use: but therefore we have the justice and the goodness, our own necessity and the veracity of God, for our security, that this is a sure way for us to walk in. But then when this is reduced to practice in matters of belief, it will come to this only, that she bears witness to the Scriptures, that they are the word of God; but beyond what is contained in Scripture, she hath no article of faith.

2. The consequent of this, which I have largely proved and explicated in the place above cited, is, that all her sermons and all her explications of doctrines must be by that measure. If it be agreeable to Scripture, it is that which she hath received: but if she hath not received it, she cannot make a doctrine, nor deliver a proposition with authority, nor oblige the conscience.

3. But this rule, if it be understood of the Catholic church of this or any other present age, will not signify so much: for unless the tradition be delivered in a constant succession from the apostles, the church is not a certain witness, but makes herself a judge of truth; which she can never do, but by relating to the Scriptures, by showing there it is, in the code which she hath received. But when any doubt does arise concerning any matter of belief, the Catholic church hath no solemn court of judicature or place of resort, where a single person may go for determination. And if a question be between church and church, as between Rome and England, the question is, which is the catholic church; for indeed neither of them is: and there is no such thing then as a catholic church to determine the question : as when the head and the belly, the mouth and the arms, fell out, the whole body could not be judge of the controversy; but if they had had a rule, thither they might go to be guided. And if it be asked, who shall expound the rule, there is no other answer to be given, but to desire men to be good and humble, to pray to God, and without partiality to desire truth; and then every man will be able to answer his own question. For if the rule be hard, it is hard to them, that are not willing and soft and compliant; but not to the gentle and the humble, to them that follow God in simplicity, and whithersoever he will lead them.

4. But it is to be considered, that the church is a net, that hath in it fishes good and bad; it is a field of corn and. tares; and but that the apostles were guided by an infallible Spirit, there could have been no certainty: but then after them there was no more to be looked for; what they left we were to use, but to look for no more. For the catholic church never was, since the apostles' time, without error. By catholic church, I do not mean the right believing part of the church (for in questions of faith the dispute was which was the right believing part); but I mean all that profess the faith of Christ, who, when they are divided, will never allow the opposite party to be their judge: and therefore it cannot be supposed, that God should appoint one to be the judge, who must always be supposed a party, and will never be accepted by the other, unless he had given infallibility to that one part, and we had all known it. To the apostles he did, and they were the fountains of tradition: but when they were gone; the only way that was left, was to see what they left, and to that every part was to conform; but neither part was judge, except only for themselves: and, in this, every part ought to be trusted, because they only had the biggest concern to take care, that they be not deceived. No man or company of men was charged with them; every government was charged with its own care and conduct.

. 5. But I shall not insist upon this, because it can be of no use in the conduct of conscience. Because if ever there be a dispute in the church, there is no catholic church to which we can go: and if we call that the catholic church, which is the greater part, that may deceive us; for, in the days of Elias, almost all Israel had corrupted himself; and, in the time of the Arians, almost all the world was Arian; and, at this day, a very great part of the catholic church is stained with the horrible errors and follies of Popery: and, besides, our notices are so little and narrow of the belief of Christendom, our intercourses so small, our relations so false, our informations so partial, that it is not possible for us to know, what is the belief of the major part. It is not known at this day by the doctors of the Roman church, what is the practice of the Greek churches in the marriage of their priests, nor what is their doctrine of purgatory, nor of the procession of the Holy Ghost; as appears in their disputes and contrary narratives of these particulars. We cannot tell in England, at this day, whether the Lutheran churches have right ordinations and perfect succession of bishops in their churches. I have endeavoured very much to inform myself in the particular, and am not yet arrived to any certain notice of it. This therefore, to appeal to the sense of the major part of the church in a question, will signify nothing at all as to our conscience.

6. Especially, if to this we add, that the churches have got a trick of empire, and imposing their sometimes false, and always unnecessary, articles upon all of their communion; and then the faith of the church will depend upon the opinion of the chief and principals: and, then their belief will be like a rumour spread from a few mouths into the ears of millions, who, though they all tell the same story, yet are no more credible for their multitude, than the first reporters were for their authority. Nay, in most places, men dare not speak what they think, and dare not believe what they find dangerous, and dare not inquire into what they dare not disbelieve; so that if you had been at Trent and asked the fathers, it would have signified nothing: for whatever their belief was, they were borne down by the congregations, and the congregations by the legates, and the legates by the pope, and that is the Catholic church.

7. It remains, therefore, that we are from the catholic church to expect no other determination of our questions, but by conveying to us notice of the doctrines apostolical. And this is often and largely discoursed and taught by St. Irenæus, by St. Clement in Eusebiusd, by Tertulliane, by Origen, St. Cyprian &, St. Athanasiush, St. Basili, Epiphanius, St. Jerome', St. Austin, and Vincentius Lirinensis: what they could derive from the fountains apostolical by a clear channel and conduit, that was first, and that was true, and that was in the rule, and that was the measure of faith. And, therefore, when, in the council of Ephesus, the epistle of Capreolus the bishop of Carthage was read for the establishment of antiquity, and the reproof of the new doctrines, all the bishops cried out, " Hæ omnium voces sunt, hæc omnes dicimus, hoc omnium votum est." "This was the voice of them all, they all said the same thing:" and what was that which they all affirmed, "Nisi ut quod erat antiquitus traditum, teneretur, quod adinventum nuper, exploderetur," saith Vincentius; "That what is ancient and at first delivered, that should be held; that which is lately invented, should be exploded." -For the church cannot determine questions by way of judgment and authority, but by way of attestation, and as a witness only of the doctrine apostolical. There is nothing else necessary, and nothing else is practicable.

RULE XΧΙΙ.

The Decrees of general Councils are of great Use in the Conduct of Conscience, but not the proper Measure, or last Determination, of Matters of Belief.

1. I BEFORE considered councils, as they had acquired an accidental authority by the veneration of their age, and their advantage of having been held in the elder ages of the church: now I consider them in their own proper and immediate pretence. I then considered them in order to government, but now in order to faith: for councils ecclesiastical have pretended to a power over the conscience, so as to require both the obedience of the will, and the obedience of the understanding. Concerning which I am to say, that nothing can oblige to divine faith but a divine authority: to which councils can no more pretend for being general, than for being provincial; and to which great assemblies have no other title or pretence of promise than the private congregations of the faithful, who, though but two or three, yet shall be assisted by the divine presence. But general councils are so wholly of human institution, that though, by the dictate of right reason and natural wisdom, they are to be convened; yet to make them a formal judicatory, and to give them a legislative power, or a dominion and magistery in faith, there are so many conditions required both to their indiction and convention, to their constitution and integrity, to their conduct and pro

• Rule 14.

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ceeding, to their conclusion and determination, that men are not, to this day, agreed about any one of them; and therefore they cannot be a legal judicatory obliging any but them that do consent, and so oblige themselves.

2. But yet they are of great use for inquiry and consultation: and therefore Eusebius speaking of Constantine the emperor, says of him, "Concilium generale tanquam Dei exercitum instruens, in unum locum coegit." A general council is God's army; and being a representative of the church in the same degree, as it is general and rightly called, and rightly ordered, and rightly proceeding, -it partakes of the church's appellation: it is 'acies ordinata,' ' terrible as an army with banners.' Let them be as many as it happens, 'in the multitude of counsellors there is safety;' that is, they are more likely to understand truth than single persons, for they are not so soon prejudiced and corrupted: as a river is harder to be poisoned, or to be turned aside, than a pail of water or a dish full; but if if be, it is so much the worse. But if they proceed rightly, they are excellent helps; and some of them have done great good to the church, and some have done great mischief; and which have, and which have not, we are to inquire by other instruments: so that we are to judge concerning them, and then they are to be guides to us; that is, we consider, which are fittest to be followed, of which we judge by general and extrinsic considerations, and then we follow them in the particular inquiry; that is, we follow them, because we think they followed the apostles, and were faithful witnesses of their doctrine. Which indeed is an excellent benefit, which we may receive by the first and most ancient councils, which were near the fountains. They could trace all the new pretences up to their original; they discussed the doctrines in their provinces; they heard what any one could say: they carried it to the general assembly; they compared it with the tradition and doctrine of other churches; and all together were able very well to tell, how the apostles had taught the churches of their foundation. And because the four first general councils did, or are supposed to have done, so, therefore they have acquired a great, but an accidental authority, and are accepted by the most part of Christendom, and made into human laws of

Lib. 3. de Vita Constant. cap. 6.