phets, who were only occasionally favoured by his influence. But when we consider the mysterious union of the three persons in one God, which certainly implies unity of will and power, it appears to me we may safely grant that expressions of this sort are sometimes used to signify an attribute, an energy, operation, quality, or power of God, without injury to the doctrine we maintain, which is clearly established by so many passages in Scripture.

The earliest controversy upon the subject of this article was that occasioned by Macedonius", bishop of Constantinople, in the middle of the fourth century, who denied the divinity of the Holy Ghost, and was on that account deposed from his bishopric.

ARTICLE THE SIXTH.

OF THE SUFFICIENCY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE FOR
SALVATION.

Holy Scripture containeth all Things necessary to Salvation; so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any Man, that it should be believed as an Article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to Salvation. In the Name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose Authority was never any doubt in the Church.

a Macedonius was deposed by the synod of Constantinople in the year 360, and his doctrines were formally condemned in the second general council held in 381.

It was after his deposition that he formed the party known by his name. Socratis Hist. lib. ii. c. 38. 42.45.-EDITOR.

And the other books (as Hierome saith) the Church doth read for example of life and instruction of manners; but yet it doth not apply them to establish any doctrine. Such are these following:

All the books of the New Testament as they are commonly received, we do receive, and account them canonical.

WE have seen that the first five Articles relate to the foundation of all religion, the existence of a

God, and to the characteristic doctrines of the Christian religion, concerning the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The next point to be settled is the rule of our faith and practice; this is a subject upon which there is a material difference between the Church of Rome and the Church of England, and to that difference this Article is directed.

The divine Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, and consequently their truth and obligation, is allowed both by papists and by the members of our church: but the papists assert that the books of the New Testament do not contain the whole rule of a Christian's faith and practice; they believe that the Apostles orally delivered many doctrines and precepts of the highest importance to our eternal happiness, which are not contained in the New Testament; and they further believe, that these doctrines and precepts have been faithfully transmitted to the present time; and that there is an infallible authority, vested by Christ in his church, to judge of their correctness, and to distinguish those which are true from those which are false.a On the contrary, we of the Church of England affirm, that the Scriptures contain a complete rule of faith and practice, and we reject every doctrine and precept as essential to salvation, or to be obeyed as divine, which is not supported by their authority.

a

It does not appear that there is any collection of these traditions, which is considered as authentic by papists. The Jewish traditions

were collected into a book, and comments written upon them, as has been before observed, Part I. chap. iv.

In proof of the former part of this Article we may first observe, that oral tradition, on account of the prodigious length to which human life was at first extended, had greater advantages in the early ages of the world than it could have in any subsequent period. Methuselah lived about 300 years while Adam was alive, and Shem lived almost 100 years with Methuselah, and above 100 years with Abraham; but though it thus appears that two intermediate persons, namely, Methuselah and Shem, were sufficient to convey any tradition from Adam to Abraham, yet the simplicity and purity of the primeval religion were so grossly corrupted in the days of Abraham, that all knowledge of the one true God would have been utterly extinguished, and idolatry would have prevailed universally, if it had not pleased the Almighty to reveal himself in an especial manner to Abraham and his posterity, and to separate them from the rest of mankind. If to this experience of former times, we add the observation which must have occurred to every one concerning the inaccuracy of reports upon the plainest matter of fact, we may conclude that oral tradition is altogether incompetent to transmit to us, from the time of the Apostles, any doctrines or precepts in which our eternal salvation is concerned. Surely, therefore, it ought not to be believed, that points of such importance would be trusted to so doubtful a conveyance. It is certain that the Evangelists and Apostles have delivered to us in writing some articles of faith and some rules of

practice, as essential to salvation; but if some, why not all? Is it probable that we should receive part of our religion in writing, and part by oral tradition? Is there any mention in the New Testament of authentic tradition, which was to be added to the written word of God? of any defects in the Gospels, which the church was to supply by her unwritten precepts and doctrines?

But let us consider the case of the Mosaic dispensation, which was introductory to the Gospel, and was derived from the same divine origin. The law of Moses was delivered on Mount Sinai under the most striking and impressive circumstances, and it contained rites and feasts calculated to preserve the memory of it; it was temporary, and confined to a single people, who were kept united, and were not permitted to mix with other nations; it consisted chiefly of ordinances, which were to be performed, without any great interval of time, at one place: and yet the whole of this religion, thus suited, if any could be, to oral tradition, was, by the express command of God, committed to writing. On the other hand, the Christian religion is designed for the whole world, for men of all countries, languages, and times, and every part of the worship enjoined by it may be performed in any part of the earth. Surely then we may conclude that the whole of the Christian religion was committed to writing-that God would make the same provision for the preservation of the universal religion of mankind, which he did for the partial religion of the Jews. St. John,