A26947:503
A key for Catholics, to open the juggling of the Jesuits, and satisfy all…A key for Catholicks, to open the jugling of the Jesuits, and satisfie all…
A key for Catholics, to open the juggling of the Jesuits, and satisfy all that are but truly willing to understand, whether the cause of the Roman or reformed churches be of God ... containing some arguments by which the meanest may see the vanity of popery, and 40 detections of their fraud, with directions, and materials sufficient for the confutation of their voluminous deceits ... : the second part showeth (especially against the French and Grotians) that the Catholic Church is not united in any merely humane head, either Pope or council / by Richard Baxter, a Catholic Christian and Pastor of a church ...A key for Catholicks, to open the jugling of the Jesuits, and satisfie all that are but truly willing to understand, whether the cause of the Roman or reformed churches be of God ... containing some arguments by which the meanest may see the vanity of popery, and 40 detections of their fraud, with directions, and materials sufficient for the confutation of their voluminous deceits ... : the second part sheweth (especially against the French and Grotians) that the Catholick Church is not united in any meerly humane head, either Pope or council / by Richard Baxter, a Catholick Christian and Pastor of a church ...
London: printed by R.W. for Nevil Simmons, 1659
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.
And note here that Popery it self was not ripe for a corruption of the Christian faith professed, till Luther's opposition heightened them. For the Scripture was frequently before, by Papists held to be a most sufficient Rule of faith, (as I showed before from the Council of Basil:) and consequently, Tradition was only pleaded as conservatory and expository of the Scripture; but now the Council of Trent hath in a sort equalled them. And this they were lately driven to, when they found that out of Scripture they were unable to confute or suppress the truth.
And note here that Popery it self was not ripe for a corruption of the Christian faith professed, till Luthers opposition heightned them. For the Scripture was frequently before, by Papists held to be a most sufficient Rule of faith, (as I shewed before from the Council of Basil:) and consequently, Tradition was only pleaded as conservatory and expository of the Scripture; but now the Council of Trent hath in a sort equalled them. And this they were lately driven to, when they found that out of Scripture they were unable to confute or suppress the truth.
2. At the same time of the Churches oppression by the Papacy, our Religion was visible (and so our Church:) in a more illustrious sort, among the Christians of the most of the world, ⟨p. 122⟩Greeks, Ethiopians, and the rest, that never were subject to the usurpation of Rome, but only (many of them) took him for the Patriarch primae sedis, but not Episcopus Ecclesiae Catholicae, or the Governor of the Universal Church. So that here was a visibility of our Church doubly more eminent then among the Romanists: 1. In that it was the far greatest part of the Catholic Church that thus held our Religion, to whom the Papists were then but few. 2. In that they did not only hold the same Positive Articles of faith with us, but also among their Rejections, did Reject the chief of the Popish errors as we do. Besides many particular points named in my Safe Religion, they Rejected with us, the Popes Catholic Monarchy, the pretended Infallibility of the Pope or his Councils: the new form of the Papal Catholic Church, as Headed by him, with other such points; which are the very fundamental controversies between us and the Papists. So that (besides that the Papists themselves profess our Religion) the major part of the Catholic Church did profess it, with the Rejection of the Papacy and Papal Church; and so you may as easily see where our Religion was before Luther, as where the Catholic Church, or most of Christians were before Luther.