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it is, "I believe in the holy Catholic Church." And in the second, “I believe one Catholic and Apostolic Church." Both signifying nearly the very same thing. Many individuals generally imagine that by the word Catholic we mean the Romish Church, whereas, in fact, we mean no such thing. For if the word Catholic is synonymous with universal, then we repel the absurdity, for the Church of Rome never was universal, though it was formerly a branch of the Catholic Church, till it cut itself off by its damnable heresies. There are many branches of the Church that were never under the domination of the Pope, and that reject and ever have rejected his blasphemous assumptions. That branch of the Catholic Church in England was clear of his polluting authority for hundreds of years after her first implantation; and for a time he contrived to maintain a partial ascendency over her; but in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries she threw off entirely his usurped authority, and once more regained her primitive freedom, as a true branch of that one Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ and his Apostles. But a critical interpretation of the use of the word Catholic will best illustrate this subject. Hence, we have it expounded for us after the following

manner :

The epithet Catholic is applied to the true Church of Christ "throughout all the world." There is scarcely any idea which the reading of the New Testament forces upon us with more clearness, than that of the oneness of the Church of Christ. It was destined, indeed, to plant itself in all nations; yet not in the form of so many independent households, but as one great society, the various divisions and members of which should hold the closest communion one with another. It was, therefore, one universal or general church, and the title Catholic became the technical designation by which it was known. The term thus had not only distinguished the church from the world, but the true Church from the heretical and schismatical parties, which have risen up in the same and gone off from it. Hence, in ecclesiastical history, Catholic is equivalent to orthodox, and soon came to be applied to the individuals composing the Church, as it had always been to the Church itself. Christian and Catholic were thus convertable terms, and a departure from the principles of Catholicity was one and the same thing with declension from the "faith once delivered unto the saints."

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At a period a little subsequent to the Reformation, through a the a strange forgetfulness of the maxim, "Abusus non tollit usus,' term Catholic was surrendered by many of the continental reformers, most unscripturally; from whom the same prejudice made its appearance also in the ranks of dissent in England and elsewhere, and has passed down, as an heir-loom, to their schismatical followers of the present day. In the Apostolical Church of England, on the contrary, the term was never given up. And this for two reasons, 1. Because it was ever the grand distinguishing title of the Christian Church. As well might we abandon the titles of the Redeemer himself, as to surrender the sacred designation of the Church, his body. What if the name had for many ages been claimed and appropriated by a corrupt branch of the Church, if she deserves that place? In an equal degree, had the legitimate titles of a thousand

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I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH." other things been used by that Church, and what then? Would any thing be gained by substituting "congregation" for "church" or commonwealth" for " kingdom," in the Lord's Prayer, or " overseer for "bishop?" The true policy would have been the retaining, most tenaciously, the proper and primitive appellations of such things, and the restoring of them to their long lost dignity. There is something in a name, if it be a right one; and here the Church shewed her wisdom, by choosing the good and refusing the evil." But, 2d. The name was retained, because its rejection would manifestly have argued a deficiency in the thing signified. This the Romanists well knew, and a fearful use they are prepared to make of it." By your own confession," say they, "you are not Catholic. By the same we prove that you unchurch yourselves, for the Church is essentially Catholic." Here, then, is a dilemma from which the sectarian may escape as he may think best; if escape he can? But in the case of the churchman, who is in no sense a sectarian, there is no contest; for he contends, that in the true and best sense of the word, he is a Catholic: not a Roman Catholic, but such a Catholic as were Paul, Peter, and John; that is to say, a member of Christ's Church, which is described as "one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic." The prejudice against the title is, therefore, absurd to the last degree, and worthy only of a "dark age," when men groped for the light, and put "bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.' We rejoice that the day is beginning to dawn when the Romanist shall no longer taunt the Churchman with an advantage sometimes improperly given him, by the timidity of calling things by the right names, even within the bounds of our own household. An Apostolical Episcopalian is of all men best entitled to the use of the term in question; but if he reject it, how can he avow his consent to that article of the Creed, "I believe in one Catholic and Apostolic Church?" How can he pray that he may be gathered finally unto his fathers, " in the communion of the Catholic Church?"

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From the above remarks, it is manifest, that when we confess our faith in the Holy Catholic Church," we do not, by any means, refer to the apostate Church of Rome; since that Church never was Catholic but that as the word used in the sense of universal, we simply imply, that the Church of England is a pure branch of the universal Church of Christ, which has been existent in all places and ages, where Christ has been revealed by the true ministry of the word, to the present period; and also by our faith in this fundamental article of the Creed, we thus distinguish ourselves from the various and contending sects of Dissenters or Schismatics, none of which can possibly be called either Apostolic or Catholic. Let all true Christians, therefore, boldly and avowedly oppose the exclusive Popish assumption of this word by the Church of Rome, and also come out from all connexion with Schismatics who have no right or title whatever to the term, and in the face of God and the world declare, "I believe in the Holy Catholic Church."

No. III. VOL. 1.-New Series.

I

CRISP'S VIEW OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.

"I CONFESS it seems to be a strong place at first, where the Apostle speaks of justification by faith that consists in the taking away of sins from men; but give me leave to examine it a little, that faith incroach not upon God, and take that which is his own, and which he hath said he will not give to another. I say it is not the faith of a believer, though ever so strong and powerful, that lays iniquity upon Christ; I shall give you but a touch of it for the present, and to this purpose, it is very needful to consider what it is for a person to be justified, for upon that depends the knowledge of the very thing that lays iniquity upon Christ.' Time will not give me leave to discourse freely upon it; in short, therefore, I will only shew what it is to be justified. I speak of justification before God, and of his own justification of a man; and it must, of necessity, be granted of all men that know what justification is in common sense, that a person justified before God is such a one, who, when God himself makes search to try him, whether he be guilty or not guilty of a crime, finds none upon him; and upon not finding any, he pronounceth him just. Let men say

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what they will, it is a flat contradiction for God to say, this is a just person in mine eyes, and yet I have some transgression to charge upon him. How can God say he is just, and yet charge him with injustice done? Therefore he must be fully freed from all injustice, or God cannot pronounce him a just person.

"You will say no man under heaven can then be justified; for God can charge all with transgression.

"I answer, God cannot. That his people have transgressed is true; but he finds, in fact, that all their transgressions are already satisfied for by his own Son, though the sins were afterwards committed: yet upon payment made beforehand, he charges not sin upon them, having charged it upon Christ already, and taken the full payment of him for it. There is no person under heaven, that God pronounceth just, but he therein says, I have not one sin to charge upon him. It is true, I find many crimes committed by him, but also I find, that my Son hath discharged them already, and he hath given me good satisfaction for them. Now then, this being the justification of a sinner before God, how is it possible that faith can discharge a person from all iniquity, that God himself, upon strict search, shall find none to be charged upon him? How can faith do it? Suppose a person had no transgression for God to find till he believes, yet this believing brings transgression with it, enough for God to find him guilty; that itself is sinful; I believe, Lord, help my unbelief." There is a mixture of unbelief in the faith of all believers; and there are many weaknesses in it, and how can that justify a person, that is not able to justify itself? Though Christ was like to us in all things, yet sin was accepted: must he himself be free from sin to justify us, that he might purchase our redemption, and shall faith justify us that are not free from sin? If faith justifies a person, what must justify faith? for that must have something to justify it, being not able to justify itself.

"But, you will say, this is but augmentation. The Apostle Paul saith, (Rom. v. 1,) That being justified by faith, we have peace with God; and since the Holy Ghost saith, we are justified by faith,' we must not dispute against it.

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"I will answer in brief, and desire one thing of you, and that is to consult Beza upon this place; he renders the words out of the original, being justified by faith,' and then puts a comma; but, as Beza renders them (who is accounted a most sincere renderer of the original) he makes no stop: and if that be true, why may not they be rendered thus-being justified, by faith we have peace with God?' And so ascribe justification to Christ, as a thing done before ; and let faith have reference to our peace, being justified by Christ, by faith we come to have peace with God, which stands current with the analogy of faith, and truth of the Gospel: for it is God that justifieth, Rom. viii. 34. Justification is truly and properly the work of God himself, and cannot be the work of faith.*

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"But, secondly, suppose the words to run as they are commonly rendered; I answer, then are we to distinguish in faith two things,there is the act of believing, and the object on which we believe; and so the words may be understood thus: being justified,' by the righteousness of faith, or by the righteousness of Christ which we believe, we have peace with God,' and so ascribe our justification to the object of our believing: the righteousness of Christ, and not the act of believing. The truth is, beloved, the act of believing is a work, and as much ours, as our fear, prayer, and love are; and the Apostle should contradict himself when he saith, we are saved by grace, through faith, not of works, if he means the act of faith; he might as well have said, we are not justified by works but we are justified by them.'

"Finally, to draw towards a conclusion, I answer thus: you may consider justification in a double sense, and that, according to the opinion of our divines, there is justification in heaven, and in a man's conscience. Justification in heaven is God's act alone; justification in the consciences of men is the manifestation of that act of God to them, by which a man comes to know, and consequently to rejoice in it; and so you may read the words thus: being justified by faith, that is, through faith having the justification of God evidenced and manifested to our spirits, we have peace with him.' And, beloved, you will find this to be a very solid and genuine interpretation of the words, and agreeable to the Scriptures; for peace and joy are always appropriated to persons believing; as much as to say, the act of justification in heaven, though perfectly done, is yet secret in the breast of God alone, till he gives persons faith; that beholds the grace of God, that brings the glad tidings of justification to the soul, and so it rejoiceth in it. Therefore the Apostle prays after this manner-'the Lord fill you with all joy and peace in believing.' So that it is true, we have not the comfort; we cannot say particularly to our spirits, God hath justified me, and I rejoice in this till we believe; because faith is made by the Lord,

"Faith is never said to justify, nor are we justified by it, as an act or work, but by the object of it, Christ, and his righteousness, who is sometimes called faith.-Gal, iii. 23, 24, 25."

And that

to be the evidence of things not seen,' as in Heb. xi. 1. is the proper work that God hath given to believing, not to effect any thing to the good of a man, but only to be the witness of that good to his spirit; and so give light to that which was secret before. So that still it remains, that the laying iniquity itself upon Christ is the Lord's act, and his only: our faith seeth what the Lord hath done; and, when God gives us to believe, faith manifests it to us, and so our souls come to have peace. In sum, therefore, beloved, God lays, Christ bears, and faith sees iniquity laid upon him: God, through Christ, perfect this work in us, that so, faith seeing, we may have all joy and peace in believing."

To fill up my paper I add this from another sermon:

6

"Men think righteousness brings them near to Christ. Beloved, righteousness is that which puts a man away from Christ; stumble not at the expression, it is the clear truth of the Gospel: not merely doing of service and duty doth put away from Christ, but upon the doing of duty and service; to expect acceptance with Christ, or participation with Christ, and this kind of righteousness is the only separation between Christ and a people; and whereas no sinfulness in the world can debar a people, their righteousness may debar them.

"But it may be, before I leave this, you will ask, is not unbelief a bar to have a part in Christ?

"I answer, it is a bar to hinder the manifestation of Christ in the Spirit; but it is not a bar to hinder one from having a part in Christ, on whom God doth bestow him. It is true, that neither you nor I can say by experience, that Christ is ours until we believe; so long as we continue in total unbelief we cannot conclude to our own spirits that Christ is ours: but unbelief is not simply a bar to the bestowing of Christ to such a person; he bestows him without any regard to belief or unbelief; if unbelief should be a bar to hinder Christ from being bestowed upon men, where is the man to whom Christ should be bestowed? There is no person under heaven considered simply as ungodly, and under the notion of ungodliness, but he is considered as an unbeliever, as well as a sinner in other respects: so that to the Father's giving of Christ unbelief is not a bar; only to the inward satisfaction of the soul and spirits unbelief is a bar; a soul cannot be resolved till it doth believe.

66 I say that Christ is actually given and passed over to men, and made really theirs, before even there be any gracious qualifications put into the soul of such a man. I say, as before, observe this caution; I speak of God's giving Christ unto men, not of the manifestation of him unto a man to be his. There is, and must be faith, as I said before, for the manifestation of him to be ours; but there is no qualification wrought in the heart of any person, before Christ be actually passed over, and made his in the covenant. Now, I say, Christ is given and passed over to such a person, before he has any gracious qualifications. I do not mean, as some do, that God did actually decree Christ unto such and such, before he put any qualifications in them, this is a truth indeed; but I say further, that God gives actual possession of Christ, and Christ takes possession of that person, before there be any qualifications

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