The Protestant Religion Truly State and Justified, Part 5
The Seventh accuſed Point.
That the Church can Err, and hath Errors.
Anſ. This is truly and honeſtly recited: All Proteſtants hold it, and marvel that all the Devils in Hell can ſo befool any as to deny it.
1. No Body can tell what it is that they call the Church, till they tell us: But what ever it is, except confirmed Angels and Souls in Heaven, if they cannot Err, God and our Saviour, and the Apoſtles have Erred. For they tell us that, [we know but in part,] and if any Man ſay that he hath no Sin, he is a Lyar, 1 Joh. 1. 1 Cor. 13.12. And in many things we offend all, Jam. 2.2. Pſal. 19.12. Who can underſtand his Errours, cleanſe thou me from ſecret faults. It was the Church of which God complaineth, that they alway Err in their Hearts, and have not known God's ways, Pſal. 95.10. Heb. 3.10. unleſs Caleb and Joſhua were all the Church, Iſa. 53.6. All we like Sheep have gone aſtray, &c.
If by the Church they mean the Prieſts, how full of Complaints againſt their Errours are all the Prophets, and Hiſtory of the Kings and Chronicles? Iſa. 3.12. O my people, they that lead thee, cauſe thee to Err, and deſtroy the way of thy paths. Iſa, 9.15, 16. For the Leaders of this people cauſe them to Err, and they that are led of them are deſtroyed. Mal. 2. The Prieſts Lips ſhould keep knowledge, and they ſhould ſeek the Law at his Mouth, for he is the Meſſenger of the Lord of Hoſts: But ye are departed out of the way, and ye have cauſed many to ſtumble at the Law: Ye have corrupted the Covenant of Levi, ſaith the Lord of Hoſts: Therefore have I alſo made you contemptible and baſe before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, &c. Hoſ. 4.6. My people are cut off for lack of knowledge: Becauſe thou haſt rejected knowledge, I will olſo reject thee, that thou ſhalt be no Prieſt to me. Jer. 53.31. The Prophets prophecy falſely, and the Prieſts bear Rule by their means, and my people love to have it ſo, and what will ye do in the end hereof? 2 Chron. 36.14, 16, 17. All the chief of the Prieſts and the people Tranſgreſſed very much after the abominations of the Heathen: But they mocked the Meſſengers of the Lord, and deſpiſed his words, and miſuſed his Prophets, till the wrath of the Lord aroſe againſt his people, and there was no healing▪ ſo Iſa. 1.2, 3, 4.
Reader, is it not worſe than Infidelity that theſe Men teach, if they ſay that the Church hath not Erred? Was it no Error when Aaron ſet them up the Golden-Calf? nor when they went after the Idols of the Heathen, and worſhipped in the High places? Was it no Error to take Chriſt for a Deceiver and Blaſphemer, worthy to be Crucified? Was it no Error to reject the Goſpel, and perſecute the Apoſtles?
And had the Apoſtles no Error, when they believed not that Chriſt muſt Die for our Sins, and riſe again, and aſcend to Heaven, but thought he muſt then ſet up an Earthly Kingdom? Was it no Error of Peter, Math. 16. to diſſwade Chriſt from Suffering, for which Chriſt ſaid, Get thee behind me Sathan, thou ſavoureſt not the things that be of God, but thoſe that be of Men? And I think he Erred, when Paul openly rebuked his Separation, Gal. 2.
If all the Church on Earth conſiſt only of perſons that have many Errors, then the whole Church hath many Errors: But the Antecedent is ſo true, that I take him that denyeth it, to be ſo far from knowing what the Church is, or what a Chriſtian is, that he knoweth not what a Man is, and a Church of ſuch are ſo unfit to be truſted as infallible, with all Mens Salvation, that they have not the Wit of common illiterate Men, or Children: And if in all things elſe they were as mad as in theſe two Opinions. 1. That the Church never did nor can Err.
2. And that all Mens Senſes muſt be denyed for Tranſubſtantiation; doubtleſs they ſhould be kept in Bedlam from humane Converſe.
But for my part, I do not think that any Man of them not ſtark mad, doth believe himſelf that there are any men in the World that have no Error, (that have any uſe of Underſtanding.) He is far from knowing what Man is, that knoweth not that he ſwarmeth with Errours: I oftner doubt whether the greater number of moſt mens thoughts, are true or falſe.
But if by the Church they mean only the Pope, if he cannot Err, then it is no Errour to believe that there is no Life but this, and that Mans Soul dieth as the Beaſts, and that it is lawful to Murther Gods Servants by Thouſands, or hundred Thouſands; if all the foreſaid Popes in the ages 800, 900, 1000, 1100, Erred not, ſure there is no ſuch thing as Errour in the World.
But perhaps by the Church is meant General Councils.
But 1. If they Erred not in their Decrees, doth it follow that therefore they had no Errour?
2. But did not the ſecond Council at Epheſus Err? Where they tell us that Sola Petri Navicula, only the Popes Meſſengers eſcaped the Hereſie? Did not the Council of Calcedon Err in their Opinion, when it determined that the Reaſon of Romes Primacy was becauſe it was the Imperial Seat, &c.? Were all the Councils free from Errour that were for the Arrians? And thoſe that were againſt them? And all that were for the Monothelites? And thoſe that were againſt them? And all that were for Images, and thoſe that were againſt them, &c.?
But at laſt they come to this, that the Pope may Err, and Councils may Err, but when they agree, they cannot Err: A happy meeting of Erring perſons, if they are both cured by it. But ſure it is not the meeting: For the Pope is at Rome, when the Council is at Trent, Epheſus, Conſtantinople, &c. If a Council may Err, and the Pope Err, what proveth it impoſſible for them to agree in Errour? The Pope and Council at Lateran 4th. agreed for the Popes depoſing Princes that Exterminate not all out of their Dominions that deny Tranſubſtantiation, &c. Was this no Errour?
Obj. But this was not a matter of Faith.
Anſ. Is it no matter of Faith with them, Whether it be Lawful or not, according to Gods Law, to kill men that believe their Senſes, and to depoſe Princes? And whether Subjects may break their Oaths of Allegiance, and forſake their Prince if the Pope Command them, and all becauſe their Prince will not be a Murtherer or Perſecutor? Theſe are no matters of Faith with them? But ſure they have made them Articles of their Religion. And either the Rebels, and Murtherers▪ and Pope and Council Err, or elſe Gods Law and Goſpel Err.
The Judgment of the Reformed Catholicks is this,
1. That there is no man living without Errour.
2. That the Apoſtles of Chriſt were Commiſſioned to deliver his Goſpel to the World, by Word and Record, and had his promiſe of his Spirit to lead them into all Truth, and keep them from doing that Work Erroneouſly which they were commiſſioned to do: (Tho' not to make them abſolutely free from Sin or Errour in all other things.) And therefore the Scripture written by them is free from Errour, by Virtue of the ſpecial promiſe and Spirit.
3. That all true Chriſtians, (really regenerate,) are free from all Errour, inconſiſtent with true ſaving Faith, and Title to Salvation.
4. That therefore the Church as it ſignifieth only the ſaid regenerate true Chriſtians, hath no Damning Errour, or none but what is pardoned, as conſiſtent with ſaving Faith and Holineſs.
5. That the Univerſal Viſible Church, is the whole Company of men on Earth, that profeſs true ſaving Faith, and are by Covenant Vow Baptized into this Profeſſion: And that all this true Viſible Church, profeſſeth no Errour, inconſiſtent with their Profeſſion of the foreſaid ſaving Faith: Becauſe the profeſſion of ſaving Faith is eſſential to viſible Chriſtianity, and to the viſible Church.
For mark, that I ſay not that they profeſs no Errour inconſiſtent with ſincere Faith in themſelves ſubjectively, nor yet that as to objective Faith, may not by unſeen conſequence overthrow it: For there is ſuch a concatenation of Divine revealed Truths, that it is a doubtful caſe, whether any one Errour (which all men have,) do not by remote Conſequence ſubvert the very Foundations. But no true Viſible Church or Chriſtian, ſo profeſſeth any one Errour, as not to profeſs the eſſential points of Faith and Godlineſs, tho' they may think falſely that both are true. Therefore Proteſtants teach, that unſeen Conſequences are not to be ſo charged on thoſe that ſee them not, and hold faſt the (injured) Truth, as if it were a known or direct denyal of the Truth.
6. But every Church, and every man, being imperfect both in knowledge, Faith and Holineſs, have all ſome Errour: For to be objectively de fide, is to be of Divine Revelation: And all the Scripture is Divine Revelation. And if the queſtion be, Whether any Pope, Council or Church, underſtand all the Scripture without any Errour? judge by Commentators, and common Experience.
And now what ſaith the Deceiver againſt all this?
1. He citeth Iſa. 59.21. God hath promiſed to preſerve his Word in the Church: Ergo, the Church cannot Err? A forged Conſequence, no more followeth, but that the true Church ſhall not loſe or forſake Gods Word: For then it would ceaſe to be the Church:
But 1. Not that the beſt Churches underſtand all that Word without any Errour.
2. Nor that any particular Church viſible may not apoſtatize, or turn Hereticks, or corrupt Gods Word, and forbid men to uſe it in a known Tongue, as the Papiſts do.
Next he citeth Joh. 14.16. As if all the Church had the ſame promiſe of the Spirit of Infallibility, as the Apoſtles had: If ſo, then,
1. Papiſts are none of the true Church, becauſe they have many Errours.
2. And if the major part be the Church, rather than a minor Sect, then all other Chriſtians that are againſt Popery are free from Errour, for they are twice or thrice as many as the Papiſts.
3. And when the far greater part were Arrians, they were free from Errour: Yea, the Council of Sirmium, to which Pope Liberius profeſſed full conſent. Or did Chriſt break his promiſe to all theſe?
4. If the Pope or all his Prelates, have as full a promiſe of the Spirit as the Apoſtles, then they may write us a new Bible, and Word of God, as they did: No wonder then if the Canons and Decretals be as much Gods Word as the Bible? But why then do they not confirm their Canons by Miracles as the Apoſtles did? And why did ſo many Popes contradict each other? Had both Stephanus, Formoſus, Nicholas, and the foreſaid Johns that denyed the Life to come, &c. the ſame Gift as the Apoſtles? Surely we may well ſay to them as St. James, Shew me thy Faith by thy Works? They did ſhew it by moſt odious Simony, Gluttony, Drunkenneſs, Lying with Maids and Wives, even at the Apoſtolick Doors, Murdering Chriſts Members by Thouſands, Silencing faithful Preachers, Depoſing Emperours, Commanding Perjury and Rebellion, even to Sons againſt their own Fathers: Forbidding all Church Worſhip of God to whole Kingdoms for many years, when a King will not obey the Pope: By ſuch Works they ſhew their Faith! O the power of Satan, and the horrid pravity of man, when ſuch things are not only Juſtified, but truſted to for Juſtification, and made conſiſtent with a Church that never Erred.
Indeed theſe Errours crept in by Degrees, which maketh it difficult to Expoſitors of Scripture Propheſie, to know juſt the year when the miſchief became ſo ripe as to prove Rome to be Babylon Apoſtate to Pagano-Chriſtianity, and the Pope to be Antichriſt. But if I ſee a man Raging mad in Bedlam, I will not make it an Article of my Faith, that he is Sanae mentis, becauſe I know not juſt when his amentia & deliratio, or Melancholly became a Mania, or Furor.
The Deceiver alſo citeth, Mat. 18.17. viz. Becauſe men muſt hear the Church, where a Sinner dwelleth, that calleth him to Repentance after due Proof and Admonition, therefore the Pope and his Prelates cannot Err. An Argument liker a Deriſion, than a ſerious Proof: Did not the Pope then Err, when Biſhops and Councils have in vain called him to Repent? Doth not the Church Err then moſt damnably, that commandeth Murder, Treaſon, and moſt heynous Sin, and is the Leader of the Impenitent? Muſt we take ſuch then as Heathens and Publicans? But as the man thinketh, ſo the Bell tinketh. Do but Fancy that by the [Church,] is meant only the Pope and his Clergy; and that all is ſuch Sin which the Pope calleth ſo, tho' God command us, and then all ſuch Texts will ſeem to them to ſay what they would have them ſay.
The man alſo citeth, Eph. 5.27. viz. Chriſt will preſent his Regenerate Church, perfect and ſpotleſs in Judgment. What then? Ergo, the Viſible Church on Earth hath no Errour or Spot: And Ergo, the Pope and his Clergy are this Viſible perfect Church. And why not as well Conſtantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, or Jeruſalem, the Mother Church? Which part is it that is the whole, or indefectible? What is profaining Gods Word, if this be not? If any ſhould be forbidden the Scripture, it is theſe prophaning Prieſts.