Abridgment of Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 4 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. A compariſon of the falſe Church with the true.
1 THerefore ſeing the Church being grounded vponupon the doctrine of the Apoſtles and Prophets*,Eph. 2.10. hath the miniſterie of the word and Sacraments as proper to it, if you take away doctrine, how ſhall the building any longer ſtand? It is the ſtay of truth*.1 Tim. 3.15. The Church is the grounde work of truth. Therfore there is no Church where lying & falſhood raigne.
2 Seing the caſe ſo ſtandeth in Papiſme, we may perceaue what Church remaineth there. In ſteed of the miniſterie of the worde there raigneth there a peruerſe gouernment made of lies, which partly extinguiſheth the pure light, and partly choketh it: in place of the Lords Supper is come moſt filthy ſacriledge: the worſhip of God is disfigured with a diuerſe heape of ſuperſtitions:What the maſſe is all doctrine is buried and baniſhed: publike aſſemblies are ſchooles of idolatrie and impietie.
Obiect. The Church of Rome being founded by the Apoſtles, conſecrated by the bloud of the martyrs,There is no ſucceſſion without Chriſt hath bene preſerued by continuall ſucceſſion of Biſhops: therfore it is the true Church.
An. The colour of ſucceſſion is nothing worth, vnleſſe the poſteritie holde the trueth which they hauehave receaued of their fathers by hand, vncorrupt, and vnleſſe they abide in it.
Wherin the Papiſts and the Iewes agre3 Therfore the Romaniſts pretend none other thing at this day, then did the Iewes in old time, when they were reproued by the Lordes Prophetes for their blindneſſe, impiety, & idolatrie. For as they did gloriouſlie boaſt of the temple, ceremonies, and ſacrifices*, ſo in ſteed of the Church they ſhew certaine outward viſures.Ier 7 4 Ezech. 10.4.
4 For this is a perpetuall marke wherwith our Lord hath marked vsus, He which is of the truth, heareth my voyce*Ioh. 18.37.. I am that good ſheepheard, and I know my ſheep, and am knowen of them. My ſheep heare my voyce*.Ioh. 10.14. The Church is Chriſtes kingdome. The Church is the kingdome of Chriſt: he raigneth by his worde: therefore ſeeing there is no ſcepter in Popery, ſhould the kingdome of Chriſt be there?
Who are heretickes & Schiſmatickes.5 Obiect. They are guiltie of ſchiſme and hereſie who preach any other doctrine then that which the Church of Rome doth preach, & hauehave by them ſelues aſſemblies to prayer, to baptiſe, and to miniſter the Supper.
An. They are called hereticks & ſchiſmaticks who making a diuiſion, do breake in ſunder the communion of the church, which is contained in two bōds, to wit the agreement of true doctrine, & brotherlie louelove: whereupon Auguſtine putteth this difference betweene ſchiſmatikes and heretikes*,Lib queſt. Euan. ſect. Mat. becauſe the latter corrupt with falſe opinions the ſynceritie of faith: and the former, euen where there is like faith, do breake the bond of fellowſhip.
6 How then ſhould we be ſuch which keepe the doctrine of the truth, hauing caſt away lying? I ſaye nothing of that that they hauehave excommunicate and curſed vsus: the Apoſtles had experiēce of the ſame*.Ioh. 16.2
7 The true Church was at that time extant among the Iewes and Iſraelites,Without the word there is no Church. when they did abide in the lawes of the couenant. But after that hauing forſaken the Law of the Lord they did degenerate vntounto idolatrie, they partly loſt that prerogatiue. For who dare call that companie the Church, where the word of the Lord is manifeſtly troden vnderunder foote?
8 Queſt. Was there then no parcell or part of the Church among the Iewes after that they fell to idolatrie?
An. There were ſome degrees in the very falling away. For they came not ſtraight way to the vttermoſt point, vntill euen the verie Prieſtes did defile the Temple of God with profane and abhominable rites.
9 Go too, let the Papiſts if they can,There is greater corruption vnderunder the pope then vnderunder Ieroboam deny that the ſtate of religion is as corrupt among them as it was vnderunder Ieroboam. But they hauehave groſſer idolatrie, neither are they purer in doctrine.
Obiect. All the Prophets which were at Ieruſalē, when things were moſt corrupt there, did neither offer ſacrifice by them ſelues, neither had they ſeuerall aſſemblies gathered to prayer.
An. They were commanded to meet together in Salomons temple*.The comandement to meet in the temple Exod 29.9 And yet they were not enforced to vſe any ſuperſtitious worſhip: yea they tooke in hand nothing, but that which was appointed of God. But what like thing hauehave the Papiſts?
10 We wil willingly graunt them that, which the Prophetes graunted to the Iewes, and Iſraelites of their time*,Iſ. 1.14 ſeing things were there in better ſtate. And yet they crie euerie where, that the aſſemblies are profane, wherto they may no more agree, then deny God. But and if there be a Church in Popery, then is the Church not the piller of truth *,2 Tim. 3.19 but the eſtabliſhment of falſhood: not the tabernacle of the liuing God, but a receptacle of idols.
There remaine footeſteppes of the Church11 Notwithſtanding as there remained in times paſt among the Iewes, certaine peculiar prerogatiues of the Church, ſo neither do we at this day take from the Papiſts the footſteps which the Lord would hauehave to remaine among them, after the ſcattering abrode of the Church: for circūciſion could not be ſo profaned and defiled with their vncleane hands, but that it was alſo a Sacrament of his couenant. So God in Poperie preſerued baptiſme to be a teſtimonie of the couenant.
Da 9.27.12 By this means that is fulfilled which Daniel* & Paul*2 Theſſa. 2.4 fortold cōcerning Antichriſt, namely that he ſhould ſit in the Temple of God. Thereby is meant that his kingdome ſhall be ſuch, as ſhal neither aboliſh the name of Chriſt nor of the Church, though godlineſſe be ſo baniſhed, and all things ſo out of order, that there appeareth there rather the face of Babilon then of the holy citie of God.