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A42048
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The grand presvmption of the Roman Church in equalling their own traditions to the written word of God by Francis Gregory.
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Gregory, Francis, 1625?-1707.
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1675
(1675)
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Wing G1894; ESTC R13146
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76,854
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132
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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
non dixit temerarium est velle praesumere dicere To affirm what those things were which Christ himseIf did not now declare were rash and bold Quis nostrûm dicat ista vel illa sunt Who of us can tell whether it were this or that And yet for all this whatever St. Austine thinks that Jesuite Maldonate as if he knew what Christ was pleased as yet to conceal tells us with more of Confidence then Truth Dicimus ex hoc loco constare Christum non omnia dixisse quae ad salutem nostram putabat pertinere idémque fecisse Spiritum Sanctum credendum c. From the warrant of this Text we do affirm that Christ told not his Disciples whatever he thought pertinent to our Salvation and that the Holy Ghost did not afterwards doe it neither we have cause to believe Nay to make way for Ecclesiastical Traditions and the Pope's Authority to create new Articles of Faith he makes bold to adde thus much Idem ab Apostolis factum ut non omnia scripta multa etiam nè vivâ voce traderent The same thing was done by the Apostles too insomuch that they did not deliver all matters of Salvation in their Writings no nor many so much as by word of mouth 'T is strange to think into what Absurdities and Contradictions the Romanists do run themselves that they may justify those Doctrines and Practices which they are loath to part with For this Jesuite Maldonate declares his opinion that there are some matters of Salvation that were neither taught by Christ nor by his Spirit nor by his Apostles either by Writing or Tradition and yet Cardinal Bellarmine doth positively affirm that the Church of Rome holds no Doctrines maintains no Traditions save onely such as they can clearly prove to be from Christ or his Apostles But as to those forenamed Discourses wherein our Blessed Saviour did privately instruct his Apostles and whereupon the Roman Church doth mightily ground their Doctrine of Tradition though it cannot be certainly discovered what was the very Subject and particular Arguments of our Saviour's frequent Talk with his Disciples at his several Apparitions to them after his Resurrection yet perhaps some probable guesses may be given and accordingly several Conjectures are offered us by Interpreters So Origen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. What were those many things which Christ had to say to his Apostles which they could not bear He answers thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. It was the design of our Blessed Saviour to teach his Disciples the utter abolition of the Ceremoniall Law and the Mosaicall Ordinances So St. Chrysostom guesseth too 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Whether our Saviour speaks of the Abrogation of the Law c. And to this Christ might well refer when he said I have yet many things to say but ye cannot bear them now considering how hard it was for them who were Jews and the professed disciples of Moses to embrace a new Religion and quit the Principles of that wherein they had been born and bred Nor indeed had this Discourse as yet been seasonable because the Ceremoniall Law was not abrogated till the Sacrifice Death and Passion of Christ which then was not actually accomplished But besides this Guesse of Origen's and Chrysostom's St. Austine gives us some ground for another when he tells us Mori pro Christo nondum idonei erant Apostoli The Apostles were not as yet fit and strong enough to die for Christ Which expression giveth us a fair Intimation of St. Austine's Judgment concerning our Saviour's words I have many things yet to say but about what probably about their Sufferings and Martyrdom but saith Christ ye cannot bear them now But why not now Surely it was now a time of trouble and sorrow with them their hearts were almost broken already with the consideration of their dear Master's approaching Death and Passion and therefore saith St. Austine Nunquid debuit illis ovibus dici in illo Tentationis articulo quòd certare usque ad mortem pro veritate oportebat pro Christi nomine vel Doctrina sanguinem fundere Was it seasonable for Christ to tell his Apostles in this juncture of time and hour of Temptation since as yet they were but as sheep infirm and weak that they must expect to shed their bloud and suffer death for the Truths Doctrines and Name of Christ No our Saviour was pleased to reserve these Lessons that as yet might have seemed too harsh as Origen words it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a fitter Opportunity namely the time after his own Passion and Resurrection That these Opinions of Origen Chrysostom and Austine concerning the matter of our Saviour's personall Discourses with his Apostles betwixt his Resurrection and Ascension which the Romanists urge for their Traditions are but conjecturall we do acknowledge but withall we do avouch that they are ten times more probable then that of Lorinus For that the many things which the Apostles could not yet bear and therefore Christ did not deliver till after his Resurrection should be such as concerned the Abolition of the Mosaicall Law or the Disciples own Sufferings rather then the Authority of the Romane Bishop the Invocation of Saints and other superstitious Doctrines and Practices now taught and used in the Roman Church as delivered by Christ in his forenamed private Discourses with his Apostles is much more consonant to Christian Religion humane Reason and the Authority of the written Word And if so if we may take the Judgment of Origen Chrysostom and Austine whose Opinions in this matter are countenanced by Holy Writ rather then the Judgment of Lorinus whose Opinion in this case the Scriptures themselves oppose though there be in this business no Certainty on either side yet if we have fairer Probabilities on our part then the Romanists have on theirs if it be more likely that the many things which Christ had to say before his Passion but did not for prudentiall considerations actually declare till after his Resurrection might concern as the forenamed Fathers probably thought the Abrogation of the Jewish Religion the Calling of the Gentiles and the Martyrdom of his Apostles rather then those unwarrantable Traditions for which the Romanists do now contend how then comes Bellarmine to assert that they are not written But upon the whole matter the Truth is this Since 't is altogether impossible to find out what those many things were which Christ had to teach his Disciples before his Death but did not doe it because as yet they could not bear them till after his Resurrection 't is equally impossible to prove that they are or are not registred But if the Romanists are of another mind and will undertake by infallible Testimonies to demonstrate to us what were the particular matters of our Saviour's severall Discourses at the time of his severall Apparitions to his Apostles before his Ascension then will we also