whom there cannot be a lawful council, as not a parlia ment without the King, these are for King and Parliament, and place the supremacy and infallibility in neither Pope nor council apart, but only when both together and agreeing; but because this will defeat several of those councils called general, and split others, as when the Pope or his legates withdrew from the council (like a King leaving his Parliament) then such was no longer a lawful council, but a schismatical conventicle, as was said of the councils of Constance and Basil, &c. and because there have been Popes against Popes, and councils against councils; and that the requisites necessary to constitute a lawful council and consequently infallible, or some of them disputed, as the authority of summoning and convening the council, and presiding in it; and other requisites allowed by all to be necessary, are impossible to be known with any certainty, as, that all the fathers there met should use all diligence to examine and canvass to the bottom every point that comes before them; and that they should be under no terror or fear of any, nor biassed by party, hopes of preferment or gain, or any other corrupt passion, but doing all things out of true zeal to the glory of God, and good of the church; otherwise that there is no infallibility follows that council; and this being impossible for any to know but God alone, consequently the infallibility of all councils is rendered precarious, and no certainty at all in them; or rather it is certain, by the histories of all general councils, that these human passions, not consistent with infallibili

ty, had an influence in all or most of them; so that we cannot be certain of the infallibility of any council, unless we are infallibly sure that none of these human passions had a mixture in it. This makes a fourth party in the church of Rome, that is, of those who place the infallibility neither in Pope nor council, jointly or severally, but in the church militant, as they speak, that is, the church diffusive, or all churches up and down the world. We must then travel and learn. Here is a wide mark, and we are plainly left at last to our own private judgment, to collect and compare, to approve or reject what we find scattered in all the distant churches upon earth. And no man's life or capacity will be sufficient to make the inquiry, in any tolerable measure.

And now, my lord, which of these four sorts of infallibility will you take? There are three to one against you, choose which you will. And all these are of the church of Rome. And what difference is there betwixt having no guide, or one you cannot find?

L. If I cannot find him, I have him not; and that is all one as to have none.

Miserable man! If he has no infallible guide, and is fallible himself; and yet upon his going right depends his eternal either happiness or misery.

G. You may as well find fault with the creation. "Shall the clay say to the potter, why hast thou made me thus?" Who was guide to the angels that fell? Who was guide to Adam? Who was, or who is, guide to all the earth? To the Heathens, Maho

metans, to Jews? These last stick to their church, as an infallible guide, and therefore are most obstinate, and the most inveterate enemies to Christianity. Who is guide to infants and to idiots? And shall we interrogate the Almighty what he will do with these, or why he created them? And perhaps the greatest part of mankind die before they come to the years of discretion: and when they are of age, how few are capable to judge, or have opportunity or capacity to examine the different pleas betwixt church and church, religion and religion? And do, we not see the generality of the world take up their church and religion just according to their education? My lord, if you and I had been born and bred in Turkey, we might have been Mahometans.

L. Is religion then nothing but a chance, according to the place we are born in or where we receive our education?

G. No, my lord, truth is truth, though all the world should depart from it. And there have been converts in all nations and religions. But none where men cannot be persuaded to overcome the prejudice of education, and examine impartially for themselves. But infallibility bars all examination, for that implies a doubt, and brings us to private judgment, and where then shall we wander? And yet you must apply to every man's private judgment when you would make him a convert to your church, why else do you argue or reason with him? Must he not then examine all the arguments and motives you give him for the infallibility of your church, and judge for himself

whether they are well grounded, and will bear the test of reason? Or must every body have reason and examine but yourselves? Believe it then you are in the most dangerous condition of any. And you are the men who receive your religion by chance, just according to your education. Suppose another should return your own answer to you, and say, I will not examine, I am infallibly sure, and I will hear no more: what would you think of such a man? Every enthusiast will tell you the same. He will take his oath that he is infallible! and will hear no more than the deaf adder the charms of reason; but he will bid you silence your reason, for that is it which blinds you, though Solomon calls it the "lamp of God," which he hath planted in our heart, Prov. xx. 27. This is the image of God, in which he created us, and will be our judge and witness in the last day, as it is given us for our guide here. But instead of trimming this lamp, to make it burn clearly, we hear the general cry from your side, "put it out; put it out;" we cannot deal with you until that lamp be extinguished, it thwarts us every turn, and starts a hundred objections, that we cannot believe peaceably for it. But when it is quite taken away (if that were possible to be done) then you offer to shew us a meteor of infallibility (about which yourselves are not agreed, nor know where to find it) which will keep us from ever doubting any more. As when a man's eyes are put out, he cannot see a dirty step or a precipice before him, and then he is in that state of security you propose.

L. You see how this guide of yours, this lamp of reason has misled the nations; for Heathens, Mahometans, &c. all plead reason.

G. And we have no other method with them than to reason on still with them, and shew them that reason is of our side. And vast multitudes of them have been thus converted, even all the Christian churches now in the world; for all of them are of the Gentiles. And for those who yet remain unconverted, or have not had the Gospel sufficiently proposed to them, we must leave them to God who made them, and will require from no man more than he has given him, but will judge all people righteously. Of this I have spoke before.

But I observe that since this notion of infallibility came into the church of Rome, it has rooted out all charity, and her religion has been chiefly employed in cursing and damning all the world but herself. Her canons are tagged with anathemas upon every occasion, and you hear little in them of who shall be saved, but every page is full of who must be damned. And the Bulla in Cana pins the basket, and leaves very few to escape, even of the Roman communion itself.

It is a common argument with which your priests frighten women and children, viz. " you Protestants say it is impossible for a Papist to be saved: but we Papists say, it is impossible for a Protestant to be saved: therefore it is safer being of our side." But this has turned to their confusion, for as there is nothing in it but a confident avering, it shews that they