feffion of their own Hiftorians, both Clergy and Laity were fo univerfally and fo monftrously ignorant and vicious, that nothing was too bad for them to do, or too abfurd for them to believe. But ftill they tell us, we Protestants receive it upon the Authority of Tradition, that Scripture is the Word of God: and why can we not as well receive other Things upon the fame Authority? I answer, we receive Scripture by no Means upon the Authority of Tradition. merely much less the Tradition of their prefent Church; but partly on Account of its own Reasonableness, and the. Characters of divine Wisdom in it; partly from the Testimony, which one Part of it bears to the other; and laftly upon the written Evidence given us, chiefly indeed by the earliest Christians, but in fome Measure alfo by Jews and Heathens themfelves, that the Authors of thefe Books were the Disciples of our Lord, and the Things faid by them true. But then to tell us, that because we receive Scripture upon this Evidence, we must therefore receive a long Lift of Doctrines upon mere Tradition after 17 Ages, is to affirm that the Memory of Things may be as well preferved for ever by general Rumour and Heatfay as by authentic Records. But here

they

they plead that the Tradition which they depend on, is not altogether unwritten, but partly recorded by the ancient Fathers of the Church. To this we answer, that we acknowledge truly ancient Writers, in Matters where they all agree, to be a very valuable Evidence of the Faith, though at the fame Time a fallible one. And we can prove undeniably, that these Writers, in Proportion as they lived near the Days of the Apostles, were of our Faith, not theirs. But as this is a Proof in our Favour that few Perfons are capable of entering into, fo we have hap pily a much shorter. For if Antiquity be an Argument; the greater the Antiquity, the ftronger the Argument: and therefore the Authority of the Bible, for this, as well as many other Reasons, is the strongest of all. An original Account is always to be depended on in the firft Place. Such others, as come a little after, in Point of Time, may be of confiderable Ufe to illuftrate and confirm the former: but, wherever they appear to contradict it, muft be rejected without Scruple. And those which come a great deal after, such as the Church of Rome chiefly depends on, deserve little or no Credit. The Spirit of God therefore, feeing the Need there would be of it, infpired the

Apoftles

Apostles and Evangelifts to deliver a full and clear Rule of Faith to all Pofterity in the New Teftament: certainly not that this might be interpreted afterwards by Tradition into whatever Sense Men pleased; (for then Tradition alone had done as well or better without it) but that Tradition, as often as it went wrong, might be rectified by this. Had not Christianity been committed in the earliest Ages to writing; long before this Time, in all Probability, there had been scarce one Doctrine of it left, which we could have been fecure was genuine. And though Tradition hath doubtless been preserved, by having fome Regard to Scripture, from degenerating and varying near fo much as it would else; yet, for Want of having a fufficient Regard to it, firft needlefs, then uncertain, then false and pernicious, Articles of Belief have crept in among Christians: the very Steps of whofe Entry, for the moft Part, we can trace. The Faith of the first Ages changed by little and little every Age after, and ftill for the worse; till at Length the Church of Rome, about 200 Years ago, at the Council of Trent, when they were called upon to reform these Abuses, moft fhamefully chose to establish them under the venerable Name of primitive Tradition, and VOL. VI. condemn

X

condemn all who will not receive them with the fame Regard as Scripture itself. Juft as in our Saviour's Time it was among the Jews; who afked, why walk not thy Difciples according to the Tradition of the Elders? And be faid unto them, Full well ye reject the Commandment of God, that ye may keep your own Tradition . And juft as St. Paul had foretold it would happen among Chriftians. Beware, left any Man Spoil you through vain Deceit, after the Tradition of Men, and not after Chrift. But here they reply, that, let this Paffage be defigned against whom it will, it cannot poffibly fall on them. For, however uncertain Tradition might become of itself in Process of Time, and however difficult it may be for private Perfons to judge of Doctrines by it, yet the Judgement of the Catholic Church in thefe Points is infallible, and theirs is that Catholic Church. Now that the Church is infallible, they fometimes attempt to prove from Reason. Making it so was the only Way to end Difputes, and therefore God being wife and good, must have made it so. But certainly a much more effectual Way of preventing Difputes and Errors had been to have made every fingle Man infallible; and yet

e Mark vil. 5, 9.

Col. ii. 8.

God

God hath not done this. It might therefore be more modeft for them to let him show his Wif dom and Goodness in what Way he pleafes. The Jewish Church, we know, was not infallible. For they denied their Saviour, and it was by following Tradition that they came to do it. How then does it appear that the Chriftian muft be more infallible? Why, they have Texts of Scripture to prove this. But if, as they commonly tell us, the Scripture can neither be proved nor understood but by the infallible Authority of the Church; how can the infallible Authority of the Church be proved or underftood by Scripture? However let us hear thefe Texts. Our Saviour told his Apostles, that the Comforter should come and lead them into all Truth". But perhaps this was faid only to the Apoftles and, had it been faid to them and their Succeffors, or, which is ftill a different Thing, to the whole Church; yet fo St. John tells all Believers, they have an Unction from the holy one, and know all Things; that is, Things neceffary: not that they were not capable of mistaking, but that, with due Care, they might avoid it if they would. Again he promised his, Difciples, that he would be with them to the End I John ii. 20.

• John xvi. 13.

b