that Gospel which St. Paul had published So Irenaeus saith again Evangelium quod quidem tunc praeconiaverunt postea per voluntatem Dei in Scripturis nobis tradiderunt That Gospel which the Apostles had then preached they did afterwards deliver to us in the Scriptures and that by the will pleasure and command of God And doubtless St. Paul intimates as much in that expression of his Hold the traditions which ye have been taught whether by word or our epistle What he had formerly taught them by word of mouth and what he had already delivered in his former Epistle is here equally called a Tradition For the truth is the Substance of St. Paul's Sermons and Epistles the Subject matter of his Preaching and his Writing was all one This seems clear from that expression of his To write the same things to you to me indeed is not grievous but for you it is safe What same things doth he mean St. Hierom tells us Eadem repetere quae praesens dixeram To repeat the same things with my Pen which I delivered with my Tongue when I was present with you And thus did other Apostles and Evangelists too what they spake at one time that they wrote at another Thus dealt St. Luke with his dear friend Theophilus whom he first instructed by word of mouth but afterwards by writing So Theophylact tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I formerly catechized thee without writing but now by giving thee a written Gospel But what doth this written Gospel contain new lessons or old ones did St. Luke speak one thing and write another No the reason why he wrote Theophylact gives us thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I do by writing strengthen and secure thy mind lest it should forget what things had been formerly delivered by word of mouth So he tells us again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have therefore written thee a Gospel that thou mayest the more firmly remember and keep the things which thou hast been taught by word of mouth And that St. Paul dealt thus with the Churches to whom he preached and wrote we have ground enough to believe 't is more then probable that the self-same Traditions in all necessary points of Faith which he taught them by word of mouth at one time he also penned at another Methinks we may very rationally collect this from what St. Chrysostom saith concerning that speech of St. Paul ye keep the traditions as I delivered them to you Hence that Father thus infers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Therefore at that time St. Paul delivered them many things without writing We grant it but withall we must observe St. Chrysostom's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then at that time an expression doubtless that hath little of savour in it if he doth not mean that what St. Paul did thus deliver by orall Tradition at one time he also wrote at another And although the Epistles of St. Paul being written to particular Churches or Persons upon particular matters in answer to such and such particular Questions and against such and such particular Opinions and Heresies he had not a fair occasion in every or perhaps in any one single Epistle to give an account of every thing relating to Christ and his Religion yet we do affirm that if we take all his Epistles collectively and together we shall find that the whole Summe of that Gospel which St. Paul preached to the world by word of mouth is so fully delivered in them that whosoever shall believe the Truths and perform the Duties contained in them though he know no Scripture besides shall certainly be saved Nor indeed was it necessary that St. Paul should undertake to set down the whole Doctrine of Christ in every or any one of his short Epistles since it was sometimes his command and might always be his just expectation that that Epistle which he wrote to one Church should be communicated to others also for their farther Information too And certainly if all the necessary Points and substantial Parts of that Religion which St. Paul preached to the world by word of mouth were afterwards recorded either by himself in his own Epistles or as Eusebius and Irenaeus testifie by St. Luke in his Gospel the Roman Church will never be able to justifie their unwritten Traditions those at least which they urge as necessary from any one Instance or Expression of St. Paul But 3. We shall enquire whether the Traditions now contended for in the Roman Church be the same or of a like nature with those the observation whereof St. Paul requires from the Thessalonians and commends in the Church of Corinth This Consideration is of great concern for if the Traditions of the Roman Church be of another kind if they shall prove to be the late and new Inventions of men not so much as thought of in the Apostles days the whole case is so altered that I do not see how it is possible for them to find the least Countenance from St. Paul For all that St. Paul doth either require or commend in this matter is the observation of those Traditions onely which he himself who was guided by God's infallible Spirit had delivered to such and such Churches they are his own words Ye keep the traditions as I delivered them and again Hold the traditions which ye have been taught by word or our epistle Here St. Hierom notes Quando sua vult teneri non vult extranea superaddi Whereas St. Paul commands them to observe his Traditions he doth in effect forbid them to introduce strange ones of their own Now whatever Traditions the Church of Rome pretends to have been delivered by St. Paul to the Churches of Christ without being written are of these two kinds 1. 'T is pretended that St. Paul and other Apostles too delivered some unwritten Traditions that concerned necessary Points of Faith Worship Manners and Rules of Righteousness Thus he tells the Corinthians I delivered unto you that which I also received how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures c. and again I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread c. 'T is evident from these Texts that these Traditions which St. Paul delivered to the Church concerning matters of Faith and Worship he received from God and found them suitable to the written Word Now let us consider whether the present Traditions of the Roman Church about matters of Faith and Divine Service be such too if they are we oppose them not They tell us that the Observation of the Lord's day is an Apostolicall Tradition we contradict it not because we find ground for it in the written Word we also find it mentioned by the Primitive and early Fathers Ignatius if yet that Epistle of his be not corrupted tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Jewish Preparation
Be never merry but onely then when ye see your Brother in Charity These and some few more Sentences not found in Sacred Writ are imputed to our Blessed Saviour and so is that too by some to Christ by others to some Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be skilfull Exchangers which words are styled in Eusebius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Apostolicall expression And the truth is that the Apostles might receive from Christ betwixt his Resurrection and Ascension directions to ordain Rites and Ceremonies that concerned the Administration of God's publick Worship and the exteriour Discipline of the Church and that these Orders and Determinations of his touching the Circumstances of God's Service were delivered to their Successours by word of mouth and were not presently registred we are not forward nor indeed any whit concerned to deny But withall the Church of Rome stands much obliged to prove and that with clear Evidence and unquestionable Authority that those present Traditions of theirs which they do so stifly contend for equall to and in some cases prefer before the written Word are indeed those very Traditions which were recommended to the Church by Christ or his Apostles This I confess the Romanists do pretend and promise to doe but if they fail what then 'T is the confident expression of Bellarmine Non est Audaciae aequare aliquid non scriptum Verbo Scripto 'T is no sawcy thing at all to equall something unwritten to that Word which is written nor doth he think that expression of his too bold Traditio sola sufficit Scripturae non sufficiunt Tradition alone is enough but the Scriptures alone are not sufficient Methinks such persons are much obliged to prove that these Traditions of theirs are indeed of Divine Authority since they have a greater esteem for them then for the known and sure Word of God For if it should happen that these Traditions which are so highly magnified should be found and proved the bare Inventions of men those persons would appear somewhat too bold and sawcy indeed who have preferred them before the certain and infallible Decrees of Heaven This Aquinas well understood and therefore knew himself concerned to maintain the Divine Authority of those Traditions whereof he doth thus pronounce Verbum Dei bifariam dividitur in Scripturam Traditiones The Word of God is twofold Scripture and Tradition Thus Bellarmine too who styles Tradition Verbum Dei non scriptum the unwritten Word of God And their Conventicle of Trent saith that their Traditions were vel ore tenus à Christo vel à Spiritu Sancto dictatae delivered immediately by Christ's own mouth or dictated by his Holy Spirit Thus doth the Church of Rome pretend a full and Divine Authority for several Traditions which they hold though not recorded in our Bibles And if this Assertion of theirs in favour of their Traditions can be proved with as convincing Arguments as those whereby the Authority of the Scripture is confirmed we shall with equall Respect even as the Romanists do embrace them both For though it be certain that the committing of the Word of God to Ink and Paper was an excellent means to preserve it entire and to secure it and us from Frauds Cheats and Falsifications yet the Members of the Reformed Churches have not so far lost their Religion and Reason as once to imagine that the bare writing of the Scripture should create and give it that Authority which is inherent in it Insomuch that if any Traditionall Doctrine or Practice that is now taught and used in the Roman Church can be sufficiently proved to have been originally delivered by Christ or his Apostles we shall as readily believe and doe it as any thing else whatsoever that is required or delivered in any part of the Written Word But if bold and confident Affirmations be enough to justifie Unwritten Doctrines and Vsages what Religion what Sect what Heresie will want such and such Pretences to plead for the Vindication of it self 'T is well known that the very Heathens pretended that as Plato words it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Disposition and Institution of their Laws such especially as concerned their Religion how absurd soever was from God It is the observation of Bellarmine himself In Alcorano passim legimus ipsum Alcoranum de Coelo à Deo missum It was it seems the pretence of that grand Impostour Mahomet that even his Alcoran came down from Heaven and was dictated by God Eusebius tells us that Menander who was indeed but a Sorcerer and the real disciple of Simon Magus did pretend himself to be sent from Heaven And that famous Heretick Cerinthus whose very presence made St. John fly out of the Bath who was an Enemy to the written Word of God did make his Followers believe that he received his Doctrines though detestable enough by Revelation from Angels But what sober person gave any credit to him And what if the case stand thus with the Roman Church what if those Traditions which they father upon Christ and his Apostles were indeed none of theirs Sure we are it was so with those superstitious Jews who in our Saviour's time owned and stifly maintained as the Papists now do a twofold Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a written Law and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an unwritten Law or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 secondary Laws 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hearings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law in the mouth and generally styled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Traditions These Traditions they received from the great Synagogue that Synagogue derived them from the Prophets the Prophets from the Elders the Elders from Joshua Joshua from Moses and Moses himself from God so they pretended But notwithstanding these fair Insinuations and plausible Pretences of theirs to render their superstitious Rites and Customes the more acceptable to the ignorant and credulous Multitude what was indeed their true Original we learn from Christ and his Evangelists who style them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Traditions of the Fathers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Traditions of the Elders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Traditions of men and our Blessed Saviour speaking to the Pharisees calleth them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your Traditions not Moses his not the Prophets not God's but your own And as it was thus in the Jewish Church so may it well be in the Roman too 't is very probable that many Traditions which there are ascribed to Christ and his Apostles might deduce their Original from some other hand Such counterfeit Traditions do we reade of that were obtruded upon the Church in the Apostles names very early indeed even whilst the Apostles themselves were yet alive So much doth that expression of St. Paul seem to intimate We beseech you brethren that ye be not troubled neither by word nor by letter as from us Grotius tells us Multi fabricabant Epistolas sub Apostolorum nomine There were many
Apostolicall Institution But however though the Church of Rome may pretend but cannot prove for one St. Chrysostom is not enough Apostolicall Tradition for such and such Doctrines and Practices of theirs yet what Authority from Christ or his Apostles can they plead for those Articles of their new Creed which their Pope Pius the Fourth hath impiously imposed upon the Church of Christ and added to that received Nicene Creed as if it were of equall Credit even with that and to be believed upon penalty of Damnation When St. Paul delivered such and such Traditions to the Christian Church he tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I received of the Lord but could Pope Pius say as much of his and can the present Church of Rome say as much of theirs when in their new-found Creed they teach us to say I profess that there are truly and properly Seven Sacraments of the new Law instituted by Christ Do they indeed gather this Article of their Faith as we do all those in the three received Creeds from clear Testimonies of Holy Writ or do they collect this Doctrine and number of their Seven Sacraments as their Patriarch of Venice is said to have done from that particular expression of St. Andrew when he told his Lord There is a lad here which hath five loaves and two fishes When they require us to say I profess that there is a true proper and propitiatory Sacrifice offered to God in the Masse for the Quick and the Dead do they indeed father this Tradition upon St. Paul who saith Christ was once offered and again Christ by one offering hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Again when they teach us to say I profess that in the Eucharist the Bread and the Wine and why not their Water too are transubstantiated into the body and bloud of Christ do they ground this Tradition upon the words of Consecration This is my Body when Scotus himself who was one of their own great Champions hath told the world that the words of Christ do not necessarily import it and that Transubstantiation for which Bellarmine indeed corrects him was no Article of Faith till the Lateran Council When they teach us to say I acknowledge that under one Kind whole and perfect Christ and the true Sacrament is received do they ground that Doctrine upon a Canon established by the Council of Constance or upon the Example and Command of our Blessed Saviour who delivered both the Elements to all his Communicants and gave them this express injunction concerning the Cup in particular Drink ye all of this And that this Command of our Blessed Saviour was observed in the Primitive Church where the Minister according to Christ s own Example delivered the Consecrated Cup to all the Communicants is evident from the Testimony of the most early Fathers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Ignatius and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. saith Dionysius there was then one Cup distributed to all And if this were the known Practice of the Primitive Church what ancient Tradition can the Roman Church produce for their Communion in one Kind onely Again when they bid us say I do constantly hold that there is a Purgatory do they derive this Tradition from the writings of Plato who mentions three Receptacles for departed Souls or from those Expressions of Prophets or Apostles which say of all departed Saints They rest from their labours and of all departed Sinners They shall be turned into hell Once more when they would have us believe that Saints and Angels are to be worshipped that there is a Veneration lawfully paid to the very Reliques of Saints to the Crosse of Christ to the Images of the Virgin Mary c. do they ground this Tradition upon the Second Commandment which they could as willingly blot out of their Bibles as they have done out of some of their Catechisms or upon any Expression of St. Paul both which do flatly condemn the Worshipping of any Creature No 't is well observed by Calvin Sub Traditionum titulo includunt omnes crassas abominationes manifesto Dei Verbo contrarias The Romanists under the name of Traditions do include all their grosse Abominations which are directly contrary to the Word of God and so are far enough from being those traditionall Doctrines or any whit like them of Faith and Worship that are recommended by St. Paul who imposed not any Belief or Practice upon the Church but what was as himself words it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the Scriptures But 2. 'T is urged by the Roman Church that St. Paul and other Apostles too delivered some unwritten Traditions to their immediate Successours which concerned the external Discipline Order Policy Rites and Ceremonies of the Church Well and who denieth it not Calvin who though he were a great opposer of superfluous and burthensome Ceremonies doth yet grant thus much Paulus Ecclesiae Corinthiacae primus fundator Itstitutis piis honestis eam formaverat ut decenter ordine illic agerentur omnia St. Paul who was the first Founder of the Church of Corinth did so form it with pious and laudable Institutions that all things there might be transacted without the least Indecency or Disorder So runs that written and well-known Rule of his Let all things be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 decently and in order But besides this Rule that he hath left upon Record he farther tells them The rest will I set in order when I come And what he did or enjoyned to be done in pursuance of this Promise perhaps might be never written But as Calvin demands Quid hoc ad insulsas Ceremoniarum nugas quae visuntur in Papatu quid hoc ad Superstitionem plusquam Judaicam What 's all this to the insipid and foolish Ceremonies of the Roman Church how doth this justifie those Superstitions of theirs that are more then Jewish So numerous are their Ceremonies that I cannot imagine what St. Austine would have said had he lived in our times who thus complained of his own Religionem servilibus oneribus premunt ut tolerabilior sit conditio Judaeorum c. The Condition of the Jews in respect of burthensom Ceremonies was more tolerable then that of Christians I remember Bellarmine reckons up no less then twenty two Ceremonies used in the Roman Church in the Administration of Baptism and tells us that they are all of Apostolicall Institution or at least of great Antiquity some of which are these Exorcisms Salt Spittle Chrism the Wax-taper the white Apparrell and the Kisse c. And as to the Sacrament of the Eucharist the same Bellarmine tells us Apostoli legem condunt ut sumatur ante omnes alios cibos nimirum à jejunis the Apostles established a Law that it should be receiv'd before all other food that is by persons fasting And yet that Rule of St. Paul which the Romanists can never satisfactorily answer stands
No man shall be admitted to accuse a Bishop till first his quality be duely examined nor shall every fellow be suffered to exhibit Articles against the Governours of the Church And as every man might not accuse a Bishop so whosoever wrongfully did it though it were but a Bishop elect and yet to be ordained he was severely punished 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let his Penalty be a long Excommunication So saith the Canon-Law So then since there is an Indictment of no less Crimes then Atheism and Heresie drawn up and exhibited against several Bishops and those of the Roman See too who claim a Superiority over all Bishops besides as being the onely Successours of the Prime Apostle and the immediate Vicars of Christ 't is of a considerable Concern that what is thus alledged against them be well proved too And here that Pope Marcellinus offered Incense to Idols might be proved with ease and evidence enough but because he did it barely for fear of Diocletian and afterwards repented and became a Martyr we pass him by Rhenanus saith of Pope Zephyrinus Episcopus Romanus Montanizat The Bishop of Rome embraceth the Heresie of Montanus So Tertullian who was too much of the same Opinion witnesseth too That Pope Honorius the First was a Monothelite and denied the distinction of two Wills in Christ we have the Testimonies of Pope Agatho Leo the Second Adrian the Second besides the Evidence of the Sixth General Council wherein he was publickly condemned for an Heretick That Pope Liberius and his Antipope Felix were Arrians is testified by Athanasius and St. Hierom too Nor need we be ashamed to produce the Testimony of Calvin and Erasmus who do both affirm that Pope John the Twenty second denied the Immortality of the Soul And what if we mention that Expression of Picus Mirandula Alium meminimus Pontificem qui nullum Deum credens c. We remember another Pope who believing that there is no God c. But that of the Council of Basil must not be forgot which having voted a General Council to be above the Pope could not possibly give a better Reason for it then this Multi Pontifices in Errores Haereses lapsi esse leguntur c. 'T is recorded that many Popes have fell into Errours and Heresies c. And the truth is there is no Pope who stifly maintains those Doctrines which assert the worshipping of Angels Saints Images Reliques a Morsel of Bread or a Consecrated Wafer but is a down-right Heretick and since he is so we cannot so far betray our own Reason as to rest satisfied and be convinced that such and such Doctrines which have no Countenance in Scripture are Apostolical by the Testimony of any Roman Bishop who notwithstanding the Pretence of his Infallibility is proved to be obnoxious to gross Errours even Heresie and Atheism it self as well as other men But III. The Champions of the Roman Faith do endeavour to justifie their unwritten Traditions by the Testimonies of the Fathers who are produced as Witnesses which seem in their account to speak a great deal for them Thus Bellarmine cites Ignatius who is an early and substantial Witness indeed as being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Coetane Collegue and Scholar of the very Apostles themselves and of him Eusebius thus records 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He exhorted the Christians to stick fast to the Traditions of the Apostles and that they might be preserved incorrupt not long before his Martyrdom he judged it necessary that they should be written This Testimony is clear for traditions and so is that of Dionysius the Areopagite too 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The first Founders of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy the Apostles delivered to us Heavenly Mysteries by Instructions written and unwritten according to the Sacred Laws And thus great St. Basil too 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To persevere in unwritten Traditions I think 't is Apostolical And so Tertullian also mentions several particular Observations quas sine ullo Scripturae Instrumento solius Traditionis titulo exinde Consuetudinis patrocinio vindicamus c. which the Church practised and defended without the Authority of any Scripture upon the bare credit of Tradition and the Patronage of Custom c. Now this being Argumentum Achilleum one of the strongest Arguments which the Romish Church can possibly urge for their Traditions we shall give an Answer to it in some distinct Particulars 1. Whatever Traditions are expresly and dogmatically delivered by the Vniversality of the ancient Fathers we do readily embrace own and defend That Expression of St. Basil the Great we do willingly close with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Old Doctrines are to be reverenced and for as it were their hoary Antiquity they deserve a Veneration But withall those Doctrines that may justly challenge a respect for their Age must be such as were generally received believed and practised according to that Rule which Vincentius Lyrinensis gives us Id teneamus quod semper quod ubique quod ab omnibus creditum est Let us hold that which hath been believed at all times in all places and by all Christians And for this St. Austine gives this Reason Illa quae non sunt scripta sed tradita custodimus quae quidem toto terrarum orbe observantur dantur intelligi vel ab ipsis Apostolis vel plenariis Conciliis quorum est in Ecclesia saluberrima Authoritas commendata atque statuta retineri sicuti quòd Domini Passio Resurrectio Ascensio in Coelum adventus de Coelo Spiritûs Sancti anniversariâ Solennitate celebrantur siquid aliud tale occurrerit quod servatur ab universa quácunque se diffundit Ecclesia This Expression commends the belief and practice of those Traditions supposing them to be the Institutions either of the Apostles themselves or ancient General Councils which were unanimously observed by the universal Church But now that such and such traditional Doctrines and Vsages were indeed generally received by the whole Christian Church we must have clear Proofs from credible Witnesses that have given Testimony thereunto throughout all the respective Centuries and Ages of the Church This is no more then was urged long since by Gregory Nyssene for the Ratification and full Establishment of all such Vsages and Doctrines as pretend to Antiquity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For this and nothing lesse is sufficient for the Proof of our Assertion that we have a Tradition derived to us from the Fathers as it were a certain Inheritance descending by entail from the Apostles by those Saints who were all along their Successours And this is the onely thing which we demand from the Roman Church being ready to acknowledge the Truth of all Doctrines and the Equity of all Practices which the Vniversality of the Fathers have left upon Record as things believed and done in the first and purest Ages of the Church And thus to doe