A76157:330
Confirmation and restoration the necessary means of reformation, and reconciliation; for the healing of…Confirmation and restauration the necessary means of reformation, and reconciliation; for the healing of…
Confirmation and restoration the necessary means of reformation, and reconciliation; for the healing of the corruptions and divisions of the churches: submissively, but earnestly tendered to the consideration of the sovereign powers, magistrates, ministers, and people, that they may awake, and be up and doing in the execution of so much, as appeareth to be necessary as they are true to Christ, his Church and Gospel, and to their own and others souls, and to the peace and welfare of the nations; and as they will answer the neglect to Christ, at their peril. / By Richard Baxter, an unworthy minister of Christ, that longeth to see the healing of the churches.Confirmation and restauration the necessary means of reformation, and reconciliation; for the healing of the corruptions and divisions of the churches: submissively, but earnestly tendered to the consideration of the soveraigne powers, magistrates, ministers, and people, that they may awake, and be up and doing in the execution of so much, as appeareth to be necessary as they are true to Christ, his Church and Gospel, and to their own and others souls, and to the peace and wellfare of the nations; and as they will answer the neglect to Christ, at their peril. / By Richard Baxter, an unworthy minister of Christ, that longeth to see the healing of the churches.
London: printed by A.M. for Nevil Simmons book-seller, 1658
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.
I answer, You speak this because you never tried, and know not the world. I must presume to tell you (though to tell you the reasons be unmeet) that there's but few men in England must expect more advantages for Interest in their people, then I have in mine: and yet all's nothing, when I come to exercise Discipline, and cross their selfish, sensual inclinations. Those that will tell me, they are beholden to me for their lives, yet will not hear me when I persuade them to any humbling confession. Those that cannot hide their sin, will confess it, and commit it over and over: will you accept of their private Confession for Satisfaction, that will publicly slander their Neighbours,1 or be drunk openly every week or month, or swear every day. But many of ⟨p. 179⟩them will not so much as confess before a few Ministers or Officers of the Church, that they have sinned, but will stand impenitently in it to the last. Let me entreat them withal the submissiveness and earnestness that I can, when one hath beat or slandered another, or in the like cases, if I would kneel to them, I cannot get many of them once (Hypocritically) to say, I am sorry, or I did amiss: And those that do say so, in a cold, Hypocritical, heartless manner, will join with it such bitter words, against the accuser or reprover, and show such hatred to those that admonish them, that declareth their impenitency. If you have such extraordinary abilities, to melt and mollify hardened sinners, more then we have, you are the more unexcusably unfaithful ⟨p. 180⟩to God and man, that will not use them. And all are not so happy as to have your conquering parts. For my part I can say in uprightness of heart, that I do what I can do, (abating those neglects which are the consequents of any frailty) and if I knew how to do more, I would, with study, preaching, conference, labour or estate; and yet with abundance I am not able to prevail, so much as to make them capable of Discipline. So that I see plainly by unquestionable experience, that either we must have Churches without the Discipline of Christ, and be Rulers without Ruling it; or else we must utterly undo our people, body and Soul for ever, and plunge them into a desperate state, and make all our following labours in vain to multitudes of them: