The-papacy-its-history-dogmas-genius-and-prospects-wylie

AN INFALLIBLE INTERPRETER, 173" he has provided in his holy Church a living, speakingjudge, to watch over it, and explain it in all matters of controversy.""*Such is the rule of faith which E-ome furnishes to hermembers,—the Word of God and the traditions of men,both equally binding. And such is the way in which Romepermits her members to interpret the Scriptures,—only bythe Church.And yet, notwithstanding that the Church forbidsher members to interpret Scripture, she, as a Church,has never come forward with any interpretation of theWord of God ; nor has she adduced, nor can she adduce,the slightest proof from the Word of God that she aloneauthorized to interpret Scripture ;isnor is the consent of thefathers, according to which she binds herself to interpretthe Word of God, a consent that has any existence. Herclaim as the only and infallible interpreter ofScripture implies,moreover, that God has not expressed, or was notable to express, his mind, so as to be intelligible to thegenerality of men,—that he has not given his Word to allmen, or made it a duty binding on all to read and study it.The Church of Rome has farther weakened the authorityand polluted the purity of God's holy Word, by assigning to* M. J. Perrone, the present Professor of Theology in the Collegio Romanoat Rome, says :— " To the Church, that is, to the clergy, as formingone body with the Roman pontiff, their head, has been given the power ofinfallibly publishing the gospel, of truly interpreting it, and inviolablypreserving it." These high prerogatives he founds upon JMatthew, xxviii.19,_« Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations," &c. " Christ does not sayto his apostles," argues Perrone, " go and icrite, but, go and teach : nor doeshe say, ' I am with you for a time only, but always.' " By the " allthings whatsoever I have commanded you," we are to understand not onlywhat is written in the New Testament, but what tradition has handeddown as the sayings of Christ, The Professor makes great account of thevariety of interpretations to which written language is liable, but no accountat all of the far greater variations, not in interpretation only, but inthe subject-matter also, to which traditionary language is liable.(PrajlectionesTheologica?, quas in Collegio Romano Societatis Jesu habebat J.Perrone, tom. i. p. 171-174 ; Parisiis, 1842.)