A27015:686
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.
Quest. 1. Doth he not contradict the very definition of a Pope, that tells us that we must first believe him to be an infallible Pope, before we can believe the Doctrine of Christ? For a Roman Pope is supposed to be the Vicar of Christ, the successor of Saint Peter, the head of the Church: And can he be thus known by a man that knoweth not or believeth not that there is a Christ, who is the Saviour and principal head, and who is supposed to send him.
Quest. 1. Doth he not contradict the very definition of a Pope, that tells us that we must first believe him to be an infallible Pope, before we can believe the Doctrine of Christ? For a Romane Pope is supposed to be the Vicar of Christ, the successor of Saint Peter, the head of the Church: And can he be thus known by a man that knoweth not or believeth not that there is a Christ, who is the Saviour and principal head, and who is supposed to send him.
Quest. 2. And doth it not contradict the definition of a Church, to say that we must believe the Church before we can believe the doctrine of Christ? For what is a Church but a society of Christians, that is, men professing the Christian Faith? And how can they know that such men are Christians, or profess that faith, before they know what that faith is? And how can they know that they are to be credited as Christians, before they believe that Christianity it self is of credit?
Q 3. Is there any man breathing that can bring sufficient Arguments to prove. 1. That there is a Church of Christ. 2. And that this Church is infallible. 3. And that the Pope and Papists are this Church, before their hearers have received or believed the word of God? If they can, why have they not fallen closer to work in this necessary point, when they know how much it would do to the determination of the whole? If they pretend such Antecedent proof by miracles, as the Apostles proved the Doctrine by, I have showed the vanity of this pretence (against Knot) before: and we must still desire them, if it be miracles that is their first witness, to let us see, or have certain proof of those Miracles. We protest to all the world that we are heartily