Definition of "christianity"

And we wish heartily, that leaving these weak nots of Trueth, to the Papists, chief acclaimers of them, amongst christians, (that we speak nothing of aliens from christianity) ye would be pleased to adhere, with us into the holy Scriptures […]

p. 1638, “The XIV. Duply”, in Generall Demands Concerning the Late Covenant […]‎, published 1662, page 168

I must tell you that christianity hath new christened it

1768 , Jeremy Taylor, Sacred Prolusions: or, Select Pieces from Bishop Taylor and Mr. Herbert

That wealth and splendour have not the charms that you ascribe to them with the bulk of mankind, is evident even from the history of Monachism, one of the corruptions of christianity.

1791, Joseph Priestley, Letters to Burke, section VI

Corinna followed the procession, which repaired to the temple of St. Peter, which was then lighted only by an illuminated cross. This sign of grief, alone and shining in the august obscurity of this immense edifice, is the most beautiful image of christianity in the midst of sublunary darkness.

1807, [Germaine] de Staël Holstein, translated by D[ennis] Lawler, “[Book X. Holy week.] Chap[ter] IV.”, in Corinna; or, Italy. […], volume III, London: […] Corri, […]; and sold by Colburn, […], and Mackenzie, […], page 48

The old saying that all is not gold which glitters, is true in respect to most of the prevailing systems of christianity in which the outside glitter and superficial tinsel will be found the device of man, while craft has cast a veil over that which is really the work of God.

1807, Johann Gottfried Eichhorn, “Eichhorn's Introduction to the New Testament”, in The Critical Review of Annals of Literature‎, volume X, number V, London, page 450

It was reserved for chivalry, embodying the spirit of christianity, to demolish this old, moss-grown bastile of the social state, and restore its captives to freedom, and the rights and prerogatives of freedom.

1840, “Chivalry and the Crusades”, in The American Miscellany of Popular Tales, Essays, Sketches of Character, Poetry, and Jeux d’Esprit, volume II, number 38, London: G. Berger, […]; Simpkin, Marshall, & Co.; […], page 134, column 1

If we read the Epistles of St. Paul, we shall soon discover what efforts the Jewish converts made to bring the Gentile converts into the observance of every Jewish custom compatible with christianity: and as we do not discover in those Epistles any traces of a dispute on this head between the Jewish and Gentile converts, we may fairly conclude that the Gentile converts adopted without hesitation the time-honoured manner of praising the true God made use of by the Jewish converts, instead of the Pagan mode of singing, which was then associated in their minds with every thing unclean and abominable.

1847, William Kelly, “Introduction”, in A Grammar of Gregorian, or Plain Chant Music, London: Thomas Richardson and Son, […], pages 11–12