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 argument being ad hominem and the Antecedent their own, all the doubt is of the consequence: which I prove thus, either it is the real or representative body which they must call the Catholic Church: But both these are against the Popes infallibility: Therefore.

The argument being ad hominem and the Antecedent their own, all the doubt is of the consequence: which I prove thus, either it is the real or representative body which they must call the Catholike Church: But both these are against the Popes infallibility: Therefore.

1. For the real, no man can possibly know all their minds, nor ever expect that they should in this life be all of a mind: therefore it is the Major part that we must have respect to, as its usual in all such ⟨p. 273⟩Bodies, or Assemblies. Now the greater part of the Catholic Church on earth, is and hath been against the Popes infallibility. That it is so now, is well known, seeing all the Greeks, Abassin, Armenian, Reformed and other Churches are far more then the Papists. 2. And that it hath been so formerly the Papists themselves confess. I will note at this time but one of the most learned and sober of them, Melch. Canus Loc. Theol. li. 6. cap. 7. fol. (mihi) 201. [Pugnatum est siquidem vehementer, non a Graecis solum, sed ab aliis plerisque totius orbis apiscopis ut Roman• Ecclesiae privilegium labefactaretur. Atque habebant pro see illi quidem, & Imperatorum arma, & Majorem Ecclesiarum numerum: nunquam tamen efficere potuerunt, ut unius Romani Pontificis potestatem abrogarent—] That is [Not only the Greeks,¹ but almost all the rest of the Bishops of the whole world, have vehemently fought to destroy the privilege of the Church of Rome: And indeed they had on their side both the Arms of Emperors and the Greater number of Churches: and yet they could never prevail to abrogate the Power of one Pope of Rome] Mark here that it is only success that he pleadeth, but confesseth that most of the Bishops of the whole world, and the greater number of Churches, besides the Arms of Emperors, were against the Roman privileges, as they call them, & the Popes power. So that by this you may see the conscience and modesty of these men, that not only call themselves the whole Church, as if all other besides them were some inconsiderable parcels, but also would make the simple people believe that before Luther's time, there were scarce any that denied their pretended power: we may see from themselves then