time was not a human but divine authority, for the fame reason.

2. Can I with entire fecurity believe the Catholick Church in all matters of Faith?

A. Yes: It is an Article of the Apoftles Creed: I believe the Holy Catholick Church, the Communion of Saints: How come you not to believe it?

2. The Church perhaps may err, and lead me into error; how then can I fafely trust it in all Matters of Faith?

A. Because I am affured by the promises of Chrift, who is eternal Truth, that his Church fhall never fail, but teach all truth to the end of the world.

INSTRUCTION. Divine Faith is a firm belief of all those truths which God has revealed for our falvation. It is the Gift of God, and it is rightly faid by the Council of Trent, that it is the Beginning and Foundation of Man's Salvation, and the Root of all Juftification, (Seff. 6. c. 8.) without it it is impoffible to pleafe God, as it is written by St. Paul to the Hebrews, (c. xi. v. 6.) without it none can be difciples of Chrift, or Chriftians. You fee then of how great Importance it is to hold the true Faith, and you cannot be negligent or indifferent in the fearch of it, without hazard to your falvation and injury to the christian religion.

Now, this Faith muft come to us recommended by a divine authority; by which I mean, that the divine mysteries and divine truths we are to believe, must be taught by fome authority which God has appointed to teach them, before they can be the objects of my Faith. Chrift had this divine authority, as being fent by the Father. The Apostles had it as being fent by him: As my Father fent me, fo I fend you, (John xx. 21.) And the Paftors of the Catholick Church, which they planted, have it by lawful election and ordination as their fuc

ceffors.

ceffors. As therefore those who heard the Apoftles, and believed the doctrine of the Church in their times, believed upon a divine authority, and had divine Faith of what they believed; fo now those who believe the divine myfteries of the Chriftian religion, upon the faith and teftimony of the Catholick Church, they also believe upon a divine authority, and have a found Faith, a divine Faith.

This

But those who believe according to their own private interpretation of Scripture, or that of fome particular National Church, to which they adhere in appofition to the Univerfal Church; or of fome Teacher of a Meeting, or private Congregation of Diffenters, they believe not upon any authority that has a divine miffion to teach, and their belief can be no more than Perfuafion, or Opinion, (as themfelves commonly term it, and rightly) but not a truly Chriftian Faith, not a divine Faith. truth is clear, and cannot be difputed, that not only the Apostles who were the first paftors of the Church; but also thofe whom they ordained to fucceed them, are divinely established for the teaching of the whole world the truth of the gofpel, and accordingly fucceed them with like power and authority, that so all nations and ages to the end of the world may be taught the doctrine of Christ, which is revealed for the falvation of all.

Now, the fame who received authority from Chrift to teach his gospel and doctrine, received withal authority to decide all difputes about the fenfe of it, and to diftinguifh truth from error; seeing that to teach the Faith, and to note the Herefies contrary to it, is one and the fame act in the teacher. There is then only one safe and secure way of believing right, viz. That which God has appointed; firft, to hear the Apostles, and after them the Paftors of the Church which they planted. By

A 4

this.

this means the world became chriftian, and by this alone we are fecured from error.

;

But that this fubmiffion and obedience of the faithful to what the Church teaches might be rational, and they firm in their belief without doubting; and that all obftinacy against the authority of the Church might be for ever without excufe to this end, when the Apostles were fent by Christ to teach all Nations, and received their divine miffion from him, for themselves and their fucceffors, he added this folemn promife: And behold, I am with you at all times, to the end of the world, (Matth. xxviii. 20.) Alfo, a little before his Paffion, he had already made them another promise of sending the Paraclete: I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever, the Spirit of Truth, (Jo. xiv. 16.) Howbeit, when he fhall come who is the Spirit of Truth, he shall teach all Truth, (Jo. xvi. v. 13.)

you

It is confeffed by all Chriftians, that the Church in the times of the Apoftles was made infallible or unerring, by virtue of thefe promifes of Chrift; for furely his perpetual prefence and the perpetual affistance of the Holy Ghoft, are infallible means to make it fo; and where the caufe is infallible, the effect muft needs follow. For the fame reafon it has been intallible in all times fince; for the Church was no temporary inftitution, made only for fome particular times or people; but began in the Apoftles, and continued in their fucceffors, to teach the gospel to all nations and ages to the end of the world. As therefore, the authority which Chrift gave to his Apoftles to preach his gofpel and baptize, was continued to their fucceflors, fo alfo was his promife extended to them, to the Apoftles, and to the whole Apoftolical fucceffion. This is evident; for he promises to be with them, at all times, to the end of the world;

and

and also, that the Holy Ghoft fhall abide with them for ever, and teach them all truth; which includes the Apoftolical fucceffion of Pastors, as well as the fucceffion of faithful people, the Holy Ghost being promised and sent to both; though to the Paftors in the first place, for teaching; and to the people for hearing and obeying; that fo the body of the Paftors and the Church may be for ever unerring.

And now you may conceive, how men who are fallible by nature, may be fo far divine'y affifted, as to teach the oracles of divine truth without erring. In this fenfe, Mofes and the Prophets, the Apoftles, and the Church in their times, are acknowledged to have been infallible even by our adverfaries: And in this famne fenfe we maintain the Apoftolick Catholick Church to have been ever unerring by virtue of the fame promifes: So that the infallibility of God's Church is wholly derived to it, as it was to the Apoftles, from a perpetual divine affiftance of Chrift and the Holy Ghoft, the Spirit of truth, ever directing and leading both Paftors and People who obey them into all truth: which is rather the infallibility of God than men; he having it by nature, they only partaking of it, inafinuch as they are, according to his promife, affifted and taught by him.

In confequence of this divine authority and infallibility of the Apoftles and the Church, her Paftors are truly intitled the Minifters of Christ, and Difpenfers of the Mysteries of God, (1 Cor. iv. 1.) their whole knowledge of the truth being from God, as well as their power and authority to teach it, and their infallibility in delivering it to the rest of the world. Confequently again to this, it is written of the Paftors of the Church: He that heareth you, heareth me, (Luke x. 16.) And in another place, He that knoweth God, heareth us: And he that is not of God, heareth not us. Hereby we know the Spirit A 5

of

of truth and the Spirit of error, (1 Jo. iv. 6.) All which is confequent to the infallibility promised them: As is alfo that of the Apoftle commending the primitive Chriftians, for that they had received his doctrine, as it truly is the word of God, (1 Theff. ii. 13.)

Hence again thofe glorious Attributes given to the Church in Holy Writ: Of Pillar and Ground of Truth, (1 Tim. iii. 15.) Of Glorious Church without Spot or Wrinkle, (Ephef. v. 27.) Of Spouse of Chrift betrothed to God in Righteousness, and for ever, (Ofee. c. ii. 19.) which excludes all notion of her errors and corruptions. We conclude that the prefent Catholick Church can no more deceive us than the primitive Church which the Apostles founded: the fame promises being made to the Church at all times, of a divine affiftance: Lo! I am with you at all times, to the end of the world; and the fame authority given to the Paftors thereof at all times to teach and to be believed. This Church, then, cannot deceive us, feeing the wholly relies on the covenant God has made with her, and fo our Faith refts more on his infallibility than hers.

Thus the authority of the Apoftles and the Church being divine, and appointed by Revelation to teach all the world the mysteries and divine truths revealed by Chrift for our falvation; we not only may fafely rely, but are abfolutely commanded to hear and receive their doctrine, under pain of an eternal Anathema: Go into the univerfal world, and preach the gospel to every creature; he that fhall believe and be baptized, fhall be faved; but he that fhall not believe, shall be condemned, (Mark xvi. 16.) Where the Saviour of the world propofes Heaven as a reward of fubmiffion and Faith; and Hell as the punishment of our disbelief of those he has fent to teach,

And