AR T. XIV.

Of Apoftolical Traditions.

The fourteenth pretended Error of Papifts is, their receiving unwritten Traditions with equal Respect and Reverence, as Protestants receive the Holy Scriptures, pag, 4,

T

ANSWER.

HE Catechift ought here to have told his Reader what fort of unwritten Traditions we receive with the fame Refpect as the holy Scriptures. But fince he did not think fit to do it, St. Paul fhall do it for him. Therefore (fays he) Brethren stand fast, and hold the Traditions which you have been taught, whether BY WORD, or OUR EPISTLE, 2. Thef. 11. v. 15. Here St. Paul fpeaks plainly of unwritten Traditions TAUGHT BY THE APOSTLES, and gives them the fame Weight and Authority as to his own Epiftle, Because they convey to us the pure Word of God as certainly, as Scriptures themfelves.

If you fay, That all Tradition is uncertain, 1st, This is evidently to contradict St. Paul, who tells us, that the Traditions of the Apoftles are to be HELD STEDFASTLY. And must not every thinking Man, who is not hurried away with prejudice, be of the fame Mind? For furely the Word of God is equally the Word of God, whether it be deliver'd to us by Word of Mouth, or by Writing. Chrift himself laid the Foundation of the Church by preaching only, and the Apoft les preach'd feveral Years before they writ any of the Canonical Books of Scripture. Now I prefume they preach'd the pure Word of God, and by Confequence it was not their Writing that made it the Ward of God, for it was the Word of God before they wrote it: And tho' they had never written at all, but deliver'd the whole Chri

ftian Doctrine only by Word of Mouth to those who fucceeded them in their Apoftolical Charge, we fhould have been obliged to receive it as the Word of God, and therefore with the fame Refped as we do now the holy Scripture, I add that if Apoftolical Tradition be neceffarily uncertain, we cannot be fure of the Scripture it felf, which is convey'd to us by no other Channel. And if the Books of Scripture can be infallibly convey'd to us by Tradition from the Apofiles, why may not the Trinity or any other Mystery of Chriftian Faith? The Reafon in both Cafes is manifeftly the fame.

If you fay 2dly, that all Points of Chriftian Doctrine were afterwards written in the Bible: I answer, 1ft. That the Bible no where fays this. 2. That the Church of all Ages, from which we receiv'd the Bible it felf, tells us the contrary. St. Irenæus an eminent Father and Martyr of the Second Age, writes thus: Suppose, fays he, the Apostles had left us no Scriptures, ought we not to have follow'd the Rule of Tradition, which they deliver'd to those, to whofe Care they committed the Churches. L. 3. C. 3.

'Tis Apoftolical, fays St. Bafil, to hold even unwritten Tradition, L. de Sp. S. C. 29.

Tradition too is neceffary, fays St. Epiphanius; for all things cannot be had from the Scripture. Therefore the B. Apostles left us fome things in Writing, and others by Tradition,

Hær 61.

St. Chryfoftom agrees with them in the very fame Doctrine. It is clear, fays he, the Apostles did not deliver all Things in Writing, but many Things without it, and these 100 deferve to le believ'd. Let us then give Credit to the Traditions of the Church. 'Tis Tradition feek no farther, Hom. 4. in Ep. 2. ad Theff.

However the Catechist cannot relish this Doctrine. And the Evil of it, he fays, confists in making Traditions of Men equal in Dignity and Authority with the exprefs Word of God, pag. 4. But he is utterly mistaken. We make nothing that is not the Word of God equal with that, which is the Word of God; but we only make the unwritten Word of God deliver'd to us by the Tongues of Men, equal with

the

the Written Word of God deliver'd to us by the Pens of Men. For I prefume the Apoftles were equally Men, whether they poke or wrote. And I here aîk the Catechift, whether if St. Paul had inftructed him in any Point of the Chriftian Doctrine only by Word of Mouth, he would not have believ'd it to be the Word of God, and paid the fame Refpect to it, as if he had writ it to him in a Letter? This I fear is a puz'ling Question.

Let us now hear the Catechists Opinion of this Matter. 'Tis that the Scriptures in themselves are a full, fufficient, and perfect Rule: Because (fays he) they contain all Things, that are neceffary for Men to believe and do in Order to eternal Life. pag. 4. However as pofitive as the Catechift seems to be in the Matter, I own I have fome Scruples relating to it, and defire his Affiftance to be fatisfied in them. But for Brevity's Sake I fhall only propofe two; one relating to what is to be believ'd, the other relating to what is to be done.

As to the first, I think the Catechist is bound as well as my felf to believe, that all the Books of the Old Teftament fet down in the 9th Article of Religion, together with all the Parts of the NewTeftament as it is printed in the Bible, he is bound, I fay, to believe all these to be canonical Scriptures. This then is a Part of the Chriftian Faith, and neceffary to be believed. Now I defire the Catechift to let me know, what Text of Scripture he has to determine precifely the Number of Canonical Books. For if there be no Text for it, as I never could find any, it follows that there is fomething to be believ'd which cannot be found in the Books themfelves of Scripture. And, by Confequence the written Word alone is not a full Rule of Faith.

But I think there is likewise something necessary to be done, for which the Catechist will have fome Difficulty to find a Text of Scripture. The Thing, I mean, is keeping the Sunday Holy inftead of Saturday. For I fcarce be lieve he will allow Salvation to a Perfon, who should make an avow'd Practice of Prophaning the Sunday, and doing all Manner of fervil Works upon it, and keeping the Saturday (as the Jews do) instead of it. Now

then

91 then it behoves the Catechist to produce a Text commanding the Sunday to be kept Holy, as there certainly is one, which exprefly commands the Saturday to be kept Holy, Exod. 20. v. 8. For if he cannot produce any fuch Text, as I am fure he cannot, then the Obfervance or Sanctifying of the Sunday is a Thing neceffary to be done, for which there is no exprefs Scripture; And the Catechift as well as my felf muft be obliged to the Tradition of the Church for the Safety of his Practice in fetting. afide the Saturday, and keeping the Sunday instead of it. All which put together fhews plainly, that there is no Error in paying the fame Refpect to Apoftolical Traditions as to the Scriptures themselves: Because the Apostles taught Nothing but the pure Word of God; which, whether it be written or unwritten, is equally an unerring Rule both of Faith and Practice.

But here the Catechift produces five Texts to prove that Scripture contain all Things neceffary for Men to believe or do. The four first are taken from Ifa. 8. v. 20. John, 20. V. 31. Gal. I. v.8. and Eph. 2. v. 20. But they have fo little connection with the Matter he quotes them for, that the four first Verses of Genefis would be as much to his Purpose. I appeal to the Judgment of any Man for the Truth of what I fay.

As to his Fifth Text it is thus quoted by the Catechift. From a Child thou hast known the Scriptures, which are able to make thee wife unto Salvation through Faith, which is in Fefus Chrift, that the Man of God may be perfect, throughly furnifh'd unto all good Works, 2. Tim. 3. v. 16, 17. He fhould have faid v. 15. 17. For he omitted the 16th Verfe for Reasons beft known to himfelf. However the Catechist has quoted enough, to fhew that the Objection can do him no Service. For what were the Holy Scriptures which Timothy had known from a Child? Doubtless the Old Teftament only, for no part of the New Teftament was then written. Either then the New Testament is not necessary to make a Man wife to Salvation, or Apoftolical Tradition may be alfo neceffary.

In the 16th verfe omitted by the Catechift St. Paul tells us, that all Scripture is PROFITABLE for Doctrine, for reproof, for correction that the Man of God may be perfect, &c.

Of

Of this no one doubts. But it is a quite different thing, to fay the Scripture is PROFITABLE or useful for fuch and fuch effects, and to fay, the Scripture alone is SUFFICIENT for them. Drink is profitable for perfect Health, and all the Functions of Life in the best and most compleat Manner. But is there no need of Meat? Again Meat is profitable for all the very fame Effects. But is there no need of Drink? I add that the Scripture is even fufficient for all the Ends he mentions when rightly understood, that is, by the Lights to which the Scripture itself directs us(which Lights are chiefly Apoftolical Tradition, and the Senfe of the Church) or when a Man has learn'd from the Paftors of the Church the Tenets of Christian Do&rine. For then the Scripture will furnish him abundantly both with Examples and Moral Instructions for all Christian

Virtues.

For the Catechift's farther Satisfaction, I fhall tranf cribe the paraphrafe of Dr. Hammond, a Protestaut Divine, upon the words of St. Paul, pag. 751. v. 15. And having been inftruded in the understanding the OLD TES TAMENT ever fince thou wert a Child, thou wilt certainly by the help of the Christian Doctrine, which thou haft reciev'd be able to distinguish the Truth from the falfe Doctrine of the Gnosticks. v. 16. For all thofe Writings, which have at any Time been written by the Prophets, and as fuch receiv'd into the CANON OF THE JEWISH CHURCH, may by us be profitably made use of, to teach us many Things that Christ has taught us. So that if Dr. Hammond be right, St. Paul in this whole Paffage, fpeaks only of the Old Teftament. Which certainly is not the entire Rule of Chriftian Belief.

ART. X V.

Of Images.

The fifteenth pretended Error of Papists is their Worshiping of Images. pag. 17.

W

ANSWER.

HAT we hold concerning Images, is contain'd in this fhort Declaration of the Council of Trent :

viz.