An answer, to a little book call'd Protestancy to be embrac'd or, A new and infallible method to reduce Romanists from popery to Protestancy

SECT. I. St. Augustin's saying of the mending of a former Council, by a poste∣rior, fully answered.

OUr Adversary conscious to himself, that we put the Definitions of approv'd General Councils, in the number of reveal'd Truths,

Grants indeed that Protestants deny General Coun∣cils to be Infallible in their Decisions, but their In∣fallibility, saies he, is no Article of Faith. Else Augustin was an Heretick, avouching de Bap lib. 2. contra Donatis c. 3. That General Councils ga∣thered out of all the Christian World, are often corrected, the former by the latter; the correction of a Council undoubtedly supposes a precedent Er∣ror, and a Council to be Errable, as every one understands, that knows any thing.

Answer. St. Augustin does not say often cor∣rected, but mended, there is a great difference be∣tween these two Words, the one supposes an Er∣ror, the other only whatsomever defect it being deriv'd from menda, which as Scaliger in his notes upon varro remarks, comes from the Latin ad∣verb minus, and properly signifies any defect what∣somever. A Master Painter draws a Lady, his piece is prais'd as well done, having all its just pro∣portions, and perfectly all her Features. Another Master draws her again with a little more Life, he is also said to have drawn her well, nay to have mended the other, So, well, suffers a Latitude without the Compass of Error. The first did well, but as we say in Latine minus Benè. Altho' two Scholers compose a Theam, both without Er∣ror, yet one may have made minus Benè, then the other, i. e. with less Elegance.

If you ask me in what this amendment of a General Council was, or may be made. I Answer. if you will have this amendment to be the correction of an Error of a General approv'd Council, it is to be understood in some matters of Fact, or some precepts of maners which depending of the cir∣cumstance of Time, Place and Persons, may have been right and good at one time and in con∣venient

at another, and therefore chang'd by rea∣son of the change of circumstances.

And that this was the meaning of St. Aug••∣stin.

I prove by his following Words, pleanary Coun∣tils may be amended, the former by the latter, when, saies he, by some experiment of things that is Open∣ed which was shut up and that known which lay hid.

I ask can we know by any experiment of things how many persons are in the Divine Nature? How many in CHRIST, how many Sacraments? No; but the Truth of a Fact, which lay hid, with time may come to Light, and so alter the mind of the Judge.

You'l say the matter in Question here with St. Augustin and the Donatists was a matter of Faith. Ans. The matter which gave the occasion to Augustin, to speak of General Councils, I grant. the matter at which he hinted in these last Words, plenaria Saepe priora posterioribus emen∣dari, I deny; and with ground: Because when he speaks of the Letters of Bishops and of Provin∣cial or National Councils, he uses these Words, Licere reprehendi, Siquid in eis forte a veritate deviatum est, which import a capacity of down right Error as I said afore: And speaking of General Councils, he cautiously uses the Word Emendari, which imports only some defect whatsomever.

All this is strongly confirm'd by his saying in the same Chap: that St. Cyprian would certainly have corrected his Opinion, had the point in his time been defin'd by a General Council. And a∣gain, by what he sayes, Lib. primo de Bap. con∣tra donat. Tom. 7. that no doubt ought to be made of what is by full Decree established in a General

Council, how can this be true, if in his Opinion a General Council may Err? I ask again had there been more then the first four General Councils, the fourth being that of Chalcedon, held under Leo the first, the year of our Lord four hundred and fifty, (which four General Councils St. Gregory respect∣ed as the four Evangils) when St. Augustin said this, and yet he sayes Saepe Emendari, had he seen any mended in matter of Faith?

Lastly I give, to take from you all Scruple, that a General Council may be mended as to the want of a more clear Explication by a posterior, when experience shows us that some new arising Errors demand, a more ample Declaration of some point of Doctrine already defin'd. But that New Declaration gives you no more a new point of Doctrine, then I give you a new Rose when I blow out a bud which is in your hand; you have no more of a Rose than you had before, but only a fuller sight of it. No more have you of the truth in such an Explanation then you had before, but onely a clearer sight of it. In fine if a posterior Council might correct a former in matter of Faith, 'twould serve for nothing, for why am I more sure of this, than they of the former? This were only to breed confusion and foment division, while the adherents of one party clash with the other, since neither has Infallibility as you sup∣pose.

A Subject. Another objecton solv'd.

OUr Adversary brings another passage out of St. Augustin, against Maximian an Arian Bi∣shop, lib. 3 cap. 4. But first St. Augustin has not wrote any thing against any Arian Bishop called Maximian, as you may see in the Index of his Works.

He has indeed written three Books against Max∣iminus an Arian Bishop, but in the fourth chap: of the third Book he quot's, there is no such thing as this passage, which he sets down thus.

Neque ego teneor concilio Niceno neque tu Arime∣nenci. Neque standum tibi est Authoritati hujus nec mihi illius. Ponenda materia cum materia, causa cum causa, ratio cum ratione, examinanda res Au∣thoritate Scripturae.

Neither am I bound to the Council of Nice nor you to that of Arimini, neither ought you to stand to the Authority of this, nor I to the Authority of that. Let us set matter to matter, cause to cause, reason to reason, the thing is to be examin'd by the Authority of Scripture.

How ever I explain the passage without diffi∣culty. Thus,

St. Agustin seeing that the Authority of the Council of Nice, was of no force with the Arian, who rely'd upon no other Council but that of A∣rimini: To draw him out of his hole, he pro∣vok'd to an Authority common to both, viz. to that of the Holy Scripture. And this is common in the

Schools, for Men to lay aside their private pria∣ciples and argue from one which is agree'd on by both parties.

The sense then of St. Augustin, (if this passage be his) may be this, neither am I so tyed to the Council of Nice, nor you to that of Arimini, that we may not make use of another principle which is common to both.