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A04767
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Heavenly knowledg directing a Christian to ye assurance of his salvation in this life / written in Latin by Barthol. Keckerm. ; done into English by T.V.
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Keckermann, Bartholomäus, ca. 1571-1608 or 9.; Vicars, Thomas. Treatise written to the glory of gods grace, against free-will.
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1625
(1625)
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STC 14897; ESTC S1099
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106,438
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362
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earth the state of the Church was a most corrupt state so that beside Christ and his Apostles there were very few members of the true Church yea and before Christs birth a little Mary Ioseph Zachary and Elizabeth and a few more which lay so secret that there was no shew of them to any man made vp the true Church Such like vnto these was that estate of the Church those 600 yeares vnder the Papacie of which time there was expresse prediction before Reuel 12.6 that the time to wit should come that the Church should be obscure as it were hid in the wildernesse But therefore can any conclude that there was no Church No surely no more then it doth follow This man is hid therefore hee is not a man There were in that most thicke darkenesse of Poperie and vnder the Kingdome of that Antichrist of Rome Syst Theol. pag. 408. true members of the Church although by reason of that cruell tyranny of the Pope they lay hid neither was there so few of them as the Papists faine which at that very time vnder Popery had the pure doctrine and the Sacramēts but there were very many of them euen whole Countryes that were not defiled by the corrupt Doctrine of the Papists as the Albin genses and the Valdenses and they of Picardie who propagated the holy Truth in Bohemia and Polonia in spite of all the Popes resistance As also a hundred yeares before Luther Et si Papatus non sit ecclesia voluit tamen Deus in Papatu seruare ecclesiam Theod. Beza there were the Hussites Brethren of Bohemia who maintained the true Doctrine of the Gospell as those times would giue them leaue Yea and further in all and euery of those yeares there were by Gods working continually raised vp Witnesses and Teachers who openly and before all shewed their detestation of the Pope and Popish errours which Witnesses of the Truth euen in the time of Papacie they are all gathered together in a Book most worthie the perusing which wee ought alwaies to oppose to the Papists which hath for its Title Catalogus testium veritatis that is A Catalogue of the Witnesses of the Truth The third Note the Papists doe make vniuersality Obiect because forsooth the Church dispersed ouer all the world Syst Theol. pag. 404. ought to be Catholike I answer That the Papists here doe contradict themselues when they say the Church of God must be Catholicke and yet the Romish Church must bee that Church of God which is all one as if I should say the Church must be the vniuersall Dantiscan Church or the vniuersall Cracouiun Church or a particular vniuersall Church for to be the Romish Church and to bee a particular one is all one Againe wee answer that we do not denie that the Church ought to bee Catholike in that sense wherein the word is vsed in the Creed as afterwards it shall be made plaine And we say that our Church hath alwaies beene and now also is Catholike because that after the Apostles had gathered the Church out of all Nations there did alwaies from time to time remaine some reliques of the true Church in all Nations although those reliques were hid and obscured as that book Catalogus testium veritatis which we haue a little before cited doth testifie that in the very time of Poperie there was alwaies in Greece Italy Spaine Germany Bohemia Polonia some found that opposed and resisted the Pope But whereas the Iesuites obiect vnto vs that in America and in the East Indies there are no Protestant Preachers of the Gospell as yet but all Papists and especially Iesuites labouring the conuersion of the people I answer them first that the Pharisies also did runne about both by Sea and Land to draw men vnto their faith and yet for all that their Religion was not true Secondly I say that the Papists haue slaine moe in the Jndies then they haue conuerted as you may see by a place which I haue cited in my Politiques l. 1. c. 4. that in a very short time a hundred and fortie thousand men were murdered by them Thirdly I am sure the Diuell also goes a compassing the whole world and seduceth many yet is he for that neuer a whit the better Fourthly I auerre that our Ministers also haue taught the true Gospell in America inasmuch as Caluin sent thither two Ministers of the Church from Geneua the one whereof was Joannes Lerius who committed that story to writing And at this day there are Orthodoxe Ministers in the East Jndies which doe publikely preach the true doctrine of the Gospell carried ouer thither by the Merchants of the Low-Countryes And doubtlesse toward the end of this world the true Religion shall be in America as God now is preparing the way for it by the English and Low-Countrie Merchants that that of Christ may bee fulfilled Matth. 24.14 The Gospell shall bee preached throughout the whole World that it may bee a witnes to all Nations For GOD in in all his workes is wont to effect a thing successiuely and therefore first hee sends vnto those Nations some light of his Essence and his Truth by the Papists and afterward will make these things shine more cleerely vnto them by the true and faithfull Ministers of the Gospel Obiect The fourth note the Papists say is vnitie and good agreement Solut. I answer Vt est ecclesia Dei vna sic est Diaboli vna Babylō Aug. Consent and vnitie is but so farre a marke of the Church as the consent is in truth and goodnesse and not in euill and falsehood for such an agreement in euill and falsitie is among the very Deuills and what greater agreement and consent then among robbers so also among the Turkes there is very great consent so that Mahometisme is farre and heare by them propagated yet doth it not hence follow that Mahometisme is the true Church Secondly I answer that in our Church there is great consent in the truth for howsoeuer after Luthers time there arose many Churches the Diuell being alwaies busie to cast his plots against the true Church and to stirre vp in it diuers Sects yet the Orthodoxe Professours are at good agreement about the Articles of Faith as that excellent Booke called the Harmony of Cōfessions doth testifie wherein it is manifestly prooued that there is exceeding great consent betwixt the Churches of France England Scotland Bohemia and those which are in Germany neere vnto Rhene and in other Provinces For that disagreement which is betwixt the Lutherans and the Orthodoxe Professours doth not straight way quite dissolue the vnity which is betwixt the members of the true Church Thirdly I deny that there is so great agreement in the Romish Church as they boast of for it can bee easily showne that the Popish Writers agree not in any one Article among themselues as it doth appeare out of Bellarmine who ordinarily disputeth against other Papists alleageth
any of the Articles of faith that also can little auaile them because wee doe dispute and iudge of doctrine and faith by the word of God and it may be so disputed although that point of the Church bee not before handled Syst Theol. pag. 390. for the Word of God is before the Church and aboue the Church neither hath the Church any authority to wrest the Scripture as wee haue formerly proued in the common place of Scripture But here I would haue noted the exceeding fraud of the Popish Writers that when they haue made a great stirre about the Church and stood long vpon it at length they conclude the Church to be a Councell consisting of the Pope the Cardinals and Bishops and so exclude all other which are neither Cardinals nor Bishops from the Church at least remoouing them so farre that they shall not make vp the Church properly so called and principally that hereby they might the more establish the insoleÌ„t pride of their Spiritaltie against the manifest Word of God You haue made plaine the Doctrine of Redemption vnto me now it followes that you instruct mee in the matter of the Iustification of man before God wherefore shew me J pray you what is Justification It is the absoluing of sinnefull man from his sinnes Syst Theol. pag 413. De Iustificatione Zanch. CoÌ„fess c. 19. item Loc. Com. 11. Calu instit lib. 3. cap. 11 seqq or it is a forgiuing of sinnes by the meere grace and fauour of God for the merits of Christ imputed and applied vnto vs by Faith What are to bee considered about Iustification Foure things 1. the principall cause 2. the instrumentall cause 3. the effect and fruite and lastly the necessary adiunct What is the principall cause of JustificatioÌ„ before God The principall cause is either primarie or secondary the prime câ—use is the grace and mercy of God the other cause is the merit of Christ or the death and passion of Christ made ours imputed vnto vs or appropriated vnto vs so truly that the PassioÌ„ of Christ should besteede vs as much as if we our selues had hanged on the Crosse and had died for our owne sinnes Hereof we haue manifest testimonies of the Scripture Rom. 5.8.19 As by one man many were made sinners Ipse peccatum nos iusticia nec nostra sed Dei nec in nobis sed in ipso sicut ipse peccatum non suum sed nostrum nec in se sed in nobis Sic ergo sumus iustitia Dei in ipso vt ille est peccatum in nobis nempe imputatione Aug. c. Rom. 4.5.6 Blessed is the man vnto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without the workes of the Law 2. Cor. 5.21 Hee made him which knew no sinne to bee sinne for vs that wee might bee made the righteousnesse of God in him Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the Law whilest hee was made a curse for vs. Philip. 3.9 That J may bee found not hauing my owne righteousnesse but that which is by the faith of Christ Now there is no opposition in this we say Syst Theol. pag. 420. that a sinner is iustified by the meere grace of God and yet by the merit of Christ because it was brought about by the meere mercie grace of God that Christ performed that meritorious work for vs for Christ was in no wise bound vnto vs to die for vs but hee out of his meere grace and mercy did vndergo death for vs. What is the Instrumentall cause of Iustification Only faith in Christ De Fide Zanch. Loc. Com. 7 8 insomuch as by faith euen as by a hand and instrument wee lay hold on and apply vnto vs the merit and satisfaction which Christ hath performed for vs. What is Faith Faith is not only a bare knowledge of the History of Christ Syst Theol. pag 427. Calu Instit lib. 3. ca. 2. but it is also a sure confidence of the heart whereby wee set downe in our selues for certainety 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and be perswaded that our sinnes are forgiuen vs of God for the death and passion of Christ Note here two maine errours of Poperie whereof the first is that faith is only a certaine Historicall knowledge and no true and sure confidence of the hart against which the Scripture it selfe directly speaketh Rom. 14.5 and Heb. 10.22 where faith is called a sure trust and perswasion See my Gymnasium logicum wherein you haue this in that Theame Fides some what opened The second errour is that we come by the remission of sinnes Calu. Instit lib. 3. cap. 14 15. 17. 18. not by faith alone but also by the merit of good workes contrary vnto those sayings in the Scripture Ephes 2.8 By the grace of God you are saued through faith and not of your selues Rom. 4.3 Abraham beleeued and that was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse Againe Vnto him not that work ethe but that beleeueth in him which iustifieth the wicked his faith is counted for righteousnes Luk. 8.50 Mark 5.36 Si credis fidei cur alia infers quasi iustificare non sufficiat sola Chrysost saith Christ onely beleeue which is all one as if hee had said By faith alone thou shalt obtaine euerlasting life So then although these words bee not manifestly extant By faith alone wee are iustified yet the sense is manifestly put downe and other words therevnto equiualent are contained in the Scripture for whereas the Apostle saith Rom. 3.28 Wee conclude that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the Law Certainely it is all one as if hee said Wee conclude that a man is iustified only by faith for a man must needs bee iustified either by faith or by workes a third way none can be able to shew Paul plainely saith to the Galathians Gal. 2.16 Non opus est lege quando impius per solam fidem iustificatur Ambros Ephs 2.5 Tit. 3.5 We know that a man is not iustified by the workes of the Law but by the faith of Jesus Christ Not By those righteous deeds which we haue done but by his owne mercy hee hath saued vs through the Lauer of regeneration and renewing of the holy Spirit Therefore it remaineth that wee say that faith alone doth iustifie a man And that no man is iustified by workes and so consequently that our workes doe not merit for vs forgiuenesse of sinnes I proue it by euident testimonies of holy Writ I. Tit. 3.5 Eph. 2.8 QuaÌ„taelibet fuisse virtutis antiquos praedices iustos non eos saluos fecit nisi fides Aug. By grace are ye saued through faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of workes least any should boast Secondly Philip. 3.9 Rom. 3.24 II. Wee are iustified before we do any works as S. Paul expresly witnesseth of Abraham that before hee had done any good worke he was iustified