Baxter - BX5202 B291 1679

[37] from Swearing, Subfcribing, Declaring, and Cove- panting unneceffary things (which we take nct to he true ) againfl our confciences, and from fore few unneceffary Prav`tices which we cannot jufife, we fhould joyfully ferve the Church in our publiick, ,ll»Iiniflry,though it were inpoverty and rags. But of fogreat a mercy experience bath made our hopes from men to be very. fmall: And the reafon of the thing maketh our hopes as (mall of the happinefs of the Church of England, till God that' unite us on thefe neceffary terms, SECT. VI. 3. What Separation, and what Gathering of Affemblies or Churches is unlawful, andwhat lawful. I. Hough, fome mens abufe of the word [Schifm ] and calling mens duty to God by that name, hath proved a great temptation to many, to take it but for a word of Paffion, or of no certain or odious lignifcation ( even as the Papifts abufe of the word [Herefe] and E Heretic,] bath been to others ) yet the evill of true Shifty and the odium that Cod layeth on it in the Scripture, Ihould move all Chriftians; to fear the thing and ufe the name with the difgrace that it truely importeth ( without aaiifapplication,) and to avoid all guilt of fo great a fin. II. There are feveral forts and degrees of Schifm, which greatly differ from each other Its

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