A27045:194
The successive visibility of the church of which the Protestants are the soundest members…
The successive visibility of the church of which the Protestants are the soundest members I. defended against the opposition of Mr. William Johnson, II. proved by many arguments / by Richard Baxter ; whereunto is added 1. an account of my judgement to Mr. J. how far heretics are or are not in the church, 2. Mr. Js. explication of the most used terms, with my queries thereupon, and his answer and my reply, 3. an appendix about successive ordination, 4. letters between me and T.S., a papist, with a narrative of the success.The successive visibility of the church of which the Protestants are the soundest members I. defended against the opposition of Mr. William Johnson, II. proved by many arguments / by Richard Baxter ; whereunto is added 1. an account of my judgement to Mr. J. how far hereticks are or are not in the church, 2. Mr. Js. explication of the most used terms, with my queries thereupon, and his answer and my reply, 3. an appendix about successive ordination, 4. letters between me and T.S., a papist, with a narrative of the success.
London: printed by R.W. for Nevil Simmons, 1660
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.
But if you are engaged in this party, its two to one but you are presently made partial, and will not so much as read what is against them; or will believe them if they do but tell you that we write lies; when they are things done in the open sun, and which they cannot confute, nor dare attempt, le•t they manifest their shame. ⟨p. 72⟩Take from them their Clergies vast Dominions, Principalities, Lands and Lordships, Riches and worldly Honours, with which they so much abound, and then try how many will plead for the Pope: then they'll say, If Ba•l be a God, let him plead for himself. But I confess, I have little hopes of turning any of them, though I could show it them written by an Angel from heaven that Popery is a deceit: for the Scripture that's above Angelical authority declareth it; and by making it a nose of wax, they take it as if it were not sense, nor intelligible without the Popes interpretation (which in difficult cases he dare not give). They cry up the Church, and when we would have them stand to the Church, they shamefully turn their backs; and when two or three parts of the Churches through the world are against the Papal Sovereignty, they refuse them as Heretics or Schismatics. They cry up Tradition, and when we offer them in the main point to be tried by it, they disclaim the Tradition of two or three parts of the universal Church as being all Heretics. And may not any Sect do so too as honestly as they? yea among the ignorant that know not Chaff from Corn, •hey have some of them the faces to persuade ⟨p. 73⟩them that their Church is the greater half of the Christian world! when they know they speak notoriously falsely, or else they are unworthy to speak of such things that they understand not.
But if you are engaged in this party, its two to one but you are presently made partial, and will not so much as read what is against them; or will believe them if they do but tell you that we write lies; when they are things done in the open sun, and which they cannot confute, nor dare attempt, le•t they manifest their shame. ⟨p. 72⟩