A26906:367

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 15: DIRECT. XV.DIRECTIONS FOR VVeak Christians, How they may escape the troubling,… › Direction 15: DIRECT. XV.

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:367–379 of 1,298

:367p. 109

DIRECT. XV.

:368p. 109

Understand well how much it hath pleased God, to lay all mens good or evil, happiness or misery, upon their own choice: And observe the reasons of it, that you may not oppose this order of God.

:369p. 109–110

Though God by his grace must change the perverse disposition of mens wills, before they will make a gracious choice; yet it is most certain, that the teachings, commands, exhortations and reproofs of God, are directed to the Will of man: And that the promises and threatenings, mercies and judgements, are used to move and change the will: And that in the tenor of his Laws and Covenants Christ hath set Life and Death before men, and put their Happiness in their own choice; and that no man shall have better or worse than he made choice of: that is, none shall be either happy or miserable, but as ⟨p. 110⟩they did choose or refuse, the causes of happiness or misery. And the reason of this is, because Natural-free-will, was part of the Natural-image of God on Adam; and it is as natural to a man to be a free-agent, as to be Reasonable. And God will govern Man as Man, agreeably to his nature.

THough God by his grace must change the perverse disposition of mens wills, before they will make a gracious choice; yet it is most certain, that the teachings, commands, exhortations and reproofs of God, are directed to the Will of man: And that the promises and threatnings, mercies and judgements, are used to move and change the will: And that in the tenor of his Laws and Covenants Christ hath set Life and Death before men, and put their Happiness in their own choice; and that no man shall have better or worse than he made choice of: that is, none shall be either happy or miserable, but as

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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. XV.

Understand well how much it hath pleased God, to lay all mens good or evil, happiness or misery, upon their own choice: And observe the reasons of it, that you may not oppose this order of God.

DIRECT. XVI.

Though the profession of Christianity which entitleth men to Church-communion, must be credible: yet remember that there are divers Degrees of credibility; and that every Profession which is not proved false is credible in such a degree as must be accepted by the Church.

Though the profession of Christianity which entituleth men to Church-communion, must be credible: yet remember that there are divers Degrees of credibility; and that every Profession which is not proved false is credible in such a degree as must be accepted by the Church.

DIRECT. XVII.

Know how far either Grace or Gifts are necessary to a Minister; that you may give both Grace and Gifts their due.

Reformers309

Puritans1,782

Westminster Assembly24

Evangelicals36

DIRECT. XV.

Understand well how much it hath pleased God, to lay all mens good or evil, happiness or misery, upon their own choice: And observe the reasons of it, that you may not oppose this order of God.

DIRECT. XVI.

Though the profession of Christianity which entitleth men to Church-communion, must be credible: yet remember that there are divers Degrees of credibility; and that every Profession which is not proved false is credible in such a degree as must be accepted by the Church.

Though the profession of Christianity which entituleth men to Church-communion, must be credible: yet remember that there are divers Degrees of credibility; and that every Profession which is not proved false is credible in such a degree as must be accepted by the Church.

DIRECT. XVII.

Know how far either Grace or Gifts are necessary to a Minister; that you may give both Grace and Gifts their due.