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A26906:529

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.

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 32: DIRECT. XXXII.DIRECTIONS FOR VVeak Christians, How they may escape the troubling,… › Direction 32: DIRECT. XXXII.

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:526–541 of 1,298

:526p. 176

Nay as far as I can find, the Pharisees and other Jews were not in this so blind and quarrelsome as we; nor never made a controversy of it, nor ever presumed to condemn either Liturgies or Prayers by habit.

Nay as far as I can find, the Pharisees and other Jews were not in this so blind and quarrelsome as we; nor never made a controversie of it, nor ever presumed to condemn either Liturgies or Prayers by habit.

:527p. 176–177

I shall now pass by their error who are utterly against public prayers from a habit, as having ⟨p. 177⟩spoken of it at large elsewhere when I had opportunity. I shall now only answer the contrary extreme.

I shall now pass by their errour who are utterly against publike prayers from a habit, as having ⟨p. 177⟩spoken of it at large elsewhere when I had opportunity. I shall now only answer the contrary extreme.

:528p. 177

Obj. Where hath God given any men power to prescribe and impose forms for others? or commanded others to obey them?

:529p. 177

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Position

Cited: :529
On this page: :526–541
Section: :521–569
Whole work: 1,298 passages

Cite

Richard Baxter, The cure of church-divisions, or, Directions for weak Christians to keep them from being… (London, 1670), direction 32, p. 177. EEBO-TCP A26906.

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The book

Title as printed: 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.
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

The author

Richard Baxter 1615–1691

PuritansEngland

Pastor at Kidderminster and prolific nonconformist author.

Transcription key

•: an illegible letter

Answ. First, where ever he hath given any power to teach their inferiors to pray, who cannot do it in a better way. He hath given Parents this power where he hath bid them, Bring up their Children in the nurture, and admonition of the Lord: Is it not by the Law of nature, the Parents duty to teach their children to pray? And is not the learning of the words first, profitable to their learning of the sense? May they not teach their Children the Lords Prayer or a Psalm, though it be a Form? And why not then other words which are agreeable to their State? And he that taught his own Disciples a Form and Rule of Prayer, and telleth us that so John taught his Disciples, and saith to his Apostles, As my Father sent me, so send I you; by making them Teachers to his Church, did allow them to teach either by forms or without, as the cause required. All the Scripture is now to Preachers, a form of Teaching: And when we read a Chapter, we read a prescribed form of Doctrine: And it ha•h many forms of prayer and praise, and forms of Baptizing & administering the Lords Supper.

Answ. First, where ever he hath given any power to teach their inferiours to pray, who cannot do it in a better way. He hath given Parents this power where he hath bid them, Bring up their Children in the nurture, and admonition of the Lord: Is it not by the Law of nature, the Parents duty to teach their children to pray? And is not the learning of the words first, profitable to their learning of the sense? May they not teach their Children the Lords Prayer or a Psalm, though it be a Form? And why not then other words which are agreeable to their State? And he that taught his own Disciples a Form and Rule of Prayer, and telleth us that so Iohn taught his Disciples, and saith to his Apostles, As my Father sent me, so send I you; by making them Teachers to his Church, did allow them to teach either by forms or without, as the cause required. All the Scripture is now to Preachers, a form of Teaching: And when we read a Chapter, we read a prescribed form of Doctrine: And it ha•h many forms of prayer and praise, and forms of Baptizing & administring the Lords Supper.

:538p. 179

Answ. All sects in the world do it. I never heard any Separatist or Anabaptist or any other public Minister, but he imposed a form of prayer upon all the Congregation. He is void of common sense that thinketh that his extemporary prayer is not as truly a form to all the people, as if it had been written in a book. The order and words are not of your own invention, but invented by another to your hand; and imposed upon you to use: For I hope you come together to pray, and not to hear a prayer only. But the difference is, First, that one imposeth every day a new form on you, and the other imposeth every day the same: Secondly, And that one telleth you not what words you shall pray in, before you hear them; and the other writeth them down for you to know before hand. For my part I wonder why written or unwritten, long-premeditated or suddenly expressed prayers should be taken for unlawful. But however do not think the difference to lie where it doth not: For doubtless to the people, they are both forms, and both imposed, though not imposed by the same persons and authority.

Answ. All sects in the world do it. I never heard any Separatist or Anabaptist or any other publike Minister, but he imposed a form of prayer upon all the Congregation. He is void of common sense that thinketh that his extemporary prayer is not as truly a form to all the people, as if it had been written in a book. The order and words are not of your own invention, but invented by another to your hand; and imposed upon you to use: For I hope you come together to pray, and not to hear a prayer only. But the difference is, First, that one imposeth every day a new form on you, and the other imposeth every day the same: Secondly, And that one telleth you not what words you shall pray in, before you hear them; and the other writeth them down for you to know before hand. For my part I wonder why written or unwritten, long-premeditated or suddenly expressed prayers should be taken for unlawful. But however do not think the difference to lie where it doth not: For doubtless to the people, they are both formes, and both imposed, though not imposed by the same persons and authority.