believed obscurely, be it illustrated by thy exposition; what antiquity but darkly venerated, let posterity learn from thee to apprehend, ever remembering so to teach what thou hast learned, that the teacher be new, not the teaching. "Shunning profane novelties of words." "Shun," he says, "as if a viper, or scorpion, or basilisk, whose very sight and breath—not touch only—may blast thee." Shun, in what way? "With such a one, no, not to eat." "If any one come to you, and bringeth not this doctrine;"—What doctrine, but the Catholic and universal, that one and the same doctrine remaining age after age by an incorrupt tradition of the truth, and ever so to remain on into everlasting ages? To proceed: "receive him not into your home, nor give him greeting; for he who gives him greeting, shares in his evil works." "Profane novelties of words;" that is, such as have nothing sacred or religious in them; such as are altogether outside the Church's shrine, which is the temple of God. "Novelties of words;" that is, of doctrines, subjects, statements, contrary to antiquity. If these be admitted, the creed of the Sainted Fathers must necessarily be violated, in whole or part; all believers of all ages, all the saints, all the religious brethren, and virgin sisters, all the clergy, Levites, and priests, so many thousand of Confessors, so many armies of martyrs, so many populous cities and countries, so many islands, provinces, kings, nations, kingdoms, families, nay almost the whole compass of the world, incorporated, as it is, through the Catholic faith, into Christ the head, in so long a series of years, must necessarily be judged to have been ignorant, to have erred, to have blasphemed.
"Profane novelties;" such namely, as were never followed or admitted by Catholics, but by heretics ever. For in good sooth, when was there ever an heresy, which did not spring up under a certain designation, at a certain place, at a certain time? Who ever established a heresy, except he first separated himself from the accordant voice of Catholic universality and antiquity? The fact is clearer than day, as instances show. Who, before the
