The Protestant Religion Truly State and Justified, Part 2
The Fourth accuſed Point.
That Apoſtolical Traditions, and ancient Cuſtoms of the Church, (not Founded in the written word,) are not to be received, nor do oblige us.
Anſ. This is but more Deceit, by confuſion and falſe report.
The Reformed Catholicks hold,
1. That Memory is not ſo ſure a way to deliver any Laws and Doctrines to Poſterity, through many hundred years, as writing is. For it muſt lie on the Memories of ſo many Thouſands, in ſo many Ages, and ſo many parts of the World; Of ſo many Languages, Kingdoms, and croſs Intereſts and Opinions in their quarrels; and the things to be remembred are ſo many, that this needs no proof, with any but Fools or Mad-men: What a Religion ſhould we have had, if inſtead of the Bible, it muſt have all been brought us down by the Memories of all the Rabble of ignorant and wicked Popes? yea, or of the beſt? and by the Memories of all the Prelates and Prieſts that have pretended to be the Church? Why do they themſelves write their pretended Traditions, if writing them were not needful? And why have we all our Statutes, Records, and Law-Books, if the Lawyers and Peoples Memories would keep and deliver them without theſe? When Men's Memories, Wits, and Honeſty are ſo weak, that we can ſcarce get one Story carried without falſifying through many Hands.
2. We hold, that God in mercy hath therefore conſidered Man's Weakneſs, and Neceſſity, and before the Apoſtles died, inſpired them to Record ſo much of his Law, and Goſpel, and Will, as was univerſally neceſſary for all his Subjects to know, in order to Divine belief; Obedience, and Salvation: And hath left nothing of this importance and neceſſity unrecorded in the Law of Nature, (God's Viſible works,) and Scripture, knowing that after Ages were not to have new univerſal Legiſlators, to make ſuch Laws for all the World; nor to have Men miraculouſly enabled to do it, and give proof that it is Divine.
3. We hold that God's written Word and Law, is perfect in its kind, Pſal. 19. and ſufficient to its proper uſe and end: Which Bellarmine, Caſſinus, and the Council of Baſil, and many School-men, in their Prologues on the Sentences, confeſs extendeth to all things commonly neceſſary to Salvation, yea, and to be the Divine Rule of Faith.
4. Yet we deny not, that if God had ſeen meet to deliver any neceſſary part of Law or Goſpel, Faith or Practice, as his will, by bare word and Memory of Man; we had been bound to believe and obey it, when we had ſound proof that it was indeed from God.
5. We hold, that for fulleſt certainty, we have poſſeſſion of the Bible it ſelf, and of the Eſſentials of Chriſtianity brought us by two Means Conjunct, that is, The Scripture, and practical Cuſtom of the Church. As the Scripture or written Word ſhineth to us by its own Light, ſo Tradition tells us which be the Canonical Books, and how the Church received them as Divine, and that there are no other ſuch: And the practice, of Baptiſmal Profeſſion and Covenanting, and of the Church Aſſemblies, and reading Scripture, and Catechizing, and of Euchariſtical Communion, and Prayer, &c. tell us what in all Ages hath been taken for true Chriſtianity. As we hold a humane Belief, needful in Subſerviency, as a means to Divine Belief, ſo we hold humane Tradition needful to the conveyance of God's Word to us. But, by your leave, we will diſtinguiſh the Meſſenger from the Authour: If the King ſend me a Law or Mandate by a Meſſenger, or by the Penny-Poſt, I will receive and obey it, and yet not take the Poſt or Meſſenger for King, or Legiſlator, or Infallible.
6. And the Reformed Catholicks do own all true Tradition, but are for a far ſurer Tradition than the Roman Sect. Our Tradition of Scripture, and the great points of Chriſtianity, cometh to us by Evidence Infallible, that may be called Natural, with the greateſt advantage of Moral Evidence alſo; and not on the boaſt and bare word of one proud Sect, that pretendeth to Fanatick Inſpiration and Authority above all others.
I call that Natural Evidence, which ariſeth from ſuch neceſſary Cauſes that cannot be otherwiſe, nor can deceive: And I call that the beſt Moral Evidence, which cometh from Mens teſtimony of greateſt credit for skill and honeſty, and we have both theſe.
Mans Soul hath ſome neceſſary acts that cannot but be, and cannot be otherwiſe: Such is ſenſation of ſenſible objects duely preſented; Intellectual perception of things preſented according to the evidence in which they appear: The Love of our ſelves and our own known welfare, and any thing that is known to be an only and neceſſary means thereto, and hath Omnimodam ratiomem boni: The Love of Truth as Truth, and Good as Good: The hatred of miſery, &c. Theſe all Men have as men, and that which dependeth on theſe dependeth not only on mens honeſty. And our evidence of Tradition is ſuch as this. It is from the Common Conſent of all capable Witneſſes, of various Opinions, Paſſions and Intereſts, Friends and Foes; whereas the Tradition of Sectarian Papiſts, dependeth on the Credit of one Sect, that falſly pretend a peculiar truſt with both Scripture and Tradition, tho' againſt the greater part of Chriſtians: And pretend Fanatically that even ignorant Popes and Prelates in Council, have a gift of infallible knowledge.
For Example: If there were a doubt raiſed, Whether there be any ſuch City in the World as Rome, Paris, Vienna? or whether there was ever ſuch perſons as K. James, K. Charles, Ludovicus 14▪ of France, &c.? Or whether the Statutes in our Books were really made by the Kings and Parliaments named in them, and be the ſame unchanged, &c. There is Natural evidence of all this, becauſe it ariſeth from neceſſary acts: All ſorts of men of contrary intereſts could never agree to lie and deceive men in ſuch caſes, no more than they could all agree to kill themſelves: And if ſome would be falſifyers, the reſt would preſently detect and ſhame them: If any Lawyers would falſyfie or change the Statutes, others would preſently manifeſt the deceit, they being commonly known, and the croſs intereſts of ſo many depending on them; yea, I ſay not only that this is Natural Infallible Evidence, but that it is more than very much other Phyſical Evidence of many other things; becauſe we have better means to know Mans Natural neceſſary acts, than we have to know moſt other Creatures of God.
And then for Moral Evidence, we have all the Godly's atteſtation of all Ages, and Nations, and Sects of Chriſtians, and among the reſt the Papiſts alſo, agreeing that This Bible, and This Creed, and theſe Eſſentials of Chriſtianity, were all certainly tranſmitted to us from Chriſt and his Spirit, in his Apoſtles.
And what's the Tradition of the Papal Sect to all this, who tell us falſely, you cannot know the Scripture to be God's Word, but by taking it on the belief of the Pope and Church of Rome, as Endowed with the Power of Judgment, and the gift of Infallibility. Alas! what abundance of Impoſſibilities muſt be proved true, before any Man can by this method believe God's word!
1. Before they can believe the Goſpel, and that Jeſus is the true Chriſt, they muſt believe that he hath a Vicar.
2. And a Church.
3. And the Pope is this Vicar, and his Sect this Church. And
4. That he hath the Office, Power and Gift, of infallible Judging, which the Major number of Chriſtians or Churches have not.
5. And that Chriſt (not yet believed in,) gave him power and Infallibility.
6. And that he that now Reigneth, is the true Pope by due Election, Conſecration, Qualification, &c. With many more ſuch Impoſſibilities: And what is it to give up the Cauſe to the Infidels, if this be not?
7. But we judge that God's Law in Scripture, ſecured from the charge of pretended Rememberers and Ʋſurpers, is ſo ſufficient to its proper uſe, that there needeth no Supplemental Tradition, as if it were but half God's Law; but only ſubſervient hiſtorical Tradition. And we challenge the Papiſts to prove de facto,
1. That any ſuch ſupplemental Tradition is Exiſtent.
2. That they poſſeſs any other, but what the other Churches know.
3. That they are more than other Churches, authorized to be the Keepers and Judges of that Tradition. And
4. We fully prove them Innovators, and that Popery is a meer Novelty: It is copiouſly proved by Peter Moulin, de novitate Papiſmi, David Blondel de Eccleſia, Andrew Rivet Defence of Morney againſt Coffetean, and againſt Silveſter, and many others. Can they without the moſt profligate Impudence pretend Apoſtolical Tradition, for denying the Laity the Cup in the Euchariſt, and for their praying in an unknown Tongue, and forbidding the Scripture, and depoſing Princes, and diſſolving Oaths of Allegiance, and for tormenting and killing all baptized perſons that obey not the Pope, with many ſuch?
8. If Tradition tell us of any Cuſtoms uſed in the Apoſtles, or Primitive times, that be not in Scripture, and ſo be not made matters of Neceſſity to all; yea, or of any occaſion all mutable Cuſtoms that are mentioned in Scripture, (as waſhing the Saints Feet, the Holy Kiſs, the Womans Vail, long or ſhort Hair, Collections each Lords Day, Preachers Travelling on Foot, &c.) we quarrel not with the then uſe of ſuch Traditions, when they were ſeaſonable, no more than with forbearing things ſtrangled and blood: Nor quarrel we with the Churches after, that ſetled Eaſter Day, and made the 20th. Canon of the Nicene Council, and uſed divers Ceremonies at Baptiſm. But Traditions of things Indifferent and Mutable, we receive but as ſuch, to be laid aſide when the occaſion ceaſeth: And if any will turn them into a neceſſary common Law, we diſclaim ſuch Uſurpers; for they croſs that very Tradition. It was delivered as Indifferent, and you feign and make it a neceſſary Law, and ſo deſtroy it.
9. We maintain openly, that Tradition is againſt the Papacy and its Corruptions. They are but a third or fourth part of Chriſtians: The other two or three parts of the Chriſtian World, profeſs that the Tradition of their Churches is againſt the Popes univerſal Sovereignty, and againſt all the Corruptions of which they accuſe him. None but the ſhameleſs will deny that the Abaſſians, Armenians, Greeks, and others, plead that this is their Tradition. And Reader, tell us, why the Tradition of two or three parts of the Church ſhould not rather be believed againſt a third part, than that which the third part boaſt of againſt all the reſt.
10. Ask them which way they know and keep their Traditions? Whether they have any Hiſtory, Records, or any other way which we may not know as well as they? If they pretend that it is a Secret, kept by their Church, it's a ſtrange Secret that ſo many Thouſands know: But if it be a thing proveable, let them prove it.
11. Is it not unmercifulneſs, to tell all the Chriſtian World, that as big and hard as the Bible is, if they knew and obeyed it all, they cannot be ſaved, unleſs they believe and do more, kept by the Pope, and called Tradition? When yet theſe Deceivers can diſpenſe with the knowledge and practice of God's own word, and think the Bible a Book too big and hard, (and the Prophane ſay, too ſtrict,) to be commonly underſtood and kept; And yet all the Bible is not Enough, but we muſt be bound to as much more as they will call Tradition, yea, Volumes alſo of Papal Canon Laws.
12. Did not Chriſt for this thing Condemn the Old Phariſees, Mat. 15?
Prove your Traditions to be Apoſtolical, and about things neceſſary, and not your Forgeries, or about things mutable and indifferent, and we will obey all ſuch Apoſtolical Traditions. But your Novelties and Uſupations ſhall not paſs with us for Divine Laws, becauſe you can call them ſuch.