A90276:138
Of schism the true nature of it discovered and considered, with reference to the…Of schisme the true nature of it discovered and considered, with reference to the…
Of schism the true nature of it discovered and considered, with reference to the present differences in religion. / By John Owen D.D.Of schisme the true nature of it discovered and considered, with reference to the present differences in religion. / By John Owen D.D.
Oxford: printed by L.L. for T. Robinson, 1657
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.
Let us see now then what is our concernment in this discourse;1 unless men can prove that we have not the spirit of God, that we do not savingly believe in Jesus Christ, that we do not sincerely love all the Saints, his whole body, and every member of it, they cannot disprove our interest in the Catholic Church. It is true indeed, men that have so great a confidence of their own Abilities, and such a contempt of the World, as to undertake to dispute them out of conclusions from their natural senses, about their proper Objects, in what they see, feel, and handle, and will not be satisfied, that they have not proved there is no motion, whilst a man walks for a conviction under their eye; may probably venture to disprove us, in our spiritual sense and experience also, and to give us Arguments, to persuade us that we have not that communion with Christ, which we know we have every day. Although I have a very mean persuasion of my own Abilities, yet I must needs say, I cannot think that any man in the world can convince me, that I do not love Jesus Christ in sincerity, because I do not love the Pope, as he is so. Spiritual Experience is a security ⟨p. 102⟩against a more cunning Sophister, then any Jesu••te in the world, with whom the Saint• of God have to deal all their lives, Eph. 6. 12. And doubtless through the rich grace of our God, help will arise to us, that we shall never make a Covenant with these men for peace, upon conditions for worse then those that Nahash would have exacted on the men of Jabesh Gilead, which were but the loss of one eye with an abiding reproach: they requiring of us, the deprivation of whatsoever we have to see by, whether as men, or Christians, and that with a reproach, never to be blotted out.
Let us see now then what is our concernment in this discourse;1 unlesse men can prove that we have not the spirit of God, that we do not savingly believe in Jesus Christ, that we doe not sincerely love all the Saints, his whole body, and every member of it, they cannot disprove our interest in the Catholick Church. It is true indeed, men that have so great a confidence of their own Abilities, and such a contempt of the World, as to undertake to dispute them out of conclusions from their naturall sences, about their proper Objects, in what they see, feele, and handle, and will not be satisfied, that they have not proved there is no motion, whilst a man walks for a conviction under their eye; may probably venture to disprove us, in our spirituall sense and experience also, and to give us Arguments, to perswade us that we have not that communion with Christ, which we know we have every day. Although I have a very meane perswasion of my own Abilities, yet I must needs say, I cannot think that any man in the world can convince me, that I doe not love Jesus Christ in sincerity, because I doe not love the Pope, as he is so. Spirituall Experience is a security