A Dangerous Plot Discovered, Chapter 3
CHAP. III. The point ſet downe in the former Chapter is diſcuſſed.
IN the firſt place the meaning of the terme Iudge muſt be vnderſtood, which is thus explicated;
A Iudge is an office, ordained by God, to giuegive ſentence in a doubt that is made, in things revealed by God.
This office hath theſe three properties. 1. The ſentence thereof muſt be regulated by the Word of God. 2. All parties contending muſt appeale vntounto it. And 3. they muſt reſt ſatisfied with the Iudgement thereof. Of which there is no queſtion with him in Divinitie queſtions that be in Controverſie.
The parts to be debated be three.
1. Whether that propoſition the Church is Iudge, &c. be true or not.
2. Whether that propoſition conſenteth with the Church of Rome, or not.
3. Whether that propoſition diſſenteth from the Church of England, or not.
Touching the firſt he ſayth. The Word of God, and the auncient practice of the Catholicke Church doth avow it. gagg. p. 15.
I anſwer, Doctor Carleton, Biſhop of Chicheſter, ſayth all contrary in his booke called Directions to know the true Church, p. 54. He writeth thus:
Vndoubtedly, the written Word doth ſuffice to end all Controverſies of faith; this is the Catholicke determination of the Iudge of Controverſies of faith, which hath beene in all ſucceſsion preſerved. And p. 57. Till the Councell of Trent, the Church held the ſame determination ſtill concerning the Iudge of Controverſies in faith.
Now vntounto whether of you too ſhall credit be given, ſurely vntounto him rather then vntounto you. For he is your ſuperior in learning and authoritie, he is your Dioceſan, whoſe voyce muſt you heare, but the voyce of your Paſtour? And you are in the Affirmatiue, giving an authoritie to the Church, which he denieth; you muſt ſhew vsus the commiſſion for this authoritie, for we dare not yeeld the Church that office without knowledge of a commiſſion for it. It is your owne rule gagg. p. 17.
A Nunci… muſt goe to his Commiſsion.
If your proofes be good, your Dioceſan muſt ſtand by.
1. Your proofes from the word of God, we find p. 17. taken out of Luke 10. 16. thus to be framed:
Whom we are commanded to heare, Luk. 10. 16. They are Iudge in Divinitie Controverſies.
But the Church. (That is) the Governours of the Church which ſucceed the Apoſtles, are thoſe whom we are commanded to heare, Luk. 10. 16. Therefore the Church is Iudge, &c.
I anſwer, the propoſition is falſe. I ſhew it by many reaſons. 1. It doth alledge this place of Luke as if that office of a Iudge were inſtituted by this place, in which reſpect the propoſition is falſe, becauſe that office is not inſtituted in that place. And this I take as granted. 2. At leaſt the propoſition reſumes, that that office was already inſtituted, when thoſe words Luk. 10. 16. were ſpoken. Which is falſe alſo, and I could ſhew it by many reaſons; but this one ſhall ſuffice, viz. no place of Scripture doth tender vntounto vsus the commiſſion for that office. 3. The word heare, may be vnderſtood for the cōmon hearing of the Word of God Preached and read, as well as for an appeale thereto, and reſting in the ſentence of a Iudge: yea and better alſo; for it is moſt frequently vſed in that ſence, but little in this. Againe, the Text leadeth clearely to that ſence; but not at all to this.
The aſſumption ſpeakes of the governours of the Church, ſevered from other Miniſters which are not governours. In which ſence the aſſumption doth need proofe, but he hath brought none: but his owne affirmation. Beſides, the aſſumption is falſe by the authoritie of the Text it ſelfe, which ſendeth vsus to all the Apoſtles ſucceſſors joyntly, by the terme you, which diſtinguiſheth not betweene one ſucceſſor and another.
His proofe from the word of God being diſpatched. The ancient practiſe of the Catholike Church comes next, but he ſayes nothing of it, therefore I cannot anſwere any thing to it.
It may be he lookes for proofe from vsus out of former times, to ſhew that
The Church is not Iudge in matters of faith.
Which is vnorderly: yet notwithſtanding to the end that the Iudgement of Antiquitie in this point might be fully knowne. Biſhop Carleton in the booke alledged, p. 52. &c. alledgeth Councels, Fathers, & Popes, all pronouncing this ſentence.
The Scripture is Iudge in Controverſies of faith.
Wherefore we muſt hearken to your Paſtour, and not to you.
Laſtly, if the Church be Iudge of Controverſies of faith, then God hath aſſured vntounto it an infaillibilitie and freedome from error in Iudgement, And aſſured ſuch a conſpicuous being vntounto the Church, perpetually to the end of the world, that it may be fit to be appealed vntounto, and giuegive ſentence in every Controverſie of faith, in the time wherein it riſeth, for without the firſt it cannot be a fit Iudge for matters of that kinde, and without the ſecond, ſome Controverſies of faith might reſt vndecided: But the Church hath neither of theſe two aſſured vntounto it by God, as my anſwers in the two next Chapters will ſhew: and therefore the Church is not Iudge in matters of faith.
To the ſecond thing propounded to be debated in this point, I preſume he will anſwer that he doth not conſent with the Church of Rome in this point, and giuegive this for his reaſon; to wit, he and they doe take the word Church in a different ſence, and giuegive for inſtance as he doth. gagg. p. 19.
He takes the Church to ſignifie a true, not a pretended Church, which they doe not.
And againe, Appeale. p. 122. He takes the Church for a general Councell with the Pope as a patriarchcall Biſhop, but without the Pope as head; but they doe not ſo. By Church they vnderſtand the Pope alone.
To this I anſwer; this Diſcourſe evidently declares that he agrees with them in the nature of the office of Iudging, and in the ſubject that receiveth it, abſtracted from particulars (namely▪ that Church) and differs only in the aſſigning, in particular which is the Church. Whereby he agrees with them in the principall thing in queſtion, and that is enough.
But indeed he doth agree in this point with the Councell of Trent to the full, which vnderſtands by the word Church, a true, not a pretended Church, and the Paſtors of the Church, not the Pope onelyonly. For it calls that Church (in the words immediately going before) the Mother of all beleevers. Which name cannot agree vntounto a pretended Church, nor to the Pope alone.
Neither doe the Ieſuites expound the word Church, by the word Pope: but onelyonly doe apply that ſentence of the Councell to the Pope by inference and accommodation, as is apparent by the whole courſe of their diſputations: The ſumme whereof may be comprehended in ſuch a Syllogiſme as this is.
That office of teaching which belongs to the Church. belongs to the Pope, and his Councell.
But this office of teaching, viz. Iudging of Divinitie Controverſies, belongs to the Church.
Therefore that office belongs to the Pope and his Councell.
The propoſition (they ſay) is true, becauſe Teaching is formally in the Paſtors, & (otherwiſe then by them) the Church cannot teach. It muſt be a Councell, becauſe the Paſtors ſingly may erre. The Pope muſt be joynd with them, becauſe it belongs to him, to gather, direct, and confirme Councels.
In the aſſumption of this reaſon, he conſenteth with the Church of Rome, and that is the principall part of this Argument. In the propoſition he conſenteth with them thus farre, That this …ching belongs to the Paſtors of the Church vniverſally, and to the Pope as one of them, and that in a Councell. He onelyonly denieth the Popes authoritie, to call, direct, and confirme Councels, which is the laſt, and leaſt part of this Argument.
All which being conſidered, we may ſafely conclude, that he agreeth in the point of the Iudge in Divinitie Controverſies, with the Church of Rome.
The third thing to be debated in this queſtion, he reſolveth, gagg. p. 13. 14. & 15. That it is the ſentence of the Church of England, and doth alledge the 21. Article for it, ſaying, the Church hath authoritie in Controverſies of faith. But all this is vntrue. I hauehave ſet downe that Article in the former Chapter, the ſight whereof will avow it. Yea the Article is full for the contrary. For 1. It giues the title of witneſſe of the Scriptures vntounto the Church, and the Church cannot be both a witneſſe and a Iudge of the Scriptures. 2. It calls the Church the keeper of the Scriptures and no more. Which it muſt hauehave done, if it had eſteemed it to be the Iudge, to apply and interpret the Scriptures. 3. It reſtraines the force of the ſentence of the Church, To examination and tryall by the Scriptures. But ſo muſt not the ſentence giuen by that Iudge, which muſt be received, as the dictates of the holy Spirit.
The Concluſion is, He diſſenteth from the doctrine of the Church of England.