Truth and Falsehood, Book · Chapter 8
The Church here militant vponupon the earth, may erre. CHAP. 8
THE PROTESTANTS
ALthough that part of the catholike Church which is alreadie entred into her Masters ioy, Mat. 25.21cannot erre, yet this part that is here vponupon the earth, becauſe it conſiſteth of men, who are ſubiect to infirmities, neither are they endued with the ſpirit, but in ſome meaſure, neither is it conuerſant or remaining, but in the vally, not of miſery only, but of ignorance alſo: it therfore may be ſubiect vntounto errors for a time, although it ſhall neuer be quite ouercome of the ſame. For their errors ſhall be either of ſmall importance, or ſhort cōtinuance.
THE PAPISTS
BƲt the Church of Rome would make vsus beleeue their garden wil bring forth no weedes. And that the ignorant might with reuerence receyue and beleeue whatſoeuer they ſay, with great confidence they ſound it euerie where, that the church of Rome cannot erre. And by the church they doe not meane all (for they will not ſo much eſteeme of the lay people) but the Biſhops, yea the Pope himſelfe although hee but one man, yea, and many times a most vile and lewde man, yet they will in no wiſe that hee may erre, ſpeaking iudicially in matters of fayth.
Now, for the Arguments whereby they would vphold their errour, the firſt ſort is grounded vponupon ſome places of Scripture, wreſted and abuſed for their purpoſe, as, when the Scriptures promiſe the aſſiſtance of Gods ſpirit, to teach vsus, or direct vsus. And of theſe ſome are more particular than other.
Argument Luke 22.32Chriſt ſaid to Peter, I hauehave prayed for thee, that thy faith ſhould not fail, therfore Peter could not erre. And if Peter could not erre, neither his ſucceſſours (as they ſurmiſe. Ver. 57, 58, 60) Anſwere And yet verie ſoone after, the very ſame Apoſtle did not denie onelyonly his maiſter, and that three times, but alſo began to curſe and ſweare that he knew him not.Mat. 26.74 Shall we then ſay, that Chriſt was not ſo good as his promiſe? God forbid. Chriſt therefore prayed not that Peter might not erre at all, or that his faith might not any thing faint, but that it might not altogether faile. Or, to vſe the wordes of Theophilact, Theo. Lu. 22That if the leafe of his faith did fall, yet the roote ſhould not die. Chriſts prayer therefore was not that Peter ſhould not erre, but that he ſhould not continue in errour, and ſo it preuailed. And therefore here is no priuiledge for the church of Rome, or the Pope, that they may not erre, becauſe wee ſee Peter himſelfe had no ſuch priuiledge. Neither was this prayer of Chriſts, for Peter onelyonly, as is moſt plaine by the Euangeliſt ſaint Iohn, Iohn 17.20I pray not for them onelyonly, but for all that through them ſhall beleeue in my name. It was therefore for all the Apoſtles, yea for all the beleeuers. Although Chriſt ſpake there particularly to Peter, (as Theophilact ſayth) perchaunce, becauſe he was bolder than the reſt, In Luke 22and proude becauſe of that was ſaid vntounto him. And by this that hath beene ſaid, appeareth the anſwere to the other places of the ſcripture that ſeeme more generall.
Argument When Chriſt promiſeth to giuegive vsus his ſpirit to teach vsus, and direct vsus, they inferre, therefore the church cannot erre.
Anſwere Wherein they commit two abſurdities. Firſt, in robbing a great number of Gods people of that comfort that belongeth vntounto them, in that they make the promiſes, which generally belong to all the faithfull, to be ſpoken but to ſome few, (for, by the church they vnderſtand either the pope, or the biſhops.) Secondly, that they beare ye world in hand, that Chriſt prayed for that which he did not, or that he promiſeth vsus that which he neuer meant, or that he ſpake of ſuch perfection, as it is vnpoſſible men ſhould attaine vntounto. Yea,In Iohn 16 Theophilact in my iudgement moſt notablie ſheweth, that when Chriſt had promiſed to ſend the holy Ghoſt which ſhould lead into al truth, leaſt any body ſhould thereby imagin that the holy Ghoſt is greater than Chriſt, if it can make vsus partakers of greater and mo things than Chriſt can, he addeth, Hee ſhall not ſpeake of himſelfe, that is, he ſhall ſpeake nothing of his owne, but that is mine. For he that ſayth (he ſhall ſpeake) whatſoeuer he hath hard, doth ſignifie, that he ſhal teach nothing but that which Chriſt hath taught. And theſe are the verie wordes of Theophilact, whereby he doth not onelyonly ſay, that the holy Ghoſt can adde nothing of his owne to that which Chriſt hath taught, and ſo may not bring into the church any new doctrines, as the church of Rome doth vnderunder this colour, but alſo, that it is a diminiſhing of Chriſts glorie, and a preferring of the holy Ghoſt before Chriſt, to ſuppoſe that the holy Ghoſt can or may teach any thing in Gods church that hath not bin taught by Chriſt himſelfe. Wherin he mightily beateth downe that proude bragge of the church of Rome, wherby they ſeeke to exempt themſelues from all errour, becauſe they falſely chalenge vntounto themſelues, that their doctrines and traditions are vnwritten verities, and to be beleeued as well as Gods worde, as comming from this ſpirit, whereas they are nothing conſonant to that which Chriſt taught, and therefore the ſpirite had no commiſſion to teach the ſame. Yea in vaine they ſay they are directed by Gods ſpirite, when as they teach that that Gods ſpirit neither can nor will teach, becauſe Chriſt hath not taught it before. Neither doe we derogate anie thing herein from the power of the ſpirit, whoſe direction if we could follow, we ſhould neuer do amiſſe: but impute it to our owne weaknes, & ignorance, & corruption, whereby it commeth to paſſe, that euen the godly many times grieue Gods ſpirit, and ſuffer him not to hauehave his perfect worke. Other arguments alſo they hauehave, but they hauehave ſcarce any ſhew of truth, and therefore I thinke them not worthie anſwering: for their places out of the fathers doe commend the faith of Rome that then was, and their conſtancie in the ſame, but what is that to this degenerate church of Rome that now is: of the church whereof we may ſay as one ſaith of their citie, that a man will ſeeke Rome in the midſt of Rome: So a man will ſeeke the church euen in the midſt of their moſt ſhewe of religion, and yet not finde it.