P. I will tell you what our Religion is, It is Gods Word concerning things to be Believed and Done delivered partly in the Canonical Scriptures, and partly by ⟨p. 28⟩Oral Tradition, and received by the Church, and by it delivered to us. The Trent. Catech. Prefac. q. 12. saith,1 Omnis doctrinae ratio, quae fidelibus tradenda sit, verbo Dei continetur, quod in Scripturam, Traditionesque distributum est. The Reason of every doctrine which is to be delivered to the faithful, is contained in the Word of God, which is distributed into the Scripture and Traditions.
Vide Concil. Senonens. in Bin. Decr. 5. p. 671. & Concil. Tridentini Sess. 4. p. 802. — Perspiciensque hanc Veritatem & disciplinam contineri in libris sacris, & sine scripto Traditionibus, quae ex ipsius Christi ore ab Apostolis acceptae, & ab ipsi, Apostolis Spiritu sancto dictante quasi per manus traditae, ad nos usque pervenerunt, orthodoxorum patrum sententiam sequuta, omnes libros tam Veteris quam Novi Testamenti, nec non Traditiones ipsas, tum ad fidem, tum ad mores pertinentes, tanquam vel ore tenus a Christo, vel a Spiritu sancto dicta•as, & continua succession in Ecclesia Catholica conservatas, pari pietatis affectu & reverentia suscipit ac veneratur.
Bellarmin. de Verbo Dei, lib. 4. c. 2, 3. showeth the divers sorts of unwritten Traditions which are part of Gods Word: some de side, as the perpetual Virginity of Mary, that there are but four Gospels, &c. and some of Manners; as Crossing, Fast-days, &c. Easter, Whitsuntide, and other Festivals.
⟨p. 29⟩Veron de Reg. fid. cap. 2. saith,
[The total and only Rule of the Catholic faith, to which all are obliged under pain of Heresy and Excommunication, is Divine Revelation delivered to the Prophets and Apostles, proposed by the Catholic Church in her General Councils, or by her Universal practice, to be believed as an Article of Catholic faith.]
[All that is of this nature is an Article or doctrine of faith. And no other doctrine can be of faith, if either the first Condition fail, viz. Divine Revelation, or the second, which is a Proposal by the Universal Church.] p. 5. No doctrine grounded on Scripture diversly interpreted, either by the ancient Fathers or our Modern Doctors, is an Article of faith. For such a doctrine, though it may be revealed, yet the revelation is not ascertained to us, nor proposed by the Church:
P. I will tell you what our Religion is, It is Gods Word concerning things to be Believed and Done delivered partly in the Canonical Scriptures, and partly by ⟨p. 28⟩Oral Tradition, and received by the Church, and by it delivered to us. The Trent. Catech. Prefac. q. 12. saith,1 Omnis doctrinae ratio, quae fidelibus tradenda sit, verbo Dei continetur, quod in Scripturam, Traditionesque distributum est. The Reason of every doctrine which is to be delivered to the faithful, is contained in the Word of God, which is distributed into the Scripture and Traditions.
Vide Concil. Senonens. in Bin. Decr. 5. p. 671. & Concil. Tridentini Sess. 4. p. 802. — Perspiciensque hanc Veritatem & disciplinam contineri in libris sacris, & sine scripto Traditionibus, quae ex ipsius Christi ore ab Apostolis acceptae, & ab ipsi, Apostolis Spiritu sancto dictante quasi per manus traditae, ad nos usque pervenerunt, orthodoxorum patrum sententiam sequuta, omnes libros tam Veteris quam Novi Testamenti, nec non Traditiones ipsas, tum ad fidem, tum ad mores pertinentes, tanquam vel ore tenus a Christo, vel a Spiritu sancto dicta•as, & continua successione in Ecclesia Catholica conservatas, pari pietatis affectu & reverentia suscipit ac veneratur.
Bellarmin. de Verbo Dei, lib. 4. c. 2, 3. sheweth the divers sorts of unwritten Traditions which are part of Gods Word: some de side, as the perpetual Virginity of Mary, that there are but four Gospels, &c. and some of Manners; as Crossing, Fast-dayes, &c. Easter, Whitsontide, and other Festivals.
⟨p. 29⟩Veron de Reg. fid. cap. 2. saith,
[The total and only Rule of the Catholick faith, to which all are obliged under pain of Heresie and Excommunication, is Divine Revelation delivered to the Prophets and Apostles, proposed by the Catholick Church in her General Councils, or by her Universal practice, to be believed as an Article of Catholick faith.]
[All that is of this nature is an Article or doctrine of faith. And no other doctrine can be of faith, if either the first Condition fail, viz. Divine Revelation, or the second, which is a Proposal by the Universal Church.] p. 5. No doctrine grounded on Scripture diversly interpreted, either by the antient Fathers or our Modern Doctors, is an Article of faith. For such a doctrine, though it may be revealed, yet the revelation is not ascertained to us, nor proposed by the Church:
- 1Q. Was it from the Church that the first Church received it? Or was it not the same Divine Religion which the first Church (whether Council or Practicers) received without the Tradition of Council or Practicers? If so, this cannot be essential to Religion. If the Apostles words were to be believed, their proved Writings are to be believed. And their Writings were proved theirs before a General Council or Universal Practice witnessed it: Even by each Church and person that received any Epistle from any one of them.
