scriptures are sufficient of themselves to the discovery of truth"." Theophilus of Alexandria: "It is an instinct of the Devil to follow the sophisms of human minds, and to think any thing divine without the authority of the scriptures "." Cyril of Alexandria: "That which the holy scripture hath not said, by what means should we receive and account it among those things that be true?"

The doctrine of the Oriental churches was the same. Basil says: "Believe those things which are written; the things which are not written seek not "." "It is a manifest falling from the faith, and an argument of arrogancy, either to reject any point of those things that are written, or to bring in any of those things that are not written"." Gregory Nyssene: "Forasmuch as this is upholden with no testimony of the scripture, we will reject it as false." Cyril of Jerusalem: "Nothing at all ought to be delivered concerning the Divine and holy mysteries of faith without the holy scriptures "." Chrysostom: "The scripture, like unto a safe door,

μὴ γεγραμμένα μὴ ζήτει.—Hom. adv. Calumn. S. Trinit.-Oper. t. ii. p. 611. ed. Ben.

8

Φανερὰ ἔκπτωσις πίστεως καὶ υπερηφανίας κατηγορία, ἢ ἀθετεῖν τι τῶν γεγραμμένων, ἢ ἐπεισάγειν τῶν μὴ γεγραμμένων.—Basil. De Fide, c. 1. t. ii. p. 222.

"Cum id nullo scripturæ testimonio fultum sit, ut falsum improbabimus."-Lib. de Cognit. Dei cit. ab Euthymio in Panoplia, pars i. tit. viii. n. 4.

* Δεῖ γὰρ περὶ τῶν θείων καὶ ἁγίων τῆς πίστεως μυστηρίων, μήδε τὸ τυχὸν ἄνευ τῶν θείων παραδί doobai ypaper.-Cyril. Hierosol. Cat. iv. s. 56. ed. Milles.

doth bar an entrance unto heretics, placing us in security concerning all we desire, and not suffering us to be deceived '... Whosoever useth not the scriptures, but cometh in otherwise, that is, betaketh himself to another and an unlawful way, he is a thief"."

Let

The doctrine of the Western churches was the same. Irenæus says: "Read diligently the Gospel given unto us by the apostles, and read diligently the prophets, and you shall find every action and the whole doctrine, and the whole passion of our Lord preached in them *.” Tertullian: "Whether all things were made of any subject matter, I have, as yet, read no where. those of Hermogenes' school show that it is written. If it be not written, let them fear that woe which is allotted to such as add or take away "." Ambrose: "I read that he is the first, I read that he is not the second; they who say he is the second, let them show it by reading"." Jerome: "As we deny not those things that are written, so we refuse those things that

are not written. That God was born of a virgin, we believe, because we read it: that Mary did marry after she was delivered, we do not believe, because we read it not." Augustine: "Whatsoever ye hear (from the holy scriptures) let that savour well unto you: whatsoever is without them refuse b." It would be superfluous to cite additional testimonies to the same truth from Clemens Alexandrinus, Hippolytus, Cyprian, Optatus, Hilary, Vincentius Lirinensis, Anastasius, Prosper, Theodoret, Hilary, Antony, Benedict, Damascenus, Theophylact, &c. which have been collected by

our writers.

Nor was this merely the doctrine of the primitive church. It was the doctrine of the most eminent theologians in the middle ages. The learned Gerson says, that "the scripture is delivered to us as a sufficient and infallible rule for the government of the whole ecclesiastical body and its members to the end of the world. So that it is such an art, such a rule or exemplar, that any other doctrine which is not conformable to it, is to be renounced as heretical, or to be accounted suspicious, or not at all appertaining to religion." Gregorius Ariminensis, speaking of "those

See Usher's Answer to a Jesuit, ch. ii; Jer. Taylor's Dissuasive, p. ii. b. i. s. ii; Beveridge on XXXIX Articles; Tillotson, Rule of Faith, at the end; Newman on Romanism, lect. xiii; Cary, Testimonies of the Fathers to the XXXIX Articles (Art. vi.)

"Attendendum in examinatione doctrinarum primo et principaliter, si doctrina sit conformis Sacræ Scripturæ . . . . quoniam Scriptura nobis tradita est tanquam regula sufficiens et infalli

things whereby the most wholesome faith that leadeth to true happiness is begotten, nourished, defended, and strengthened," says: " it is evident every such thing is either expressly and in precise terms contained in holy scripture, or is deduced from things so contained in it: for otherwise the scripture should not be sufficient to our salvation, and the defence of our faith, which is contrary to S. Augustine," &c. Scotus argues that the scripture teaches what is the end of man, determines what is essential to that end, and explains the nature of spiritual substances as far as is possible for us. Hence it is plain that holy scripture contains sufficiently the doctrine necessary to a traveller through this life'." The same doctrine is taught by Rupertus Tuitensis, Ockham, Cameracensis, Waldensis, the author of the Destructorium vitiorum, Grosteste, Odo, De Lyra, &c. as our authors have proved". But I not only claim the weight of traditional authority in confirmation of the doctrine of the sixth Article, I claim the authority of the synod of Trent in our favour. The doctrine of the church of England in this Article is more conformable to the decree of that council, than is the opposite opinion of Romish theologians. The synod

bilis, pro regimine totius ecclesiastici corporis et membrorum, usque in finem sæculi. Est igitur talis ars, talis regula, vel exemplar, cui se non conformans alia doctrina, vel abjicienda est ut hæreticalis, aut suspecta, aut impertinens ad religionem prorsus est habenda."-Gerson, De Exam. Doctrin. pars ii. con. i.

"Constat quia quidlibet tale vel expresse secundum se continetur in sacra scriptura vel ex contentis in ea deducitur, alioquin non ipsa sufficeret ad nostram sa

lutem et nostræ defensionem fidei, &c. quod est contra August."Greg. Arim. in Sent. Dist. i. qu. i. art. ii.

"Patet quod Sacra Scriptura sufficienter continet doctrinam necessariam viatori.". Scotus, Prolog. 1. sent. qu. 2. Oper. t. v. p. 1.

See Taylor's Dissuasive, p. ii. b. i. s. ii. Field, Of the Church, Appendix to book III. chapter 2. Tillotson, Rule of Faith, at the end.

declares that the Christian "truth and discipline are contained in written books, and unwritten traditions "." They were well aware that the controversy then was, whether the Christian doctrine was only in part contained in scripture. But they did not dare to frame their decree openly in accordance with the modern Romish view: they did not venture to affirm, as they might easily have done, that the Christian verity "was contained partly in written books, and partly in unwritten traditions." Their decree maintains our doctrine. "The Christian truth and discipline are contained in written books." We admit it: "They are contained in unwritten traditions also." We admit it: these traditions confirm, and are identically the same with the doctrines of scripture. Thus, to say the least, our doctrine has just as much support from the council of Trent as that of our opponents. And accordingly we find even Roman theologians admitting the perfection of scripture.

Cassander regards scripture and tradition as only different forms of the same doctrine. "In what concerns questions of faith, there is nothing which is not in some manner contained in scripture, since this tradition is nothing else but the explanation and interpretation of scripture itself, so that it might be not improperly said, that scripture is a sort of tradition folded and sealed, and tradition is scripture unfolded and unsealed i."

Cardinal Du Perron says, "To affirm that scripture is sufficient to bring us to salvation, if it be understood

"Perspiciensque hanc veritatem et disciplinam (Evangelii) contineri in libris scriptis, et sine scripto traditionibus," &c.

Sess. iv.

i Cassander, De officio pii viri, in principio.-Goldast. Politica Imperialia, p. 1292.