For whereupon is all the abominations of popery justified ? They are justified by this, though they seem ridiculous, gross, and blasphemous, they came from the church, and the church is virtually in the pope. An absurd position, that the whole church should be virtually in one man ; yet that is the Jesuitical opinion ; and the church cannot err : therefore it is good, because these tenets come from him whose judgment is infallible. That is the error that leadeth to, and establisheth all other errors under it: it is the first lie. And in lies, there is a leading, one goes under another, they never go alone ; so this is the leading lie of all popery, that the pope cannot err ; by this means they domineer over the faith of others, and make the people even beasts indeed.
But to see the indignity of this, that the pope cannot err, it is the greatest error of all, and the prevention of all amendment on their side. Do you think that they will ever amend their opinion, when they hold this that ia a block in the way of all reformation, that the pope can err ? for deny that, and you call all^the fabric of their religion in question ; and grant that, it stops all reformation on their side. What reformation may we hope for on their side that hold this position, that they cannot err ? Hence come all their treasons, and rebellions ; they have some dispensation from the pope, and he cannot err, though he prescribe rebellion and treason.
4. Another opinion they have, that the church is the jmhje of all contro- versies, in which the faith of men must be resolved at last ; but it is the pope that the Jesuits mean. Now this is indeed to domineer over the faith, to make a man of sin to be a judge over all points of faith, and faith to be resolved at last into that, into the judgment of the church.
The church hath an inducing power, a leading power, persuading to the belief of the Scriptures, and to hear what God saith in his word, but after, there is inward intrinsical grounds in the word, that make us to know the word without the church. Now they would have the authority of the word depend upon the church, and so overrule men's consciences in that case. Whereas all that the church hath, is a leading, inducing, persuading to hear the word, under which word and ordinance we shall see such light and majesty in the Scriptures, that from inward grounds we shall be persuaded that the word of God is the word of God. Therefore the church is the first inducer to believe the word of God, not the last object to which all is resolved. For they themselves cross it in their tenets when they speak discreetly. Is this opinion so, and so ? The church holds it. But what authority hath the church to maintain it ? Where is the authority of your church ? Then they bring some place of Scripture ; ' I will be with you to the end of the world,' Mat. xxviii. 20. And, * he that heareth you, heareth me,' &c. Luke X. 16. I do but a little discover to you the danger of this error. They make the word of God to bo believed, because the church saith so ; they make truth to be believed, because their man of sin, whom they depend
2 COKINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 24. 503
upon, saith so. Do Ave believe the Trinity, or tliat Christ is our Redeemer, because the church saith so ? Should we not believe it except the church say so? What if the church teach the 'doctrine of devils,' 1 Tim. iv. 1, as they do ? They cannot shake it off. We must believe because the church saith so. So upon equal grounds they shall teach the doctrine of de\ils, and the doctrine of Christ, because the church saith so.
As it was said anciently, he that believes two things, the one for the other, he believes not two, but one in effect ; because he believes the one for the other. So in effect they believe nothing but the church ; that is, themselves believe the truth to be divine, because they say so ; so they may believe any devilish error, because they say so ; so any treason, or rebel- lion must go ciuTent, because they say so, because they cannot err. You see how they domineer over the faith of others ; shall not Christ be Christ, nor God be God, nor the devil be the devil, except the chm-ch say so ?
5. Again, in the very matters themselves, in the jmnts that themselves do not urge, the church of Rome domineers, and tyranniseth over the souls of people. For example, they hold that the intention of a minister in the sacrament makes it effectual. What a fear doth this breed in the souls of men, that they know not whether they be baptized or no, because it must be in the inten- tion of the minister ?
And then in confession, they must confess all. "What a tyranny is this to the souls of people, when perhaps there is somewhat that they have not confessed, and so their confession is of no worth ?