A27045:368
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.
Defin. The Universal Church, of which ⟨p. 198⟩the Protestants profess themselves Members, is, The Kingdom of Jesus Christ: or, The whole company of Believers (or true Christians) upon earth, subjected to Jesus Christ their Head.] The constitutive parts, or the Relate and Correlate are, (as in every Politic Body) the Pars Imperans, and Pars subdita: which is Christ and Christians. The form consisteth in the mutual Relation. The End is the common good of the Church, and the glory of the Head, and the accomplishment of the will of God.
Defin. The Universal Church, of which ⟨p. 198⟩the Protestants profess themselves Members, is, The Kingdome of Iesus Christ: or, The whole company of Believers (or true Christians) upon earth, subjected to Iesus Christ their Head.] The constitutive parts, or the Relate and Correlate are, (as in every Politick Body) the Pars Imperans, and Pars subdita: which is Christ and Christians. The form consisteth in the mutuall Relation. The End is the common good of the Church, and the glory of the Head, and the accomplishment of the will of God.
2. [The Protestants] Defin. [Protestants are Christians protesting against, or disowning Popery.] The word [Protestant] expresseth not the essence of our Religion. And therefore it must not denominate the Universal Church, of which we are Members: we are not to call it [A Protestant Universal Church.] Nor doth it signify an inseparable proper accident. For when the Catholic Church had no Popery, there was none to protest against, and therefore there could be no Protestants. And Ethiopia, India, and other Nations that never had Popery, or those Nations that never heard of it, have no occasion to protest against it. Nor doth it signify any Positive part (directly) of our Religion: but only ⟨p. 199⟩the Negation, or Rejection of Popery: Even as when a man is called [Homo purgatus, sanatus, liberatus, à leprâ, pest, tabe, &c.] a man purged, healed, freed from the leprosy, plague, consumption, &c. it is no positive part, nor inseparable proper accident, much less any essential part of the man, that is signified by the word [Healed, Purged, &c.] Nor is it necessary in order to the proving him [a man] or [a healthful man,] to prove that he was ever [a purged, or healed man.] We undertake not therefore to prove that there have been always Protestants, that is, men Protesting against Popery: Nor have we any need, in order to the proof of our Thesis, to prove that the Catholic Church hath all been free from Popery in all ages, or in any age since the Apostles, no more then that it hath been free from Pride, Ambition, or Contention. (But yet we shall do it ex abundanti.) The Religion then of a Protestant is Christianity, and he knoweth and owneth no other. Which is called [the Protestant Religion] as cleansed from Popery.