Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	believer_n	church_n	visible_a	1,349	5	9.2573	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10399	Tvventy nine lectures of the Church very necessary for the consolation and support of Gods Church, especially in these times: wherein is handled, first, in generall concerning first, the name; secondly, the titles; thirdly, the nature, fourthly, the diuision of the true Church: secondly, of the visible Church ... and lastly, the application of it to all Churches in the world so farre as they are knowne to vs. By that learned and faithfull preacher, Master Iohn Randall, Batchelor of Diuinity, pastor of Saint Andrewes Hubbart in little Eastcheape, London, and sometimes fellow of Lincolne Colledge in Oxford. Published by the coppie perfected and giuen by the author in his life time; carefully preserued and adorned with notes in the margent, by the late faithfull minister of Christ, Master William Holbrooke.	Randall, John, 1570-1622.; Holbrooke, William.	1631 (1631)	STC 20683; ESTC S115641	423,199	550

the faithfull generally dispersed which indeed is plaine in those Epistles of Iames Peter and Iude and in the first Epistle of Iohn but not in the two last Epistles of Iohn they being directed to one single person So that the meaning of the word Catholike Church is generall or vniuersall dispersed farre and wide ouer the face of the whole earth In the Primitiue Church they vsed the name Catholike to be equiualent to the name Christian so that this was an vsuall speech amongst them Christian is my name and Catholike is my Sur-name so that the word is ancient and the right meaning of the word is gathered hence that whereas before Christs comming the Church was nationall containd only in Iury now after Christs comming and ascension both Iewes and Gentiles and all Nations were to receiue the Faith and so to become one generall Church and so it was called Catholike that is generally or vniuersally dispersed ouer the face of the whole earth and so much of the right meaning of the word Thirdly to right the word wee are to consider the common receiued vse of the word It is such as degenerates from the right meaning and first antiquitie of it and yet with construction it is allowable enough The Ancients vsed this word Catholike for true beleeuing as distinguishing from Heretikes and false beleeuing so that Catholike Church was as much to say as a true beleeuing Church and so from the Church to a particular member a Catholike that is no Heretike but a right beleeuer and that speech which was so common in the Primitiue Church Christian is my name and Catholike is my Sur-name shewes that none all that while were called true Catholikes but true Christians Austin hath this saying The very name of Catholike saith he containes me in the lap of the Church that is as if I should say The very name of Christian containes mee within the lap of the Church that is it is one motiue amongst some others to keepe me in the lap of the Church not that the name is sufficient only but I knowing my selfe to be of the true Church one motiue amongst others that containes me in it is the name of Christian c. And this is Austins meaning So you haue seene how this word hath been wronged and how it is righted Now we will here take it in the right meaning and first antiquitie of it and so draw such obseruations as shall fitly follow vpon it which is the third generall Point to bee spoken to Therefore when we say the Catholike Church it intends two things first that the Church is generally dispersed through the world secondly that euery true beleeuer wheresoeuer or whatsoeuer hee is hee is a member of the true Church Wee will draw it into an Obseruation and that is this Doctr. The true Church of God is Catholike or generall extending it selfe to all beleeuing persons of all times and places whatsoeuer That the Church was of all times wee haue shewed before here we are to speake only to this Point that the Church of God is of all persons and places This was so prophesied Ps 72.8 His Dominion shall be from Sea to Sea and from the Riuer to the end of the Land This indeed is typically spoken of Dauid and his Kingdom but it is applyed to Christ and his Kingdome of Grace which is his Church And so this was promised to our Sauiour Christ by his Father Psal 2.8 I will giue thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the vtmost parts of the earth for thy possession What is Christs heritage and possession but the Church but his possession shall reach to the vtmost parts of the earth and therefore his Church must reach as farre to all places and people that beleeue euen to the farthest parts of the earth So likewise our Sauiour himselfe foreshewes it Matth. 8.11 Many shall come from the East and West and sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdome of Heauen Many shall come that is there shall bee a generall confluence from the East and West that is from all places in the World And what shall they doe They shall sit downe with Abraham c. that is they shall beleeue in Christ as Abraham Isaac and Iacob did and so become members of the same Church of God as they were So yee see how farre the Kingdome of heauen inlargeth it selfe And Ioh. 10.16 Other sheepe I haue also saith our Sauiour which are not of this Fold them also must I bring and they shall heare my Word and there shall be one Sheepfold and one Shepheard Other sheepe I haue let them wander where they will in Deserts or vnknowne Mountaines Faith they haue and therefore sheepe sheepe they are and therefore haue Christ for their Shepheard and his Church the Sheep-fould that they belong to and as hee promiseth to bring them to his sheepe-fould so hee effects first by himselfe Ephes 2.14 He is our peace saith the Apostle which hath made of both one and hath broken the stop of the partition wall the partition wall is pulled downe and now Gentiles and all sorts of people come to bee members of the Church so likewise ●e effects it by his Ministers Mark 16.15 16. Goe yee into all the World and preach the Gospell to euery Creature he that shall beleeue and be baptized shall be saued but he that will not beleeue shall be damned where he both offers meanes of saluation by his Ministers to all Goe and preach the Gospel to euery Creature and blesseth the meanes some shall beleeue and be saued and also associates them all that euer shall beleeue what or wheresoeuer they are to the saued that is to his Church vnto whom onely saluation belongs Psal 3. last Verse I will giue you one particular instance to the Point that the Church is generall of all beleeuing persons and of all places in the case of Cornelius Act. 10.1 12 34 35. he was a Gentile and a Heathen and accounted vncleane yet his prayers and his almes were accepted of God which they could not haue been vnlesse hee had beleeued And Peter in a Vision saw a great sheete let downe from heauen with foure corners which signified the foure quarters of the World and in it were all manner of creeping beasts and the meaning of the Vision was this that God would extend his Church to all parts of the World and bring some of all Nations into it So that the Vision was not onely for Cornelius but generally to signifie that the Church should be of all Nations and so Peter confesseth in these 34. and 35. Verses Of a truth saith he I doe now perceiue that God is no accepter of persons but in euery Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousnesse is accepted of him The Rule is pregnant and precisely to the Point Gal. 3.28 There is neither Iew nor Grecian bond nor free male nor female but ye are all one

great saying none other thing then that which the Prophets and Moses did say should come that Christ should suffer c And Act 28.23 he expounded and testified the kingdome of God perswading them concerning Iesus both out of the Law of Moses and out of the Prophets And 1 Cor. 15.3.4 I deliuered vnto you first of all that which I receiued that is how that Christ dyed for our sinnes according to the Scriptures c And so Apollos Act 18.28 mightily conuinced the Iewes and that publiquely shewing by Scripture that Iesus was Christ still the Builders made the Scriptures their rule and line whereby they taught And this foundation in Scripture is sometimes set down in fewer words as in the 1 Cor. 2.2 Iesus Christ and him crucified sometimes in more words as in the 1 Tim. 3.16 great is the mystery of godlinesse God was manifested in the flesh iustified in the Spirit seene of Angels preached vnto the Gentiles beleeued on in the world and receiued vp into Glory But this is the substance of all Iesus Christ God and man the onely Sauiour of the world as hee is reuealed in the Scripture the shortest is intended by the holy Ghost and so it is to bee vnderstood of vs in this largenesse and the largest is sufficiently comprised in this shortnes And that this is the right foundation of the Church first appeares plainely by the difference betweene Christians and professors of other Religions If a Gentile or Pagan dispute with a Christian how happinesse is to be attayned We say by Iesus Christ they will reiect him and say there is no Christ and de ride vs to thinke that he can make vs happy So let a Iew and a Christian dispute about happinesse we say by the true Messiah Iesus Christ as he is thus reuealed They say by the Messiah but this Iesus thus reuealed say they is not hee looke into Act 25 13. to 19 the matter there in question is this very foundation Iesus and there is a Gentile Festus speakes scornefully of him there are the Iewes denying him and opposing against him and there is Paul a Christian professing and auouching him and that no doubt as hee was reuealed in the Scriptures for that was alwayes his manner before The like in effect we haue in the 1 Cor. 1.23.24 there the Iewe and the Gentile and the Christian they all fight about the foundation Christ to the Iewes hee is a stumbling blocke to the Grecians foolishnesse but to them that are called the power of God to saluation saith the Apostle So we see plainely this is the foundation Iesus Christ God and man the onely Sauiour of the world as he is reuealed in the Scripture The resolution then is this those hereticall assemblies that directly deny this foundation or any part therof cease to be Christians are no more visible Churches But those that directly affirme the whole foundation and euery part thereof though they doe hould some erronious Positions wherby they ouerthrow some part of the foundation by necessary consequence are yet to be held true visible Churches Marke the termes of the Resolution there be many by-wayes there is but one right way It is easy to misse of the right way hard to hit it to deny directly any part of this foundation is enought to make such persons no true visible church but to affirme one part is not enough to make them a true visible Church But they must affirme the whole and euery part of the foundation Now then we are to speake of the Churches according to their diuisions And first of the Greeke Churches they are generally disperst in most of the Easterne parts of the world And to speake plainely God hath in some sort euen a visible Church dispersed in euery part of the world at this day Those that are most remote from vs in the Easternely parts of the world are comprehended vnder the name of Greeke or Easterne Churches because though neither their language bee Greeke nor their scituation altogether Easternly yet they haue receiued their faith for the most part from the Greeke Churches There are Christians amongst the East Indians there are some there making publique profession of the faith of Christ as others doe of Iudaisme and Mahometisme c. whether they be the beginnings of faith as being but lately planted amongst them or the remainders of faith as being planted of old I am not very certaine nor is it much materiall so long as they beleeue in Christ crucified and professe it so far as the Lord hath reuealed vnto them why may they not be acknowledged for true visible Churches In Russia there are many professed Christians that are after the manner of the Greeke Church they are full of Ignorance and superstitions the Lord inlighten them and purge them yet professing Christ crucified their onely Sauiour though by some consequences as mediation of Saints they deny it they are not to be denyed to be true visible Churches And so in Ethiopia there are found great store of Christians who though they bee circumcised and tainted with many grosse errors yet holding the foundation Christ crucified for their Saluation may iustly bee acknowledged true Churches And so in many other Easternly countries as in Persia and Assyria there are many Churches of sundry names as the Iacobites minorites c but most of them are nestorians as being suspected to hold with Nestorius that there are two persons in Christ which yet they haue quitted themselues of And they were onely so called because they opposed most vehemently against the contrary error of Eutychus who held confusion of natures in Christ In Armenia likewise are many Christians who are generally held to bee Eutychans but they haue also cleared themselues but because they opposed the Councell of Chalcedon which condemned that heresie All these beleeue and professe Christ crucified and therefore howsoeuer all of them are either corrupt persecuted scattered or disorderly yet farre be it from vs to deny them to be true Churches of God let vs esteeme them as brethren and magnifie the Lord for them and let vs pitty their defects and reioyce at their graces And let vs intreate the Lord for them as the Church in Cant 8 8. did sometime for vs Let vs pray to God to perfect the beginnings of some of those Churches to build vp the ruines of others and to purge away the errors and corruptions of them all that so if it be his blessed will they may be glorious and flourishing Churches euen in the eyes of the world And so much of these Churches that are generally called Greeke Churches Now we come to speake of those which are more particularly and properly called Greeke Churches lying in and about Greece And these are more particularly to be spoken to And therefore wee will handle them by way of obseruation which is this namely That the Greeke Churches euen as they stand at this day

vnto vs the sufficiency Scrip● Thirdly such as forbid any addition to or detraction from the Scripture Fourthly such as condemne all Doctrine taught either without or besides the Scripture Rhemists 15 Acts ● The Papists say the church may coyne new articles of faith What authority the Church hath about articles of Faith Hyper 6● Hyper 54. Secondly that the Church make any booke to bee Canonicall Scripture Which the Papists hould this confuted by diuers reasons Thirdly that the Church hath power to deuise adde diminish or alter any part of Gods worship which the Church of Rome hath done prooued by diuerse things Fourthly concerning customes The fathers iudgement concerning customes Fifthly concerning traditions How and in what sense tradition is to bee receiued Answers to the Popish tenent concerning tradititions Answer 1. Ob. Answer wherin is shewed that the Baptisme of Infants the change of the Sabbath and that so many bookes are Canonicall Scripture and are not had by tradition but proued by good consequence out of the Scripture Answ 2. Answ 3. Their proofe out of 2 Thes 2.15 Answe Answ 4. The scripture the so onely rule of saith acknowledged to bee by all Churches generally Secondly the Scripture is the onely tryall of euery truth How euery matter of substance is to be found in the Scripture Concerning Churches power in matters of circumstance and they are of two sortes one of miracles and what is to be helde concerning the same Secondly of discipline and this is of two sorts either matter of d●scipline which is spoken of before or secondly matter of ceremonies and what the church hath power to doe therein The bounds the Church is to keepe in ordaining matters of ceremony 1. 2. Vse 2. 1. The ninth generall point concerning the Church viz. the application of all that hath bin spoken to all visible Churches in christendome that I know of The generall diuision of all churches that haue beene or are since our Sauiours time into Easterne and Westērne and this according to their sc●tuation Secondly according to their language and so some be greek and some latin Churches VVhether Schismaticall or hereticall Churches may be accounted true visible Churches What a Schismatike church is Hereticall Churches First what they are and when any particular man is to be reputed an Heretike Heresies of 2. sorts first such as ouerthrow the foundation What this fundation is Resol Those that deny directly this foundation or any part thereof cease to bee Christians and are no more visible Churcher The Greeke Churches be here spoken of and what weare to thinke of them 1. of the Greeke Churches generally disperse in most at the Easterne parts of the world Ortelius 100. Ortelius 97. 98. 108. Secondly the Greeke Churches which are more particularly and properly so called and what we are to hold of them deliuered in an obseruation Doct. The mayne error of the Greeke Churches The Greeke Churches better then the Popish-Church The Papists vnchatarible censuring the Greeke Churches answered The Greeke Churches not gu●lty of Schisme from Rome The Greeke Churches neuer subiect to the Romane Church One note of the Church as the Papists account it is found in the Greeke Church viz succession of Bishops The goodnes of God in perseruing of his Churches seene in the Greeke Churches vnder the Turke The miseries of the Greeke Church vnder the Turke in many particulars in regard of their persecutions in regard of the Religion of the Turks The Religion of the Turks 1. a pestilent Religion directly opposite to Christ 2. It ouerspreadeth a great part of the knowne world 3. It is a pleasing Religion For what it was that the Lord suffered such famous Churches to come to ruine applied to vs. The Western churches and first of those that acknowledge the Pope their head as the Church of Rome and those that hold with her and what ma● be said and held of her deliuered in two obseruations The church of Rome as now it standeth may in some sense be reputed a true visible Church A differen●e betweene the papacy or the pop●sh ●action and some better spirits amongst them in regard of whom the whole may be called a true Church The popish church doth not directly deny any part of the fundation but in outward shew of words affirme it The church of Rome hath beene a true Church The Papists by their Doctrine of iustification by workes must ouerthrow the foundation they by this ouer throw Christ not directly but by consequence Quest Answ It is not so great a sin to deny Christ directly as by consequence yet hee that doth this deserueth to be cut off from Gods mercy The Church of Rome compared with the Church of Israel 2. with the Church of the Iewes in our Sauiours times With the Church of Galatia Circumcision doth as neerely by consequence cut off from Christ as iustification by workes with the of Church Sardis Baptisme a true Sacrament in Rome and rightly administred there for the substance of it Those that were Baptised in the Church of Rome were lawfully Baptised Ob 1. Answ Ob. 2. Answ The ordinati of our Ministers from the Church of Rome and yet a lawfull ordination The question where the Church was before Luthers time answered The inconuenience preuented by acknowledging that the Church of Rome may be accounted a true Church What to thinke of our fathers that liued in the Popish Church They of the Popish Chu●ch are to ●e ●ud●ed rather mis-beleeuers then vnbeleeuers The 2. Obseruation wherein is further delired what may be sayd and held further of the church of Rome The Church of Rome so corrupt that it is not lawfull to ioyne with her This that is spoken against thee is in respect of the Pope and Popish factors Corruption of the Church of Rome reduced to 2. sorts 1. matter of Doctrine reduced to 1. part of the Doctrine Foure heads 1 concerning Scriptures And their error therein Three things 1 denying the sufficiency of the Scripture 2 Per●erting the truth of the Scripture 3 Disanulling the author●ty and credit of the Scripture many wayes 1 teaching the apochrypha●l bookes to be canonicall Scripture Secondly equalling traditions of men with the written word of God Thirdly preferring the authority of the Church aboue the Scripture Two heads wherein they orre in matter of Doctrine viz concerning the direct offices of the Mediator The Papists say there bee many mediators betwixt God and man The distinction of mediators of intercession and redemption answered Two things in a Mediator To be mediator of intercession is peculiar to Christ as well as to be mediator of redemption The popish sh●ft off praying to the Saints not as helpers but as intercessor Answered The popish reason for praying to the Saints departed drawn from our desi●ing the Saints on earth to pray for vs Answered The third head wherein the church of Rome erreth in doctrine and that is concerning Images The church of Rome an abominable whore deseruing