A09453:246
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.
The special vow is that, which doth not reach to the person of all believers, but only concerns some special men upon some special occasions. And this kind of vow is twofold. The first, is the vow of a ceremonial duty in the way of service to God: and ⟨p. 154⟩it was in practise in the Church of the Jews under the old Testament: examples hereof are two especially, the first was the vow of the Nazarites, whereto no kind of men were bound by Gods commandment, but they bound themselves: God only prescribing the manner and order of keeping the same with rites pertaining thereto, as abstinence from wine, the not cutting of their hair, and such like. The second example is of the Jews, when of their own accords they vowed to give God house or land, sheep, or oxen, or any like things, for the maintenance of the legal worship: and of this also God prescribeth certain rules, Levit. 27. Now these vows were part of the Jewish pedagogue or ceremonial law, wherein God trained up the Jews in the old testament: and being observed of them they were parts of Gods worship: but now under the gospel they are not: being all abolished with the ceremonial law, to which Christ put an end at his death upon the cross. It is true Paul made a vow, and since kept the same, in the time of the new Testament, Act. 18. yet not as a part ⟨p. 155⟩of Gods worship; but as a thing indifferent for the time: wherein he only condescended to the weakness of the Jews, that by this means he might bring them the better unto Christ. And whereas Christ is called a Nazarite, Math. 2. 23. we may not think he was of that very order, because he did not abstain from wine: but he was so termed because he was the verity and accomplishment of this order. For by it was signified that Gods church was a peculiar people severed or chosen out of the world, & that Christ in respect of holiness was also separated from all sinners. And the words in S. Matthew, he shall be called a Nazarite, are borrowed from the book of Judges, cap. 13. where they are properly spoken of Sampson, and in type or figure of Christ. For as Sampson saved Israel by his death, so did Christ save his Church. And as Sampson killed his enemies more by death then by life, so did Christ. It is plain therefore that this kind of vow bindeth not us: