those books (particularly the Epistle to the Hebrews, &c.) were no necessary part of the canon of Scripture; or else, lastly, that that church was no faithful keeper of the tradition which came from the apostle. All which things, because they will be denied by the church of Rome concerning themselves, the consequent will be, that tradition is an uncertain thing; and if it cannot be entire and full in assigning the canon of scripture, it is hardly to be trusted for any thing else which consists of words subject to divers interpretations. But in other things, it may be, the case is not so; for we find that in divers particulars, to prove a point to be a tradition apostolical, use is made of the testimony of the three first ages. Indeed these are the likest to know; but yet they have told us of some things to be traditions, which we have no reason to believe to be such. Only thus far they are useful; if they never reported a doctrine, it is the less likely to descend from the apostles; and if the order of succession be broken any where, the succeeding ages can never be surer. If they speak against a doctrine, as, for example, against the half-communion, we are sure it was no tradition apostolical; if they speak not at all of it, we can never prove the tradition; for it may have come in since that time, and yet come to be thought or called tradition apostolical from other causes, of which I have given account. And indeed there is no security sufficient but that which can never be had, and that is, the universal positive testimony of all the church of Christ; which he that looks for in the disputed traditions pretended by the church of Rome may look as long as the Jews do for their wrong Messias. So much as this is can never be had, and less than this will never do it. I will give one considerable instance of this affair: "The patrons of the opinion of the immaculate conception of the blessed virginmother allege, that they have the consent of almost the universal church, and the agreeing sentence of all universities, especially of the chief, that is, of Paris; where no man is admitted to be master in theology, unless he binds himself by oath to maintain that doctrine. They allege, that since this question began to be disputed, almost all the masters in theology, all the preachers of the word of God, all kings and princes, republics and peoples, all popes and pastors and reli

1 Salmeron. disp. 51. in Rom. v.

gions (except a part of one), consent in this doctrine. They say, that of those authors which are by the other side pretended against it, some are falsely cited, others are wrested and brought in against their wills; some are scarce worth the remembering, and are of an obsolete and worn-out authority." Now if these men say true, then they prove a tradition, or else nothing will prove it but a consent absolutely universal, which is not to be had. For on the other side, "They that speak against the immaculate conception of the blessed Virgin, particularly cardinal Cajetan, bring (as he says) the irrefragable testimony of fifteen Fathers against it; others bring no less than two hundred; and Bandellus brings in almost three hundred ;" and that will go a great way to prove a tradition. But that this also is not sufficient, see what the other side say to this: "They say that Scotus, and Holcot, and Ubertinus de Casalis, and the old definition of the university of Paris, and S. Ambrose and S. Augustine are brought in falsely or violently; and if they were not, yet they say it is an illiteral disputation, and not far from sophistry, to proceed in this way of arguing; for it happens sometimes that a multitude of opiners proceeds only from one famous doctor; and that when the Donatists did glory in the multitude of authors, S. Austin answered, that it was a sign the cause wanted truth, when it endeavoured to rely alone upon the authority of many; and that it was not fit to relate the sentiment of S. Bernard, Bonaventure, Thomas, and other devotees of the blessed Virgin, as if they were most likely to know her privileges, and therefore would not have denied this of immaculate conception, if it had been her due. For she hath many devout servants the world knows not of; and Elisha, though he had the spirit of Elias doubled upon him, yet said, Dominus celavit a me, et non indicavit mihi; and when Elias complained he was left alone, God said he had 7000 more. And the apostles did not know all things; and S. Peter walked not according to the truth of the gospel; and S. Cyprian erred in the point of rebaptizing heretics. For God hath not given all things unto all persons, that every age may have proper truths of its own which the former age knew not." Thus Salmeron discourses; and this is the way of many others more eminent, who make use of authority and antiquity when it serves their turn, and when it does not, it is of no use and of no value.

But if these things be thus, then how shall tradition be proved?

if the little remnant of the Dominican party which are against the immaculate conception should chance to be brought off from their opinion, (as, if all the rest of the other orders, and many of this be already, it is no hard thing to conjecture that the rest may,) and that the whole church, as they will then call it, be of one mind, shall it then be reasonable to conclude, that then this doctrine was and is an apostolical tradition, when as yet we know and dare say it is not? That is the case, and that is the new doctrine; but how impossible it is to be true, and how little reason there is in it, is now too apparent. I see that vowing to saints is now at Rome accounted an apostolical doctrine; but with what confidence can any Jesuit tell me that it is so, when by the confession of their chief parties it came in later than the fountains of apostolical doctrines. "When the scriptures were written, the use of vowing to saints was not begun," saith Bellarminem; and cardinal Perron" confesses that in the authors more near to the apostolical age no footsteps of this custom can be found. Where then is the tradition apostolical? or can the affirmation of the present church make it so? To make a new thing is easy, but no man can make an old thing.

The consequence of these things is this: all the doctrines of faith and good life are contained and expressed in the plain places of scripture; and besides it, there are and there can be no articles of faith; and therefore, they who introduce other articles, and upon other principles, introduce a faith unknown to the apostles and the Fathers of the primitive church. And that the church of Rome does this, I shall manifest in the following discourses.

SECTION IV.

There is nothing of necessity to be believed which the apostolical churches did not believe.

In the first part of the Dissuasive it was said, that the two Testaments are the fountains of faith; and whatsoever (viz. as belonging to the faith) came in after these, foris est, is to be cast out; it belongs not to Christ: and now, I suppose, what was then said is fully verified. And the church of Rome, obtruding many propositions upon the belief of the church which are not in scripture, and of which they can never shew any universal or apostolical tradition, urging those upon pain of damnation, imposing an absolute necessity of believing such points m De Cultu SS. lib. 3. cap. 9. sect. Præterea. n Contre le Roy Jaques.

which were either denied by the primitive church, or were counted but indifferent, and matters of opinion, hath disordered the Christian religion, and made it to-day a new thing, and unlike the great and glorious Founder of it, who is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever. The charge here then is double; they have made new necessities, and they have made new articles.

I choose to speak first of their tyrannical manner of imposing their articles; viz. every thing under pain of damnation: the other, of the new matter, is the subject of the following sections.

:

First then, I allege that the primitive church, being taught by scripture and the examples apostolical, affirmed but few things to be necessary to salvation. They believed the whole scriptures; every thing they had learned there they equally believed: but because every thing was not of equal necessity to be believed, they did not equally learn and teach all that was in scripture. But the apostles, say some, others say that immediately after them the church, did agree upon a creed, a symbol of articles, which were, in the whole, the foundation of faith, the ground of the Christian hope, and that upon which charity or good life was to be built. There were in scripture many creedsP; the Gentiles' creed, Martha's creed, the Eunuch's creed, S. Peter's creed, S. Paul's creed to believe that God is, and that he is the rewarder of them that seek him diligently: to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God; that Jesus is come in the flesh; that he rose again from the dead: these confessions were the occasions of admirable effects: by the first, the Gentiles come to God; by the following, blessedness is declared, salvation is promised to him that believes; and to him that confesses this, God will come and dwell in him, and he shall dwell in God and this belief is the end of writing the Gospel, as, having life through Christ is the end of this belief: and all this is more fully explicated by S. Paul's creed': This is the word of faith which we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. This is the word of faith, which if we confess with our mouths, and entertain and believe in our heart, that is,

P Matth. xvi. 16. 1 Joh. iv. 2, 15.

Joh. xx. 31. xi. 27. Hebr. xi. 6. q Matth. xvi. 17.

r Rom. x. 8. Matth. x. 32. Marc. viii. 38. Luc. ix. 26. xii. 8. 2 Tim. ii. 12. Apocal. iii. 5.

6

do live according to it, we shall certainly be saved. If we acknowledge Christ to be our Lord, that is, our Lawgiver and our Saviour, to rescue us from our sins and their just consequents, we have all faith; and nothing else can be the foundation but such articles which are the confession of those two truths, Christ Jesus our Lord, Christ Jesus our Saviour; that by faith we be brought unto obedience and love, and by this love we be brought to Christ, and by Christ unto God: this is the whole complexion of the Christian faith, the economy of our salvation. There are many other doctrines of Christianity of admirable use, and fitted to great purposes of knowledge and government; but the word of faith, as S. Paul calls it, that which the apostles preached, viz. to all, and as of particular remark, and universal efficacy, and absolute sufficiency to salvation, is that which is described by himself in those few words now quoted: Other foundation than this no man can lay, that is, Jesus Christ. Every thing else is but a superstructure; and though it may, if it be good, be of advantage; yet if it be amiss, so the foundation be kept, it will only be matter of loss and detriment, but consistent with salvation. And therefore S. Paul judged that he would know nothing but Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And this is the sum total of all; this is the gospel. So S. Paul most fully: I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I have preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. And what is this gospel, this word preached and received, that by which we stand, and that by which we are saved? It is nothing but this: I delivered unto you first of all that which I received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures. This was the traditum, the depositum; this was the evangelium; Christ died: he died for our sins, and he rose again for us: and this being the great tradition by which they tried the spirits, yet was it laid up in scripturest. That Christ died, was according to the scriptures; that he rose again, was according to the scriptures; and that S. Paul twice", and that so immediately, remarks this, is not without mystery; but it can imply to us nothing but this, that our whole faith is laid up in the scriptures; and this faith is perfected, as to the essentiality t1 Cor. iii. 11. u 1 Cor. xv. 3, 4. ii. 2.

s Rom. x. 8.