The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 1 · Chapter 57
CHAP. 57. Of the Traditions which the Fathers allow.
WEE have brought many teſtimonies of the Antients, wherein, as for matter of ſalvation, they reject all doctrines not contained in the Scriptures. To thoſe texts the Cardinal oppoſeth other texts, of Tertullian, of Baſil, of Epiphanius, of Auſtin, in which they approve unwritten traditions. But who ſo will narrowly examine of what kind of traditions they ſpeak, ſhall find no difficulty in that ſeeming difference. For either they are traditions about Eccleſiaſtical policy and things of indifferent nature, or they are traditions grounded upon holy Scripture; For they ate traditions which the Roman Church approves not, and which conſequently by the confeſſion of our Adverſaries are not Apoſtolical traditions, unleſs they will confeſs that they are departed from the Ordinances of the Apoſtles. See Tertullian in his book de corona Militis, chap. 2. & 3. And the book concerning the Holy Ghoſt attributed to Baſil, chap. 27. And(a)Nam & multa alia quae per traditionem in Eccleſia obſervantur, &c. Velut in Baptiſmo ter caput mergere, lactis & mellis praeguſtare concordiam. See alſo the Epiſtle to Lucian. Hierom in his Dialogue againſt the Luciferians; And Auſtin Epiſt. 118, 119. There you have a great liſt of unwritten traditions; as to be dipt three times in Baptiſm, to taſte in Baptiſm milk and honey mingled in ſign of concord; Not to waſh that day nor the whole week after; to ſign ones ſelf in the forehead with the ſign of the croſs at every action, to pray ſtanding from Eaſter to Whitſunday, to celebrate on certain anniverſary dayes the paſſion, the reſurrection, and the aſcenſion of Chriſt: To pray with the face turned Eaſtward, the annointing with oyle, the form of prayer whereby conſecration is made: To which one may add, prayers for the dead, the admiſſion of the Baptiſm of hereticks; And the tradition of which Tertullian ſpeaks in the alledged place, that it is not lawfull for a Chriſtian ſouldier to be crowned with flowers and leaves, when the army is muſtering. Of which traditions ſome are contrary to the cuſtom of the Apoſtles, as the cuſtom of not kneeling at prayers from Eaſter to Whitſunday. For Acts 20.16. & 21.5. the Apoſtle Paul prayeth kneeling, and that a few dayes before Pentecoſt.
Moſt of theſe traditions are rejected by the Roman Church, although the Antients give them for Apoſtolical as the cuſtom of faſting upon Wedneſdayes and Fridayes, which Epiphanius in the hereſie of Aerius (b)Epiphan. hereſi 75. foreign.will derive from the Apoſtles. The cuſtom of taſting milk and honey. Not to waſh for a whole week after Baptiſm. Not to faſt upon the Lords day. To pray ſtanding from Eaſter to Whitſunday. Never to pray but being turned Eaſtward. To pray for the dead as the antient Church did, which prayed not to fetch ſouls out of Purgatory, but that the dead might riſe again to ſalvation, or that they might riſe betimes, or that they might be but gently toucht with the purging fire of the day of the reſurrection; or that in the receptacles of the ſouls where they ſlept, they might reeive ſome comfort.
Chryſoſtom Hom. 4. upon the ſecond Epiſtle to the Theſſalonians ſeems to favour our Adverſaries, ſaying that the Apoſtles have not taught all by Epiſtles, but have taught many things without writing, and that theſe things as well as thoſe are worthy to be believed. But in the homily before, he ſheweth evidently that he meaneth unwritten traditions not neceſſary to ſalvation. For as for things neceſſary to ſalvation ſo he ſpeaks,(c)foreign. All that is in the divine Scriptures is clear and right; All things that are neceſſary are therein clearly ſet down. And Hom. 13. upon the ſecond Epiſtle to the Corinthians, he calls Scripture(d)foreign. an exact ballance for all things, a ſquare and a rule. And upon Pſalm 95. When one ſaith that which is not written, the hearers mind is halting.
Beſides theſe traditions which the Roman Church hath left, the Fathers ſpeak of traditions that are founded in Scripture, although they be not found in expreſs terms. As the tradition which Baſil brings in the ſame place, that the Father and the Son muſt be glorified with the ſame glorification. For ſince Scripture ſaith that Jeſus Chriſt is God, and that he thinks it not robbery to be equall with God his Father, and that he is one with the Father, it follows that the ſame glorification muſt be rendred unto him. Upon which we have an expreſs text, John 5.23. That they all honour the Son as they honour the Father.
Irenaeus in the third book, chap. 4. ſaith, that if the Apoſtles had not left us the Scriptures, we ſhould have recourſe to tradition. But what is that tradition? Is it the invocation of Saints, the worſhipping of images and relicks, the ſucceſſion of the Roman Biſhop in St. Peters primacy, the Communion under one kind, the celibat of the Clergy, the ſervice in an unknown tongue, the Roman Indulgences, the Tranſubſtantiation? Nothing of all that; but the doctrine concerning the nature and Office of Chriſt, and the Articles of the Symbole, of which he makes an enumeration in the ſame place.
As for the admiſſion of the Baptiſm of hereticks, Auſtin puts it among traditions. And yet in the firſt book of Baptiſm againſt the Donatiſts; and in the ſecond book, chap. 14. And in the fourth book, chap. 7. And in the fifth book chap. 4. & 23. he endeavours to prove it by texts of Scripture, which he ſaith to be certain and clear. Whence it appears that by the unwritten things, he underſtands the things not contained in the holy Scriptures in expreſs terms, but deduced from the Scriptures by conſequence. And indeed we have ſhewed before that the admiſſion of the Baptiſm of hereticks is not without foundation in Scripture. And though it were not grounded upon it, that would not prejudice us in any thing; for the knowledge of that point is not neceſſary for ſalvation. Hierom upon 2 Theſ. 2. (if theſe comments be his, not of Pelagius) puts Baptiſm among the Apoſtolical traditions. Apoſtolica traditio eſt quae in toto mundo praedicatur, ut Baptiſmi Sacramenta. It is an Apoſtolical tradition which is preacht over all the world.
In generall, almoſt all theſe traditions are either light things, of their nature indifferent, and infinitely under the divine doctrine concerning faith and the ſervice of God contained in the Scripture; or they are points contained in the Scripture, if not in expreſs words, at leaſt in equivalent terms, or by neceſſary conſequence.
Note, that M. du Perron could not bring any teſtimony of the Antients which put among Traditions any of the doctrines about which we diſſent with the Roman Church, excepting only prayers for the dead, about which the Roman Church diſſents with the Anctient Church, as we will ſhew hereafter. But they ſhall not find one of the Antients that puts among the Apoſtolical traditions, Roman Indulgences, or the Popes power to releaſe ſouls out of Purgatory, and to give and take away Kingdoms, and to canonize Saints, or the adoration of images, or the images of the Trinity, or the title of Queen of heaven beſtowed upon the Virgin Mary, or the Limbus of infants, or the celibat of Prieſts, or prayers in a language which he that prayeth underſtands not, or the publike ſervice in an unknown language, or the prohibition made to the people to read Scripture without an eſpecial leave, or the communion of the cup denied to the people: for they are Papal not Apoſtolical traditions.
We muſt not diſſemble that Auſtin in the one hundred and nineteenth Epiſtle complains that already in his time humane traditions did multiply, and were often preferred before the word of God. That (ſaith he) grieveth me much that many moſt wholeſome precepts of divine books are neglected, and that all is full of ſo many preſumptions; So that he is more ſharply reproved that trod barefoot within the octave, then he that hath buried his underſtanding in drunkenneſs. He addeth, That men had ſo loaden religion with ſervile burdens, that the condition of the Jews was more tolerable then that of Chriſtians.
Iren. l. 2. c. 62. & l. 5. c. 5. & l. 4. c. 30. & l. 5. c. 12, 14. & 35.Wherefore the Roman Church hath rejected with juſt reaſon the traditions believed by Irenaeus, who believed that the ſouls ſeparate from the bodies have hands and feet; and that the ſouls coming out of their bodies go not into the heavenly glory, but into an earthly Paradiſe; And that the Fathers before the publiſhing of the Law by Moſes were without Law: And that Chriſt muſt reign a thouſand years in earth: In which reign there will be feaſts and bodily delights; and the traditions of Clemens Alexandrinus who believed that the Grecians were ſaved by Philoſophy. That there is in God four hypoſtaſes. That the Angels fell by cohabitation with women. That the death of Chriſt no more then our afflictions, happened not by Gods will, and many the like traditions. And that of Ambroſe and Tertullian, who hold that ſome ſhall riſe again ſooner then others. And the tradition held by the Antients that ſouls ſhall be purged by the fire of the day of judgement, of which we ſhall ſpeak hereafter.