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A54528
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Heresiography, or, A discription of the hereticks and sectaries of these latter times by E. Pagitt.
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Pagitt, Ephraim, 1574 or 5-1647.
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1645
(1645)
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Wing P175; ESTC R2783
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113,990
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184
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obedience which are against Christian liberty The ninth poynt for Images We acknowledge the Civill use of Images but we deny any religious worship of them The tenth is the Reall presence We deny not the presence it selfe and although we hold a reall presence of Christs body and bloud in the Sacrament yet we doe not take it to be locall bodily or substantiall but spirituall and mysticall to the signes by Sacramental relaâ—ion to the Communicants by faith alone The eleventh is the Sacrifice of the Lords Supper which they call the Masse We acknowledge the Lords Supper to be a Sacrifice 1. Because it is a memoriall of Christs Sacrifice upon the Crosse. 2. Because every Communicant doth offer up himselfe body and soule a living and acceptable sacrifice unto God 3. Because of the Almes given to the poore They maâ—e the Eucharist to be a reall externall or bodily sacfice offered unto God 〈◊〉 twelfth poynt of Fasting We maintaine three sorts thereof to wit a Morall Civill and Religious The first being Morall is a practice of Sobriety and Temperance to be used in the whole course of our life The second Civill when upon some particuler and politicke Considerations we abstaine 〈◊〉 flesh at certaine seasons of the yeare to preserve the breed of Cattell and to maintaine the calling of Fisher-men The third a religious Fast when the duties of Religion as the exercise of prayer and humiliation be used in our Fasts We joyne with them in the allowance of the principall ends of Fasting The first that thereby the minde may become attentive in the service of God The second that the rebellion of the â—lesh may be subdued The third is to professe our guiltinesse and to testifie our humilâ—ation before God Thirdly we yeeld to them that Fasting is an helpe and furtherance to the worship of God yea and a good worke also if it be used in a good manner Our distent is in three things First they prescribe certaine times of Fastirng as necessary to be kept Secondly they prescribe a difference of meaâ—â— as Whiâ—meâ—â—ts and Fish c. onely to be used on their fasâ—ing dayes and that for conscience sake Thirdly we differ touching the ends of Fasting for they make abstinence it selfe in a person fitly prepared to be a part of Gods worship To conclude we doe not condemne Fasting but the abuse of it The thirteenth poynt of the state of perfection Our consent is that all true Beleevers have a state of perfection in this life and this perfection hath two parts First is the imputation of Christs perfect obedience The second part of a Christian mans obedience is sincerity or righteousnesse The difference is they teach that they cannot onely keep all the Commandements of the Law and thereby deserve his owne salvation but goe beyond the Law and doe works of Super-erogation The fourteenth poynt is of the worshipping of Saints and especially of Invocation Our consent The true Saints of God as the Prophets Apostles and Martyrs are to be worshipped and honoured three wayes First by keeping a memoriall of them in a godly manner Secondly in giving thanks to God for them and the benefits that God vouchsafed by them Thirdly they are to be honoured by an imitation of their Faith Humility Meeknesse Repentance and good vertues in which they excelled The difference stands in the manner of worshipping of Saints The Papists make two degrees of Religious worship the highest they call Latreia whereby God is worshipped and that alone Douleia whereby the Saints and Angels are worshipped We also distinguish adoration or worship for it is either Religious or Civill Religious worship we give to God alone Civill worship we give to men To come to the poynt we deny that any Civill worship is to be given to the Saints being absent from us much lesse any religious worship at all call they it what they will The fifteenth poynt of the Intercession of Saints We hold that the Saints departed pray to God by giving thanks to him for their owne redemption and for the redemption of the whole Church Secondly that they pray generally for the state of the whole Church They hold that the Saints in heaven do make intercession to God for particuler men according to their severall wants and receiving particuler mens Prayers they present them unto God which doctrine we flatly renounce The sixteenth poynt of implicite faith We hold that there is a kinde of implicite faith as in the time of a mans first conversion and in the time of some grievous Temptation A second kinde of implicite faith is in regard of Apprehension when as a man cannot say distinctly and certainly I believe the pardon of my sinnes but I doe unfainedly desire the pardon of them all and doe desire to repent The difference is The Pillars of the Roman Church lay downe this ground that faith in his owne nature is not a knowledge of things to be beleeved but a reverent assent unto them whether they be knowne or unknowne hereupon they build that if a man know some necessary poynts of Religion as the doctrine of the God-head of the Trinity of Christs Incarnation and of our Redemption c. it is needlesse to know the rest and it is sufficient to give his consent to the Church and to beleeve as the Pastors beleeve This implicite faith we reject for â—aith containeth a knowledge of things to be believed and nothing is believed that is not knowne The seventeenth poynt of Purgatory They hold it to be a part of Hell into which an entrance is made onley after this life which we deny having no warrant for it in Gods word 2. We differ from them touching the meanes of Purgatory They say that men are purged by suffering the paines of Purgatory whereby they satisfie for their vâ—niall sinnes and for the temporall punishment of their mortall sinnes We teach the contrary holding that nothing can free us from the least punishment of the smallest sinne but the sufferings of Christ and purge us from the least taint of corruption saving the bloud of Christ. For Prayer for the dead which the Author joyneth to this poynt We hold Christian Charity is to exâ—â—â—d it selfe to the Dead and it may shâ—w it selfe in their honest buriall in preservation of their good names and in relieviâ—g their posteâ—â—â—y We pray further in generall for the faithfull departed that God would hasten their joyfull Resurrection and the full accomplishment of their happinesse both for the body and the soule But to pray for particuler men departed and to pray for deliverance out of Purgatory we dare not we think it unlawfull because we have neither Promise nor Commandement so to doe The eighteenth poynt of the Supremacy In causes Ecclesiasticall our consent First for the founding of the Primitive Church the Ministery of the Word was distinguished by degrees not only of order but
Eph. 1. 19. That we believe according to the working of his mighty power And 2 Thes. 1. 11. That God fulfilleth all the pleasure of his goodnesse and the worke of faith with power And 2 Pet. 1. 3. That Gods power hath given to us all things that pertaine to life and godlinesse 9. They teach that grace and free-will are co-partening causes joyntly concurring to the beginning of conversion and that grace doth not in the order of casuality goe before the action of the will That is that God doth effectually helpe mans will to conversion before the will of man moveth and determineth or setleth it selfe thereunto This doctrine was long since condemned by the ancient Church among the Pelagian Errors out of the Apostles Authority Romans 9. 16. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy And 1 Cor. 4. 7. Who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive Item Phil. 2. 13. It is God which worketh in you both â—o will and to doe of his good pleasure 5. Error concerning the perseverance of the Saints 1. THey teach that the perseverance of the faithfull is not an effect of election nor any gift of God purchased by the death of Christ but that it is a condition of the new Covenant which is to be performed by mans part by his owne free will before his as they themselves speak peremptorily election and justification whereas the holy Scriptures testifie that it followeth election and is given to the Elect by vertue of Christ death resurrection and intercession Rom. 8. 32. He that spared not his owne Sonne but delivered him up for us how shall not he with him give us freely all things Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth It is Christ that dyed yea or rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us who shall separate us from the love of Christ 2. They teach that God indeed furnisheth the faithfull man with sufficient strength to persevere and is ready to maintâ—iâ—e that strength in him if he himselfe be not wanting to his duâ—y yet not withstanding when as all abilities necessary unto perseverance and all things which God is pleased to use for the preservation of Faith once granted and set in readinesse that it still remaineth in the choyce and pleasure of mans will to performe or not This opinion is easily discovered to be an impe of Pelagiâ—nisme which whilst it strives to make man free maketh him sacrilegious contrary to the uniforme and peâ—petuall consent of Evangelicall doctrine which quite strippeth a man of matter of boasting and ascribeth the glory of his benefit to Gods grace onely and contrary to the Apostle witnessing that it is God that shall confirme us unto the end that we may be blamelesse in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 3. They teach that the regenerate and true beleevers not only may totally and finally fall from justifying saith as also from grace and salvation but that frequently also they indeed do fall from all these and perish everlastingly This opinion maketh the grace of justification and regeneration and Christs continuall custody voyd and of none effect contrary to the expresse words of St. Paul Rom. 5. 8. While we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us much more then being justified by his bloud we shall be saved from wrath through him And contrary to the Apostle St. Iohn 1 Joh. 3. 9. Whosoever is borne of God sinneth not for his seed remaineth in him neither can be sin because he is borne of God And also contrary to the word of our Saviour Iohn 10. 28 29. I give eternall life to my sheep and they shall never perish neither shall any plucke them out of my hand my Father which gave them me is greater then all and none is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand 4. They teach that the regeneraâ—e and truely faithfull may sin the sin unto death or against the holy Ghost St. Iohn in his first Epistle Chapter 5. Verse 16. Having made mention of such as sinned unto death and forbidden to pray for them presently verse 16. addeth We know that whosoever is borne of God sinneth not to wit that kinde of sin but he that is begotten of God keepeth himselfe and that wicked one coucheth him not 5. They teach that no certainty of future perseverance caâ— he had in this life without speciall revelation By this Doctrine the solid comfort of true beleevers in this life is quite taken away and the doctrine of doubâ—fulnesse â—â—â—ouched by the Papists is brought againe into the Church whereas the holy Scripture every wheâ—e draweth this assurance not from special and extraordinary revelation but from the proper markes and signes of Gods children and from the infallible promises made by God himselfe especially the Apostle Rom. 8. 39. No creature is able to separate us from the love of God which is in Iesus Christ. 1 Joh 3. 24. He that keepeth his Commadement dwelleth in him and he in him and hereby we know that hee abideth in us even by the spirit which hee hath given us 6. They teach that the doctrine maintaiâ—ing assurance and persâ—verance and of salvation is of its own nature gift a soft pillow for the flesh and hurtfull to good manners godlinesse praying and other holy exercises and contrariwise that it is a true commendable thing to be doubtfull of such perseverance The opposers of this assurance do evideÌ„tly shew that they know not the powerfulnesse of Gods grace nor the operation of the holy Ghost dwelling in the heart and spare not to outface the Apostle Iohn affiâ—ming the contrary in expresse terms 1 Ioh 3. 2 3. Beloved now are we the sonnes of God and it doth not yet appeare what we shal be but we know that when he shal appeare we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is And every man that this hope in him purifieth himselfe even as he is pure They are also refuted by the examples of holy men both in the old and new Testament who though well assured of their own perseverance and salvation yet gave not over prayers and otheâ— exercises of godlinesse 7. They teach that the faith of those that beleeve but for a season differeth no from justifying and saving faith but onely in respect of continuance Christ himselfe manifestly puts Mat. 13. 20. Luke 8. 13. a three-fold disparison between temporisors and true beleevers saying that those receive the seed in a stony ground these in a good ground that is an honest and good heart these want root these have a fast root these are fruitlesse these bring forth their fruit with diversity of yeeld that with patience that is with constancy and perseverance 8. They teach that it is absurd that a man