A69533:1262
Five disputations of church-government and worship
Five disputations of church-government and worship by Richard Baxter.
London: printed by R.W. for Nevil Simmons, 1659
Qu. Whether a stinted Liturgy, or form of Worship, be a desirable m… › Proposition 5
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.
The Reasons of this Proposition are these. 1. Because the thing being Lawful, no Power should causelessly restrain men from the use of Lawful things. God having left men to their Liberty, none should without great reason deprive them of it.
The Reasons of this Proposition are these. 1. Because the thing being Lawfull, no Power should causelesly restrain men from the use of Lawfull things. God having left men to their Liberty, none should without great reason deprive them of it.
2. The Magistrate should not hinder the Peoples Edification in the manner of Gods worship: But in many places a stinted Liturgy is most for the peoples Edification. Therefore▪ &c. Whether it be the Ministers weakness, or the peoples, that makes it most useful to them, yet when the Magistrate cannot cure ⟨p. 373⟩that weakness, he must bear with them. It was the weakness of Nicodemus that made him he could not bear the day-light, in coming to Christ; yea and such a weakness, as showed, or was joined with an unregenerate state, and yet Christ would rather teach him privately then not at all.
2. The Magistrate should not hinder the Peoples Edification in the manner of Gods worship: But in many places a stinted Liturgy is most for the peoples Edification. Therefore▪ &c. Whether it be the Ministers weakness, or the peoples, that makes it most usefull to them, yet when the Magistrate cannot cure ⟨p. 373⟩that weakness, he must bear with them. It was the weakness of Nicodemus that made him he could not bear the day-light, in coming to Christ; yea and such a weakness, as shewed, or was joyned with an unregenerate state, and yet Christ would rather teach him privately then not at all.