6. Though we blame this in Papists, yet we reject not all tradition, [1.] Because scripture itself is a tradition, as we proved before, and is conveyed to us by the most credible means, which we have no reason to doubt of The scriptures of the Old Testament were pre- served by the Jews, ' to whom were committed the oracles of God,' Kom. iii. 2. And Protestants receive all the books which they admitted into their canon. And for the books of the New Testament, the Christian church hath received them as the writings of those whose names they
2 ThES, II. 15.] WITHOUT UNWRITTEN TRADITIONS. 499
bear, and by the constant universal tradition of the church they are transmitted to us ; and we liave no more reason to douLt of them than we do of statutes and laws made by kings and parliaments who lived long before we had a being. Yea, we may be much more confident, as the matter is of greater weight and consequence, and these writings have the signature and stamp of God's Spirit on them, and have been blessed by God to tlie converting and sanctifying of many souls; and have been delivered down to us by a succession of believers unto this very day : and by them Christianity hath been preserved in the world, notwithstanding the wickedness of it ; and hath held up head against all the encounters of time. The persecutions of adverse powers have not suppressed it, nor the disputes of enemies silenced the profession of it ; but still from age to age God's truth is received and transmitted to posterity.
[2.] Because the proof of Christianity depending upon matters of fact, chiefly Christ's rising from the dead, it can only be proved by a testimony, which in so extraordinary a case must be made valuable and authorised to the world by the miracles accompanying it. Now, the notice of these things is brouglit to us by tradition, which being un- questionable, giv^eth us as good ground of faith as it did to them that lived in the aj)ostles' time, and heard their doctrine, and saw their miracles. God's wonderful works were never intended for the benefit of that age only in which they were done, but for the benefit also of those that should hear of them by any credible means whatsoever, Ps. cxlv. 4, Joel i. 3, Ps. Ixx. 3-7. These things were told them ' that they might set their hope in God,' &c.
[3.] Because there are some doctrines drawn by just consequence from scripture, but are the more confirmed to us when they are backed with constant church usage and practice ; as baptism of infants, Lord"s day, singing of psalms in our public worship, &c.
[4.] Because there are certain words which are not found in scripture indeed, yet agreeable thereunto, and are very useful to discover the frauds of heretics, as hnnity, divine providence, consuhstantial, pro- cession of the Holy Ghost, satisfaction, &c,
[5.] We reject not all church history, or the records of ancient writers concerning the providences of God in their days in owning the gospel, which make much for our instruction in manners, and are helps to encourage us to put our trust in God.
[6.] There are certain usages and innocent customs or circum- stances, common or sacred, and other actions, which we despise not, but acknowledge and receive as far as their own variable nature and condition requireth ; not rejecting them because anciently practised, nor regarding them when the general law of edification requireth tlie omission of them. But that wliich we detest is, that the ti-aditions of men should be made equal in dignity and authority with the express revelation of God. Yea, that manifest corruptions and usur[)ations, as making Rome the mistress of other churches, and superinducing the Pope as the head of the universal visible church, and the vicar of Christ, without his leave and appointment, and such like other points, should be obtruded upon the world as apostolical traditions, and to be received with like religious reverence as we do articles of faith set down in
500 THE SCRIPTURE SUFFICIENT, ETC. [2 ThES. II. 15.
scripture. This is that we cannot sufficiently abhor, as apparently false and destructive to Christianity.
The propositions drawn out of the text in this sermon are these : —
1. Whatever assurance we have of Grod's preserving us in the truth, yet we are bound to use diligence and caution.
2. Our diligence and caution is to be employed about this, that we may stand fast in the faith of Christ, and the profession and practice of godliness.
3. That the means of standing fast in the faith of Christ and the profession and practice of godliness is by holding the traditions which were taught by the holy apostles.
4. That while the apostles were in being there were two ways of de- livering the truth — by word of mouth and writing.
5. That now when they are long since gone to God, and we cannot receive from them the doctrine of life by word of mouth, we must stick to the scriptures or written word.
EDITORIAL NOTE
ON
SMECTYMNUUS REDIVIVUS.
According to the advertisement which has been long before the public, this volume should have contained the treatise called Smectym- nuus Redivivus. That advertisement was prepared by the late Mr Nichol under the impression that that was a treatise by Dr Manton, diflferent from the work of the five divines whose initials formed the name Smectymnuus. But it was not so. It was simply that work re-issued, with a very short preface by Dr Manton. It is not surpris- ing that Mr Nichol should have been misled by the title ; for cer- tainly it is not usual to designate a reprint of a book by the name of its author with the adjunct Redivivus, while it is not unusual for an author, professing to write in the same spirit in which one of his pre- decessors had written, to adopt his name with that adjunct appended to it. If we saw an announcement of the publication of a book with the title Junius Redivivus, we should not expect it to be a new edition of the famous ' Letters,' but a new work by one who proposed to treat the political topics of the present day in a similar way to that in which Junius treated those of his day. Such an expectation would be reasonable ; but in the present case it would be erroneous.