learn the truth thus, but from a few antient fallible authors. So, then, what is assumed must be, that, because Tertullian made such such an appeal to the Apostolical Churches of his day, therefore he would now have appealed to a few fallible antient authors, as affording infallible proof of what was the universal opinion of all the Apostolical Churches sixteen centuries ago.

And after all, as we have already observed, how limited is the creed he gives as established by the consent of the Apostolical Churches. If our opponents were as moderate as he is in this respect, we should feel little inclined to disturb their position. But when in the nineteenth century they pretend to a knowledge of antient catholic consent, more extensive and minute than Tertullian pretended to in the second century, let them beware how they claim him as a supporter of their pretensions.

And as to any notion that the Creed of the Apostolical Churches, as given by Tertullian, adds anything to Scripture, it is directly opposed to Tertullian's views, for he is most careful to maintain its identity with the declarations of Scripture.1

As Dr. Pusey, in the Tract to which we have referred in a former page, has referred to the work of a learned living prelate of our Church, on Tertullian, I willingly join him in the appeal; and the reader will find it distinctly stated by that learned author that Tertullian held that "the Scriptures contained the whole rule of faith,” 3 and that he agrees with Dr. Neander that, "though on some occasions the Christians of those days might appeal solely to the authority of tradition, they uniformly maintained that the doctrine of Christianity IN ALL ITS PARTS might be deduced from Holy Writ," and that "though

1 ID. De Præscr. cc. 33, 34, and 38. pp. 214 and 216. 2 See vol. i. p. 23 and 38.

3 The ecclesiastical history of the second and third centuries illustrated from the writings of Tertullian, by John, Bishop of Bristol. 2nd edit. 1826. p. 296.

4 Ib. Pref. pp. xvi., xvij.

interpretations which had received the sanction of the Church were not to be lightly rejected, yet the practice of Tertullian himself proves that he believed every Christian to be at liberty to exercise his own judgment upon them." 1

CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA. (fl. a. 192.)

We now come to Clement of Alexandria, one of the most learned of the early Fathers whose remains are extant, but one whose works, valuable as they are, exhibit strong traces of feelings and habits of thought derived more from human philosophy than from divine revelation.2

In entering upon a review of his opinions on the subject before us, we have at once to remark his advocacy of a notion somewhat similar to that of our opponents, and which might by an incautious reader be confounded with it, but which nevertheless is far from being the same, and moreover is one almost peculiar to himself, of the Fathers yet extant. It was his opinion, then, as we learn from Eusebius, that "the Lord, after his resurrection, conferred the gift of knowledge upon James the Just, John and Peter, which they delivered to the rest of the Apostles, and those to the seventy disciples."3 And in the first Book of his Stromata, he says that the teachers from whom he had learned the Christian doctrine, "preserved the true tradition of the blessed Gospel as delivered by Peter, and James, and John, and Paul, the holy Apostles, having received it in succession the son from his father, though few are like the fathers; and at length, by God's help, are depositing with us those seeds received from their fore

1 Ib. pp. 296, 7.

2 See especially the first book of his "Stromata."

3 Ο δε αυτός [i. e. Κλημης] εν ἑβδομω της αυτης ὑποθέσεως [i. e. Ὑποτυπωσεων], ετι και ταυτα περί αυτού φησιν· Ιακωβω τω δικαίω και Ιωαννη και Πετρω και μετα την αναστασιν παρεδωκε την γνωσιν ὁ Κύριος· οὗτοι τοις λοιποις Αποστολοις παρέδωκαν, οἱ δε λοιποι Αποστολοι τοις ἑβδομηκοντα. ΕUSEB. Hist. Eccl. lib. ii. c. 1. (Ed. Col. 1612.)

fathers and the Apostles." 1 A knowledge of this tradition he considers to be necessary to constitute a perfect Christian, whom he calls a Gnostic, distinguishing him from the ordinary Christian, whom he speaks of as having only common faith. 2

This "Gnostic tradition," however, as he frequently calls it,3 was not intended for Christians in general. The Lord, he tells us, "permitted the Divine mysteries and the holy light to be communicated to those who were capable of receiving them. He did not immediately reveal them to many, because they were not adapted to many, but to a few, to whom he knew them to be adapted, and who were both able to receive them and to be conformed to them. Secret things, like God, are entrusted to speech, not to writing." And hence he exhorts the Gnostic, "Be cautious in the use of the word, lest any one who has fallen in with the knowledge taught by you, and is unable to receive the truth, should disobey and be ensnared by it; and to those who come without understanding, shut the fountain, whose waters are in the deep, but give drink to those who are athirst for truth. Conceal, therefore, this fountain from those who are not able to receive the profundity of the knowledge. The Gnostic, who is master of this fountain, will himself suffer punishment, if he gives occasion to one who as yet is only conversant with little things of taking offence, and of being

1 Αλλ' οἱ μεν την αληθη της μακαρίας σώζοντες διδασκαλίας παραδοσιν, ευθύς απο Πετρου τε και Ιακώβου, Ιωαννου τε και Παύλου, των άγιων Αποστόλων, παις παρα πατρος εκδεχομενος, ολιγοι δε οἱ πατρασὶν ὁμοιοι, ηκον δη συν Θεώ και εις ήμας τα προγονικα εκείνα και Αποστολικα καταθησόμενοι σπέρματα. CLEM. ALEX. Strom. lib. i. pp. 322, 3. ed. Potter. Ox. 1715. (pp. 274, 5. edd. Par. 1641. and Col. 1688.)-See also Strom. lib. vi. p. 771, (or, 645.)

å

2 See Strom. lib. v. pp. 659, 60, (or, 557, 8.)

3 ID. Strom, lib. iv. p. 564, (or, 475) and lib. v. p. 683, (or, 577), &c.

4 Μεταδιδοναι δε των θείων μυστηριων και του φωτος εκείνου του άγιου τοις χωρειν δυναμένοις συγκεχώρηκεν [i. e. ὁ Κύριος]. Αντικα ου πολλοις απεκάλυψεν μη πολλων ην, ολίγοις δε οἷς προσηκειν ηπιστατο, τοις οιοις τε εκδεξασθαι και τυπωθηναι προς αυτα τα δε απορρητα, καθαπερ δ Θεος, λόγω πιστεύεται ου γραμμuri. ID. Strom. lib. i. p. 323, (or, 275.)

swallowed up as it were by the greatness of his discourse, or if he transfers one who is only an operative to speculation, and leads him away by occasion of a momentary faith [which has no solid grounds in his mind to rest upon]." 1

Of this tradition Clement professes to give in his Stromata some account, though not of the whole of it, concealing some part intentionally, as too profound for common ears, and delivering the rest so that a common reader would not understand its full Gnostic sense, and, moreover, acknowledging that some part of what had been delivered to him had escaped his recollection, not being committed to writing, and other parts partially obliterated by the lapse of time, a tolerably good proof of the insufficiency of oral tradition for the conveyance of truth. But we will quote his own words.

After stating that he is about to deliver the tradition which he had been taught by his Christian instructors, he adds," But I well know that many things have escaped us, having by the length of time fallen from my recollection, being unwritten, whence, in order to assist the weakness of my memory, and supply myself with a systematic exposition of the principal points, as a useful record for keeping them in remembrance, I have found it necessary to use this delineation of them. There are indeed some things which I do not recollect, for there was in those blessed men great power. And there are

1 Ίνα ουν μη τις τούτων εμπεσών εις την ύπο σου διδασκομένην γνωσιν, ακρατης γενόμενος της αληθείας, παρακούση τε και παραπεση, ασφαλης, φησι, περι την χρησιν του λογου γινου και προς μεν τους αλογως προσιόντας, αποκλειε την ζωσαν εν βάθει πηγην· ποτον δε ορεγε τοις αληθειας δεδιψηκοσιν. Επικρυπτόμενος δ' ουν προς τους ουχ οίους τε οντας παραδέξασθαι το βαθος της γνωσεως κατακαλυπτε τον λάκκον. Ο κύριος ουν του λακκου, ὁ γνωστικός, αυτός ζημιωθήσεται, φησι, την αιτίαν ὑπεχων του σκανδαλισθεντος, ήτοι καταποθέντος τω μεγέθει του λόγου, μικρολογου ετι οντος" η μετακίνησας τον εργατην επι την θεωρίαν, και αποστησας δια προφάσεως της αυτοσχεδίου πιστεως, ID. Strom. lib. v. p. 678, (or, 573.)

2 ID. Strom. lib. i. pp. 323, 4 (or, 275); and lib. vii. p. 901 (or, 766); and see lib. i. p. 326, (or, 278.)

some things which remained unnoted for some time, and which have now escaped me; and some things are nearly obliterated from my memory, perishing in my own mind, since such a service is not easy to those who are not experienced. But reviving the recollection of these things in my writings, I purposely omit some things, making a prudent choice, fearing to write what I even speak with caution and reserve; not in the spirit of envy, for that would be unjust, but fearing for my readers, lest by any means they should otherwise be made to fall, and we should be found putting, as those who speak in proverbs say, a sword into the hands of a child." 1

Now certainly our opponents have here a patron not only of oral tradition, but also of "reserve in the communication of religious knowledge," but unfortunately for their cause not the sort of tradition for which they are contending. The notion of this Gnostic tradition delivered only by our Lord to three or four of the Apostles, and disclosing certain hidden meanings of the truths and doctrines of Christianity not intended for Christians in general, is one of which Clement is, of those whose writings remain to us, almost the only supporter.

Nay, his statements on this point are directly opposed to those of Irenæus and Tertullian, who both inveigh strongly against any such notion. The former speaks of it as a tenet of the Carpocratian heretics, who, he tells us, "said that Jesus spoke some things privately in a mysterious manner to his disciples and Apostles, and com

1 Πολλα δε, εν οιδα, παρερρυηκεν ἡμας χρονου μηκει αγραφως διαπεσοντα. Όθεν το ασθενες της μνημης της εμης επικουφίζων, κεφαλαίων συστηματικήν εκθεσιν, μνημης ὑπομνημα σωτηριον πορίζων εμαυτω, αναγκαίως κεχρημαι τηδε τη ὑποτυπώσει. Εστι μεν ουν τινα μηδε απομνημονευθέντα ἡμιν πολλη γαρ ἡ παρα τοις μακαρίοις δυναμις ην ανδρασιν εστι δε και ανυποσημειωτα μεμενηκότα τω χρόνω & νυν απεδρα· τα δε, όσα εσβέννυτο, εν αυτη μαραινόμενα τη διάνοια, επει μη ραδιος ἡ τοιαδε διακονια τοις μη δεδοκιμασμενοις, ταυτα δε αναζωπυρων ύπομνημασι, τα μεν εκων παραπεμπομαι, εκλέγων επιστημόνως, φοβουμενος γράφειν, & και λεγειν εφυλαξαμην· ου τι που φθονων ου γαρ θεμις δεδιως δε αρα περι των εντυγχανόντων, μη πη έτερως σφαλειεν, και παιδι μαχαιραν, η φασιν οἱ παροιμιαζόμενοι,ορέγοντες ευρεθώμεν. Ib. Strom. lib. i. p. 324, (or, 276.)