A09453:380
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.
We hold that there is a kind of implicit or unexpressed faith; yea that the faith of every man in some part of his life, as in the time of his first conversion, and in the time of some grievous temptation or distress, is implicit or infoulded. The Samaritans are ⟨p. 267⟩said to believe, Joh 4. 14. because they took Christ for the Messiah, and thereupon were content to learn and obey the glad tidings of salvation. And in the same place, v. 51. the Ruler with his family is said to believe, who did no more but generally acknowledge that Christ was the Messiah, & yielded himself to believe and obey his holy doctrine; being moved thereunto by a miracle wrought upon his young son. And Rahab Heb. 11. 13. is said to believe, yea she is commended for faith even at the time when she received the spies. Now in the word of God we cannot find, that she had any more but a confused, general, or infoulded faith, whereby she believed that the God of the Hebrews was the true God & his word to be obeyed. And this faith (as it seems) was wrought by her by the report and relation of the miracles done in the land of Egypt: whereby she was moved to join her self unto the people of God and to believe as they did. By these examples then it is manifest that in the very servants of God, there is and may be for a time an implicit faith. For ⟨p. 268⟩the better understanding of this point, it is to be considered that faith may be infolded two ways: first in respect of knowledge of things to be believed: secondly, in respect of the apprehension of the object of faith, namely Christ and his benefits. Now faith is infolded in respect of knowledge, when as sundry things that are necessary to salvation are not as yet distinctly known. Though Christ con mended the faith of his disciples, for such a faith, against which the gates of hell should not prevail; yet was it unexpressed or wrapped up in regard of sundry points of religion: for first of all, Peter that made confession of Christ in the name of the rest, was at that time ignorant of the particular means whereby his redemption should be wrought. For after this, he went about to dissuade his master from the suffering of death at Jerusalem, whereupon Christ sharply rebuked him, saying, Come behind me Satan, thou art an offence unto me.