A09453:139
A Reformed Catholic
A reformed Catholic: or, A declaration showing how near we may come to the present Church of Rome in sundry points of religion: and wherein we must for ever depart from them with an advertisement to all favourers of the Roman religion, showing that the said religion is against the Catholic principles and grounds of the catechism.A reformed Catholike: or, A declaration shewing how neere we may come to the present Church of Rome in sundrie points of religion: and vvherein we must for euer depart from them with an advertisment to all fauourers of the Romane religion, shewing that the said religion is against the Catholike principles and grounds of the catechisme.
Cambridge: printed by John Legat, 1598Cambridge: printed by Iohn Legat, 1598
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
In this their doctrine is a twofold error: I. that they make faith which justifieth, to go before justification it self, both for order of nature as also for time: whereas by the word of God, at the very instant, when any man believeth first, he is then justified and sanctified. For he that believeth, eateth and drinketh the body and blood of Christ, and is already passed from death to life, John 6. 54. The second is, that faith being nothing else with them but an illumination of the mind, stirreth up the will; which being moved and helped, causeth in the heart many spiritual motions: and thereby disposeth man to his future justification. But this indeed is as much as if we should say, that dead men only helped, can prepare themselves to their future resurrection. For we are all by nature dead in sin, and therefore must not only be enlightened in mind, but also renewed in will, before we can so much as will or desire that which is good. Now we (as I have said) teach otherwise: that faith justifieth as it is an instrument to apprehend & apply Christ with his obedience; which is the ⟨p. 83⟩matter of our justification. This is the truth, I prove it thus. In the Covenant of grace▪ two things must be considered; the substance thereof, & the condition. The substance of the covenant is, that righteousness and life everlasting is given to Gods Church and people by Christ. The condition is, that we for our parts, are by faith to receive the foresaid benefits: and this condition is by grace as well as the substance. Now then, that we may attain to salvation by Christ, he must be given unto us really, as he is propounded in the tenor of the foresaid covenant. And for the giving of Christ, God hath appointed special ordinances, as the preaching of the word, and the administration of the sacraments. The word preached is the power of God to salvation to every one that believes: and the end of the sacraments is to communicate Christ with all his benefits to them that come to be partakers thereof: as is most plainly to be seen in the supper of the Lord, in which the giving of bread and wine to the several communicants, is a pledge and sign of Gods particular giving of Christs body and blood ⟨p. 84⟩with all his merits, unto them. And this giving on Gods part cannot be effectual without receiving on our parts: