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.
Richard Baxter 1615–1691London: printed for John Hancock, 1680
[30], 327, 144 p. · 141k words · Wing B1432 · ESTC R18778
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.
§. 28. II. But (affirmatively) there is yet an excellent sort and degree of Unity and Concord to be sought with hope among Christians, worthy of all our utmost labour: Yea there is a true and excellent Unity and Concord which all true Christians do already enjoy: consisting in the following things.
§. 29. I. All Christians (truly such) believe in One God; and believe the incomprehensible Trinity, and believe Gods Essential Attributes and Grand Relations to man. They believe that he is Infinite in Immensity and Eternity and Perfection, even a most Perfect Spirit, Life, Understanding and Will, most Powerful, Wise and Good, the Creator and preserver, the Governor and the End of all, of whom and through whom and to whom are all things; in whom we Live and Move and have our being; Most Holy and True and Merciful and Just; whom we are bound to believe and trust and love and serve, and obey and praise with all our heart and mind and strength: and perfectly and everlastingly to see, Love and Praise him, (to Please Him and be Pleased in Him) in Glory, is the end and happiness of Saints.
§. 29. I. All Christians (truly such) believe in One God; and believe the incomprehensible Trinity, and believe Gods Essential Attributes and Grand Relations to man. They believe that he is Infinite in Immensity and Eternity and Perfection, even a most Perfect Spirit, Life, Vnderstanding and Will, most Powerful, Wise and Good, the Creator and preserver, the Governour and the End of all, of whom and through whom and to whom are all things; in whom we Live and Move and have our being; Most Holy and True and Merciful and Just; whom we are bound to believe and trust and love and serve, and obey and praise with all our heart and mind and strength: and perfectly and everlastingly to see, Love and Praise him, (to Please Him and be Pleased in Him) in Glory, is the end and happiness of Saints.
§. 30. II. All true Christians believe in One Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word, God, and one in Essence with the Father, Incarnate, assuming the whole Nature of man, conceived by the holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, and was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, fulfilling all righteousness, and overcame the Devil and the world, and gave himself a Sacrifice for mans sin, by suffering a cursed death on the Cross, to ransom us and reconcile us unto God; and was buried and went to the departed souls in hades, and the third day rose again from the dead, having conquered death: And having declared the new Covenant or Law of Grace, and commanded his Apostles to preach the Gospel to all the world, and promised them to send the Holy Spirit, he ascended into Heaven before their faces: The said Covenant of Grace is summarily this [that whereas all have sinned and come short of the Glory of
⟨p. 93⟩
God; sin by one man entering into the world and death by sin, and so death and condemnation passed upon all, in that all have sinned; God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever Believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life; that is, God freely giveth to lost undone sinners Himself to be their reconciled God and Father, Jesus Christ to be their Saviour, and the Holy Ghost to be their Sanctifier, if they will Believe and Trust him and accept the gift, and will in serious Covenant (which Baptism celebrateth accordingly) give up themselves to him, Repenting of their sins, and consenting to forsake the Devil, the world and the Flesh as opposite to God, and sincerely (though not perfectly) obey Christ and his Spirit to the end, according to the Law of Nature and his Gospel institutions, that so they may overcome and be Glorified for ever.]
§. 30. II. All true Christians believe in One Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word, God, and one in Essence with the Father, Incarnate, assuming the whole Nature of man, conceived by the holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, and was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, fulfilling all righteousness, and overcame the Devil and the world, and gave himself a Sacrifice for mans sin, by suffering a cursed death on the Cross, to ransome us and reconcile us unto God; and was buried and went to the departed souls in hades, and the third day rose again from the dead, having conquered death: And having declared the new Covenant or Law of Grace, and commanded his Apostles to preach the Gospel to all the world, and promised them to send the Holy Spirit, he ascended into Heaven before their faces: The said Covenant of Grace is summarily this [that whereas all have sinned and come short of the Glory of ⟨p. 93⟩God; sin by one man entring into the world and death by sin, and so death and condemnation passed upon all, in that all have sinned; God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever Believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life; that is, God freely giveth to lost undone sinners Himself to be their reconciled God and Father, Jesus Christ to be their Saviour, and the Holy Ghost to be their Sanctifier, if they will Believe and Trust him and accept the gift, and will in serious Covenant (which Baptism celebrateth accordingly) give up themselves to him, Repenting of their sins, and consenting to forsake the Devil, the world and the Flesh as opposite to God, and sincerely (though not perfectly) obey Christ and his Spirit to the end, according to the Law of Nature and his Gospel institutions, that so they may overcome and be Glorified for ever.]
§. 31. III. And they all believe that the Holy Spirit, being God and one in Essence with the Father and the Son, proceeding from the Father and (or by) the Son, is the Great Witness, Agent and Advocate of Christ, before, at, and after his coming into the world incarnate; by his gifts of Prophecy, Miracles and Sanctification, convincing sinners and drawing them to Repent and Believe, and dwelling in Believers as an operating cause of Divine Life and Light and Love, thus Uniting them to God in Christ their Head, and to each other in Faith and Love, by which they are gathered to him as his Church or body, having the forgiveness of their sins, and the adoption of Sons, and right to ⟨p. 94⟩the heavenly inheritance; And living in holy communion on earth, their souls at death are received to happiness with Christ, and their Bodies shall be raised, and soul and body Glorified at the last with Jesus Christ and all the blessed, in the perfect Vision, Love and joyful Praise of the most Glorious Jehovah.
§. 32. And as I. All Christians agree in this Belief, so also II. They all solemnly in and by the Baptismal Covenant, and their holy Eucharistical Communion and other duties Profess the Consent of their wills to these Relations to God their Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier, and to his Church or body, and their thankful Acceptance of the foresaid Gifts: And they profess and express their seeking-desires hereof, according to the Contents of the Lords Prayer.
§. 32. And as I. All Christians agree in this Belief, so also II. They all solemnly in and by the Baptismal Covenant, and their holy Eucharistical Communion and other duties Profess the Consent of their wills to these Relations to God their Creatour, Redeemer and Sanctifier, and to his Church or body, and their thankful Acceptance of the foresaid Gifts: And they profess and express their seeking-desires hereof, according to the Contents of the Lords Prayer.
§. 33. III. And as to Practice they all agree in professing and promising obedience to Christ, according to the Law of Nature, the Decalogue and all his Written Laws, so far as they understand them, and their desire to Learn them to that end.
§. 34. All sincere Christians agree in the true and Hearty Consent to all this; And these are the true saved Church of Christ, called Invisible, because their Hearts-consent is Invisible. All other Baptized and Professing Christians with them, agree in the Profession of all this; And are called The Church-visible, their Profession being visible. And all this being truly included in Baptism, which is our entrance into the Catholic (or Universal) Church, in this before described consisteth our Catholic Communion in Christs body, as spiritual or invisible and as visible.
§. 34. All sincere Christians agree in the true and Hearty Consent to all this; And these are the true saved Church of Christ, called Invisible, because their Hearts-consent is Invisible. All other Baptized and Professing Christians with them, agree in the Profession of all this; And are called The Church-visible, their Profession being visible. And all this being truly included in Baptism, which is our entrance into the Catholick (or Universal) Church, in this before described consisteth our Catholick Communion in Christs body, as spiritual or invisible and as visible.
§. 35. II. But besides this Universal Church-Union and Communion, for ORDER and Advantage to our great end, God hath instituted the ORDER of Christian Assemblies or Particular Churches; which are to the Universal Church as Cities and Corporations to a Kingdom: Which are the noblest and most privileged parts of the Kingdom; but yet not essential parts, but eminently Integral: For it may be a Kingdom without them, and would be if they were all disfranchised and laid common. And if Apostles and Evangelists as Itinerant Preachers, convert and baptize men, they are part of the Church Universal before they are gathered into distinct societies under proper Pastors of their own. The Eunuch Act. 8. was baptized into no particular Church, but into the universal only; and so were many others: And mere Baptism as such without any additional contract, doth no more. If thousands were Converted in America, or cast there without Pastors, they were parts of the Universal Church, if baptized Professing Christians. And before the Apostles ordained any fixed Bishops or Pastors of particular Churches, the Church Universal was in being though small.
§. 35. II. But besides this Universal Church-Union and Communion, for ORDER and Advantage to our great end, God hath instituted the ORDER of Christian Assemblies or Particular Churches; which are to the Vniversal Church as Cities and Corporations to a Kingdom: Which are the noblest and most priviledged parts of the Kingdom; but yet not essential parts, but eminently Integral: For it may be a Kingdom without them, and would be if they were all disfranchised and laid common. And if Apostles and Evangelists as Itinerant Preachers, convert and baptize men, they are part of the Church Universal before they are gathered into distinct societies under proper Pastors of their own. The Eunuch Act. 8. was baptized into no particular Church, but into the universal only; and so were many others: And meer Baptism as such without any additional contract, doth no more. If thousands were Converted in America, or cast there without Pastors, they were parts of the Universal Church, if baptized Professing Christians. And before the Apostles ordained any fixed Bishops or Pastors of particular Churches, the Church Universal was in being though small.
§. 36. But these particular Churches being a great part of Christs Institutions, and necessary not only by Precept, but as a means to the Well-being of the Universal, and the Edification of it and the particular members; It must be endeavoured, and that with good hope of success, that there may so much Particular Church-Union be obtained and maintained as shall much conduce to its great and excellent ends. That is, 1. So much as that in them, God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost may be Publicly, solemnly, and constantly confessed, by sound doctrine, ⟨p. 96⟩holy worship, and holy discipline and conversation.
§. 36. But these particular Churches being a great part of Christs Institutions, and necessary not only by Precept, but as a means to the Well-being of the Universal, and the Edification of it and the particular members; It must be endeavoured, and that with good hope of success, that there may so much Particular Church-Vnion be obtained and maintained as shall much conduce to its great and excellent ends. That is, 1. So much as that in them, God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost may be Publickly, solemnly, and constantly confessed, by sound doctrine, ⟨p. 96⟩holy worship, and holy discipline and conversation.
3. So much as that God shall accept them, delight in them and bless them, their converting, edifying and comforting souls, hearing their prayers and praises, and owning them by his Ministry, Covenants and grace, and differencing them from the people that do not thus confess and worship him, and promoting hereby their salvation.
And if this much be attained, it is not to be vilified for want of more, nor blotted with reproachful names; but acknowledged with thankfulness and praise.
§. 37. III. And yet there is a further degree of concord to be hoped for and endeavoured, and that is the concord of these particular Churches with one another: That they may all Profess, 1. The same faith, and necessary doctrine; 2. and the same Love to God and one another; 3. and the same Hope of life eternal, 4. and may offer to God the same necessary and acceptable sort of worship, viz. by preaching and applying his holy word, recorded in the holy Scriptures, preserving and reading them, calling upon his holy name by Confession, prayer, thanksgiving and praises, and holding respective communion in the use also of the Sacraments of his Covenant▪ and exercising in some measure such holy Government and Discipline, by Pastors overseeing their several flocks, as he himself by his institution hath made universally necessary. And all this, though not in perfection, nor every where with the same degree of purity and care, yet so far, 1. as that ⟨p. 97⟩Gods word and ordinances be kept up in soundness in all parts and respects necessary to salvation; 2. and as may tend to the edifying of the Churches by Love, and concord in necessary things, and their mutual help by counsel, and strength by that concord, 3. and the avoiding of pernicious feuds and divisions.
§. 38. The means by which this is to be done, 1. by communicatory Letters; 2. by Synods, 3. and by Civil Governors, is after in due place to be explained.
§. 38. The means by which this is to be done, 1. by communicatory Letters; 2. by Synods, 3. and by Civil Governours, is after in due place to be explained.
Thus much of Christian Unity and Concord may be well hoped for upon just endeavours here on earth: But neither Perfection in these, nor those unnecessary terms of Concord which some have long taken to be necessary.
Thus much of Christian Vnity and Concord may be well hoped for upon just endeavours here on earth: But neither Perfection in these, nor those unnecessary terms of Concord which some have long taken to be necessary.
