A26962:39
Naked popery, or, The naked falsehood of a book called The Catholic naked truth,…Naked popery, or, The naked falshood of a book called The Catholick naked truth,…
Naked popery, or, The naked falsehood of a book called The Catholic naked truth, or, The Puritan convert to apostolical Christianity, written by W.H. opening their fundamental error of unwritten tradition, and their unjust description of the Puritans, the prelatical Protestant, and the papist, and their differences, and better acquainting the ignorant of the same difference, especially what a Puritan and what a papist is / by Richard Baxter ...Naked popery, or, The naked falshood of a book called The Catholick naked truth, or, The Puritan convert to apostolical Christianity, written by W.H. opening their fundamental errour of unwritten tradition, and their unjust description of the Puritans, the prelatical Protestant, and the papist, and their differences, and better acquainting the ignorant of the same difference, especially what a Puritan and what a papist is / by Richard Baxter ...
London: printed for N. Simmons, 1677
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.
But the insuperable difficulty is, How must I believe that the Pope hath this Infallibility? From Christ, or otherwise? If not from Christ, tell me which way, and why I must believe it? If from Christ, can I believe that the Pope hath Power from Christ, before I believe that there is a Christ, that hath such Power to give? And can I believe in Christ, and not believe that there is a God that sent him? Can I believe that Jesus is the Christ, and not believe that he is a Sacrifice for sin, or a Mediator between God and Man, and came to save his People from their sins? And can I believe this, and not believe that we are all sinners, and that sin deserveth that punishment which Christ came to save us from? Is not our Saviour, and our Sin and Misery relatives? as a Physician, or Medicine and a Disease? And can we believe that we have sin and desert of Punishment, without believing that God is our Governor, and gave us that Law which we broke, and which obligeth us to Punishment? Can ⟨p. 15⟩we believe in Christ, and not believe that he is God and Man, that he dyed, rose, and ascended into Heaven, and will judge us at last? and that he pardoneth sin, reneweth Souls by his Spirit, and will give us life hereafter? All these are included in believing in Christ, as Christ. And how must I believe that Christ hath given the Pope this Infallibility or Power? By any written word which granteth it? or by Oral Tradition? If by the written Word, then I must believe that that Word is true, before I can believe that the Pope is made Pope or Infallible by it? If by Oral Tradition, whose must that be? Then I must believe some bodies Oral Tradition as true and infallible, before I believe in the Pope at all. If it be the first Hearers of the Apostles, then either the Pope was one of those, or not. If yea, and he hath a Negative Voice in the credible report, then I must believe him as Infallible, before he is proved Infallible, in order to my believing that he is Infallible, which is a contradiction. If Not, Then I must believe the Infallibility of other Hearers of the Apostles, before I can believe the Pope's? And the Question will recur, How I shall know them to be Infallible? And who they were that were those Infallible Witnesses? Whether Pastors only, or the People? Whether of some one Church, or of all the Churches? And how I shall prove that they gave such a Testimony?
But the insuperable difficulty is, How must I believe that the Pope hath this Infallibility? From Christ, or otherwise? If not from Christ, tell me which way, and why I must believe it? If from Christ, can I believe that the Pope hath Power from Christ, before I believe that there is a Christ, that hath such Power to give? And can I believe in Christ, and not believe that there is a God that sent him? Can I believe that Jesus is the Christ, and not believe that he is a Sacrifice for sin, or a Mediator between God and Man, and came to save his People from their sins? And can I believe this, and not believe that we are all sinners, and that sin deserveth that punishment which Christ came to save us from? Is not our Saviour, and our Sin and Misery relatives? as a Physician, or Medicine and a Disease? And can we believe that we have sin and desert of Punishment, without believing that God is our Governour, and gave us that Law which we broke, and which obligeth us to Punishment? Can