Ductor dubitantium, or, The rule of conscience in all her generall measures serving as a great instrument for the determination of cases of conscience : in four books / by Jeremy Taylor ...

RULE XXI. The Catholic Church is a witnesse of Faith, and a record of all necessary truths; but not the Mi∣stresse and Ruler of our Creed; that is, cannot make any laws of Faith.

IN our inquiries of faith we doe not run to the Catholic Church desiring her to judge our questions;* 1.1 for she can never meet together; and she is too great a body to doe single acts and make particular sentences: but to her we run for conduct, by inquiring what she believes, what she hath receiv'd from Christ and his Apostles. So that the Authority of the Catholic Church is resolved into Catholic tradition. Whatsoever can be made to ap∣pear to have been by the Apostles taught, & consigned to the Church, that is a law of faith. But of this I have already given accounts.* 1.2 The Catho∣lic Church, taking in the Apostolical, that is, the Church of all ages, is a

witnesse beyond exception. For if she have the Spirit of God, if she love truth, and if she doe not consent to deceive her self, she cannot be deceiv'd in giving testimony concerning matter of fact and actual tradition: or if she could, yet we are excused in following that testimony, because we have no better, we have no other. Better then our best, and better then all we have, we cannot be oblig'd to use: but therefore we have the justice and the goodnesse, our own necessity and the veracity of God for our security, that this is a sure way for us to walk in. But then when this is reduc'd to pra∣ctice in matters of belief, it will come to this onely, That she bears witnesse to the Scriptures, that they are the word of God; but beyond what is con∣tain'd in Scripture, she hath no article of faith.

The consequent of this which I have largely prov'd and explicated in the place above cited,* 1.3 is, that all her Sermons and all her explications of doctrines must be by that measure. If it be agreeable to Scripture, it is that which she hath received: but if she hath not received it, she cannot make a do∣ctrine, nor deliver a proposition with authority, nor oblige the conscience.

But this Rule if it be understood of the Catholic Church of this or any one present age,* 1.4 will not signify so much: for unlesse the Tradition be delivered in a constant succession from the Apostles, the Church is not a certain witnesse, but makes her self a Judge of truth; which she can never doe, but by relating to the Scriptures, by shewing there it is, in the Code which she hath received. But when any doubt does arise concerning any matter of belief, the Catholic Church hath no solemn Court of judica∣ture or place of resort where a single person may goe for determination. And if a question be between Church and Church, as between Rome and England, the question is, which is the Catholic Church; for indeed nei∣ther of them is: and there is no such thing then as a Catholic Church to determine the question: as when the head and the belly, the mouth and the armes fell out, the whole body could not be judge of the controversy; but if they had had a rule, thither they might goe to be guided. And if it be asked, who shall expound the rule, there is no other answer to be given, but to desire men to be good and humble, to pray to God, and without par∣tiality to desire truth; and then every man will be able to answer his own question. For if the Rule be hard, it is hard to them that are not willing and soft and compliant; but not to the gentle and the humble, to them that fol∣low God in simplicity and whithersoever he will lead them.

But it is to be considered that the Church is a Net that hath in it ••ishes good and bad,* 1.5 it is a field of corn and tares; and but that the Apostles were guided by an infallible spirit, there could have been no certainty: bu•• then after them there was no more to be look'd for; what they left we were to use, but to look for no more. For the Catholic Church never was since the Apostles time without error. By Catholic Church, I doe not mean the right believing part of the Church, (for in questions of faith the dis∣pute was which was the right believing part) but I mean all that professe the faith of Christ, who when they are divided will never allow the op∣posite party to be their Judge: and therefore it cannot be suppos'd that God should appoint one to be the Judge, who must always be suppos'd a party, and will never be accepted by the other, unlesse he had given infallibility to that one part, and we had all known it. To the Apostles he did, and

they were the fountains of tradition: but when they were gone, the onely way that was left was to see what they left, and to that every part was to conform; but neither part was Judge, except onely for themselves: and in this every part ought to be trusted, because they onely had the biggest con∣cern to take care that they be not deceived. No man or company of men was charged with them; every Government was charg'd with it's own care and conduct.

But I shall not insist upon this,* 1.6 because it can be of no use in the con∣duct of conscience. Because if ever there be a dispute in the Church, there is no Catholic Church to which we can goe: and if we call that the Ca∣tholic Church which is the greater part, that may deceive us; for in the days of Elias almost all Israel had corrupted himself, and in the time of the Arrians almost all the world was Arrian; and at this day a very great part of the Catholic Church is stain'd with the horrible errors and follies of Popery: and besides our notices are so little and narrow of the belief of Christendome, our entercourses so small, our relations so false, our informa∣tions so partial, that it is not possible for us to know what is the belief of the major part. It is not known at this day by the Doctors of the Roman Church what is the practice of the Greek Churches in the Marriage of their Priests, nor what is their doctrine of Purgatory, nor of the processi∣on of the holy Ghost, as appears in their disputes & contrary narratives of these particulars. We cannot tell in England at this day whether the Lu∣theran Churches have right Ordinations and perfect succession of Bishops in their Churches. I have endeavoured very much to inform my self in the particular, and am not yet arrived to any certain notice of it. This therefore, to appeal to the sense of the major part of the Church in a que∣stion, will signify nothing at all as to our conscience.

Especially if to this we adde,* 1.7 that the Churches have got a trick of Empire and imposing their sometimes false, and always unnecessary arti∣cles upon all of their communion; and then the faith of the Church will depend upon the opinion of the chief and principals: and then their belief will be like a rumour spread from a few mouths into the ears of millions, who, though they all tell the same story, yet are no more credible for their multitude then the first reporters were for their authority. Nay in most places men dare not speak what they think, and dare not believe what they find dangerous, and dare not inquire into what they dare not disbelieve; so that if you had been at Trent and ask'd the Fathers, it would have signified nothing: for whatever their belief was, they were born down by the Con∣gregations, and the Congregations by the Legates, and the Legates by the Pope; and that's the Catholic Church.

It remains therefore that we are from the Catholic Church to ex∣pect no other determination of our questions,* 1.8 but by conveying to us no∣tice of the doctrines Apostolical. And this is often and largely discours'd and taught bya 1.9 S. Irenaeus, by S. Clementb 1.10 in Euse∣bius, byc 1.11 Tertullian, byd 1.12 Origen,e 1.13 S. Cyprian,f 1.14 S. A∣thanasius, g 1.15 S. Basil,h 1.16 Epiphanius,i 1.17 S. Hierom,k 1.18 S. Austin, andl 1.19 Vincentius Lirinensis: what they could derive from the fountains Apostolical by a clear chanel and conduit, that was first, and that was true,

and that was in the rule, and that was the measure of faith. And there∣fore when in the Council of Ephesus the Epistle of Capreolus the Bishop of Carthage was read for the establishment of antiquity, and the reproof of the new doctrines, all the Bishops cried out, Hae omnium voces sunt, haec omnes dicimus, hoc omnium votum est. This was the voice of them all, they all said the same thing: and what was that which they all affirm'd, nisi ut quod erat antiquitus traditum, teneretur? quod adinventum nuper, explo∣deretur? saith Vincentius, that what is ancient and at first deliver'd, that should be held; that which is lately invented should be exploded. For the Church cannot determine questions by way of judgment and authority, but by way of attestation, and as a witnesse onely of the doctrine Aposto∣lical. There is nothing else necessary, and nothing else is practicable.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1.
• * 1.2

  lib. 2. Chap. 3. Rule 14.
• * 1.3

  2.
• * 1.4

  3.
• * 1.5

  4.
• * 1.6

  5.
• * 1.7

  6.
• * 1.8

  7.
• a 1.9

  Lib. 3. cap. 40. & lib. 5. c. 20. lib. 4. cap. 63, & 43.
• b 1.10

  Lib. 3. cap. 12.
• c 1.11

  de Prae∣script. & contr. Marcion. l. 4.
• d 1.12

  In prooem. l. 1. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• e 1.13

  Epist. ad Pompei.
• f 1.14

  Ad S••rap. de Spir. S.
• g 1.15

  Serm. cont. Sab. & Arrium.
• h 1.16

  Haeres. 31.
• i 1.17

  Adv. Lucifer.
• k 1.18

  Contr. Faust. Manich. lib. 11. cap. 2.
• l 1.19

  Cap. antepenult.