A27015:169
The safe religion, or, Three disputations for the reformed catholic religion against popery proving…The safe religion, or, Three disputations for the reformed catholike religion against popery proving…
The safe religion, or, Three disputations for the reformed catholic religion against popery proving that popery is against the Holy Scriptures, the unity of the catholic church, the consent of the ancient doctors, the plainest reason, and common judgment of sense it self / by Richard Baxter.The safe religion, or, Three disputations for the reformed catholike religion against popery proving that popery is against the Holy Scriptures, the unity of the catholike church, the consent of the antient doctors, the plainest reason, and common judgment of sense it self / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed by Abraham Miller for Thomas Underhill, 1657
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.
Obj. 10. Where the Catholic Church is, there the Catholic Religion is, and no where else: But the Catholic Church is not with you, but with us▪ For, you found us in Possession of the name and thing and then departed from us as Heretics in former ages did from the Church: Therefore it is not you but we that have the true Catholic Religion, which is the only safe way to salvation.
Obj. 10. Where the Catholike Church is, there the Catholike Religion is, and no where else: But the Catholike Church is not with you, but with us▪ For, you found us in Possession of the name and thing and then departed from us as Hereticks in former ages did from the Church: Therefore it is not you but we that have the true Catholike Religion, which is the onely safe way to salvation.
Answ. 1. The Church must be known to be true and Catholic by the Religion which it owneth, and not the Religion by the Church. You begin at the wrong end: As if I would prove such a thing to be a Virtue because it is in such a man, as I esteem, when I should rather prove him to be honest and Virtuous, because that which is first, proved honesty, & Virtue dwelleth in him. 2. Did we not find the Greek, Ethiopian and other Churches in possession of the name of the Catholic Church as well as you? Yet you would dispossess them. 3. We found you in Possession of All in your own account: and all is yours if your selves must be Judges. But in the account of the Greek, Abassine and other Churches we found you in Possession but of the name of [A Church] and not ⟨p. 48⟩[The Church] a Part of the Church Catholic, and not the whole; a Corrupt part and not the Head, […] the Purest part. 4. We departed not from you as • Church, much less as the Catholic Church, but • corrupted: Nor do we yet deny you to be a Church but to be a sound Church or the Catholic Church.