A23636:224
The principles of the Protestant religion maintained, and churches of New-England, in the profession…
The principles of the Protestant religion maintained, and churches of New-England, in the profession and exercise thereof defended against all the calumnies of one George Keith, a Quaker, in a book lately published at Pennsylvania, to undermine them both / by the ministers of the Gospel in Boston.The principles of the Protestant religion maintained, and churches of New-England, in the profession and exercise thereof defended against all the calumnies of one George Keith, a Quaker, in a book lately published at Pensilvania, to undermine them both / by the ministers of the Gospel in Boston.
printed by Richard Pierce, 1690
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Introduction › Reflections on Cap. 9th of the Visible Church.
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.
Sect. 2. How daringly doth he here assert that we find no such Church in all the Scripture, owned to be the church of Christ, that the outward form or profession of religion makes such; when the whole New Testament acquaints us with no other, if he keep to his subject, viz. a visible Church? For indeed it is nothing else but such a profession as we have described, that can make them so; nothing else can give them the visibility of a Church: and how strangely do's he talk, when he says, We nowhere find in scripture any society called •he church of Christ, that had nothing but the profession of the true religion? who ever said •hat they had nothing but so? We say, if •he profession be right, its a making sincerity visible as far as may be: but yet let us tell him, there are such owned for Churches, in which the major part were such as he mentions, Sardis was so, had a name to live, & was dead, had but a few names, Rev. 3.2. and Laodicea was so, vers. 15. But the truth is, he ⟨p. 132⟩equivocates about the word [True]: If by a true Church he intends such as are united to Christ in truth & sincerity, we plead it not: but the word also signifies that there is really such a thing; and that there is really such a thing, is visible: there may be a true visible Church, tho many in it are not of the true invisible Church.
Sect. 2. How daringly doth he here assert that we find no such Church in all the Scripture, owned to be the church of Christ, that the outward form or profession of religion makes such; when the whole New Testament acquaints us with no other, if he keep to his subject, viz. a visible Church? For indeed it is nothing else but such a profession as we have described, that can make them so; nothing else can give them the visibility of a Church: and how strangely do's he talk, when he saies, We nowhere find in scripture any society called •he church of Christ, that had nothing but the professon of the true religion? who ever said •hat they had nothing but so? We say, if •he profession be right, its a making sincerity visible as far as may be: but yet let us tell him, there are such owned for Churches, in which the major part were such as he mentions, Sardis was so, had a name to live, & was dead, had but a few names,