The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 1 · Chapter 46
CHAP. 46. Of the Fathers and Antient Doctors, and of their Authority.
THe writings of the Antient Doctors neer unto the Apoſtles times cannot be deſpiſed, but by perſons wedded to their opinion, that blame all that they underſtand not: For although every one of them be ſubject to err, yet when they agree all in that they ſay, their conſent is of great authority. But we muſt take good heed, how, and for what end it is uſed. For our Adverſaries make a great noiſe about that, and make a flouriſh of Fathers, not out of any belief that theſe Fathers are favourable to them, nor out of hope to gain their cauſe before theſe Judges; but to make the people look off from Scripture, whoſe tryal they labour by all means to avoid.
When the queſtion is to reſolve a conſcience by teſtimonies of Fathers, we meet with many hinderances; For their writings are Greek and Latin, of an infinite length and multitude. They are Books which the people never ſee, and where they underſtand nothing. If to attain to Salvation it is neceſſary to be verſed in the Doctrine of Fathers, hardly of a thouſand Chriſtians can one be ſaved. And among the Fathers writings many ſuppoſitiuous Books are mingled, and new corruptions are every day diſcovered: Then there is as much or more diſpute about the ſenſe of the Text of the Fathers, as about that of Scripture: So that if the Fathers be taken for Judges, there will be need of other Judges that judge infallibly of the ſenſe of the Fathers. It were worth knowing whether the Roman Church, which boaſteth to be an infallible Interpreter of the ſenſe of Scripture, hath the ſame perfection in the interpretation of Fathers.
Again, when the Fathers diſſent among themſelves about the Expoſition of Scripture, who ſhall be Judge of their differences? or who will undertake, to define which Fathers have moſt authority? Or how many Fathers are requiſite to make an Article of Faith? For it is not reaſonable, ſince our Adverſaries take the Fathers for their Judges, that themſelves be Judges of the Fathers.
Beſides, when a paſſage of a Father is alledged, who knows whether other Fathers agree with him? Who knows whether the ſame Father ſpeak otherwiſe in other places, as it is uſual with the Antient?
Another hinderance troubleth mens minds very much, That the words which the Antient uſed have loſt their ſignification, and are now taken in a quite different ſenſe; as the words of Maſs, Sacrifice, Indulgence, Oblation, Pope. Purgatory, Satisfaction, Prayer for the dead, &c. have loſt their antient ſignification, and are taken in our time in another ſenſe then in old time. Whereby the ignorant are deceived, not knowing that ſuch words in thoſe dayes ſignified quite another thing then in ours, and that the Roman Church puts old words upon new inventions. He that will lead the ſpirits of a people that way, in ſtead of bringing them to the Word of God, doth involve them in a dark labyrinth, puts them in a way that hath no end, and makes men Judges in Gods cauſe.
As then on the one ſide, we reverence Fathers as lights that have been ſhining in their time, and recommend the reading of them to ſuch as have leiſure and capacity; ſo on the other ſide, when it is queſtion of giving laws to the Church, we acknowledge no other Lawgiver but God, and no other rule of faith but his Word; which, in matters neceſſary to ſalvation, is ſo clear, that it needs no interpreter; which alſo is as ſtrong alone as attended, and ſuffers wrong in its authority, when it is defended with the teſtimony of men.
The Fathers themſelves acknowledging their infirmity, and their ſubjection to Scripture, will not be believed but ſo far as they ſpeak conformably to Scripture; and acknowledging themſelves ſubject to err, return alwayes to that rule.
Cyrillus of Jeruſalem, in his fourth Catecheſis, ſpeaks thus,(a)foreign. One muſt not teach the leaſt thing concerning the divine and ſacred myſteries of faith without the holy Scriptures. And a little after,(b)foreign. Believe me not ſimply when I ſay theſe things unto thee, unleſs thou haſt proofs of what I ſay by the holy Scriptures.
Hierom upon the 86. Pſal.(c)Quamvis ergo ſanctus ſit aliquis poſt Apoſtolos, quamvis diſertus ſit, non habet authoritatem. Although ſome man ſince the Apoſtles be holy, although he be well ſpoken, yet he hath no authority.
And Auſtin againſt Fauſtus the Manichean, Book, 11. chap. 3. ſpeaking of his own writings and of other Fathers,(d)Non praecipiendi authoritate, ſed proficiendi exercitatione ſcribuntur à nobis. Liberum ibi habet Lector auditoris judicium quo vel approbet quod placuerit, vel improbet quod offenderit. Non me movet authoritas Cypriani. The authority of Cyprian moves me not. And he gives for reaſon, that he is not greater then the Apoſtle Peter. See the 9. Diſt. Can. Ego ſolus Alphonſ. de Caſtro Franciſcan. cap. 7. lib. 1. de haereſib. hath gathered many the like paſſages. Theſe Books (ſaith he) are written by us, not by authority of commanding, but to profit by exerciſe. And ſoon after, having eſtabliſht the holy Scripture for Judge, he ſaith, that in other works of them that have written ſince, the Reader hath his judgement free, either to receive that which he approveth, or to reject that which diſpleaſeth him. The ſame in the 1. chap. of the ſecond Book of Baptiſm, (e) rejecteth the authority of Cyprian which was objected to him.
That by alledging the Fathers, our Adverſaries intend only to avoid Scripture, and puzzle the ſpirits of the ſimple, it appeareth in that they aſſign for a mark of the true Church, conformity with the Antient Fathers, but will not aſſign for a mark of the ſame Church, conformity with the Word of God contained in the holy Scriptures. Alſo in that there be many queſtions upon which they alledge not the Fathers, ſilently confeſſing, that there the help of antiquity fails them, as is the point of denying the communion of the cup to the people. Such are alſo the images of the Trinity, and forbidding the people to read the Scripture, and the title of Queen of heaven given to the Virgin Mary, and the Roman Indulgences, and the Popes power to depoſe Kings, and fetch ſouls out of Purgatory, and private Maſſes, and the cuſtom of praying in a language not underſtood by him that prayes; and many other points. In this eſpecially it appears, how little in effect they truſt the Fathers, although they take them for Judges, that when theſe Fathers ſpeak againſt the Roman Church, they make no difficulty to rebuke and taunt them, making themſelves Judges and cenſors of the Fathers, yea and oppoſing them when they conſent together: As we ſhall ſee in the following Chapter.