A26932:883
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.
Three sorts of persons that we may meet with in our conference, are now over, viz. 1. The grossly ignorant and unconverted. 2. The doubting troubled believer. 3. The Cavilling Questionist, or seduced Schismatic. The fourth that I should speak of in this Direction, is, Those that by a professed willingness to learn and obey, and by other signs, do give us some probability, that they may have true Repentance and faith, and yet by their ignorance, or lukewarmness (being not noted for any special profession of Godliness), or by some uneven walking, do make our fears to be as great or greater then our hopes: so that we are between hope and fear of them, doubting the worst of their present safety, though we have not ground to charge them to be unconverted, impenitent, unsanctified persons. I think half that come to me are of this sort: and ten of this sort (if not 40) for one that I dare flatly say are unregenerate. Now it may be a great difficulty with some younger Ministers what they should do with this sort of people where they have no sufficient ground to determine of them as Godly or Ungodly, what ever their fears or hopes may be.
THree sorts of persons that we may meet with in our conference, are now over, viz. 1. The grosly ignorant and unconverted. 2. The doubting troubled believer. 3. The Cavilling Questionist, or seduced Schismatick. The fourth that I should speak of in this Direction, is, Those that by a professed willingness to learn and obey, and by other signs, do give us some probability, that they may have true Repentance and faith, and yet by their ignorance, or lukewarmness (being not noted for any special profession of Godliness), or by some uneven walking, do make our fears to be as great or greater then our hopes: so that we are between hope and fear of them, doubting the worst of their present safety, though we have not ground to charge them to be unconverted, impenitent, unsanctified persons. I think half that come to me are of this sort: and ten of this sort (if not 40) for one that I dare flatly say are unregenerate. Now it may be a great difficulty with some younger Ministers what they should do with this sort of people where they have no sufficient ground to determine of them as Godly or Ungodly, what ever their fears or hopes may be.