Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	article_n	church_n	true_a	3,598	5	5.1162	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90683	The divine philanthropie defended against the declamatory attempts of certain late-printed papers intitl'd A correptory correction. In vindication of some notes concerning Gods decrees, especially of reprobation, by Thomas Pierce rector of Brington in Northamptonshire.	Pierce, Thomas, 1622-1691.	1657 (1657)	Wing P2178; Thomason E909_9; ESTC R207496	223,613	247

have been taught rather to hate Arminius then understand him may very usefully be told some few things of him First he was plainly a Presbyterian and so is Mr. Barlee so am not I. Next he taught and beleeved that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth justifie so I suppose doth Mr. Barlee so do not I. Thirdly Arminius was for free will and so is Mr. B. as well as I. So as he confesseth are all his Party who are ready to take up that with Austin that the will is alwayes free but not alwayes good yet in a fit of forgetfulness p. 219. he saith that Austin and Melancthon scarce durst to name the free will of man since Adams Fall Not knowing perhaps or perhaps concealing that Arminius was a Follower and Admirer of Melancthon 4. Arminius was of opinion that the considerations of sub and supra in stating the object of Gods decree were but ingenti figmenta meer tricks and devices in the Anti-Arminians And Mr. B. confesse●h the very same in his p. 114. where though he saith that they are honest ingenious devices yet Dr. Twisse calls the former by very foule names as inferring God saith he to be the Author of sin the very thing they would avoid in the supralapsarian way 5. Arminius disputeth against Gods Absolute Power or Will as it is separate from his Justice and Mr. B. confesseth that Calvin himselfe doth do the same yea that he bitterly declaim's against it 6. Though Mr. Barlee most times affirme's God to decree and praedetermin that sin shall be done as I shall largely shew anon yet forgetfull of himself in his p. 138. He saith that God's decree is only permissive and governing of every sinful thing in which he jumps with Arminius extreamly well 7. Mr. B. confesseth that he and his party do in part admit of some Arminian Principles p. 106. and yet he makes a cleere distinction betwixt me and the Arminians p. 66. But 8. Arminius denyed the working of Grace irresistibly and Mr. B. professeth that the terms resistible and irresistble were never willingly owned by him and his party I am sure they use extreamly often the word irresistibiliter if not willingly it seems they do it unwillingly and why then do they do it if they are asham'd of it they should not be asham'd to mend 9. Arminius hold's that God never intended to punish any one with temporal and then lesse with eternal death but for sin And Mr. B. professeth to hold the same even in those very words What God decreed he intended and vice versâ and so Mr. B. is an Arminian perhaps before he is aware or understand's not the things whereof he speaketh 10. Mr. B. is a Calvinist and saith that Calvin and Melanchthon did but seemingly not really differ Yet Arminius was so much a follower of Melanchthon that we may call him a Melanchthenian Sure Mr. B. will agree as soon with Pelagius as with himself 11. To conclude where Arminius is in an Error Mr. B. is sure to erre with him but hates Arminius where he is Orthodox although he is constrain'd to speak like him there too when the necessity of his affaire's doth drive him to it or when he is forgetfull of the part which he is acting 12. For my self I do declare that I was then in the opinions I now am in when I had not read one page of Arminius his works nor do I agree with him any farther then he agree's with Scripture Antiquity the Church of England and Melanchthon after the time of his conversion from the Errors of Luther and Mr. Calvin this Melanchthon at first had been as it were the Scholar of Lu her and drew from him his first Errors But being apious learned and unpassionate man pursuing Truth not Faction he saw his Error and forsook it embracing those opinions concerning the liberty of the will the cause of sinne the universality of Grace and the respectivenesse of God's Decrees which I asserted in those Notes which Mr. B. now declaims against This Melanchthon was and is still the Darling more then any one man of the Reformed part of the Christian world so much the rather because besides his vast learning unbyass't judgement and transcendent piety he was almost proverbial for moderation For this was he chosen to write the Augustan Confession for this he was much considered by them that composed our Book of Articles and our other book of Homilies which shew's us what is the Doctrine of the true Church of England For this he was imitated and admired by the glorious Martyrs of our Religion in the dayes of Q. Mary for this he was esteemed farre above Mr. Calvin by Jacobus Arminius the famous professor of Divinity in the Vniversity of Leyden who however a Presbyterian as to matter of Discipline did yet so very far excell the other Divines of that sect in exactnesse of learning as well as life that we may say he became Melanchthon's Convert If Mr. B. would needs call me by any new Name it should have been a Melanchthonian not a Pelagian or an Arminian much lesse a Satanical and diabolical Blasphemer and Atheist an a what-not But neither am I a Melanchthonian in any other respect then as I apprehend Melanchthon to be a true and an Orthodox and a peaceable-minded Christian I leave it to M. B. to give up his Faith to Mr. Calvin and to follow him at aventure through thick and thin but neither Melanchthon nor Mr. Calvin did dye for me no was I baptized in the name of either It is my sole desire and ambition to be a follower of Christ and one of Christs school to imitate the example and adorne the Doctrine not of Calvin or of Arminius but of Jesus Christ Let Mr. B. be a Calvinist an Ae●ian or what he will I have vow'd for my part not to be any thing but a Christian And if that is good logick to say that I am an Arminian because in some things I do not differ from Arminius then Mr. B. by the same Logick is not only an Arminian where I am none but he is also a Papist because he is at agreement with the Jansenians and the Dominicans and in many respects with the Jesuites too Yet 13. I was in my childhood of those Opinions which Mr. B. doth now contend for So was Melanchthon himself as well as I but through the infinite mercy and Grace of God I have obtained conversion as well as Melanthon and being converted from the practice as well as from the opinion which I was of I will to my poore utmost at least endeavour to confirm or convert my brethren 14. The chief head of Arminianism as Mr. B. will call it do what I can is Vniversal Grace and Redemption with which the other opinions in debate must stand or fall as I conceive a point so cleer both from Scripture Reason and