A26906:376
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.
DIRECT. XVII.
Know how far either Grace or Gifts are necessary to a Minister; that you may give both Grace and Gifts their due.
There have been two great questions which long have troubled the Church, whether we may take him for a true Minister of Christ, that is ungodly? And what measure of Gifts is necessary to the being of the Ministry? I have carefully answered them both in my Disputation of Ordination long ago, and shall now only say in brief. First, that no ungodly man is so called to the Ministry, as to excuse himself before God for his usurpation and hypocritical administrations. Secondly, But many an ungodly man is so far called to the Ministry as that his admin•st at once are all valid to the Church, and the innocent people shall not ⟨p. 114⟩have the loss. Thirdly, no people should choose and prefer such an ungodly Minister before a better. Fourthly, but they should rather submit to such than have none, when a better cannot (by them) be had. Judas had a place in the Ministry with the Apostles, Act. 1. 17. And his ministration might be valid to others, though his hypocrisy might turn it into sin to himself. And his ministry might have been accepted of the people, though they had known his hypocrisy as Christ did: But a sincere Apostle was to be preferred before him.