Faith, which is not delivered to them by this truly Apostolical Church wherein we live. If it be written, let us fee it; if it be not, take heed how you adde to the undoubted Word of God. We receive the holy Scriptures, as able to make us wife to falvation. So they themselves tell us; and fo runs the true Tradition of the Church: which you of the Romish Perfwasion have forfaken; but we adhere unto.

3. And we have this farther reafon fo to do, because if part of God's Word had been written, and part unwritten, we cannot but believe there would have been fome care taken, in the written Word, not onely to let us know fo much, but also inform us whither we should refort to find it, and how we should know it; if it be abfolutely neceffary for us to be acquainted with it. But there is no fuch notice, nor any such directions left us; nor can any man give us any certain Rule to follow in this matter, but onely this : To examine all Traditions by the Scripture, as the fupreme Rule of Faith, and to admit onely fuch as are conformable thereunto.

4. For which we have ftill this farther reafon, that no fooner were they that first delivered and received the holy Scriptures gone. out of the world, but we find men began to adde their own fancies unto the Catholick Truth; which made it abfolutely neceffary to keep to the Tradition in the holy Scriptures, all other growing un-certain. This is obferved by Hegefippus himself (in Eufeb.l.3.c.32.). that the Church remained a chaft Virgin, and the Spouse of Christ, till. the Sacred Quire of the Apostles, and the next Generation of them, who bad bad the honour to be their Auditors, were extinct; and then there. began a plain Confpiracy of impious, atheistical errour, by the fraud of Teachers, who delivered other Doctrine. Which was a thing SaintPaul feared even in his own life-time, about the Church of Corinth (2 Cor. 1 1. 3.) left the Devil, like a wily Serpent, should beguil them, and corrupt their minds from the original fimplicity of the Christian Doctrine wherein they were first instructed. And if it were attempted then, it was lefs difficult, and therefore more en-. deavoured afterward; as fhall appear anon by plain Hiftory, which tells how feveral perfons pretended they received this and that from an Apoftle. Some of which Traditions were presently reje cted; others received, and afterwards found to be impostures. Which (hews there was fo much false dealing in the cafe, that it was hard for men to know what was truly Apoftolical in those days, if it came to them this way onely; and therefore impoffible to be difcerned by us now, at this great diftance of time from the

Apo-

Apofiles, who we know delivered the true Faith; but we have no reason to rely upon mere Tradition, without Scripture, for any part of that Faith; when we see what Cheats were put upon men by that means, even then when they had better helps to detect

them than we have.

It is true, the Fathers fometime urge Tradition as a proof of what they say. But we must know, that the Scriptures were not prefently communicated among fome barbarous Nations; and there were some Hereticks a'fo who either denied the Scriptures, or fome part of them: and in these cases it was necessary to appeal to the Tradition that was in the Church ; and to convince them by the Doctrine taught every where by all the Bishops. But that (mark this, I pray you) of which they convinced them by this Argument, was nothing but what is taught in the Scripture.

5. With which we cannot suffer any thing to be equalled in authority, unless we would see it confirmed by the fame or equal Teftimony. This is the great reafon of all, why we cannot admit any unwritten Traditions to be a part of the Word of God, which we are bound to believe, because we cannot find any truths fo delivered to us, as those in the holy Scriptures. They come to us with as full a teftimony as can be defired, of their Divine Original; but fo do none of those things which are now obtruded on us by the Romish Church, under the name of Traditions or unwritten Word of God.

For the Primitive Church had the very firft Copies and authentick Writings of thofe Books called the New Teftament, delivered by the Apoffles own hands to them. And those Books confirm the Scriptures of the Old Testament: and they were both delivered to Pofterity by that Primitive Church, witneffing from whom they received them; who carefully kept them as the moft pretious Treasure so that this written Word hath had the general approbation and teftimony of the whole Church of Chrift in every Age, until this day, witneffing that it is Divine. And it hath been the conftant butiness of the Doctors of the Church, to expound this Word of God to the People: and their Books are full of Citations out of the Scripture; all agreeing in substance with what we now read in them. Nay, the very Enemies of Chriftianity, fuch as Celfus, Porphyry, Julian, never queftioned but these are the Writings of which the Apoftles were the Authors, and which they delivered. Befides, the Marks they have in themselves of a Divine Spirit, which indited them, they all tending to breed and pre

ferve

ferve in men a fenfe of God, and to make them truly vertu

'ous.

Not one word of which can be faid for any of those unwritten Traditions, which the Roman Church pretend to be a part of God's Word. For we have no teltimony of them in the holy Scriptures. Nor doth the Primitive Church affirm the received them from the Apostles, as he did the written Word. Nor have they the perpetual confent and general approbation of the whole Church ever fince. Nor are they frequently quoted, as the words of Scripture are upon all occafions, by the Doctors of the Church. Nor do we find them to be the Doctrine, which was conftantly taught the People. Nor is there any notice taken of them by the enemies of our Faith, whose Affaults are all againft the Scriptures. In short, they are fo far from having any true authority, that counterfeit Teftimonies and forged Writings have been their great Supporters. Befides the plain drift of them, which is not to make all men better, but to make some richer; and the manifeft danger men are in by many of them, to be drawn away from God, to put their truft and confidence in Creatures. As might be fhewn, if this Paper would contain it, in their Doctrines of Papal Supremacy, Purgatory, Invocation of Saints, Image-Worship, and divers others.

Goncerning which, we fay, as St. Cyprian doth to Pompeius, about another matter; If it be commanded in the Gospels, or in the Epistles of the Apostles, or in their Acts, that they should not be baptifed who return from any Herefte, but onely be received by impofition of bands, LET THIS DIVINE and HOLY TRADITION BE OBSERVED. The fame fay we, if there be any thing in the Gospels, in the Epistles, in the Acts, concerning Invocations of Saints, concerning the praying Souls out of Purgatory, &c. let that divine, that holy Tradition be obferved. But if it be not there, What obftinacy is this (as it follows a little after in that Epift. L. 24.) what prefumption, to prefer bimane Tradition, before the Divine Difpofition or Ordinance?

A great deal more there is in that place, and in others of that holy Martyr, to bring all to the fource, the root, the original of the Divine Tradition; for then humane errour ceases: which original Tradition he affirms to be what is delivered in the holy Scriptures; which delivering to us the whole Will of God concern-ing us, we look after no other Tradition, but what explains and confirms, and is confonant to this. For we believe that what is

delivered

delivered to us by the Scriptures, and what is delivered by true Tradition, are but two feveral ways of bringing us acquainted with the fame Christian Truth, not with different parts of that Truth.

And so I have done with the first thing; the fam of which, is this: We do not receive any Tradition or Doctrine to fupply the defect of the Scripture, in fome neceffary Article of Faith; which Doctrines they of Rome pretend to have one and the same Author with the Scripture, viz. God: and therefore to be received with the same pious affection and reverence. But cannot tell us where we may find them, how we thall difcern true from false, nor give us any affurance of their Truth, but we must take them purely upon their word.

Now how little reafon we have to truft to that, will appear in the fecond thing I have to adde; which is this:

II. That we dare not receive any thing whatsoever, merely upon the Credit of the Roman Church; no not that divine, that boly Tradition before spoken of, viz. the Scripture. Which we -do not believe onely upon their testimony, both because they are but a part of the Church, and therefore not the sole Keepers of Divine Truth; and they are a corrupted part who have not approved themselves faithful in the keeping what was committed

to them.

Let our People diligently mark this, That Traditions never were, nor are now, onely in the keeping of the Roman Church : and that these things are widely different; the Tradition of the whole Church, or of the greatest and best part of it ; and the Tradition of one part of the Church, and the least part of it; and the worst part also and most depraved.

What is warranted by the Authority of the whole Church, I -have shewn before, we reverently receive: but we cannot take that for current Tradition, which is warranted onely by a small part of the Church, and we give very little credit to what is warranted onely by that part of it which is Roman. Because,

1. First, This Church hath not preserved fo carefully as other Churches have done, the firft and criginal Tradition, which is in the Scriptures; but suffered them to be fhamefully corrupted. Every one knows that there is a Latin Vulgar Edition of the

Bible

Bible (which they of that Church prefer before the Original) none of which they preferved heretofore from manifeft depravations; nor have been able, fince they were told of the faults, to purge away; fo as to canonize any Edition without permitting great numbers in their newest and most approved Bibles. Ifidore Clarius in his Preface to his Edition, complains that he found thefe holy Writings defaced with innumerable errours: Eight thousand of which, that he thought most material, he faith he amended; and yet left he knew not how many leffer ones untouched: After which (the Council of Trent having vouched this Vulgar Latine Edition, for the onely authentick) Pope Sixtus the Fifth, published, out of the feveral Copies that were abroad, one which he ftraightly charged to be received, as the onely true Vulgar; from which none should dare to vary in a tittle. And yet two years were scarce paffed, before Clemens the Eighth, found many defects and corruptions ftill remaining in that Edition; and therefore published another with the very fame charge, that none else should be received.

Which evidently fhews they have fuffered the holy Books to be fo fouly abused, that they know not how to amend the errours that are crept into them; nor can tell which is the true Bible. For these two Bibles thus equally authorised, as the onely authentick ones, abound not onely with manifeft diverfities; but with contradictions, or contrarieties, one to the other. Whereby all Romanifts are reduced to this miserable neceffity, either to make use of no Bible at all; or to fall under the Curse of Sixtus, if he make use of that of Clement; or the Curse of Clement, if he ufe the Bible of Sixtus. For they are both of them enjoyned with the exclufion of all other Editions; and with the penalty of a Gurfe upon them, who disobey the one or the other; and it is impoffible to obey both.

This might be fufficient to demonftrate how unfaithful that Church hath been, in the weightieft concerns. Whereby all the Members of it are plunged beyond all power of redemption, into a difmal neceffity, either of laying aside the Scriptures, or of offending against the facred Decrees (as they account them) of one or other of the heads of their Church (which fome take to be infallible) and being accurfed of them.

2. But for every one's fuller fatisfaction, it may be fit farther to represent how negligent they have been in preferving other Tradi

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