A27054:863
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.
3. Violence and Tyranny against good men for tolerable error, hath already increased that same error more than wiser means would have done, and hath introduced worse.
4. We have found where I lived (in Worcestershire and the neighbouring Counties, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire) in the late times of liberty in Religion, that an unanimous, humble, ⟨p. 276⟩able, diligent Ministry frequently and lovingly consulting and all agreeing, did more effectually suppress heresy, error and schism, than violence ever did or would have done. The next Parish to me had, a grave, learned, sober Anabaptist, B. of D. that had great advantages; and yet almost all our flocks were kept from the infection: In my own Charge (a great Parish of many thousand souls) where I was above 14. years, we had no one separate assembly, nor one sectary that I remember, save two or three apostate Infidels (or Socinians) and two or three Papists. A faithful agreeing Ministry with the advantage of a good cause, we found sufficient to shame all the Sectaries, and frustrate most of their endeavours, and to keep the people unanimous and right.
4. We have found where I lived (in Worcestershire and the neighbouring Counties, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire) in the late times of liberty in Religion, that an unanimous, humble, ⟨p. 276⟩able, diligent Ministry frequently and lovingly consulting and all agreeing, did more effectually suppress heresie, error and schism, than violence ever did or would have done. The next Parish to me had, a grave, learned, sober Anabaptist, B. of D. that had great advantages; and yet almost all our flocks were kept from the infection: In my own Charge (a great Parish of many thousand souls) where I was above 14. years, we had no one separate assembly, nor one sectary that I remember, save two or three apostate Infidels (or Socinians) and two or three Papists. A faithful agreeing Ministry with the advantage of a good cause, we found sufficient to shame all the Sectaries, and frustrate most of their endeavours, and to keep the people unanimous and right.