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an old Prieft That if they agreed in nothing elfe, they agreed, I hope, in Martyrdom; and this is a Doctrine our Anti-primitives, I believe, love their Skins too well, ever to agree in. For if ever the Gnats and the Flies (as Vincentius calls the Hereticks of his Time) who make fuch a buz with their Penetration, if ever the witlings of this Age, fhou'd by their Devil-craft prevail over the Giants of Old, then farewel Gospel and Government either in Church or State: For when they become the ruling interpre •ters of the Scriptures, they will put a Crown on their Head and a Reed in their Hands, and bow before them, and cry, Hail King of the Fews; make a mighty fhew, of God knows what Refpect and Reverence for his Word, and after all, crucify it to what Senfe they please.

The Sum then of what I have to add here in Vindication of Vincentius's Rule of Faith, fhall be taken out of Tertullian's Prefcription against Hereticks; not fo much upon the Authority of that Father, (tho he is very ancient) as for the intrinfick goodness of his Arguments; and withal to fhew, that our Author was not blinded with a mere implicit Reverence for Antiquity, but that his Veneration was the mature iffue of long Study and found Judgment; as he has evidently made appear in his Characters of Origen and Tertullian, where he has laid on fine Colours with a masterly Hand and fignal Impartiality, in not fparing their Vices for our fecurity, and yet doing Juftice alfo to their virtues; whereby he has approv❜d himself an able and fincere lover of Truth.

Tertullian then tells us, that in his Time there were fome Hereticks whofe Tongues were continually tipt with Gofpel, and always running in Biblephrafe; The Scripture, the Scripture was the cry, and by Scripture only wou'd they be try'd. The Cant

e Bene quod Petrus Paulo & in Martyrio adaquatur. Tertull. Præfcr. cap. 24. Præfcript. cap. 15.

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it feems, made a mighty impreffion upon fome Folks, and brought no Small Gain unto the Craftsmen. Upon which Tertullian takes 'em to task, and lets em know in the first place, that notwithstanding all this godly Clamour, they had no right to a Scripture Difputation, as being Hereticks and not Chriftians. That by the Apoftles Order, a Man that is an Heretick, after the firft and fecond Admonition, is to be rejected, and not after Difputation; and this because fuch a one ftands felf condemn'd, the Fault lying not in his Understanding but his Will, and therefore that wilful Perverfnefs which calls for a Cenfure upon an Heretick, forbids difputing with him. And after all (fays he) what Good is like to come of fuch a Scripture Combat? For this Herefy receives not fome Scriptures, and if it receives fome it receives 'em not entire, and if entire, then you may be fure they'll interpret away the Senfe of 'em; and whatever Conviction they lie under, they cannot poffibly be brought to a Confeffion of the Truth, but obftinately ftick to their Adulterations, or their own ambiguous Expofitions: And moreover, they are oblig❜d to retort and fay, that 'tis we who have adulterated the Scriptures and clapt falfe Gloffes upon 'em, The firft Point therefore to be made out and fettl'd, is, In whofe Hands the pure genuine Scriptures are depofited; from whom, and by whom, and when, and to whom the Doctrine was firft deliver'd that makes Men Chriftians; and wherever this true Chriftian Doctrine and Discipline fhall appear to be, there the true genuine Scriptures, the true Interpreta tion of thofe Scriptures, and all the true Chriftian Traditions will appear to be alfo.

In order therefore then to make out this most con

Cap. 16.

f Ifta hærefis non recipit quafdam Scripturas, &c. cap. 17. * Neceffe eft enim & illos dicere, a Nobis potius adulteria Scriptu. Tarum, c. cap. 18. Cap. 20.

cerning

cerning Question, it is to be remember'd, that juft upon our Lord's Afcenfion he commiffion'd his Apoftles to go and difciple all Nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. Accordingly the Apoftles having receiv'd the promis'd Affiftance of the Holy Spirit to work Miracles and Ipeak with Tongues, they proclaim'd the Faith in Jefus Chrift first in Fudea; and there planted Churches, and thence went out into all the Ends of the Earth, and publifh'd the fame Faith to the Gentiles, and conftituted Churches in ev'ry City; from whom the other Churches deriv'd their firft Principles and Seeds of Doctrine, and from whom alfo other Churches do daily derive, or they could not be true Churches. For this Reafon likewise they have the Reputation of Apoftolick; because they are the Offfpring of Apoftolick Churches: For ev'ry Kind must be trac'd up to its Original. Now as from that one Church planted by the Apoftles fprung up fo many flourishing Churches, fo to all thefe is the Title of Primitive and Apoftolick Churches due alfo, while they live in the Unity of the fame Faith and in brotherly Love and Communion with one another; and nothing cou'd make 'em do fo and preferve thefe facred Rights Intire, but the Tradition of one and the fame Doarine and Discipline. Here then it is (fays this Primitive Prieft) I prescribe and fix, that the Truth of our Religion can no otherwise be prov'd than by its conformity to thofe very Churches which the Apostles planted, to which they themselves preached as well by Word of Mouth, as by Writing.

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If this then be the Cafe, 'tis evident that ev'ry DoErine which conspires in the fame Faith with thefe Apoftolick Mother Churches, is to be receiv'd for true, and for the very fame Doctrine undoubtedly which the Churches receiv'd from the Apoftles, the Apoftles from Chrift, and Chrift from God. And confequently

i Cap. 21.

ev'ry other Doctrine is to be condemn'd as fpurious, that favours not of the Truth of these Churches, and of the Apostles, and of Chrift, and of God. All then to be prov'd in fhort is this, That the Doctrine we preach has a juft indifputable Title to the Claim of Apoftolick Tradition; and this will be a demonftration of its Truth, and of the Falfity likewife of all Heretical Innovations. And our Title to Apoftolical Tradition will from hence appear unqueftionable, because we communicate with the Apoftolick Churches, and there is not one of our Churches which maintains any Doctrine different from what is taught in the Churches planted by the very Apostles themfelves. And this entire Harmony and Agreement is the most convincing Proof imaginable, that we are orthodox and found in the Faith.

After this he replies at large to a moft abfurd Obje Єtion (for what will not Hereticks object?) viz. That the Apostles Commiffion to preach was not full and perfect, and therefore they did not deliver ev'ry neceffary Article to the Churches they planted. I do not find that this Objection has been new drefs'd of late, by any of our vampers up of old Herefies; but fomething like has been attempted; The Canon of the New Teftament (which our Vincentius calls complete and perfed) has been queftion'd and peck'd at by F. T. in his Amyntor, but the Canon has been fufficiently vindicated, and the dabler in Antiquity folidly refuted and filenc'd by the late Reverend and Learned Mr. John Richardfon. By a nameless Critick alfo (whom all the World knows by his Novelty and his Confidence) the facred Canon has been maim'd in a vital Part, by his endeavouring to prove, that the Apostles were not perpetually infpir'd and fuperintended by the Holy Ghoft in all they wrote; (though if an Angel Should preach any other Gofpel, he was to be accurfed) yet fince thefe Innovators care not to speak out, and exprefly to call in queftion the fufficiency of the divinely inspir'd Writers, I fhall wave Tertullian's

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answer to this Objection, obferving one Paffage only which I wou'd have our Father-haters take notice of, and it is this Quanquam etfi Quædam inter Domefticos, ut ita dixerim, differebant, non tamen ea fuiffe credendum eft, quæ aliam Fidei Regulam fu perinducerent, &c. cap. 26. For although among their Domefticks, as I may fo call 'em, they (the Apostles) difcours'd of fome things more fully (which to me is a good Reafon for a greater deference to the Writings of Ignatius and Apoftolick Men, than to the Criticisms of any modern Commentator) yet are we not to imagine that they were of fuch a Nature as to Superinduce another Rule of Faith.

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But the following Objection which the Hereticks flung in the way of the Faithful, is much to our purpose, and worthy our Confideration, and it is this, That fuppofing the Apostles to have exprefs'd themselves fully and clearly, yet the Churches per haps might misunderstand and mifconftrue 'em. And that they did fo (fay they) is evident from thefe Reproofs O foolish Galatians who hath bewitch'd you? And again, Te did run well, who did binder you? I marvel that you are fo foon remov'd from him that called you into the Grace of Chrift, unto another Gof pel. And fo likewife to the Corinthians, he fays, that they were Carnal, who thought they knew fome thing, when indeed they knew nothing as they ought to know it. But these Objectors (replies Tertullian) wou'd do well to remember, that there were other Churches, for whofe Faith, Knowledge and Goodnefs, St. Paul rejoices and giveth Thanks to God; and that these celebrated Churches are now in ftrict Communion with thofe reprov'd by the Apostle. But let it be, that they have all err'd, that the Apoftle was miftaken in the Character he gave of 'em, that the Holy Spirit took no care to lead any of 'em into the way of Truth, but fuffer'd all the Churches

Cap. 27.

Cap. 28.

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