LECTURE IV. CREEDS. THE ARGUMENT. SCRIPTURE A COMPLETE RULE OF FAITH AND LIFE-DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE REFORMED AND ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES ON THIS POINT-THE LATTER MAINTAINS TRADITION TO BE CO-ORDINATE WITH SCRIPTURE-TRUE SENSE OF THE WORD TRADITION-TESTIMONY OF TRADITION TO THE SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE AS A RULENECESSITY FOR SCRIPTURE INTERPRETATION CONSIDERED - WHERE IT SHOULD RESIDE-WHY THE NEW TESTAMENT MORE ESPECIALLY REQUIRES IT-HENCE NECESSITY OF CREEDS-WHAT POINTS A CREED SHOULD EMBRACE-TESTS OF THE VALIDITY OF CREEDS-DISSENTING TESTS-ROMISH TESTS-THE INCONSISTENCY OF ROMANISTS IN MAINTAINING ANCIENT TRADITION ALONG WITH MODERN INFALLIBILITY— DIFFERENCE ON THIS POINT BETWEEN THE ROMISH AND ANGLICAN CHURCHES-PROCESS SKETCHED, BY WHICH AN HONEST INQUIRER MAY ARRIVE AT THE TRUTH WITH REGARD TO ESSENTIALS-CREEDS THE INFALLIBLE TRADITIONS OF THE CHURCH-VAN MILDERT QUOTED, TO SHEW THAT THE SUBSTANTIAL TRUTH HAS EVER BEEN HELD BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH-VALUE OF CREEDS SUMMARILY STATEDTHE DAMNATORY CLAUSES IN THE ATHANASIAN CREED EXPLAINED AND JUSTIFIED. LECTURE IV. CREEDS. Acts, viii. 30, 31. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? 1 HAVING, as we would hope, already established the plenary Authority and plenary Inspiration of the New Testament as well as the Old, we are now provided with a full, perfect, and sufficient rule, both of Faith and Life. We are justified in asserting this of Scripture, at least as it was originally revealed; because we cannot for a moment believe that the Almighty would take such extraordinary means to make his will known to mankind, and at the same time leave his revelation defective either in its contents or its evidence. We may therefore, in this stage of our discussion, adopt the language of our Church, as at least reasonable, and having all the appearance of truth: "Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, or may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation." On this point, indeed, as is well known, arises the essential difference between the primitive and reformed Churches on the one hand, and the Roman Catholic Church on the other; the latter asserting Tradition to be a rule of at least co-ordinate authority with Scripture, while the former confine it to what they maintain to be its only legitimate offices, those of witness and interpreter. This question we cannot now discuss; but we may observe, that there is an ambiguity in the use of the term Tradition, which may of itself have led to some of those confused and often extravagant notions which are sometimes entertained with regard to its office. Tradition, then, merely signifies a mode of evidence; and therefore, of itself, can be no rule or law whatever. It is a term used to express the manner by which we become certified of particular truths. Tradition, in this sense of the word, is perhaps the most general of all the channels through which knowledge is conveyed to us. Many things we learn through the senses-many by reason and reflection-but most (and indeed every thing not contemporaneous with ourselves) by tradition. In 2 1 Art. 6. 2 See appendix, at the end of this Lecture. |