than in Dionysius but by degrees they were increas'd by the Letters of some Popes as our Author makes appear which gives him occasion to make divers remarks upon the collection attributed to Issidore Samuel Ward confirms this opinion of Vsher by several reasons he says that after having throughly considered the thing he is well perswaded that the first collection of the Canons of which we spoke was made in the years 364 and 381 after the Council of Laodicea and before that of Constantinople he brings the same reason as Vsher drew from the Preface of Dionysius to which he adds these two proofs First That in the sixteenth Decree of the Council of Chalcedoa the Secretary Constantine after having read the Canons of Nice in a Copy which appear'd like to that of Dionysius Iunior then he comes to read those of Constantinople as thus Synodicon Concilii Constantinopolitani It seems to be the Title which is before the Canons Secondly That in the Title which is before the Canons of Ancyra Neccesarea in the Greek Copies in that of Maynce and in many other Latin Editions those who made the collections say that they have first plac'd the Canons of Nice because of the authority that this Oecumenical Council had over the Provincials The same reason would have made him join the Council of Constantinople to that of Nice if the collection had been made after the first Council Vsher believ'd that the Edition of Crab of Colon contain'd not so much as that of Maynce but Ward sends him an Index by which he may see the contrary Our Archbishop at the desire of some of his friends explains his opinion whether the benefits of the death of Iesus Christ be extend-to all in the 22 and 23 Letters He says that two extremities are to be avoided therein the first carried too far the benefits of the satisfaction of Jesus Christ as if by that God was on his side actually reconciled and really discharg'd all men of their sins so that if men were not satisfied of the Fruits of the death of Jesus Christ 't was because they had not Faith from hence it follows that God forgave men their sins and Justified them before they had Faith The other on the contrary has too much confin'd the satisfaction of Jesus Christ as if no body had any part therein but those who were elected before the Creation of the World altho the Evangelist commanded every one to believe that Jesus Christ died for him from whence it follows that men in Conscience should be oblig'd to tell a lye and that they were commanded to embrace those merits which belong not unto ' em Vsher says that in these two extremities there are inevitable absurdities if he should attribute the first to some Antient Hereticks he thinks he should not wrong 'em but he is well assured that none in this Age has maintain'd this opinion which infers a sensible contradiction nor is the Archbishop alone in his opinion almost all the Roman Church the greatest part of Protestants the Lutherans the Reform'd the Remonstrants c. maintain it We ought to distinguish between the satisfaction considered absolutely and the application that God hath made thereby to every particular Person The first was once done says he for all men and the second is always doing The satisfaction of Jesus Christ hath put men in an estate of obtaining pardon for their sins but in the particular application that God thereby makes he grants them actual pardon Vsher confirms and explains this thought by divers passages of Scripture and divers examples but as these subjects have been more largely treated of since that time 't is not necessary to dwell longer thereon In the 49th Letter directed to the famous Seldinus he proves by Walafridus Strabo that in the beginning of Christianity they put themselves to little trouble to what place soever they were oblig'd to go they assembled together to pray to God altho' the use had been since to turn to the East In this collection is found some Letters of an English Merchant call'd Thomas Danyes who liv'd at Aleppo and sent to our Bishop many Books of that Country and among others a Samaritane Pentateuch the first that was ever seen in Europe in the 81 Letter he says he had learnt of a Jew that the Samaritanes pronounce the name of God Iehova quite otherwise than we read it to wit Iebueh One Ralph Skinner a Learn'd English man dedicates a Treatise of Maimonides translated into English to our Archbishop and his Epistle Dedicatory makes this the one hundredth and second of this collection he shews there the error of this Jewish Doctor and the use that may be drawn from the reading of his Works he reduced his principles to six errors He believ'd First That the Stars and Celestial Spheres were living Beings Secondly That God never Repented but once viz. in the destruction of the first Temple he made the Just perish with the Wicked Thirdly That the Law of Moses was Eternal Fourthly That Man hath a free Will to do Good or Evil. Fifthly That those Promises which God hath made by the Prophets are Temporal which should be accomplish'd upon the Earth when the Messia should come Sixthly That the Kingdom of Iudah was given to the Posterity of Iechonias after his Repentance whereas Salathiel was the Son of Neri Provided that they take care of these six Errors says Skinner there may be drawn six considerable advantages from the reading of Maimonides First We may profit from his Hebraical Speeches Secondly He teaches divers Sentences of the Jewish Doctors Skinner hath marked these two things in the Treatise he dedicated to Vsher in placing 'em in the Margin or marking 'em with an Index 3 we may find in Maimonides the expressions and Maxims of the Thalmud which serve to explain divers manners of speaking in the new Testament 4. Passages of the Antients otherwise explain'd after an uncommon manner 5. The Civil Laws of the Jews and the punishments inflicted for every crime 6. The Doctrine of the Rabbins touching the Judaical Religion First Skinner gives divers examples of the third use that may be made of the works of Maimonides we will relate three or four by which the rest may be judg'd of St. Iohn says Apoc. 74. I heard the number of those that were Sealed there was one hundred forty four thousand Sealed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of all the Tribes of the Children of Israel This manner of speaking is often found in the Holy Scripture as also much used in the stile of the Rabbins witness this passage of Maimonides in his Treatise of Repentance Chap. 3. Sect. 3. As he examines the Justice and Iniquity of man at the day of his death even so he weighs the Iniquity and Justice of every man in the first day of the same year he that is found just is seal'd for Life and the Wicked for Destruction but as for those who are between
rational Person amongst 'em give in their answers to this question suppose this Sacred Wriâ— should be the Word of God What Testimonies Authorities Qualifications c. would be sufficient to fix an undoubted perswasion in you that it is the Word of God Certain we are that the answer would not come up to half the demonstration that we now have since we have the utmost Authority that Nature is capable to give nay the ordinary course of Nature very often inverted to confound the infidelity of such persons as question'd their own natural conclusions and the Author of Nature at once as if 't were his business to condescend and make new terms with his Creatures to keep his credit amongst ' em We cou'd if the shortness we have design'd this Discourse wou'd permit enlarge upon this Subject but 't is so well done to our hands by several late learned Divines that our Deists have nothing to object but a little Buffoonery Banter and Ridicule and 't is pitty to deny 'em the happiness they take in it or any other short liv'd Pleasure which must necessarily arise from their Principles which if it be not exactly the same with Post mortem nihil est ipsaque mors nihil Death it self is nothing and after death there 's nothing Yet 't is near akin to it for tho' they have not that Stoical Bravery to defie Death I wou'd say to dare to think of it like Men yet most of them have imbib'd Descartes's Principles unwillingly assur'd of the Existence of their Soul or some unknown Agent which works upon their Animal Spirits after some unintelligible dark manner and that it does not come under the common Notion of other Material Substances they are also certain that the Body rather depends upon it than it upon the Body to a demonstration and what is yet more disagreeable to 'em when they dare be guilty of thinking is that as an after State of the Soul has been the Universally receiv'd Opinion even amongst such as were unacquainted with no better Demonstration than the Dictates of their natural Light So they can't find out any Reasons against it so plausible as to escape their own Ridicule if offer'd by any body else and if there be any thing of an after-State to make an Eternal unknown Plunge into it must certainly be surprizing to such Persons as have no hope beyond this Life no proper claim to another but what their own Doubts and Fears may give 'em a Title to Mens habet attonitus furdo verbere caedit Fears not to be stifled since they arise from a Principle that depends not upon the Will no more than a Man's Shape or Species does But to leave this unhappy Subject and if possible to perswade a Retreat to some of that numerous Crowd that are about to list themselves into this unthinking Fraternity I wou'd propose Learning and Study to 'em and amongst all others that of the BIBLE Since it shews the most certain and secure way for such as expect a greater Happiness than is in sensible Objects A Happiness worthy the Dignity and Nature of Mankind in short such a Happiness as Man was Created for unless he himself frustrate his own End I have already made a short Comparison of the Sacred Writ with other moral Writings which appear but mean in respect of it Not that I wou'd deny a due value to others especially Divinity Books as Comments upon the Bible and distinct Treatises whose Subject in general is to remove all Obstructions of human Happiness as Prejudices Error c. and to prepare the Mind for a search after Truth In order to this great End it will not be amiss to subjoyn this following Catalogue which will be of great use to such as love this Study DIVINITY POol's Synopsis Criticorum and his other Works Dr. Hammond on the New Testament with all his other Works H. Grotius 's Commentary on the Old and New Testament and the rest of his Works Eusebius his Ecclesiastical History T. vet Biblia Sacra sive lib. Canonici priscae Judaeorum Ecclesiae a Deo traditi Latini recens ex Hebraeo facti brevibusque Scholiis illustrati ab Im. Tremelio Fr. Iunio Accesserunt libri qui vulgo dicuntur Apocr lat reddâ—ti notis quibusdam aucti a Fr. Iunio multi omnes quam ante emendata Ed. aucti locis innumeris quibus etiam Adjunximus N. T. lib. ex Sermone Syro ab eodem Trimel ex Graeco a T. Beza in lat vers notisque itidem illustratus Bp. Andrews Sermons c. The Works of the whole Duty of Man Dr. Hookers Ecclesiastical Policy Dr. Comber upon Liturgies Bishop Burnets Works Bish. Stillingfleets Works All the Fathers as St. Ambrose c. Mr. Leigh's Critica Sacra Dr. Lightfoots works Dr. Preston's works Riveti Controversia de Religione contra Papistas The History of the General Councils Dr. Sherlocks works Dr. Jeremy Taylors works Bishop Ushers works Jurieu's Accomplishment of Prophesies Dr. Barrows works Dupins Bibliotheque Altings works Episcopius his works Bishop Bramhalls works in four Tomes fol. Hales Remains in fol. Bishop Halls Contemplations upon the Remarkable Passages in the Life of the Holy Iesus fol. Latin Books in Divinity Bail summa Conciliorum omnium ordinata aucta illustrata ex Merlini Joveri Baronii Binnii Coriolani Sirmondi aliorumque Collectionibus ac Manuscriptis aliquot seu Collegium Synodicum in sex Classes distributum c. in fol. Beveregius Guil. Synodicon sive Pandectae Canonum S. S. Apostolorum Conciliorum ab Ecclesia Greca receptorum necnon Canonicarum S. S. Patrum Epistolarum una cum Scholiis antiquorum singulis eorum annexis scriptis aliis huc spectantibus c. Oxonii in fol. Bonacinae Martini Opera omnia in tres Tomos distributa c. fol. Lugd. Coccei Johannis Opera omnia octo voluminibus comprehensa c. Amstelodami in fol. Cassidori magni Aurelii Opera omnia in duos Tomos distributa c. Rothomagi fol. Grotii Hugonis Opera omnia Theologica in tres Tomos sed quatuor Volumina divisa c. Amstel fol. Haunaldi Christop Theologiae speculativae scholasticis Praelectionibus Exercitiis accommodatae Libri quatuor partibus summae divi Thomae respondentes c. Ingolst adii fol. Vossii Ger. Ioh. de Theologia Gentili Phisiologiâ Christianâ sive de Origine progressu Idololatriae deque naturae mirandis quibus homo adducitur ad Deum in fol. Bocharti Sam. Geographica Sacra c. in quart Cotelerius Ecclesiae Grecae monumenta c. in quart Kabbala denudata seu Doctrinae Hebraeorum transcendentalis c. 410. Sulsbach History HISTORY has been call'd by a great Man Speculum Mundi The Looking-Glass of the World It gives the best prospect into Humane Affairs and makes us familiar with the remotest Regions by this we safely sit in our Closets and view the horrid Devastations of Countreys Tumults Changes and Ruptures of
the Gospel Preached unto 'em and Maximianus Herculius violently persecuted the Christians which he found here in the year CCCIII. It 's what Vsher tells us Chap. 7. Where beginneth what we have called the second part of his Work It may be that many things might be added to the precedent which he saith there upon the Faith of the Monks of the great number of Martyrs that Maximianus put to death and of the circumstances of their punishments Howbeit it 's certain that Dioclesian and Maximian having voluntarily quitted the Empire in the year CCCIV. and Constantius Chlorus being declared Augustus he put a period to all violences of what nature soever in the Provinces of his Jurisdiction and England was amongst the rest in which the Monks assure us that he built some Churches but dying two years after at York his Son Constantine who till then had been but Caesar was proclaimed Augustus by all the Roman Army which had lately got a signal victory over the Picts This gives occasion to our Archbishop to seek into the native Country of Constantine and of Helena his Mother in the eighth chapter The Country of this Princess is very doubtful although the Monks affirm she was of Treves yet is it not unlikely to be true that her Son was born in England as it may be seen in our Author who builds his opinion chiefly upon these words of Eumenius in his Panegyrick of Constantia O fortunata nunc omnibus terris beatior Britannia quae Constantinum Caesarem prima vidisti Vsher afterwards sheweth that some Bishops of England assisted at the Council of Arles in CCCXIV and 11 years after at that of Nice likewise at the other Councils called upon the occasion of the antient controversies Notwithstanding that hindered not Arianism to pass into Great Britanny when Gratianus had granted liberty to all the sects of the Christians saving to the Manicheans to the Photinians and to the Eunomians But it seemeth that the Tyrant Maximius that favoured the Orthodox suffered not Arianism to take root in England where he began to Govern in CCCLXXIII some time after he sent hence a great number of Inhabitants which he established in Amorica that is to say Low Brittany which he remitted to one Conan Meriadoc who was the person according to the Monkish History that obtained of Dionot King of Cornwall his Daughter Vrsula in Marriage with 11000 Virgins of noble Birth besides 60000 other Virgins of meaner families All the World are acquainted with the Story of St. Vrsula and of the 11000 Virgins and those that would know who hath refuted it may consult Vsher who relateth it with many reasons to shew it is but an impertinent Fable altho' Baronius maintains the contrary In that time many people went to see the Holy places in Palestine which was the occasion of making known in the West the Books of Origen which were unknown there before Rufinus Amongst others a Priest of Aquila after having lived three years in the East and Studied under Evagrius an Origenist imbib'd not only the sentimeâ—ts of Origen but returning into Italy spread them every where by translating divers of his works It was of him that Pelagius and Celestius learned at Rome this Doctrine whereof we shall speak in the sequel They both were Monks and of Great Britain Celestius of Scotland and Pelagius of England the second was called Morgan in the Language of the Countrey that is to say born of the Sea or in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a name given him out of his Countrey If St. Ierom may be believed Pelagius was an ignorant man who could not express himself that was more to be pittied than envied and Celestius a studier of solecisms but St. Augustine speaketh advantageously of their wit in divers places and indeed it is seen by the fragments that remain in his works that they expressed not themselves so ill as St. Ierom saith We have still two pieces of Pelagius amongst the supposed writings of this last whereof one is a Letter to Demetriades and the other is intituled the Symboli explanatio ad Damasum whereas it should have been called Professio fidei ad Innocentium for it was to Innocent that Pelagius sent it This last piece is also found in Baronius and in the first Tome of the Councils of the edition of Cologne in 1606. Pelagius sojourn'd long enough at Rome where he acquired much reputation by his works and his conduct whence it cometh that Augustin Bishop of Hippona spoke honourably of him and writ to him a very obliging Letter before he entered into a dispute with him He calleth him in his Book de peccatorum meritis vir ut audio sanctus nec parvo profectu Christianus bonus ac praedicandus vir He is saith he a man as I am told Holy and much advanced in Piety a man of Merit and Praise worthy Father Petau in his book De Pelagianorum Semi Pelagianorum Dogmatum Historia remarketh that St. Augustin composed the Book in which he speaketh so advantageously of Pelagius after the condemnation of Celestius in the Council of Carthage in CCCCXII Thence he concludeth that it is not of this Pelagius whereof St. Chrysostome speaketh in his fourth Letter wherein he deplores the fall of a Monk of the same name There is no more likelihood that the Pelagius a Hermit to whom St. Issiodorus de Diamette hath written great censures be him that we speak of here whose life was always irreproachable as appears by the Testimony of St. Augustin Rome being taken by the Gothes in the year CCCCX Pelagius who was there departed and Sailed to Africa yet he remained not there but immediately went into the East Notwithstanding his Disciplie Celestius stayed at Carthage and aspired to be Priest of that Church but as he made no difficulty to maintain the Sentiments of his Master he was accused by Paulinus Deacon of the same Church in a Council where Aurelius Bishop of Carthage presided in the year which is already mention'd Celestius was there condemned and excommunicated as having maintain'd these seven Propositions I. That Adam was created mortal and that he should die whether he had sinned or not II. That the sin of Adam was only prejudicial to himself and not to all Mankind III. That the Law opened the entrance into Heaven as well as the Gospel IV. That before the coming of Iesus Christ men were without sin V. That Children newly born are in the same State as was Adam before his fall VI. That all Mankind dyeth not by the Death and Prevarication of Adam as all Mankind riseth not by the Resurrection of Iesus Christ. VII That man is without Sin and that he can easily obey the Commandments of God if he will Celestius answered to these Heads but we have only part of his Answers in the Books of St. Augustine that is to say that we have no other Testimonies of his Doctrine than
dogmata postea subtilius explicata tractet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. For what regards the High Priest Levites and the Laicks relates according to our Author to the Priesthood and to the Custom of the Jews This Epistle being written about the end of Nero's Empire or at least before that of Vespasian whilst the Temple yet stood Letter 347. 1. p. Tacitus After having said that many learned men have discovered of what use Tacitus is in Politicks without excepting the the Italians who pretend to be the great Masters in this Science He saith that Berneggerus and Freinshemius had given at Strasbourg an Edition of it in 8 vo with a very large Index and most useful Notes in the Margent He adds that he read it with pleasure and that it was esteemed by all the Ingenious of Paris The same Author undertook to make an Addition in Folio with a perpetual Commentary drawn from all the Notes which had appeared tell then upon Tacitus Letter 1092. 1. p. Theophilactus 'T is the abridgement of the Greek Fathers which had written before him and is as the Voice of the Greek Church who gave us the opinions of St. Paul which he had preserved with much Fidelity Letter 1243. 1 p. Predestinatus 'T is the Title of a Book in 8 vo printed at Paris 1643. by Father Sirmond Grotius saith that he hath drawn this Book from a Manuscript which was formerly Hinâ—mar's Archbishop of Rheims that this work is oppos'd to those that believe absolute Predestination And that the Stile is strong and elegant Letter 673. p. 2. Father Casaubon I have not had less veneration saith our Author for his natural openness and sincerity than for his great Learning He told me in the year 1613. at London where I was almost every day with him when he went out of France he quitted all Studies which belong to the ancient Souldiery to which he had been perswaded by Henry the 4 th who was as great a Soldier as a Prince and that in England he had turned his Studies of that side which most pleased King Iames who was given more to peace than War Casaubon had no Collection except in his memory Margents of his Books and upon loose Papers Wherefore we have no Notes upon Polybe but what is upon his first Book and they are imperfect also 184. Letter p. 2. Selden This Author who made his wit appear in many pieces hath given to the Publick his book entituled Mare Clausum in opposition to another intituled Mare liberum This work is very learned and attributes in particular to the King of England all the Sea that extends it self from the Coasts of England Spain France the Low Countreys and Germany unto that of Denmark Letter 590. p. 1. Selden saith Grotius in another place hath taken figurative Expressions whereof I have made use in my Poetry to defend the Laws of the King of England and hath opposed them to others more serious I am very much obliged to him for the honesty with which he hath spoken of me and I believe I shall not injure the Friendship that is between us by this Epigram that I have made upon his Book Ipsum compedibus qui vinxerat Ennosigaeum Est graeca Xerxes multus in Historia Lucullum Latii Xerxem dixere Tagatum Seldenus Xerxes ecce Britannus erit Letter 371.2 p. The Bishop of Bellai I know him saith Grotius not only by his writings but also by Conversation He is an honest man and well versed in Controversie This is the Title of one of his Books The Demolishings of the Foundation of the Protestant Doctrine He hath a great hatred to the Monks and would not have them instruct the People but have it referred to the Ordinaries He is very much esteemed amongst the Bishops and of an exemplary Life Letter 1716. p. 1. Crellius I thank you saith our Author to him Letter 197. p. 1. both for the Letter and the book youâ— sent me I have resolved to read over and over with care all that you have written knowing how much profit I have gain'd by your Works When I received your Letter I was employed in reading your Commentary upon the Epistle to the Galatians You have very happily found the design and occasion of this Epistle as well as the sequel of this discourse I have cast my eye saith our Author elsewhere in speaking to Ruarius friend to Crellius upon his Commentary to the Epistle to the Hebrews which is very Learned I have profited much thereby as well as upon that which he hath made upon the Galatians of which the Ministers of Charenton make the same judgment as I do Let. 552. p. 1. He saith to his Brother speaking of the Book that the same Crellius had written against that of Grotius de satisfactione Christi that he hath written modestly and with much learning altho' he approves not of his opinions p. 2 Letter 138. George Calixta Professor of Divinity at Helmstadt I know not whether you have seen the preface that Calixta hath put before the books of St. Austin de Doctrina Christiana and of the Commonitorium of Vincent de Lerins the book that he hath made de Clericorum coelibatu and the first part of his divine Morals with a digression touching the new Method de Arte nova I approve the judgment of this Man and the respect he hath for antiquity joyned to the love of Peace A. M. des Cordes Canon of Limages p. 1. Letter 350. see Letter 339. p. 1. Salmatius I have run through the book of Salmatius upon Simplicius There is as you say much reading I wonder he disposeth not his thoughts in a better order 'T is sometimes difficult to reconcile him to himself he often disputes about words c. To William Grotius p. 2. Letter 326. Salmatius hath been with me he is dispos'd to defend every thing to the utmost extremity and even maintains that St. Peter never set foot in Italy I wonder the spirit of a Party should have so much strength says he in the same Letter 533. Salmatius is pleas'd to defend Opinions abandoned by all the World for even Blondel who is a Minister in France maintains in a book Printed at Geneva that St. Peter was at Rome He denyes also a Woman was ever Pope but Salmatius affirms it in the same Letter 536. A great friend of Salmatius hath told me a little while since that a Book could not easily be made de lingua Hellenistica Rediviva drawn from this that he saith he is constrain'd to confess in many places that he acknowledges the thing and disputes but of the Name He saith that no body hath remark'd that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answereth to a manner of speaking Latin But I had and even in three places Mat. vi 2. c. in the same book 6921. Daniel Heinsius I have read the Works of Heinsius upon Nonnus which was not worth my while for others have said several
are some words for it is too long to be all inserted The Cardinal burthened with care unloads it on a Monk this Monk dischargeth it very slightly Boutiller the Son only runs about the Father defers every thing the Commissaries of the Treasury and the Generals of the Armies think they are all called to a Harvest of Gold The Cardinal is charged with the Sins of all the World and even fears his life It happened in 1637. that Grotius and the Earl of Leicester the English Ambassadour having sent their Coaches to meet an Ambassadour of Holland the Swedish Ambassadours Men took the Precedency in spight of the English which made the latter draw their Swords The Duke de la Force who went for the Ambassadour ran to the tumult and thought he could easily decide it but the Swedes made it appear they were prepared for this accident in giving the reasons they had to do so which may be seen in Let. 722. p. 1. I almost forgot to remark that in the 2. part which contains much fewer political Letters than the first that the Opinion of Grotius may be seen upon these two questions to wit if one is obliged to send a Prince such succour as hath been promised him when we are attacked our selves Letter 16. and after what manner the Republick of the United Provinces hold Democracy Let. 209. This is what was thought fit to relate of the Letters of Grotius concerning Politicks The subject of his Embassy may be seen in the new History of Swedland by M. Puffendorf lib. vii c. 4. In this great number of Letters one may well judge that there are some of all sorts but we were contented to mark the principal subjects The Letters of Consolation may be added whereof these are the most considerable the 133. to M. du Maurier upon the Death of his Wife The 334. to G. Vossius upon the Death of his Son Denis The 445. to M. de Thou The 1116. to a Prince of the House of the Palatinate What follows is a Continuation of Bishop Ushers Works Entituled The Antiquities of the British Churches c. And should have followed in pag. 37. after these Words Day of his Death but was there left out through the Printers mistake AFter the death of Innocent St. Augustine and Alypius writ to St. Paulin Bishop of Nola to exhort him to oppose Pelagianism in Italy provided he was in a Condition of making any progress In the mean time Celesâ—â—us that was return'd from Asia whither he was gone after having made some little abode in Sicily came to present himself of his own accord to Zozimus Born in Cappadocia and successor to Innocent He gave him a small Tractate wherein he had particularly expounded his Opinions He ran over therein all the Articles of Faith from that of the Holy Trinity to the Resurrection of the Dead and declared that he held all these Articles after the same manner the Catholick Church did He added likewise that if disputes were rais'd in things that were not matters of Faith as for his own part he had not attributed to himself the authority of forming an absolute Judgment thereof but offered to be examined by Zozimus what he had Written upon these subjects drawn from the authority of the Prophets and Apostles that it might be corrected if there was any errour In fine every sentiment he there explain'd that we have before spoken of and denyed manifestly Original Sin Zozimus cited â—elestius to appear before him in the Church of St. Clement where he caused this Writing to be read and asked of the Author if he verily believed what he said therein Celestius answered Yes after which Zozimus put divers questions to him the sense whereof may be contain'd in these two If he condemned the Doctrines that Paulinus Deacon of Carthage had accused him of maintaining He said to that that he could prove this Paulinus to be an Heretick and would not condemn the propositions whereof he had accused him The other question that Zozimus put to him was if he agreed not with Pope Innocent in what he had condemned and if he would not follow the sentiments of the Church of Rome Celestius answered yes After these formalities Zozimus Writ to the Bishops of Africk a long letter where he relates in what manner Celestius had appeared before him and how he had been examined After that he reproachech them with having acted in this affair with too much precipitation fervore fidei praefestinatum esse and that they had too lightly believed extravagant reports and saith the same to certain Letters of Eros and Lazarus not being well assur'd of their worth Lastly he citeth those that shall have any thing to say against Celestius to appear at Rome in two Months at farthest Notwithstanding he took not away the Excommunication that the Bishops of Africk had pronounced against him As in that time the judgment of a Synod or even of a Bishop and particularly that of the Bishop of Rome was of great weight in what manner soever they had proceeded and that afterward Zozimus was accused of having prevaricated in condemning Pelagius after having approved his Doctrine St. Augustine hath endeavoured to give the best turn he could to this conduct of Zozimus as if this Prelate had acted mildly on Celestius's account only for pitty and thinking to have an account of his Opinions only for the better instructing himself that seeing they could not not be attributed to him as obstinate Heresies it would not be so difficult even to bring him back to the truth Zozimus in a Word according to St. Augustin look'd upon Celestius as a Man of great wit and who being corrected might be very useful to others The will of rectifying but not the falsity of Opinion is commendable In homine acerrimi ingenii qui profecto si corrigeretur plurimis profuisset voluntas emendationis non falsitas dogmatis approbata est 'T is a long while ago saith our Author that the Learned Vossius hath shewn this great Bishop endeavour'd in vain to hide the broken back of Zozimus with his Purple It cannot be doubted after reading the Letters that he Writ to the Bishops of Africk that he not only favoured Celestius but also Pelagius as being Catholicks without dissenting much from the true Faith Zozimus having sent his Letter unto Africk received a Packet from Palestin directed to Innocent whose Death was not yet known There were Letters of Prayle Bishop of Ierusalem and an Apology of Pelagius with a small book wherein he expounded his Opinions very clearly as it may be seen by the reading of it Prayle openly took the part of â—elagius and Zozimus caused to be read publickly these Letters and Writings which were approved by all as appears by what Zozimus writ a little while after to the Bishops of Africa Would to God saith he to them my most beloved Brethren that some of you could have assisted
he durst not despise them he did believe it not necessary to make a party therein Our Author shews what pains St. Prosper and the Popes Xystus and Leo took to refute or to destroy Pelagianism and Semi-pelagianism It was in the same time that Vincent of Lerins made his Commonitory to wit three years after the Council of Ephesus He is suspected to be the Author of the objections that St. Prosper hath refuted under the Title of Objectiones Vincentianae this Commonitory was Printed lately in 12. at Cambridge with the Notes of Mr. Baluze and the Book of St. Augustine of Heresies Vsher in this same Chapter relates the Ravages that the Scotch and the Picts committed in England the arrival of the Saxons into this Island the manner how they became Masters on 't and the other events of that time Before that these disasters happened in England a Monk named Faustus retired from hence into the Narbonick Gaul where he became Abbot of Lerins and afterwards Bishop of Riez after Maximus whom he also succeeded in the Abbey of Lerins He assisted at a Council which was held at Rome towards the end of the year Cccclxii where it was concluded that every year there should be a Council held amongst the Gauls which should be convocated by the Archbishop of Arles There was assembled one in this City which ordered Faustus to express his Sentiments touching the matter of Grace and another at Lyons by the order of which he added something to what he had already writ because some new Errours had been discovered These Errours are those to which the Divines of Marseilles gave the Name of Predestinarian Heresie that some maintain to have been a real Heresie and others the opinions of St. Augustine We have no more of the Acts of these two Synods but the work of Faustus subsisteth yet It is intituled de Gratia libero arbitrio directed to Leontius Archbishop of Arles and very clearly containeth Semi-pelagianism Erasmus got it first printed at Basil in M.D.XXVIII and it hath been since inserted in the 8 th Tome of the Library of the Fathers Faustus sent the opinions of the second Council of Arles to a Predestinarian Priest named Lucidus to oblige him to retract his Errours and to subscribe this Doctrine of the Council His Letter to Lucidus is still to be â—ad and the answer of this Priest directed to the Bishops assembled at Arles where he declares that he condemns the Sentiments of those that believe that after the fall of the first man Free-will was entirely extinct That Jesus Christ died for all men that some are destined to death and others to life that from Adam to Jesus Christ no Pagan hath been saved by the first Grace of God to wit by the law of nature because they have lost the free Will in our first Father That the Patriarchs and Prophets and the greatest of Saints have remained in Paradice untill the time of Redemption This is almost a full Abridgment of the Book of Faustus Some learned men have maintained that Faustus had passed his Commission and that many of those that had assisted at the Councils of Arles and Lions had not subscribed his Book It is nevertheless difficult to believe that a Bishop that was very much esteem'd as Faustus was as it appears by the Letters of Sidonius Apollinaris Bishop of Clermont in Auvergne who makes his Elogy in several places and by Gennadus who praiseth this work it is I say difficult enough to conceive how he could have the boldness to attribute to a Council opinions which were so odious to the greatest part of 'em and to think the Members of this Council could not shew their Resentment thereof Neither do those who say that Faustus exceeded his Commission give any reason only that they cannot persuade themselves that there were so many Semi-Pelagians amongst the Gauls In our Author are the different Judgments that divers learned men have made of Faustus and the greatest part of 'em are not very favourable to him Baronius too speaketh ill enough of him So that it happeneth now to the Semi-Pelagians what did in times past to the Pelagians which is that those who believ'd their principal Tenets condemned them only because those who have been more considerable than themselves have formerly condemned them The Book of Faustus is not unknown it being carried to Constantinople where mens minds were divided concerning the Doctrine it contained Some maintained it was Orthodox and others Heretical as it appeareth by a Letter of Possessar an African Bishop who was then at Constantinople and who writ of it to Pope Hormisda in the year DXX to know his thoughts thereupon Persons of the first quality amongst which were Vitalianus and Iustinian who hath been since Emperour desired to be instructed what Sentiments the Church of Rome had of it Hormisda disapproved the Book of Faustus and sent them to consult these of St. Augustin of Predestination and Perseverance There was then at Constantinople a Monk named Iohn Maxence who writ an answer to the Letter of Hormisda where he compareth the opinions of St. Augustin and those of Faustus and desperately censures Possessar and those that maintained that the Book of Faustus was Orthodox It appears by that that Possessar was a Semi-Pelagian and consequently that the Councils of Africk had not been able as yet to submit all the Bishops of this Church to their Decisions The Vandals were become Masters of Africk during the heat of the Pelagian Controversies and as they were Arians they drove away a great number of Bishops that followed the decisions of the Council of Nice Thrasamond King of the Vandals had sent 60 of them into exile from the Province of Byzacene into Sardinia They were consulted from the East upon the Controversies of Grace rather to have a publick Declaration of their opinions than to draw instructions from them seeing those that did write to them had already taken party and condemned in their Letters not only the Pelagians but also the Books of Faustus Fulgentius Bishop of Esfagues answered in the name of the others and exposed the sentiments of St. Augustin in a Letter and in a particular Book directed to one Paul a Deacon The same Fulgentius made also other works upon this matter whereof several places may be seen in our Author He had composed seven Books against the two of Faustus of Grace and Free-Will but they are lost These African Bishops returned to their Churches in the year DXXIII which was that of the Death of Thrasamond as Victor of Tonneins informeth us in his Chronicle But Fulgenius had refuted Faustus before he had left Sardinia whence it followeth as well as from the Letter of Possessar that Binius hath not well related the third Council of Arles whose opinions Faustus had expounded in the year DXXIV. But this is not the only fault he hath committed he hath corrected or rather corrupted as he thought
the most displeasing Tenets of his Sect to put their grosser abuses in Oblivion and finally to bury the most part of School Disputes It was hard to think that a Man supported by all that is great in his Communion whereof he seemed the Oracle should Write to deceive his Fellow-Citizens or that he should think that a bare Exposition of the Doctrin of his Church should be capable to bring back into its Bosom them that had quitted it with so much reluctancy and remained in it in spight of what could be inflicted upon them The Tenets of Rome are not taught in the Indies nor in America nor are we to learn from the uncertain relations of some ignorant Travellers We see its Practices and Devotions before our Eyes The Books of their Doctors are told in every place and most part of our Reformers were either Bishops Priests or Fryars so that neither they nor their Disciples can be ignorant neither of what the Romish Church Believes nor of what it Practises besides the Ministers have no reason to dissemble in their Opinions because the Clergy of it gain far more than those of any other Communion This Reflexion might make M. de Meaux's sincerity very doubtful who declares at the very beginning That he Designs to render the Tenets of the Catholick Church more clear than they are and to distinguish them from such as are falsly imputed to it Nevetheless the Reformed being brought up in a Religion which inspires true Faith and being otherwise moved to desire a Re-union in hopes to see the end of their Miseries fancy'd that the Accusation of this Bishop was but a pretext he used to cast out of his Creed what is troublesom and hard to believe Besides the noise of an Agreement between the Two Religions which was a long time sown among the People and whereof divers ' Ministers were made to draw the Project M. de Meaux and his followers slipt many words which were general Promises of a Reformation upon condition of Re-union If it appears now that there was not the least shadow of sincerity in all the Promises that the Roman Catholicks made and that at that very time the clear-sighted could soon discover that it was but a pure cheat the Reformed cannot be praised enough for not trusting to them nor can the others be blamed enough that make nothing of playing with what is most sacred when they have a design to cheat the simple To know whether M. de Meaux be of this Number as several Protestants pretend and endeavour to prove in shewing the opposition of his Sentiments with those of the other Doctors of his Communion it will not be unprofitable to know the History of his Book because it may be commonly perceived by the way that a design is managed which is the end proposed M. Turenne who saw a long time that his Religion was a hinderance to his Fortune would have been very glad if he could accommodate himself to the Romish Religion But the vile Practices of this Church seem so strange to those who are brought up in other Principles that he could not persuade himself to join with a Society that imposed such ridiculous Superstitions upon its Votaries to cure him of this Scruple M. de Meaux published a small Writing wherein he strained himself to shew That these small Devotions were not of the Essence of the Catholick Doctrine and that one might live and die in its Communion without practicing them This Work or rather the King's Caresses and Liberalities having had Success which all People know our Prelate was of Opinion That he could work the same effect upon others and resolved to print this Manuscript that remained written four years before and to add to it divers Sections as that of the Lord's Supper of Tradition of the Authority of the Church and Pope and obtained the approbation of the Bishop of Rheims and of some other Bishops Sorbonne these several Ages has been looked upon as the source of the French Divinity it 's therefore that not only the Doctors of this University but also Bishops and other Clergy are glad to have the approbation of that famous House at the beginning of what Books they write of Religion M. of Condom had that design but he did not speed for having sent his Exposition as soon as it came from the Press to some of the Doctors of Sorbonne instead of approving the Work they marked several Places either contrary to or favouring but in a very little the Doctrine of their Church So that Edition was presently suppressed and another was composed wherein the Passages were changed that were marked by the Censurers This could not be managed so secretly but the Reformed came to know it Mr. Noguier and M. de la Bastide who knew the Edition that was published and this last did not fail to remark the Alteration that the Author made in the Manuscript and in the suppressed Edition They also reproached him that the true Roman Catholicks were but little pleased at his Moderation and one of them finish'd the Refutation of his Book before any Protestant had Printed his but he was not forbidden to publish it M. de Meaux's Credit was great enough to stifle the direct Answer that those of his own Party made to him But he could not hinder them that were dissatisfy'd from taking an indirect course and to say what they thought and even to refute him The Iesuites and the Friars sharp maintainers of the Superstitions that enrich them could not forgive him at all Father Maimbourg in his History of Lutheranism drew this Prelates Character and criticiz'd on his Book under the Name of Cardinal Contarini and of one of his Works and says well That these Agreements and Managements of Religion in these pretended Expositions of Faith which either suppress or do express in doubtful terms a part of the Doctrine of the Church neither satisfie one side nor the other who equally complain of swerving in a matter so momentous as that of Faith Father Cresset gave this Bishop a more sensible stroke in his Book of the true Devotion to the Blessed Virgin printed at Paris in 4to in the Year 79. with priviledge from the King and the Arch-bishops leave and the consent of his own Provincial and of three Iesuites that are the Censurers of all the Works of that Society The Dauphins Tutor was too powerful an Adversary to be opposed directly But a Writer of lesser Authority that adopted the Opinion of this Prelate touching the Invocation of Saints and Worship of Images felt the weight of Father Cresset's Anger This Author was a German Gentleman called M Widenfelt intendant of the Prince of Suarzemberg and his Book was Entituled Monita Salutaria B. Virginis wholsom Advices of the Blessed Virgin to her indiscreet Votaries This Book made much noise in the World especially after the Pastoral Letter of the Bishop of Tournay wherein he recommends this Book to his People as full
of Solid Piety and very fit to remove the Abuses whereunto Superstition wou'd engage ' em The Bishop of Mysia Suffragan of Cologne the Vicar General of that City the Divines of Gant Malines and Lovain all approved it Nevertheless the Iesuite assures that That Writing scandalized the good Catholicks that the Learned of all Nations refuted it that the Holy See condemned it and that in Spain it was prohibited to be printed or read as containing Propositions suspected of Heresie and Impiety tending to destroy the particular Devotion to the Mother of God and in general the Invocation of Saints and the Worship of Images There are now near 10 Years past since M. Meaux kept us in Expectation of Mr. Noguier and M. Bastides Refutation but at length instead of an Answer in form there only appeared a second Edition of his Book bigger by half than the first by an Addition of an Advertisement in the beginning of it One may soon judge that it does not cost so much pains to compose 50 or 60 pages in Twelves as the taking of the City of Troy did But tho' the time was not very long it was too long to oblige all that time the Pope and the Court of Rome to give their Approbation to a Book so contrary to their Maxims Without doubt the Secret was communicated to them and they were assured That as soon as the Stroke was given and the Hugonots converted either by fair or foul means what seemed to be granted would be recalled Some Roman Catholicks worthy of a better Religion suffered thro' the ignorance of this Mystery A Prior of Gascogne Doctor in Divinity called M. Imbert told the People that went to the Adoration of the Cross on Good Friday in 83. That the Catholicks adored Iesus Christ crucifyed on the Cross but did not adore any thing that they saw there The Curate of the Parish said it was the Cross the Cross but M. Imbert answered No no it is Iesus Christ not the Cross. This was enough to create trouble this Prior was called before the Tribunal of the Arch-bishop of Bordeaux and when he thought to defend himself by the Authority of M. Meaux and by his Exposition what was said against that Book was objected to him that it moderated but was contrary to the Tenets of the Church After which he was suspended from Ecclesiastical Functions the Defendant provided an Appeal to the Parliament of Guienne and writ to M. de Meaux to implore his protection against the Arch-Bishop who threatned him with a perpetual Imprisonment and Irons it is not known what became of it The History of M. de Witte Priest and Dean of St. Mary's of Malines is so well known that I need not particularize upon it Our Author refers us here to what the Journals have said It is known what Persecutions he has suffered for expressing the Popes Supremacy and Infallibility according to M. de Meaux's Doctrine He did not forget to alledge that Bishops Authority and to say That his Exposition required no more of a Christian and an Orthodox but this did not hinder the University of Lovain to judge that Proposition pernicious and scandalous that intimates that the Pope is not the Chiefest of Bishops In the mean time the Reformed did not forget M. de Meaux his Advertisement did no sooner appear but it was refuted by Mr. de la Bastide and Mr. Iurieâ— a little after made his Preservative against the change of Religion in opposition to that Bishops Exposition But all these Books and those that were writ against his Treatise of the Communion under the two Kinds had no Answer this Prelate expecting booted Apologists who were to silence his Adversaries in a little time The Roman Catholicks of England notwithstanding their small number flattered themselves with hopes of the like Success having at their head a bold couragious Prince and one that would do any thing for them They had already translated M. Condom's Exposition of 1672 and 1675 into English and Irish and as soon as they saw King Iames setled on his Brothers Throne they began to dispute by small Books of a leaf or two written according to the method of the French Bishop The Titles with the Answers and the several Defences of each Party may be had in a Collection printed this present Year at London at Mr. Chiswells which is Entituled A Continuation of the present State of Controversy between the English Church and that of Rome containing a History of the printed Books that were lately published on both sides The Gentlemen of the Roman Church did begin the Battel by little Skirmishes but found themselves after the first or second firing without Powder or Ball and not able to furnish scattered Sheets against the great Volumes made against them said at last instead of all other answer that the little Book alone entituled The Papist Misrepresented and there represented a-new was sufficient to refute not only all the Dissertations which the English Divines lately published against Papists but all the Books and Sermons that they ever preached against Catholicks It is to no purpose to take the trouble of Disputing against people that have so good an Opinion of their Cause And in consequence of this the English answer to M. de Meaux's Exposition and the Reflections on his Pastoral Letter of 1686. met with no Answer as well as several other Books But Dr. Wake had no sooner published his Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England but these Gentlemen which know better to assault than to defend made a Book Entituled A Vindication of the Bishop of Condom 's Exposition with a Letter of that Bishop Because we do not design to enter on the particulars of these Controversies we will only take notice as to what past That First M. de Meaux denyed that any Roman Catholick writ against or did design to write against it Secondly That Sorbonne did not refuse approving his Book Thirdly He says his Exposition was reprinted to alter those places which the Censurers had improved and maintains that it was put into the Press without his knowledge and that he had a new Edition made only to change some expressions that were not exact enough Fourthly That he neither read nor knew any thing of Father Cresset's Book Dr. Wake published the Defence of his Exposition about the middle of the same year 1686 where he shews First That the deceased Mr. Conrait a Man acknowledged by both Parties to be sincere had told many of his Friends that he saw this Answer in Manuscript and other persons of known honesty that are still living assured the Author that they had this Manuscript in their hands Dr. Wake justifies his Accusations on the 2d and 3d heads by so curious a History that it seems worthy of being believed He says that one of his Acquaintance who was very familiar with one of Marshall de Turenne's Domesticks was the first that discover'd this Mystery For this
Domestick shewing his Friend in his Masters Library the suppressed Edition of M. de Meaux's Exposition with Marginal Notes which he assured him were Written by the hands of some of the Doctors of Sorbonne the Friend desired to borrow the Book which the Servant consented to So strange an accident made the borrower use his utmost care to get a Copy of the First Edition but there was such care taken to suppress it that all he could do was but to gather up some loose Leaves whereof he almost made an entire Book and copyed what he wanted out of M. Turenne's Original which he then restored to the Servant it is this same Copy which Mr. Wake has with his Certificate that gather'd it and compared it with the Mareschal's Copy It is not at all likely that Mr. Cramoisi Director of the Printing-House at the Louvre should Print a Book of Importance without the knowledge and good-will of the Author that was a Bishop and Tutor to the Dauphin and a great Favorite at Court and it is more unlikely that Mr. Crà moisi should obtain the King's leave and the Approbation of the French Prelates for a subreptitious Copy And why did not M. de Meaux shew his resentment for a boldness of this nature And how came he to give this Printer not only the Corrected Copy but also all the other Books that he made since We must examin but Fourteen places of the First Edition taken notice of by Dr. Wake to see whether the alteration that M. de Meaux made in it did only concern the exactness and neatness of the style First Edit p. 1. Thus it seems very proper to propose the Doctrine of the Catholick Church to the Reformers in separating the Questions which the Church hath decided from those which belong not to her Faith Second Edit p. 1. It seems that there can no better way be taken than simply to propose the Doctrine of the Catholick Church and to distinguish them well from those that are falsly imputed to her First Edit p. 7 8. The same Church Teaches That all Religious Worship ought to terminate in God as its necessary end So that the honour which the Church gives to the blessed Virgin and to the Saints is only Religious because this honour is given to them only in respect to God and for the love of him And therefore the honour we render our Saints is so far from being blamable as our Adversaries would have it because it is Religious that it would deserve blame if it were not so M. de Meaux has thought it expedient to blot out the last period and to express himself thus in his common Editions p. 7. And if the honour that is rendred to Saints can be called Religious it is because it regards God In the same place speaking of M. Daille the Author expressed it after a very ingenious manner but little favourable to his cause As for Mr. Daille said he he thought that he ought to keep to the Three first Ages wherein it is certain that the Church then was exercised more in Suffering than Writing and has left many things both in its Doctrine and Practice which wants to be made clearer This Acknowledgment was of importance and the Censurers had reason to note it and has not been seen since All the other Alterations are as considerable as these and Dr. Wake protests he could mention more if he were minded to shew all the places wherein the Manuscripts differed from the common Editions The Author may judge whether these be words or things that M. de Meaux has corrected but as to Father Cresset it may be said that this Bishop has strained his boldness to such a degree that none dares give him the Epithet it deserves Is it possible that this Author should not have heard of a great Volume in Quarto Writ against the profitable advice of the Blessed Virgin since the Pastoral Letter of the Bishop of Tournay who approved this last Book has caused such long Disputes in France Can it be supposed that M. de Meaux was ignorant that the Opinion of this Jesuit was contrary to his Exposition After M. de la Bastide reproached him with it in his Answer to the Advertisement And that the Author of the General Reflexions on his Exposition and M. Iurieu in his Preservative have made great Extracts out of the Book of The True Devotion Since Mr. Arnaud laughed at Father Cresset in his Answer to the Preservative and Mr. Iurieu refuted his Adversary in the Iansenist convicted of vain Sophistry That Mr. Imbert in his Letter to this Bishop offered to refute the Preservative provided he might be secured that no violence should be done him and that he might have the liberty of saying what he thought In fine after that he himself Answered divers passages of the Preservative in his Treatise of the Communion under both kinds Let us add to all this what M. de Meaux had the confidence to advance in his Pastoral Letter upon the Persecution of France I do not wonder says he my dear brethren that you are come in such great numbers and so easily into the Church none of you have suffered violence either in his Body or Goods And so far from suffering Torments that you have not heard talk of any I hear that other Bishops say the same Let this notorious falshood be compared with the Apology for the Persecution which this Prelate made in a Letter to one of his Friends that I read my self Writ and Signed by his own hand The Original whereof a certain Author proffered to shew him And it will be acknowledged that one may be very hard upon the Catholick Religion without committing so gross a contradiction But why should we stay so long upon the discovering the mystery of the Composition the Gentleman had done it himself without thinking of it Confessing that he weighed all his words and racked his Invention to cheat the simple At least this is what they that understand French will soon perceive in reading this period of his Advertisement In the mean time the Italian Version was mended very exactly and with as much care as a Subject of that importance deserved wherein one word turned ill might spoil all the Work Though one must be very dull to look upon these pious Cheats as a sincere dealing M. de Meaux was so fearful lest he might be thought to abolish some abuses and to labour to reform his own Church that he has lately given evident proofs of the hatred that he always bore the Protestants and which he thought fit to hide under an affected mildness until the Dragoon Mission It was in the History of Variations that he unmasked himself and shewed him what he was by the Injuries and Calumnies which he cast upon the Protestants and has given a Model of the manner how he deserves to be treated There were Three Months past when Dr. Burnet whom this Bishop attacked without any cause made
which they quote the Arch-bishop Laud Iackson Feilding Hâ—ylin Hammond and M. Thorndike There is not one but has writ the contrary These are the Points whereon the Enemies of Protestants would make the Church of England pass for half Papists tho there is not one but was taught by other Reformed excepting Episcopacy And this Government is so ancient that even those who think Presbytery better ought not to condemn for some little difference in Discipline a Church that is otherwise very pure unless they are minded to anathematize St. Ignatius St. Clement St. Polycarp St. Irenaeus St. Cyprian and the whole Church of the second and third Age and a great part of the first Without question the Episcopal Clergy of England have the like Charity for Presbyterians I will not alledge the Testimonies of Modern Doctors nor of such as were accused of having favoured the pretended Puritans we see the Marks of its mildness and moderation towards all excepâ—ing some turbulent Spirits amongst 'em which indeed are too common in all Societies If there ever was a time wherein the Church of England differed from Presbytery and had reason so to do it was in the middle of the Reign of K. Iamss the First and notwithstanding you may see how the Bishop of Eli speaks writing for the King and by his Order against Cardinal Bellarmin One may see how much the Protestants of this Country agree by Harmony of their Confessions where each Church acknowledges wherein she agrees with the rest Then lay aside those odious Names seek our Professions of Faith in our Confessions The Reproach you make us concerning the Puritans is altogether absurd because their number is but small and the most moderate among them agree with us in the chief Articles of Religion The Scotch Puritans Confession has no Error in Fundamental Points so that the King might say with reason That the Establish'd Religion of Scotland was certainly true And as for the rest there 's no reason to suspect Dr. Wakes Testimony for the Bishop of London and the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury have approved his Books None of the other Doctors contradicted him and some sided with him against Roman Catholicks And these last have not accused him of swerving from the common Doctrine of the Church of England only in the Article of the necessity of Baptism and he proves by several Authorities in his Defence of his Exposition what he therein advanced At the end of this Defence are several curious Pieces 1. A Comparison betwixt the Ancient and Modern Popery 2. An Extract of the Sentiments of Father Cresset and Cardinal Bona concerning the Devotion to the Blessed Virgin 3. The Letter of Mr. Imbert to Mr. de Meaux 4. The Epistle of St. Chrysostom to Caesarius with the Preface of Mr. Bigot which was suppressed at Paris in 1680. and a Dissertation of Dr. Wake upon Apollinarius's Sentiments and Disciples A DISCOURSE of the Holy EUCHARIST wherein the Real Presence and Adoration of the Host is treated on to serve for an Answer to two Discourses printed at Oxford upon this Subject With a Historical Preface upon the same Matter At London 1687. p. 127. in 4to DR Wake Minister of the Holy Gospel at London who is said to be the Author of this Book gives First In few words the History and Origine of Transubstantiation as it hath been ordinarily done amongst Protestants Secondly He names several Illustrious Persons of the Romish Church who have been accused of not believing the Real Presence or Transubstantiation to wit Peter Picherel Cardinal du Perron Barnes an English Benedictine and Mr. de Marca Arch-Bishop of Paris who gave his absolute Sentiment hereon in one of his Posthume Dissertations tho' in the Edition of Paris the places wherein he said it have been changed or blotted out But it could not be hindered but that this Work having appeared before Persons took notice of these Sentiments some entire Copies thereof have fallen into the hands of Protestants who got it printed in Holland in 1669. without cutting off any thing To these Authors are joined F. Sirmond the Iesuite who believed the Impanation and who had made a Treatise upon it which hath never been printed and whereof some persons have yet Copies M. de Marolles who got a Declaration printed in form in 1681. by which he declared that he believed not the Real Presence and which was inserted here in English And in short the Author of the Book Entituled Sure and honest means of Converting Hereticks whom we dare not affirm to be the same who published a Treatise of Transubstantiation which the Fifth Tome of the French Bibliotheque speaks of p. 455. The Cartesians and several others are suspected of not believing the same no more than the Protestants So that if the Catholicks cite some Reformed for them Protestants also want not Catholick Authors who have been of their Opinion Thirdly The Author sheweth the dangerous Consequences which arise according to the Principles of the Romish Church from the incredulity of so many Men of Knowledge be it in respect to Mass or in respect of the Infallibility and Authority of the Church The Treatise it self is divided into two parts The first contains two Chapters and an Introduction wherein is expounded the Nature and Original of the Eucharist much after the Ideas of Lightfoot In the first Chapter Transubstantiation is at large refuted by Scripture by Reason and the Fathers We shall make no stay at it because this Matter is so well known The Second Chapter is imployed to refute what Mr. Walker said concerning the Opinions of several Doctors of the Church of England upon the Real Presence Dr. Wake at first complains That his Adversary in that only repeats Objections which his Friend T. G. had before proposed in his Dialogues and which a Learned Man had refuted in an Answer to these Dialogues printed at London in 1679. As to what concerns the Faith of the Church of England which he maintains to have been always the same since the Reign of Edward He reduces it to this according to the Author who refuted T. G. viz. That she believes only a Real Presence of the invisible Power and grace of Iesus Christ which is in and with the Elements so that in receiving them with Faith it produces Spiritual and real Effects upon the Souls of Men. As Bodies taken by Angels continueth he may be called their Bodies whilst they keep them and as the Church is the Body of Iesus Christ because his Spirit animates and liveneth the Souls of the Believing so the Bread and Wine after the Consecration are the Real Body of Iesus Christ but spiritually and mystically He gives not himself the trouble to prove the solidity of this comparison by Scripture and when he comes to the Examination of the Authors that Mr. Walker hath quoted he contents himself to produce other Passages where they do not speak so vigorously of the participation of the substance of Iesus
they had not strong Reasons of doubting that they were a good Warrant of Justice or Unjustice The Objection that is founded upon the Supposition that it is the Devil who holds Witches Suspended upon the Surface of the Water is miserable for it is against all the light of a good Reason that the Devil should employ his Forces to betray Creatures which are the most devoted unto him and to make Judges Triumph over his Subjects who have a Design to send them into the fire It is say they because God forceth there Proud Spirits to Act against their proper interest But besides that they say this without forming a distinct Idea of the manner wherewith these Spirits may be forced to produce certain Actions Who seeth but a constraint of this nature ought not to hinder Magistrates to verifie by the Experience of Water if a Woman be a Witch seeing that whether God Acteth therein by his immediate Vertue or forces the Devils to work this Prodigie it is still his wise and admirable Providence which would make use of this means to teach Judges what they know not These Two Objections which are the best of all being ruined it seems that the only means to refute this practice is to make the foundation of these Proofs suspicious of falshood but as the Author strives only against those that agree with him in the fact there is nothing to be feared on that side We must do him this justice that he is not of those who have precipitately recourse to the Essay of Immersion he will have men recourse to it but upon very probable Indices of Sorcerie and he gives thereupon very good Counsels to the Judges chiefly exhorting them to take heed that the Hangman acquit himself faithfully of his duty for without it there would happen great abuses in this matter because the persons which are cast into the water being sometimes very innocent do not swim and then the Hangman ought to be active to draw them out for fear they should be drowned But if he is too hasty he may save the guilty because there are Witches which being immediately descended a little under water would soon come up again of themselves and would manifest thereby their crime whilest they pass for innocent if the Hangman doth not give them time to come up again It may also be that a Woman which weigheth not much may have motions which swell up some Muscels to form a perfect Equilibrium betwixt her weight and that of the water The Emotion and Tonick movement of the Muscels would perhaps soon cease and then this Woman would sink and would justifie herself But if she be judged according to the effect of the Equilibrium where she is in at the first Moment she is lost with all her Innocence There are then many things to be observed and apparently it is one of the best difficulties that may be made against this proof The Author hath heard say that there are certain Countries where the Women who are suspected of Witchcraft are weighed in a Ballance and saith they have experienced that Witches of the greatest and thickest Stature weigh no more than about 15 pounds He brings several proofs of his sentiment which are good enough considering the quality of the matter This is not the less convincing that the Judges must not be refused this Essay of the Immersion seeing it is so difficult to assure themselves of the truth by the Testimony of the Accomplices for saith he a Witch that accuseth another Grounds very often but upon that She imagineth to have seen her at the Caterwauling or meeting of Witches And what assurance can one take upon such imagination which might have been deluded by the evil Spirit as the Author shews in the fourth Chapter Besides it being known by the Deposition of several of these Wretches that Witches of quality walk nor dance at that Assignation but in a mask whence it followeth that they are known but by their Mien and Stature and other signs very suspicious A strange thing is that in the Books of Pagans where so much is spoken of Witchcrafts no Women are found which are thought to go to the Assignation Is not it because the Devil changes customs and manners according to the diversity of times and places The Author answers very largely to the objections of his Adversaries but sometimes he saith things which have not the least solidity as when he supposes that the Water of all the Elements is subject to the Devils power and where uncertain facts may be best discovered because of the Exorcisms and Consecrations whereof Water is commonly the Subject in the Administration of Baptism He finisheth his Book with a very devout Oration which he believes the Judges ought to make to God before they make use of the Proof The Author of the Treatises is called Herman Neuwalds he refutes a Letter which is seen here and which was written at Langow in the County of Lippa the 4 th October 1583 by Adolphus Scribanius who assures that a few days before he had seen Women accused of Witchcraft cast three times into the Water in presence of a multitude of People which sunk no more than a bit of Wood. He cites divers Authors which have spoken of this proof and after having expounded this Phenomen in supposing that as soon as a person makes agreement with the Devil he is so possessed with him that he contracts a great lightness by the habitation of a Being so light and volatil as he concludes he is that the use of this proof is very lawful The Treatise which refutes this Letter is curious enough many things are related there touching the Origin Practice and Abrogation of the proofs by a hot Iron by cold Water hot Water c. In it also are related several Traditions of the Common People which regard the mark of Wizards the Feast of Loup-Garous of Livonia and divers superstitious means or Magick to discover Wizards and to Divine The pretended lightness communicated to Witches by the Volatility of the Spirit which possesseth their body And tho' it 's maintained against the Physician Wier that these Women are worthy the utmost punishment yet the Tryal of Immersion is not approved of any other besides him It were to be desired that now there are great Philosophers in the World some one would give a good Treatise upon Witchcrafts It 's supposed as a constant Principle that as soon as Wizards and Magicians have been seized by the Authority of Justice the Devil cannot do the least thing for their deliverance and yet in other occasions he makes a hundred Actions more difficult than the breaking open a door They are constrained to admit of a hundred other silly qualities Men should profoundly reason upon all this And seeing this Age is the true time of Systems something should be found out touching the Commerce which may be betwixt the Devil and Man There is no Philosophy more proper
undoubtly his In the time of Dionysius of Alexandria who lived about the middle of the Third Age one Nepos Bishop of Egypt writing of a Book to maintain the Reign of a Thousand Years where he proves his opinion by the Apocalypse Dionysius undertook to refute him And to Answer to the Testimony of the Apocalypse that his Adversary quoted he says that some have slighted this Books thinking it the Heretick Cerinthus's who admitted no other Beatitude than what consisted in Corporeal Enjoyments But as for himself he says he durst not entirely reject it because it was esteemed by many Christians yet that he was perswaded that it had a hidden sense which cou'd not be comprehended by any one That it was the Book of some Author inspired by the Holy Ghost tho' not St. Iohn the Evangelist but another that bore his Name as he endeavours to prove by the difference of the Stile and thoughts Denis without doubt went too far upon this matter as well as in the Letter that he writ to the Bishops of Pentapolis when to refute the Error of Sabellius who confounded the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity this slipt from him That the Son is the work of the Father and that he was to the Father as a Vineyard is to it's Vinekeeper or a Ship to its Ship-wright and that he was not before he was made That happen'd to Dionysius adds our Author that does almost to all those that dispute against an Error viz. to speak after such a manner as favours the opposite Errors Baronius thinks that a Letter that Turrian published under the Name of Dionysius and which is inserted in the first Volume of the last Councils P. 850. is certainly his But Mr. Du Pin believes it a Supposititious Work because the Author of this Letter approves of the Word Consubstantial and says that the Fathers have thus call'd the Son of God Whereas it is certain that Dionysius and the Synod of Antioch received not this term and that in his time they cou'd not say that the Fathers commonly made use of it There remains nothing else of this Bishops but a letter to Basilides printed in the first Book of the Councils Besides many Fragments of Methodius Bishop of Olimpius or Patarus in Lycia that Father Combefix has taken from the Ancients or Collections of divers Manuscripts we have now his Feast of the Virgins compleat which we ow to Possinus the Jesuit 'T is a Dialogue of many Virgins each of which make a Discourse in praise of Virginity nevertheless without blaming Matrimony a Moderation very rare to the Ancients says Mr. Du Pin This Work is composed of Ten Discourses full of Allegories and places of Scripture and treats on divers matters as occasion serves In the Second to prove that God is not the Author of Aulteries altho' he Forms the Children that are produced by so wicked an Act he brings some natural instances In the Eighth Discourse this Father speaking against the Fatum of the Stoicks proves that Men are free and that they are not necessitated to do good or evil by the Influences of the Stars At the end of this Dialogue the Author speaks very Orthodoxly of the Holy Trinity if we may believe Mr. Du Pin. We have only some Scattered pieces of Methodius's Treatise against Origen taken from Saint Epiphanius and Father Sirmond Our Author doubts whether the passage that Iohn Damascenus relates in the Third Prayer to Images are Methodius's or no. He affirms there that the Christians made Images of Gold to represent the Angels for the Glory of God If this is our Bishops says Mr. Du Pin it must be that he meant something else than what Damascenus did and that by the Word Angels Principalities and Powers he must understand the Kings of the Earth He adds to the Authors of the Three First Ages Arnobius Lactantius Commodianus and Iulius Firmicus Maternus altho they pass'd the greatest part of their lives in the Fourth Age because they imitated the First Fathers in disputing more against the Heathans than Hereticks He praises Lactantius very much and confesses that in his Book of the Persecucutions he seems to Note that St. Peter came not to Rome till the beginning of Nero's Empire Afterwards he gives an account of the Councils held in the Three First Ages of the Church and affirms that there are none more ancient than those that were held in Victors time about the end of the Second Age upon the Celebration of Easter and that they held no Councils to condemn the First Hereticks the Disciples of Simon Carpocratus the Basilidians and Gnosticks because the Christianâ— abhorr'd all their Errors He rejects all the Decretals attributed to the First Popes And believes 't was Riculphus and Benet his Successor that counterfeited them in the Ninth Age. He ends this Volume with an abridgment of the Doctrin Disciplin and Morals of the Church in the Three First Ages He Makes no Notes upon this Abridgment because he takes it for granted that he has proved all he says there in the Body of his Work Nevertheless we have not observ'd says the Abridger upon the reading of it by what reasons Mr. Du Pin in his Treatise maintains the following Proposition which he advances in his short account 1. That altho' all the Fathers agreed not that Children were born subâ—ect to sin and deserving damnation yet the Church was of the contrary opinion 2. That they Celebrated the Sacrifice of the Mass in memory of the Dead 3. That they pray'd to Saints and Martyrs and believed that they besought God for the Living There are others also better maintain'd and of great consequence in relation to the differences that now separate the Christians 1. That the Ancients spoke of the Virgin Mary with much respect that they went not so far upon the subject as they have done since that for the Generality they did not believe she continued a Virgin after our Blessed Saviour was born that they spoke not of her Assumption and that there 's a passage of St. Ireneus which is not favourable to her Immaculate Conception 2. That the Scripture contains the chief Articles of our Faith and that all Christians may read it 3. That the Elements of the Eucharist were ordinary Bread and Wine mingled with Water That they divided the consecrated Bread into little bits that the Deacons distributed it to those present who received it in their hands and that they also gave them consecrated Wine That in some Churches this Distribution was reserved to the Priests but in others each Person drew near to the Table and took his Portion of the Eucharist 4. That in these Three First Ages the Unction of the Sick which St. Iames speaks of was not mentioned 5. That Priests were forbid to intermix their Civil and Spiritual Affairs 6. That the Priests were permitted to retain their Wives that were Espoused before Ordination but not to Marry afterwards Tho' Deacons
said also that Usher was a Bishop that he had made because that he had appointed him so without being sollicited to it by any person this Election was made in 1620. Returning into Ireland sometime after he was oblig'd to discourse some persons of Quality of the Roman Religion to administer to 'em the Oath of Allegiance and Supremacy that they had refused to the Priest this discourse is inserted in his Life he remarks the form of this Oath is compos'd of two parts the one positive in which they acknowledge the King is Soveraign in all cases whatsoever and the other negative in which they declare they acknowledge no Jurisdiction or Authority of any strange Prince in the estates of the King he says afterwards in regard of the first part that the Scripture commands that we submit our selves to the Higher Powers and that we ought to acknowledge that the power the Kings have whatsoever it may be is Supream as they are Kings upon which he cites this verse of Martial Qui Rex est Regem maxime non habeat That one ought well to distinguish the power of the Keys from that of the Sword and the King of England does not exact an acknowledgment of the same power that is possess'd by the Bishops but nevertheless the Kings may interest themselves with Ecclesiastical Affairs in as much as it regards the body since according to the Church of Rome 't is the Magistrates duty to punish Hereticks For that which regards the second part of the Oath where it 's said that we shall not own any strange power as having any Iurisdiction Superiority Preheminence Ecclesiastical or Temporal in the Kingdom He says that if St. Peter were still alive he would willingly own that the King had this Authority in Ireland and that he us'd the same in regard of all the Apostles that the Apostleship was a personal dignity which the Apostles have not left hereditary to any but nevertheless suppose it was so he sees not why St. Peter should leave it to his successors rather than St. Iohn who outliv'd all the Apostles that there was no reason to believe that St. Peter shou'd leave the Apostolical Authority to the Bishops of Rome rather than to those of Antioch this last Church being founded before the first The King writ to Vsher to thank him for this Discourse which produced so good effect He afterwards went into England by the King's order to collect the Antiquities of the Churches of England Scotland and Ireland and publish'd two years after that his Book intituled De Primordiis Ecclesiarum Britannicarum 'T was in that time that the King made him Arch-Bishop of Armagh The Winter following he caused to be brought before him the Order for Toleration of the Roman Catholicks and the Lord Falkland then Deputy for the King in Ireland convocated and assembled the whole Nation to settle this Affair But the Bishops call'd by the Primate oppos'd it with much heat as may be seen by a Remonstrance sign'd by ten Bishops besides the Primate and which is in the 28th page They also spoke of raising some Forces by the Joynt consent both of Catholicks and Protestants to hinder any differences that might arise in the Kingdom the Protestants refus'd to consent thereto and wou'd not hearken to discourse the Primate thereupon in the Castle of Dublin altho' his reasonings were founded upon the principal Maxims of the Government of Ireland and maintain'd by Examples drawn from the Antient and Modern Histories of that Kingdom During the time our Primate stayed in Ireland after he had performed the Duties of his Charge which he acquitted with extraordinary care he employed the remaining part of his time to study the fruits whereof were to be seen in 1631. in the first Latin book which he ever published in Ireland 't is his History of Godescalch Monk of the Abby of Orbais who lived in the beginning of the 6th Age there was soon made a small abridgment of the History of Pelagianism which was then extreamly dispersed through Spain and England when he comes to the History of Godescalch he explains his Doctrine and shews by Flodoard and other Authors of that time that those sentiments whereof Hincmar Archbishop of Rhemes and Rabanus Archbishop of Maynce accused him and which were condemn'd by their Authority in two Councils were the same that St. Remigius Archbishop of Lyons and the Clergy of his Diocess defended openly many opinions and odious consequences according to Vsher were fathered upon Godescalch because that this Monk who maintained the opinions of St Augustine about Predestination and Grace did not at all understand ' em Ioannes Scotus Erygenus wrote a treatise against him in which are to be found the principal heads of Vsher but Florus Deacon of the Church of Lions answers it and censures him in the Name of all the Diocess Vsher gave an abridgment of this Censure as also of divers other treatises as that of St Remigius Pudentius Bishop of Troy Ratramus Monk of Corbi who writ against Scotus for his defence of Godescalch there had been two Councils which established the doctrine of this Monk and condemn'd that of Scotus 'T is true that Hincmar published a very large Book against these Councils which he dedicated to Charles le Chauve as Flodoard reports who shews briefly what it is that this Book treats of but that did not at all hinder St. Remigius and those of his Party to convocate another Council at Langres where they confirm'd the Doctrine established in the former Councils and condemn'd that new one of Scotus These Controversies were still agitated in the National Council of the Gauls where nothing was concluded altho' Barancus and others voted that Godescalch should be condemn'd there On the contrary Vsher maintains that in an Assembly which was in a small time after his Sentiments were approv'd of Nevertheless this wicked Godescalch was condemn'd by the Council of Maynce to perpetual Imprisonment where he was severely treated because he would never retract his Errours There are still two Confessions of his Faith by which one may see there are many things attributed to him which he never believ'd after having made a faithful report of the Sentiments of this Monk and those of his Adversaries Vsher concludes that it were better for men to be silent upon these matters than to scandalize the weak in proposing to 'em such Doctrines from which they may draw bad consequences There has been adds Mr. Parr and always will be different Opinions upon the great and abstruse Questions of Predestination and Free Will which nevertheless may be tolerated in the same Church provided those who maintain these divers Opinions have that Charity for one another which they ought to have That they condemn them not publickly That they abstain from mutual Calumnies and that they publish no Invectives against those who are not of the same Sentiments To return to the Life of our Prelate who altho' he
who repented after having kept them some time in Prison to put upon their cloaths violet coulor'd Crosses which they thus wore all their Life not being suffered to appear with other cloaths and with this clause that the Inquisition reserved a full power of changeing the Sentence pronounced as it should be thought fit whether those who had been condemned to wear the Cross were accused anew or whether there was no accusation at all Those whom they resolv'd to mortifie by a sad imprisonment were kept between four Walls where they were constrained to go of themselves and where they were nourished only upon Bread and Water The obstinate Hereticks were put into the hands of the Secular There was at that time in Gasconny of divers sorts as well as before In this Register are Vaudois and Albigeses condemned for divers pretended Heresies as of denying Transubstantiation and the seven Sacraments of the Romish Church of maintaining that we shall not rise in spiritual Bodies c. There have been besides Baguins certain Monks of the third Order of St. Francis who thought that it was not lawful for them to possess any thing whatever who called the Pope Antichrist because he suffered the Religious of St. Francis to possess Riches and who suffer'd themselves to be burned rather than to retract these Fantastick Opinions There is also the Condemnation of divers Manicheans And the proceeding against Peter Ruffit who quite to overthrow Concupiscence had with a Woman the same commerce as some Priests had with Young Women in the time of St. Cyprian a Custom which lasted so long that the Council of Nice condemned it As being us'd in the beginning o' th' fourth Age and that St. Basil St. Chrysostome and St. Ierome employ'd all their Eloquence to cure several Ecclesiasticks of this Custom in their time an exact account hereof may be seen in Mr. Dodwel's third Dissertation upon St. Cyprian Two small pieces of James Usher Archbishop of Armagh One of the Original of Bishops and the other of Proconsulary Asia to which is added an Appendix of the Priviledges of the British Churches At London by Samuel Smith 1687. in 8vo And at Rotterdam by Renier Leers THis is another Posthume Work of the Learned Vsher Archbishop of Armagh which sufficiently testifies that profound Learning that hath rendered him so famous and makes him still respected as one of the Oracles of England The Question he starteth here has so imploy'd the wits for some years past that instead of reuniting for the common Interest they cannot without much ado calm the Agitation which this dispute hath caused tho' it only concerns Exterior Order It is therefore pretended that in this Work Episcopacy is a Divine Institution founded upon the Old and New Testament and the Imitation of the Ancient Church Vsher immediately remarks that the chief of the Levites bore a Title which was translated in Greek by that of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Bishop of the Levites he expounds these Words of the Apocalypse Write to the Angel of Ephesus as if the word Angel was the same thing as that of Bishop The Succession of the Bishops of Ephesus appeared evident enough at the Council of Calcedon held in 451. And there 't is likely enough that Timothy or one of his Successors was the Angel to whom the words of St. Iohn are directed St. Ireneus says that he had seen Polycarp who was established Bishop of Smyrna by the Apostles Lastly he adds that Tertullian in his Book of Prescription against Hereticks and St. Irenaeus pressed the Hereticks by the Argument of the Succession of Bishops from the Apostles unto their time and chiefly upon that of the Bishops of Rome beginning with Linus Cletus or Clement that the Apostles had placed there and continuing until Elentherius the twelfth Bishop from the Apostles And it was Eleutherius who had the Glory of receiving into the Christian Faith Lucius King of England with all his Kingdom and that there were Bishops so well established from that time that ten years before the Council of Nice held in 325. three English Bishops assisted at the Council of Arles After having proved the establishment of Bishops by the Apostles Vsher examines the origine of the Metropolitans to whom he gives the same Antiquity For supposing as we have said that St. Iohn speaking of the seven Angels understands nothing else but Bishops he extends his conjecture so far as to say that St. Iohn having written to the seven Churches of Asia without denoting them more particularly it necessarily follows that they had some Preheminence and that they were distinguished by themselves that is to say by their quality of Metropolis He confirms it by this circumstance that the Prefects of the Romans resided in these Cities as Capitals and that the Adjacent Cities came for Justice thither Whence he concludes that they were as Mothers to the other Churches He concludes in shewing it to be the Sentiment of Beza and Calvin and proceeds to the second part of his Work which treats of the Proconsulary or Lydian Asia He observeth that the Name of Asia properly belonged to Lydia for they pretend that Asia was the Name of an ancient King of the Lydians and that it was Vespasian that made a Proconsulary Province on 't After that these three Questions are resolved The first if at the time of the Council of Nice all the Bishops were subject to the three Patriarchs of Rome Alexandria and Antioch It 's proved by the very Canons of the Council of Nice and by the first Council of Constantinople assembled under Theodosius the Great that each Patriarch had Power no farther than the extent of his Territory and over the Bishops of his particular Province And to inform us where the Patriarchats were limited he saith that that o◠Alexandria comprised Egypt Lybia and Pentapolis but that Africk Thebes nor the Mareotides were not subjected to it That of Antioch had not the whole Empire of the East whereof Constantinople was the Capital But only all that extended from the Mediterranean Sea towards the East to the Frontiers of the Empire That of Rome contained ten Provinces The Islands of Sicily Corse and Sardinia were three of them and the Continent of Italy on the East-side made the other seven that the ancient Lawyers called Suburbicaries But not to leave the work imperfect upon this Subject he examines in what dependance the Churches were who set up no Patriarchs To this purpose he observes that the Roman Empire was divided into thirteen Dioceses seven on the East-side and six on the West-side in all 120. Provinces Each Diocess had a Metropolis where the Primate resided as well as the Praetor or Vicar who decided appeals in Civil Affairs as also each Province had it's Metropolis It will not be useless to add that tho' Primates had the same Authority as the Patriarchs they preceded them notwithstanding in Councils and that Rome Alexandria and Antiochia were honoured
IV. Grotius hath also by the by spoken of some other Questions of Law which are not necessary to be related here We shall pass to what is Historical in his Letters whereof one part belongs to ancient History Profane or Ecclesiastical and the other to the History of his Time or of his own Adventures We shall in a few words observe what 's most curious upon these matters We have already noted that there is in a Letter to Mr. de Pieresc the Life of Nicholas of Damascus There is no other profane History but this except some allusion by the by to some fact which he relates not as Letter 399. p 2. One of the finest works saith he of Parrhasius is written in Pliny He represented the People of Athens after a very ingenious manner He would represent a People Cholerick Unjust Inconstant and at the same time easie to be perswaded Merciful Clement Proud Cowardly Fierce and Timorous He painted the figure of a man much as I would have the Republick of Holland or that of the United Provinces to be represented by a Virgin I would have a Virgin to be painted who hath yet her Virginity but who makes it known that it is burthensome to her In the Letter 122. p. 1. He remarks the Oaths that the ancient Jews were accustomed to make use of but in things of small consequence they believed one should not swear by Divinity it self but by ones Father and Mother by the Earth by the Stars by Heaven or by the Universe It 's apparent in the beginning of the Book of Philo intituled de specialibus legibus Which serves much according to the Judgment of Grotius to clear what Jesus Christ saith of Oaths in ch v. of St. Mat. Where he prohibites us to swear at all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to wit after any manner which the Jews swear He makes besides some other remarks upon this place of the Gospel but as he most enlarged upon this matter in his Annotations it 's better to send the Reader to them and to take notice of another thing which is in his Letters touching the Jews He saith that since the Jews were banished from their Countrey and dispersed amongst Nations who hate them they are more exposed to calumny and that we ought not slightly to believe the evil which we may hear of them that notwithstanding he would not always answer for their innocency seeing they believe it is lawful to curse Christians as appears by the Thalmud and by other Books They are not satisfied with words they proceed to effects when they think themselves strong enough for it You may see adds he in the History of Dion what the Jews of Cyrene have done in times past and in Sozomen l.vii. c. 13. and Socrates l.vii. c. 17. what the Jews did who lived between Calcedon and Antioch Nicephorus passeth for an Author on whom one cannot well rely It 's not amiss however to hear what he saith of the Jews of Arabia Samaria and Antioch l. xvii c 6. 24. l. xviii 44. because what he saith is upheld by the Testimony of Paul the Deacon l. xviii and by Zonaras in the Life of Phocas Polydor Virgil assures in l.xvi. of his History that they were banished from England because a cruel design was discovered which they had formed Stumphius Thomas Barbartensis in his Fortalitium fidei Michael Neander in his Erotemata linguae sanctae accuses them of having killed Children and gather'd their Blood for he knew not what uses at Munster Zurich Berne at Weessensch in Turing at Vberlingue near Ausbourg at Dieffenhof c. Sabellicus affirms the same thing of the Jews of Trent l. viii Ennead x. Bonfinius saith as as much of those of Tirnave in Hungary l.iv. Dec. v. For to say nothing of the Magick and Superstitious uses which may be made thereof the Blood of Infants being a remedy against Leprosie whereof several Princes have been accused to have made use Jewish Physitians might have easily undertaken to make a trial of it because of the hatred which they bore to Christians when they believed they had no reason to fear the Laws It 's then visible 't is a long time since this crime was imputed to them true or false Let. 693. p. 1. There is another observation touching a Sect of the ancient Jews wherein perhaps more likelihood of Truth will be found The most exact Chronologists according to Grotius say that Pythagoras lived towards the end of the Empire of Cyrus Numenius Porphyrius and Hermippus followers of this Philosopher say he was in Iudea and that he followed in several things the Sentiments of the Jews If we seek what Sect of the Jews might have served for a model to Pythagoras none will be found upon whom this suspition may fall but that of the Esseans There was nothing more alike than the Assemblies of these Jews and the common Auditories of the Pythagoreans such as Porphyrius Iamblicus Herocles and others describe In effect Iosephus says that the manner of living of the Esseans and Pythagoreans was the same If Iosephus speaks of the Esseans only in remarking what happened under Ianathas an Asmonean Prince it was but by the by and on the occasion of mentioning the Sadduces and Phariâ—ees without telling when this first Sect begun Grotius believes that their Sects were formed upon those of the Rechabites and Nazarenes Let. 552. p. 1. Speaking of Ecclesiastical History in general he cryeth out Let. 22. p. 1. What do those read who read the Ecclesiastical History but the Vices of Bishops Qui Ecclesiasticam Historiam legit quid legit nisi Episcoporum vitia and elsewhere upon the occasion of something which Heinsius said of the Trinity he remarks that the Greek and Latin School agree not after which he adds Mihi constat Patres in explicatione harum rerum plurimum dissensisse etiamsi vocum quarundam sono inter se conveniant quae sex repertae sunt bono affectu successu non semper optimo There arose in 1630. a pretty warm dispute between Mr. de l' Aubespine Bishop of Orleance and Mr. Rigaut who had printed some Books of Tertullian corrected upon some old Mss. touching the sence of a passage of this Author in his Book de Exhortatione Castiâ—atis Mr. Rigaut thought Tertullian meant that it was permitted to Laicks to Consecrate being in places where they cou'd have no Priests Mr. de l' Aubespine upheld that in this place he did not speak of the Eucharist but of what we now call Blessed-Bread because the Council of Trent defined that it belonged to Priests only to consecrate These are the Words of Tertullian Nonne Laici sacerdotes sumus scriptum est regnum quoque nos sacerdotes Deo Patri suo fecit Differentiam inter ordinem Plebem constituit Ecclesia honor per Ordinis consessum Sanctificatus adeo ubi Ecclesiastici ordinis non est Consessus OFFERS TINGUIS Sacerdos es
at the reading of these Letters What was not the joy of the holy Men that were present In what admiration were they all in some could scarcely keep themselves from shedding tears Is it possible that you could have defamed persons of so unspotted a Faith Is there any place in their Writings where they have not spoken of the assistance and Grace of God He condemned moreover in these Letters Eros and Lazare accusers of Pelagius and Celestius as persons guilty of great crimes erubescenda factis damnationibus nomina and spoke with much contempt of others that were parties against them Notwithstanding the Bishops of Africk took no notice of these Letters but assembled themselves at Carthage to the number of ccxiv and condemned anew Pelagius and Celestius until they acknowledged the necessity of Grace in the same sense that it was maintain'd in Africk without making use of any equivocations as they had done till then This Assembly was held at the beginning of the year CCCCXVIII they sent their Constitutions with a Letter to Zozimus wherein these Bishops exhorted him to act against Pelagius conformably to them Their Letter had the effect they desired and Zozimus and all his Clergy who had admired the Writings of Pelagius where they freely declared their sentiments giving attention as St. Augustin says to what the Romans believed thereupon whose faith might be spoken of with Praise to the Lord saw that all their Opinions which were conformable to each other were very zealous for the Catholick Faith against the Opinion of Pelagius Notwithstanding Zozimus in condemning him spoke not so strongly as he had in judging in his favour as it may be seen in Vsher. The Emperors Honorius and Theodosius received also the acts of the Council of Africk and thought fit to prop them with their authority in making an edict which they sent to the three Prefects of the Praetorium for to publish it in the whole Empire by which they banished Pelagius and Celestius from Rome and likewise condemned to a perpetual banishment and confiscation of Goods all those that should maintain their Tenets where e're they were authorizing all persons to accuse them The Prefects of the Praetorium accompanied this Imperial Law with particular Edicts whereof one is still remaining and may be seen in the Centuriators of Magdebourg It is of Palladius's and in these terms If he that is fallen into the infamous Opinions of this dangerous Heresie be Laick or Ecclesiastick whosoever he be that bringeth him before the Judge without regarding the person of the accuser the accused shall have his Goodsconfiscated and depart immediately into perpetual banishment Et si sit ille plebeius ac clericus qui in caliginis hujus obscoena reciderit à quocunque tractus ad judicem sine accusatricis discretione personae facultatum publicatione nudatus irrevocabile patietur Exilium Suspicious Persons may believe that this Edict conceived in so emphatical terms came from the Pen of some Zealous Ecclesiastick but it is nothing in comparison to those of the Emperours Honorius and Theodosius that may be seen more at large in Vsher p. 151. Those that know the Style of the Preachers then will be persuaded easily that it was requisite to follow the like method for some time to begin an Imperial Edict in these Terms Ad conturbandam Catholicae simplicitatis lucem puro semper splendore radiantem dolosae artis ingenio novam subito emicuisse versutiam pervulgatâ opinione cognovimus quae fallacis scientiae obumbrata mendaciis furiato tantum debacchata luctamine stabilem quietem coelestis conatur attrectare fidei Dum novi acuminis commendata vento insignem notam plebeiae vilitatis sentire cum cunctis ac prudentiae singularis palmam fore communiter approbata destruere c. All the rest are of the same Style by which may be seen the Spiritual Excitations in Honorius time to convert Hereticks were not very different from such as have been made use of in these latter Ages Notwithstanding the same Bishops of Africk who had lately condemned Pelagius knowing nothing yet of the Emperours Edicts which were dated the last of April assembled themselves again at Carthage the next day and anathematized those that should say that the first Man was by his Nature mortal 2. That little Infants ought not to be Baptised or that they might be so tho' they were not infected with the Sin of Adam 3. That the Grace by which we are justified serveth but for the Remission of Sins and is not sufficient to make us abstain from them for the future 4. That Grace assisteth us only to know our duty and that it produceth not obedience of it self 5. That Grace is given us that we may the more easily by its means do what we should do with most difficulty without it 6. That it is only by humility that we are all obliged to say that we are Sinners 7. That every one is not obliged to say pardon us our sins for himself but for others only that are sinners 8. That the Saints are obliged to say the same words by humility only It seemeth that this Council intended not only to condemn the Opinions of Pelagius but also to anathematize aforehand those that could fall into the sentiments that should have any connection with theirs For it 's apparent according to these principles he could absolutely deny the four last propositions He believed not that Grace made us simply to know our duty nor that there had been any man that had passed his life without Sin excepting Jesus Christ. But it hath always been the custom of Councils to anathematise some supposed errors that no body held in condemning the real Opinioins of Hereticks it may be to inspire more horrour for Heresie and to hinder that none should be so bold as to protect Hereticks Thus as St. Augustin speaketh By the Vigilance of Episcopal Councils with the help of the Lord who defendeth his Church and that of the Imperial Edicts Pelagius and Celestius were condemned in all the Christian World if they did not repent Nevertheless Pelagius who was still at Ierusalem pressed by Pinianus and Melanius made a declaration of his thoughts concerning the necessity of Grace which he acknowledged to be necessary to every act and at every moment He also saith that he always was in regard to Baptism of the same sentiments he had mention'd in his profession of Faith to Pope Innocent which is that Children must be Baptized as accustomed But whatever he could say it was not believed that he understood what he spoke in the same sense with the African Church Nevertheless Iulianus Bishop of Celenes in Campania published Commentaries upon the Song of Songs a book de Constantla and four books against the first of St. Augustins de Concupiscentiae Nuptiis where he maintained the sentiments of Pelagius In the last of these Works he treated openly the Bishops of Africk as
be modest sweet and moderate whereupon he much diaspproves the heat of most of the Controvertists and the false delicateness of some Divines who make capital errours of every thing and who as soon as they see any stumble or to swerve from their Opinion endeavour to make him be considered as an Enemy to Truth to the good of the State and the Salvation of Souls 4. He sheweth that order is the life of Books and that those who have no method have but confused Ideas of what they advance In the fourth Chapter he examines wherein consists the solidity of Writing In the 5th How clear it ought to be In the 6th He shews how briefness is acceptable and the difference there is betwixt Plagiaries Centons and those who make a judicious use of their learning In the 7th he treats of Reading in general and proves that it is so far from doing any injury to Divines that they cannot throughly understand the Sacred nor Ecclesiastical Authors if they are not well acquainted with profane Writers The 8th speaks of the choice of books and how to read them with advantage and the 9th of several famous Library-keepers and of divers Princes who favoured Learning II. The second Part treats in five Chapters 1. Of the hatred People have for books and of its principal causes sloath avarice 2. The love of novelty which makes us despise the labours of the Antients 3. The pride and foolish vanity of the Learned who contemn one another 4. The mutual envy they bear one another 5. In fine he endeavours to find the means to shelter Authors from the envy or hatred which may be conceived against their Works and speaks of the different destiny of books We have two other Treatises of our Author Otia Theologica Concionator Sacer. A Voyage to Dalmatia Greece and the Levant by Mr. Wheeler enrich'd with curious Medals and Figures of the chief Antiquities which are to be found in those Places The Description of the Customs Cities Rivers Sea-Ports and of all that is most remarkable therein Translated from the English Amsterdam for John Wolters Bookseller in 12. 607 p. T IS not above Ten or Twelve Years since the Celebrated Mr. Spon gave a very handsom Relation of this Voyage to the Levant with Mr. Wheeler Which hath receiv'd such applause from the Publick that there 's no reason to fear this will be less welcome For as Mr. Wheeler's Curiosity hath carry'd him to many more Subjects than the other has treated on so he likewise having made a longer abode in those Countries that he describes has much more enriched and diversifyed his History Whereas Mr. Spon engaged himself chiefly to the Observation of the Monuments of Antiquity and made it his particular Study It may be said of our Author that he forgot nothing that was considerable in any place he pass'd through of what nature soever With the exact Descriptions he hath given of the Principal Monuments he saw he has very agreeably added an Account of all the Plants of each place the Cities most of the Villages Mountains Plains Sea-Ports Rivers and all that he met with remarkable in his Voyage He carefully observed the Genius Manners and Religion of the Inhabitants the nature and price of the Commodities of the Country what Foreign Goods sell there to the best Advantage with the distance of the Ways and many other things of this nature As he opened that both the Old and New Geographers were deceiv'd in the Situation of divers places so he Marks what he thought the most agreeable to Truth He gave himself the trouble to draw out a new Map of Achaia incomparably more Correct than was ever seen before The whole Work is divided into two Books each of which is subdivided into three others The first contains 1. The History of our Authors Voyage from Venice to Constantinople 2. A Description of Constantinople the Neighbouring places and their Antiquities 3. The particulars of his Voyage through the Lesser Asia In the second Book is comprehended 1. The Voyage from Zant to Athens and through divers parts of Greece 2. The Description of Athens and it's Antiquities 3. Several Voyages from Athens to Corinth c. With an Account of whatsoever he saw remarkable therein Being at Venice that these two Illustrious Friends entred upon their Voyage together Mr. Wheeler thought he was oblig'd to begin his History with a short Description of the Original of this great Republick of it's Progress Losses and in fine the Estate it was in at 1675. when they were there The first considerable Place they visited in their course was Pola where they found divers Monuments of Antiquity which evidently shew'd it to be one of the Antientest Towns of Istria and that it was formerly a free State At one of the best places of Dalmatia which is the Chief City thereof call'd Zara they found nothing less considerable which place is more secured by the number and courage of the Morlaques the natural Inhabitants of the Country of whom the greatest part of the Garison are compos'd than by the goodness of it's Fortifications they having an irreconcilable hatred to the Turks But one of the most curious Pieces of Antiquity that this Country affords is the residue of a Palace that Dioclesian caus'd to be built near Salone which was the place of his Birth that he might pass the rest of his Life in this happy Retirement when he had renounced the Empire Those who have form'd an advantagious Idea of Ithica because it was the Country of Vlysses and the particular place of his Residence will be surpriz'd to hear our Author affirm it to be a pittiful little Isle that wou'd be a perfect Desert if a People they call Thiaki went not from time to time to cultivate it In this last is seen the Ruines of an Old Castle which the Thiaki pretend was formerly the Palace of Vlysses Samos that 's now known only under the Name of Cephalonia was the greatest Isle under the Command of this Prince For according to Mr. Wheeler 't is 60 Leagues in Circumference altho' Strabo allowed it to be but 300 Furlongs which makes not above 19 Leagues and Pliny but 22 Leagues Zant formerly call'd Zacynthos is nothing nigh so large since the utmost extent is but 15 Leagues 'T is very fruitful and nothing cou'd be added to make it more agreeable were it not for the Earthquakes which in the greatest part of the Spring are very often twice a week From this Island now comes the greatest part of those Raisins without Stones that they call Corants the Plant of which Fruit is not like our Gooseberrys as without reason has been an Opinion generally receiv'd but a Vine differing very little from the other sort of Raisins At the foot of one o' the Hills of this Island is a Fountain which to admiration casts forth with it's streams that are very bright and clear lumps of Pitch in Quantities so great
which is added a Preface touching the Original of this History Sold by Mr. Chiswell at London 1688. p. 44. THe Devotions of the Roman Church appear so ridiculous to them that are not born superstitious that the ablest Controvertists of that party have endeavoured to hide them or to make them pass for popular Abuses but as it is impossible that in a great Society all them that write should be of the Secret so there are a great number of Bigots who feared that the Bishops of Meaux and Turnai would with their mildness betray the Church and were minded really to abolish the Ways that enriched it So much the Protestants have seconded the sincerity of these latter and have collected out of their Offices Rites and the most famous Doctours of Rome the true Doctrine of our Church To avoid the contestations commonly raised by such as do not act sincerely The English are advised to translate whole Books of the Doctrine of Rome as the Life of Magdalene of Pazzi the Contemplations of the Life and Glory of the Blessed Virgin and other such like The Abridgment of the Perogatives of St. Ann is one of these Works The time will not be lost that is imployed in making an extract of it it is sufficient that it was ridiculous enough to cause the Effect which the Translator proposed himself it was printed at Paris in 43. with the approbation of the Doctors of Sorbonne and was Dedicated to the Queen Mother Ann of Austria then Regent so that any godly Book could not be more Authentick The Reader will be far more obliged by the taking out of the English Preface the History of St. Ann's Devotions by which may be learned what are the grounds of Monastick Orders and the Authors of Legends The Friars used ways of forming the Genealogies of their King 's and attributing great Deeds of Chivalry that never hapned to their Princes and thought that it became them to be no less liberal to the Predecessors of Iesus Christ. No Antient Author ever spoke of Iachim and of St. Ann who are said to be the Father and Mother of the Blessed Virgin and St. Epiphanius was the first that mentioned it by the by In the succeeding Ages Germain Hyppolitus and Damascenus spoke of them but 't was little or nothing at all and Nicephorus one of the greatest lyers among the Friars made but a very short History of them so that all the Legends are grounded upon two pieces whereof the Falshood is well known by Criticks One is a Letter upon the Birth of the Blessed Lady attributed to St. Ierome the other is the pretended Gospel of St. Iames. As for the first it cannot be precisely determined when it was invented All that can be said is that an old Fabulous Tradition has been the occasion of it There is a feigned Letter of Chromatius and of Heliodoâ—e desiring St. Ierome to Translate the Gospel of St. Matthew out of Hebrew into Latine which Armanius and Virinus said was in his possession and contained the History of the Infancy of the Blessed Virgin and that of our Saviour Ierome begins to excuse himself from it upon the difficulty of the work and because the Apostle did not design to make this Book publick maintaining that he writ it in Hebrew and did not mention a word of it in the common Gospel designing to keep this History from the Peoples Knowledge adding That it was a Secret that ought to be trusted to none but choice Clergy-men that might make the extract of it to Christians That Seleucus was the first that Translated it and mixed several false Doctrines tho not very different from the Truth in what regarded the History and Miracles and for that reason he promis'd them an exact Version of the Original Hebrew There are in these Fables the Maxims and Folly of the Friars which suffice to refute it Besides this Seleucus or Lucius was a Manichee which doubtless was one of the reasons why St. Augustin rejected a Work like this or perhaps it might be the same with that of Seleucus For says he If one did alledge to me the Book of Apocrypha wherein Iachim is said to be the Father of Mary I would not yield to that Authority because that Book is not Canonical Pope Gelasius not content to term the Work Apocryphal calls the Author a Child of the Devil II. The second piece whereon the Legend is founded is not of better Alloy because it is the Gospel of the false St. Iames. William Postel published it first and having Translated it out of Greek into Latin got it printed at Basil in 1552. under the Title of Prot-Evangelion cum Evangelica Historia Sanctae Mariae Evangelistae vita ejus Octavo Some years after Bibliander made Notes upon this Work and this was printed with the other which was not much better under the Title of Orthodox Writing Orthodoxographae If any one is minded to know who William Postel was he may be informed in the first Chapter of the Apology for the Reformers by Mr. Iurieu Henry Stephens that was no Divine but knew that such a Deist as Postell was might be suspected that he had embellished this Work and Casaubon attributed the whole to him However it is this pretended Gospel of St. Iames with many others was condemned in a Council of 70 Bishops held at Rome under Pope Gelasius Nevertheless the Writers of Legends receive them and form new ones as the Book of the Birth of Mary of the childhood of Iesus and the Gospel of St. Ann. The latter may be judged of according to this passage mentioned by Henry Stephens when Iesus was so grown that he could work Joseph employed him to Carpentry and one day having commanded him to saw a piece of Wood he did it without taking notice of the Mark that was to direct him and so made the piece too short Joseph was angry at this and had a mind to beat him and would have done it if Iesus had not lengthened the stick by making Joseph pull at one end whilst he pull'd at the other If the Inventors of those absurd Relations were design'd to dishonour the Christian Religion they could not find a better way the Gospel of the fictitious St. Iames is full of such extravagant Histories and one would think the Inventor had a mind by his Ironique Imitation to ridicule several passages of Scripture and several Miracles of the Old and New Testament among others the History of Abraham and Sarah that of Hanna and her Son Samuel and that of Zachary and Elizabeth And nevertheless it is upon these counterfeit Books and scurrilous Relations that the most part of the Devotions of the Romish Church are founded the pretended St. Iames has consecrated a Feast to St. Ann which is kept the 16 th of Iuly and was ordained by Pope Gregory XIII 1584. Sometime after Sixtus the 5 th founded or at least confirmed a Religious Order called the Maidens of
St. Ioseph who made choice of St. Ann for their Patroness they afterwards established themselves in France under the protection of Ann of Austria Regent of the Kingdom So that it was in our times that the Grand-father and Grand-mother of Iesus Christ were brought into remembrance and I hope his great Grand-father and his Father will be soon deisy'd especially if the principle lay'd by the Maidens of St. Ioseph in this work be followed for if one must make his address to the Blessed Virgin because Iesus Christ cannot refuse her any thing and if we must address our selves to Ann the Mother of Mary to have the Daughters Favour then we must go back to great Grand-mother and so on to the rest BOOKS concerning the Exposition of M. de Meaux his Doctrine I. An Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England upon the Articles that M. de Meaux heretofore Bishop of Condom has Explained in his Exposition of the Catholick Doctrine with the History of this Book Quarto 1686. II. Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrin of the Church of England against M. de Meaux and his Apologists Objections Quarto 1686. III. A Second Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrin of the Church of England against M. de Meaux and his Apologists new Objections Quarto At London Sold by R. Chiswell 1688. IF it be useful in Civil Life to know them that give us advice and the secret motives that make them act such an examination cannot be of less advantage for our Spiritual conduct in the different ways shewn to Christians by the Doctors of divers Societies if Prejudices and Obstinacy do not damn at least it cannot be deny'd but they are very dangerous but when Learned Divines whose imagination is neither overheated with Dispute nor with the Opinion of a particular Party and does endeavour to call into doubts the most constant practices and publick customs there is reason to suspect that they have imbib'd no less odious Principles than Head-strongness and Prejudice If the Roman Church ever had Judicious and moderate Controvertists they were the Iansenists and M. de Meaux and some English that in these times have imitated the former so that if there be want of sincerity in the proceedings of these Gentlemen it is a strong presumption against the Defenders of Rome and no weak proof that its Doctrin cannot be maintained but by indirect courses These Reflections were necessary to shew the usefulness of the Modern History of Controversies as well in France as in England which Dr. Wake gives in his Preface of these Three Works and whereof we design to give a more than ordinary exact Abridgment here because there are remarkable circumstances known to very few I. All the World knows now that the Extirpation of all the Hugonots of France was resolved on even from the Pyrenean Peace and there are some that believed it was one of the secret Conditions of that Peace The difficulty was to put that Decree in execution without raising a Civil War and without alarming the Protestant Princes The Politicians took very just measures to weaken insensibly the Reformed of that Kingdom and either lull asleep or set at variance the Forreign Powers of their Communion There is none ignorant of the success but it would have been more happy if the Divines employed to maintain Rome's Cause had sped as well as the Coyners of Propositions and Inventers of Decrees And nevertheless it might be said that the Roman Catholick Doctors were not in the fault that things did not go on better and that it was not for want of incapacity that they persuaded no body The first that endeavoured to give a new turn to Controversies was M. Arnaud whose very Name is praised enough It is well known that this eminent Man who was a Philosopher a Mathematician well read in the Fathers and as well acquainted with Scripture has had several remarkable victories over the Adversaries of his own Communion yet with all his great qualities all that he did in his perpetuity of the belief of the Roman Catholick Religion touching the Lord's Supper was to repeat over and over that Transubstantiation being now the common Doctrine of the Church it follow'd that there never was any other Belief because it cannot be comprehended how all Christians should have agreed to change their Opinion which had it happened the certain time should be marked wherein the Universal Church had varied in this Point and when and how each particular Church came to Corrupt the Antient Doctrine It is very strange that after so many proofs of matter of Fact which M. Aubertinus alledged out of the Belief of the Holy Fathers that an Argument purely Metaphysical should make so much noise and be so much applauded by the Roman Communion It 's almost a certain sign of the weakness of a Cause to see the maintainers of it blinded with the least Sophism and Triumph in their fancy for the least appearance of Truth There wanted no great strength to ruin these imaginary Trophies The Protestants had no harder task than to shew that this reason supposed no error could be brought into the World nor embraced by a numerous Society The beginning of Idolatry is disputed upon and nothing yet decided Some will have it that it began by the adoration of Stars others from the deifying dead Men and then say they Statues were erected for Kings for the Benefactors of the People for Law-makers and for the Inventors of Sciences and Arts. And this to reduce People to the practice of Vertue and to do it the better they spoke of their Ancestors and proposed their Examples their Actions were spoken of in high Terms and their Soul placed in Heaven near the Divinity they thought they would not be idle there but that God would give them some considerable office there because they had acquitted themselves so well of the Employments they had upon Earth The common sort of People generally much taken with Figures and great Words it may be conceived a higher Idea of those excellent Persons than their first Authors designed and Priests observing that these Opinions made People more devout and brought themselves Riches made the People to pass insensibly from a Respect to a Religious Veneration And hence Idolatry was rais'd by little and little to its height now must we infer from hence that it is not a pernicious Error and that it was from the beginning of the World because the precise time cannot be marked in which People begun to adore the Stars nor tell who the first Hero was that had Divine Honors rendred to him and yet the Argument would be as concluding as Mr. Arnaud's Many Learned Men have Writ much of the Antient and Modern Idolatry and have shewn its various progress One can tell very near what time the Saturnalia were Instituted and the Mysteries of Ceres and Corpus Christi-Day and that of St. Ann. And at what time the Temple of Ephesus
Christ which according to Calvin descends not from Heaven The vertue of the Mind being sufficient to penetrate through all impediments and to surmount the distance of Places He cites several other places of Beza of Martyr and many English Doctors by which it appears that they did not believe the Body of Iesus Christ properly descended from Heaven into the Eucharist or is in divers places at the same time though they say we are nourished hereby through Faith but after an incomprehensible manner Yet it must be granted that if these Great Men understood nothing by nourishing our selves by the flesh of Iesus Christ but to believe that we are saved by his Sacrifice and to feed our selves with this hope or to receive his Spirit it was not necessary to tell us of a miraculous Union of our Spirits with the Body of Iesus Christ notwithstanding the distance of places the Spirit of God being every where and Faith having no relation to local distance there 's nothing in the Spiritual eating of the Body of Iesus Christ taken in the sense we have above-mentioned of Miraculous nor of Incomprehensible more than in other acts of Piety and other Graces which God gives unto us Whether we suppose this or any other method to expound the eating of the Body of Iesus Christ there would be no danger to the Reformation to say that these Learned Men have not had an Idea altogether distinct thereupon or that their Expressions are not exact Although it were granted that they mistook in some things it would not follow that the Romish Church could have justly rejected all their Doctrines or that Protestants are in the wrong by inviolably retaining their Sentiments as far as they are conformable to Holy Scripture and to abandon that wherein they might be deceived We do not make a profession of believing that those who err in one thing are deceived in all or of rejecting every thing they have said because they have not perceived the truth clearly enough in some things Thus all the Objections of this nature might be ruined without undertaking to defend indifferently all that the Reformers may have said seeing it 's agreed on that the Protestant Religion is not founded upon their Authority and that they might be mistaken in inconsiderable things without its being in danger But Dr. Wake thought not convenient to act in this manner He believes that the Reformed never changed their Opinions hereon and for the Divines of Edward and Elizabeth he maintains that they were perfectly of the same opinion which he proves by a passage of the History of the Reformation by Dr. Burnet In the Second Part which is wholly included in the 3d Chapter he answers first to what Mr. Walker affirms to have been allowed by Protestants and maintained against him that he hath not well understood the words of some of the Authors whom he cited that say very well that in Communicating Iesus Christ ought to be Adored but not as Corporally present under the Species of Bread and Wine As for Forbes and Marc-Antony de Dominis it is agreed on that the desire they had of reconciling Religions made them say too much Thorndyke speaks not less vigorously but upon a Hypothesis quite different from that of the Roman Church seeing he believed that the Bread is called the Body of Iesus Christ and the Wine his Blood because by the Consecration they are Hypostatically united to the Divinity of Iesus Christ as well as to his Natural Body It was spoken of in the First Part. To oppose to the Catholick Author Doctors of his own Party they say that Thomas Paludanus and Catharin maintains that it was an enormous Idolatry to Adore the Sacrament without believing Transubstantiation Thus although it is agreed on that if a Consecrated Host is truly Adorable one would not be guilty of Idolatry if one Adored one which should not be Consecrated thinking it once would be so It 's incredible that the Reformed Religion can receive so much prejudice hereby as the Authority of the Catholick Doctors who have been cited because the Reformed deny that a Host can be Adored whether it be Consecrated or not As to the Grounds of this Subject he sends us in his Preface to a Book Entituled A Discourse concerning the Adoration of the Host Printed at London 1685. In the Second place The Catholick Doctrine is briefly examined but as there is none who hath not read divers Treatises upon this Subject we shall insist no longer upon it ORIGINES BRITANNICAE Or the Antiquities of the British Churches with a Preface concerning some pretended Antiquities relating to Britain in vindication of the Bishop of St. Asaph by Dr. Stillingfleet London 1685 in Fol. p. 364. WE should speak of the Preface of this Work wherein the Author refutes the Opinion of the Scots concerning the Antiquity of their Kings if there had not been an Extract made of a Book wherein it is already done and the Principal reasons related with much fidelity It shall suffice to say in general that our Prelate in it defends the Bishop of St. Asaph who in his Relation of the Antient Ecclesiastical Government in Great Britain and in Ireland hath shewn 1. That the Scots could not be in Great Britain so soon as they say 2. That the Historians from whom this is maintain'd are not of sufficient validity for one to rely upon As the Scots may be pardoned the zeal they have for their Country their Neighbours likewise may be suffered to endeavor the refuting them if it be necessary It 's a contestation which as Dr. Stillingfleet observes will not be decided neither by a Combat nor a Process and which hath no influence in matters of Religion or State That which concerns the Antiquities of the British Churches is more considerable by the connection which this matter hath with the important Controversies as it will appear hereafter This nevertheless is but the Proof of a greater Work where the Author endeavors to clear the most important difficulties of Ecclesiastical History Judging that to Write a compleat Ecclesiastical History is a design too great for one Man to accomplish he hath only undertaken to clear some parts thereof and thought he was obliged to begin with that which concerns the Antiquities of the Church whereof he is a Member This Book is divided into Five great Chapters the Abridgment of which you have here 1. It hath been believed for a long time in England that the Gospel was Preached here in Tyberius's Reign But if the short time be considered betwixt the Resurrection of our Lord and the death of this Emperor and that 't is thought during a long while the Apostles Preached the Gospel only to the Iews it will be hard to suppose that in this little distance persons came from Iudea into Britain to Preach the Gospel Some of the Learned of the Church of Rome have by the same Reason refuted the Fabulous Tradition which
Dr. Stillingfleet goes also further then any seeing the History of Arianism was left off at the death of Eusebius Here is an Abstract of what he adds and which is chiefly drawn from St. Athanasius The Falsities of the Arians were not discovered until after the Council of Rimini and it was chiefly at the Council of Seleucia where they declared themselves more openly It was then that the Followers of Basil of Ancyre who rejected the word Consubstantial as well as the Arians would separate themselves from them But the Arians had still recourse in this occasion to their old Artifices and consented to Sign any Creed whatever excepting that of Nice They caused Athanasius to be banished a second time but he was soon re called and his greatest Enemies were obliged to make him Reparation if he may be believed A little while after the Persecution began against him and all the rest who professed the Faith of Nice as our Author describes at large until the Council of Rimini whose Bishops were constrained to abandon the Terms of Hypostasis and Consubstantial The Orthodox Bishops would willingly depose all those who refused to Sign the Symbol of Nice and the Arians did not treat their Adversaries better when they could not prevail with them so that they ceased not Persecuting each other reciprocally Councils declared both for the one and the other which makes our Author reasonably conclude that we must not yield to the Authority of any Council whatever till having well examined the reasons of its Conduct If it was not lawful to do it in times past the Faith of Nice could not be re-established which would have received an irreparable breach at Rimini if the Orthodox Bishops were not restored to their Churches after the death of Constantius and had not re-established in smaller Assemblies what so numerous a Council had destroyed We find a remarkable example hereof in the Fragments of St. Hilary where we see that a Council Assembled at Paris declares that it abandons the Council of Rimini for assenting to that of Nice Dr. Stillingfleet conjectures that the British Churches did as much because St. Athanasius St. Ierome and St. Chrysostom do in divers places praise their Application to the Orthodox Faith Sulpicius Severus speaking of the Bishops of the Council of Rimini saith they refused to be entertained by the Emperor excepting those of England who were to poor too bear this charge Thereupon Dr. Stillingfleet makes divers Reflections whereof these are the Principal 1. That it followeth from thence that what Geoffrey of Monmouth saith of Riches which King Lucius gave the Church of England is false 2. That it is notwithstanding strange that the Bishops of England should not have wherewithal to maintain them at Rimini since before Constantine the Churches had divers Funds besides the Offerings of the People which were considerable in the numerous Churches and since Constantine had granted them great Priviledges as is shewn at length by divers Edicts of this Emperor which are in the Theodosian Codicil and elsewhere He comes thence to the Accusation of Pelagianism which Beda and Gildas had before raised against the Clergy of England He remarks first that Pelagius and Celestius were both born in Great Britain and not in the Armorick Britain as some have believed and Refutes at the same time some places of F. Garnier who hath spoken of Pelagius in his Notes upon Marius Merâ—ator 2. That the Monastick History makes him Abbot of the Monastery of Bangor but that there is little likelyhood that Bangor had had a Monastery famous in that time because the Convents of England are no antienter than the time of St. Patrick and if Pelagius was a Monk he was of such an Order as were Pammachius Paulinus Melanius and Demetriades who were pious persons withdrawn from the Commerce of the World but without Rule 3. That the Occupation of these Men after the Exercises of Piety consisted in the study of Scripture and that it was in such a Retreat that Pelagius Writ his Commentary upon the Epistles of St. Paul and his Letters to Melanius and Demetriades 4. That since he was accused of Heresie he was imployed to defend himself and that after having been Condemned in Africk and Banished he was yet Condemned in a Council at Antioch under Theodotus as Marius Mercator tells us and all that because the Sentiments of Pelagius were not well understood as the Bishop of Worcester justly saith 5. That wretched Pelagius passed the remnant of his Life in obscurity and dyed according to all likelihood without returning into England 6. That without the extraordinary cares of the Bishops of Africk Pelagianism would have been established by the Authority of the See of Rome Though Pelagius had been Condemned by the Emperor and the Councils Agricola Son to Severian Bishop who had embraced Pelagianism brought it into England It was perhaps the severe Edict of Valentinian III. Published in CCCCXXV against the Pelagians who were amongst the Gauls which drove him thence Prosper witnesseth that there were several of them in England which made some believe that Celestius was returned hither but our Author shews that this Opinion has no ground The Adversaries of the Pelagians not being able to defend themselves against so subtil Controvertists sent to demand aid of the Bishops of the Gauls who sent them Germain and Loup two Bishops of great Reputation but suspected to be Semi Pelagians the first being a great Friend to Hilary of Arles and the second being brother to Vincent of Lerins Semi Pelagians It 's found in a certain Writing that is attributed to Prosper Disciple of St. Augustin that it was Celestinus Bishop of Rome who sent him but our Author shews that there is reason to suspect this to be the writing of some other Prosper and that though it were his we have reason to believe that he was deceived Germain and Loup being arrived in England had a publick Conference at Verulam and acted so that they left England in the old Opinions as they believed but they were forced to return sometimes after Our Author relates no Head of the Doctrine of St. Germain and Loup by which we may know whether they Taught Semi Pelagianism or the Predestinarionism in England to free themselves from the suspicions which might be had of them He passeth to the Justification of Fastidius an English Bishop suspected of Pelagianism and of whom there is yet a Book de vita Christiana published by Holstenius It is not so easie to justifie Faustus of Riez from Semi Pelagianism though in his time he passed for a Saint and that he was Prayed to in this quality during many Ages in the Church of Riez Sidonius Apollinaris gives him this fine Encomium Cui datum est soli melius loqui quam didicerit vivere melius quam loquatur To whom alone it hath been given to speak better than he had Learned and to Live better
and Phoebus Gallimatius says he is incomprehensible and dark on every side Phoebus is less obscure and seems to signifie something fine Doth it belong to Phoebus to call the Long Robes of Women Hyperbole's of Cloth The Author relates the unimitable Models of Gallimatius and the Abbot of St. Cyran furnished him with the chief of ' em The Adorers of Aristotle have invented a most honourable reason to excuse his obscurity They said that the Ambition of Alexander could not endure that all the World should know as much as he did and that these Mysterious ways produc'd more veneration to the sublimity of the Matter But why should any one Write when he has no mind to be understood He thinks that this Reflection is not well displayed how fine soever it appears Gravity is a Mystery of the Body invented to hide the faults of the Mind These Terms a Mystery of the Body are not altogether intelligible Obscure Thoughts resemble those Pits whose depth surprizeth the Sight or such Persons as have always their Masks on their Faces so that they cannot be known Is not this to lead the Reader into by-ways where perpetual Night Reigneth or at least a very dull day There are besides so great a number of fine things mixt together in this Work that it appears to be made only for the Imagination and to please the Ears that one is dazled with the variety of Objects It must be granted that Father Bouhours had the advantage of Youth in his Age for he appears as Polite and Sparkling as in the Dialogues of Aristus and Eugenius which was Writ Twenty years before His Wit hath always the same advantages and resembles not in any thing the Melancholly common to Old Age which is an Enemy to the Graces and Charms of Raillery under pretence that it no longer becomes it A great Wit once said that an Honest Man ought to be of all Professions and to make no shew of his own And here he may be pleas'd for the Author does it without discovering his The History of a Christian Lady of CHINA Where occasionally the Customs of these People and the Exercises of Piety of the New Christians are explained At Paris by Stephen Michalet 1681. in Twelves p. 151. THis is a Second Work of Father Cauplet's who after having given in his First Treatise an exact Idea of the Philosophy of the Famous Confucius and of the Principal Sciences of the Chinois was willing in this to instruct us in the Life and excellent qualities of a Christian Lady of China to which he adds the Relation of the Manners and particular Intreagues of some of the Missionaries and of the Establishment of the Christian Religion in this great Kingdom Yet he first declares that he pretends only to give here an Abridgment of the Life of this Illustrious Lady and that he intends to edifie the Publick by a more Ample Relation of her Vertuous Actions which if we Judge of them by this Abridgment ought to be very surprising and the worthy Subject of an Apotheose The Author begins his History with relating in a few words who were the Ancestors of this Heroine their Life their Manners their Employments and their happy Calling to Christianity in spight of the blind Error and Idolatry wherein they were plunged for so long a time He insists most a Discourse upon Paul Siu her Grandfather who he says was not only the Introducer and Protector of the Missionaries at the Emperor of China's Court but also the Apostle and Doctor of his Nation by the Translation of several Books and Treatises of the Christian Religion and even by the Learned Apologies he made in its favour in the Chinoise Language He observes that Paul Siu was one of the Colao which are the Chief Ministers of State and the Great Officers of the Empire From whence he takes occasion to speak of Matthew Riccius and Adam Schall Jesuites and of their Entry into the Court of China which was effected by the means of the Mathematicks and Reformation of the Calendar they undertook whereof he relates the Particulars adding that after Five years labour of these good Missionaries Paul Siu took the pains to Revise and Translate into his Tongue their Works with all the Elegance that could be expected from the most able and intelligent Man of all China Which sufficiently shews that no Science ought to be neglected since the simplicity of Evangelical Doctrine would have rendered useless the important projects of this Mission if it had not been upheld by Astronomy to which with the Protection of this Great Minister it owes its Establishment After that the Author comes to the particulars of the Life and Pious Employments of the Grand-Daughter of Paul Siu which he makes to consist almost wholly in Alms building of Churches and Ornaments for Chapels the particular Chapter of the Missionaries which they commonly imbellish with the most pathetick Figures to touch the Consciences and inspire the most harden'd hearts with compassion Yet that nothing might be objected against the great Liberalities of this Lady who was a Widow indeed but had many Children he saith that her Work and that of her Daughters was sufficient to have furnished all her Charities which were so prodigious that at one time she gave 220000 Livers to the Jesuits She was so scrupulous that she could not suffer her Son to Employ for the Maintaining of the Mission the Money he got by his Employments fearing lest what he got in the Tribunals of Justice should not be acquired by lawful means This Example would be dangerous to be proposed if our Devotee's in the West had such tender Consciences on this Subject as the Proselytes of the East He afterwards Treats of the different Congregations that were established in the Provinces of China on the account of this Christian Lady who is the Mother and Benefactress thereof and plentifully furnishes them with Pictures of the Passion Images Beads Agmâ—s Dei's Crosses Medals and other such things as may serve to the Instruction of New Converts And on this occasion he makes mention of the Conversion of the Bonzes which would easily be effected in giving each Thirty Crowns a year since the fear only of seeing themselves miserable and abandon'd hinders them from embracing the Christian Religion whereof in their hearts they acknowledge the Excellency and Truth These are the Efficacious Means with which our Modern Apostles Convert Pagans as well as Hereticks But it 's much to be feared that this Character of Interest does not agree with that of the Inspirations of the Spirit This was not the Motive to Madam Hiu which was the Name of this Christian Lady The Fervor of her Zeal did not permit her to be one moment at rest She went from City to City and from Province to Province to re-establish desolate Churches to build new ones and to provide in all places for the wants and Assistance of the Missionaries and new Converts Her indefatigable
which the Thunder had given to all the Needles that were in Grofton's Vessel was so strong that tho' they were turn'd with ones Finger to the first Situation it wou'd always return with great violence to that Position which it received by means of the Thunder and these Compasses cou'd never be recover'd 2. 'T was observable that there was a notable Change in the Temperature of the Air of America since the Europeans went thither and especially such Places as the English have rendred themselves Masters of Either it is to be attributed to the Cutting down of the Wood or the cultivating the Earth which the Savage Inhabitants took no care of or to some unknown Cause As it has happen'd in Ireland which being less cultivated than it was before the late and bloody Wars of England there being fewer People than there was is however much more Temperate for it has been sometimes two or three Year without either Snow or Ice during the Winter whereas before that it used to be two or three several times in a Winter and continue fifteen Days or three Weeks together with so much Violence that not only the Lakes but the most rapid Rivers were covered with Ice 3. There is nothing more rare than a Horned Beetle That which is found in the Woods of Virginia has this Particular only proper to it self That where it tarries upon the Body of a Tree or ordinarily rests it self it begins to sing with a very shrill Voice raising it by little and little with so much force till all the Wood ecchos with the sound and afterwards it diminishes with the same proportion until it makes so gentle a Murmur that it seems almost asleep and then flying upon another Tree it begins and ends his Song after the same manner 4. Those who believ'd it was a particular Quality of the Thames only to recover its natural Sweetness after it has been putrified and that this wonder is to be met with no where else know not that the Water of New London in New England hath the same Virtue of recovering its first Sweetness after an Insupportable stinking 5. M. Iosselin affirms That the Testicles of the Animals that we call Musquash smells as well as Musk it self and he pretends to maintain it by Experience The Art of Navigation demonstrated by Principles and confirm'd by many Observations drawn from Experience By Father Deschalles c. IT cannot be deny'd that the Ancients allow'd the Loadstone to attract Iron But it is certain they were Ignorant of its propriety in causing the Needle that is touched with it to turn towards the North and the South This Wonder of Nature was not observ'd till towards the end of the twelfth Age and one may affirm that the true Science of Navigation begun but since this happy Discovery And this is likewise the Reason why we have no Account of the Ancient Authors that writ upon this Subject The time is not precisely known in which they begun in Europe to make use of the Loadstone for Navigation Some believe that Paul Venetian having made a Voyage into China about the year 1260. he brought this Invention from thence And that which confirms their Opinion is That in the beginning they made use of 'em in Europe after the same manner that the Chinese did also about the end of the last Age which was a kind of little Frog made of Linnen upon which they let the Loadstone swim in the Water to give it the more facility to turn towards the North. The general Opinion is That Iohn Gira Native of Amalphi who was a Citizen of Naples by searching into this new Knowledg invented the Compass about the year 1300. This Author pretends that its likely he might find out the manner of using the Needle but that the Flower de luce which in all Countries is placed beneath the Compass to mark the North sufficiently shews that the French have brought it to this Perfection Let it be how it will it 's certain that the great Navigations were made only in the following Ages by Christopher Columbus in 1492. by Americ Vesputius some time after and by Magellan in 1519. but never endeavoured with more Ardour than in these two last Ages to bring the Art of Navigation into its utmost Perfection F. Deschales hath collected all that has been said of it and hath treated of it in Latin in his Mathematical Course but as this Language is not always familiar to those who have the Conduct of Vessels no more than to many others who are curious to have some Intelligence of this Art he hath voluntarily render'd it into French much better than those who have written since Petrus Nonus that famous Portuguese Mathematician who began in the year 1530. and have done it after an obscure perplext and untelligible manner He first establishes four Principles upon which the whole Science depends The 1. whereof is the Course or Rumb that the Compass corrects which must be given very exactly 2. How much way the Ship makes 3. The Observation of the height of the Stars And 4. to describe the Line that the Compass makes In explaining these Principles he touches all other things that regard this Matter so well that in seven Books whereof this Treatise is composed it contains whatsoever is necessary for the Knowledg of Navigation He teaches for Example in the second Book the manner of observing the height of the Stars with the common Instruments and with others which may be very serviceable upon the Sea To which end he gives in the beginning of his Book the Principles of the Sphere necessary to Navigation In the third he forgets nothing that belongs to the Compass and in the fourth he explains the Nature Proprieties and Use of the Loxodromick Lines that is the secret Principle of this Art which few Persons understand How to make a right estimation of the way which the Ship steers is the Subject of the fifth Book In the sixth this Author explains all the Methods of correcting it by the different manners of observing the Latitude Upon which he likewise proposes the famous Problem of the Longitude for which the French English and Dutch have profer'd so considerable a Recompence and examins the Means that have been made use of all along to accomplish it In fine in his seventh he teaches many practical Rules very useful upon the Sea as the Method of keeping a Journal of raising the Plan of a Port or of a Coast all entire the means of knowing the Hour when it is full Sea on each Coast the History of the Periodic and running Winds that of the Flux and Reflux of the Sea c. He stops particularly upon this last Subject and after having examined and refuted the Opinions of all those that have yet treated on it he establishes his which attributes the Flux and Reflux of the Sea to one of the most common Principles which is that of Fermentation made in the Sea
Post-Talmudical Rabbies It is therefore of the greatest moment to discover the improbability and absurdity of this Novel Opinion which so directly tends to the Overthrow of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures And though some of the Patrons of it do not themselves reject the Bible yet they well know others of them do on this Account So that we must defend the Divine Original of the Points as we desire to maintain the Divine Authority of the Bible And so much for the weight and moment of the Matter in controversie Secondly As to the seasonableness of debating this Controversie at this time there are Six Circumstances that in Conjunction attending it do render it seasonable The First is the Place of it that it is brougâ—t home to our own door We concern not our selves with the Controversies of Foreign Countreys but our own Nation is the Stage where this Opinion of the Novelty of the Points hath been more publickly espoused than would have been suffered in any other Protestant State And therefore Secondly It doth not creep in corners as in other places but hath received the publick Approbation of the Nation so far as to be solemnly espoused in the English Polyglott Bible Wherein Thirdly We have not faint Motions of it but powerful and mighty Efforts by the most Learned among them And this Fourthly is attended with answerable success the generality of the springing Youth embracing it And Fifthly Yet not content with this Victory Success and Credit in England the Patrons of it have of late put forth their greatest strength afresh for the promoting of their Cause in the Vindiciae of Ludovicus Capellus lately published in Answer to Buxtorf de Origine Punctorum And Sixthly Notwithstanding this Opposition to the Truth by the great Champion for the Novelty of the Points and its suitable Success yet there has been no Answer returned to this Treatise as yet that we hear of And it is fit it should be Answered lest this Vindiciae do as much mischief as the former Treatise entituled Arcanum Punctationis Revelatum whereof this last is a Defence that being justly accountable for the Success this Opinion hath had in England as by a brief Narrative of the Rise Progress and Issue of this Controversie amongst us will appear Which in short is this One Elius Lovita a learned Grammaâ—ian and Iew about the beginning of the Reformation fell upon this Conceit That certain Jews 〈◊〉 Tiberias A. D. 500. placed the Points as they had received them by Oral Tradition This he defendeth in his Masoret Hammasoret Preface 3 d. But herein he is contrary to all the Jews either in his time or before or after him And therefore he was answered by them as in particular by R. Sam. Areâ—â—olti in his Arugath Habbosem c. 26. And also by F. Azarias in his Meor Enaim in Imre Birtah cap. 59. And out of the Rabbins by Buxtorfius the Elder in his Thesaurus Grammaticus Print ed in 1609. And in his Tiberias 1620. Thus amongst the Jews the Errour ended where it began even in Elias himself none being left of his Opinion amongst them But it will not so end with Christians several Reformers whether moved by the Authority of Elias the famous Doctor and Master of the Hebrew Tongue of their time or else it may be at first not well examining of it embraced it This Advantage the Papists lay hold on with both Hands for they find their Accounts in it and improve it accordingâ—y Amongst Protestants Ludovicus Capellus becomes the main and greatest Champion for the Novelty of the Points and ex professo defends the same in his Treatise entituled Arcanum Punctationis Revelatum published by Erpenius the Author for some Reasons concealing his own Name at the first This Book was fully Answered and the Truth amply defended by Buxtorf the Younger in his Treatise entituled De Punctorum Origine Antiquitate published A. D. 1648. But at length in the Prolegomena to the Biblia Polyglotta we have this Opinion of Capellus which did but slily creep before publickly owned by Dr. Walton the Compiler of that Bible and defended with Capellus's Arguments whereby Capellus is deservedly answerable for the Success of this Opinion by its Station in the Polyglott Bible upon his Shoulders Hereupon Dr. I. O. writes some Considerations on the Prolegomena aforesaid and by the way Answers the Heads of Arguments brought for the Novelty of the Points But hereunto Dr. Walton returns a Reply entituled The Considerator Considered A. D. 1659. But in the Year 1661. Dr. I. O. in his Treatise De Natura Theologiae doth concisely defend his Opinion of the Divine Original of the Points The like doth Mr. William Cooper defend the Antiquity of the Points in his Domus Masaicae Clavis 1673 And so doth Wasmuth in his Vindiciae S. Hebraeae Scripturae 1664. And thus stood the Cause for some time until now at last Ludovicus Capellus his Vindiciae comes out in Answer to Buxtorf's Treatise De Origine Punctorum as also his former Treatise Arcanum Punctationis Revelatum is reprinted with it together with other Critical Discourses in a large Folio published A. D. 1689. and dedicated to the then Archbishop of Canterbury the rest of the Bishops and all the Clergy of the Church of England By which Dedication is made as bold a Challenge and earnest Invitation to the Defence of the Truth in Controversie as could well he made and together with the foregoing Considerations render it seasonable at this time as the weight and moment of the Subject do make the present Defence thereof necessary Thirdly As to the Method of the ensuing Discourse we have divided the same into Two Parts In the First Part we examine the Evidences for the Opinion that the Points were invented A. D. 500. Or since that time by the Masorites of Tiberias or Others and discover the Improbability thereof In the Second Part we Prove and Maintain the Antiquity and Divine Original of the Shapes of the Points Vowels and Accents against the Cavils and Objections of Capellus and Others But the First of the Two is what we begin withall for several Reasons First Because we are in Possession of the present Punctation as being of Divine Original and have peaceably enjoyed it in all Ages to this time all Translations amongst us being taken out of it 'T is our Inheritance and therefore unfit to call the Antiquity of the Points into question until we first see sufficient Evidence or at least great Probality that they were a Novel Invention Which if of so late date may be more easily proved than what was a Thousand Years before that time And the Rejecting or Answering of the Arguments for their Novel Invention is a Proof of their Antiquity and Divine Original for the Points were placed either since A. D. 500. or between the time of Ezra and A. D. 500. or else by the time of Ezra But we shall here prove in the First place
1665. The Author himself relates some Passages which are thought to be little to the purpose after which he examines the Hypothesis of Mr. Vossius upon the Version of the LXX and upon the Tetraples and Hexaples of Origen Here follows an Abridgment of what he says of the Version that was declar'd Authentick by the Council of Trent All the Western Church under the time of St. Ierom made use of a Version of the Bible that some call'd Italick some the Old and others the Translation of the LXX the Author of it was not known but only that it was made upon the Version of the LXX Flemminius Nobillius re-establisht it as well as possibly he could and caus'd it to be Printed at Rome An. Dom. 1588. Father Morin reprinted it at Paris with the Greek Copy of the Vatican in the Year 1628. but it was not believ'd that this was the pure Latin Version that the Western Church made use of before that St. Ierom had made another This Father Corrects the Translation of the LXX only in some places and notwithstanding the Tempests that he rais'd against him for daring to have recourse to the Hebrew Text 't is this Version that the Western Church made use of for many Ages altho' some men say that it was not this Author which is now call'd the Translation of the Septuagint When the Council of Trent declar'd this Translation Authentick they did not pretend to declare that it had no defect and that it merited more Faith than the Hebrew and Greek Texts The Council only Commanded that they should use it preferrably to all other Latin Versions which were very numerous Many Catholick Doctors have not understood the sence of the Council for they wou'd not suffer themselves to believe that there remain'd any Faults in this Translation of the LXX some great men run the risque of their Lives being imprison'd in the Inquisition for having believ'd it as Mariana relates Leo Allatius makes mention of a Decree of a general Congregation of the Cardinals Dated the 17 th of Ianuary 1577. bearing that there must not be cut off from the Translation of the LXX even not so much as one Syllable or one Iota but this Decree never being publisht cou'd not Captivate the Faith of any person And Pope Sixtus the 5 th and Clement the 8 th sufficiently evidenc'd they were not of this Opinion since they have endeavour'd to make a Correction of this Translation Sixtus made a Constitution by which he enjoyn'd the rejecting of all Editions that were not conformable to that which he Publisht But Clement the 8 th nevertheless made another and maintain'd in his Bull that he had very exactly Corrected the Defects of the LXX An English Protestant whose Name was Thomas Iamesius writ a very hot Book against the Church entituled Bellum Papalis sive Concordia discors Sixti V. Clementis VIII circa Hieronymianam Editionem Here is some things which are very perplexing to those Persons which have not much Wit and Learning for in fine this Edition of Clement the VIII now passes for Authentick altho' it is not Conformable to the Edition of Sixtus the V. who declar'd all the Editions of the Septuagint void which differ'd from his The rest of the Book the Author employes in speaking of the Versions of the Bible that have been made for the Eastern Church and of those that were publisht in divers Languages in these last Ages by the Catholicks and by the Protestants Afterwards he Examines what concerns it in the Treatise of M. Vossuis de Oraculis Sybillinis We soon expect a Work very like to this we have been speaking of the last Catalogue of Francfort promised it to us it is entituled Christiani Kortholti S. Theol. Doctoris de variis sacrae Scripturae Editionibus editio Nova post primam multo auctior emendatior in 40. Kilonii Keil is a Maritime Town of Holstein where there has been a Celebrated Accademy ever since the Year 1665. Animadversions on The Critical Disquisitions upon the Various Editions of the Bible By the Athenian Society HAving Translated this Abstract We think it necessary to make some Remarks thereon that our Young Student be not lead into Mistakes and dangerous Errors by the Learned Papist whose Interest and Design is to take away our Bible One Mistake we impute to the Abridger and not the Author who seems to say that the Jews use many superstitious Precautions about the Writing of the Bible which they do about the Law only as the Author must needs know though the Abridger might not The Author is a Papist and affirmeth that our Hebrew Bible is corrupt in many places that the Ancient Versions Translated by a better Copy and therefore sayes he would have it That those places of Sacred Text which bad Connexion tells us to be false or corrupted should be restored by the Assistance of the most Ancient Interpreters vid. Critical Enquiries into the various Editions of the Bible pag. 52 53. And to begin with the Service of his Mother the Church of Rome who follow the Vulgar Latin and Translate Gen. 5.15 She shall bruise thy Head which they expound of themselves and not of Christ though 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He in the Hebrew he tells us It might be that the Lattin Interpreter found it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 She in his own Copy for that in the writing of this Pronoun the Transcribers might easily mistake is apparent from the Manuscript Exemplars here he forgot the Jews Care in Writing the Law and says he cap. 9. pag. 56. Although there be a very great difference between the Exemplars of the Hebrew Context which are now extant and those which the Seventy Interpreters and St. Jerom made use of and that in our dayes they very much vary one from another yet we ought not thence to conclude that the Iewish Bibles were by themselves corrupted in hatred of the Christians as some Divines have been pleased to report So that though his Opinions are bad and dangerous yet there are others who are far worse both Papists and Protestants whose Arguments he Answers and particularly Dr. Isaac Vossius whose Sentiments are abominable yet published in the English Tongue We have not room here to Answer this Learned Critick the Author of these Critical Enquiries but do intend a distinct Discourse upon the Sacred Original Text of the Old Testament in Defence of its Purity and Perfection as 't is now enjoyed by the Protestant Church wherein we purpose to handle all those Curiosities that are the Subject of Critical Observation about the same if our Discourse about the Original of the Points Vowels and Accents find that Acceptance as may encourage such an Undertaking being very willing to Defend our Religion and the Rule of our Faith to the uttermost of our Power Yet something about it we intend in this Volume but very briefly Novorum Bibliorum Polyglottorum Synopsis Ultrajecti
Kings that had taken Lot his Nephew Prisoner Father Kircher says that the Abyssins pretended to have all these Books and a great Number of others in the Library of the Monastery of the Holy Cross upon Mount Amara and that the Queen of Sheba received them as a Present from Solomon They pretend moreover that she Composed many Books that they have in the same Library and that she had a Son born by Solomon who was Prince Melilech that had also Compos'd many Books they had in the same place Those who cannot get the Works of Father Kircher may find what I have said in a Treatise of Bibliotheques publish'd 1680. If the Abyssines had only said that Solomon gave many Books to the Queen of Sheba and that he lay with her they wou'd have said nothing so very improbable for a Prince so Learned as he was and which is more an Author of such a multitude of Books wou'd not without doubt send away a Princess so Curious as the Queen without giving her a Copy of his Works and some other rare Treatises Besides he hated not the Sex and perhaps she was touched with the same desire and a long time after that obliged the Queen of the Amazonâ— to make a Visit to Alexander And it is apparent enough that Solomon had as much Complaisance as the King of Macedon But these are things which are so insignificant that all the World may be permitted to believe what they please of it The Author then considers the Vanity of the Egyptians who gave 100000 Years Antiquity to their Writings and sends us to St. Augustin who refutes them in his eighteenth Book of the City of God the 29 th Chapter He relates what was said of Zoroaster concerning the making of a Book entituled The Similitude which was edged with Gold and required for a Covering twelve hundred and sixty Oxes Hides some think this Zoroaster was Cham the Son of Noah He omits not that it was said of Trismegistus that he had Composed twenty five thousand Volumes or else thirty six thousand five hundred and twenty five and that the Science of the Egyptians in which Moses was so well Vers'd was contained in this great Number of Books and that Moses himself took some thoughts from 'em to insert in the Pentateuch He forgets not likewise to speak of the Sybil Daughter or rather Daughter-in-Law to Noah nor the Book of Iob according to some writ before Moses for there are some which pretend that Moses found it perfect at Iethro's his Father-in-Law in the Land of Midian and thinking it proper to Comfort the Israelites in their Misery he took it with him into Egypt to show it them Mr. Huet dissents from this Opinion and believes only that Moses Composed the History of Iob during the Servitude of his Brethren to the end to propose to them a great Example of Patience and Hope After all these ridiculous and fabulous Traditions the Author concludes that there is great probability that the Custom of writing Books was in use before Moses's time but nevertheless that the Pentateuch is the most Ancient of all Canonical Books and even of all Books whatsoever that are now extant He maintains that the Prophecy of Enoch was not written and that St. Iude had no knowledge of it only by inspiration that the Book that formerly bore the Name of this Patriarch was made by some Cheat and that St. Augustin did not well consider the Text of the Apostle since he makes him say that Enoch writ Prophecies He makes the same Judgment of the other Works that go under the Name of the Patriarchs As to the two Pillars of the Descendants from Seth he is of their Opinion who conclude it to be one of the oversights of Iosephus he also takes occasion by this to reproach him with having corrupted the sense of a Passage of Moses to flatter the Idolaters 't is where he says that Moses forbid the speaking ill of the Gods of other Nations and the destroying their Temples As to what concerns Zoroaster the Author says that we have no certainty and after having related a long passage of Mr. Huet's who believed he should find Moses not only in Zoroaster but also in all the false Gods and in all the first Heathen Poets he gives his own Judgment upon this Opinion with much equity He shows after that by a Passage of Eusebius's that Moses having lived in the time of Cecrops the first King of the Athenians he was before the most ancient Greek Poets Orpheus Linus and Museus and gives the Reason why some maintained that Cecrops and Moses was the same Person He says also that nothing certain can be established concerning the History of Mercurius Trismegisâ—usâ— He gives the Title of some of his Works which Clement of Alexandria has spoken on and sends us to Causabon where we may see that instead of Moses's Copying any thing from the Egyptians it must be confess'd that all the wise Heathens have borrowed something from him The Work that he cites of Causabon's is the 10 th Article of the Exercitations against the Annals of Baronius Causabon justifies that the Pimander of Trismegistus was writ since the Apostles time by one that was half Christian and half Platonick In â—â—ne Mr. Selden observes that that Treatise of Origen's is a suppositious Work which says the Book of Iob was found in the House of Moses's Father-in-law Our Author refutes those that believed Iob was the same with Iobab in the 36 th Chapter of Genesis who was the great Grand-son of Esau He does not believe Iob Composed his History himself because it is writ in Verse and he does not disapprove the Opinion of Mr. Huet upon it who says that Moses having Collected divers Memoirs which were in Manuscript concerning the Life of Iob and heard upon that the Relation of many Persons composed a Work with all these Materials We shall hardly give Credit to this Proof that the Author makes use of for altho' he had a very great reason to say that a Man in such Afflictions as Iob was cou'd not entertain his Friends in Verse yet a Poetical Discourse is as likely on this occasion as in those that are recited in Tragedies or sung in Opera's yet it is not improbable that Iob himself after his Affairs were re-established might give the History of his Misfortunes in Verse This is an Abridgment of Mr. Selden's first Dissertation which is about eighteen Pages In the second he examines whether Moses was the Author of the Pentateuch and answers in the affirmative and refutes the Objections of Spinoza He thinks it very unadvised that some writ in Dutch against this impious Author because says he this wou'd make us fear that the Curiosity of the People wou'd be stirr'd up if these Disputes were manag'd in a Language that they understood not I believe that our Author speaks principally in respect to the Philosophical Works of Spinoza many think
so that they were half naked Besides which they suffered both their Beard and Hair to grow This Dress with their particular manner of Carriage drew many Children after them and exposed them to their Ridicule Yet for all the apparent Severity they were very debauched as they walked the Streets this Aspersion was often cast upon them especially when out of Greece 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Grec imposteur Their Garments were generally black and dirty and if any one was seen to affect the same Slovenliness he was certain to have the same Reproaches rendred him as St. Ierome makes appear in his Epistle to Marcellus upon the Infirmity of Blasill The Christian Monks with their habits inheriting the Vanity of the Philosophers also it is believed by some Authors that the Heathens called them through Contempt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Black Casacks and said they were no mark of Virtue so that it was but wearing a Mourning Dress and that it imported not what they appeared outwardly since there was nothing but excessive Vanity within Now to return to Iustin Antiquity assures us he lived very conformably to the habit he wore He went to Rome in the beginning of the Reign of Antonine the Pious and fixt his Abode there applying himself to the defence of the Christian Religion against the Heathens Marcionites and other Hereticks in pursuit of which he writ several Books that have been lost About the hundred and fortieth Year of the Blessed Jesus he Presented to Antonine his Apology for the Christian Religion Which seemed to be the Cause that the Emperor publish'd an Edict and sent into all Asia commanding that the Christians should be proceeded against according to the ordinary Forms of Justice whereas before they took away their Goods banished them and sometimes put them to death without any Formalities at all In Dr. Cave there are some critical Observations on the date of this Edict by which he plainly proves that it was Antonine's and not Marcus Aurelius's as some Learned Men have supposed After having Publish'd this Apology Iustin makes a Voyage into Asia where he came acquainted with Trypho the Iew which Dr. Cave believes to be R. Tarpho who was Friend to R. Akiba that is so often spoke of in the Thalmud Trypho had retired from Iudea after the War of Barchocheas and Iustin finding him at Ephesus disputed with him for two days of which he gives an account to the Publick in a Book Entituled A Dialogue with Trypho From thence returning to Rome he composed that Apology which is called the First tho it was really the Second and Presented it to Marcus Aurelius Lucius Verus for a certainty not being at that time at Rome Iustin had great Contests also with one Crescens a Cynic Philosopher who under the pretended Austerities of a Philosophical Life concealed many shameful Disorders Wherefore Iustin calls him a Philosopher and no Philosopher 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Man enraged against Iustin resolved to do his utmost to ruin him he found it not difficult to make use of the excessive Superstition of Marcus Aurelius to that end who had also a very ill Opinion of the Christians as is evident by these words of his Book 11. § 3. Such is the Disposition of the Soul that it must be separated from the Body whether it be extinguish'd and dissipated like a Vapour or whether it Subsists This Disposition must proceed from its own Iudgment not from a Passion purely which troubles it as is often seen in the Christians but from a calm and solid Reasoning such as may be inspired to another without making use of Discourses full of Figures and Exaggerations The Circumstances of Iustin's Death may be seen in the Account of his Martyrdom which Dr. Cave believes to be true Their shortness he says being no little sign that they have been taken from ancient Memoirs without being corrected and added to in latter Ages as many things of the like nature have been It is true that some have doubted whether those Acts contained the Martyrdom of Iustin according to matter of Fact but their Suspicion seems not to be well grounded because there is nothing but what agrees very well with it especially the Time and Death of this Martyr which was when Rusticus was Praefect of Rome as St. Epiphanius confirms Rusticus was a great Man both in the Wars and State very much enclined to Philosophy and particularly that of the Stoicks He had been Governor to Marcus Aurelius as may be seen in the First Book of this Emperor where are the chief Lessons that he learnt of him Before this Rusticus Iustin and Six other Christians were brought after they had been first put in Prison He asked them if they were Christians they all freely confessing it publickly and refusing to Sacrifice to the Roman Deities were Beheaded Baronius concludes it to be in the 165th Year after Christ as agrees very well with the Alexandrian Chronology that saith a little after Iustin had presented his second Apology to the Emperor he received the Crown of Martyrdom Dr. Cave after the Relation of Iustin's Death gives a Character of his Virtues and Learning in the manner of a Panegyric as he does to all the Lives he has Written where all along he mingles Eloquence with the Critical part of his History He tells us that although Ancients have extremely praised the Learning of Iustin this Holy Man had no knowledge of the Hebrew as appears by the Etymology he gives of the word Satanas which he saith comes from Sata and from Nas that in Hebrew and Syriac signifie an Apostat Whereas 't is known that the Termination in AS is from the Greek and is added to the word Satan which signifies in Hebrew an Enemy The Etymology that Iustin gave to this word without doubt made Trypho Laugh this shews that some Moderns have not been very well acquainted with the Writings of our Martyr because that a false Etymology of the word Osanna being found in his Book entituled Questions and Answers to the Orthodox They have concluded it to be none of Iustin's who according to them understood Hebrew very well because he was born in Palestine Mr. Rivet also gives this Reason in his Book Entituled Criticus Sacer from whence Sundius hath taken it and added to this Treatise de Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis which consists almost of nothing else but what others that have treated of the same matter have said before him Dr. Cave informs us that this Author who pretended to have read the Writings of the Ancients his Citations of which savour infinitely more of Ostentation than Judgment or Fidelity hath sufficiently declared his Ignorance in what relates to the Fathers with whom he has pretended to be so well acquainted when he made that Remark on Iustin. Though Dr. Cave does not look upon this Work as his but rejects it for other Reasons as well as many other that have been
Latin we might justly apply to him the words of Cato Utican on the Subject of Posthumius Albinus who being a Roman would nevertheless write in Greek and yet excused the badness of his Stile saying He did not well understand the Greek Tongue He had rather says this grave Senator beg Pardon for his Fault than not to commit it He has also Expressions so proper to the Greek Tongue that they could not have slipt from an Author that had writ in Latin had he been never so little versed in the Tongue for Example this Author translates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Qui sunt ciro◠Ptolomaeum instead of saying barely Ptolomaeus or Ptolomaei Discipuli he also makes an Adjective of the proper Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he translates Clarus Mr. Dodwell goes much further and maintains that this Latin Version is so far from being the Original or made by St. Irenaeus as some have believed that it appeared not until a long time after the Death of this Father since Tertullian quotes this Work always in other terms though he writ thirty Years after The first that produced formal Testimonies was St. Augustin in his Books against Iulian. What is most strange is that it seems this Father did not know that St. Irenaeus writ in Greek this Version then must be made in the time that passed between St. Augustin and Tertullian and whereas St. Ierom makes no mention of it in his Catalogue composed the Year of our Saviour CCCLXXX and the Fourteenth of Theodosius it must needs be made between the Year CCCLXXXV and the time which St. Augustin speaks of Our Author thinks it is the Work of some French or Spaniard that was very ignorant in the Latin who undertook this Version upon the account of the Priscillianists who renew'd the Errors of the Gnosticks which St. Irenaeus had disputed against This Version was the occasion of a very singular Action which was that after the Heresies were smothered this Version was so rough and full of strange Matter that it was quite despised so that Gregory the Great could not find one simple Copy of it after an exact Search which he caused to be made and that none of the ancient Schoolmen speak of it But on the contrary the Greek Authors had several Copies of the Greek Original and there are Fragments of it in all Places And nevertheless now this excellent Greek is lost and the World is full of the bad Latin Translation the Fate of Books very often is like that of Fountains there are little Rivers that carry their Name into the very Sea and very considerable ones that lose themselves without any Name St. Irenaeus writ his Books both without Distinction or Arguments and his Translator or some other Authors have added what we see at this day IV. Our Author in his last Dissertation of the other Works of St. Irenaeus begins his Letter writ to Blastus and by the first to Florinus the first treated of Schism and the second of Monarchy Baronius thought that Florin's Errors oblig'd St. Irenaeus to write the Books against Heresies but Mr. Dodwell is not of his mind It is manifest that it is against the Valentinians that this Father intended these Works and Florinus taught a quite contrary Doctrin to that of these Hereticks for whereas these Hereticks establish'd two Principles the one good the other bad them Florinus made conformable to the Doctrin of the Church but he made that the Author of Good and Evil. As for Blastus he is acquitted of the Crime of Heresie whereof many Ancient and Modern accused him and it s believed he was but a Schismatick having done the Office of a Priest after he was deposed by his Bishop These two Letters were writ at the same time after his Work against the Hereticks according to our Author in the Year CLXXXII and the Third of Comodus and the Eighty fifth of Irenaeus Florinus did not stop at these Errors he soon fell into the Dreams of the Valentinians which obliged St. Irenaeus to write him a second Letter which he entituled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Eighth because it was writ against the Eighth des Eons de Valentinians Our Author believes that Irenaeus was above Eighty five years old when he writ it which was about the CLXXXII Year of Jesus Christ. Irenaeus writ also an Harangue against the Gentiles the Subject whereof was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Science It is known that Isocrates not having the necessary Talents for speaking publickly contented himself in writing several Orations with important Advise to them that ruled the People he was imitated by a great many others and the Christians themselves were assisted by this Custom to teach the Pagans the Truths of the Christian Religion and did not neglect to embellish their Orations with the vain Ornaments of the Sophists to move the Curiosity of the Readers whose Gust lay that way Such was then St. Irenaeus's Discourse of Science that it was addressed to the Greeks that is to say to all them that were not Christians for as the Christian Church succeeded that of the Iews and the Iews called all them Greeks that were not of their Religion so the Christians gave the same Name to all those that did not embrace their Opinions Mr. Dodwell believes that this Work was employ'd to refute the Opinion of some Philosophers who thought that by Study and Meditation one might raise himself beyond all that is sensible or material and to the perfect knowledge of God and of all Spiritual Beings and this by themselves that St. Irenaeus proved that Knowledge was reserved for the other Life and that we do not know in this but only by Faith St. Irenaeus writ another Work which he named the Demonstration of Preaching or of the Apostles Doctrin and dedicated it to one Mavejon to contradict several Writings that were father'd on the first Disciples of our Saviour and particularly the Sermons falsly attributed to St. Peter Mr. Dodwell says that the design of this Work was the same of that of the Prescriptions of Tertullian The Ancients speak yet of another Work of St. Irenaeus intituled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is according to St. Ierom's and Mr. Dodwell's Interpretations a Book containing divers Treatises our Author imploys a long Discourse to shew that St. Irenaeus had erected a School in his latter days and that he taught his Scholars what he himself had learned of the Apostles Disciples that is to say Apostolical Traditions and that this Work we speak of was a Collection of the Lessons that he made in that School It is pleasant to see the trouble Mr. Dodwell gives himself to establish this his Opinion and it is like he took it with pleasure because it tends to the general end he proposed to himself of reconciling the Traditions of the two first Ages of the Church with the Scripture What is very advantageous is that all these Enquiries include many
had the honour to hear The one continueth he which I saw in Greece was of the Ionick Sect. I have seen two in Calabria the one of Syria and the other of Egypt I have met two others in the East whereof the one was of Assyria and the other with whom I have conversed in Palestine was of Iewish Extraction This last was the most deserving I stopt in Egypt where he was concealed to seek for him He was as the Proverb saith a true Bee of Sicily He gathered the scattered Flowers as it were in the Meadows of the Writings of the Prophets and Apostles by the means of which he could fill with a pure Knowledge the Souls of those who heard him These Men having conserved the true Tradition of the Blessed Doctrin immediately after the holy Apostles St. Peter St. James St. John and St. Paul as a Child who retains what he has learned of his Father though there are few who resemble them have lived till our times by the Will of God to pour into our Hearts the Seed they had received from the Apostles their Predecessors It is of a great Importance to know what Master an Author hath had for to understand well his Opinions for then as at this day Disciples applied themselves chiefly to the Methods of their Masters and expounded Religion as near as they could to the Principles of Philosophy which they learned Thus Divine School men who were Paripateticks have since Expounded Divinity by the Principles of Aristotle and thus in the places where the Philosophy of Descartes is received Divinity is treated on after the Cartesian way Therefore the Learned of our Age have endeavoured to Divine who those were which Clement spoke of It appears by the Version which hath been given of the words of this Father that he had five Masters but Mr. de Valois gives him but four because he follows the manner of the Reading of Eusebius It cannot positively be asserted which is the Letter but it may be said that the Interpreters who have taken the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a proper Name have done it without reason There is no likelihood that Clement who mentions not the Names of others whom he acknowledges for his Masters should name this there was none in Antiquity who was named Ionick and this name may mark the Sect of Philosophy to which this first Master of Clement was chiefly applied Thales and Anaximander Philosophers of Milet a City of Ionia had been the Chief thereof Clement of Alexandria speaks honourably of both those Philosophers in his Writings Thales saith he in a Place was of Phoenicia according to the Relation of Leander and Herodotus He is the only Person who seems to have had Corrispondence with the Prophets of Egypt and we read not that any was his Master c. Anaximander a Milesian and Son to Praxidamus succeeded Thales and had for Successor Anaximenes Son to Euristratus likewise a Milesian Anaxagoras of Clazomenes Son to Hegesibule came after him he transported his Auditory from Ionia to Athens and was succeeded by Archelaus Master to Socrates Elsewhere he saith that Thales being interrogated what Divinity is he answered That which hath neither Beginning nor Ending And that another having asked him If Men can hide from God their Actions How shall that be possible answered he seeing they cannot hide even their Thoughts from him In speaking of Anaximander of Archelaus and Anaxagoras Philosophers of the same Sect he saith that the first has established for the first Being the Infinite and that the two others have said that the Mind governed the Infinite The Principles of these Philosophers may be seen more at large in Diogenes Laërtius and we may easily perceive that there are some who agree well enough with those of the Jews and Christians as that all that is upon Earth is come from Water that the Night was before the Day that the most part of Men are bad that for to live justly we must not do that which we reprehend in others that Heaven is our true Country c. It is not therefore incredible that a Philosopher of this Sect had imbraced Christianity and was the first Master of Clement of Alexandria All that can be said against this Thought is that the Succession of Philosophers of the Ionick Sect ended in Archelaus Master to Socrates But though there had been no Masters of this Philosophy who had immediately succeeded one another that hindred not but that those might have been Philosophers in divers Places who followed the Opinions of Thales and of his first Disciples Thus Diogenes Laërtius saith in his Preface that the Italick Sect whereof Pythagoras was chief ends at Epicurus though there were Pythagoreans several Ages after Epicurus It is no wonder that a Christian followed a certain Sect of Philosophy because it is not to be understood but as much as he judged it conformable to Christianity Thus Iustin Martyr was a Platonick and Pantenes Master to Clement was a Stoick The Name of the Second whom he had seen in Great Greece or in Calabria is entirely unknown Some Authors believe that that of Assyria was Tatian a Philosopher and Disciple to Iustin Martyr and others Bardesanes of Syria who had been a Valentinian who never left intirely the Sentiments of this Sect As for him who had been originally a Iew some believe he might be Theophilus Bishop of Caesarea though History does not observe that he was descended of the Iews Likewise others do conjecture that he was named Theodotus whose Doctrin Clemens Alexandrinus had exposed in his Books of Hypotyposes or Justifications of Christian Religion whence it comes that the Abridgment of this Work which is seen at the end of Clement is entituled An Extract of the Eastern Doctrin of Theodotus But some do attribute these Extracts to Theodotus of Byzantium a Courier by Trade but a Learned Man who was Excommunicated by Pope Victor in CXCIV for having Taught that Jesus Christ was but a mere Man In fine the least of the Masters of Clement whom he prefers to all the rest and with whom he sojourned was named Pantenus Eusebius believes it is of him that Clement speaks in the last words of the Passage which hath been cited of him and indeed Pantenus Taught in Egypt when Clement sojourned there and Clement called him his Master in his Books of the Hypotyposes The Country and Parents of Pantenus are unknown but we know he applied himself much to the study of Philosophy particularly to that of the Stoicks won perhaps by the Manners and severe Maxims of these Philosophers which agreed not ill with those of the Ancient Christians There had been a publick School at Alexandria for a long time and if some Authors may be believed ever since Mark the Evangelist where the Cathecumenes were Taught an employ which was given only to Learned Persons and of a good Life Pantenus was provided therewith and Taught a long while in this City
Chatechumenes consisted in shewing them what there was that was good in the Heathen Philosophy and so insensibly conducted them to Christianity which they were in a much better way of embracing after having received several of his Maxims drawn from Natural Light and distributed through the Writings of Philosophers for whom they saw all the World had a respect If they were immediately told that they must renounce all their Opinions and look upon all the rest of Mankind not only as Men who were in an Error but such a had said nothing that was true As Labourers cast Seed into the Earth but not 'till after they have water'd it So saith Clement We take from the writings of the Greeks that which is necessary to water what we final Earthy in those we Instruct that they may afterwards receive the Spiritual Seed and that they may be in a mâ—re likely way to make it spring up more easily In effect the light of the Gospel supposes that of Nature and destroys it not We do not see that Iesus Christ and his Apostles have undertaken to give us a compleat System of all the Doctrins that have any reference to Religion they supposed that we were already prevented with divers thoughts established amongst all Nations upon which they Reasoned otherwise it would have been requisite for example that they should have exactly defined all the Vertues which they have not done because in respect to this they found Idea's in the minds of Men which tho imperfect were yet very true so they were satisfied to add what was lâ—cking or to cut off what evil Customs might have injuriously established therein Besides the Office of Catechist Clement was raised to the Priesthood at the beginning as 't is believ'd of the Empire of Severus because Eusebius in his History of the Events of CXCV gives to Clement the title of Priest It was about that time that he undertook to defend the Christian Religion against Heathens and Hereticks by a Work which he Entituled Stromates which we shall afterwards speak something of because in this Work in making a Chronological Computation he descends not lower than the Death of Commodus whence Eusebius concludes that he compos'd it under the Empire of Severus who succeeded this Emperour Severus enraged against the Christians because perhaps of a Rebellion of the Iews with whom the Heathens confounded those that professed Christianity began to Persecute them violently This Persecution arising at Antioch reached unto Egypt and obliged several Christians to withdraw from their Habitations where they were too well known to escape the Violence of the Persecution This seems to have given occasion to Clement of proving it was lawful to fly in time of Persecution After having said that Martyrdom purified them from all Sins and exhorting them to suffer if they were called to it he says that Persons ought to testifie that they are perswaded of the Truth of the Christian Religion as much by their Manners as Words After that he Expounds this Passage of the Gospel When you are Persecuted in one City flee into another The Lord saith he commands us not to flee as if it were an Evil to be Persecuted and bids us not to shun Death by flight as if we should fear it He will have us neither ingage in or assist any one to do Evil c. Those who obey not are Rash and throw themselves without reason into manifest Dangers If he who kills a Man of God Sinneth he also is guilty of his own Death he who presents himself to the Tribunal of the Jugde c. he assists as much as is capable the Wickedness of him by whom he is Persecuted If he exasperates him he is effectually the cause of his own Death as much as if he endeavoured to vex a wild Beast who afterwards devoured him A little while after the Apostles Persons were observ'd to covet Martyrdom but some after desiring the Executioners scandalously falling from Christianity at the sight of the Torments this Conduct was thought dangerous and those were condemned for it who offered themselves freely to be Martyr'd as appears by divers Passages of the Ancients and by that of Clement which we have related As Men ought not to shun Martyrdom when it cannot be avoided except by renouncing Christianity or a good Conscience so they ought to preserve their Lives as much as they can whilst there is any likelihood of serving the Christians rather to prolong it by flight than lose it by staying in Places where the Persecution is so violent and whence they may get away without ceasing to make Profession of Truth Those who blame or make some difficulty of absolving some Protestant Pastors because they came from a Kingdom where they could not tarry without an eminent Danger should first prove that another Conduct would have been more advantageous to Christianity than their Retreat hath been Here depends the Solution of this Question which hath been disputed of late If they have done well in withdrawing Clement seems then to have quitted Alexandria seeing we find that he made some Abode at Ierusalem with Alexander who was soon after Bishop of this City and to whom he dedicated his Book Entituled The Ecclesiastical Rules against those who follow the Opinions of the Jews During his Abode there he was very useful to this Church as appears by a Letter to Alexander to the Church of Antioch whereof Clement was bearer where this Bishop saith that he was a Man of great Virtue as the Church of Anitoch knew and would still acknowledge him so and that he being at Ierusalem by an effect of Divine Providence had confirmed and encreased the Church of the Lord. From Antioch Clement returned to Alexandria where it is not known how long he lived All that can be said is that he survived at least some Years after Pantenus and that he was not old when he composed his Stromates seeing he saith himself that he did them to serve him for a Collection in his old Age when his Memory should fail him History teacheth us nothing concerning his Death but it may be believed his Memory was blessed at Alexandria if these words of the Bishop of Ierusalem be considered which we have spoken of who in another Letter to Origen saith That they both acknowledged for Fathers these blessed Men who had quitted this Life before them and with whom they would soon be to wit blessed Pantenus and pious Clement from whom they had drawn great Succours Amongst several Works which Clement compos'd we have but Three remaining which are considerable The First is An Exhortation to Pagans where he refutes their Religion and endeavours to induce them to imbrace Christianity The Second is Entituled The Paedagogue where he forms the Manners of Youth and gives them Rules to behave themselves Christianly where he mixeth Maxims very severe and far from the Customs of this day The Third are the Stromates that is to say Tapistries which he
is transferred by reason of Inconvenience of so many Printers that were forc'd to be employ'd upon 't the only difference in these two Tomes is that the Extracts of the Fathers of the Fourth Age which are in the second Volume are longer and consequently more exact than those in the first He begins with Eusebius of Caesarea whom his Ecclesiastick History hath rendred so celebrated of whom he gives a very dissinterested Judgment Pag. 19. Although he found no difficulty in the Council of Nice to acknowledge the Son of God was from all Eternity and that he absolutely rejected the Impiety of Arius who said that he was Created out of nothing and that there was a time when he was not yet he always found it hard to believe the Term Consubstantial that is to confess that the Son is of the same Substance with the Father and after he had received it he gave such a Sense of it as establish'd not the Equality of the Son with the Father since he speaks thus in a Letter that he writ to his Church to give it an account of his Conduct When we say that the Son is Consubstantial with the Father we Mean only that the Son hath no resemblance with the Creatures which were made by him and that he is perfectly one with the Father by whom he was begotten not of another Hypostasis or Substance When we would justifie Eusebius in respect to the Divinity of the Son it is more difficult to defend what he says of the Holy Ghost For he affirms not only in his Books of the Preparation and Evangelick Demonstration but also in his third Book of Ecclesiastick Divinity that he is not the true God The holy Spirit is not God nor the Son of God because he has not taken his Original from the Father as the Son has being in the number of such things as are made by the Son This shews says Mr. du Pin that Socrates Sozomenes and and some Modern Authors have been mistaken in excusing him entirely whereas on the other side 't is a very great Injustice to call him an Arian and even the head of them as St. Ierom does His Judgment upon other points of Religion appears very Orthodox to the Author and in respect to his Person he says he was very much dissinterested very sincere loved Peace Truth and Religion He authoris'd no new Form of Faith he no way endeavour'd to injure Athanasius nor to ruin those of his Party He wisht only to be able to accommodate and unite both Parties I doubt not adds Mr. du Pin that so many good Qualities was the Cause of placing him in the number of the Saints in the Martyrologies of Usard of Adon and in some ancient Offices of the French Churches It is true he continued not long in the peaceable Possession of this quality of Saint But it would be in my opinion a very great boldness to judge him absolutely unworthy of it The second Author in this second Volume is the Emperor Constantine whose pretended Donation he rejects as well as the false Acts attribubuted to Pope Sylvester because nothing to him seems more fabulous If Constantine was the first Christian Emperor he was also the first that made Edicts against the Hereticks But he did well in not pushing things to that Extremity as his Predecessors have carried them to It is true that he sent Arius into Exile and the two Bishops that had taken his part in the Council of Nice and that he caused all these Hereticks Books to be burnt But he afterwards recall'd him and banished St. Athanasius to Treves He made also an Edict in the Year CCCXX against the Donatists by which he commanded those Churches they possess'd to be taken from them but the Year following he moderated the Rigor of it permitting those who were exiled to return to their Country their to live in rest and reserv'd to God the Vengeance of their Crimes This alteration of his Conduct sufficiently shews that this Prince on these occasions acted not according to his own Reason but according to the different Motions that inspired the Court Bishops who made him the Instrument to execute their Passions He was not of himself inclin'd to persecute Men for Opinions in Religion for the 27th of September the CCCXXX Year he granted the Patriarchs of the Iews an Exemption from publick Charges In the Month of May Anno Dom. CCCXXVI he made an Edict to forbid the admitting into the Clergy Rich Persons or such as were Children to the Ministers of State The occasion of this Edict was because many Persons entred themselves amongst the Clergy to be exempt from publick Charge which was a great Oppression to the Poor And Constantine thought it very reasonable that the Rich should support the burthensom Charges of the Age and that the Poor should be supported by the Riches of the Church Grotius M. Ludolf and others have observed the Disputes of the Eutychians and Nestorians were not really such as they were imagined for many Ages Mr. du Pin is not very far from this Opinion since he says p. 80. that the Eastern People always applyed themselves more particularly to observe the distinction between the two Natures of Iesus Christ than their intimate Union whereas the Egyptians speak more of their Union than Distinction Which has been since the Cause of great Contestations that they have had amongst themselves upon the Mystery of the Incarnation As the Life of St. Athanasius is one of the most remarkable of the Fourth Age for the variety both of his good and bad Fortune so Mr. du Pin relates it more at large It 's plain that from the time of this Father Persons were very much inclin'd to the Exterior parts of Religion since two of the greatest Crimes which the Arians accused St. Athanasius of were breaking of a Chalice and Celebrating the Mysteries in a Church that was not Consecrated We may also observe after these Authors that the Communion was then given to the Laicks under both kinds that there were Women which vowed Virginity which were not Cloister'd up that there were Priests and Bishops married that the Monks might quit their State and take a Wife That it was not permitted to make new Articles of Faith and that even the Ecumenick Councils were only Witnesses of the Faith of their Age whereas they authoritatively judged of such things as regarded Discipline Thus the Bishops of Nice said well in appointing a Day for the Celebration of Easter It pleases us we will have it so But they express'd themselves quite otherwise in respect to the Consubstantiality of the Word since after having given their Opinions upon it they content themselves with adding Such is the Faith of the Catholick Church As for the rest although St. Athanasius was an Ardent Defender of this Council he was not for having those treated as Hereticks which could not without difficulty make use of the
this Demand of the Court of Rome and particularly the just cause they had to distrust him for his Covetousness after having been deceived so often under the same pretext 3. After that there is the Life of Gregory the 7th by Cardinal Bennon the reasons for which Henry IV. Emperor chose Guibert instead of Gregory are drawn from d' Othon de Frisinge the manner how Silvester the Second was accus'd of giving himself to the Devil with an Account of his Death taken out of Iohn Stella a Venetian the Judgment that Peter Crinitus made of Boniface the 8th the Life of the Emperor Henry the 4th Written by Otbert Bishop of Liege in the year 1106 with some Letters of the same Emperor to the Pope and to divers Princes the cruel manner wherewith Henry was treated by Gregory is sufficiently known and may be seen in their Lives what Princes ought to expect from the Pope if they are so vain to promise an Establishment of those Opinions in their States which the Court of Rome hath endeavoured to spread every where about her Soveraign Authority in all matters Spiritual and Temporal 4. How Popes have to the utmost endeavour'd to render the Election of the Emperor dependent upon the Court of Rome The Princes of Germany have not fail'd to oppose it and one of the principal Ramparts against the Enterprizes of Italy is the Golden Bull given by Charles the 4th in the year 1365 and the 10th of Ianuary 'T was this that oblig'd Orthuinus Gratius to publish this Bull in a Collection wherein he design'd to advertise the Princes of dangerous Abuses that ought to be corrected which was daily put in practice by the Court of Rome 5. One of the Fictions which hath been the worse founded and which was forg'd to establish the temporal Greatness of the Pope is the pretended gift of Constantine where he says that he gave all the West to Pope Silvester and his Successors Now there is none who hath Learning or Sincerity amongst the Roman Catholicks that will not acknowledge this to be meerly Supposititious and that this is not the same that was 200 years since And he is wanting in the serious Refutation of a piece which he dares not now make mention of wherefore we ought not to regard as forreign to our purpose the Refutation of Laurentius Valla here brought against this Gift of Constantine which is throughly examin'd by the Collection of divers Learn'd men who either doubt it to be Authentick or wholly reject it If all these pieces were lost we shou'd not want to object to those Men who look upon this Gift as ridiculous the novelty of their Opinion which opposes the consent of many Ages Thus we must abolish all Writings which prove it with those that condemn it Or in keeping the first we must preserve the second 6. The Vaudois are in the number of those who have complained of the Abuses of the Roman Church and who have endeavour'd to Correct them as may be seen in the Confession of Faith which some of 'em sent formerly to Uladislaus King of Hungary with their Answer to one Augustine Dr. of Divinity addressd to the same Prince This Answer is Dated 6 days after Epiphany The Confession and Answer are much better Translated than most of the Pieces in the Ages past and contain Opinions very conformable to those of the Reformed on the Sacraments Invocation of Saints Purgatory Holy Scripture and some other Articles those who desire to know in what those who have written these Epistles differ'd from the Reform'd at this day may have recourse to the Original tho 't is not to be found only in this Book but also in the Collections of the Historians of Bohemia by Freber 7. After this of the Vaudois are some Pieces concerning the Doctrin of Wickliff and the manner how they were condemn'd viz. in a Book of one William Woodward who lived at the end of the 14th Age against the Opinions of Wickliff in 18′ Articles which are at the beginning of this Treatise and with a much greater number of Articles which were attributed to Wickliff whether true or false and condemn'd in the Council of Constance with the Censure and Refutation of 44 in particular Without doubt several of these Treatises are attributed to Wickliff as some Learn'd Protestants have made appear Some seem to be ill understood as the last Omnes Religiones indifferenter introductae sunt à Diabolo If Wickliff had said he understood by Religions the Order of the Monks against whom he was much Incensed as it appears by the Articles of Page 277. against the Religions Nevertheless the censure of this Proposition supposes that we must take the word Religions in the most common sense of the different manners of serving God as are the Iudaick and Christian Religions But when they will condemn any one or take all that he says in the worst sense it ought to render their Explications extreamly suspected who has given us his Opinion of the Ancient Hereticks as well as the Orthodox Fathers hurried away by their Zeal ordinarily render'd 'em as worthy to be condemn'd as possible There are Remarks also upon this ill Custom and the manner whereby Aeneas Silvius exposes the Opinions of Wickliff which he says pass'd from England to Bohemia and in the Sentence of the Council of Constance against him who declared him to be a Heretick after his Death commanded to take up his Bones if it was possible to distinguish 'em from those of the Faithful who were buried near him and cast them out of the Church-yard 8. Aeneas Silvius saith in his History of the Bohemians That the Opinions of Wickliff were transferr'd from England into Bohemia by a Bohemian Gentleman who Studied at Oxford and returning into his own Country carried some of Wickliff's Books with him However the Council of Constance after they had condemn'd him also condemn'd Iohn Hus and Ierom of Prague and their Disciples as may be seen at large by divers Pieces which are here inserted touching the affairs of the Bohemians It is shewn there also what pass'd in the Council of Basil the Demands that were made to 'em and their Answers thereon Orthuinus Gratius has not forgot on this occasion the celebrated Letter of Poggius to Leonard Arretin upon the Death of Ierom of Prague but he endeavours to be beforehand with the Reader against Poggius that he may not believe all he says to the honour of Ierom of Prague This is apparent that this History has too much effect upon the mind of the Reader and makes him suspect Ierom of Prague of Hypocrisie and the same Author hath put after the Letter of Poggius a Discourse of Leonard Arretin against Hypocrites where Gratius having easily apply'd the Truths that Leonard Arretin advances to the Fathers of the Councel which is not to be believed altho' the Application was but too just 9. This Piece that follows
made for Women against the Calumnies of Men By James Chausse Master of the Court-Rolls Printed at Paris sold by Samuel Parrier in the Pallace 1685. in Twelves and at Amsterdam by Peter Morteri I Have in the first Article of the last Month said that 100 Officious Writers might please themselves infinitely in imploying their Pens to the Glory of the Fair Sex He needs be no great Divine that says so and he must have but a little Memory and a very mean Knowledg of Books who without this Treatise is afraid of being deceived in judging as we do since so many have Written in favour of Women in all Countries and all Ages of the World We shall always find some who exercise themselves with pleasure upon this repeated Subject How many Books have we seen in favour of Women Those Written by Monks wou'd stock a Library even the Chief Magicians according to the Common Opinion have Written upon this Inviting Subject as appears by the Discourse of Agrippa De nobilitate praecellentia foeminei Sexus I know some have Writ against them but their number is inferiour to those who spoke in their Praise There are too many as well on the one side as the other but those who know how to Write being sensible of the trouble there is to keep the Mean more easily pardon the Extreams these Authors fall into 'T is very difficult to maintain Marriage without decrying Celebacy and speak for a single Life without bringing Marriage into Disgrace Therefore we ought to excuse those who cannot shun this Rock St. Ierom had so little power in this Affair that his Friends were forc'd to suppress some of his Books where under pretext of establishing Continency he entirely ruin'd the Doctrin of the Church concerning Marriage Some say that Mr. Chausse runs upon the different Rock when he says That Marriage is the only way to Paradise and 't is to rob himself of the greatest happiness and the most solid Blessings of this Life to forbear entring into the Matrimonial State But certainly when they only imputed these thoughts to him they forgot the Declaration which he made in these decisive Terms Nothing is better nor more excellent than Marriage except an absolute Continency There are some who indifferently regard the Disputes of these Authors and only divert themselves as if they saw different Persons acting a Comedy Yet there cannot be seen without some agreeable Sentiments two Books publish'd at Paris both at the same time each well arm'd with Approbation and Priviledge which maintains absolute Contraries upon the great Theme of Matrimony One of these Books is an Answer of Mr. Ferrand to his Apology for the Reformation the other is that of which we are going to speak Marriage is in it every where almost elevated to the highest point of perfection where Fidelity continues during this Life but in the other Book 't is to Virginity that this advantage is attributed and that in so violent a manner that if we follow'd the Maxims of the Author cited step by step we shou'd look upon Married Persons but as Vultures and Swine We ought certainly to remit something of each side and say that Celebacy and Marriage are speaking Morally in themselves neither good nor bad Those who remit nothing on the part of Marriage will immediately shew us how to prove the Excellency thereof by these three Reasons First Because it was God that Instituted Marriage in the Earthly Paradice during the State of Innocency Secondly There is nothing agrees better with Man than Marriage nor is more adapted to his Necessities Thirdly That Marriage is the most necessary thing in the World to maintain Society Wisdom and Chastity These three Proofs are clearly amplified these two Considerations annext First That Marriage is the most perfect Bond the sweetest and most beneficial of all humane Unions The Second That 't is the most legitimate and agreeable exercise and of the most absolute Authority in the World This he proves by most lively Descriptions and observes that this Union includes both Body and Souls that it represents the greatest Mysteries of Religion that 't is a Source of sweetness and infinite Consolations and which furnishes us with excellent Vertues as Patience Charity and a desire to improve our selves amongst the number of the Elect and Fellow-Citizens He adds that the Father of a Family is Master of a little State where he exercises the Function of a King Priest and Prophet It allows him a very lawful and priviledg'd satisfaction of that desire which rules in a Man He ends with this Consideration That in one sense nothing can be more excellent than Marriage since 't is an Universal Custom and the most general of all Societies in all times all places and all sorts of persons how different soever This seems to me a just Abridgment of the first part of the Work In the second is represented the Infamy of Incontinency considering three sorts of people that plunge themselves therein one by Inclination another by Habit and the last by both but with this difference that the first look upon Lasciviousness as their Sovereign good whereas the second continues there in spight of themselves being subjected to the force of Custom and Temper but the last look upon these Irregularities as an Innocent Gallantry The Author considers besides that four sorts of Importunities that of the Heart of the Eyes of the Mouth and that of the Hand he shews wherein they consist he proves 'em Criminal and gives the Reason why God hath so severely prohibited such things to Man as he was Naturally inclined to and why he tolerated Poligamy in the Ancient Patriarchs The Third Part contains the full End and chief Design of the Author for he writ this Book only to perswade the necessity of Marriage to a considerable Person whom he extreamly Honoured for his Merit and Family where in this place he displays all his force to represent to the life those Motives that ought to perswade People to Marry he immediately proposes this Principle there is nothing but Marriage that can naturally preserve Man from the guilt of unchastity and by consequence that 't is necessary for Salvation After that other Reasons seem Superfluouse Nevertheless the Author sticks not to this great Principle which he ought to make appear since he believes it is true but he brings many other Advantages with abundance of Truth he urges the unusefulness of Continency he says that the most Favourable Iudgments of the Wisest about a single life is that 't is a vertue neither good nor bad and that being without Action it is a kind of Vice He maintains that God made Two Sexes in Nature to shew they cannot subsist without being joyn'd together he sends us to learn of the Animals amongst which the Mutual love of Males for Females and Females for Males is common to every Individual after this he considers Men as Men in a State in a Family and in
Eight first Verses thereof but he found that all the Nobility and the Grandeur was behind them and he added that they made him laugh in calling into his Memory the Pageants of Italy where Servants Precede their Masters We should value the Speech of Mr. Abbot de Choisy at too low a rate if we judged with so little favour on 't It not only hath the Precedence by Right of Age but also may dispute a Preheminence amongst his other celebrated Works What Mr. Bergeret hath said of the King that so many holy Mission's are maintained by the continual Succours of his Power and Piety It 's doubted whether the Consequence drawn from thence can be admitted it is certain say they that there is a great difference betwixt the ancient and new Christianity The ancient one maintained it self by it self and the sole force of Truth served for a Prop and Recommendation to the first Christians But at this day things have changed Face and Catholick Truths are not so easie to be perswaded as when a great Monarch makes use of his whole Authority without which this great number of Missions made within and without the Kingdom would have little or no effect An Extract of a Letter written from Versailles to the Author of the Republick of Letters concerning some Manuscripts of China T IS about 18 Months ago the Embassadors of China being then here that the Duke of Mâ—ntz took an occasion to tell the King that those People had the Chronicles of their Country from about 3000 Years past that they were the first who had Arts and Sciences and that as yet there has been no particular Account given of it and that it belonged to none but such a Prince as the King to send for some of their Books from China and to provide People that might translate them His Majesty presently gave his order for this Project I am assured that some days past there were brought to Paris 300 Volumns of these Books of China some being of the Civil and some the Natural History of that Country others of Mathematicks and divers curious Treatises That besides there are two Translators come one a Jesuit who has been 30 Years in China the other a Chinois who belonged to the last Embassage and understands French Latin Italian and Portuguese c. That these will translate these Books out of hand beginning with the most curious and will publish them as soon as they are fit for the Press Since it is known that the King of China takes delight in the Jesuits there are Eight young Jesuits sent thither who receive a Pension from their King and are to learn that Country Language and to instruct the Chinois in the French and Latin that they may be brought into France to go on with the Translation We shall have others also come to teach us their Mechanick Arts. Another Letter gives us an Account that Father Couplet is returned from Rome where he has made his young Chinois a Jesuit like himself and it is hoped they will Translate all Confutius's works A Clergy Mans Letter to the Nuns who have the care of the Education of young Women exhorting them to second the Popes Intentions about Nakedness I Received a Memoire not long since from an unknown hand containing that the Censurer of the Books of the Arch-Bishop of Malines being of Liege and a Iansâ—nist had approved a Letter directed to the Nuns wherein the Heresie of M. Arnaud concerning the Two heads of the Church and the Pelagian Errors comdemning all kind of Ornaments are renewed As I do not love to speak of a Book before I see it especially if any ones Reputation is concerned so I have deferr'd speaking of this Letter before I had seen it I do not repent this delay for having at last examined this little Writing I have seen nothing in it of Mr. Arnaud's pretended Heresie nor any thing but what agreed with the Doctrin of St. Peter and Paul concerning Womens Dresses so that if it be an Opinion of Pelagius's I see no harm that would come of setting it on foot again it surprises me more that any should send such false Advices I shall say somewhat of this little Book and first observe that the Pope not being able by all the means he used to oblige the Women to cover their Breasts and Arms and understanding that the fear that all Italy was in when the Turks besieged Vienna did not hinder this disorder he had recourse to his last shift his Excommunication which he published by a Decree the 30 th of November 83. commanding all Women and Girls to cover their Shoulders and Breasts to the Neck and their Arms to their Hands and this with no Transparent but thick Cloth under pain if they did not exactly obey it within six days to be excommunicated Ipso facto that in no other case but at the Point of Death none but the Pope himself should absolve them For it was declared That the Confessors that durst presume to absolve from this Excommunication should incur it themselves and should become subject to what Temporal and Spiritual punishments the Pope would be pleas'd to lay on them to which Temporal punishments also the Fathers Husbands Masters or other heads of Families should be subject that continued at or permitted their Wives Daughters or Maids to disobey this Ordinance This is all there at length with two Letters which relate to it one was writ through the Pope's Order by the Procurer general of the Capuchins to all the Provincials of his Order to oblige their Preachers and Confessors to endeavour more than ordinarily against the corrupruption of Manners and chiefly in relation to Women to strive to bring them off their Dresses that are too Luxurious and immodest The other Letter is that of Mr. Stravius Administrator of the Nunciature of the Low-Countries which he writ to the Bishops the 31 th of March 35. by order from Urban the VIII to put them in mind of proceeding against worldly Women who uncovered their Breasts and Shoulders and cover'd their Faces with Patches And to proceed against them to the very shutting them out of the Church if it could be done This shews that for a long time they have taken pains to remedy these Nakednesses and that they are obstinately resisted therein This in all likelyhood will be an employment that will never be wanting to the Preachers of Reformation All these pieces which I have quoted come after the Letter to the Nuns the Clergy-man that writes it to them directs it only to the Reverend Mothers He represents to them to the Life the extent of that disorder which Innocent the XI punished with so much severity He adds that its their business chiefly to endeavour this Reformation as well because the Publick trusts them with the Education of their young Daughters as that it is easie for them to instruct 'em in all that is modest in such a tender age wherein they have
for that than that of Mr. Descartes chiefly because men have so well disputed on the occasional causes It seemeth that hitherto the question of Witchcrafts hath only been treated by Judgments either too incredulous or too credulous Both of 'em are very unfit to succeed in this since they are commonly guilty of the same defect which is to determine or deny or to believe without searching into things There never were People more bold to deny Extraordinary Facts than the wretched Spinozists Yet they are very ill grounded seeing there is scarcely any thing whereof their Hypotheses do not engage them to hold the Possibility I do nevertheless grant that the Discovery which is made from time to time of several sorts of Knaveries is for them as well as for others a Reason of uncertainty There hath of late hapned an Accident at Campen in the Over-Issels which will not be unacceptable to give an Account of here It is that in the Month of December 1685 a Boy of 13 Years shewed by great contorsions of Body and Sinews that he was furiously Tormented They even would say that he emitted Nails Needles and Pins by Urine and all that was shewn in a Glass wherein he had Piss'd in presence of those which kept him He accused a Woman which had given him a Root to have bewitched him Several believed it and being moved for him with a great Compassion Recommended him to God by Ardent Prayers Others not believing that in this there was reason enough to accuse the Woman of Witchcraft imagined notwithstanding that the Devil did put these strange Bodies into the Glass where the Boy pissed Notwithstanding the People were so moved that if the prudence of the Magistrates had not interven'd this Woman had been in great danger In fine they ceased to say that this Boy emitted Pins at any other time but only towards the end of the Month of Ianuary he bethought himself of another thing which was to cast Stools and vomit Hairs bits of Scales and other things of this kind The Wisest who were far from thinking that there was any Magick in it concluded it to be a pure Artifice and the Magistrate applied himself so well to find it out sometimes in Threatning this Boy sometimes in making him promises at last he declared that his Father and Mother-in-Law had made him learn all this Play of a Vagabond Woman who asked but 100 pence for such a secret He gave the Magistrates the Spectacle of his Vomits of his Convulsions and of the Activity with which he would make Pins c. fall in the Glass which he was to piss in His Father and Mother in Law which had a Reputation of Piety were brought before the Judges but because there was not found where withal to convince 'em that they were Partners in the fraud and that the Boy had declared he had unjustly accused them they were absolved and the Son was condemned to be whipt by his Father This Accident puts me in mind of one which is related in the Iournal of the Learned of the 11 th September 1682. They were some young Women that were of the Neighbourhood of Thoulouse which vomited Pins and Ribbands and that suffered other Accidents so singular that they were taken to be possessed and they were endeavoured to be cured by Exorcisms But the able Physicians which the Parliament enjoined to observe well the matter declared these Phenomens might be expounded by Principles purely Natural and they were not a little confirmed in this opinion when they observed that feigned Exorcisms produced upon these Persons the effects as the true ones The difference that is betwixt them and the little Boy at Campen is that the latter did thro' Malice what the first did by a Hypocondriack Malady He that Inform'd us of the Affair of the little Boy is an Advocate of Zceol Named Mr. Nuis who hath published in Dutch a very considerable Treatise of Geometry He Entituleth it Gebruyk Uan Het Rectangulum Catholicum Geometrico-Astronomicum c. Te Zwolle by Gerard Tideman 1686 in 4â—o in Amsterdam at Waesbergs He hath divided it into Three Parts He shews in the First the Geometrical use of this new Instrument and briefly touches what hath been said by others on the use of the Compass and of the Rule of proportion He also speaks of Trigonometry of Draughts and of the use of this Instrument to measure the Visual Angles Height Draughts and Distances In the Second he Treats of Solar Dyals and gives a new general Method to Trace the Horary Circles the Azimuths the Almucantaraths the Signs of the Zodiack upon all sorts of Surfaces and that in Three manners one by Rule and Compass and the Two others by this new Instrument Besides its probableness here is shewn how to find the Declination Inclination and the Reclination of Draughts All this is maintained by Mathematical Demonstrations The Third speaks of Spherick Trigonometry and of the Astronomical Problems which are thereby resolved and of the Construction of an Universal Clock comprehended in this Instrument and fit to find the Hours and Azymuths by the Sun and Principal Stars in all places of the World where the Elevation of the Pole passeth not the 65 Degree The Appendix contains the Resolving several Problems of Astronomy by Rule and Compass on the Principles of Dyalling The same Author hath pubished a small Work in 4 to where he Geometrically sheweth why the Currant of Water makes the Beds of Rivers or where they run sometimes higher and somtimes lower and why the means employed hitherto for the Rhine on Issel have not been successful He Composed this Book upon occasion of the Works that were prepared for the use the Fort of Scenck and Entituled it Redenen Middelen Uan Uerdieping en Uerzanding de Rivieren en Havens op een Meethundinge Maniere betoogt en aan gewesen A Treatise of Law by Anthony Matthews in the Famous Vniversity of Leyden wherein he Treats of Nobility of Princes Dukes Counts Knights Esquireâ— in a word it 's a Treatise of all the kinds of Gentry Amsterdam Sold by Janss Waesberge and Felix Lope 1686. THis Work in 4 to is very useful to those that would throughly know the History of the Middle Times in Regard to those Countries which are generally neglected and Men apply themselves to the Study of the First and Last Ages and despise the Middle by Reason of the horrible Barbarity which is in all their Writings which must be consâ—lted Mr. Matthews was not discouraged at these displeasing Obstacles he has turned over with a deal of Patience the old Pancreas and Archives and has drawn from thence a great many Memoirs and curious Pieces which have not been as yet Published and which serve as a light to several dark Places of History He endeavours most to clear what concerns the Town of Utrecht his own Country He Explains the Form of its Government its Rights the Authority of it's Bishops and
division without excepting even the Spaniards altho' he has been pretty bountiful to them What he says of the Manners and Wit of the Chinese is admirable they keep no Memoirs of their Warlike Princes and reserve their Elogies for the Peace Makers and Righteous They never delighted in Conquests unless the desire of living under so wise a Government invited by their Neighbours to submit but they constrained none being only concerned if men who wanted this happiness refused to participate with them They acknowledge none as Gentlemen but Men of Learning t is derogatory amongst them and reduces them into a Plebean state to forsake this profession The Counsellors and Favorites of the Prince are all Philosophers and when he commits a fault they reprehend him with so much Liberty and Freedom that the Prophets took not more in respect to the Kings of Iudah If they don't make use of this Priviledge the People censure them and look upon 'em as weak Men and degenerate from the Courage of Confutius and other Philosophers who have retired from the Court in a time of Tyranny They reproach them to their face with Cowardise and say that they are neither Philosophers nor Men of honour since for their own private Interests they abandon the good of the Publick As for their Wit Mr. Vossius believes they surpass all the World and that after having learnt from 'em the Compass Printing and many other admirable things he doubts not but there remains much finer Inventions amongst 'em than we have borrowed of 'em He tells us wonderful things of their skill in Physick and above all their Art in knowing the Diseases by the differences of the Pulse They are so admirable in that respect that they look not upon a Man to be a good Physitian if after having felt divers places of the sick persons Arm he does not without asking Questions discover from what part of the Body the Distemper proceeds as well as the nature of it 'T is very pleasant to read all the curious things that Mr. Vossius has related upon this subject and upon the Ability of this Nation in all the noble Arts. He pretends that they made use of Powder and Cannons many Ages before the Europeans were acquainted with them and adds to it the Original and Progress of Powder amongst the people of Europe The other Pieces which compose Mr. Vossius's Works are not less worthy of particular observation but having been long upon this there 's a necessity of being brief upon what follows 1. He treats upon the Constructions of Galleys very learnedly 2. On the Reformation of Longitudes The Author maintains that the observations of Eclipses have more confounded this matter than any thing whatsoever because they have not sufficiently regarded either Refractions or Shadows He corrects many errors that concern the extent of the Mediterranean Sea which has been render'd much less than really it is he shews also that the like faults have been committed upon many Eastern parts of Asia and says that the dispute betwixt the Portuguese and Spaniards touching the Division of the New World has produced strange Alterations both in Longitudes and Geography 3. He speaks of Navigation into the Indies and Iapan by the North this Treatise contains many curious and useful observations 4. He examines the cause of the Circles which appear sometimes about the Moon Upon which he has some thoughts perfectly new for he believes these Circles proceed from the Mountains in the Moon because they produce their Images reverst in the Air that is under them which he maintains by some experiments Amongst others he relates this that some English Merchants being on the Pick of Tenariff observed that as soon as the Sun arose the shadow of this high Mountain convered not only all the Isle of Teneriff but also the great Canarie and all the Sea even unto the Horizon where the top of the Pick seem'd to appear reverst which sent back its shadow into the Air. He tells us a very surprizing thing viz. that the shadow of this Mountain extended as far as the Levant to the place even from whence the Light came since the great Canarie which is at the East of this Pick is covered with the shadow What he adds concerning the Sea between this Mountain and the grand Canaries is very remarkable for he says it appears not larger than the Thames although there is fourteen Leagues between these two Isles 5. He treats of the fall of heavy Bodies and explains it according to the Cartesians by the Diurnal Motion of the Earth upon its Center but establishes a Principle unknown to Mr. Des Cartes viz. That a Body which is moved Circularly approaches nearer to the Center than is possible when its Axis is perpendicular to the Horizon But if its Axis is parallel to the Horizon then it is removed from the Center as far as 't is possible He relates an Experiment that he says was made some times agoe and which is quite contrary to Mr. Hugens's given us by Mr. Rohault for whereas Mr. Hugens says that the Particles of Spanish Wax dipp'd in a Vessel full of Water which is turn'd upon a Pirot are removed farther from the Center and soon arrive to the extremities of the Vessel Mr. Vossius has found out that Balls of Leed and Iron thrown into a Vessel of Water which is moved circularly tend towards the Center of the Vessel whereas Bowls of Wood which float upon the Surface of the Water make towards the sides of it The rest of the Book is a Treatise upon the Oracles of the Sybils which Mr. Vossius published in the Year 1672. There 's also the Answer that he made sometime after to the Objections of Mr. Simon scatter'd throughout his Critical History of the Old Testament and a Reply to that part of the Discourse which concerns him in Father Simons's Disquisitiones Criticae de varâ—s Bibliorum Editionibus Historia Plantarum c. Or Ray's History of Plants Tom. 1st London 1686. SInce Baubin published his History of Plants and Parkinson his Botanick Theater a great Number of Plants have been discoved that appeared not in their Collection Several Authors have described many that were unknown to the Botanists that liv'd before them But no one yet has ever gathered them together in one Piece like our present Author who has also used much more Method than has yet been observed on the same Subject He divides Plants into Genders and Kinds and gives an account of those that resemble them in their principal parts as in their Flower Seed and Films which cover them He thinks this Method is the most Natural and easie to attain in a little time to the knowledg of Botanicks and doubts not but any one that will apply himself to this study may without the help of a Master by following these Rules to accomplish it and be well acquainted with Plants If any Plant shou'd be found which comes not under these
a general Critique of all this History to which he adds some Reflections upon M. le Grand It was translated into French and had been published long ago had not M. le Grand busied himself in making a small Book against a Letter of Dr. Burnet and against the Extract of his History of Divorce The Author of this Bibliotheque had begun to Answer it but this xi Tome of the Bibliotheque which lay upon him alone and which could not be put by made him discontinue yet 't is hop'd that the Publick will lose nothing by this delay but may see once more if God be pleased to lend him health and give him leisure to shew that M. de Meaux is none of the sincâ—rest in the World And yet this Prelate has subject to reason himself since those who approve his Works have as little sincerity as himself At least Mr. Wake shews that what the Cardinals Capisucchi and Bona teach in their Works is a very different Doctrine from that of the Catholick Exposition concerning the Invocation of Saints and the Worship of Images Dr. Wake 's Adversaries were so long silent that the Dispute was thought ended but at last they broke silence about the middle of the year 1687 when was publisht a Reply to the Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England with a second Letter from M. de Meaux Dr. Wake a little after that made his 2d Defence which he divided into two parts in the first he justifies all that he advanced concerning the Expositions of M. de Meaux He brings many Historical Proofs of the difference between the old and new Papism or between the Speculative Doctrine of M. de Meaux and of the other Doctors of the Catholick Church and their common practice And examins in particular what Rome Teaches concerning the Worship of Images The Second Part runs upon the Nature and Object of the Divine Service upon the Invocation of Saints and upon Images and Relicks and upon the accusation of Idolatry which the Protestants charge the Roman Church with III. M. de Meaux's Apologist believed that to be even with Dr. Wake he should make a History of Controversies and presently runs upon Generalities that are not to the purpose he speaks of the Roman Catholicks Zeal and of the different methods that Rome has made use of to bring back those who have left her Communion but he has forgot the chiefest of them at least that which had most success which is her Persecution Then he comes to England jumps from the Monk Augustin to Henry the VIII makes some Reflections upon the Duke of Sommerset and on Queen Elizabeth and then like Lightning passes to the Reign of Queen Mary and then to Iames the 1 st to Charles the 2 d and then to Iames the 2 d. These Preambles gave Dr. Wake occasion to speak of several remarkable things which would be too tedious to mention here It will be enough to Remark two of the most important The First relates to the Dissentions of the Episcopal Party and the Presbyterians and the other to the Murther of Charles the 1 st 1. As to the First He acknowledges that many of those whom the Persecution of Q. Mary had Exiled were obstinate in the Form of Religion which they saw abroad but that this Spirit of Schism was fomented by Roman Catholicks who mix themselves with them pretending to be of their number In effect it was by the Roman Catholicks in 1588 that the Puritans begun to make a noise the Chief of them being Commin Heath Hallingham Coleman Benson were all Papists who thus dissembled and disguised themselves as appeared by a Letter which dropped out of Heath's pocket And it was discover'd that the Roman Catholicks had Colledges in Germany France Spain and Italy wherein the Students were brought up in Sciences and Mechanick Arts and they exercised twice a week to Dispute for and against Independents Anabaptists and Atheism it self After which they sent them to England to play the best game that they understood A Iesuit of St. Omers acknowledged that there were some of the Fathers of their Society hid for Twenty years among Quakers which is likely enough because the scruple these Fanaticks make of Swearing gives the Fryars the means of living among them being so exempted from the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy In 1625. the Jesuites published a Book Intituled Mysteria Politica or the Letters of some famous persons designing to break the League that divers Princes of Europe made against the House of Austria it contained Eight Letters equally injurious to France and England to the Venetians Hollanders and Swissers In the last the Author that counterfeited the Protestant forgot nothing which he thought proper to give a mean Idea of King Iames and to sow division between this Prince his Son and the Princess Palatine and between the Lords of the Parliament the Clergy of the Church of England and the Puritane Ministers Upon the Civil Wars of England and the death of King Charles the First Mr. Wake acknowledges that the fear of seeing Popery re-established made the People take Arms who since the Reformation had always horror for this Superstitious Worship But he maintains that the Papists were the first Authors of the troubles M. du Moulin Doctor of Divinity and Chaplain to King Charles the II. accused the Roman Catholicks with this a little after the Re-establishment of this Prince and not contented to prove it in his Answer to the Philanax Anglicus he offered to prove it legally or by Law there were then many alive that were ready to Swear that there was held a Consultation of Cardinals and Doctors of Sorbonne wherein it was declared That it was lawful for the English Roman Catholicks to push the King on to his ruin thereby to endeavor the Change of Religion and Government The Roman Catholicks instead of taking this Challenge made use of King Charles's Authority to hinder Mr. Moulin to press for the decision of this Suit And though the Book and Accusation remained without Answer for 17 years The Author renewed the Challenge in a Second Edition of his Work and dyed without being Answered none having Courage to undertake it They that do not understand English will find the most part of M. Moulin's proofs in the Politicks of the Clergy in the last endeavors of afflicted innocence And in Mr. Iurieu's Parallel betwixt Calvinism and Popery with some new reasons of the Author to which if we add what Mr. Wake has here the conjecture will be more than probable 1. In the beginning of the Troubles the King perceived that the Fanaticks were set on by the Papists Their Principles says he in his Declaration against the Rebels of Scotland are those of the Iesuites their Preachers Sermons are the style of Becan Scioppius and Eudaemon Joannes from whom they borrow their very Phrases The pitiful Arguments of their Seditious Libels are drawn word by word out
Opinions of the Apostles and makes this Reflexion upon it taken from St. Augustin It is evident that nothing is of so dangerous a Consequence in Matters of Religion as slightly to give credit to every one and eagerly to embrace whatsoever bears the appearance of Piety without considering whether it be really so or no. Non sit Religio nostra in Phantasmatibus nostris Meliùs est enim qualecunque verum qùam omne quidquid pro arbitrio fingi potest melior est vera stipula quà m lux inani cogitatione pro suspicantis voluntate formata De ver Rel. c. 55. There remains nothing of Quadratus Aristides Agrippa nor of Hegisippus but some Fragments that Eusebius and St. Ierom relates For 't is a false Hegisippus an Author of the Fourth Age that made the History of the Iewish Wars and of the taking of Ierusalem divided into five Books which has been often published and is no more than an Abridgment of Iosephus He acknowledges for the Works of St. Iustin only his two Apologies and his Dialogue with Tryphon There are also two Discourses to the Gentiles which are at the beginning of his Works and that may be attributed to him without injuring him as well as the Epistle to Diognetus He observes also the particular Opinions of this Father and that of his not despairing of the Salvation of the Gentils For in his 2d Apology p. 83. he says That those who lived conformably to Reason like to Socrates Heraclitus c. may be call'd Christians and he seems to suppose they might be saved in following the Law of Nature Mr. Du Pin explains many Passages of Iustin Tatian and Theophilus of Antioch concerning the Generation of the Word and its visibility which appears not agreeable to the Common Opinion He remarks that this Theophilus was the first that used the word Trinity to note the three Divine Persons and that he calls the third the Wisdom That Athenagoras said that the Devils lost themselves by the love they bare to Women that he admits Free-will in its utmost extent praises Virginity and condemns second Weddings calling them an honest Adultery But Denis of Corinth in a Fragment that Eusebius has preserved of him l. 4. c. 23. advertises Pinytus Bishop of the Gnossians not to charge the Christians with the heavy burden of an Obligation to Virginity but to have respect to the weakness which the generality of Mankind lay under This same Author complains that they had falsified some of his Letters and says That we need not wonder that some Men dare to corrupt the Sacred Books since they do it in Books of much less Authority St. Irenaeus as well as St. Iustin seems to have believed that Souls are immortal only by Grace and that those of the wicked shall cease to be after having suffer'd torment for a long time He has also some peculiar Opinions for example that Iesus Christ lived above 50 Years upon the Earth That the Saints shall in the other Life learn by degrees whatsoever they are ignorant of c. We must pardon the Antients adds the Author these sort of Opinions it being not singular to any one for many had the like Eusebius hath preserv'd us a Fragment of an Author nam'd Rodon who mentions that in a dispute he had with one Apelles a Heretick who having been convinc'd of many Frailties said That he was not to examine what he believed and that all those who hoped in Jesus Christ Crucified should be saved That the Question about the Nature of God was very obscure that he believed there was but one Principle but he was not certain and that the Prophesies were contrary one to the other Mr. Du Pin wonders that the Books of the Pedagogue of Clement of Alexandria are not Translated into the Vulgar Tongue But says he if any one would undertake this Translation he must leave out some places which ought not to be read by all the VVorld and others he must accommodate to the Customs and Manners of our time We doubt very much whether this way of acting will denote a sufficient respect for Antiquity and are apt to believe that our Author in making his Extracts has not followed the Counsel he gives to others The same St. Clement has made other Celebrated Books under the Name of Stromates that he calls so because they contain many thoughts collected from different places and crowded together which makes a variety something resembling what we see in Tapestries Wherefore this Father himself compares his Work to a Meadow or a Garden where we find all sorts of Herbs Flowers and Fruits and we may gather such as please our selves but not to such Gardens where the Trees and Plants are placed in order on purpose to divert the sight But rather to a shady and thick Mountain where the Cyprus Linden-tree Lawrel Ivy Apple-tree Olive Fig-tree and other Fruitful Trees are mingled with Barren ones In the Third Book of the Stromates Clement affirms that St. Peter and St. Philip were Marryed and that they had Children that Saint Philip had Marryed his Daughters and that St. Paul had also a Wife In which he is deceived says the Author This Father has spoken something that seems to Favour Arianism which is That the Nature of the Son is most Excellent and most Perfect and that it comes nearest to God Almighty He excuses him saying that the Ancients had not an exact distinction between the Terms Nature and Person but often took one for the other Yet confesses that he speaks after such a manner to perswade us that he believ'd not or at least made no reflections upon Original sin How do we say says he that a Child prevaricates as soon as he is born or how can it having done nothing fall under Adams Curse There 's a Contestation amongst the Learned upon the Marriage of St. Tertullian whether he was Married before or after his Conversion and when he was a Priest for in the Books which he Dedicated to his Wife one may find that he lived with her when he wrote them The Author of the Life of Tertullian and of Origen was obliged to say that he also compos'd 'em after his Conversion But Mr. Du Pin affirms that 't is more probable that he was Marryed after his Baptism and that he writ his Books to his Wife when he was very Aged and fell into the Error of the Montanists He Examins the Reasons of his change and believes with St. Ierom that the Envy he bore to the Roman Clergy and the outragious manner wherewith they treated him enraged him against the Church and made him separate from it He afterwards gives a Catalogue of Tertullians Works and with care distinguishes those he made whilst a Catholick from those that he composed after he was engaged in the Heresy of Montanus placing amongst these last his Book of Prescriptions Amongst the
Orthodox Treatises of Tertullian he gives the chiefest place to his Apologetick his two Books to the Gentils and that which he Dedicated to Scapula to perswade the Governour of Africk from Persecuting the Christians He proves in this last that all Men ought to have the liberty to embrace what Religion seems the truest to them That 't is no part of Religion to constrain men to embrace a Religion which ought to be a voluntary choice Non est Religionis cogere Religionem quae sponte suscipi debet non vi In the Sixth Book of Baptism Tertullian disapproves of Baptizing Children without Necessity How is it necessary says he to expose God-fathers to the danger of answering for such who may prevent and hinder the performance by Death or Apostatizing from the Christian Religion when they come of Age Our Author assures us that this Opinion of Tertullian is his own particular one and there 's no other Father to be found who hath said as much But Tertullian affirms other things as incredible as for Instance when he says Christians are absolutely forbidden to bear Arms and he calls the Crowns that Soldiers put upon their heads the Pomps of the Devil To râ—ad his Book of Spectacles one wou'd hardly believe that he was the Author of that of Prescriptions but only by his affected Style and Particular Transports he endeavour'd to prove in his Book of Spectacles that Virgins ought to have their Faces covered in the Church contrary to the Custom of the Country which only oblig'd Women to be Vail'd He mightily exclaims against Custom and Tradition and maintains that nothing can be prescribed contrary to Truth 'T is true adds Mr. Du Pin when not Dogmatically enjoyned but 't is when it is done as a Disciplin of little Consequence In mentioning the History of Origen and how he was persecuted by Demetrius the Patriarch of Alexandria he relates an Article of the Discipline of that time viz. when a Priest was once Excommunicated and depos'd by a Bishop with the consent of the Bishops of the Province he cou'd no more be receiv'd into any Church and it was never Examined after the Judgment was past whether it was just or unjust He places among the Errors of Origen the Exposition which he gave upon the words of Jesus Christ Whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth c. because he seems to retain the power of binding and loosing only to Bishops and Priests which follow the vertue of St. Peter and he says that all Spiritual Men are this Stone upon which Jesus Christ hath founded his Church St. Cyprian is one of the Fathers whom Mr. Du Pin has been large upon because the Life and Letters of this Martyr make a considerable part of the Ecclesiastick History of his Age. We may see there in the troubles that were excited amongst the Christians by the parties of Novatian and Felicissimus on the account of those that were fallen by Persecution The Moderation that St. Cyprian observed to avoid the Rigour of the first and the extream Remissness of the second and the Weakness of Cornelius Bishop of Rome who suffering himself to be seduced by Felicissimus writ to St. Cyprian after a disobliging manner These Two Schisms were not extinguisht before a third arose upon the Question whether Hereticks ought to be Re-Baptized proposed by Ianuarius and the Bishops of Numidia who upon that Account came to consult a Council where St. Cyprian was They that composed it answered that this Question was already decided by the Bishops that were their Predecessours who had declared in the Affirmative The Year following another Synod was Assembled in Africk which having confirmed this Decision sent to Stephen who was then Bishop of Rome to perswade him to embrace this Discipline But the Bishops was so far from complying with the Reasons of the Africans that he was Transported with anger against St. Cyprian and his Collegues and treated their Deputies very ill calling them false Christians false Apostles and Seducers even forbidding all those of his Church to entertain them and so depriving them not only of Ecclesiastick Communion but also refusing them the Laws of Hospitality but St. Cyprian testified great Moderation being unwilling that any Person shou'd Separate himself from the Communion upon this Dispute Mr. Du Pin afterwards endeavours to prove in his Notes that St. Cyprian did not change his Opinion and that the Churches of Greece were also a great while after his time divided about this Question He directs the Reader to a Letter of St. Basil to Amphilocus in which this Father relates the different Customs of the Church upon this Point Almost all the Letters of St. Cyprian run upon those Subjects that we have already spoken of the extracts of 'em are given to our Author according to the order of time He relates many fine passages from thence upon the necessity of examining the Disposition of such as are admitted to the Communion the Excellency of a Martyr which principally consists in keeping in every respect an Inviolable Holiness in his words and not to destroy the precepts of Jesus Christ at the same time that he 's a Martyr for him This holy Bishop made it a Law to do nothing in the Affairs of his Church without the Council of his Clergy and consent of the People Whefore in the Council of 37 Bishops held at Carthage in 256. upon the Reiteration of Baptism this holy Man gave this reason against Excommunicating those that were of a contrary opinion to him For no one amongst us says he ought to establish himself Bishop over the Bishops or pretend to constrain his Collegues by a Tyrannical fear because each Bishop has the same liberty and power and he can no more be judg'd be another than he can judge him but we ought all to expect the Judgment of Jesus Christ who only has power to propound to his Church and Judg of our actions In this question the Two Parties pretended to have Tradition on their side And St. Cyprian opposed to the Tradition that Pope Stephen brought the Truth of the Gospel and the first Tradition of the Apostles Our Author says also that St. Cyprian was the first that spoke clearly of Original Sin and the necessity of the Grace of Jesus Christ. The best Edition of this Fathers Works is that which has been lately published by Two of our Bishops But Persons have not much esteem for the observations of Dametius because he endeavours more to confirm the Doctrin and Discipline of our time than to explain the difficulties of his Author Mr. Du Pin rejects all the Letters that are attributed to Cornelius Bishop of Rome except those that are in the Works of Saint Cyprian because the rest and particularly the Epistle to Lupicinius Bishop of Vienna and two other that are in the Decretals under the name of this Pope are not like the Stile of those that are