Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n
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B03480
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Four tracts. I. A short discourse about divorce and its causes, fornication and adultery. II. A charge to judges, juries and witnesses concerning oaths. III. About infant baptism. IV. A letter to a lady, who hath forsaken [t]he Protestant religion for the Romish. / By J. Gailhard, Gent.
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Gailhard, J. (Jean)
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1699
(1699)
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Wing G121A; ESTC R202025
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118,480
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174
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we may easily believe any thing which we must not when our Eternal welfare lies at Stake Before I have done I hope by the Grace of God to prove this First That the Romish Church hath no Supremacy over other Churches and that her Bishop is no Universal Bishop nor Primate of the Christian Church Secondly I shall beat down the ground they go upon namely that Peter was the Prince of the Apostles from whom they pretend their Supremacy to be derived Thirdly I intend to shew how Popes are no Successors of Peter neither 1. of his Doctrine nor 2. of his Seat or else he had been a Non-Resident Bishop for he never was at Rome at least any long time and this being done I shall speak against the pertended Infallibility of that Church and of her Bishops having before Premised some things against Peter's Infalliblity I must not engage in the Common place about the Church which is of a large extent yet I ought to take notice how the Word is sometimes improperly taken for the Temple or Meeting place and properly for the Assembly or Congregation of those who make part of the Body of the Universal Church which being dispersed all the World over and consisting of all serts of Men and Women of every People Quality Age or Sex for which cause 't is denominated Catholick the true Members whereof are for certain visible only to Gods Eye this Universal Church doth Subsist in the National ones and these in the particular Churches The Word Church is from a Greek Word derived from another which signifies to call from one place to another here we must observe the unreasonableness of the Romish Society which would be called the Church exclusively to all that are not within her Pale when there hath always been the Greek Ethiopian and other Churches standing by themselves so now we have the Protestant and Reformed Churches from the Errors of the Romish which consist of several National ones and tho' in some of the forenamed National Churches there be Corruptions yet in none greater than in that of Rome which all Protestant ones do charge with Idolatry Besides that Church commits a great absurdity with calling her self Catholick when at the most she is but a part of it for 't is a contradiction to be Universal particular as the Roman Catholick Church doth import neither doth the name Roman make it to be that Church which was in Rome when St. Paul did write his Epistle no more than the Jewish Church is now what it once was Here if I would enlarge I might divide my Discourse into three Branches First What the Church is Secondly What are the Marks whereby to know her And Thirdly What is her Authority And therein according to the Etymology of the Greek word for Church shew there are two sorts or calling one outward only the other inward and joyned to the outward but properly speaking the name Church comprehends the Assembly only of Gods Elect for in the Church are two different kinds of Men some are Members of Christ and the true Church which are the House it self others are indeed in the House of God but are none of it like the Straw among the Wheat till they go out and are separated of this sort are all Christians National Visible Particular Churches wherein are the pure Preaching of the Word and the right Administration of the Sacraments according to the Institution which are the proper marks of Christ's Church but in that of Rome they are very much corrupt these I say and several other things to the purpose I might insist upon but for brevities sake I shall forbear to come to what I chiefly proposed to speak of And that 's First The Church of Rome which is but a Particular one hath no right of Superiority or Supremacy over any other Particular Churches she hath no Patent for it what Power she hath in that kind was gotten by Craft and Usurpation and was since maintained by force and violence Jesus Christ is the Head King and Master of his Church and they cannot out of his Word or Apostolical Practice shew that ever he gave the Romish Church any such Priviledge or Prerogative as I hope to shew 't somewhat lower 't is but a Human Invention Ecclesiastical Histories assure us that Patriarchs or Bishops of Antioch Alexandria c. were Independent from Rome nay some of them sharply censured the Bishop of Rome Indeed in the 4th Century some Jarrings began between him of Rome and that of Constantinople which being then the Seat of the Empire was become the new Rome But all was much according to the Temper of the Bishops then in being and for a proof that no such Prerogative belonged to Rome in the 6th Century we read how Gregory the great Bishop of the Place declared that whosoever called himself Universal Bishop or Bishop of Bishops was the fore-runner of Antichrist Tho' not long after his Death that Mystery of Iniquity began to be set up by a common Agreement between Phocas who having made away his Master the Emperor Mauricius during a violent Fit he had of the Gout promised Boniface then Pope of Rome that if he would procure him to be owned for Emperor he would own him for Universal Bishop this is the true ground of that Usurpation and not any falsely supposed Gift of Constantine the Great much less of Christ 'T is observable how about the same time that Mahomet began his Imposture the fore-named Bishop of Rome by Vertue of a Grant from Phocas took upon him the proud Title of Universal Bishop for the Grant was made in 606 which was the very year that Mahomet retired to his Cave to forge his Impostures which in 608 he began to propagate at Mecca and the Successors of both endeavoured by the same Methods that is Craftiness Lying Fire and Sword to Propagate it and these are now the two great Impostures in the World one in the East the other in the West And we know it to be the endeavours of all Usurpers to maintain themselves as much and as long as they can in their Usurpations so that Boniface's Successors being acted by the same Spirit of Ambition as he had been and having met with favourable conjunctures to settle and fix in that Usurpation they enlarged it as much as they could And because to engage the Consciences of men they would pretend to a Divine Right for this encroachment we must in the next place blow up and overthrow that imaginary Ground of theirs which they fancy and would perswade People to have been derived to them from St. Peter but we say nemo dat quod non habet No man can give what he hath not Peter never had any Primacy or Superiority over the other Apostles and herein we go upon sure grounds for all along we have Scripture for it Neither before our Blessed Saviours Death nor after his Resurrection was any such Title as Prince of
he nameth some as Repentance Faith towards God the explication of what is signified in baptism called the Doctrine of Baptisms of laying on of Hands of Resurrection and of Eternal Judgment And such Articles as are taught in Catechisms The Apostle doth not Institute many baptisms for there is but One that of John Baptist and of Christ being the same but the Doctrines of Baptism are several as of Repentance [k] Mark 1 4. of the Remission of sins of Regeneration c. Now though there be but one Sacrament of baptism there are two parts of it the Earthly or the sign and the Heavenly or thing signified which both are called baptism and in this place St. Paul meaning both calleth them baptisms In the Primive Church several good Rites were observed by those who being of competent Age were to be baptised as the giving in of their Name amongst those who professed themselves Christians the Examination they submitted to and gave an account of the Progress they had made in the Christian Doctrine then the Confession of Faith and the Apostle's Creed amongst the rest was a renunciation to the Devil and to his Works all which may well be continued in relation to those new Converts who are come to Years of Discretion before they be baptised And herein we shall not disagree with Anabaptists or others but as to Questions put to a Child newly born when he is baptised about that Renunciation Whether he will forsake the World c. and the Answer of the God-father and God-mother in his Name is Ridiculous and as it were a jest not to say worse in so holy and Serious a business to ask questions of a Child who can neither Hear Understand nor Speak and take the Answer of a stander-by who cannot well answer for himself without a special Proviso as if God thorough Free-grace will be pleased to enable him and though one could answer for himself it doth not follow he may answer for others All that Fathers God-fathers and the like can do upon such an occasion is to Promise when the Child is come to an Age capable of being taught they will take care to see he be Instructed in the Knowledge and Fear of God according to the Rules of Christian Religion FINIS A LETTER to a LADY who hath forsaken the Protestant Religion for the Romish MADAM SOME few opportunities which tho' in a kind of a broken manner I had to discourse with you about Religion afforded me matter of sad yet charitable thoughts for your Spiritual condition 'T is usual and not without some grounds to say there is in us a prejudice of Education which sometimes hinders from hearkning to things but reasonable enough in themselves But it seems that hath had no influence upon your Ladyship in the change you made of a Religion wherein you were born and bred you over-looked all considerations of that nature and I am afraid upon no serious thoughts or solid grounds What Worldly prospect you might at that time happen to have and in that conjuncture God knows and I leave it to your own examination but sure I am there could be none to balance the value of a Soul which thereby you ventured the loss of to all Eternity All the Temptation of the World and frailty of Human Nature which is the best and most that may be said on your behalf can never excuse you in the sight of God nor hardly in that of Men who have seen no just or reasonable cause for it But Madam what is past and done cannot be help'd yet out of a real desire for your good and to look to that which is to come this I may boldly say you can never answer it to God or men if hereafter you be not acted by an earnest care and diligence to settle your greatest concern in the World the Salvation or utter ruin of your Soul be very serious about it and avoid not coming to a discussion of the matter as some in your state are apt to do The Devil is the Prince of Darkness and he hates the light because his works are evil your Priests who under the notion of a Confession and by means of an Absolution do Blasphemously pretend to forgive your Sins and a power to open for or to shut upon you the Door of Heaven do thereby Tyrannise over your Conscience and will disswade you from coming to any Dispute because if the Word of God be the Rule their cause cannot abide it But as now they have you in their Snares so for their own ends they will omit nothing to keep you therein the Light of the Gospel might discover their Cheats and Tricks upon the Souls of Men and so make you to give them the slip they will endeavour to keep you to this jugling of theirs namely the blind Obedience and to Believe what the Church believes tho' you cannot tell what that is to do what she Commands and trouble your self no farther But Madam such Advisers and Ghostly Fathers or Spiritual Guides as you call them should by you be brought upon the Stage and put to this Tryal Come I will hear what you can say for the Religion that I now profess and against that which I left a friendly and peaceable Conference I desire about these things between you and some Ministers of the Church of England or other Protestant ones This Madam is the ready way not to be imposed upon and you nor no body else ought ever to refuse being farther or better Instructed and Informed and 't is high time for you to begin in earnest to go about it for indeed I may say you have been lull'd asleep tho' you wanted no warning from above And because for the good of your Soul I wish I might be instrumental in so Christian a Work I shall here upon this Paper set down some few thoughts of mine as are Conducing towards so great a Work And because the Romanists find themselves not very able out of Scripture the only competent Judge in these things to defend their Errors in Doctrine they for themselves have made what they call their Strong Hold under the Name of the Church For as Anciently the prevaricating Jews cry'd out the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord so Roman Catholicks thunder out the Church the Church in hopes to shelter themselves under so specious a Name But Madam pray be not mistaken that glorious Name out of some peoples mouth is but a Scare-crow and misapply'd That which at this time I intend by the Grace of God to offer to your serious consideration is chiefly this against the Primacy and Infallibility of the Romish Church which indeed are the two Pillars it stands upon for if you question any thing then to stop your Mouth she saith of her self she is Infallible and to get your Obedience she will say she is Head Mother and Catholick Church but then you must take their bare Word for 't if