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ARTICLE XXI.

Of the Authority of General Councils.

General Councils may not be gathered together with out the Commandment and Will of Princes. And when they be gathered together (forasmuch as they be an Affembly of Yen whezeof all be not governed with the Spirit and Word of God) they map err, and sometime have ezzed even in things peztaining unto God. Wherefoze things ordained by them as necellay to Salvation, have neither Strength nor Authority, unless it may be declazed that they are taken out of Holy Scriptures.

HERE are two particulars fettled in this Article: the

one is, the power of calling of Councils, at leafst, an affertion that they cannot be called without the will of Princes: the other is, the authority of General Councils, that they are not infallible, and that fome have erred: and therefore the inference is juftly made, that whatever authority they may have in the rule and government of the Church, their decifions in matters neceffary to falvation ought to be examined by the word of God, and are not to be fubmitted to, unless it appears that they are conform to the Scripture.

The firft of thefe is thus proved: Clergymen are fubRom. xiii. ject to their Princes, according to thefe words, Let every foul be fubject to the higher powers: if they are then fubject to them, they cannot be obliged to go out of their dominions upon the fummons of any other; their perfons being under the laws and authority of that country to which they belong.

This is plain, and feems to need no other proof. It is very vifible how much the peace of kingdoms and states is concerned in this point: for if a foreign power should call their Clergy away at pleasure, they might be not only left in a great deftitution as to religious performances, but their Clergy might be practifed upon, and fent back to them with fuch notions, and upon fuch defigns, that, chiefly fuppofing the immunity of their perfons, they might become, as they often were in dark and ignorant ages, the incendiaries of the world, and the disturbers and betrayers of their countries. This is confirmed by

the

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the practice of the first ages, after the Church had the ART. protection of Chriftian magiftrates: in these the Roman Emperors called the firft General Councils, which is exprefsly mentioned not only in the Hiftories of the Councils, but in their Acts; where we find both the writs that fummoned them, and their letters, fometimes to the Emperors, and fometimes to the Churches, which do all fet forth their being fummoned by the facred authority of their Emperors, without mentioning any other. In calling fome of these Councils, it does not appear that the Popes were much confulted: and in others we find Popes indeed fupplicating the Emperors to call a Council, but nothing that has fo much as a fhadow of their pretending to an authority to fummon it themselves.

This is a thing fo plain, and may be fo foon feen into by any person who will be at the pains to turn to the editions of the first four General Councils made by themfelves, not to mention those that followed in the Greek Church, that the confidence with which it has been afferted, that they were fummoned by the Popes, is an inftance to fhew us that there is nothing at which men, who are once engaged, will stick when their cause requires it. But even fince the Popes have got this matter into their own hands, though they fummon the Council, yet they do not pretend to it, nor expect that the world would receive a Council as general, or fubmit to it, unless the Princes of Christendom fhould allow of it, and confent to the publication of the bull. So that, by reafon of this, Councils are now become almost unpracticable things.

When all Chriftendom was included within the Roman empire, then the calling of a Council lay in the breast and power of one man; and, during the ages of ignorance and fuperftition, the world was fo fubjected to the Pope's authority, that Princes durft feldom oppose their fummons, or deny their Bishops leave to go when they were fo called. But after the fcandalous fchifm in the Popedom, in which there were for a great while two Popes, and at last three at a time, Councils began to pretend that the power of governing the Church, and of cenfuring, depriving, and making of Popes, was radically in them, as reprefenting the univerfal Church: fo they fell upon methods to have frequent Councils, and that whether both Popes and Princes fhould oppofe it or not; for they declared both the one and the other to be fallen. from their dignity, that fhould attempt to hinder it. Yet they carried the claim of the freedom of elections, and

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ART. of the other ecclefiaftical immunities, fo high, that all that followed upon this was, that the Popes being terrified with the attempts begun at Conftance, and profecuted at Bafil and Pisa, took pains to have Princes on their fide, and then made bargains and concordates with them, by which they divided all the rights of the Church, at least the pretenfions to them, between themselves and the Princes. Matters of gain and advantage were referved to the See of Rome; but the points of power and jurifdiction were generally given up to the Princes. The temporal authority has by that means prevailed over the fpiritual, as much as the fpiritual authority had prevailed over the temporal for feveral ages before. Yet the pretence of a General Council is ftill fo fpecious, that all thofe in the Roman communion that do not acknowledge the infallibility of their Popes, do ftill fupport this pretenfion, that the infallibility is given by Chrift to his Church; and that in the interval of Councils it is in the community of the Bishops and Paftors of the Church; and that when a Council meets, then the infallibility is lodged with it; Acts xv. 28. according to that, It feemed good to the Holy Ghoft and to

us.

The first thing to be fettled in every question is the meaning of the terms: fo we must begin and examine what makes a General Council; whether all the Bishops must be present in perfon, or by proxy? And what share the laity, or the Princes that are thought to reprefent their people, ought to have in a Council? It is next to be confidered, whether a general citation is enough to make a Council general, were the appearance of the Bifhops ever fo fmall at their first opening? It is next to be confidered, whether any come thither and fit there as reprefenting others; and if votes ought to be reckoned according to the numbers of the Bishops, or of the others who depute and fend them? And whether nations ought to vote in a body as integral parts of the Church; or every fingle Bifhop by himfelf? And finally, whether the decifions of Councils must be unanimous, before they can be esteemed infallible? or whether the major vote, though exceeding only by one, or if fome greater inequality is neceffary; fuch as two thirds, or any other proportion? That there may be juft caufe of raifing fcruples upon every one of thefe, is apparent at first view. It is certain, a bare name cannot qualify a number of Bishops fitting together, to be this General Council. The number of Bishops does it not neither. A hundred and fifty was a fmall number at Conftantinople: even the famous three

hun

hundred and eighteen at Nice were far exceeded by thofe ART. at Arimini. All the firft General Councils were made XXI. up for the most part of Eaftern Bishops; there being a very inconfiderable number of the Western among any of them; fcarce any at all being to be found in fome. If this had been the body to whom Chrift had left this infallibility, it cannot be imagined but that fome definition or description of the conftitution of it would have been given us in the Scripture: and the profound filence that is about it gives juft occafion to think, that how wife and how good foever fuch a conftitution may be, if well purfued, yet it is not of a divine inftitution; otherwise fomewhat concerning fo important a head as this is must have been mentioned in the Scripture.

The natural idea of a General Council, is a meeting of all the Bishops of Chriftendom, or at leaft of proxies inftructed by them and their Clergy. Now if any will ftand to this defcription, then we are very fure that there was never yet a true General Council: which will appear to every one that reads the fubfcriptions of the Councils. Therefore we must conclude, that General Councils are not conftituted by a divine authority; fince we have no direction given us from God, by which we may know what they are, and what is neceffary to their constitution. And we cannot fuppofe that God has granted any privileges, much lefs infallibility, which is the greateft of all, to a body of men, of whom, or of whofe conftitution, he has faid nothing to us. For fuppofe we fhould yield that there were an infallibility lodged in general in the Church diffufive, so that the Church in fome part or other shall be always preferved from error; yet the reftraining this to the greater number of fuch Bishops as shall happen to come to a Council, they living perhaps near it, or being more capable and more forward to undertake a journey, being healthier, richer, or more active than others; or, which is as probable, because it has often fallen out, they being picked out by parties or princes to carry on cabals, and manage fuch intrigues as may be on foot at the Council: the reftraining the infallibility, I fay, to the greater number of fuch perfons, unless there is a divine. authority for doing it, is the transferring the infallibility from the whole body to a felect number of perfons, who of themselves are the leaft likely to confent to the engroffing this privilege to the majority of their body, it being their intereft to maintain their right to it, free from intrigue or management.

We need not wonder if fuch things have happened in

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ART. the latter ages, when Nazianzen laments the corruptions, the ambition, and the contentions that reigned in those affemblies in his own time; fo that he never defired to fee any more of them. He was not only prefent at one of the General Councils, but he himself felt the effects of jealoufy and violence in it.

Further, it will appear a thing incredible, that there is an infallibility in Councils because they are called General, and are affembled out of a great many kingdoms and provinces; when we fee them go backward and forward, according to the influences of courts, and of interests directed from thence. We know how differently Councils decreed in the Arian controverfies; and what a variety of them Conftantius fet up against that at Nice. So it was in the Eutychian herefy, approved in the fecond Council at Ephefus, but foon after condemned at Chalcedon. So it was in the bufinefs of images, condemned at Conftantinople in the Eaft; but foon after upon another change at court maintained in the second at Nice; and not long after condemned in a very numerous Council at Francfort. And in the point in hand, as to the authority of Councils, it was afferted at Conftance and Bafil; but condemned in the Lateran; and was upon the matter laid afide at Trent. Here were great numbers of all hands; both fides took the name of General Councils.

It will be a further prejudice against this, if we fee great violence and diforders entering into the management of fome Councils; and craft and artifice into the conduct of others. Numbers of factious and furious monks came to fome Councils, and drove on matters by their clamours: fo it was at Ephefus. We fee grofs fraud in the fecond at Nice, both in the perfons fet up to reprefent the abfent patriarchs, and in the books and authorities that were vouched for the worship of images. The intrigues at Trent, as they are fet out even by Cardinal Pallavicini, were more fubtile, but not lefs apparent, nor lefs fcandalous. Nothing was trufted to a feflion, till it was firft canvaffed in congregations; which were what a committee of the whole houfe is in our Parliaments; and then every man's vote was known; fo that there was hereby great occafion given for practice. This alone, if there had been no more, fhewed plainly that they themselves knew they were not guided by the fpirit of God, or by infallibility; fince a feffion was not thought fafe to be ventured on, but after a long previous canvaffing.

Another question remains yet to be cleared, concerning