BOOK II.

THE POPISH RULE OF FAITH EXAMINED AND DISPROVED, AS RESTING UPON THE AUTHORITY OF GENERAL COUNCILS.

OF THE AUTHORITY OF COUNCILS,

AND

THE RULE OF FAITH.

THE PREFACE.

If there be an infallible judge of controversies in the Church, it is fit that so great an authority should bear down all before it, and be instead of a thousand answers to all objections: but it is as true on the other side, that if the judge has erred, he cannot be infallible; and if any man tells me, it is a bold thing to say of an infallible judge, that he has erred; I can be even with him, by answering, that it is as bold for a judge that has erred, to say, he is infallible: so that the point must be pleaded at the bar of every man's private judgment, before it can be gained; and if a judge were here that that could not err, he would confess, I think, that it could not be put to a fairer issue than this; whether I have, or have not, more reason to believe, that the judge has erred; than I have to believe, that it is impossible he should?

The claim to infallibility is set up no where, that I know of, but in the Church of Rome; and I have had this reason to wish it might be made good, because it would have saved me the labour of inquiring any further; whereas, if it be void, all the particular controversies we have with her, must be examined by themselves.

I must confess likewise, that having received my baptism and education in the Church of England, and upon mature deliberation, having made that my own act now, which was heretofore the act of my parents, I could not but wish also, that upon trial she might be found faithful; but I hope, that no consideration of this sort, have biassed me one way or other to partiality; I am sure, if any has, it is more than I am sensible of; and if indifference on which side the truth lies, be any advantage towards the discerning it, I have so much the more reason to be assured, that I have not been mistaken in the main, because I have sincerely desired, and according to my capacity endeavoured not to be mistaken at all.

That there is a necessity in a living, infallible, visible guide, in order to Christian faith, I could never be persuaded to, since I knew myself a believer of the holy Scriptures, and of universal tradition, without believing any such guide; and as for those doctrines of the Church of Rome, which the Church of England rejects; I cannot but think, that if they are to be made out, either by Scripture or tradition, I may be as well convinced of it, by a reasonable man, who is yet not infallible, as I am already convinced, that those articles of faith, in which both Churches agree, are contained in the Scriptures; and that the Scriptures stand upon the evidence of universal tradition. So that if I do already believe this much upon rational grounds, as I am sure I do, and may be led to the belief of all the rest (if I do not yet believe enough) upon the same grounds, as surely I may, if they stand upon the same grounds; I cannot feel the necessity of an infallible, visible, living guide, to make me a believer.

But if God has, indeed, given such a guide to his Church, I am ready with all thankfulness to submit myself to him, notwithstanding my persuasion that there is no necessity of such a one in order to faith; for if I am not to presume, that God who always does that which is best, has therefore done whatsoever seems to me to be so; much less can I conclude, that he has not done that for his creatures, which I see no necessity that he should have done for the attaining of their end; especially since it is evident, that in his abundant goodness, he has given us plentiful means of happiness, both for this, and a better life, over and above what is absolutely necessary to either.

My business therefore was to see, whether God hath left such a guide in this Church, as we are told of. To which end, it was necessary, in the first place, to consider these words

of our blessed Saviour to his Apostles, "Go, teach all nations," &c. And, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." And, "the Spirit shall lead you into all truth :" and those other texts of Scripture, which are said to contain the promise, or at least the supposition of such a guide. Now these places have been so sifted on both sides, that if the power of interest and passion were not too well known, one would wonder that both parties have not long since concurred in that truth, which would have yielded equal triumph to the victors and the vanquished.

It is needless here to insist upon a thing so well known, as the sense of our divines concerning these places; I shall only say, that whereas none of these texts seem to have any great difficulty in them, they must be, in my judgment, the most abstruse, difficult places in all the Bible, if that be the true sense of them, which is maintained by the other side.

So that since the proof of such a guide being promised, is so obscure, if it be a proof at all, it is but reasonable to expect that it should be supplied afterwards, by some considerable evidence, that in fact there hath been such a guide in the Church, and still is: and consequently, that the event should be a notable help to the interpretation of those places of Scripture, which, as it is said, do either promise or suppose such a guide.

But when I consider that such a guide is pretended to no where, but in the Roman communion; how loth soever I am to remember the particular controversies we have with that Church, till this be decided, yet do what I can, it comes into my mind, that it is incomparably more evident to me, that she has established some doctrines and practices contrary to the Scripture, than that the Scripture has promised any such guide at all, and still much more, than that this guide should be found in the Roman Church.

And that which yet more perplexes the cause is, that the Romanists do not agree where this infallibility is lodged; there are several pretenders to it, whose titles are defended by their several champions, with a zeal answerable to the greatness of the cause. It seemed strange to me, that a pretence to infallibility amongst them, should be better secured by not agreeing, than by an open and unanimous declaration where to fix it, and no where else: this, I thought, did not look like that assurance which fears no opposition, but rather, like the caution of some wary prince in the day of battle, who (knowing that the success of his cause and party depends upon the safety of his person), apparels several of his followers every way like himself, both to amuse the enemy, and that so long as any of them are safe, his party may not seem to want an head: now this policy (if it is any sort of security against their adversaries) certainly renders them very much unable in many cases to succour their friends, whom it leaves in as great perplexities, as they pretend we are, since they will be at a loss to which of the pretenders to address themselves for resolution of their doubts.

Of all the pretenders, the most likely seemed to be the authority of General Councils; and therefore being resolved not to trust private writers of either side, I undertook to search the Councils themselves, believing that I should find not only what they, but what Popes have done too in the establishing of doctrine. The pretence of the infallibility of oral tradition, is so new and weak, that there is nothing to make it considerable, but the honour that has been done it, by an exquisite

confutation.*

In a convenient library, I have by me Binius's edition of the Councils, printed at Cologne, A.D. 1606. I thought I could not choose one of more unquestionable authority amongst the Romanists; for besides, that he dedicates his book to Pope Paul V. and to Cardinal Baronius, at whose desire, as he says, he made those collections; and that he has the approbation of Xilander, Professor of Divinity at Cologne; he discovers in his Notes upon the Councils, so great a zeal for the Roman Church, and especially for the Papal power, that I believed none could suspect he would falsify records to the prejudice of that cause, which he so zealously defends.

Now if the decrees in matters of faith, of any pretender to infallibility, established at one time, were inconsistent with decrees in matters of faith which were made at another time; I may spare any farther labour of inquiring what proofs any other persons have produced to maintain that title, because it has by its own acts disproved and deprived itself. And I am sure, that if General Councils have contradicted one another, I have more reason to believe that they have erred, than any man can shew me that they cannot err. For no man can have more reason to believe any thing, than he has for this, that contradictions cannot be true.

Our Church has a reverend esteem for the four first General Councils; we embrace, their confessions of faith, and whatsoever they defined to be heresy, we judge to be so. If it be demanded why we approve of them, and not of all the rest; we answer, because their determinations in matters of faith are manifestly warranted by the holy Scriptures. If this answer satisfy not, let us inquire whether the Romanists themselves do universally adhere to the decrees in matter of faith, of all General Councils. If it appears that they do, I shall then think myself obliged to give a farther answer. But if they do not, then any reason which they can allege, may upon as good, nay better grounds, suffice for us.

OF THE AUTHORITY OF COUNCILS.

THAT General Councils have that authority, as to oblige us without more ado to believe all that they define, is what we of this Church may modestly enough deny; when it is evident that Bellarmine, Baronius and Binius, with the rest of the Roman-court flatterers, do in reality give less deference to General Councils, than we of the Church of England do. For though we do not think they are infallible, yet as we believe that some of them have not erred; so where force and fraud are not used, we think the conclusions of so venerable an assembly, even those that agree not with our present sentiments, ought to be well considered, and not rejected without manifest reason for so doing.

But although these courtiers find it very convenient to boast that their faith is established upon General Councils; yet it is plain that they only affect the glorious name of such an authority, and that in good earnest they value not the thing.

Bellarmine* has two books, the one of "Councils and the Church," the other of "the Authority of Councils;" in both which he speaks of them very magnificently now and then. But after all his flourishes, their authority is, in truth, nothing; but that of the Pope is all in all with him. One would have thought, that in that chapter, the very title whereof is, that