A Learned Treatise of Traditions, Treatise · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. An examination of the paſſages of Scripture, whereon they found Traeditions.
OVr adverſaries ground the authority of the Scripture upon unwritten Tradition, whence it followeth (if they had but reaſon for it) that unwritten Tradition is not grounded upon the Scripture: they conteſt therfore againſt themſelves, when they endeavour to ground Tradition upon the Scripture, but let us heare their proofes.
In imitation of the ancient Heretickes, they alledge theſe words of our Lord Ieſus to his Apoſtles, at the 16. of Saint Iohn, verſe 12. I have yet more things to tell you, &c. This is the paſſage that ſerved the… ancient He…erikes turne, to proove their Traditions, as Tertul. witne…. f…th in his booke of Preſcriptions;… Chap. 22. ſuch imaginations (if men would beleeve them) are; The ſucceſſion of the Pope in the… Apoſtleſhip of Saint Peter; invocation of Saints, ſervice to images, the power of the Pope to draw ſoules out of Purgatory, &c. And they pronounce this without any proofe, ſave only becauſe theirſelves doe ſay it, and the Pope will have it fo to be, unto whom theſe Traditions are very gainefull; But wee had rather beleeve in Ieſus Chriſt, who expoundeth himſelfe in the ſame place: for at the verſe following he declareth to his Diſciples, that the ſpirit of truth ſhould approach, and teach them the come, that is to ſay, the future … vents of things foretold in the Epiſtles written by the Apoſtles; as for example, that there ſhould ariſe1. Tim, 4 falſe Doctors, teaching to abſtaine from mariage and victual; and that the son of perdition ſhould name2. Th…ſſ. 2. himſelfe God, and ſhould practiſe with ſignes & miracles to ſeduce; and that the great Whore clothedApoc. 17. in ſcarlet, ſitting in a Towne of ſeven mountaines, ſhould intoxicate Kings and glut her ſelfe with the blood of the faithfull, &c. As alſo the eſtate and condition of the Chriſtian Church, and of the ſpiri…uall kingdome of Ieſus Chriſt, which the Apoſtles did not as then fully comprehend.
Aboue all, they preſſe the 15. verſe of the ſecond chapter of the ſecond to the Theſſalonians: Therefo…e (brethren) ſtand faſt, and hold the traditions which ye hauehave b…ene taught, whether by word, or our Epistle.
The word Tradition which the…. Apoſtle maketh uſe of, doth purport and ſignifie all inſtruction. InAu I. ch. de ceſte controverſe. this ſenſe the Scripture it ſelfe is a Tradition, as wee hauehave already proved.
As touching this paſſage our aduerſaries doe inferre, that beſides the Epiſtle which S. Paul wrote to the Theſſalonians, hee had vttered vntounto them many things by word of mouth: vntounto which I ſhall willingly condeſcend; for wee would not maintaine that the firſt Epiſtle to the Theſſalonians, contained all the doctrine of ſalvation; our diſpute is not whether a little Epiſtle of Saint Paul, but whether the old and new Teſtament containe all that is neceſſary to ſalvation; therefore this paſſage is not to purpoſe.
Moreouer, when the ſame Apoſtle did ſay, Hold the traditions which you hauehave learned by our word or by the holy Scriptures, it muſt not bee thereupon concluded, that the myſteries which hee had tolde them, were others then thoſe that are written: for the ſame thing may be taught by divers meanes.
And when the precepts delivered by the Apoſtles mouth, had ſome diſparitie with thoſe that are written, wee could ſay, that ſuch things flowing from the Apoſtles mouth (over and aboue that which is found in the Scriptures) were not poynts of Faith, but Ordinances touching Eccleſiaſticall policie.
Yea when wee ſhall hauehave yeelded to our adverſaries all that they wiſh and long for, yet is all fruitleſſe and nothing done by them, unleſſe they proue that theſe Traditions, which they ſay were given to the Theſſalonians by mouth, are the poynts whereof conſiſteth our controverſie: to wit, the Popes Supremacie over the Church of the whole world, Romiſh Indulgences, ſingle life of Prieſts, the Communion under one kind, borrowed Satisfactions, a reſtraint of reading the Scripture, Maſſes without Communicants, Prayers wherein the Petitioner underſtandeth nothing, the power of the Pope to releaſe ſoules out of Purgatory, and to depoſe Kings, &c. which are Traditions of a new impreſſion, and which the Church of the Theſſalonians (yet ſubſiſting, and hath ſo continued ſince the Apoſtle Saint Paul) did never beleeue, nor as yet alloweth of their validitie, but defieth them with all loathing and deteſtation.
Saint Ambroſe in his Commentarie vponupon this place, by the Tradition whereof the Apoſtle ſpeaketh vnderſtands the doctrine of the Goſpell, which our Adverſaries would not deny to bee contal…ndVe praſciantia Dei maneat in ſalute illorum, ideirco in traditione Evangelij ſtandū ac perſeverandum monet. in the New Teſtament: To the …d. (ſaith he) that the foreknowledge …f God ſhould remaine in their ſalua… ion; hee admoniſheth them to ſtand …aſt, and perſeuere in the tradition of …he Goſpell.
I am of opinion I ſhall preuent …ur Adverſaries, from interrupting …ee more in the paſſages which …hey alleadge. Saint Paul ſaith, …Ve ſpeake wiſedome among thoſe that …re perfect, 1. Cor. 2. 6. And againe …aue before thine eyes, and hold faſt the …atterne or forme of ſound words, which thou haſt heard of me, 2. Tim. 1. 13. In a third place, now I praiſe …ou that you remember mee in all …hings, and keepe my Ordinances, as I deliuered them vntounto you, 1. Cor. 11. …. Ergo (for ſo they conclude) the things which are preached are dif…ering from thoſe that are written. And what are the things? Invocation of Saints, ſeruice to Image… &c. In all this what a defect then is of common ſenſe? The jawbone of Sampſons Aſſe, or Tobi… dog might be as well imployed.
Concerning the words in the 16. of the Acts at the 4. That Paul and Silas, paſsing through the Cities, inſtructed them to keepe the Ordinances decreed by the Apoſtles, and by the Elders of Ieruſalem: In theſe Ordinances are vnderſtood, the reſtraints of eating blood, & ſtrangled creatures whereof mention is made in Acts the 15. for in this voyage Paul and Silas were bearers of this Ordinance: and Paul wa… expreſly ſent to performe th… ſame. Now, this Ordinance i… written, as alſo the alteration wa… made ſince the Apoſtles time; an… it is but a Ceremony ordained fo… a time, and not a doctrine neceſſary to ſalvation: and when, ſom… Ordinances ſhould be here vnderſtood, how ſhall it be proued vntounto …s, that theſe Ordinances are others then thoſe that are written? how ſhall it bee proued vntounto vsus, that theſe ordinances were invocation of Saints, adoration of Re…iques, the Popes Supremacie, &…. This will never bee proued.