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

I have met with many who are either insufficient or ungodly themselves, or are guilty of bringing such into the Churches, who use to make very light of this, and say, God is not tied to mens goodness or abilities in distributing his graces: which is true, but nothing to the purpose: He is not tied by any force or necessity; nor is he so tied as that he cannot do otherwise: But yet this is his ordinary way of working: which hath made it a maxim, that as to means, Infused graces are obtained in the same way as acquired gifts: And let the contrary minded answer me these questions.

I have met with many who are either insufficient or ungodly themselves, or are guilty of bringing such into the Churches, who use to make very light of this, and say, God is not tied to mens goodness or abilities in distributing his graces: which is true, but nothing to the purpose: He is not tied by any force or necessity; nor is he so tied as that he cannot do otherwise: But yet this is his ordinary way of working: which hath made it a maxime, that as to means, Infused graces are obtained in the same way as acquired gnifts: And let the contrary minded answer me these questions.

First, If it be only the Office of the Ministry, and not the Gifts and Graces that are ordinarily needful to their success, why doth Religion decay and perish in all parts of the world, where the Gifts and Graces of the Ministers decay? Why are almost all the Greek Churches, the Armenians, the Russians, the Abassians, so lamentably ignorant? and most of them as vicious as ignorant; in so much that the notorious wickedness of their lives, and contemptibleness of their understandings, doth keep Christianity out of most of the Heathen and Infidel Nations of the world, that are acquainted with them? and keepeth up the reputation of Mohammedanism and Heathenism. Is not the experience of all the Christian world a sufficient proof? The Greeks ⟨p. 325⟩and other such corrupted Churches, have a truly ordained Ministry as well as we, if that were enough to serve the turn.