for the height of Chrifts authority is expreffed in these words (nor can more be faid of God himfelf) him shall ye hear in all things, A&t. 3.22. This indeed the Popish Doctors moft blafphemously arrogate to themselves (as you have seen) but fo did not the Apoftles: they had not to learned Chrift; they alwaies obferved their Diftance: Be followers of us as we are of Christ. I have received of the Lord that which I delivered. S. Paul denies that he had dominion over their Faith, 2 Cor.1.24. Not that we have dominion over your Faith. I'le warrant you Paul denied it to himself, because it was Peters Prerogative; for it is certaine S. Peters Succeffors challenge it, for Dominion and Subjection are Relatives. And if the people owe an abfolute fubjection of their Faith to their teachers, the Teachers have an abfolute dominion over the Faith of the people: In fhort: This fottish Doctrine of an implicit Faith muft needs be Apocryphal,fo long as the Epistle to the Galatians is Canonical, and especially Gal1.8 Though we or an Angel from Heaven Preach any other Gofpell-let him be accurfed: And he is not contented with a fingle affertion, but addes As we said before, fo fay I now againe-let him be accursed: Which if the Reader compare with that abominable paffage of Bellarmines, If the Pope fhould erre in commanding Vices and forbidding Vertues, the Church were bound to believe vics to be good, and vertues to be evill (a): He will be able to judge whe ther the Faith of the prefent Romish Church be the fame with that of the Apoftles dayes, or not: and whether they who are fo liberall in difpenfing their Anathema's to all that differ from their fentiments do not justly fall under the Anathema here denounced.

(a) Si Papa erraret præcipiendo vitia & prohibendo virtutes, teneretur Ecclefia credere vitia esse bona & virtutes malas. De Romano Pontifice.lib.4.cap.5. in fine.

2. If Paftours are to be heard in all things, then people cannot fin in obeying their Paftours,(elfe they fhould fin in doing their duty) but people may fin in obeying their Paltours: Methinks this fhould need no proof, but I finde this to be the temper of our Adverfaries,they who give the hardest measure to us, expect the highest measure from us, and they of whom we may fay (as Galen did of Mofes) multa dicunt, nihil probant, they fay much,and prove nothing, will yield us nothing, but what we muft win by dint of Argument;

Therefore I fhall prove it briefly: The Jewes finned in following Aarons Doctrine: Thefe be thy Gods O Ifrael: So the Prophet Jeremy frequently condemnes them for obeying the decrees of their Priefts in his time: And our Saviour hath put this out of doubt, fpeaking of the Jewish Teachers, Matth. 15.If the blind lead the blind both will fall into the Ditch: And S.Peter affures us (if his Succeffors will please to give him credit) that the Jewes were guilty of a great finne in Chrifts death, though they did it in obedience to the decrees of their Rulers, Acts 3. 14.17.

2. If people are allowed to examine the Doctrines of their Teachers by the word ere they receive them,then they are not to be heard in all things; But people are allowed fo to examine-All the doubt lies about the Minor; and yet who can doubt of that, who ever read thefe following places. Take heed that no man deceive you, for many hall come in my name, Matth.24.4,5. Prove all things, hold fast that which is good, I Theff 5.21. Prove the Spirits, 1 John 4.1. It is true Bellarmine faith, The fe precepts belong only to Learned men (a): And Gretfirus

(a) Prædia mandata non ad omnes, fed ad folos Doctores pertinent de verbi Dei interpretatione, lib.3.cap.19.

gives this reafon for it, because the unlearned people are not able to examine (a); very good: It seems then, none but the Learned can have their fences exercised to difcerne between good and evill,Heb.5.14. And it is the priviledge of fhepheards onely which Chrift made the Character of all his fheep; Thar they knew his voice, and could diftinguish it from the voice of Strangers, Joh. 10. 4, 5. It feems Chrift fpoke to the learned only, when he faid, Search the Scripture, Job.5.39. It feems the learned Theffalonians only were bound to hold taft that which is good, for that goes with their proving, and proving was in order to holding faft.It feems the Bereans(whom Paul commends for examining his doctrine by the Scriptures, Act. 17.) were Malters of Arts, and Berea was an Univerfity, and gave implies that they had Academical education; and the Apostle meant it only of the Univer fity, when he writ to the City of Corinth, I fpeak as to wife men, judg ye what I fay, 1Cor.10.15. Nay, the mifchief is, if this be granted, their work is not done: for if the learned may examine, that is fufficient for our purpofe for fuch are many Lay men, (as they are called)and diverfe of the Clergy, who have no fhare in the Churches government, and therefore are as much bound to fubjection as any of the people. and confequently the Rulers are not fimply to be obeyed, nor their doctrine blindly received upon their own credit. But (faith Bellarmine) Indied doubtful doctrines are to be examined, but the doctrine of lawful Minifters is not doubtfull,but openly good(b). I fee the Cardinal intended to fhew his wifdome,referving the

(a) Cum peritia probandi omnes fpiritus fuperat vulgi captum,præcep tum hoc plebeiis minimè dictum eft. Gretferus in Difenf.

(b) Agitur de Doltrinâ dubiâ, nam illa fola indiget probatione: Dottrina autem legitimorum præpofitorum von eft dubia, fed apertè bona, ubi fupra.

difcovery of his honefly to another time: Bellarmine was refolved to take a poft, which he might be fure to keep, he knew the Hereticks would be nibling about the premifes, and therefore he leaves the guarding of them to others,and refolves to hold the conclufion, which he knew was not good manners to deny.) But i: fuch dos ctrine as our teachers deliver be eo nomine evidently good and true, then thefe commands of trying are both dangerous (feeing they fuppofe and allow of doubts) and fruftraneous, (fince I may fafely receive them without tryal.)

§. 16. A third place alledged for the Infallibility of the Church and Councels is Joh. 16.3. When the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth. Hence Bellarmine thus argues: Chrift Speaks not of the Apeftles only, but of their fucceffors, because he faith, the comforter fhall abide with you for ever, ch. 14.16. i. e. with them and their ever,ch.14.16. fucceflors for ever. But Chrift doth not lead the Bishop's feverally confidered into all truth, therefore he leads them into truth when they are gathered together, and seeing there is no greater chair in the Church, by which God teacheth 1159 then the Pope, when a Councel is added to him: if his chair should erre, how this promife is true, he will teach you all truth, I fee not(a). That may be too: Bernardus non videt omnia, and why fhould Robertus do it.

(a) Alter locus eft Joh.16. Spiritus veritatis docebit vos omnem veritatem. Et ne putemus hoc dici folis Apoflolis & non etiam faccesso ribus.Cap. 14. apertè. Dominus teftatur fpiritum fanctum manfurum. cum Apoftolis in eternum,i.c. cum eis & cum fuccefforibus perpetuò. At Epifcopos feorfim exiftentes non docet Spiritus fanétus omncm veritatem, ergo faltem Epifcopos omnes in unum congregatos docebit omnem veritatem: & fanè cùm non fit in Ecclefia major aliqua Cathedra, per quam Deus nos doceat, quàm fummi Pontificis Cathedra, adjunéto confenfu gcneralis Concilii, fi hæc etiam Cathedra falli poteft cùm univerfam Eco clefiam docet, nefcio quomodo vera fit illa promiffio, Docebit vos omnem veritatem. De Concil,authoritate lib.2.c.1.

Anf.

Anf. 1. These words, if extended beyond the Apoftles, do not imply any infallibility: or if they do,a man may with as great colour deduce the infallibility nay the omnisciency of all Believers from 1 Joh. 2. 20. Ye have an unition from the holy one,and ye know all things: and v. 27. The fame anointing teacheth you all things. All truth in the text is only meant of all truths neceffary to falvation(nothing being more familiar in Scripture-ufe,then for general expreffions, as all men, every creature, &c, to be understood with tacit limitations) nor are all whom God, leads into truth,infallibly led into it,unless they will make all fincere Chriftians infallible; for all fuch are led by the Spirit into truth, but not all in the fame manner and de gree, as the Apoftles were. So the Popish argument proceeds à genere ad fpeciem affirmative: They are led into truth, Ergo they are infallibly led.

2. There is nothing in that text Joh. 16. to fhew the extent of that promife to the Apostles fucceffors, which Bellarmine fufficiently difcovers by deferting this place and fetching in another to his aid fob.14.fo his argument is cunningly patched up of two places. That God would lead them into all truth he proves from 7ch.16.That God will do this for ever he would fain prove from Job. 14. whereas this place doth not fay, that God would lead the Apostles into all truth for ever, but only that the fpirit Should abide with them for ever, and that as a comforter, which is quite another thing: if not, let me fee that Papift that will give it under his hand, that every one with whom the Spirit abides as a comforter is infallible. And yet if I should wink at this fraudulent dealing of Bellarmines, and admit the phrase for ever into the principal Text, this would not infer a neceffity of ftretching this promise beyond the Apostles; partly because in Scripture-ule that phrafe doth frequently denote the term of life, as Exid. 21.6. The fervant is to be with his master for

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