The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 1 · Chapter 54
CHHP. 54. The Cardinals reaſons for Traditions againſt the perfection of Scripture. And firſt of the Traditions which he calls Moſaical and Patriarchal.
THE Cardinal in the ſecond chapter of the third book brings many unwritten traditions not contained in the five books of Moſes, which nevertheleſs the Church was obliged to believe under the Old Teſtament. The Reader is deſired to remember, that by Traditions, are underſtood commandments which muſt be obſerved, and doctrines which muſt be believed, belonging unto ſalvation and to the ordinary ſervice of God. Now the Traditions which he brings are Hiſtories or commandments addreſſed to ſome particular perſon, not to the Church. Such is the commandment made to Joſhuah of carrying the Ark in proceſſion, which the Cardinal brings for example; for that never was done but once, and was no Law in the Church. Alſo the tranſporting of the Ark from Shiloh into another place. And the commandment to Solomon of building the Temple, and making another brazen Altar, and the molten Sea with brazen Bulls, and Cherubims emboſſed on the walls and pillars. All that cannot be put among the Traditions which the Church was to practiſe. They were particular commands to Solomon, not rules of religion. And I wonder how the Cardinal would put theſe things among the unwritten Traditions; ſeeing that Joſh. 3.8, 9. it is ſpoken of the bearing of the Ark, marching before the people, as of a thing commanded by God; As alſo the tranſportation of the Ark from Shiloh to another place is mentioned, Pſal. 78.60. & 67. and Jer. 7.12. as a thing done by the expreſs will of God. And as for the command to Solomon to build a Temple, it is formall in many places; eſpecially 1 Kings 5.5. where Solomon ſpeaks thus; Behold I purpoſe to build a houſe unto the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord ſpake unto David my Father, ſaying, thy Son whom I will ſet upon thy throne in thy room, he ſhall build an houſe unto my name. Sure, the Cardinal had read Scripture very negligently, ſince he knew not theſe things, and would put them among the unwritten Traditions.
He doth alſo ask where it is read in the Pentateuch, that God had commanded the Ark to be adored, as David commands in theſe words, Worſhip his footſtool: But that text is falſified. There is according to the Hebrew Worſhip towards his footſtool; in the ſame manner as it as ſaid a little after, Worſhip towards the mountain of his holineſs. The Chaldaick Paraphraſts tranſlate it ſo, and Pagninus, and Arias Montanus, and Lyra, famous Tranſlators in the Roman Church. It was the cuſtom of the Iſraelites to worſhip with their face towards the Temple; This is that which David commands in that text; for by Gods footſtool, his Sanctuary is underſtood, which for this cauſe is called the place of his reſt, Pſal. 132.8. The ſame words are found Pſal. 132.7. where the Vulgar tranſlates, we ſhall worſhip in the place where his feet ſtaid. The Septuagint have tranſlated foreign, not foreign.
In the ſame chapter he brings forth divers points of doctrine,Pag. 774, which he affirmeth not to be written in the books of the Law, as the immortality of the ſoul, the doctrine of the finall judgement, of Paradiſe and of Hell. One may wonder how this Prelate is ſo diligent to mark the defects of Scripture; and it is more to be admired how he hath not ſeen clear proofs of the immortality of the ſoul, in the books of Moſes.
We have Numb. 23. theſe words of Balaam, Let me dye the death of the righteous, and let my laſt end be like his. He that acknowledgeth the death of the righteous to be happy, acknowledgeth a happineſs after this life. Beſides, what we tranſlate their end, in the Hebrews is their departing. He that calls death a parting, acknowledgeth a going to another place.
The Patriarch Jacob was ſaying, being neer his death, I have waited for thy ſalvation O Lord, Gen. 49.18. The ſame Patriarch calls his life, and that of his Fathers, a pilgrimage on earth, and acknowledgeth himſelf a ſtranger in the world.Gen. 47.9. Now the Apoſtle, Heb. 11.14. ſaith, that they that ſay ſuch things, declare plainly that they are ſeeking a countrey, their proper countrey.
Gen. 35.18. It is ſaid of Rachel dying in labour, that as her ſoul was in departing, ſhe called her ſon Benoni. Indeed death ſhould not be a departing of the ſoul, if the ſoul did not out-live the body. And the tranſportation of Enoch to heaven is a proof of his immortality. What meant that expreſſion of death uſuall among the Antient, that a man ſlept with his Fathers, but that they that ſleep are not brought to nothing, and that they look for the awaking of the reſurrection? So God ſpake to Moſes, Deut. 31.16. Behold thou ſhalt ſleep with thy Fathers. All the promiſes made to Abraham, Iſaac and Jacob, ſhould have been deceitfull, if they had concerned their preſent life only, ſince the poſterity of Iſmael and Eſau was in a flouriſhing ſtate, and reigning in Arabia and Idumea, while the poſterity of Jacob was in bondage in Aegypt. What had Abraham, Iſaac and Jacob but affliction according to the world? And the promiſe made unto Adam, that the womans ſeed ſhould bruiſe the Serpents head; and the promiſe made to Abraham of the bleſſed ſeed, are they not promiſes of the coming of Jeſus Chriſt, and of the vocation of the Gentiles, which are ſpiritual promiſes that concern ſalvation? Finally, Chriſt himſelf out of theſe words of God,Mat. 22.32. I am the God of Abraham, of Iſaac, and of Jacob, draws this conſequence, that theſe Patriarchs are living, becauſe God is not the God of the dead but of the living. If none before Chriſt drew that conſequence (which yet doth not appear to us) it followeth not that it ſhould not have been drawn. And if by theſe texts the felicity of the Saints is proved, may not one gather thence that the wicked ſhall not have the like uſage, but that God will judge them after this life, although the words of Paradiſe, and Hell of the damned be not found in the five books of Moſes?
The Cardinal goeth on, and finds many hiſtories of which no mention is made in the books of Moſes, 2 Tim. 3.as that the names of the Magicians that reſiſted Moſes were Jannes and Jambres: That Moſes being at the foot of the mountain, ſaid, I exceedingly fear and quake, &c. But in vain doth he heap up hiſtories; for when we ſay that Scripture contains all that is neceſſary to ſalvation, we underſtand all the rules and doctrines neceſſary to that end, not the names of all the perſons, nor all the hiſtories and circumſtances of things happened, of which one may be ignorant without peril, and without diminution of the doctrine of ſalvation.
The ſame I ſay of many ſmall ceremonies which M. du Perron finds in the New Teſtament, as the waſhing of feet before Eaſter, and the cuſtom of releaſing a fellon at Eaſter, and many the like things, which were civil cuſtoms, or indifferent obſervations, not Laws of religion, or neceſſary cuſtoms. The Cardinal was groſly miſtaken when he put the cuſtom of releaſing a malefactor at Eaſter among the Traditions of the Church; for it was a wicked cuſtom, whereby they ſaved the lives of murtherers; of which we have an example in Barabbas, againſt the expreſs prohibition of God to ſpare a murtherers life, Num. 35.31, &c. Yea God will have a murtherer pluckt off from his very Altar, Exod. 21.14.
As for the form of bleſſing uſed among the Jews before they ate the Paſſeover, ſince God had preſcribed none, the Jews had the liberty to make one; and that cannot be put among the Moſaïcal Traditions, to which the Church was of neceſſity ſubject.
To ſay with the Cardinal that in the figure of the Manna, and the Paſchal lamb it was neceſſary to underſtand that Chriſt was ſignified, and that without that one could not be ſaved, is a raſh affirmation. God forbid that we ſhould exclude from ſalvation all the Iſraelites that underſtood not the figures of the Old Teſtament.
That which the Cardinal addeth, that the continuall fire which was upon the Altar was preſerved by a miracle during the tranſmigration, is a Jewiſh fable. And it is much more credible, that as many other prerogatives and ornaments of the firſt Temple (among others, the Ark and the Oracles) have been wanting to the ſecond Temple; that alſo this fire lighted from heaven was not there. But howſoever this is a ſtory, not a doctrine or a precept. It is eaſie to prove that the fire came down from heaven that conſumed the ſacrifices in the dedication of Solomons Temple (as it is related, 2 Chron. 7.) was not long preſerved, and was out many years before the deſtruction of the Temple. For 2 Chron. 29.7. King Ahaz ſhut up the Temple, and 2 Chron. 35.4. King Manaſſeh ſacrificed unto falſe Gods in the two Courts of the Temple. At that time, Gods ſervice ceaſing, and the Temple being ſhut up, how could that continuall fire be maintained upon the Altar?
The walking of two thouſand paces and no more upon the Sabbath day was a Jewiſh ſuperſtition,Pag. 778. Joſh. 3.4. grounded upon that Joſhuah croſſing Jordan kept the people two thouſand cubits from the Ark; It was not a divine rule, or a neceſſary Tradition.
In the ſixth chapter of the ſame book the Cardinal ſaith that Jeſus Chriſt hath preacht the kingdom of heaven and the reſurrection, not contained in the ancient Law. As for the Kingdom of heaven, we have proved that it is clearly taught in the books of Moſes. And as for the reſurrection, we have ſhewed that Chriſt proved it by the words of God himſelf contained in the Law.
He alledgeth alſo the mingling of water with blood,Pag. 803. for the purifying of the people, Heb. 10. of which no mention is made in the books of Moſes. I anſwer, that Moſes did ſo once, and made no Law about it in the Church; and by conſequent this ought not to be put among the Traditions, which we have to do with in this place, namely ſuch as are Laws and Rules of religion. The ſame of the putting of a cenſer in the Ark, and of the combat of the Angel Michael with Satan for the body of Moſes, which are hiſtories not rules. Here the fault of the Cardinal is pardonable, when he(a)Book 3. chap. 6. p. 104. ſaith that Moſes fought with the Angel, whereas it was the Angel that fought with Satan. See the Epiſtle of Jude, ver. 9.(b)foreign.