Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	call_v	church_n	society_n	1,435	5	9.0715	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19460	A iust and temperate defence of the fiue books of ecclesiastical policie: written by M. Richard Hooker against an vncharitable letter of certain English Protestants (as they tearme themselues) crauing resolution, in some matters of doctrine, which seeme to ouerthrow the foundation of religion, and the Church amongst vs. Written by William Covel Doctor in Diuinitie, and published by authority. The contents whereof are in the page following.	Covell, William, d. 1614?	1603 (1603)	STC 5881; ESTC S120909	118,392	162

no sermon and yet a prayer read to be a prayer require that the Spirit of grace and prayer bee not wanting in the partie reading and the hearers how can we thinke those actions to be sacramentall where in the Minister there is not so much as an intention that they should be sacraments And therefore saith Hugo in the place before alleaged Alexander the Bishop held the Baptisme that Athanafius ministred to other boyes in play to be true Baptisme because he did it with an intention of true Baptisme In those that are but instruments as the minister is no more the vertues of faith hope and charitie are not requisite and yet because they are reasonable instruments their actions must proceede from election and intention Therefore we conclude that this intention of the Church is no ground of vncertaintie seeing she tendeth but one thing that is to performe them as Sacraments nor giueth any power to the vertue of the Sacrament and that the Church cannot make a Sacrament but to distinguish betwixt actions religious and the same not religious there is required the intention of the Church ARTICLE XVI Of the necessitie of Baptisme WHere many things are doubted of without reason it is neither easie nor vsually expedient to answer all Wisdome esteemeth it much fitter to passe by without yeelding satisfaction to some apparant truths called in question rather then by answering to let the simple vnderstand that men haue doubted of those points For the first calling in question of vnfallible truths gaue strength to euill minds to find out all shewes of reason for maintaining of those things which their owne weaknesse at first made them simply to mistake So that whosoeuer maketh euerie doubt to bee a contention or laboureth to confute errours of long continuance in the first kindleth but that sparke which without some breath would easily die and in the latter must arme himselfe to encounter an obstinate resolution The consideration of this made me not willing either to dispute the newe borne doubts of your owne in this Article which being discussed in time might grow to be old errours or to bestowe labour for the assisting of that truth which out of great iudgement and learning hath often beene defended by other mens paines But seeing it is an vsuall false conclusion as to argue a lawfulnesse from what we doe so a want of abilitie from what we doe not I thought it fitter euen following their steps that haue gone before me rather to resolue others what you haue doubted of in this point thē that any should conclude out of silence an impossibilitie that you could be answered For the willingnes that some men haue to do more then they are able maketh others suspected to want abilitie in whom there appeareth not the same willingnesse If al men rightly considered in those actions that concerne mans saluation how farre we are tied not onely in obedience but for vse to those things that are meanes to effect the same few would haue beene so carelesly resolute to contemne good works through an opinion of an eternall election or so negligently haue despised the onely doore of entrance into the Church Baptisme through an opinion that God doth saue euen where this is wanting We do all confesse that Baptisme is a sacrament of regeneration or new birth by water in the word of life that it is a signe nay a meanes of initiation whereby we are coopted into the societie of the Church Thus by this being ingraffed into Christ we may be taken for the sonnes of God and so receiue newe names to bee called Christians And therefore learned men haue thought it to bee the doore of our actuall entrance into Gods house the first apparant being of life as Saint Basil calleth it the first step of our sanctification as Master Hooker saith For as we are not naturally men without birth so neither are we Christian men in the eye of the Church without new birth we say in the eye of the Church for we take not vpon vs to see as God doth who knoweth without all meanes both to make and without visible tokens is able to discerne who belong vnto him And yet in our eye Baptisme is that which both declareth and maketh vs to be Christians Therefore it is a strange opinion of them who say that he which is not a Christian before baptisme cannot be made a Christian by baptisme which is onely the seale of the grace of God before receiued These as it seemeth you doe eleuate too much the ordinarie and immediate meanes of life relying wholy vpon the bare conceit of that eternall election which notwithstanding includeth a subordination of meanes without which we are not actually brought to inioy what God secretly did intend And therefore to build vpon Gods election if we keepe not our selues to the wayes which he hath appointed for men to walke in is but a selfe deceiuing vanitie for all men notwithstanding their preordination vnto life which none can know but God only are in the Apostles opinion till they haue imbraced the truth but the children of wrath as well as others And howsoeuer the children of the faithfull are borne holy as you alleage out of y t reuerend Bishop the Elect are adopted to be the sons of God in their predestination 〈◊〉 afterwards whē they beleeue then they are said more properly to be the sons of God indeed for although it be true as Saint Paul saith that your sonnes are holy namely when they are borne by reason of the promise yet he saith that we are sanctified by faith meaning actually and indeed For as kings in those kingdomes that are by election are first chosen then designed then crowned which last action is that which maketh them ful and compleate kings so whatsoeuer we were in that secret election to vs vnknowne yet then when we are baptized and not before we are properly publikely solemnly ioyned vnto God and admitted into his Church Yet we exclude not neither doth any that I know these benefits thus bestowed ordinarily in and with Baptisme but that extraordinarily sometimes before as in Paul and Cornelius sometimes after as in many baptized by heretikes sometimes without as in those who preuent their baptisme by martyrdome and some others these benefits may be bestowed For it were a fearefull doctrine iniurious to many thousands soules and blasphemous against the bottomles mercie of a most louing father to exclude all those from eternall life whom not negligence or contēpt but some other occasion hath hindred to be baptized And therefore it is strange that you would make M. Hooker to speake for so absolute a necessitie which indeed he doth not but maketh it limited or that yourself would dislike a necessity wheras you confesse this to be the conditiō of baptisme if it cannot be had as it ought The matter then principally called in question in this Article

hath wil is righteousnes only mans transgression sin For euen to doe that which nature telleth vs we ought howsoeuer we know it must needs be acceptable in Gods sight How this vttered out of great iudgment to another purpose namely that good things are done and allowed whereof we haue other direction then Scripture is by you wrested against the articles of our Church either concerning the perfection of works which are with faith or the goodnes of works without faith to say plainly I cannot yet vnderstand Therfore as the dealing is vnequall to make him say what you list so the aduātage is too great to make him an aduersary to a cause of your own making when the whole scope of his speech is to another purpose For there is no indifferēt reader but had he considered what M. Hooker speaketh to what end in those places by you alleaged he must of necessity haue wondered at your sharpe and acute iudgements that would without blushing aduenture to alleage him to that end But an opiniō doubtlesse that these things wold neuer be examined gaue that cōfidence to your first motion which consideration would haue hindered if you had but once dreamed to haue bin called in question Wee should not therfore need in this much to defend him but briefly resolue you what our Church holdeth and fitly in this point The articles of our Church which ye thinke are oppugned are two first that the fruits of faith cannot abide the seuerity of Gods iustice that man out of faith doth good workes which though they make vs not iust yet are both acceptable and rewardable I doubt not but it is a truth wherof if yee had not bin perswaded this letter of yours profitable as you think to the Church and pleasing to God as all the rest of your writings in that kinde had lien buried vnborne in those rotten sepulchers from whēce into the world they did first come whilest we are by that intermediat iustice of Christ made righteous and haue obtained a free remission of our sins that we are tearmed iust there is with this mercy ioyned the Holy-ghost which dwelling in vs maketh vs fruitfull to good workes this reuiuing all parts from our naturall corruption reformeth vs to a pure and willing obedience vnto that reuealed will which is the rule of all that we ought to doe yet seeing we are clothed with corruption there are euen in our best actions those remainders of imperfection which serue to teach vs thankefulnes and humility both arising from the consideration of our own weakenes And I doubt not but euen in this poynt many of the Church of Rome whose humiliation in their penitēcy of heart seemeth far to exceed ours are of this opinion that euen the best action performed in their whole life as there are yet some few monumēts spared from the couetous hand if all points of it were considered with a streight view sifting euen the least circumstances which closely insinuate thēselues out of our corruptiōs into our actions they would I say confesse that there is something which tasteth of the flesh which corruption if either for want of a strict consideration we see not or through a selfeloue could pardon yet it is not able in the feeblenes of his owne nature to abide the exact triall seuerity of Gods iudgement That law the least transgression wherof is sin is sayd to be fulfilled three waies first in Christ and so all the faithfull are said to fulfill the lawe hauing his obedience imputed to them Secondly it is fulfilled by a diuine acceptatiō for God accepteth our obediēce begun as if it were perfect seeing what imperfections are in it are not imputed to vs. For it is al one not to be not to be imputed blessednes being the reward of both And we know that there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Iesus Thirdly it is fulfilled by vs an error I thinke scarce any do hold sauing only the Anabaptists For that eternall wisdome which hath ledde man by the law vnto Christ hath set those bounds which all men haue broken the first commandement and the last to include all as guilty of the breach of the whole law For our knowledge being but in part it is not possible saith Saint Austen that our loue can be perfect And therfore we conclude the first point according to the article of our Church from which there is no sillable in Master Hooker that is different that our workes though they be good and so esteemed and rewarded yet they cannot abide the iustice of the lawe and the seuerity of Gods iudgement The second point is whether the workes which are done before the grace of Christ are not only not acceptable to God but also haue the nature of sinne In this we must vse some care for whilest men iustly disagreeing haue equally laboured to be differēt one from another both in the end haue bin equally distant frō the truth That there are excellent graces in the heathen no man doubteth and he must needs be far from reason and sense who maketh no difference betwixt the iustice moderation and equity of Titus and Traian and the fury violence and tyranny of Caligula Nero and Domitian betwixt the vncleane lusts of Tiberius and the continency in this respect of Vespasian in one word betwixt the obseruation and the breach of lawes For there is that difference betwixt iust and vniust that euen the frame of nature where sense wanteth acknowledge a well being by the obseruation of what it ought and therfore much more in those good works which because they missed of the right scope wee dare not call by the name of true perfect Christians vertues yet for their very action we are content so long as they swarue not from the righteousnesse of the lawe of nature to giue them leaue to be called by a better name then only sinnes and yet for all this no man taketh them to be much better in the true seuerity of a hard construction for those that are not regenerate although they sin in their best obseruation of the morall lawe yet it is much better to performe those offices then to performe them not seeing a part of that indeuour though it be not meere righteousnesse yet it is lesse sinne We must therefore remember that a worke is considerable either in respect of the substance or in regard of the manner of doing In respect of the worke all the actions of infidels are not sin seeing they performe those things which are commanded by the law of nature of nations of God nay they are so far in this respect from beeing sins that as Saint Austin saith God doth plenteously reward them But concerning the manner of working all their actions are sin as proceeding from a corrupt fountaine a hart that wanteth true faith and directed to an ende of lesse value then he is whose glory ought to be