Abridgment of Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 4 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Touching the power of the Church as touching the articles of faith, and with what vnbridled licentiouſneſſe it hath in the papacie bene wreſted to corrupt all pureneſſe of doctrine.
Eccleſiaſticall power.1 NOw followeth the third place touching the power of the church, which conſiſteth partly in particular Biſhops, partly in Councels: & thoſe either prouinciall or generall: ſuch power cōſiſteth either in doctrine, or in iuriſdiction: or in making lawes.The firſt parts touchinge doctrine. The place touching doctrine hath two parts: authoritie to deliuer and teach articles and points of doctrine, and to expound the ſame. And let all things be done to edifying*. That ſhall be, if the authoritie of Chriſt,1 Cor. 10.8. & 13.10 the maiſter of the Church, be kept ſafe and ſound.
2 Furthermore we muſt remember in this place, that what authority ſoeuer the Scripture doth giuegive either to Prieſts, or Prophets, or Apoſtles or to the ſucceſſours of the Apoſtles, that is properlie giuen not to the men them ſelues, but to the miniſterie wherein they are placed.Prieſts Deut. 17.10. It is ſayd of the prieſtes*, The lips of the prieſt ſhall keepe knowledge, & they ſhall require the Lawe at his mouth: becauſe he is the Angell of the Lord of hoſtes.
3 The authoritie of the Prophets is deſcribed in Ezechiell:The prophets are watchmen Sonne of man (ſaith the Lord) I hauehave made thee a watchman to the houſe of Iſrael. Therfore thou ſhalt heare the word out of my mouth, & thou ſhalt tell it them from me*.
Ezech. 3.17. Apoſtles. Mat. 5.13.4 The Apoſtles are called the light of the world*, the ſalt of the earth, they are to be heard in ſteed of Chriſt*Luke. 11.26. Ioh. 20.13..
5 And though there be but one & the ſame doctrine, yet according to the diuerſitie of times, the ſeruants of God had diuerſe kinds of teaching.The ſame doctrin but diuers manners of teachng… It is true indeed which Chriſt ſaith, that no man hath ſeene the Father but the Sonne, and he to whome the Sonne will reueale him*. God vſed ſecret reuelations with the Patriarks: & theſe did he confirme with vndoubted ſignes. The Patriarks cōueyed that vntounto their ſonnes, & they to their childrens childrē.
6 When the Lorde raiſed vp a more manifeſt forme of the Church,Reuelations The word written. he would hauehave his word put in writing, that the prieſtes might thence ſet that which they ſhould teach the people, and that all doctrine might be examined by that rule.Prieſts. Therfore after the publiſhing of the Lawe, the prieſts are commaunded, that they ſhould onelyonly teach that which God did comprehend in the Law. It was not lawfull for them to adde or to diminiſh.Prophets. After thē followed the Prophets which were interpreters of the Lawe, who added nothing therto, but prophecies concerning things to come. Herunto were added the hiſtories, which are alſo the works of the Prophets:The old teſtament. but being made by the enditing of the holie Ghoſt. Such was the rule of the life of the fathers vntill the comming of Chriſt.The new teſtament. Heb. 1.2.
7 When the wiſedome of God was made manifeſt in the fleſh, he taught with full mouth whatſoeuer mans mind can conceaue of the Father*Mat. 17.5. Aimaxime.: becauſe the Father appointed him to be a teacher*. Therfore he left nothing for others to ſpeake after him.In the old and new teſtament is comprehended the truth and the beſt kind of teachinge.
8 Therefore let this be a firme maxime, that there is none other word of God to be had, but that which is contained in the old and newe Teſtament: and that there is none other manner of teaching aright in the Church, but according to the preſcript and rule of his word. Therfore Chriſt commanded the Apoſtles to teach, whatſoeuer thinges he had commanded them.
Mat. 27.20. 1 Pet. 4.11. 1 Cor. 14.19.9 That was alſo diligently obſerued by the Apoſtles*.
Obiect. It is not lawful for one alone to adde any thing: but there is another reſpect to be had of the vniuerſall Church.
An. Faith commeth by hearing: and hearing by the word of God*:Rom. 10.10. If faith depend vppon the word of God alone, what place is now left for the word of all the whole world.
10 Obiect. A generall councell is the true image of the Church, and it is gouerned immediatlie by the Spirit of God: therfore it can not erre.
Whether a Councell can erre.An. A generall councell is gouerned by the holie Ghoſt, when it decreeth or ſetteth downe nothing contrary to the word of God. Then it cannot erre.
11 Obiect. Chriſt ſayd, behold I am with you vntill the end of the world*.Mat. 28.20. Ioh. 14.6. Alſo, I will giuegive vntounto you a comforter, the Spirit of truth*.
An. He did not only promiſe that to the number of twelue, but euen to euerie one of them. And this ſpirit is not the ſpirit of error, of lying, of ignorance or darkneſſe, but of ſure reuelation, wiſdome, truth, and light*.1 Cor. 2.12. Eph. 1.28.
12 Obiect. Whatſoeuer is giuen to eueryevery one of the faithfull ſeuerally, that is giuen and belongeth to the Church altogether.
An. The Church ſhall neuer want that which ſhall be neceſſarie for it. But the richeſſe of the Church are ſuch, that it wanteth much of the chiefeſt perfection.
The church is without blott. Eph. 5.25.Obiect. The Church cleanſed by the waſhing of water, in the word of life, is without blot & wrinkle*. The piller and foundation of truth *.1. Tim. 3.15.
An. In the former place it is rather taught what Chriſt doth daylie worke in the Church: then what he hath already accompliſhed. Again it is falſe & friuolous to thinke that the church is altogether without ſpot, all whoſe members are vncleane: furthermore the Church it ſelfe is the piller of truth, which reſteth vponupon the word of God alone.
13 Is it anie maruell if the bride and ſcholer be ſubiect to Chriſt her ſpouſe and maiſter, that ſhe may continually and diligently depende vponupon his mouth?
14 Obiect. I hauehave manie thinges to ſay to you,The church is Chriſts ſcholer Ioh.. 16.12. which you cannot carie now*.
An. The Apoſtles being led by the Spirit of truth into all truth, they did publiſh their writings, wherin they left the perfect knowledge of the doctrine of the Goſpell, written.
15 Obiect. Chriſt commandeth that he be counted an Ethnicke & as a Publicane, which ſhall gainſay and reſiſt the decree of the Church*.Mat. 18.17.
An. There is no mention made there of doctrin: but onelyonly the authoritie of cenſures to correct vices is auouched, that they may not ſet them ſelues againſt the iudgement thereof, which ſhall be admoniſhed and reproued.
Obiect. The Church muſt be heard.The force of Cenſure.
An. Who denieth that? becauſe it pronounceth nothing but out of the word of the Lord.Whether baptizing of infants be by the decrees of the church.
16 Obiect. Baptizing of infantes ſprange not ſo muche from the manifeſt commaundement of the Scripture, as from the decrees of the Church.
An. It ſhall ſufficiently appeare elſe where, that it is farre otherwiſe.
Obiect. That is nowhere in the Scripture to be found, which was pronounced in the Nicene ſynode that the Sonne is conſubſtantiall with the Father.
An. I graunt this word is not extant in Scripture, but the thing ſignifying the ſame, is often founde in Scripture.