Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	believe_v	scripture_n	tradition_n	2,838	5	9.5550	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64788	A letter to the Honourable Robert Boyle, Esq., defending the divine authority of the Holy Scripture and that it alone is the rule of faith in answer to Father Simon's Critical history of the Old Testament / written by C.M. Du Veil.	Veil, Charles-Marie de, 1630-1685.	1683 (1683)	Wing V176; ESTC R6969	10,928	20

A LETTER To the Honourable Robert Boyle Esq DEFENDING The DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURE And that it alone is the RULE of FAITH IN ANSWER TO Father Simon 's Critical History OF THE Old Testament Written by C. M. Du Veil D D. Sufficit Christiano ad confutandum errorem quemlibet dicere Scriptura non habet Lutherus The Fathers in their Homilies did use constantly to declare to the People what they were to believe and what they were to practise out of the Scripture Dean Tillotson's Rule of Faith P. 1. Sect. 3. LONDON Printed for Thomas Malthus at the Sun in the Poultrey 1683. A LETTER To the Honourable Robert Boyle Esq To prove that the Scripture alone is the Rule of Faith c. Honourable Sir A Book indeed full of Learning Printed at Paris without a Title-Sheet came lately to my hands intituled The Critical History of the Old Testament Whereof Father Simon Priest of the Oratory of Paris is thought to be the Author He pretends to prove in that Work that nothing for certain can be asserted in Religion unless Tradition be joyned with the Scripture for the Decision of Questions of Faith There is without doubt Ignorance says that Author in his Preface or Prepossession in the Minds of the Protestants Who pretend that the Scripture is clear of it self Nevertheless Sir nothing is more certain in all that can be called Tradition than this Principle of the Protestants St. Chrysostom in his third Homily of Lazarus observes after Origen this difference between the Philosophers and the Authors of the Scripture that the Philosophers are obscure whereas the Apostles and Prophets being the common Masters of the Universe have written after so clear a manner that every Capacity may be instructed in their Doctrine by the reading alone thereof And in the same Homily that Doctor maintains that the ignorance of the Sacred Scriptures is the source of the Corrupted Morals as well as of all the Heresies St. Augustin in the second Book of the Christian Doctrine says Chap. 9. In iis quae aperte in Scriptura posita sunt inveniuntur illa omnia quae Continent fidem moresque vivendi In those things which are plainly laid down in Scripture are found all those things which pertain to Faith and the Rules of Living This the Learned Gerson Chancellor of the University of Paris expresses in these terms Sensus Literalis Scripturae satis expressus est in iis quae sunt necessaria ad Salutem And this induced the Church of England to make this Canon with great reason in the Synod of London in 1552 and 1562. The Scripture containeth all things necessary to Salvation So that whatsoever is not read therein nor may be proved thereby although it be some time received of the Faithful as godly and profitable for an Order and Comeliness yet no man ought to be constrained to believe it as an Article of Faith or reputed requisite to the Necessity of Salvation Father Simon does disingeniously quote the thought of St. Augustin in the 7th Chap. of the third book of his Critical History That Holy Doctor supposes sayes he that the Scripture is obscure and hard to be understood and yet he adds that for the most part what is obscure in one place is found laid plainly open in another and that what regards the belief and manners is much more clearly expressed in the Bible than all the rest Now to read the thought of St. Augustin in the Book of Father Simon that Doctor seems only to assert that commonly the Scripture is clear in what concerns the belief and manners nay and more clear than in all the rest But St. Augustine says more in the Words Cited for he says absolutely that all we ought to believe and do is found clearly in the Scripture therefore according to Father Simon There is without doubt either Ignorance or Prepossession of Mind in St. Augustin as well as in St. Chrysostom Gerson generally in all the Great Divines of Antiquity who have been perswaded with * Tom. 1. in Jerem. Origen that not any Sentiment is worthy of Faith unless it be proved by Scripture nor any interpretation of the same Scripture to be admitted without it be confirmed and supported upon Passages of the Old or New Testament for this Reason is it that in the Decree of Gratian Distinct 27. in the Chap. which begins with this word Relatum there is an express order to decide all Controversies by the Holy Writ and to explain the obscure passages which are met with therein by the Scriptures themselves ex ipsis Scripturis But this is sufficient Entertaining you Sir with the groundless Sentiment of Father Simon touching the insufficiency of the Scripture for the instructing People in Religion Now I proceed to the three proofs which he makes use of for the Establishing of his Opinion The first is taken from the great Changes which have happen'd as well in the Original Text as in the Versions of the Scripture This proof may seem to have some force upon an Atheist or a Pagan but not upon a Christian Who knows that notwithstanding the Changes that have been made in Scripture Jesus Christ The Apostles and the Fathers of the Church have always proved the Truth of their Doctrine by the Scripture As for what concerns the Fathers I shall show it amply in my answer to the third proof of Father Simon though what I have already urged might suffice In regard of Jesus Christ and his Apostles Father Simon says That they have fitted the Testimonys which they Cited out of the Old Testament to the Explications received and authorized by Tradition But this is a false fore-judging of that Father of whom with reason these Words of St. Jerome may be said Hoc de Scripturis Authoritatem non habet ideo ea facilitate Contemnitur qua probatur This has no Authority from Scriptures therefore may be rejected with the same ease it is admitted Jesus reprehends Traditions and yet father Simon would make us believe that he establishes his Doctrine by Tradition and that he only makes use of the Word of God according to the Pre-judgment of Tradition It was a Tradition amongst the Jews founded upon a passage of the Prophet Malachy misunderstood that Elias was to precede by his Preaching the coming of the Messias but the Gospel tells us that tradition did ill interpret the Prophet Malachy who did not pretend to speak of the Person of the Prophet Elias but of John the Baptist who was to forego Jesus Christ in Spiritu Virtute Eliae It is evident by the 5th Chapter of St. Matth. that the Jews explaining the Scriptures by the Pre-judgment of Tradition had very faulty Morals But Jesus Christ who came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfil them rejects the false Expositions given to the Law by the Jews according to their Traditions and discovers the real sence thereof conformably to other

into that errour because they did not joyn tradition to the Scripture or because they rejected all tradition but he resutes them by a conclusion drawn out of Scriptures tells them You are in an errour because you do not understand the Scriptures Erratis nescientes Scripturas And indeed St. Augustine very judiciously remarks That the Hereticks are only so by their obstinately persevering to give a false sence to the Scriptures which they do not understand Omnes Haeretici Scripturas Catholicas legunt nec ob aliud sunt Haeretici nisi quod eas non recte intelligentes Lib. 7 de Gen. ad lit cap. 9. suas falsas Opiniones contra earum veritatem pervicaciter asserunt The same Holy Doctor in his 18th Treatise upon the Gospel of St. John says Non natae sunt Haereses quaedam Dogmata perversitatis illaqueantia animos in profundum precipitantia nisi cum Scripturae bonae intelliguntur non bene quod in cis non bene intelligitur etiam temere audacter asseritur Heresy and certain perverse Tenets ensnaring peoples minds and plunging them into the abyss have onely proceeded from a misunderstanding of the Scriptures and when what is not well understood in them is nevertheless rashly and audaciciously asserted Chromatius whom St. Jerome calls the most holy most learned Bishop of his time tells us upon the 15 verse of the 5. chap. of St. Mat. That the Scripture is clear but that the Jews and Hereticks endeavour to hide from us its perspicuity by their perverse interpretations Perspicuam lucem praedicationis divinae pravis interpretationibus obtegere occultare nituntur pro fide perfidiam praedicando lumen veritatis erroris tenebris obvelando From all this it may be concluded that when people dispute against the Socinians and other Hereticks to convert them the method of Jesus Christ must be followed and they must be Convicted of errour by the Scripture it self All that is not formally read in Scripture or is not drawn from thence by an evident Conclusion is subject to errour and by consequence cannot be the Rule of our belief The very Disciples of Jesus Christ were mistaken in the rumour which ran amongst them that St. John did not dye because that rumour was onely grounded upon a conclusion falsely inferred from what Jesus Christ had said to St. Peter speaking of St John If I will that he stay until I come what 's that to thee Nay the Scripture seems to show us this on purpose that we might learn that what in matter of Religion is not well grounded upon its authority is not worthy of faith Sine authoritate Scripturarum garrulitas non habet fidem saith St. Jerome All the Fathers of the first Ages teach us this truth in all the disputes they had with the Hereticks of their time For as Jansenius that learned Prelate of Ipre does observe in his Book Intituled Augustinus they so formed their sentiments by the Holy Scriptures Tom. 2. lib Broem C. 5. that they almost expressed themselves in the same form In antiquis patribus saith he eorumque disputationibus duo sunt consideranda magnopere primum quod ex principiis verbi Dei sensus suos fere verba promerent secuntium quod religiose intra terminos oppugnatae ab errore veritatis sine ulla superfluarum multo minus curiosarum frivolarum atque inutilium quaestienum intermixtione remanerent In the ancient Fathers and their disputes two things are principally to be considered First that they draw their sence and tenets nay and almost their very terms out of the Principles of the Word of God Secondly that they religiously remain within the bounds of the Truth that was combated by Errour without any intermixtion of superfluous much less of curious frivolous and impertinent questions Thus as Scripture is the onely way to decide questions of Religion panormitanus had reason to say that people ought rather to believe a Lay-man who authorizes himself by Scripture then a Pope and a whole Council when they act without its authority Magis credendum laico si scriptur as adferat quam Papae toti Concilio si absque scripturis agant St. Epiphanius who has given a Catalogue of all the Heresies which had been until his time and remarks the abuse which the Authors of those Heresies have made of the Holy Writ to establish their Errours does not attribute this to the obscurity of the Scripture but to the Hereticks not having applyed themselves to Scripture with a Spirit of Piety for it is a constant Principle says that Saint that all the saving Truths are found clearly in the Scripture by those who read them with judgment and a spirit with piety 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St. Augustine disputing against Maximin an Arian Bishop lays down for Principle that the Authority alone of Scripture is to be insisted upon Non ego Nicaenum Concilium tibi nectu mihi Ariminenset amquam praejudicatur us profer as nec ego hujus authoritate nec tu illius detineris Scripturarum authoritatibus non quorumlibet propriis sed utrisque communibus testibus res cam re ratio cum ratione decertet I do not urge to thee the Nicene Council nor do thou to me that of Ariminum as a forejudging of the Controversie Neither do I mean the authority of the one neither art thou bound by that of the other But let matter of fact the reason of each Council be tryed by authority of the Scriptures which both are bound to admit as witnessing the Divine Truths He says in the same place that the Council of Nice insisted only upon Scriptures And indeed it would be impertinent to place the Bible in the midst of the Councils unless it were to put them in mind that their Decisions would not be worthy of faith unless they were founded upon the authority of the Scripture Which has been admirably well said by Optat Bishop of Mileve in his Book against Parmenian Quaerendi sunt judices in terris de hac re nullum poterit reperiri judicium de Caelo quaerendus est judex Sed ut quid pulsamus ad Coelum cum habeamus hic in Evangelio Testamentum Terrenus Pater cum se in Confinio senserit mortis timens ne post mortem suam rupta pace litigent fratres adhibitis testibus voluntatem suam de pectore morituro transfert in tabulas diu duraturas Et si fuerit inter fratres contentio nata non itur ad tumulum sed quaeritur Testamentum Judges must be sought in the case No judgment can be had in this matter upon earth a Judge is to be sought for from Heaven But why should we have recourse to Heaven seeing we have here its will in the Gospel An Earthly Father when he sees himself upon the brim of Death fearing least after his death the peace coming to be broken the Brethren should be at variance having called