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basis, who has bestowed on it the power of opening the gates of heaven to all true believers, and shutting them to all heretics and infidels: it likewise has the power of pardoning and absolving sins, and excommunicating all such as are disobedient*.-This Church is both triumphant and militant: the former is the illustrious society of those blessed spirits and saints, who having triumphed over the world, the flesh and the devil, enjoy everlasting happiness in peace and security the latter is the congregation of all true believers upon earth, who are constantly obliged, during their whole lives, to resist the world, the flesh and the devil.-Jesus Christ is the immediate governor of that part of the Church which is triumphant in the heavens ; but as the Church militant required a visible head or director, he has substituted one in his room, who is accounted, by all true Catholics, as the sole and sovereign depository of the faith, and perpetual director of the belief of all true Christians,† who is commissioned to promote some of them to the highest preferments in heaven, and to confer on others such briefs as will one day entitle them thereunto: § it must not here be objected, that he breaks in upon the prerogative

*Catechism of the Council of Trent.

+ Monsieur Picart's Religious Ceremonies and Customs of all Nations, vol. i. p. 284.

The Canonization of Saints.

§ Beatification.

of Jesus Christ, since on the contrary no true believer can enter into heaven, but through the recommendation of this his visible vicegerent.

Besides the ecclesiastical laws and canons, which are the bulwark of the constitution of the Roman Church, there are other institutions of that Church more especially calculated for preserving an uniformity of faith among Christians. These formularies or creeds are chiefly three, viz. that called the Apostles, the Nicene, and the Athanasian, which it is not necessary here to repeat.

SECTION II.

Summary of the Catholic Doctrines, Opinions, &c. as contained in the Creed of Pope Pius IV., the Council of Trent, and other Authorities.

*

What follows is a summary of the doctrines, discipline, and ceremonies of the Church of Rome, as contained in Pope Pius's creed, and as those doctrines, &c. are expounded and enforced by various authorities.

* I omit the twelve first Articles: they are composed from the Nicene Creed, and are admitted by most Protestants.

"Art. XIII. I most firmly admit and embrace the apostolical and ecclesiastical traditions, and and all other observations and constitutions of the same Church."*

They affirm that divine truth, which we are all bound to receive, to be partly written, and partly delivered by word of mouth; which is more fully expressed in the preface to the Roman catechism, drawn up by order of the Church of Rome, where we find these words towards the conclusion of it:-" The whole doctrine to be delivered to the faithful is contained in the word of God, which word of God is distributed into scripture and tradition."†

"Art. XIV. I do admit the holy scriptures in the same sense that Holy Mother Church doth, whose business it is to judge of the true sense and interpretation of them, and I will interpret them according to the unanimous consent of the fathers."+

The Council of Trent decreed that the scripture alone is not a rule of faith without tradition,

* Pope Pius's Creed, Art. xiii.

+ Romish Catechism.

Pope Pius's Creed, Art. xiv.

and traditions are to be received with the like regard and veneration as the scriptures.*

The author of the Profession of Catholic faith, on the article of scripture and tradition, asks,

"Q. What do you believe concerning the scriptures?-A. That they are to be received by all Christians as the infallible word of God.

"Q. Do you look upon the scriptures to be clear and plain in all points necessary to salvation ?-A. No.

"Q. How then is the danger to be avoided?— A. By taking the meaning and interpretation of the scripture from the Church, and by apostolical and ecclesiastical tradition.

"Q. What do you mean by apostolical tradition?-A. All such points of faith or Church discipline which were taught or established by the apostles.

"Q. What difference is there between apostolical and ecclesiastical traditions?-A. Apostolical traditions are those which had their origin or institution from the apostles, such as infantbaptism, the Lord's day, (or first day of the

*Con. Trident. sess. iv.

week) receiving the sacrament, fasting, &c. Ecclesiastical traditions are such as received their institution from the Church, such as holidays, feasts, and fasts.

"Q. How are we to know what traditions are apostolical, and what not?-A. In the same manner, and by the same authority, by which we know what scriptures are apostolical, and what not; that is, by the authority of the apostolical Church, guided by the unerring spirit of God.

"Q. But why should not the scripture alone be the rule of our faith, without having recourse to apostolical traditions ?-A. First, Because without the help of apostolical traditions we cannot so much as tell what is scripture, and what not. Second, Because infant-baptism, and several other necessary articles, are either not at all contained in scripture, or at least are not plain in the scripture without the help of tradition. For Christ has left his Church, and her pastors and teachers, to be our guides in all controversies relating to religion, and consequently of holy writ."*

"Art. XV. I do profess and believe that there

* Profession of Catholic Faith, p. 19.

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