A27015:384
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.
In all which you may see that all the comfort that the poor Dominicans have left them (even their hope of salvation if they be Papists indeed) consisteth in this, that the Pope speaks one thing and means another, and that (as White so merrily saith, in so sad a matter) The wise father of the Church was necessitated for the appeasing of contentions, to ⟨p. 141⟩grant the more turbulent party their words, and the more obedient party their sense: so that when the Pope hath done all that he can to determine their controversies, they will still say, that he determineth but the words (nay he doth but grant one party their words) and not the meaning: and so not only sense, but bare terms must be made Articles of faith.
In all which you may see that all the comfort that the poor Dominicans have left them (even their hope of salvation if they be Papists indeed) consisteth in this, that the Pope speaks one thing and means another, and that (as White so merrily saith, in so sad a matter) The wise father of the Church was necessitated for the appeasing of contentions, to ⟨p. 141⟩grant the more turbulent party their words, and the more obedient party their sence: so that when the Pope hath done all that he can to determine their controversies, they will still say, that he determineth but the words (nay he doth but grant one party their words) and not the meaning: and so not onely sence, but bare terms must be made Articles of faith.
And here you may see the great force of the Papists arguing for a necessity of a living Judge to determine of the sense of Scripture, because the Scripture is so ambiguous that each one will else wrest it, his own way: And do we not see, that the Pope cannot, after so many years deliberation, determine five short Articles so expressly and plainly, even when he doth it of purpose to decide the controversy, as to make his learned Doctors understand him? but that each party doth take his words to be either for, or not against their opinions, and hold their opinions as fast since his determination as before: And so they do by Augustine, Thomas and the Council of Trent: each party confidently persuading the world that they were of their side. And may not God have the honour of speaking as plainly as the Pope or Thomas or the Council of Trent? and cannot we well be without the Decision of such a Judge, as cannot speak so as to be understood by his greatest Doctors himself.