An answer, to a little book call'd Protestancy to be embrac'd or, A new and infallible method to reduce Romanists from popery to Protestancy

SECT. VI. The Scripture is not known to us to be the Word of God without the Tradition of the Church, and therefore is not our sole Rule of Faith.

WE acknowledge the Holy Scriptures to be our Rule of Faith, but not alone; we believe them to be profitable to teach us in Justice, that the Man of God may be perfect, 2 Tim. 3. v. 16. But not sole sufficient to make him perfect.

We seem, sayes our Adversary, to doubt of the Originals of Scripture, since we ask a Protestant, how he knows it is the Word of God? As if the Air, Simplicity, Majesty, and way of Expression proper to God alone, did not show this sufficient∣ly, as the King's Letters are known by their style and Royal Seal.

Answer. We are so far from doubting of the Scriptures being the Word of God, that we believe it with an Act of Divine Faith. But we have ask∣ed and ask without any Answer, that has so much as a jot of Reason, by what Principle they will prove to us that the Scripture is the Word of God. If besides the Scripture there is no Rule of Faith?

Not by the Scripture it self, because self Testi∣mony

is none, were it Written in any place of it, that this Bible containing so many, and such Books is the Word of GOD, for the Question returns, how know you that this Testimony is the Word of GOD?

Now, to say that she Scripture shows it self, is frivolous. For I ask what's that to say the Scrip∣ture shows it self? Is it that by Reading it, rises in the mind of a Man who has a well disposed un∣derstanding, this apprehension, The Scripture is the Word of God? By which apprehension he sees it is so, before he Judges or believes? If so, then he does not believe the Word of God to be the Word of God, mov'd by the Word of God, but by this apprehension, which if you say is the Word of God, then you admit a Word of God which is not Written, and yet to you a Rule of Faith, and so you have another Immediate Rule of Faith, than the Written Word of God.

Again, that apprehension and inward Testimo∣ny of the mind for which its believed that the Scrip∣ture is the Word of GOD, and that it shows it self, does it rise from this, that the Simplicity, Majesty, and way of Expression, move Men to Judge that the Scripture is the Word of God?

But seeing all these particulars come from such Words Instituted by Men to signifie, and that the more or less Majesty of the Style, in a Speech or Sentence rises from a certain material placing and disposing of Words among themselves, the whole thing is natural, and so not the Word of God.

Next, that Simplicity and Majesty of Style, and what you please more, is not so in every part of Scripture, that I am bound for them to believe, that that part is the Word of God. For I pray, what Air, Simplicity, or Majesty of Style is in the

begining of the Gospel of St. Matthew, when its said there, Abraham begot Isaac and Isaac begot Iacob; what do you find more there then you would find in those same Words written in an Au∣thor, not Sacred, as in Ioseph the Iew?

Now, if you ask us why we believe the Scrip∣ture to be the Word of God? We Answer, be∣cause an Infallible Tradition passing through all Ages, and always believing it to be the Word of God, has conveyed it to our Hands, and that Ge∣neral approv'd Councils have confirm'd it by their Sacred Decrees and uncontrolable Authority, as of∣ten as any Controversie arose among the Faithful, either concerning certain Books, or the certainty of the Tradition it self.

If you say you make use of this same Tradition of all Christians hitherto believing it to be the Word of God, as a motive of Credibility to you that it is the Word of God.

I Answer. You may, but first by claiming to this, you leave your own Principle of denying Tra∣dition. Next, tho' this Universal Tradition be to you a motif of Credibility, that the Bible is the Word of God as to the Letter, yet you have none for the sense, in which you take it.

Subsect. This passage search the Scriptures, John chap. 5. makes nothing for Protestants.

TO prove that the Scripture is the sole Rule of Faith; at last our Adversary brings these Words of CHRIST to the Iews. Search the Scriptures, John cap. 5. v. 39.

Answer. You must know that there our Saviour was proving to the Iews his God-head or Divinity. And he proves it, First, by the Testimony of St. Iohn Baptist v. 32. and lets them understand how worthy a Person Iohn was of Credit with them. Secondly, he proves it by his Works, v. 36. Third∣ly, by the Testimony of his Eternal Father, viz. This is my Son in whom I am well pleas'd. Matth. 3. v. 17. Take notice that CHRIST for their Rule in believing his God-head, did not fend them first to the Scripture but to the Testimony of Iohn, his Miraculous Works, and the Testimony of his Father, and last of all he saies, Search the Scrip∣tures, as if he should have said, if you will not acknowledge me to be God for these great Argu∣ments and Motives I have brought: Take yet one more, which is, that since you think you have E∣ternal Life in the Scriptures, Search them, and there you will find that I am God, because the Prophets in them give Testimony of me. And this was said to their Doctors, not to every private Person.

Secondly, The Word Scrutamini in Lati•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Ereunate in Greek, is of the presenttence of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 dicative mood (Cyrillus takes it in the Indicative) as well as of the Imperative, and so signisies, you do Search the Scriptures, as if he should say, since you do Read diligently the Scriptures, you can't but find my Divinity there, since they give clear Testimony of me by the Prophets.

Our adversary shuts up this matter of Scripture by shuting us up, as he Imagins, or will seem to Imagin, in a circle, while we prove the Scripture, by the Church and run back saies he, to the Scrip∣ture to prove the Church.

Answer. To those who admit the Scripture and deny the Church, we prove the Church by the Scripture: to these who deny a part of Scripture, but hold the Infallible Authority of the Church, we prove the Scripture by the Church: to those who deny both Church and Scripture we prove first the Church by the signal marks of the true Church set down in the old and new Testament, (of which some alone are of sufficient force to move a Pagan) and having Established Her Authority; by Her ac∣knowledging the Scripture to be the Word of God, we prove it to be the Word of God. In this Dis∣course you see no Circle, but in the Imagination of our Adversary.

Now let us see if he who thought to catch us be not caught himself. For, therefore with him Scripture is the Word of God because it shows it self; and wherefore doth it show it self but because it is seen by those who only disclose (as he speaks) those Divine Letters: And wherefore again is it seen to those who open those Divine Letters but because it shows it self? And so while he walks between it is seen, and it shows it self, neither sees

〈…〉〈…〉 thing himself, nor shows or can show any thing to others, who desire to see because he can't show what he sees not, nor the Scripture show what it infallibly contains without another infallible Rule of Faith.