Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A30455
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Six papers by Gilbert Burnet.
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Burnet, Gilbert, 1643-1715.
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1687
(1687)
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Wing B5912; ESTC R26572
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63,527
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69
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it or not Of all the Maxims in the World there is none more hurtful to the Government in our present Circumstances than the saying that the Kings Promises and the Peoples Fidelity ought to be Reciprocal and that a Failuâ—e in the one cuts off the other for by a very natural consequence the Subject may likewise say that their Oaths of Allegeance being founded on the Assurance of His Majesties Protection the One binds no longer than the Othir is observed and the Inferences that may be drawn from hence will be very terrible if the Loyalty of the sos mueh decryed Church of England does not put a stop to them A LETTER containing some Remarks on the Two Papers writ by His late Maiâ—sty King Charles the Second concerning Religion SIR I Thank you for the two Royal Papers that you have sent me I had heard of them before but now we have them to well tâ—ested that there is no hazard of being deceive by a false Copy you expect that in return I should let you know what Impression they have made upon me I pay all the reverence that is due to a Crownd Head even in Ashes to which I will never be wanting far less am I capable of suspecting the Royal Attestation that accompanies them of the truth of which I take it for granted no man doubts but I must crave leave to tell you that I am confident the late King only copied them and that they are not of his Composing for as they have nothing of that free Air with which he expressed himself so there is a Contexture in them that does not look like a Prince and tho beginning of the first shewes it was the effect of a Conversation and was to be communicated to another so that I am apt to think they were Composed by another and were so well relished by the late King that he thought fit to keep them in order to his examining them more particularly and that he was prevailed with to Copy them lest a Paper of that nature might have been made a Crime if it had been found about him writen by another hand and I could name one or two Persons who as they were able enough to Compose such Papers so had power enough over his Spirit to engage him to Copy them and to put themselves out of danger by restoring the Original You ought to address your self to the Learned Divines of our Church for an answer to such things in them as puzzle you and not to one that has not the honour to be of that Body and that has now carried a Sword for some time and imploys the leasure that at any time he enjoyes rather in Philosophical and Mathematical Enquiries than in matters of Controversie There is indeed one Consideration that determined me more easily to comply with your desires which is my having had the honour to discourse copiously of those matters with the late King himself and he having proposed to me some of the particulars that I find in those Papers and I having said several things to him in answer to those Heads which he offered to me only as Objections with which he seemed fuâ—ly satisfied I am the more willing to communicate to you that which I took the liberty to lay before His late Majesty on several occasions the particulars on which he insisted in discourse with me were the uselessness of a Law without a Judge and the necessity of an infallible Tribunal to determine Controversies to which he added the many Sects that were in England which seemed to be a necessary consequence of the Liberty that every one took to interpret the Scriptures and he often repeated that of the Church of Englands arguing from the obligation to obey the Church against the Sectaries which he thought was of no force unless they allowed more Authority to the Church then they seemed willing to admit in their Disputes with this Church of Rome But upon the whole Matter I will offer you some Reflections that will I hope be of as great weight with you as they are with my self I. All Arguments that prove upon such general Considerations that there ought to be an Infallible Judge named by Christ and clothed with his Authority signify nothing unless it can be shewed us in what Texts of Scripture that â—omination is to be found and till that is shewed they are only Arguments brought to prove that Christ ought to have done somewhat that he has not done So these are in effect so many Arguments against Christ unless it appears that he has Authorised such a Judge therefore the right way to end this dispute is to shew where such a Constitution is aâ—thorised So that the most that can be made of this is that it amounts to a favourable presumption II. It is a very unreasonable thing for us to form Presumptions of what is or ought to be from Inconveniences that do arise in case that such things are noâ—â—â— for we may carry this so far that it will not be easie to stop it It seems more sutable to the infinite Goodness of God to communicate the knowledge of himself to all mankind and to furnish every Man with such assistances as will certainly prevail over him It seems also reasonable to think that so perfect a Saviour as Jesus Christ was should have shewed us a certain Way and yet confident with the free Use of our Faculties of avoiding all sin nor is it very easy to imagine that it should be a reproach on his Gâ—spel if there is not an Infallible Preservâ—tive against Errour when it is acknowledged that there is no infallible Preseâ—vative against sin for it is certain that the one Damns us more Infallibly than the other III. Since presumptions are so much insisted on to prove what things must be appointed by Christ it is to be considered that it is also a reasonable Presumption that if such a Court was appointed by him it must be done in such plain terms that there can be no room to question the meaning of them and since this is the â—â—â—ge upon which all other matters turn it ought to be expressed so particularly in whom it is vested that there should be no occasion given to dispute whether it is in one Man or in a Body and if in a Body whether in the Majority or in the two thirds or in the whole Body â—â—animously agreeing in short the Chief thing in all Governments being the Nature aâ—d Power of the Judges those are always distinctly specified and therefore if these things are not specified in the Scriptures it is at least a strong Presumption that Christ did not intend to authorise sâ—ch Judges IV. There were several Controveâ—sies raised among the Churches to which the Apostles writ as appears by the Epistles to the Romans Corinthians Gaâ—atians and Colostians yet the Apostles â—ever make use of those passages that are pretended for this Authority to put an end to these Controversies which
it is a Body united together and by consequence brought under some Regulation and as in all States there are subalterne Judges in whose decisions all must at least acquiesce tho they are not infallible there being still a sort of an apperl to be made to the Sovereign or the supream legislative Body so the Church has a subalterne Jurisdiction but as the authority of inferiour Judges is still regulated and none but the Legislators themselves have an Authority equal to the Law so it is not necessary for the preservation of Peace and Order that the Decisions of the Church should be infallible or of equal Authority with the Scriptures If Judges do so manifestly abuse their Authority that they fall into Rebellon and Treason the Subjects are no more bound to consider them but are obliged to resist them and to maintain their obedience to their Soveraign tho in other matters their Judgment must take place till they are reversed by the Sovereign The case of Religion being then this That Iesus Christ is the Sovereign of the Church the Assembly of the Pastors is only a subalterne Judge if they manifestly oppose themselves to the Screptures which is the Law of Christians particular persons may be supposed as competent Iudges of that as in civil Matters they may be of the Rebellion of the Judges and in that case they are bound still to maintain their Obedience to Jesus Christ. In matters indifferent Christians are bound for the preservation of Peace Unity to acquiesce in the Decisions of the Church and in Matters justly doubtful or of small Consequence tho they are convinced that the Pastors have erred yet they are obliged to be silent and to bear tolerable things rather than make a Breach but if it is visible that the Pastors do Rebel against the Sovereign of the Church I mean Christ the people may put in their Appeal to that great Judge and there it must lie If the Church did use this Authority with due Discretion and the people followed the rules that I have named with humility and modesty there would be no great danger of many Divisions but this is the great Secret of the providence of God that men are still men and both Pastors and People mix their Passions and Interests so with matters of Religion that as there is a great deal of sin and vice still in the World so that appears in the Matters of Religion as well as in other things but the ill Consequences of this tho they are bad enough yet are not equal Effects that ignorant Superstition and obedient Zeal have produced in the World Witness the Rebellions and Wars lot establishing the Worship of Images the Croissades against the Saracens in which many millions were lost those against Hereticks and Princes deposed by Popes which lasted for some Ages and the Massacre of Paris with the Butcheries of the Duke of Alvâ—in the last Age and that of Ireland in this which are I suppose far greater Mischâ—â—â—s that any can be Imagined to 〈◊〉 out of a small Diversâ—â— of Opinions and the present 〈◊〉 of this Church notwithstanding all those unhappy Rents that are in it is a much more desirable thing than the gross Ignorance and blind Superstition that reigns in Italy and Spain at this day IX All these reasonings concerning the Infallibility of the Church signify nothing unless we can certainly know whither we must go for this Decision for while one Party shewes us that it must be in the Pope or is no where and another Party sayes it Cannot be in the Pope because as many Popes have erred so this is a Doctrine that was not known in the Church for a thousand Years and that has been disputed ever since it was first asserted we are in the right to believe both sides first that if it is not in the Pope it is no where and than that certainly it is not in the Pope and it is very Incongruous to say that there is an Insallible Authority in the Church and that yet it is not certain where one must seek for it for the one ought to be as clear as the other and it is also plain that what Primacy so ever St. Peter may be supposed to have had the Scripture sayes not one word of his Successors at Rome so at lâ—st this is not so clear as a matter of this Consequence must have been if Christ had intended to have lodged such an Authority in that See X. It is no less Incongruous to say that this Infallibility is in a General Council for it must be somewhere else otherwise it will return only to the Church by some Starts and after long intervals and as it was not in the Church for the first 320 years so it has not been in the Church these last 120 years It is plain also that there is no Regulation given in the Scriptures concerning this great Assembly who have a right to come and Vote and what forfeit this right and what number must concur in 〈…〉 Infalliâ—â—lity of the Judgment It is certain there was never a General Council of all the Pastors of the Church for those of which we have the Acts were only the Councils of the Roman Empire but for those Churches that were in the South of Africk or the Eastern Parts of Asia beyond the bounds of the Roman Empire as they could not be summoned by the Emperours Authority so it is certain none of them were present unless one or two of Persia at Nice which perhaps was a Corner of Persia belonging to the Empire and unless it can be proved that the Pope has an Absolute Authority to cut off whole Churches from their right of coming to Councils there has been no General Council these last 700 years in the World ever since the Bishops of Rome have excommunicated all the Greek Churches upon such trifling reasons that their own Writers are nâ—w ashmed of them and I will ask no more of a Man of a Competent understanding to satisfy him that the Council of Trent was no General Council acting in that Freedom that became Bishops than that he will be at the pains to read Card. Pallavicins History of that Council XI If it is said that this Infallibility is to be sought for in the Tradition of the Doctrine in all Ages and that every particular Person must examine this here is a Sea before him and instead of examining the small Book of the N. Testament he is involved in a study that must cost a Man an Age to go thro it and many of the Ages thro which he carries this Enquiry are so dark and have produced so few Writers at least so few are preserved to our dayes that it is not possible to find out their belief We find also Traditions have varied so much that it is hard to say that there is much weight to be laid on this way of Conveyance A Tradition concerning Matters of Fact that aâ—l People see