A27069:134
Which is the true church? the whole Christian world, as headed only by Christ…
Which is the true church? the whole Christian world, as headed only by Christ ... or, the Pope of Rome and his subjects as such? : in three parts ... / by Richard Baxter ...
London : Printed, and are to be sold by Richard Janeway ..., 1679
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.
Ans. Here are many things worthy our consideration. 1. That a man is not a member of the Church that is, a Christian, unless his faith be supernatural and divine, not only in the object, but his act: And surely no man knoweth what other mans act of faith is supernatural and divine: Therefore no man knoweth who is a Christian, and so their Church is still invisible.
2. No man that believeth the Bible rashly and imprudently is a Christian: And no man knoweth whether another believe it not rashly and imprudently, (yea whether he believe it at all:) Therefore no man knoweth who is a Christian, or member of the Church of Rome.
3. No other motive than the authority of the Catholic Church, can serve to free a man from this rashness, imprudence and nullity of his Christianity. 1. But why then had we not this General, The Church Catholic is to be believed, and the Scripture to be received only by its authority, before, in the description of implicit or explicit faith? 2. Was that man no Christian in the Primitive times who was converted by a single Apostle, and took not the faith on the authority of the Catholic Church? Did the Eunuch converted by Philip, Act. 8. or the Jailer and Lydia converted by Paul, Act. 16. or the 3000 converted by Peter, Act. 2. receive faith on the authority of the Catholic Church? Or the Indians when converted by Frumentius and Edesus? or the Abyssinian Empire that till lately knew nothing of the Pope and his pretensions? Or do we read that the Apostles did use that argument, The authority of the Catholic Church, to convert their hearers? or that they always first told them of the authority of such a Church? If by the Church you mean any single Apostle or Teacher, hold to that, and we shall do well enough with you. 3. But Authority is an ambiguous word, and may deceive. We maintain that a preserving and teaching ministerial authority, is usually needful to mens conversion to the faith, though not absolutely necessary to be first believed by the hearer: But a judging authority, (viz. Whether there be a God, a Christ, a Scripture, a Heaven, &c. or not) which determineth by a sentence, rather than teacheth by opening that evidence which caused