A64833:370
Venning's remains, or, Christ's school consisting of four classes of Christians, I. babes, II.…
Venning's remains, or, Christ's school consisting of four classes of Christians, I. babes, II. little children, III. young men, IV. fathers : with their several characteristical differences and attainments, also the doctrines proper to be taught to each of them : being the substance of many sermons / preached by Ralph Venning and fitted by him for the press before his death.
London: printed for John Hancock senior and junior, 1675
Class 2: The SECOND CLASSIS IN THE School of CHRIST, Viz. Little CHILDREN.
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.
That in the School of Christ there are several and distinct Classes of Fathers, Young-men, little Children, and Babes; that these states are not to be measured by their age or years, but by their attainments and experiences; That there is something common to all these; and something proper to each of these which cann•• (at […]) so eminently be said of all these or of my other sort of them; only that what ever excellency there is in the lowest is in the highest (gradually) much more, and what ever defect or carnality is in the lower, is in his higher much less: I say of all these things I have treated at large before, and shall not make any further repetition of them here.
That in the School of Christ there are several and distinct Classes of Fathers, Young-men, little Children, and Babes; that these states are not to be measured by their age or years, but by their attainments and experiences; That there is something common to all these; and something proper to each of these which cann•• (at 〈…〉) so eminently be said of all these or of my other sort of them; only that what ever excellency there is in the lowest is in the highest (gradually) much more, and what ever defect or carnality is in the lower, is in his higher much less: I say of all these things I have treated at large before, and shall not make any further repetition of them here.
Before I come to the next rank, viz. Little Children, 'twill be convenient to give an account of two or three things; 1. That what is here written to the ([Greek or Hebrew]) Sons or Children, which is the name in common to all these three following divisions of Saints (Fathers, Young-men, and Little Children) I say, what ever is written to them in common (as Chap. 2.1 and 12. and 28. Chap. 3.7. and 18. Chap. 5.21.) doth more or less concern each of them, the highest as well as ⟨p. 251⟩lowest. 2. In that he writes to Fathers, that the Fathers are not past teaching, though they be the highest Form: 'The best may be yet better, Fathers may be more so than they are, they that have attained to most may attain to more, the most perfect may be more perfect,