Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	congregation_n	true_a	2,989	5	6.1703	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27066	Mr. Baxter's vindication of the Church of England in her rites and ceremonies, discipline, and church-orders as faithfully taken out of his own writings, without either false citation, or fraudulent alteration : to which is prefixed his epistle to the non-conformists, being a just and true abstract of his book entituled, A defence of the principles of love.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1682 (1682)	Wing B1449; ESTC R1229	17,088	43

Mr. BAXTER's VINDICATION OF THE CHURCH of ENGLAND In her Rites and Ceremonies Discipline AND CHURCH-ORDERS As faithfully taken out of his own Writings without either false Citation or fraudulent Alteration To which is prefixed His Epistle to the Non-conformists being a just and true Abstract of his Book Entituled A Defence of the Principles of Love Schismaticks are they who unwarrantably separate from those Churches in which they ought to abide that they may gather new Congregations after their mind Mr. Baxter ' s Reasons of the Christian Religion p. 472. No Christian must pretend Holiness against Vnity and Peace and every tender Conscience should be as tender of Church-division and real Schisms as of Drunkenness Whoredom or such other enormous sins Mr. Baxter ' s Reasons of the Christian Religion p. 485. LONDON Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishops-head in St. Pauls Church-yard 1682. TO THE READER IT being evidently apparent as in most other cases so in our Church-divisions that a resolved prostration to the Authority and a confident adhaesion to the opinion of reputed-good men doth commonly seduce the Populace first into Prejudice then into Parties and so to a tenacious obstinacy in Errour Hereupon one probable way of Rescue and Remedy is to propose to the wandring People the Documents of one whose Authority is great among them Therefore have I thought on the Oracle Mr. Baxter who in this Book His Defence of the Principles of Love is not more Antesignanus than Eirenarches prescribing very well for Peace and Church-union as the ensuing Treatise especially the Epistle shews And to anticipate that prejudice and mistakes which a thing of this nature is very liable to let no man think it my design to accuse Mr. Baxter of Self-contradiction Inconsistency c. but that it is meerly for the conviction of those whom that learned Author calls Honest erroneous Christians and to let the World see that Mr. B. and other Non-conformist Ministers do not believe that intrinsick evil and sinfulness to be in Conformity which their unwary Followers are induced or rather seduced to believe and that there is more extrinsick danger and heinous sinfulness in their separation than his honest erroneous Christians do imagine that the difference between Conformists and Non-conformists is very small and as Mr. Baxter tells Mr. Bagshaw in his Defence that Non-conformists do injure Conformists and make the Case of Conformity more odious than it is And to obviate Objections let it be noted 2. That if here be found any small alteration in words it is meerly for the sake of brevity and ease in reading and no other than what doth fairly consist with and not at all pervert the sense and meaning of the first Author And since the renouncing of the Covenant which Non-conformists call the great Mountain in the way is now removed if the more peaceable Non-conformists have a mind to come into the conforming Churches here is that in this small Treatise will help a little to justifie and encourage their practice in so doing What acceptance this poor thing will have I am ignorant but not sollicitous since the testimony of my Conscience is that it is in vindication of Truth and defence of a good Cause nor would I fear the success much more than I do the acceptance would the honest erroneous Christian read it with as little partiality and prejudice as he would if coming from the first Authors hand Mr. BAXTER's EPISTLE TO THE Non-Conformists Being a just and true Abstract of his Defence of the Principles of Love BRETHREN IT grieves me to the heart that neither Party Conformable or Non-conformable is more sensible of the sin and danger of our distance though I know that in both Parties there are many wise and holy persons who I suppose lament it more than I do It layeth my soul in daily lamentations to see how we run further from each other to the apparent danger of the Protestant Cause and of the Kingdoms welfare and of all the hopes of our Posterity Our narrow Judgment draws many to think that it is the Interest of Religion now in England to have the parish-Parish-Churches brought low in reputation and deserted and God's publick worship which they would have all religious People use to be onely that of tolerated or more private Churches by which they little know what they wish against the Interest of the Christian and Protestant Religion in this Land and what hurt they would do if in this they had their wills The Interest of the Christian Protestant Religion must be kept up by keeping up as much Truth Piety and Reputation as may be in the Parish-Churches I am very glad that the pious Lectures of Mr. Hildersham Mr. Rogers and such other old Non-conformists are in so good esteem among good people where they will read them urgeing the people not onely against Separation but to come to the very beginning of the publick Worship and preferring it before their private duties And I need not tell those that have read the Writings of the good old Non-conformists Ames Parker Bains Fox Dearing Greenham c. that these did some of them read the Common Prayer and most of them judged it lawful to join in it or else Mr. Hildersham Rogers c. would not write so earnestly to men to come to the beginning and prefer it before all private duties When I think what learned holy incomparable men abundance of the old Conformists were my heart riseth against the thoughts of separating from them If I had come to their Churches when they read the Common-prayer and administred the Sacrament could I have departed and said It is not lawful for a Christian here to communicate with you What! Such men as Mr. Bolton Mr. Whateley Mr. Fenner Mr. Crook Mr. Dent Mr. Dike Mr. Stock Mr. Smith Dr. Preston Dr. Sibbs Dr. Taylor and abundance other such yea such as Bishop Jewell Bishop Grindall Bishop Hall Bishop Potter Bishop Davenant Bishop Carleton c. yea and the Martyrs too as Cranmer Ridley Hooper Farrar Bradford Philpot Sanders c. I think not my self worthy to be compared with Mr. Bolton Whateley Fenner Preston Sibbs White Field Usher Jewell and abundance other old Conformists and you might forgive me if I tell you again that if they were all alive and used now the same Liturgy and Ceremonies as they did then I could not find in my heart to think their communion in Prayer and Sacrament unlawful nor to censure that man as injurious to the Church who should write to persuade others not to separate from them on that supposition I am sure the Assembly of Divines that sate heretofore at Westminster were so conformable when they went thither that I never heard of five Non-conformists among them except the five dissenting Brethren their Judgment was as Mr. Sprints that Conformity was lawful in case of necessity rather than to be deprived of Liberty to preach

the Gospel And as for the present Conformists I know those of them whom I think as godly and humble Ministers N.B. as most of the Non-conformists whom I know and as my acquaintance increaseth I know more and more And I tell you again that I believe there are many hundred godly Ministers in the Parish Churches of England and that their Churches are true Churches And for my part I forbore communion with the Parish Churches in the Sacrament a long time yet at last I saw that the reasons seemed to me to cease and I durst not go against my Conscience for I knew not what But O that you would yet consider how much defect of love and patience there is in you as well as others How easily can we aggravate the faults of others and how hardly can we aggravate or see our own The defects of the Liturgy and the faults of those by whom we suffer are easily heightned even beyond desert but when many of us vend untruths and slanders against our Brethren about the Land who aggravates this or repents of it But above all I entreat the dividing Brethren if they can so long lay by their partiality to judge by this of the reasons of their separation from those Churches private or parochial that they differ from in tolerable things You think it a sin to communicate in a Church where the Liturgy is used and where Discipline is not so strictly exercised against some Offenders as you and I desire But publick multiplied untruths in mens mouths do never make you scruple their communion I intreat you do but study an answer to one that would separate from you all upon such grounds as these First for the Sin consider of these Texts Exod. 23.1 Thou shalt not raise a false report c. Eph. 4.31 Let evil speaking be put away from you J●mes 4.11 Speak not evil one of another c. Tit. 3.1 2. Prov. 25.23 Pet. 1.2 1. c. Have you more or plainer Texts of Scripture against the Common-prayer than these are against Slandering c. Now suppose one should say that a People of such sin as this should not be communicated with what answer will you give to this which will not confute your own objections against communion with many Parish-Churches in this Land God hates every disorder in extemporate Prayer and yet he more hates that censoriousness and curiosity which would draw men to forsake the substantials of Worship or Christian love and communion on that pretence If Christians should plead Gods jealousie about his Worship as censoriously against their own prayers as they do against other mens and Churches in this case they would turn prayer into the fuel of despair and torment If Paul thought his Galatians foolish and bewitched and his Corinthian-Christians to be Babes yea carnal and not spiritual because there were among them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 envyings strife and divisions or as the words signifie zeal or aemulation strife and separation factions and dividings in several Parties while one saith I am of Paul another I am of Apollo what wonder if we are no better now I will not pretend Conscience for the defiling of my Conscience and the forsaking the sacred life of love Do not you your selves condemn a carnal state Remember then that they are carnal who are contentious dividers in the Churches 1 Cor 1 2 3. You will join with me in disallowing a fleshly life Remember then that the works of the flesh are these as Adultery Fornication c. so also Hatred or Enmities Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dividing into Parties c. I know you will confess that if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8.9 Remember then that the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of Love that the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness c. Gal. 5.20 Old Mr. Wilson Pastor of Boston being desired by the Elders of the Churches assembled at his house that on his dying-bed he would declare solemnly to them what he conceived to be those sins which provoked the displeasure of God against the Countrey told them that he had long feared these sins following as chief among others which God was greatly provoked by 1. Separation 2. Anabaptistry 3. Koraism when People rise up as Korah against their Ministers and Elders as if they took too much upon them when indeed they do but rule for Christ and according to Christ and so for the Magistrates being Gallio-like not caring for these things or not using their power and authority for the maintenance of the Truth and Gospel and Ordinances c. Alas dear Brother that after so many years silencing and affliction after Flames and Plagues and dreadful Judgments after twenty years practice of the sin it self and when we are buried in the very ruines which it caused we should not yet know that our own uncharitable divisions alienations and Separations are a crying sin yea the crying as well as the uncharitableness and hurtfulness of others Alas will God leave Us even Us also to the obdurateness of Pharaoh Is there not crying sin with Us What have we done to Christs Kingdom to this Kingdom to our Friends to our selves and alas to our enemies by our Divisions and do we not feel it do we not know it Wo to us into what hard-heartedness have we sinned our selves Irenaeus Epiphanius Augustine Theodoret beside the rest do sadly tell us in their Catalogues and Controversies how lamentably these Dividers then hindered the Gospel and distressed and dishonoured the Church And the sad stories of Holland Munster and others in Germany Poland and especially these twenty years past in England do bring all closer to our sense The dissolution of the separated Churches of the English in the Low-Countries by their own divisions is a thing too well known to be concealed Brethren I know that our division gratifieth the Papists and greatly hazardeth the Protestant Religion and that more than the most of you seem to believe or regard I know that our division advantageth Profaneness and greatly hinders the success on both sides I know that it greatly pleaseth Satan and buildeth up his Kingdom and weakeneth the Kingdom of our Lord his own mouth hath told us so I foresaw that while we worried and weakened one another Papists were like to be the principal gainers and they would be ready to offer their service to strengthen one of the Parties against the other and would be glad to take up the reproaches against the most religious people that were by angry Adversaries brought unto their hands And that when we had made our selves the common scorn by our manifold divisions and by our biting and devouring one another they would plead this as their shame to draw People to themselves as the onely stable and consistent Church and

would make us giddy that we may rest on them as our Supporters and when they saw us weak would be ready to devour us all Three ways especially will Popery grow out of our divisions 1. By the odium and scorn of our disagreements inconsistency and multiplied Sects they will persuade people that we must either come for unity to them or else all run mad and crumble into dust and individuals Thousands have been drawn into Popery and confirmed in it already by this Argument and I am persuaded that all the Arguments in Bellarmine and all other Books that ever were written have not done so much to make Papists in England as the multitude of Sects among us Yea some Professors of religious strictness of great esteem for godliness have turned Papists themselves when they were giddy and weary with turnings and when they had run from Sect to Sect and found no consistency in any And 2. Who knows not how fair a Game the Papists have to play by the means of our divisions Methinks I hear them hissing on each Party and saying to one side Lay more upon them and bate them nothing and to the other Stand it out and yield to nothing And who is so blind then as not to see their double game and hopes viz. that either our divisions and alterations will carry men to such distances and practices as shall make us accounted seditious rebellious and dangerous to the publick Peace and so they i.e. Papists pass for better Subjects than we or else that when so many Parties under sufferings are constrained to beg for Liberty the Papists may not be shut out alone but have toleration with the rest And shall they use our hands to do their work We have already unspeakably served them in this And 3. It is not the least of our danger nor which doth least affect me lest by our follies extremities and rigours we should so exasperate the common People as to make them readier to join with the Papists than with us in case of any competitions or their invasions or insurrections against the King and Kingdoms peace Let us do nothing by unlawful alienations and singularities or fierce and disobedient oppositions which tend to make the People think better of Papists than of us In the Year 1634. Mr. Roger Williams Assistant to Mr. Ralph Smith Pastor of Plimouth removed from thence to Salem where in one years time he filled the place with principles of rigid Separation and tending to Anabaptistry The prudent Magistrates of the Massachusets jurisdiction sent to the Church of Salem desiring them to forbear calling him to Office which they not hearkening to he proceeded more vigorously to vent many dangerous opipinions as that the Magistrate had nothing to do in matters of the First Table but onely the Second and that there should be a general and unlimited toleration of all Religions and for any man to be punished for any matters of his Conscience was persecution That if the Church of Salem would not separate not onely from the Churches of England but of New-England too he would separate from them The more prudent part of the Church being amazed at his way would not yield to him whereupon he never came to the Church-Assembly more professing separation from them as Antichristian Divers of the weaker sort of Church-members did by degrees fall off to him insomuch that he kept a meeting in his own house unto which a numerous company did resort Whereupon he was banished the Massachusets Colonie and came to a place called Providence was followed by many of the Church of Salem who zealously adhered to him and cried out of the persecution that was against them others resorted to them from other places They had not been there long but from rigid Separation they fell to Anabaptistry N.B. renouncing their Baptism received in Infancy and taking up another Baptism and so began a Church in that way But Mr. Williams stopt not there long for after some time he told the people that followed him that he was out of the way himself and had misled them for he did not find that there were any upon Earth that could administer Baptism and therefore their last Baptism was a nullity as well as their first and therefore they must lay down all and look for the coming of new Apostles and so they dissolved themselves and turned Seekers To which I add that this man was one of the greatest Instruments after all this of sublimating the English Separation to the same heighth and gratifying the Papists by raising up the Sect of Seekers And sad sad indeed was the case of the Barmuda's when in so disciplined a Plantation one Minister turned away the greater part from Church-communion till they became Aliens and the rest whom he gathered as the onely worthy persons so many turned Quakers Seekers and such like The case of three or four Churches in New-England grieves my heart but the case of the Summer-Islands as related to me by Mr. Vaughan a worthy Minister lately discouraged and come from thence would make a Christian heart to bleed to hear how strict and regular and hopeful that Plantation once was and how one godly Minister by Separation selecting a few to be his Church and rejecting all the rest from the Sacrament the rejected Party are grown to doleful estrangedness in Religion and the selected Party much turned Quakers and between both how wofull are the Fruits But the case of England Scotland and Ireland which I foretold in my Book of Infant-Baptism is yet a more lamentable proof what Separation hath done against Religion so full a proof that it is my wonder that any good man can overlook it Yea before our eyes the most pernicious Heresies even that of Quakers are still not onely continued but increased and we see men that to day condemn communion with the Parish-Churches and then with the Presbyterians do shortly fly from communion with the Independents too It 's commonly known how many of late have turned Quakers and shall we stand by and see such work and neither lament their sins that drive men to this nor warn them of the passions and principles that lead to it Separation will ruine the separated Churches themselves at last it will admit of no consistency Parties will rise in the separated Churches and separate again from them till they are dissolved I beseech my dear Brethren that are otherwise minded to open their eyes so far as to regard experience I am not able to bear the thoughts of Separating from almost all Christs Churches upon Earth but he that separateth from one or many upon a reason common to almost all doth virtually separate from almost all and he that separateth from all among us upon the account of the unlawfulness of our Liturgy and the badness of all our Ministry doth separate from them upon a reason common to almost all or the far greatest

and love of Christ that they would have taken it for an injury or quenching of the Spirit to have been wholly restrained from bearing a Part in the Praises of the Church 4. The use of the Tongue keeps awake the mind and stirs up God's Graces in his Servants 5. It was the decay of Zeal in the People that first shut out Responses while they kept up the ancient zeal they were inclined to take their part vocally in the worship Thus Mr. Baxter with more to the same purpose in the place above cited 6. Bowing at the Name of JESUS Christian Directory Cases Ecclesiastical Q. 86. That we may lawfully express our reverence by bowing when the Names GOD JEHOVAH JESUS c. are uttered I have met with few Christians that deny nor know I any reason to deny it 't is true he speaks of it as equally lawful in it self to bow to the Name JEHOVAH GOD c. as well as JESUS but nothing at all against the lawfulness of bowing at the name of JESUS 7. It is certain from God's Word that the Child so Baptized dying before it commit actual sin is undoubtedly saved Mr. Baxter in his Plea for Peace makes angry exception against this in the Rubrick after Baptism as one one of those things which it is sinful to assent to though whoever reads his Scripture-proof of Infants Church-membership will find it none of his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Children indefinitely and in materia necessaria as will appear by and by are holy by stated separation to God and that all Children of Believers whether sincere or hypocrites if they are Believers professedly are undoubtedly saved and we baptize the Children of no others than of Believers professedly at least For this see in his Scripture-proof of Infants Church-membership His Animadversions on Mr. Bedford's Tratise of Baptismal Regeneration P. 315. Speaking of Baptism he hath these words For the pardon of Original Sin and other relative Grace I affirm that we are to judge it probably given to the Child of every Believer and if any will say it is certainly given to every such Child even the Non-Elect I will not gainsay him These are his words ipsissime which fully and plainly import that the Children of Non-Elect Believers i.e. Believers in profession onely do by Baptism receive remission of Original sin and other relative Grace whether it be on the account of the Faith of the Church in which he is baptized or of the bare profession of the Parents Faith is excentrick to my business to dispute To proceed In the same page last cited saith Mr. Baxter God hath clearly made the Parents Faith the condition of Infants pardon and salvation What Faith and what Parents Why professedly-believing Parents and the bare profession of Faith For which see his Infant Church-membership Part. 1. cap. 29. p. 94. Profession says he is a probable sign and a Professor is probably a true Believer and whether he be so or no we are bound to admit him among Believers and p. 92. it is sufficient that the Parent be virtually and dispositively a Believer in contradistinction to his being actually such and in his Letter to Mr. Cranford Is it not a large comfort to Parents says he that God doth pardon Infants their Original sin and put them in statum salutis but what I first quoted of him is instar omnium viz. that the Children even of the Non-Elect have pardon of sin and other relative grace by Baptism 8. Kneeling at the Sacrament Christian Directory Cases Ecclesiastical 98. Had I my choice says Mr. Baxter I would receive the Lords Supper sitting but where I have not my choice I will use the gesture which the Church useth There speaks an Oracle good Reader mark him What could be said more Orthodox and honest And because he speaks so home in this one place I 'le forbear citing those in his Cure of Church-divisions and in his Reasons of the Christian Religion where in the one place he calls Kneeling an inoffensive harmless Ceremony in the other he teacheth that Vesture Gesture Time Place c. are all at the determination of the lawful Magistrate 9. Episcopacy is Apostolical and of Divine Institution Christian Directory Cases Ecclesiastical Q. 56. p. 127. Having proved the particular Orders of Presbyters and Deacons he gives his Reasons for a larger Episcopacy as the Margin shews Besides this says he in the Apostles days there were under Christ in the universal Church many general Officers that had the care of governing and overseeing Churches up and down and were fixed by stated relation to none Such were the Apostles Evangelists and many of their Helpers in their days And most Christian Churches think that though the Apostolical extraordinary Gifts Priviledges and Offices cease yet Government being an ordinary part of their work the same Forms of Government which Christ and the Holy Ghost did settle in the first Age were setled for all following Ages though not with the same extraordinary Gifts and Adjuncts Because 1. We read of the setling of that Form viz. General Officers as well as Particular but we never read of any abolition discharge or cessation of the Institution 2. If we affirm a Cessation without proof we seem to accuse God of mutability as setling one Form of Government for one Age onely and no longer 3. We leave room for audacious Wits to question other Gospel-Institutions as Pastors Sacraments c. and to say that they were but for an Age onely 4. It was general Officers that Christ promised to be with to the end of the World Matth. 28.20 Now says he this will hold good or not if not then this General Ministry is to be numbred among humane additions to be next treated of If it do then there is another part of the Form of Government i.e. distinct from that of Presbyters and Deacons proved to be of Divine Institution I say not another Church but another part of the Government of both Churches universal and particular because such general Officers are so in the universal as to have a general oversight of the particular As an Army headed onely by the General himself and a Regiment by the Colonel and a Troop by the Captain but the general Officers of the Army as the Lieutenants General and Majors General c. are under the Lord General in and over the Army and have a general oversight over the particular Bodies Regiments and Troops Now if this be the instituted Form of Christ's Church-Government that he himself rule absolutely as General and that he have some general Officers under him not any one having the charge of the whole but in the whole unfixedly or as they voluntarily part their Provinces and that each particular Church have their own proper Pastor one or more then who can say that no Form of Church-Government is of Divine Appointment or Command Thus Mr. Baxter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 solidly proving the