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…

Our Question in hand is for the escaping the second of these snares, by discovering which is the safe way to Salvation? The Policy of the Devil hath always endeavoured to hinder the world from knowing this way, by these two means: First, if it be possible by keeping them in utter darkness, that this way may not be revealed to them, or being revealed, may not be understood: Secondly, or if that will not do, by making such a number of by-ways on every side, that the true and only way may hardly be discerned. And this is his end in raising so many Heresies; and this is the course he takes to mislead them that have escaped from the darkness of Infidelity. He begun this trade betime, even in the days of the Apostles: They saw the multifarious off-spring of the Deceiver sprouting up apace in their own times: yet did it never enter into their thoughts to tell the Church, that by this, all Heresies should be known, That the Church of Rome should condemn them, or to send it down to all posterity as the true touchstone to tell them which was the only right way among all these Heresies, to wit, That which is believed by the P•pe or Church of Rome. This had been a ready and easy way for the Apostles to have prescribed, and for us to have received, if it had been true. It ⟨p. 3⟩might have saved them much labour in giving us that Body of sacred Doctrine which they have made indeed the Touchstone of the safe way; and it might have spared us much more labour of searching and studying which is the way; and we might all have sent to Rome, and been resolved without any more ado. Surely the Apostles were not so envious to our ease and safety, as to have silenced this easy way if they had known it themselves. But as every Heretic when he findeth out a New way, doth condemn the Old, as inconsistent with his New, so do the Papists; Since this new way hath been cried up, that [No man can come to heaven but by Rome] it is their business to deter people from any other way, and to that end, to tell them that there is no safe way but theirs. As the Quakers tell us, that there is no way to Heaven but theirs, and some ^*Anabaptists say there is no way to Heaven but by being Baptized (again as they are) so do the Papists tell us that there is no way to Heaven but by Believing in the Pope and Church of Rome, and obeying him as the head of the Church.