A Learned Treatise of Traditions, Treatise · Chapter 27
CHAP. XXVII. That the Traditions of the Romiſ… Church of this time, have nothing in common with the unwritten Traditions mentioned by the Fathers.
IT appeareth how weake, and how little to the purpoſe all is which our adverſaries doe produce in the behalfe of the antiquity of their Traditions. For the unwritten Traditions which they have recited, are not Doctrines o… the Chriſtian faith that adde anything to the Doctrine of ſalvation contained in the Scriptures, as … have prooved: but cuſtomes, and ceremonies, and obſervations o… Eccleſiaſticall policy. Now, th… Traditions of our adverſaries ar… of another nature. They put fore moſt the Popes ſucceſſion in th… Apoſtleſhip and ſupremacy of S… Peter over the univerſall Church: vponupon which Tradition they make all religion to depend. Yea they maintaine that the Church is founded not only vponupon Saint Peter, but alſo vponupon the Popes that are his pretended ſucceſſors.
They ſtuffe our eares with Invocation of Saints, with religious ſervice to Images, and with adoration of Reliques, which are Traditions that ſhake and totter the ſervice and religious adoration due to God alone, and doe eſtabliſh articles of the Chriſtian faith, to weet, that the Saints doe know our hearts, and that wee muſt imploy them for mediators, and that they can heare our prayers effectually.
So likewiſe doth the Church of Rome tell us, of ſuperaboundant ſatisfactions of the Saints, which the Pope gathereth into the Treaſure of the Church, and diſtributeth them amongſt others by his Indulgences. This Tradition uſhereth in three new articles of faith. The firſt is, that man by his puniſhments and afflictions, can ſatisfie God more then his ſinnes doe merite. The ſecond is, that God receiveth the ſatisfactions of another, for payment of our ſinnes. The third is, that God hath eſtabliſhed the Pope, to bee diſtributor of the ſatisfactions of another, and commandeth him to gather them together into the treaſure of the Church. What is all this but a new Goſpell? Certainely if theſe Traditions be true, the holy Scripture is a booke very imperfect in the principall materialls of Chriſtian faith. For what is there more important then the remiſſion of ſinnes?
Alſo the Tradition of Monaſticke vowes layeth downe this Doctrine, (which is a new article of faith,) to weet, that man can performe workes of ſupererrogation, that is to ſay, more good workes, and more perfect then thoſe which God hath commanded in his Word.
I ſay as much of the Communion under one kind, wherein is impleaded the abridgment of the moity of the Sacrament inſtituted by the Sonne of God. Not to ſpeake of ſo many other Traditions, which are not only additions to the Scripture, but meerely diametrall contradictions to it.
This alſo is worthy of conſideration, that when the Fathers doe rehearſe ſome examples of unwritten Traditions, they doe not mention thoſe of the Romiſh Church at this time, but others that the Church of Rome hath diſeſtemed, and obſerveth not: as prayer towards the Eaſt; The prohibition of faſting on the Lords day; The cuſtome to pray ſtanding on the ſame day, and from the Paſchall to Pentecoſt; The cuſtome of taſting the milke and hony after Baptiſme, and not to bee waſhed ſeven dayes after; The prayer for the deceaſed Saints, to the end they may be rayſed at a happyer houre, and in their ſleep of reſt they may find refreſhment, with ſuch like matters which the Church of Rome hath pretermitted, (becauſe they ſerved not the Popes turne) but hath invented others, that are more gainefull, and better accommodated to the profit and exaltation of the Pope, and all the Roman Clergy.