Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n
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A27219
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Exercitations concerning the pure, and true, and the impure, and false religion. By Charles de Beauvais rector of the parish of Witheham, in the county of Sussex
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Beauvais, Charles de.
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1665
(1665)
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Wing B1640B; ESTC R218158
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122,145
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318
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their Dictates and Opinions as if they were Divine Oracles That Doctor who hath the command of our Conscience hath his Chair in Heaven we love and honour such persons as our Friends yet so that we honour Truth and love it above all Friendship Which Churches and Assemblies we comprehend Properly under the Appellation of Reformed Churches 1. THey are the Churches which are entirely Reformed of which by Gods Grace we are Members 2. That is to say those Churches who having the true Marks of the Church have them also with all the Purity which is required in regard of the Doctrine of Faith and in regard of the Worship of God 1. 1. The Socinians 2. The Anabaptists Are not comprehended by the Protestants under the Appellation of Reformed and True Churches Because in their Assemblies the very Notes of the True Church do not appear 1. FOr we do not comprehend under that Appellation those Assemblies who having forsaken Idolatry Superstitions and some Errors of the Roman Church are fallen into others very great and most pernicious Such are the Assemblies of the Socinians or the New Samosatenians And such also are the Assemblies of the Anabaptists In which Assemblies the very Notes and Marks of the true Church do not appear The Reformed Religion is True and Orthodox 1. 1. THe Reformed Churches Faith is found That appears in their Belief of God the Father Of his onely Son Jesus Christ Of the Holy Ghost Of the Church Of the Sacraments Of the Ministery Of the Scriptures Of Ceremonies And of every part of Christian Belief 2. They abandon and detest as plagues and poysons all those old Heresies which either the Sacred Scriptures or the Ancient Councils have utterly condemned 3. They call home again as much as in them lieth the right Discipline of the Church which our Adversaries have quite brought into a poor and weak case 4. They punish all licentiousness of Life and unruliness of Manners by the Old and long continued Laws And with as much sharpness as is convenient and lieth in their power They maintain still the state of Kingdomes in the same Condition and State of Honour wherein they have found them without any diminution or alteration Reserving unto their Princes their Majesty and Worldly Preheminence safe and without impairing to their possible power 6. They have so gotten themselves away from that Popish Church which the Popes had made a Den of Thieves and wherein nothing was in good frame or like to the Church of God as Lot in times past gat him out of Sodome or Abraham out of Chalde Not upon a desire of Contention but by the warning of God himself 7. They have searched out of the holy Bible which they are sure cannot deceive them their sure Form of Religion and have returned again unto the Primitive Church of the Apostles and of the Ancient Fathers that is to say to the ground and beginning of things unto the very foundations and head-springs of Christs Church The Reformed Churches are the same in kinde with all the good Churches which were before them 1. THe Reformed Churches are the same with all Good Churches that had been in the World before them and do succeed the found and firm Members of the General Visible Church in whom was the Life of true Religion in the substantial matter of Faith and Godliness 2. But they having shaken off their former Errors they differ from them in manner and quality As a man who was deceived in sundry things when he becomes wiser differs from himself as he was Ignorant 3. And as a sick body when it is healed and a Commonwealth after it hath reformed disorders are in substance the same but differ in in Quality and in Goodness so the Protestant Churches have purged sundry corruptions and perfected that which was defective But are the same in kinde with all the good Churches and Christians that were before them And succeeds them of the General Visible Church in whom was the Life of Faith and of Religion Concerning the Antiquity of the Reformed Religion Jesuites THe Jesuites say That the Reformed for fifteen hundred Years could not spy out one Town one Village one House seasoned with the Doctrine that they follow Now. Answer of the Reformed 1. THe Reformed do answer That such an Accusation is very false for in the Apostles time all Churches all Cities and Towns every Family embraced the same Faith and Religion which now they profess 2. Antichrist that Man of Sin could never prevail so much nor so far in corrupting the Christian Religion and Church but a great multitude of the Saints remained and those whose Names were written in the Book of Life did utterly abhor all those filthy and wicked Superstitions of Antichrist For in the Church of Rome it self even in the worst times of it many were ever found who worshipped the God of their Fathers and kept themselves unpolluted with that horrible Idolatry And this can Histories of all Times witness which we could now Recite Vide Catalog Testium veritatis if it were needful and reckon up to the Jesuites many Houses Villages Towns Cities and Countries where Christ had many and populous Churches 3. We add That the Greek Church could never yet be brought to joyn it self to the Roman Church and it is now as opposite to Her as ever the Reformed was and is 4. Furthermore we answer to this Question of the Jesuites Where was your Church for so many years before Luther That it did never lie so hid but it was discerned by their Pope unless for so many years he persecuted shaddows § Another Answer of the Reformed to the Question of the Jesuites Where was the Reformed Religion before the Reformation made by Luther and other Divines 1. THey answer That the Apostles and the Primitive Church for almost six hundred years after Christ taught as they do 2. They answer That ever since that time there have been some that have contended for the maintenance of the Faith which they profess For Example 1. In matter of Supremacy they taught as the Reformed do till after Gregories time which was six hundred years after Christ yea Gregory himself writing against them of Constantinople held this Language If any shall call himself Vniversal Bishop I say it confidently that he is Antichrist 3. In matter of the Sacrament for a thousand years together that the People received the Wine as vvell as the Bread Aquinas cannot deny 3. In the point of Images at first the Church admitted no Images at all as Erasmus and Gregory sheweth yea Polydore Virgil confesseth That the Fathers condemned Images for fear of Idolatry and this continued till the second Nicene Council But now of late the Trent Council and Bellarmine have given unto them Divine honour 4. Bristow a Popish Doctor confesseth this The Truth is saith he that some have been in all Ages of the Protestants Opinion 5. And Illiricus Flaccus doth remember one Reynerius who
when he goes on 4. Concerning the particular Faults of the said Cardinal they appear in every point of controversie which he handles against the Reformed Churches Which particular Faults are clearly discovered and solidly refuted by the Doctors of the said Churches who did undertake the Answer to the said Controversie §. An Observation very considerable concerning the Society of Jesus and the Name of Jesuite 1. THe Societie of the Jesuites have separated Christ Else why have they separated Jesus from Christ 2. And leaving the Ancient ordinary Name of Christians which they scorn as too common they desiring rather to be called Jesuites a new Name of their own framing then to be called Christians 3. As though there were some society of Jesus priated to one kind of men separated from other Christians 4. If there be then is Christ divided 5. If not then you Jesuites are too Impudent to devise a new Society §. Exception of the Jesuites YOu Reformed set upon our Society and say we have divided Christ because certain men have chosen unto them this Name above all others to be accounted of the Society of Jesus because they have consecrated themselves wholy to advance this Name Must they therefore of necessity divide Christ Have not the English Christ Colledge in Oxford Answer of the Reformed to this Exception 1. WE will not strive much with you Jesuites about your Society of which we reformed make very small account 2. If you have for some special consideration Dedicated your selves unto Christ What is that consideration Why do not you tell us what Jesus requireth of you which all other Christians are not bound to do 3. If the Order of your profession require that you propagate the honour and magnifie the Name Jesus If for this all Christians ought not to labour at least Bishops and specially the Pope of Rome And if they be Jesuites who do this Why are not your Divines Bishops Cardinals and Popes Jesuites 4. It may be this care is far from them 5. Whereas then Names are for distinguishing of things they be needlesse and vain when there is no difference of the thing 6. Either shew us what is the proper and peculiar duties of Jesuites Or confesse that without any cause you have appropriated such a Name unto them 7. In Cambridge as well as in Oxford there are both Christ and Jesus Colledges but they that live in those Colledges are called onely Christians 8. Think you That because there are many Colledges different in Names there are many different Orders and Professions of men 9. In places distinctions of Names are necessary and without danger unlesse some Schism may happen betwixt the wals 10. Have you Jesuites no other thing to say for your Sect and Society Concerning the Conversion of Countries made by Papists What judgment is to be made of such Conversions 1. IT may happen that a corrupt Church which holdeth not the faith intirely throughout but erreth in some parcels thereof may convert Heathens 2. Such a conversion shall be mixed In some things it shall be to the true Faith In others it shall be to erroneous beleeving 3. Like as diseased Parents when they procreate Children do together with their nature and kind propagate hereditarie sicknesse 4. And that the Ecclesiastical story reporteth That the Arrians converted the Goths to Christianity 5. And such is the conversion of Heathens made by Papists Again Of the Conversion of the Americans by the Jesuites 1. The Jesuites which have assayed to make new kingdoms among the Indians did not serve Christ but the Pope 2. Nor did they enlarge the Kingdome of Christ but they did prepare for the Pope a Kingdom far from the Reformed where he may reign after he shall be banished from these countries 3. Which newly could easily have been effected by Lewis the 14 King of France if he had been willing to chastise or rather so far to punish Alexander now Pope as to take from him the Temporal Dominions of which the Popes are become Princes by the liberalitie of the Kings of France his predecessors Of the different Sects that are in the Church of Rome namely Thomists Scotists Dominicans Franciscans Jesuites COncerning these different Sects the Jesuites for Defense of them produce this Reason That all these did ever consent in Faith and differed onely in such things which might be disputed without any hazard of Faith Answer to that by the Reformed 1. BE it granted they did agree in matters of Faith Why then do they not follow all one Rule 3. For S. Paul reproved the Corinthians agreeing in Faith because they attributed to their Ministers more then was meet whilest one had Devoted himself to S. Paul another to S. Peter and another to Apollo What then shall be done to the Scotists to the Thomists and to others Are the Names of Scotus of Thomas of Francis more holy and lawful Names in their Disciples then the names of S. Peter S. Paul and of Apollo 3. Besides the difference is very great not in the name onely but in things also 4. As thus Let the Question be whether the Crosse of Christ and the Image of Christ be to be worshipped with the same kind of worship that Christ is Adored withal Doth not this appertain to Faith But Error in this will be plain Idolatry And yet the Jesuites know some of the Schoolmen stand for it Some against it 5. What of that Question which hath exercised all Churches and all Schools so long Whether the Virgin Mary had Original sin Or was ever pure and without spot 6. And infinite such Differences the Reformed do omit being matter of Faith § From hence I infer That the Vnitie pretended by the Popish Doctors to be in the Church of Rome is not so Intire and General as they would have it thought 1. BUt although it be not so yet if it proceeded of knowledge of the Truth and of faithful submission with the heartie obedience to the same truth it should deserve great Commendation 2. But springing from this Fountain That all men must obey the Pope whatsoever he teach and command without Examination or Resistance upon pain of Eternal Damnation It is altogether unworthie of commendation and praise because it is an easie matter upon this Foundation to raise up and maintain any unitie whatsoever 3. In that regard such unity is Tyrannical and Devilish 4. And in other Regards it is Carnal For in the chiefest Members of the Church of Rome it doth proceed from vain Ambition from worldly Pleasures and from filthy Covetousnesse 5. In another regard besides It is Brutish and also carnal proceeding in the most Members of Brutish Ignorance and of Fear Of the Seduction of People by the Popes and the Roman Church by their False Doctrine in General 1. IT is one of the Sinnes of the Popes and of the Church of Rome to seduce People by their False and Corrupted Doctrine 2. Which is a crying and an abominable Sin