250 1- lonefy the heft Yrefervative, Vol. 1. would be, if there were one : And this is another Reafon why an Infallible Church is fo much infrfted upon, that there may be fome way and means for a final decifion of Controverfies, which the Scriptures cannot be, becaufe they are only a deadRule, which can end no Controverfy without a living Judge ready at hand, to interpret and apply that Rule upon emergent Occafions. It is not neceffary that all Controverfies in Religion fhould either be prevented, or decided : This the Church which pretends to be Infallible, cannot pretend to have done; becaufe there are manifold Controverfies, even in the Church of Rome her felf, concerning Matters of Religion, which í{i11 remain undecided ; and in their Commentaries upon Scripture, manyDifferences about the Senfe of feveral Texts, concerning which the hath not thought fit to give an Infallible Interpre- tation. And where their Popes, and feveral of their General Councils, have thought fit to meddle with Scripture, they have applied and interpretedTexts more improperly and abfurdly, than even their private Doflors. And which is more, in Differences about Points of Faith, which are pretended on both fides to be fundamental, this Church hath not thought fit to put an end to themby her In- fallible Decifion, after Two hundred Years brangling about them. For inftance, in that fierce and long Difference about the ImmaculateConception of the BleJfed Virgin, which, on both fides, is pretended to be an Article of Faith, and for which, contrary Revelationsof their Canoniz'd Saints are fo frequently pretended; and yet neither Pope, nor General Council, have thought fit to exert their In- fallibility for the Decifion of this Controverfy. So that if their Churchhad this Talent of Infallibility ever committed to them, they have, with the flothful Ser- vant laid it up ina Napkin ; and according to our Saviours Rule, have long fine forfeited it, for not making ufe of it. And whereas it is pretended, that the Scripture is but a dead Rule, which can end no Controverfieswithout a Living-yudgé ready at hand, to interpret and apply that Rule upon emergent Occafions ; the faine Objeftion lies againft them, un- lefs a General Council, which is their Living judge, were always fitting. For the Definitions oftheir Councils in Writing are liable to the fame, and greater Ob- lations, than the Written Rule of the Scriptures. The Sunnn of all is this. In Differences about leffer Matters, mutual Chari- ty and Forbearance will fecure the Peace of the Church, tho' the Differences re- main undecided ; and in greater Matters, an Infallible Rule fearched into with an honeft Mind, and dueDiligence, and with the help of good Inftrution, is more 'likely to extinguifh and put an end to fuch Differences, than any Infallible judge, if there were one ; becaufe an humble and honeft Mind is more likely to yield to Reafon, than a perverfe and cavilling Temper is to fubmit to the Sen- tence of an Infallible fudge, unlefs it were back'd with an Inquifition. The Church of Rome fuppofeth her felf Infallible, and yet notwithftanding that, the finds that force queftion and deny her Infallibility, and then her Sentence fignifies. nothing. And of thofe who own_ it, many difpute the fenfe and meaning of her Sentence ; and whether they deny the Infallibility of her Sentence, or difpute the Senfe ofit, in neither of thefe Cafes will it prove effeftual to the deciding ofany Difference. But after all this Provifion which we pretend God hath made for honeft and fincere Minds, do we not fee that Men fall into dangerous and damnable Errors, who yet cannot, without great Uncharitablenefs, be fuppofed not to be fincerely defirous to know the Truth, and to do the Will of God? To this I shall briefly return thefe Two Things. i. That the faine Errors are not equally Damnable to all. The innocent and (humanely fpeaking) almoft invincible Prejudices of Education in fome Perfons, even againft a Fundamental Troth ; the different Capacities of Men, and the different Means of Convition afforded to them ; the greater and leffer degrees of Obftinacy, anda faultyWill in oppofingthe Trnths.propofedto them; all thefe, and perhaps feveral other Confederations befides, may make a great difference in the guilt of Mens Errors, and the danger of them. II. When
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