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Ob. THe Council of Frankford condemned the second Nicene Council for giving Soveraign honor to Images, as you may see in the preface of the Caroline books.
Answ. The second council of Nice allowes no such honor to images, but only a salutation or honorary worship, not true Latria (or Sove∣raign
honor) which it defines to be due to God only, Acts 1. 7. The Caroline books are of no authority, they say that council was not appro∣ved by the Pope, which is false, and that it was held at Constantinople in Bythinia, whereas Con∣stantinople is in Thrace.
Ob. The Lateran Council under Pope Leo 10. Sess. 11. defined, a Pope to be above a Council, and the Council of Constance Sess. 4. defined a coun∣cil to be above a Pope.
Answ. Neither part was ever yet owned by the church for an oecumenical decree or defini∣tion, and if it were, it would be answer'd, that the Lateran Council defined only a Pope to be a∣bove a Council taken without a Pope, or not approved, and that the Council of Constance only defined a Council approved by a Pope, to be above a Pope without a Council, which de∣finitions are not contradictory, no more then to say, one part of any thing is bigger then a∣nother, and the whole bigger then both; so that from hence it cannot be inferr'd, that ei∣ther Council err'd; nor was either decree ap∣proved by the Pope.
Ob. The Council of Basil defined, That a Coun∣cil was above a Pope.
Answ. The Decree was not approved, nor a∣ny other of that Council, but only such as con∣cerned Church-benefices. See Eugenius with Turrecremata. l. 2. c. 100.
Ob. The Council of Ariminum defined Aria∣nism.
Answ. It did not, and that equivocal decree which was there made, was never approved by the Pope; and the Fathers themselves, (who were deluded by the Arians, with words that bore a double sense, when they perceiv••d the fraud) lamented, and renounced the fact.
Ob. The Council of Trent er••'d, by adding to the Canon of Scripture.
Answ. It did not: The third Council of Car∣thage approved all the same books by name, excepting Baruch, whom they comprized with the Prophet Hieremy, whose Secretary he was, and this 1200. years ago.
Ob. The Fathers err'd some in one thing, some in another.
Answ. A part, I grant, all together (speak∣ing of any one age) I deny, and they all sub∣mitted to the church; and so do likewise our Schoolmen, who differ only in opinion con∣cerning School-points undefined, not in faith.
Ob. S. Austin tells S. Hierome, that he esteems none but the writers of the Canonical books to have been infallible in all they write, and not to erre in any thing.
Answ. Neither do we, we esteeme not the writers of Councils infallible in all they write, nor yet the Councils themselves, but on∣ly in the oecumenical decrees, or definitions of Faith.
Ob. S. Augustine Epist. 112. sayes, We are only bound to believe the canonical Scriptures, without dubitation; but for other witnesses, we may believe, or not believe them, according to the weight of their authority.
Answ. He speaks in a particular case, in which nothing had been defined by the church; namely, Whether God could be seen with cor∣poral eyes? but the Decrees of general coun∣cils are of divine authority, as we have proved; and therefore according to S. Augustine, to be believed without dubitation.
Ob. S. Athanasius (in his Epistle to the Bi∣shops of Africa) tells the Arians, they in vaine ran about to seek councils, since the Scripture is more powerful then all councils.
Answ. He sayes it was vain for them, who had rejected the general council of Nice, nor doubt we but the Scripture hath in many re∣spects a preheminence above the definitions of general councils, and a higher degree of infal∣libility, yet these also are infallible in points of faith.
I conclude this Article with that Decree of the council of Basil, The Catholique Church is in∣riched with so great priviledg by Christ our Savi∣our, &c. that we firmly believe she cannot erre in those things which are necessary to salvation, Anno Dom. 1431. respons. Synod. de authoritate Consilii Generalis.