A27015:422
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. Lastly it will follow that a man must not trust his senses: that though my eyes, my smell, my taste, my feeling, tell me that this is Bread and Wine, yet they are all deceived: and not mine only but all the senses in the world, to which they are objected. And if that be true, 1. What reason have I to trust any Papist living? For all my good opinion of him must be ultimately resolved into something that I see or hear of him: And it seems, I am uncertain whether I see or hear him indeed or not. 2. And then how can I tell that I or any man is sure of any thing? For if the senses of millions in perfect health may be all deceived in this, why not in other things, for ought we know? 3. And then how can any Papist tell that the Bread is turned into Christs body? If he say, because the Church or the Scripture saith so; How knoweth he that, but by hearing or seeing? and therefore for ought he knows his senses may be deceived when he thinketh he heareth or readeth such a thing, as well as when he thinketh that he seeth, feeleth, smelleth, and tasteth Bread and Wine.
20. Lastly it will follow that a man must not trust his sences: that though my eyes, my smell, my taste, my feeling, tell me that this is Bread and Wine, yet they are all deceived: and not mine only but all the senses in the world, to which they are objected. And if that be true, 1. What reason have I to trust any Papist living? For all my good opinion of him must be ultimately resolved into something that I see or hear of him: And it seems, I am uncertain whether I see or hear him indeed or not. 2. And then how can I tell that I or any man is sure of any thing? For if the senses of millions in perfect health may be all deceived in this, why not in other things, for ought we know? 3. And then how can any Papist tell that the Bread is turned into Christs body? If he say, because the Church or the Scripture saith so; How knoweth he that, but by hearing or seeing? and therefore for ought he knows his senses may be deceived when he thinketh he heareth or readeth such a thing, as well as when he thinketh that he seeth, feeleth, smelleth, and tasteth Bread and Wine.
And is there not need of very strangely cogent evidence now to impel them to believe against the concurrent vote of Scripture, sense and reason? And what is the ground of their contrary belief? Not the Ancient Church (unless they wilfully or negligently deceive themselves) for the stream of antiquity is full against them: so full that its hard to believe that any of them that's versed in antiquity can truly think that antiquity is for them, if they have but the common reason of men to understand what they read. What is it then that bringeth them to this belief? Is it the Scriptures? That's not likely, because they make so light of it, and swear to take