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 XXII. The Decrees of General Councils are of great use in the Conduct of Conscience, but not the proper measure, or last determination of matters of be∣lief.

I Before* 1.1 considered Councils as they had acquir'd an accidental autho∣rity by the veneration of their age,* 1.2 and their advantage of having been held in the elder ages of the Church: Now I consider them in their own proper and immediate pretence. I then consider'd them in order to Go∣vernment, but now in order to faith: for Councils Ecclesiastical have pre∣tended to a power over the conscience, so as to require both the obedience of the will, and the obedience of the understanding. Concerning which I am to say, that Nothing can oblige to Divine faith but a Divine autho∣rity: to which Councils can no more pretend for being General, then for being Provincial; and to which great assemblies have no other title or pre∣tence of promise then the private congregations of the faithfull, who though but two or three, yet shall be assisted by the Divine presence. But General Councils are so wholly of humane institution, that though by the dictate of right reason and natural wisedome they are to be conven'd; yet to make them a formal judicatory, and to give them a legislative power or a dominion and magistery in faith, there are so many conditions requir'd both to their indiction and convention, to their constitution and integrity, to their conduct and proceeding, to their conclusion and determination, that men are not to this day agreed about any one of them; and therefore they cannot be a legal judicatory obliging any but them that doe consent, and so oblige themselves.

But yet they are of great use for inquiry and consultation:* 1.3 and there∣fore Eusebius speaking of Constantine the Emperour,* 1.4 says of him, Conci∣lium generale tanquam Dei exercitum instruens, in unum locum coegit. A Ge∣neral Council is God's army; and being a representative of the Church in the same degree as it is General and rightly called, and rightly order'd, and rightly proceeding, it partakes of the Churches appellation; it is acies

ordinata, terrible as an army with banners. Let them be as many as it hap∣pens, in the multitude of Counsellors there is safety; that is, they are more likely to understand truth then single persons, for they are not so soon pre∣judic'd and corrupted: as a river is harder to be poyson'd or to be turn'd aside, then a pail of water or a dish-full; but if it be, it is so much the worse. But if they proceed rightly they are excellent helps, and some of them have done great good to the Church, and some have done great mischief; and which have, and which have not, we are to inquire by other instru∣ments: so that we are to judge concerning them, and then they are to be guides to us; that is, we consider which are fittest to be followed, of which we judge by General and extrinsic considerations, and then we follow them in the particular inquiry; that is, we follow them because we think they followed the Apostles, and were faithfull witnesses of their doctrine. Which indeed is an excellent benefit which we may receive by the first and most Ancient Councils, which were near the fountains: they could trace all the new pretences up to their original, they discussed the doctrines in their pro∣vinces, they heard what any one could say, they carried it to the General as∣sembly, they compared it with the tradition and doctrine of other Chur∣ches, and all together were able very well to tell how the Apostles had taught the Churches of their foundation. And because the four first Ge∣neral Councils did, or are suppos'd to have done so, therefore they have acquir'd a great, but an accidental authority, and are accepted by the most part of Christendome, and made into humane laws of faith, and the mea∣sures of heresy. Such use as this the conscience can make of the Anci∣ent Councils; but beyond this or some such good use as this the conscience is at no hand oblig'd to follow their determinations as the sentence of a competent judge, but as of an authentick witnesse, when it can appear or be credible that it can be so, and is so. And this was the very thing that S. Athanasius affirm'd of the Nicene Council,* 1.5 Siquidem Nicaena Synodus non temere habita est, ut quae habeat gravissimos usus & legitimam rationem. The Nicene Synod was of great use. They met about the question of Easter and the Arian heresy. Sed in negotio Paschatis non abhorruerunt ab istiusmodi appendice. Ibi enim placuit ut adderetur, Visum est ut omnes ob∣temperarent. De Fide verò non scripserunt, Visum est; sed ad istum modum, Credit Catholica Ecclesia: & statim confessio ipsa credendi adjuncta est, ut ostenderent eam non esse novam sententiam, sed Apostolicam, & quae ipsi scrip∣sissent non esse sua inventa, sed Apostolorum documenta. But in the matter of Easter, because it was a ritual, and the circumstance of time and the unity of order, they decreed, that every one should obey. But in the matter of Faith they did not write so, that they appointed every one to obey, but in this manner, The Catholick Church believes: and then they adjoyn'd the confession of Faith, to shew that the doctrine was not new, but that it was Apostolical, it was that which they wrote, but nothing of a later birth. To any other purpose neither the Council of Nice nor the Council of Ariminum is of any use or authority: save onely it is the sentence of so many men, and is to be received according to the credibility of the men, or the reasonablenesse of the article.

But then let it be considered,* 1.6 to what the authority of a Council will amount according to the sentence of most men. The Doctors of the Church of Rome (a few onely expected) say that a Council, if it be not con∣firmed by the Pope, hath no authority. Upon this account, if they say true, every Council is fallible, and therefore no rule or guide of faith: for

unlesse it can be deceiv'd, why should it be submitted to the judgment of the Pope? and if it can be deceived, it cannot bind, because it cannot secure the conscience. But the others that are not of the Roman party say, a Council is then not deceiv'd, when it delivers the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles, and speaks consonantly to Scriptures: and if a single Doctor does so, he is to be believ'd. What then? wheres the difference? This onely is it, That it is more likely a Council shall find out the truth, and re∣port the tradition; and if we be to chuse our faith by guesse and probability, a Council is better then a single Doctor, by so much as there are many more then one Doctor in it. But this will onely serve the turn till men are willing or at leisure to inquire: this onely excepted; because few men can judge, and most men are rul'd by others, all such persons can have nothing better to rule and determine them then a General Council: but then it is an argument of reason, and not of authority; it is not because they are bound, but because it is most reasonable in their circumstances.

I should here have considered of what authority the writings of the* 1.7 Fathers are to the interpretation of Scripture and the conduct of con∣science: but because I find onely the same use of them as of other learned men in all ages of the Church, save onely in those things where they are witnesses of the Apostolical doctrines, to which they best can give testimo∣ny who are the most Ancient,* 1.8 and because themselves disclaim any autho∣rity in matters of faith, and call to be tried by the word of God; I had ra∣ther this thing should be read in others then in my self: because it is matter of envy and reproach to tell why they cannot be relied upon; and to adde more reputation to that authority which they have acquir'd by many inter∣vening causes, by reason, and by unreasonablenesse, would be matter of danger, and sometimes the causes of error, and very often of a deceitfull confidence. But who please may see this uncertainly disputed, and never concluded to any certaintly, by* 1.9 Cajetan on one side, and Melchior Canus on the other. He may also consider the saying of the† 1.10 Bishop of Bitonto, that he preferr'd the sentence of one Pope before a thousand Hieroms, and a thousand Augustines & Gregories; and that every side declines their arbitra∣tion when they speak against them: by which it appears that no side supposes themselves to be bound in conscience to follow them.

But the best use of them is that which the Church of England hath describ'd in one of her ancient Canons,* 1.11 that her Bishops and Priests should teach nothing nisi quod ex doctrina Veteris & Novi Testamenti veteres Pa∣tres & Ecclesiae Episcopi collegerint, but what the Fathers & ancient Bishops of the Church have gathered out of the doctrine of the Old and New Testament: which Canon gives a very good answer to this inquiry if we should enter into it. For it declares that the Fathers are so far to be followed as they follow Scripture, and that their writings are of great use for the reproof of new doctrines: and certainly if Preachers were confin'd to this measure, possibly we might misse some truths which now it may be we find; but it is certain we should escape very many errors. For the rest, I refer my reader to the Archbp. of Spalato de rep. Eccles. lib. 7. c. 6. to Rivet's Prolegomena to his Criticus Sacer, to Daniel Tossanus his Synopsis de legendis Patribus, to Gregory de Valentia his analysis fidei, to Bishop Morton his Catholick Apolo∣gy, and to D Whittaker de Script, authoritate. In this whole affair the con∣science is at liberty, and therefore I am here to inquire no further.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Rule 14.
• * 1.2

  1.
• * 1.3

  2.
• * 1.4

  lib. 3. de vi••a Constant. c. 6.
• * 1.5

  de Synod.
• * 1.6

  3.
• * 1.7

  4.
• * 1.8

  S. August. E∣pist. 48. & E∣pist. 111. Vide Gratian. dist. 9. Cyril. Hier. Catech. 4. S. Hieron. Ep. 19. & Ep. 76.
• * 1.9

  Praefat. in comment. de Locis com. l. 7. c. 3. concl. 3, & 4.
• † 1.10

  Concion. in Epist. ad Rom. cap. 14. pag. 606.
• * 1.11

  5.