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…

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. ⟨p. 178⟩However those Protestant Divines that grant them to be a true Church, do say that it is but by a Metaphysical verity, convertible with the essence; but that Morally it is a false Church and not a true; as a thief is a True man, that is, truly a man, but he is not a true man, that is, not an honest faithful man.

Answ. 1. The word [Church] doth usually signifie 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 Hereticks. 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 Romasts are a true Church; supposing that we onely 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.