A Learned Treatise of Traditions, Treatise · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. That our Adverſaries alledging the Scripture doe contradict themſelues, and alledge Scripture for Traditions in generall without touching the particulars, wherein they finde the Scripture contrary.
IT is the propertie of lying to ſay and unſay, involving it ſelfe in contradictions. Our adverſaries build the authoritie of the Scripture upon the Tradition of the Church: and then contradicting themſelues, they labour to ground Tradition vponupon the teſtimony of Scripture.
Their cuſtome is to alledge Scripture, not to defend every one of their Traditions in particular; but they endeavour to prooue in general, that the Scripture ſpeaketh of Traditions, & approveth them, Preſuppoſing without proofe, th… the traditions wherof the Scripture maketh mention, are thoſe which in our times are received by the Church of Rome, and where of the body of Papiſtry is compounded.
And herein they doe wiſely. For what ſhould they find in the ſcripture, that may be of uſe to uphold ſo many new inventions? unleſſ… perhaps they would ground the abridgement of the cup upon the words of our Saviour, Drinke ye … Math. 26. 27.of it. And upon the words of Sain… Paul writing to the people of Co… rinth, Let a man examine himſelf 1 Cor. 11. 28. & chap. 10. 17.and ſo let him eat of that Bread, an drinke of that Cup. As likewiſe, … are all partakers of one and the ſame Bread; and one and the ſame Cup, according to the vulgar tranſlation.
Or they would ground the ſingle life of Prieſts and Biſhops vponupon the Apoſtles Commandement, wherein he chargeth a Biſhop to bee 1 Tim. 3. ver. 2. & 4.husband of one wife, having his children in ſubjection with all gravity: as alſo, If they cannot containe, let them 1 Cor. 7. 9.marry: for it is better to marry then to burne.
Or Invocation of Saints, vponupon the words of Solomon, that God onelyonly 2 Chro. 6. 30knoweth the hearts of men. And vponupon thoſe of Saint Paul, How ſhall they Rom. 10. 14call upon him in whom they hauehave not beleeved? And vponupon thoſe words of Ieſus Chriſt, When yee pray, ſay, Our Father which art in heaven, &c. Luk. 11. 2.
Or private Maſſes and without Communicants, upon this reaſon that Saint Paul calleth the holy Supper A Communion. And upon1 Cor. 10. 16 this that Ieſus Chriſt giving bread to his diſciples, hath ſaid, Take, eat: for in their ſolitary Maſſes, no man aſſiſteth, to whom the Prieſt may ſay, Take.
Or the power of the Pope to depoſe Kings, and to make them kiſſe his feet, upon theſe ſentences of the Apoſtles, Feare God, Honour 1 Pet. 2. 17.the King: and vponupon this, Let every Rom. 13. 1.man bee ſubiect to ſuperiour powers: and vponupon the example of Ieſus Chriſt, who payed tribute, and waſhed his Apoſtles feet.
Or Service and Prayers in a ſtrange language, upon that which the Apoſtle ſpeaketh: Except you 1 Cor. 14. 9. & 19.vtter by the tongue words eaſie to bee vnderſtood, how ſhall it be knowen what is ſpoken? for yee ſhall ſpeake into the ayre. And, I had rather ſpeake in the Church five words with my vnderſtanding, then ten thouſand in an vnknowne tongue.
Or difference of meates, upon that which the Apoſtle ſayth: If any of them that beleeve not, invite 1 Cor. 10. 27you to a feaſt, and ye be diſpoſed to goe, whatſoever is ſet before you, eate, asking no queſtion for conſcience ſake. And upon that which the ſame Apoſtle calleth the inſtructions of thoſe that ſayd, (touch not, taſt not, handle not,) humane Commandements and doctrines, although they were made for devotion, and to ſubdue the fleſh, as he hath it in the 2 chap. to the Coloſ. 21. 22. 23.
Or merite of workes of condignity as they are called, or of equivalence and congruity, upon the words of our Saviour, When you Luk. 17. ….ſhall have done all that is commanded you, ſay, we are vnprofitable ſervants.
Or workes of ſupererogation not commanded, upon the ſumme of the Law, which inioyneth to love God with all the heart, and with all the ſtrength. For in theſe words is commanded all the good that man can doe, and upon that where Saint Paul in the 4. to the Phil. 8. chargeth us to addict our ſelves to all things commendable and vertuous, whereupon it followeth that if the works of ſupererrogation are vertuous and praiſe worthy, they are commanded; and vponupon this that the perfection of the Angels doth conſiſt in obeying the Commaundement of God, Pſal. 103. 20. and not to doe more then he hath commanded.
Or borrowed ſatisfactions, upon that which the Apoſtle teſtifieth, that every man ſhall carry his owne burthen, Galat. 6. 5. and that every man ſhall receiue his owne proper reward, according to his owne labour. 1 Cor. 3. 8.
Or offerings of Prieſts, in making ſacrifices for the living and the dead, upon that which Ieſus Chriſt hath ſayd, Doe this in remembrance of me: which is the place for proofe thereof, that the Counſell of Trent in the 22. ſeſſion wil have to be received of every man, under paine of an Anathema.
Or feſtivall play dayes, upon the commandement of God ſpeaking:Exod. 20. 9. ſixe dayes ſhalt thou labour.
Or the power of the Pope to ſet at liberty under ground, and to give Indulgences to the dead, upon that which Ieſus Chriſt ſayth,Math. 18. 18. Whatſoever yee ſhall bind and looſe on earth, &c.
Or caſes reſerved to the Pope, upon the words of our Saviour uttered to all the Apoſtles, Whoſe ſinnes ſoever yee ſhall pardon they ſhall Iohn 20. 23be pardoned.
Or images of the Almighty upon that which God diſcourſing to the People of Iſreal, giveth the reaſon why in ſpeaking to them from heaven he ſuffered none to ſee any image or reſemblance: For Deut. 4. 23.feare (ſayth hee) Leſt yee might forget the Covenant which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeneſſe of any thing male or female.
Or eſtabliſhing of brothell-houſes at Rome by the authority of his holineſſe, vponupon the commandement, Thou ſhalt not commit adultery.Deut. 4. 13.
Or the doctrine of the Councell of Trent, affirming in the fift Seſſion that covetouſneſſe is no ſinne, upon the law of God, ſpeaking, Thou ſhalt not covet: and upon theDeut. 5. 21. teſtimony of the Apoſtle, ſaying, that he hath learnt out of the law, that covetouſneſſe is ſinne.Rom. 7. 7.
Or forbidding the People to read the Scripture, upon that which is written in the Apocal. Bleſſed is Apoe. 1. 3.he that readeth, and they that heare the words of this prophecy; and upon the example of the people of Berea who Acts 17. 11.ſearched the Scriptures daily; and upon the commandement made to Kings, to reade carefully the booke of Deut. 17. 18.the law of God.
Or ſwearing by reliques, upon the commandement of God: Thou Deut. 10. 20.ſhalt feare the Eternall, and ſweare by his name.
Or Purgatory, upon that which the Lord ſayd unto the Thiefe upon the Croſſe: Thou ſhalt be with me Luk. 23. 43.this day in Paradiſe; and upon theLuk. 17. 22. example of Lazarus, whoſe ſoule was carried by the Angells into Abrahams boſome imediately after his death; and upon the Apoſtle Saint Iohn, ſpeaking, That the blood 1 Iohn 1. 7.of Ieſus Chriſt purgeth us from all ſin.
Or the ſacrifice of the body of Ieſus Chriſt in the Maſſe, upon that which the Apoſtle to the Hebrews (ſpeaking of the ſacrifice of the death of Ieſus Chriſt made up on the Croſſe) declareth, that We Hebr. 10. 10 & 14.are ſanctified through the offering of the body of Ieſus Chriſt once for all. Hebr. 9. 25. & 26.and that Ieſus Chriſt offereth not himſelfe ofien: for as it is ordained for all men to dye once, ſo Chriſt hath beene offered once to take away our ſinnes, making the ſacrifice of Ieſus Chriſt no more reiterable then the death of men.
Without all doubt if contrariety to the Scripture can give authority to the Romiſh Traditions, theſe traditions which I have ſpecified, ought to bee of great authority.
Yea to ſumme up all, our adverſaries are too licencious and raſh in their conjectures, and I cannot conceave that they beleeve it themſelves, when they would have vsus to beleeve, that Ieſus Chriſt ſpeaking in private with his Diſciples, did conferre about the ſervice of Images, and great Pardons to bee made by the Pope, of Chaplets, and Bleſſed-beads, of leſſening the torment of Soules in Purgatory by Maſſes and Indulgences, &c. To what may this tend but to expoſe Ieſus Chriſt to laughter? or to delight themſelves in faining matters without proofe? and to allure thoſe that will bee deluded, to beleeve things that are incredible? for ſuch kind of preſuppoſitions worke their effect, according as he is awed that propoundeth them.