"be more impudent, it will be good to recite a few paf"fages out of fcripture," &c. And from thence he confutes them at large. It was fo grofs an error, that he thought it might be fufficient, without bringing particu lar arguments out of fcripture against it, to fay, that it was contrary to the ancient faith: but yet, left they fhould (if he had faid no more) have taken boldness from thence, and thought that nothing more could be faid against it; therefore he confutes it from particular texts of fcripture. And what, in his opinion, was the fufficient rule of faith, Mr S. might have feen at the beginning of this epistle, from thefe words: "That faith which "was profeffed by the fathers in that council (viz. the "Nicene) according to the fcripture, is to me fufficient," &c. It feems that fcripture was to him the rule and ftandard whereby to judge even the creeds of general councils.

Mr S. fays he will be fhorter in the reft. And fo will I: for what is to be faid to teftimonies brought at a venture; when he that brings them, had he read the books themselves, could not have had the face to have brought them? Such is this out of Clem. Alexander. (Stromat. I. 7.) "As if one of a man becomes a beaft, like thofe in"fected with Circe's poison; fo he hath forfeited his being a man of God, and faithful to our Lord, who "fpurns against ecclefiaftical tradition, and leaps into

opinions of human election." Mr S. knows whofe way of quoting this is, to pick a bit out of the midst of a text that founds fomething towards his purpose, and leave out the reft, which would make it evident to be meant just contrary. Yet I cannot charge this wholly upon Mr S. whofe implicit faith, were it not for his culpable ignorance, might excufe him. But for his feducer, Mr White, how he can acquit himself of fo foul an im putation, I leave it to any ingenuous Papift to judge, when I have nakedly fet the whole paffage before him. Clement, speaking of heretics who relinquish the fcripture, or abuse it by wrefting it to their lufts, fays, "Men who deal in matters of highest importance, must "need commit great errors, if they do not take and "hold the RULE OF FAITH from truth itself. For "fuch men having once deviated from the right way,

"do

"do likewife err in moft particulars; probably because they have not the faculty of diftinguishing truths and "falfehoods perfectly exercifed, to chufe what ought to "be chofen: for, if they had this, they would be ruled by "the divine SCRIPTURES. [Therefore, as if any of "mankind should become a beaft, in fuch fort as thofe "who were papuan, bewitched by Circe; even fo " he hath loft his being a man of God, and abiding "faithful to the Lord, who hath fpurned against the "tradition of the church, and fkipped into the opi"nions of human fects, dipicewv,] (not of human election, as Mr S. blindly following Mr White, does most "abfurdly tranflate it): but he that hath returned from "his errors, and hearkened to the SCRIPTURES, and "conformed his life to the truth, is as it were advan"ced from a man to a god." At the fame rate he goes on for feveral pages together, taking the fcriptures for an indemonftrable principle, from which all divine doctrines are to be demonftrated, and for the criterion whereby they are to be tried; and charges the heretics in fuch words as we cannot find fitter for our adverfa

ries : As (fays he) naughty boys fhut out their school"mafter, fo thefe drive the prophecies out of the church, "fufpecting that they will chide and admonish them; "and they patch together abundance of falsehoods and

fictions, that they may feem RATIONALLY not to "admit the fcriptures." Again, fpeaking of those here. tics affronting the fcriptures, he tells us, "they oppose "the ba xapadios, divine tradition, with human doc.

trines, 'repov Tapy xphot, by other traditions [de"livered from hand to hand] that they may establish a "fect or herefy." Again, he fays, "they adulterate "the truth, and steal the rule of faith, &c. but for O. "RAL frauds they fhall have WRITTEN punish"ments." But enough of this. Whofoever defires to fee more of it, let him read on, where these men, to their own fhame, have directed us, and fee whether any Proteftant can fpeak more fully and plainly in this controverfy. The whole truft of the Papifts is upon the equivocal fenfe of the word tradition. Which word is commonly used by the fathers to fignify to us the fcripture or divine tradition, as Clement here calls it; but

the

:

the Papifts understand it of their unwritten tradition ; and to this they apply all thofe paffages in the fathers. where tradition is honourably mentioned. So Mr S. deals with us in the teftimonies I have already examined and there is nothing of argument in thofe few which remain, but from the ambiguity of this word: which I need not thew of every one of them in particular; for whofoever shall read them with this key, will find, that they are of no force to conclude what he drives at.

5. As for his citations out of the council of Trent, by which he would prove it to be the perfuafion of their prefent church, that tradition is the fole rule of faith, I have already fhewn, that that council hath declared otherwise, and is otherwise understood by the chief of their own writers. And therefore he did prudently to conceal in an &c. thofe choaking words, in which the council declares itself to "receive and honour, with equal pious "affection and reverence, the books of feripture and "unwritten, traditions." And, after a deal of fhuffling, what a pitiful account is it that he at last gives of that council's putting fcripture conftantly before tradition because scripture being interpreted by tradition, is of the fame authority," as if an Apoftle or an Evangelift were prefent; and therefore no wonder they honour "fcripture teftimony fo as to put it before tradition?" which is to fay, that becaufe fcripture is fubordinate to tradition, and to be regulated by it, therefore it deferves to be put before it. Befides, if feripture and tradition be but several ways of conveying the evangelical and apoftolical doctrine, why fhould he imagine an Evangelift or Apoftle to be more prefent by the fcripture than by oral tradition; efpecially if it be confidered, that he fuppoles fcripture to be an uncertain, and tradition an infallible way of conveying this doctrine?

SECT. II. The teftimonies on the behalf of fcripture.

A

§ 1. LL that now remains, is, to confirm the precedent discourse, by testimonies of the most eminent perfons of the church in feveral ages. In which I fhall not need to be large, being fo happily prevented by VOL. III.

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that

that full account which is given of the fenfe of the ancients in this matter, in the answer to Labyrinthus Cantuarienfis; which Mr S. may, if he please, confult for his farther conviction.

§ 2. I begin with the hiftorical account which Eufebius gives of committing the gofpel to writing; which is to this purpofe (Hift. ecclef. 1. 2. c. 14.) viz. that "the "Romans were not content with the doctrine preached, "unless it were alfo committed to writing; and there"fore did earneftly beg of Mark, Peter's companion, "that he would leave them a monument in writing, of that doctrine which had been delivered to them by word of mouth. And this was the occafion of the writing of Mark's gofpel. And when Peter did underftand, that this work was published, being fuggeft"ed by the divine revelation of the Holy Spirit, it is faid, he was very much pleafed with the ready and "earneft defire of thofe perfons; and that, by his authority, he confirmed this writing, to the end that it might be every where read in the church." As for St Matthew and St John, he tells us (ibid. 1. 3. c. 18.) that of all the difciples, they two only have left monuments in writing; of whom it is alfo reported, that they betook themselves to write, being drawn thereto by neceffity. Matthew, after he had preached the word of God to the Jews, and was refolved to go to other nations, wrote his gofpel in the language of his country; and thus, by the diligence and pains of writing, did abundantly fupply the want of his prefence to thofe whom he left. And when Mark and "Luke had published their gofpel, it is reported, that

John (who always ufed to preach the word without "writing it) being at length wrought upon by the fame "reafon, did betake himfelf to write." From this account it is clear, that the Apoftles thought it neceffary, for the prefervation and fure conveyance of the Chriftian doctrine, that it fhould be put into writing; and that they judged this a better way to fuppy the want of their prefence, than oral tradition. Therefore the fame author tells us (ibid. c. 31.) that "the difciples who immediately fucceeded the Apoftles, as they travelled to preach the gospel to thofe who had not yet heard

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"the word of faith, did, with great care, alfo deliver to "them the writings of the holy Evangelifts." Again, (ibid. c. 30.), that" Ignatius, as he travelled towards

"Rome, where he was to fuffer, exhorted the churches "of every city, to hold faft the tradition of the Apostles; "which (as alfo by writing he teftified) for the greater fecurity, he held neceffary to be copied in writing.' §3. That the heretics of old made the fame pretence which the Papifts make now, of oral tradition in oppo fition to fcripture, the fame Eufebius tells us; and with al, that books are a fufficient confutation of this pretence. "Thofe (fays he, ibid. l. 5. c. 27.) who were of the herefy of Artemon, faid, that all their forefathers, and "the Apoftles themselves, had received and taught the "fame things which they alfo did, and had preferved "the true teaching unto the time of Victor Bishop of "Rome; whofe fucceffor, Zephyrinus corrupted it. "And this (faith he) would have great probability, 66 were it not first of all contradicted by the fcripture; "and next if there did not remain the writings of other "brethren, much more ancient than Victor's time, "&c. in the books of all whom Chrift's divinity is acknowledged." And afterwards he tells us, that these heretics did change and corrupt the fcriptures, to bring them to their opinions. So M. 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 (Com. in Ifa. c. 9.) that "the "heretics were wont to fay, We are the fons of the wife, who did from the beginning deliver down to us the apoftolical doctrine;" but he adds, that "the 66 true fons of Judah adhere to the fcripture."

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

St Chryfoftom (in 2 Theff. c. 2. hom. 4.)" All things "in the divine fcriptures are plain and straight. What "foever things are neceffary, are manifeft."

St Auftin, having fpoken of the profoundness of fcripture, adds (Epift. 3.) "Not that thofe things which are neceffary to falvation are so hard to be come at ; "but (faith he) when one hath there attained faith;

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