A25294:661
The substance of Christian religion, or, A plain and easy draught of the Christian…The substance of Christian religion, or, A plain and easie draught of the Christian…
The substance of Christian religion, or, A plain and easy draught of the Christian catechism in LII lectures on chosen texts of Scripture, for each Lords-day of the year, learnedly and perspicuously illustrated with doctrines, reasons, and uses / by that reverend and worthy labourer in the Lord's vineyard, William Ames ...The substance of Christian religion, or, A plain and easie draught of the Christian catechisme in LII lectures on chosen texts of Scripture, for each Lords-day of the year, learnedly and perspicuously illustrated with doctrines, reasons, and uses / by that reverend and worthy laborer in the Lord's vineyard, William Ames ...
London: printed by T. Mabb for Thomas Davies, 1659
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
Doct. 3. The Church in that acception of the word, as she is mystically considered, is one only, holy and universally, Catholic.
Doct. 3. The Church in that acception of the word, as she is mystically considered, is one onely, holy and universally, Catholike.
These things are understood of her mystical estate, because in her visible or external estate, she is neither one, nor Catholic, nor altogether holy. These things are thus gathered from the Text: she is one, because she makes but up one body of Christ: neither hath he more bodies but one: She is holy, because she is said to be sanctified and purified by Christ, to wit, by separation from the world, by pardon of her sins in justification; by renovation of our inherent righteousness in sanctification of this life, and perfecting of it in the life to come. She is lastly Universal or Catholic, because all the elect or faithful of all Nations, and of all times, and places, make up but one and the same mystical body of Christ.
These things are understood of her mysticall estate, because in her visible or external estate, she is neither one, nor Catholike, nor altogether holy. These things are thus gathered from the Text: she is one, because she makes but up one body of Christ: neither hath he more bodies but one: She is holy, because she is said to be sanctified and purified by Christ, to wit, by separation from the world, by pardon of her sins in justification; by renovation of our inherent righteousness in sanctification of this life, and perfecting of it in the life to come. She is lastly Universal or Catholike, because all the elect or faithfull of all Nations, and of all times, and places, make up but one and the same mysticall body of Christ.
Use 1. Is of Refutation, against Papists, who wrest all, that are proposed to be believed and spiritually understood of Christs mystical body, unto the Popish state of their Roman visible Church, which is neither one, because not now the same, that she was, when the Apostles wrote to her; neither holy, because by their own confession many Popes, that is, heads of the Roman Church, were most wicked beasts; nor is he Catholic, or Universal, because it implies a contradiction, that one particular Church, as the Roman properly is, should be Universal in any propriety of speech.