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St. Chryfoftom avers; (a) "That whatever is neceffary is contained in Scripture:" And calls the fame, "The most exact and complete Ballance, Square, and "Rule of Divine Verity.

St. Hierom who was excellently skill'd in the Tongues, and had feen the choiceft Monuments of Antiquity, and the beft Libraries that the Eastern Parts cou'd atford; and therefore likely to understand the most perfect Canon, and Accounts of the Books of the Bible, in his Preface to the Book of Kings, nameth all the Books which we admit, and adds, that, "Whatsoever is be

fides thefe, is to be put among the Apocrypha; and "that therefore the Books of Wisdom, Jefus the Son of Sirach, Judith, Tobit, &c. are not to be reckoned Ca་ nonical.

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So in the fixth Age, Juftus Orgelitanus compares the Scriptures in regard of their Sufficiency to David's Tower (b) Wherein hang a thoufand Shields, and all the Targets cf the ftrong Men: It being, faith he, fur"nifhed with all Sorts of Armour to encounter Satan, " and his Inftruments withal.” And Funilius an African "Bishop of the fame Age gives this Reason, why the Books commonly call'd Apocrypha are not inferted among the Caronical Scriptures, viz. (c) " Because they are nor "received by the Jews.

Touching Communion under both.
Kinds.

Chryfoftom faith, (d)" That whereas under the Law there was a Difference between the Priests and the "People in communicating of Victims, it is now o

(a) Tom. 4. in 2. Epift. ad Theff. Cantic. (c) In Lib. 1. Cap. 3. (d)

Cor. Hom. 18.

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"therwife; for one Body and one Cup is adminiftred • to all.

Nay, to make fure Work, we have no lefs than the Authority of two Popes, namely, Leo the Great, and Pope Gelafius. The firft fharply reproves and exhorts them to be dealt withal, (a) "That receive the Lord's"Body but decline to drink his Blood," And Gelafius Speaks thus. (b) "We have found that fome having "receiv'd a Portion of the facred Body only, abstain' "from the Cup, which Men do, because they are en

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tangled with I know not what Superftition; either let them receive the whole Sacrament, or elfe be wholly "excluded; because there can be no dividing one and "the fame Mystery without Grievous Sacrilege." Hear, Oye deluded Romanifts! thefe Words from one of your own Popes in a more honeft and lefs corrupt Age.

Against the Popish Fiction of Tranfubftantiation, nothing can be more exprefs than that of Theodoret: (c) "Our Saviour, fays he, honoured the visible Symbols "with the Name of his Body and Blood, not changing "the Nature, but adding Grace to Nature. And again, He hath thefe Words, (d)" He gave unto the Signe the "Name of his Body." Is not this the very fame which at this Day we teach and maintain?

St. Auftin likewife gives this general Rule, that (e)" Wherever we find in Scripture any Speech of com"manding fome heinous Act, or forbidding fome lau"dauble Thing, there we ought to take fuch faying as

Figurative: "And he inftances in these Words of our Saviour; (f)" Excepti ye eat the Flesh of the Son "of Man and drink his Blood, ye have no Life in "you: (g) This, fays that honeft Father, feems to

(a) Serm. 4. de Quadrage. (b) Decret. 3. Part. de Confecrat. Dift. 2, Cap. Comperimus. (c) Dial. 1 Cap. 8. p. 54. (d) Ibidem. (e) Aug. Lib. 3. de Dott. Chrift. Cap. 10. (1) John 6. 53. (g) Lib. 3. Cap. 5. de Doft. Chrift.

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"command a wicked Thing, and abhorrent to Nature.” "Tis therefore a figurative Expreffion, commanding us to partake of the Paffion of Chrift, and sweetly, and profitably keep in Memory, that his Flesh was crucified

for us.

As for the Number of the Sa

craments.

In the fixth Century we have this positive Testimony in Illyricus: (a) " The Divines of this Age, as others of "former Times, acknowleged only two Sacraments, "Bapiim, and the Lord's Supper.

As to Image Worship.

St. Hierom faith; (b) "We worship only one Image " of the Invisible and Omnipotent God." Wherewith agreeth St. Auftin, who faith, (c) " No Image of "God ought to be worshipped, but that which is the "fame Thing which he is." Both thefe Fathers meaning our Lord Jelus, who is ftiled by the Apoftle, (d) "The Image of the invifible God. and the Brightness of his Glory, and exprefs Image of his Perfon."

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Nay, St. Auftin condemns the Use of Images, even when they are not adored for themfelves, but made as Inftruments to worship God. Saying, (e)" They de"ferve to err, which feek Chrift and his Apoftles in paint"ed Images, and not in written Books." And again, warning his Readers against the Practice of fome who

(b) Hier. in Ezek.

(a) Catal. Teft. Verit. Lib. 6. Cap. 16. (c) Aug. Epift. 119. ad Fannar. Cap. 11. (d) Col. 1. 15. Heb. 1. 3. (e) Aug. Tom. 1. de Mor. Ecclef. Cap. 34.

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were wont to kneel fuperftitiously in Church-Yards, betore the Tombs of Martyrs, and the painted Hiftories of their Sufferings, he fays, (a) "Follow not the Compaof fuch ignorant Men, who in the true Religion "it felf are fuperftitious. I know many that are Worfhippers of Graves and Pictures; but this I advise you, that you ought not to upbraid the Catholick "Church with the Manners of these Men, whom the "herself condemneth and feeketh every Day to correct as Children that do amifs." So that it is plain, tho' fome mil-informed People might ufe Image Worship in St. Auftin's Time, yet it was far from being then allowed by the Church in general, but condemned by the wifest and most learned.

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So as for Prayers to Saints.

St. Auftin afferts, (b) "That the Worfhipping of "Men, that are dead ought not to be any Part of our Religion." And St. Hierom lays, (c) "We ought to "invoke, that is, pray unto none but God alone.

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But St. Chryfoftom is moft copious in refuting thofe, who, in Confideration of their own Unworthiness, and God's dreadful Majefty, fhould go about, and feek unto him, by the Mediation of Saints or Angels, and faith thus: (d)" When thou haft need to fue unto Men, "thou art forced firft to deal with Porters and Servants, "and to entreat Parafites and Favourites, and fo go a long "Way about; but with God there is no fuch Matter, he " is intreated without any Interceffor but Chrift: It fuf"ficeth only that thou cry in thine Heart, and bring

(a) Aug. Tom. 1. de Mor. Ecclef. Ca. 34. (b) Aug. de Ver. Relig. Cap. 55. (c) Hier. Tom. 7. in Prov.. Gap. 2. (d) Chryft. Ser. 7. de Penitent. Tom. 6.

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"Tears with thee, and then entring ftraightway thou may't draw him unto thee." And on the Acts of the Apostles, Ch. 10. he fays, (a) "God doth then "moft for us when we do not ufe the Intreaty of o. "thers: For as a kind Friend he then blameth us, when, 4L as if not daring to truft his Love, we make ufe of. "another's Intereft and Addreffes to fupplicate him.

" for us, &c.

And Theodoret fpeaks home to this Point on the fecond and third Chapters to the Coloffians, where he exprefly fays, and that by the Authority of the Council of Laodicea, that Angels are not to be prayed unto: And if not Angels, then certainly, neither Saints nor Martyrs.

Juftification by Faith as before explained, is largely witneffed unto in these Ages, and the popish Conceit of Merit difowned.

"Faith alone purifieth the Heart, fays St. Auftin on "the 88th Pfalm." St.Chryfoftom frequently ufeth the fame Form of Speech, that," Faith only juftifieth." As on the 4 Rom. and in his Difcourfe of Faith, and the Law of Nature, Tom. 3.

Both Hierom on Ephef. 2. and Chryfoftom on Matthew, Hom. 53. alledge that Text in the 8th of the Rom. against Merit. And St. Austin in his Confeffion faith, My good Deeds are thine Ordinances and thy Gifts, my evil ones are my Sins and thy Judgments.

The Council of Orange thus bravely decreed against the Semipelagians, (b) We do wholefomly profess "and believe, that God first of all, no good Merits of

ours preceding, infpireth into us, both Faith and the "Love of him." Which Place (c) Binnius hath fhamefully corrupted to a quite contrary Senfe, by inferting. Multis, inftead of Nullis, many good Works going before, instead of None.

But our modern Romanifts reckon it amongst their good Works, to deprave and corrupt Councils, Fathers

(a) Hom. 36. (b) Can. 25. (c) Tom. 2. Fo. 392.

and

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