A27015:355
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.
And to aggravate the crime by the addition of hypocrisy, all this Schism and separation must be carried on by a pretence of unity: They make the poor simple people believe that the Pope being the Head and centre, there is no unity to be held but in him, and that we must all be guilty of Schism that unite not in him, and that all our divisions are caused by our departing from this centre of unity: when it is himself that hath divided from the rest of the Christian world, and would drown the infamy of it by accusing others of the same sin that he is so notoriously guilty of. By which we may well see, that accusing others is none of the surest signs of innocency, but too common a trick to divert the suspicion from themselves. When the Papists that are the greatest Schismatics on earth, do make such an outcry against us as Schismatics, because we have repented of our joining with them in their Schism, and will not confederate with them in evil, against the Laws of Christ, and the necessary means of the unity of his Church.
And to aggravate the crime by the addition of hipocrisie, all this Schisme and separation must be carryed on by a pretence of unity: They make the poor simple people believe that the Pope being the Head and center, there is no unity to be held but in him, and that we must all be guilty of Schisme that unite not in him, and that all our divisions are caused by our departing from this center of unity: when it is himself that hath divided from the rest of the Christian world, and would drown the infamy of it by accusing others of the same sin that he is so notoriously guilty of. By which we may well see, that accusing others is none of the surest signs of innocency, but too common a trick to divert the suspition from themselves. When the Papists that are the greatest Schismaticks on earth, do make such an outcry against us as Schismaticks, because we have repented of our joyning with them in their Schisme, and will not confederate with them in evil, against the Laws of Christ, and the necessary means of the unity of his Church.
Arg. 7. If the faith of Papists as Papists, which is it that we call Popery, be a merely uncertain, changeable thing, so that a man can never tell when he hath it all then is it no safe way to Salvation. But the faith of Papist (as such) is such a merely uncertain changeable thing: Therefore it is no safe way to Salvation.