wifeft Heads in Chriftendom had been lately confederate to deliver the World from Error, and to infure Pofterity from the Powers of Darkness; and when, by a joint Examination of Holy Scripture, and by the moft diligent re-fearches into the Doctrine and Practice of Apoftolick Churches, and into the general Confent of the earliest and most approv'd Writers of ev'ry Age down to themselves, they had diftinctly and fully explain'd the Creed, and ftated, defin'd, and fettl'd all the neceffary Points, either of Doctrine or Government. In this advantageous Time, I fay it was, that our Vincentius liv'd, and in this inftructing Age, and after the moft ferious and utmost Application to the beft Men and the beft Books, and under the Affiftance of a bleffed Retirement (as he himself tells us) he compos'd this Rule of Faith and he has done it with much Fidelity, Clearness and Eloquence. Compofe it he did, it feems, for his own private Ufe; for he concluded a Right Faith as neceffary to Salvation as a Right Practice; and therefore, though he had taken Sanctuary in his beloved Harbour of a Monaftery from the Embarrafments of a military Life, and lock'd himself up from the glittering Temptations of the World, for a freer devoting of himself to the Practice of Chriftian Morality; yet cou'd he not be fatisfy'd, or think himself wife unto Salvation, till he, like a wife Builder, had made fure of the Foundation, and examin'd the Principles of his Faith, Firft, by the Holy Scriptures, then by the unanimous Confent of the most ancient Fathers; and laftly, by the definiti ons of the Catholick Church in Council, This was the Method, these the Pains Vincentius look'd upon himself oblig'd to take for the fecurity of his Faith, and confequently what he thought all others oblig'd to likewife, under the fame advantages of Ability and Leifure,

He was by Nation a Frenchman, and after a wearifome Tour in the Wars, retir'd to a Monastery in

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the Ifle of Lerins, where he enter'd into Holy Orders, and was none of the leaft Ornaments of the Church. He was the Brother of Lupus Bishop of Troyes, faith Eucherius, who, for the brightnefs of his Devotion and the inward Beauties of his Mind, calls him, Interno Gemmam fplendore perfpicuam. But the intrinfick Worth and Splendor of this Jewel fparkles in ev'ry Page of his Book, the Subject of which I now balten to, having more fully fet forth in the Notes what I thought neceffary to be known of his Perfon.

The defign then of this little Treatife is to deliver well difpos'd Chriftians from the falfe and perplexing Gloffes of Hereticks, and to fhew 'em how, and when they may reft fatisfy'd in their Creed without any farther Doubt or Scruple about it, notwithstanding all the loud and dazling Pretences to Infallibility, or fuch as fet up for a discovery of New Marters of Faith. The Rules he prefcribes for coming to this indubitable certainty, are thefe Two, Firft, That we fettle our Faith upon the Authority of Scripture. Secondly, Upon the Tradition of the Catholick Church. But fince Men will be putting the Queftion-If the Canon of Scripture be per Je, and abundantly fufficient in all respects, what need can there be of Ecclefiaftical Tradition? He anfwers-For finding out the true Senfe of Scripture, which is differently interpreted by Novatianus, Photinus, Sabellius, and other Hereticks. After which he tells us what he means by Ecclefiaftical Tradition; Quod ubique, quod femper, quod ab omnibus creditum eft. That which hath Antiquity, Univerfality, and the Confent of all joining in the Belief of it.

"In exact conformity to this Rule, the Church of England profeffeth to defend and maintain no other Doctrine than that which is truly Catbolick and Apoftolick; and for fuch warranted not only by the written Word of God, but alfo by the concurrent Teftimonies of the ancient Fathers. For in a Synod Anno MDLXXI. amongst other Canons the fet forth

forth this, for the direction of the Clergy. That they should never teach any thing as Matter of Faith religiously to be obferv'd, but that which is agreeable to the Doctrine of the Old and New Teftament, and collected out of the fame by the Catholick Fathers and ancient Bishops of the Church, lib. Can. Ecclef. Ang. cap. 6. p. 19. 'Tis true indeed, that ev'ry Popish Prieft takes an Oath never to interpret the Scriptures otherwife than according to the unanimous confent of the Fathers, and at the fame time fwears-Without the leaft doubt to receive and profefs all other things which have been deliver'd, defin'd, and declar'd by the facred Canons and Ecumenical Councils, and efpecially by the Holy Synod of Trent; that is, they have more especially fworn to believe without the leaft doubt, a dozen fresh Articles never heard of by the Ancients, much lefs admitted into the Creed of any Primitive Church.

Out of this monftrous Wen which is now grown to the Body of the Nicene Faith, one Article is Tranfubftantiation; and when Men have renounc'd their fenfes upon Oath,and fworn themselves blind,they are readily difpos'd to fwear to the truth of any Colour: Which makes me lefs wonder, when I find fo many Romish Writers, and the Commentators in particular,boafting of Our Vincentius as a Champion of their Church. One muft conclude 'em verily out of their fenfes,or worse, in thus doing; for furely never Men were more unlucky in the choice of a Champion than the Papifts are in the choice of him; For had Vincentius been affifted with a prophetick Vifion of the future Corruptions in the Church of Rome, he cou'd hardly have exprefs'd himfelf more clearly against it. The whole Defign and Bent of his Book is directly against all Innovations in the Faith, and for sticking inviolably to the Creed as then explain'd, and always understood by the Apoftolick Churches, which though (as he faith) fomewhat enlarg'd in Bulk by reafon of the neto Herefies it provided againft, yet was the Growth perfectly

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perfectly Natural, and it differ'd no more in Essen tials than a Man differs from a Child. Whereas the Trent-Additions have made a meer Centaur of a Creed, and there is no more Affinity between the Old and their New of Rule Faith, than between a Man and a Horfe. So that I am not bold in affirming, that we shall never know when a Man is writing for or against us, if this Commonitory is not exprefly on our fide; and it is as notable an Irony to say, that Vincentius has been writing for the Church of Rome, as that the King of France is fighting for the Liberties of England. The abufe is fo palpable, that I dare leave it to the judgment of any impartial Reader without any more ado.

But because the whole Fabrick of this Book is built upon this fecondary Fundamental, viz. That the fenfe of the Primitive Church is the Rule we are to go by in the Interpretation of Scripture, especially as to Matters of Faith, and because the Interpreters now a Days are perpetually running Divifions upon the facred Text, and turning it like a Nofe of Wax to ev'ry purpose, I fhall in compliance with the main Defign of my Author, in juftification of the Canons of our own Church, and in confirmation of what I have been advancing in the general Preface, farther endeavour to make out this most important Quefti on, concerning the Authority of the Primitive Fathers. Tertullian tells us, that about his Time there were fome Hereticks extravagant enough to call in queftion the Ability of the Apoftles themfelves, and to give out, That they were not fufficiently acquainted with all neceffary Revelations, and in the like fran tick Mood contradi&ed themfelves again in the fame Breath, faying, That the Apostles indeed did know

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• Non omnia Apoftolos fciffe, eâdem agitati dementiâ quâ rurfum Convertunt Omnia quidem Apoftolos fciffe, fed non omnia omnibus tradidifle; in utroque Chriftum reprehenfioni fubjicientes, Qui aut

inks Inftrucos, aut parùm fimplices Apoftolos miferit. Præfcript Contr. Haret, cap, 32,

all things, but that they did not teach all they knew to the World: In both Cafes laying Chrift under the fcurvy imputation, of fending out Apoftles either not Jo well inftrudled, or not fo honeft as they should be. And a little after he tells us, That in order to fet a Mark upon the Ignorance of the Apofiles, they urge, that Peter and his Companions were reprimanded by Paul; and therefore, Jay they, there must be fome failure in them; and this, they say, purely to make way for this conclufion, That a more plentiful effufion of Wifdom might poffibly have fince come down upon them, just as it happen'd to Paul, when he repri manded his Predeceffors in the Faith. In like manner fome of our modern Criticks and Libertines, to prepare a way for their Bibliotheques and Antichriftian Comments, wou'd bear down the World, that all the ancient Martyrs and Confeffors were a Crew of Old good for nothing Priefts only; and according to late Father Dryden, and the Author of the Hiftory of Religion, never make any diftinction between Heathen, Turkish, Popish or Proteftant Priefts; but in general, wou'd have Prieft pafs for the moft ridiculous, fcoundrel Name upon Earth, and wou'd (if they durft) in the fame fenfe call our Saviour, the old High Prieft. They wou'd fain have the People believe that they are the bugeous Men of Parts, of Penetration and clear Ideas, and that all the Primitive Fathers were as meer Grafhoppers in comparison of them; that they were out in the relations of Fact, weak in their Reasonings, and inconfiftent in their Conclufions.

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But this is an idle Calumny which I have already answer'd, and therefore Thall fay only with

Proponunt ergo ad fuggillandum Ignorantiam aliquam Apoftolorum, quod Petrus & Qui cum eo, reprehenfi fint a Paulo. Adeo, inquiunt, aliquid eis defuit; ut ex hoc etiam illud ftruant, potuiffe po flea pleniorem fcientiam fupervenire, qualis obvenerit Paulo reprehen denti Anteceffores

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