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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A27037 R. Baxter's sence of the subscribed articles of religion Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691. 1689 (1689) Wing B1407; ESTC R15129 5,026 14

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R. BAXTER'S Sence of the Subscribed ARTICLES OF RELIGION I Take not this Form of Words called The Articles of the Church of England to be essential to the said Church nor any thing in them to be essential to the Christian Religion which was not so from its beginning and in the first Ages of Christianity yea and in every following Age nor do I take such Form or Matter to be instead of the Scripture and the ancient Creeds a necessary Rule of Divine Faith or necessary to the Being of Ministry Membership and Communion in the Church of England But that they were subordinate to the Scriptures and the said Creeds a laudable Profession of this Church at the Reformation that they misexpounded not the Divine Rule by any Heresie thereby to promote our Communion with other Reformed Churches and to guide Novices at home in the Exposition of the said Rule Far be it from us to be of a Religion and Church which is no older than the said Articles or Common Prayer But holding with excellent Augustine that Contra Rationem nemo sobrius contra Scripturam nemo Christianus so also that Contra Ecclesiam nemo pacificus the Church still being supposed to be for Reason and Scripture sober and Christian and wishing that God's own Word were taken for the sufficient Terms of our Consent and Concord in order to Union and Communion and knowing that the Ambiguity of words and our common imperfection in the Art of Speaking do leave an uncertainty in the sence of most humane Writings till explained and yet supposing that the Authors of these Articles meant them Orthodoxly that I may not seem needlesly scrupulous I subscribe them and that I may not be unconscionably rash in subscribing I here tell all whom it may concern how I understand the words which I subscribe Art. 2. A Sacrifice for all the sin of man Original and Actual Tho' Omnibus be also in the Latine All is left out in K. James his Edition I suppose they meant not for any mans final predominant Impenitence Infidelity Atheism or Vnholiness but for all sorts of sin on condition of Faith and Repentance actually pardoning them to penitent Believers Art. 3. He went down into Hell That is into Hades the state of separated Souls Of which see Archbishop Vsher's Answer to the Jesuits Art. 4 Took again his Body with flesh and bones and all things appertaining to the perfection of mans Nature wherewith he ascended into Heaven and there sitteth c. That is He sitteth in Heaven with the same Body Glorified which was flesh and bones on Earth and catechrestically is by some so called now it is a celestial incorruptible spiritual glorious Body but indeed is not now the same thing which we call formally Flesh Bones or Blood nor will admit of the same Definition For 1. The Scripture saith plainly That Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 15. 50. There is a natural Body and there is a spiritual Body vers 43 44. The Context sheweth that it is not moral sinful corruption that is called Flesh and Blood here but that natural corruptibility which Flesh and Blood hath See Hammond on the Text. Christ's Body will not be worse than ours but ours made like to his Phil. 3. 20. But ours shall not be flesh blood and bones 2. When there is not the same Form or Definition there is not to be the same proper formal Denomination But no sober Philosopher or Physician ever gave such a Definition of Flesh Blood or Bones as will truly agree with Christ's glorified Body The name therefore can be but equivocal 3. There is a Symmetry in God's Works Christ being in his Glorified Humanity advanced above Angels in Power is not below them in natural Perfection His spiritual celestial Body is congruous to his Soul and all the Angels obey and worship him When we are the Children of the Resurrection we shall be equal to the Angels and neither marry nor die and so not have bodies of mortal constitution I dare not say that the Sun or Light is a more Glorious body than Christ's nor encourage those Disputers that ask how many foot long and broad his body is or the place that containeth it 4. I dare not incur the guilt of contradicting two General Councils in a matter of Faith when they anathematize the Dissenters and agree therein tho' disagreeing in other things and pleading the Tradition of the Fathers and the Scripture The seventh General Council at C. P. under Const Copion condemning Image-Worship saith as Binnius translateth it pag. 378. Defin. 7. Siquis non confessus fuerit Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum post assumptionem animatae rationalis intellectualis carnis simul sedere cum Deo Patre atque ita quoque rursus venturum cum Paterna Majestate judicaturum vivos mortuos non amplius quidem Carnem neque Incorporeum tamen ut videatur ab iis à quibus compunctus est maneat Deus extra crassitudinem carnis Anathema To which saith the second Nicene their Adversaries by Epiphanius Huc usque rectè sentiunt Patrum traditionibus consentientiae dicunt 5. The long Church-Divisions which have for 1300 years followed the rash Determinations about some dark invisible things maketh me more inclined to suspend than rashly to affirm in doubtful cases especially about God and Jesus Christ 6. It is not the perfection of Glorified Humanity to be flesh and bones 7. I cannot say that Earth as flesh and bones are dwells in Aethereal Regions Art. 6. Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to Salvation I consent Therefore if the Ministry Sacraments and Church-Communion be necessary to Salvation the Scripture containeth all necessary to them Ibid. In the name of the holy Scriptures we understand those Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament of whose Authority was never any doubt in the Church Expos Not excluding the Epistle to the Hebrews James 2 Pet. Jude 2 3 John Revelation which divers Churches long doubted of Art. 7. The Civil precepts thereof the Law given from God by Moses ought not of necessity to be received in any Common-wealth Expos Civilia sunt praecepta quae dantur ad regendas civitates seu societates civiles God's Laws are the Supreme Civil Laws Man's Laws are but by-Laws such as Corporations make under the Laws of the Land about things mutable left undetermined by God and subordinate to his Laws God hath two sorts of Civil Laws First such as are universal or common to all Christian Nations at least As That there shall be Rulers and Subjects That Rulers obey and promote the Laws of God and the Kingdom of Chrst and do nothing against them That they seek the common Good and rule in Righteousness and be a Terrour to evil Works and encourage Piety and Vertue and Peace That they restrain Blasphemy Perjury Prophaneness Murder Adultery Theft false Witness and false Judging