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

VARIATIONS RESPECTING INFALLIBILITY. 251the fathers themselves give a very different account of tliematter, " A Cliristian is bound,*" says Bellarmine, " to receivethe Church's doctrine without examination." But Basilflatly contradicts him. " The hearers,"" says he, " that areinstructed in the Scriptures must examine the doctrine oftheir teachers ; they must receive the things that are agreeableto Scripture, and reject thosethings that are contrary" Do not believe me saying these things," says Cyril,to it."" unless I prove them out of the Scriptures."* If, then,we appeal to the fathers themselves,—and those who believethem to be infallible cannot certainly refuse this appeal,—the infallibility of tradition must be given up.But not a few Romanists, when hard pressed, give up theinfallibility of the fathers,-)- and take refuge in that of generalcouncils. But whence comes the infallibility of thesecouncils? The men in their individual capacity are notinfallible : how come they to be so in their collective capacity?We do not deny that God might have preserved thecouncils of his Church from error ; but the question is notHaswhat God might have done, but what He has done.He signified his intention to infallibly guide the councils ofthe Church IIf so, in two ways only can this intention havebeen made known,—through the Bible, or through tradition.Not through the Bible, for it contains no promise of infallibilityto councils ;and Papists produce nothing from Scriptureon this head beyond thetexts on which they attemptto base the primacy, which we have already disposed of.Nor does tradition reveal the infallibility of general councils.No father has asserted that such a tradition has descendedto him from the apostles ; and not only did thefathers reject the notion of their own infallibility, but theyalso rejected the infallibility of councils, and demanded, as* For the concurrence of the fathers of the first three centiiries in theProtestant method of resolving faith, see Stillingfleet's Rational Account,part i. chap. ix.+ See Seymour's debates with the Roman Jesuits, in his Mornings amongthe Jesuits.