be without: and think that separations are tolerable faults, even when they are forced to confess them faults: But they do not consider that Unity is necessary to the being of the Church, and to the being of o•r own Christianity. Read