A26906:292

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 7: DIRECT. VII.DIRECTIONS FOR VVeak Christians, How they may escape the troubling,… › Direction 7: DIRECT. VII.

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:289–304 of 1,298

:289p. 76

All these observations are obvious in these words. 1. That the unity of Christians must be universal, even of all that believe the Gospel of Christ. 2. That this Union should have some low resemblance to the Union of the Father and the Son. 3. That it is Christs great desire and intercession for his Followers, that they may be one. 4. That their glory is for their Unity. 5. That their Unity is their perfection. 6. That the Father and Son are the Head or Centre of the Unity. 7. That this Unity is the great means of converting the world to the Christian faith, and convincing Infidels of the truth of Christ, as sent by God. Open but your eyes and you may see all these great doctrines in this Prayer of Christs for his people Unity: O that all the Christian Churches would try this means for the worlds Conversion! (Not on the impossible terms of Popery, but on the necessary terms proposed by Christ.)

All these observations are obvious in these words. 1. That the unity of Christians must be universal, even of all that believe the Gospel of Christ. 2. That this Union should have some low resemblance to the Union of the Father and the Son. 3. That it is Christs great desire and intercession for his Followers, that they may be one. 4. That their glory is for their Unity. 5. That their Unity is their perfection. 6. That the Father and Son are the Head or Center of the Unity. 7. That this Unity is the great means of converting the world to the Christian faith, and convincing Infidels of the truth of Christ, as sent by God. Open but your eyes and you may see all these great doctrines in this Prayer of Christs for his people Unity: O that all the Christian Churches would try this means for the worlds Conversion! (Not on the impossible terms of Popery, but on the necessary terms proposed by Christ.)

:290p. 76–77

8. External Unity and peaceable Church-communion doth greatly cherish our Internal unity of Love: And Church-divisions do cherish wrath and malice and all the works of the flesh described by Paul, Gal. 5. 21, 22, 23. I pray you consider how he describeth the fleshly and the spiritual man: v. 14, 15. For all the Law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self. But if ye bite and devour one another,

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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. VIII.

When any thing needeth amendment in the Church, remember that the best Christian, must be the forwardest to reformation, and •he backwardest to Division: and must search and try all means of Reforming, which make not against the concord of the Church.

DIRECT. IX.

Forget not the great difference between casting out the wicked and impenitent from the Church by discipline; and the godlies separating from the Church it self, because the wicked are not cast out. The first is a great duty: The second is ordinarily a great sin.

Reformers309

Puritans1,782

Westminster Assembly24

Evangelicals36

DIRECT. VIII.

When any thing needeth amendment in the Church, remember that the best Christian, must be the forwardest to reformation, and •he backwardest to Division: and must search and try all means of Reforming, which make not against the concord of the Church.

DIRECT. IX.

Forget not the great difference between casting out the wicked and impenitent from the Church by discipline; and the godlies separating from the Church it self, because the wicked are not cast out. The first is a great duty: The second is ordinarily a great sin.