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spirit_n grace_n holy_a lord_n 14,167 5 3.6878 3 true
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A69071 Directions to know the true church. Written by George Carleton, Doctor of Diuinitie Carleton, George, 1559-1628. 1615 (1615) STC 4632; ESTC S112818 32,595 148

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thinke it sufficient to receiue the outward signe of the Sacrament of Baptisme without inward grace as these men teach but hee holdeth the inward spirituall grace to be needfull and therefore declaring that spirituall grace he sayth Wee are baptized by one Spirit into one body For seeing that by the grace of Baptisme men are regenerate and made the sons of God therefore this vnitie which the Church hath by the Sacrament of Baptisme is defined by the Apostle not to be externall perceiued by sense as these teach but to be internall and spirituall For by one Spirit we are baptised into one body that is by one Spirit wee are regenerate and are made members of this holy body the Church And therefore the Apostle ioyneth these three things together One Lord one faith one Baptisme Ephe. 4. 3. as if he should say One head one rule one body of beleeuers regenerated by baptisme We are forced from euidence of the trueth to vnderstand Baptisme from the words of the Apostle not of the externall perception but of the inward grace of the Sacrament because what he meaneth by one Baptisme himselfe declareth when he sayth By one Spirit wee are all baptised into one body The summe is this vnitie which the Church hath from the Spirit is a spirituall grace without which inward spirituall grace no man can haue the communion of the holy Ghost or be a member of Christ his Church in the vnitie of one Spirit But without this inward spiritual grace a man may bee a member of the Church of Rome therefore the Church of Rome is not the Church of Christ forasmuch as that Church is fallen away from the vnitie of the Spirit which knitteth all the members of the Church together The fourth vnitie whereby the Church is knowen to be one and the same alwayes is the vnitie of Faith For the true Church from the Apostles hauing receiued the true faith hath helde the same vnto this day and must holde it without change vnto the end of the world And therefore the ancient Fathers were wont to prooue the Church to be alwayes the same in many generations and successions because the same faith was alwayes helde in the Church without change whereupon S. Hierome commenting vpon the 23. Psalme vpon these words Haec est generatio quaerentium dominum sayth Ecclesia ex pluribus personis congregatur tamen vna dicitur propter vnitatem fidei that is The Church is gathered together of diuers persons and yet it is said to be one for the vnitie of faith Then they who hold not this vnitie can neuer prooue that they haue the vnitie of the Church which Christ redeemed with his blood which the Apostles taught and planted The faith of the Church is said to bee one because the rule of faith is one and the same from the beginning of the Church to the ende the rule of faith is the doctrine of faith contained in the holy Scriptures This is the rule that ruleth the Church for the Church must teach the true faith and that is the true faith which the Church teacheth out of the holy Scriptures so that wee must not take whatsoeuer the Church teacheth without any limitation or rule For the Church hath a rule to teach by this rule is the rule of faith taken out of the holy Scriptures so long as any particular Church teacheth according to this rule so long is that Church to be heard but if a Church once fall away from this rule of faith then it ceaseth to be a true Church of God as many particular Churches haue fallen away because they haue forsaken this rule of faith First therefore I will proue out of the Scriptures and ancient fathers that the true Church is knowen by the rule of faith And then I wil demōstrate that this rule of faith is no other thing then the true doctrines of faith conteined in the Scripture By which meanes it wil appeare what is the true Church and where it is to bee found The Apostle proouing that the Ephesians were a true Church of God saith You are no more strangers Eph. 2. 20. but felow citisens with the Saints and of the houshold of God are built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Christ Iesus himselfe being the chiefe corner Stone In which wordes hee declareth what the true Church is an assembly of Saints the houshold of God vpon what foundation it is built for the doctrine of the faith vpon which the Church is built is called a foundation And because this doctrine is cōteined in the holy scriptures written by the Prophets and Apostles therefore it is called the foūdation of the prophets Apostles Then the church is built vpon this foundation that is vpon the faith cōteined in the Scriptures written by the prophets Apostles And if any Church change once this foundation that ceaseth to be a true Church of Christ Of diuers testimonies of fathers I will cite a fewe Clemens Alexandrinus saith Wee Libr. 7. stromatum say that the ancient and Catholike Church is knowen to be in the vnitie of one Faith which faith is contained in the proper Testaments or rather in one Testament which in diuers times is Contra omnes hereses one Athanasius saith The Orthodoxe Church truely reading and exactly examining the holy Scriptures doeth edifie it selfe vpon the Rocke The Authour Hom. 49. of the imperfect worke vpon Matt. saith If any would know what is the true Church how shall hee know this but onely by Scriptures S. Austin saith In the Epist 60. Scriptures we learne Christ in the Scriptures we learne to know the Church of Christ. Vincentius Licinensis saith The Church of Lib. contr heres cap. 32. Christ is a carefull keeper of the doctrines committed to her shee changeth nothing of them at any time she diminisheth nothing she addeth nothing shee cutteth off nothing necessary shee putteth to nothing superfluous shee looseth not her owne shee vsurpeth no strange doctrine Bede saith The In Iohn lib. 1. c. 12 foundation of the Church is the soundnesse of the Faith of the Apostles and Prophets According to these speake the rest because wee would not stay too long vpon testimonies Whereby it appeareth that this hath beene the common doctrine of the Church that the true Church is knowen by holding the rule of faith which true faith the Prophets and Apostles haue written and declared to the Church So that heerein standeth the ministerie of the Church in preseruing this faith for euer sound which by the holy men inspired of God to write the Scriptures is left to the Church Or as S. Iude faith Iude 3. To contend earnestly for the faith which was once deliuered to the Saints Now that this rule of faith is no other thing sauing only the true doctrine of the Scripture it will appeare if wee briefly consider the testimonies of the Scriptures and doctrines
by grace knit to Christ their head as we haue prooued out of the Apostle Therfore that Church whose members are not knit to Christ by grace to the edifying of themselues in loue is no true Church of Christ It will not aduantage them to say that they haue among them some good men who they doubt not are members of Christ though their Church hath communion also with such as haue no inward grace and vertue For the Church of Christ hath no cōmunion with wicked men who liue without inward grace because the communion which the Church hath is called in our Creede Acommunion of Saints The Saints are men sanctified by the Spirit of God washed by the blood of Christ from their sins These Saints haue communiō both with Christ their Head by faith and with and among themselues by loue and charitie This communion is not betweene good and euill between Saints and wicked men but only among the Saints who are cleansed from all sinne by the blood of Christ for so S. Iohn teacheth speaking of this communion of Saints If wee walke in 1. Ioh. 1. 7 the light as he is in the light wee haue communion one with another and the blood of Iesus Christ his sonne cleanseth vs from all sinne Then this communion is among them that are cleansed by the blood of Christ from all sinne But the members of the Church of Rome which by their owne confession haue no inward grace are not cleansed from all their sinne by his blood And therfore such men cannot say that they haue this communion or any part thereof For vnto such S. Iohn saith in the words immediatly going before If we say that wee haue communion 1 Ioh. 1. 6 with him and walke in darkenesse we lie and do not the truth Now if these be found to be lyars by the testimonie of S. Iohn who say they haue communion with Christ when they walke in darknesse when they haue no inward vertue for such must needs walke in darkenesse who haue no inward light direction then out of doubt the Popish Church as now it standeth can haue no communion with Christ and consequently can be no true Church of Christ The reason is plaine from these principles which are their confession on the one side and the expresse testimonie of Scriptures on the other side The second Vnitie of the Church is the vnitie of the head Christ is the head of his Church And the Church of Christ is knowen by this vnitie for that is the true Church that hath alwayes kept this Head Iesus Christ But the Romish Church hath changed this head seeing they haue the Pope the head of the vniuersall Church Their common answere is That the Pope is Christ his Vicar and the ministeriall head But this answere is but a cloake to couer ignorance For the Church is but one and herein wee haue the confession of the Papists For Cardinall Bellarmine sayth the Libr. 3. cap. 2. de Eccles Church is onely one and not two and of this one Church he maketh the Pope to be the head as being Christs Vicar Now to bolt out the truth we reason thus The Church is one this one onely Church is Christ his bodie Christ his Spouse therefore if the Pope bee Christ his Vicar and the ministeriall head he must by this delegacie gouerne the same Church vnder Christ which is his body his Spouse For if Christ gouerne one Church and the Pope another then the Pope cannot be Christ his Vicar because hee gouerneth not the same vnder Christ for hee must bee Vicar to him whose Church hee doeth gouerne But the Pope doeth not gouerne the same Church vnder Christ but another Assembly For Christ is the head of his owne body of his owne members that is of Saints of true beleeuers of such as receiue inward grace vertue from the head and by that grace grow vp to the edification of themselues in loue as the Apostle teacheth But the Pope by the common confession of Papistes is head of such a Church whose mēbers haue no inward grace or vertue in them but onely the externall profession of the Romish faith acknowledging that the Pope is their head and gouernour For without this acknowledgment that the Pope is the head of the Church and Christ his Vicar on earth no profession of faith can make a man a member of that Church whatsoeuer faith he professe he is not receiued as a member in that Church vnlesse hee professe this faith of the Papall authoritie And if he professe this though there be in him no inward grace no vertue yet he is taken to be a true member of that Church By this it appeareth that the Pope doeth not gouerne the same Church vnder Christ whereof Christ is the head For Christ is not the head of wicked profane liuers that are without inward grace without vertue the deuill is their head Saint Austin sayth Lib. 3. cap. 37. de doctrina Christiana truely Diabolus est caput impiorum qui sunt eius quodammodo corpus ituri cumillo in supplicio aeterni ignis sicut Christus est caput Ecclesiae quae est corpus eius futurum cum illo in regno gloria sempiterna that is The deuil is the head of wicked men who are after a sort his body and shall goe with him into his kingdom and euerlasting fire euen as Christ is the head of the Church which is his body and shall be with him in his kingdom and euerlasting glory Whereupon it followeth that if the Pope bee the ministeriall head of a Church that Church consisting of wicked men that liue without inward grace or vertue as themselues confesse and the deuill being the head of all such as S. Augustine proueth It followeth I say that the Pope is by this found to be the Vicar of the deuill and the ministeriall head of the deuill ruling an assembly whereof the deuil is the head and not Christ This conclusion though it seeme to derogate much from the assumed title of his Holinesse yet considering the former premisses no man of learning and vnderstanding can iustly denie Then the Church of Rome is fallen away from this communion with the Head Christ Iesus because it is certaine that they who haue no inward grace and vertue haue no cōmunion with this head The third vnitie of the Church is the vnitie of the Spirit The whole Church is gouerned and directed by the same Spirit And therefore the Apostle speaking of the giftes which God giueth for the edificatiō of the Church sayth All these worketh that 1. Cor. 12. 11. one and the selfe-same Spirit And of the members of the Church that are gouerned by the selfesame Spirit he sayth a litle after the former words For by one Spirit we are all baptized 1. Cor. 12. 13. into one body In which words it is euident that to be a member of the Church the Apostle doeth not