A26912:191
A defence of the principles of love, which are necessary to the unity and…
A defence of the principles of love, which are necessary to the unity and concord of Christians and are delivered in a book called The cure of church-divisions ... / by Richard Baxter ...
London: printed for Nevil Simmons, 1671
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.
6. The Covenant or Vow expressly bindeth us against schism. But the renunciation of Communion which I now dispute against, is plain schism; Therefore we are bound against it by that Vow.
6. The Covenant or Vow expresly bindeth us against schisme. But the renunciation of Communion which I now dispute against, is plaine schisme; Therefore we are bound against it by that Vow.
7. The Covenant bindeth us against all that is contrary to the power of Godliness, and found doctrine. But the separating which I plead against is certainly such.
8. The Covenant bindeth us to Unity and the nearest Uniformity we can attain. But as the world goeth now, this Communion is the nearest, and needful to express our Unity.
9. The Covenant bindeth us to Reformation according to Gods word, and the example of the best reformed Churches: But to prefer no public ⟨p. 88⟩worship or a worse, before the Liturgy, is deformation and profaneness, And it is greater Reformation to prefer the Liturgy before none, than to prefer extemporate public worship before the Liturgy. And all the Reformed Churches in Christendom, do commonly profess to hold Communion with the English Churches in the Liturgy, if they come among us where it is used. Therefore it seemeth to me to be perjury and Covenant-breaking, either to prefer no public worship before the Liturgy, or to refuse occasional Communion with the Churches that use the Liturgy, as a thing merely on that account unlawful.