VII. I would know, whether that Council cannot be an infallible Judge, without the Call and Prefidency of that Perfon? If fo, then,

VIII. I would know of him, if it fhould fo happen, that the whole, Council or the great majority of it should determine one way, and he alone or but with a little minority another, which would be in the right?

SIR, I could ask many more important Queftions relating to this Subject of the Church's Infallibility; as ift, Whether the fame fpiritual Judges, if the matter in Controverfy were fent to them in Circular Letters, would not be as Infallible in their Determinations, out of a Council, as in one? 2dly, Whether the refolutions of thofe who cannot come, but fend their Opinions upon the Question in Controverfie to the Council, ought not to be regarded in every refpect, as if they were prefent? Sir, There are many more difficult Questions relating to this Subject, but I will but trouble him with one or two more, occafion'd by the Writings of a learned Father of great Authority in the Latin Church, I mean Vincentius Li-' rinenfis, in his admirable Book entituled Commonitoria duo adverfus profanas Hærefeov Novationes. He flourished in the Year of God 434. almoft Thirteen hundred Years fince. And the defign of his Book [in thofe times] was to fhew a certain way to determine all Controverfies about Faith, which [in his judgment] was The Authority of Scripture, and the Tradition of the Catholick Church, which he makes to confift in | Antiquity, Univerfality, and Confent, c

X

# Cap. H. XXXVH. XXXVIII. XXXIX.

THIS he propofes both to private Men and Councils, as the only fure way of coming to truth in all Controverfies of Faith t without doubt or Scruple. He, nor the Fathers who wrote before him, ever fo much as mention, much less direct, to any living infallible Judge, but to Scripture expounded by Antiquity, Univerfality, and ConSent: and therefore I defire the Gentleman, upon reading that little Book, to tell me, if the Church knew of any living infallible Judge in his Time; or if it did, how he came to be ignorant of it? Or if, as he writes in that Book, Scripture expounded by Catholick Tradition, be a fure and certain Rule, whereby to determine all Controverfies, then how can there be any need of an infallible living Judge?

To Catholick Tradition, as fet forth and explained by him, we appeal, viz. to Antiquity, Univerfality, and Confent.

I appeal to it in this very Controversy of the Church's Infallibility, and will be concluded by it. And from this Rule, we fhall fee whether our Church or yours is Innovator in the things, that are in Controverfy between them, and which is in the right, and which in the wrong. I join with you in your Prayer, That God would ftrengthen and affift thofe with his Holy Spirit, who plead his Caufe, and bring thofe to Confufion, who fight against him with fubtilty and fophiftry.

I defire, Sir, that your Sifler may have the deliberate perufal of this Letter by herself, as long and as often as fhe thinks fit. And if the Gentleman hath a mind to proceed farther upon the fubject of Infallibility, I defire it may be in an Oral Conference before your Sifter, you only be

† Cap. XXXIX. XLI. * As Tertullian, Ireneus.

ing present on one fide, and my very worthy Friend and Neighbour Mr. Nelson, whom you know, on the other. I find I am not able to write fo much, as a Paper-Controversy upon this Queftion will require, having, as the World knows, much'* Work of another nature to do. This is the reason that I defire what you firft propofed, that if the Gentleman think fit to go on, it may be in an Oral Conference, in fome place where we may have proper Books.

You pretend, Sir, to be very much in hafte for fear your Sifter fhould die; fhe is, God be praised, -very well, and fuch Conferences muft not be hudled up in hafte for that reafon, no more than in former Ages they were wont to precipitate the Inftruction of the Catechumens.

nulla eft Cunctatio longa. I am,

S.I R,

Your bumble Servant,

De vita hominis

GEO. HICKES.

Lingg. Vett. Septentr. Thefaurus, &c. in two Books,

three Volumes fol. Printed at Oxford, 1705.

The

The REPLY to Dr. Hickes's Anfwer, fent by the Author of it to Mr. G---n, and tranfmitted by Mr. G----n to the Doctor.

SIR,

WHE

March 13. 170*.

I. THEN at your entreaty I fent you a short Query, concerning the true Church of Chrift, to be propofed to a learned DoЯtor for an Anfwer, I could not have imagined that there had been in it, either fo much ambiguity as to render it incapable of an Anfwer, or much less any thing to provoke any Man to Paffion and injurious Language; but fuch has been the fate of that little Paper. As to the ill Language it is by me unanswerable, only by praying God Almighty to bestow upon him all the true Bleffings he can defire, and that it may be my Share always to receive, rather than to give in that kind. But as to the fault he finds with the Question, I defign to fhew you in fhort, that had there been as much hafte in him to answer, as there is plainnefs in the Query, he would not have spent a Sheet of Paper fo little to the purpose. And when I have done this, I will endeavour to pick an Answer out of his Words, by which I may begin to frame an Argument or two, towards the ending of the Question; which perchance he will make his ftudy not to understand, left if he should understand them, he may begin to find that he cannot anfwer 'em. But firft, let us fee how he winks, that he may not fee the meaning of the Words fet down in the Query.

II. His

II. His firft difficulties are againft the ground of my Query, which ftands thus; Suppofing this for true, that the Church of Chrift can never perish. I appeal here to any Divine, whether the Words of this Propofition be not clear? Yet here he finds two difficulties. First, he defires to know, what the Word perifh means; I answer, To perish is to cease to be, to lofe the Effence the thing had before it perifhed. A Man perifhes when he dies, because he ceafes to be à Man: So the Church of Chrift fhould be faid to perifh, when it fhould ceafe to be the Church of Chrift. This is the evident, common, obvious meaning of the Word. But, fays he, perib may be taken in a moral fenfe, to mean (for example) that the Church perifhes, when it ceafes to be a found, well confiituted Church. ft, Suppose this were true, it's nothing to his purpose, for Words are to be taken always in their propereft fignification, unless there be fome good reafon to the contrary. 2dly, It's abfolutely falfe, that the Church may be faid to perifh, whilft it retains every thing effential to the Conftitution of a true Church, tho' at the fame time it remains unfound in fome part of it; any more than a Man can be faid to perifh when he lofes a Finger, or falls Sick, or when his Face grows dirty, according to his own phrafe. And when he will allow, that every Man perishes that falls into a Puddle, and dirties himfelf; then I will allow this Exception of his to be pertinent. In the mean time, let him reflect, that in cafe the Church had been unfound, that doth not amount to perishing, but only to being depraved; nor in fuch cafe had the loft ber Self, (which is to perifh,) but only her Beauty, or her found Conftitution. Befides, what imagina ble reafon had he to think that I fhould take the

Word