A27045:210
The successive visibility of the church of which the Protestants are the soundest members…
The successive visibility of the church of which the Protestants are the soundest members I. defended against the opposition of Mr. William Johnson, II. proved by many arguments / by Richard Baxter ; whereunto is added 1. an account of my judgement to Mr. J. how far heretics are or are not in the church, 2. Mr. Js. explication of the most used terms, with my queries thereupon, and his answer and my reply, 3. an appendix about successive ordination, 4. letters between me and T.S., a papist, with a narrative of the success.The successive visibility of the church of which the Protestants are the soundest members I. defended against the opposition of Mr. William Johnson, II. proved by many arguments / by Richard Baxter ; whereunto is added 1. an account of my judgement to Mr. J. how far hereticks are or are not in the church, 2. Mr. Js. explication of the most used terms, with my queries thereupon, and his answer and my reply, 3. an appendix about successive ordination, 4. letters between me and T.S., a papist, with a narrative of the success.
London: printed by R.W. for Nevil Simmons, 1660
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.
2. But that which you say [all the world knows] is a thing that [all the world of Christians except your selves,] that ever I heard of, do know, or acknowledge to be false. What! doth all the world know that Christ hath instituted in his Church ⟨p. 82⟩nothing but what is essential to it? I should hope that few in the Christian world would be so ignorant as ever to have such a thought, if they had the means of knowledge that Protestants would have them have. There is no natural body but hath natural Accidents as well as Essence: Nor is there any other society under heaven (Community or Policy) that hath not its Accidents as well as Essence: And yet hath Christ instituted, a Church that hath nothing but Essence without Accidents? Do you build upon such foundations? What! upon the denial of common principles and sense? But if you did, you should not have feigned all the world to do so too. Were your assertion true, then every soul were cut off from the Church, and so from salvation, that wanted any thing of Christs Institution, yea for a moment. And then what would become of you. You give me an instance in [the Eucharist] But 1. Will it follow that if the Eucharist be not Accidental or integral, but Essential, that therefore every thing Instituted by Christ is Essential? surely no? 2. The Question being not whether the Being of the Eucharist in the Church be Essential to the Universal Church: But ⟨p. 83⟩whether the Belief or Acknowledgement of it by All and every one of the members, be Essential to the Members? I would crave your answer but to this Question (though it be nothing to my cause.) Was not a Baptized person in the primitive and ancient Churches a true Church-member, presently upon Baptism? And then tell me also, Did not the ancient Fathers and Churches unanimously hide from their Catechumens, even purposely hide, the mystery of the Eucharist, as proper to the Church of understand? and never opened it to the auditors, till they were Baptized? This is most undeniable in the concurrent vote of the ancients. I think therefore that it follows that in the Judgement of the ancient Churches the Eucharist was but of the Integrity, and not the Essence of a member of the Church; and the acknowledgement of it by all the members, a thing that never was existent.
2. But that which you say [all the world knows] is a thing that [all the world of Christians except your selves,] that ever I heard of, do know, or acknowledge to be false. What! doth all the world know that Christ hath instituted in his Church