and assisted by an Infallible Spirit and had an immediate Commission from Christ to preach the Doctrine of the Gospel did not require from Men absolute submission to their Doctrines and Dictates without examination of what they delivered whether it were agreeable to that Divine Revelation which was contained in the ancient Scriptures This was St. Paul's constant custom and way of teaching among the Jews who had received the Revelation of the Old Testament he did not dictate to them by vertue of his Infallibility but reasoned with them out of the Scriptures and required their belief no further than what he said should upon examination appear agreeable to the Scriptures So we find Acts 17. 2 3. And Paul as his manner was went in unto them speaking of the Jews and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures opening and alledging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you is the Christ And Chap. 18. 28. he mightily convinced the Jews and that publickly shewing by the Scriptâ—res that Jesus was the Christ And St. Paul was so far from reproving them for examining his Doctrine by the Scriptures that he commended it as an argument of a Noble and Generous mind in the Bereans that they did not give full assent to his Doctrine 'till upon due search and examination they were satisfied that what he had said was agreeable to the Scriptures Chap. 17. 11 12. Where speaking of the Bereans it is said That these were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so therefore many of them believed that is because upon search they found what he delivered to be agreeable to the Scriptures and it was not a slight but diligent and deliberate search they took time to examine things thoroughly for it is said they searched the Scriptures daily And here in the Text St. Paul puts the case that if he or any other of the Apostles concerning whose Divine Commission and Assistance they were so fully satisfied should deliver any thing to them contrary to the Gospel which they had formerly preached they were to reject it with the greatest abhorrence and detestation and this necessarily supposeth a liberty to examine what was delivered even by those whom they believed to be Infallibly assisted and a capacity to discern and judge whether what they said was agreeable to the Gospel at first delivered to them or not And after this shall any Person or Church what Claim soever they may make to Infallibility assume to themselves an Authority to dictate in matters of Faith and that their Dictates ought to be received with an absolute submission and without liberty to examine whether they be agreeable to the Faith once delivered to the Saints and tho' they add new Articles to the Christian Faith and of which there is not the least foot-step or intimation in any of the Ancient Creeds of the Christian Church and do plainly impose upon Christians the Practice and Belief of several things as necessary to Salvation which the Gospel never declared to be so yet no body shall judge of this but every Man ought without more ado to believe blindfold and to resign up his Understanding and Judgment to the directions of this visible Infallible Judge But surely this is not the reasonable Obedience of Faith but the forc'd submission of Slaves to the Tyranny of their Masters Christians are expresly forbid to call any Man Father or Master upon Earth because we have one Father and Master in Heaven Now to make an absolute submission of our Understandings to any upon Earth so as without examination to receive their Dictates in Matters of Faith is surely if any thing can be so to call such a Person Father and Master because a greater submission than this we cannot pay to our Father who is in Heaven even to God himself I come now to the Sixth and last Observation from the Text That whosoever teacheth any thing as of necessity to Salvation to be believed or practised besides what the Gospel of Christ hath made necessary does fall under the Anathema here in the Text because they that do so do according to the mind of St. Paul pervert the Gospel of Christ and Preach another Gospel For the Reason why he chargeth the false Apostles with Preaching another Gospel and those that were seduced by them as being removed from him that called them by the Grace of Christ unto another Gospel is plainly this that they had changed the Terms of the Christian Religion by adding new Articles to it which were not contained in the Gospel that is by making it necessary to believe it to be so because they taught so Now St. Paul expresly declares this to be Preaching another Gospel because they plainly alter'd the Terms of Salvation declared in the Gospel and made that to be necessary to the Salvation of Men which the Gospel had not made so And whatever Person or Church does the same does inâ—ur the same guilt and falls under the Anathema and Censure here in the Text yea tho' he were an Apostle or an Angel And I am sure no Bishop or Church in the World can pretend either to an equal Authority or Infallibility with an Apostle or an Angel from Heaven Let us then hear what St. Paul declares in this Case and consider seriously with what earnestness and vehemency he declares it tho' we says he or an Angel from Heaven preach any â—her Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him bâ— accursed As we said before so say I now again If any man preach any other Gospel unto you than that ye have received let him be accursed St. Paul you see is very earnest in this matter and very peremptory and therefore I cannot but think this Declaration of his to be more considerable and every way more worthy of our regard and dread than all the Anathema's of the Council of Trent which in direct affront and contempt of this Anathema of St. Paul hath presumed to add so many Articles to the Christian Religion upon the counterfeit warrant of Tradition for which there is no ground or warrant from the Scripture or from any Ancient Creed of the Christian Church And for the truth of this I appeal to the Creed of Pope Pius the IV th compiled out of the Definitions of the Council of Trent by which Council the Pope only is Authorised to Interpret the true sense and meaning of the Canons and Decrees of that Council and consequently his interpretations must be of equal force and authority with that of the Council it self So that whatsoever he hath put into â—is new Creed for an Article of Faith ought to be received with the â—ame pious affection and veneration as if the Creed had been compiled by the Council it self
Roman Church That the Definitions of a General Council confirmed by the Pope are not Obligatory unless they be receiv'd by the Universal Church From whence these two great Inconveniencies will unavoidably follow Iâ— That no Man is obliged to believe such Definitions 'till he Certainly know that they are received by the Universal Church which how he should Certainly much less Infallibly know I cannot understand unless he either speak with all the Christians in the World or the Representatives of all particular Churches return back and meet again in Council to declare that the Universal Church hath received their Definitions which I think was never yet done II. It will follow that the Definitions of a General Council confirmed by the Pope are not Infallible 'till they be received by the Universal Church For if they were Infallible without that they would be Obligatory without it because an Infallible Definition if we know it to be so lays an Obligation to believe it whether it be receiv'd by the Universal Church or not And if such Definitions are not Infallible 'till they be received by the Universal Church they cannot become Infallible afterwards because if the Definitions were not Infallible before they cannot be received as such by the Universal Church nor by the meer reception of them be made to be Infallible Definitions if they were not so before But if we should pass over all these Difficulties there is a greater yet behind and that is Supposing the Definitions of General Councils confirmed by the Pope to be Infallible particular Christians cannot be secured Infallibly from Error without the Knowledge of those Definitions And there are but two ways imaginable of conveying this Knowledge to them Either by the living voice of their particular Pastors whom they are implicitely to believe in these Matters but particular Pastors are Fallible as they themselves grant and therefore their words can neither be an Infallible Foundation of Faith or an Infallible means of conveying it and it is unreasonable they say for Men that own themselves to be Fallible to require an implicit Belief to be given to them Or else the Knowledge of the Definitions of Councils must be conveyed to particular Christians by Writing and if so then there will only be an Infallible Rule but no living Infallible Judge And if an Infallible Rule will serve the turn we have the Scriptures which we are sure are Infallible and therefore at least as good as any other Rule But they say that the Definitions of Councils give us an Infallible Interpretation of Scripture and therefore are of greater advantage to us But do not the Definitions of Councils sometimes also need Explication that we may know the certain Sense of them without which we cannot know the Doctrines defined Yes certainly they need Explication as much as Scripture if there be any difference about the meaning of them and there have been and still are great Differences among those of their own Church about the meaning of them And if the Explications of General Councils need themselves to be explain'd then there is nothing got by them and we are but where we were before For Differences about the meaning of the Definitions of General Councils make as great Difficulties and Uncertainties in Faith as the Differences about the meaning of Scripture Well but the People have the living voice of their particular Pastors to explain the Definitions of Councils to them But this does not help the Matter neither for these two Reasons First Because particular Pastors have no Authority to explain the Definitions of General Councils The Council of Trent hath by express Decree reserved to the Pope and to him only the Power to explain the Definitions of the Council if any difference arise about the meaning of them So that if there be any difference about the true sense and meaning of any of the Definitions of the Council particular Pastors have no Authority to explain them and where there is no doubt or difference about the meaning of them there is no occasion for the explication of them Secondly But suppose they had Authority to explain them this can be no Infallible Security to the People that they explain them right both because particular Pastors are fallible and likewise because we see in experience that they differ in their Explications witness the Bishop of Condom's Exposition of the Catholick Faith and of the Definitions of the Council of Trent which is in many Material Points very different from that of Bellarmine and many other Famous Doctors of that Church And which is more witness the many differences betwixt Ambroâ—ius Catharinus and Dominicus Asoto about the Definitions of that Council in which they were both present and heard the Debates and themselves bore a great part in them Now if they who were present at the framing of the Definitions of that Council cannot agree about the meaning of them much less can it be expected from those that were absent Secondly This Provision which I have mentioned is likewise as good a way to prevent and put an end to Controversies in Religion so far as it is necessary they should be prevented or have an end put to them as any Infallible Church would be if there were one And this is another Reason why an Infallible Church is so much insisted upon that there may be some way and means for a final decision of Controversies which the Scriptures cannot be because they are only a dead Rule which can end no Controversie without a Living Judge ready at hand to interpret and apply that Rule upon emergent Occasions It is not necessary that all Controversies in Religion should either be prevented or decided This the Church which pretends to be Infallible cannot pretend to have done because there are manifold Controversies even in the Church of Rome her self concerning Matters of Religion which still remain undecided and in their Commentaries upon Scripture many Differences about the sense of several Texts concerning which she hath not thought fit to give an Infallible Interpretation And where their Popes and several of their General Councils have thought fit to meddle with Scripture they have applyed and interpreted Texts more improperly and absurdly than even their private Doctors And which is more in Differences about Points of Faith which are pretended on both sides to be fundamental this Church hath not thought fit to put an end to them by her Infallible Decision after two hundred years brangling about them For instance in that fierce and long Difference about the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin which on both sides is pretended to be an Article of Faith and for which contrary Revelations of their Canonized Saints are so frequently pretended and yet neither Pope nor General Council have thought fit to exert their Infallibility for the decision of this Controversie So that if their Church had this Talent of Infallibility ever committed to them they have with the slothful Servant
because the Pope it seems and no body else understands the true meaning of that Council at least is thought fit to declare it And therefore one may justly wonder at the presumption of those who after this Declaration of the Council have taken upon them to Expound the Catholick Faith and to represent that Religion to us as it is defined in that Council because if there be any Controversie about the meaning of its Definitions as there have been a great many even betwixt those who were present at the Council when those Definitions were made none but the Pope himself can certainly tell the meaning of them Now in this Creed of Pope Pius there are added to the Ancient Creed of the Christian Church twelve or thirteen new Articles as concerning Purgatory Transubstantiation the Worship of Images the Invocation of Saints the Communion in one kind and that the Church of Rome is the Mother and Mistress of all Churches and that there is no Salvation to be had out of it and several other Points all which have either no foundation in Scripture or are plainly contrary to it and none of them ever esteemed as Articles of Faith in the Ancient Christian Church for the first five hundred years and yet they are now obtruded upon Christians as of equal necessity to Salvation with the Twelve Articles of the Apostles Creed and this under a pretence of Infallibility which St. Paul tells us would not have justified an Apostle or an Angel from Heaven in making such additions to the Christian Religion and the imposing of any thing as necessary to Salvation which is not so declared by the Gospel of Christ And all that they have to say for this is That We do not pretend to be Infallible but there is a necessity of an Infallible Judge to decide these Controversies and to him they are to be referred Which is just as if in a plain matter of Right a contentious and confiâ—â—nt Man should desire a reference and contrive the matter so as to have it refer'd to himself upon a sleeveless pretence without any proof or evidence that he is the only Person in the World that hath Authority and Infallible Skill to decide all such differences Thus the Church of Rome would deal with us in Things which are as plain as the noon-day as Whether God hath forbidden the Worship of Images in the second Commandment Whether our Saviour did Institute the Sacrament in both kinds Whether the People ought not to read the Scriptures and to have the publick Service of God in a known Tongue These and the like they would have us refer to an Infallible Judge and when we ask who he is they tell us that their Church which hath imposed these things upon Christians and made these additions to the Gospel of Christ is that Infallible Judge But if she were as Infallible as she pretends to be even as an Apostle or an Angel from Heaven St. Paul hath denounced an Anathema against her for preaching another Gospel and making those things necessary to the Salvation of Men which are not contained in the Gospel of Christ The Inference from all this Discourse in short is this That we should contend earnestly for the Faith once delivered to the Saints and not suffer our selves by the confident pretences of Seducers to be removed from him that hath called us through the grace of Christ unto another Gospel The necessary Doctrines of the Christian Religion and the common Terms of Salvation are so plain that if any Man be ignorant of them it is his own fault and if any go about to impose upon us any thing as of necessity to be believed and practised in order to Salvation which is not declared to be so in the Holy Scriptures which contain the true Doctrine of the Gospel what Authority soever they pretend for it yea tho' they assume to themselves to be Insallible the Apostle hath plainly told us what we are to think of them for he hath put the Case as high as is possible here in the Text when he says Tho' We or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed I will conclude all with that Counsel which the Spirit of God gives to the Churches of Asia Revel 3. 3. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and Chap. 2. 10. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer be thou faithful unto the Death and I will give thee a Crown of Life A SERMON ON JOHN VII 17. If any Man will do his Will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of my self SINCE there are so many different Opinions and Apprehensions in the World about Matters of Religion and every Sect and Party does with so much confidence pretend that they and they only are in the truth The great difficulty and question is by what means Men may be secured from dangerous Errors and Mistakes in Religion For this end some have thought it necessary that there should be an Infallible Church in the Communion whereof every Man may be secured from the dangers of a wrong Belief But if seems God hath not thought this necessary If he had he would have revealed this very thing more plainly than any particular Point of Faith whatsoever He would have told us expresly and in the plainest terms that he had appointed an Infallible Guide and Judge in Matters of Faith and would likewise have told us as plainly who he was and where we mighâ— find him and have recourse to him upon all occasions because the sincerity of our Faith depending upon him we could not be safe from mistake in particular Points without so plain and clear a Revelation of this Infallible Judge that there could be no mistake about him nor could there be an end of any other Controversies in Religion unless this Infallible Judge both that there is one and who he is were out of Controversie But neither of these are so It is not plain from Scripture that there is an Infallible Judge and Guide in Matters of Faith much less is it plain who he is and therefore we may certainly conclude that God hath not thought it necessary that there should be an Infallible Guide and Judge in Matters of Faith because he hath revealed no such thing to us and that Bishop and that Church who only have arrogated Infallibility to themselves have given the greatest evidence in the World to the contrary and have been detected and stand convinc'd of the greatest Errors And it is in vain for any Man or Company of Men to pretend to Infallibility so long as the evidence that they are deceived is much greater and clearer than any proof they can produce for their Infallibility If then God hath not provided an Infallible Guide and Judge in Matters of Faith there is some other way whereby Men may be
be of a meaner Capacity and be willing to Learn he may by the help of a Teacher be brought to understand them without any great pains and such Teachers God hath appointed in his Church for this very purpose and a Succession of them to continue to the end of the World In a word when we say the Scriptures are plain to all Capacities in all Things necessary we mean that any Man of ordinary Capacity by his own Diligence and Care in Conjunction with the Helps and Advantages which God hath appointed and in the due Use of them may attain to the Knowledge of every Thing necessary to his Salvation and that there is no Book in the World more plain and better fitted to Teach a Man any Art or Science than the Bible is to Direct and Instruct Men in the Way to Heaven and it is every Man's fault if he be ignorant of any Thing necessary for him to believe or do in order to his Eternal Happiness III. Good Men are likewise secured from Fatal Errors in Religion by the Infallible Promise of God if so be that with honest Minds and due Diligence they apply themselves to the understanding of this Rule and make use of the Means of Instruction which God hath provided for that purpose God hath promised to Gaide and Teach the Humble and Meek that is such as are of a Submissive and Teachable Temper desirous and diligent to be Instructed in the Truth Prov. 2. 2 3 4 5. If thou incline thine Ear to Wisdom and apply thine Heart to Understanding yea if thou cryest after Knowledge and liftest up thy Voice for Understanding if thou seekest her as Silver and searchest for her as for hid Treasures then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the Knowledge of God And here in the Text our Saviour assures us that If any Man be desirous to do his Will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether he spake of himself i. e. he shall be able to discern the Doctrines which are from God This is the Provision which God hath made for our security from Fatal Mistakes in Religion and this is in all Respects a better Security and more likely to Guide and Conduct us safely to Heaven than any Infallible Church and that for these Reasons First Because it is much more certain that God hath made this Provision which I have mentioned than that there is an Infallible Church appointed and assisted by him to this Purpose That the Scriptures are an Infallible and Adequate Rule and sufficiently plain in all Things necessary I have already proved and I add further that this was the constant Judgment of the Ancient Church and so declared by the Unanimous Consent of the Fathers of it for many Ages and that all Councils in their Determination of Faith proceeded upon this Rule 'till the Second Councel of Nice I have likewise proved That God hath provided a Succession of Pastors and Teachers in his Church to Instruct us in this Rule and that we have God's Infallible Promise for our security from dangerous Errors and Mistakes if with an honest Mind and due Diligence we apply our selves to understand this Rule and make use of the Means of Instruction which God hath provided for that Purpose But that there is an Infallible Church Appointed and Assisted by God to Declare and Determine Matters of Faith and to be an Infallible Interpreter of Scripture is not certain because there is no clear and express Text of Scripture to that purpose that any Church whatsoever much less that the Church of Rome hath this Power and Priviledge Nay I add further That it is Impossible according to the Principles of the Church of Rome that this should be proved from Scripture because according to their Principles we cannot know either which are the true Books of Scripture or what is the true Sense of Scripture but from the Authority and Infallible Declaration of that Church And if so then the Infallibility of the Church must be first known and proved before we can either know the Scriptures or the sense of them and yet 'till we know the Scriptures and the sense of them nothing can be proved by them Now to pretend to prove the Infallibility of their Church by Scripture and at the same time to declare that which are the true Books of Scripture and what is the true sense of them can only be proved by the Infallible Authority of their Church is a plain and shameful Circle out of which there is no way of escape and consequently that God hath appointed an Infallible Church is Impossible according to their Principles ever to be proved from Scripture and the Thing is capable of no other Proof For that God will Infallibly Assist any Society of Men is not to be known but by Divine Revelation So that unless they can prove it by some other Revelation than that of Scripture which they do not pretend to the Thing is not to be proved at all Yes they say by the Notes and Marks of the True Church but what those Marks are must either be known from Scripture or some other Divine Revelation and then the same Difficulty returns besides that one of the most Essential Marks of the true Church must be the profession of the true Faith and then it must first be known which is the True Faith before we can know which is the True Church and yet they say that no Man can learn the True Faith but from the True Church and this runs them unavoidably into another Circle as shameful as the other So that which way soever they go to prove an Infallible Church they are shut up in a plain Circle and must either prove the Scriptures by the Church and the Church by the Scriptures or the True Church by the True Faith and the True Faith by the True Church Secondly This Provision and Security which I have mentioned is more Humane better Accommodated and Suited to the Nature of Man because it doth not suppose and need a standing and perpetual Miracle as the other way of an Infallible Church doth All Inspiration is Supernatural and Miraculous and this Infallible Assistance which the Church of Rome claims to her self must either be such as the Apostles had which was by immediate Inspiration or something equal to it and alike Supernatural but God does not work Miracles without need or continue them when there is no occasion for them When God delivered the Law to the People of Israel it was accompanied with Miracles and the Prophets which he sent to them from time to time had an immediate Inspiration but their Supream Judicature or their General Council which they call the Sanhedrim was not Infallibly assisted in the Expounding of the Law when Doubts and Difficulties arose about it no nor in judging of True and False Prophets but they determined this and all other Emergent Causes by the standing
of our Religion but by their own Writers also Nor is this mischief only confined to that Order their Casuists in general and even the more Ancient of them who writ before the Order of Jesuits appeared in the World have given such a Liberty and loose to great Immorality in several kinds as is infinitely to the reproach of the best and purest Religion in the World Insomuch that Sir Tho. Moor himself who was a great Zealot for that Religion could not forbear to make a loud Complaint of it and to pass this severe Censure upon the generality of their Casuists That their great Business seemed to be not to keep Men from Sin but to Teach them quà m propè ad pecâ—atum liceat accedere sine peccato how near to Sin they might lawfully come without Sinning In the mean time the Consciences of Men are like to be well directed when instead of giving Men plain Rules for the Government of their Hearts and Lives and clear Resolutions of the Material Doubts which frequently occur in Humane Life they entangle them in Niceties and endless Scrupulosities teaching them to split Hairs in Divinity and how with great Art and Cunning they may avoid the committing of any Sin and yet come as near to it as is possible This is a thing of a most dangerous Consequence to the Souls of Men and if Men be but once encouraged to pass to the utmost Bounds of what is Lawful the next step will be into that which is Unlawful So that unless Faith without Works will save Men notwithstanding the Infallible Security which they pretend to give Men of a sound and right Belief if it were really as much as they talk of the Salvation of Men would still be in great hazard and uncertainty for want of better and safer Directions for a good Life than are ordinarily to be met with in the Casuistical Writings of that Church especially if we consider that the Scriptures are lock'd up from the People in an unknown Tongue where the surest and plainest Directions for a good Life are most plentifully to be had insomuch that a Man had better want all the Volumes of Casuistical Divinity that ever were written in the World than to be without the Bible by the diligent studying of which Book alone he may sooner learn the way to Heaven than by all the Books in the World without it Fifthly and Lastly This Provision which God hath made is when all is done as good a Security against Fatal Errors and Mistakes in Religion as an Infallible Church could give if there were one and it is as good a way to prevent and put an end to Controversies in Religion so far as it is necessary that they should be prevented and have an end put to them And these are the two great Reasons why an Infallible Judge is so importunately demanded and insisted upon I shall speak to these distinctly and severally but because they will require a longer Discourse than the time will allow I shall not enter upon them at present but refer them to another Opportunity The Third SERMON ON JOHN VII 17. If any Man will do his Will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of my self WHEN I made entrance into these Wâ—â—ds I proposed from this Text First To shew that an honest and sincere Mind and a hearty Desire and Endeavour to do the Will of God is the greatest Security and best Preservative against dangerous Errors and Mistakes in Matters of Religion In the next place I proceeded to remove an Objection to which my Discourse upon this Subject might seem liable Some perhaps might ask Is every good Man then secure from all Error and Mistaâ—e in Maâ—ters of Religion This is a mighty â—riviledge iâ—deed But do we not find the contrary in experience that an honest Heart and a weak Head do often meet together For Answer to this I laid down several Propositions By the Last of which I shew'd that God hath made abundant Provision for our Security from fatal and dangerous Errors in Religion both by the Infallible Rule of the Holy Scripture and by sufficient means of Instruction to help us to understand this Rule and by his Infallible Promise of assisting us if with honest Minds and a due Diligence we apply our selves to the understanding of this Rule and the use of these Means And this I told you was in all Respects a better Security and more likely to Conduct us safe to Heaven than any Infallible Church whatsoever and that for Five Reasons Four of which I have already treated of and now proceed to the Fifth and last viz. Because this Provision which I have shewn God hath made is both as good a security against Fatal Errors and Mistakes in Religion as an Infallible Church could give if there were One And it is likewise as good a way to prevent and put an end to Controversies in Religion so far as it is necessary they should be prevented or have an end put to them And these are the two great Reasons why an Infallible Judge is so importunately demanded and insisted upon I shall speak to these two Points distinctly and severally First Because this is as good a security against Fatal Errors and Mistakes in Religion as an Infallible Church could give if there were one For an Infallible Church if there were such an one upon Earth could not Infallibly secure particular Christians against Errors in Faith any other way than by the Definition and Declaration of those who are Infallible in that Church And there are but three that pretend to it either the Pope or a Council General or the Pope and a General Council agreeing in the same Definitions Not the Pope by himself nor the General Council without the Pope because the Church which pretends to Infallibility is not agreed that either of these alone is Infallible and therefore their Definitions can be no certain much less Infallible Foundation of Faith no not to that Church which pretends to Infallâ—bility So that if there be an Infallible Oracle in that Church it must be the Pope and Council in Conjunction or the Definition of a Council confirmed by the Pope Now in that Case either the Council was Infallible in its Definitions before they had the Pope's Confirmation or not If the Council was Infallible in its Definitions before they had the Pope's Confirmation then the Council alone and of its self was Infallible which a great part of the Church of Rome deny and then it needed not the Pope's Confirmation to make it Infallible Or else a General Council is not Infallible in its Definitions before they receive the Pope's Confirmation and then the Pope's Confirmation cannot make it so For that which was not Infallibly Defined by the Council cannot be made Infallible by the Pope's Confirmation But there is another Difficulty yet It is a Maxim generally receiv'd and that even in the
laid it up in a Napkin and according to our Saviour's Rule have long since forfeited it for not making use of it And whereas it is pretended that the Scripture is but a dead Râ—lâ— which can end no Controversies without a Living Judge ready at hand to interpret and apply that Rule upon emergent Occasions the same Objection lies against them unless a General Council which is their Living Judge were always sitting For the Dâ—finitions of their Councils in Writing are liable to the same and greater Objections than the Written Rule of the Scriptures The Summ of all is this In Differences about lesser Matters mutual Charity and Forbearance will secure the Peace of the Church tho' the Differences remain undecided and in greater Matters an Infallible Rule searched into with an honest Mind and due Diligence and with the help of good Instruction is more likely to extinguish and put an end to such Differences than any Infallible Judge if there were one because an humble and honest Mind is more likely to yield to Reason than a perverse and cavilling Temper is to submit to the Sentence of an Infallible Judge unless it were back'd with an Inquisition The Church of Rome supposeth her self Infallible and yet notwithstanding that she finds that some question and deny her Infallibility and then her Sentence signifies nothing And of those who own it many dispute the sense and meaning of her Sentence and whether they deny the Infallibility of her Sentence or dispute the Sense of it in neither of these Cases will it prove effectual to the deciding of any Difference But after all this Provision which we pretend God hath made for honest and sincere Minds Do we not see that Men fall into dangerous and damnable Errors who yet cannot without great Uncharitableness be supposed not to be sincerely desirous to know the Truth and to do the Will of God To this I shall briefly return these Two Things I. That the same Errors are not equally damnable to all The innocent and humanly speaking almost invincible Prejudices of Education in some Persons even against a Fundamental Truth the different Capacities of Men and the different Means of Conviction afforded to them the greater and lesser degrees of Obstinacy and a faulty Will in opposing the Truths proposed to them all these and perhaps several other Considerations besides may make a great difference in the guilt of Mens Errors and the danger of them II. When all is done the Matter must be left to God who only knowâ—th the Hearts of all the Children of Men. We cannot see into the Hearts of Men nor know all their Circumstances and how they may have provoked God to forsake them and give them up to Error and Delusion because they would not receive the truth in the love of it that they might be saved And as on the one hand God will consider all Mens Circumstances and the Disadvantages they were under for coming to the knowledge of the Truth and make allowance to Men for their invincible Errors and forgive them upon a general Repentance So on the other hand he who sees the insincerity of Men and that the Errors of their Understandings did proceâ—d from gross Faults of their Lives will deal with them accordingly But if Men be honest and sincere God who hath said if any Man will do his Will he shall know of the Doctrine will certainly be as good as his word It now remains only to draw some Inferences from this Discourse and they shall be these three First From this Text and what hath been Discoursed upon it we may infer how slender and ill-grounded the pretence of the Church of Rome to Infallibility is whether they place it in the Pope or in a General Council or in both The last is the most general Opinion and yet it is hard to understand how Infallibility can result from the Pope's Confirmation of a General Council when neither the Council was Infallible in framing its Definitions nor the Pope in Confirming them If the Council were Infallible in framing them then they needed no Confirmation If they were not then Infallibility is only in the Pope that confirms them and then it is the Pope only that is Infallible But no Man that reads these words of our Saviour if any Man will do his will he shall know of the Doctrine would ever imagine that the Bishop of Rome whoever he shall happen to be were secured from all fatal Errors in Matters of Faith much less that he were Endowed with an Infallible Spirit in Judging what Doctrines are from God and what not For it cannot be denied but that many of their Popes have been notoriously Wicked and Vicious in their Lives Nay Bellarmine himself acknowledgeth that for a Succession of Fifty Popes together there was not one Pious and Virtuous Man that sate in that Chair and some of their Popes have been Condemned and Deposed for Heresie and yet after all this the Pope and the governing part of that Church would bear the World in hand that he is Infallible But if this Saying of our Saviour be true that if any Man will do his will he shall know of his Doctrine whether it be of God then every honest Man that sincerely desires to do the Will of God hath a fairer pretence to Infallibility and a clearer Text for it than is to be found in the whole Bible for the Infallibility of the Bishop of Rome What would the Church of Rome give that theâ—e were but as express a Text in Scripture for the Infallibility of their Popes as this is for the security of every good Man in his Judgment of Doctrines which makes Infallibility needless What an unsufferable Noise and what endless Triumphs would they make upon it if it had been any where said in the Bible That if any Man be Bishop of Rome and sit in St. Peter's Chair he shall know of my Doctrine whether it be of God Had there been but such a Text as this we should never have been troubled with their impertinent citation of Texts and their remote and blind Inferences from Pasce Oves and super hanc Petram Feed my Sheep and upon this Rock will I build my Church to prove the Pope's Infallibility And yet no Man of Sense or Reason ever extended the Text I am speaking to so far as to attempt to prove from it the Infallibility of every good Man but only his security from â—atal Errors and Mistakes in Religion The largest Promises that are made in Scripture of security from Error and Mistake about Divine Things are made to good Men who sincerely desire to do the Will of God And if this be so we must conclude several Popes to have been the furthest from Infallibility of any Men in the World And indeed there is not a more compendious way to perswade Men that the Christian Religion is a Fable than to set up a Lewd and Vicious Man for the Oracle