the sacred Scriptures. We conclude then, that it is not now left to faithful ministers to frame any new doctrine, but that it behoves them simply to adhere to the doctrine to which God hath made all subject, without any exception. In making this observation, my design is to shew, not only what is lawful to individuals, but also to the universal Church. With respect to particular persons, Paul had certainly been appointed by the Lord an apostle to the Corinthians; yet he denies that he had any dominion over their faith. (m) Who can now dare to arrogate to himself a dominion which Paul testifies did not belong to him? If he had sanctioned such a license, that whatever the pastor delivered, he might require, as a matter of right, that the same should be implicitly believed, he would never have recommended to the same Corinthians such a regulation as this: "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace." (n) For here he exempted none, but made the authority of every one subject to the control of the word of God. But the case of the universal Church, it will be said, is different. I reply; Paul has obviated this objection in another place, when he says, that "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (0) But if it be the word of God alone, upon which faith is suspended, towards which it looks, and on which it relies, I ask, what is there left for the word of the whole world? Here it will be impossible for any man to hesitate, who has really known what faith is. For it ought to rest on such firm ground as to stand invincible and undismayed in opposition to Satan, to all the machinations of hell, and to all the assaults of the world. This stability we shall only find in the word of God alone. Besides, the reason which we are here required to consider, is of universal application; that God denies to man the right of promulgating any new article of faith, in order that he alone may be our master in spiritual doctrine, as he alone is true beyond all possibility of deceiving or being deceived. This reason is no less applicable to the whole Church than to every individual believer.

(m) 2 Cor. i. 24.

(n) 1 Cor. xiv. 29, 50.

(0) Rom. x. 17.

X. But if this power, which we have shewn to belong to the Church, be compared with that which has now for some ages past been claimed over the people of God, by the spiritual tyrants who have falsely called themselves bishops and prelates of religion, there will be no more resemblance than there is between Christ and Belial. It is not my intention here to expose the shameful methods in which they have exercised their tyranny; I shall only state the doctrine, which they defend in the present age, not only by their writings, but also by fire and sword. As they take it for granted that an universal council is the true representative of the Church; having assumed this principle, they at once determine, as beyond all doubt, that such councils are under the immediate direction of the Holy Spirit, and therefore cannot err. Now as they themselves influence the councils, and even constitute them, the fact is, that they assume to themselves all that they contend for as belonging to the councils. They wish our faith, therefore, to stand or fall at their pleasure, that whatever they may have determined on one side or the other, may be implicitly received by our minds as fully decided; so that if they approve of any thing, we must approve of the same without any hesitation; and if they condemn any thing, we must unite in the condemnation of it. At the same time, according to their own caprice, and in contempt of the word of God, they fabricate doctrines which, for no other reason than this, they require to be believed. For they acknowledge no man as a Christian, who does not fully assent to all their dogmas, affirmative as well as negative, if not with an explicit, at least with an implicit faith, because they pretend that the Church has authority to make new articles of faith.

XI. First let us hear by what arguments they prove this authority to have been given to the Church; and then we shall see how far their allegations respecting the Church contributes to support their cause. The Church, they say, has excellent promises, that she is never to be forsaken by Christ her spouse, but will be led by his Spirit into all truth. (p)

(p) John xvi. 13.

But of the promise which they are accustomed to allege, many are given no less to each of the faithful in particular, than collectively to the whole Church. For though the Lord was addressing the twelve apostles, when he said, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world;" (q) and, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, even the Spirit of truth;" (r) he made these promises, not only to the apostles considered as a body, but to every one of the number, and even to the other disciples whom he had already received, or who were afterwards to be added to them. Now when they interpret these promises, replete with peculiar consolation, in such a sense as if they were given to no individual Christian, but only to the whole Church collectively, what is this but depriving all Christians of the confidence with which such promises ought to animate them? Here I do not deny that the whole society of the faithful, being adorned with a manifold variety of gifts, possesses a more ample and precious treasure of heavenly wisdom, than each particular individual; nor do I intend that these things are spoken of the faithful in common, as if they were all equally endued with the spirit of understanding and doctrine; but we must not allow the adversaries of Christ, in defence of a bad cause, to wrest the Scripture to a sense which it was not intended to convey. Leaving this remark, I freely acknowledge that the Lord is continually present with his servants, and that he guides them by his Spirit; that this is not a spirit of error, ignorance, falsehood, or darkness, but "the spirit of wisdom, and revelation, and truth," from whom they may certainly learn "the things that are given to" them "of God," or in other words, "may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints." (s) But as it is nothing more than the first-fruits, a kind of foretaste of that Spirit, that is enjoyed by the faithful in the present state, even by those of them who are favoured with more excellent graces than others, there remains no

(9) Matt. xxviii. 20.

(r) John xiv. 16, 17. (s) Ephes. i. 17, 18. John xiv. 17. 1 Cor. ii. 12.

thing for them, but that, conscious of their imbecility, they solicitously confine themselves within the limits of the word of God; lest, if they proceed far by their own sense, they should wander from the right way, in consequence of being not yet fully enlightened by that Spirit, by whose teaching alone truth is distinguished from falsehood. For all confess with Paul, that they have not yet attained the mark; therefore, they rather press on towards daily improvement than boast of perfection. (t)

XII. But they will object, that whatever is partially attributed to every one of the saints, completely and perfectly belongs to the whole Church. Notwithstanding the plausibility of this position, yet I deny it to be true. I admit that God distributes the gifts of his Spirit by measure to every member of his Church, in such a manner that nothing necessary is wanting to the whole body, when those gifts are bestowed in common. But the riches of the Church are always such, as to be very far from that consummate perfection boasted by our adversaries. Yet the Church is not left destitute in any respect, but that it always has what is sufficient; for the Lord knows what its necessity requires. But to restrain it within the bounds of humility and pious modesty he bestows no more than he sees to be expedient. Here, I know, they are accustomed to object, that the Church has been "cleansed by the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or. wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish;" (v) and that for this reason it is called "the pillar and ground of the truth." (u) But the former of these passages rather indicates what Christ is daily performing in his Church, than any thing that he has already accomplished. For if he is daily sanctifying, purifying, polishing, and cleansing his people, it must be evident, that they still have some spots and wrinkles, and that something is still wanting to their sanctification. How vain and visionary is it to imagine the Church already perfectly holy and immaculate, while all its members are the subjects of cor

(t) Phil. iii. 12-14. (v) Ephes. v. 26, 27. (u) 1 Tim. iii. 15.

ruption and impurity! It is true that the Church is sanc-. tified by Christ, but it is only the commencement of their sanctification, that is seen in the present state; the end and perfect completion of it will be, when Christ, the Holy of holies, shall fill it truly and entirely with his holiness. It is likewise true, that its spots and wrinkles are effaced, but in such a manner that they are in a daily course of obliteration, till Christ at his coming shall entirely efface all that remains. For unless we admit this, we must of necessity assert, with the Pelagians, that the righteousness of the faithful is perfect in the present life, and with the Cathari and Donatists, must allow no infirmity in the Church. The other passage, as we have already seen, has a meaning totally different from what they pretend. For after Paul had instructed Timothy in the true nature of the office of a bishop, he says, "These things I write unto thee, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God:" and to enforce his conscientious attention to this object, he adds, that the Church itself is "the pillar and ground of the truth." (w) Now what is the meaning of this expression, but that the truth of God is preserved in the Church, and that by the ministry of preaching? As in another place he states, that Christ "gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, that we be no more carried about with every wind of doctrine," or deluded by men, but that being enlightened with the true knowledge of the Son of God, we may "all come into the unity of the faith." (x) The preservation of the truth, therefore, from being extinguished in the world, is in consequence of the Church being its faithful guardian, by whose efforts and ministry it is maintained. But if this guardianship consists in the ministry of the prophets and apostles, it follows that it wholly depends on the faithful preservation of the purity of the word of God.

XIII. And that the readers may better understand upon what point this question principally turns, I will briefly state what our adversaries require, and wherein we oppose them.

(z) 1 Tim. iii. 14, 15.

(x) Ephes. iv. 11, 13, 14