A27045:513
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.
And in Ep. 38. c. 82. to John Const. himself he calls it [Nefandum elationis vocabulum] and the cause [Nefandum & prophanum tumorem] and after he calls it [the usurping of a proud and foolish word.]
And in Ep. 38. c. 82. to Iohn Const. himself he calls it [Nefandum elationis vocabulum] and the cause [Nefandum & prophanum tumorem] and after he calls it [the usurping of a proud and foolish word.]
To all this Bellarmine miserably answereth de Pontif. Rom. l. 2. c. 31. that the title [Universal] as it signifieth a sole Bishop to whom all other are but Vicars, is indeed profane, sacrilegious and Antichristian, and is it that Gregory speaks against, but not as it excludeth not particular Bishops,] To which I answer, 1. To be the Vicarius of a Superior, is not an exclusion. The Pope saith he is the Vicar of Christ the chief ⟨p. 258⟩Pastor and Bishop of souls: and all Pastors are to Preach the Word of reconciliation in his name and stead, 1 Cor. 5.19. and yet they are not thereby excluded from being Pastors. If to be Christs servants, may consist with Episcopacy; much more to be his Vicarii over their particular flocks. Rather this is too high an honour for us to assume. I do not think that all the Clergy under the Pope, do think themselves honoured so much as they should be if they were his Vicars. 2. Hath not that man sold his conscience to his cause, that will persuade the world that the Patriarch of Constantinople was about to unbishop all the Bishops in the world except himself? Let any man show us by tolerable proof, that John of Constantinople did claim any higher a power over all others, or would bring other Bishops by his Universality to be lower, then the Pope of Rome doth by his Universality, and then I will confess that Papists only have eyes and reason, and all the world besides are blind, and mad, or beasts. Their cause is at a fair pass, when they must fly to such palpable falsehoods, as makes them the wonder of their sober readers. 3. I proved before from the express words of Gregory, that it is Superiority ⟨p. 259⟩