Page:Tracts for the Times Vol 2.djvu/554

4 What if even in antiquity itself there be two or three men, nay one community, or even province, discovered in error? Then he will be careful to prefer to the rashness or ignorance of the few (if so be) the ancient decrees (i.e. in Council) of the Universal Church. What if a case arises when no such acts of the Church are found? then he will do his best to compare and search out the opinions of the ancients; of those, that is, who in various times and places, remaining in the faith and communion of the one Catholic Church, are the most trustworthy authorities; and, whatever, not one or two, but all alike, with one consent, held, wrote, and taught, and that openly and perseveringly, that he will understand is to be believed without any hesitation.

[Take, for instance, the case of the Society of Friends (so called); they reject baptism altogether; so did some heretics of the second century, whom Tertullian wrote against (vide Records, No. 22); yet that of course is no defence of them against the general consent of the Doctors of the Church. Or again, the authority of Jerome, who wrote in the fourth century, is brought by some Anti-Episcopalians, to justify their rejection of Bishops: but, were he ever so clearly for them, (which we by no means allow) yet his authority would go for nothing against the consent of the ancient teachers.]

Let us seriously dread to incur the guilt of altering the faith and violating religious truth, which we are warned against by the judgment of Apostolic authority as well as by the received rule of the Church. All know how seriously, how sternly, how forcibly the blessed Apostle Paul inveighs against certain light-minded men, who had passed with strange rapidity from him who called them to the grace of, into another Gospel which was not another, who had heaped to themselves masters at their own pleasure, turning away the ear from the truth and converted to fables, having damnation, because they had made void their first faith. When, then, such men went about provinces and cities, offering their lying doctrines for sale, and at length came to the Galatians, and the Galatians seized somehow with a nausea of Divine truth, and putting away the manna of the Apostolic and Catholic doctrine, refreshed themselves with the filth of