Wilson on Article XXI: Of the Authority of General Councils

a The Christian emperors in the old time appointed the coun- cils of the bishops. Constantine called the council at Nice: Theodosius the First called the council at Constantinople : Theo- dosius the Second called the council at Ephesus : Marcian called the council at Chalcedon. And when Ruffinus the heretic had alleged for his authority a council, which as he thought should make for him, St. Jerome his adversary, to confute him, « Tell us,” quoth he, ” what emperor commanded this council to be called?” The same St. Jerome again, in his epitaph upon Paula, maketh mention of the emperor’s letters, which gave com- mandment to call the bishops of Italy and Greece to Rome to a council. Continually for the space of five hundred years the emperor alone appointed the ecclesiastical assemblies, and called the councils of the bishops together. Jewell.

b I put case, these abbots and bishops have no knowledge : what if they understand nothing, what religion is, nor how we ought to think of God ? I put case, the pronouncing and minis- tering of the law be decayed in priests, and good counsel fail in the elders, as the prophet Micah saith, ” The night be unto them instead of a vision, and darkness instead of prophesying.” Or, as Esaias saith, ” What if all the watchmen of the city be become blind ?” ” What if the salt have lost his proper strength and savouriness, and,” as Christ saith, ” be good for no use, scant worth the casting on the dunghill ?” Jewell.

out of Simeon and they entered

into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul.

Lord. And he read in their ears

all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the Lord. And the king stood in his place, and made a co- venant before the Lord and he caused all that were present to stand to it. 2 Chron. xxxiv. 29.

whereof all be not governed with the Spirit and Word of God) they may err, and c sometimes have erred, even in things pertaining unto God. d Wherefore things ordained by them as necessary

When Nazianzen saw in his days how men in such assemblies were so blind and wilful, that they were carried with affections, and laboured more to get the victory than the truth, he pro- nounced openly, that he never had seen any good end of any council. Jewell.

c Indeed Peter Asotus and his companion Hosius stick not to affirm, that the same council, wherein our Saviour Jesus Christ was condemned to die, had both the spirit of prophesying1, and the Holy Ghost, and the Spirit of truth : and that it was neither a false nor a trifling- saying, when those bishops said, We have the law, and by our law he ought to die : and that they so say- ing did light upon the truth of judgment ; (for so be Hosius’s words ;) and that the same plainly was a just decree, whereby they pronounced that Christ was worthy to die. This, methink- eth, is strange, that these men are not able to speak for them- selves, and to defend their own cause, but they must also take part with Annas and Caiaphas against Christ. For if they will call that a lawful and a good council, wherein the Son of God was most shamefully condemned to die the death, what council will they then allow for false and naught. And yet (as all their councils, to say truth, commonly be) necessity compelled them to pronounce these things of the council holden by Annas and Caiaphas. Jewell.

d The Emperor Constantine not only sat together with them in the council of Nice, but gave also advice to the bishops, how- it was best to try out the Apostles’ and Prophets’ writings, as

c Then gathered the chief priests

and the Pharisees a council.

Then from that day forth they took counsel tog-ether for to put him to death. John xi. 47, 53. Then assembled tog-ether the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest who was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. Matt. xxvi. 3, 4. The chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and deli- vered him to Pilate. Mark xv. L When they had called the apostles

and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the pre- sence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. Acts v. 40, 41.

d What thing soever I command you, observe to do it : thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. Deut. xii. 32. Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments: I am the Lord your God: walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them. Esekiel xx. 18, 19. See Art. VI. and Art. XX.

to salvation, have neither strength nor authority, unless it may be declared that they be taken out of holy Scripture.

appeareth by these his own words : ” In disputations of matters of divinity, we have set before us to follow the doctrine of the Holy Ghost. For the Evangelists’ and the Apostles’ works, and the Prophets’ sayings, shew us sufficiently what opinion we ought to have of the will of God.” Jewell.

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Notes

• David gathered all Israel to- gether to bring the ark of God from Kirjathjearim. 1 Chron. xiii. 1 — 5. Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, &c. that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto King Solomon. 1 Kings viii. 1, 2. Asa gathered all Judah, and Ben- jamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and
• Chron. xv. 9 — 12. Hezekiah brought in the priests and the Le- vites, and gathered them together into the east street, and said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, &c. 2 Chron, xxix. 4. Josiah sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the king went up into the house of the