A Learned Treatise of Traditions, Treatise · Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI. That the Phariſees and ancient Heretickes had recourſe to Tradition, and the unwritten word, and that Clemens Alexandrinus ſuffered himſelfe to bee too much carried away in the ſame.
THe cuſtome of Heretickes (both ancient and moderne) is, when they are at default in Scripture, to have recourſe to Traditions, Ioſephus in his 3. booke of Antiquities ch. the 18. affirmeth, that The Phariſees had very many obſervations by the ſucceſsive Tradition of their Fathers, which are not written in the law of Moſes. Whereupon Ieſus Chriſt at the 15. of Saint Matt. the 3. & 9. accuſeth them to have tranſgreſſed the Law of God by their Tradition; which Phariſaical Traditions were doctrines, that for the moſt part commanded things not expreſly forbidden in the Law of God: as to clenſe their Pots and Veſſell, to waſh their bodies at returne from Market, to lengthen out their Phylacteries, to faſt twice in a weeke, to poure forth longer prayers then ordinary, to make conſcience of healing the ſicke, or journeying more then two miles upon the Sabath. This I obſerve, to the end it may not be ſayd, that Ieſus Chriſt condemneth them only for teaching things expreſly forbidden in the law of God.
Tertullian in his booke of preſcriptions, chap. the 25. telleth us, that the Heretikes of his time affirmed,Non omnia volunt illv amnibus revelaſle, quaedā enim palam & univerſis, quadā ſeeretò at paucio demandaſſe. That the Apoſtles had not revealed all things to all, but that they had commanded ſome things openly, and ſome in ſecret and to few.
But the ſame Tertullian after hee had written this booke, applieth himſelfe to defend the hereſies of Montanus, by the unwritten word, ſpeaking in the ſecond Chapter of his booke of Monogamy, that Chriſt De vtroque aute Daminus promus is avit. Adouo habeo multa qua loquar ad ves, &c.pronounced his opinion thereupon, when he ſayd, I have many things to tell you, but you cannot at this time beare them away.
Irenaeus lived at the ſame time, who in his firſt Booke and fourth Chap. ſaith, that The Carpocratian Ieſum in myſterio diſcipulu ſuis ſeerſim lequmtum & illes expoſtulaſſe vt dignis & aſſentsentibus ſearſum hac traderēt.Heretikes affirmed, that Ieſus had ſpoken in private to his Diſciples, and had required of them, that they ſhould teach theſe things a part to the worthy, and to ſuch as give their approbation thereof, and in his 2. ch. of the 3. booke.Cum ex ſcriptur is arguuntur in accuſationem convartuntur ſcripturarum, quaſi nō rectè habeant, neq, ſint ex authoritate, et quia varia ſunt dicta, & quia non poſsit ex hu inventri veritas ab his qui neſetant traditionem. Non enim per literat traditā illā, ſed per vivam vocem. When they are confuted by the Scriptures they revile, and turne againe to accuſe the Scriptures themſelues; as if they were not as they ſhould be, and had not ſufficient authority, and becauſe matters therein are diverſly ſpoken, and that in them the truth cannot be found by thoſe who are ignorant of Tradition; which they ſay was not givē by writing but, viva voce, by word of mouth.
Some twenty yeeres after the death of Saint Iohn, one of his diſciples named Papias Biſhop of Hierapolis, addicted himſelfe to the unwrittenforeign Traditions, the which were Parables, and ſtrange doctrines, and other fabulous devices, as Euſebius witneſſeth, at the laſt Chapter of the 3. Booke of his Eccleſiaſticall Hiſtory.
Clemens Alexandrinus a moſt worthy Author to be read, (but one who hath his infirmities) venteth many vaine things and falſe doctrines, drawne from Tradition, as for example, that the Greekes were juſtified by Phyloſophy; that Ieſus Chriſt deſcended into hell to Preach to the Iewes; that the Apoſtles alſo deſcended thither, to Preach to the Gentiles; and many other the like fancies, all his bookes of his Stromatae are full of them, eſpecially the ſixth.
The followers of Artemon theforeign Onones inſipientiſiumi haretici audacias ſigm …torū ſuorum juas maxime exhorret ſenſus humanus, has occaſione Evāgelica colorare nituntur, vbi Dominus ait, adhuc multa habeo vobis dicere ſed non poteſtis portare mado, quaſi hae ip a ſint qua tune diſcipuli portare non poterant. heretick teaching matters not contained in the Scripture, profeſſed that They did exerciſe them from their predeceſſors, yea from the Apoſtles, as Euſehius hath it in the 5. booke of hiſtory chap. the 25.
Saint Auguſtine writing vponupon Saint Iohn at his 97. Treatiſe, hath theſe words: The moſt ſenſeleſſe Hereticks, who would be called Chriſtians, ſtrive to colour their bold inventions (which are abhorred by humane ſenſe) with the pretext of this evangelicall ſentence, where our Lord ſpeaketh, I have yet many things to tell you, but you cannot beare them at this time, as if theſe were the ſame things which the Apoſtles could not then carry, we ſhall not therefore affront or wrong Cardinall Bellarmine, if we ranke him amongſt thoſe, which Auguſtine calleth moſt ſenſleſſe Hereticks, ſeeing that hee ſpeaketh as theſe hereticks, imploying the ſame quotation to proove Romiſh Traditions, ſpeaking thus in the 5. Chapter of hisEſſe aliquas veras traditiores probatur teſtimonys Scripturarū. Primum eſt Iohan. 16. Multa habeo ve…is i…er…, ſed non poteſt… portare moda booke of the unwritten word: It is prooved by teſtimony of Scripture, that there are ſome true Traditions, the firſt teſtimony is at the 16. of Saint Iohn: I have many things to tell you, &c. Thus have the ancient Heretickes no want at all of Diſciples.