A26906:293

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:290–305 of 1,298

: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, ⟨p. 77⟩take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. I say then, walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, &c. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, adultery—enmities or hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, (or as it may be read Divisions or factions) heresies, envyings, murders, &c. But the fruit of the spirit is Love, joy, peace, l•ng-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: Against such there is no law. And they that are Christs have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts. If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain-glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

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, ⟨p. 77⟩take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. I say then, walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, &c. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, adultery—enmities or hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, (or as it may be read Divisions or factions) heresies, envyings, murders, &c. But the fruit of the spirit is Love, joy, peace, l•ng-suffering, gentlenss, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: Against such there is no law. And they that are Christs have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts. If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain-glory, provoking one another, envying 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.