(and which we call not in question,) the only point on which he was insisting was, in reply to the objection that his doctrine needed logical demonstration, that being "the doctrine of the Evangelists and Apostles," it needed no such proof of its truth. But if it had further been questioned whether his doctrine really was " the doctrine of the Evangelists and Apostles," the passages we have quoted from him above clearly show to what he would have appealed as the Judge, namely, the testimony of Scripture. And his use of the words, " the Evangelists and Apostles," the usual phrase with the Fathers for the New Testament, strongly confirms this view.

EPHREM SYRUS (fl. a. 370.)

“The end and aim of piety," says Ephræm Syrus, “is clearly set before us; it consists, namely, in our believing agreeably to the sacred declarations of the Gospels, and the rest of the Holy Scriptures, giving ourselves up also to every good work, and to the cultivation of every virtue." 1

And again, he sums up the Christian's faith in a belief in those things that are written in the divine Scrip

tures." 2

AMBROSE (fl. a. 374.)

We come next to Ambrose, whose testimony is as follows.

"Trust to no one," he says, " to guide you, but where the light of that lamp [i. e. Scripture] goes before. For where you think it shines, there is a whirlpool; it seems to shine, but it defiles; and where you think that it is firm or dry, there it is slippery. And, moreover, if you

1 Σκοπος της ευσέβειας προκειμενος εις το πιστευειν κατα τας μερας των ευαγ γελίων και των λοιπων ἁγιων γραφων επαγγελίας, επιδίδοντας ἑαυτους εις παν έργον αγαθόν και εις πάσαν αρετης επιτηδευσιν. EPHREM. SYR. Instit. ad Monach. Op. ed. Rom. 1732 &s. tom. iii. p. 325.

2 Συ δε πιστευε, αγαπητε, τοις γεγραμμένοις εν ταις θείαις γραφαις. ID. In illud, Attende tibi ipsi. cap. 4. Ib. tom. i. p. 234.

have a lamp, the way is long. Therefore let faith be the guide of your journey; let the divine Scripture be your path. Excellent is the guidance of the heavenly word. From this lamp light your lamp; that the eye of your mind, which is the lamp of your body, may give light.”

Again, he says,-"I read that he is first, I read that he is not second; let those who say that he is second, show where they read it."

Again; "I would not, O sacred Emperor, that you should trust to argument, and any reasoning of mine; let us inquire of the Scriptures; let us interrogate the Apostles; let us interrogate the Prophets; let us interrogate Christ."3

So far from making his interpretation of Scripture part of the rule of faith, as derived from "tradition," or on any other ground, he entreats the emperor not to trust to his explanation of the matter, but to go to Scripture as that upon which alone his faith should be founded, and make Scripture the judge of the controversy.

And to the same effect he speaks in other places of the same work. As also elsewhere. "I would not that my statement should be trusted, let the Scripture be recited."5 Other passages might be quoted confirmatory of the same view.6

Nulli credas tuum, nisi præeunte lucernæ istius luce, processum. Nam ubi putas quod luceat, gurges est: videtur lucere sed polluit; et ubi putas solidum esse vel siccum, ibi lubricum est. Sed et si lucerna tibi, iter longius sit. Sit ergo fides tibi itineris tui prævia, sit tibi iter Scriptura divina. Bonus est cælestis ductus eloquii. Ex hac lucerna accende et tu lucernam; ut luceat interior oculus tuus, qui lucerna est tui corporis. AMBROS. In Psalm. 118. Serm. 14. § 11. Op. tom. i. col. 1143. ed. Bened. Paris. 1686.

2 Lego quia primus est, lego quia non est secundus. Illi qui secundum aiunt, doceant lectione. ID. De instit. virg. c. 11. i. 265.

3 Sed nolo argumento credas, sancte Imperator, et nostræ disputationi : Scripturas interrogemus, interrogemus apostolos, interrogemus prophetas, interrogemus Christum. ID. De fide lib. 1. c. 6. ii. 451.

4 See ib. c. 16. ii. 464.

5 Nolo nobis credatur, Scriptura recitetur. ID. De incarn. Dominic. Sacram. c. 3. ii. 706.

6 See in Psalm. 118. Serm. 8. § 59. i. 1078. et Expos. Evang. sec. Luc. lib. 8. § 19. i. 1474.

And, as it respects more particularly the exclusiveness and completeness of Scripture as our only divine revelation, he says, "How can we use those things which we do not find in the Holy Scriptures ?" 1

Again, more pointedly, commenting on Matth. xxi. 12 (or Luke xix. 45) he says, "The Lord's money is the divine Scripture; for when about to depart, he distributed pence to his servants, and divided talents; and for the cure of the wounded man, left two pieces of money to the keeper of the inn; for, by the two Testaments, our wounds are cured."2

Similar passages might easily be added.3

And here we may notice also that, as it respects the full delivery of the Nicene doctrine of the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father, the author of the Treatise, "On the orthodox faith against the Arians," attributed to Ambrose, and admitted by the Benedictines to be an antient and beautiful treatise, and referred to by Augustine, observes,-" Since, therefore, you may recognize this unity of substance in the Father and Son, not only by Prophetic but by Evangelical authority [passages from the prophets and the Gospel of John having been quoted in proof of it], how say you that 'consubstantial' is not found in the divine Scriptures; as if 'consubstantial' was anything else than what he says, 'I came forth from God the Father,' and 'I and the Father are one;' or what the prophets clearly intimate as to the substance of God?"4

Quæ in Scripturis sanctis non reperimus, ea quemadmodum usurpare possumus? ID. De offic. Ministr. lib. 1. c. 23. ii. 29.

2 Pecunia Domini Scriptura divina est; nam et denarios servis distribuit profecturus, et talenta divisit, et pro sanitate hominis vulnerati duo æra stabulario dereliquit ; duobis enim Testamentis vulnera nostra curantur. In. Expos. Evang. sec. Luc. lib. 9. § 18. i. 1498.

3 See De Paradiso, c. 12. i. 171. et Expos. in Psalm. 118. Serm. 18. § 37. i. 1206.

4 Cum ergo hanc unitatem substantiæ in Patre et Filio non solum Prophetica sed et Evangelica auctoritate cognoscas, quomodo dicis in Scripturis divinis dμoovetov non inveniri, quasi aliud sit óuoovetov quam quod dicit, Ego de

JEROME (fl. a. 378.)

We pass on to the celebrated Jerome.

"Our care is," says Jerome," to speak, not what each may be able or willing to speak, but what the Scriptures direct."1

"When anything appears to you harsh in my work, do not look at my words, but at Scripture, whence my words are derived."2

"It is to be proved by us, by the testimonies of the Holy Scriptures, in which God speaks every day to those who believe."3

"Lest you should cavil at all," he says to Helvidius, "and writhe yourself like a slippery snake, you must be bound by the chains of testimonies, lest you querulously murmur, and say that you are overcome rather by tortuous argumentations, than by the truth of Scriptures.' And this remark, be it observed, is made respecting a point which is expressly instanced by the Tractators as one that depends upon "tradition," and in which "tradition" is a sufficient informant, namely, the perpetual virginity of the mother of our Lord.

Again; "Moreover, since the Lord's flesh is meat indeed, and his blood drink indeed, by consequence we have this only good in the present life, to feed upon his flesh

Patre exivi, et, Ego et Pater unum sumus; vel quod prophetæ ex aperto substantiam Dei intimabant? De fide orthodoxa contr. Arian. c. 5. Inter op. AMBROS. Tom. 2. App. Col. 351, 2.

Nobis curæ est, non quod unusquisque possit aut velit, sed quid Scripturæ præcipiant dicere. HIERON. Ep. ad Pammach. contr. Jovin. ep. 48. § 15. Op. ed. Vallars. Venet. 1766, &s. Tom. i. col. 228.

2 Quando aliquid tibi asperum videtur in nostro opusculo, non ad mea verba respicias, sed ad Scripturam, unde mea tracta sunt verba. ID. ib. § 20. i. 233.

3 Quod nobis sanctarum Scripturarum testimoniis asserendum est, in quibus quotidie credentibus loquitur Deus. ID. Ep. ad Ctesiph. ep. 133. § 13. i. 1042.

Ne in aliquo cavilleris, et te quasi lubricus anguis evolvas, testimoniorum stringendus es vinculis, ne querulus sibiles et dicas, te magis argumentationibus tortuosis quam Scripturarum veritate superatum. ID. Adv. Helvid. § 14. ii. 221.

and drink his blood, not only sacramentally, but also in the reading of the Scriptures. For the true meat and drink which is taken from the word of God, is the knowledge of the Scriptures."1

"The error, neither of parents nor ancestors, is to be followed; but the authority of the Scriptures, and the government of God as our teacher."

"All the questions raised by the heretics and the heathen are the same, because they do not follow the authority of the Scriptures, but the sense of human reason."3

"For all questions let us seek for suitable beams from the testimonies of the Scriptures, and cut them down, and build the house of wisdom within us."4

A still more remarkable testimony occurs in his comment on Haggai, where he thus speaks. "The other things, also, which they find and feign, of themselves, without the authority and testimonies of the Scriptures, as IF BY APOSTOLICAL TRADITION, the sword of God [the word of God in the Scriptures] strikes down."5

Again; "They therefore err, because they know not the Scriptures; and because they are ignorant of the Scriptures, they consequently know not the power of God; that is, Christ, who is the power of God, and the wisdom of God."6

1 Porro quia caro Domini verus est cibus, et sanguis ejus verus est potus, juxta avaywyn hoc solum habemus in præsenti sæculo bonum, si vescamur carne ejus et cruore potemur, non solum in Mysterio sed etiam in Scripturarum lectione. Verus enim cibus et potus, qui ex verbo Dei sumitur, scientia Scripturarum est. ID. In Eccles. c. 3. iii. 413.

Nec parentum nec majorum error sequendus est; sed auctoritas Scripturarum et Dei docentis imperium. ID. In Jerem. c. 9. vv. 12-14. iv. 907. 3 Omnes hæreticorum et gentilium quæstiones eædem sunt, quia non Scripturarum auctoritatem sed humanæ rationis sensum sequuntur. ID. In Os. c. 7. vi. 80, 81.

✦ Ad singula problemata, congrua de testimoniis Scripturarum ligna quarentes, præcidamus ea, et ædificemus domum sapientiæ in nobis. ID. In Agg. c. 1. vv. 7, 8. vi. 747.

5 Sed et alia quæ absque auctoritate et testimoniis Scripturarum quasi traditione Apostolica sponte reperiunt atque confingunt, percutit gladius Dei [i. e. sermo Dei]. ID. In Aggæum c. 1. vv. 11, 12. vi. 749.

6 Propterea errant, quia Scripturas nesciunt; et quia Scripturas ignorant, consequenter nesciunt virtutem Dei, hoc est, Christum qui est Dei virtus et Dei sapientia. ID. In Matth. c. 22. v. 29. vii. 178.