Quotes by Jeremy Taylor

“He that submits his understanding to all that he knows God hath said, and is ready to submit to all that he hath said if he but know it, denying his own affections and ends, and interests and human...”

“A wicked person in his error becomes heretic, when the good man in the same error shall have all the rewards of Faith. For whatever an ill man believes, if he therefore believe it because it serves...”

“Honorius was condemned for a Monothelite; yet in one of the Epistles which the sixth Synod alleged against him, (viz. the second) he gave them counsel that would have done the Church as much servic...”

“When men think every thing to be their Faith and their Religion, commonly they are so busy in trifles and such impertinencies in which the scene of their mistake lies, that they neglect the greater...”

“The truth is, all these ways of Interpreting of Scripture which of themselves are good helps, are made either by design, or by our infirmities ways of intricating and involving Scriptures in greate...”

“If Scripture be the repository of all Divine Truths sufficient for us, Tradition must be considered as its instrument, to convey its great mysteriousness to our understandings.”

“Now the Question is not whether General Councils have a promise that the Holy Ghost will assist them; For every private man hath that promise, that if he does his duty he shall be assisted sufficie...”

“The Authority of a Council is not greater then the Authority of the Apostles, nor their dictates more sacred or authentic.”

“Is it possible for any man to contrive a way to make the Decree of the Council of Trent, commanding the public Offices of the Church to be in Latin, friends with the fourteenth chapter of the Corin...”

“[A Papal approval] cannot make [a council] divine, and necessary to be heartily believed. It may make it lawful, not make it true, that is, it may possibly by such means become a Law but not a trut...”

“There is no General Council that hath determined that a General Council is infallible: No Scripture hath recorded it; no Tradition universal hath transmitted to us any such proposition; So that we ...”

“I will not be so severe and dogmatical against them [as Gregory of Nazianzus]: For I believe many Councils to have been called with sufficient Authority, to have been managed with singular piety an...”

“For [the passage] pasce oves [feed my sheep] there is little in that Allegation, besides the boldness of the Objectors; for were not all the Apostles bound to feed Christ's sheep? had they not all ...”

“But I am too long in this impertinency: If I were bound to call any man Master upon earth, and to believe him upon his own affirmative and authority; I would of all men least follow him that preten...”

“Well! Thus far we are come: Although we are secured in fundamental points [of doctrine] from involuntary error, by the plain, express, and dogmatical places of Scripture, yet in other things we are...”

“We are bound to follow because we judge it true, not because the Church hath said it, and this is to judge of the Church by her Doctrine, not of the Doctrine by the Church. And indeed it is the bes...”

“Although every man is bound to follow his guide, unless he believes his guide to mislead him; yet when he sees reason against his guide, it is best to follow his reason: for though in this he may f...”

“I consider, that although no man may be trusted to judge for all others, unless this person were infallible and authorized so to doe, which no man nor no company of men is, yet every man may be tru...”

“No man speaks more unreasonably, then he that denies to men the use of their Reason in choice of their Religion.”

“...if love hath filled all the corners of our soul, it alone is able to do all the work of God.”