A26906:975
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.
If the reverence due to the Office be once lost, the labours of all the Ministry will be obstructed: And if only the Person lose the reverence of his place, his own labours will be hindered: The ⟨p. 327⟩contempt of the Office, and so the whole Ministry tendeth to Infidelity or Atheism: And the contempt of particular Ministers, tendeth to Schism, and to the ignorance and corruption of their flocks. And though the contempt of the person is bad enough of it self, yet if it fall on many, and there remain not a considerable number who preserve their necessary reputation, it turneth to the contempt of the Office it self, and consequently of the Gospel.
If the reverence due to the Office be once lost, the labours of all the Ministery will be obstructed: And if only the Person lose the reverence of his place, his own labours will be hindred: The ⟨p. 327⟩contempt of the Office, and so the whole Ministery tendeth to Infidelity or Atheism: And the contempt of particular Ministers, tendeth to Schism, and to the ignorance and corruption of their flocks. And though the contempt of the person is bad enough of it self, yet if it fall on many, and there remain not a considerable number who preserve their necessary reputation, it turneth to the contempt of the Office it self, and consequently of the Gospel.
And it must be apparent worth, that must preserve the persons honour. The silver lace did make the Apprentices in Apelles shop to reverence a foolish gallant a while; but when he began to talk, they all fell on laughing at him. Our grave attire will go but a little way, to keep up our reputation, without some better testimony of our worth. An empty head, a stumbling and hesitant tongue, dry and dull and disorderly preaching; and senseless, cold or confused praying, a vain and frothy kind of talk; a common and carnal conversation; all these or any one of these, will more abate the reverence of our persons, than the title of Doctors, or the length of our clothing, or the enlarging of the phylacteries, will advance it.