A27015:675
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.
The sixth General Council at Constantinople hath many errors, which Bellarmine confesseth, and layeth the cause on this that they had not the Popes authority: Whereas Pope Adrian approved ⟨p. 276⟩them*, and the seventh Council judged them genuine: Adrian saith [See sextam synodum cum omnibus canonibus recipere; he receiveth the sixth Synod with all its Canons and confesseth it to be Divine] The Council at Constance decreed that a General Council is above the Pope: and the Council at the Lateran under Julius 2. and Leo 10. decree that the Pope is above a General Council Sess. 11. The Council of Calcedone abrogated the Acts of the second Council of Ephesus, and decreed the contrary. The Council of Trent, is notoriously erroneous, and contradicteth the Council of Laodicea and Carthag. 3. about the Canon of Scripture. The number of their contradictions and errors is too great for me here to recite. Many of our writers against the Papists give you large Catalogues and full proof of them. See Doctor Sutline. li. 2. de Concil. cap. 1. What Gregor. Nazianz. And Jerome say of them, I touched before: Hilary li. de Synodis exclaimeth against the errors and blasphemies of the Councils of Syrmium and Ancyra: Augustine saith li. 3 cont. Maximni. c. 14. [Nec ego Nicenum, nec tu debes. Ariminense, ta• quam praejudicaturus profere concilium, nec ego hujus authoritate, nec tu illius, detinenis] He saith also lib. 2. de Baptis. [Concilia plenaria priora, a posterioribus emendari] That is [Former Councils that were full have been mended by later] Bellarmines deceitful shifting answers to these testimonies, are not worth the repeating. Isidore saith *Quotiescunque in gestis Conciliorum discors st• tentia ⟨p. 277⟩invenitur, illius concilii sententia magis tenentur, cujus antiquior & p•tior est authoritas] That is [As oft as we find in the acts of Councils disagreeing judgements, let us hold the judgement of that Council which hath the more Ancient and the greater authority.] But the confession of the adversaries here may spare us more labour, who acknowledge that a General Council though rightly Congregated, and though the Popes Legates concur, may yet err in the faith, if so be that the Pope doth not approve or confirm their Decrees. So that when they say that [All the Church cannot err] and therefore a General Council cannot err; their own meaning is, that one man cannot err;