A27054:198
The true and only way of concord of all the Christian churches the desirableness…
The true and only way of concord of all the Christian churches the desirableness of it, and the detection of false dividing terms / opened by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for John Hancock, 1680
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.
O what great things can that Church or Kingdom do, which is fully United in it self! What great assaults can they withstand and overcome! But the Devil himself knoweth that a Kingdom or a ⟨p. 50⟩house divided cannot stand, Matth. 12. 25, 26. And therefore by some kind of Concord (whatever it is) even Satan's Kingdom is upheld:1 And by Discord it is that he hopeth and laboureth to destroy Christs Kingdom. And he that would have Christs Kingdom to be stronger than the Devils, must do his part that it be more United, and less divided. All living creatures perish by the dissolution of parts: what Concord and Discord do in Kingdoms and all societies, he must be stupidly ignorant that knoweth not after so long experience of the world. Therefore they who agree in error, are hardliest convinced (which is the Roman strength) and they take their own Concord for an evidence of truth: And those that disagree and divide and wrangle, are apt to be drawn at last to suspect if not forsake that truth in which they are agreed. Concord corroborateth even rebels and thieves in evil, much more the servants of God in good.*
O what great things can that Church or Kingdom do, which is fully United in it self! What great assaults can they withstand and overcome! But the Devil himself knoweth that a Kingdom or a ⟨p. 50⟩house divided cannot stand, Matth. 12. 25, 26. And therefore by some kind of Concord (whatever it is) even Satans Kingdom is upheld:1 And by Discord it is that he hopeth and laboureth to destroy Christs Kingdom. And he that would have Christs Kingdom to be stronger than the Devils, must do his part that it be more United, and less divided. All living creatures perish by the dissolution of parts: what Concord and Discord do in Kingdoms and all societies, he must be stupidly ignorant that knoweth not after so long experience of the world. Therefore they who agree in errour, are hardliest convinced (which is the Roman strength) and they take their own Concord for an evidence of truth: And those that disagree and divide and wrangle, are apt to be drawn at last to suspect if not forsake that truth in which they are agreed. Concord corroborateth even rebels and thieves in evil, much more the servants of God in good.