A26932:78
Gildas Salvianus: The Reformed Pastor
Gildas Salvianus, the reformed pastor showing the nature of the pastoral work, especially in private instruction and catechizing : with an open confession of our too open sins : prepared for a day of humiliation kept at Worcester, Decemb. 4, 1655 by the ministers of that county, who subscribed the agreement for catechizing and personal instruction at their entrance upon that work / by their unworthy fellow-servant, Richard Baxter ...Gildas Salvianus, the reformed pastor shewing the nature of the pastoral work, especially in private instruction and catechizing : with an open confession of our too open sins : prepared for a day of humiliation kept at Worcester, Decemb. 4, 1655 by the ministers of that county, who subscribed the agreement for catechizing and personal instruction at their entrance upon that work / by their unworthy fellow-servant, Richard Baxter ...
London: printed by Robert White for Nevil Simmons, 1656
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.
1. Entertain not any unworthy ⟨image 28⟩thoughts of your Pastors, because we here confess our own sins, and aggravate them in order to our humiliation and reformation. You know it is men and not Angels that are put by God in the office of Church-guides! And you know that we are imperfect men: Let Papists and Quakers pretend to a sinless perfection; we dare not do it; but confess that we are sinners. And we should heartily rejoice to find the signs of imperfect sincerity, in them that so confidently pretend to sinless perfection; yea if in some of them we could find but common honesty, and a freedom from some of the crying abominations of the ungodly, such as cruel bloodiness, lying, slandering, railing, &c. If it would make a man perfect to say he is perfect, and if it would deliver a man from sin, to say, ⟨image 29⟩I have no sin, I confess this were an easy way to perfection.
1. Entertain not any unworthy ⟨image 28⟩thoughts of your Pastors, because we here confess our own sins, and aggravate them in order to our humiliation and reformation. You know it is men and not Angels that are put by God in the office of Church-guides! And you know that we are imperfect men: Let Papists and Quakers pretend to a sinless perfection; we dare not do it; but confess that we are sinners. And we should heartily rejoyce to find the signs of imperfect sincerity, in them that so confidently pretend to sinless perfection; yea if in some of them we could find but common honesty, and a freedom from some of the crying abominations of the ungodly, such as cruel bloodiness, lying, slandering, railing, &c. If it would make a man perfect to say he is perfect, and if it would deliver a man from sin, to say, ⟨image 29⟩I have no sin, I confess this vvere an easie vvay to perfection.