A26906:696
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.
The common way of avoiding any error o• vice, is to run into the contrary. And on those terms satan himself will be Orthodox, and a reformer, and an enemy to vice. I gave you some instances even now. He is a rare person, that is so wise and happy, as to fly from every error and sin, with an impartial awakened fear of the contrary. And thence it is that the most judicious old experienced Christians are usually in controversies for a middle way; and in the crowd of contentious sects, they commonly are the reconcilers: Not only because they are more calm and moderate, and peaceable than others; but especially because they have seen the error on both extremes, when others see only the error on one side. Only in our inclination to our ultimate ⟨p. 231⟩end, that is, in our Love to God, we never need to fear over-doing. But all the means may be perverted and turned into sin by extremes.
The common way of avoiding any errour o• vice, is to run into the contrary. And on those terms satan himself will be Orthodox, and a reformer, and an enemy to vice. I gave you some instances even now. He is a rare person, that is so wise and happy, as to flye from every errour and sin, with an impartial awakened fear of the contrary. And thence it is that the most judicious old experienced Christians are usually in controversies for a middle way; and in the croud of contentious sects, they commonly are the reconcilers: Not only because they are more calm and moderate, and peaceable than others; but especially because they have seen the errour on both extreams, when others see only the errour on one side. Only in our inclination to our ultimate ⟨p. 231⟩end, that is, in our Love to God, we never need to fear over-doing. But all the means may be perverted and turned into sin by extreams.
Many that observe the pollution of the Church by the great neglect of holy Discipline, avoid this error by turning to a sinful separation: And many that are offended at separation avoid it; by a gross neglect of Christian discipline, and taking it for a needless thing.