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themselves fo much about the latter; for why should they be folicitous to wreft the definitions of councils, and conform them to their own opinion, who had no regard to the church's authority? If thofe great wits, as he calls them, had believed the fayings of fcripture to be of no greater authority than the definitions of councils, they would have answered texts of fcripture as they have done the definitions of councils; not by endeavouring to interpret them to another fenfe, but by downright denying their authority. So that it feems that oral tradition is liable to the fame inconvenience with the written as to this particular.

$5. And of this I fhall give him a plain instance in two great wits of their church, the prefent Pope and Mr. White; the one, the head of the traditionary church, as Mr. S. calls it; the other, the great mafter of the traditionary doctrine. These two great wits, the Pope and Mr. White, notwithstanding the plainnefs of oral tradition, and the impoffibility of being ignorant of it, or mistaking it, have yet been fo unhappy as to differ about feveral points of faith; infomuch that Mr. White is unkindly cenfured for it at Rome; and perhaps here, in England, the Pope fpeeds no better. However, the difference continues ftill fo wide, that Mr. White hath thought fit to disobey the fummons of his chief paftor; and, like a prudent man, rather to write againft him here, out of harm's way, than to venture the infallibility of plain oral tradition for the doctrines he maintains, against a practical tradition which they have at Rome, of killing hereticks.

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Methinks Mr. S. might have fpared his brags, p. 54. that he hath evinced from clear reafon, that it is far more poffible to make a man not to be, than not "to know what is riveted into his foul by fo oft re"peated fenfations, (as the Chriftian faith is by oral "and practical tradition); and that it exceeds all the 66 power of nature, abftracting from the cafes of mad"nefs and violent difeafe, to blot knowledge, thus fix❝ed, out of the foul of one fingle believer; infomuch "that fooner may all mankind perifh, than the regula"tive virtue of tradition miscarry; nay, fooner may "the finews of entire, nature, by overftraining, crack,

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"and fhe lofe all her activity and motion, that is, "herself, than one fingle part of that innumerable mul❝titude which integrate the vast testification which we "call tradition, can poffibly be violated;" when after he hath told us, p. 116. that "the city of Rome was "bleffed with more vigorous causes to imprint Christ's "doctrine at firft, and recommend it to the next age, "than were found any where else; and confequently, "that the stream of tradition, in its fource and first "putting into motion, was more particularly vigorous "there than in any other fee; and that the chief paftor "of that fee hath a particular title to infallibility built upon tradition, above any other paftor whatsoever: << not to dilate on the particular affiftances to that Bifhop, fpringing out of his divinely conftituted office:" when, I fay, after all this quaint reafoning and rumbling rhetorick, about the infallibility of oral tradition, and the particular infallibility of the Bishop of Rome, built on tradition, we cannot but remember, that this great oracle of oral tradition the Pope, and this great master of it Mr. White, who is fo peculiarly killed in the rule of faith, have fo manifeftly declared themselves to differ in points of faith. For that the Pope, and his congregation general at Rome, have condemned all his books, for this reafon, because "they contain several propofitions manifeftly heretical," (Mr. Wh. exetafis, p. 9.), is a fign, that these two great wits do not very well hit it in matters of faith; and either that they do not both agree in the fame rule of faith, or that one of them does not rightly understand it, or not follow it. And now, why may not that which Mr. S. unjustly fays concerning the ufe of fcripture, p. 39. be upon this account justly applied to the bufinefs of oral tradition? "If

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we fee two fuch eminent wits among the Papifts, "(the Pope and Mr. White), making ufe of the self"fame, and, as they conceive, the best advantages "their rule of faith gives them, and availing themselves "the best they can, by acquired skill, yet differ about matters of faith; what certainty can we undertakingly promise to weaker heads, that is, to the generality of "the Papifts," in whom the governors of the church

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do profeffedly cherish ignorance for the increafing of their devotion?

§6. 4thly, We have fufficient affurance that the books of fcripture are conveyed down to us without any material corruption or alteration. And he that denies this, muft either reject the authority of all books, because we cannot be certain whether they be the fame now that they were at first: or elfe give fome probable reason why thefe fhould be more liable to corruption than others. But any man that confiders things, will eafily find, that it is much more improbable that these books fhould have been either wilfully or involuntarily corrupted in any thing material to faith or a good life, than any other books in the world, whether we confider the peculiar providence of God engaged for the prefervation of them, or the peculiar circumftances of thefe books. If they were written by men divinely inspired, and are of use to Christians, as is acknowledged, at least in words, on all hands; nothing is more credible, than that the fame divine providence which took care for the publishing of them, would likewife be concerned to preferve them entire. And if we confider the peculiar circumftances of thefe books, we shall find it morally impoffible that they fhould have been materially corrupted; becaufe, being of univerfal and mighty concernment, and at first diffufed into many hands, and foon after tranflated into moft languages, and moft paffages in them cited in books now extant, and all these now agreeing in all matters of importance, we have as great affurance as can be had concerning any thing of this nature, that they have not fuffered any material alteration; and far greater than any man can have concerning the incorruption of their oral tradition; as I fhall fhew when I come to anfwer the thing which he calls demonstration.

$7.5thly, That de facto the fcripture hath been acknowledged by all Chriftians, in former ages, to be the means whereby the doctrine of Chrift hath, with greatest certainty, been conveyed to them. One good evidence of this is, that the primitive adversaries of Chriftian religion did always look upon the fcripture as the standard and measure of the Chriftian doctrine; and, in all their writing against Christianity, took that for granted to be

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the Chriftian faith which was contained in those books; there having not as yet any philofopher rifen up, who had demonftrated to the world, that a doctrine could not, with fufficient certainty and clearnefs, be conveyed by writing from one age to another. But how abfurd had this method of confuting Chriftian religion been, if it had been then the publick profeffion of Chriftians, that the fcriptures were not the rule of their faith? How eafy had it been for the fathers, who apologized for and defended Christian religion, to have told them, they took a wrong measure of their doctrine? for it was not the principle of Chriftians, that their faith was conveyed to them by the fcriptures, and therefore it was a fond undertaking to attack their religion that way: but if they would effectually argue against it, they ought to inquire what that doctrine was which was orally delivered from father to fon, without which the fcriptures could fignify no more to them than an unknown cypher without a key; being of themfelves, without the light of oral tradition, only a heap of unintelligible words, "unfenfed charaEters," and "ink variously figured in a book; and therefore it was a grofs mistake in them to think they could understand the Christian religion, like their own philofophy, by reading of those books, or confute it by confuting them. Thus the fathers might have defended their religion; nay, they ought in all reafon to have taken this courfe, and to have appealed from thofe dead fenfelefs books, to the "true rule of faith, the living "voice of the church effential." But doth Mr. S. find any thing to this purpose in the apologies of the fathers? If he hath discovered any fuch matter, he might do well to acquaint the world with it, and make them wifer. In the mean time, I fhall inform him what I have found, that the fathers never except against that method, but appeal frequently from the flanderous reports and mifreprefentations which were made of their doctrine, to the books of fcripture, as the true standard of it.

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§ 8. Another evidence that Chriftians, in all ages fince the Apostles times, have owned the fcriptures for the rule of their faith, is, that the fathers, in their homilies, did use constantly to declare to the people what they were to believe, and what they were to practife, out

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of the fcriptures; which had been moft abfurd and fenfeless, had they believed, not the fcriptures, but fomething elfe, to have been the rule of faith and manners. For what could tend more to the feducing of the people from Mr. S.'s fuppofed rule of faith, oral tradition, than to make a daily practice of declaring and confirming the doctrines of the Chriftian faith from the fcriptures? Had the ancient fathers been right for Mr. S.'s way, they would not have built their doctrine upon fcripture, perhaps not have mentioned it, for fear of giving the people an occafion to grow familiar with fo dangerous a book; but rather, as their more prudent pofterity have done, would have locked it up from the people in an unknown tongue, and have fet open the ftores of good wholfome traditions; and, inftead of telling them, as they do most frequently, "Thus faith the fcripture," would only have told them, "This is the voice of the "effential church; thus it hath been delivered down by "hand to us from our forefathers."

§9. I might add for a third evidence, the great malice of the enemies and perfecutors of Chriftianity against this book, and their cruel endeavours to extort it out of the hands of Christians, and destroy it out of the world, that by this means they might extirpate Christianity: for it feems they thought that the abolishing of this book would have been the ruin of that religion. But, according to Mr. S.'s opinion, their malice wanted wit: for, had all the Bibles in the world been burnt, Christian religion would nevertheless have been entirely preferved, and fafely tranfmitted down to us by fenfe written in mens hearts, with the good help of Mr. S.'s demonftrations. Nay, their church would have been a great gainer by it for this occafion and parent of all herefy, the fcripture, being once out of the way, fhe might have had all in her own hands; and, by leading the people in the fafe paths of tradition, and confequently of fcience, might have made them wife enough to obey. Well; but fuppofe the perfecutors of Chriftianity miftook themselves in their defign, how came the Christians in those days to be fo tenacious of this book, that rather than deliver it, they would yield up themfelves to torments and death? And why did they look upon thofe

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