and maintaining of true religion, the holy Scripture hath not passed in silence." "The holy Scripture," saith St. Cyril of Alexandria, "is sufficient to make them which are brought up in it wise, and most approved, and furnished with most sufficient understanding." And again : And again: "That" which the holy Scripture hath not said, by what means should we receive, and account it among those things that be true?" Lastly, in the writings of Theodoret we meet with these kind of speeches. "By the holy Scripture alone am I persuaded." "I am not so bold as to affirm any thing, which the sacred Scripture passeth in silence." "It is an idle and a senseless thing, to seek those things that are passed in silence." "We ought not to seek those things which are passed in silence; but rest in the things that are written." By the verdict of these twelve men you may judge, what opinion was held in those ancient times, of such traditions as did cross either the verity, or the perfection, of the sacred Scripture: which are the traditions we set ourselves against. Whereunto you may add, if you please that remarkable sentence delivered by Eusebius Pamphili, in the name of the three hundred and eighteen fathers of the first general council of Nice: "Believed the things * Sufficit divina scriptura ad faciendum eos, qui in illa educati sunt, sapientes et probatissimos, et sufficientissimam habentes intelligentiam. Cyril. 1. 7. contr. Jul. * ὃ γὰρ οὐκ εἴρηκεν ή θεία γραφὴ τίνα δὲ τρόπον παραδεξόμεθα, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀληθὼς ἔχουσι καταλογίουμεθα ; Cyril. Glaphyrorum, in Gen. lib. 2. Εγὼ γὰρ μόνη πείθομαι τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ. Theod. dial. 1. Ατρεπτ. • Οὐ γὰρ οὕτως εἰμὶ θρασὺς, ὥστε φάναι τι σεσιγημένον παρὰ τῇ θείᾳ γραφή Id. dial. 2. Ασύγχυτ. • Περιστὸν καὶ ἀνόητον τὸ τὰ σεσιγημένα ζητεῖν. Id. in Exod. quæst. 26. quod in Græcorum catena in pentateuchum, a Franc. Zephyro edita, ita expositum legimus: Impudentis est, quod a Scriptura reticetur, velle inquirere. • Οὐ δεῖ ζητεῖν τὰ σεσιγημένα, στέργειν δὲ προσήκει τὰ γεγραμμένα. Theod. in Gen. quæst. 45. 4 Τοῖς γεγραμμένοις πίστευε· τὰ μὴ γεγραμμένα μὴ ἐννόει, μηδὲ ζήτει. Gelas. Cyzicen. act. concil. Nicæn. part. 2. cap. 19. that are written: the things that are not written, neither think upon nor enquire after." If now it be demanded, In what pope's days the contrary doctrine was brought in among Christians: I answer, that if St. Peter were ever pope, in his days it was, that some seducers first laboured to bring in will-worship into the Church; against whom St. Paul opposing himself, counteth it a sufficient argument to condemn all such inventions, that they were "the commandments and doctrines of men." Shortly after them started up other heretics, who taught, that "the truth could not be found out of the Scriptures, by those to whom tradition was unknown: forasmuch as it was not delivered by writing, but by word of mouth: for which cause St. Paul also should say; We speak wisdom among them that be perfect." The very same text do the Jesuits allege, to prove the dignity of many mysteries to be such that they require silence; and that it is unmeet they should be opened in the Scriptures, which are read to the whole world, and therefore can only be learned by unwritten traditions. Wherein they consider not, how they make so near an approach unto the confines of some of the ancientest heretics, that they may well shake hands together. For howsoever some of them were so mad as to say, that they were wiser than the apostles themselves; and therefore made light account of the doctrine which they delivered unto the Church, either by writing or by word of mouth: yet all of them broke not forth into that open impiety; the same mystery of iniquity wrought in some of Antichrist's forerunners then, which is discovered in his ministers e Coloss. chap. 2. Quia non possit ex his inveniri veritas, ab his qui nesciant traditionem. Non enim per literas traditam illam, sed per vivam vocem: ob quam causam et Paulum dixisse; Sapientiam autem loquimur inter perfectos. Iren. contr. hæres. lib. 3. cap. 2. Bellarm. lib. 4. de verbo Dei, cap. 8. b Dicentes, se non solum presbyteris, sed etiam apostolis existentes sapientiores, sinceram invenisse veritatem, &c. Evenit itaque neque scripturis jam, neque traditioni, consentire eos. Iren. ut supr. now. "They confessed indeed," as witnesseth Tertullian, "that the apostles were ignorant of nothing, and differed not among themselves in their preaching; but they say they revealed not all things unto all men: some things they delivered openly and to all, some things secretly and to a few; because that Paul useth this speech unto Timothy: O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust. And again: that good thing which was committed unto thee keep :" which very texts the Jesuits likewise bring in, to prove that there are some traditions, which are not contained in the Scripture. In the days of St. Hierome also, this was wont to be the saying of heretics: "We' are the sons of the wise men, which from the beginning have delivered the doctrine of the apostles unto us." But those things, saith that father, "which they of themselves find out, and fain to have received as it were by tradition from the apostles, without the authority and testimonies of the Scriptures, the sword of God doth smite." St. Chrysostom" in like manner giveth this for a mark of Antichrist, and of all spiritual thieves, that they come not in by the door of the Scriptures. "For the Scripture," saith he, "like unto a sure door, doth bar an entrance unto heretics, safeguarding us in all things that we will, and not suffering us to be deceived." Whereupon he concludeth, that "whoso 1 Confitentur quidem nihil apostolos ignorasse, nec diversa inter se prædicasse ; sed non omnia illos volunt omnibus revelasse: quædam enim palam et universis, quædam secreto et paucis demandasse. quia et hoc verbo usus est Paulus ad Timotheum O Timothee, depositum custodi. Et rursum: Bonum depositum custodi. Tertull. de præscript. advers. hæret. cap. 25. * Bellarm. lib. 4. de verbo Dei, cap. 5. runt. Filii şumus sapientum, qui ab initio doctrinam nobis apostolicam tradide- m Sed et alia quæ, absque auctoritate et testimoniis Scripturarum, quasi traditione apostolica sponte reperiunt atque confingunt, percutit gladius Dei. Id. in Aggeum. cap. 1. n Chrysost. in Johan. cap. 10. hom. 59. op. tom. 8. pag. 346. • Καθάπερ γὰρ τὶς θύρα ἀσφαλὴς, οὕτως ἀποκλείει τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς τὴν εἴσοδον, ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ καθιστῶσα ἡμᾶς περὶ ὧν ἂν βουλώμεθα πάντων, καὶ οὐκ ἐῶσα πλανᾶσθαι. Ibid. ν ὁ γὰρ μὴ ταῖς γραφαῖς χρώμενος, ἀλλὰ ἀναβάνων ἀλλαχόθεν, useth not the Scriptures, but cometh in otherwise, that is, betaketh himself to another and an unlawful way, he is a thief." How this mystery of iniquity wrought, when Antichrist came unto his full growth, and what experiments his followers gave of their thievish entry in this kind, was well observed by the author of the book De unitate Ecclesiæ, thought by some to be Waltram bishop of Naumburg: who, speaking of the monks, that for the upholding of pope Hildebrand's faction brought in schisms and heresies into the Church, noteth this specially of them; that, "despising the tradition of God, they desired other doctrines, and brought in masteries of human institution." Against whom he allegeth the authority of their own St. Benedict, the father of the monks in the west, writing thus: "The' abbat ought to teach, or ordain, or command nothing, which is without the precept of the Lord: but his commandment or instruction should be spread, as the leaven of divine righteousness, in the minds of his disciples." Whereunto also he might have added the testimony of the two famous fathers of monastical discipline in the east; St. Antony, I mean, who taught his scholars that "the Scriptures were sufficient for doctrine;" and St. Basil, who unto the question, " Whether it were expedient that novices should presently learn those things that are in the Scripture," returneth this answer: "It' is fit τουτέστιν, ἑτέραν ἑαυτῷ καὶ μὴ νενομισμένην τέμνων ὁδὸν, οὗτος κλέπο Tns loriv. Chrysost. in Johan. cap. 10. hom. 59. op. tom. 8. pag. 346. 4 Quale mysterium iniquitatis prætendunt plures monachi in veste sua, per quos fiunt et facta sunt schismata atque hæreses in Ecclesia: qui etiam a matre filios segregant, oves a pastore sollicitant, Dei sacramenta disturbant: qui etiam, Dei traditione contempta, alienas doctrinas appetunt, et magisteria humanæ institutionis inducunt. Lib. de unitat. Eccles. tom. 1. script. Germanic. a M. Frehero edit. pag. 233. Ideoque nihil debet abbas extra præceptum Domini quod sit (or rather, as it is in the manuscript which I use, quod absit) aut docere, aut constituere, vel jubere: sed jussio ejus vel doctrina, ut fermentum divinæ justitiæ, in discipulorum mentibus conspergatur. Benedict. in regul. • Τὰς γραφὰς ἱκανὰς εἶναι πρὸς διδασκαλίαν. Athanas. in vita Antonii : quod Evagrius Antiochenus presbyter reddidit; Ad omnem mandatorum disciplinam scripturas posse sufficere. * Τὸ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἕκαστον ἐκμάνθανειν ἐκ τῆς θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς ἀκόλουθον καὶ ἀναγκαῖον, εἴς τε πληροφορίαν τῆς θεοσεβείας, καὶ ὑπερ VOL. III. E and necessary that every one should learn out of the holy Scripture that which is for his use; both for his full settlement in godliness, and that he may not be accustomed unto human traditions." Mark here the difference betwixt the monks of St. Basil, and pope Hildebrand's breeding. The novices of the former were trained in the Scriptures, to the end they might not be accustomed unto human traditions: those of the latter, to the clean contrary intent, were kept back from the study of the Scriptures, that they might be accustomed unto human traditions. For this, by the aforesaid author, is expressly noted of those Hildebrandine monks, that they "permitted" not young men in their monasteries to study this saving knowledge; to the end that their rude wit might be nourished with the husks of devils, which are the customs of human traditions: that, being accustomed to such filth, they might not taste how sweet the Lord was." And even thus in the times following, from monks to friars, and from them to secular priests and prelates, as it were by tradition from hand to hand, the like ungodly policy was continued, of keeping the common people from the knowledge of the Scriptures; as for other reasons, so likewise that by this means they might be drawn to human traditions; which was not only observed by Erasmus", before ever Luther stirred against the pope; but τοῦ μὴ προσεθισθῆναι ἀνθρωπίναις παραδόσεσιν. Basil. in regul. breviorib. Ep. 95. op. tom. 2. pag. 449. " Qui ne pueros quidem vel adolescentes permittunt in monasteriis habere studium salutaris scientiæ: ut scilicet rude ingenium nutriatur siliquis dæmoniorum, quæ sunt consuetudines humanarum traditionum: ut, ejusmodi spurcitiis assuefacti, non possint gustare quam suavis est Dominus. Lib. de unitat. Eccles. pag. 228. w Verum enimvero vereor ne isti, qui velint populum nihil attingere, non tam periculo commoveantur illorum, quam sui respectu: videlicet, ut ab istis solis, velut ab oraculis, petantur omnia. Quid hac de re scriptum est? Hoc scriptum est. Quem habet sensum quod scriptum est? Sic intellige, sic senti, sic loquere. Atqui istuc est bubalum esse, non hominem. Fortassis movet et nonnullos, quoniam animadvertunt divinam scripturam parum quadrare ad vitam suam, malunt eam antiquari, aut certe nesciri; ne quid hinc jaciatur in os. Et ad humanas traditiunculas populum avocant, quas ipsi ad suam commoditatem probe commenti sunt. Erasm. in enarrat. 1. Psalmi, edit. ann. 1515. |