The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 1 · Chapter 18
CHAP. 18. Proofs that the Word of God contained in the holy Scriptures, is above the Church, and ought to be of greater authority with us then the Church.
I. THat unto which the Church is ſubject, is of greater authority then the Church: and the Laws of a Soveraign Prince, are above the men ſubject unto hi Laws. Now the Church is ſubject unto the Word of God, contained in the holy Scriptures, for they contain the laws of the Soveraign God. Then they have more authority then the Church which is ſubject to theſe Laws. Should that man have been ſuffered in Moſes his time, that would have ſaid that the people of Iſrael was above the Law of God given by Moſes? or that the Prieſts and Levites gave authority to that Law, whereas that Law did eſtabliſh the Prieſts and gave them authority?
II. The authority of God commanding, is alwaies greater then the authority of men to whom God gives commandments in his Word. If God in Scripture gave authority to the Church above Scripture, he would give her alſo authority above her ſelf. For it is God that ſpeaks in the holy Scriptures.
III. If we do not believe God ſpeaking in the Scriptures, but becauſe the Church commands it, men ſhould be more credible then God.
IV. That which is ſubject to errour, and is guided by Paſtours ſubject to be led away by evil affections of pride, covetouſneſs and hatred, muſt needs have leſs authority then that which is exempt from thoſe vices. Now we have proved before, that the Church is ſubject to theſe inconveniences, and that ſhe can err. And the Paſtors may be led away by perverſe affections. She muſt then have leſs authority then Scripture which is exempt from all that.
V. If the authority of the Church be grounded upon Scripture, it is certain, that the authority of Scripture is greater then that of the Church; For it is Scripture that ſaith, Tell it unto the Church. If he hear not the Church, let him be unto thee as a Pagan and a Publican: And without the authority of Scripture we ſhould not ſo much as know that there muſt be a Church in the world. Our adverſaries go about to prove the authority of the Roman Church by texts of Scripture; They do then acknowledge that Scripture hath more authority then their Church.
VI. The ſame is evident, in that the holy Scripture commands the Church and giveth her Laws. But the Church doth not command Scripture; only ſhe declareth that ſuch a book is Scripture, and is a witneſs and keeper of his truth. And by making that declaration, ſhe doth nothing but what ſhe is bound to do. Thereby ſhe makes profeſſion of the obedience which ſhe oweth unto Scripture. Now to command, is a thing of far greater worth and authority then to be a witneſs only.
VII. The Apoſtle St. Paul, Eph. 2.20. foundeth the Church upon the Prophets and Apoſtles. You are built (ſaith he) upon the foundation of the Apoſtles and Prophets. He means not that the Church is built upon the perſons of the Apoſtles and Prophets, who were dead, or mortal, but upon their doctrine contained in the holy Scriptures.
VIII. If this propoſition be well examined, that the authority of the Church over Ʋs, is greater then that of Sccipture, it will be found void of common ſenſe; For this word Ʋs ſignifieth no other thing but the Church: So the ſenſe of that propoſition will be, That the authority of the Church over the Church, is of greater authority then that of Scripture. And if by that word Ʋs the people only be underſtood, then that propoſition is falſe in reſpect of the Paſtors.
IX. Every Judge between two parties, muſt be acknowledged by both the parties. Now Scripture is acknowledged both by us and by our Adverſaries to be the true word of God; But we acknowledge not the Roman Church to be the true Church. Wherefore the Roman Church cannot be Judge of our controverſies: Otherwiſe ſhe ſhould be both Judge and Party, and ſhould be Judge in her own cauſe.
X. There is but one holy Scripture, but there be many diſſenting Churches, which ſhould be made friends before we can know which muſt judge us, if ſo be that the Church muſt be our Judge: For the Greek and the Syrian will pretend to be Judges as well as the Roman, as being more antient.
XI. If the Roman Church be not grounded upon the Word of God contained in the Scriptures, our Adverſaries muſt produce ſome other ground, and divine proof upon which it is grounded; which they can never do.
XII. We deſire alſo to know whether in the Controverſie concerning the authority of the Church, or in the queſtion, whether the Church be Judge, the Church muſt be Judge; and whether ſhe be Judge of her own duty, and of the Laws to which God hath ſubjected her. Shall the Church judge without erring, whether the Church can err? Alſo we ſhould be told before, whether the Pope be ſubject unto Scripture? for if he be ſubject to Scripture, he is not a Soveraign Judge in the points of Faith; and the power of altering that which God commandeth in Scripture is falſly attributed unto him; if he be not ſubject to Scripture, he is then above God, and exempted from his obedience.
XIII. But what Decrees of the Church can be brought which give authority to Scripture? Shall they bring the Canons of the Councils? But Scripture had her full authority before theſe Councils. And if theſe Canons give authority to the holy Scripture, then theſe Canons are the holy Scripture with more reaſon then that which we call ſo: For that which makes a thing to be holy and authentical, hath need to be more holy and authentical. Why then are they not inſerted in the holy Scripture? But that is altogether impoſſible, ſeeing that the Canons of the Councils which define what Books of Scripture muſt be Canonical, are contrary to one another: For the Canons of the Councils of Laodicea, and Carthage, and Trent, diſſent about the Catalogue of the Canonical Books.
XIV. Should that man have been ſuffered in the Church of Iſrael, who had ſaid that the High Prieſt had more authority then the Law of God? and that the authority of the Law was grounded upon that of the High Prieſt? whereas the authority of the High Prieſt was grounded upon the Law of God, whereby he had been eſtabliſht in his charge. Without queſtion ſuch a man ſhould have been ſtoned, unleſs he had been held for a mad man. If then the authority of the Law did not depend from the lawful High Prieſts, is it like that in our dayes it depends from the Roman Popes, whoſe Office is but imaginary, and invented by men?
XV. Now if the authority of the Church be brought in queſtion, muſt the Church her ſelf be Judge in that cauſe? Or if that cauſe be judged by Scripture, ſhall then Scripture be Judge of the Church?
XVI. And though it were granted that the authority of the Church is greater over us then that of Scripture, yet it muſt be preſuppoſed that ſuch an authority is not proper, but to a Church which is not heretical, and retains the true doctrine. Now one cannot know whether a Church have the true doctrine conformable unto Gods Word, but by examining her Doctrine by the Word of God contained in the holy Scripture. And ſo we muſt ſtill return to Scripture, and acknowledge it for the Judge of the Church, before we can aſcribe any authority to the Church.
St. Auſtin is very expreſs upon that queſtion. In the XI. Book againſt Fauſtus the Manichean, chap. 5.(a)Tanquam in ſublimi ſede conſtituta eſt, cui ſerviat omnis intellectus. The Holy Scripture is ſet up in a certain high ſeat, to which every faithful and pious underſtanding muſt ſerve. And in the Book of the Unity of the Church, chap. 2.(b)Puto quod in Chriſti verbis potius Eccleſiam quaerere debemus qui veritas eſt & optimè novit corpus ſuum. We muſt ſeek the Church in the words of Chriſt, who is the Truth, who knows very well his own body: And a little after, I will have the Church ſhewed to me, not by humane Precepts, but by divine Oracles. And chap. 3. Ergo in Scripturis Canonicis quaeramus Eccleſiam, Let us then ſeek the Church in the Canonical Scriptures. Let M. du Perron expound Auſtin as he will, ſaying, that Auſtin will have us to learn of Scripture, that the Church muſt be alwayes eminent and in greater number; For alwayes this remains, that St. Auſtin will have thoſe marks of eminency and multitude to be learned out of Scripture, and by conſequent that we muſt addreſs our ſelves to Scripture before we know the Church, and that Scripture in that point is Judge of the Church. And if in one point, why not alſo in other points. Baſil in the 80. Epiſtle to Euſtathius, (c)foreign.Let the divinely inſpired Scripture judge us. Clemens Alexandrinus in the third of the Stromates,(d)foreign. In the ſearch of things we make uſe of Scripture to judge. And Auſtin 18. chapter of Grace and Free-will, Sedeat inter nos judex Apoſtolus Johannes, Let the Apoſtle John ſit Judge between us.