> ‎Chapter 3‎ >

1 AND we desire you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of our congregation into him: 

2 That you be not easily moved from your sense, nor be terrified, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by epistle as sent by us, as though the day of our Lord were at hand. 

3 Let no man seduce you by any means, for unless there come a revolt first, and the man of sin be revealed, the Son of perdition, 

4 which is an adversary and is extolled above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits in the temple of God, showing himself as though he were God. 

5 Remember you not, that when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 

6 And now what lets, you know: that he may be revealed in his time. 

7 For now the mystery of iniquity works: only that he which now holds, do hold, until he be taken out of the way. 

8 And then that wicked one shall be revealed *whom our Lord Jesus shall kill with the spirit of his mouth: and shall destroy with the manifestation of his advent, him, 

9 whose coming is according to the operation of Satan, in all power, and lying signs and wonders, 

10 and in all seducing of iniquity to them that perish, for that they have not received the charity of the truth that they might be saved. 

11 Therefore God will send them the operation of error, to believe lying: 

12 That all may be judged which have not believed the truth, but have consented to iniquity. 

13 But we ought to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of God, that he has chosen you first-fruits unto salvation, in sanctification of spirit and faith of the truth: 

14 Into the which also he has called you by our Gospel, unto the purchasing of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

16 Therefore brethren stand: and hold the traditions which you have learned, whether it be by word, or by our epistle. 

16 And our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God and our Father which has loved us, and has given eternal consolation, and good hope in grace, 

17 exhort your hearts, and confirm you in every good work and word.

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2. As if the day. The curiosity of man fed by Satan's deceits, has sought to know and to give out to the world, such things as God will not impart to him, nor are necessary or profitable to him to know: so far, that, both in the apostles days and often afterwards, some have feigned revelations, some falsely gathered out of the Scriptures, some presumed to calculate and conjecture by the stars, and given forth to the world a certain time of Christ's coming to judgment. All which seducers are here noted in the person of some that were about to deceive the Thessalonians therein. And St. Augustine (in his 80th Epistle ad Hesychium) proves that no man can be assured, by the Scriptures, of the day, year, or age when the end of the world or the second coming shall be. 

3. Unless there come a revolt first. Though we cannot be assured of the moment, hour, or any certain time of our Lord's coming, yet he warrants us that it will not be before certain things be fulfilled, which must come to pass by the course of God's providence and permission before, which are divers, whereof in other places of Scriptures we are fore-warned. Here he warns us of two especially, of a revolt, defection or an apostasy, and of the coming or revelation of Antichrist. Which two appertain in effect both to one, depending of each other, and shall happen (as it may be thought) near together; and therefore St. Augustine makes them both one thing. This apostasy or revolt, by the judgment in a manner of all ancient writers, is the general forsaking and fall of the Roman Empire. So Tertullian, (li. de resur. carnis.) St. Jerome, (q. 1 1. ad Algasiam.) St. Chrysostom (ho. 4.) and St. Ambrose upon this place. St. Augustine, (de Civit. Dei, li. 20. c. 19.) All which Fathers and the rest Calvin presumptuously condemns of error and folly herein, for that their exposition agrees not with his and his companions blasphemous fiction, that the Pope should be Antichrist. To establish which false impiety, they interpret this revolt or apostasy to be a general revolt of the visible Church from God, whose house or building (they say) was suddenly destroyed and lay many years ruined and ruled only by Satan and Antichrist. So says the aforesaid arch-heretic here: though, for the advantage of his defense and as the matter elsewhere requires, he seems (as all their fashion is) to speak in other places quite contrary: but with such color and collusion of words, that neither other men nor himself can tell what he would have or say. And his Fathers Wicliff and Luther, his companions and followers Illyricus, Beza, and the rest, are (for the time of the church's falling from Christ) so various among themselves, and so contrary to him, that it is horrible to see their confusion, and a pitiful case that any reasonable man will follow such men to evident perdition. But concerning this error and falsehood of the Church's defect or revolt, it is refuted sufficiently by St. Augustine against the Donatists in many places. Where he proves that the Church shall not fail to the world's end, no not in the time of Antichrist: affirming them to deny Christ and to rob him of his glory and inheritance bought with his blood, who teach that the Church may fail or perish. (Li. de unit. Ec. 12, 13. De Civit. li. 20. c. 8. In Psalm lxxxv. ad illud, Tu solus Deus magnus, Ps. lxx. Cone. 2. and Psal. lx. De util. cred. c. 8.) St. Jerome refutes the same wicked heresy in the Luciferians, proving against them, that they make God subject to the Devil, and a poor miserable Christ, that imagine the Church, his body, may either perish or be driven to any corner of the world. Both of them answer to the heretics' arguments grounded on the Scriptures falsely understood, which answers were too long to rehearse here. It is enough for the Christian reader to know, that it is an old deceit and excuse of all heretics and schismatics, for defense of their forsaking God's Church, that the Church is perished, or remains hidden, or in themselves only and in those places where they and their followers dwell: to know also, that this is reproved by the holy Doctors of the primitive Church, and that it is against Christ's honor, power, providence, and promise. If the adversaries had said that this revolt, which the apostle tells shall come before the world's end, is meant of great numbers of heretics and apostates revolting from the Church, they had said truth of themselves and such others, whom St. John calls Antichrists. And it is very like (be it spoken under correction of God's Church and all learned Catholics) that this great defect or revolt shall not be only from the Roman Empire, but especially from the Roman church, and withal from most points of Christian religion: not that the Catholic Christians, either in the time of Antichrist, or before, shall refuse to obey the same; but for that near to the time of Antichrist and the consummation of the world, there is like to be a great revolt of kingdoms, peoples, and provinces, from the open external obedience and communion thereof. Which revolt having been begun and continued by heretics of divers ages, resisting and hating the seat of Peter (which they call, cathedram pestilentia, the chair of pestilence, in St. Augustine's days) because it is Christ's fort erected against hell-gates and all heretics, and being now wonderfully increased by these of our days the next precursors of Antichrist, as it may seem, shall be fully achieved a little before the end of the world by Antichrist himself. Though even then also, when for the few days of Antichrist's reign the external state of the Roman church and the public intercourse of the faithful with the same may cease, yet the due honor and obedience of the Christians towards it, and communion in heart with it, and practice thereof in secret, and open confessing thereof, if occasion require, shall not cease, no more than it does now in the Christians of Cyprus and other places where open intercourse is forbidden. This is certain and wonderful in all wise men's eyes, and must needs be of God's providence and a singular prerogative, that this seat of Peter stands, when all other apostolic Sees are gone: that it stood there for certain ages together with the secular seat of the empire: that the popes stood without wealth, power, or human defense, the emperors knowing, willing, and seeking to destroy them, and putting to the sword above thirty of them one after another, yea and being as much afraid of them as if they had been AEmuli Imperii, Competitors of their Empire, as St. Cyprian notes (epist. 52. ad Antonianum, num. 3.) of St. Cornelius Pope in his days, and Decius then emperor: again, that the emperors afterwards yielded up the city unto them, continuing for all that in the imperial dignity still: that the successors of those that persecuted them, laid down their crowns before their seat and sepulchres, honoring the very memorials and relics of the poor men whom their predecessors killed: that now well near these seventeen hundred years this seat stands, as at the beginning in continual misery, so now of long time for the most part in prosperity, without any change in effect, as no other kingdom or state in the world has done, every one of them in the said space being manifoldly altered. It stands, we say, all this while (to use St. Augustine's words (de util. cred. c. 17) Frustra circumlatrantibus haereticis, the heretics in vain barking about it. Neither the first Heathen emperors, nor the Goths and Vandals, nor the Turk, nor any sacks or massacres by Alaricus, Gensericus, Atlili, Borbon, and others; nor the emulation of secular princes, were they kings or emperors, nor the popes own divisions among themselves, and manifold difficulties and dangers in their elections, nor the great vices which have been noted in some of their persons, not all these nor any other endeavor or scandal could yet prevail against the See of Rome, nor is ever like to prevail till the end of the world draw near, at which time this revolt (here spoken of by the apostles) may be in such sort as it is said before, and more shall be said in the annotations next following.

The man of sin. There were many even in the apostles' time (as we see by the fourth chapter of St. John's first Epistle, and in the writings of the ancient Fathers,) that were fore-runners of Antichrist, and for impugning Christ's truth and Church were called Antichrists, whether they did it by force or open persecution, as Nero, and others either heathen or heretical emperors did, or by false teaching and other deceits, as the heretics of all ages. In which common and vulgar acception, St. Jerome says, all be longed to Antichrist that were not of the communion of Damasus then Pope of Rome. (Hiero. ep. 57- ad Damas.) And in another place, all that have new names after the peculiar calling of heretics; as Arians, Donatists, (as we say now, Calvinists, Zuinglians, etc.) all such, says he, are Antichrists. (Dial. cont. Lucifer, c. 9.) Yea, these latter of our time much more than any of the former, for divers causes which shall afterwards be set down. Nevertheless they nor none of them are that great adversary, enemy, and impugner of Christ, which is by a peculiar distinction and special signification named, the Antichrist, 1 Jo. 2 and the man of sin, the son of perdition, the adversary, described here and elsewhere, to oppose himself directly against God and our Lord Jesus Christ. The heathen emperors were many, Turks many, heretics have been and now are many: therefore they cannot be that one great Antichrist which here is spoken of, and which, by the article always added in the Greek, is signified to be one special and singular man: as his peculiar and direct opposition to Christ's person in the fifth chapter of St. John's Gospel, verse 43. the insinuation of the particular stock and tribe whereof he should be born, to wit, of the Jews (for by them he shall be received as their Messiah, John 5:43.) and of the tribe of Dan. St. Irenaeus, (li. 5.) St. jerome, (com. in c. xi. Dan.) St. Augustine. (q. in Jos. q. 22.) the note of his proper name, Apoc. 13.; the time of his appearing so near the world's end; his short reign, his singular waste and destruction of God's honor and all religion, his feigned miracles, the figures of him in the Prophets and Scriptures of the New and Old Testament: all these and many other arguments prove him to be but one special notorious adversary in the highest degree, unto whom all other persecutors, heretics, Atheists, and wicked enemies of Christ and his Church, are but members and servants. And this is the most common sentiment also of all ancient Fathers. Only heretics make no doubt but Antichrist is a whole order or succession of men. Which they hold against the former evident Scriptures and reasons, only to establish their foolish and wicked paradox, that Christ's chief minister is Antichrist, yea the whole order. Wherein Beza especially runs so high, that he makes Antichrist (even this great Antichrist) to have been in St. Paul's days, though he was not open to the world. Who it should be (except he mean St. Peter, because he was the first of the order of Popes,) God knows. And sure it is, except he were Antichrist, neither the whole order, nor any of the order can be Antichrist, being all his lawful successors, both in dignity and also in truth of Christ's religion. Neither can all the heretics alive prove that they or any of them used any other government, or jurisdiction ecclesiastical in the Church, or forced the people to any other faith or worship of God than Peter himself did preach and plant. Therefore if the rest be Antichrist, let Beza boldly say that St. Peter was so also, and that divers of the ancient Catholic Fathers did serve and work (though unawares) towards the setting up of the great Antichrist: for so does that blasphemous pen boldly write in his annotations upon this place; and an English printed book (Fulk against Dr. Sander's Rock, pag. 248 and 278,) of late coming forth out of the same school, has these words: As for Leo and Gregory bishops of Rome, although they were not come to the full pride of Antichrist, yet the mystery of iniquity having wrought in that seat near five or six hundred years before them, and then greatly increased, they were deceived with the long continuance of error. Thus writes a malapart scholar of that impudent school, placing the mystery of Antichrist as working in the See of Rome even in St. Peter's time, and making these two holy Fathers great workers and those who continue of the same. Whereas another English Rabbin doubted not at Paul's Cross to speak of the self-same Fathers as great doctors and patrons of their new Gospel, thus: O Gregory, O Leo, if we be deceived, you have deceived us. Whereof we give the good Christian reader warning, more diligently to beware of such damnable books and masters, carrying many unadvised people to perdition.

4. Above all that is. How then can the Pope be Antichrist, as the Heretics fondly blaspheme, who is so far from being exalted above God, that he prays most humbly not only to Christ, but also to his Blessed Mother and all his saints?

Extolled. The great Antichrist, who must come near the world's end, shall abolish the public exercise of all other religions true and false, and pull down both the blessed Sacrament of the altar, wherein consists especially the worship of the true God, and also all idols of the Gentiles, and sacrifices of the Jews; generally, all kind of religious worship, saving that which must be done to himself alone. Which was partly prefigured in such kings as published that no God nor man but themselves should be prayed unto for certain days, as Darius and such like. How can the Protestants then for shame and without evident contradiction, avouch the Pope to be Antichrist, who (as we say) honors Christ the true God with all his power, or (as they say) honors idols, and challenges no divine honor to himself, much less to himself only, as Antichrist shall do? He humbly prays to God, and lowly kneels down in every church at divers altars erected to God in the memories of his saints, and prays to them. He says or hears Mass daily with all devotion; he confesses his sins to a priest as other poor men do; he adores the holy Eucharist which Christ affirmed to be his own body, the heretics call it an idol (no wonder if they make the Pope his Vicar Antichrist, when they make Christ himself an idol): these religious duties does the Pope, whereas Antichrist shall worship none, nor pray to any, at the least openly.

In the temple. Most ancient writers expound this of the temple in Jerusalem, which they think Antichrist shall build up again, as being of the Jews' stock, and to be acknowledged by that obstinate people (according to our Savior's prophesy, John 5.) for their expected and promised Messiah. St. Irenaeus, (li. 5. in fine.) St. Hippolytus (de consum. mundi.) St. Cyril of Jerusalem, (Catech. 15. Author op. imp. ho. 49. in Matt.) See St. Jerome, in (xi. Dan.) St. Gregory, (li. 31. Moral, c. 11.) Not that he shall suffer them to worship God by their old manner of sacrifices, (all which he will either abolish, or convert to the only adoration of himself; though at the first to apply himself to the Jews, he may perhaps be circumcised and keep some part of the law,) for it is here said that he shall sit in the temple as God, that is, he shall be adored there by sacrifice and divine honor, the name and worship of the true God wholly defaced. And this they think to be the abomination of desolation foretold by Daniel, mentioned by our Savior, prefigured and resembled by Antiochus and others, that defaced the worship of the true God by profanation of that temple, especially, by abrogating the daily sacrifice, which was a figure of the only sacrifice and continual oblation of Christ's holy body and blood in the Church, as the abolishing of that, was a figure of the abolishing of this, which shall be done principally and most universally by Antichrist himself (as now in part by his forerunners) throughout all nations and churches of the world (though then also Mass may be had in secret, as it is now in nations where the secular force of some princes prohibits it to be said openly.) For although he may have his principal seat and honor in the temple and city of Jerusalem, yet he shall rule over the whole world, and especially prohibit that principal worship instituted by Christ in his Sacraments, as being the proper adversary of Christ's person, name, law and church. The profanation and desolation of which church by taking away the sacrifice of the altar, is the proper abomination of desolation, and the work of Antichrist only. St. Augustine, therefore, (li. 20. de Civit. c. 10.) and St. Jerome, (q. 11. ad Algasiam), do think, that this sitting of Antichrist in the temple, does signify his sitting in the Church of Christ rather than in Solomon's temple. Not as if he should be a chief member of the Church of Christ, or a special part of his body mystical, and be Antichrist and yet withal continue within the Church of Christ, as the heretics feign, to make the Pope Antichrist (Whereby they plainly confess and acknowledge that the Pope is a member of the Church, and in ipso sinu Ecclesiae, and in the very bosom of the Church, say they): for that is ridiculous, that all heretics, whom St. John calls Antichrists (as his precursors,) should go out of the Church, and the great Antichrist himself should be of the Church, and in the Church, and continue in the same. And yet to them that make the whole Church to revolt from God, this is no absurdity. But the truth is, that this anti-christian revolt here spoken of, is from the Catholic Church: and Antichrist, if he ever were of, or in the Church, shall be an apostate and a renegate out of the Church, and shall usurp upon it by tyranny, and by challenging worship, religion, and government thereof, so that himself shall be adored in all the churches of the world which he list to leave standing for his honor. And this is to sit in the temple, or against the temple of God, as some interpret. If any Pope did ever this, or shall do, then let the adversaries call him Antichrist. And let the good reader observe, that there are two special causes why this great man of sin is called Antichrist. The one is, for impugning Christ's kingdom on earth, that is to say, his spiritual government which he constituted and appointed in his church, and the form of government ordained therein, applying all to himself by singular tyranny and usurpation, in which kind St. Athanasius (ep. ad Solit. vit. degentes) is bold to call the Emperor Constantius, being an Arian heretic, Antichrist, for making himself Principem Episcoporum, Prince over the Bishops and President of Ecclesiastical judgments, etc. The other cause is, for impugning Christ's priesthood, which is only or most properly exercised on earth by the sacrifice of the holy Mass, instituted for the commemoration of his death, and for the external exhibition of godly honor to the blessed Trinity, which kind of external worship by sacrifice no lawful people of God ever wanted. And by these two things you may easily perceive, that the heretics of these days do more properly and nearly prepare the way to Antichrist and to extreme desolation, than ever any before: their special heresy being against the spiritual primacy of popes and bishops, and against the sacrifice of the altar, in which two the sovereignty of Christ on earth consists.

6. Withholds. St. Augustine (li. 20. c. 19. de Civit Dei) professes plainly that he understands not these words, nor that which follows of the mystery of iniquity, and least of all that which the apostle adds: Only that he who now holds, do hold, etc. Which may humble us all and stay the confident rashness of this time, namely of heretics, who boldly feign hence whatsoever is agreeable to their heresy and fantasy. The apostle had told the Thessalonians before, by word of mouth, a secret point which he would not utter in writing, and therefore referrs them to his former talk. The mystery of iniquity is commonly referred to heretics, who work to the same, and do that which Antichrist shall do, but yet not openly, but in covert and under the cloak of Christ's name, the Scriptures, the word of the Lord, show of holiness, etc. Whereas Antichrist himself shall openly attempt and achieve the aforesaid desolation, and Satan now serving his turn by heretics under-hand, shall towards the last end utter, reveal, and bring him forth openly. And that is here, to be revealed, that is, to appear in his own person. These other words, Only that he who now holds, hold; some expound of the Emperor, during whose continuance in his state, God shall not permit Antichrist to come, meaning that the very empire shall be wholly desolate, destroyed, and taken away before or by his coming: which is more than a defect from the same, whereof was spoken before: for there shall be a revolt from the Church also, but it shall not be utterly destroyed. Others say, that it is on admonition to all faithful, to hold fast their faith and not to be beguiled by such, as under the name of Christ or Scriptures seek to deceive them, till they, that now pretend religion and the Gospel, and open apostasy by the appearance of Antichrist. Whom all heretics serve in mystery, that is, covertly and in the Devil's meaning, though the world sees it not, nor themselves at the beginning thought it, as now every day more and more all men perceive they tend to plain Atheism and Antichristianism.

9. In all power. Satan, whose power to hurt is abridged by Christ, shall then be let loose, and shall assist Antichrist in all manner of signs, wonders, and false miracles, whereby many shall be seduced, not only Jews: but all such as are deceived and carried away by vulgar speech only, of heretics that can work no miracles, much more shall follow this man of sin doing so great wonders. And such both now do follow heretics, and then shall, receive Antichrist, that deserve so to be forsaken by God, by their forsaking the unity and happy fellowship of saints in the Catholic Church, where only is the charity of truth, as the apostle here speaks. 

11.God will send. Deus mittet, (says St. Augustine, (li. 20. de Civ. Dei, c. 19.) quia Deus Diabolum fecere ista permiltet. God will send, because God will permit the Devil to do these things. Whence we may take a general rule that God's action or working in such things is his permission. 

14. Traditions. Not only the things written and set down in Holy Scriptures, but all other truths and points of religion uttered by word of mouth and delivered or given by the apostles to their scholars by tradition, are so here approved and elsewhere in the Scripture itself, that the heretics purposely, guilefully, and out of evil conscience (that likely reprehends them) refrain in their translations, from the ecclesiastical and most useful word, Tradition, ever more when it is taken in good part, though it express most exactly the signification of the Greek word: but when it sounds in their fond fancy against the traditions of the Church (as indeed in true sense it never does) there they use it most gladly. Here therefore and in the like places, that the reader might not so easily like of traditions unwritten, here commended by the apostle, they translate it, instructions, constitutions, ordinances, and what they can invent else, to hide the truth from the simple or unwary reader, whose translations have no other end but to beguile such by art and contrivance. But St. Chrysostom (ho. 4. in 1 Thes. 2) and the other Greek scholiasts or commentators say hereupon, both written and unwritten precepts the apostles gave by tradition, and both are worthy of observation: St. Basil (de Sp. Sanct. c. 29. in principio) thus: I account it apostolic to continue firmly even in unwritten traditions. And to prove this, he alleges this place of St. Paul. In the same book, (c. 17) he says: If we once go about to reject unwritten customs as things of no importance, we shall, before we be aware, do damage to the principal parts of the faith, and bring the preaching of the Gospel to a naked name. And for example of these necessary traditions, he names the sign of the Cross, praying towards the East, the words spoken at the elevation or showing of the holy Eucharist, with divers ceremonies used before and after the consecration, the hallowing of the font, the blessing of the oil, the anointing of the baptized with the same, the three immersions into the font, the words of abrenunciation and exorcisms of the party that is to be baptized, etc. What Scripture, says he, taught these and such like? None truly, all coming from secret and silent tradition, wherewith our Fathers thought it meet to cover such mysteries. St. Jerome (Diolog. cont. Lucif. c. 4. and ep. 28. ad Licinium) reckons up divers the like traditions, willing men to attribute to the apostles such customs as the Church has received in divers Christian countries. St. Augustine esteems the apostolic traditions so much, that he plainly affirms in sundry places, not only the observation of certain festivals, fasts, ceremonies, and whatsoever other solemnities used in the Catholic Church to be holy, profitable, and apostolic, though they be not written at all in the Scriptures: but he often also writes that many of the articles of our religion and points of highest importance, are not so much to be proved by Scriptures, as by Tradition. Namely avouching that in no wise we could believe that children in their infancy should be baptized, if it were not an apostolical tradition. (De Gen. ad lit. li. 10. c. 23.) Tradition caused him to believe that the baptized by heretics should not be re-baptized, notwithstanding St. Cyprian's authority and the manifold Scriptures alleged by him, though they seemed ever so pregnant. (De bap. li. 2. c. 7.) By tradition only, he and others condemned Helvidius the heretic for denying the perpetual virginity of our Lady. And without this, be the Scriptures ever so plain, no Arian, no Macedonian, no Eutychian, no Pelagian, no Zuinglian will yield. We must use tradition (says St. Ephiphanius, her. 61. Apostolicorum.) For the Scripture has not all things: and therefore the apostles delivered certain things in writing, certain by tradition. And for that, he alleges this place also of St. Paul. And again, (hasr. 55. Melchised.): There are bounds set down for the foundation and building up of our faith, the tradition of the apostles, and Holy Scriptures, and succession of doctrine, so that truth is every way fenced. St. Irenaeus (li. 3. c. 4.) has one notable chapter, that in all questions we must have recourse to the traditions of the apostles; teaching us withal, that the way to try an apostolical tradition, and to bring it to the fountain, is by the apostolic succession of bishops, but especially of the apostolic See of Rome: declaring in the same place that there are many barbarous people, simple for learning, but for constancy in their faith most wise, who never had Scriptures, but learned only by tradition. Tertullian (li. de corona militis. nu. 3.) reckons up a great number of Christian observations or customs (as St. Cyprian in many places does in a manner the same) whereof in fine he concludes: Of such and such if you require the rule of Scriptures, you shall find none. Tradition shall be alleged the author, custom the confirmer, and faith the observer. Origen also of this matter writes in plain terms, that there are many things done in the Church (which he there names) whereof there is no easier reason to be given than tradition from Christ and the apostles, (ho. 5. in Numer.) St. Dionysius Areopagite refers the praying and oblation for the dead in the Liturgy or Mass, to an apostolical tradition, (in fine Ec. Hierarch. c. 7. parte 3.) So does Tertullian, (De corona militis.) St. Augustine, (De cura pro mortuis, c. 1.) St. Chrysostom, (ho. 3. in ep. ad Philip, in Moral.) St. John of Damascus, (Ser. de defunctis in initio.) We may add to all this, that the Scriptures themselves, even all the books and parts of the Holy Bible, are given us by tradition: else we should not nor could take them (as they are indeed) for the infallible Word of God, no more than the works of St. Ignatius, St. Clement, St. Denis, and the like. The true sense also of the Scriptures (which Catholics have and heretics have not) remains still in the Church by tradition. The Creed is an apostolic tradition. Ruffinis, (in expo. Symb. in principio.) St. Jerome, (ep. 6 1 . c. 9.) St. Ambrose, (Serm. 38.) St. Augustine, (de Symb. ad Catechum. li. 3. c. 1.) And what Scriptures have they to prove that we must accept nothing not expressly written in Scriptures? We have to the contrary, plain Scriptures, all the Fathers, most evident reasons, that we must either believe traditions or nothing at all. And they must be asked whether, if they were assured that such things and such (which are not expressed in Scriptures) were taught and delivered by word of mouth from the apostles, they would believe them or no? If they say, no; then they are impious that will not trust the apostles' preaching: if they say they would, if they were assured that the apostles taught it; then to prove unto them this point, we bring them such as lived in the apostles' days, and the testimony of so many Fathers before named near to those days, and the whole Church's practice and asseveration descending down from man to man to our time. Which is a sufficient proof (at least for a matter of fact) in all reasonable men's judgment. Especially when it is known that St. Ignatius, the apostles' equal in time, wrote a book of the apostles' traditions, as Eusebius witnesses, (li. 3. Ec. Hist. c. 30). And Tertullian's book of Prescriptions against Heretics, is to no other effect but to prove that the Church has this advantage above heretics, that she can prove her truth by plain apostolic tradition, as none of them can ever do.

17. exhort your hearts. This word of exhorting implies in it comfort and consolation: as 1 Cor 1:4,6.