The practical divinity of the papists discovered to be destructive of Christianity and mens…

Sect. 2. Secondly, They need not know what they are to believe, they tell us they are obliged under pain of Damnation, to believe whatsoever the visible Church of Christ proposeth, as revealed by Almighty God. Now their Church proposeth for points of faith so revealed, not only what they have in Scripture; but what they have by Tradition, or by the custom of the Church in former ages; or by the consent of the Fathers; or by the decrees of Councils, or by the determination of Popes è Cathedra, whereby points of faith become infinitely numerous, beyond all account, which the learned amongst them can give, either to satisfy themselves or others. Yet all must be believed, and that under pain of damnation, when as it is but a very small part of them, that can be commonly known. The Articles of the Creed called the Apostles, are not the hundred part of those points, that must be believed by all, that will not be damned: and yet they generally conclude, that it is not necessary for the people to know all of those few Articles. How to believe the rest (and it may be five hundred times more) which they know nothing of, nor ever once came into their thoughts, they must make what shift they can.

Sect. 2. Secondly, They need not know what they are to believe, they tell us they are obliged under pain of Damnation, to believe what•oever the visible Church of Christ proposeth, as revealed by Almighty God. Now their Church proposeth for points of faith so revealed, not only what they have in Scripture; but what they have by Tradition, or by the custome of the Church in former ages; or by the consent of the Fathers; or by the decrees of Councils, or by the determination of Popes è Cathedra, whereby points of faith become infinitely numerous, beyond all account, which the learned amongst them can give, either to satisfie themselves or others. Yet all must be believed, and that under pain of damnation, when as it is but a very small part of them, that can be commonly known. The Articles of the Creed called the Apostles, are not the hundred part of those points, that must be believed by all, that will not be damned: and yet they generally conclude, that it is not necessary for the people to know all of those few Articles. How to believe the rest (and it may be five hundred times more) which they know nothing of, nor ever once came into their thoughts, they must make what shift they can.