A27015:452
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.
for its easy to prove any thing, where themselves are the Judges, and no witnesses but their own must be heard: But if they dare leave that hold, and come into the light, its easy to evince the novelty of Popery (though not of every particular error they hold.)
for its easie to prove any thing, where themselves are the Judges, and no witnesses but their own must be heard: But if they dare leave that hold, and come into the light, its easie to evince the novelty of Popery (though not of every particular error they hold.)
Obj. 2. If the Church of Rome be a true Church; then Popery is a safe way to salvation: But the Church of Rome is a true Church: Therefore, &c. The Antecedent is granted by most Protestants: •he consequence is good; for it is the true Religion that maketh a true Church and Popery is their Religion. If their Religion be not true, their Church is not true: If their Religion be true, then their Church is true: and if Church and Religion be true, then they are in a safe way to salvation.
Answ. 1. The word [Church] doth usually signify among Christians, a Christian society, or a company of Christians associated for Gods worship and mutual edification: sometime any company of Christians whether so associated or not: sometime those are called [Christians] as distinct from Infidels, who profess most of the substance of Christianity, but deny some part, or who profess the whole substance or the fundamentals, though they contradict it again by plain consequence in other superadded points: Though these as compared with the Orthodox are wont to be called Heretics. We deny not but that the greatest Papists are such Christians, and that as the word [Church] is applicable to combinations or companies consisting of such materials, so far the Romanists are a true Church; supposing that we only speak of Metaphysical Truth. But as the word [Christian] is taken for one that so holdeth the fundamentals of Christian Faith, as not to subvert them by plain consequence after he hath professed them, so it is yet under dispute whether the Romanists be a true Church, and therefore not to be taken as granted.