A09453:333
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.
Our consent.
Our consent I will set down in two conclusions. I. All true believers have a state of true perfection in this life. Math. 5. 48. Be you perfect as your father in heaven is perfect. Gen. 6. 9. Noah was a just and perfect man in his time, and walked with God. Gen. 17. 1. Walk before me and be perfect. And sundry kings of Judah are said to walk uprightly before God with a perfect heart, as David, Josiah, Hezekias, &c. And Paul accounteth himself with the rest of the faithful to be perfect, saying, Let us all that are perfect, be thus minded, Phil. 3. 15. Now this perfection hath two parts. The first is the imputation of Christs perfect obedience, which is the ground and fountain of all our perfection whatsoever. Heb. 10. 14. By one offering, that is, by his obedience in his death ⟨p. 233⟩and passion, hath he consecrated, or made perfect, for ever them that believe. The second part of Christian perfection is sincerity, or, uprightness, standing in two things. The first is, to acknowledge our imperfection and unworthiness in respect of our selves: and hereupon, though Paul had said he was1 perfect, yet he addeth further, that he did account of himself, not as though he had attained to perfection: but did forget the good things behind, and endeavoured himself to that which was before. Here therefore it must be remembered, that the perfection whereof I speak, may stand with sundry wants and imperfections. It is said of Asa