The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 1 · Chapter 21
CHAP. 21. Of the Authority of the Church to interpret Scripture infallibly.
THis queſtion is one of thoſe where impiety and tyrannie are moſt open. The Roman Church boaſteth that ſhe cannot err, and that ſhe is the infallible Judge of all doubts and Controverſies in Religion. Now the moſt part of the queſtions of Religion is about the duty which the Church oweth unto God. Muſt then the Church be Judge of that duty which ſhe oweth unto God? And when the diſpute is about the authority of the Church, muſt the Church be Judge of her own authority? The aſſuming of that power giveth fair play to the Prelates to be their own carvers, and to deal unto themſelves ſuch a game as they like beſt, yea ſo far as to ſubject the Word of God unto their authority.
And indeed the Roman Church with the ſame pride attributes unto her ſelf the right and authority of judging of the ſenſe of Scripture, and giving an infallible interpretation of the ſame, of the like force and authority as the writings of the Prophets and Apoſtles: For (ſay their Doctors) the Spouſe only knows the intention of her Bridegroom. And St. Peter ſaith in his ſecond Epiſtle, that the †There is in the Text no propheſie, &c. 2. Pet. 1.20.Prophets are not of private interpretation.
And here they beſtow calumnies upon us with a liberal hand, ſaying, that every private man among us expounds Scripture after his own fancy, as being inſpired of God. But we take no ſuch thing upon us: Rather we maintain that in things neceſſary to ſalvation, Scripture is ſo clear, that it needs no Interpreter; and the Interpretations that we uſe in our Sermons, and Books, are not ours, but are drawn from Scripture, which expoundeth her ſelf. And what interpretation ſoever we bring, the ſenſe of private men is never given among us as a law.
For as there are two wayes of judging, the one which is no more but diſcerning, as when one judgeth of meats by the taſte; the other which is pronouncing Decrees and Judgements with authority: ſo there are two ſorts of interpretation of Gods Word; the one whereby each one ſaith his opinion about the ſenſe of a Text of Scripture, as our Preachers and Commentators do; who give not their interpretations for laws; neither doth any hold himſelf of neceſſity obliged to follow their opinion, but ſo far as it is grounded upon Scripture. But there is an Interpretation which hath the force of a law, as when the King himſelf interprets his own Proclamation, or when a man cleareth his Will by a Codicil: For that kind of intepretation, we uſe none but ſuch as God himſelf uſeth, when one text of Scripture doth expound another. It is proper to the Roman Church to aſcribe to her ſelf to be an infallible Interpreter of Scripture, and to bring interpretations of equal authority with the Word of God; and thoſe interpretations taken for the moſt part, not from the Word of God, but from the unwritten word.
The worſt is, that ſuch Interpretations are of greater authority with the ignorant people then the Holy Scripture, ſince the people is not obliged to follow the words of Scripture, but is ſubjected unto the interpretation of the Roman Church.
I have much to do to perſwade my ſelf, that our Adverſaries ſpeak in good earneſt when they ſpeak thus; For they plead for an Interpretation which is not to be found, ſince there is no ſuch thing in being, as an Interpretation or Expoſition of Scripture approved by the Univerſal Church. There is no Book of which one may ſay, Behold the Eccleſiaſtical Expoſition of Scripture allowed by the Univerſal Church: Only divers Comments and Sermons are found of Authors, ſome old, ſome late, that diſſent in their Interpretations; upon none of which the Roman Church doth pin her Faith.
How unjuſt is that claim of the Roman Church! to be an infallible Interpreter, and Judge of thoſe Texts which concern the authority of the Roman Church: for ſo ſhe will be Judge in her own cauſe, and in the queſtion, Whether the Church muſt be Judge, the Church her ſelf ſhall be Judge.
Nothing is further from reaſon, then to require that men ſinful and guilty before God, ſuch as we are all, be infallible Judges of the ſenſe of that Law by which their ſin muſt be judged: As if Fellons in the Jayl would be Judges of the ſenſe of that Law which concerns their crime.
That Maſter to whom his ſervants take the liberty to ſay, You have commanded us ſuch a thing, but we give you to your command ſuch an interpretation, muſt not expect much obedience from ſuch ſervants. By ſuch interpretations ſervants might turn their Maſter out of doors. The Gloſſaries of the Decretals, Cauſ. 25. qu. 1. Canon. Sunt quidam, are ſo bold as to ſay, That(a)Papa diſpenſat in Evangelio interpretando ipſum. the Pope diſpenſeth in matter of the Goſpel, by giving interpretation to it. And we ſhall ſee hereafter that the Church of Rome contradicteth Scripture under that colour of Interpretation.
Pride and Ambition have hatcht that Monſter, and intangled the ſpirits of men with violent interpretations, fitted to the profit of thoſe jolly men, who triumph over the ignorance of the people. But things neceſſary to ſalvation are ſo clearly ſet down in Scripture, that they need no Interpreter: as St. Auſtin ſaith in his fiftieth Treatiſe upon St. John, (b)Quaedam in Scripturis tam manifeſta ſunt, ut potius auditorem quam expoſitorem deſiderent.There are things ſo clear in Scripture, that they require rather a Hearer then an Interpreter. And in the Book of the Unity of the Church, chap. 16. Theſe words, In thy ſeed ſhall all Nations be bleſſed, need no Interpreter. And a little after, Theſe words, Chriſt muſt have ſuffered and riſen the third day, need no Interpreter, &c. As theſe words, This Goſpel of the Kindom ſhall be preacht over all the world, &c. need no Interpreter, &c.(c)Sicut non eget interprete Sinite utraque creſcere uſque ad meſſem, quia cum egeret interprete, ipſe Dominus interpretatus eſt. As theſe words, Let both grow until the harveſt, need no Interpreter, becauſe when they needed interpretation, Chriſt himſelf did interpret them. And if ſome hard Text be found in Scripture, it is better to be ignorant of the ſenſe of it, then to preſume to be infallible Judge of the Word of God. Take me that Text, the ſenſe whereof is moſt controverted, even theſe words, This is my Body. The way is eaſie to end the difference, by keeping cloſe to the form of the Inſtitution, that is, by ſpeaking and doing as Jeſus Chriſt ſpake and did with his Diſciples, without any more diſpute; believing that Jeſus Chriſt brake and gave bread to his Diſciples, and that the bread which he gave is his body, and that it is the remembrance of him; that he drunk the fruit of the Vine, and that we eat bread: For all theſe are words of Scripture, in which no command is found to worſhip that which we eat, or to ſacrifice the body of Jeſus Chriſt.
Here any man that hath not put his own reaſon under interdict, will eaſily judge what clearing of Scripture can be expected from the Pope, and the Prelates, and Doctors of his Church: For is it credible that thoſe that hide the Scripture from the people, would ſeriouſly go about to clear it? or that they would have Scripture to be underſtood, when they will not have it ſeen?
Let any man of ſound judgement, conſider whether the High Prieſts which in the time of King Manaſſeh had ſuffered the Book of the Law to be loſt, or thoſe Prieſts to whom the Prophet Malachy makes that reproach, that they had corrupted the Law, ſhould have been good Intepreters of the Law, which they had loſt or corrupted?
Should the Scribes and Phariſees ſitting in Moſes chair have been choſen to be Interpreters of the Law, ſeeing that the Lord Jeſus, Matth. 5. repurged the Law from their falſe interpretations? and Matth. 15. reproacheth them, that they had tranſgreſſed the Law of God by their Tradition?
Had Pope John XXIII. who denyed the immortality of the ſoul, been a good Interpreter of the Texts that ſpeak of eternal life? Should the Popes, who ſet up Brothel-houſes at Rome, and make a ſale of Diſpenſations and Abſolutions, be good Interpreters of thoſe Texts that prohibit Fornication, and the traffique of ſpiritual things? Should the Pope, who forbids the marriage of Biſhops, and Prieſts, be a good Interpreter of the Text of the Apoſtle? Let the Biſhop be blameleſs, the husband of one wife, — having his children in ſubjection with all gravity? 1 Tim. 2. Should the Roman Church (which hath cut off from the Offices and Breviaries the ſecond Commandment, Thou ſhalt not make to thy ſelf any graven Image, or any likeneſs, &c.) be a faithful Interpreter of that Commandment which ſhe hath ſuppreſt?
In a word, it is certain, that if Felons be Judges of the ſenſe and interpretation of Laws, they will be ſure alwayes to bring favourable Interpretations to their crimes. Neither is there any thing ſo unjuſt as this Doctrine, that makes ſinners infallible Interpreters of the ſenſe of Gods Laws, whereby their ſin is condemned. But they much deceive themſelves, if they believe that God in the laſt day will judge them, not according to the words of his Law, but according to their interpretation.
And whoſoever will ſift narrowly that Propoſition, That the Pope with his Roman Church is a Soveraign and infallible Interpreter of Gods Law, and of the holy Scriptures, ſhall find that the Pope under the name of an Interpreter makes himſelf a Law-giver, yea that he lifts up himſelf above God; ſince by that rule the people is no more ſubject and bound to the words of the Law which God hath pronounced, but to the Interpretations of that Soveraign and infallible Interpreter; who will not fail to give ſuch Interpretations as will be lucrative to himſelf, and will exalt his Empire. It is certain, that if there were in France ſuch a Soveraign and infallible Interpreter of the Kings Edicts, he could give Interpretations which would ſtrip the King of all authority. It is by thoſe Interpretations that the Pope was raiſed to ſuch a high Throne.