Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/141

 CfP. IV.] INFALLIBILITY. 133 hath promised to be tv/tA f]Mm am/riled/in tAon; (2 Cot. vi, 16 ;) yet this does not provide but that they may both misunderstand and re- nounce Christianity. Indeed, this promise makes as much for 6d/ty as for infallibility; and as he hath not given the former, we conclude he hath not given the latter. In short, it is a z/dr'/tua//,'e- sm.e, and not infallibility, that is here promised to the apostles or their successors; although from other places it appears that they were in- fillibis in what they delivered for the doctrines of Christ, but no place of Scripture asserts the same in behalf of the church. A gracious presence of Christ with his church does not embrace a conjunctive in- fa///b///ty of the pastors as a necessary foundation for the church dif- fusive. This passage, as well as those of a similar import, proves only the presence of Christ with his church to the end of time. And ob- serve, this promise of divine presence is not made to the church in any one place, for the seven churches of Asia have long since become ex- tinct; but it is made to those who testA whatsoever Christ commanded, and who obsrw or o//the things taught. Therefore, as far as the Romanisle are defective in teaching all Christs commands, and in keeping them, so far they are not allowed to claim this promise, for the promise is made to those only who do and teach. "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." (4.) From the promise made by Christ to his apostles, that he would bestow on them the Spirit of truth, who would abidz with them, and iodd tAon ito all tutA, the Roman Catholic writers claim infallibility for their church. We will quote the passage in full, because they usually take detached words and expressions from which to prove the/r favourite doctrines, and thus wrest the Scripture. "If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pry the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever," John xiv, 15, 16. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said to you," John xiv, 26. "Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself, but whatso- ever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you thing to come," John xvi, lJ. We will give Whitby's note on this passage as a correct interpretation: "The Spirit of truth will lead you into all truth necessary to your apostolical office, and to direct the Christian church to the end of the world in all saving truth. For, as Irenus notes, ' The doctrines which they taught, they after delivered in the Scriptures to be the pill&r and foundation of our faith.' And as St. Austin adds, ' Christ having committed to them the writing of those things which he would have us read, they chose out of those things to write which they judged sufficient to be written for the salvation of the faithful.' It is, therefore, certain that the apostles, in compilin.g the cnon of Scripture, were so assisted by the Holy Spirit as to write all tTuths necessary for the salvation of believers, and consequently, that all things necessary to be believed or done by Christians are fully and perspicuously contained in the Holy Scriptures." From the expression, "He shall teach you things to come,"and fwm the parallel place, "He shall bring all things to your remembrance which l lmve sa/d to you," the two following things are evident :--1. Till. this

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