118 ??,n?o?. [*Boo.r L flint on a Sunday, end to pray to God kneeling. From Easter to Whit- suntide we enjoy the same privilege. We take gre? cam not to suffer any of the wine and consecrated bread to fall to the ground. We often sign ourselves with the sign of the cross; if you demand a law for these practices, taken from Scripture, we cannot find one there; but we must answer, that it is tradition that has established them, custom that has authorized them, and faith that has made them to be observed."* From the foregoing it is clear that many things, such as triple immer- sion, giving milk and honey to the baptized, &c., were considered ?s ?ery importsat u-sditions. Yet these and many other such the Church of Rome has long since abandoned or never received. And for the same reason she should reject many more which she has received on inadequate authority. Clemens of Alexandria, who flourished from 196 to 220, and died in 220, in his $?romata employs the following language :--" He hath lost the being a man of God, and of being faithful to the Lord, who hath kicked against ecclesiastical tradition, and truth turned to the opinions of human hereales." And what this ecclesiastical tradition is, he ex- plains in what follows :--" But he who, returning out of error, obeys the Scriptures, and hath intrusted his life to truth, he is, of a man, in a manner made a god. For the Lord is the principle of our doctrine. who by the prophets and the gospel and the blessed apostles, at sundry times, and in divers manners, leads us from the beginning to the He that is faithful of himself is worthy of faith in the voice and Scrip- ture of the Lord, which is usually exercised through the Lord to the benefit of men, for this Scripture we use for the finding out of things this we use as the ride of judging. But if it be not enough to speak our opinions absolutely, but that we must prove what we say, we expect no testimony that is given by men, but by the voice of the Lord we prove the question; end this is more worthy- of belief than any demon- stration; by which knowledge, they who have tasted of the Scripture alone are faithful." Afterward he tells us how the Scriptures are a perfect demonstration of the faith: "Perfectly demonstrating out of the Scriptures themselves, concerning themselves, we speak or persuade demonstratively of the faith; although even they that go after here,lea do dare to use the Scriptures of the prophets. But for it, they use not all, neither them that are perfect, nor as the whole body and contexture of the prophecy does dictate: but choosing out those things which �"Denique ut a baptismate ingrain, aquam adituri, ibidem, s?! et aliquanto prius in ecclesia mb ?ntistitis maau eontestamur, no? renuntiare diabolo, et ?p? et au$?dis ejus. Dehinc ter mergitamur amplius atiquid respondentes quam dommus in Evangelio determinavit. Inde suscepti !actis et roeIlls eoncordiam pr?gustamus: exque ea die lavacro quo?idiano per totam hoMomadam abstinemus. Eucharistira memm?nmm et in tempore vicms, et omm3us mandatum a domino, etiem antelucani8 c?u'bus nee de aliorum manq quam p_rmsidentiurn sumimus. Oblationes pro defunctis, pro rmtalitiis, annus die fatirons. Die dominico jejunium nefss dueirons, vel genieviis adorare. Eadem irnmunitate a die Pasch? in Pent,.co, ten u?ue gaudemus. Oalieis aut panis etiarn nostri, ?liquid decuti in tarram anxie patimur. Ad oranera progremum a?lue promotum, ad oranera aditum zt exiturn. ad vestimm e? calceaxum. ad lawcta, ad aura,as. ad lumina, ?d cubilia, ad sealilia, qua? cumque no? convertorio ?xareet, frontare sigm- culo terimus. "Haturn et aliarum ejusmodi disciplinamm si legera expoatules 8c?ipturanua, ilaveniea; traditio tibi prmtend?tur auetrix, coninlet?do co!?xll?aa?ix, mt flli? nul? vatrix.*v?rt?d. dg (?orontt i�//n't/t., c. 3, et 4, tom. l, p. 206. !
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