A33363:294
The practical divinity of the papists discovered to be destructive of Christianity and mens…
The practical divinity of the papists discovered to be destructive of Christianity and mens souls
London : Tho. Parkhurst and Nath. Ponder ..., 1676
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.
And then as to the particulars which are necessary for Christians to believe, this implicit faith doth not actually believe any of them at ⟨p. 110⟩all; if it did, it would not be what it is, implicit. It apprehends them not, & therefore cannot believe them, for as themselves acknowledge (a)That cannot be believed which is not known. To render this clear to us, they thus explain it. When (b)a man is asked, whether Christ were born of the Virgin Mary, and whether there be one God, and three persons; and he answers that he knows not, but believes touching these things, as the Church holds, this is to believe implicitly. So that a man may have this faith completely, and yet not believe an article of the Creed, and if this be Christian faith, a man may have it, who believes nothing of Christ. They are believers at this rate, who have a mind to hold, what the Church doth, concerning Christ, or the Creed; though they never know, what that is. They know not what the Church holds; unless the Churches knowing, be their knowledge; and so believe nothing, unless the Church's believing be their faith; and so have no faith to save them, unless it be saving faith, to believe by an Attorney.
And then as to the particulars which are necessary for Christians to believe, this implicite faith doth not actually believe any of them at ⟨p. 110⟩all; if it did, it would not be what it is, implicite. It apprehends them not, & therefore cannot believe them, for as themselves acknowledge (a)That cannot be believed which is not known. To render this clear to us, they thus explain it. When (b)a man is asked, whether Christ were born of the Virgin Mary, and whether there be one God, and three persons; and he answers that he knows not, but believes touching these things, as the Church holds, this is to believe implicitely. So that a man may have this faith compleatly, and yet not believe an article of the Creed, and if this be Christian faith, a man may have it, who believes nothing of Christ. They are believers at this rate, who have a mind to hold, what the Church doth, concerning Christ, or the Creed; though they never know, what that is. They know not what the Church holds; unless the Churches knowing, be their knowledge; and so believe nothing, unless the Churche's believing be their faith; and so have no faith to save them, unless it be saving faith, to believe by an Attorney.