Art. XII. I moft firmly admit and embrace the apoftolical and ecclefiaftical traditions, and all other obfervations and conftitutions of the fame church*.

They affirm that divine truth, which we are all bound to receive, to be partly written, and partly delivered by word of mouth, which is more fully expreffed in the preface to the Roman catechifm, drawn up by order of the church of Rome, where we find thefe words towards the conclufion of it-The whole doctrine to be delivered to the faithful is contained in the word of God, which word of God is diftributed into fcripture and traditions."

1

He that receives the faith of the Romish church, not only receives thofe doctrines in which we agree with them, but the whole doctrine of the church, fummarily abridged in the creed of pope Pius IV. in all the points and articles of faith which that church delivers to be believed of all men that defire to be faved, which are to be conceived as one entire body or fyftem of truths, and all affented to, believed, and received, on pain of damnation. Thus Fifher the Jefuit," Faith must be entire, whole, and found in all points; and it is not fufficient ftedfaftly to believe fome points, misbelieving, or not believe others, or any one. For not to believe any one point whatfoever, which God by revealing it doth teftify to be true, and which by his church he hath commanded us to believe, muft needs be damhable, as being a notable injury to God's verity, and a great difobedience to his will." And Chamelon afferts the fame, All articles (fays he) of faith, fo determined by the church, are fundamental, none of them may be denied without herefy+."

Art. XIV. I do admit the holy fcriptures in the fame fenfe that Holy Mother Church doth, whose business it is to

Pope Pius's creed, art. xiii.

§. Romish Catechifm.

Cap. iv, in his Treatife of Faith.

+ Concilium Reditus, p. zo.

judge

judge of the true fenfe and interpretation of them, and I will interpret them according to the unanimous confent of the farbers*.

The council of Trent decreed that the fcripture alone is not a rule of faith without tradition," and traditions are to be received with the like regard and veneration as the fcriptures .

The author of the profeffion of catholic faith, on the article of fcripture and tradition, asks,

2. What do you believe concerning the fcriptures? A. That they are to be received by all Chriftians as the infallible word of God.

2. Do you look upon the fcriptures to be clear and plain in all points neceffary to falvation?

2. How then is the danger to be avoided?

A. No.

By taking the meaning and interpretation of the fcripture from the church, and by apoftolical and ecclefiaftical tradition.

2. What do you mean by apoftolical tradition?

A. All fuch points of faith or church-discipline which were taught or established by the apostles.

2. What difference is there between apoftolical and ecclefiaftical traditions?

4. Apoftolical traditions are thofe which had their origin or inftitution from the apoftles, fuch as infantbaptifm, the Lord's day, (or first day of the week) receiving the facrament, fafting, &c. Ecclefiaftical tra ditions are fuch as received their inftitution from the church, fuch as holidays, feasts, and fasts.

2 How are we to know what traditions are apoftolical, and what not?

4. In the fame manner, and by the fame authority, by which we know what fcriptures are apoftolical, and what not; that is, by the authority of the apoftolical church, guided by the unerring fpirit of God.

2. But why fhould not the fcripture alone be the rule of our faith, without having recourse to apoftolical traditions ?

• Pope Pius's Creed, art. xiv.

Con. Trident. feff. iv.

Vol. I. No. 4.

L

A. First,

A. First, Becaufe without the help of apoftolical traditions we cannot fo much as tell what is fcripture, and what not. Second, Because infant-baptifm, and feveral other neceffary articles, are either not at all contained in fcripture, or at least are not plain in the scripture without the help of tradition.

For Chrift has left his church, and her paftors and teachers, to be our guides in all controverfies relating to religion, and confequently of holy writ .

Thus from the tenor of this article it appears, that the holy fcripture in general is accounted fo obfcure, even in things of the greatest importance, that the common people muft by no means be allowed to take their own fenfe of it, but must have recourse to the interpretation of the church.

Art. XV. I do profefs and believe that there are feven Sacraments, truly and properly fo called, inftituted by Jefus Christ our Lord, and neceffary for the falvation of mankind, though not all of them to every one, viz. baptifm, confirmation, eucharift, penance, extreme unition, orders, and matrimony; and that they do confer grace; and that of thefe baptifm, confirmation, and orders, cannot be repeated without facrilege. I alfo receive and admit the received and approved rites of the catholic church, in her folemn adminiftration of all the aforefaid facraments.

A facrament is an inftitution of Christ, confifting in fome outward fign or ceremony, by which grace is given to the foul of the worthy receiver.

Baptifm is a facrament inftituted by Chrift, according to his commiffion, and from the belief and practice of the church of Chrift in all ages, and of the apostles themselves, who administered baptifm in wa

ter +.

Confirmation is a facrament wherein by the invocaen of the Holy Ghoft, and the impofition of the

* Profeffion of Catholic Faith, p. 15, 16, and 171.

1 Ibid. p. 19.

See the Xth Article of this Creed. Alfo, Profeffion of Cathoic Faith, p. 20.

bishops

bishops hands, with the unction of holy chrifin, a perfon receives the grace of the Holy Ghoft, and a ftrength in order to the profeffing of his faith.

In this facrament the church of Rome ufe oil, olive, and balm, the oil to fignify the clearness of a good confcience, and the balm as the favour of a good reputation; and ufe this form: "I fign thee with the fign of the cross, and confirm thee with the chrifm of falvation in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft". For which they quote tradition .

Confirmation is that which makes us perfect Christians, and impreffes an indelible character after baptifm, and imparts to us the fpirit of fortitude, whereby we are enabled to profefs Chriftianity even at the hazard of our lives; and is therefore deemed a facrament by the church *.

The facrament of the Lord's fupper, or the Eucharist. "Eucharift is a word, fays Calmet, particularly fet apart in the catholic church, to fignify that facrament which really and in truth contains the body and blood of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, under the appearance of bread and wine, confecrated at the facrifice of the mass. It is called eucharift, becaufe Jefus Chrift, in the institution of this divine facrament, gave thanks to God, broke the bread, and bleffed the cup; Euchariftia in Greek fignifying thanksgivings, and anfwers to the Hebrew Barach, to blefs, or Hodah, to praise +.

Penance or infliction, the act of ufing or fubmitting to punishment, public or private, as an expreffion of repentance for fin, is deemed one of the feven facra

Profeffion of Catholic Faith, p. zo.

Bishop Burnet's Expofition of the XXXIX Articles, p. 336. * Calmet's Dict. Article of Confirmation.

The word Eucharift is not, as our author fays, peculiar to the Roman catholic church, but his explanation of it is, and the eu charift, as he interprets it, one of the capital and grofs errors of that church. There is more truth in the reafon alledged by im, for denominating the facrament of the Lord's Supper, by this term eucharift. Strange! fo abfurd a doctrine as that of tranfubftantiation, fhould be ferioufly afferted by men of underftanding.

† Article Eucharift.

ments: it includes confeffion of fins to the priest, which, if it be accompanied with any degree of contrition, does, upon abfolution received from the priest, put them into a state of falvation, though they have lived the moft lewd and debauched lives

2. When the queftion is afked in the Grounds, &c. What do you mean by the facrament of penance ? A. The anfwer is, Confeffion of fins with a fincere repentance, and the prieft's abfolution +.

The council of Trent not only afcribes to priefts the character of prefidents and judges for remitting or reclaiming of fins, Seffion xiv. cap. v. and speaks of the penitents in confeffion, as brought before a tribunal, that by the penitence of the priest they might be delivered from their fins, cap. vi. but, in the ninth canon of the fame feffion, pronounces an anathema on any who deny that the facramental abfolution of the priest is a judicial act. tod gadw beteftin

The papifts define penance to be, "A facrament confifting in some outward fign or ceremony, by which grace is given to the foul of the worthy receiver, inftituted by Chrift when, breathing upon the difciples, he gave them the Holy Ghoft to remit and retain fins; that is, to reconcile the faithful fallen into fin after baptifm: it differeth from baptifm not only in matter and form, but also, because the minifter of baptifm is not a judge in that ordinance; whereas after baptifm the finner prefents himself before the tribunal of the prieft as guilty, to be fet at liberty by his fentence: it is, however, as neceffary as baptifm: the form confifts in the words, "I do abfolve thee." Contrition, confeffion, and fatisfaction, are parts of penance, and the effect of it is reconciliation with God. Contrition is grief of mind for fins committed with purpofe to fin no more, and was ever neceffary at all times, but efpecially in fuch as fin after baptifm: it is a preparation

* Bishop Tillotson's Danger of Salvation in the Church of Rome.

+ Grounds of the Catholic Faith, p. 21.

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