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their fins, by corporal and temporal punish ments from heaven, such as blindness, lameness, pally, &c? I think, from our Saviour's common phrafe in curing thefe infirmities, thy fins are forgiven thee, that it plainly appears that these were temporal punishments for fin and yet no one can affirm that these temporal punishments were a bar to the eternal ones. So now in the christian difpenfation, corporal punishments and temporal difcouragements may be annexed to the want of faith, and to the commiffion of particular fins, and yet no way interfere with the eternal chastisements referved for finners in another world. And indeed, as the punishment of fin here on earth has by the greatest divines been believed to be an alleviation of it hereafter, I cannot fee but that chriftian charity and common humanity teach us to fall heavy upon all infidels, fchifmatics and heretics, and to perfecute them with the utmost rigour out of mere good nature: at least we cannot blame those of our brethren that act upon fo good a principle.

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Thirdly, The bishop denies, That any felt of men can have a power over other mens confciences, or that they can interpret the laws of Christ authoritatively for any one, for no church is infallible. In anfwer to this affertion, I fhall deal more fincerely with the prelate than any of his antagonists have done, and own at once, A 6..

that

that I think our church is infallible. And though at this moment you may think I fay too much, yet I fhall in its proper place prove that you have said the fame thing, and then I am fure I need not fear my being in an error. To return to the thing in queftion. I readily agree with the bishop, that it would be nonfenfe in terms to fay that a church that was fallible could act infallibly. Which if a church cannot do, she cannot pretend to impofe her interpretation of Chrift's laws upon others, because they may be in the right and the in the wrong. And indeed though no church but the Roman has claimed infallibility in words, yet none in the world but claims it in fat. To convince mankind of this truth, I defy any one to fhew me an instance of a church, that hath acknowledged itself in an error. Did not the fynod of Dort proceed every whit as vehemently against the minority (which is in other words the heretics) as the council of Trent? Indeed they had not fo many engines of this world at their command, but they feemed to have a spirit to have fet as many at work. I have known many worthy men who have believed the infallibility of a general council; nay all pious chriftians do entirely fubmit to the decrees of the four first general councils, as infallible. And why a divine of the church of England, may not al

low

low the convocation infallibility, I know not.. For my own part, I fee no abfurdity in allowing, that when an assembly of regularly ordained. divines meet to establish a doctrinal point, there may be an infallible spirit present, directing the refolutions of the majority. Omitting all the cloud of witnesses, which I could bring from the fathers, from the councils, and from the pope's declarations, to evince this matter, I fhall only mention that wife article in the decrees of the council of Trent, of which father Paul gives us an account: That all feculars ought to receive that do&rine of faith which is given them by the church, without difputing or thinking farther about it. And among the Thefes propounded by the Jefuits to be maintained in their public hall at Clermont, there were these two remarkable ones.

Thefis XIX.

Thefis XIX.

Chriftum nos Thus we acknowledge ita caput agno- Chrift to be the head of the fcimus, ut illius church, that at his deparregimen, dum inture into heaven, when he cæli abiit, pri was no longer to govern his mum Petro dein-church in perfon, he comde fuccefforibus mitted the government of it ejus commiferit, to his apoftle Peter, and then & eandem quanto his fucceffors, in whom he ipfe habuit infal-lodged the fame powers even li

of

libilitatem concefe-fof infallibility, which were rit, quoties ex ca- vefted in himself, as often as thedra loquuntur. they speak from the chair.

Thefis XX.

Thefis XX.

Datur ergo in There is therefore in the ecclefia contro- church an infallible judge of verfiarum fidei faith, even without a general. judex infallibilis,

etiam extra concilium generale.

council.

And now give me leave, worthy doctor, to> quote a paragraph out of your* first letter to the bishop, wherein you thus acknowledge Chrift to be the head of the church. At his departure into heaven, when he was no longer to govern his church in perfon, he provided for the good government of it by others, whom he commiffioned to bear rule and authority over his fubjects, to be his vicegerents, to act in his name and flead, and to perpetuate a fucceffion of men, thro' all the fucceeding ages in the world, in whom the fame powers-fhould be lodged; and tho' he made none of them infallible, &c.

Now tho' at first fight this may feem to be a total renouncing any title to infallibility, yet 1 fhall in its proper place, fhew that you mean

P. 19.

no..

nothing lefs. This therefore may by an incurious reader be taken for a transcript from the ghoftly fathers above-mentioned, but to a criticaleye will appear to be a great improvement on their narrow scheme, which confines the fucceffion to one armed chair. A poor local businefs! If we understand one another, this, Dr. Snape, is your meaning, That when Christ went to heaven, be provided for the good govern, ment of his church by others, that is, by his twelve apostles, (at the head of whom, he placed St. Peter) whom he commiffioned to expound his laws, to bear rule and authority over his fubjects, (even over our fellow-fubjects * the fallen angels, whom they often caft forth. and difpoffefs'd of their faftnesses) to be his vicegerents to act in his name and ftead; a power which they could never have prefumed to exercife, had they not for that purpose been made infallible by the Holy Ghoft. However, as they were not made immortal, it was neceffary for the prefervation of the church, that when thefe apostles went to heaven themselves, they should leave others in their room to perform their functions in the church, that so there might be a perpetual fucceffion of men, thro' all fucceeding ages, in whom the fame powers (f infallibility, vicegerency, and the like) were to be

Snape's fecond letter, p. 43.

lodged:

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