A69533:1482

Five disputations of church-government and worship

Name: Five disputations of church-government and worship
Author: Richard Baxter

Five disputations of church-government and worship by Richard Baxter.

Richard Baxter 1615–1691London: printed by R.W. for Nevil Simmons, 1659

[10], 38, [10], 24, 492 p. · 215k words · Wing B1267 · ESTC R13446

Title page: Princeton Theological Seminary Library copy, digitized by the Internet Archive (opens the Internet Archive in a new tab)

Qu. Whether Humane Ceremonies be Necessary or Profitable to the Chu… › Chapter 6: Prop. 6. It is not lawful to make any thing the subjects duty by a command, that is me…Qu. Whether Humane Ceremonies be Necessary or Profitable to the Chu… › Chapter 6: Prop. 6. It is not lawfull to make any thing the subjects duty by a command, that is me…

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.

[ Earlier:1479–1494 of 1,637

:1479p. 434–435¶6

§. 6. Moreover 6. It is the judgement of the Imposers that disobedience to their Laws is a sin against God, which deserveth condemnation; (For Protestants know no venial sins, and Papists take sins against the Popes and Councils Decrees to be Mortal.) But it is a cruelty next to Diabolical, to lay before men an occasion of their Damnation for Nothing. When they first make their Laws, they know (or else they are unworthy to be Governors) that some will obey them, and some will not. If therefore they think that some (and many) will incur the ⟨p. 435⟩guilt of sin unto damnation by their disobedience, they must have somewhat of greater worth then the souls of those men to encourage them to make those Laws. For had there been no such Laws, there would have been none of that transgression, and consequently no damnation for it.

§. 6. Moreover 6. It is the judgement of the Imposers that disobedience to their Laws is a sin against God, which deserveth condemnation; (For Protestants know no venial sins, and Papists take sins against the Popes and Councils Decrees to be Mortal.) But it is a cruelty next to Diabolical, to lay before men an occasion of their Damnation for Nothing. When they first make their Laws, they know (or else they are unworthy to be Governours) that some will obey them, and some will not. If therefore they think that some (and many) will incur the ⟨p. 435⟩guilt of sin unto damnation by their disobedience, they must have somewhat of greater worth then the souls of those men to encourage them to make those Laws. For had there been no such Laws, there would have been none of that transgression, and consequently no damnation for it.

:1480p. 435¶7

§. 7. Yea 7. It is sufficient to prove that nothing but some Good may be the Matter of a Law, in that they inflict penalties, and so great penalties upon the breakers of them. There must be a proportion between the Precept and the Sanction. The Commination or penal part of the Sanction, depriveth men of some Good: and therefore it should command, as great a good at least as it depriveth men of: Especially when the penalty is to be cast out of the Church and service of God, this is not to be done for nothing.

[ Earlier passages Later passages ]

Reformers309

Puritans1,782

Westminster Assembly24

Evangelicals36

CHAP. VII. Prop. 7. Some things may be lawfully and profitably commanded at one Time and Place, and to one sort of people, that may not at or to another; no nor obeyed, if commanded.