Exomologesis, or, A faithfull narration of the occaision and motives of the conversion unto Catholick unity of Hugh-Paulin de Cressy, lately Deane of Laghlin &c. in Ireland and Prebend of Windsore in England now a second time printed with additions and explications by the same author who now calls himself B. Serenus Cressy, religious priest of the holy order of S. Benedict in the convent of S. Gregory in Doway.

CHAP. VI.

Two principall Texts of Scripture alledged by Protestants to prove it's sufficiency, and against Traditions; answered.

1. COme we now to consider a while those Texts of Scripture pretended by Prote∣stants to be so expresse, uncontroulable and pressing, as to justifie them from blame in not only opposing the former evident quota∣tions for Traditions, but in dividing from and condemning all Antiquity that taught the con∣trary, and not onely so, but relyed upon Tra∣dition alone in severall points confessed by them not to be visible in Scripture, and yet con∣demn'd, anathematized and utterly vanquish∣ed severall Heretiques, who thought it a suffici∣ent warrant to be dispensed from severall do∣ctrines taught, and practises continued in the Church, because the Scripture was silent in them.

2. Of all others the most considerable Text of Scripture alledged by Protestants, and most prized by them as efficacious to prove its perfe∣ction, & sufficiency to be an intire Rule of Faith is this speech of S. Paul to Timothy, (1 Tim. c. 3. v. 16. 17) Omnis Scriptura divinitius inspirata, utilis est, &c. All Scripture divinely inspired is pro∣fitable for teaching, for arguing, for reproving and for instructing in righteousnesse, that the man of God may be perfect, instructed to every good worke. Here, say they, it is apparent that S. Paul ac∣knowledges Scripture to be profitable for all kindes of spirituall uses, teaching, arguing, &c.

and moreover in such a perfection that by it not onely ignorant persons but even the man of God, that is, he who is a Teacher of Gods people, who by his office is obliged to a higher perfection of knowledge, may be made perfect, and that, to every good worke.

3. To this it is answered 1. That by reading the verse immediately going before, we shall be informed both of what Scriptures S. Paul there speakes, and in what sence and with what con∣ditions they are profitable for the forementioned uses and ends: the words are, Tu verò permane, &c. Doe thou (•••• Timothy) persevere in those things which thon hast learned, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and because from thy childhood thou hast knowne the Holy Scriptures, which may instruct thee to Salvation, by faith which is in Christ Jesus: For all Scripture di∣vinely inspired is profitable, &c. By the con∣nexion of these words it appeares that those Scriptures to which Saint Paul gives this te∣stimony and glorious character were the same in which Timothy, now a Bishop, had been instructed from his childhood, that is, the Scriptures of the Old Testament: For how few of the Evangelicall writings were published even now that he was a Bishop, and certainly scarce any at all when he was a child. S•• Pauls designe therefore in this passage is evidently this, viz. to exhort Timothy to remaine constant (in iis quae ei tradita fuerant) in those Christian verities and precepts by the Apostle delivered in trust to him not in writing, but orall Tra∣dition: For which purpose he uses these mo∣tives, namely 1. the consideration of the sublime

Apostolicall Office of himselfe his instructour, immediately and miraculously called and enabled to that imployment by Christ from heaven, therefore he sayes, knowing of whom thou hast learned these Evangelicall truths. 2•• The conformity of these new revelations to those ancient ones of the Old Testament, in which Timothy had been instructed from his childhood, in which he might perceive, though obscurely traced, certaine markes and Pro∣phecyes of the Gospell, and so be easilier en∣clin'd to beleive what S. Paul had plainly de∣livered to him. 3. Upon this occasion he de∣clares the great profit which a Christian may find by having recourse to the old Testament, as having great efficacy to make a man wise unto salvation; but this not of themselves a∣lone, but joyned with the Faith, which is in Christ Jesus, and perseverance in believing the Christian verities delivered by orall Tradition. So that the Apostles might very well conclude, All Scriptures (of the Old Testament giving testimony to the Gospell) being inspired by God are very profitable (not entirely of themselves sufficient) for teaching, arguing, reproving, instructing in righteousnesse; And that by them the man of God, (even a Christian Bi∣shop) may be made perfect or enabled to every good worke (that is, as he expresseth the same sence in the former verse, wise unto Salvation; but upon condition that they be joyned with the Faith (or Gospell) of Christ Iesus, and perseverance therein.) This to my understanding seems to be the proper naturall importance of this Text of S. Paul, so far from evincing what the Pro∣testants

would collect from it, that it confirmes the quite contrary.

4. But let it be supposed (which is impossible to be evinced) that the Apostle speakes here by way of Prophecy of Evangelicall Scriptures not yet written, but with respect to the time when they should be perfectly com∣pleated; he sayes onely they are profitable, not sufficient, to produce the mentioned effects and end; He excludes not the Church interpre∣ting them; in a word, He referres expresly to orall Tradition; And by consequence he is far from saying any thing that may warrant the Protestants upon pretence from these words, to relinquish the way which all ancient Christians and Fathers of the Church walked in, and to walke in that which, as hath been shewed by irrefragable testimonies, has beene traced by all and onely Heretiques. So far is he from saying, or giving warrant to any to say,

Reject all things that you finde not expresly contein∣ed in Scriptures, though the whole world upon whose only testimony you receive Scriptures affirme that they received other things from the same authority, Keep your selves close to that sence of Scriptures which your own fan∣cies or interests shall suggest unto you, and admit neither fathers nor Church to interpret them to you, believe your own understandings onely, which you may call the inspirations of the Holy Ghost, if you please, And content not your selves with deceiving your selves a∣lone with such fancies, take authority upon your selves to destroy all publique authority, and to•• obtrude per sas & nefas your in∣terpretations

and glosses upon the consci∣ences of others.

This S. Paul ought to have said, if he had purposed to justifie the grounds of Protestantisme: But this I could not conceive to be his meaning, and therefore I tooke it to be my best course to be misled by Fathers, Councells and the whole Catholique Church.

5. A second proofe for the sufficiency of Scripture alone to be an entire Rule of Faith, and of great moment among many Protestants is that speech in the end of the Revelation, (Rev. c. 22. v. 18. 19.) Contestor enim omni audienti, &c.

I doe protest to every one that hears the words of the Prophecy of this book: If any one shall adde unto these, God shall adde unto him the plagues written in this booke. And if any one shall diminish from the words of this Prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the booke of life, and out of the Holy City, and out of those things which are written in this book.

The weight of this Text is much more pressing in their opinion by reason of the situation of it in the close of the whole body of Evangelicall writings; and likewise by the advantage of a Parallel place in the end of Moyses his law.

6. Hereto it is answered that this Text is so far from obliging us to understand it in ge∣nerall of Evangelicall doctrines, that expresly and in terminis terminantibus it restreines it selfe onely to the Prophecies conteined in this particular booke, for bidding any one to presume to make any change in it, either by addi∣tion and interpolation of other Prophecies pretended to be written by the same Divine

Author (a thing practised by Heretiques in o∣ther Evangelicall writings when this booke was published) or by razing out any Prophe∣cies herein conteined, (as some Heretiques likewise had done in other Apostolicall bookes.) So that this author is so farre from forbidding any other revelations of divine doctrines be∣sides those already published, that notwith∣standing any thing here said, Agabus and Saint Philips daughters might, if they had pleased, have set forth their Prophecies, so they had done it without injury or disparagement to the Apocalypse. Even as Moyses by such like words signified that in his writings were contei∣ned the summe of that law delivered by God on Mount Sinai, at least as much of it as was fit to communicate for the present to the people, and therefore forbad any man to change his writings any way: Yet notwithstanding, it is apparent that not onely the Jewes, but likewise the Ancient Fathers believed that besides this written law, Moyses himselfe delivered to the Preists and Sanedrim many unwritten Tradi∣tions relating to the law it selfe, some of which are mentioned in Evangelicall Scripture, as the

institution of the order of Exorcists, the mingling of water with the blood of the Te∣stament wherewith Moyses sprinckled the people, Skarlet wooll and hyssope to be used in all aspertions, the sprinkling the booke of the Covenant with blood, The names of Jannes and Mambres the antagonists of Moyses, and the combat betweene an Angell and the Devill about Moyses, his body, &c.

Besides, many Holy men published bookes a∣mong

the Jewes acknowledged of divine autho∣rity, wherein were many Mysteries of Faith not onely more expresly, but de novo conteined, and not at all declared by Moyses, many wri∣tings of devotion, Precepts of Piety and man∣ners, &c. Onely Moyses his bookes have beene received to this day under the notion of the fun∣damentall law of the Jewish Common-wealth, a title that other writings never challen∣ged.

7. As concerning the advantage taken from the position of the forementioned Text in the close of the Evangelicall writings, it will be of no force at all to any man that shall consider how it came to passe that the severall bookes were placed in the order as wee at this day finde them viz. That certaine men unknown to us now, but followed by a tacit agreement of the Church, when after the decease of the Apostles they had sought out all the writings that remai∣ned and had beene occasionally published by them, compiled them in one volumne in this order; They begun with the Gospels or histo∣ry of our Saviours life and death, as reason was, placing them it may be in the order as they were written, however assigning the first place to S. Mathew, because he having written his Gospel in Hebrew for the use of the Jewes and Jewish Christians to whom Christ commanded his Gospel should first be preached, and upon their refusall, to the Gentiles, even for that reason alone his Gospel might be thought to have deserved the first place, the rest follow∣ing in the order as they were written. Then followes the Story of the Apostles, especially

S. Paul, written by his companion S. Luke, and continued till their separation by S. Pauls voy∣age to Rome. After bookes of Story follow doctrinall writings, namely Epistles, conteining particular doctrinall controversies and precepts of manners, written upon occasion, when false Teachers had sowne tares of particular Heresies in the Churches, founded by the Apostles, Among these Epistles, those of S. Paul both for the number, importance and length of them obtained the first place, but disposed not according to the order and dates of time that they were written, but according to the pri∣viledges and advantages of the Churches and Citties to which they were sent; the Romans ha∣ving obteined, as reason was, the first place, then the Corinthians, &c. and after all such, followed his particular Epistles to particular per∣sons, as Timothy, Titus, &c. In the last place, the whole volume was concluded with this single booke of Prophecies, as being last written, most difficult, and lesse necessary. These things be∣ing apparent, let all reasonable men judge what just advantage can be taken by Protestants thus to build their maine foundation of difference from the Catholique Church upon so inconsi∣derable, so casuall a thing, as the order wherein the bookos of the New Testament have been ranged, no man knowes by whom.