Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

Bath the [lmrcl> a1ry Uniwr{al Head be fides [/>rift ? Univerf<,_a_lC- h-u-rc_h_ (-the Greeks, Armenians, Aba!fines, Cop:ies, Proreftants, &c.) do ,nor receive the Roman Bead. 3· And when one part of Europe received one Pope, and anorhcr pur another Pope for abOve fourty years together, who could tell whic~ of the putit:s Was t~ be accounre~ the Clmr_cb l lt was not then known, nor it isnot known yet to dus day: And no Pap1ft can prove 1t, who adirm· erh ir. . , . As a Church e. g. Co1tftaminople may be gathered, or onn de ltovo where there IS none before, fa may it be rdlored where it is extinct. And po~ibly a Lay-r~·1an (as Frumcntiur and Edefiur in r~c;: Ind{·es ) may be the inJlrumcnt of mens converhon. And tf fo, they may by confent become their 1>.l.1 ors when regular Ordination cannot be had. 1 h;ve faid more of this in my Difpnta~iom of ~hu~cb·G_ov:r~rmtnt Di[p. 2.. .The truth i~1 this pt;e~ rcnc:e of a Necef!ity of uninterrupted fucceflive Ordmatl0n 1 Muhon, or )unfd1ct~onll CollatiOn ~d effi, to the being ot MiniUry or Church, is but a cheat of men th~t have an mtcrcll: of the1r own which tequireth (uch a plea, when they may eafily know, that 1t would overthrow themfclves. 1 Qgefl:. 12. Whether there be, or e"\ler JVas fuch a thi11g in t!Je 1vorld, M on~ · (atholick C!Jtlrcb, Conftituted by any Head befides or under Cbrift ~ T• He greatdl and firfl: controverfie between us and the Papills, is not 11'bat mait, or Poiitickper– fOil, is theHead of the whole Vifiblc Church: But, Whether there be any fuch Head at all, ei– Perfonal or CBUtliivt, MonarcbictJl, Ariftocrt~tical or Democratical under Chrifi, of his appointment or allowance? Or any fuch thing as a Catholick Church fo Headed or Confiituted ? Which they affirm and we deny. 1 hat neither Pope nor General Council is fuch a Head, I have proved fo fully in my Key for Catholickf and other Books; that I will not here fiay to make repetition of it. That the Pope is no fuch .Head, we may take foagranted, r. B:caufe they bring no proofof it ; whatever they vainly pretend. 2· Brcaufcour Divines have copioufly difproved it, to whom I refer you. 3· Bc– caufc the Univerfal Church never received fuch a Head, as I have proved againfi ]ohnfim. 4• And whether it be the Pope thtir BiChop of Calcedon ubi [up. &. San[/• Claro Syftem. fid. fay is not de fide. That a Council i< no fuch Head, I have largely proved as aforefaid Par12. Key for CatB. And r. T he ufe of ir being but for Concord proveth it. :.. Mofi Papifis confefs it. 3· Elfe there Chould be fcldome any Church in the world for want of a Head ( yea, never any.) For I haveproved there and to John[on, rhat there never was a rrue General Council of the Uni· See J1fo}nm.Y verfal Church: Bur only Imperial Councils of the Churches under one Empcrours power, and-thofe ;~afrm q.c~n-:. that h1ving been under ir, had been ufed to fuch Councils : And that it is not a thing ever to be at.. ,:~. 2~tli~on. tempted ur expected, as being unlawful and morally impoffible. the Interdl o( the Chure~. Q.ye!l:. 1)· Wbetlm· tl>ere be [ucb a tl>in.g as a P'i[tble Catholick [l!urch ~. An4 IVhat it u? T'H< Antients differently uf<d the terms [A Catholic~Church J and [The Catholic~Ghurch};;:;:: By the firtl they rneanr any particular Church which was part of the Vni'Dtrfal ; By the fc1 Cor d.~~ cond they mc:ant the Univerfal Church it felf. And this is it that we nbw mean. And I anfwer Af~ and throug6 ... firmatively, There~ aVijibleVnivcrfal Church, not only as a Com"'_unity, or as a Kingdom dillind: out. ~ from the King, but as a Political Society. 2· Thi1 Church is tbe Vniverfality of Bapti:ud Vifible Chrifrians Headed by ]e[111 Chrifl bimfilf. Eph. 4 . r, ,; There is tbi-1, and there is no mher upon earth. The Papifis fay, that this is no VifibleChurch 6~ 11 ~~. i>ecaufe the Head is not Vilible. I anfwer, I· lt is not necdfary th•t he be fien, but vijible : And is not Ghrill a Vifible pedon 1 2 . This Church confificrh of two parts, the Triumpbanl part in Glory, and the Militant part: And Chritl is not only Vi{lhle but fee• by the triumphant part. As the King is not feen by the ten thou• fandt h part of his Kingdoms, but by his Courtiers and thofe about him, and yet he is King ·of all. 3· Chrifi was fcen on carrh :fqr above thirty yeats: and the Kingdom may be called vifib!e in ·t~at the King was once vifible on earth, and is now. vi~.ble in Heaven. As if the King Would Chew h1mfelf to his people, but one year together in all h>S hte• . <f· h ill becomerh the Papitls of any men, to fay that Chrill is not vijiblt, who mai?J him, fit h~.m, tajle him, ha11dle bim, eat him, drink him, digeft him, in every Church, in every Mafs through· out the year, and throllghout the world: And this not as divided, but as whole Chrijl. H h h h h 2 - . Object,

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