The-papacy-its-history-dogmas-genius-and-prospects-wylie

POPISH RULE OF FAITH. 171Milner, " hold that tlie Word of God in general^ hoth writtenand imicritten,—in other words, the Bihle and tradition taJcentogether^—constitute the rule of faith, or method appointed byChrist for finding out the true religion.""* " Has traditionany connection with the rule of faith V it is asked inKeenan's Controversial Catechism. " Yes," is the answer," because it is a part of God's revealed Word, — properlycalled the unwritten Word, as the Scripture is called thewritten Word." " Are we obliged to believe what traditionteaches, equally with what is taught in Scripture V " Yes,we are obliged to believe the one as firmly as the other.""!-We may state, that the traditions which the Church ofRome has thus placed on a level with the Bible are thesupposed sayings of Christ and the apostles handed down bytradition. Of course, no proof exists that such things wereever spoken by those to whom they are imputed. Theyw^ere never known or heard of till the monks of the middleages gave them to the world. To apostolical is to be addedecclesiastical tradition, which consists of the decrees andconstitutions of the Church. It is scarcely a true accountof the matter to say that tradition holds an equal rank withthe Bible : it is placed above it. While tradition is alwaysemployed to determine the sense of the Bible, the Bible isnever permitted to give judgment on tradition. What, then,would the Church of Rome lose were the Bible to be setaside ? Nothing, clearly. Accordingly, some of her doctorshave held that the Scripturesthe Church has determined all truth.In the second place, Papists make theare now unnecessary, seeingChurch the infallibleinterpreter of Scripture. The Church condemns allprivate judgment, interdicts all rational inquiry, and tellsher members that they must receive the Scriptures only inthe sense which she is pleased to put upon them. She requiresall her priests at admission to swear that they will* Milner's End of Controversy, letter viii. ; Dublin, 1827.+ Controversial Catechism, by the Rev. S. Keenan,—Rule of Faitb,chap. vi. ; Edin. 1846.