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A09599
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The way to heauen shevving, 1. That saluation is onely in the Church. 2. What that Church is. 3. By what meanes men are added to the Church. 4. The author, or efficient of this addition. 5. The time & continuance of that worke. 6. The happinesse of those that are added to the Church. By Iohn Phillips, Bachelor of Diuinity, and pastor of Feuersham in Kent.
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Phillips, John, d. 1640.
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1625
(1625)
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STC 19878; ESTC S114718
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63,953
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76
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things saith Saint Augustine The righteousnesse of God not our righteousnesse In him not in vs. So then looke how Christ was made sinne for vs in the same manner are wee made the righteousnesse of God in him But Christ was not made sinne by infusion or inherencie of sinne but onely by imputation So we that we may be saued must bee iustified not by our inherent righteousnesse which at the best is imperfect but by the imputed righteousnesse of Christ who of God is made vnto vs wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption 4. This righteousnesse is imputed to euery true beleeuer for it is faith onely whereby we apprehend Christ with all his benefits as we may see if we compare together Faith Hope and Charitie Faith like a hand receiueth and layeth hold on the obiect Christ therefore S. Iohn maketh receiuing of Christ and beleeuing in him all one Hope onely expecteth looketh for the accomplishment of that which faith beleeueth and with patience waiteth for it Charitie distributeth her good things to the benefit of others Hence it is that faith onely is said to iustifie because it is the onely instrumentall cause of our iustification in that it alone doth apprehend Christ by whom we are iustified Scriptures for this are plentifull From all things saith Saint Paul in his Sermon at Antioch from which ye could not be iustified by the Law of Moses by Christ euery one that beleeueth is iustified And disputing the question of iustification he doth thus determine it Therefore wee conclude that a man is iustified by faith without the deeds of the Law This saith Saint Bernard is the Apostles meaning that a man is iustified freely by faith 5. Our iustification is of Gods free grace and mercy This the Apostle auoucheth That all men are iustified freely by his grace A trueth so euident that it hath obtained the Aduersaries ingenuous confession For the vncertaintie of our own righteousnesse saith Bellarmine and the perill of vaine-glory it is most safe to repose our whole confidence in the sole mercy and fauour of God Thus euen our Aduersaries being witnesses our Christian reformed Religion directeth men the safest way to heauen 6. It is for the onely merit of Iesus Christ therefore the Apostle hauing said That we are iustified freely by his grace addeth through the redemption that is in Iesus Christ. And venerable Bede saith That Christs death is our life his condemnation our iustification Thus we see what Iustification is now that it belongeth only to the Church and is a concomitant of saluation our Creede may teach vs where we are directed to beleeue as speciall priuiledges of the Catholike Church the forgiuenesse of sinnes and the Resurrection to life euerlasting And the Apostle saith That wee being iustified by his grace should bee made heires according to the hope of eternall life Where wee haue in one text both the persons to whome Iustification doth belong we saith the Apostle that is the Church and faithfull people of God and the inheritance of eternall life following The last grace accompanying saluation is Sanctification It is a grace of God whereby a man being iustified is in euery part of soule and body renewed by the Spirit of God no more to liue in sinne but to walke in newnesse of life It is in a word the renewed image of God consisting in knowledge righteousnes and true holinesse You may see it in the lesson that grace teacheth all her children which is To deny vngodlinesse and worldly lusts to liue soberly righteously and godly in this present world being zealous of good workes Iustification and sanctification differ in foure points 1. Iustification is before sanctification in nature though both be together in time for as the branch must first be in the Vine before it can by vertue of the sap bring forth fruit so a man must bee first in Christ by faith before hee can be a new creature and so bring forth the fruit of holinesse 2. Iustification is without vs in Christ as was said before but Sanctification is within vs inherent and infused by the Spirit of God 3. Iustification is that whereby we stand absolued and made iust in the sight of God but by Sanctification wee are onely declared to be iust 4. Iustification doth quiet the conscience by reconciling it and making it at peace with God for being iustified by faith wee haue peace towards God through our Lord Iesus Christ. But Sanctification cannot doe so because our best actions are imperfect and in regard of their defect stand in need of pardon If thou Lord shouldest marke iniquities O Lord who shall stand Now that Sanctification is also the Churches peculiar heare the Apostle shewing the difference betweene men out of the Church and such as are in it speaking of their prophanenesse before their calling he saith and such were some of you but telling them of their change he addeth but ye are washed but ye are sanctified It is therefore the stile or addition of the Church Vnto the Church of God saith Saint Paul which is at Corinth To them that are sanctified in Christ Iesus called to be Saints And we beleeue in our Creede the holy Catholike Church the Communion of Saints That it doth accompany saluation is more then manifest for without it no man shall see the Lord but being â—reed from sinne we haue our fruit in holinesse and the end euerlasting life Therfore we must know that sanctificatioÌ„ is such a necessary antecedent though no meritorious cause of Saluation that notwithstanding no man shal be saued for the merit of it yet no man can be saued without it because true sauing faith the instrumentall cause of our iustification and saluation worketh by loue and can be no more without sanctity and good workes then fire can bee without heat or water without moisture To conclude then if there be no saluation without election calling iustification and sanctification and none of these to be found but only in the Church of God it followeth necessarily that there is no saluation out of the Church 3 There are certaine meanes appointed of God to worke and encrease sauing grace which if they shall be found to be the Prerogatiue of the Church it cannot be denied but that there onely Saluation is to be had for in reason the end cannot ordinarily be attained without the meanes leading vnto it Our Sauiour telling the woman of Samaria of the Water of life she answered him Sir you haue nothing to draw withall and the well is deepe from whence then haue you that Water of life Indeede the well is profound and deepe from whence we must fetch the euer-liuing Water and the womans reason may teach vs that we had need of instruments and meanes to conuay it vnto vs. Now the meanes to effect
saluation not allâ—ging the beleeuer to repose himselfe vpon any one place as Rome or Constantinople or the like but placeth him that shall be saued in the Congregation of the faithfull And good reason for he knew well that Arianisme had possessed all places yea Rome it selfe and had infected the head euen Liberius himselfe the Bishop of Rome as is not onely witnessed by the Fathers as Athanasius Hierome Hillarie Augustine but is also acknowledged by their own Romish Doctors Cardinals and Historians though Bellarmine and Baronius would gladly faigne some excuse for him 4. Moreouer it must be considered that Rome is and euer was when it was at the best but a particular Church and member of the vniuersall as other Churches are and therefore can no more challenge the dependance of other Churches vpon it then they can subiect it to any of them See how cleerely and fully S. Paul writing to the Romanes speaketh to this point where telling them that he had receiued grace and Apostleship for obedience to the fâ—ith among all nations among whom saith he ye are also the called of Iesus Christ He saith not aboue whom as giuing Rome primacie ouer all the rest but among whom as conioyning them in fraternitie with other Churches and them with it 5. Lastly we must know that Rome is not onely a particular Church but is also subiect to errour as well as other Churches This the Apostle intimateth by that seuere Caueat which he gâ—ueth to the Church of Rome among other Gentiles Bee not high minded saith hee but feare For if God spared not the naturall branches take heed lest hee also spare not thee Behold therefore the goodnesse and seueritie of God on them which fell seueritie but towards thee goodnesse if thou continue in his goodnesse otherwise thou also shalt bee cut off Heere wee see that Rome hath no more immunity from errour then any other Church no no more then the Church of the Iewes Rome no more then Ierusalem and that God doth tye himselfe to none but with condition If they doe answere his goodnesse to them with perseuerance and continuance in his goodnesse and care of correspondent dutie to him Therefore our Church of England hath well added in the Article of the Church these words viz. As the Church of Ierusalem Alexandria and Antioch haue erred so also the Church of Rome hath erred not onely in their liuing and manner of ceremonies but also in matters of faith Heere it will not be amisse out of the manifold errours of the Romish Church to giue instance in a few as a taste of the rest I will inroll them in a short Catalogue and they shall be onely such as no man that will be a Romane Catholicke can auoyde but must vpon paine of damnation in his order place beleeue and practise The very naming of the errors may be a sufficieÌ„t coÌ„uictioÌ„ they are so palpably grose 1. They deny the reading of the holy Scriptures in common to Christian people which is not onely an errour but the cause of all other errours as our Sauiour tolde the Sadduces Ye doe erre not knowing the Scriptures And this they doe contrary to the expresse command of Christ Search the Scriptures contrary to the exhortatioÌ„ of S. Paul Let the word of God dwell in you richly contrary to the vsuall practice of the faithfull in all antiquitie both Iewes and Christians contrary to the very end and vse for which sacred Scriptures were written as the Apostle telleth the old Romanes Whatsoeuer things saith he were written aforetime were written for our learning that wee through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might haue hope Yea and contrary to the generall iudgement of the Orthodoxe Fathers of the Church The Scripture being as S. Gregory said well nothing else but an Epistle of Almighty God to his creature 2. They attribute such eminency of power to the Pope ouer all soules subiect to him that in a blind-fold obedience they must be at his bâ—cke to beleeue and to doe as he will haue them therefore they stile him The supreme Iudge in causes of faith and manners and sticke not to say Satis est si is legem tulerit It is sufficient if he say the word and are so impatient of controule heerein that no man must dare to say vnto him Curita facis Why doest thou so though his fact were too odious to name An errour not onely impious in Religion but pernicious in any ciuill State for hereby not onely his prohibet forbidding shall keepe men from Gods true worship and seruice but his iubet commanding shall arme them against their Soueraigne as wee know it hath done heere in England Farre were the greatest Apostles from assuming to themselues any such absolute power their voyce was Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ. And againe Though we or an Angel from heauen preach any other Gospel vnto you let him bee accursed Therefore they must needs be strangely bewitched and possessed with errour that can beleeue that a sinfull man should haue a priuiledge aboue Apostles and Angels 3. Their whole fabricke and forme of Religious seruice and publike worship of God being in an vnknowne tongue to the people what is it but a notorious and intolerable errour For take to heart I pray you and thinke seriously what a lamentable condition that people is in that stand bound all the daies of their life to resort to a Church where in their most solemne Liturgies Masses and Seruice they vnderstand not one sentence to their soules comfort The whole Volume of sacred Scripture and examples of both Testaments are against it S. Paul in confutation of it bestoweth a large Chapter proouing that it is not onely vnfruitfull but barbarous and a fearefull note of Gods iudgement vpon a people They haue not an ancient Orthodoxe Father to father this errour among them you shall heare these voyces sounding Let the Greekes in Greeke let the Romanes in the Romane tongue let all in their owne language pray and praise God Againe How canst thou saith S. Cyprian desire to be heard of God who doest not vnderstand thy selfe Nay our Christian reformed Churches haue this happinesse that among the Romanists themselues there are of chiefe note that ingenuously confesse that it is better and more to edification that publike Prayers be in the vulgar and common language knowne of the people then in Latine Let vs blesse God then that hath vouchsafed vs the better part and pray that he would open their eyes that are thus blinded with error that they may take part with vs. 4. That foule error of Idolatrous adoration of Images in common practice among them how expresly contrary is it to the Commandement of God Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image nor the likenesse of any thing c. thou shalt not bow downe