II.

"churches of every city to hold faft the tradition SECT. "of the apostles; which (as also by writing he teftified) for the greater fecurity he held neceffary to "be copied in writing."

$ 4. That the hereticks of old made the fame pretence which the papifts make now, of oral tradition in oppofition to fcripture, the fame Eufebius tells us; and withal, that books are a fufficient confutation of this pretence. "Thofe (fays he) who Ibid. t. "were of the heresy of Artemon, faid that all their 5. c. 27"forefathers and the apoftles themselves had re"ceived and taught the fame things which they "alfo did, and had preferved the true teaching un"to the time of Victor bishop of Rome, whofe fuc"ceffor Zephyrinus corrupted it. And this (faith "he) would have great probability, were it not first "of all contradicted by the fcripture; and next, if "there did not remain the writings of other bre"thren much more ancient than Victor's time, " &c. in the books of all whom CHRIST's divinity is acknowledged." And afterwards he tells us, that these hereticks did change and corrupt the fcriptures to bring them to their opinions; fo Mr. S. tells us, "that the outward letter of fcripture ought to be corrected by tradition and fenfe written in mens hearts."

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St. Hierom alfo tells us,

*that the hereticks * Com.in

were wont to fay, we are the fons of the wife, Ifa. c. 19. "who did from the beginning deliver down to

us the apoftolical doctrine;" but he adds, "that "the true fons of Judah adhere to the fcrip"ture."

$4. That

PART
IV.

In 2

§ 4. That fcripture is fufficiently plain in all things neceffary.

St. Chryfoftom, "all things in the divine fcripThef. c. 2. tures are plain and straight. Whatsoever things "are neceffary are manifeft."

hom.4.

St. Austin having fpoken of the profoundness of *Epift. 3. fcripture, adds, "not that those things which are ne"ceffary to falvation are so hard to be come at: "but (faith he) when one hath there attained faith, "without which there is no pious and right living, "there are befides many dark and myfterious things, Ibid. "&c." Again *, "the manner of speech in fcrip"ture how easy is it to all, though few can pene"trate to the bottom of it? thofe things which "it plainly contains, it speaks without disguise

tr. Chrift.

1. 3. c. 9.

like a familiar friend to the heart of the learned "and unlearned." How will Mr. S. reconcile this with his great exception againft fcripture ? And what these things are, which are plainly contained in fcripture, the fame father tells us *De doc- elsewhere, in these words, “* among those things "which are plainly fet down in fcripture, all "those things are to be found which comprehend "faith and good manners." The fame St. Austin (as alfo Clement in the book which Mr. White quoted) for the understanding of obscure texts of fcripture, directs us not to tradition, but to the * De uni- plain text, without which he exprefly fays, "thère tate ecclef. would be no way to understand them."

c. 5.

§ 5. That fcripture is fo plain, as to be fit to determine controverfies.

Justin fure thought fo, when difputing with Trypho, concerning a point wherein the Jew had tradition

tradition on his fide, he told him he would SECT.

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bring fuch proofs (to the contrary) as no man "could gainfay: attend (fays he) to what I fhall "recite out of the holy fcriptures, proofs which "need not to be explained, but only to be heard." Mr. White might have found likewife much to this purpose in his Clement.

*

II.

But not to tire my reader in a point which the ancients abound with, I fhall only produce the judgment of Conftantine in that folemn ora- Theotion of his to the council of Nice, wherein he doret. bewails" their mutual oppofitions, efpecially in c. 7. "divine things; concerning which they had

the doctrine of the HOLY SPIRIT recorded in writing; "for (fays he) the books of the evangelifts and apoftles, and the oracles of the old

prophets, do evidently teach us what we ought "to think of the divine majefty. Therefore laying "afide all feditious contention, let us determine the "matters in queftion by teftimonies out of the di"vine writings." Not a word of any other tradition but fcripture, which was held evident enough in those days, though now Mr. S. tells us it is not fufficient to decide that controverfy about the divinity of CHRIST.

hift. 1. 1.

§ 6. Laftly, that fcripture is the rule of faith. Irenæus : "the method of our falvation we* L. 3. "have not known by any other but thofe men 1.

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by whom the gofpel came to us, which then

they preached, but afterwards by the will of "GOD delivered it to us in the fcriptures, to be "for the future the foundation and pillar of our "faith."

VOL. IV.

IV.

PART St. Cyprian, the church hath ever held a good catholick; yet Mr. S. takes notice that he erred in *P. 314 a point of faith; and perhaps the rather, because + Dial. 3. Mr. Rufhworth † had told him that he was not fect. 13. theirs in this controversy. "For (fays he) St. Cyprian

"feems to think that the refolution of faith was to"be made into fcripture, and not into tradition." But that we may not feem to accept of this courtefy from him, nor yet wholly to defpife it, I fhall offer this one teftimony inftead of many out of that father; who being oppofed with an argument Epift.74. from tradition, demands, whence have you that "tradition? comes it from the authority of the "LORD, and of the gofpel, or from the epiftles "of the apostles? For God teftifies that we are to "do thofe things which are written, &c. If it be "commanded in the gospel, or contained in the "epiftles or acts of the apoftles, then let us obferve "it as a divine and holy tradition."

**

Ad Con

ftant.

* Lib. 5.

Donat.

Hilary commends Conftantius the emperor "for "regulating the faith only according to those things "which are written." And to oblige him to deferve this commendation, he adds," he who re"fufes this is antichrift, and who diffembles in it "is anathema."

Optatus*, concerning the controverfy with the de fchifm. donatifts, asks who, fhall be judge? and answers himself," the fcriptures:" which he illuftrates by the fimilitude of a father who delivered his will orally to his children while he was living, but when he was dying, caufed it to be written in lafting tables, to decide all controverfies that might hap

pen

66

II.

* De Sp.

San&to,

pen among them after his death. The paffage is SECT. large, and it is obvious to apply it. Bafil maintaining the doxology as it was used in his days, fays, *thus we received it from our fa"thers; but adds immediately, "this is not c.7. enough for us, that it is the tradition of the fa"thers, for they followed the authority of the scriptures, making its teftimonies the principles upon which they built." He has indeed in the fame book a paffage much infifted on by the pa- C. 27. pifts concerning unwritten traditions; but withal, he says those traditions were fecretly conveyed, which makes all the reft of no ufe to Mr. S.

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*

*

in

Hom. 8.

epist. ad

Heb. c. 5.

Chryfoftom having mentioned several herefies, directs how they may be avoided, viz. " by attend"ing to the faith delivered, and looking upon all "that disagrees from that as adulterate. For (fays "he) as those who give rules do not put men up' on a curious enquiry after any measures, but bid "them keep to the rule given; fo it is in opini<6 ons. But no body will attend to the fcriptures; "if we did, we fhould not only not fall into errors "ourselves, but also rescue those that are deceived." Again, "if we would be throughly converfant in* Hom. the scriptures, we fhould be inftructed both in 52. in Joh. right opinions and a good life." Again, "among

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apost.

"the many fects of chriftians it will be eafy to* Hom. judge of the right, if we believe the fcriptures, 33. in aft.. "because they are plain and true: if any one agree "with these he is a chriftian; if he contradicts "them he is far from this rule."