obtained; if, that is, in obedience to you we should judge the tradition that has been held by so many holy men [he was too wise a man to talk of every body always everywhere] in all past time less valuable than your impious conceits.” 1 In all this I need not say that there is not one word from which we dissent.

Again, Basil says in his Homily against the Sabellians and others," But let the tradition deter you from separating the Holy Spirit from the Father and Son. The Lord hath thus taught, Apostles have proclaimed this doctrine, Fathers have kept it, martyrs have confirmed it. Be satisfied to speak as you have been taught." But this passage confirms our view; for by consulting the preceding context we find that "the tradition" referred to is "the tradition of baptism," that is, our Lord's tradition delivered Matt. xxviii. 19; and, in fact, the grounds upon which the matter is placed are precisely those for which we contend, namely, the teaching of our Lord and his Apostles as the foundation, and that of Fathers and martyrs as in their place confirmatory of the correctness of our view of a doctrine. And, therefore, we agree fully with the admonition of Basil in the context,—“ I entreat you, not to seek in eyery way to hear from me that

1 Τι λέγεις ; μη νείμωμεν το πλεον τοις προλαβουσι; μη αιδεσθωμεν το πληθος των τε νυν οντων Χριστιανων, και των όσοι γεγονασιν αφ' οὗ κατηγγέλη το ευαγ γέλιον ; μη λογισωμεθα το αξίωμα των εν παντοίοις χαρισμασι διαφανεντων πνευματικοις, οἷς ἁπασιν εχθραν και πολεμίαν την πονηραν ὁδον ταυτην της ασέβειας εκαινοτόμησας, αλλα μυσαντες άπαξαπλως τους της ψυχης οφθαλμους, και παντος ἅγιου μνημην της διανοιας ὑπερορίσαντες, σχολάζουσαν και σεσαρωμένην την ἑαυτου καρδιαν έκαστος ταις παραγωγαις σου και τοις σοφίσμασι φεροντες ὑποθωμεν; μεγάλης μεν τ' αν ειης της δυναστείας επειλημμενος, ειπερ ὧν ταις ποικίλαις ἑαυτου μεθοδείαις ὁ διάβολος ουκ επέτυχε, τούτων σοι τυχειν εξ επιταγματος περιεσται εαν περ πεισθεντες σοι, την εν παντί τω παρελθοντι χρονω ὑπὸ τοσούτων ἅγιων κεκρατηκυίαν παραδοσιν ατιμοτέραν κρίνωμεν της δυσσεβους ύμων επινοίας. Adv. Eunom. lib. i. 3 3. i. 210, 11.

* Αλλα μη χωρισης Πατρος και Υιου το Πνεύμα το άγιον, δυσωπείτω σε ἡ παραδοσις. Ὁ Κύριος ούτως εδίδαξεν, αποστολοι εκήρυξαν, πατέρες διετήρησαν, μαρ τυρες εβεβαιωσαν· αρκεσθητι λεγειν ὡς εδιδάχθης. Ηom. contra Sabell. Arium et Anom. § 6. ii. 194.

3 Η παραδοσις του βιπτίσματος. Ib. The passage is very similar to one of Athanasius quoted above, vol. i. pp. 121, 2..

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which is agreeable to you, but that which is well-pleasing to the Lord, and accordant with the Scriptures, and not at variance with the Fathers.” 1

Thus, also, he says elsewhere, after having laid down what he considered to be the orthodox faith,-"These, brethren, are the mysteries of the Church, these are the traditions of the Fathers," where he states what he justly considered as a stringent argument for the reception of what he had been delivering, but not as any part of the rule of faith, for he immediately adds, "We adjure every man who fears the Lord and expects the judgment of God, not to be carried away by divers doctrines. If any one teaches otherwise and adheres not to the wholesome words of the faith, but, rejecting the oracles of the Spirit, holds his own teaching to be of more authority than the Evangelical documents, avoid such a man;"3 where we plainly see what was his sole rule of faith.

Again; he says,-" But as to the faith, we neither receive that which is written by others, junior to us, nor dare ourselves to deliver the offspring of our own conceits, that we may not make the words of the orthodox faith dependent upon men; but what we have been taught by the holy Fathers, that we deliver to those who question us." But "the holy Fathers" here mentioned are only "the Nicene Fathers," for it follows,-" Therefore the

4

1 Ύμας δε παρακαλω μεν, μη εκ παντός τροπου ζητειν το ύμιν αρεσκον παρ' ἡμων ακουσαι, αλλ' ὁ τω Κυρίω ευαρεστόν εστι, και σύμφωνον ταις γραφαις, και μη μαχόμενον τοις πατρασιν. Ib. § 4. ii. 193.

2 Ταυτα εστιν, αδελφοι, τα της εκκλησιας μυστηρια, αὗται των πατέρων παραδόσεις. Εp. ad Sozopolit. ep. 261. § 3. iii. 403.

3 Διαμαρτυρόμεθα παντι ανθρωπω φοβουμένω τον Κύριον, και κρισιν Θεού ανάμενοντι, διδαχαις ποικίλαις μη παραφέρεσθαι. Ει τις ἑτεροδιδασκαλει και μη προστ έρχεται ὑγιαινουσι λόγοις της πιστεως, αλλα παρωθούμενος τα του Πνεύματος λογια την οικείαν διδασκαλίαν κυριωτέραν ποιείται των ευαγγελικών διδαγμάτων, φυλάσσεσθε τον τοιούτον. Ib.

4 Πιστιν δε ήμεις, ουτε παρ' αλλων γραφομενην ἡμιν νεωτέραν [? νεωτέρων] παραδεχόμεθα, ούτε αυτοί τα της ημετερας διανοιας γεννηματα παραδιδοναι τολ μωμεν, ἵνα μη ανθρωπινα ποιησωμεν τα της ευσέβειας ῥήματα· αλλ' άπερ παρα των άγιων πατέρων δεδιδαγμεθα, ταύτα τοις ερωτωσιν ἡμας διαγγελλομεν. Epist. ad eccles. Antioch. ep. 140. § 2. iii. 933.

creed written by the holy Fathers, those, I mean, that met at Nicæa, has been received in our Church from the times of our Fathers," and he then proceeds to deliver the Nicene creed.

And this assembly that met at Nicæa, or Nice, he justly considers to have strong claims upon our regard, though not to demand our faith; for having spoken of the creed promulgated by the Fathers that met at Nicæa, and noticed the fact that some persons did not receive the word "consubstantial," which they had introduced into it, he says," Whom any one might perhaps justly blame, and yet again might judge them excusable. For, on the one hand, not to follow the Fathers, and esteem their word of more authority than their own notions, is worthy of blame as a very arrogant thing; while again, on the other hand, to be suspicious of a word blamed by others, this seems pretty well to clear them from blame. For in truth those that met in the matter of Paul of Samosata, found fault with the phrase as not sounding appropriate."2

In all these passages, then, (which, if not all, are at least the strongest that can be brought from the writings of Basil that have any show of supporting the views of our opponents,) we find nothing which, when compared with his clear statements as to the claims of Holy Scripture, given above, presents any difficulty as to his views on the subject.

GREGORY OF NYSSA (fl. a. 370.)

From Basil let us pass to his brother, Gregory of Nyssa.

1 Έστι τοινυν εκ πατέρων εμπολιτευομενη τη εκκλησια ἡμων ἡ γραφείσα παρα των άγιων πατέρων πίστις, των κατα την Νικαιαν συνελθόντων. Ib.

σειεν.

2 Ους και μεμψαιτο αν τις δικαίως, και παλιν μεν τοι συγγνωμης αυτους αξιω Το μεν γαρ πατρασι μη ακολουθείν, και την εκείνων φωνην κυριωτέραν τίθεσθαι της ἑαυτου γνωμης, εγκλήματος αξιον, ὡς αυθάδειας γεμον. Το δε παλιν ὑφ' ἑτερων διαβληθεισαν αυτην ὑποπτον έχειν, τουτο πως δοκει του εγκλήματος αυτούς μετρίως ελευθερουν και γαρ τω οντι, οἱ επι Παύλω τω Σαμοσατει συνελο θοντες, διέβαλον την λέξιν ὡς ουκ ευσημον. Ep. ad Canonicas. ep. 52 §. 1. iii. 145.

First; Is Scripture solely and exclusively the authoritative rule of faith? The following passages will show us his opinion on this point.

In his treatise, "On the soul and the resurrection," written in the form of a dialogue between himself and his celebrated sister Macrina, he says,

"We have not this power, the power I mean of saying what we please, inasmuch as we use the holy Scripture as our rule for every doctrine and our law; and being under the necessity of referring to this, we receive that only whatsoever may be agreeable to the scope of what is there written." 1

And a little further on the dialogue runs thus ;—“ I think it behoves us to inquire, with respect to what has been said, whether that which divine inspiration has taught us is consonant with these things. But, said she, [i. e. Macrina] who could possibly deny, but that we must consider that alone to be truth for which there is the seal of Scripture testimony?" 2

Again; writing against Eunomius, he says,-" But let us proceed to that which follows of his discourse, after we have added a few words directed to the confirmation of our doctrine. For since the inspired testimony is the sure criterion of truth in the case of EVERY doctrine, I think it well to prove the truth of what I have said by citing the divine oracles.” 3

1 Ημεις δε της εξουσίας αμοιροι ταυτης εσμεν της λεγειν φημι ἅπερ βουλόμεθα, κανονι παντος δογματος και νομω κεχρημένοι τη άγια γραφη αναγκαίως προς ταυτην βλέποντες τουτο δεχόμεθα μόνον ότιπερ αν η συμφωνουν τω των γεγραμμενων σκοπω. GREGOR. NYSs. De anim. et resurrect. tom. ii. pp. 632, 3. ed. 1615-18. tom. iii. pp. 200, 1. ed. 1638.

2 Ζητειν οιμαι δειν επι τοις ειρημένοις, ει ἡ θεοπνευστος διδασκαλία τούτοις συμφέρεται. Ἡ δε, Καν τις αν αντειποι, φησι, μη ουχι εν τούτω μόνω την αλη θειαν τιθέσθω, ὦ σφραγις επεστι της γραφικής μαρτυρίας. Ib. tom. ii. p. 639. ed. 1615-18. tom. iii. p. 207. ed. 1638.

3 Ημεις δε προς τα εφεξης του λόγου προελθωμεν μικρων ετι προς σύστασιν του ἡμετέρου δόγματος προσδιορθηθεντων [? προσδιορθωθεντων] επειδη γαρ κριτήριον ασφαλες της αληθείας επι παντος δογματος ἡ θεοπνευστος εστι μαρτυρία, καλώς εχειν ἡγουμαι τη παραθέσει των θείων και τον ἡμετερον λογον πιστωσασθαι, Contr. Eunom. lib. i. Appendix, p. 82. ed. 1615—18. tom. ii. p. 346. ed. 1638.

And to the Holy Scripture he distinctly appeals, as the Judge of controversies among Christians.

In his Treatise respecting the Trinity, he says of certain heretics," They charge us with introducing novelties, forming their accusation against us thus. When we confess three hypostases, they accuse us of saying that there is one goodness, one power, and one Godhead. And they affirm this not without reason. For such is our language. But they blame us for this, and object against us that the faith, as customably received among them, contains not this, and the Scripture does not agree with it. What, then, do we say to this? We do not think it just that the custom that prevails among them should be made the law and rule of right doctrine. For if the plea of custom is valid as a proof of the correctness of what is said, it will be lawful for us also, without doubt, to bring forward in opposition the custom that prevails among us. But if they repudiate this, neither doubtless can we be called upon to follow them. Therefore let the inspired Scripture be the arbiter of the controversy between us, and the suffrage of the truth will, beyond doubt, fall to the lot of those whose doctrines shall be found agreeable to the divine words." 1 In these words, then, the Holy Scripture is clearly and distinctly put forward in that character to which Dr. Pusey and his party tell us it has no claim, and for a purpose which the same persons tell us it cannot fulfil, namely, as the proper

1 Αλλα καινοτομιαν ἡμῖν προφερουσιν, ούτωσι το εγκλημα καθ' ἡμων συντιθεντες· τρεις ὑποστασεις ὁμολογούντων, μιαν αγαθότητα, μιαν δυναμιν, και μιαν θεοτητα λεγειν ἡμας αιτιώνται. Και ουκ εξω τούτο της αληθειας φασιν λεγομεν γαρ, αλλ' [read φασιν λεγομεν γαρ. Αλλ'] εγκαλούντες τουτο προφερουσιν, ὅτι ἡ συνηθεια αυτών τουτο ουκ εχει, και η γραφη ου συντίθεται. Τι ουν και προς τούτο ήμεις; ου νόμιζομεν δικαιον είναι την παρ' αυτοις επικρατουσαν συνηθειαν νόμον και κανονα του ορθού ποιεισθαι λόγου. Ει γαρ ισχυρον εστι εις ορθότητα λογου ἡ συνήθεια, εξεσται και ημιν παντως αντιπροβαλλεσθαι την παρ' ήμιν επισ κρατουσαν συνηθειαν· ει δε παραγράφονται ταυτην εκείνοι, ουδε ήμιν παντως ακολουθητεον εκείνοις. Ούκουν ἡ θεοπνευστος ἡμιν διαιτησατω γραφή, και παρ' οἷς αν εύρεθη τα δογματα συνώδα τοις θείοις λόγοις, επι τουτοις ήξει παντως της αληθειας ἡ ψηφος. De S. Trin. tom. ii. pp. 439, 40. ed. 1615-18. tom. iii. p. 8. ed. 1638.