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

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.

First, If it be only the Office of the Ministery, 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 Mahometanism 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 Ministery as well as we, if that were enough to serve the turn.

Secondly, What is more evident among our selves than that Parishes do much vary in piety and concord as their Pastors vary in ability, piety, diligence and fidelity.