everything that is not contained in the inspired Scripture, not being of faith, is sin."

We hence see how entire was his conviction that the word of God was only to be found in the Scriptures; and that the Scriptures were the entire and perfect rule of faith.

Moreover, in a treatise of the same kind, but thrown into the form of question and answer, we meet with several passages to the same effect.

The first is as follows,-" Whether it is lawful or desirable for any one to allow himself even to do or say what he thinks good, without the testimony of the inspired Scriptures:" and in his answer he discountenances such conduct. This goes much further than we should have any wish to contend for.

Again ;—" Whether it is desirable for new converts immediately to learn things from the Scriptures;" to which the answer is, that it is "proper and necessary that each one should learn that which is useful from the inspired Scripture, both for the establishment of his piety, and that he may not be accustomed to human traditions."3

Again;-"What mind ought a prelate to have in those things which he commands or appoints?" To which the reply is,-“ Towards God, as a servant of Christ, and a steward of the mysteries of God, fearing lest he should

1 Τι ίδιον Χριστιανου; πιστις δι' αγαπης ενεργούμενη. Τι ίδιον πιστεως ; αδιάκριτος πληροφορια της αληθειας των θεοπνεύστων ῥηματων, ουδενι λογισμω, ούτε ύπο φυσικής αναγκης εισαγομενω, ούτε προς ευσέβειαν εσχηματισμένω διασαλευομενη. Τι ιδιον πιστούς το εν τοιαύτη πληροφορια συνδιατιθεσθαι τη δυναμει των ειρημένων, και μηδεν τολμαν αθετείν η επιδιατασσεσθαι. Ει γαρ παν ὁ ουκ εκ πίστεως, ἁμαρτία εστιν, ὡς φησιν ὁ αποστολος, ή δε πιστις εξ ακοής, ή δε ακοη δια ῥήματος Θεου, παν το εκτος της θεοπνεύστου γραφης ουκ εκ πίστεως ον, ἁμαρτια Ip. ib. Reg. lxxx. c. 22, ii. 317.

εστιν.

2 Ει εξεστιν η συμφερει τινι ἑαυτω επιτρέπειν, και ποιειν η λεγειν ὁ νομίζει καλα, ανευ της μαρτυρίας των θεοπνεύστων γραφων. ID. Reg. brev. Interrog. 1. ii. 414.

* Ει συμφερει τοις αρτι προσερχομενοις ευθυς τα απο των γραφων εκμανθανειν ; Το προς την χρειαν έκαστον εκμανθάνειν εκ της θεοπνεύστου γραφής ακολουθον και αναγκαιον εις τε πληροφορίαν της θεοσεβειας, και ύπερ του μη προστ εθήσθηναι ανθρωπιναις παραδοσεσιν. Ip. ib. Interrog. et resp. xcv. ii.

449.

either speak or order anything beyond the will of God, as declared in the Scriptures, and be found a false witness of God, or sacrilegious, in either introducing anything foreign to the doctrine of the Lord, or omitting anything acceptable to God."1

To these testimonies, many others may be added from other parts of his works.

Thus, in his homily on repentance, he says,-" We shall treat of repentance from the Old and New Testament; for these are the Church's treasures."2

And, in a passage cited in a former part of this chapter, he says, speaking of a thing derived from "the Fathers," "But it is not sufficient for us that it is the tradition of the Fathers. For they also followed the mind of Scripture; having taken their first principles from the testimonies which, a short time since, we placed before you, from the Scripture."

Again;-"It is the duty of a pious mind to fear to speak of the Holy Spirit, things that are not mentioned in the Holy Scriptures; and to believe that the knowledge and accurate comprehension of the Holy Spirit, are reserved for us to the future world."4

Moreover, he very expressly refers to Scripture as the Judge of controversies, and that in the highest points of faith.

Thus, in his controversy with Eunomius, he says,"What mode of investigation could be more proper, than

δ

1 Ποταπον φρονημα οφείλει εχειν ὁ προεστως εν οἷς επιτάσσει η διατάσσεται. Resp. Προς μεν τον Θεον, ὡς ὑπηρετης Χριστου και οικονομος μυστηρίων Θεου φοβούμενος μη τι παρα το θέλημα του Θεου το εν ταις γραφαις ὁμολογουμενον η είπη η τύπωση, και εύρεθη ψευδομαρτυς του Θεου, η ἱεροσυλος, εν τω η επεισάγειν τι αλλότριον της του Κυριου διδασκαλίας, η παραλειψαι τι των αρεσκόντων Θεω. ID. ib. Interrog. et Resp. xcviii. ii. 450.

2 Λεξομεν περί μετανοίας εκ παλαιας τε και καινης. Ουτοι γαρ της εκκλησίας Ono avρol. ID. Homil. de Pænit. § 1. ii. 603.

3 ID. De Spir. S. c. 7. iii. 13. See p. 260 above.

4 Ευσεβούς γαρ εστι διανοιας τα αποσιωπηθεντα εν ταις ἅγιαις γραφαις ευλαβεισθαι επιφημίζειν το ἁγιω Πνευματι, πεπεισθαι δε την εμπειρίαν αυτού και ακριβη καταληψιν εις τον ύστερον ήμιν αποκεισθαι αιώνα. ID. Adv. Eunom. lib. iii. § 7. i. 278.

that we should compare what is said with the documents given to us by the Spirit, and receive that which we find to agree with them, and give no credence to that which is opposed to them, but avoid it as an enemy. First, therefore, let him show this, which of the sacred writers have called Christ an offspring and a thing made? What passages of the Scriptures has he to prove this?" 1

And in the Epistle to Eustathius, ascribed to him, occurs a similar and still stronger passage to the same effect; but as this Epistle is with greater probability attributed to his brother, Gregory of Nyssa, I shall cite it when considering the testimony of the latter.

Further, to the passages already quoted, declarative of the perfection of Scripture as the rule of faith, we may add the following; which occur, however, in Treatises placed by the Benedictines in their Appendix, as in their opinion not genuine works of Basil. The reader may judge for himself, as we need not their testimony.

"Believe those things that are written. What is not written inquire not into." 3

And elsewhere he tells us that "all the commands of Christ are written." 4

Now, from these passages, it is very obvious that if Basil has elsewhere advocated the views of the Tractators, he has most pointedly contradicted himself.

Let us see, however, whether he is so chargeable.

The chief passage always adduced from him against our views is from the latter part of the Treatise on the

Τις αν ουν τροπος της εξετάσεως δικαιότερος γενοιτο, η τοις διδαγμασι τοις παρα του Πνευματος ἡμῖν δεδομενοις τον λόγον συγκρίνοντας, ὁ μεν αν εκείνοις συμφωνουν εύρωμεν καταδεχεσθαι, τω δε εναντιως έχοντι απιστείν και ὡς εχθρον αποφευγειν; Πρωτον τοινυν εκείνο δεικνύτω, τινες των ἁγιων γεννημα και ποιημα τον Χριστον προσειρήκασι ; ποιας έχει φωνας των γραφων εις αποδειξιν ; ID. Adv. Eunom. lib. ii. § 2. i. 238, 9.

2 In. Epist. 189. § 3. iii. 277.

3 Τοις γεγραμμένοις πιστευε, τα μη γεγραμμενα μη ζητει. ID. Homil. adv. calumn. S. Trin. § 4. ii. 611.

Ει μη παντα ἡμιν προς τον της σωτηρίας σκοπον αναγκαια ην, ουτ' αν εγρα φησαν πᾶσαι αἱ εντολαι, ID. Serm. de virt. et vit. § 1. iii. 469.

Holy Spirit, and consequently from a portion of the works attributed to him, which has been very generally adjudged by our best divines, and by Erasmus, if not others, among the Romanists, to be spurious. To the judgment of Erasmus and of Bishop Jeremy Taylor, Bishop Stillingfleet and Robert Cooke, of our own divines, I have already directed the attention of the reader. And to these we may add many others.

Thus Bishop Patrick says of it, that it is "a counterfeit part of a book of St. Basil, into which somebody hath foisted a discourse about Tradition, which as it belongs not at all to his subject, so it contradicts his sense in another place; particularly in his book of Confession of Faith, where he saith, 'It is a manifest infidelity and arrogance, either to reject what is written, or to add anything that is not written.' But admit those words which this man quotes to be St. Basil's, they are manifestly false by the confession of the Roman church in that sense wherein he takes them. For if those things which he reckons up as Apostolical traditions have equal force with those things which are written in the Scripture, how comes the Church of Rome to lay aside several of them? For instance, the words of invocation at the ostension of the bread of the eucharist and the cup of blessing; the consecration of him that is baptized; standing in prayer on the first day of the week and all the time between Easter and Whitsuntide? And how comes it about that others of them are left at liberty, such as praying towards the East, and the threefold immersion in baptism? Both which they themselves acknowledge to be indifferent; and yet are mentioned by this false St. Basil (so I cannot but esteem him that wrote this) among the things which are of equal force unto godliness with those delivered in Scripture. Nay, he proceeds so far as to say in the words following, that if we should reject such unwritten traditions we should give a deadly wound to the gospel, or rather contract it into a bare name. A saying

1 See vol. 1. pp. 207, 8.

so senseless, or rather impious, that if these men had but a grain of common honesty, they could not thus endeavour to impose upon the world by such spurious stuff, as I would willingly think they have wit enough to see this is.” 1

And so Archbishop Laud, quoting Bishop Andrews as his authority, says,—“ The learned take exceptions to this book of St. Basil as corrupted. Bp. Andr. Opusc. contr. Peron. p. 9." 2

The passage relates to the wording of the Doxology, and the writer defends the use of the words "with the Holy Spirit," on the ground of patristical tradition being in their favour, observing, that, "Of the doctrines and instructions preserved in the Church, some we have from the teaching of Scripture, and others we have received delivered down to us secretly from the tradition of the Apostles; both of which have the like force towards piety; and no one will contradict these things, no one at least who has any experience of the laws of the Church; for if we should attempt to repudiate the unwritten customs as not having any great weight, we should unwittingly injure the gospel in the very principal points, or rather reduce the gospel to a mere name." 3 And he then instances the sign of the cross in baptism, and other points of a like kind. A similar passage occurs shortly after.

That the author of these passages should be the same as the one who wrote what we have quoted above, it is hardly possible to conceive. Indeed, they are directly opposed to a passage (already quoted) occurring in the

1 Patrick's Answer to Touchstone of Reformed Gospel, pp. 33-5. 2 Answer to Fisher, § 16. n. 26. p. 59. ed. 1686.

3 Των εν τη εκκλησια πεφυλαγμένων δογματων και κηρυγμάτων, τα μεν εκ της εγγραφου διδασκαλιας εχομεν, τα δε εκ της των αποστόλων παραδόσεως διαδοθεντα ήμιν εν μυστηριω παρεδεξαμεθα· άπερ αμφότερα την αυτην ισχυν έχει προς την ευσέβειαν και τούτοις ουδεις αντέρει, ουκ ουν ὡς τις γε κατα μικρον γουν θεσμων εκκλησιαστικών πεπειραται. Ει γαρ επιχειρησαιμεν τα αγραφα των εθων ὡς μη μεγάλην έχοντα την δυναμιν παραιτείσθαι, λαθοιμεν αν εις αυτα τα καίρια ζημιούντες το ευαγγέλιον μαλλον δε εις όνομα ψιλον περιϊστωντες το κήρυγμα. De Spir. S. c. 27. BASIL. Op. iii. 54.

4 Αποστολικόν οιμαι και το ταις αγραφοις παραδόσεσι παραμένειν. Ib. c. 29. iii. 60.