A26887:52
The certainty of Christianity without popery, or, Whether the Catholic-Protestant or the papist have…The certainty of Christianity without popery, or, Whether the Catholick-Protestant or the papist have…
The certainty of Christianity without popery, or, Whether the Catholic-Protestant or the papist have the surer faith being an answer to one of the oft canted questions and challenges of the papists, sent to one who desired this : published to direct the unskilful, how to defend their faith against papists and infidels, but especially against the temptations of the Devil, that by saving their faith, they may save their holiness, their comfort and their souls / by Richard Baxter.The certainty of Christianity without popery, or, Whether the Catholick-Protestant or the papist have the surer faith being an answer to one of the oft canted questions and challenges of the papists, sent to one who desired this : published to direct the unskilful, how to defend their faith against papists and infidels, but especially against the temptations of the Devil, that by saving their faith, they may save their holiness, their comfort and their souls / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for Nevil Simons, 1672
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
This evidence is either sensible, or Intelligible, as the sense or the intellect is to be the perceiver of it.
Where you must distinguish the Physical Evidence of the Thing or Incomplex Object, from the Logical Evidence of Complex Objects. And here between the Evidence of self-evident Principles, and of Conclusions whose Evidence is derivative.
But especially you must note wherein it is that certainty of Intelligible evidence formally consisteth; which is in a certain degree of evidence: And 1. It is not every low degree: For though all Truth be equally Truth, and infallible, so that no man is deceived that receiveth it: yet we use not to call that Certainty of evidence which is apt only to give them some dark probability, and leave the mind in hesitant doubtfulness. 2. And yet it is not only that degree of evidence (which must help us to a perfect apprehension, ⟨p. 10⟩which is to be called Certainty: For then no man should be certain in this world. For no man hath such a degree of apprehension, but more may be added to the clearness of it. 3. Therefore certainty must be denominated from a middle degree; which is, when the evidence is not only True (for the confidentest apprehension of a falsehood is no certainty,) but also so Clear as is apt to give a satisfying, quieting, resolving apprehension to the mind, yea though it should be sometimes molested with some doubts. 4. And therefore seeing such or none is our certainty here, it followeth that Certainty hath divers degrees, as the satisfaction of the mind is more or less: And that we are not equally certain of all that we are certain of. You will find necessary use of these distinctions about this controversy.
But especially you must note wherein it is that certainty of Intelligible evidence formally consisteth; which is in a certain degree of evidence: And 1. It is not every low degree: For though all Truth be equally Truth, and infallible, so that no man is deceived that receiveth it: yet we use not to call that Certainty of evidence which is apt only to give them some dark probability, and leave the mind in hesitant doubtfulness. 2. And yet it is not only that degree of evidence (which must help us to a perfect apprehension,