A14216:98
The Sum of Christian Religion
The sum of Christian religion: delivered by Zacharias Ursinus in his lectures upon the Catechism authorised by the noble Prince Frederick, throughout his dominions: wherein are debated and resolved the questions of whatsoever points of moment, which have been or are controversed in divinity. Translated into English by Henry Parry, out of the last & best Latin editions, together with some supply of wa[n]ts out of his discourses of divinity, and with correction of sundry faults & imperfections, which are [sic] as yet remaining in the best corrected Latin.The summe of Christian religion: deliuered by Zacharias Vrsinus in his lectures vpon the Catechism autorised by the noble Prince Frederick, throughout his dominions: wherein are debated and resolued the questions of whatsoeuer points of moment, which haue beene or are controuersed in diuinitie. Translated into English by Henrie Parrie, out of the last & best Latin editions, together with some supplie of wa[n]ts out of his discourses of diuinitie, and with correction of sundrie faults & imperfections, which ar [sic] as yet remaining in the best corrected Latine.
Oxford: printed by Joseph Barnes, 1587Oxford: printed by Ioseph Barnes, 1587
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.
19 The punishments of the enemies, as of Arius, Julian, and others. Albeit in the world for the most part the wicked flourish, and the Church is oppressed: yet that it falleth not Objection. 1 so out by chance,2 neither because God is pleased with them, the events witness, and the Scripture very often doth iterate it. For the Church is always preserved, even amidst her persecutions, when as the short felicity of Tyrants & wicked imps hath a most doleful and eternal destruction following it. But God suffereth them for a while to have their swing, and to flourish, that by the scandal of the cross the faith and patience of the godly may be more exercised and tried & unto the wicked there may be left a time of repentance, and when they abuse the long-suffering of God, that then at length so much the juster and heavier plague may light on them. And therefore the holy Scripture in so many places, as in the Psalms, 37.52.57.58. & often elsewhere comforteth the godly against this kind of tentation, foretelling, unto them, defence and delivery, but destruction Objection. 2 unto their enemies.3 Neither is thereby the force of this proof weakened, because that all the persecutors of the Church are not in Tragical manner taken out of this life. For whiles God doth take vengeance on most of them in this life, he doth sufficiently show what he would have to be thought of the rest, verily, that they are his enemies, whom without they repent, he will plunge into eternal plagues, the beginning and feeling of the which is desperation, in which ⟨p. 25⟩all the enemies of Christian Religion end their days, yea they who are not oppressed with any other calamities of this life. To conclude, that it may be manifest,4 that they are Objection. 3 not only for other transgressions so punished of God, God doth so often denounce in his word, that such shall be the ends of his enemies, and that for this very cause, because they go about to extinguish the people and true worship of God. Yea furthermore they are not a few, from whom, while they lie in torments, their conscience wresteth out this confession, that they have drawn these miseries upon themselves by persecuting the godly: as from Antiochus Epiphanes, & Julian the Apostate.