proves That a Charity towards a Child of Abraham was much more to be allowed When the Sadducees disputed with him he reproach'd them for not knowing the Scriptures but blames them not at all for being ignorant of the Infallible Judge In short all his Instructions all his Preaching all his Disputes were full of Arguments and Proofs drawn from the Merits of the Cause from Scripture and Reason and to finish his Evidence and the Conviction of his Hearers oftentimes he crown'd all with Miracles The Pharisees indeed when they were at a loss for an Argument would take Refuge in their Authority and therefore when they could not answer a poor Man thus they take upon them Thou wast altogether born in Sin and dost thou Teach us Are we blind also And have any of the Pharisees believed on him But our Saviour instead of Encouraging this assuming way warns his Disciples against it Call no Man Rabbi or Master upon Earth call no Man Father i.e. Submit not your selves implicitly to such Arrogant Teachers as these that usurp Dominion over your Faith. And therefore he recommends to Men the Use of their Judgment Why of your own selves judge ye not what is right And lest any should think that this noble Faculty was given them only for their Worldly Occasions he reproaches the Jews for not making due Use of it in Enquiries of Religion Ye can discern the face of the Heaven and why do you not discern this time of the Messiah Which the Scriptures did plainly mark out to those that would use their Judgment to discern them Now it became our Saviour to deal with us in this manner for since upon our account he was pleas'd to be made Man it was most suitable to that Condescension to speak to us as a Man and to meet us in our own way of Apprehension And besides it seems more agreeable to the Nature of the Eternal Word or Reason to satisfie and convince our Understandings than to amaze and confound them with Paradoxes without Proof or Explanation Although Christ's Disciples call'd him Master and so indeed he was yet he did not use them as Servants but as Friends For the Servant knows not what his Lord doth A Servant is not to demand Reasons or to know the Intention of his Master in every thing he commands But Christ calls his Disciples Friends because he had made known to them all things that he had heard of the Father Besides it is much cheaper to affirm Confidently than to preduce any tolerable Proof and many may amaze Men with strange and extravagant Opinions that are not able to render any Reason that may move an ordinary sober Understanding The Gnosticks and the extravagant Sects that sprung from them would submit their wild Conceits to no rational Examination you must take all upon their Credit or be an Infidel For these Mystical Rabbies were above the poor Dispensation of giving Reasons Apelles the Heretick in a Conference with Rhodon affirms That a Man ought not to Examine his Faith but to content himself with whatever Opinion he had receiv'd And being demanded a Proof for his Belief of One God since he rejected Moses and the Prophets He frankly confess'd He had none to give but that he was mov'd he knew not how to believe it And therefore is justly derided by his Antagonist But the true Christians did not thus learn Christ they received his Doctrin not only because he Pronounced it but because he gave Proof and Demonstration of what he said And besides the outward Testimony of Miracles it was no small help to their Conviction to see the Inward Merit and Excellency of this Religion that it had nothing unworthy of God nothing contrary to Moral Honesty or the Principles of Natural Religion And Justin Martyr though he believed in Christ with so much Assurance as to Die for him yet to let us see that his Faith was not altogether Implicit but grounded upon Rational Conviction from the Merit of the Doctrin makes this bold and somewhat harsh Declaration in his Book against Marcion That he should not have believed Christ himself had he preach'd any other God beside the Creator And we have Irenaeus's Approbation That it was well said The Apostles did not think fit to make use of this way of Infallibility though the Promise upon which it is now grounded was made immediately to them and the Assistance of the Spirit was visible in the Miracles they wrought But they did not affect to be above their Master and they could not forget that Caution he gave them Not to be call'd of Men Rabbies Nay so far were they from affecting Dominion over the Faith and Understanding of Christians that they permit and applaud the diligence of those who would not receive the Gospel upon their bare Affirmation but search'd the Scriptures to see whether those things were so as they were alledged by the Apostles If we may allow St. Luke to speak their sense It was St. Paul's Advice to the Corinthians that they should Examine themselves whether they were in the Faith and he renounces all Dominion over their Faith. When the same Corinthians doubted of the Resurrection St. Paul does not think it sufficient to say That it was defined and a received Article of the Creed But enters into the Merits of the Cause and proves the Truth by Arguments unanswerable and Defends it against all the Objections that had rendred it suspected When the Churches of Galatia were divided upon the great Question Whether the Gentile Christians were obliged toobserve the Law of Moses and many pretended the Authority of Peter and James to the Prejudice of Christian Liberty St. Paul undertakes our Defence and throws off all not only the Authority of Men though they were Apostles but of Angels Though an Angel from Heaven should preach any other Gospel let him be accursed And this high Declaration was intended if Chrysostom understand it right to shew That where the Debate is concerning Truth St. Paul will not be satisfied with the Dignity or Office of any Persons As if that must be Gospel which they declare Alas then for the Infallible Judge if there be no respect of Persons no regard of Offices when Truth is in question We were told a quite contrary story That the only way to know the Truth was to consult Men plac'd in certain Dignities and to take for Oracle whatsoever they shall think fit to define St. Paul it seems knew nothing of any Infallible Judge from the heavenly Angels downwards and Chrysostom his Interpreter takes not the least care to Except him The Greeks have a Tradition That when Chrysostom wrote his Comments upon St. Paul's Epistles the Apostle was seen for several days standing behind the Bishop's Chair and whispering into his Ear But without believing this a Man may have reason to be satisfied that the Gloss speaks the sense of the Text and if all his Epistles had been as clear as this
which is to some an Infallible Judge they methinks should not be afraid to declare the whole Truth for they surely could not mistrust their own Infallibility and as little could they Question the Acquiescence and Submission of all good Catholicks yet these had Scruples and could not speak out for they had received a Caution from Rome whence their Spirit of Defining came That they should by no means Meddle with that Controversie that depended between Catholicks which might occasion a Schism How For a General Council to determine a Controversie between Catholicks would it be to expose the Church to the Danger of Schism Where then is their Belief of Infallibility Where is their Resignation to the Decrees of the Church Or to what Purpose is Infallibility given if it cannot be Exercised for fear of Offence and giving occasion to Schism We are told That the only Remedy against Heresie and Schism is the Determination of the Church and we are pressed to forsake our Religion because the Council of Trent has condemned it whereas in Confidence between Pope and Council we find that their Catholicks would leave them for that very Reason which they use to Convert us i. e. If they durst Condemn their Opinions as they have done ours It is said indeed That this Article of the Immaculate Conception is not of Faith and therefore needs not to be decided and if it were the Decision of the Church may not be Infallibly True because the Promise of Infallible Assistance extends only to Matters of Faith. I should be better content with this Answer if I could be satisfy'd once What is of Faith and what is not How comes Invocation of Saints Worshipping of Images and Purgatory to be of Faith and this not It cannot be said Because the Church has determin'd those Points and not this For before I enquired Why the Church would not determine this and it was given me for a Reason That it was not of Faith. Or is it because it does not seem to be of so great moment in it self This cannot be pretended for Matters of less Moment have been declared to be of Faith For Instance The Perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Virgin is an Article in it self of less Moment than this of the Immaculate Conception for he that denies that the Mother of our Lord always continued a Virgin makes her less Perfect in the Opinion of some but not Criminal in the Judgment of any For if she had enjoy'd the Liberty of Wedlock she had not sinned But he that affirms her to be Conceived in Sin if she knew no Sin is a False and Blasphemous Accuser and does her real Dishonour Yet Helvidius and some others that denyed her Perpetual Virginity are Hereticks the Dominicans that charge her with Original Sin and that Unjustly according to the Opinion of the major part of the Council of Trent if we may believe Pallavicini and of the present Roman Church are still Good Catholicks and the Question must not be Infallibly Decided against them for fear of Schism But one of the greatest Hindrances of our Belief of Infallibility is to see That those who affirm that such a Priviledge belongs to their Church cannot agree where to place it Some are for the Pope some for a General Council some for the Church Diffusive now if but one of these Competitors be Infallible of three Parties into which the Roman Church is divided upon this Question there are two against him and as very Hereticks as we If all the three be Infallible then all the Roman Church is in a Dangerous Error for of this Trinity of Infallible Judges no Party believes but one to the Exclusion of the other two Nor can they Reproach us with rejecting all the three for we allow the Church Diffusive to be Infallible in a Sense that is That there shall be always Persons professing the Substance of the Christian Faith only we do not make these Infallible Judges nor resolve our Faith into this Pious Opinion as into a first Principle But we need not insist upon this for the Romanists themselves confess That the Church Diffusive can be no Judge and that no Controversie in Religion was ever yet Decided by it Now while the Romanists are Disagreed about their Infallible Judge how can we believe that they have any For surely If God had appointed such a Judge he had rendred him so Conspicuous and Remarkable that every one who was not wilfully Blind must have Discerned him else there could be no Use of him and instead of Ending Controversie he would Serve only to Increase it by becoming himself the Subject of a New Dispute For what Use I pray of an Infallible Judge that lies incognito or what benefit from that Infallibility that is Distracted between many and Endless Competitions The Wisdom of God is not wont to confer so great a Gift to so little purpose and those who concern the Divine Wisdom in this Question by saying That God had not made sufficient Provision for his Church if he had not made it Infallible do not consider That while they Disagree about this Infallibility they overthrow their own Argument and betray the Divine Wisdom after they had interested it in their Disputes When they pretend to be all agreed in this That they Blieve the Pope and a General Council in conjunction to make up one Infallible Compound we have great Reason to suspect That what they say is not True and that they do not believe it themselves for several have lived and dyed in their Communion who publickly taught That a Pope and General Council concurring may err in the Faith and were never Censur'd for this Doctrine Besides it is as reasonable to believe that two Cyphers joyned may make up a Summ as that two Fallible Parties can make up one Infallible in Conjunction Or if these Parties are Infallible apart they do but mock us when they talk of their Conjunction But that they do not Believe their own Pretence seems to me plain Because they take no Care to be always provided of this Infallible Compound How can they believe a Pope and Council united to be the only Infallible Judge and yet use no Means to bring them together once in a hundred Years The Council of Constance when it had Decreed Councils to be Infallible took Care to Act according to their Pretence and therefore ordered Councils to be frequent and provided against all those Impediments which the Jealousie of the Roman Court might oppose to their Design But that Men should believe that Infallibility of Judgment belongs to a certain Conjunction of Parties and yet to be content they should never meet and to let Ages pass without the least Benefit of this Infallibility that was in their Power is such a Riddle that overcomes my Weak Faith so Rank a Pretence as would turn the Stomach of a Pharisee But if they pretend That the State of the World and Circumstances of Princes will
Passage I am apt to believe that this Apostle might have sav'd himself the labour of coming down from Heaven to be his own Commentator I must confess that in reading this Epistle I have often wondred how St. Paul should come to omit one Argument which according to the Men of the Infallible way must have been worth all the rest And that is the Determination of this Question by the Council of Jerusalem for all are agreed and the Notation of years which we find in the First and Second Chapters makes it clear that this Epistle was written after that Council yet in all this long Vindication of the Liberty of the Gentile Christians it is not once urg'd And I cannot conceive any reason of this Omission unless it be that having in the very beginning laid aside all Human Authority and Respect of Persons he might not think it proper afterwards to alledge the Apostolical Decree But if this had been the only Infallible way of Deciding Controversie this Omission cannot be excused Now because some have endeavoured to prove the Infallibility of Councils from the Example of that of the Apostles I proceed briefly to shew That they did not proceed in the way of Infallibility though they were really Infallible because they were Inspired Persons but all their Proceeding was according to Allegation and Proof and the Conclusion is made to depend upon these Premisses and not their Infallibility in pronouncing it Whereas in the New Way the Conclusion is Certain because some Men declare it though the Reasons alledged may be good for nothing The summ of that Synodical Action was this First S. Peter represented to them How the Holy Ghost had already Determined that Question by falling upon Cornelius and other Persons Uncircumcised then Paul and Barnabas declared What Wonders that God had wrought among the Gentiles by them And lastly S. James shews out of the Prophets How the Conversion of the Gentiles was foretold and concludes Wherefore my Sentence is Then it pleased the Apostles and Elders to send certain Persons with an account of this whole Matter to the Churches concerned and a Letter with this Expression among others It seemed Good to the Holy Ghost and to us Which does not import as if whatsoever they agreed to declare must therefore be the Truth and to be received without asking farther Questions though what they did Decree was certainly Truth and Right but only suggests the former Decision of the Holy Ghost in the Case of Cornelius and some other declared by Barnabas and Paul for then it seemed Good to the Holy Ghost to receive the Gentiles without Circumcision But in the Assembly of Jerusalem we have not the least Intimation of any Declaration of the Spirit either by Miracle or Revelation But the Holy Ghost having before visibly declared upon the Point to that in all likelihood the Expression must allude But whatever the Apostles thought of the way of Infallibility it is plain The Believers were not yet well instructed concerning it for this Definition could not end the Controversie And in the beginning of the next Chapter We find S. Paul Circumcising Timothy whose Father was a Greek Because of the Jews that were in those Quarters and how little Use was made of it in ending the same Controversie in the Church of Galatia I have observed already But further yet S. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans teaches another Method of Belief than the Advocates for Infallibility for some time would impose upon the World for he utterly disallows this way of making the Faith of God to depend upon the Belief or Unbelief of Men as if that were to be the Standard of Truth and Error For what if some did not Believe shall their Vnbelief make the Faith of God of none Effect God forbid Yea let God be True and every Man a Lyar as it is written c. This is an Answer to such Objections as were Suggested against the Christian Faith from the Unbelief of the Jews For when our Saviour appeared they had the Visible Church and all Ecclesiastical Authority the Priesthood the Sanadrim the Scribes and Pharisees and the Renowned Doctors were theirs the Religious Sects the Outward Purity the Opus operatum and Supererogation were on their Side Now if these must prescribe to our Belief we Christians have lost our Cause for the High Priest and the Elders assembled i. e. The Pope and Council of that Time condemned Christ for a Blasphemer But S. Paul would no more submit to such Definitions than we Protestants to those of the Council of Trent but enters his Protestation against all such as by any Act of Men would Prescribe against the Truth of God and gives Reason and Scripture for his Proceeding God must be Pure but all Men may be Lyars and so fairly takes his leave of all Infallible Men. And so far is he from Affecting that Brerogative himself which he denies to others that he appeals to the Scriptures as his Vouchers and does not desire to be believed upon the Authority of his Place but by the Method he uses of proving what he advances he sets a Fair Precedent to all other Teachers and which Origen upon this Place understands to be his Design For if a Person so Great and so Qualifyed as S. Paul did not think the Authority of his Saying any thing to be sufficient unless he prove it out of the Law and the Prophets how much more should we the least of Gods Ministers observe the same Rule And Lastly S. Peter from whom some of the Competitors for Infallibility derive their Title advises all Christians To be ready always to give an answer to every one that asketh them a Reason of the Hope that is in them Now all Interpreters of this Place both Antient and Modern that I have seen are very much out if this Reason be no other than the Infallibility of S. Peter or of the Church Now this Answer I Believe because the Church Believes is surely the Easiest of any and all other Answers would be Impertinent if this alone were the Infallible Reason The School-Men have upon some Occasions thought fit to ground their Rational Way upon this Passage and Valued their Usefulness and Service to the Church on this Account But for God's sake What Use can there be of these Fallible Reasons in a Church that is Infallible in her Conclusions and holds not her self obliged to render any other Reason for them but a Curse And indeed I cannot see any Occasion of giving any Reason since her Disciples do Profess that they have no Assurance but that in these she may be Mistaken Now if the Apostles did not think fit to use this Way of Infallibility it seems something incongruous for the Church in Succeeding Ages to pretend to it for as the Gifts of the Spirit grew less methinks the Way of Teaching should rather be less than more Magisterial unless some new Paraclet to supply the Defect
The Dispute between Pope Stephen and S. Cyprian about Rebaptizing is well known and whoever compares their Opinions with what the Council of Nice Determined upon that Question will find they were both in the Wrong Tertul. adv Prax. Pope Anicetus gave but a poor Sign of his Infallibility when he received the Prophecy's of Montanus Prisca and Maximilla and received the Asiaticks and Cataphrygians into his Communion And Marcellinus his Infallibility must surely forsake him when he offered Incense to Idols as the Roman Offices do accuse him and though Baronius mentions the Endeavours of some Zealous Men to take off this Blemish yet after all the Revisions of the Breviary it remains there still But be the Catholick Church before the Nicene Council as destitute of Infallible Judgment as it was of Civil Force surely when Councils were assembled with the concurrence of Popes all Dispute and Heresie must be at an end for when the Infallible Judge has taken his Place all Knots in Religion must be Unty'd and all Doubts removed for who so Ignorant or Perverse as to dispute against his Sentence whom all the Christian World must know to be uncapable of Mistake Now the Misfortune is That after Many General Councils received by the Bishop of Rome and the greatest part of Christendom we hear no Tydings of an Infallible Judge nor of the Roman Resolution of Faith into the meer Authority of Papal Councils And this is such a Disappointment under which no Man can be patient and in spight of all Good Disposition of Believing the Roman Method it will breed Suspicion That the Infallible was not revealed to the Church of those Times Athanasius the great Champion and Confessor for the Nicene Creed in all his Apologies forgot this great and unanswerable Defence That he followed an Infallible Guide He Explains and Confirms from Scripture Athan. or ad Maxim. Id. de Nicen. Synod Decret Orat. 1. contr Arrian the Notion of Consubstantial but could not be so happy as to urge That it must be true Because the Infallible had pronounc'd it He deservedly commends the Nicene Council and the Faith defined there but his Reasons turn Infallibility upside down For he received the Determination of that great Assembly because in his Judgment he was convinc'd That it was True and Consonant to the Scriptures but did not therefore think It must be as True as Gospel Because it was the Sentence of an Infallible Judge And at last in the Way of our Protestant Resolution of Faith declares That in those Controversies that divided the Church We ought to pray for the Spirit of Discretion That every one may know what to Receive and what to Reject A Faithful Disciple of the Gospel is able to distinguish between Truth and Pretence because he has the Spirit of Discerning but the Simple is carryed away with every Colour But what should we do with this Private Spirit of Discretion in a Controversie already decided by the Infallible And what danger of the Simple if he can but be Simple enough to Believe as the pretended Infallible Church Believes And it is yet more strange That after the Nicene Decisions this Father should recommend the Scriptures as a better and more sufficient Means than any other for our Direction to the True Faith. Con. Maxim. l. 3. c. 14. S. Augustin was surely to blame when in a Dispute with an Arrian he makes this Proposal That they should by Consent lay aside the Authority of Council-Definitions and gives up the Judgment of the Nicene Fathers in exchange for that of the Hereticks of Rimini and leaving the Advantage of a Sentence by which alone the Truth could be Infallibly known according to the Roman Supposition descends to put the Matter upon an Issue which we are now told is very uncertain and of dangerous Consequence that is To be tryed by Scripture and Reason One would think it had been a much easier and shorter Task for him to prove the Council of Nice Infallible if he had thought it as Demonstrable as the Missionaries say it is than to convince the Hereticks by Disputable Passages of Scripture interpreted according to his Private Reason Here indeed he overthrows Infallibility but Implicitly and by Consequence but in another place he expresly Disclaims it The Church says he L. 2. con Crescon ought not to set her self above Christ for he always Judges according to Truth but Ecclesiastical Judges as Men are commonly-Mistaken And then lest you may imagine General Councils excepted in another place he declares That even Plenary Councils may need Amendment and that L. 2. de Bapt. c. 3. The latter may Correct what is Amiss in the former And in an Epistle to S. Jerom he further declares That he had learned to pay this Deference only to the Canonical Scriptures of believing their Authors to have erred in nothing But others though never so Learned or Holy without any Exception I read so as not to take any thing to be True because they were of that Opinion but because they proved it by Scripture or Reason S. Jerom professes so firm adherence to his Private Coviction Ep. ad August Apud Flac. Illyr in Cato l. Test Suttliv de Eccles That the Authority of all the World should never be able to make him depart from it This says he I affirm this I boldly pronounce though all the World should gainsay it And he makes no Scruple of Rejecting Councils if they determine any thing against the Doctrine of the Scriptures In Esai c. 30. nay he makes it the Character of Hereticks That they take upon them so great Authority That whether they Teach Truth or Falshood they will not allow their Disciples to examine by Reason but Implicitly to follow their Leaders And yet I do not know of any of these arrived to such an Extravagance as to pronounce themselves Infallible Nazianz. ep ad Procop. Gregory the Divine was surely a Stranger to the Infallible Judge when he resolves to shun all Assemblies of Bishops because he never saw Good Issue of any of them And I can scarce believe that he would have been con tent to submit the Faith to Major Vote Orat. ad Arrian when he brings in the Arrians insulting over the little Flock of Christ defining the Church by Multitude and preferring the Sand to the Stars Joh. Antioch in Conc. Ephes t. 3. p. 70. 76. Ed. Labbe He must needs be Ignorant of the Infallible Judge that thus writes to the Emperor Theodosius against Cyril and his Ephesin Council That a great number of Bishops is unnecessary for the Examination of Opinions in Religion and serves only to create Tumults For this End our Adversaries bring great Numbers depending only upon that and not upon the Truth and Orthodoxness of their Belief And then speaking of Cyril Endeavouring to ratifie his Heresie by Multitude not considering That in Religion it is not Number that is