Rogers on Article XVIII: Of obtaining eternal Salvation only by the Name of Christ

The propositions.

1. The profession of euery religion cannot saue a man, liue he neuer so virtuously.

2. No man euer was, is, or shall be saued, but onely by the Name or faith of Iesus Christ.

1. Proposition. The profession of euery religion cannot saue a man, liue hee neuer so virtuously.

The proofe from the word of God.

THis we cannot but acknowledge to be a truth if wee beleeue the Scriptures, for they testifie that Iewes, and Gentiles are all vnder sinn, culpable before God, and depriued of the glory of God ¹.

All men, that would be saued, must be borne againe of the holy Ghost ².

No man is iustified by the workes of the Lawe ³, either ceremoniall ⁴, or morall ⁵.

God hateth the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes ⁶, and of Balaam ⁷.

The Reprobate, whose names are not written in the booke of the life of the Lambe, they doe worship the Beast ⁸.

Punishments eternall, and intolerable are threatned, both to the Beast, and the false prophet ⁹, and likewise to all such as will not goe out of Babylon ¹⁰, and to all Idolaters ¹¹.

The confessions of Gods people are to this ende, and purpose ¹².

Errors, & adversaries vnto this truth.

Then to be had accursed are they which affirme, that

This obseruation of the Iudaicall ceremonies is necessarie vnto saluation, as did the false apostles ¹³, the Ebionites ¹⁴, and the Corinthians ¹⁵.

Such throughout the world as lead an vpright life, and be morally righteous, whatsoeuer their religion is, shall be saued, as many of the Philosophers were in the opinion of the Valentinian and Basilidian heretikes ¹⁶, of Galeatus Martius ¹⁷, and Erasmus Roterodam ¹⁸.

That men externally may professe any religion, and notwithstanding be saued, if their affections, and hart be with the Familie of Loue ¹⁹.

That all those which liue vprightly and doe good deedes shall be of equall happines in the kingdome of heauen; be they Turkes, Christians, Iewes, or Moores. A Turkish error ²⁰.

That men may embrace, and follow the sect, and religion, which they haue most minde vnto, and so doing please God, & and shall be saued: the Lampatians doctrine ²¹.

That no sect euer erred, or were out of the way to heauen; a fancie of the Rhetorians ²².

1. Proposition. No man euer was, is, or shalbe saued, but onely by the name or Faith of Iesus Christ.

The proofe from Gods word.

This wee cannot but acknowledge to be true, if also wee beleeue the scriptures, which say that

Among men there is giuen none other name vnder heauen, whereby wee must be saued ²³.

Through (Iesus Christ) his name, all that beleeue in him, shall receiue remission of sinnes ²⁴.

In thee (viz. Christ Iesus) shall all the Gentiles be blessed ²⁵.

And this is the Faith, and confession of the reformed Churches²⁶.

The errors, and Adversaries vnto this truth.

Many waies this truth very heretically is oppugned. For

Some teach that wee are saued not by Christ, (but as the Valentinians said) by the labour of their hands, and by their owne good workes ²⁷, (as Simon Magus boasted). by his faire Helene ²⁸, (as Matthew Hamant held) by other meanes, and that all persons which worshipped Christ, are abominable Idolaters ²⁹, as Neuserus, and Siluanus beleeued by Mahomet ³⁰, and therefore he reuolted from Christianitie vnto Turcisme.

Others confesse that wee are saued by the name of Christ, but either not by the right, and true Christ, for they said themselues, and euery of themselues were Christ, as in old time did Saturninus ³¹, Manes ³², Desider, Burdegal, and Eudo de Stella ³³, and of late yeares, at Basil, Dauid George ³⁴, and in England, first one Iohn Moore ³⁵, and afterward William Hacket ³⁶, the former was whipt for the same at Bethlehem in the second of Queene Elizabeth, the other hanged and quartered in Cheapside, An. 1591.

Or by the true Christ, but either distinguish betweene Iesus and Christ, saying Iesus was one man, and Christ another, as did the Marcionites ³⁷.

Or say there be two Christs, one reuealed alreadie in the daies of Tiberius the Emperour, who came for the saluation of the Gentiles, another yet to come, for the redemption of the Iewes, so thought the same Marcionites ³⁸, Nestorius held also there were two Christs, whereof one was very God, the other very man, borne of a woman ³⁹.

Or publish, how none were saued by the true Christ til the 15. yeare of the foresaid Tiberius, an heresie of Manes, and his companie ⁴⁰.

Others besides (as the Familie of Loue) vnderstand all things written of Christ, allegorically, and not according to the letter of Gods word. For they teach that whatsoeuer is written of Christ, must in vs, and with us be fulfilled ⁴¹.

Others haue thought, yea haue spoken blasphemously of the constant, and holy Martyrs, who for the name of Christ, gaue their liues in England in the raigne of Queene Mary, some saying: They were stark fooles, as did Christophet Vitel, a chiefe Elder in the Familie of Loue ⁴², others (as Westphalus, and Marbachius) that they were the Diuels martyrs ⁴³.

Footnotes

1. Rom. 3.9.19, 23. ↩

2. Ioh. 3.3. ↩

3. Gal. 3.16. ↩

4. Act. 15.24.28. Coloss 2.16, 20. Gal. 5.18. ↩

5. Rom. 3.20.28 Eph. 2.8, 9. ↩

6. Reu. 2.15. ↩

7. Ibid. 14. ↩

8. Reu. 13 8. ↩

9. Reu. 20.10. ↩

10. Reu. 18.4. ↩

11. Reu. 21.8. ↩

12. Confess. Helv. 1. ar. 12. & 2. c. 12. Bohem. c. 6. Gal. ar. 22, 23. Belg. a. 22, 23. August. ar. 4.5.21. VVittemb. ar. 5.6. Suev. c. 3. ↩

13. Act. 15.1. ↩

14. Iren. l. 1. c. 26. ↩

15. Philas[?]rius. ↩

16. Clem. Alex. b. 2.4. ↩

17. Pa[?]. [?]ovius leg. doct. vir. p. 97. ↩

18. Praef. sua Tuscul. q[?]aest. ↩

19. H.N. [?]raef. to his 3. Reform. § 2.6. ↩

20. Pol. of the Turk. emp. c. 23. Lonicer. Turk. hist. tomo 1. l. 2. par. 2. cap. 12. ↩

21. Damascene. ↩

22. D. August. [?]p. ad Quodvult. ↩

23. Act. 4.12. ↩

24. Act. 10.43. ↩

25. Gal. 3.8. ↩

26. Confess. Helv. 1. ar. 10.11. & 2. cap. 11.13. Basil. ar. 4. Bohem. cap. 4.10. Gal. ar. 13.16.17. Belg. ar. 17.20.21.22. Augustan. ar. 3. Saxon. ar. 3. VVittemb. c. 8. Suevica, ar. 9. § 2. ↩

27. Iren. lib. 1. ↩

28. Iren. ↩

29. Holinsh. chro. fol. 1299. ↩

30. Beza resp. ad repetit. Io. And. Cal. p. 8. ↩

31. Epiphan. ↩

32. Euseb. l. 7. c. 3i ↩

33. Genebr. chro. l. 3. p. 358.709. ↩

34. Hist. David. Georgii. ↩

35. Stovv. ↩

36. Conspir. for pretend. refor. ↩

37. Philaster. ↩

38. Tertul. l. 4. contr. Marc. ↩

39. Vincen. Lir. adv. haereses. ↩

40. Epiphan. ↩

41. H.N. proph. of the Spir. c. 7. § 3. ↩

42. Ans. to the Fam. let. L. 3. a ↩

43. Sturmius, antipap. 4. par. 3. p. 189. ↩