Ellis on Article VI: Of the Sufficiency of the holy Scriptures for salvation

Answ. “This is; not s6 absolurely neceflary, far-we. only enforce ir, that the Faithful may be Baptized, may Believe and Live well. ..Abj: 2Jt:5 bkewise necessary to know, that these Books came to us uncorrupted.

Answ. . The Goodness of God is such, thar he would nor suffer those Books ro be corrypred,- which contain the business of Sal- vation : There was a Promise made, ta E/ay, thathis Propherical Writings should remain for ever, (E/ay 30. 8..) and, Christ has promised (Mat.5. 18.) That not one sora or Tittle should pass from the Law. _

Obj. 3. Me ought to.know how many Articles of Faith,are ta be believed by every one, under the hazard of forfeiting hu Satvation:; but neither «26 revealed inthe Sacred Writings. Anusw.

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Thirty Nine Articles. = 7

Answ. We. have a Creed, that is collected

• from the Scriptures ; but yer 1t is not necessa-

ry to Salvation to have a distin knowledge of the number of our Mysteries. One thing is ncedfal (as Christ answered Martha ( Luke 10. 42. ) One thing is absolurely necessary, namely, that in comparison of Christ we should look upon all things as Loss. I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him Crucified, says St. Paul, 1 :Cor:.2. 2. |

Obj. 4. Me no where meet with the Means that God made use of, to purifie Females from Orizinal Sin, or Males that died before the Eighth day, or indeed concerning the Gentiles, bow they were to be saved under the Old Testa- ment.

Ans. By the circumcision of the Men, the Females were consecrated ; the Married Wo- men belong’d to their Husbands, the Unmar- ried to their Parents : The purging of Females

the Children of Jews that died before ghe Eighth Day, were saved by vertue of thePro- mile made. to Abram. I will be thy Ged, and the God of thy Seed, God was not bound ro any external Sacrament ; even. without thar he could conferr his Grace : So also the Geu- tiles were justified by Faith, Gen. 12.3, Al “wy Families of the Earch shall be.blessed in 4-

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Obj. 5. If the Scripture be perfeF, either the

from Sin was done chiefly by Faith ; veg

single B:oks of the Canon are perfe&, or the

whole Cmon: It # granted, that the single Books of it are not so : And then the whole Canon not, because many Books are lost, as the

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by : RY . ’ bo |

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x18 -.. A Defence of the FWVritings of Nathan and Gad, with others, | 1 Chron. 29. 29. as also the Epistle of St. Paul to the Laodiceans, Col. 4. 16.

Answ. The single Books have an effential ! Perfection, because rhey have the Matter and Form of the Word of God ; the whole Canon has a proportionate one : The one has tne per- fe&tion of the parr, the other of the whole : Bur we have all rhe Books that are Canonical ; those Books thar are lost, were Historical Narrartions ; and ome others too, that were nor Canonical.

Obj. 6. Al! that Christ said and did are not comprehended in the Scriptures,

Answ. All that Christ did and said, neces= sary for our Salvation, ace in the Scriptures,

Obj. 7. Sr. Paul bids us, 2 Thesf, 2. 15.’ to bold or keep the Traditions. bis. 60M

Answ. Either the Apostle there speaks of those free and indifferent Conftirnrions thar concern the Government of rhe Church, or concerning the Doctrine which he himself in Person had preached ro them, and then even that was conrained in Irs Writings, and other Canonical Books ; for Tradition is wont to be raken in thar Sense: Now he had delivered nothing contrary. to the Scriptures, as lome oihers had dore.

Obj. 8. Bur b:/iles , Those Books ( which we call Apocrypha) svould seem to be truly Canon:- cal, because not only many Councils, but many Fathers have cailed and accounted them Canoni- cal.

Answ. We are to give credit ro Councils, as far as they follow the guidance of Scripture, and no further; and it ar any time General

Couns

Thirty Nine Articles. EY 19

. | Councils call these Books Canonical, this is aul ’ only in a comprehensive Sente, and has no Other meaning, bur rthar they were wont ro

ial be read in the Church for the edification of nd the People; nor thar they had the same afsy- on rance of them, as of hole thar are truly Ca- t- nonical, because rhese were never received in- $- to the Hebrew Canon ; and from hence they [ ; were Called Deutero-Canonici, or,” Canonical al in a second Form : And then as to cme of rhe 7E Fathers, that they called them Canonical ; that will not prove them such : Neither 1s it e very likely, that the more Ingenuous of them

would call them 1so, unless in the foregoing - . 9enle. Obj. 9g. The Church x wont to cite man things from thence. Do | Answ. The Apostles cited some rhings from f the Writings of the Heathens, but we must not gather from thence, that their Writings are Canonical. Obj. 10. There are many things in the Books of the Apocrypha, which mightily - encourage Faith and Piety : There you hav? little Morals, 2conomics, and Politicks ; in short;“‘a Come endium of ; Scripture, _Answ. All the Books that contain good Pre» ceprs, are not Canonical.

ART. VI. Of the O!d Testament.