permit such Assemblies but seldom they fall foul upon the Wisdom of God that should leave the Infallibility of the Church at the Discretion of Temporal Princes and make the very Being of the Infallible Judge to depend upon the Disposition of these either to Peace or War. If it be said that such frequent Assemblies will be very inconvenient to the Church Universal they must be answered That the Subsisting of an Infallible Judge is such an Advantage to the Church as will abundantly satisfie for all the Inconvenience that can be pretended Besides who does not see that all this is meer Shift for in Rome there are commonly more Prelates attending upon that Court than have made up several of the General Councils which are accounted Infallible Yet after all this Church that boasts so much of her Infallibility and makes that the Ground of her Dominion over the Faith of all Christians when she may easily contrive that that Judge which she pretends to be Infallible should be also a standing one and perpetual is content to commit either to the Inquisition which was never pretended to be exempt from Error or to Episcopal Vicars who are generally no great Divines the Power of Declaring Heresie and of Condemning to the Fire Men by them Adjudged to be Hereticks when all the while these very Judges are no less subject to Heresie than the Poor Creatures on whom they pronounce their Sentence And though a General Council once in an Age or two might correct the Errors of these Decrees yet can they restore the Souls which they have slain or raise again the Bodies which these Mistaken Judges had reduced to Ashes The more we consider this Pretence of Joyning Pope and Council to make up an Infallible Judge the more our Suspicions do increase not only that those who set up this Judge against us do not Believe him Infallible themselves but that the very Parties set up are not satisfyed of the Goodness of their own Title For if they were convinced That the only Means of having the Christian Faith without Danger of Mistake was by their joynt Instruction they would surely have better Inclination one for the other than has appeared for these last Ages and would be desirous of more frequent Meeting But who does not know how the Popes stand affected to a Council since for some Ages they have taken Care to Express their Good Will by a yearly Excommunication of all those who shall presume to Appeal to it which the Council of Basil declares to be Heresie But let the Sorbon and the Abettors of that Council look to this Tender Point It cannot be unknown to any that Reads with what Difficulty the Council of Trent so much Magnifyed after its Dissolution was Obtained or rather Extorted What Instances the Emperor used what Importunity and Threats and that could obtain nothing during one whole Pontificat and yet no very short one All Prinees of that Communion joyned in the same Request but to little Purpose Paul the Third shifted it off as long as he could with Delays and Excuses and Affected Exceptions and all the Tricks of a Resolved Aversion till at last absolute Necessity did Extort it from him If God had appointed that Infallibility should be the Issue of this Conjunction in all likelihood he had Prepared the Parties with Kinder Dispositions towards one another For when he ordered the Preservation of all Animal Kinds by the Conjunction of Male and Female he inspired them with a Mutual Good-liking but the Antipathy which Popes have for Councils makes it very Improbable that their Agreement should be the only Certain Infallible Means of Preserving the Truth of the Christian Religion But besides the Unwillingness of these Parties to come together to be Infallible the great Distrust they have one of another when Met begets in us a farther Suspicion that they themselves are not fully persuaded of this Infallibility at least that they have not the full Assurance of Divine Faith about it Two Kings at an Interview or two Opposite Generals in Time of War cannot be more Jealous or more Scrupulously Cautious about the Condition of the Place or the Number of Attendants If there must be a Council the Pope would be best content to have it within his own Dominion or where he can Command Possibly such Assemblies may be most Infallible within S. Peter's Patrimony though the Poor Apostles were forced to meet in an Enemy's Country But what matters it where they Meet if the Pope and they are Infallibly assisted A Simple Man would expect That two Tallies should not Agree more exactly when joyned together than these two Pieces of Infallibility when they come to confer Notes but the Councils of Constance and Basil and Pisa will Inform us That there may be a Disagreement and that too if either Side is to be believed about Matters of Faith. These Old Jarrs made the Popes who are the Standing Part of the Infallible Compound very jealous of the other which is but Occasional And therefore when the Council of Trent sate the Popes that directed it thought they could never have Security enough of its Good-behaviour For first They would by no Means allow it the Title of Representing the Universal Church lest it should pretend to Engross the Infallibility as others had done then it was ordered That nothing should be Proposed for Debate in it but by the Popes Legates Then the Summ of all Debates were to be sent to Rome and nothing to be Concluded without new Direction And as if all this were not Sufficient Care was taken that Italian Prelates should be sent thither in such Numbers as might carry it against all the rest and if any Accession of Bishops came from France or other Places beyond the Mountains new Levies were made in Rome and sent immediately to Trent to observe the Motions of those Strangers These Italians it may be have a nearer Capacity of being Infallible and if Infallibility depend upon the Agreement of Pope and Council it cannot be denyed for I think it is more possible for them both to Mistake by Consent than for a Synod composed of such as these to have any Difference with him that Sends and Pays them But if the Popes had been of Opinion That all Private Opinions and Engagements were to be Over-ruled by the Infallible Spirit of Councils and that whatsoever they might have Promised for the Wages of Unrighteousness like Balam they could not pronounce otherwise than as God moved them Surely their Holinesses would have learned to be Wiser by the Example of Balack than to have wasted their Treasure to engage Men of Uncertain Suffrage and at last to receive a Curse perhaps instead of a Blessing This Way of Procuring an Infallible Sentence is enough to destroy all the Credit and Authority of it For the Oracles of Old quickly Sunk in their Reputation when the Gods and their Officers condescended to accept of Pensions Now as the too
wary Conduct of the Roman Church towards her own Members seems to confess a distrust of her own Infallibility so the Unreasonable Confidence which she uses towards us begets in us a just Suspicion that she is in the wrong and is not altogether Insensible of it For it is a sign of a very bad Cause when those concern'd to Defend it are unwilling to enter into its Merits and instead of that only bluster and stand upon their Privilege instead of Maintaining it by Law and Reason declare that they are to give Law and not to submit to any and that whatsoever they say that must be Reason This is an Extravagancy in which no Authority upon Earth can bear a Man out For if a Professor when he is press'd by some Untoward Objections against some Opinion he has deliver'd should think fit to answer only with his Brow or else to deliver it again as his positive Judgment out of the Chair declaring That it belonged to him to dictate in that place I am apt to believe that his Beard though never so venerable would scarce be able to preserve him from the Contempt and Derision of his own Disciples Or if a Judge question'd for an Unjust Sentence should instead of Law or Equity produce only his Commission to justifie his Act I am afraid whatever became of his Person his Reputation would be in some danger Especially if all were of Judge * Rustworth's Coll. T. 1. P. 506. Dodridg's mind That it is no more fit for a Judge to decline to give an Account of his Doings than for a Christian of his Faith. Now this is the Case between Us and the Church of Rome We charge Them of Corrupting the Faith of Establishing Superstition and Insufferable Tyranny We produce our Evidence and alledge Scripture and Primitive Antiquity to make out Our Charge On the other side She takes upon her and stands upon her Privilege She defines and proves it with a Curse which is a Spiritual kind of Hectoring and We are Hereticks convict because we are not satisfied with these Demonstrations For my own part I think they are to blame that do not like this Proceeding in an Enemy for the nearest thing to an Acknowledgment that the Roman Cause is Indefensible is this desperate way of maintaining it the less of Argument Men have the more Positive they grow and endeavour to make up their want of Reason by the Boldness and Peremptoriness of their Affirmation And though some may ascribe the Infallibility-shift to the Confidence of the Church of Rome I shall rather impute it to her Desperation And we are the more confirmed in this Suspicion that the Roman Church was brought to this Shift by Distress rather than Choice when we consider the time and the Occasion upon which we find her openly to have declared her self Infallible When the Eastern Church quarrell'd with those of the West about some Points of Doctrin as well as Ecclesiastical Observances among other things they urge That the Catholick Church was on their Side For of the five Patriarchs which Govern'd the Church whom they usually compar'd to the five Senses there were four for the Eastern Opinions And if two to one be accounted odds it will be intolerable Presumption for one to oppose four For so Michael Cerularius urges not intending to confer any Infallibility upon those four Patriarchs but from a Majority pleading a Presumption of Right Pope Leo opposes to this the Dignity of St. Peter and the Privilege which the Roman Church had of being Infallible though she stood alone This appears by the Letters of Michael Patriarch of Constantinople and Peter of Antioch and Leo the Ninth's Reply to their Objections and it is no wonder the Pope took Sanctuary in such a Pretence when Authority did commonly bear down Reason And the Roman Church was too great to depend upon the sole Merit of the Cause and such Reasons as were common to her with every private Christian in the World. But this Pretence of Infallibility was yet rather Insinuated than Defined till Gregory VII condemn'd and depos'd by several German and Italian Councils was forc'd to lift up his See beyond all Human measure and to declare positively That his Church could never Err. About an Hundred and fifty Years after this the Schoolmen invented the Term Infallibility to express this Unaccountable Privilege Mr. Cressy calls it an Unfortunate Word and 〈◊〉 is indeed For never any had harder usage than this It is forced to stand against Scripture and Tradition against Authority and Reason and Sense This poor Infallibility must hide all Faults must cover every Defect and vouch every Absurdity and justifie even Transubstantiation I have insisted I fear too long upon the grounds we may have to suspect that the Church of Rome does not really believe her own Infallibility What conceit she may have of her self or how she may stand in the Opinion of her Adherents is to us of no great Importance since we do not conceive our selves concluded either by her fond Fancies of her own Excellence or the extravagant Applauses of her Flatterers only we would desire she would not press us too vehemently to this Belief while she is under such flagrant Suspicion of Deriding it within her self If she do really believe this we envy her not the Paradise of such a Conceit but rather pity her Disease and the disorder of her Imagination for so it is And something not unlike her case we have in the Character of the Church of Laodicea Because thou hast said I am Rich and encreased with Goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art Wretched and Miserable and Poor and Blind and Naked anoint thine Eyes with Eye-salve that thou mayest see But be the Roman Pretence never so sincere we have further grounds of Suspicion that really there is no such thing For I. Christ himself the Author of our Faith though he was Infallible because he was God yet did not think fit to use this way of Authority or meer Defining to introduce his Doctrin nor to recommend it to his Disciples as a Principle for trying Doctrâ—â—â— when he was gone to Heaven The way therefore which our Saviour took was to Prove and to Convince by Arguments proper and conclusive When he was question'd he appeal'd to the Scriptures Search the Scriptures for they testifie of me If I bear witness of my self my witness is not true And therefore produces the Testimony of John the Baptist of his Father at his Baptism of the Miracles that he did The same Works which I do they bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me If ye do not believe me believe the Works But above all he alledges the Scripture in Vindication of his Person and his Doctrin When he was blamed for Healing on the Sabbath he justifies himself from the Law that permitted Beasts to be relieved on that day and by an Argument a fortiori he
Imprimatur Hic Liber cui Titulus Doubts concerning the Roman Infallibility c. May 17. 1688. Guil. Needham R.R. in Ch. P. ac D. D. Wilhelmo Archiep. Cant. a Sacris Domest DOUBTS Concerning the Roman Infallibility I. Whether the Church of Rome Believe it II. Whether Jesus Christ or his Apostles ever Recommended it III. Whether the Primitive Church Knew or Used that Way of Deciding Controversie LONDON Printed for James Adamson at the Angel and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCLXXXVIII DOUBTS Concerning the Roman Infallibility THE Advantage of having an Infallible Judge to Determine Controversies of Religion is so Visible that those who for their Lives cannot bring themselves to believe Either that there is such a Judge on Earth or that the Church of Rome is so Qualifyed cannot yet but wish That there were one exempt from the common Frailty of Mistaking For who would not be desirous of being released from the Toyl of Examining every Point of his Faith by Scripture and Tradition when after all the Issue is uncertain Who can envy himself the Blessedness of being raised above all Apprehension and Jealousie of being Mistaken in that which concerns him above all things the Religion and Faith by which he is to be Saved When therefore we see so great a part of Christians Disputing against their own Wishes and rejecting all Pretenders to Infallibility it is a strong Presumption That the Truth of such Infallibility is not so Evident and Visible as the Advantage that flows from the Supposition of it For it is commonly more than half way towards Believing a thing to be True to have a desire that it should be so The common Objection of the Force of Prejudice against Evident Truth can have no place here for if there be any Prejudice in this Case it is For and not Against Infallibility For those of our Church who have opposed this Pretence with greatest Diligence and Success have taken care to prevent this Imputation by professing more than an ordinary Desire that it might be true The Lord Falkland a Person of great Honour as well as of Learning and Acuteness declares That if God would leave it to him Which Tenet should be True he would Chuse that Infallibility should rather than the contrary Mr. Chillingworth who thought once to have found out the Infallible Judge but lo it was a Dream makes this Solemn Profession For my part so he speaks I know I am as Willing and Desirous That the Bishop or Church of Rome should be Infallible provided I might know it as they are to be so esteemed Dr. Hammond doubts not to profess the same good Inclination Dr. Hammond's Preface to his Defence of the Lord Falkland in the Name of all Protestants If there were says he but one Wish offered to each Man among us it would certainly with a full Consent be laid out on this one Treasure the setting up of one Catholick Umpire or Days-man some Visible Infallible Decider of Controversie It is very hard that Persons so well disposed should not be able to attain to the Belief of so Easing and Commodious a Principle for besides their Good-will they wanted neither Learning nor Diligence nor Judgment to make themselve Masters of their Desire But it seems it is not given to all to Believe Infallibility and possibly the great Talents of these Persons might be no small Hindrance to their Belief Now since we still Profess to have the same Desire and Fondness of Believing Infallibility upon good Grounds with the Persons above-mentioned in Earnest Reverend Fathers of the Mission it will be some Disparagement to your Glorious Undertaking of Conversion to suffer Men so well Disposed to languish out their Lives with a Fruitless Desire of finding the Infallible Judge and at last to Dye without that Comfort For you certainly or none the Glory of our Conversion is reserved for the Proof of the Infallible Church is your peculiar Province and to do you Right you keep so close to it as seldom to suffer your Study or Understanding to pass the Bounds of this Question humbly content with this Summary Creed I Believe the Infallible Church If therefore you have any Demonstrations or Infallible Arguments or Weighty Reasons we beseech you to produce them deny not your selves the Glory of Convincing us for we long to be your Conquest But then to prevent a Needless Trouble we are obliged to let you know That the Old Arguments have been all Weighed with great Care and found Light and it will not be for your Reputation to offer us the same Bad Mony for Payment that has been refused a hundred times before You may if you please call these Demonstrations and Unanswerable Things but for our part we after the most Diligent Examination can find Nothing in them but Noise that may perhaps create Disturbance to some Weak Persons unacquainted with Sophistry but serve only for Sport to the more Understanding They are like the Clock of a Death watch a poor little Worm scarce visible that may Fright it may be Melancholy or Timorous Persons but in Truth signifie nothing Or like the Dwarf of Augustus describ'd by Suetonius That was but seventeen Pound Weight not two Foot High and of a Prodigious Voice only this Creature had some Substance tho' but very little But the Evidences for the Infallibility hitherto produced will not turn the Scale against a Feather Now to give you some Comfort for your Unsuccesful Practice upon Minds so well disposed I will make bold to lay before you some Instances of your Brethren and Companions of the same Misfortune The Doctors of the Stage whom Scurrilous Men call Mountebanks proclaim themselves Infallible in their Way they make Liberal Offers of Infallible Medicines of never-failing Remedies or Certain and Never-erring Operations Yet a great part of the World and reputed the Wisest pass by these great Dispensers of Health these Confident Ensurers of Life and Longevity and depend upon such Modest Physitians as declare themselves Fallible and do not Dissemble their Diffidence of the success of their Applications Yet these Patients have as strong a Desire of Ease and Health as any of their Neighbours and would give all the World for a really Infallible Operator There are other Men Bold enough to Pretend That they have the Secret of making Gold. This they affirm with so much Assurance that the Church of Rome cannot shew more in her Claim of Infallibility Nay they have their Demonstrations their Probable Reasons their certain Grounds And at last for an Irresistible Inducement to believe they have their Revelations too Now as well as Men love Gold there are not many that will Believe the Pretence or be perswaded to send their Baser Metals to undergo the Improvement of this Golden Transubstantiation I am loth to impute this general Infidelity either in regard of the Infallible Judge or of the Infallible Operators wholly to the want of competent Proof on the