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. A Word by way of entry into this matter.

OUr Adversary sayes our Faith is so blind, that he hath heard many of ours say, if a General Council had defin'd white to be black, they would believe it.

Whereby we are seen disposed, sayes he, to admit of any Error, if it be Authoriz'd by a Ge∣neral Council.

Answer. First, such Arguments fetch'd from the Testimony of an Antagonist are of no weight, since, according to the Methode of the School we are bound to credit no more brought by an Ad∣versary then what he proves.

In the second place, I ask him, if clear Scrip∣ture should tell him that Black is White, would he believe it, or not? Would he not believe it? Then he would prefer his private Light to clear Scripture, which to do, is Impious. Would he

believe it? Then he is found dispos'd, say I, to admit of any Error if it be set down in clear Scrip∣ture. He'll say to me the case is not alike, be∣cause the Scripture is the Word of God, and the Decree of a General Council the Word of Men. But by his Favour, we hold that this also is the Word of God, tho uttered to us by the Mouth of Men, according to that of the Acts cap. 15. and v. 18. It hath seemed Good to the Holy Ghost and us.

If he say 'tis impossible that God should say by the Scripture, that Black is White, I say, 'tis al∣so, as impossible he should say it by a General Council, giving it out as a Decree of Faith. But absolutely speaking, can't that Assembly of those Men advance such a proposition?

I Answer. Absolutely speaking they can, but then we would not believe it, because that pro∣position neither belonging to Faith nor good man∣ners, (which are the whole and adequat Object to which their Infallibility extends it self, as we R. Catholicks hold,) it layes no Obligation upon us to believe it.

Moreover, to give something to what our Ad∣versary sayes he heard say. Since in Aristotles Principles, an Accident is really distinguish'd from a Substance; what if God by his Almighty Power should put the Colour of White in the Subject, in which is the Colour of Black, would this imply a Contradiction? And in this case would not this proposition be true, Black is White, or the Sub∣ject having the Colour of Black is the Subject which has the Colour of White.