A26906:305
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.
Many weak Christians marking those Texts which bid us avoid a man that is an Heretic, and to have no company with disorderly walkers, and not to eat with flagitious persons, do not sufficiently mark their sense, but take them as if they called us to separate from the Church with which these persons do communicate. Whereas if you mark all the Texts in the Gospel, you shall find, that all the separation which is commanded in such cases (besides our separation from the Infidels or Idolatrous world, or Antichristian and Heretical confederacies, and no-Churches) is but one of these two sorts. First, either that the Church cast out the impenitent sinner by the power of the Keys. Secondly, or that private men avoid all private familiarity with them. And both these we would promote, and no way hinder. Thirdly, but that the private members should separate from the Church, because such persons are not cast out of it, show me one Text to prove it if you can.
Many weak Christians marking those Texts which bid us avoid a man that is an Heretick, and to have no company with disorderly walkers, and not to eat with flagitious persons, do not sufficiently mark their sense, but take them as if they call'd us to separate from the Church with which these persons do communicate. Whereas if you mark all the Texts in the Gospel, you shall find, that all the separation which is commanded in such cases (besides our separation from the Infidels or Idolatrous world, or Antichristian and Heretical confederacies, and no-Churches) is but one of these two sorts. First, either that the Church cast out the impenitent sinner by the power of the Keyes. Secondly, or that private men avoid all private familiarity with them. And both these we would promote, and no way hinder. Thirdly, but that the private members should separate from the Church, because such persons are not cast out of it, shew me one Text to prove it if you can.
Let us here peruse the Texts that speak of our withdrawing from the wicked. 1 Cor. 5. Is expressly written to the whole Church, as obliged to put away the incestuous person from among them, ⟨p. 82⟩