A27050:123
A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort…
A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort of diocesan churches, prelacy and government, which casteth out the primitive church-species, episcopacy, ministry and discipline and confoundeth the Christian world by corruption, usurpation, schism and persecution : meditated in the year 1640, when the et cætera oath was imposed : written 1671 and cast by : published 1680 by the importunity of our superiors, who demand the reasons of our nonconformity / by Richard Baxter.A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort of diocesan churches, prelacy and government, which casteth out the primitive church-species, episcopacy, ministry and discipline and confoundeth the Christian world by corruption, usurpation, schism and persecution : meditated in the year 1640, when the et cætera oath was imposed : written 1671 and cast by : published 1680 by the importunity of our superiours, who demand the reasons of our nonconformity / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for Nevil Simmons, 1681
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.
12. The particular Churches which were the charge of these fixed Bishops or Elders were Societies of Christians conjoined for Personal Communion in God's Worship, and mutual assistance in holy living: And though for want of convenient room, or liberty, they did not always meet all in the same place, yet were they ordinarily no more than could meet in one place when they had liberty: and never more than could hold personal Communion, if not at once, yet at several times in public worship: (As it is now in those places where one part of the Family goeth to Church one part of the day, and another on the other part.) And those by-Meetings which any had that came not constantly to the public Assemblies, were but as our House-Meetings, or Chapel-Meetings, but never as another Church: Nor were their Churches more numerous than our Parishes, nor near so great.
12. The particular Churches which were the charge of these fixed Bishops or Elders were Societies of Christians conjoyned for Personal Communion in God's Worship, and mutual assistance in holy living: And though for want of convenient room, or liberty, they did not always meet all in the same place, yet were they ordinarily no more than could meet in one place when they had liberty: and never more than could hold personal Communion, if not at once, yet at several times in publick worship: (As it is now in those places where one part of the Family goeth to Church one part of the day, and another on the other part.) And those by-Meetings which any had that came not constantly to the publick Assemblies, were but as our House-Meetings, or Chapel-Meetings, but never as another Church: Nor were their Churches more numerous than our Parishes, nor near so great.
13. At the first they had no Consecrated nor Separated places for their Church-Meetings, but Houses or Fields, as necessity and opportunity directed them. But as soon as they could, even nature taught them to observe the same appointed and stated places for such Assemblies: Which as soon as the Churches had peace and settlement, they appropriated to those sacred uses only, though they had not yet the shape or name of Temples.