A27015:297
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.
20. It is of necessity that all Christians who belie• upon the Popes authority, must know who it is th• is the true Pope, and to be believed: And wh• there are many Popes at once pretending to that i• fallibility and authority, how can all Christians resolved which is the true Pope when one Count•• owns one, and another owns another, whom s• the vulgar own that are out of reach and uncapab•• of understanding the quarrel? And then, w•• ⟨p. 101⟩knows which of them must be succeeded by the next? Nay can learned men tell? Nay can the Cardinals •ell that choose them? And are we sure that any of •he pretenders are true Popes? Shall we hear Bellarmine in one particular case, that is in his answer to •he 37. instance of Heretical Popes, to wit, John •3. who besides open Adulteries, Murders and o•her horrid wickedness, of which no less then fifty three Articles were put in against him at the Council •f Constance, all confirmed, saith Bellarmine, by •ertain witnesses, he was moreover accused of most pernicious Heresy, even of denying the Resurrection of the body, and everlasting life. And to this Bellarmine answereth [Joannem 23. non fuisse Ponti•cem omnino certum & indubitatum, proinde non nec•essario esse defendendum, erant enim eo tempore tres, •ni Pontifices haberi volebant, Gregor. 12. Benedict. •3. & Johan. 23. nec poterat facile judicari quis e•rum verus ac legitimus esset Pontifex cum non deessent ngulis doctissimi patroni.] that is [I answer that john the 23. was not altogether the certain and undoubted Pope, and therefore he is not necessarily to be defended, for there were at that time three that would e accounted Popes, Gregor. 12. Benedict. 13. and john 23. and it was no easy matter to judge which of hem was the true and lawful Pope, when there were ot wanting to each one of them most Learned Patrons.] And yet the same Bellarmine saith, de Concil. li. 1. ap. 8. that its almost the common opinion that this john, Alex 5. were true Popes.