Verf q.. the Epiftle to the Romans. the Full, fometi me in the Wane : fo the vifible Church is by the difpenfationof God, fometimes greater and more copi- ous ; and again, otherwhile it is more leffer and more flender, even according as the do&rine of the word is more or leffeclear and pure:for theDoctrine and the Church depend one upon the other, and do [bine together, or be darkned to- gether. T t IA. But the Papifts write, that the Complaint of Elias, touching the fewnefe of true wor flippers, it not well applied by us Pro - teftants unto the decay of Religion; under the Pope at the firfft reformation by Luther : and to thispurpofe, fundry exceptions are alledged o by Matter Stapleton, and the Rhemifts in their readings upon this place. The which ex- cept ion I will here repeat,expetling your anfwer unto them feverally as I fball propound them. Firft, they fay the 2(tion of the I,.raelites, was then no part of the Church of God. Secondly, that thefe feven thou fand were at Jerufalem, in the kingdome of juda; .wherein were malty more then feven thoufand that openly morfbipped God. Thirdly, that the Chriftian Church refteth upon better pro - mifes then the Jewifh Church did. Fourth- ly, that not only feventhoufand; but not fo many as feven, nay not jcarfe one could be found of Luhers beleefe, at the leafs not to content With him in all points of the faith: Thefe are their maine objetïions : fbee, us I pray you what anfwer may be gvien unto them. S t L. The Papille have been long obferved to be asa very murderous and blondy, fo a lying and a very bold gene- ration. If shay (peak or write any thing in defence oftheirerrours, which feemethbut probablee, they care not how little foundneffe and fubftance of truth there is in it, as will appear in the fifting and (canning of thefe their ex- ceptions particularly. And therefore this I fay to the firft, that howfoever the Nation of the (ewes were exceeding corrupt and Apofiolicall, having bro- ken their firft faith plight unto God : in Read of whom they wotfhipped Ba al, the God of the Sidonians , as facred ftory reports : yet God had not given them a bill of devprce, it remained 427 I ffill a Synagogue, and part of t he vifible Church. Had it been othercvile, God 1 tiould not have given unto them his word, and lent them his Prophets, as E- li.u,Eliseus, and others to inftru l them in his fiatutes, except there had been in Ifrael Tome of that people, which bee had knowne before, and loved from everlafling; and certaine it is that wheè- foever there is a Preacher, and Come to receive the word, there is a Church. The Church. may confìfi in one man that receiveth the word, as Luther wri- teth of hinifelfe, that if he were alone, and did alone beleeve, he himfelfe were the Church : yea (làith he) if the word'of God were in hell, even in hell there would ,be a Church : likewife there wasa Church in Ijrael fo long as they received the word, the having or not having whereofmaketh a Church or no C urch. To the fecond,it is very lure that t efe fever thoufand were not inpe- da, b t in the back - Eliding kingdome of Samaria: for there it was that knees were bowed unto Baal: allo there it was that Elias w as left alone, and there did Obadiah hide the hundred Prophets of the Lord: as'for Jude, Elias had no caufe to complaine of it, for he knew very well that there were many true worfhippers of God, the very Souldiers amounting to ten hundred thoufand, t Chron. 57. r4, 15, &e. Now to the third exception r fay, that indeed the Chriflian Church, if we refpe& the promifes.of falvation,had better (that is to fay) more clearer and full ones, fha dowes and types being now ceafed, and Chrift being now come in the flefh; but touching ( continuance) the Jewifh Church had no leffe the promife of God to abide till his firft comming, then the Church had for her continuance, till his fecond coming. And concerning the outward eflateofthe Church, either of the Old or of theNew Teftanrent, God did never promif that it Mould be always vifible. To the fourth it is not true, for betides all fuch as confented unto him in the Kingdomes of Armenia, Gr,ecia, Slecia, lVloravia, where 54: Noble 0 o 3 men
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