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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26962	Naked popery, or, The naked falshood of a book called The Catholick naked truth, or, The Puritan convert to apostolical Christianity, written by W.H. opening their fundamental errour of unwritten tradition, and their unjust description of the Puritans, the prelatical Protestant, and the papist, and their differences, and better acquainting the ignorant of the same difference, especially what a Puritan and what a papist is / by Richard Baxter ...	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1677 (1677)	Wing B1315; ESTC R13884	120,987	206

be or can be unless Christianity come much nearer to be rooted out of the Earth and the Church brought into a narrower room V. But you have a reflecting Comparison between the Kings presiding and the Popes and between a National Council and the Bishops of the whole Christian World To begin at the later part Alas poor ignorant Man if you believe this your self And alas unfaithful Man if you believe it not and yet dare say it Do you yet know no difference between the orbis Romanus and the orbis universalis Or will you with William Johnson alias Terret prove your Councils to be Universal because such places as Thracia had Bishops there as if Thracia had been without the Empire or because such a name as Johannes Persidis is found at Nice Read all the subscribed names and return to a sounder mind Theodoret knew what he said when he gave the reason why James Bishop of Nisibis in Persia or near it was at the Council of Nice Because Nisibis was then under the Roman Emperour Do you not know that most of the Christian World two to one are not of the Pope's Subjects and are All the Bishops of the Christian World then on your side And do you not know that when Constantine presided at Nice his Dominion was full as large as the Bishop of Rome's was and a little larger VI. But because you shall find us reasonable we will tell you that we consent to General Councils where the Pope consenteth not We consent to what the great Councils at Calcedon and Constantinople before mentioned say of the Humane Institution of his Primacy and the Reason and Mutability of it and so doth not the Pope We consent to the Councils at Constance Basil Pisa that the Pope may be deposed as a Heretick and worse but the Pope doth not Is it not he then that dissenteth from all the Bishops of the World VII And for the Kings presiding we wholly own it He is the Governour of Clergy-men as well as of Physicians and he is to see that they abuse not their Function to the common hurt The difference is here 1. Our King Governeth but his own Dominions But your Pope would Govern all the World 2. Our King hath an undoubted Title Your Pope is an Usurper 3. And as to your name Head he hath given the World full satisfaction that he did never claim to be a Priest-Head or Governour a Constitutive Head of a properly called Church nor to have the power of Word Sacraments and Keys so as to administer them but to be a Civil Head and Governour of Priests and the Churches in his Dominions as he is of Physicians c. VIII And you mistake the Puritans if you think they are not for this Government Why else take they the Oath of Supremacy Yea and if you think that they are not for as much Unity and Concord of all the Churches in a Kingdom as can be had without a greater hurt than the lesser particularities of their concord will do good And they are not against National Synods for such Concord And they hold the King to be the Regular Head or Governour or Principium of that Concord But not principium essentiale ipsius Ecclesiae And therefore the Puritans differ from judicious Ric. Hooker who saith If the King be the Head of the Church he must needs be a Christian For we hold that an Infidel King may be so the Head that is the Rightful Governour of the Christians and Churches in his Dominion or else how should they be obliged to obey him IX And you are mistaken if you think that the Puritans and the Prelatists differ about submitting our Faith to the judgment of the Church We subscribe the same Articles which say that General Councils may erre and have erred even about matters of Faith X. But I must tell you that the Puritans who are accused of disorder and confusion do many of them loath disorder and confusion even in words and doctrine And they distinguish here between the Churches keeping and teaching the Christian Faith and the Churches judging in matters of Faith The first they are wholly for We must receive our Faith from our Teachers and oportet discentem fide humana credere But if by Judging you mean strictly a Decisive judgment in which we must rest which way soever the sentence pass as if the Church might not only teach us the truth of our Religion but judge in partem utramlibet whether it be true or not the Puritans own no such power in the Church nor will so submit their Faith to the judgment of it They believe that Pastors in Councils have power to judge that there is a God Almighty c. a Christ a Holy Ghost that Christ dyed rose c. that the Scripture is true that there is an absolute necessity of Holiness that there is a Resurrection and Life everlasting that Gods Commandments must be kept and sin not committed c. But that no Council hath power to judge that there is no God no Christ or the contrary to any one of these or any other revealed Truth of God XI And I must not let pass your Schismatical inference that else there should be as many Religions and ways of worship as Parishes or persons if some supreme Governour determined not in matters of worship For 1. It was not so when no Supreme Governour determined on earth 2. But either you mean the Substantials of Gods Worship or the Circumstantials In the first as faith is not to be got by force so neither is Godliness but yet Governours should here do their best But as to the other we abhor the Conceit that there are as many Religions as there is difference about vestures gestures days and meats But perhaps you take the word Religion in the Romane sense as you confine it to those that you call the Religious as if you took the people of your Church to be irreligious And so you have indeed too many Religious however they come to make one Church The Religion of the Carthusians is one and of the Benedictines another and of the Franciscans another I cannot name them all One eateth Herbs and Fish and another eateth Flesh seldom another often one weareth one habit and another weareth another one Religion hath one Rule of Life and another hath another But with us there is but one Religion which is the Christian though one man wear cloth and another stuffe one white and another black one eat Flesh and another Fish and another can seldom get either though one wear his Hair long and another short though one be old and another be young yet we are all of one Religion Yea though one preach and pray in English another in Welch another in French and another in Dutch yet we take not these to be so many Religions No nor though one think Free praying fitter for Ministers than an imposed Form and another think an

Souls in Purgatory or for praying to the Virgin Mary and abundance such if Holy Water alone would do all the Business Was not he much overseen or did grosly prevaricate that drew up this Charge Might I but chuse my Adversaries Advocate and agree with him to say nothing but what I can disprove I would certainly have the better and be justified VII The next part is And as for his obedience to Magistrates if they be not of his Religion he owes them no allegiance And if he have by Oath obliged himself he has a holy Father can dispense with him for that or any other Oath for a piece of Money If his Prince persecute him for his Religion let him but have so much desperate courage as to sacrifice his own life to stab or poyson his said Persecutor he shall at Rome be canonized for a Saint Nor can private Persons expect any fidelity from him when he is thus traiterously rebellious against his Liege Lord and Soveraign c. Ans Now I perceive you are over bold and do too hardly blush when you have the face to bring in such an instance and by the inserting of a word or two of your own to dare to wash off from your Religion the blot of Perfidiousness and Rebellion when it is part of the Decrees of your approved General Council The Prevaricator wrongeth you 1. By making not of his Religion to be all that 's necessary to free you from allegiance 2. By putting in or any other Oath for a piece of Money I have not yet found that the Pope undertaketh to dispense with a man that will swear to believe the Roman Church or the rest in Pope Pius his Trent Oath nor yet with the Vow of Baptism if seconded by an Oath 3. By saying only If his Prince persecute him for the Doctors say that he must be first excommunicate or a Heretick at least and some say he must have the Pope's Order before he may kill a King and the Council only speaketh of Deposing and not of killing 4. And the Prevaricator too rashly promised Canonizing He that murdered one of the French Kings was but praised in an Oration by the Pope proved by many but not Canonized Garnet was not every one But because I see you grow so bold and also in what follows return to what you had said before I will instead of following you farther tell you what such as I mean by a Papist and what some other men mean by him CHAP. V. The true History of the Papacy its original and growth THough I reserve the opening of the ambiguities of the word Papist till near the end I shall so far anticipate that as to tell you here also that the word PAPIST is equivocal I. In the sense of Grotius and all our Reverend Country-men that are of his judgment Papists are those that without any difference do approve of all the sayings and doings of Popes for honour or lucre sake as is usual Discus p. 15. If of all then of all the Adulteries Murders Simonie Heresie Infidelity charged on some of them by their own Writers and by Councils I am sorry if this be usual I hope yet that there are few of these Papists in the World and that few Popes themselves will deny that they are sinners But he elsewhere desireth the Reformation 1. Of some bold disputes of the School-men 2. And the ill lives of the Clergie 3. And some Customs which have neither Councils nor Tradition II. Some who are for the Supremacy of General Countils above the Pope do call those Papists that are for the Pope's Supremacy above such Councils or that give him the Legislative as well as the Judicial Power over the Universal Church Though themselves give him the Supreme Judicial Power when there is no General Council III. Protestants call those Papists who hold that the Roman Pope is rightfully the Governour of the Universal Church on Earth either as to Legislative or Judicial-executive Power either with Councils or without Two things are here included in our Judgment 1. That there is no rightful Universal Governour under Christ over all the Church on Earth either as to Legislation or Judgment 2. That the Roman Pope therefore is no such Governour In this third sense now I am to tell you what we Protestants mean by a Papist more particularly And first I must tell you what a POPE is before I can well tell you what a Papist is Which I shall do I. De facto Historically II. De jure as to the Power which he claimeth I. A long time the Bishops of Rome were seldome called Popes and other Bishops were so called as well as they At first the Bishops of Rome were pious persecuted Men and many of them Martyrs and usurped no Power over any Churches but their own which with Alexandria were the two first that brake Ignatius his Test of Unity who saith To every Church there is one Altar and one Bishop with his fellow Presbyter and Deacons But Rome having long called her self the Mistris of the World and being the Seat of the Empire and Senate and of the Governing Power of the orbis Romanus the Christians there grew greater than others and the Bishop as it increased kept it under his Power And when Christians had peace which was under the far greatest part of the Heathen Emperours and for the far longest time the Greatness of Rome giving Greatness to that Church and so to the Bishop and great opportunity to help other Churches because the Governing Power of the Empire was there this Bishop grew to be of greatest wealth and interest And in times of Peace the Strife which Christ once ended was taken up among the Bishops which of them should be the greatest And St. Paul having taught Christians that they should not go voluntarily to Law against each other before Heathens if there were but a wise man among them to be an Arbitrator the Christians supposing that they had none wiser or fitter than their Bishop made him their Common Arbitrator in things Civil as well as Ecclesiastical By which means Custom making it like a Law Bishops became de facto Church-Magistrates But they had no Power to execute any Penal Laws either Jewish or Roman or to make any of their own except as Arbitrators or Doctors to those that would voluntarily receive them And they had no Power of Life and Death nor to dis-member any nor to beat or scourge them nor to Fine them or Confiscate their Estates But being entrusted by Christ as his Ministers with the Power of the church-Church-Keys and by the People with the Power of Civil Arbitrations they were by this the stated Governours of all Christians who yet obeyed the Roman Heathen Magistrates but brought none of their own differences voluntarily before them And because that Multitudes of Heresies took advantage of the Churches liberty and swarmed among them to their great weakning and disgrace and christ

a promiscuous confused popular multitude that is to raise again Babylon it self subjecting to themselves or the Community of the Church which they falsly pretended that they represented the very Head and Prince of the whole Church and him that is the Vicar of Christ himself in this his Kingdom and this against Order and Nature against the clearest light of Gospel Verity against all Authority of Antiquity and against the undoubted faith and judgment of the Orthodox Church it self And yet our Papists would perswade us that their Grandfathers much less great General Councils cannot bring in Novelties on pretense of Antiquity and mislead them Truly said Lud. Vives in August de Civ Dei l. 20. c. 26 Those are taken by them for Edicts and Councils which make for them the rest they no more regard than a meeting of Women in a Work-house or a Washing-place X. He claimeth a power of Legislation to all the Christian World Kings and States and single Subjects and that no Kings can nullifie his Laws to their own Subjects As also the power of receiving Accusations and Appeals and of judging and executing accordingly This needeth no proof being not denyed XI He claimeth power to Interdict whole Kingdoms that is when they think the Rulers give them Cause to forbid the preaching of the Gospel and publick worship of God to all the People of the Land yea forbidding the Clergie who are Subjects to obey their own Princes who shall command them as the Kings of Israel did the Priests and Levites to do their offices That is If the State or King offend them they will be avenged on God by denying him all Publick Worship and on the souls of millions of innocent people by doing their worst to send them to Hell where the unbelieving ignorant and those that worship not God must go The instances in Germany and the Venetian Interdict and others are too full proof of their Claim and Practice XII The Pope claimeth power even by the Decrees of an approved General Council to oblige all men to believe that all theirs and all other mens senses and perception upon sense are certainly deceived when they think that there is real Bread and Wine after Consecration And this denyal of all mens Common sense he hath made an Article of faith and necessary to salvation XIII He hath by the same Council decreed that all those that do not thus far renounce all their senses shall be exterminated and made uncapable to make any will c. And by other of his Laws that they be all burnt as Hereticks and delivered to that end to the secular power XIV By the same Council he hath decreed that Temporals Lords shall take an Oath to execute this Decree and shall be excommunicated if they exterminate not all such Believers of sense from their dominions And to dishonour Kings by Excommunications whom the fifth Commandment bids us honour is an act of Papal power XV. By the same Council he hath Decreed to depose all temporal Lords that will not thus destroy or exterminate their Subjects and to give their Dominions to Papists that will do it So that the Popes power to depose Princes is become an Article of their Religion And in his Roman Councils Greg. 7 declareth that he hath power to take down and set up Kings and Emperors And in his Letters to the German Clergy And what he said he did practise by bloody and unnatural wars to the great distraction of all the Empire Saith Innocent 3. Serm. 2. To me it is said I have set thee over Nations and Kingdoms to set up and destroy and scatter I am set up as a middle person between God and Man on this side God but beyond Man yea greater than Man who judge all and can be judged of none I am the Bridegroom c. XVI By the same Council he hath power to dispense with the Oaths of all the Subjects of such Princes and to disoblige them how many soever from their Allegiance so that the Popes Power thus to dissolve the obligation of Oaths is also become an Article of their Religion I prove all these together by giving you the words of the Council in English Once again though I have oft cited them c. 1. they say that No man can be saved out of their Universal Church And c. 2. that The Bread and Wine in the Sacrament of the Altar are transubstantiate into the Body and Blood of Christ the appearances remaining And c. 3. We excommunicate and anathematize every Heresie extolling it self against this holy Orthodox Catholick Faith which we have before expounded condemning all Hereticks by what Names soever they be called And being condemned let them be left to the present Secular Power or their Bayliffs to be punished the Clergy being first degraded of their Orders And let the Goods of such condemned ones be confiscate if they be Lay-men but if they be Clergy-men let them be given to the Churches whence they had their Stipends And those that are found to be noted only by suspicion if they do not by congruous purgation demonstrate their innocency according to the considerations of the suspicion and the quality of the person let them be smitten with the Sword of Anathema and avoided by all men till they have given sufficient satisfaction and if they remain a year excommunicate let them be condemned as Hereticks And let the Secular Powers in what Office soever be admonished and perswaded and if it be necessary compelled by Ecclesiastical censure that as they would be reputed and accounted Believers so for the defence of the Faith they take an Oath publickly that they will study in good earnest according to their power to exterminate all that are by the Church denoted Hereticks from the Countries subject to their jurisdiction So that when any one shall be taken into Spiritual or Temporal Power he shall by his Oath make good this Chapter But if the Temporal Lord being admonished by the Church shall neglect to purge his Country of heretical defilement let him by the Metropolitan and other com-Provincial Bishops be tyed by the bond of Excommunication And if he refuse to satisfie within a year let it be signified to the Pope that he may from thenceforth denounce his Vassals absolved from his fidelity and may expose his Country to be seized on by Catholicks who rooting out the Hereticks may possess it without contradiction and may keep it in the purity of Faith saving the Right of the Principal Lord so be it that he himself do make no hindrance hereabout nor oppose any impediment And the same Law is to be observed with them that are not Principal Lords And the Catholicks that taking the Sign of the Cross shall set themselves to the rooting out of the Hereticks shall enjoy the same Indulgences and holy Priviledges which were granted to those that go to the relief of the Holy Land Moreover we decree That the Believers Receivers Defenders

elsewhere cited Pope Innocents words By the fulness of our Power we can dispense with the Law being above the Law And the Gloss oft saith The Pope dispenseth against the Apostle against the Old Testament c. The Council of Trent say Sess 21. cap. 1 2. that This power was always in the Church that in dispensing the Sacraments saving the substance of them it may ordain or change things as it should judge most expedient to the profit of the Receiver But is not the Cup of the substance as truly as the Bread Andrad Def. Conc. Trid. li. 2. p. 236. Hence it is plain that they do not erre that say the Popes of Rome may sometimes dispense with Laws made by Paul and the four first Councils And Vasquez saith To. 2. Disp 216. N. 60. Though we grant that this was a Precept of the Apostles yet the Church and Popes might on just causes abrogate it For the power of the Apostles was no greater than the power of the Church and Pope in bringing in Precepts One of Luthers Opinions opposed as Heretical by Leo 10. was this It is certain that it is not in the hand of the Church or Pope to make Articles of Faith See more in my Key p. 243 244. XXXVIII The Pope setteth up a Publick Worship of God in a Tongue not understood by most of the Worshippers and forbiddeth men without Licence to read the Scriptures in a known Tongue Practice and the Trent Council prove both these XXXIX The Pope determineth that the Image of Christ be reverenced with equal honour as the holy Scriptures So it is decreed Concil Constant the eighth General Can. 3. And yet Images are mans work and at the best unnecessary and the holy Scriptures are Gods work by his Spirit and the Law by which we must live and be judged at the last XL. And when all this Power over the whole Earth is thus claimed there is no possible means left for any mortal man much less for the Antipodes to know who is the man that hath this Power and whom on pain of damnation we must obey and believe in before we can believe in Christ Proved If there be any possibility of knowing it it must be either 1. By personal qualifications of mind 2. Or by right of election 3. Or of Ordination 4. Or of Possession 5. Or of Acceptance by the Church after Possession I cannot Imagine any other way But there is no possibility of knowing who is Pope by any of these wayes I. The first is not pretended by them But anon we shall thence prove their Nullity for want of necessary Qualifications II. If Election will tell us then it is either any Election whatsoever or else Election by authorized Persons Not the first else the Turks or the Greeks or the Adversaries of Rome might elect a Pope And an hundred might be elected at once several ways Not the later For if any one way of Election be necessary Popes were no Popes when that way failed Sometime they were elected by the People of Rome and were they the Chusers for all the World Sometimes by the People and the Presbyters Sometimes by the Neighbour Bishops and Ordainers Sometimes by the Emperours And lastly by the Cardinals If one way only be valid the rest were invalid And how shall we prove which If any of these ways are valid then six men or five may be chosen at once by the several ways And where is the proof III. If Ordination be the notifying Title then 1. Those Lay men that were put in full possession unordained were no Popes and where then is the Succession 2. And who is it that hath that ordaining Authority If some Bishops ordain one and some another and so twenty as they long did divers in many years Schism which of these is the true Pope or is it all IV. If Possession were the Title then the Turk may be Pope or he that can get it by the Sword Then there can be no Usurper but the strongest hath best Right Then he that kept at Rome had better title than he that was in Germany or at Avignion V. If it be the Churches after acceptance then 1. He was an Usurper before 2. And what or who is that Accepting Church Sure they that must make a Pope of no Pope by after acceptance should have the antecedent Election Else Popes must all be first Usurpers before they are true Popes But 1. If it must be the major part of the Christian World then there is no Pope because two parts are against him If it must be one Sect of Christians only like the Papists that will but think themselves the Church or better than the rest who is it that can prove their title to this Choice And must it be All of them or but Part If All 1. How shall we ever know it Never such a thing was tryed 2. And then there was no Pope in the 40 or 50 years Schism If it must be Part how shall we ever know which part it must be If the major or the melior how shall it be ever tryed and known in a division None to this day knoweth who had the major or melior part in many a Schism If they say that silent non-opposition is Consent I Answer That 's a known Falshood when most men even a thousand to one have neither Call nor Opportunity to signifie their dissent effectually and when no wise men that love their time and peace will run to Rome by thousands out of all Kingdoms to tell them their dissent 2. But it was no silent submission when several Popes were upheld by several Kingdoms So that there is no way of certain notice who is the true Pope but he must go for the man as Eugenius 4. did after his Deposition who can keep possession which is no title at all 2. Yea I prove certainly according to their own Principles that there is no Pope at Rome nor hath been for many an hundred years For they hold themselves that the Right must be derived by an uninterrupted Succession from S. Peter and call us no Ministers for want of Succession But that they have no such uninterrupted Succession is notorious For 1. An Infidel and Heretick Pope so openly judged can be no Pope Else a Turk might be Pope For he that is no Christian is no Christian Bishop But Popes before mentioned have been judged Infidels Hereticks incarnate Devils 2. A Pope actually deposed as an uncapable wicked Heretick by a General Council was no Pope Yet such was Eugenius 4. who yet kept the place and the rest are his Successors 3. There have been sometimes several years without any Pope at all And if two or three years make no interruption how shall we know how long time doth it 4. Baronius Genebrard and others aforementioned confess that for 50 of them together they were Apostatical and deserve not to be named among the Popes being wicked men made

they confess that they prove not the Infallibility of him that doth them Valentine Greatreak● hath done and still doth more wonderous cures by touch or stroaking than ever I heard by any credible report that any Papist did and yet he pretendeth to no Infallibility And those Canonized Saints that have been most credibly famed for the greatest Miracles have born their Testimony against Popery and therefore Popery was not confirmed by them For instance St. Martin is by his Disciple and Friend Sulpitius Severus affirmed to have done more Miracles than I have ever credibly read done by any since the Apostles I scarce except Gregory Neocaesar And yet whereas the Papal Councils give high priviledges of pardon c. to those that will take the Cross to kill the Waldenses and compel Princes to it and uphold their Kingdom by such means St. Martin separated to the death from the Synods and Bishops about him for seeking the Magistrates Sword to be drawn against even Priscillian Gnosticks and he professeth that an Angel appeared to him and chastised him sharply for once communicating with the Bishops at the motion of Maximus when he did it only to save mens lives that were condemned as Priscillianists Here are Miracles against the very Pillars of Popery So also the Egyptian Monks were the most famous for Miracles of any People And yet as their Miracles were no confirmation of the errour of the Anthropomorphites which their simplicity and rashness involved them in so they renounced Communion with the Church of Rome and therefore confirmed it not by their Miracles How few Christians be there on Earth if none are such but those that by known Popish miracles believed the Pope to be infallible before they believed that there was a Christ And thus they must believe him to be Infallible not as Pope but somewhat else For to be Pope is to be Christs pretended Vicar And to believe that he is authorized or Infallible as Christs Vicar before they believe there is a Christ is a mad-mans contradiction and impossible What Infallible wight then is it that we must first believe the Pope to be before we believe him to be Pope To what impudence will interest and faction carry men I will again recite the words of an honest Jesuit Joseph Acosta de tempor novis li. 3. c. 3. To all the miracles of Antichrist though he do great ones the Church shall boldly oppose the belief of the Scriptures And by the inexpugnable testimony of this truth shall by most clear light expel all his juglings as Clouds Signs are given to Infidels Scriptures to Believers and therefore the primitive Church abounded with miracles when Infidels were to be called But the last when the faithful are already called shall rest more on the Scripture than on miracles yea I will boldly say that all miracles are vain and empty unless they be approved by the Scripture that is have a Doctrine conform to the Scripture But the Scripture it self is of it self a most firm argument of truth Obj. But he grants that Infidels had miracles Ans He lived long in the West-Indies among them and in his Treat of the Convers Ind. and his Hist Ind. he professeth that the Ignorance Drunkenness and Wickedness of the Roman Priests there was the great hinderance of their Conversion but that Miracles there were none God had not given them there any such gift Once more Did the Miracle which Thyraeus de Daemoniacis p. 76. reciteth out of Prosper that A person possessed by the Devil was cured by drinking the Wine in the Eucharist confirm the Popes Religion who hath cast out the Cup or the Protestants that use it XXXII Though S. Paul say Let every Soul be subject to the higher Powers and give honour to whom honour is due the Pope as far as he is able exempteth all his Clergie from the Government of the Magistrate yea they are forbidden to fall down to Princes or eat at their Tables but Emperours must take them as equals The first part is commonly known Caranz pag. 395. reciteth this Decree of Pope Nicholas that No Lay man must judge a Priest nor examine any thing of his life And no Secular Prince ought to judge the facts of any Bishops or Priests whatsoever The Eighth General Council at Constantinople saith Can. 14. Ministers must not fall down to Princes nor eat at their Tables nor debase themselves to them but Emperours must take them as equals XXXIII The Pope confesseth every word of our Objective Religion to be true for all his killing and damning us as Hereticks Proved before We have not a word of our Objective Religion but the Sacramental Covenant and its Exposition in the Creed Lords Prayer and Decalogue and the Canonical Scripture which we receive And they confess all this to be infallibly true and so justifie all our Positive Religion XXXIV The Popes to this day will not tell the Church so much as what a Christian is and what must make a man a Member of their Church in the Essentials of a Member Of which more anon XXXV While the Decrees of General Councils are made quoad nos the Churches Faith the Pope will never let us know how big our Faith must be nor when we shall have all If every General Council add new Articles or many quoad nos who knoweth when they will have done and whether we have yet half the Christian Faith or not XXXVI The Popes Religion maketh Contradictions necessary to be believed that is impossibilities The Contradictions of Transubstantiation I have opened in my Full Satisfaction Confirmed General Councils they commonly agree do make Decrees which must necessarily be believed And it is notorious that such Decrees are Contradictory The General Council at Constance confirmed by Martin 5. and that at Basil confirmed by Foelix 5. do make it de fide for a Council to be above the Pope Bin. p. 43. 79. 96. Conc. Basil Sess ult they say Not one of the skilful did ever doubt but that the Pope was subject to the judgment of a General Council in matters of Faith and that he cannot without their consent dissolve or remove a General Council yea and that this is an Article of Faith which without destruction of salvation cannot be denyed and that de fide the Council is above the Pope and that he is a Heretick that is against this Eugenius also owned this Council Bin. ib. p. 42. But the Councils of Florence and at the Laterane sub Jul. 2. and sub Leone 10. say the clean contrary The 6. Council at Constant approved by Pope Adrian is now said by them to have many errors XXXVII The Pope arrogateth power to alter the constitutions of the Spirit of God in the holy Scriptures Proved The Council of Constance taking away the Cup saith Though in the Primitive Church this Sacrament was received by Believers under both kinds c. yea though Christ so instituted it yet they altered it I