A27054:254
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.
§. 2. I. Negatively: I. It is certain that Christians will never be all of one stature or degree of grace. The Apostle hath fully opened this, 1 Cor. 12. and here Eph. 4. and Rom. 14. & 15. and elsewhere. Some will be of more blameless lives, and some more offensive: Some will be more fruitful and useful in the Church than others; some will have greater gifts than others for that end: some will be more patient and meek, and others more passionate and hot: some will be more considerate and prudent, and some more rash and of indecent carriage: some will be more humble, and condescending, and abhor pride much more than others will do: some will be more zealous, and some more frigid or luke-warm: some will be much more heavenly, and make less of earthly things than others: some will be more self-denying and patient under sufferings, and some will too much seek their own transitory things, and with greater impatience bear both crosses from God and injuries from man: some will be more cheerful and rejoice in God, and the hope of Glory, and others will be more sad and timorous and heavy: Some will have a strong faith, and some a weak: Some will have assured sealed hopes, and others will be doubting of their salvation: But in nothing will there be ⟨p. 81⟩more certain and notable difference, than in mens knowledge and conceptions of spiritual things. Undoubtedly there is scarce a greater difference of Visages, than there is of Intellectual apprehensions: Nay, perhaps the likeness of all mens faces is greater than of their understandings. Some will still know little, (and none very much, but) others comparatively much more: Some that know much in one kind, will be ignorant in others: And as all men are not of the same Trade, nor all Scholars prosecute the same studies, but some excel in one thing, and some in another, and some in nothing, so in religion such proportions and differences of understanding there will be.
§. 2. I. Negatively: I. It is certain that Christians will never be all of one stature or degree of grace. The Apostle hath fully opened this, 1 Cor. 12. and here