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. VIII.

Preparatory grounds for the answering of these reasons and Quotations.

That Christian Religion was setled in the Church by Tradition especially.

The advantage of that way beyond wri∣ting.

1. THe whole weight of this Controversie concerning the Rule of Faith (viz.

Whether all truths and precepts, &c. of Chri∣stianity necessary to Salvation be to be sought for in Scripture alone, or any one or more of the Gospels, as expresly conteined in them (as Protestants affirme) or likewise in the Tradition of the Catholique Church, as Ca∣tholiques maintaine?)

relying upon the true un∣derstanding of these three things especially, viz. 1. The way whereby Christianity was setled in the Church, which will appeare to have beene by Orall Tradition and externall uniforme practise, as being more secure from errour and mistakes than writing. 2. The occa∣sion of the writing of the Gospels and other bookes of the New Testament, and the bene∣fit which the Church reapes by them. 3. The meaning of this Phrase, things necessary to sal∣vation, and the freeing of it from ambiguities and misapplications. I conceived it therefore necessary to meditate seriously, and as exactly, as I was capable, to informe my selfe distinctly of these particulars, to the end that I might be able to judge, whether these difficulties and

objections alledged by Mr. Chillingworth would approve themselves as unanswerable, as at my leaving of England I supposed them, Here there∣fore I will set down in order the effect of my enquiry.

2. To begin therefore with the first particu∣lar to be premised, namely, the way whereby Christian Religion was setled and continued in the Church: By diligent reading of the writings of severall Fathers especially, and ancient Eccle∣siasticall Historians it manifestly appeared, at least to mine own full satisfaction, that it was not the purpose of Christ to deliver his new law, as Moyses had done his in Tables or written characters, but in Orall Tradition: or to write it indeede, but, as Eusebius Caesariensis before quoted expresseth it, not with ink on paper, but by his Spirit in the hearts of his people, according to the ancient Prophecies concerning him in the Old Testament: And hereupon the Fa∣thers observe, that our Saviour left nothing at all in writing, neither did he lay any injunction upon his Apostles to write bookes: And there∣fore the same Eus••bius (Hist. Ecel. l. 5. cap. 8. & 24.) expresly affirmes, That the Apostles had the least regard to writing. The like is noted by Saint Chrysostome in his frist Homily upon the Acts, where he gives the reason why the booke of the Acts does onely or princi∣pally conteine the occurrences concerning S. Paul, and not those neither to the end of his life. But an assurance of this irrefragable is given by Saint Paul himselfe, who in severall places of his Epistles referres to the doctrine setled by orall instruction, as when he sayes, Gal. c. 1. If any

one shall preach otherwise then ye have re∣ceived, let him be Anathema. And againe, (Phil. cap. 4.) Those things which ye have been taught, and received, and heard and seen in me, doe ye.

And againe to shew the unifor∣mity of the doctrine every where, he calls it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉a forme of whole∣some words. And againe,

We write no other things unto you then what you have known.

And againe, (1 Cor. cap. 14. 15.)

As I teach in all Churches.

And againe,

So we have preach∣ed, and so ye have believed.

Hence S. Au∣gustine makes this rule,

The Scripture is wont for brevities sake to be silent of many things, which are to be learned from the order of Tradition.

For this reason it was, as antiqui∣ty observes, that S. Paul kept his residence so long a time in many Cities after he had setled Churches there, to the end to inculcate into their memories the substantiall doctrines preached over and over unto them, and to e∣stablish an uniforme order and discipline a∣mong them, which by that meanes continued in an exact conformity for severall centuries of yeares in the Catholique Church all the world over, as Tertullian, S. Basil, S. Augustin, &c. observe.

3. Now this way of setling Religion by Tra∣dition and outward practise was much more se∣cure and lasting, and far lesse subject to cor∣ruptions then writings (without unappealable interpreters especially) could possibly be. If it be objected, that memory is not so safe a depo∣sitary as written records, which are made use of to supply the defects of memory. It may be an∣swered,

that that is true of preserving doctrines meerely speculative, but not so of such as may be made as it were visible by practise, as almost all Evangelicall doctrines are. For as for bookes, we see by experience that those which of all other in the world ought to have been preserved with the most exact care, and wherein the most scrupulous curiosity was commendable, I meane the Sacred Evange∣licall writings, have not been able to escape the inevitable fate of all bookes, especially such as every one almost will thinke himselfe concern'd to transcribe, that is, to have infinite variety of readings, much more then any other bookes that I know of whatsoever, and principally in in the originall tongues, which were not read in Churches: Insomuch as in my hearing Bishop Usher, (one of the most learned Pro∣testant Prelats in England) professed that, whereas he had had of many yeares before a de∣signe to publish the New Testament in Greeke with various lections and Annotations, and for that purpose had used great diligence and spent much money to furnish himselfe with Manu∣scripts and Memoires from severall learned men abroad, yet in conclusion he was forced to desist utterly from that undertaking, lest if he should ingenuously have noted all the severall diffe∣rences of readings, which himselfe had col∣lected, the incredible multitude of them almost in every verse should rather have made men A∣theistically to doubt of the truth of the whole booke, then satisfie them in the true reading of any particular passage. An evident signe this is that the ancient Governours of the Church

did not suppose that Christian Religion did onely or principally rely upon what was in writing: For if they had, they would doubt∣lesse either have forbidden such a multitude of transcribers, or have preserved the Originall co∣pies, or at least have imitated the exact diligence and curiosity of the Jewish Masorites in their preserving the Old Testament entire for the future, namely by numbring all the letters and points, and signifying where and how oft every one of them were found in Scripture: None of which preventions and cautions notwithstanding have been used in the Christian Church: Yea so farre is it, from that, that at least one whole Epistle of S. Paul to the Laodiceans, and that most ancient Gospel in Hebrew, secundum Nazaraeos are at this day utterly lost: not to speak of se∣verall bookes mentioned in the Old Testament, not now to be heard of.

4. Well, but how casuall soever bookes may prove to be yet it does not hitherto appeare how Orall Tradition and Practise can demon∣strate it selfe a way more secure and free from hazard than they. I will therefore endeavour to resolve this seeming difficulty by asking these Questions. Can any one reasonably say that, for example, the doctrines of Christs death for mankinde commemorated in the Bles∣sed Sacrament of the Eucharist, & of his reall unfi∣gurative presence there have beene, or could pos∣sibly have beene more securely propagated and more clearely and intelligibly delivered to Posterity in bookes written, which may be lost and will be corrupted by some transcribers (and every transcribers copy is as

authentique as any others) or, as they have been, in the Tradition and universall Practise of the Church, and in a continuall visible celabra∣ting of those divine Mysteries, where every action they did performe, published the truth which they believed; where their thanksgiving for Christs Passion dayly renewed the memory, manner and end of it; where their prostra∣tions and adorations demonstrated their assu∣rance of his reall Presence, where every mans saying Amen at the Priests pronouncing Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi, expressed their con∣fession of that Presence with exclusion of all Tropes and Metaphors in the businesse? Againe, is not the true inward sence of these Christian Doctrines conveyed more intelligibly, and represented more exactly, lively and natu∣rally by such practises and solemne spectacles, than by bare words, though they had beene never so eleare, and of never so studied a perspicuity? With relation to which expresse, impossible to be mistaken way of propagating the Mysteries of Christian beliefe, and refle∣cting in his minde thereupon S. Paul in all pro∣bability thus reproved the Galatians for their inconstancy, in these words of wonder and in∣dignation Gal. c. 3 v. 1. O insensatiGalatae. O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Iesus Christ hath been (lively) represented, being Crucified among you? As thinking that nothing of lesse power than a charme could deceive persons, or blinde their eyes, after they had been visible spectators, as it were of the passion of Christ.

5. This admirable way of conveying saving

truths as it is say more expresse than words a∣lone, the naturall sence of the Mysteries being as it were construed and interpreted to the people thereby, or (according to the Prophets expression foretelling this way of Tradition of the Gospel) being not written with inke and on paper, but by the Spirit in mens hearts, by which meanes the sence sunke into their soules, farre more effectually than if words only had swom in their braines: So seemes it to me also farre more lasting, then bookes, being scarce possibly obnoxious to be either extinguished or adulterated. The rage of Persecutors with∣out an extraordinary vigilance of Divine Pro∣vidence had failed but little of abolishing the whole Bible, I am sure it made them very scarce and precious, and not every ordinary Chri∣stians penniworth for severall ages together, and effectively destroyed many most usefull pre∣cious monuments of the Ancient Church; The same rage, or negligence or some other misfor∣tune have actually beene the losse of an E∣pistle of S. Paul to Laodicea, and other Aposto∣lique writings, And some meerely speculative, not very necessary Traditions have perished be∣cause not apted to be conveyed by practise, as What that was which hindered the revelation of the man of sinne, which S. Paul sayes he told the Church of the Thessalonians; that world of miracles which S. John sayes our blessed Saviour wrought; and likewise the true sence of all ob∣scure passages in the New Testament which the Primitive Churches, no doubt, understood; Yea moreover many ancient Liturgies and Missals are now wanting, by reason that the particular

Churches, in which they were in use, have fayl∣ed: But to take out of the way, or adulterate the Mysteries of Faith through the whole Church, which have been thus continued and daily every where preached not so much in Sermons (though so too) as in visible practise, and not so much written in bookes (though so too) as in the hearts of all Professors of Christianity, This is beyond the reach of either secular or infernall Powers, for to effect this, Persecutours must first have dostroyed all Congregations of Christian mankinde, and by some impossible charme, all men must have agreed together to forget to day what they said and did yesterday: here neither transcribers negligence, nor particular innova∣ting fancies of Heretiques, neither adulter sensus, nor corruptor stilus could obstrepere veritate, (Tert. de Prescript.) none of such either negligences or cunnings could interrupt or out-clamour the truth.

6. Now what hath been here exemplified in two particular points, namely the Mystery of Christs Passion, and of the Blessed Sacra∣ment may and ought rationally to be extended likewise to the whole body of Divine Revelati∣ons, pertaining to the substance of Christian Re∣ligion, how abstruse, sublime, yea how seem∣ing a speculative soever. What points more sublime, more speculative then those of the

Blessed Trinity, the equality and consubstan∣tiallity of the Son with the eternall Father, the union and yet distinction of the two Natures in one person, &c.?

And yet all these might and were continued in the Church, not so much by writings delivered, or Sermons

reiterated, as by the outward Practises of the Faithfull in their publique uniforme Devotions: Hereupon when troubles and contestations arose in the Church about those Mysteries, and thereupon Synods assembled, the severall Bishops being demanded how they had been instructed in them each one respectively in their Diocesses, they had no need of stroining their wits to find out the sence of obscure passages of Scripture concerning such Mysteries, or to invent wayes of reconciling Texts seemingly clashing together: they might say, for example concerning the article of the Blessed Trinity, we following the instructions and practises of our Predecessors do baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and in our Devotions we pray unto, give thanks, glorifie each of these three persons in the same language, with equall expressions of duty, without preferring one before the other, thereby acknowledging their glory to be equall, their Majesty coeternall. So likewise for the Consubstantiality of the Son with the Father, the union and distinction of the two Natures, they might say, We adore onely one God, and yet we adore the Son with adoration equall to the Father, by which we acknowledge them both to be one onely God; We doe likewise celebrate and give thanks to the same Son of God for vouchsafing, being God, to take our Nature up∣on him & in that to dye, by his death redeeming us from sin and death eternall, Therefore we confesse two distinct Natures united in one Person. &c.

7. Now if such sublime Revelations might, and indeed were really conveyed not in formall

expressions of words and phrases, but, which was farre more efficacious, in the true naturall sence and importance of them uncapable of ambigu∣ities by such a way of Tradition so impossible to be interrupted as long as Christians begot Christians, and so free from danger of corrup∣tions, that they could not be feared, unlesse all Churches would conspire to alter their whole frame of Devotions; A thing they have been so far from intending, that at this day if wee compare all the Liturgies extant from S. Jame's (which ha's received testimony from above 600. Bishops in the second Councell of Nice) to S Basil'••, S. Chrysostome's, S. Gre∣gorie's even to the present Roman Liturgy, adjoyning the Ethiopian, Maronite, Coph••ite, &c. wee shall finde an admirable uniformity in all the substantiall parts, yea in many manners of expressions, to the very circumstances of Crossings, and postures, &c. although these Churches have had no communication together of many ages: How much more easily and per∣spicuously might other points of Doctrine re∣lating to practise be continued in the Church? as Invocation of Saints to be our Intercessours, Veneration of Reliques, Images, &c. Prayer and Sacrifice for the Dead, a beliefe of a capa∣city in them to be eased and benefitted by such Prayers, &c. How was it possible that such Doctrines once delivered should be forgotten, being so visibly every Day by all persons acted in the Church? And if no such Doctrines were at first consigned and deposited in the Church, how was it possible they should so chance to mee••e in the Publique

Devotions of so many Churches and ages, a∣mong Persons not only strangers, but for a long time enemies to one another, yea enemies to such a point, that if they had not had irrefra∣gable testimonies of the universall Tradition of such doctrines and Practises, the conformity of their adversary Churches would have beene an argument sufficient to have made them to relinquish such Practises and condemne them? Could the Heathen-Graecians ever forget their pretended Deities Baccus or Ceres, or the be∣nefits supposed to have beene received by their means, though they had had nothing else to put them in mind of them but their Dionysi∣aca or Eleusinian Mysteries? Or among the Romans did not the Palilia, Suo vet••urilia, Am∣barvalia, Lupercalia, &c. keepe fresh in their mindes the Deities, in whose honour and ingra∣titude for whose favour those solemnities had beene instituted? How infinitely more securely and unfailably has almighty God provided for the continuance of Truth and Piety in his Church, since those Heathen-Solemnities were repeated but once a yeare in one City or Countrey, but Ours every day by numbers of people in all Countries, Cities and Vil∣lages?