OCR Text |
Show An Addtefs to 'Ptotejlants. VoL. I. 1679· a Lyor, but IJe that denietb, that Jefi1I is the Cbrijl ? -Hereby .b. om ye the ~ Spirit of God; every Spirit that ~onfeffetb (~revery one .that in Heart or Part 11. Spirit confefTerh) that Jefits Cbrifi u come ~~the Flejh, u of GoJ. Again, Sea l· fays he, Wbofo<ver jhaU confefr, that ]r/t« 11 tbr Son of God, God dweflrtb 'c'•.h1·.41·.2.·l1 in him, and be in God: Yet once more be affi~m~, Wbofoevtr bebroerb tbat h ]ej111 is the Cbrifl, i1 horn of God. But thiS IS .more tha~ an Hiftorical Belief, a true Sound and hearty Per~wafion: A F:mh that mftusnceth tbe whole Mln into a fuitable Conformity to the Nature, Example and DoEtrine of the objeCt of that Faith. I will conclude thefe Dofltinal Tefiimonies out of Scripture, with a con4 John 20, 3~. clufive Patra_pe the ilf?o{fle ]ob11 ufeth. toWar~s the End _of his Ey:mgdical ;1. Hiftory of Jefus Chnft: .And many oth~r s,gn_s tr~ly dtd Jefm tn the Pre· fence of bit DifciP.Ies, wh~ch are not wnt!en m rh.u Book; bur thrfe are pritten that ye m1ghr bdiCve that Jefut u rbe Chrijl, the Son of God, and that bdiroing ye might ba7.Je Life in bi.r Name. In which Place· two Things are rem:ukable; Firft, That whatever Things are written of Jefus, are written to this End, that we might believe that Jeft~s it the Chrifl. Second· ly, That rbofe that [tncerely believe, fhaU through him obtain Eun1al L1[e. Certainly then, if this be true, their Incbarity and PrrJumption mufi be great who ha\'e taken other Meafures, and fer another Rule of Chri.Jlianity, than Jefus and his Apofiles gave. This fincerc Confeffion contented Chrift and his Apoftles ; but it will not fJtisfy thofe that yet pretend to believe them: It was enough then for a Miracle and. Salvation too, but it goes for little or nothing now. A Man may ftncerely believe this, and be fiig· matiz'd for a Sc1Jifm(/rick, an Heretick, an Excommunicare: but 1 may fay, as Chrift: did to the Jews in another Cafe, From rbe Beginning it tt.'tll mt f o. But here I expet\ to be alraulted with t~is Objet\ion : If tbir hra~ rbot i1 rucclfary to be belietld to Salvation, Of wbat Ufe it tbe refl of Scripture ? 2 Tim. ;-16 I.Anfwer, Of Great Ufe, as the Apoftle himfelf reaches us; .All Scrip~ 17• · ' tnre h given by Infpiration of God, and it profitable {or Doflrine, f or Reproof,, for Correflion, f or Inflru[fion in RigbuouJneJtt thor tbe .Man of God m11y be perfe8, tbroMgbly furnijh'd unto aU good Works. .It concerns the whole Life and Converfation of a Man , but every PaiTage in it is not therefore fit to be fuch an Article of Faith, as upon which Chri/lian-Communion ought or ought not to be maintained. For though it be alf equa1Jy true, it is not all eqllllly important: There is a great D.iffereilce between the Truth and Weight of a Thing. For Example: Iris as true that Chrill futfered un· der Pontifl$ Pilate, as that he fuffered; and thlt he was pierced, as that he died; and that he did ear after his Refurreetion, as that he rofe from the Dead at all; but no Perfon of common Underlbnding will conclude an equal Weight or Concernment in thefe Things, becaufe they are equally true: The Death of Chrift was of much greater Value than the Manner of it; his RefurrcS:ion, than any Citcumffance of his Appearance after he was rifen. The Queftion is not whether all the Truths contain'd in Scrip~ · ture are nOt ro· be believ"d; but ·whether thofe Truths are equally Impor· rant? And whether the Belief with the He an and Confeffion wah the A1outb that Jefrn is tbe Cbriil and Son of God, be not a; j11jJicient now to rntitle a Man to Communion here and Salvation hereafter, a1 in tboJe Times? ag:1inft which nothing can be, of Weight, objetled. If it be faid, that this C€nttradifls the Judgment and Prallict of many treat, •nd good Akn. 1 .Anfwer, I can't help that. If they have been tempted, out of t~eir own Curioftty or the Corruptio; of Times, to depart from the Anctenr Paths, the Foot~fteps of pureil:: Antiquity and heft Examples, let their Pretences have been what they will, ic was Prefumption : And it was Tuft with God, that Frror and Confufion fbould be the Confequence of thofe Adven· ture.; nor has it ever fail'd to follow them. * La lily, VoL. I. An .Addrefs to 'Proteflants: l.:Jllly, if it be alledg'd, That tbh to' . . · ·757 if';~~~ ;rf,~;:;;i~~sm'":%, ';"Pin un1e:~~~.''G:!,~:7'C:;J,JJ;."'}! ScJ.if. 1679. I do fay, 'Twould he an Ha· ' tnre ew ~ feeks Peace and Concord, thJrp~~S,jY· What Man, loves God and Chrill ~a~ ll. Vexauons about Matters of Reli ion not reJOfCe lr all <_>ur Animoftries and e~; . 3· Jefus, t~e great Author and Lord ~f thwe~% bijlurJed In .t~JS one Confeffion of pretendtng to conrefl for It) View tl e P ".tan Rebgwn, fo often loft in mong thofe called Protelb~rs obfe le ar~tes o~ Foot in Cbiftendom a-t~ ey are generally maintain"d, 'and rve ~nelfl Dtff'ercnccs well, and how dtvtded about their own Comm you WJ te 1 me that they arc rent and the Te.tc, but the Meaning an3nt~, Confequc:nccs and Conclufions. Nor effential to Salvation as t~e D'fi t atbtoo,. which perhaps is nor in ir felf the i!rminiam and PreJejlin .1 pure Ctwtxt the L-aherant and C,a/viniflt think that thofe who pretendt:~tbean~ht~fi.like. Is it not lamentable t~ fhould divide with the l.Yinds a d fi h H lans, and Reformed ones alfo Things, as either are not ex refi t~ r, as pro. Arit. f!J Focit, for fuch yet never. appointed or inrend~d {,y Ch~tfifound.ln Scnpture, or if there, Commumon. Should they rhen orea h . Cor h<S Apo!ll<s for Arricles of or break it for deviating from any oth r i)r El:o~munion on another Bottom nyWordshave deliver'd to us for Ne~:ffa~ >noes than what they info rna: If we confider the Marrer well I fl . Y · . of Dilturbance in the Church of 'ch ~fir ~r ~1!1 be found that the Occafion lie on.the Side of thofe who have ha~1 the at m moft Ag_es. been found to nent to our prefent Purpofe is that p if: fr1eatefi Sway tn It. Very perri· concerning Scbijm: ' It hath n· ah a~e 0 b · Haltt of Eaton in his Trall ' Chrifiians from the Bcginnin ' nau e, een the Common Difeafe of Tra(t of ' fure of Faith, whieh God a~d sr ~0 conrehnr thcmfelves with that Mea • .s,bifm,<print~ ' out of a Vain Deftre to kn cnptures ave expreOy afForded us. but ed with other ' tempted ro difcufs Things of:~~~e than i~ Revealed, they hav'e at• ;,h;n~~3 p,ag. ' Reafon nor Re\'elation 'Neithc h we hn aft no Light neither from ' • · : tence of Chur~h·Aurho;ity, whic~ i~v}ioe~ rE,e ed here? .bur upo~ Pre· the moll Parr •s but FIGMENT h or Tradmon, wh1ch for ' confidently impofcd upon others' a rNy hffive p;remptor!l~ concluded and 'of that Nature; and to firengrhen h ecefit? o hEntertatmng Conclufions ' viftons and Faflions 0 ofi M c em e ves ave broken out into Di~ ' Peace of the Church' v!n)fhedg wit~~u~~l~adib~[."od /oR Synod, till the ' rofe thofe Ancient and man Se . 0 1 1 lty o . e_call. Hence a~ ' Eutychianifm Nef/orianifm h tpa_ra~l~ns ]bongfi Cbrijltanr, i!rianifm ~ both Ancient' and in our Time 0 Imam.; tn, a eUianifml and many mor~ And as he hath told us one great 0 fi f what follows for the Cure: , And cca tn °. tile Difeafe, fo he offers ' Forms of Sen'ice fo framed as th~:re h ltur~Jes. (fays he) and Publick P· 21~, 216, ' and pr.~vate Fancies. but con:ained on[ r ftey h a Tm~tted not .of pa~ticular 21 7, 2t8. ' Chr1lhans do :.~gree Schjfi 0 .. Y uc hmgs, as 10 whtch all ' to load our Publick Form~~i~~ tt~po_n wef ut~erly vanifhed: Whereas ' is the molt foveraig W IIVate .ancles upon which we differ ' R~move from them~ wh~;f~~Je~rf:f~atd ~chlfm untopthe lVorld's End.-: • th~nq:, but what all agree on. a d an a ous to any arry, and leave no- ' Sernce and Honour of God fh~ll n the E~'ff{ lhall be that the Publick : and Liturgies with Thin s unnec:fr~ays u er. F<?r to cha!ge. Churches Superfiition-If the fpirifual Guides ar%J. fa1 the fnhfi Begtnmng of all ' a little fparing of incumbrin Ch h ~r ers o t ~~burch would be ' rigid, eirher in reviving obfoiere ~eft es wah ~uperfl.fiume~, and nor over~ 'far left Dant?er of Scbifm S .~· ~ms, or lmpo mg 1\t'w, there rccre ' falfe or ft1fp~lled Opinions ~r~ ':/:,'dr1'1110pn-:-- Mf ean white w~erefoe\•er ' tb fi · e a 1ece o the Church Lmtrgy be ' Pr~feffi~~,~~ek;~;or a ~c~iffla~c;: For it is alike Unlawful to m'ake ' ful or Sufi ected A"a?r u pe e alfhoods, as to pur in Pr.i.Elice Unlaw· with Errii1gth ·n· ~~"Th H~ ~rthcr re1l.s us in his Sermon of Dealing C1 tans, • at tt ts the ~unuy of the Spirit in the Bond :of |