writings of approved doctors and divines*, ftill it must be heard in all things whatfoever it fhall fay, and its determinations, without fcruple, admitted as oracles, not merely certain, but infallible. Nothing indeed is more unfixed than the feat of Romish infallibilty, even among Romanifts themfelves. It is a kind of phantom that eludes our fearch, and shifts its pofition, like the rain-bow, whenever we attempt to approach it. It's place is as difficult to find, as the extreme points of North or South in the vague geography of the populace: "Afk where's the North? At York, 'tis on the Tweed; "In Scotland, at the Orcades; and there "At Greenland, Zembla, or the Lord knows where." A living author who has diftinguished himself fo much of late in behalf of the Roman-Catholic intereft, and appears at the head of the party in North Britain, fays of that society he belongs to, "That the moment any book appears 66 among them, containing any propofition or doctrine contrary to their faith, "it is immediately condemned:" and again," When any book is received "among them, and much more when it is publicly taught in their schools and "univerfities, this is an unanswerable proof, that the doctrine contained in that book, concerning revealed truths, is entirely conformable to the fense and "belief of that whole church." The fame writer particularly mentions fome ftandard divines of his church, whofe writings he and his whole party fcruple not to admit as unexceptionable standards of their doctrine and faith; of which number are Thomas Aquinas and Cardinal Bellarmine; "St. Thomas is indeed “ an eminent divine in the Roman-Catholic church, and a standard divine ja "their schools,-whofe works are every where approved on points of religion; "he is therefore a full and competent evidence of the Roman-Catholic doc"trine." The authority of the learned Cardinal Bellarmine," he also acknowledges," is above all exception in delivering the true doctrine of his "church; and his controverfial works are juftly esteemed a standard on thefe "fubjects:" he adds, "What gives his teftimony a double force, is, that he was a counsellor of the court of Rome, wrote under the Rope's eye, and "taught controverfy publicly in his univerfity; that his books were published "in Rome itself, and dedicated to the reigning Pope; and, instead of meeting "with the fmalleft cenfure from that court, they were received with the highest "approbation, and the dignity of cardinal conferred upon him as a reward of "his merit." Appendix to an Effay an Miracles, p. 350. Explanat. Rem. &c. p. 25, 26. Anfw. to Mr. W. A. D.'s Lett. to G. H. p. 138. A cer A certain clafs among them, and thofe the most ancient and numerous, direct us to his Holinefs at Rome, where infallibility may be found infeparably annexed to the tiara*. Another From the days of our Saviour and his apoftles, infallibility was not heard of in the Chriftian church for a thousand years. It was evidently first devised to fupport the univerfal fupremacy, and unlimited ufurpations of the bishops of Rome. They were the firft who claimed it, and pretended to profefs it, while their claim was little controverted, but tacitly acknowledged, almoft by all, for fome ages; till by their ambition, fcandalous misconduct, and their obftinate and continual divifions, they ruined their own pretenfions, and gave occafion for fore councils, as thofe of Bale and Conftance, to strip them of it, and to affume a fuperiority over them. The infallibility of Popes is, at least, two or three hundred years more ancient than that of councils, In the Decretals it is maintained, That the Pope can be judged of none; that their judgment, whether "regarding faith, manners, or difcipline, ought to be preferred to all things, * and even to councils if poffible; and that there is nothing true but what they approve, and that every thing condemned by them is falfe."-Leo IX. about the year 1049 declared, "That the councils and all the fathers regarded the "church of Rome as the fovereign miftrefs, to whom the judgment of all the "other churches belonged; and that all difficult questions ought to be decided by the fucceffors of St. Peter, because their church had never loft the faith, "and they were to believe that it should remain therein to the end of the "world."-Gregory VII. decided in a council, That the church of Rome "never erred, and never shall err, according to the teftimony of Scripture,” St. Bernard affirms in exprefs terms, "That the faith cannot possibly perish in "the See of Rome."-Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theol. with a tribe of fcholaftics after him, afferts the fame doctrine.- "We can believe nothing," fays Lewis Capfenfis, " if we do not believe with a divine faith, that the Pope is the fucceffor of St. Peter, and infallible."-According to other defenders of the faith, as Rhodius, &c. « The infallibility of the Pope is an effential "article, and to deny it is herefy."-The Pope put this among the fcandalous and heretical opinions of Luther, "That any fhould maintain a doctrine oppo"fite to the Pope, in waiting for the decifion of a general council."-Bellarz mine teaches, "That the Pope, when he inftructs the whole church in things concerning the faith, cannot poffibly err: and, whether he be a heretic " himself or not, he can, by no means, define any thing heretical to be believed by the whole church."-In the fame author we are told, "That the Pope " is abfolutely above the catholic church, and above a general council, fo that "he has no judge above him on earth."-Another writer on this fubject says, "The very doubt whether a council be greater than the Pope feems to be ab "furd, because it would involve a contradiction, namely, that the fupreme "Pontiff is not fupreme.""-"He cannot err, he cannot be deceived," fays another; "it must be conceived concerning him, that he knows all things." "O Rome," exclaims Cornelius Muffus bishop of Bitonto, "to whom shall 66 we Another clafs point us to a general council. Sometimes they "we go for divine counfels, unless to thofe perfons to whofe truft the difpenfa tion of the divine mysteries hath been committed? We are therefore to heat "him who is to us instead of God, in things that concern God, as God himself. "For my part, I freely confefs, in things that belong to the mysteries of faith, "I had rather believe one Pope than a thoufand Auguftines, Jeromes, Gre"gories, not to fpeak of Richards, Scotufes, and Williams: for I believe "and know, that the Pope cannot err in matters of faith, because the autho "rity and right of determining whatever relates to the faith, refides in the "Pope."-The affembly of cardinals, prelates, and clergy of France, 1625, declare," That his Holiness is above the reach of calumny, and his faith out "of the reach of error.”—In the thefes of the Jefuits, in the college of Clermont it was maintained, "That Chrift hath fo committed the government of "his church to the Popes, that he hath conferred on them the fame infal "libility which he had himself, as often as they speak, ex cathedra: and there. "fore there is in the church of Rome an infallible judge of controverfies of "faith, even without a general council, whether in matters of right or of fact." And this hath been the general doctrine of the Jefuits, though violently opposed by the Janfenifts, and a great part of the Gallican church.-Three or four coun cils have afcribed infallibility to the Pope; particularly that of Florence under Pope Eugene in oppofition to the decifions of the council of Bafil. The laft council of Lateran, and that of Trent, may also, with good reason, be reckoned to have acknowledged this. But the time of the last of these, the Pope declared, that he would rather shed his blood than part with his rights, which had been established upon the doctrine of the church, and the blood of martyrs: and the legates were charged not to allow the council to make any decifion on the point of infallibility, and they accordingly avowed they would rather lose their life than allow a thing fo certain to be called in queftion. The bishop of Grenada maintained before the council," That the Pope was a God on earth, and there"fore he was not subject to a council" at the conclufion of the feffion, they requested the Pope to confirm their decrees. Thus, after this grand prerogative had been almost wrefted from the Popes, they found themselves again poffeffed of it; fo that it became once more the common opinion, that it pertained unto them; while the contrary doctrine was confidered as an error, that was tolerated in the church, though it approached near to herefy; which are the very expreffions of Bellarmine.-Several other writers who fupport the Papal infalli bility have endeavoured to prove, that it is the most common and the truest sentiment of divines. Against this indeed France hath fometimes opposed herself, because le roy le veut; but, if France hath changed, other nations have generally perfevered in the ancient error, and joined in condemning her for her rafk and rebellious decifions; yea, the hath fometimes condemned herself. Decret. p. dift. xix. c. I, et 4. Decret. Greg. 1. iii. tit. 42. c. 3. Cochl Conc. to. viii. p. 550. Leo, Ep. 1, 4, et 5. Du Pin, de Difc. Ecclef. diff. 5. c. 2. p. 371. Ludov. Capfenf. de Fide difp. ii. § 6. Bell. de Rom. Pont. l. i. et iv) c. 2, et 6. Id. de Concil. 1. 217. How, Serm. v. ii. p. 14. Cornel Muff. Epifcop they afcribe it to Pope and council acting in conjunction †s fometimes diffuse it through the whole body of bishops and clergy: Epifcop. Bitont. in Ep. ad Roman. c. 14. p. 606. Jacoba, de Concil. l. 10. Turret. Theol. to. iii. loc. 18. qu. 11. Paolo, Hift. &c. Palavicin. Ift. del Conc. di Tr. l. xxi. c. 3. et l. xii. c. 15. et l. xix. c. 14, et 15. Rhodius, de Fides qu. iii. 1. Bafnage, Hift. &c. 1. iv. c. 4. to. ii, p. 412, &c. Adr. et Pet. Valent. burch. exam. princ. Fid. ex. iii. p. 110. * Gerfon, with many others, have endeavoured to prove, that general councils cannot err, because they are the laft refort of the church. The council of Conftance decreed, That a general council, reprefenting the catholic mili*tant church hath power immediately from Christ, to which every one, Popes not excepted, are bound to submit in things pertaining to faith, manners and "reformation of the church in its head and members."-In another feffion the fame detree is repeated, and all are subjected to punishment who should refuse to obey it, of whatever rank or degree they might be, even though they were invefted with the Papal dignity itself.-The council of Bale in like manner determined, that a general council was above the Pope, and that he ought confequently to be punished if he did not obey their decrees; and, the better to eftablish their power, they declared themfelves infallible, and "that it was blaf "phemy to doubt whether the Holy Spirit dictated their refolutions, decrees, "and canons." Thefe councils have had their numerous partizans and defenders, not only in France; but in Germany and other places.—The university of Vienna, in a declaration which was fent to the archbishop of Saltsbourg, protested, "That it was a manifeft contempt of the Divine Majesty, and ido"latry, to appeal from a council to the Pope in matters of faith; for that was to appeal from God, who is acknowledged truly to prefide in a council, to a "mere man." Gerf. de exam. Doftr. confid. i, et 5. op. i. i. n. 18. Conc Conft. feff. iv. et v. Ep. Synod. Conc. Bafil. ad Cale. Conc. Bafil. p. 688: Bafn. Hift. des Dogm. de l'Egl. Rom. tome ii. p. 401. "The whole authority of the church" fays Bellarmine, "refides formally "in the prelates alone; as the fight of the whole body is formally in the head only: therefore, to fay that the church cannot er in defining matters of faith, is the fame as to fay the bifhops cannot err." All Catholics," he adds, "conftantly teach, that general councils confirmed by the Pope cannot "err.”—Again, “Catholics agree, that the Pope, with a general council; "cannot err in establishing articles of faith, or general precepts of manners.' It depends on the pleasure of the Pope," fays Baronius," to ratify decrees, and to alter them when ratified.""It belongs to the bishop of Rome," fays a living author, "as head of the church, to call together all the bishops of "the different nations in a general council, which of course represents the * whole church. It belongs only to general councils to decide finally in matters ** of faith and doctrine; and the decisions of a general council in this matter are looked upon by Roman Catholics as the infallible teft for discovering * found from erroneous doctrine, and to which, therefore, they think them€ c " felves clergy*: while others, fufpecting all of these, scatter it up and down among all the faithful,-making it refide in a chimerical kind of univerfal church, which never yet met, nor can meet while the world stands, to give judgment of decifion about any thing; and whofe fentiments cannot poffibly be either diftinctly known or reconciled +. But however "felves bound in conscience to submit. The canons or decrees concerning faith made by general councils are the fame over the whole Roman-Catholic church, " and have the fame authority every where." Bell. de Conc. l. ii. c. 2. Baron. ad an. 373. Answer to Mr. W. A. D.'s Lett. to G. H. p. 54, 55. * Bellarmine, an authority above all exception, thus states the sentiments of Romanifts upon the subject of infallibility, whether confiftently with himself in other parts of his writings, the reader may judge:" Our opinion is, that "the church cannot abfolutely err, either in things abfolutely necessary, or in "others which the propofes to be believed or performed by us; and when we "fay that the church cannot err, we understand this both of the univerfality of "the faithful, and the universality of bishops; fo that the sense of the propo "fition, the church eaunat err, may be, that what all the faithful are bound to “believe is true and faithful, and likewife, that what all the bishops teach as "belonging to faith is true, and according to the faith."—" Though writers "against Roman Catholics," fays Mr. G. H., " in order to render them ridicu "lous, pretend, that they believe the Pope to be infallible, and then throw out a "thousand low unbecoming gibes on that subject; yet so far is that from being "an article of the Roman-Catholic faith, that, when the Pope emits any de‹ cree concerning any point of faith, it is not confidered as binding upon the “faithful, unless it be received and acknowledged as fuch by the body of the "bishops throughout the whole church; for then, and then only, is it confi"dered as a decree of the church, whose authority, whether when affembled "in a general council, or diffused throughout the world, is always the fame." Bell. de Ecclef. L. iii. c. 14. Answer to Mr. W. A. D. &c. p. 58. "when "What church do you refer to," fays a glo fator on the canons, 66. you say that it cannot err? You cannot understand by it the Pope; for it is " "certain that he is not inallible,—but the assembly of the faithful, which can 60 never err, because it can never ceafe to be."-Another writer, (Thomas Waldenfis), whofe works were examined by Pope Martin V. and approved by a bull, fays, "The church which is infallible is not that of Africa,-nor that "of Rome; it is not, in fine, that church-representative which is fometimes feen affembled in a council; for councils have often erred; but it is the "church of Jefus Chrift, which is fpread over all the earth, and which is pre ferved from the baptifm of Chrift to us."—"What then is that church. "which ought to define the matters of faith? Is it the priests, or the prelates,, or the churches affembled in a general council? No; for it is known that "these have often fallen inte error.”—Cardinal. Cusa scruples not to say, "That |