A26906:892
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.
I know if you set your selves in good earnest to this work, both parties who are guilty will fall upon you, with their censures at least: One side will say of you that you are a favourer of the Schismatics, and Sectaries, because you oppose them not with their unhappy weapons, & love them not as little as they. (As they say of Socrates and Sozomen the Historians, that they were Novatians because they spake truth of them & called them honest men: And as they said of Martin, and Sulpitius Sever•s, that they were favourers of unlearned ⟨p. 302⟩Fanatics, and of the Priscilian Gnostics, because they were not as hot against them as Ithacius and Idacius, but refused to be of their Councils or communicate with them, for inviting the Emperor to the way of blood and corporal violence.)
I know if you set your selves in good earnest to this work, both parties who are guilty will fall upon you, with their censures at least: One side will say of you that you are a favorer of the Schismaticks, and Sectaries, because you oppose them not with their unhappy weapons, & love them not as little as they. (As they say of Socrates and Sozomen the Historians, that they were Novatians because they spake truth of them & called them honest men: And as they said of Martyn, and Sulpitius Sever•s, that they were favourers of unlearned ⟨p. 302⟩Fanaticks, and of the Priscilian Gnosticks, because they were not as hot against them as Ithacius and Idacius, but refused to be of their Councels or communicate with them, for inviting the Emperour to the way of blood and corporal violence.)
And the other side will say that you are a temporizer, and a man of too large principles, because you separate not as they do; And perhaps that you are wise in your own eyes, because you fall in with neither Sect of the extremes: But these are small things to be undergone for so great a duty. And he that will not be a peace-maker upon harder terms than these, I fear will scarce be meet for the reward. I again repeat