Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n
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A56280
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A full and clear exposition of the Protestant rule of faith with an excellent dialogue laying forth the large extent of true Protestant charity against the uncharitable papists.
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Pulton, A. (Andrew), 1654-1710.
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1688
(1688)
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Wing P4205; ESTC R7815
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18,771
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21
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will all not only say but swear also that they have omitted no endeavours of Diligence or Pious means They are all in their own conceits sure they are in the right and that those who differ from them are deluded blinded with Passion byas'd by Interest or the like Give me Sir an Infallible Rule whereby I may know which of them have the Spirit of Truth which the contrary Phil. I tell you once again let GOD Judge them I meddle with none of them 't is not my Affair I am certain I am in the right Eu. Under favour Sir I think this a Demonstration that every Protestant Church is at the same time according to your own Principles both in the true Church and out of the true Church and consequently neither in nor out which is a meer Chimera I thus prove my Assertion Every Protestant Church is a true Church because her Members of sound judgment are fit Judges in Controversies of Faith by Scripture which alone they follow and which is clear in all things necessary to Salvation Every Protestant Church is also a false Church because those Churches which are by Members of sound judgement governing themselves by Scripture judg'd Heretical Blasphemers Anti-christian and Diabolical must needs be false Churches But as I have shewn above there is no particular Protestant Church which has not by some other particular Protestant Church been so call'd represented and believ'd therefore every Protestant Church is false Thus is every Protestant Church both true and false and consequently Church and no Church which as I said before is a meer Chimera Phil. Hold Sir not so fast I have let you ramble long enough 't is now time to take you up You have Sir I perceive forgot what I told you in the beginning of our Discourse that the Point concerning which the difference is may perhaps be of such a Nature that there is no necessity of believing it with Divine Faith that is it may perhaps be none of the Essentials or Fundamentals of Faith. Eu. There may therefore be Heretical Blasphemous Anti-christian and Diabolical Doctrines taught by sound Christians remaining in the Communion of the H. Catholick Church because all these Characters are consistent with the Fundamentals of Christianity oblige me therefore so far as to give me aList of these all-saving Fundamentals Phil. That Sir is not so easy as you imagin for by reason of Mens different Capacities and Apprehension that may be necessary to one Person which is not so to another so that to require such a List of me is to bid me shape a Coat for the Moon which she being never at a stay but always either increasing or decreasing is utterly impossible This only you may rely on as a certain truth that nothing can be a Fundamental or Essential Point of Faith which is not clearly deliver'd in Holy Writ Nor can there be any greater Evidence of a Points being clearly taught in Scripture than that Learned and Pious Men after a diligent search and the use of due means differ not about it Eu. I see then Sir by this your Doctrine that a Man may without endangering his Salvation deny all these Articles I have hitherto been taught to be the principal Points of Christianity Phil. Sir what you may have been taught I know not but since you press me so close give me leave to tell you with the Learned Mr. Chillingworth that if you mean by Fundamental what is necessary to be explicitly believed by every one for the obtaining of Eternal Life there is perhaps nothing so but that there is a GOD and that JESUS CHRIST came to save finners and that whoever holding this Foundation shall be ready to submit his Belief to all that he shall find reveal'd in Scripture taken in such sense as he himself shall after the use of due means Judge to be true can never err damnably nor consequently cease to be a Member of that Church out of which there is no Salvation Eu. I must confess Sir that your Charity is of a very vast extent For by this your Doctrine all those who were by the Fathers in the Primitive Church and the first General Councils condemned as notorious Hereticks ought not to be excluded the Pale of the Church But pray Sir what would you say to one who having read the Holy Scripture with all possible Diligence and consider'd not only the many Contradictory Opinions held by Men pretending to no other Rule but also the possitive Assertion of Protestants that all visible Churches for a thousand years have been Erroneous and False and that all the Signs Prodigies and Miracles wrought by pretended Catholicks as you are pleas'd to call us were nothing but Imposters and Cheats that there was no true Holiness in all our Saints nor any Faith to be given to our Fathers How far Sir I say would your Charity extend to one who after a thorow Consideration of all this should with the Turks remain perswaded that as Moses's Law was abolisht by the coming of our Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST so the Christian Law was to have an end at the coming of Mahomet who was according to their Doctrine a Prophet sent by God to that purpose and as far exceeded CHRIST as CHRIST did Moses and being thus perswaded should follow the Example of Adam Neuserus a most Learned Protestant and chief Pastor of Heidelberg Osiand Cant. p. 16. who became a Mahometan and was Circumcis'd at Constantinople with many of his Flock Phil. Since I am Sir as I have already told you to judge of my Neighbour with Charity I find no reason why I may not allow Salvation to such a Man acting sincerely especially seeing he holds the Foundation that there is a GOD and that IESVS CHRIST came to save sinners Eu. I see then Sir that he was not altogether mistaken who affirm'd Protestancy and Turcism to be very near of kin What would you think of another who believing the Alcoran to be as indeed it is nothing but the Dreams of a Blasphemous Impostor and hearing your Opinion of the Miracles wrought during the last ten Ages should from thence and from the many seeming Contradictions not easily reconcil'd between the Old Testament and the New between Gospel and Gospel really in his Conscience believe all Christianity to be a Cheat and the Four Evangelists Four Impostors and should therefore as befel the Learned Protestant Allemannus judge it his safest course to embrace Judaism This Man is of a sound Judgment reads Scripture examins diligently and Schlusselberg de Theol. Cal. fol. 9. sincerely according to his Judgment of Scripture believes all Christians either Cheats or Fools animated by your example who believe the same of the last Ten Ages Phil. If this case be possible I see not how I can in Charity pronounce such a Man condemn'd to Eternal Torments Eu Once more Sir what would you say of another that should after all private diligence
A Full and Clear EXPOSITION OF THE PROTESTANT Rule of Faith With An Excellent DIALOGUE Laying forth the large Extent of True Protestant Charity against the Uncharitable Papists I Having made it a prime part of my Study these several years to seek into the Principles of Religion and upon account that I judged the saving of my Soul the greatest concern I had to deal in this World I was resolved maugre all the Principles of Education Interest or Passion there to fix where I truly was convinced between God and my own Soul that the surest footing was and securest way to Salvation Which to my unspeakable comfort being satisfy'd that I have found I can't conceal the desire I have of directing others to endeavour the same that they may partake of the like happiness which I my self enjoy To accomplish this the more compendiously I conceive nothing more efficacious than to search as I have done into the different grounds of each Church The Roman Catholicks tho' they allow any sober Person may read with leave the Holy Scriptures yet they permit none to interpret the same in points of Faith unless they take along with them the Judgment of the whole Church either diffusive or assembled by her Representatives in a General Council Lawfully call'd under their chief head his Holiness of Rome and to such Definitions alone do they believe themselves bound to subscribe Now our Protestant Churches deal more liberally and allow every sound Member a power of reading Holy Scripture and judging of Controversies in Faith according to the measure of light imparted so that no body is Bound to submit either to Fathers or Councils unless he judge they speak conformably to his private sense of Scripture Now having lately touched upon this point in my Answer to Dr. Tennison's Remarks and having fram'd an argument of no small force to invalidate the Protestant Rule of Faith as by him delivered to which the Dr. in his fifteen Sheets has not returned one Syllable I thought it might prove very beneficial to the Publick if that point were throughly handled the whole weight of all Controversy turning upon this Hinge viz. whether there be any Power upon Earth to which all Men are bound to submit in matters of Faith as the Catholicks teach or whether every sound Man be left free to judge for himself as the Protestants assert Methinks I see the Protestant Reader in a Zealous fret for having bought the Paper of an Author against whom he has conceived a notable prejudice borrowed from the Writings of Dr. Tennison which he has been pleased to inter-line with many very Injurious and Scandalous reflections upon Me and My Religion nothing provoked thereto as appears from the modest account I gave of the Conference nor do my Remarks contain any more than a Vindication void of Passion to which Truth and Justice did oblige me And although the Dr. continue in his fifteen Sheets called Pulton Considered his Reviling Defaming and Bantering Stile yet ever willing to yield to the Dr. in this the Answer I will shorly publish thereto as it shall be very short so it shall contain nothing that may disedify the Reader The Dr. having assign'd the Holy Scriptures as understood by every sound Iudgment for the Rule of Faith and consequently having given to every such Person authority to Judge of Controversies in Faith at least as far as concerns his own salvation I fram'd the following Discourse the Dr. has not been pleased to return an Answer tho' it was the chief Querie put to him We must allow if to any a soundness of Judgement to Luther Calvin Carolostadius Zwinglius Beza Castalio c. who were the principal Heads of the Reformed Churches and consequently receiv'd more of the Divine Influence us'd more industry in acquiring Authentick Copies comparing of Texts Imploring the Divine Assistance than any of their Followers To begin therefore with Luther Zwinglius says of him That he was a foul Corrupter and horrible Falsifier of God's Word One who followed the Marcionists and Arians that raz'd out such places of Holy Writ as were against him Thou dost says he to Luther corrupt the word of God Thou art seen to be a manifest and common Corrupter and Perverter of the Holy Scriptures How much are we asham'd of thee who have hitherto esteem'd thee With how great reason Zwinglius objected this to him those are Judges who have noted above a thousand places chang'd by him in the New Testament alone Vide Bell. Ser. de Pentec and that he set forth the Gospels seven times every Edition very much differing from the precedent Now I desire to know whether and when Martin Luther had the assistance of the H. Ghost Luther on the other side affirms of the Zwinglian Translators That they are Fools Asses Anti-christs Deceivers and of an Ass-like understanding Beza says of the Basilian Translation That it is in many places Wicked and altogether differing from the mind of the Holy Ghost Of Beza's Translation Castalio observes That to note all his Errours would require a great Volume Beza again pronounces of Gastalio's Edition that It is False Foolish Unskillful Bold Blasphemous Vitious Ridiculous Cursed Erronious Wicked Perverse In the first English Bible set forth in the Reign of Henry VIII by Tindal the chief Apostle of the pretended Reformation Bishop Tunstal has noted no less than two thousand Corruptions in the Translation of the New Testament alone Give me leave here to argue as follows I have a Soul to save which is the Concern of Concerns and which being once lost is irrecoverably lost and for all Eternity never to be redeem'd from an Abyss of inexplicable Wo. For the saving of this most precious Soul I ask of our pretended Reformers What I am to do Take this Scripture say the Zwinglians and here you shall find the word of Life Hearken not to them says Luther they are Fools Anti-christs Deceivers I turn to Luther Take heed says Zwinglius He is a Marcionist an Arian a manifest and common Corruper and Perverter of the Holy Scriptures I leave them both and go to Beza He offers me a Volume which he calls the Word of GOD when Castalio crying out bids me beware and tells me 't is a Volume of Errours Beza defends himself by defaming Castalio as False Bold Blasphemous Cursed Erronious Allarm'd at the clashing of this Cadmean Race of Reformers I leave Germany and come into England a Wise and Polite Nation which having consider'd at a distance these mutual Dissentions of our Heavenly gifted Gospellers takes doubtless better measures Tindal her prime Apostle offers me the Book of Life when Tunstal warns me of two thousand Corruptions in the lesser half of it I hang in suspence The Parliament declares it to be a Crafty False and Relig. Gover. p. 306. 318. untrue Translation Yet Cranmer is allowed to present me it again little chang'd besides the Marginal Notes and Preface