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Now objectively, how did the early Church (pre canon) arrive at the inspiration and canonisity of an early work? Did THEY rely on an "authoritative infallible Church" - of course not. They arrived at it based on the spiritual nature of it's content, it's proximity to an Apostolic figure, and it's universal acceptance.

Certainly.

Why can not the same criterion hold true for believers today as it did for those of the 1st, 2nd & 3rd centuries?

In practice, it doesn't work. Look in the phone book under "Christian churches". Each and every one of them claim the guidance of the Spirit, don't they? Yet, the Spirit is NOT a spirit of disunity. Thus, we can only conclude that these groups are just WRONG! They are NOT hearing the Spirit, nor are they guided by Him, at least in all areas of belief. Fortunately, the Church has been given a means to determine what the Spirit is saying - the Magesterium of the Church - the authoritative teachers who define what the Church already believes in their liturgy, prayer, and practice.

The Spirit comes to us as the "sense of the faithful". But as individuals, we do not "bind and loosen". The Spirit has been given to the entire Church, not just to individuals who come to the exact same conclusion on all beliefs independently of each other. Experience proves this is not the case.

Regards

"In practice, it doesn't work. Look in the phone book under "Christian churches". Each and every one of them claim the guidance of the Spirit, don't they?"

That doesn't evidence the lack of the Spirit guidance but the persistent sinfulness in the heart of man. You have just as much diversity of opinion in the RCC! Where we differ is in the area of centralized versus decentralized leadership.

"Yet, the Spirit is NOT a spirit of disunity."

Then how can you claim that the Spirit lead your church to unilaterally slice of roughly half the body of Christ in the great schism????

"Thus, we can only conclude that these groups are just WRONG! They are NOT hearing the Spirit, nor are they guided by Him,"

Similarly one might say that unless YOU are sinless and perfectly obedient to the Spirit then you are not are not guided by Him and you are not a Christian.
There are roughly 100,000,000 Christians in China today because of the work of one Christian man - Hudson Taylor. I find it hard to believe, based on the fruit he bore, that he was not being led by the Spirit.