thee that thy faith may not fail." Here Christ prayed not for all the Church, but in particular for Peter, as all the words show: Simon—for thee thy faith—thy brethren: also, whereas our Saviour began to speak in the plural number, "Satan hath desired to have you," &c., forthwith He changeth His manner of speaking and saith, "but I have prayed for thee." Further, He prayeth for him to whom He saith, "and thou sometimes converted," which cannot agree to the whole Church, except we will say the whole Church to have been first perverted, which is many ways untrue. But now that which Christ prayed for is expressly that his faith should not fail, and then seeing this prayer for Peter was for the good of the Church, the Devil still desiring to winnow the faithful, it thereof followeth that she never wanteth one whose faith may not fail, by whom she may be confirmed.'[1]
Southwell, or Bacon, who wrote in 1638, affirms: 'That the Roman Pontiff, out of Council, is infallible in his definitions.' He adds: 'It is clearly proved from what is already said, he who is the foundation-stone of the Church, actually and always infusing into it firmness against the gates of hell and heresies: he who is Pastor not of this or that place, but of the whole fold: and therefore in all things necessary to salvation is bound to feed, govern, and direct, cannot err in judgment of faith. … But the Supreme Pontiff is such a Rock and Pastor, as has been manifestly proved; therefore he cannot err in judgment of faith.' This he proves, among other evidence, by
- ↑ The Triple Cord, p. 72. 1634
l 2
