A26912:430
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.
2. How do you reflect on God that forbiddeth us, to forsake the assembling of our selves together? If consenting to sin be unavoidable?
3. I told you, we Consent not to the faults of our own prayers, much less to another's, that are less in our power? What work would this one opinion of yours make in the World? If we are guilty of all that is faulty in all the prayers of the Church (or Family) we join with, yea more, do by our presence profess Consent to them; and withal, if all not commanded in worship be Idolatry▪ what a World are we then in? It's time then to turn seekers, and say that Church and Ministry are lost. It is these principles, brother, that I purposely wrote my book against.
3. I told you, we Consent not to the faults of our own prayers, much less to anothers, that are less in our power? What work would this one opinion of yours make in the World? If we are guilty of all that is faulty in all the prayers of the Church (or Family) we joyn with, yea more, do by our presence profess Consent to them; and withal, if all not commanded in worship be Idolatry▪ what a World are we then in? It's time then to turn seekers, and say that Church and Ministry are lost. It is these principles, brother, that I purposely wrote my book against.
But you speak much besides the truth, when you say [The Apostle thought otherwise in a like Case;] For you never prove that he thought otherwise: Dare you say, (I beseech you think on it) that Paul and all the Apostles, and all the Churches, professed consent to all the faults in worship which they were present at? How know you that they were never present at any such as Paul reproveth in the Corinthians? Yea, was Christ a professed Consenter to all that he was present at? Or all that he commanded men to be present at, when he went to the Synagogues, and bade the cleansed, go show themselves to the Priests, and offer, &c. And bade his Disciples, hear the Scribes and Pharisees, &c. I do not charge the Consequences on your person, but it's easy to see, that it will follow from this opinion, that Christ was a sinner, and consequently no Saviour, and so no Christ. Alas, whither would you carry the people of the Lord?