A27015:435
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.
3. Another Pillar of Popery is most unconscionable impiety: They can dispense with the vilest sins for the promoting of their Kingdom. They can dispense with Oaths and with obligations of subjects ⟨p. 164⟩[…] ⟨p. 165⟩[…] ⟨p. 166⟩to their sovereigns, with leagues of Peace and amity among Princes, yea they can themselves actually promote and execute the most abominable impieties, that will but help them to attain their ends. I will now only instance in that which is fresh before our own eyes in England. The Papists know that Anabaptists and Separatists are erroneous; they know that Ranters and Quakers are abominable; and yet for their own ends, dare they here in England, put on the visor of Anabaptists and Quakers, and with all possible subtlety and zeal, and unwearyedness, go up and down to seduce the people to be Anabaptists and Quakers, as they did a while ago to be Seekers, if not Infidels. This is sufficiently known and proved not only by the Popish pretended Jew that turned Anabaptist at Hexham, and was taken at Newcastle, and others of them taken, but by many other Testimonies, some upon oath of those that have heard such confessions from their mouths; and many have known them in the Quakers Assemblies, that have seen them before elsewhere: And all this is done by them that they divide us and break us in pieces, and steal a credit to their pretended unity and Church Government, and turn the hearts of the people from our Ministry, and unsettle them, and make them more capable and receptive of their own opinions, and that they may make others abroad believe that we are all running mad. And can that doctrine be of God, which teacheth men to do such abominable things? Or is that like to be the cause of Christ that must be thus upheld? Is that person guided by the Spirit of Christ, that dares draw others to the vilest blasphemies and wickedness in a dissembling garb, that so he may promote his ⟨p. 167⟩own cause? certainly Christ needeth not such hypocrisy, and wickedness for the promoting of his Kingdom; but it seems the Pope doth need it for •is.