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…

And for the written Word they cannot thence prove a grant of their infallibility. 1. Because they tell us that we cannot know the Scripture to be the Word of God, but by their infallible judgement: Therefore we must know their judgement to be infallible first; and therefore it is first to be known some other way, and not by Scripture. Indeed here they have long tired themselves in their Circle, which some of them would hide by vain words if they could, but Holden and others of them are forced to confess it, and that they have no way out but by retiring to the universal testimony or tradition as an infallible evidence, in stead of the Authoritative judgement, or infallibility, or private Tradition of the Church of Rome. They tell us that we cannot know the Scripture to be the Word of God, but by the infallible judgement of their Church (And that is in the Issue of the Pope) And when we call for ⟨p. 213⟩the proof of that infallibility, they refer us to the Scripture. So that this is plainly to say that neither Scripture nor Papal infallibility can be proved; and so to forsake both Popery and Christianity: Then it seems, no man can know the Popes infallibility but upon the authority of Gods word, which cannot it self be known till that infallibility be known. It must be Gods Grant, written or unwritten that must prove their infallibility: But that word or Grant, written or unwritten, cannot be known to be of God, till we first know their Authority to judge, and infallibility in judging: It evidently follows therefore according to them, that neither one nor the other can be known, because no one of them can be known till the other be first known.

But 2 If we could know the Scripture to be Gods Word, before we know their infallibility in judging, yet we cannot know the true sense of that Scripture (as they confidently tell us) first: Well then, I am one that doubt of the Popes infallibility, and demand his proof: Bellarmine turns me to Luk. 22. I have prayed that thy faith fail not. I must know how I shall be sure that this is the meaning of that Scripture (which is so little apparent to an ordinary eye) He hath nothing to tell me, but that the Church saith so: And how shall I know that the Church is in the right? Why because it cannot err. And how shall I know that? Why by this Text. And so they are amazed in another Circle, past recovery. For they expressly and frequently tell us, that the Scripture is no good evidence but when it is rightly expounded: and that no exposition is right but that which is given by the infallible judgement of the Church; and so the Popes infallibility cannot be