Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A63637
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The true Protestant religion set forth by way of dialogue discovering the idolatries and abominations professed and taught in the Church of Rome / by a Presbyter of the Church of England.
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Presbyter of the Church of England.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing T2864; ESTC R4661
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28,790
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38
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Father Yes We have the Nicene Creed made by the Fathers of the Nicene Councel the Creed of Athanasius and that which is commonly call'd the Apostles Creed which ought throughly to be believed for they may be proved by most certain Warrants of holy Scripture as our Church declares Art 8. Child But do these Creeds contain the true Christian Catholick Faith Father Yes They contain all necessary points in Religion to be believ'd and have therefore been call'd the Key and Rule of Faith and the Church never knew any other Creed or confession of Faith for many hundred years Child Is this the Faith which I must profess and seal with my Blood if I be called to it Father Yes Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in Faith and Love which is in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 1.13 Hence Athanasius thus concludes This is the Catholick Faith which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved Child But do not the Papists own these three Creeds as well as we Father They do own them as part of the Christian Faith though they little regard them but not as the whole Christian Faith Child Have they any other Creed or Profession of the Faith Father Yes The decrees of their Popes and the Canons of their late Popish Councels they hold to be Articles of Faith but especially they own and maintain the new Creed made by the Councel of Trent and confirmed by Pope Pius the fourth in the year 1564. Child Is it lawful Sir to make a new Creed Father No in no wise Though we saith St. Paul or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed Gal. 1.8 Child I perceive by what you have spoken that notwithstanding the Papists talk of the old Religion they have made a new Creed and brought in a new Religion and that we are call'd Protestants because we protest against it Father You conclude very well and that you may be confirmed and strengthened in the true Faith I will shew you the Trent Creed and give you some short Observations upon it First I most firmly receive and embrace the Apostolical and Ecclesiastical Traditions and all other Customs and Constitutions of the same Church Child What be those Traditions and Customs of the Church Father Truly Child I know not neither do they themselves neither will they tell us what they be but when they can make no proof for a Doctrine out of the Word of God they say 't is a Tradition and yet this Christ condemns in the Jews Mark 7.7 9. In vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of men full well ye reject the Commandments of God that you may keep your own Traditions Child If this be the first Article of their new Creed they begin well for as far as I can understand the real Sense and Import thereof is I believe in the Pope for whatsoever he says is a Tradition must be believ'd I pray Sir what is the second Father The second Article is I admit the holy Scripture in that sense which the holy Mother-Church hath held and holdeth to whom it belongs to judge of the true Sense and Interpretation of the holy Scriptures nor will I ever receive or interpret them but according to the unanimous Consent of the Fathers Child Here is a form of receiving the Scriptures but I perceive it must be in such Tenor and Sense as the Fathers admit that is I suppose the Pope and his Council But do they suffer the People to read the Scriptures Father No Child they dare not do it they know that would destroy Popery Root and Branch and yet Christ says Search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternal Life and they are they which testifie of me John 5.39 And the Bereans are commended and said to be nobler than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all Readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so Acts 17.11 12. Child But since they keep the power of Interpretation methinks they might suffer People to read the Scriptures with their Glosses upon it Father No Child they dare not for they would quickly find their Glosses to be false the Scripture is so plain teaching us that no Prophecy of the Scripture is of any private Interpretation for the Prophecy came not in old time by the Will of Man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1.20 Child But are all things necessary to Salvation plainly to be found in Scripture Father Yes The testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the Simple Psal 19.8 9. Thy word is a Lamp unto my Feet and a Light unto my Path. Psal 119.108 From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto Salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 Child You have said enough to this I pray God set it home to my Heart I pray Sir proceed to the third Article Father The third Article is I profess also that there are 7 true and proper Sacraments of the new Law instituted by Jesus Christ our Lord for the Salvation of Mankind although all are not necessary to each one to wit Order Baptism Confirmation Eucharist Pennance extream Unction Matrimony and those all give Grace and of these Baptism Confirmation and Order cannot be reiterated without Sacriledge Child Did Jesus Christ appoint these Seven Sacraments Father No some of them had their being before and some after Christ's time only Baptism and the Eucharist or Lords Supper were instituted immediately by Christ received their Forms from him and flowed out of his wounded side whence it cometh that Water is the matter of Baptism and Bread and Wine of the Lords Supper Child I observe that they make Matrimony a Sacrament and say it gives Grace and yet I have heard that they will not suffer their Priests to marry Is that true Father Yes 'T is true they do so but 't is contrary to the word of God for we read 1 Tim. 3.2 A Bishop must be blameless the Husband of one Wife having his Children in Subjection Child I pray Sir what is the fourth Article Father I also receive and admit all received and approved Rights of the Catholick Church in the solemn Administrations of all the abovesaid Sacraments Child I pray Sir what are those approved Rights Father The vain Superstitions and idolatrous Rites of the Church of Rome in the Administration of the Sacraments are so many that they cannot easily be numbred However some of the Principal that are in my mind I shall discover to you In Baptism they conjure the Devil out of the Child they use many Crossings and besides Water they use Chrisme or Cream Salt and the Priests Spittle In the Eucharist after the words of Consecration they elevate the Hoast as they call it that is the consecrated Wafer
The true Protestant Religion set forth BY WAY OF DIALOGUE Discovering the Idolatries and abominations PROFESSED and taught in the Church OF ROME By a PRESBYTER of the Church of ENGLAND LONDON Printed for Langly Curtiss c. 1683 THE PREFACE To all Protestant Parents and Masters of Families I Need not tell you how deeply you stand ingaged to provide for the Spiritual as well as Temporal good of your Children and Families The Command of God by Moses is plain These words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart And thou shalt teach them diligently to thy Children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house when thou walkest by the way when thou liest down and when thou risest up Deut. 6.6 7. The Apostle likewise is as plain Eph. 6.4 And you Fathers provoke not your Children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. If ever you intend to perform this Duty be careful of it now The Priests and Jesuits of Rome swarm amongst us They compass Sea and Land to gain Proselytes and endeavour by all the wayes and Arts imaginable to root out the true Christian Protestant Religion which hath so long flourished amongst us It concerns therefore now most especially all that fear the Lord to consider one another to teach and exhort one another to edifie and build up one another in our most holy Faith and Duties of the Gospel Now to the end you may know the true Christian Faith and the Differences between us and Rome I have composed this little Book which when your Children have learned the Church Catechism and in some measure begin to understand it I conceive will be very useful for them Accept it as candidly as 't is charitably offered to you by one whose onely aim and Design is to do good in his Generation that he may make his Accounts with comfort at the coming of Jesus Christ A PROTESTANT CATECHISM Child SIR By the Grace of God and your help and care I have learned the Church Catechism and have been able to answer the Minister in the Publick Congregation to such Questions as he thought fit to propose to me I have heard him likewise expound the Catechism and shew the usefulness of it from that of Solomon Prov. 22.6 Train up a Child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it And yet for all this I must confess I understand but little of Religion I hear sometimes a great deal of Discourse about it but I see little Practice of it I pray therefore as you have been careful to provide for my Outward man so make some provision for my Inward man also that I may not be always as a Child tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in wait to deceive as the Apostle speaks Eph. 4.14 Father My good Child I am very glad to see such signs and symptomes of Grace in you to hear you inquire after God and the Gospel of Christ God forbid that I should sin against God in ceasing to instruct you and to bring you up in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord I will to the utmost of my Power teach you the good and the right way Child I heartily thank you for your Love to my poor Soul and I praise the Name of the Lord who hath given me so good a Father and I hope he will give me Grace to honour and obey you and to remember your words all the dayes of my life And first I pray you tell me what Religion I must profess Father You must profess Child the Christian Religion for we read the Disciples were called Christians first at Antioch Acts 11.26 Child But Sir I meet with some men that call themselves Catholicks are not they Christians Father Yes They are Christians but the worst Christians in the World for they are Idolatrous Christians and have almost destroyed the Christian Religion by their Inventions Child I pray Sir what do you call these men Father The Law calls them Popish Recusants but we usually call them Papists because they believe the Pope of Rome to be the Head of the Church and obey his Commands though contrary to the Commands of God Child And what do these men call us Father When they may speak their mind freely they call us Hereticks And this we confess with St. Paul Acts 24.14 that after the way which they call Heresie so worship we the God of our Fathers believing all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets Child But do they not sometimes call us by the Name of Protestants Father Yes and we do not disown the Name for we do protest against the Errours of the Church of Rome Child Do they call us by any other Names Father Yes They call us Lutherans and Calvinists and what else they please though it be a known truth that the Church of England loves no Nisms We pin not our Faith upon any man's sleeve We honour Luther and Calvin and many others whom God raised up in the darkest times to preach the Gospel and to discover the Errours and Abominations of Rome but we profess no Lutheranism nor Calvinism nor indeed any thing of Mens invention but what we find in the Word of God Neither dare we turn the Faith of our Lord in respect of Persons or cry up one man in opposition to another For while one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollo are ye not carnal 1 Cor. 3.4 Is Christ divided was Paul crucified for you were you baptized in the name of Paul chap. 1.13 Child But Sir I have heard some Papists say that the Protestant Religion is a new Religion and therefore not true is it so indeed Father No. The Religion we profess was taught by Jesus Christ and preached by the Apostles to all the World Go teach all Nations and baptize them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you Matth. 28.19.20 Whatsoever Jesus Christ and his Apostles taught we believe if they taught the true Christian Religion we believe and profess it Child But I have heard some Papists put this Question to some Protestants Where was your Religion to be found before Luther what Answer may be given to that Question Father Our Religion was and is now to be found where their 's never was nor will be found in the Word of God Child Is the Scripture then the Rule of Faith and Obedience Father Yes All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good Works 2 Tim. 3.16 17. Child But besides the Scriptures have we not a Profession of Faith