Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

:VireEiiolls about Co11f ejSio11. rbe B.Jptifrnal Covenant, nor having Apoflatized, n~r being by lawful Power Excommunicated, arc Cbrijti.nu, and m1ke_up the Church a' Vi.fible: · iph!'f. 4.4, 5· Prup. 3· T herefore there is but One Univerfat Church, bectufe it containeth tJU Chtijlia;u; and fo t Cor. ' 1 • n. \caveth out none to be the rtlltter of anorher. ~1t: k 16 · 166 Prop. 4• It is not lgnon ncc: or Error abuut the mecr lnu.~riJlJ of ChrHlianity, which makcththem .,'_~,\ ~:; ~~ 4> no Cbrijii~nr \Vho hold the Effmti.Jir, that is, t~ B1ptifm1l Covenant. · ' ' P~"op- 5· T hat the Baptifmal Covenant mi~ht be righdy undt:rltood and profdfed, the Churches s Cor. sp ,::, have Hill ufcd the Creed as the cxplicarion of the Covenant~ in point of fairh ; and taken it for &<. the Symbol of the Chriftian Belief. And no further profrf!ion of jaj1h was or is to be required as M1eh. zS. 1 9• necdf11y to the Bein'! of Chrijli.Jnity. ' 10 . Pr11p. 6- If proud Ufurpers or Ccnfurers take on them to excommunicate, or unchrifiian, or unRo?1· 14· ;, 4· church others, without authority and caufe, chis makcth them not to bl! no Chri.jlianJ, or no Churcber Jona. that arc fo ufeJ. ' R?m. 6 _1 ,, 1 , Prop. 7• Therefore to know which is the true Catholick or Univerfal Church is but to know who ' &r. areBaptiz ed-Pr&feffing-Cbriftiam. · Erhef·1· 4•S· Prop. 8. Tht! Reformed Churches, the Luthc:rans, the Ablffines, the Copties, theSyrians, the Armenians, theJacobites, the Georgians, the Muonites, the Greeks, the Mofcovites, and rhe Romanifh do all receive Bap1i[m in all its vifihlt Effmlialr, and profefs all the Efftntials of the Chrifrian Reli: gi on, though not with the fill me Inttgrity. Prop. 9· He that denyerh any one effential part, in it Celf, is fa a Herecick as to be no Chrijliaw Tit.;. to. nor true member of the Church, if it be juflly prove-d, or notorious ; that i~, none aught ro take hi~ 3 John. for a Vifible Chrifiian, who know the proof of his denying that etfential part of Chrillianity or I<> whom it is notorious. , ] >me. 3· '· Prop. 10. He that hold<th the Elfentials primarily, and with them holdeth fome error which by PhJ:. J. H,t6. unfcen confequence fubverreth fame EfTent1<J.l pomt, but ho1deth theEffcntJals fo mm:h fafi:cr that Hcb.5- ' ' 2 • he would forf3.ke his error, if he: f~w the inconliftcncc, is a Chriflian notwithfianding? A~d if the m.me Heretic~{ be applicable to him , it is but in fuch a fcnfe , as is confiilent with Chri– HiJnity. n.;h To~, •. Prop. Il · He that is i.udged it Heretick. and no Chrifti~n juftly by others , muft be lawfully l\l;m .tS r c1tcd, and heard plead hts Caufe, and be JUdged upon fuffictcnt ;proof, and not unheard, or upon rafl1 prefumption. Ezek. 'B. 17· Prop. 12· Chrifiianity and Hercfie being perfonal qualities, and no where found but in individuals Geu. 1 :4~31'5. nor one man guilty of anothers error, it followeth that it is jingle per[on1 upon perfonal guilt rha; mull be judged. 1Cor. to. t ). Prop. I)· Any mm may judge another to be a Chrifiian or Heretick, by a private judgemtJtt of A 'Is I. '9· dlfc.erning, or the reafon wbich guideth all humane actions: But only c~~~rch R Ttiti'J may judge him 1 Cor·5·~·4·5· b)' t!Y.!t publick Judgement, whic:h givcth or denyerh him his public:k priviledges and Communion. ~~~~- ~ !·',~: Prop. J4• If by notorious injufiice Church Rulers condemn Chri~itns :a~ no Chriflians, though J... !m 1 6. :::.: they may thereby deny them communion with thofe publick Affcmbhes, wh1ch theygovern, yet do they not obli~e tlu people eo take fuch injured per[ons for no Chrijli:Jns. Elfe they might obligeall to believe a lye, to confenr to malicious injuries, and might difoblige the people from Truth, Kigh· troufncji and Cbarit)'• 1 Cor. 12 . -; 7 , Prop. I 5· There is no one Natural or Ct~Ueliive Head and Governour of all the Churches in the 1S, :::9. world ( the Univerfal Church ) but Jefus Chrift:; And therefore there is none that by fuch Govern– Eph.,... 5,6,7. ing power, can excommunicate any man out of the Univerfal Church ; And fuch Ufurpation would J ~r· ' ·' 2' 1 ~ be Treafon againfi Chrill , whofePrerogative it is. Eph'J;.:::~:.~· Pr,•p. 16•. Yet he that defcrvcth .ro _be excommunicated from ope Church, deferve~h to be & 4 rI· excommuniCated by and from all, 1f 11 be upon a Caufc common ro all ; or that nulhfieth his Col.t. T8. Chrifiianity. 3 ohn~ :, 19 · Prop. 17· And whe.re neighbour Churches are C~nfociate. and live in Order and Concord, he t~at J is orderly c:xcommumcate from one Church, and tt be nouficd eo the reli, Chould not be taken mEp!d . f. 11, to the communion of any of the rell, till he be cleared, or become tit for their communion. But 1 Cor. s. 1 1. this obligation arifeth but from the Concord of Confoc:iate Churches, and not from the Power of one over the rell : And it cannot reach :all the wmld, where the pcrfon cometh not, nor was ever known ; but only to thofe who through neighbourhood are ·capable of juft notice, and of giving or denying communion to that perfon. Prop. 18. from all this it is dear, that it is not either Papills alone, or Greeks alone, or Protellants 1 Cor. 12 • 12 • alone, or any party ofChriflians, who arc the Univcrfal_Church, feeing .rh:at Chu.rch c.ontaineth AD John 13, H· CbriJiians. And chat reviling others ( yea, whole N.uwns ) as Hr:retJcks, Schtfi:nancks, and no 1 Cor. 13 r, C hriHians, or Churches, will no more prove theRcvil~rs to be the only Church or Chrifiians, than :::, &r. 1Y.mt of Love will prove a man to be one of Chritls Difi;:iplcs, who by Love are known to all men to be hi~. Prnp. 19· 1t is therefore the flu meful language of diflra6tcd men, to cry out againfi orherChri· .. flian Nations, It i1 not J•ou, but Jl'C that are the Catholick or V ni'llerflll Church. And our lhameful Controvcrlit, which of rhcm is the Catholick, is no wifc:r than to queJtion, Whethf'I it be this I C'lr. r: t::. houfc or th:l.t which is thcScrcet? OrthisStreu or 1hatwhich is the City? Or whether it be the ~ Co~ 6 · 1 7· Kitchin, or theHall, or the Parlour which is theHoofc ? Or the Hand, or f oot, or Eye which is the E) h.L,1.;;~~: M.m ? 0 when will God bring diftracting Teac;hers to Repentance, and dHhadcd people: to their wits/ Prop.

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