SECT. IV.
3ly. The Holy Scriptures are se∣cur'd by God's especial Protection of them. Reason suggests; that as there is a God, a Supreme, and first Cause, who made the world, and also pro∣vides for the welfare of his great Workmanship; so that the Divine Providence does mainly watch over those Creatures, on which God has imprinted the fairest Characters of his Power, Wisdom, and Good∣ness: Such a Creature is Man. And this Divine Providence is the Ca∣tholick Sanctuary of Mankind. Af∣ter all Mens own projectings and Page 191labours, here is their last and surest repose. They can't with a rational comfort Trade, Travel, Eat, Sleep, but with a sober hope of the Di∣vine help and benediction. For if Divine Providence smile not, all Mens wisest Counsels, and stoutest Endeavours will be successless: They may go forth, and never return home; their Table may be a Snare, and their Sleep Death, more than in a Metaphor.
Next, Religion tells us, that God has designed, and prepar'd for Man an everlasting Blessedness, and de∣termin'd of the due Qualifications of Man for that Blessedness; and it is agreed, that in the Sacred Scriptures God has revealed Himself concerning both. These Scriptures are the lively Image of God, the faire Copy of his Will, a bright Express of his Truth and Holiness, a Perspective into his Mind, and into many of his secret Counsels; authentick Records of the many and glorious manifestations of the Divine Wisdom, Power, Good∣ness, Mercy, and Justice, in ma∣king, Page 192governing all things, and in the Salvation of Sinners.
From the dictates of Reason then, and much more of Religion, it is consequent, that God has an espe∣cial Care, that the Scriptures be safe, on which he has impressed so much of himself; which were (a) written, that we might believe, and believing have life; and which were (b) writ∣ten for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope; but how could they attain those ends, if they should pe∣rish? if this light were extinguish'd, how much in the dark, and forlorne would Man be!
This peculiar watchfulness of God over the Scriptures is acknowledged by the Romanists. (c) Sixtus Senensis at∣tributes the pre∣served incorruptness of the sacred Text, to the Will of God. And Bellarmine (d) argues from the Page 193Divine Providence for the preserva∣tion of the Old Testament from any injury by the Jews. Indeed, he entitles Tradition likewise to Gods special care, as the (a) principal cause of its pretended safety. And this is a Confession, that God is in a particular man∣ner the Guardian of that, by which he communicates his Mind and Pleasure to Man; (for such a thing, i. e. The unwrit∣ten word of God, he held Tradition to be.) But certainly Tradition can't lay a just claim to such an interest in Divine Providence, as the Scrip∣ture.
1. For first, besides what I have before prov'd, to the just diminu∣tion of Oral Tradition; there was a providential dismission of it, and choice of Scripture, to be the Convey∣ance of Gods revealed Will to his Church through successive Ages. For whenas Oral Tradition had been in use for that purpose before the Flood, and some while after it, and great had been the untrustiness of Page 194it; at the length, God writ his Law Himself, and commanded what was written to be kept with a great religious care. Afterwards, as Mo∣ses, the Prophets, and Hagiogra∣phers were inspir'd, their Revela∣tions were written, so far as was necessary to the Church's Edifica∣tion. And when the People were in danger of seduction, and it be∣hoved them to seek to their God for instruction; they were sent (not Children to their Traditioning Fa∣thers; * but) to the Law, and to the Testimony; and they were told, that those who spoke not according to that word, it was, because there was no light in them. Yes, and when the Church was generally corrupted, and therefore Tradition had not done its Duty, the Churches relief was (not from the living voice of testi∣fying Fathers, but) from the Scrip∣ture, according to whose Canon a∣buses were reformed. And for this Reformation, and because in it he perform'd the words of the Law, which were written in the Book, that Hilkiah the Priest found in the Page 195house of the Lord; Josiah stands renowned in Sacred Story with this Character; Like unto him there was no King before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, * accor∣ding to all the Law of Moses, &c.
This way of securing Revelati∣ons by writing was continued under the Gospel; as we have them in the Evangelists, the Epistles, the Acts, and the Revelation. And this course was as needful under the Gospel, as under the legal Oeconomy, if not more. For it being intended by God, that the Gospel should be propagated be∣yond the narrow Confines of Judaea (where the Scriptures of the Old Testament had lodg'd for hundreds of years) through∣out the World, and among so many Nations of such different Com∣plexions, Customs, and Interests; there was the more danger it should be disguis'd, if it had been com∣mitted to the frailty of an Oral Tra∣dition; as we know, that the more Mouths Relations pass through, the more subject they are to alterations Page 196from their primitive truth; through the ignorance, mistakes, prejudices, prepossessions, or wilfulness of the Relators. Whereas a Writing, being preserved, is a perpetual standard, by which to correct any such chan∣ges; for in these, Truth would be most likely still to appear in its first Integrity.
Thus I have shew'd, how that af∣ter an experienc'd unsuccessfulness of Oral Conveyance, God appoint∣ed another way, and so ordered it, that Law and Gospel should be written. Now, if after, and not∣withstanding such a Provision, yet it should be God's intent, that Oral Tradition only should have the pre∣rogative to sense Scripture, and that Faith should be lastly resolved into Oral Tradition; and therefore that This, not Scripture, should be the only Rule of Faith; it must needs seem strange, and unaccountable to a∣any rational Christian, how it should come to pass, that in the Sacred Scriptures there should be so many, Page 197and such high (a) Enco∣miums of them; that our Saviour should bid the Jews, (b) search the Scriptures; should tell them, they (c) err'd, not knowing the Scriptures, (d) should dispute with, and baffle them out of the Scriptures; and by them (e) confirm his Disciples in the Truth; that his Apostles should proceed in the same manner with the Jews: That the (f) Beraeans should be commended for searching the Scrip∣tures daily, whereupon many of them believed; that St. Paul should mention it to Timothy, (g) as an encouragement or engagement of him to continue in the things he had learned; that he from a Child had known the holy Scriptures; and that he should pre∣sently add a description of Scripture, than which a more full one sure can't be us'd of the Rule of Faith, viz. That it is able to make wise un∣to Salvation, through the Faith which is in Christ Jesus; that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for Page 198correction, for instruction in righte∣ousness; that the Man of God may be perfect, throughly furnish'd unto all good works: I say, it is mighty strange, that Scripture should be thus magnified, and yet none of all this should be said there of Tradi∣tion: Nay, that either Tradition should be mentioned with disgrace, as when our Saviour (a) condemns the Jew's Traditions of their Elders; and St. Paul (b) warns the Colossians to beware, lest any Man spoile them, —after the Tradition of Men;— or where the word is found, yet that the sense of it should not be useful to our Adversaries purpose; which that it might be, it must be sufficient to prove, that there was more delivered by the Apostles, than was written; and that what was so delivered was a necessary Point of Faith. But when St. Paul praises the Corinthians, that they (c) kept the Ordinances, or Traditions, as he delivered them; when he tells them, he had received that, which also he de∣livered to them; when he exhorts the Thessalonians (d) to hold the Tra∣ditions, Page 199which they had been taught, whether by word, or (says he) our Epistle; when he commands them (a) to withdraw themselves from every Brother that walks disorderly, and not after the Tradition which he received from the Apostle; there is nothing (I say) in these places, which will necessarily infer, that more was de∣livered by the Apostles, than was, or is written, and that what was so delivered was a necessary Point of Faith, through all Ages.
Why now, it is a wonder, that if God (tho' he provided his Church with the Holy Scriptures, yet) pleas'd to enstate Oral humane Tra∣dition in the great Office of sensing Scripture, and of being the only Rule of Faith; He did not so order it, that Scripture should modestly ac∣knowledge its Superior, but rather let Scripture carry away all the ho∣nour from it.
2ly. A second reason, why O∣ral Tradition can't plead so strong a Title to a protection by the Di∣vine Providence, as Scripture, is this. God's Providence does ordinarily Page 200co-operate with, and prosper means answerably to their comportment with, and likelihood to reach the end intended. Now it has been be∣fore demonstrated, how weak and uncertain Tradition is; how fix'd and able Writings are, to conserve Truths once delivered; and therefore 'tis rational to believe, that the Divine Aid does much rather assist to the preservation of Divine Truths by the Holy Scriptures, than by Oral Tra∣dition; the former being much more servicable to the promoting such an end, than the latter.
Hitherto I have prov'd the con∣tinued preservation of Holy Scrip∣ture from proper Causes of such an Effect; causes ministerial, and su∣preme; humane care and vigilancy, and Divine special Providence.
