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Of Traditions, and that they ought not to be taken for Iudge or Rule of our Faith.
THe Romish Church finding her selfe but weakly sustained by the Scriptures, and not being able to maintaine her doctrine by the written Word of God, hath be thought of an unwritten word called Tradition, making it of the same power with the ho∣ly Scriptures, and is therefore called Divine Tradition, and Apo∣stolique, and not humane; which seemed to me a brave field to lay open all her fancies.
Now the rule and way of the Romish Church to know and de∣clare those Apostolique Traditions, is this; When the beginning and originall of any doctrine or Ecclesiasticall ceremony is not knowne, neither exactly by whom, or in what yeare it was insti∣tuted, since the time of Jesus Christ and his Apostles, it is holden amongst them of Divine and Apostolique Tradition. As for exam∣ple, because it is not certainly knowne, who was the first that in∣vented holy-water, and imployed it in Baptisme, and to other u∣ses; it is esteemed to come from Christ Jesus and his Apostles, al∣though it appeare sufficiently from the holy Scripture, that Christ and his Apostles did never use that ceremony, but onely baptized with pure and naturall water.
So because it is not knowne who it was that first did pray to the Saints, that doctrine is said to be of Apostolique and divine Tradition, and to come from Christ and his Apostles, although it appeare not in any place of Scripture, that ever any Apostle did pray to the Saints that were before them, or recommended it to us, but the contrary; and so of the rest of their Traditions.
Is not this a fine rule and prety invention? whereon to ground an infinite number of divine and Apostolique Traditions; for, Printing not being in use but within this two or three hundred yeares, there were but few things written before that, and that sel∣dome, to be left to posteritie; and that which was written, for the most part, dyed and vanished by the death of the Author, or short∣ly after, for not being transcribed: as it is with a great number of particular writings, especially if they doe not concerne temporall things.
So that in so many ages an infinite number of things, ceremo∣nies, doctrines, and errors, have been invented in the worship of God by the superstition, vanitie, and presumption of some parti∣cular men, of which now it is impossible to know the originall and first Author; either because it was never written by any, or if it hath been written, the writings have been lost; if therefore all those things must be esteemed divine and Apostolique, out of que∣stion there will be a numberles number of divine and Apostolique Traditions. And upon these considerations, I marveiled no more at the great number of Traditions, that are in the Romish Church; which I can assure you to be such, that if they were all redacted to one volume, it would assuredly be greater than all the books of the Bible; for their number is almog infinite, and not certainly
known to this day, the number yet not being perfect; and hardly is there any generall Councells, in which some one or more new ones are not discovered.
Those of the Romish Church, who will not admit nor acknow∣ledge the Scripture as Judge of faith, strive neverthelesse to serve themselves with it the best they can, to confirme their doctrine. But (I pray you) with what reason in the point of Traditions?
To prove that the holy Scripture is not a sufficient rule of faith, and that we must have recourse to a word not written, which they call Tradition,* 1.1 they alledge this of St Paul, Wherefore my Brethren, be yee stedfast and hold fast the Traditions which yee have learned ei∣ther by word or by our Epistle. Thence they inferre that St Paul had preached many things to the Thessalonians, which he had not writ∣ten to them in his Letters, and therefore wee must beleeve more things than those which are written.
We ingeniously confesse, that the whole doctrine of salvation, and that which St Paul might have preached to the Thessalonians, is not in these two little Epistles; and affirme that we must beleeve more things than those which are conteined in them; but thence it will not follow, that that which St Paul had preached to the Thessalonians, of the necessitie of faith and salvation, is not contei∣ned in the Old and New Testament; for there is great difference betwixt the two little Epistles to the Thessalonians, and all the rest of the holy Scripture; and the consequence is very bad, as every one may judge.
Besides, when St Paul saith, Keep the Traditions, it will no more follow, that by this word Traditions, an unwritten word ought necessarily to be understood; and that besides the written word of God, there is yet an unwritten word, equall in authoritie to the o∣ther; for, by the word Tradition, may be understood, that which is given and left either by word or writing, and not necessarily some word not written; for the holy Scripture is also a tradition, that is, a doctrine which hath been left us.
And although wee should grant that St Paul had preached to the Thessalonians, many things which are not written in the holy Scriptures, and exhorted them to keepe them, it will therefore not follow, that he did exhort them to keep all those Traditions as ne∣cessary to salvation; for there are none who will not confesse that St. Paul might have preached and said many things which were not absolutely necessary to salvation, nor faith, but onely conve∣nient
and helpfull; as our Saviour did in his preaching; and al∣though our Saviour should give us charge to remember them all, and keepe them, he doth not therefore meane that wee should be equally obliged to keep them all, and that wee should keep them otherwise, and in another fashion, than he gave them to us, that is, the Articles of faith, as Articles of faith, and necessary to salvation; the Commandements as Commandements, the examples and pa∣rables, as such things; essentiall to faith, as essentiall; the ceremo∣ny and things accidentall as such: and it is a very bad consequence, drawne by the Romish Church, that because St Paul exhorteth the Thessalonians to keep the Traditions, he commandeth us all to beleeve and keep them, as pertaining to faith, and of equall autho∣ritie with the Scripture; a word not written, and Traditions meerly humane, as divine Traditions, and chiefly all the Traditi∣ons of the Romish Church, which are almost without number.
And mark that in all ages this hath been the malice of here∣ticks, to have recourse to Traditions, when the Scriptures faile them:* 1.2 so Tertullian being become hereticall in his Booke de Mo∣nogania, cap. 2. maintaineth the heresie of Montanus, by those words of our Saviour; I have yet many things to say unto you, but yee cannot beare them now. Which is the passage Bellarmine citeth for Traditions, cap. 5. of his Book of the unwritten Word; and yet it appeareth by the following verse, that our Saviour by those things which they cannot for the present beare, meant the things which are to come; as the prophesies concerning the things which were to fall out, which are to be seen in the Epistles of the Apostles, and in the Revelation of St John, and such like things, and not any doctrines of faith.
Irenaeus in the second chap. of his third Book, saith,* 1.3 that when any did convince the hereticks with Scripture, they began to ac∣cuse the Scripture; saying, that the truth could not be found in the Scripture, by those who knew not the Tradition; because it was not given in writing, but onely spoken verbally.
Now this is practised by the Romish Church more than by any sect that hath ever yet been, because seeing Scripture doth faile her to maintaine her tyranny and innumerable superstitious policies, she hath invented a word not written, which shee calleth Traditi∣ons, equalling their authoritie with the holy Scriptures; and those Traditions are invented and augmented from time to time, accor∣ding to the will and fancy of the Popes; for some of them have
invented the Masse, and some other ceremonies; and one or other of them have now and then added to them, or taken from, aug∣mented or diminished the same; some of them have invented Pur∣gatory, others Indulgences, some the invocation of Saints, others the reliques; some the Communion under one kinde, and yet to this day their number is not perfect, neither is it yet known to the Romish Church, that which our Saviour preached as necessary to faith and salvation; for as there were new Articles of faith made in the Councell of Trent, which was the last generall Councell a∣mongst them, (as that of justification and originall sin;) so doe they hope to make yet more in the next Councell; as (it may be) of the conception of the Virgin Mary, of predestination with or without merits, or some others.
Here is another objection those of the Romish Church thinke to be of great force, and which I my selfe have often used, dispu∣ting against those of the Romish Religion, pretending thereby to prove the necessitie of Traditions, and to referre our selves to the Church; for (say they) who gave you the holy Scripture but the Tradition? and whence know yee the Canonicall Books, from those that are not Canonicall, but by the determination and tra∣dition of the Church?
It is true that every particular man receiveth the holy Scripture from the Church he liveth in, whether it be a pure or impure Church; so the Apostles had received from the Priests and Scribes, enemies of Jesus Christ, the books of the old Testament; but in that the Church doth onely the office of a Witnesse and not of a Judge, it onely witnesseth that those Books are holy and Canoni∣call, but it judgeth not them to be holy, nor giveth them any au∣thoritie; and the Tradition of the Church, witnessing those books to be divine and holy, is onely a protestation of her subjection to the Scripture, and not an usurpation of her authoritie, above the written word of God. He who sheweth the King to a stranger, is not therefore above the King, nor giveth he any authoritie to the King: and a Book-seller shewing to a buyer the Book of the Sta∣tutes of the Kingdome, doth not for that authorise those Statutes: and some man may receive the holy Scriptures from the Church, and afterwards use it to condemne the same Church.
And as the testimony of innumerable eyes and eares, seeing the lightnings, and hearing the thunder, maketh us say, that it thun∣dreth and lightneth; so the testimony of innumerable Churches,
assuring us that the holy Scriptures are from God, cause us to give an assent to them as divine.
Where it is to be noted, that as for the Books of the New Testa∣ment, wee ought to take the testimony of the Churches under the New Testament; so for the Books of the old Testament, we ought to follow the judgement of the Churches of those times, and refer our selves to their testimony, without making them for that Jud∣ges of the controversie. Nor doth it appertaine to him who is to be judged by the holy Scripture, and the word of God, to make himselfe Judge of that word of God; so it is a great impertinen∣cy, to inferre from this objection, the necessitie of Traditions to be of the same vertue with the pure word of God.
1 Thes. 2.15.
Tertull. de Monog. cap. 2. Joh. 16.12. Bellarm. lib. 5. de verbo Dei.
Irenaeus cap. 2. lib. 3.