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scripture_n article_n faith_n tradition_n 3,058 5 9.0436 5 false
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A04540 A Christian plea conteyning three treatises. I. The first, touching the Anabaptists, & others mainteyning some like errours with them. II. The second, touching such Christians, as now are here, commonly called Remonstrants or Arminians. III. The third, touching the Reformed Churches, with vvhom my self agree in the faith of the Gospel of our Lord Iesus Christ. Made by Francis Iohnson, pastour of the auncient English Church, now sojourning at Amsterdam in the Low Countreyes. Johnson, Francis, 1562-1618. 1617 (1617) STC 14661; ESTC S107828 395,581 331

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to this head another new head wherupō it is called papal or popish wherin it may likwise rest with al. The calling is to God alone in the church of Rome there is calling to others with God the calling upō thē There the calling is by the spirit Scripture alone whence it receiveth the ministerie delivereth nothing more then that which it hath received from the Lord here it receiveth a ministerie from the spirit of Christ and of the Pope from the Scripture and the ragged traditions of men there finally the persons things and actions are caried according to the doctrine of the spirit and the Scripture onely here all things are taken and exercised out of the Popes changeable shop and at his beck as they say they stand and fall So all the marks on Gods behalf are in it but for it self on it own part as they say there is no mark intire no marke that is not corrupt by the papall poysonfull sorcerie and the order of all things most miserably perverted For which cause in Lyons in France a certain Frier did merrily preach to the people when he sayd the Hugonots for so they are called in France did consent with the church of Rome in all their articles of saith but there was one shrewd word the word Onely at the crack whereof war was in ●indled for they beleeue onely what the rule of faith hath out of the holy Scriptures but the church of Rome requireth more unto faith then is eyther conteyned in the rule of faith or in the holy Scriptures because such is the authoritie of the church And this also These things being well understood all men will easely perceiue how that Church in respect of God or on Gods part is yet a church but of it self is most corrupt and verie neere to destruction But here doe arise two doubts and difficulties by which the minds of many are troubled The first doubt is what we are to judge of the members of that church The latter what the dutie of them is who are in that church and see the great corruptions thereof To the first question we answer on this manner A threefold judgment had need meet together in this cause And this the first of trueth the second of charitie the third of prudence or wisdome The judgment of trueth is of the common condition of the church by which we judge from the calling of God that as yet she is a church The judgment of charitie is of the severall members of the church by vvhich we presume they be members of the church whiles they be called with the calling from God and are in this way as David calleth it Psal 2. The judgment of prudence or wisdome is that by vvhich we discerne and distinguish persons things actions divine from humane good ones from evill true ones from false and the degrees of these also amongst themselues For as of things and actions so also of persons some are corrupting through ignorance infirmitie or malice wholly or in part others are corrupted euen in the simplicity of their hearts as the Scripture speaketh and of these there are a great number of whom it were ungodly to esteeme that they were not of the church of God Of such as doe corrupt we must take heed Mat. 7. of the corrupted who are corrupted yet still we must haue compassion But the Church verely is not to be judged of the maner of either of these for Christ saith not ye shall not know the church but by their fruits of doctrine and life ye shall know them Mat. 7 20. And without doubt they doe very unwisely who judge of the trueth of a church by the particular life or doctrine of any men who ever they be especially of private men for the calling of God maketh the church not the assenting answer of the men that are in it as on the other side the Church ceaseth not to be a church for the refusall or deniall of men wheresoever the calling of God is Now let us come to the second demaund What is the duetie of those wilt thou say that are in the popish church and see the grievous corruptions of it And some clauses here Their dutie is such as of those children which dwel together with their adulterous mother for God hath used this similitude in Esay and Ieremie as we haue seen before A wise sonne vvill euen from his heart abhorre the sinne of his mother he will with speach and signe call back his mother from evill and he will absteine himself from it and in all things he will cleaue to his father he will stand to his judgment he will obey his will and while he can by reason of his mother he will cleaue unto her next after his father but when and whiles by reason of her he can not doe it with good conscience for the spiritual and bodily injurie of her he will betake himself into the chamber of his father Closet or inner room where also is the church the mother of us all Gal. 4 26. For this is not a good consequent if one depart from this or that church therefore he doth altogether depart from the church He doth but trifle that doth so from a particular conclude universally A part of the flesh if it be divided or cut asunder from another part by a wound received is not straight way to be thought to be separate or cut of from the whole body for it is cut asunder and the mouth of the vvound openeth but neyther part is therefore disjoyned from the bodie A godly sonne therefore ought to cleaue to his father and mother jointly so long as with good conscience he can but because he cannot with sound faith and conscience haue fellowship vvith the unfruitfull works of darknes Eph. 5 11. he rather leaving his mother cleaveth to God his father and our Lord Iesus Christ then that he vvill defile himself with those foule deeds of his mother And these passages following to the end And this did our auncestors religiously whom the popish tyrannie for some ages hath exercised The godly which were at Rome and other where in the Church which they call the Romane church abusiuely first learned to abhorre euen from their soule the sinnes of their mother when once they began to haue right understanding by words and signes they modestly called her back from her naughtie deeds whiles she would beare them they carefully absteyned themselues from all communion of evill yet in all things cleaving to their father from whom in whom by whom and for vvhom are all things standing to his judgment and obeying his will finally they did so long cleaue to their mother next after their father vvhilst by her they could so doe with intire faith and conscience and their owne salvation But when they could not longer with good faith and conscience so doe by reason of the violent tyrannie the spirituall