"The teaching of the evangelical volumes is full of every kind of perfection." 1

PROSPER (fl. a. 444.)

Prosper giving a figurative interpretation to those words, "who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain," (Ps. civ. 2.) or skin, as he translates it, says,-" that the holy Scripture is called heaven, the authority of which God at the beginning placed as a firmament in his Church, and which by the ministry of preachers he extended as a skin over the whole world." An interpretation whimsical enough doubtless, but showing nevertheless the view he took of the exclusive claims of Scripture.

And in another work passing under his name, it is said, “What, therefore, may be the causes of these differences under the same dispensation of grace, or what the reasons, who shall say, since the Holy Scriptures do not say?" 3

COSMAS INDICOPLEUSTES (fl. a. 535.)

"It behoveth not a perfect Christian," saith Cosmas, "to attempt to confirm anything from those [writings] that are doubted of, the canonical and commonly received Scriptures explaining all things sufficiently, both concern

'Evangelicorum voluminum plenam omni perfectionis genere doctrinam. Ib. Lib. iii. p. 45.

2 Extendens cœlum sicut pellem'. . . . Si figuratam significationem adnitamur inspicere, invenimus extendere Deum cœlum sicut pellem, cum intelligimus Sanctam Scripturam cœlum appellatum, cujus auctoritatem primo quasi firmamentum in Ecclesia sua posuit, et quam super omnem orbem terrarum per ministeria prædicantium quasi pellem extendit. PROSPER. In Psalm ciii. [al. civ.] Op. ed. Par. 1711. col. 382.

* Quæ itaque causæ sint harum sub eadem gratia dissimilitudinum, quæve rationes, sanctis Scripturis non loquentibus quis loquetur? De vocat. gent. lib. ii. c. 9. Op. col. 895. This work, however, is supposed by Vossius to have been written by Prosper Aurelianensis, who lived at the beginning of the next century. (See Cave.) The reader may, therefore, if he please, refer it to that period.

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ing the heavens and the earth and the elements, and every doctrine received by Christians." And surely such a man, who had travelled far and wide, was likely, if any, to take a catholic view of the matter.

ANASTASIUS OF ANTIOCH (fl. a. 561.)

We cannot well have a clearer testimony upon the whole of the first four points than what is contained in few words in the following remark of Anastasius.

"It is clear," he says, "that those things which the divine Scripture has passed over are not to be inquired into; for all things which tend to our profit the Holy Spirit has dispensed and administered to us." This brief sentence will be found, upon consideration, to include everything for which we contend.

GREGORY (fl. a. 590.)

We close our list with the celebrated Gregory. Commenting on Job xxviii. 1. "There is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it,” he says,- "By silver eloquence, by gold celebrity of life or wisdom, is usually designated. And since the heretics so boast of the beauty of their eloquence, that they care not to strengthen themselves by the authority of the sacred books, (which books are as certain veins of silver in respect to what we say, since from them we derive what we say,) he recalls them to the pages of sacred authority, that if they wish to speak the truth, they ought to take from thence what they say. And he says, The silver has the sources of

1 Ου χρη ουν τον τελειον χριστιανον εκ των αμφιβαλλομένων επιστηριζεσθαι, των ενδιάθετων και κοινως ὡμολογημένων γραφων ἱκανως παντα μηνυόντων, περι τε των ουρανών και της γης και των στοιχείων και παντος του δογματος των Χριστ TIAVOV. COSM. INDIC. De Mundo, lib. vii. in Coll. Nov. Script. Montf. vol. ii. p. 292.

2 Quod quæ silentio præteriit Scriptura divina non sint scrutanda, est perspicuum. Omnia enim quæ faciunt ad nostram utilitatem dispensavit et administravit Spiritus Sanctus. ANASTAS. ANTIOCH. Anag. Contempl. in Hexam. lib. viii. init. (Bibl. Patr. ed. Col. 1618, et seq. Tom. vi. P. 1. p. 666.)

its veins;' as if he were clearly to say, He who would prepare himself to preach the true gospel, must take the grounds of his arguments from the sacred pages, that he may reduce everything he says to the foundation of divine authority, and upon it build the edifice of his speech."1

And to Scripture he sends us as the Judge of controversies. “A man full of right faith . . . . collects together those very testimonies of Holy Scripture which the heretic produces, and thence refutes his error . . . . When we overcome the heretics, boasting and bringing against us sentences of Holy Scripture, by the same words and sentences which they adduce, we as it were behead the proud Goliath with his own sword. Therefore the just man is clothed with those garments which the unjust prepares ; because the holy man uses the same passages in support of the truth by which every perverse heretic endeavours to show himself learned against the truth."

Moreover, in his view Scripture declares the whole faith; for "by it," he says, "God speaks all he desires." 3

Job xxviii. 1. Habet argentum, venarum suarum principia; et auro locus est in quo conflatur.' In argento eloquium, in auro vitæ vel sapientiæ claritas designari solet. Et quia hæretici sic de eloquii sui nitore superbiunt, ut nulla sacrorum librorum auctoritate solidentur, (qui libri ad loquendum nobis quasi quædam argenti venæ sunt, quia de ipsis locutionis nostræ originem trahimus) eos ad sacræ auctoritatis paginas revocat: ut si vere loqui desiderant, inde sumere debeant quid loquantur. Et ait, Habet argentum, venarum suarum principia.' Ac si aperte dicat; Qui ad veræ prædicationis verba se præparat, necesse est ut causarum origines a sacris paginis sumat, ut omne quod loquitur ad divinæ auctoritatis fundamentum revocet, atque in eo ædificium locutionis suæ firmet. GREGOR. M. Moral. sive Expos. in Job. Lib. xviii. c. 26. (Op. ed. Bened. Par. 1705. Tom. i. col. 573.)

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* Vir recta fide plenus ea ipsa Scripturæ sacræ quæ hæreticus affert testimonia colligit, et erroris ejus pertinaciam inde convincit. . . . cum superbientes hæreticos et sacræ Scripturæ sententias deferentes eisdem verbis atque sententiis quas proferunt vincimus, quasi elatum Goliam suo gladio detruncamus. Justus ergo vestitur eis vestimentis quæ præparat injustus; quia vir sanctus eisdem sententiis ad veritatem utitur quibus se perversus quisque doctum ostendere contra veritatem conatur. ID. Moral. sive Exp. in Job. c. xxvii. vv. 16, 17. Lib. xviii. c. 16. Tom. i. col. 566, 7.

3 Per eam [i. e. Scripturam] Deus loquitur omne quod vult. ID. ibid. Lib. xvi. c. 35. Tom. i. col. 517.

"In this volume, all things that edify, all things that instruct, are contained in writing."

Again, commenting on the passage, "They dwell by the abundant rivers," he says, "While they adhere altogether to the directions of Scripture, so as to do nothing but what the Scriptures exhort, they as it were evade the enemy, by throwing themselves into the water. And they [i. e. the Scriptures] are called abundant rivers, because on whatsoever points of difficulty counsel is sought in the Scriptures, it is found there fully on all points, without any deficiency."

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"Elihu, foreseeing that God would form the Holy Scripture, that in it he might reply to both the public and private questions of all, says, Do you contend with him for not having answered all your words? God will speak once, and will not a second time repeat the same thing.' As if he should say, God answers not the hearts of each individual by secret words, but constructs such a speech as that by it he may satisfy the questions of all. To wit in the declarations of his Scripture we each, if we seek, find what we are inquiring for." 3

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What, indeed, is the Holy Scripture, but a Letter of the omnipotent God to his creature? . . . . Study, therefore, I beseech you, and daily meditate upon the words of 1 In hoc volumine cuncta quæ ædificant omnia quæ erudiunt scripta continentur. ID. In Ezech. lib. i. hom. 9. ad fin. Tom. i. col. 1264.

2 Resident juxta fluenta plenissima'. . . . . Dum se consiliis Scripturæ ex toto addicunt, ut videlicet nihil agant nisi quod ex responso Scripturarum audiunt, quasi in aquam se projicientes hosti illudunt. Quæ fluenta plenissima dicuntur, quia de quibuscumque scrupulis in Scripturis consilium quæritur sine minoratione de omnibus ad plenum invenitur. ID. In Cant. c. 5. v. 12. Tom. iii. P. 2. col. 440.

3 Eliu autem prævidens quod Scripturam sacram Dominus conderet, ut in ea vel publicis vel occultis cunctorum quæstionibus responderet, ait, • Adversus eum contendis, quod non ad omnia verba responderit tibi. Semel loquetur Deus et secundo id ipsum non repetet.' Ac si diceret,-Deus singulorum cordibus privatis vocibus non respondet, sed tale eloquium construit per quod cunctorum quæstionibus satisfaciat. In Scripturæ quippe ejus eloquio causas nostras singuli, si requirimus, invenimus. ID. Moral. sive Expos. in Job. Lib. xxiii. c. 19. Tom. i. col. 747.

your Creator; learn the mind of God in the words of God."

SECT. IV.-WHETHER SCRIPTURE IS THE SOLE DIVINE Rule OF PRACTICE.

I Now proceed to consider the testimony of the Fathers on the question, Whether Scripture is the sole divine Rule of practice.

That it is so on all matters necessary to salvation, the passages we have already quoted in the last section, are, I hope, amply sufficient to prove to have been the general opinion of the Fathers, and one which they very earnestly insisted upon.

But, as it respects the question whether there are any rites or practices among non-essentials, not mentioned in Scripture, which have an indubitable right to be considered as of Apostolical institution, and a proportionate claim upon our regard, I admit that some of the Fathers appear occasionally inclined to support the affirmative.

Nevertheless, even here we maintain that some of them have distinctly advocated the view for which we contend; and that others who appear in some parts of their writings to take the opposite view, have elsewhere so modified those statements, as to leave their testimony, upon the whole, but little different, to all practical purposes, to that of the former; and further that, even were it not so, our opponents, both Romanists and Tractators, could not consistently maintain that such (supposed) Apostolical traditions are obligatory on us, because they do not themselves adopt them all.

First, then, we maintain that some of the Fathers distinctly advocate the view that in all points Holy Scripture is the sole divine Rule of practice.

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1 Quid est autem Scriptura sacra nisi quædam Epistola omnipotentis Dei ad creaturam suam? . . Stude ergo, quæso, et quotidie Creatoris tui verba meditare; disce cor Dei in verbis Dei. ID. Epist. lib. iv. Ep. 31. ad Theodorum Medicum. Tom. ii. col. 712.