The orthodox faith and vvay to the Church explaned and iustified in answer to a popish treatise, entituled, White died blacke; wherein T.W. p. in his triple accusation of D. White for impostures, vntruths, and absurd illations, is proued a trifler: and the present controuersies betweene vs and the Romanists are more fully deliuered and cleared. By Francis White Bachelour in Diuinitie, and elder brother of Doctor Iohn White.

Section 1.

The word or name Tradition is in it selfe generall, sig∣nifying any doctrine deliuered from one to another, ei∣ther by word or writingb. Act. 6.14. 2. Thess. 2.15. and chap. 3.6. 1. Cor. 15.3.4.

But in this present Controuersie it signifieth vnwritten doctrinesc, giuen by diuine inspiration touching matters of Faith and Religion, which the Apostles by word of mouth de∣liuered secretly onely to the chiefe Pastorsd of the Christian Church, to be taught in the same: and the which being not committed by them to writing as the Siriptures were, yet are a part of the rule of faith, and of equall or greater authoritie then the written worde.

Secondly, the principall matter of these Traditions, are doctrines and articles of faith, precepts of manners, exposition of Scripture, Rites, Ceremonies, and exter∣nall actions, as necessary to Religion as those which are found in the Scripturesf.

Thirdly, these Traditions are equalled by all our Ad∣uersaries with the canonical scriptureg: & in some things they preferre them before the same, calling them the foundation of the Scriptureh, the touchstonei and rule whereby to trie the samek, and they esteeme them more necessarie in the Church then the Scripture, saying; Tra∣dition is of the being of the Church, but the Scripture onely of the perfection and well beingl. And the Scrip∣tures without the same, were in a manner of no vsem. They make the scripture a dead letter written in tables; & Tradition an Epistle of Christ written in the heart.

Fourthly, they make the Pope and Romane Church the Register and authenticall keeper of these Traditions, saying they are spiritually writtē in the hart of the church and Popen, and not in books or parchments, at least ma∣ny of them. And although sometimes they seeme to au∣thorise them by the testimony of the primitiue churcho; yet they acknowledge, that they are not all of them found in the Records of the Ancient, but may newly in euery age be brought to light by the Roman Church & Popep;

and so after a terrible ratling and thundering out of names of ancient Fathers and Councels, in the coole of the businesse, the generation of these non-script verities, for the greater part, descendeth from the loynes of our Aduersaries Father, and fast friend the Pope.

Notes

• b

  Irenaeus. Tertullian. Cyprian. Bella••. de verbo Dei, l 4. ca. 2. Bannes 2 2 q 1. a•• 1••. pag. 167. ••••res. de trad. p. 1. post. 2. ••orin. com. Act. 6.14. Canus loc. l. 3. c. 6. & alij.
• c

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 P. Galatin. de arcan. Cath. ver. l. 1. c. 1.
• d

  Bellar. de verbo Dei, l. 4. c. 2. & 11. quaedam solis prae∣latis, &c. Can. loc. l. 3. c 3. Stapl. Rel. c. 5. q. 5. ar. 2. Gr. Val. to. 3. d. 1 p. 7. q. 1. §. 43. Azor. inst. mor. p. 1. l. 8. c. 4. Bos. de sig. l. 3. c. 6. Grets. def. Bellar. de verbo Dei, pag. 1597.
• e

  Stapl. Rel. c. 3. q. 3. p. 352. Articulus fidei esse potest non solum quod in Scripturis reuelatur: sed quod traditione ecclesia∣stica ad nos deriuatur.
• f

  All the for∣mer authors.
• g

  Sixtus Senens. biblioth. l. 2. pa. 123. Non minus meretur inter ethnicos abijci, qui ecclesiasti∣cas traditiones recusat, quam qui euangelium recusat. Bannes 2. 2. q 1. ar. 10. de trad. concl. 5. Andrad. def. Conc. Trid l. 2. Carb. introd. theol. l. 5. c. 5. Suar. def. fid. Cath con•• sect. Angl. l. 1 c 9.
• h

  Baron. to. 1. annal. an. 53. n. 11.
• i

  Can. loc. l. 3. c 2 Lydius lapis, &c
• k

  Pighius contr. loc. 3. Regula ad quam & Scri∣pturas &c.
• l

  Bellarm. de verbo Dei, l. 4. c. 4. Nisi Hebionis haeresis, &c. de bene esse, &c. Cusan. epist. 2. ad Bohem. Sander. de visib. monarch lib. 1. cap. 5. Hoc genus potest per se subsistere. &c. (traditio∣nes) non sunt ambiguae, &c. de hijs nulla lis oritur, &c. Plutarchus refert Anachatsin, prudentem sane virum, vehementer operam Solonis irrisisse, quando eum intellexit leges Atheniensibus conscriptas dare velle, &c.
• m

  Bosius de fig l. ••6. c. 10. Inanis fere & nullius fructus, &c.
• n

  Co∣ster. enchir. de Scriptur. Bos. de sig. l. 16. c. 10. Can. loc l. 3. c. 3. fundam. 4.
• o

  Bellarm de verbo Dei, l. 4. c. 9. Driedo de Eccles. dog. l. 2. c. 3. Stapl. Rel. c. 5. q. 5. ar. 2 ad. 6. Bosius, Ca••bo, & alij.
• p

  Grets. def. Bellar. de verbo Dei, l. 4. c. 9. pag. 1713. & 1715. Azor inst. mor. p. 1. l. 4 c. 11. Bosius de sig. l. 3. c. 6.