and where men are not such, it will be but one out of many difficulties. Such a person however, whether from his own fault or not, is in a difficulty; difficulties are often our lot, and we must bear them, as we think God would have us. We can cut the knot by throwing off the authority of the Fathers; and we can remain under the burden of the difficulty by allowing that authority; but, however we act, we have no licence to please our taste or humour, but we act under a responsibility.

Two main respects have been mentioned, in which the concordant testimony of the Fathers may be considered to throw light upon the sense of Scripture; on these a few words are now necessary with a special reference to S. Cyril,-first as regards the doctrine of Scripture, next as regards the interpretation of texts. Now it will be found that they are more concordant as to the doctrines contained in Scripture, than as to the passages in which these are contained and their comparative force in each; and, again, that they are more concordant in their view of the principles upon which Scripture is to be interpreted, than in their application of these, and their view of the sense in consequence to be assigned to particular texts. This was to be expected, as may easily be made

appear.

There seems to have been no Catholic exposition of Scripture, no traditionary comment upon its continuous text. The subject-matter of Catholic tradition, as preserved in the writings of the Fathers, is, not Scripture interpretation or proof, but certain doctrines, professing to be those of the Gospel; and since among these we find this, "that Scripture contains all the Gospel doctrines," we infer, that, according to the mind of the Fathers, those very doctrines which they declare to be the Christian faith are contained in and to be proved from Scripture. But where they occur in Scripture cannot be ascertained from the Fathers, except so far as the accidental course of controversy has brought out their joint

witness concerning certain great passages, on which they do seem to have had traditionary information. The Arian and other heresies obliged them to appeal to Scripture in behalf of a certain cardinal doctrine which they held by uninterrupted tradition; and thus have been the means of pointing out to us particular texts in which are contained the great truths which were assailed. But while we are thus furnished with a portion of the Scripture proof of Catholic doctrine, guaranteed to us by the unanimous consent of the Church, it is natural also, under the circumstances above mentioned, that many of the discussions which occurred should contain appeals to Scripture of a less cogent character, and evidencing the exercise of mere private judgment upon the text in default of Catholic Tradition. The early Church had read Scripture not for argument but for edification; it is not wonderful that though holding the truth, and seeing it in the inspired text, and often seeing there what we fail to see, she should be as unable to distribute exactly each portion of the truth to each of its places in the text, and to analyze the grounds of those impressions which the whole, conveyed, as religious persons in the private walks of life may be now-a-days. Accordingly her divines, one by one, while they witness to the truth itself most sufficiently, as speaking from Tradition, yet often prove it insufficiently, as relying necessarily on private judgment.

For instance, the text, He that hath seen Me, hath seen the Father, is taken by S. Cyril, agreeably with other early writers, as a proof that Christ is in all things like (μoos v Tão) to the Father; (Lect. xi. 18.) and the text, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, as a proof of the necessity of Baptism. (Lect. iii. 4.) But though there are many of equal cogency, there are many also, about which there may be fairly difference of opinion, as when he interprets, Surely God is in thee, (Isai. 45, 14.) of the Indwelling of the Father in the Son. (Lect. xi. 16.)

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And, while it is not at all surprising even though the Fathers should occasionally adduce texts as proofs of certain doctrines which are not so, neither is it strange that they should overlook proofs which did exist, and which we are able to discern. For they were in the light of a recent Tradition; we are in the twilight of a distant age; and our minds, like eyes accustomed to the twilight, may discern much in the dark parts of Scripture, which were hid from them by their very privilege.

Such imperfections, however, in the Scripture proofs adduced by the Fathers, whether in excess or defect, do not interfere at all with their maintenance of the great principles that there is a Faith, and that it is in Scripture. As far as S. Cyril is concerned, the following passages witness both truths clearly. "This Seal," he says, speaking of the Creed, "have thou ever in mind; which now by way of summary has been touched on in its heads, and, if the Lord grant, shall hereafter be set forth according to our power with Scripture proofs. For concerning the divine and sacred mysteries of the Faith, we ought not to deliver even the most casual remark without the Holy Scriptures; nor be drawn aside by mere probabilities, and the artifices of argument. Do not then believe me because I tell you these things, unless thou receive from the Holy Scriptures the proof of what is set forth; for this salvation, which is of our faith, is not by ingenious reasonings, but by proof from the Holy Scriptures.” (Lect. iv. 17.)

Again: "Take thou and hold that faith only as a learner and in profession, which is by the Church delivered to thee, and is established from all Scripture. For since all cannot read the Scripture, but some as being unlearned, others by business, are hindered from the knowledge of them, in order that the soul may not perish for lack of instruction, in the Articles which are few we comprehend the whole doctrine of the faith... Commit to memory the Faith, merely listening to the words; and expect at the fitting season the proof of each

of its parts from the Divine Scriptures. For the Articles of the Faith were not composed at the good pleasure of man; but the most important points chosen from all Scripture, make up the one teaching of the Faith. And as the mustard seed in a little grain contains many branches, thus also this Faith, in a few words, has enfolded in its bosom the whole knowledge of godliness contained both in the Old and New Testaments." (Lect. v. 12.) The doctrine, expressed in these and other passages of S. Cyril, is implied and assumed in a most striking way in a number of others".

So much on the Scripture proof of doctrine as contained in the Fathers; as to the doctrinal sense of Scripture, the second point to be spoken of, what has been already observed is quite consistent, not to say connected with the remark to be made concerning it, viz. that the Fathers are far more concordant in assigning principles of Scripture interpretation, than in the interpretation of particular passages. Indeed the very view they took of the Bible led to variety, apparent discordance, and private conjecture in interpreting it. They considered it to be a sort of storehouse of sacred treasures, contained under the letter in endless profusion, piled, as it were, one on another, with order indeed and by rule, but still often so deeply lodged within the text, that from ordinary eyes they were almost hidden". Hence it was considered as a duty and privilege proposed to the Christian, to find out the "wondrous things of God's law;" and no meaning was so remote from the literal text as to be proved thereby to be foreign to it in the Divine intention. While then, according to their disposition or school of theology, they were led, more or less, to attempt to search into the deep mysteries of Scripture for themselves, they felt little difficulty in multiplicity of interpretations, or fear of inconsistency. And while such a prin

b xi. 12. xii. 5. xiii. 8, 9. xiv, 2. xvi. 1, 2, 24.

d xii. 16. xiii. 14. ix. 13.
iii. 16. vi. 28, 29. xii. 19.

© xi. 12,

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ciple as has been described necessarily led them to diversity in their interpretations, that diversity does but increase our evidence of the fact of their one and all holding that principle; and thus, while their value as commentators varies with their personal qualifications, their adherence to that principle comes to us as a Catholic tradition.

Instances of individual, local, or transitory opinion, that is, of what would at present, rightly or wrongly, be called fancifulness and caprice, are frequent in S. Cyril's Lectures, and scarcely need specifying. Such, for example, is his interpreting, "Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn,” of the Holy Sepulchre, (Lect. xiii. 35.) or " At evening time it shall be light," of the circumstances of the Crucifixion; (Lect. xiii. 24.) and much more his considering, "Thou hast wrought salvation in the midst of the earth,” (Lect. xiii. 28.) to allude to Golgotha, and "the fountain sealed," to Christ in the sepulchre after the sealing of the stone. (Lect. xiv. 5.)

These interpretations, whether his own or not, and whether true or not, do not profess to be traditional, and are but witnesses, to the great principle from which they proceed, of the everliving intelligence, deep and varied meaning, and inexhaustible fulness of Holy Scripture. This indeed he himself declares in one place in words which may be suitably extracted. After giving two conjectures concerning the doctrinal meaning of the Blood and Water, which came from our Lord's side, viz. that it typifies the Jews' imprecation of His blood upon them and Pilate's washing his hands of it, or again the condemnation of the Jews and the baptismal pardon of Christians, he adds, "For nothing happened without a meaning, (oʊdèv eix yeyovev.) Our fathers who have written comments, have given another reason of this matter. For since in the Gospel the power of salutary Baptism is two-fold, that bestowed by means of water on the Illuminated, and that to holy Martyrs in persecutions through their own blood, there came out of that salutary side blood and water," &c. (Lect. xiii. 21.)