Perkins - BX9318 P47 1626 v1

Ofthe ofthe [reede. Church. A by fuch power and authority wherebyhe can &cloth prefcribclawesproperly bmdmgtbe confcienceofall hismemters; the fecond, is bygrace toquicken &to put fpirirualllife into Fbem,fo as they fhall be able t0 fay, that they liuenor,but Chrifr in rhem. Asfor the Supre– macy ofthe feaofRome, whereby the Pope will needes fiand minifreriall bead to the Ca– tholike Church, it is afatanicall forgerie. For the headfRip (as 1may rearm\' it) of Chrifr is ofthat naturecir quality, thaf it ~~n admit n<> deputy,whether we refpeCl: thec~mandmg,or, theqHickf.ningpowerof Chrilt before named. ' Nay Chrifl needes QO vicar or d<puty; for ne' is all-fuflicicntin himfelfe and alwaies prelCJ!t with his Church,as he himfelfe teflifieth,fay· .ing, Math.r8,oo. Wheretwoorthreebegarhe. Chrift, befo;e they canhold and enioy rhcm aright,and vfe them with good confcience. The duties which are to bee learned ofthe doCl:rine ofthisvnion,arc manifold. And firll: ofall, wee arc taughttopurge our hands and hearts ofall our!ins, andefpeciall_v to auoidc all rhofe linnes whereby mens bodies .are de– filed, as"drunkennes,vncleannes,fornication; for they driue away the fpirit of God from his,owne houfe , and dilfolue the bond ofthe coniunttio11betweene Chrifr andvs. Second– ly,we mull: eueryone ofvs,which profelfeour felue,sto be members ofChrifr, labourtobe– come conformable VntO him in holindfe of life,and tobecome new creatures:farthisvni– on requircth thus much. Let a man.take the B grafts ofa cr:ibbc-tree, &fer them into good 'ftockcs: yet will they not change their fappe, but bring forth fruit according to their owne nature,euen fowre crabbes : bat it muG: notbe fo with vs:we areindeed wildeoliues,and the branches ofwild vines;yct feeing we are per– fwaded that we arc grafted into Chrifr, and made onewirhhim,we mull lay a!ide our wild & fowre nature , and take vpon vs the nature ofthe true vine, beare good fruit, haue good mycc in Vs,& render li.veete wine.Thirdly,we arc qughthence tobee plcntifull in all good works, conlideringweare ioynedto him that ts the fountaine ofgrace-Andtherefore Chri{\ faith,Ioh., 5·1.Iamth• trNevin<,&myfather u the hH4band.mttn:euerybranchthatbeorethnDt C {rNit inN!e,lietak!th~ay:AndtHeryonethat be4: rethfrl(,lt,' hep11rgethit, thatit may bearemore fruit. And tbc prophet'Efoi compares the Ef•, 1 • 7 , Church of.God to a vineyardwith atower & wioe·prelfeiqir.And Godhimfelfecomesof– ten downe votoit,tofee t!JefrHits ofthe 11af!y,to foe if thevinebHd, ""dthcPe~~~<granauflourifo. And further we mull &ritig tortb fruit with patience; For the Lord ofthisvineyard comes wirhcrotfes and affliaions, aswithapruning knife in his hand, to pare &to drelfe vs that we may be fitto bring forth fruit, plcntifull in dutiesofpiery to God, & in duties ofloue to C.lAt,6. JO, Lu-k.S.Jf Bzcch. ai men.,yeatoqur enemic:s. Chriftianmen arc 47·' z.. trees of righteonfnesgrowivgby tht waters Of the San!ilHarie: but whatrreos? notlike our_s: for D they are roGtcd vpward in heauen in Chrifr and their graines and branches growdown~ ward thatthey may bearofruitamongmen. Hitherto we hauc heard what the Church is: now tobelee11c rh• Ch~~rch is nothingels but to beleeue that thereis acompanyofthe pre. dcttinatemadeone in Chri!J:, and that withall we are in the number ofthem. . Beforewe proceede any furtlier, threerules mu!J: be obferued touching the Church in ge– ~P~·'-'' nerall. The firfr,that Chrifr alone is thehead 0 ·'·' 9 ofthe Catholike Church, andthat he neither hath nor can Aaue any creature in heauen or earth to bee fellow herein. For the Church is rtdtt?gither inmy name, there am1in tht midft 4m"'g<hem. And ',Vheroas al commifsions ceaf< in thepfefence ot him that giues the commif– liou:itis as muchpride andarrogancic forthe Pope to take vnto hiinfelte the title of the ~ead and vniuerfJII Bifhop ofthe Church; as lt is for a fubietltokeepe himfelfc incommif– iionin the Prefence ofhis King. • The'f~c0nd rpleis, thatthere is no faluation !>Jl> Qfthe.Church, and that therefore cucric one whichis tobe faued mutt becomea mem– ber&; a citizen ofthe Catholike and Apofro· like Church: &fuch as rcmaincfor eucr out of the fame perifh eternally. Therefore S. John [aith,They.,mtotttf/0 vs,th') were norofvs,for. :;.lob,,. if.theyhdbeene of '!JS, they wouldh••F•m•ined with vs:bNt thi.coo/meihropaffi ~hat itmight•p– peare,th4t they arenot allofvs. And again, that fuch as be holy areinthe city ofGod:burwith– ~Hht,thatis, fortho(the ~hurch, andog1, en- ~;:· u, c aJtters,whoremtJngers,auulterers,&c. And the arke out of which all perifhed, figured the f=hurch,out ofwhich arcall condemned.And for thiscaufe S. Luke faith,thatthe Lordadd,J, A1!.:.~7 ~o the ChHrt:h fromdayto dayJHCh tU Jhouldbe fo· ued, And thereafon hereot isplaine: for wirhout Chrifr there is no faluation: but out ofthe l)lilitant Churchthere is no Chrifl,nor faith in Chri{\: and_th~rcfore no faluation. Againe fp,th of the miljllant Churcl• there are no means offaluation,no preachingofthe word, noinuocationof,Gods name, no Sa(raments, and therforcnofaluation.For this caufc cuery man mull: beadmonifhcd euermorc to ioync himfclfe to fome particular Church being a foundmemberofthe Catllolike Church. T~c third rule , that the Church which herewe beleeueis ondy one. As Chrilt him. C li:lfe fpeaketh, My doH< z<alone ,~tnd myvndefiled '"'· 6 • 8 .ist4e_ only daughter ofher mother. And as there iSonly one God.,& one redeemer, one faith pne .baptifme, and one way of faluation by Chriflonely, fothereisbut on• Chm·chalone: . The Carholike Church bath two parts :the Church 'Iriumphant in heauen and rhe ChurchMiliranton'carrh. ·' · his body , and none but he can per(orme the duty ofan head vntoit: which dutic ll:ands in two things:the firfl, is togouerne the Cburch , The Triumpfuan~ Church may thus be de– / fcribed: It u a<ompany oftheJP.rits ofiujl mm, Cc 4 -- --triumphing_

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