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296 THE HISTORY OF HERESIES,
(Matt, xxviii, 19). These prelates, separately, may fall into
error, and frequently disagree with each other on controverted
points, and, therefore, we should receive what they tell us as
infallible, and as coming from Christ himself, when they are
united in Council. On this account the Holy Fathers have
always considered as heretics those who contradicted the dogmas
defined by General Councils, as the reader may see, by consulting
St. Gregory of Nazianzen, St. Basil, St. Cyril, St. Ambrose,
St. Athanasius, St. Augustin, and St. Leo (4).
78. Besides all these proofs, there is another, that if General
Councils could err, there would be no established tribunal in the
Church, to terminate disputes about points of dogma, and to
preserve the unity of the Faith, and if they were not infallible
in their judgments, no heresy could be condemned, nor could we
say it was a heresy at all. We could not be certain either of
the canonicity of several books of the Scripture, as the Epistle
of St. Paul to the Hebrews, the Second Epistle of St. Peter, the
Third Epistle of St. John, the Epistles of St. James and St.
Jude, and the Apocalypse of St. John ; for, although
the Calvin-
ists receive all these, still they are considered doubtful by others,
because they were not declared canonical by the Fourth Council.
Finally, we may add, that if Councils could err, they committed
an intolerable error in proposing, as Articles of Faith, matters,
which they could not assert were true, or false ; and thus the
Creeds of Nice, of Constantinople, of Ephesus, and of Chalcedon,
would fall to the ground, in which several dogmas were declared,
which before were not held as such, and still these four General
Councils are received as Rules of Faith by the Innovators them
selves. We have now to consider their numerous and importunate
objections.
79. First, Calvin objects (5) several passages of the Scrip
tures, in which the Prophets, Priests, and Pastors, are called
ignorant and liars :
" From the Prophet to the Priest, all deal
deceitfully" (Jer. viii, 10) ; "His watchmen are all blind
the shepherds themselves know no understanding" (Isaias, Ivi,
(4) St. Greg. Nazianz. Ep. ad Cledon. ; St. Basil, Ep. 78 ; St. Cyril, de
Trinit. ; St. Ambr. Ep. 32; St. Athan. Ep. ad Episc. Airic. ; St. Aug. /. I, do
Bapt. c. 18 ; St. Leo, Ep. 77, ad Auatol.
(5) Calv. List. /. 4, c. 9, sec. 3.