_Soc._ No, And for this I shall give you in brief many reasons, as I conceive satisfactory. For 1. Had I an obligation of submission of judgment to lawful General Councils, you cannot prove this such a one, and those the decrees thereof which are now extant, with such a certainty as is necessary to build thereon an Article of my Faith. For to prove this, you must satisfie me in all those things questioned concerning General Councils * by M. _Chillingworth_, p. 94. * By Dr. _Pierce_ in his answer to Mr. _Cressy_, p. 18. &c. * By Mr. _Whitby_ from p. 428. to p. 433. [where he concludes: 1. _That we never had a General Council._ 2. _That a General Council is a thing impossible_.] * By Mr. _Stillingfleet_ p. 508. &c.----495. 119. 123. &c. Who also, against the being of such a General Council as is the Representative of the whole Church Catholick, thus disputes[41]----_The representation of a Church_ (saith he) _by a General Council, is a thing not so evident, from whence it should come: for if such representative of the whole Church there be, it must either be so by some formal act of the Church, or by a tacite consent. It could not be by any formal act of the Church; for then there must be some such act of the universal Church preceding the being of any General Council, by which they receive their Commission to appear in behalf of the universal Church. Now that the universal Church did ever agree in any such act is utterly impossible to be demonstrated, either that it could be, or that it was. But if it be said, that such a formal act is not necessary, but the tacite consent of the whole Church is sufficient for it; then such a consent of the Church must be made evident, by which, they did devolve over the power of the whole Church to such a_ Representative. _And all these must consent in that act whose power the Council pretends to have; of which no footsteps appear----The utmost then_ (saith he) _that can be supposed in this case, is, that the parts of the Church may voluntarily consent to accept of the decrees of such a Council; and by that voluntary act, or by the supreme authority enjoyning it, such decrees may become obligatory._ Thus he. But I suppose its Decrees obligatory then only to those parts of the Church that voluntarily consent to accept of them, as the _Arians_ did not to receive the _Decrees_ of _Nice_. Lastly, by * Bishop _Taylor_ in the 2d. Part of his _Disswasive_, _l._ 1. §. 1. p. 29. _&c._ to the end of the Section. Where p. 31. he saith concerning this of _Nice_, that makes for you, compared with that of _Ariminum_, which makes for us----_That if a Catholick producing the Nicene Council be rencountred by an Arian producing the Council of_ Ariminium _which was far more numerous, here are_ aquilis aquilæ & pila minantia pilis: _but who shall prevail? If a General Council be the rule and guide, they will both prevail, that is, neither. And it ought not to be said by the Catholick; Yea, but our Council determined for the truth; but yours for error: For, the_ Arian _will say so too. But, whether they do or no, yet it is plain that they may both say so: and if they do, then we do not find the truth out by the conduct and decision of a General Council; but we approve this General, because upon other accounts we believe that what is there defined is true. And therefore_ S. Austin's _way here is best_, Neque ego Nicænum Concilium, neque tu Ariminense, _&c. both sides pretend to General Councils: that which both equally pretend to, will help neither; therefore let us go to Scripture._ And _p._ 32.----_What is the reason_ (saith he of Councils in General) _that some Councils are partly condemned: the Council of_ Sardis, _that in_ Trullo, _those of_ Frankford, Constance, _and_ Basil? _but that every man and every Church accepts the Councils as far as they please, and no further? The Greeks receive but seven General Councils, the Lutherans six, the Eutychians three, Nestorians two_, &c.----Pro captu lectoris habent sua fata. _It is as every one likes._ I spare to tell you what he saith, _p._ 26.--_That in the first General Council of_ Jerusalem, _which was the first precedent, and ought to be the true measure of the rest, the Apostles were the Presidents, and the Presbyters Assistants, but the Church_ [viz. _the converted brethren and the Laity_, see p. 36.] _was the Body of the Council, and were Parties in the Decree_, quoting _Acts_ 15, 22, 23. _and that we can have no other warrant of an authentick Council than this._ 2.