A27045:473
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.
4. The foundation of all our controversy is doctrinal, whether the Papal Sovereignty be Essential to the Church? or necessary to our membership? we deny it; you affirm it. If it be not Essential, it is enough to us, to prove that which is Essential, to have been successive: we be not bound in order to the proof of our Church it self, to prove the succession of every thing that maketh but to its better being.
4. The foundation of all our controversie is doctrinal, whether the Papal Soveraignty be Essential to the Church? or necessary to our membership? we deny it; you affirm it. If it be not Essential, it is enough to us, to prove that which is Essential, to have been successive: we be not bound in order to the proof of our Church it self, to prove the succession of every thing that maketh but to its better being.
Yet professing, that we do it not as necessary to our main cause, we shall ex abundanti prove the negative, that the Catholic Church hath not always owned the Papal Sovereignty, and so that there have been men that were not only Christians, but as we, Christians without Popery, and against it: and so shall both prove our Thesis, and overthrow theirs.
Yet professing, that we do it not as necessary to our main cause, we shall ex abundanti prove the negative, that the Catholike Church hath not alwaies owned the Papal Soveraignty, and so that there have been men that were not only Christians, but as we, Christians without Popery, and against it: and so shall both prove our Thesis, and overthrow theirs.
Arg. 4. If there have been since the ⟨p. 242⟩days of Christ, a Christian Church that was not subject to the Roman Pope, as the Vicar of Christ and universal Head and Governor of the Church; then the Church of which the Protestants are members, hath been visible both in its being, and its freedom from Popery. But the Antecedent is true: therefore so is the consequent.