1i1. head of o1fcnccs,frO thel\au::of the Church. 1 • from the wantsintt. Rcmcdic. I. Rule:. A true note o(thc Church. Gods church d&fcribcd. IJ.RuTC. Chrillspr.t· ai(ctowards dwi.Chttrch oftb~Icwcs. Lord, lam. z. z. I •. and therefore we muft not A 'content our felue's with a fa.tth in 'fpcculat.ion, voidc of workcs; but within the compaffc of our callings, do what g.ood we ·ca.n for G<?ds glory, and the comfort of oUr brethren.-~\ · The third head from whCncc offences-arc ta– ken, is the fi:uc of 'thc Church.: firh:; ill _rc– g:ud of the Wtmt.r I hat he in rhe Chu,rch,land· nanlcly in this our Church.Hence ~un~iJi<r men! take occahon eo condemnc our Church as no Church, our SacramentS as no f.1cra.mencS, our Minillers a.s no Mini!lers, and our people-as no ChrifHans;& therefore do fcparate thcmfclucs fr6ourChurch, as beeing no.trucmembci' of the Church of God. To preucm this·occ3!i.:>n offinning, three Rules mull: be ohfcrued : firft, that to 6e!eeueandconfoJle the d!£ftine.of f.tlua--. B tson , tareght and deliH.(_ted6y the Prophas endA– pojf!u , is an inf-t!li6le andinfepara~!e 1:01~ ofa true Church of God.- for.Gods O um:h li no– thing elfc, but a companie of Gods people, called by the doCtrine of th'c Prophets and A– poftles vnto the !late of faluarion.This doChin is the foede of regeneration, v\·hereby men arc begottCtl vnro Chrifi.; & it is rhatfptce,·emillzy whereby they arc fcdJe arid nvuriibcd vnro etcrnalllifc. Now I fay, that this our Church of Enai.atld(chrough Gods.mcrcie)doth main– tdine, b~Ieeuc,and profeffc this JoChine ofthe Prophets and Apo!Hes : ior.~hc pro~fe hereof, let him that doubtcth, hauc rccourfe · toour Englifh confejfwn, and to a booke intituled , the Articlesof Religion •ftablilbedin the Church of England; inwhich are fer downe the foondati- C ons of Chriflian Religion, allowed and held by al!·Euangelicall Churches. And further to fiu:w that this our profcffion is not in hypocri.. fie, but m truth; this. ohr Church is rcadic to malncainc and confirmc .the fame dotl:rinc by'the.lhedding oftheir blood, a5ainfi all foes whatfoeucr'; and this thing indeed!! hath b~cn tbC.ondy caufe ofall our_dHfcnrions v\:i[h the Ohurch of Rome: whereupon we fee 'there is iu!t caufe our Church lhould. bee reputed the true Chm:ch o£ GOc»~ and· a gOod memQcr of bis Ca<holike Churoh.o ' . 'Secondiy,obferu'e the praC\ifc ofChrifiand his Apofilcs towards the Church of ·the·Iewes which in their time without all doubt,was Cx– ~ecdinglycorrupt: .forthe office and place of D the high'P.rieffwas•bdught.and fnld, and tho– rough ambition and corn:toufndfe became an– nuali; yea, there were two high Priefl-~ toge– ther a~·one titne: al-l whichv\'Cre.againfl Gods ordinance. Againe ,·rhc5c-ribes anJ Pharifics w]1ichwere the Dotl:Ors of th:tt Chur.ch, erred in fome fout1damenrall pb:ints of do&rinc,tca– ching luflification by •workcs: a-nd' with all they greatly corrupted the !awe of God,both by their doCtrine and traditions;a.ndthc Temple became a denne ofthecucs: a.nrl Yet for all this,.Chrill:- did not fepa.r:ttC from that Church, [ neither taught his Difciplcs fO to doe; bUt \va.s pre[ent at their facrificCs and affcrnblies , and kept his Paffeoucr vvjrh thc~n:ahd fo. did_bis A– pofiles, till they f.1.wc rhCmof o_bJlmJ.ClC and malitioufncffc rctufc d~c gracedf God, offered vmb them in the li1inifteric of.thc G.ofpcll.. NOw their cxam.f?lc_n~uH reach vs, rh~at fd loog as our Church,holdcth Chrifi,we mufi: cficcmc . it to be the Church of God, and not for fom.c I wants thereofdcp::trt from it. · 'n . ·1 ~fhirdlv; all the reformed Chtlr,h.es in Eu- i ~11;fu~~(;ed· rope doe ;Ni~h one cvnfeit~ bonout our .c~mrch :· E,~~~~~'~'~;'at as the true Church ofChnfi ; novv thctr tudgouri>Church. ment is not Hi"hdy to be regarded, but to be preferred farrcbcforc the rafh.opinions of priu:uc men : for the Church hath :1 gift of difccming in ~,ovaighrie matters; fl1ec ca11 iudgc of bookcs of Scripture, which bee authemicall, whi~..h Oot; l11Cc'c:m iudgc of fpirits, and of doCtrines ; arid therefore alfo can iudgc what comp::mic ofmen is a true Church, and "'·hat iS nor: and this their iudgemcnt alfo mufl confirme vs in this trltth, that this our Church is a true member ofGods Catholikc Chur.ch.Now \<\rheras fomc a:lleo.dge the wams·efour church .to make it no Church: I aufwcr, though I ,.,.ill not c:<cufe any dcf.1ult in it, whcre.in it wan'- ting, to that which Gods word rcquireth,but , r<~;thcr defire, th:tt therightcoufiujfo thereofmay Ifi1.~£r~.· 6rca/rr fmhaf thq l-ght, and failw.tion thereof ,u aburning l<~mpe'; )'et' this may bcC' f.1id' in bchalfc ot our Church, th:tt the ~wants thCraof arc not fuch as do any-way.rafc the foundad'On ofreligion·, or'Oj;pods holy Wo!lhippeJatHHo cannot 'make 'iN01Zcafe to bed ~'t!Fuc 'Churdl and therefOre none ought to fcpiit.atc from i~ for fuch wants; and yet t.hts hirtdereth nor,but that Gods fcruants may in a godly manner defire the Reformation :of thi·ngnh!t be amifte : for a good Chu,ch may·be bot<Cred : and "'« ougf1t to fhiu&afre.r per"fe8:iotr. . · The Second offence taken from the Church; i-s from the diurjitieof opinion! thm be thereiif-~· for hence many re~fon thus; le-arned m~n be Qf fOmariy opinion's, that \oVe knowe not wh~d6 follow;:md therefore we will be ofno rdi O'ion tit! the rruth bee dhblifhed by-f<>me'gc;erall l.OifcncCj fron1 cbtro· vcrlic~in the Chur,h. Councell, and all agree in one. . , ~or the avOiding of this offence ·wc0mufl Rcm::lic. know : tha.t though men -differ in fundric epi':r nions in the true Church ofGod,ycr they al.l a– 1. ' gree in the Artides offaith, and in the found:t.. tion of Cods :..vo.Hhip: their 4ifl:Crencc is i_n matters bcftdc' the foundatiOn , and therd'orct it mull: hinder n0n'C fromrcceiuing and ctribfa- ' cing true religion. Againe, it is Gods will tli3:t •thc_re !hould be diucdidcs 9f opinions: }rea 1 fcifmes and hcrdics in hi~ Church that man mi~h•bo pr0oucd whether t,hcy hold the truth in hnccritic 0~ not; as we may fee, I. Cor. 1 X. r9.·Deut.12.I,2. 'No~· in thiS c~fe Ie;~mitU, di-; rc?t-ion mut;r- be o,bfcru~d\ ; Sllind in thepar-: :~. Icr.6.J6. ttng•ofrho>vnih (f.1ith he) and-liiqtii>·efor the oldc ) ttiu:l aHnc:etJt w'!}' .•(i:h:tt is, the doctrine of. the Prophets) what God>Pilieth lmdco,;,manderh b; ' them ,!!.'!_d:!_~riJis .Ap!/!!:_J·,and thar-i:ve ?nffflf~ : (owe ·,
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