The safe religion, or, Three disputations for the reformed catholic religion against popery proving…The safe religion, or, Three disputations for the reformed catholike religion against popery proving…

The Major I hope no Christian will deny. The Minor is evident from the nature and use of Laws and Judgements: The Law is Norma judicis in judicando: the Judges Rule: He is not to Judge the Law, but the cause of particular persons by that Law. Indeed ⟨p. 203⟩as to the right guidance of his own act of Decisive Judging the cause of the person, he hath a Judgement of discretion concerning the sense of the Law; but, as if he Judge upon a false exposition of the Law, the party may appeal from him, so (which concerneth our present case) he hath no power to Judge the Law it self: As he cannot make a plain text to bear a false sense, or oblige the subject to believe a false sense: so in a doubtful case it belongeth to the Law-givers only to interpret their own Laws. Only a sentence of a lawful Judge grounded upon a false exposition, may sometime be executed among men where justice cannot be had: but no man is bound to Believe that it is true and just: James tells men what it is to pretend to be a Judge of the Law, in stead of doing it, and leaving that to the one Law-giver, Jam. 4, 11, 12. And if the Pope be made Judge of every controverted difficulty in Scripture, then why is he so unfaithful that he hath not hitherto written us an infallible Commentary on it? and why doth he not determine all the controversies about it, that among his own followers remain yet undetermined? (of which more anon.)

The Major I hope no Christian will deny. The Minor is evident from the nature and use of Laws and Judgements: The Law is Norma judicis in judicando: the Judges Rule: He is not to Judge the Law, but the cause of particular persons by that Law. Indeed ⟨p. 203⟩as to the right guidance of his own act of Decisive Judging the cause of the person, he hath a Judgement of discretion concerning the sence of the Law; but, as if he Judge upon a false exposition of the Law, the party may appeal from him, so (which concerneth our present case) he hath no power to Judge the Law it self: As he cannot make a plaine text to bear a false sence, or oblige the subject to believe a false sence: so in a doubtful case it belongeth to the Law-givers onely to interpret their own Laws. Onely a sentence of a lawful Judge grounded upon a false exposition, may sometime be executed among men where justice cannot be had: but no man is bound to Believe that it is true and just: James tells men what it is to pretend to be a Judge of the Law, in stead of doing it, and leaving that to the one Law-giver,