fallibility even of a papally ratified General Council, will inevitably, to the sore discomposure of a logical head, find himself whirled round and round in the giddy revolution of the circulating syllogism. Let him manage his unpromising materials as best he may, such a reasoner can only, first demonstrate the infallibility of such a Council from its own decision respecting its own self, and then secondly demonstrate the infallibility of such a decision from the infallibility of such a Council.

I might add, that, ere we can assuredly benefit from the inerrancy of a true General Council, not only must the infallibility of such a Council be first infallibly established, but the precise nature of its requisite composition must likewise be infallibly defined and determined. Is a genuine infallible Council composed jointly of the Clergy and the Laity or must its members be exclusively clerical? If its members must be exclusively clerical, are they variously to be both Bishops and Priests and Deacons: or are Deacons to be shut out, while Bishops and Priests are admitted: or are both Priests and Deacons alike to be shut out, while Bishops alone can be deemed legitimate canonical members? All these points must be infallibly determined by antecedent infallible authority, ere we could consistently receive as infallible the decisions of a General Council, even on the supposition, that a General Council itself had infallibly, though only indefinitely, been antecedently determined to be infallible.

But I press not any further the mere subordinate entanglements of this strangely perplexed question. It will be sufficient for me to ask, in all simplicity, the advocate of roman infallibility: Where has it been infallibly determined, that a General Council is infallible, when its decisions shall have received the final stamp of the papal sanction? If such a determination has been made; how do you demonstrate the antecedent infallibility of the determiner ? If such a determination has not been made; how know you, that a papally sanctioned General Council is infallible? And yet, if such a determination has not already been infallibly made; how can it hereafter be made without a special revelation from heaven?

In short, by the very nature and necessity of things, no one can infallibly define the seat of infallibility, unless he shall have antecedently demonstrated himself to be infallible.

VI. But we have not even yet reached the end of the marvellous difficulties and glaring inconsistencies, with which the dogma of roman infallibility is so hopelessly encumbered.

Even if it had been clearly revealed that the Latin Church is incapable of error, and even if the precise organ of her infallibility had by scriptural authority been plainly defined: still, to derive any benefit from such infallibility, it would yet additionally be necessary, that each individual Christian should himself be rendered incapable of

error.

The alleged uncertainty and indefiniteness of Scripture is a fruitful topic of argument with every zealous Romanist': and this very indefiniteness is urged in proof, that for the establishment of the faith infallibility is necessary, and THEREFORE that God must have conferred it upon his Church 2.

But those ingenious persons, who thus argue, seem never to have observed, that exactly the same difficulty, if difficulty it be, attends equally upon the decisions both of Popes and of Councils. Scripture, as the word of God, we know to be infallible: Popes and Councils have, by the Romanists, been alleged to be infallible. If, then, the acknowledged infallibility of Scripture may, in actual operation, prove unavailing; because a confessedly fallible reader may doubtless mistake its import certainly the alleged infallibility of a Pope or a Council may, in actual operation, be equally unavailing; because a confessedly fallible reader or hearer of their infallible decisions may entirely misunderstand such decisions. In the abstract, let the decisions themselves be ever so free from error: still no person can be infallibly sure that he annexes to them their true meaning, unless he

'Hermannus ait: Scripturas valere quantum fabulas Æsopi, si destituantur Ecclesiæ autoritate. V. Baill. Tract. i. quæst.

17.

Sunt Scripturæ quidam velut nasus cereus, qui se horsum, illorsum, trahi, retrahi, fingique, facile permittit. Albert. Pigh. Hierarch. Eccles. lib. iii. c. 3.

2 The reader will find a superb specimen of this argumentum a priori, in Discuss. Amic. lettr. iii. vol. i. p. 102–104.

himself be also infallible 1. The Romanist, in short, cannot object to infallible Scripture its liability to be misunderstood unless explained by an infallible interpreter, without having his objection forthwith retorted upon himself in regard to the alleged infallible decisions of a Pope or a Council. Every reader or hearer of such decisions must himself be infallible, ere he can be infallibly sure that he does not misunderstand them.

VII. With abundant complacency and with mighty parade of triumph, Romanists not unfrequently object to members of the Reformed Churches that The faith of those who reject the authority of the Latin Communion confessedly rests only upon moral evidence; while the better faith of the Romanist rests upon the sure foundation of absolute infallibility.

1 Thus the Council of Trent has infallibly decided, that DUE honour and veneration (DEBITUM honorem et venerationem) is to be paid to the images of Christ and the Virgin and the Saints: but two stout disputants might, nevertheless, salva Synodi infallibilitate, get up a very pretty and very edifying controversy as to the precise amount of the unerring DEBITUM. Concil. Trident. sess. xxv. p. 507. Dr. Trevern himself talks of certain exaggerating gentlemen within the pale of the Roman Church, for whose particular speculations it were unjust to make the Catholic Body in general responsible. Discuss. Amic. vol. ii. p. 274, 275. Yet, on his principles, how will he prove, that the exaggeraters are wrong, and that the diminishers are right? Has the amount of the DEBITUM ever been infallibly determined? Effectually to confute the exaggeraters, Dr. Trevern must wait for an infallible exposition of the infallible decision of the infallible Council of Trent.

But what reasoning mind perceives not, at a glance, the childish inconsecutiveness of this objection ?

The Romanist himself, in the first instance, receives this very dogma of infallibility solely upon what he at least deems sufficient moral evidence: for, unless he himself be personally infallible, he cannot be infallibly certain that his Church is infallible. Hence, the faith of the Romanist ultimately rests upon the same professed basis of moral evidence, as the faith of the Protestant. In the two cases, the moral evidence may be sufficient, or it may be insufficient: but still, in each case, the really professed basis is moral evidence. The sole difference consists in the development of the original principle. Knowing that theological truths are incapable of mathematical demonstration, the Protestant receives them simply upon moral evidence.

The Romanist, meanwhile, enjoys the high advantage of receiving his theological system upon the authority of alleged absolute infallibility: but then it is simply upon what he deems a sufficiency of moral evidence, that he receives the dogma of infallibility itself. He is perfectly certain, that the doctrine of Transubstantiation must be true; because it has been infallibly defined by his infallible Church: and, as Bp. Walmesley tells us, When a dogmatical point is to be determined, the Catholic Church speaks but once; and her decree is irrevocable'. But, if we press him to tell

Gen. Hist. of the Church, chap. ix. p. 224.