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A49112 A continuation and vindication of the Defence of Dr. Stillingfleet's Unreasonableness of separation in answer to Mr. Baxter, Mr. Lob, &c. containing a further explication and defence of the doctrine of Catholick communication : a confutation of the groundless charge of Cassandrianism : the terms of Catholick communion, and the docrine of fundamentals explained : together with a brief examination of Mr. Humphrey's materials for union / by the author of The defence. Long, Thomas, 1621-1707. 1682 (1682) Wing L2964; ESTC R21421 191,911 485

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sum of Christian Religion that is certainly the most demonstrative way that can be For though I do not like the way of making fundamental Articles by deduction and consequence from such a Fundamental because as Mr. Mede observes all men may not see the necessity of such a consequence though it appear plain and evident to others yet if for instance the Doctrine of Salvation by Christ be the great fundamental Doctrine of the Gospel and if that be not Fundamental I am sure nothing is then though every true consequence from this Doctrine be not Fundamental yet whatever is necessarily included in this Doctrine without which we cannot rightly understand and believe Salvation by Christ must be as Fundamental as the Doctrine it self is unless the Letters or Words of the Article be Fundamental but not the true sence of it and within these bounds I have kept my self I have asserted no Doctrine to be Fundamental but what is necessary to our belief of Salvation by Christ which is a very different thing from drawing fundamental consequences Mr. Mede indeed assigns another ratio of fundamental Articles Ib. ep 83. in general that they be necessarii cognitu creditu ad salutem necessary to be known and to be believed to Salvation simply and absolutely and therefore no Christian which shall be saved uncapable to understand them which exactly agrees with me who make only the Doctrine of Salvation by Christ in its true and proper signification a fundamental Article But then more particularly he tells us that they must not be such truths as are meerly speculative and contained only in the understanding but of such only as have a necessary influence upon practise and not all those neither but such as have necessary influence upon the Acts and Functions of Christian Life or whereon the Acts without which a Christian lives not depend Such namely as without the knowledg and belief whereof we can neither invocate the Father aright nor have that Faith and relyance upon him and his Son our Mediator Jesus Christ which is necessary to remission of sins and the hope of the Life to come Where he seems evidently to confine Fundamentals to the Doctrine of Salvation by Christ for nothing else is necessary to what he calls the proper acts and functions of the Christian Life But he proceeds How far this ratio of a Fundamental Article will stretch I know not but believe it will fetch in most of the Articles of the Apostles Creed and by it also those two main errors of the Socinians the one denying the divine Nature the other the satisfaction of Christ may be discerned to be Fundamental for without the belief of the first the Divine Majesty cannot be rightly that is incommunicably worshipp'd so as to have no other Gods besides him For he that believes not Christ to be consubstantial to the Father and yet honours him with the same Worship worships not the Father incommunicably which is the formalis ratio of the Worship of the true God from whom we look for eternal Life and without the belief of the second the satisfaction of Christ there can be I suppose no saving Faith nor relyance on Christ for the forgiveness of sins How well this agrees with what I have discours'd about Fundamentals every one will easily perceive Some other learned men go the same way with Mr. Mede in assigning the general Ratio or Notion of Fundamentals that they are such Doctrines as have a great influence upon a Christian Life though they do not confine it as he does to some peculiar acts of the Christian Life and he could have no reason to do so had he not some other Notion of Fundamentals in his mind than what he expressed for all the acts of Piety and Vertue are equally required of us by the Laws of the Gospel and therefore it is most reasonable in this way to extend the Notion of Fundamentals to all those Doctrines which have an universal influence upon a good Life but I have something to offer with all modesty and just respect and deference to such great names against this Notion of Fundamentals 1. That a holy Life is not the only design of the Christian Religion and therefore if we will judge of fundamental Doctrines by the end they are intended to serve we must take in the whole and entire end of the Christian Religion which is forgiveness of sins as well as holyness of Life And therefore whatever is necessary to be believed for the forgiveness of sins is a fundamental Doctrine of Christianity though we could not see what direct and immediate influence it has upon the reformation of our Lives 2. The Doctrine of the ever blessed Trinity hath in all ages of the Church been accounted a fundamental Article and yet nothing is more plain than that the belief of three divine Persons considered only as three Persons has no greater force in it to make men good than the belief of one supreme and eternal God It is true when we consider all these divine Persons as concerned in the Oeconomy of Man's Salvation so the belief of each Person has a distinct and powerful influence upon our minds but this is not owing immediately to the Doctrine of the Trinity but to the Doctrine of man's Salvation by Christ who was sent into the World by his Father to accomplish the Work of our redemption and when he left the World sent his holy Spirit to abide with us 3. All those Doctrines which have a powerful influence upon a good life are not in a strict and proper sence Christian Doctrines much less fundamental Articles of the Christian Faith and therefore this can be no good Criterion of a Fundamental such are all the natural arguments to Religion and a vertuous Life which though they be adopted into Christianity yet will hardly pass for fundamentals of Christianity with any man who can distinguish between natural knowledg and Revelation 4. Men may live very holy lives without the knowledg or belief of many Doctrines which are excellently fitted to promote holiness and therefore every Doctrine which will advance holiness is not Fundamental and yet this general rule does not direct us how to distinguish them 5. Nay many Doctrines which are so far from being Fundamental that they are false may yet prevail with and encline some men to the practise of real holiness 6. Some Doctrines which naturally tend to debauch mens lives are not yet fundamental Errors for men may believe them and yet live well and therefore we shall still want a Rule to judg of fundamental Heresies by unless no Heresie be Fundamental but when it debauches mens lives and by the same rule no Doctrine is Fundamental but when it actually governs and reforms our lives 7. This leaves men at great liberty to believe what Doctrines they please to be Fundamental and to change even Christianity it self into a new Religion for if they think they can