The cure of church-divisions, or, Directions for weak Christians to keep them from being…

DIRECT. LVI.

Keep still in your thoughts, the state of all Christs Churches upon Earth: that you may know what a people they are through the world, whom Christ hath communion with; and may not be deceived by ignorance, to separate from almost all Christs Churches, while you think that you separate from none, but the few that are about you.

Keep still in your thoughts, the state of all Christs Churches upon Earth: that you may know what a people they are through the world, whom Christ hath communion with; and may not be deceived by ignorance, to separate from allmost all Christs Churches, while you think that you separate from none, but the few that are about you.

Thousands of well meaning people live as if England were almost all the world. And do boldly separate from their Neighbours here, which they durst not do, if they soberly considered that almost all the Christian world are worse than they. But narrow minds who can look but little further with their Reason than with their eye-sight, do keep out at once both Truth and Love. It is a point that I have often had occasion to repeat, and yet will not forbear to repeat it here again; It is but about one sixth part of the known world who make any profession of Christianity and are baptized: (besides how much peopled the unknown part of the world may be, we know not.) Of this sixth part the Ethiopians, Egyptians, Syrians, Armenians, the Greek Churches, the Muscovites, and all the Papists, are so great a body, that all the Protestants, or Reformed Churches are little more than a sixth part of this sixth: (The Papists being about a fourth or fifth part; and the other ⟨p. 264⟩Christians making up the rest) And of these Protestants, Sweden, Denmark, Saxony, and many other parts of Germany, making up the greatest part, are such as are called Lutherans! And of the other half, which are supposed to be more Reformed, there is scarce any of so Reformed lives as these in England and Scotland: And among these, how great a number are they that you separate from? If you look to the Papists, their worship is by the Mass: If you look to the Muscovians, they have a Liturgy much more blameable than ours, and have a few Homilies instead of preaching? If you look to the Greek Church, to the Armenians, the Abassines, and all the Eastern and the Southern Churches, in Asia and Africa, they also worship God by Liturgies, much more liable to blame than ours, and have but little preaching among them, besides Homilies; and the Members of their Churches are commonly far more ignorant than the worst of ours, even than the rudest part of Wales. If you look to the Lutherans, they have Liturgies, and Ceremonies, and Images in their Churches, though not adored; and have far worse Preachers, and of worse lives, and more unprofitable preaching than is usually found with us; and the people more ignorant and vicious.