A27015:713
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.
And I marvel why the Papists should be so industrious in refelling it, as if their cause lay more on this then other things. If a Conjurer, a common Whoremonger, a Murderer, a Simonist, a Heretic, may be the infallible judge of the faith, why may not a woman? Hath Christ laid more on the Sex then on all these? specially if she had but kept her self honest, I should have thought Joan had been better then John the 22. or 23. and many another that yet was of the more worthy gender.
And I marvaile why the Papists should be so industrious in refelling it, as if their cause lay more on this then other things. If a Conjurer, a common Whoremonger, a Murderer, a Simonist, a Heretick, may be the infallible judge of the faith, why may not a woman? Hath Christ laid more on the Sex then on all these? specially if she had but kept her self honest, I should have thought Joane had been better then John the 22. or 23. and many another that yet was of the more worthy gender.
Quest. 19. And further I would know, If the City of Rome were consumed with fire, or the Pope-dome removed from that Sea (which Bellarmine confesseth, it is not impossible to be done) where then were the infallible head of the Church, and what were become of the Romish faith? If they say that this can never be, and that Christs promise implieth the preservation of the City of Rome. I answer, 1. It will be long before they will give us any proof of that. 2. Their own writers confess the contrary. 3. Let the end determine it. But if they say that infallibility is not tied to the place, but to the Person, who shall be Peters successor, I answer, we thought hitherto that to be Peters successor, and to be the Bishop of Rome, had been all one with them. If another man that is no Bishop of Rome may be Peters successor, then how shall we ⟨p. 295⟩know who have succeeded him all this while? Why not the Bishop of Alexandria, Jerusalem, Ephesus, or other place as well as the Pope? specially why not the Patriarch of Antioch, who is said to be the eldest son of Saint Peter, as inheriting his first chair I doubt, if Rome were extinct, and the Bishop of Mentz, or Cullen, or Vienna, or Rhemes, or Paris or any other should pretend to be the infallible head of the Church, not only the old Patriarchs but their neighbour Bishops would much contradict it; and the world would be at a great loss to find the Popish faith or infallible head.