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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A62458 A letter concerning the present state of religion amongst us Thorndike, Herbert, 1598-1672. 1656 (1656) Wing T1053; ESTC R5555 12,737 27

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A LETTER Concerning the present State OF RELIGION AMONGST US A Letter concerning the present State of Religion amongst us MY dear Brother in Christ no lesse then by birth I have perused the Ordinance for ejecting of Scandalous Ministers and finding it likely enough to send you a Pastor that shall have have no authority from the Church have thought it necessary for me to give you the reasons of that opinion which I declared unto you that in that case you ought not in conscience to acknowledge such a for one your Pastor by going tohear him preach and seeming to joyn in his Prayers much lesse to receive the Eucharist at his hands if such a one shall be so audacious as to celebrate it This that I may do I must first propose the Case as it is stated by those Acts which pretend to settle Religion among us For first the Act whereby the present Government is esta●●●shed declareth that the Christian Religion contained in the Scriptures shall be held forth as the publick profession of these Nations And that such as profess Faith in God by Jesus Christ though differing from this profession in doctrine worship or discipline shal be protected in the exercise of their Religion excepting Popery and Prelacy and those who under the profession of Christ hold forth and practise licentiousnesse In prosecution hereof an Ordinance is issued forth giving commission to certain persons named in it to examine and try all that have come into possession of Churches since April 13. 1653. all that have augmentations from Parliament all that shall pretend to come into Churches that shall be void whether fit for the Office and Benefice by no other Rule then the Certificate of three godly Neighbours one at least a Minister concerning their conversation in godlinesse upon their own knowledge and the judgement of five Commissioners that the grace of God is in their hearts and that they are fit to preach In further prosecution hereof issues forth this Ordinance whereby no man is made scandalous for his judgement but he that is liable to the Act against Blasphemy of Aug. 9. 1653. And with him is ranked he who shall frequently and publickly have read the Service since Christmasse 1653. whereby it appeareth that those who have declared their perseverance in the Religion which they have hitherto professed by reading the Service are therefore counted scandalous But those that can obtain the certificate of such men as these Triers count godly men together with their own opinion that so they are and fit to Preach are thereby qualified in Law to be Pastors of Parishes And consequently to succeed those that adhere to the Christianity which hitherto they have professed being cast out by the Commissioners for ejecting of scandalous Ministers In the first place then I say that the effect of these Laws is to nullifie and make void one Article of t●e Creed which hithe●to to we professe To wit the belief of one holy Catholick and Apostolick Church This word Church may signifie two things First onely the whole number of Christians Secondly a Communion and corporation of those that professe true Christianity founded by the will of God and the ministery of our Lord Christ and his Apostles That Christians when they professe to beleeve the Catholick Church do not mean that they beleeve that there is in the world a number of men that professe to be Christians it is manifest because all Christians hope to be saved by their Faith but they cannot hope to be saved by beleeving that which they see Now all men see that there is such a company of men in the world therefore when they say they beleeve the Catholick Church as part of that Faith whereby they hope to be saved they do not professe to beleeve that there is such a company of men but that there is a Corporation of true Christians founded by our Lord Christ and his Apostles which Hereticks and Schismaticks cannot have Communion with and that they hope to be saved by this Faith as being members of it And this is that which the stile of the holy Catholick and Apostlick Church signifies as distinguishing the Body of true Christians to wit so far as profession goes from the Conventicles of Hereticks and Schismaticks For this title of Catholick would signifie nothing if Hereticks and Schismaticks were not barred the Communion of the Church And let no man imagine that the Schisme which the Reformation hath made between us and the Church of Rome hath dissolved the obligation of being members of the Church if that change which is called Reformation preserve not such a Church as ought to be acknowledged for a true member of the whole or Catholick Church it is no Reformation but the destruction of Christianity Now when these Laws inable Souldiers and Justices of the Peace as well as those that call themselves Ministers to make publick Preachers as well such as have received no Ordination from the Church as those that have It is manifest that all difference between Clergy and People is by them dissolved and made void And by consequence the Corporation of the Church which grounds and creates all the difference which hitherto by all Christians hath been received between these two qualities True it is that for the present as well those who have lawful authority to officiate the publick Service of God by Ordination from the Church are admitted or maintained in their Benefices by these Laws as those that have none Though it be wel enough known that those who have such authority do pretend to act by vertue of it and not by this Law further then as by submitting to it they remove that force which hinders their right otherwise gotten to take effect But it is as true that supposing this Law to continue an age none such can remain And when none such remains then there shall be no Church in England but by equivocation of words if the premises be be true And therefore those that acknowledge such as have ●o other authority but from this power for their Pastors cannot consequently professe to beleeve one Catholick Church nor hope for salvation by being members of it For supposing for the present though not granting that the power which makes these Laws is from God yet can it not be pretended to be from our Lord Christ and his Apostles And therefore this authority derived from it cannot be derived from any act of theirs constituting the Church and inabling it to give this authority by acknowledging whereof Christians presume that they are members of the Church Now that you may see why the belief of Christs Church is an Article of our Creed I say further that you cannot acknowledg such men for your Pastors because you are not secured by these Laws that they are not Hereticks For seeing the Act of Establishment pretends onely to hold forth the Christian Religion contained in the Scriptures and that all the Heresies that are this