CHA P. II.

Reasons for fubjoining the Tradition of the Catholick Church to the Canon of Scripture.

BUT

UT here perhaps a Man may ask this
Queftion, Since the

Canon of the Scrip

ture

& Cùm fit perfectus Scripturarum Canon, fibiq; ad omnia fatis fuperq; fufficiat, quid opus est ut ei Ecclefiaftica Intelligentia jungatur Authoritas? This Perfection of Scripture is unanimoufly maintain'd by all the Fathers, but for Brevity fake, I fhall only mention the Teftimony of St. Auftin, de Doctr. Christ. 1. 2. c. 9. In iis, que apertè in Scripturis pofita funt, inveniuntur illa omnia que continent fidem morefq; vivendi. The next Queftion is, what kind of Perfection that is, which the Fathers and we attribute to the holy Scripture, and it is the Perfection of a Rule; and the two Proper ties of a Rule, are Fulness and Perfpicuity; for if it wants any Addition it is not full; and if it wants Perfpicuity, it cannot direct and Regulate, which is the end of a Rule; fo that when our Author afferts the Canon of Scripture to be perfect, and abundantly fufficient in all Refpects, his meaning is, that it contains all things neceffary to Salvation fully and clearly, provided a Man comes with an ordinary Understanding, and an honeft Heart; for the Sun it felf is no Direction to a blind Man, or which is all one to a Man that wilfully fhuts his Eyes. Now here again 'tis worth ob ferving, how the Church of Rome ingroffes the Ancients, and yer contradicts their Doctrine; for in oppofition to Vincentius, the Papifts acknowledge the Scripture to be a perfect Rule, as much as a Writing can be a Rule; only they deny, that it excludes unwritten Tradition. That is, the Scripture is a perfect Rule, only 'tis imperfect, and wants Tradition; and yet the Determinations of the Council of Trent, may be a perfect written Rule, tho' the holy Scripture cannot. In the next place it well deferves our Notice, that after our Author has affirm'd the Scripture to be a perfect Rule he mentions not the leaft tittle of any Neceffity of an infallible living Judge to interpret that Rule, and indeed it had been extremely impertinent, if he had mention'd it; for fuppofing I am to go a Journey, if I know my way, or have a plain Rule to know it by, I want no Guide; and if I have an infallible Guide, I want.neither

ture is compleat, and more than fufficient in every respect, what need is there for adding the Sence of the Catholick Church to fuch a perfect Rule? To which Question I answer, That there is good Reason for fuch Addition ; because the facred Writings having a fublime Sence, all Understandings cannot reach it alike but one expounds the divine Oracles after this manner, and another after that; infomuch, that there are almost as many Opinions about the true Meaning, as there are Expofitors. For Inftance, h Novatianus interprets one way,

Photinus

to know my way, nor to have a Rule. But because our Author knew that the Gospel was a Touchftone of Ingenuity, and was never defign'd to drag Men to be Chriftians, but to lead them like rational Creatures; and because a crooked Wit may pervert the plaineft Text, and fome Things are hard to be understood, which un tearned and unftable Men wreft to their own Damnation, therefore to prevent any fatal Miftakes, we are fent to the Catholick Church of the firft Ages of Christianity for the Interpretation of Scripture; and this Secundary Rule of Vincentius, the Church of England is at this Day willing to be try'd by.

Aliter namq; illam Novatianus, aliter Photinus, aliter Sabellius, aliter Donatus exponit, aliter Arius, Eunomius, Macedonius, &c.] Here are thirteen Hereticks ringing Changes upon Scripture, were they all in one Note, they might be in the wrong, but in fuch Contrariety 'tis juft as impoffible they fhould be in the right, as for thirteen Mountebanks bawling in the Piazza, that they had the only Antidote in the World againft Poison, and yet every Man of 'em prescribe contrary to one another. All the Hereticks here mention'd, except Macedonius, we fhall meet with again in a more convenient Place, and therefore I fhall here fpeak only of the Ma cedonian Herefie. When the Arians had murther'd Paulus the good Bishop of Conftantinople, they chofe Macedonius to fucceed him, concluding him a Man after their own Heart, because he join'd with 'em in part, in denying the Divinity of the Holy Ghost; but they foon outed him for refufing to call him a Creature, whom the Scripture calls the Son of God. Upon which, he withdrew from the Arian and Eudoxian Party, and fet up a Herefie of his own; he afferts the Son to be ὅμοιον και πάντα της γελωνηκότι, like to the Father in all Things, but he would not call him orσlor To

παλεία

Photinus another, Sabellius another, Donatus another, Arius another, Eunomius, Macedonius another, Apollinaris, Prifcillianus another, Jovinianus, Pelagius, Celeftius another; and in fine Neftorius another. And therefore, under fo great Difficulties, in fuch a Perplexity of various Error, I hold it extremely necessary to apply the Sence of the Catholick Church to the Scriptures, as a Rule to a Line, and as the Clue to conduct us in this Labyrinth of Opi

nions.

alei, of the fame Subftance with the Father; but he exprefly maintains the Holy Ghoft to be a Creature. Κτισὸν ἢ τὸ πνεῦμα weggavas ovoμawv. Vid. Theodoret. Hift. Ecclef. 1. 2. c. 6. The Semi-Arians, and those which were Orthodox as to the Divinity of the Son, but oppos'd the Divinity of the Holy Spirit, were called andμaloμáxo, and afterwards Macedonians. Vid. S. Aug. Har. 52. This Herefie was firft condemn'd by the Council of Alexandria. Vid. Socr. lib. 3. c. 7. Afterwards by the Council of Illyricum. Theodoret. Hift. Eccl. l. 4. c. 8. and by a Synod held at Rome with the Gallican Bishops under Damafus. Theodoret. 1. 2. c. 22. And by another Synod at Rome under the fame Damafus. Theodoret. 1. 5. c. 10. After all it was fully condemn'd in the Second General Council at Conftantinople, which to the eis oveŭμa yov, where the Nicene Creed ended, added, TO NÚCLOV, TO WOTTOLOV, TO EN F Παλεὸς ἐκπορευόμθμον, καὶ τὸ στὸ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ συμπροσκυνέμψον, sy our dokαlow Nov. Thus the Herefic of Macedonius, who made the Holy Ghoft a created Perfon was anathematiz'd by the Second General Council at Conftantinople; the very First Canon of which amongst feveral other Hereticks makes mention of the Пvdualdxos, or the Fighters against the Holy Ghost.

СНАР.

CHA P. III.

Certain Rules for the safe Conduct of a Chriftian in the Choice of his Opinions.

A

ND for us who are in the Bofom of the Catholick Church, it ought to be our first and principal Care to choose fuch Doarines, as we find to have been believ'd in all i Places, at all Times, and by all the Faithful.

For

iQuod ubiq; quod femper, quod ab omnibus creditum eft. Hoc eft etenim verè proprieq; Catholicum.] Bellarmin's First Note of a true Church is taken from the Name of Catholick, Bellar. c. 4. de Not. Ecclef. p. 1477. The Apoftle (fays he) 1 Cor. 3.4. makes it the Mark of Schifmaticks to be called after the Name of particular Men, tho' of the Apostles themselves, whether of Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas. And in the Writings of the Fathers, the Orthodox Churches were diftinguifh'd by the Name of Catholick, and the Conventicles of Schifmaticks and Hereticks by the Names of their First Authors. And therefore fince the Church of Rome is by her bittereft Enemies called Catholich, and the feveral Seas of the Reform'd after the particular Names of their Doors, as Lutherans, Calvinifts, Zuinglians, &c. it follows that the Name of Catholick is not only a fure undoubted Mark of the true Church, but also, that this Church of Rome is that Church. Firft, then obferve, that the Chriftian Church was not known by the Name of Catbolick in the beginning, we find no mention of this Name in all the New Teftament; and therefore the Name of Catholick can be no effential Note of the true Church: And Catbolick being a Term that refpects the diffufiveness of the Church, it had been a very improper Epithet before the Chriftian Church was fpread thro' any confiderable part of the World, to have call'd it Catholick. The most ancient Author that I know of, who calls the Church, Catholick, is Ignatius in his Epiftle to the Smyrneans, p. 6. ὥσπρ όπε ἂν ᾖ χειρὸς Ἰησῖς· ἐκεῖ ἡ καθολικὴ ἐκκλησία But now to argue from a Name to a Thing, that the Church of Rome is a pure Orthodox Church, because the is called Catholick, is juft fuch an Argument, as if the greateft Rogue in Chriftendom fhould go about to prove himself an honeft Man, because, forTooth, he is call'd a Chriftian. When good Men can't be call'd by il Dames, or bad Men give themfelves good Names, then, and

ກ

not

For there is nothing truly and properly Catholick, (as the Word fufficiently declares) but what truly and fully comprehends all these. And we are thus Catholick, when we follow Univerfality, Antiquity, and unanimous Confent; but we follow Univerfality, when we profefs that only to be the true Faith, which is profefs'd by the Church all the World over. In like manner, we are Followers of Antiquity, when we religiously adhere to that Sence of Scripture, which manifeftly obtain'd amongst the holy Fathers our Predeceffors. And lastly, we follow Confent, when we embrace the Definitions and Opinions of almost all, if not all, the Bishops and Teachers in the ancient Church.

not till then, will the Title of Catbolick, be a good Proof of an undefiled Church. But that which makes an Orthodox Church, is an Orthodox Faith; and according to this Rule of Vincentius, that is the true Catholick Faith which has obtain'd in all Places, at all Times, and been believ'd by all the Faithful. Let us fee now how the prefent Church of Rome, who appropriates to her felf the Name of Catholick can juftifie this Title according to this Definition. Let her prove then her unwritten Traditions, her feven Sacraments, the Sacrifice of the Mafs, Transubstantiation, her HalfCommunion, Purgatory, Invocation of Saints, Worship of Images, the Pope's Infallibility, and all the Definitions of the Trent-Coun cil, that is, let her prove the Creed of Pope Pius the Fourth to have been the Creed of all the Churches at all times from the A. poftles to the Council of Nice, or only in the Days of the Apoftles, and we will allow her to be a true Member of the Catholick Church; but even then the Roman can't be called the Catholick Church, unless it be by the fame Figure as they now call a Commu nion Single. And therefore till the can prove thefe Doctrines to be agreeable to the holy Scriptures as interpreted by the general Confent of the Ancients in all Times and Places, 'tis evident that by this Rule of Vincentius, the holds not the true Catholick Faith, and confequently deferves not to be called a Catholick Church.

CHAP