be the first after the Apostolical times that have come to our hands Of these some are lost and perished only we find the names or titles of them recorded by himself and others of this sort are as Ierom hath them 1. A Volume against the Gentiles wherein he disputeth of the nature of Devils 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de exilio daemonum of the Exile of Devils saith Suidas 2. A fourth Volume against the Gentiles which he entituled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a refutation Trithemius calls it castigationum lib. 1. 3. Of the Monarchy of God of which more anon 4. A Book which he called Psaltes 5. Of the Soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Scholastical discourse wherein various questions being propounded he annexed the opinions of the heathen Philosophers which he promised to answer and to give his own judgement concerning them in a certain other Commentary 6. Against Marcion the Heretick lib. 1. saith Trithemius how many for number it 's uncertain Books saith Photius necessary to be read stiled by Ierom insignia Volumina famous and excellent Volumes 7. Against all Heresies or Sects as Suidas a profitable work saith Photius 8. A Commentary upon Genesis 9. A Commentary upon the Apocalypse so Ierom in the life of the Apostle Iohn Being banished saith he into the Isle of Patmos he wrote the Apocalypse which Iustin Martyr and Irenaeus do interpret 10. Possevine saith that in the Catalogues of Greek Manuscript Books which came to his hands is to be seen such an Inscription as this Iustini Philosophi Martyris Explicatio in St. Dionysii Areopagitae Episcopi Atheniensis Hierarchiam Ecclesiasticam mysticam Theologiam 11. An Epistle ad Papam mentioned by himself in his Epistle to Zena and Sirenus The Books now extant under his name are of two sorts 1. Some genuine and by all granted to be his viz. 1. Paraenesis his exhortation to the Grecians wherein he exhorts them to embrace the Christian Religion as being of greater Authority and of more antiquity than the Heathenish and in the end shews them the way how they may attain it 2. An Oration unto the Greeks wherein he lays down the reasons why he forsook their Rites and invites them to embrace the Christian Religion Yet is neither of these mentioned by Eiâ—sebius or Ierom. 3. His first Apology unto the Senate of Rome which Bellarmine conceives to be the later and not given up unto the Senate as our Books have it but unto Marcus and Lucius the Successors of Pius and that this common deceit was hence occasioned because the first Apology as they are usually placed wants the beginning and therefore it could not be known unto whom it was directed Herein 1. He complains of their most unjust proceedings in punishing the Christians meerly for the name 2. He makes answer unto those things which were objected to them by the Gentiles 3. He requests them that to their decree if they should publish any thing concerning this thing they would publickly annex this Apology that the innocency of the Christians might be known unto all 4. His second Apology which he tendred unto Antoninus Pius to his Sons and to the whole Senate and people of Rome which Baronius calls fortem gravem Apologiam a strong and grave Apology first named both by Eusebius and Ierom and therefore likely to be the first of the two The sum whereof Baronius gives us in these words Multa exprobrat de iniquissimis in Christianos judiciis c i. e. He much upbraids them for their most unjust proceedings against the Christians viz. for that without any inquiry into cause or matter they were adjudged to death as the most impious and flagitious of all Men and that for no other reason but because they were Christians the very name being accounted crime enough Wherefore he doth notably clear them from the several calumnies cast upon them and fully demonstrates their innocency by many arguments particularly that they were not such as they were commonly fam'd to be viz. Atheists because though they worshipped not the gods of the heathen yet they knew the true God and performed that service that was agreeable unto him Also that they looked not for an earthly kingdom as was suspected of them for which cause the Romans stood in fear of a Rebellion and their defection from them but a Divine and Heavenly that made them most willing to run the hazard and suffer the loss of this present life which they never could do were they possessed with any desires of reigning in the World Moreover he wipes off those blasphemies wherewith the Christians were loaded for their worshipping of a crucified Man by such as were altogether ignorant of the mystery of the Cross of Christ. Shewing that the Religion of such as worshipped the gods was but a vain and sordid superstition He likewise Learnedly and copiously discourseth of the Divinity of Christ and of his incarnation or assuming our Nature and unfolds many things of the mystery of the Cross and by many clear and convincing arguments proves the verity of the Christian Faith withal insinuating their harmless Life exact observance of chastity patience obedience peaceableness gentleness and love even to their very enemies Lastly he lays before them the Rites or manner observed by the Christians in their sacred Mysteries viz. Baptism and the Lord's Supper c. because of the slanders that were raised and scattered abroad concerning them as if horrible and abominable things were practiced by them such indeed as are not to be once named among them in their secret meetings upon such occasions All which he performed with such admirable liberty and boldness as became so zealous and Advocate in so good a cause wherein the magnanimity of his Spirit moved with an holy indignation may evidently be discern'd by the seriousness of the matter contained in it and the solidity of the arguments by which what he undertook is fully proved 5. A Dialogue or Colloquy with Tryphon a Jew which Morel calls Illustris disputatio a notable disputation in Ephesus a most famous City of Asia with Tryphon the chief of the Jewish Synagogue continued by the space of two whole days for the truth of the Christian Religion wherein he proves the Jews to be incredulous contumacious blasphemers of Christ and Christians Infidels and corrupters of the Scriptures falsly interpreting the words of the Prophets and most clearly demonstrates by innumerable testimonies fetched from the old Law that Jesus our Saviour is the true Messiah whom the Prophets foretold should come 6. An Epistle to Zena and Serenus which comprehends the whole life of a Christian man whom he instructs in all the duties belonging to him of which yet Bellarmine makes some doubt whether it be his or no. 7. An Epistle unto Diognetus wherein he shews why the Christians have left the Jews and Greeks
be none of Cyprians 3. Of the praise of Martyrdom unto Moses and Maximus wherein pennis eloquentiae se mirificè extulit But the stile is so elaborate and unequal that Erasmus supposeth no man is of so dull a scent but he must needs perceive it to be far different from that of Cyprian He thinks it therefore to be an Essay of some one that would exercise his pen wherein he shewed more care then wit and more affectation then ability Cardinal Baronius is very angry with him for this his censure calling him Mome telling us that he that will prudently compare it with the Apologetick unto Demetrian or his Epistle unto Donatus will easily perceive by the same lineaments of their faces that they proceeded from the same Author But the wit and wisdom of Erasmus dictator ille rei literariae and his ingenuity in this kind are sufficiently known and approved of by the Learned And as he was able so was he no less diligent in comparing one thing with another that he might the better give a right judgment So that the cavil might well have been spared and deserves little to be regarded as issuing rather from heat and interest then from candid and impartial animadversion The truth is both the Cardinal and the Canon Pamelius looked on it as advantageous and making somewhat for their market affording them a considerable authority for the Doctrines of Purgatory and the Invocation of Saints who therefore strain hard and would fain perswade us that it is Cyprians though they be levissima argumenta very trivial and slender arguments whereby they endeavor to make it appear so to be 4. Unto Novatian the Heretick that hope of pardon ought not to be denied unto the Lapsi such as fell in time of persecution which saith Erasmus the stile will not suffer us to believe that it is Cyprians But withal it is so Eloquent and Learned that he judgeth it not altogether unworthy of Cyprian yet rather thinks that Cornelius Bishop of Rome wrote it which conjecture he grounds upon the words of Ierom whom herein Honorius Augustodunensis follows and explains saying Cornelius wrote a very large Epistle unto Novatian and Fabius 5. Of the Cardinal or Principal works of Christ unto his ascension unto the Father which besides the Preface consisteth of twelve Chapters or Sermons 1. Of the Nativity of Christ. 2. Of his Circumcision 3. Of the Star and Wisemen 4. Of the Baptism of Christ and manifestation of the Trinity 5. Of his Fasting and Temptations 6. Of the Lords Supper and first institution of the Sacrament consummating all Sacraments wherein is comprehended the sense and consent of Orthodox Antiquity and the Catholick Church concerning the Lords Supper 7. Of washing the Disciples feet 8. Of Annointing with Oyl and other Sacraments 9. Of the passion of Christ. 10. Of his Resurrection 11. Of his Ascension 12. Of the Holy Ghost All these are urged as the authority of Cyprian by divers Romish Champions for the maintenance of many of their unsound Doctrines though it be doubted of by themselves for sundry weighty reasons among the rest these following 1. The stile is lower than Cyprian's useth to be 2. The Author in serm de tentatione sâ—ith that the Devil fell from Heaven before the creation of man contrary unto the opinion of Cyprian in his Treatise de telo invidiâ 3. In the Preface he gives unto Cornelius Bishop of Rome the Title of sublimitas veâ—ra your Highness whereas Cyprian always stiles him brother and Collegue The stile saith Erasmus argues it to be none of Cyprian's though it be the work of some learned man whereof that age had store Non Cypriani quidem inquit Casaubonus sed non indignus Cypriano And Bellarmin himself elsewhere affirms that the author of these Sermons without doubt lived long since Cyprian yea after the time of Augustine and taxeth the boldness of him that first put Cornelius his name in the fore front of this Book But in a very ancient Manuscript in the Library of All-Souls Colledge in Oxford the Author is called Arnaldus Bâ—naâ—illacensis who lived in the time of Bernard unto whom he hath written one or two Epistles and the Book is dedicated not unto Cornelius who lived about the year of Christ 220. but unto Adrian the Fourth who lived about the year 1154. and succeeded Eugenius the Third unto whom Bernard wrote his Book of Consideration Also that Learned Antiquary the Reverend Vsher saith he hath seen besides the abovenamed another Manuscript in the publick Library at Oxford wherein this Book bears the name of the said Arnaldus as the author thereof Taking it then for granted that it is none of Cyprian's let us give it its due in the words of Scultetus It is a Book full of Religious Piety and of great use to Preachers for they are popular declamations which do breath affections stirred up by the spirit of God 6. Of Dicers which Game he proves by many arguments to be unworthy of a Christian especially an Ecclesiastical man But it certainly appears to be none of his by the stile and seems to be written in the corrupter times of the Church Bellarmin and Pamelius speak doubtfully of it the former supposing it rather to be written by some one of the Bishops of Rome as plainly appears from the Author 's assuming unto himself the Presidentship of the universal Church and to be Christ's Vicar which indeed none ever dared to do but that proud Prelate of Rome 7. Of the Mountains Sina and Sion against the Jews being a mystical interpretation of them the stile shews it to be none of his as both Bellarmin and Pamelius confess yea it is altogether different both from the stile and also the Genius of Cyprian and is stuffed with such allegories and expositions of Scripture as are far from the Learning Piety and Simplicity of this Blessed Martyr 8. As for those Poems viz. Genesis Sodoâ—â— ad Senatorem Pamelius hath adjudged them rather unto Tertullian because of the stile and because Cyprian was never ranked among the Christian Poets but only by Fabricius he might have added Gyraldus so that he leaves the matter doubtful And saith Bellarmin we have no certain ground whence to conclude it So also for the Hymn de Pascha in many Manuscripts it is ascribed â—nto Victorinus Pictaviensis But saith Bellarâ—in of them Opera sunt gravia docta S. Cyprianâ— digna To which I add the Verses de Sanctae Crucis ligno which Lilius Gyraldâ—s ascribes unto Cyprian being sixty nine Heroicks in number Quos inquit ego legi si semel legatis iterum saepe legetis But as I find them no where else mentioned as Cyprian's so I conceive Pamelius would not have failed to rank them among the rest had he seen
flemines augures item reges sacrificuli quique sunt sacerdotes antistites religionum Convocent nos ad concionem cohortentur nos ad suscipiendos cultus Deorum persuadeant multos esse quorum numine ac providentiâ regantur â—â—nia ostendant origines initia sacrorum ac deorum quomodo sint mortalibus tradita qui sons quae ratio sit explicent proferant quae â—â—rces in cultu quae poena in contempta maneat quare ab hominibus se coli velint quid illis si beati sunt humana pietas conferat Quae â—mnia non asseveratione propriâ nec enim â—â—let quicquam mortalis hominis authoritas sed divinis aliquibus testimoniis confirment ficuti nos facimus Doccant isti hoc modo si qua illis fiducia veritatis est loquantur audeant inquam disputare nobiscum aliquid ejusmodi jam profecto ab aniculis quasâ— conâ—emnunt à pueris nostratibus error illorum ac sultitia irridebitur c. § 3. Of the books that he wrote many have been devoured by time which hath left scarce any thing of them remaining besides the names of which I find mentioned 1. His Symposium or banquet which he wrote in Africa while he was but a youth in the Schools or say the Centurists unto the youths of Africa and as Trithemius hath it in Hexameter verse 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or his journey from Africa unto Nicomedia in Hexameter verse this shews him to have been also an excellent Poet of which I conceive Damasus is to be understood if not rather of his Epistles or of both who gives us an account of the number and nature of them thus I confess unto you that those books of Lactantius which you sent me of late I therefore willingly do not read because in them many Epistles are extended unto the space of a thousand verses or lines and they do rarely dispute of our Doctrine whence it comes to pass both that their length begets a loathing in the Reader and if any be short they are more fit for the Schools then for us disputing of verse or meeter of the Situation of Regions or Countries and Philosophers 3. His book which he Entituled Grammaticus 4. Ad Asclepiadem lib. 2. apud Trithemium l. 1. 5. Of Persecution 6. Four books of Epistles unto Probus 7. Two books of Epistles unto Severus 8. Two books of Epistles unto Demetrian his Auditor or Scholar All these Ierom reckons up in his Catalogue He also make mentions of the eighth book of his Epistles unto Demetrian so that it seems he wrote so many unto him Unless we may suppose that all his Epistles were gathered into one volume which make up the number of eight books whereof the two last and so one of them the eight were unto Demetrian 9. His book of Paradise in Hexameter verse All these are lost and perished none of them being now to be found Those that at this day are extant under his name are these that follow viz. 1. Seven books of Institutions against the Gentiles which with an high and Heroick Spirit he wrote under Constantine the Great for so he himself speaks Hoc opus inquit nunc nominis tui auspicio inchoabimus Constantine Imperator maxime Baronius calls them luculentissimos libros That which occasioned the writing of them was the cunning and calumniating books especially of two great enemies of Christianity the one whereof professing himself a man of chief note among the Philosophers wrote three books against the Christian Name and Religion whom Baronius supposeth to be Porphyrius an Apostate who at this time excelled among the Platonicks and set forth bitter Commentaries against the Christians which then no other Philosopher did And therefore by Cyril not unjustly stiled the father of Calumnies The other being of the number of the judges and one that was the principal Author of the persecution then raised against the Christians in the City of Nicomedia and whole province of Bithynia wrote two books not against the Christians lest he should seem enviously to inveigh against them but unto the Christians that he might be thought gently and with humanity to advise them which books he intituled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Baronius thinks his name to be Hierocles a crafty fellow concealing the wolf under the sheeps skin that by his fallacious title he might ensnare the Reader To confute these and to render the truth oppressed with reproaches more illustrious and shining with her own beauty Lactantius undertook this Noble task of Writing his seven most excellent books of Institutions Thus Baronius in annal ad an 302. § 43. ad 61. Of which in general Lactantius himself thus speaks Quanquam inquit Tertullianus candem causam plenè peroraverit in co libro cui Apologetico nomen est tamen quoniam aliud est accusantibus respondere quod in defensione aut negatione solâ positum est aliud instituere quod nos facimus in quo necesse est totius doctrine substantiam contineri non defugi hunc laborem ut implerem materiam quam Cyprianâ—s non executus est in eâ oratione quâ Demetrianum sicut ipse ait oblatrantem atque obstrepentem veritati redarguere conatur Loctant Institut Lib. 5. cap. 4. The several books are Entituled by these several Names 1. Of False Religion wherein he shews the Religion of the gods to be false After the proem asserting providence and that there is but one God which he proves by the testimonies and Authorities of the Prophets Poets Philosophers Sibyls and of Apollo also refuting the Gentile gods and their Religion in the general and of the Romans in particular he proveth that they were born at a certain time lived most wickedly and at length did undergo the Law of all Mortals Of this and his book de opificio dei Chytraeus thus speaks Prima pars operis inquit quae Ethnicas idolomanias Philosophicas de deo summo bono opiniones taxat liber de opifieio Dei in structurâ corporis animo humano eruditus lectu utilissimus est 2. Of the Original of error and that the Religion of the Gods is vain which he evinceth by divers arguments shewing that the causes of all errors in this kind are these two First The defection of Cham and the posterity of pious Noah from God Secondly The cunning and craft of the Devil Thirdly Of false Wisdom wherein he demonstrate the vanity of Philosophy and Philosophers instancing in the Epicures Stoicks Pythagoreans and the rest shewing how false their chief tenets and opinions be and lastly that Philosophy is not true wisdom 4. Of true Wisdom which comprehends the Doctrine of Christ his Person Name Nativity two Natures Miracles and Passion and afterward he declares the causes of Heresies to be Avarice Pride Ignorance of the Scripture and admiration of false Prophets 5. Of Justice that 't is not to
salutatio quidem ei extiterit cum his praetereunti communis I shall close his encomium in the words of Venantius who was also Bishop of Poictiers about the year of Christ 575. And a Poet of chief note according to the time he lived in He in four books of Heroick Verse wrote the life of S. Martin by whose help he had been cured as it is reported of a great pain in his eyes in the first of which books he thus speaks in the praise of our Hilary Summus apex fidei virtutis amoris Hilarius famae radios jactabat in orbem Buccina terribilis tuba legis praeco Tonantis Pulchrior electro ter cocto ardentior auro Largior Eridano Rhodano torrentior amplo Vberior Nilo generoso sparsior Hystro Cordis inundantis docilis ructare fluenta Fontibus ingenii sitienta pectora rorans Doctor Apostolicus vacuans ratione sophistas Dogmate luce side informans virtute sequaces Which may be thus Englished Hilary top of honour faith and grace Whose fame doth dart its rays in every place The laws shrill Trumpet preacher of the most High Fairer than Amber sparkling far and nigh More than refined Gold larger than Po More vehement than Rhone of swiftest flow For fruitfulness passing th' Egyptian Nile Outstretching generous Ister many a Mile Whose swelling heart freely its streams out spues And with his wit the thirsty brests bedews Doctor Apostolick skilful to unty The cunning knots of subtile Sophistry And by sound doctrine to inform aright His followers with virtue faith and light § 3. As for the Writings of this Worthy many of them have felt the force of time which hath rak'd them up in the dust so that they are withdrawn from the view and use of the present as also of some preceding Ages The little of them which with their names have been preserved unto this day is that which follows viz. 1. His commentary or tractates upon the Book of Iob which is little else than a translation of Origen For herein and in his comment upon the Psalms are to be found almost forty thousand verses quadraginta fermè millia versuum Origenis in Iob et Psalmos transtulit translated out of that Author in which he keeps to the sence though not unto his words These were extant in Ieroms time for he had the sight of them 2. His comment upon the Canticles which Ierom only heard of but it came not to his hands 3. Of Mysteries 4. Of the Septenary or uneven number a book mentioned by Ierom dedicated unto Fortunatus This book saith Victorius is extant under the name of Cyprian but that 't is rather Hilary's appears saith he from the stile Ieroms authority ascribing it to him and its dedication unto Fortunatus who was Hilary's great friend as his Poems do testifie 5. His book or commentary as Possevin calls it against Dioscorus a Physician or against Salust a Prefect wherein though it were but short yet was it a learned and accurate piece he shewed what he could do with his Pen putting out all the strength both of his wit and eloquence which is wanting not without the great loss of the History of the affairs of France and other Countries 6. His book against Valens and Vrsatius two pestilent Arians who had infected with their heresie Italy Illiricum and the East containing the History of the Acts of the councils of Ariminum and Seleucia which is lost unless perhaps it be contained in his book of of Synods 7. A defence of the Catholick Faith 8. Of heresies 9. A book of Chronicles or an history from the beginning of the world unto the time of Christ. 10. A book of hymns he was the first among the Catholicks that set forth hymns and verses Declarat inquit Erasmus phrasis et compositio Hilariani sermonis in carmine non infoelicem fuisse Et fortassis aliquot hymni quos hodiè canit ecclesia non indoctos sed incerti authoris illius sunt 11. Divers Epistles a work mentioned by Sulpitius Severus which reporteth the great age of Osius the famous Bishop of Corduba as being above an hundred year old The most of them seem to have been written after his return from banishment into France wherein condemning the Arian heresie he labours to reduce therefrom those Western Bishops who by the Eastern in the Council of Seleucia had been by cunning and craft deceived and drawn into it 12. Whereas the Centurists speak of a book of his concerning the rebaptization of hereticks I suppose it belongs not to our but another Hilary who was a Deacon in the Church of Rome and of Cyprian's mind in the point of rebaptization of those that had been baptized by hereticks and particularly the Arians He indeed wrote certain books upon this subject of whom Ierom is to be understood calling hlm the Worlds Deucalion as one that thought the whole World would have perished in the baptism of Hereticks as in a second flood had not he restored it by another Baptism There are extant to this day these following books which are generally conceived to be his 1. Twelve books of the Trinity against the Arians which he wrote when he was banished into Phrygia being the first among the Latine Fathers that dealt upon this subject A work in this regard of no small advantage unto the Reader that therein he expounds divers places not a little obscure in the Gospel of Iohn and Epistles of Paul no less happily than accurately The first of these books as it seems he writ last for it contains an account or sum of the whole work setting down particularly the subjects or contents of each of the other books It is an elaborate piece of much strength and commended even by the adversaries themselves 2. Three books or Apologues unto Constantius the Emperour who much favoured the faction of the Ariaus All which Erasmus thinks to be imperfect for saith he they promise something exact and laborious but perform not accordingly being as it were suddenly silent The first of these he conceives to have been written after the death of that Emperour because he therein deals more freely and sharply with him whereas in the other two he is more fair and moderate Baronius supposeth the first as well as the two later to have been written while the Emperour was alive and therefore that the book mentioned by Ierome to be written after the death of Constantius is not now extant because he saith that by this free confession he tended to martyrdom whereunto he exhorteth others by the like liberty of speaking which would have seemed ridiculous if the persecutor had been now dead But saith Bellarmine perhaps these different opinions may be reconciled by thus saying That at the Writing of the first Epistle Hilary thought
for the benefit of posterity those things which he had heard and received from the Ancient Presbyters In which book he remembers Melito Irenaeus and certain others whose expositions he inserts and makes use of 2. A book thus intituled Quis dives salvetur So Eusebius or as Ierom Quisnam dives ille sit qui salvetur A Treatise Learnedly composed saith Nicephorus and worthy to be perused whence saith Possevine Eusebius took that famous story of the Young man by the Apostle Iohn recommended to the care of a certain Bishop who afterward became very debaucht and gave himself to all kind of vice but was again by the same Apostle in an admirable manner recalled and recovered who so list may read this story at large in Eusebius liâ— 3. cap. 21. 3. His disputations of Fasting which as also the following Nicephorus calls Homilies Honorius Augusto dunensis divides the title but amiss setting down as two distinct Books De Iojunio unus De Disceptatione unus contrary to Ierome whose catalogue with some others he epitomized Trithemius also is guilty of the same errour 4. De Obtrectatione or of slander 5. An exhortatory unto patience composed for such as were newly baptized 6. Of the Canons of the Church or an Ecclesiastical Canon and against those who follow the errour of the Jews which Book 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he peculiarly dedicated it unto Alexander Bishop of Ierusalem Trithemius and the Centurists make these two distinct Books wherein they may be presumed to be mistaken seeing herein they differ from Eusebius and Ierom the latter of the two the Centurists entitle thus Of those who in the Scriptures follow the sence of the Jews 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eight Books of Dispositions Informations or Institutions fetching the name haply from 2 Tim. 1. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherein he goeth over the whole body of the Scriptures in a brief Commentary or compendious explanation of them if not rather some special places of both Testaments the scope of the whole work seeming to be an interpretation of Genesis Exodus the Psalms the Epistles of Paul and those called Catholical and lastly of the Book called Ecclesiasticus yea he omits not some of those that are Apâ—cryphal altogether and generally rejected viz. the Revelation under the name of Peter and the Epistle of Barnabas Heinsius gives us this account of them These Books saith he as the Inscription teacheth us did contain an institution or delineation of the Doctrine of Christianity not so much methodical dogmatical and artificial as free and bound up or restrained by no rules for he interpreted divers places of the Sacred Scriptures out of which without doubt he gathered a Body of Doctrine The want of these Books cannot be accounted any great loss if the report of Photius concerning them be a truth For saith he although in some things he seems to be Orthodox and sound in his judgment yet in others he discourseth altogether fabulously and impiously as in asserting the matter whereof the world was made to be eternal in ranking Christ among the number of things created in mentioning with allowance and approbation the Pythagorean 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or transmigration of Souls and that many worlds were before Adam that the word was not truly made flesh but only seemed so to be together with very many such like passages withal adding as admiring and amazed that such an one as Clement should be the author of them all which either he himself or else some other under his name blasphemously uttereth which latter saith Andrew Schoâ—tus and Possevine is the more likely for the Arrians had corrupted his writings as Ruffine reporteth in his Apology for Origen and the Doctrine contained in his other Books is more sound and orthodox Besides these there is elsewhere mention of the following Treatises 8. Of the Resurrection 9. Of Continence 10. Of Marriage of these three he himself speaks in his Books of Stromes and particularly of the last in his Paedagogus lib. 3. cap. 8. where we have a summary of the contents of it viz. how the Wife ought to live with her Husband of the Administration of the Government of the Family the use of Servants and what things ought to be done by her apart of the time of Marriage and of those things which appertain to women 11. Sozomen saith that he compiled an History and indeed Suidas makes mention of one Clemens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Historian who wrote of the Roman Kings and Emperours but Baronius supposeth they meant not this but another Clement and the truth is they both speak of a Clement indefinitely without any addition of the Alexandrian or otherwise 12. Many Epistles 13. He also promised a Commentary upon Genesis which accordingly he clearly and entirely performed upon the whole Book as some do affirm whom herein saith Sixtus Senensis I will neither give credit unto nor gainsay Of the second sort of his Books viz. those remaining and commonly received at this day are only the three following 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his admonition or exhortation unto the Gentiles adversus Gentes liber unus saith Ierom. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Schoolmaster comprised in three Books 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eight Books of Stromes a work variously woven after the manner of Tapestry mixed with testimonies taken out of the Sacred Scriptures as also Poets Philosophers and Historians whence he got the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contextor or the Weaver He himself gives the reason of the name and why these Books were so entituled by him Est in exiguo quidem spacio inquit multa genitalis copia semine eorum dogmotum quae comprehenduntur in hoc opere tanquam ager omnibus herbis plenus Vnde etiam propriam habent inscriptionem stromata commentariorum c. Again Permixtim nobis instar prati variata est stromatum descriptio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of its proper and primitive signification the most learned Casaubon gives us this account Solitos veteres stragulam vestem pellibus involvere loris constringere etiam Iurisconsulti testes sunt Constat autem ex-veterum lectione stragula superiora involucrum istud quod antiquiores 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 recentiores 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vocarunt varâ—â—s coloribus distincta ferè fuisse Inde translatae eae dictiones ad res significandas varietate insignes cujusmodi fuit piscis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dictus ob coloris aurei virgas per totum illius corpus productas inquit Athenaeus lib. 7. Similiter viri docti excerpta sua ex variis auctoribus aut propria etiam scripta sed veterum referta testimoniis soliti 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appellare ut Clemens Alexandrinus c. Those Books and Commentaries saith Martianus Victorinus men call Stromata
contumeliously calls the Orthodox accounting those to be carnal who rejected the prophesie of Montanus and those only spiritual alluding unto 1 Cor. 2. who received and embraced it Herein he defends the set Fasts and stations observed by the Montanists Of the name Psychicus Baronius gives us this account Ignominiae causâ— Orthodoxos Psychicos nominare fuit ut autor est Irenaeus lib. 1. cap. 1. Valentini haeresiarchae inventum qui Psychicos nominabat homines qui non essent sicut ipse ut aiebat spirituales Transiit vox eadem ad Cataphrygas qui aequè omnes non suscipientes Paracletum Psychicos appellabant 29. Of prayer which Hilary calls volumen aptissimum wherein he commendeth and commenteth upon the Lords Prayer adding somewhat of the adjuncts of prayer The title and subject hereof seem to intimate that it was a mistake in Sixtus Senensis to imagine that he wrote two books upon this subject one whereof he intitles in orationem dominicam the other de oratione 30. An Apology against the Gentiles in the behalf of the Christians wherein he notably and at large defends their innocency clearing them of the crimes falsely charged upon them and fully evincing the groundlesness of the adversaries hatred to and unjust proceedings against them imitating herein Iustin and Aristides who had undertaken the same task before him who yet he far transcends both in sharpness of wit and soundness of Learning how boldly doth he stand up against the Gentiles how constantly maintain the purity of our faith what Authors doth he not read which of their disciplines doth he not touch so that this book alone is abundantly sufficient to convince the pertinacy of the Gentiles It contains in it saith Ierom cunctam saeculi disciplinam wherein he is more elegant than ordinary the strength whereof was such that in likelyhood it was the thing that prevaii'd to the mitigation of the enemies fury and in some measure the cessation of the persecution then raised against the Christians It was written by him as both Pamelius and Baronius conjâ—ctâ—â—â— in the seventh year of the Emperor Severus An. Christi 201. Of the excellency hereof Prateolus thus speaks proculdubiò inquit verum est quum acris ardentis ingenii non ferens gentilium insolentiam atque saevitiam quâ in Christianos ferebantur omnes ingenii sui nervos in borum defensionem intendit incomparabiles interim eruditionis eloquentiae suae opes isthic oftentans 31. Ad nationes libri duo set forth and published singly by Iacobus Cothofrâ—dus I.C. which by divers arguments he would prove to be Tertullians also that they were written before his Apologetick as a Prodrome or preparatory to it as his book de testimonio animâ— followed after and was added as a third way whereby he attempted the Gentiles viz. by testimonies drawn from the soul and by those forms of speech wherein they named God in common use among them He also shews it to differ from his Apologetick because in these books he directs himself unto the Nations in general but in that only unto the Governors and Presidents of the Roman Empire besides these are purely Elenctical wherein he undertakes not to defend the cause of the Christians as in the other he doth but reproves the iniquity of the Nations against the Christians and shews the vanity of the Gentile Gods Ierom mentions these books contra gentes as distinct from his Apology quid inquit Tertulliano eruditius quid acutius Apologeticus ejus contra gentes libri cunctam saeculi continent Disciplinam Of these following it is doubted whether they be his or no. 1. An Epistle concerning Judaical meats wherein he shews that the difference between clean and unclean meats injoyned unto the Jews is taken away and abolished under the Gospel Pamelius thinks this Epistle to be none of his but rather Novatians whose name therefore he prefixeth to it thus Novatiani Romanae Ecclesiae presbyteri de cibis Iudâ—icis epistola It seems saith Bellarmine to have been sent by some Bishop unto his own people but Tertullian was no Bishop yet I determine nothing Both the Stile saith Rivet and the Texts of Scripture otherwise Translated then in Tertullian as also that the Author remembers his withdrawing in the time of persecution which Tertullian is every where against plainly shew it to be none of his 2. Of the Trinity concerning which Ruffin and others do report that certain of the Macedonian Hereticks who were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 finding somewhat in Tertullians book of the Trinity which was for their advantage inserted it among the Epistles of Cyprian causing them to be dispersed about Constantinople and sold at a low rate that so being the more bought up and read what was unsound therein might be the sooner embraced for the Authority of so great an Author by which means as they supposed their cause would be credited and promoted But saith Ierom there is no such matter for that book of the Trinity is neither Tertullians nor Cyprians but Novatians as both by the title and propriety of the stile doth evidently appear characterem alium genus dieendi nitidius in eo notat Laurentius Hence Ierom speaking of Novatian He wrote saith he grande volumen a great volum of the Trinity making as it were an Epitome of Tertullians work upon this subject which many ignorantly think to be Cyprians this piece of Novatians exceeding in bulk that of Tertullians now extant it must needs refer unto some book of his on that subject now wanting unless we will make which is absurd the Epitome to be larger then the book it self whose compend it is Bellarmine supposeth it to be beyond all doubt that this book is none of Tertullians because the heresie of Sabellius which began almost an hundred years after Tertullians time is therein by name refuted with whom Pamelius accords adding this as another reason of his confidence that the Author in the sixth Chapter denieth Corporeal Lineaments in God which Tertullian more then once affirms How ever it be it is a learned and elegant book though yet there are some things to be found in it not agreeable to the Christian Faith and I conclude saith Sculteius that whoever was the Author it is written according to the genius of Tertullian and therefore deservedly set forth under his name seeing it agrees so well with that Noble work of his against Praxeas Baronius tells us that those of the Eastern Church did receive it as the legitimate writing of Tertullian 3. Of Repentance wherein he discourseth of the excellency and utility thereof perswading to beware of recidivation and returning unto sin again after repentance particularly directing himself unto the Catechumens who for that they believed their sins would be all blotted out and wash'd away in Baptism were not so careful as
with two Books upon the thirtieth Chapter 11. A huge number of Homilies upon Ieremy the most whereof are lost 12. Upon the Lamentations nine Tomes Of which saith Eusebius we have seen five 13. Upon Ezekiel twenty and five Tomes the which he wrote being at Athens besides many Homilies 14. Upon the twelve Minor Prophets many Tracts Whereof saith Eusebius we have found twenty and five in the whole which Ierom saith he found copied out by Pamphilius among these were one upon Hosea of which Ierom thus Origenes parvum de hoc Prophetâ scripsit Libellum cui hunc titulum imposuit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. quare in Osee appellatur Ephraim volens ostendere quaecunque contra eum dicuntur ad haereticorum referenda personam c. II. Vpon the New Testament 1. Upon Matthew one Book containing his Scholia or brief Annotations upon obscure places Also twenty five Homilies upon divers places of the Gospel Six and twenty saith Trithemius and Nicephorus speaks of five Books of his upon Matthew 2. Upon Luke five Tomes and many Homilies 3. Upon the Epistle to the Galatians five Tomes also one Book 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or of choice passages besides not a few Homllies 4. Upon the Epistle to the Ephesians three Volumes or Commentaries of which Ierom makes mention in these words Illud quoque 〈◊〉 praefatione commoneo ut sciatis Origenem tria â—â—lumina in hanc Epistolam conseripsissc quem nos ex parte secuti sumus 5. Upon the Epistle to the Colossians three books 6. Upon the first Epistle of the Thessalonians divers books for Ierom maketh mention of the third volumn upon this Epistle wherein saith he he discourseth with much variety and prudence 7. Upon the Epistle to Titus one book 8. Upon the Epistle to the Hebrews many books all which through the injury of time and violence of his adversaries are lost and now not to be found The books that are extant at this day under his name are these following 1. Seventeen Homilies upon the book of Genesis which are said to be interpreted by Ierom whose name is prefixed to them but falsly as Crynaeus supposeth for indeed it was done by Ruffinus as appears by the liberty that he takes to add detract and change what he pleased which it seems was his manner sed haec non est inquit Erasmus libertas interpretis sed licentia potiùs contaminantis scripta aliena Again Ruffino peculiaris est ista temeritas viz. ea quae vertiâ— truncare augere immutare ex alieno opere suum facere cujus unicum studium fuisse videtur omnes illustrium autorum libros attrectando contaminare Haâ— aâ—rte vir glorie cupidus putavit se reperisse viam quâ vel invitis omnibus tereretur manibus hominum Certainly saith the Learned Daille he hath so filthily mangled and so licentiously confounded the writings of Origen which he hath translated into Latine that you will hardly find a page where he hath not either cut off or added or at least altered something A soul fault in a translator in whom fidelity as the chief vertue is required and most commendable Such is his dealing in this kind that the Reader is often uncertain whether he read Origen or Ruffine Which thing Ierom often and tartly taxeth him for and particularly for his unworthy translation of his book of principles or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he calls and that fitly enough and not without â—est cause an infamous interpretation Let it suffice once for all to have given this hint of the manner of Ruffine in his translation of divers books of Origen And that this translation of these Homilies upon Genesis is his appears from what Ruffine himself hath said in his Peroration added unto the Commentary upon the Epistle to the Romans wherein he professeth that he translated Origen upon Genesis And probable it is that the transcribers prefixed Ieroms name as the more gracious and acceptable Grynaeus hath taken pains for the benefit of the Reader to set down as he hath done before all the rest of the works of Origen in his Edition of them the several Theological Common places handled in these homilies adding moreover that by them the diligent Reader will confess that he hath light upon a rich storehouse of Christian Philosophy replenished with all kind of Spiritual treasures 2. Upon Exodus thirteen Homilies translated also by Ruffinus though for the gaining of the more credit unto them the name of Ierom be here also prefixed as the interpretor of them 3. Upon Leviticus sixteen Homilies eighteen say some where the same craft is made use of in the alteration of the name of the translator as in the former By some over-bold impostor these are ascribed unto Cyril of Alexandria under the title of so many books or a Commentary whereas it is manifest they are not Commentaries but Homilies for the Author excuseth his brevity to his auditors by reason of the straits of time and that he intended not a large exposition of the words but to touch some few things briefly for their edification The stile saith Bellarmine and similitude of the Doctrines contained in them shew them plainly to be Origens 4. Upon Numbers twenty eight Homilies some say but twenty six Cent. 3. cap. 10. Sixt. Senens lib. 4. and Scultetus in Medulâ which its likely was translated by Ierom because Ruffine speaking of his translation of Genesis Exodus Leviticus Iosuah and Iudges makes no mention of Numbers and saith Erasmus out of Gennadius Ruffine translated all of Origen except what was done by Ierom. Yet that there are some additions of the interpretor in this piece is apparent saith Grynaeus in homil 2. in cap. 2. Yea these Homilies by their phrase seem to be the work of some Latine Author for in Chap. 12. he expounds the difference between excudere and excidere which could have no place in a Greek 5. Upon Iosuah twenty and six Homilies where we have also the name of Ierom as the interpretor instead of Ruffine as also a Preface pretended to be his but so frigid and and foolish that a more certain argument cannot be desired to perswade us that neither the one nor other is Ieroms and Erâ—smus gives instance in divers particulars 6. Upon Iudges nine Homilies where we have the same mistake of the interpretor liber inquit Grynaeus satis bonus Here also the Etymology of rex à regendo gives cause to suspect that these came out of the same shop with those upon Numbers 7. Upon the book of the Kings or one Homily upon the first and second Chapters of the first of Samuel 8. Upon the book of Iob a large explation divided into three books from the beginning of the History unto
Apology so likewise doth he Minutius Foelix in his Octavius or Minutius him for they lived near about the same time 7. Of Mortality written by him in a time wherein the pestilence invaded and raged in divers provinces and chiefly Alexandria and the rest of Egypt Vsher calls it a famous Treatise wherein by divers arguments he armeth Christians against the fear of death and admonisheth them not to grieve immoderately for those that die shewing what are the fruits of death and of how great advantage it is unto them that die in Lord. A book saith Augustine laudably known to many yea almost to all that love Ecclesiastical writings in quo dicit mortem fidelibus utilem reperiri quoniam peccandi periculis hominem subtrahit in non peccandi securitatem constituit 8. Of works and almsdeeds Augustin calls it an Epistle and Ierom grande volumen a great volum wherein he exhorteth those that were able to contribute toward the relieving of the poor who by pestilence famine and other calamities had been reduced unto great exigencies 9. Of the good of Patience wherein virtutem hanc per effecta magnificè amplificat commending the practice of it from the example of God Christ the Saints proving also both by Scripture and reason that 't is not only profitable but also necessary for a Christian. Baronius shews us the occasion of the writing hereof Veritus inquit magnopere Cyprianus ne inter Episcopos obortis contentionibus magno aliquo sebismate Catholica scinderetur Ecclesia ad â—ntevertenda futura mala egregium illud propâ—ylacticon praeparavit antidotum libellum illum de bono Patientiae scribens quò demonstraret absque patientiâ impossibile esse servari inter fratres mutuam charitatem And Cyprian himself in his Epistle to Iubaianus concerning the rebaptization of hereticks having said in the last paragraph that he would not for Hereticks contend with his fellow Bishops he shuts up all with these words servatur à nobis patienter firmiter charitas â—nimi collegii honor vinculum fidei concordia sacerdotii Propter hoc etiam libellum de bono patientiae quantum valuit nostra mediâ—critas permittente Domino inspirante conscripsimus quem ad te pro mutuâ dilectione transmisimus In this book also he much imitates Tertullian upon the same subject with a pious and commendable emulation for he feared lest as it afterward fell out the writings of so eminent a man should be lost or laid aside many even then abstaining from the reading of him because he had so unhappily separated from the Church 10. Of zeal he takes this word here in the worse sense and envy which by many arguments he dehorteth from shewing whence it proceeds and how much evil it produceth Sermo praeclarus inquit Keckermanâ—us egregia coneio Augustine calls this Tract also an Epistle and Ierom librum valdè optimum The occasion of the writing of this as of the former Treatise also was the controversie and great contest that arose between Stephen Bishop of Rome and the African Bishops about the Baptizing of Hereticks 11. An exhortation to Martyrdom written unto Fortunatus distinguished into twelve Chapters containing so many arguments whereby he presseth unto Martyrdom which are collected almost verbatim out of the Scriptures Baronius and Pamelius are very confident that it is Cyprians and much wonder that any should ascribe it unto Hilary which yet Marianus Victorinus doth as confidently induced hereunto by the stile and authority of Ierom. For which cause the industrious Mr. Cooke doubts not to rank it among the works falsly ascribed unto this Father 12. Three books of Testimonies unto Quirinus being none other then a rapsody or collection of several places of Scripture The two first against the Jews In the one he shews that the Jews have departed from God and so have lost that grace and indulgence which formerly was afforded unto them and that the Gentiles from among all nations have succeeded them and come into their place The other contains the mystery of Christ that he came according as the Scriptures had foretold and hath done and performed all things by which he might be known In the third which the Centurists stile de disciplina Christianorum he instructs Quirinus in a Christian life it being a Collection of Divine Precepts and Commands which may be the more easie and profitable for the Readers for that being but a few and digested into a Breviary they are the sooner Read over and more frequently repeated Pamelius cannot wonder enough at the censure of Erasmus that it should seem more probable unto him that these books are not Cyprians Yet is this sagacious censor seconded by Scultetus who renders some reasons why he should make question of it viz. that some Greek forms of speech are used in the third book which are not to be sound in the other works of Cyprian withal he adds that many things do offer themselves unto the diligent Reader by which without any great ado they may be distinguished from what of this Father is genuine 13. The sentences or suffrages of the Council of Carthage concerning the baptizing of Hereticks which is none other than a rehearsal of what was done and said in that Council as things were taken by the publick Notaries whereof he gives an account unto Quirinus This piece shuts up the second Tome in Pamelius his Edition His third Tome contains those books that are doubted of or falsly ascribed unto Cyprian though in his preface Pamelius makes them to be of three sorts First Some that by the stile and Scriptures cited do certainly appear to be his genuine works but how true this is we shall hereafter examine Secondly Others of which there is some doubt yet are there many things to perswade us that they are his or at least of some Author no less Ancient then he 3. Some that are certainly found to be none of his But though divers pieces have his name affixed unto them that he was never the Author of yet saith Erasmus herein was he more happy then some others that nothing is ascribed unto him but what is Learned and proceeded from great men These are first his book of Spectacles which he shews 't is unlawful for Christians to be present at and behold A book which neither Trithemius nor the Centurists nor Erasmus take notice of and therefore not without cause suspected which also the stile gives sufficient ground for Herein the Author much imitates Tertullian upon the same subject 2. Of Discipline or the good of chastity wherein many passages are almost verbatim taken out of Tertullian Bellarmine and Pamelius conceive it to be Cyprians 'T is a work of an uncertain but Learned Author so that 't were pitty it should be lost saith Erasmus yet in his judgement the stile plainly shews it to
dearest Friends unto whom herein he consented and as himself saith not without just cause for that it is meet a Bishop should in that City wherein he is set over the Lord's Church there confess the Lord and so make the whole people famous by the confession of their present Overseer for whatsoever in that moment of Confession the Confessour Bishop speaketh God inspiring him he speaks with the mouth of all If it should be otherwise the honour of our so glorious a Church shall be maimed c. Here therefore lying hid we expect the coming of the Proconsul saith he returning unto Carthage that we may hear what the Emperour shall command and speak what the Lord shall give in that hour Accordingly there came suddenly upon the Ides of September two Apparitours to bring him before the new Pròconsul Galerius but being put off till the next day the Lord so willing that he might dispose of the affairs of the Church he was brought then into the Court of Judgment where he received this sentence that having been the Standard bearer of his Sect and an Enemy of the gods and one that would still be an example unto his own refusing to offer sacrifice It is my pleasure saith Galerius that he be beheaded Which Sentence being passed he was led away unto a certain place called Sexti about four miles six saith Baronius from the City a great multitude following him and crying Let us die together with the Holy Bishop Being come unto the place he submitted himself unto the stroke of the Sword by which his Head being severed from his Body he changed this frail for an eternal life being the first of the Bishops of Carthage that sealed the truth with his blood He suffered under the Emperours Valerian and Galerius anno Christi 259. The Carthaginians did so highly honour and had him in such veneration that they erected unto him a most magnificent Temple and kept a yearly Festival in memory of him which from his name they call Cypriana as Mariners do also a certain storm that usually falls out about the same time Lactantius § 1. LVcius Caelius was his name unto which his eloquence gained him the addition of Lactantius from his milky and smooth kind of speaking as his Country that of Firmianus being an Italian by Birth not an African as Baronius and Posseviue imagine because he was the Scholar of Arnobius that was so of the Province called Picenum of old but afterward by the Lombards Marchia Anconitana from the chief Town therein Ancona as also Marchia Firmiana from the strong Town Firmium heretofore the Head City of the Piceni which Country is a part of the Land of the Church under the Government of the Popes of Rome Some do contend that he was of the German Race and that at this day there is a Family not obscure among the Germans which bearing the name of the Firmiani do boast themselves to be the posterity of Lactantius but the general consent of Authors shews this to be but a vain conceit He was at first the Scholar of Arnobius Professour of Rhetorick at Sicca in Africa as also some time at Rome where Lactantius heard him and profited much in the study of eloquence who also instructed him in the Christian Religion which it seems he had embraced before he came into Bythinia whither under Diâ—olesian the Emperor he was called unto the City of Nicomedia wherein for some while he professed the Art of Rhetorick whereof he had been a learner before But being a Latine in a Greek City his auditory grew thin so that he was destitute of hearers hereupon laying aside the work of teaching he betook him unto his pen and fell to writing being provoked unto and put upon it by a couple of impure and foul-mouthed Philosophers who either of them had belched out their books against both the Religion and name of Christians He was at length in France made Tutor unto Crispus the son of Constantine the great and his great friend who committed him for his breeding unto the câ—re of Lactantius an evident argument both of his fame and faithfulness § 2. He was a man of great Learning 〈◊〉 eruditione clarus abundanter 〈◊〉 inquiâ— Trithemius a very grave Author saith Hospinian one notably skilled 〈◊〉 the Art of Rhetorick and in all Philosophy having diligently perused the writings of all sorts of Humane Authors as his books do sufficiently testifie in which he omitted almost â—one of any science or Profession whose testimony he made not use of and so excelled in â—loquence of speech that therein he was judged to be superior even unto his Master Arnolius who yet was of chief note among Orators He is for this cause often stiled Oratâ—â— disertissimus the most eloquent and elegant Lactantius who among the Latines especially added Ornament unto Christian Doctrine the very top and most eminent of the Latine Rhetoricians in Divinis Scripturis nobiliter institutus His great abilities he notably improved for the publick good for though he were somewhat defective in the inward knowledg of Divine Mysteries and far inferiour unto many others for his skill in delivering and confirming the Doctrine of Christianity yet was he a stout Champion for the truth and gave good testimony of his zeal thereunto in opposing with all his might the adversaries thereof for which work he was excellently furnished having such a dexterity herein that he easily refuted and overcame them Vtinam inquit Hieronymus tam nostra confirmare potuisset quà m facilè aliena destruxit For observing the Christian Religion to be destitute of those that should eloquently defend it the opposers of it being such I saith he undertook this task being grieved with the sacrilegious writings which they published and stirred up hereunto with their proud impiety and conscience of the truth it self that so with all the strength of my wit I might reprove the accusers of righteousness not that I might write against them who might have been confounded in few words but that I might at once by one assault put to flight all those who every where do or have undertaken the same work A most laudable enterprise wherein as he manifested no small love unto the truth in attempting it so did he manage it with no less dexterity for which he hath been deservedly famous in the Church of Christ unto this day His challenge that he makes of all the Heathen is remarkable Si qua inquit 〈◊〉 fiducia est vel in philosophiâ vel in eloquentiâ arment se ac refellant haec nostra si possunt congrediantur comminus singulâ— quaeque discutiant Decet cos suscipere defenâ—â—onem Deorum suorum ne si nostra invaluerint ut quotidie invalescunt cum delubris 〈◊〉 ac ludibriis deserantur Procedant in medium Pontifices seu minores seu maximi
held at Ariminum in Italy and Seleucia in Isauria wherein is set forth the levity and inconstancy of the Arians there present in the matter of the faith This Bellarmine supposeth may well be taken for his book against Valens and Vrsatius mentioned by Ierom two Arian Bishops who saith Marianus deceived the Fathers in those Synods faining themselves Orthodox An Epistle of Athanasius and ninety Bishops of Egypt and Lybia unto the Bishops in Africa against the Arians wherein the decrees of the Council of Nice are defended and the Synod of Ariminum is shewn to be superfluous that of Nice being sufficient 37. An Epistle unto all the Orthodox wherever when persecution was by the Arians raised against them 38. An Epistle unto Iohn and Antiochus two Presbyters also another unto Palladius nihil continent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 39. An Epistle unto Dracontius whom flying away he by divers arguments perswades to return unto the Church of Alexandria whereof he was Bishop elect and that he would not hearken unto those that would deter him from so doing It is saith Espencaeus a learned Epistle 40. An Epistle unto Marcellinus concerning the interpretation of the Psalms which seems to be the same that Ierom calls of the Titles of the Psalms stiled by Sixtus Senensis thus In Psalterium Davidis ad Marcellinum de titulis et vi psalmorum Isagogicus libellus Of which Cassiodorus thus Testis est inquit Athanasii episcopi sermo magnificus qui virtutes psalmorum indagabili veritate discutiens omnia illic esse probat quaecunque sanctae scripturae ambitu continentur It is by Mr. Perkins put among the suspected works 41 A treatise of the Sabbath and Circumcision in the Latine Parisian Edition Anno 1581. It is joyned as his enarration upon those words Matth. 11. 27. All things are delivered unto me of my Father c. being the seventh in this Catalogue Unto which is added in the same Latine Edition a Compendium of what had been formerly written against those who affirm the Holy Ghost to be a creature 42. Upon those words Matth. 12. 32. Whosoever speaketh against the Son of man c. suspected 43. A Sermon upon the passion and cross of the Lord the phrase saith Erasmus savoureth not of Athanasius Also it altogether forbids oaths which Athanasius doth not It is therefore supposititious Herein also the questions unto Antiochus are cited which are not of this Author Besides the Author foolishly makes Christ to feign words of humane frailty when hanging upon the Cross he so cryed out Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani which yet the true Athanasius saith were truly spoken of him according to his humane nature Sixtus Senensis calls it eloquentissimam concionem 44. A Sermon upon Matth. 21. 2. Go into the village over against you c. It seems to be a fragment taken out of some other work or commentary wherein the Author as playing with them wresteth the Scriptures saith Erasmus it is forged 45. A Sermon of the most holy Virgin the Mother of God or of the Annunciation it is evidently spurious for the Author is large in refuting the error of Nestorius and presseth the Monothelites both which errors were unknown as not sprung up in the time of Athanasius The Author also lightly and almost childishly derives the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and moreover saith that the attributes of God are not the very substance of God sed circa substantiam versari which is discrepant from the manner of Athanasius who is wont to speak very considerately It appears by many passages that the Author hereof lived after the sixth general Council 46. Of Virginity a Sermon or Meditation it is dubious If it be of Athanasius's penning he did saith Erasmus strangely let fall his stile and I may add saith Seultetus that he also laid aside his Theological gravity if he prescribed those childish rules unto a Virgin which saith the Author whoso observeth shall be found among the third order of Angels and also teacheth that no man can be assured of his salvation before his death 47. An homily of the sower it is suspected as being found only in an English book 48. A Sermon against all heresies it is none of his but some doting fellow est vilis et confusus ut plurimum 49. An oration of the ascension of Christ which because of the flourishing stile thereof Scultetus is scrupulous to ascribe it unto Athanasiusâ— 50. An oration or history of Melchisedech in the end whereof the Author speaks of the fathers of the Nicene Council as dead long before it 's therefore spurious 51. A brief oration against the Arians I find no where mentioned but in the Parisian edition by Nannius 52. The declaration of Leviticus it is suspected 53. Short colloquies between Iovianus and certain Arians against Athanasius Also 54. Of the incarnation of the Word of God both which are no where to be found but in the last Parisian edition 55. The Symbol or Creed of Athanasius by Scultetus judged to be dubious he having met with it in no book among the works of Athanasius only in one it is read without the name of the Author It hath been a great dispute among the learned saith Pelargus whose it should be Some ascribing it unto Athanasius and others unto some later Author as yet unknown 56. An Epistle of Iovianus the Emperour unto Athanasius and Athanasius his answer therâ—unto 57. An Epistle unto Ammun a Monk it is dubious 58. A fragment of a festival Epistle containing a catalogue of the canonical books of the old and new Testament it is dubious I believe it saith Scultetus to have been taken out of his Synopsis 59. An Epistle unto Ruffinianus 60. Theological definitions said to be collected by Clement and other holy men It is supposititious and by Scultetus ranked among those which seem to be written with no judgment It seems not to have been of Athanasius his writing because therein Gregory Nyssene is cited who in all likelyhood had not begun to write till after the death of Athanasius Besides the Author speaks so distinctly of the two Natures of Christ in one Hypostasis that it seems to be altogether of a later date then the Council of Chalcedon 61. A brief Synopsis or Compendium of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament Wherein first he sets down a Catalogue of the Canonical and Non-canonical books Secondly he shews by whom each was written whence it had its name and what it doth contain Thirdly he names the books of both Testaments that are contradicted or accounted Apocryphal 62. Five Dialogues of the Trinity Also 63. Twenty Sermons against divers Hesies which are Pious and Learned and therefore most worthy to be read The phrase shews them to
have been both written by the same Author not Athanasius but one Maximus a very Learned Man many years after the death of Athanasius Scultetus tells us that he hath seen the name of Maximus upon a certain old Parchment in which these Dialogues were wrapt up This Maximus was a Constantinopolitane Monk who lived in the time of Pope Honorius a Monothelite and died Ann. Six hundred fifty seven The Catalogue of whose book mentioned by Photius or which are in the Vaticane Library contains divers that have the very same title with those which are inserted among the works of Athanasius 64. A book of divers questions of the Sacred Scripture unto King Antiochus which appears to be supposititious because first Athanasius himself is therein cited quaest 23. and that under the name of Athanasius the Great which would have argued too much arrogance Secondly Many things are to be found therein which are dissonant from the judgment of Athanasius Thirdly The Mystical Theology of Dionysius Areopagita is alledged therein which I suppose saith Sixtus Senensis was altogether unknown in the time of Athanasius he conjectures it to have been collected out of the writings of the Fathers by some studious man Fourthly The questions are variously reckoned in some Copies there being only fourty and six in others one hundred sixty and two Fifthly Gregory Nazianzen is twice named in it Also there are cited Gregory Nyssen and Epiphanius as ancient authors yet was Athanasius before them also Chrysostom Scala Iohannis Maximus Nicephorus c. all of them juniors unto Athanasius Sixthly Yea quaest 108. the Romans are said to be a kind of Franks whence he evidently appears to be a late author for all those of the West are called Franks in the Turks Dominions Luce ergò clarius est inquit Cocus libellum hunc filium esse populi nec novisse parentem suum Yet is the authority hereof urged by many of the Romanists to prove that there are nine orders of Angels that the Saints departed do know all things images lawful distinction of sins orders of Monks necessity of baptism Sacrament of pennance prayer for the dead Antichrist to be a certain person the sacrifice of the Altar c. 65. Questions of the words and interpretations of the Evangelical parables they are supposititious for they are gathered out of Chrysostom Cyril of Alexandria and Gregory Nyssen their very names being expressed 66. Certain other Anonymous questions which appear to be spurious in all likelyhood the work of some late Greek for in them the procession of the holy Ghost from the Son is denied 67. The life of Antony the Monk That such a narration was written by Athanasius both Nazianzen and Ierome do affirm But that this now extant should be the same believe it who will I doubt not saith Scultelus but that it is the figment of some foolish man for endeavoring to shew how in the whole course of his life Antony imitated Christ he talks childishly and ridiculously and there are many things in it saith Tossanus that are fabulous and savour not of the gravity and simplicity of Athanasius Besides some report Antony to have been a Lawyer and very learned but this Author makes him altogether illiterate But that this is an Ancient Legend appears from hence that Damaseen cites a place out of it Yet is it but a Fable and no more notwithstanding all Bellarmines vain confidence to the contrary 68. A Sermon in Parasceuen or the preparation which I find no where mentioned but in the Parisian Edition by Nannius only Possevine saith that it was first set forth in Greek and Latine in the Antwerp Edition 69. Certain fragments of Athanasius upon the Psalms taken out of Nicetas his Catena with some other out of other Authors 70. Eleven books of the united Deity of the Trinity others reckon but seven they are found only in Latine and seem to have been written in that Language and not Translated out of the Greek as appears partly from the Stile and partly because the Author tells us how those things are expressed by the Greeks which he wrote in Latine he also confutes one Vrbicus Potentinus a disciple or follower of Eunomius which Athanasius could not do 71. A disputation concerning the Faith held at Laodicea between Athanasius and Arius it is clearly Commentitious and Counterfeit nor can it be a true disputation between those two for Athanasius is here brought in as a Deacon disputing in the second year of Constantius whereas it appears that Athanasius was made Bishop long before viz. In the one and twentieth year of Constantine the Great and Arius infamously died in the one and thirtieth year of the same Emperor who therefore could not dispute in the Reign of Constantius 2. Herein is mention made of Photinus the Heretick as if from him Arius had Learned his Heresie whereas Photinus was after Arius It seems rather to be that Dialogue which was written by Vigilius Bishop of Trent against Sabellius Photinus and Arius which he therefore set forth under the name of Athanasius that saith he persons present might seem to deal with those that were present 72. An exhortation unto the Monks It is forged 73. An Epistle unto Pope Mark for the exemplars of the Nicene Council with the answer of Mark thereunto both which without doubt are supposititious for this Mark was dead at that time when as 't is pretended this answer was written also at this time was Athanasius in banishment in France and so could not write from Alexandria So that both these Epistles and also the seventy pretended Canons of the Council of Nice contained in them are none other then a meer forgery 74. A Sermon upon the passion of our Saviour which is a meer patch taken almost verbatim out of the Sermon upon the same subject being the forth in this Catalogue 75. Of the passion of the image of Christ Crucified at Beryth in Syria It savors of the Golden Legend And that it cannot be the work of Athanasius may evidently appear from the title that Anciently was wont to be prefixed hereunto which was this D. Athanasii Archiepiscopi Alexandrini de passione imaginis Domini nostri Iesu Christi qualiter crucifixa est in Syria in urbe quae Berythus dicitur temporibus Constantini senioris Irenae uxoris ejus Now it is known unto all that Athanasius was dead some Centuries of years before the reign of those two abovementioned This Fable is by Sigebert referred unto the year Seven hundred sixty five about which time the question about worshipping of images was agitated It must needs therefore be the work of some later Author saith the Learned Daille so tastless a piece and so unworthy the gallantry and clearness of that great wit that he must be thought not to have common sense that can find in
was then administred he acquaints us saying As many as are perswaded and do believe those things that are taught and spoken by us to be true and promise to live accordingly they are taught to pray fasting and to beg of God the pardon of their former sins we praying and fasting together with them Then are they brought by us unto the place where the water is and are regenerated after the same manner of Regeneration wherewith we were regenerated For in the name of the Father and Lord God of all and of our Saviour Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit they are then washed in Water And through the Water we obtain remission of those sins which we had before committed And this washing is called illumination because the minds of those that learn these things are enlightned 6. We make account that we cannot suffer any harm from any one unless we be convicted to be evil-doers or discovered to be wicked persons You may indeed put us to death but you cannot hurt us 7. Such was the innocency and tenderness of Christians that whereas saith he before we believed we did murther one another now we not only do not oppugn or War against our enemies but that we may not lie nor deceive the Inquisitors confessing Christ we die willingly 8. So great was the courage and resolution of Christians that although saith he it were decreed to be a capital crime for any to teach or even to profess the name of Christ we notwithstanding both embrace and teach it 9. Concerning the Translation of the Septuagint he gives this account That Ptolemy King of Egypt erecting a Library at Alexandria and understanding that the Jews had ancient Books which they diligently kept he sent for seventy wise men from Ierusalem who were skill'd both in the Greek and Hebrew Tongues and committed unto them the care of translating those Books And that being free from all disturbance they might make the quicker dispatch of the translation he commanded a like number of Cells or little Rooms to be made not in the City it self but about seven furlongs from it where the Pharos was built that each one should finish his interpretation by himself alone requiring the servants attending them to be in every regard serviceable to them only to hinder them from conversing together to the end that the exact truth of the Interpretation might be known by their consent And coming to know that these seventy men used not only the same sense but also the same words in the translation and that they differ'd no not so much as in one word one from another but had written in the same words of the same things being hereat astonished and believing the Interpretation to be accomplished by divine assistance he judged the men worthy of all honour as loving and beloved of God and with many gifts commanded them to return again into their own Country And having the books in admiration as there was cause and consecrating them unto God he laid them up there in the Library These things we relate unto you O ye Greeks not as fables and feigned stories but as those who have been at Alexandria and have seen the footsteps of those Cells yet remaining in Pharos This we report as having heard it from the Inhabitants who have received the memorable things of their Countrey by tradition from their Ancestors Which also you may understand from others and chiefly from those wise and approved Men who have recorded these things namely Philo and Iosephus 10. Concerning the Sibyls thus O ye Greeks If you have not greater regard unto the fond or false imagination of them that are no gods then unto your own salvation give credit unto the most ancient Sibyls whose Books happen to be preserved in the whole World teaching you from a certain powerful Inspiration by Oracles concerning those who are called but are not gods and plainly and manifestly foretelling the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and of all things that were to be done by him For the knowledge of these things will be a necessary Praeludium or preparation unto the Prophecies or to the reading of the Prophecies of holy Men. § 6. Though his excellencies were great yet were they accompanied with many imperfections viz. his slips and errours that he had which we shall briefly point at and give notice of and they were such as these 1. He was an express Chiliast or Millenary and a most earnest maintainer of that opinion as were many of the Ancients beside him viz. Irenaeus Apollinarius Bishop of Hierapolis Nepos an Egyptian Bishop Tertullian Lactaâ—tius Victorinus c. The first broacher of this errour was Papias the Auditor or Disciple of Iohn not the Apostle but he who was called Presbyter or Senior and whose the two latter Epistles of Iohn are by some conceived to be This man was passing eloquent but of a weak and slender judgement as by his Books appears yet did he occasion very many Ecclesiastical Men to fall into this errour who had respect unto his Antiquity and among the rest Iustin as appears in divers places of his Books particularly in his Dialogue with Tryphon the Jew who pressing him after this manner Tell me truly saith he do you acknowledge that the City Ierusalem shall be built again and that your people shall be there gathered together and live in pleasures with Christ c. To whom I thus replyed saith he I am not such a wretch O Tryphon as to speak otherwise then I think I have confessed unto thee before that my self and many others are of the same mind as ye fully know it shall be even so but withal I have signified unto thee that some Christians of a pure and pious judgement do not acknowledge this But as for me and those Christians who are of a right judgement in all things we do know that there shall be a Resurrection of the Flesh and a thousand years in Ierusalem re-built beautified and enlarged as the Prophets Ezekiel Esay and others have published And afterward that there shall be an Universal and Everlasting Resurrection of all together and a Judgement as a certain Man of our own whose name was Iohn one of the Twelve Apostles of Christ in that Revelation which he had hath foretold 2. He entertained a gross Judaical conceit concerning some of the Angels of whom he hath these words That God having made the World and put the Earth in subjection unto Man He committed the care of Men themselves and of the things under the Heavens unto certain Angels whom he had appointed hereunto but the Angels transgressing the Ordinance of God were overcome with the company of Women on whom they begat those Children which are called Daemons and moreover they brought the rest of mankind into servitude unto themselves and sowed Murthers Adulteries Wars and all kind of wickedness among Men This errour took its rise
resembled the face of the Apostles He excelled both in piety and learning being so admirably endued with both that he was no less famous for the one than for the other stiled therefore by Epiphanius a sacer Irenaeus holy man so singularly accomplished and fitted for the work he was designed and called unto as that he became praeclarum organum a choice instrument for the good of the Churches of Christ. Admirably well skilled he was in all sorts of Learning both sacred and secular very studious and ready in the Holy Scriptures having by this means attained unto a more than ordinary measure of understanding and insight into them And how notably instructed and furnished with knowledge in the Arts and Sciences is abundantly manifested by his subtil investigation of abstruse Heresies which though wonderfully obscure and confused he representeth and sets forth to publick view with very great perspicuity and order as also by his most acute and quick disputations wherein he throughly discovers their vanity and as soundly confuteth them So that it is most evident saith Erasmus that he was very exact in all the liberal Scienceâ— Yea how diligently he had read over the Books both of the ancient Philosophers Thales Anaximander Anaxagoras Democritus Empedocles Plato Aristotle c. As also of the Poets Tragick Comick and Lyrick may be gathered from hence in that he clearly evinceth those Heresies which he impugned to have been taken and to have had their original from those prophane Authors the names only being changed So that he was not without cause stiled by Tertullian Omnium doctrinarum curiosissimum exploratorem a most curious inquirer or searcher into all sorts of Doctrines very large is Epiphanius his Encomium of him who held him in high esteem as appears by the great use he made of him Old Irenaeus saith he every way adorned by the Holy Ghost brought into the Field by the Lord as a valiant and expert Soldier and Champion and annointed with Heavenly Gifts and Graces according to the true faith and knowledge contended against all the arguments of sottish Hereticks and most exactly confuted them Add hereunto which put a lustre upon all the rest that he was of a very meek and modest spirit a great lover and as studious a preserver of peace among Brethren but withal no less earnest and zealous in the cause of God and a bitter adversary of the wretched Hereticks of his time Magnus to give you Erasmus his words to this purpose Ecclesiae propuâ—nator ac pro sui nominis â—ugurio pacis Ecclesiasticae vindex § 3. He wrote divers learned Books upon several subjects and occasions the greater part whereof indeed all to one through the injury and neglect of foregoing ages are quite lost not any of them remaining and extant at this day and they are such as we find mention of 1. A brief Volume against the Gentiles And saith Ierom another of discipline but herein is he mistaken and those that follow him as Honorius Augustodunensis Trithemiâ—â— c. who supposed that they were two distinct Books whereas by Eusebius it appears 't was but one and the same Volume for thus he speaks of it Extat adhuc liber illius adversus Gentes compendiosissimus summopere necessarius de scientia inscriptus 2. A declaration of the manner and way Possevin of the Apostles preaching unto a certain Brother one Marcianus 3. A Book intituled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 variorum tractatuum saith Ierom variarum dictionum inquiunt centuriatores or a disquisition of sundry things Possevin 4. A Book or an Epistle de schismate unto Blastus 5. A Book de Monarchiâ or that God is not the author of Sin unto Florinus whose Doctrine he being of this opinion he proves to be both impious and blasphemous 6. A Book entituled Ogdoas or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 written also for Florinus who was bewitched with the errours of Valentinus which Ierom calls commentarium egregium an excellent commentary in the close whereof we have these words containing a solemn obtestation which both Eusebius and Ierom thought worthy of special notice Adjurâ— te c. I adjure thee whosoever thou art that copyest out or transcribest this Book by our Lord Jesus Christ and by his glorious coming wherein he shall judge the quick and the dead that thou compare what thou hast written and correct it diligently by the exemplar from whence 't is transcribed and also that thou do likewise write out this adjuration and insert it into the copy so taken The like hereunto is that of Ruffinus in his preface in his Translation of Origen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is found among the Epistles of Ierom charging both the Transcriber and Reader not to add or diminish to insert or alter any thing therein but to be exact even to a Letter c. 7. Divers Epistles unto Victor and many other Pastors of Churches about the Controversies of Easter as also against those who at Rome did corrupt the sincerity of the Churches 8. Volateran saith that he wrote an Ecclesiastical History quam mutuatus est Euseâ—ius testemque citat 9. A Commentary upon the Apocalypse as saith Sixtus Senensis But these two latter are very questionable seeing that neither Eusebius nor Ierom in his Catalogues not Honorius Aâ—gustudonensis nor Trithemius make mention of any such That of his which to this day the World injoys is only a Volume containing five Books against the Heresies of the Gnosticks and Valentinians whâ—ch was thus intitled as both Eusebius and Photius have it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of redargution and the eversion of knowledge falsly so called a learned and most famous piece full fraught with Learning and Piety This too it seems was almost lost at least as to the Western Churches For saith Gregory we have long and diligently made inquiry after the Writings of Irenaeus but hitherto not any of them could be found Erasmus therefore tells us he that might well call him his as being by his industry brought to light after it had been almost buried and recovered from the dust being mouldy and moth-eaten And should they have remained in perpetual oblivion the loss had been exceeding great for saith he his writings do breath forth the ancient vigour of the Gospel yea his very phrase came from a breast prepared for Martyrdom for the Martyrs have a certain serious bold and masculine kind of speech It hath been a question and doubted by some learned men whether he wrote these Books in the Greek or Latine Tongue because they are now not to be found but in the Latin only yet was he a Greek by Nation and his phrase savours of that Language having many Grecisms in it Erasmus a man of more than ordinary perspicacity and judgement this way rather inclined to think it
scuntur in Deum infantes parvulos pueros juvenes Seniores Ideò per omnem venit aetatem infantibus infans factus sanctificans infantes in parvulis parvulus sanctificans hanc ipsam habentes aetatem simâ—â— exemplum illis pietatis effectus justitie subjectionis Iuvenibus juvenis exempluâ— juvenibus fiens sanctificans Domino Sic senior in senioribus ut sit perfectus Magister iâ— omnibus non solùm secundum expositionâ—â— veritatis sed secundum aetatem sanctificans simul seniores exemplum ipsis quoque fiens c. Quia autem triginta annorum 〈◊〉 primae indolis est juvenis extenditur usque ad quadragesimum annum omnis quilibet confitebitur a quadragesimo aut quinquagesimo annâ— declinat jam in aetatem seniorâ—m quam bâ—bens Dominus noster docebat sicut Evangeliuâ— omnes seniores testantur qui in Asia apud Ioannem Discipulum Domini convenerunt id ipsum tradidisse eis Ioannem permansit autem cum eis usque ad Trajani tempora Quidem autem eorum non solùm Ioannem sed alios Apostolos viderunt haec eadem ab ipsis audierunt testantur de hujus modi relationâ— Non multum aberat a quinquaginta annis ideò dicebaut ei quinquagiâ—ta annorum nondum es Abraham vidisti Io. 8. 57. 4. Ierom and others ascribe unto him the errour of the Chiliasts or Millenaries though it be not to be found so expresly in his writings now extant All which the impudent Fryar Feuardentius glad to take yea to make an occasion that he might fall foul upon the Lutheran and Calvinian Hereticks as he calls them labours after a sort to defend him in as if they were meer calumnies and causless criminations Although some chief ones of his own Catholick faction to wit Baronius and Possevine as also Erasmus charge him with the same as well as others and who so lists to peruse his books shall find they had just cause so to do But the Antidotes as he calls his defence prefixed to his Edition of Irenaeus of such Mountebanks are no better then poyson and saith the learned Rivet I would admonish young Students to beware of the Edition of this shameless and faithless Monk as being in many things corrupted and defiled with his impious and lying Annotations Besides these there are some other things and expressions which fell from the Pen of this worthy Man that do need the friendly and favourable construction of his Reader among the rest is that passage lib. 3. cap. 21. Propter hoc verbum Dei homo qui filius Dei est filius hominis factus est Commixtus verbo Dei ut adoptionem percipiens fiat filius Dei Also that lib. 5. cap. 26. Beâ—è Iustinus dixit quoniam ante Domini adventum nunquam aâ—sus est Satanas blasphemore Deum quippe nondum sciens suam damnationem Also that lib. 4. cap. 30. Henoch sine circumcisione placens Deo cum esset homo Dei legatione ad Angelos fungebatur translatus est conservatur usque nunc testis justi judicii Dei quoniam Angeli transgressi deciderunt in judicium homo autem placens translatus est in salutem Lastly that lib. 5. Discipulorum animae abibunt in invisibilem locum definitum eis a Deo ibi usque ad resurrectionem commorabuntur sustiâ—entes resurrectionem post recipientes corpora perfectè resurgentes hoc est corporaliter quâ—madmodum Dominus resurrexit sic venient ad conspectum Dei These and such like do crave the candour and indulgence of the judicious Reader § 7. As touching his Death and Martyrdom Ado Bishop of Vienna Gregory Bishop of Turon and Baronius do report that in the persecution under the Emperour Severus which raged especially about Lyons by the command of the Emperour the said City was invironed with Soldiers who slew with the Sword all the Christians that were found therein the chief of whom was this Irenaeuâ— their Bishop who with the rest received the glorious Crown of Martyrdom At what time the slaughter was so great saith Gregory Turonens that the very streets ran with blood In what year this hapned Historians record not only Baronius conjectures that the persecution of the Christians under Severus began not until the tenth year of his Reign and that one of the first places wherein he exercised his cruelty was this City of whose constancy he had had such experience that he knew neither threats nor flatteries would make the Church there under such a Prelate to bend or yield and therefore determined to destroy them by the Sword He therefore refers the Martyrdom of Irenaeus Ad. an Dâ—m 205. Severi 11. Clemens Alexendrinus § 1. HE Stiles himself Titus Flavius Clemens for with this inscription were his books of Stromes extant in Eusebius his time and so also had Photius found in a very old Copy as he saith those books of his Entituled What country man he was by birth is somewhat uncertain only it is conjectured that he was born in Athens that City so much famed for Learning throughout the world where was the first Academy or Schools of Learning known by that name which since is become the common appellation of places of that nature Academiae nomen Athenis primùm inclaruisse apud omnes fermè authores convenit inquit Iunius Epiphonius therefore speaking of him some saith he call him Clemens of Alexandria others of Athens this latter being the place of his birth as the former of his breeding and most abode and as in the one he drew his first breath so in the other having spent the most of it he breathed out his last Being exceedingly desirous of learning and knowledge he spent his first time of study in Greece from whence going Eastward he came into Palestine and lastly from thence into Egypt setling in the famous School of Alexandria wherein he continued the remainder of his time either as a Scholar in learning or as a Doctor in teaching Whence he got that name by which to this day he is commonly call'd and known viz. of Clemens not the Athenian but the Alexandrian In this place he was first an Auditour of Pantaenus when or how he was converted to Christianity is uncertain a man very eminent both for his life and learning and this both Sacred and Secular who being at first a Philosopher of the Sect of the Stoicks and afterward converted unto Christianity was the first after the Apostles who there exercised the Office of Magister 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or instructour of the Catechumens and Governour of the School or Academy Doctor Audientium as Cyprian calls this Officer the Catechist unto which function he was called by Demetrius the then Bishop of that place whose work it was to open and Interpret the Scriptures to instruct the Catechumens or young
himself gives of his end in compiling these Books his words are as rendred in the Parisian Edition Non est hoc opus Scriptura artificiosè comparata ad ostentationem sed mihi ad senectutem reconduntur monimenta oblivionis medicamentum verè image adumbratio evidentium animâ—tarum illarum orationum quas dignus hahitus sum qui audirem virorum beatorum quique reverà erant maximi precii aestimationis 2. The eighth Book of Stromes is different from the rest 1. In the bulk of it being shorter then the fore-going whence it appears not to be an entire book 2. In the Inscription thereof foâ— in some copies it hath this Title saith Photius Quis dives salveter of which before and begins with these words Qui laudatorias or ationes in other Copies it is thus inscribed Stromatâ—n Octavus as the other seven and begins with the same words which the now extant eighth book doth Sed neque antiquissimi Philosophi 3. In the subject thereof or matter contained and handled in it for the seven preceding books are altogether Theological but this wholly Logical nihil continet inquit Scultetus Theologicum sed de syllogismis argumentisque logicis quasdam praeceptiunculas wherein there are some things unsound though not so many as in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or institutions so far Photius Heinsius supposeth that this may be a fragment taken out of his Institutions to which some things contained in them that were not sound did stick so that he conceives this book was long lost and that now a part of the institutions hath invaded the place thereof Which haply may be the reason wherefore Freculphus reckons the books of Stromes to be but seven This I thought good to intimate and so to leave it unto the discreet Reader to judge and make what use of it he can That small Commentary set forth by Bigne which he calls adumbrationes or shadowings Baronius gives them the name of breves notae short notes upon some of the Catholical Epistles viz. The Epistle of Peter the Epistle of Iude and the first and second of Iohn and the truth is they give but little light into those Scriptures though they bear the Title of this ancient Father yet in all likelyhood are they none of his for neither Eusebius nor Ierom make any mention of them only Cassiodorus affirms it and that it is done in an Attick or Elegant stile wherein many things are spoken subtily indeed but not so warily as they should have been Probable it is that these notes also were by some one taken out of his Institutions For these are said to contain in them an explanation of a great part of the sacred Scriptures and particularly of the Catholical Epistles § 4. For the stile that he useth 't is elegant and full of gravity both Ierom and Cyril commend in him his eloquence and Trithemius stiles him Eloquentissimus a most eloquent Man It 's conceived that he was born in Athens and consequently it is likely that there also he had his first Education and the Language of the place which was of all other the best and finest Athenis inquit Tertullianus sapiendi dicendique acutissimos nasci relatum est In Athens are born the most acute men for Wisdom and Speech Athens being famous for Eloquence as was Sparta for Arms. His Books of the School-master saith Photius are nothing like unto his Institutions or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for besides that they have not in them any of those sottish and blasphemous opinions which were to be found in the other the very phrase is more florid and rhetorical rising to a certain well temper'd gravity mixed with sweetness Such was the Attick Dialect Atticorum aures teretes ad quas qui se accommodat is existimandus est Atticè dicere inquit Rhodiginus ut nil sentiatur insolens nil ineptum omnia ornata gravia copiosa Whence grew that adage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prâ—venustâ lepidâque oratione § 5. Those excellent Monuments of his own extant may not unfitly be compared unto a pleasant Garden richly furnished with great variety of the choicest herbs and flowers wherein the judicious Reader may with much contentment recreate himself and be thence abundantly stored both for his profit and delight I shall gather and present you with a view for an invitation 1. Concerning the Holy Scriptures he speaks very venerably plainly asserting the Divine authority perspicuity and perfection of them thus We make use saith he of the Scriptures for the finding out and judging of the truth of things Now whatsoever is judged is not believed before it be judged wherefore neither is that a principle that needs to be judged If it be not enough to affirm what seems to be a truth but that a proof of what is spoken be requisite we expect not the Testimony of men but we prove what is inquired after by the Voice of the Lord which is more worthy to be believed than any demonstration or rather is the only demonstration Again as in war that order is not to be foresaken which the Commander hath given to the Soldier So neither is that order to be forsaken that the word hath prescribed to us which we have received as the Prince or Moderator both of knowledge and practice 2. To believe in Christ is to be made one with him and inseparably united to him Not to believe is to doubt and to be divided and at distance from him Faith is a voluntary anticipation or aforehand taking hold of what is promised a pious assent the substance of things hoped for and argument of things not seen Others an uniting assent unto things not apparent a demonstration or manifest assent unto a thing not known 3. The whole life of a godly man is as it were a certain holy and solemn festival day his Sacrifices are Prayers and Praises and the reading of the Scriptures before his repast as also Psalms and Hymns while he is at meat likewise before he goeth to rest yea and in the night to Prayers again By these he unites and joyns himself unto the Quire of Heaven But doth he know no other Sacrifices Yes namely the largess of instruction and relief of the poor 4. The Sacred Scriptures are they which make men holy like unto God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 5. This is to drink the Blood of Jesus viz. to be made partaker of the incorruption of the Lord. 6. It 's the greatest argument of Divine Providence that the Lord permits not sin and vice which had its rise from mans voluntary defection to remain unprofitable nor yet altogether hurtful for it is the office of the divine wisdom vertue and power not only to do good for this is to say it once for all the nature of God as it is of fire to burn
great mischief Philosophy hath always done unto Christianity well therefore might the Apostle so caution the Colossians Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit Ierom also exercising some errours of his wherein he had followed Origen thus pleads for himself Fae me inquit errasse in adolescentiâ philosophorum i.e. gentilium studiis eruditum in principio fidei dâ—â—mata ignorasse Christiana hoc putasse in Apostolis quod in Pythagorâ Platone 〈◊〉 Empedocle legeram Cur parvuli in Christo 〈◊〉 lactentis errorem sequimini Cur ab eo imputatem discitis qui necdum pietatem noveratâ— Secunda post naufragium tabula est culpâ—â— simpliciter confiteri Imitati estis errantem imitamini correctum Erravimus juvenâ—â— emendemur senes c. Now among other things Philosophy doth beyond measure advance the power of mans will and naturâ— abilities and this opinion drew on withiâ— the extenuation of Original sin and the depravation of the Doctrine of the Merit of Christ into both which this Father among the rest was but meanly insighted And this may be the reason why the Reverend Calâ—â— stiles that Doctrine of Free-will Heatheniâ— Philosophy Procul sit inquit à Christiâ—â— pectore illa de arbitrii libertate Gentilis Philâ—sophia 5. He affirms that because the 〈◊〉 hath Free-will he may repent which saying of his seems to have been the occasion 〈◊〉 that errour in Origen his Scholar that the Devils might be saved as both the Centâ—rists and also Gentian Heroet conceive who in his Education hath this Note in the Mâ—â—gin upon these words of Clement hinc 〈◊〉 Origenis 7. He also phansied that some of the Aâ—gels were incontinent and being overcome with lust they descended and discloseâ— many secrets unto those woman with whom they fell in love and whatsoever things came to their knowledge which the other Angels conceal'd and reserved unto the coming of the Lord. Besides these there are some other things wherein he is judged to be both unsound and uncertain sometimes affirming one thing sometimes another as concerning the Baptism of Hereticks which he seems altogether to condemn Also that second Marriages have imperfection in them and are not without sin yea are little better than fornication contrary to that express Text. 1 Timoth. 5. 14. I will that the younger women viz. Widows verse 11. marry Likewise concerning good works perfection and repentance he seems sometimes to contradict himself and vents very dangerous opinions adeò in multis articulis lubricus est ac saepenumerò sibi contradicit ut quid constanti sententiâ affirmet vix interdum agnoseas § 7. How long this Father lived as also when where and how he ended his days is very uncertain Histories being silent herein only probable it is that he attained unto many years and continued long after the death of his Master Pantaenus For it seems that he compiled his Book both of Stromes and Informations or Institutions if not all the rest after that time seeing he mentions him as dead and some good while before as also that he had through length of time forgotten many of those things which he haâ— heard from him He flourished saith Iâ—rom under the Emperour Severus and Autoninus Caracalla and as some report 〈◊〉 ended his Pilgrimage by a natural death 〈◊〉 Alexandria where he had long taught dying In a good old age and full of days emâ—annum 195. Tertullianus HE stiles himself in the Titles prefixed to his Books by the name of Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus perhaps to distinguish himself from some others whose names did in part agree with his own For his Country he was an African and had for the place of his Birth there the famous City of Carthage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it 's called by Strabo Rome's Corrival de terrarum orbe aemula saith Pliny that contended with it for the Empire of the world And 't is observed as memorable that in his time two of his Countrymen held the places of highest Dignity both Civil and Ecclesiastical viz. Septimius Severus and Victor both Africans the one being Emperour and the other Bishop of Rome His Father was a Centurion one of eminent Rank as bearing the office of a Proconsul who took care to have his Son from his tender years to be well educated and trained up in the Schools where having a pregnant wit and excellent parts he proved a notable proficient and soon attained unto such a measure of knowledge in Philosophy and all kind of Learning that he was by all esteemed for one of the most exquisite and best accomplished Scholars of his time He for some years professed and taught the art of Rhetorick in Carthage with approbation and applause from which after a while he proceeded to the practice of the Law to the study whereof he had formerly applied himself and became well skilled therein as Eusebius testifieth stiling him a man well experienced in the Roman Laws accuratâ legum inquit Nicephorus actorum Româ—norum peritiâ clarus performing the office of an Advocate in pleading the causes of such Clients as entertained him with much dexterity But he is designed unto a more high and honourable employment viz. to plead the cause of God and to publish the glorious mysteries of the Gospel in order whereunto the divine goodness finds out a way for the translating of him from the School of the world into the Shool of Christ by his conversion from Gentilism to Christianity As touching the time and manner thereof though nothing be lefâ— upon Record either by himself or others directly pointing it out and acquainting us therewith yet are then some things to be found from whence it may be probably conjectured that it fell out while he was yet but young and in the prime of his years For 1. He wrote a Treatise of the troubles attending Marriage cum adhuc esset adoleseens when saith Ierom he was but a young man yet Baronius conceives it most likely to have been done by him after his conversion for saith he I cannot think that Ierom would have directed Eustochium whom he wished to read that Book of his unto the writingâ— of an Heathen for her instruction in that particular 2. Ierom and others report concerning him that he continued an orthodox Presbyter in the Church usque ad statam mediamque aetatatem unto his middle age and afterwards fell away unto the Heresie of the Montanists but now evident it is that he wrote the most of his Books before that time to the doing whereof and furnishing for such a work a great deal of time must needs be requisite In the judgment of Pamelius and according to his computation he became a Christian in the third year of the Reign of Severus in which also he is of opinion that he wrote his Book de Pâ—llio or of the
sweet and precious amongst Men unto this day had not the dead fly corrupted and marr'd the savour of the fragrant oyntment Let Vincentius Lyrniensis be heard an ancient Father too and if any thing be wanting above he will supply it and make his encomium full He is saith he accounted the chief among the Latins for who more learned then this Man who more exercised in things both divine and humane In the wonderful vastness and capacity of his mind he comprehended all Philosophy and all the sects of Philosophers the authors and assertors of those sects together with all their Discipline all variety of History yea of all kinds of study Was not his Wit so weighty and vehement that he propounded almost nothing to himself to be overcome and master'd by him which he either brake not through with the sharpness or else dashâ— in pieces with the ponderousness of it Moreover who can set forth the praises of his speech which is so invironed with I know not what strength of reason that whom he could not perswade he doth even force to yeild to his consent in whom there are as many sentences as words and as many victories as reasons as Marcion Apelles Praxeas Hermâ—genes the Jews the Gentiles Gnosticks and others knew full well whose blasphemies he overthrew with the many and mighty mounts and batteries of his Volumes as it were with certain thunderbolts And yet even this man by much more eloquent than happy not holding the ancient Faith even he also became in Ecclesiâ magna tentatio a great temptation in the Churcâ— of God § 3. As he was a Man of great abilities sâ— was he of no less industry as appears by those lasting monuments of his learned and elaborate Volumes Acutus Scriptor gravis inquit Danaeus qui totum hominem desideret imò etiam saepè ingenii communem captum superet who was had in great estimation especially by holy Cyprian so that he suffered no day to pass without the diligent reading and perusal of some part of him testifying the extraordinary respect which he bare toward him by the words he was wont to use when he called for him saying Da Magistrum reach hither my Master whom also in many things he imitated borrowing even his words and expressions from him and transcribing many passages out of him which he inserted into his own books many other also of the Ancients that followed him made use of him viz. Ierom Ambrose Fortunatus Basil Isidore c which plainly shews that they had him in great veneration As the ancient Ethnicks honoured Homer the Prince of Poets and particularly Arcesilaus the Academick who was so delighted with and studious of him that he would always read somewhat of him before he went to sleep as also in the morning when he arose saying that he went ad Amasium to his beloved Of his works some are wanting but the most remaining unto this day Of the first sort are 1. His Treatise of the troubles attending marriage unto a Philosopher his friend which he wrote when he was but young â—um adhuc esset adolescens lusit in hac materiâ before as Pamelius thinks but in the judgement of Baronius after his conversion 2. His book of the Garments of Aaron which Ierom mentions in his Epistle to Fabiola 3. Of the hope of the faithful wherein he declares himself to be a Millenary himself mentions it advers Marcionem lib. 3. 4. Of Paradise which he thus speaks of himself habes etiam de Paradiso a nobis libellum quo constituimus omnem animum apud inferos sequestrari in die Domini 5. Against Apelles who with Lucian the Heretick having been the Disciple of Marcion and falling upon errours of his own differing from his Master became the author of a Sect that from him have the name of Apelletiani as Tertullian stiles them or Apelleiani as Epiphanius or Apellitae as Augustine or Apelliaci as Rhenanus alluding unto them as the denyers of the Flesh of Christ which was their errour Quasi sine pelle sive cute hoc est carne ut Horatius Iudaeum vocat Apellam quòd sine pelle sit nempe quòd praeputium non habeat Against these Hereticks did Tertullian write this Book inscribed adversus Apelletianos 6. Six Books 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of Rapture which saith Pamelius seem rather to have been written in Greek than Latine and a seventh which he wrote particularly against Appollonius who with Victor are the only two Latin Fathers that preceded Tertullian who hath the third place among them in Ieroms Catalogue wherein he endeavours to defend whatever the other reproved him for These were written after his defection against the Church containing in them divers of his wild Montanistical conceits which therefore may well be wanting without any detriment the bad by much over-weighing the good that was in them they might haply be suppress'd by some who wished well unto the peace of the Church and surely the loss of them would have proved a gain had the errours contained in them been with them buried in everlasting oblivion It 's a mistake of Platina to say that he wrote six Books of Ecstacy against Apollonius whereas 't was only a seventh So it is also of Honorius Augustodunensis who reckons but five of Ecstasie and six against Apollonius and of Trithemius who records but one of each which he saith he had seen so that they seem to have been extant even unto his time 7. A Book against Marcion as he himself intimates written by him in his yonger years somewhat overhastily as Ierom speaks of an Allegorical exposition of the Prophet Obadiab composed by himself in his youth liberè profiteor illud fuisse puerilis ingenii in libris quoque contra Marcionem Septimius Tertullianus hoc idem passus est 8. Of the submission of the Soul 9. Of the superstition of that age these two saith Gothfredus among the rest were in the Index of the Books of Tertullian which was prefix'd unto that Ancient Manuscript out of which he took those two Books of his ad Nationes which he published 10. That the Soul is corporeal volumen hoc suppressum putamus inquit Rhenanus To which added 11. De Fato 12. De Nuptiarum angustiis ad Amicum philosophum 13. De mundis immundis animalibus 14. De circumcisione 15. De Trinitate 16. De censu animae adversus Hermogenem which Pamelius hath in his Catalogue also 17. Trithemius sets down in his Catalogue a Book of his Contra omnes Haereses which begins with Divorum Haereticorum 18. The Book of English Homilies tom 2. part 2. against the peril of idolatry mentions his Book Contra coronandi morem which I find no where else spoken off unless it be the same with his Book De coronâ Militis 19. Bishop Andrews in
bonus est benedicat te Deus Deus videt omnia Deo commendo Deus reddet Deus inter nos judicabit c. His last words in this Treatise are remarkable which are these Mâ—ritò igitur omnis anima rea testis est in tantum rea erroris in quantum testis veritatiâ— stabit ante aulas Dei die judicii nihil habens dicere Deum praedicabas non requirebas Daemonia abominabaris ilâ—a adorabas judicium Dei appellabas nec esse credebas inferna supplicia praesumebas non praecavebas Christianum nomen sapiebas Christianum persâ—quebaris 22. Of the Soul wherein he handles divers questions and discusseth many controversies with the Philosophers about the essence operations adjuncts and various state of the Soul which he would have to be corporeal endued with form and figure and to be propagated and derived from the substance of the Father to the body of the Son and engendred with the body encreasing and extending it self together with it and many other the like dreams he hath in the maintaining whereof he useth so much subtilty strength of reason and eloquence as that they are the words of the learned Daille you will hardly meet with throughout the whole stock of Antiquity a more excellent and more elegant piece than this Book of his yet was it composed by him when he was turned Cataphrygian Hence Bellarmine having made use of a passage taken from hence for the proof of Purgatory the most Reverend Vsher thus replies he must give us leave saith he to put him in mind with what spirit Tertullian was lead when he wrote that Book de animâ and with what authority he strengtâ—eâ—eth that conceit of mens paying in Hell for their small faults before the Resurrection namely of the Paraclete by whom if he mean Montanus the Arch-Heretick as there is small cause to doubt that he doth we need not much envy the Cardinal for raising up so worshipful a Patron of his Purgatory 23. Of Spectacles or Plays written as Pamelius conceives in the twelfth year of Severus the Emperour in which were exhibited unto the people those plays that were called Ludi seculares because they were presented only once in an age or an hundred years unto which therefore the people were solemnly invited by a publick cry made in these words Convenite ad ludos spectandos quos neque spectavit quisquam neque spectaturus est Come ye unto those Spectacles which no man now beheld or shall behold again Hereupon Tertullian in this Book which he wrote both in Greek and Latine makes it evident that these plays had their original from idolatry and were full of all kind of cruelty and obscenity and that therefore it was utterly unlawful for Christians to behold them and that they should provoke the truth of God against them should they not fear to be present at them Therefore Constantine the Great did by a law prohibit the setting forth and frequenting of such kind of plays And herein our Author doth so largely treat of the several sorts of play which then were wont to be made use of that a curious Reader needs no other commentary fully to acquaint himself with those Antiquities 24. Of Baptism against Quintilla one of the Disciples of Montanus who denyed or took away Baptism by water of whom he scoffingly thus speaks Optimè novit pisciculoâ— necare de aquâ auferens He therefore proves that it is not an empty or idle Ceremony but of great force and virtue setting down the form and manner together with the Rites observed by the Ancients in the administration thereof and resolves divers questions about it This also was written both in Greek and Latine 25. Scorpiacum a Book against the Gnosticks so called from one Scorpianus an Heretick against whom particularly it was intended saith Pamelius but more probably from the nature of it being an antidote against the bite and sting of the Scorpion to which purpose Ierom thus speaks Scribit adversum haerâ—sim tuam quae olim erupit contra Ecclesiam ne in hoc quasi repertor novi sceleris glorieris Tertullianus vir eruditissimus insigne volumen quod Scorpiacum vocat rectissimo nomine quia arcuato vulnere in Ecclesiae corpuâ— vâ—nena diffudit quae olim appellabatur Cainâ— Haeresis multo tempore dormiens vel sepultâ— nunc à dormitantio suscitata est These Hereticks vilified Martyrdom teaching that it was not to be undergone because God would not the death of a Sinner and Christ had died that we might not die By this Doctrine they did much harm to many weak ones in the Church who to save themselves would deny Christ and offer incense Against these Tertullian herein opposeth himself proving Martyrdom to be good and setting forth the excellency thereof by many examples And in thus doing he deserved well had he not unhappy man ran afterwards into the other extreme of the Montanists who magnified Martyrdom too much denying the lawfulness of flight to avoid danger in that case as these did too much undervalue it 26. Of Idolatry written about the same time with his Book de spectaculis wherein being desirous to take away all kind of idolatry lest Christians should longer labour under gross ignorance herein he shews the original of it and how many ways and not only in the worshipping of Idols they may be guilty of it all which they ought to beware of and avoid and not to comply with Idolaters in their Festivals Solemnities and such like observations 27. Of Chastity which was written upon this occasion Zephyrinus Bishop of Rome having published an Edict in which he gave notice unto all the faithful that the Catholick Church receives such as repent though they had fallen into the sins of Fornication and Adultery Tertullian herein opposeth him as may be gathered from his own words I do hear saith he that there is an Edict published and that a pâ—remptory one Pontifex scilicet maximus Episcopus Episcoporum dicit ego moechiae fornicationis delicta paenitentiae functis dimitto O edictum cui adscribi non poterit Bonum factum Erit ergò hic adversus Psychicos so he used to call the Orthodox after he became a Montanist And herein he undertakes to answer all the arguments brought for this practice denying that such ought to be received Ierom saith that he wrote this book against repentance and wonders at the man that he should think those publicans and sinners with whom Christ did eat to be Gentiles and not Jews the better to defend his error weakly grounding his opinion upon that in Deut. 23. non erit pendeâ—s vectigal ex filiis Israel This book he wrote against the Church 28. Of Fasting against the Psychiici So as we have said he
what use he made we shall hereafter declare Leaving Alexandria he went unto Rome in the time when Zephyrinus was Bishop there a little before his death as Baronius conjectures the cause why he undertook this journey was the great desire that he had to see the most ancient Church of the Romans where having made but a little stay he returned unâ—â— Alexandria again and there diligently attended his charge the success of his pains being the gaining of many to the embracing of the truth and the recovering of others from errour among whom one Ambrose addicted unto the Valentinian Heresie or as Ierom reports unto that of Marcion or as others partly a Marcionist and partly a Sabellian was brought to see and forsake his error and afterward called to the Office of a Deacon in the Church of Alexandria famous for his confession of the name of Christ a man noble rich and learned The same of Origen was now spread abroad even unto other Countries for a certain Soldier sent from the Governour of Arabia comes to Alexandria bringing with him Letters unto Demetrius the Bishop there and also unto him who was then Lieutenant of Egypt requesting them with all speed to dispatch Origen unto him that he might instruct him and his people in the Doctrine of Christianity for although there had before been a Church of Christ in Arabia yet it is credible that the Duke or Governour with his Court had persisted in his Heathenish Impiety even unto the time of Origen it being observed that for the most part the propagation of the Christian Religion begins with the lowest of the people and gradually by little and little ascends unto the Governours of Common wealths Origen accordingly goeth thither and having happily accomplished the end of his journey he not long after returneth again unto Alexandria where through a sedition finding all in a combustion and tumult and his Scholars scattered so that there was no abiding for him there no nor in any other place of Egypt in safety he left his Country and betook himself unto Caesarea a City of Palestina where he was earnestly entreated by the Bishops of that Province to expound the Scriptures though he were not as yet called to the Ministry Legatione ad eum missâ Episcopi permisere ut dissereret de sacris literis so Nicephorus reports it This act of his condescending to their request was much distasted by Demetrius who in a Letter which he wrote unto those Bishops thus speaks of it that such a practice was never heard of nor could there any where the like Precedent be found that Lay-men in the presence of Bishops have taught in the Church But they in defence of what had been done returning an answer unto him have therein such words as these we know not for what cause you report a manifest untruth since there have been such sound as in open assemblies have taught the people yea when as there were present learned men that could profit the people and moreover holy Bishops at that time also exhorting them to preach for example at Laranda Euelpis was requested of Neon at Icouium Paulinus was requested by Celsus at Synada Theodorus by Atticus who were godly Brethren It is like also that this was practised in other places though unknown to us Thus was Origen being a young man honoured of Bishops that were strangers unto him But the storm of civil dissentions being blown over and both Demetrius and the Deacons of the Church by Letters earnestly soliciting him to return he leaves Palestine and comes back again unto Alexandria and there applyeth himself to his accustomed manner of teaching Not long after Mammaea the Mother of the Emperour Alexander Severus a most pious and religious woman Christianissima inquit Trithemius quae a Christianissimo non abhorâ—â—it inquit Osiander hearing of the Eloquence and Apostolical Life of Origen and â—iving then at Antioch with her Son sent for him by some Soldiers to come unto her accounting it no small happiness if she might see him and hear his wisdom in the holy Scriptures which all men admired To whom he accordingly repaired and staying a while with her he instructed her in the Doctrine of Christianity which found so good acceptance with her that she became both a lover of it and a favourer of those who professed it not that she was now first brought to the knowledge and embracing of it as some conceive audito Origene Christianâ— facta est but rather further confirmed therein who so far prevailed with her Son that not only the persecution against the Christians ceased but they also had a place granted them for the exercise of Religion and were had in high esteem with him Having here detained him a while she at length dismissed him with honour who again betook him to his School at Alexandria And now did he begin to comment upon the holy Scriptures being much instigated thereunto by Ambrose whom he had reduced from errour as hath been before said who for his encouragement furnished him with necessaries for that purpose allowing parchments and no less than seven Notaries who by turns took from his mouth and wrote what he dictated unto them and as many Libraries maintained all at the charge of Ambrose who transcribed or copied out more fairly what the other had formerly taken and that this was the difference between the Notarii and the Librarii may be gathered from Erasmus his calling the one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or swift the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or fair writers Notariorum inquit Baronius erat scribere Librariorum exscribere Ierom saith Miraeus calls those Notaries who with a swift hand took the words of him that did dictate and sometimes they wrote by notes or characters but those Librarii or Scriveners who afterward more accurately committed the things so taken unto Books Of this Turuebus thus speaks Scribere notis non est compendio quodam literarum verba complecti ad celeritatem sed quibusdam fictis signis comprehendere idque docebantur pueri non tantùm scribere Cassianus enim Martyr qui puerorum sâ—ilis confossus Christo animam reddit notis scribere docuit Prudentias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hym. 9. Magister literarum sederat Verba notis brevibus comprendere cuncta pertius Raptimque punctis dicta praepetibus sequi Aliud enim esse notis aliud literis scribere ostendit Manilius lib. 4. cap. 1 his verbis Hic scriptor erit felix cui litera verbum est Quique notis linguam superet cursumque loquentis Martial also the Epigrammatist of the Notary thus Currant verba licet manus est vâ—locior illis Nondum lingua suum dextra peregit opus So thirsty after the knowledge of the Scriptures and so pressing upon Origen unto this work was Ambrose whom he therefore calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
malo amissum and not much unlike our Learned Whitaker His labour saith he was incredible in gathering together all these Editions which being all thus brought into one body proved a most Divine Work the loss whereof is a great detriment to the Church and well might Ambrose say of him Multorum interpretationes diligenti discussit indagine 4. He also set forth another Translation for daily use composed of the Septuagint and that of Theodotion being a third from them both it a ut nova videretur inquit Bellarminus which may be said to be not so much a Translation as an Emendation of the Septuagint Wherein he added some things out of Theodotions Translation which he found wanting in the Septuagint and these additions he noted with an Asterisk or shining Star but those passages quae Hebraicè nou erant dicta which were not to be found in the Hebrew he pierced through with a Spit or Spear Of which Ierom thus speaks Vbicunque virgulae i.e. obeli sunt significatur quòd Septuaginta plus dixerint quà m habetur in Hebraew ubi autem asterisci i.e. stellulae praelucentes ex Theodotionis editione ab Origine additum est Again Sed quod majoris est andaciae in editione Septuaginta Theodotionis editionem miscuit Origines asteriscis videlicet designans quae minùs fuerant virgulis quae ex superfiuo videbantur apposita Isidore gives us this account of the notes Asteriscus inquit apponitur in iis quae omissa sunt ut illucescant per eam notam quae de esse videntur Obelus apponitur in verbis vel sententiis superfluè iteratis five in iis locis ubi lectio aliquâ falsitate notata est This work he undertook because the Septuagint had been through the carelesness of Notaries and Transcribers not a little corrupted and depraved Cum manum inquit Masius Septuaginta interpretationi admovere ausus est Origenes erat etiam tum perverfissima And though some have judged it rather a corruption than a correction of the Septuagint yet was it indeed a diligent collation of those two interpretations and a Work very profitable unto all it being a most accurate restitution of the Septuagint to its purity Concerning which Emendation Andreas Masius a man saith Daille of singular and profound Learning yet of such candor and integrity as renders him more admired than his Knowledge doth thus speaks In correcting and conserving that interpretation of the Septuagint to their no small praise did Helychius take great pains Lucianus more Origen most of all by whose industry he saith he was provoked to deliver unto the age wherein he lived the Septuagint Translation sound and intire in that one History of Iosuah as Adamantius had done the whole throughout This Edition was afterwards so far approved of that it quickly filled all Libraries and was received and made use of in their daily readings by all the Churches of of Palestine and Syria so that it was accounted as the vulgar Translation 2. He wrote ten Books of Stromes in imitation of Clemens his Master whose Work so intitled consisteth of eight Books wherein comparing the Scriptures and Philosophers together he confirms the Doctrine of Christianity by the sayings of those Heathens but the two last of these Books were spent in the exposition of the Prophesie of Daniel and the Epistle to the Galatians 3. His Books of the Interpretion of Hebrew names contained in the Scriptures mentioned by the Author of the answers unto certain questions propounded by the Orthodox falsely ascribed unto Iustin Martyr which Ierom who herein imitated him reckons among the excellent Monuments of his Wit wherein he took pains as a Christian to supply what Philo as a Jew had omitted 4. Of the Resurrection two Books 5. Of Prayer 6. A Dialogue between him and one Candidus a Defender of the Valentinian Heresie In whom saith Ierom I confess I have beheld as it were two Andabatae or blind-folded Champions encountring each other Of Baronius thus Non inquit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tantùm pluribus scatebat erroribus sed blasphemiis refertissimus dialogus ille erat quocum Candido haeretico de dogmatibus fusiùs desputavit 7. Of Martyrdom or a Book of Martyrs which he dedicated unto Ambrose and Protoctaetus Ministers of Câ—sarea for that they both suffered no small affliction enduring most constantly examination and confession in the time of Maximinus the Emperour a cruel persecutor who out of spite that he bare unto the house of Alexander his Predecessor which harboured many of the faithful gave commandment that the Governors only of the Churches as principal Authors of the Doctrine of our Saviour should be put to death Of which Book saith Vincentius Bellovacensis scribit tantâ dictrictâ spiritus virtute ut ejus sententiis tanquam validissimis nervis multos ad martyrium stabiliret 8. Above an hundred Epistles which being scattered here and there were collected and comprised by Eusebius in several volumes to the end they should be no more dispersed 9. Five Books against Hereticks 10. An Epitome of the History of Susanna Moreover he commented upon most of the Books of the Old and New Testament of which Works of his besides those now extant these are recorded in several Authors viz. I. Vpon the Old Testament 1. A continued explanation of the four first Chapters of Genesis in thirteen Tomes but twelve saith Eusebius 2. One Book of Annotations upon Exodus also the like upon Leviticus 3. One Homily upon the Song of Hannah 1 King 2. 4. One Homily upon Solomon's judgement between the two Harlots 2 King 3. 5. Many Homilies or Tracts upon the Books of Iob. 6. A brief exposition or an Enchiridion upon the whole Book of Psalms also larger explanations thereupon at the request of Ambrose He was the first saith Ierom that commented upon the whole Psalter Trithemius saith that he wrote one hundred and fifty Tracts upon the Psalms which equals the number of them 7. A Commentary upon the Proverbs of Solomon 8. Explanations upon the Book Ecclesiastes Kimedoncius cites a Testimony out of Origen Homil. 1. in Ecclesiasten 9. Ten Books of Commentaries upon the Canticles five whereof he wrote at Athens the other five returning from Cesarea A worthy Work requiring much time labour and cost to translate for which cause Ierom omitted it and would not attempt or adventure upon it In this Work containing well nigh twenty thousand Verses he discourseth so magnificently and clearly saith Ierom that as in the rest he overcame all others so in this he overcame himself 10. Annotations upon the whole Prophesie of Esay also continued explanations from the first Chapter unto the thirtieth of which thirty Tomes came to our hands saith Eusebius together
the middle of the third Chapter A Learned piece it is and worth the reading but both the stile and method shew it to be none of Origens both being far different from his Those Commentaries saith Vsher upon Iob are wrongly ascribed unto Origen Also the Author is full of Battologies or repetitions of the same sentence which certainly is not the manner of Origen For my part saith â—rasmus I suppose him to be a Latinist and to have written in Latine for he speaks of the Greek as not his own Language and interprets the word Adamantius to signifie in Greek indomabilis iuflexibilis and saith he Lucianus cognominatus est tanquam lucidus He was one of free speech fit to teach the vulgar but withal an Arian as is clear from divers passages and therefore it cannot be Origens work for Arius arose many years after him Besides he brings in the exposition of Lucianus the Martyr in the third Chapter who suffered under Maximinus refutes the Manichees in the seventh and eighth Chapter and makes mention of the Homousianists none of which were known till after the time of Origen The Preface saith Erasmus or Prologue set before it is of some prating fellow that had neither learning nor modesty in him unless the concealing of his name may be so interpreted Surely he had little skill in the Latine yet saith Possevine commentarii hi sunt pervetusti pereruditi viri The whole being nothing else but meer and miserable stammering Praefatio inquit Erasmus testatur hoc opus ab aliis nonnullis fuisse versum sed neque bonâ fide neque doctè dum ex benè Graecis reddunt malè Latina quum ipse qui haec praefatur reipsá declaret se fuisse hominem qui nec Latinè sciret nec ingenio aut eruditione valeret sed qui tanto plus haberet arrogantiae quanto minùs habebat peritiae Yet are these Commentaries made use of as Origens by the Poâ—tificians to prove their Doctrines of the Invocation of Saints oblations for the dead abstinence from flesh in Lent and for giving of alms upon funeral days for the salvation of souls Erasmus conjectureth the Author to have been one Maximinus a Bishop whose disputations with Augustine are extant 9. Certain Homilies upon three of the Psalms viz. Five upon the six and thirtieth two upon the seven and thirtieth and two upon the eight and thirtieth in all nine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sunt optima inquit Gynaeus allegoriae frigidae Erasmus is doubtful whether they be his or no for they do scarce express his wit and phrase but come neerer unto that of Chrysostom he thinks it was some Latine that wrote them which may be guessed from hence that in explicating divers texts he tells us how they are in Latine how in Greek which was not the manner of the Greeks to do for they little or not at all cared for the Latine Tongue But if Ruffine translated it he according to his custom made that his own by defiling it which was another mans Yet having observed the weakness of the Preface I can hardly think saith Erasmus that Ruffine was so very a Child who if not so much by Art yet certainly by nature was eloquent enough but if any contend that Ruffine is sometime foolish this way I will not much oppose so it be confessed that the genius of this work doth not resemble the happiness of Origen Bellarmine gives this hint of them that some do doubt whether they be his or no And Scultetus reckons this and the immediately preceding to have crept in among the works of Origen but to belong indeed unto others Yet from hence also do those of Rome fetch authorities as from Origen for the proof of their tenets concerning purgatory auricular confession the vertues of the Cross that wicked men do eat the body of Christ in the Sacrament and that the Book of Iudith is authentick 10. Upon the Canticles 1. Two Homilies explanationis prioris 2. Four Homilies upon the two first Chapters of the Book explanatienis posteriovis or rather a continued imperfect Commentary But they are indeed neither Origens nor Ieroms but a work of some Latin Author well learned and sufficiently eloquent for he quotes the Greeks in his Prologue as Strangers and interprets some Latin words Verbum dei inquit apud Graecos masculino genere ex hoc inquit Cocus evidenter perspicitur non Graecum sed Latinum fuisse autorem Erasmus suspects them to be his who wrote the Books de vocatione gentium and certain Commentaries upon the Psalms which go under the name of Ambrose Merlin on the other side is very confident that they are Origens as saith he the sagacious Reader will easily perceive though his reason be weak enough to ground even a conjecture upon yea himself confesseth that the stile differs from Origens for which cause some deny it to be his It is saith Sixtus Senensis a pious learned and eloquent work or rather a fragment in which the two first Chapters are excellently expounded having in some ancient Copies Ierom's name prefixed to it who indeed mâ—â—tions four Homilies written by himself upon the Canticles Ierom◠〈…〉 of these 〈…〉 tractatus quos iâ— morem quotidiani eloquii parvulis abhuc lactentibus composuit fideliter magis quà m ornatè interpretatus sum gustum tibi sensuum ejus non cibum offerens Tu Damase Papa animadvertas quanti sint illa estimanda quae magna sunt quum siâ— possunt placere quae parva sunt 11. Nine Homilies upon divers places of the Prophecy of Esay especially upon the sixth Chapter which fragment was by Ierom as himself confesseth turned into Latin It wants a Preface which because it was Ierom's manner to set a Preface before what he translated Erasmus supposeth to be taken away by those to whom he wrote after that the name of Origen became odious or envyed at Rome For very likely it is that therein he spake highly in commendation of his Wit as he doth in his Prologue before the Commentaries upon Ezekiel Yet notwithstanding the Historical errours saith Grynaeus the Doctrines so weak and waterish and the frigid Allegories indignissamae Origine Hieronymo together with the Barbarism of the Translation do I think abundantly shew that neither Origen was the Author nor Ierom the Translator of them 12. Upon Ieremiah fourteen Homilies whereof Ierom was the Translator which are the only remaining of a huge number upon this Prophecy These and the following are saith Grynaeus Origene Hieronymo dignae 13. Upon Ezekiel fourteen Homilies translated also by Ierom as appears both by his own Testimony in Hieremiam Ezekielem Homilias Origenis viginti octo è Graeco in Latinum verti and also by the Preface which is undoubtedly his because
Greek would not have been the part vertentis sed evertentis of a turner or translatour but of 〈◊〉 overturner and to express the same word for word would not become him that desires to keep the elegancy of speech My end saith he was to discover an Heretick that I might vindicate the Church from Heresie And the truth is Origen is no where more foully erroneous than in this Book wherein there is more bad than good it being full stuffed with gross errours Toti inquit Scultetus scatent erroribus so that it can hardly be believed how much in that work he betrayed the Christian Faith which he had received from his Predecessours And as Plotinus said of the forenamed Longinus that he was studious of Learning yet not at all a Philosopher so may it be truly affirmed of Origen as touching this Book that therein he meant to seem a Philosopher rather than a Christian the truth is it is most obscure and full of difficulties Scias inquit Hieronymus detestanda tibi in eis libâ—is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 esse quam plurima juxta sermonem Domini inter scorpiones colubros incedendum In the close of which Epistle he shews with what caution these Books are to be read withal making an enumeration of the errours contained in them it being intended by Ierom as an antidote against them Binnius calls this piece Multarum Heresium promptuarium The translation of these Books which we now have as Grynaeus conceives is Ruffine's for in his Marginal Notes we sometimes meet with these words loquitur Ruffinus 20. Eight Books against Celsus the Philosopher of the Sect of Epicurus who had most bitterly inveighed against and traduced the Christian Religion This is the only work of Origen upon which the incomparably judicious Erasmus past not his censure being prevented by death the want whereof as also of his Coronis is much to be bewailed considering that by reason of his singular learning and long exercise in the study of the Ancients it cannot but be presumed he would have gone through and performed it in a most excellent manner Origen undertook this work by the instigation of Ambrose who was much grieved to see that the Christian Religion should be so reproached Celsus stiled his Book the word of truth though little were contained in it but what was foolish weak and false and unworthy of a prudent man whose objections and slanders as also those of all other both Gentiles and Jews Origen in his answer which Baronius calls celeberrimum commentarium most notably wipes off and refuteth A piece it is of much use especially unto the History of those times which by it self is set forth in Greek and Latine by Dâ—vid Haeschelius who gives this commendation of it Celso argumentis rationibus Origenes ita respondit ut haud sciam an quicquam in hoc genere solidius atque eruditius existet He set upon this work after that he had arrived unto maturity of age viz. being then more than sixty years old 21. Of the right faith in one God or three Dialogues against the Marcionists which are mentioned by Bellarmine as two distinct pieces of Origen though indeed they be but one and the same For so the learned Doctour Humphries that translated it into Latine out of a Greek Manuscript that he obtained of Frobenius and set forth anno 1557. as Perionius had done the year before out of a Greek Copy which he found in the King's Library entitles it Of the right Faith in one God against the three principles of Megethius the Marcionite These two interpreters made use of two very different Copies but it is evident that that which Dr. Humphries followed was the more distinct and full It is questionable whether this is Origen's or no 1. Because the Author speaks of Kings and Princes that piously believe now there were none such in Origen's time 2. No ancient Author of Note hath recorded this disputation wherein an Ethnick viz. Eutropius a Greek Philosopher being made the Judge the Church by Origen should get the victory for the issue was as is affirmed the conversion of Eutropius unto Christianity together with many others who in the close of the disputation celebrated the praise of Origen with this acclamation David hath slain the Tyrant Goliah and Adamantius hath cut the throat of that opinion which fought against God 3. Besides it is strange that this should not come to the notice of Eusebius or in case it did that he should be silent herein who so diligently sought out whatsoever might make for the commendation of Origen The Dialogues against the Marcioâ—ites saith Vsher were collected for the most part out of the writings of Maximus who lived in the time of the Emperours Commodus and Severus Of which Maximus Ierom tells us Quòd famosam quaestionem insigni volumine ventilavit Vnde malum Quòd materia à Deo facta sit 22. The lamentation of Origen which he himself wrote with his own hand in the Greek Tongue when after his fall and denyal of his Master Christ Jesus he wandred to and fro with great grief and torment of conscience the which Ierom translated into Latine these are the words of Doctor Meredith Hanâ—er prefixed to this Lamentation set down in his English Translation and Edition of Eusebius between the first and second Chapters of the seventh Book having immediately before given us out of Suidas the story of his fall As touching his fall viz. that he should chuse rather to offer incense unto Idol than to have his Body defiled by an Ethiopian though Epiphanius who was no friend to our Author and Suidas also deliver it for a truth yet doth Baronius upon weighty grounds conceive it to be rather a meer fiction and slander of those that were his enemies who envying endeavoured this way to darkâ—â— the same of Origen and saith Dâ—ille that I may not dissemble I profess my self much enclined to be of the Cardinal's opinion who thinks this story to be an arrant fable and that it was foisted into Epiphanius or else as I rather believe was taken upon trust by himself for this Father hath shewed himself in this as in many other things a little overcredulous Now the story it self being questionable and so sandy a foundation the superstructure must needs be weak nor is the censure of Erasmus without cause that these Lamentations were neither written by Origen nor translated by Ierom but the figment of some idle and unlearned brain who studyed by this means to cast a blemish upon this excellent wit It is therefore by Gelasius ranked among the Apocrypha 23. There is another piece which because it is inserted in the catalogue of the works of Origen I thought good not to pass it over altogether unmentioned it is stiled by the name of Philocalia or as Bellarmine
wherein by the Bishops of the Island assembled it was decreed that none should read the works of Origen The like was also done shortly after in a Synod convened by Theophilus himself in his own Province Upon which divers of Origens followers fled from thence unto Constantinople imploring the aid of Chrysostom who admitted them to communicate with him and this was it that occasioned the great contention between Chrysostom and Epiphanius upon his coming thither so that they parted in great heat He was also anathematized together with those that adhered unto him and held his errours by the fifth general Council which was held at Constantinople under Iustinian the Emperour wherein they stile him the abomination of desolation Malè sanum impium Deoque repugnantem and his opinions deliramenta insanias exclaming thus against them O dementiam inscientiam hominis insani Paganorum disciplinae explicatoris mente caecutientis studentisque Christianorum fidei miscere fabulas c. Epiphanius calls him Dei Ecclesiae hostem as also the Father of Arius and root of other Heresies He utters many things saith Photius blasphemously and other very absurd and full of impiety Ierom also is very sharp against him though one that admired his wit and parts in plerisq inquit haereticum non nego and tells us that with a sacrilegious Tongue he blasphemeth that his Opinions were venemous dissonant from the holy Scriptures and offer violence unto them professing that he was always an adversary to his Doctrines Yet withal he thus adds I am not wont saith he to insult over the errours of those whose wit I admire and if any one shall object or oppose to us his errours let him hear this freely that sometime even great Homer himself may nod or slumber let us not imitate his Vices whose Vertues we cannot follow Caesarius the brother of Nazianzen stiles him that impious Origen and his Doctrines pestiferous yea â—ugae trifles and toys And among the later Writters Beza saith of him that he was a select instrument of Sathan and stiles him Impurissimus ille Scriptor quem exoptem velex lectorum manibus excuâ—i aut summo cum judicio à studiosis tractari On the other side some did no less magnifie and admire him pleading and apologizing in his behalf Basil Chrysostom Nazianzen and Ierom did most highly esteem the Doctrine Allegories and Tropologies of Origen extolling him unto heaven with their praises those that did apologize for him were among other Pamphilus the Martyr and Eusehius commonly sirnamed Pamphili for the singular friendship that was between them by whom were written six Books in defence of Origen which Ierom calls latissimum elaboratum opus five whereof were the 〈◊〉 labour of them both and the sixth of Eusebius alone after the death of Pamphilus as appears from the word of Eusebius himself lib. 6. cap. 20. Quae inquit de ejus gestis sunt ad cognoscendum necessaria ea ex Apologia quae à nobis Pamphili sancti nostri temporis martyris operâ adjutis elucubrata est illam enim ego Pamphilus quo ora malevolorum obtrectatorum â—amae Origenis detrahentium obturaremus mutuis vigiliis accuratè eleboravimus licet facilè colligere Photius gives us this account here of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i. e. Lecti sunt Pamphili martyris Eusebii pro Origene libri sex quorum quinque sunt a Pamphilo in carcere praesente etiam Eusebio elaborati Sextus verò postquam jam Martyr ferro privatus vitâ ad unicè desideratum Deum migrarat ab Eusebio est absolutus These were seconded by Ruffine who undertook the same task setting forth an Apology for Origen or rather the Apology of Eusebius for so it s commonly called by him translated into Latin unto which he added a Volume of his own bearing this title of the adulteration of the Books of Origen These were followed by some learned men of the latter times viz. Iohannes Picus the noble Earl of Mirandula and Phaenix of his time Vir ingenii penè prodigiosi in omni artium scientiarum linguarum varietate usque ad miraculum exculti Also Gilbert Genebrard a Parisian Divine and Professor there of the Hebrew Tongue And Iacobus Merlinus Victurniensis Sacrae Theologiae Professor who endeavours to vindicate both the holiness of his life and the soundness of his Doctrine Moreover such an equipoise was there in him of good and evil that with Sampson Solomon and Trajan though I conceive the medley is as Monkish as the scruple he is put into the number of those concerning whom 't is equally difficult to determine whether they were saved or not But surely that bold Shaveling went too far beyond his bounds who in his Book intituled Pratum Spirituale which is supposed to be written by Abbot Iohn Moschus reports that a certain brother doubting whether Nestorius were in an errour or no was by one appearing unto him for his satisfaction conducted to Hell where among other Hereticks he saw Origen tormented in those flames the Earl of Mirandula is of a contrary judgement But the Jesuit Possevine plainly tells us that whosoever was the Author many of the relations in that Book deserve but small credit being indeed little better than down right lyes among which he gives an instance in this not unlike that of Origen that in a Vision Chrysostom should be seen placed in heaven above all the Doctors and Martyrs But enough of such stuff However evident it is that he was very erroneous yea scarce any one of the Ancients more whether we respect the multiplicity or quality of his errours So that as the Orthodox that came after him were much beholding unto him as of great advantage to them in the interpretation of the Scriptuâ—es So did the Hereticks take from him the hints of many of their foulest Heresies for which cause as Epiphanius calls him the fountain and Father of Arius so did the Errour of Pelagius saith Ierom spring from him Doctrina tuâ— Origenis ramusculus est Yea there is scarce any sect that had not its rise and beginning from him The grounds whereof as Vincentius Lyrinensis conceives were such as these His abusing the grace of God too insolently his overmuch indulging his own wit and trusting to himself his undervalueing the simplicity of the Christian Religion his presuming himself wiser then others and his interpreting some Scriptures after a new manner contemning Ecclesiastical traditions and the Authority of the Ancients Epiphanius imputes it unto this because he would suffer no part of the holy Scriptures to pass without his interpretation therefore he fell into error Yet do his Apologisers labor to free him laying the fault of the errors fathered upon him unto the charge of others Ruffine pleads in his behalf that he was abused by
about weighty affairs his manner was to decree nothing without his colleagues neither would he pertinaciously love and adhere unto his own apprehensions but rather embrace what was by others profitably and wholesomely suggested 2. His Charity and compassion to those in want and durance for immediately upon his conversion he parted with what he had and gave it for the relief of the Poor He was as Iob speaks of himself eyes to the blind and feet to the lame a Father unto the Put and the cause which he knew not he searched out he brake the jaws of the Wicked and plucked the spoil out of his Teeth And when many had been taken Captives by the barbarous Goths or Scythians he sent an hundred thousand Sestertia from the Church for the redeeming of them so himself speaks misimus inquit Sestertia centum millia nummû◠quae isthic in Ecclesiâ cui de Domini indulgentiâ praesumus Cleri plebis apud nos consistentia collatione collecta sunt The sum being so vast Pamelius conjectures it ought to be only Sestertia centum and that millia nummûm added for explications sake is from the Margin crept into the Text or else he thinks it should be thus read Sestertium centum millia nummûm Yea while he was in exile he not only wrote but also sent relief unto those poor Christians who were condemned unto the Mines He manifested also this Grace in his Indulgence to forgive and receive those offenders who repenting returned unto the Church Hear his own words Remitto omnia inquit multa dissimulo studio voto colligendae fraternitatis etiam quae in Deum commissa sunt non pleno judicio Religionis examino delictis plusquam oportet remittendo penè ipse delinquo amplector prompâ—â plenâ dilectione cum paenitentiâ revertentes peccatum suum satisfactione humili simplici constâ—entes 3. His patience in bearing injuries and wrongs whereof he gave an ample testimony in his behaviour toward those who opposed him when he was chosen Bishop Oh how patiently did he bear with them and with what a deal of clemency did he forgive them reckoning them among his friends to the admiration of many 4. His equanimity and peaceableness being a very great lover and maintainer of unity among Brethren which he was studious to preserve and hold even with those that dissented from him as appears in the grand difference between him and Stephen Bishop of Rome and others about the rebaptization of Hereticks for as himself did not break Communion by separating from them so neither did he cease to perswade others also that they should bear with one another in love endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace his words that he used in the Council of Carthage speaks out this sweet temper of his Spirit Super est inquit Collegae dilectissimi ut de hac ipsâ re quid singuli sentiamus proferamus neminem judicantes aut à jure Communionis aliquem si diversum senserit amoventes To these many more might be added as his contempt of riches keeping under of his body purity of Life diametrically opposite to the lusts of his former conversation gravity joyned with humanity equi-distant both from arrogancy and baseness fidelity prudence industry watchings and the like which more at large are commemorated and recorded by Pontius and Nazianzen in all which regards he was very eminent Hence Vincentius stiles him illud Sanctorum omnium Episcoporum Martyrum lumen beatissimum Cyprianum He may be instead of many saith Erasmus whether you respect eloquence or Doctrine or the dignity of a Pastor or a brest every where breathing forth the vigour of an Apostolical Spirit or the glory of Martyrdom Whose writings saith Scultetus have in them so happy a genius that although they were interwoven with divers errours yet they found some Doctors of the Church not only admirers of the more sound Doctrine but candid Interpreters even of the errours contained in them How transcendent a Man he was in the judgement of the great Augustin is evident and may be collected from the Titles he gives him wherein the Epithets which for the most part he makes use of such as are Doctor Suavissimus lucidissimus pacis amantissimus excellentissimae gratiae also Martyr beatissimus fortissimus gloriosissimus c. A Man saith he whose praise I cannot reach to whose many Letters I compare not my writings whose Wit I love with whose mouth I am delighted whose Charity I admire and whose Martyrdom I reverence Add hereto the Encomium of Prudentius whose words are Tenet ille Regna coeli Nec minùs involitat terris nec ab hoc recedit orbe Disserit eloquitur tractat docet instruit prophetat Nec Lybiae populos tantum regit exitusque in ortum Solis usque obitum Gallos fovet imbuit Britanuos Praesidet Hesperiae Christum serit ultimis Hiberis Let me shut up all with the words of Pontius I pass by saith he many other and great things which the Volume lest it swell too big suffers me not more largely to relate of which let it suffice to have said this only that if the Gentiles might have heard them at their Bars they would perhaps forthwith have believed and become Christians § 3. The monuments of this excellent and choice spirit were many Sole clariora lively representing as in a glass his great worth and wherein though dead he yet liveth and speaketh Of which Augustin had so venerable an esteem that he accounted all his own works not equal unto one of Cyprian's Epistles And Ierom giving directions unto the noble Widow Laeta for the pious education of her Daughter Paula recommends the works of Cyprian to her continual perusal Cypriani inquit opuscula semper in manu teneat Cujus singula prope verba spirant Martyrium They are but fragments as it were that remain and the loss of what is wanting is much bewailed by Erasmus Of those many that are lost I find but few mentioned in any Authors so that it seems not only the Books themselves but even their very Names and Titles are exstinct with them Paulus Diaconus reckoneth among the innumerable Volumes as he hath it which he wrote a very profitable Chronicle compiled by him Also that he discoursed most excellently upon the Evangelists and other Books of the Scripture But how little credit this report deserves will appear from the words of Ierom a Man as well as most acquainted with the writings of those that went before him who tells us that he never commented upon the sacred Scriptures being wholly taken up with the exercise of vertue totus in exereitatione alià s exhortatione virtutum and occupied or hindred by the straits of persecution Unless his three books of testimonies unto Quirinus which
and learning among whom Tertulâ—ian and Augustin were chief but scarcely unto any one happened the genuine purity of the Roman Language but only unto Cyprian Thus Erasmus Like a pure fountain he flows sweetly and smoothly and withal he is so plain and open which is the chief virtue of speech that you cannot discern saith Lactantius whether any one were more comly in speaking or more facil in explicating or more powerful in perswading Prudentius also in this regard thus extols him O nive candidius linguae genus O novum saporem Vt liquor Ambrosius cor mitigat imbuit palatum Sedem animae penetrat mentem fovet pererrat artus His phrase is most elegant saith Sixtus Senensis and next unto Ciceronian Candour And in the judgment of Alsted as Lactantius may be truly accounted the Christian's Cicero so may Cyprian their Caesar for these two among the Latines added ornament unto Christian Doctrine Now Caesar saith Vives is egregiously useful for dayly speech unto whom Tully gives the praise of a pure and uncorrupted dialect Quintilian of elegancy whom he peculiarly studyed and Mr. Ascham in that learned and grave discourse which he calls his Schoolmaster judgeth that in Caesar's Commentaries which are to be read with all curiosity without all exception to be made either by friend or foe is seen the unspotted propriety of the Latine Tongue even when it was in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at the highest pitch of all perfectness yet is his phrase various sometimes he soars aloft and is very copious with abundance of words as in his Epistle unto Donatus another time he falls as low as in his Epistle unto Caecilius of the Sacrament of the Lord's Cup but most commonly he is temperate and keeps the middle way between these extremes as in his Treatise of the Habit of Virgins In a word he was saith Hyperius plain vehement serious and not unhappily fluent his words breathing a venerable elegancy as the things which he wrote did piety and martyrdom whereof I now proceed to give a taste § 5. In his Treatise of the vanity of Idols we have a sum of his Faith which Froben in his Index affixed unto the edition of Erasmus stiles the most elegant Creed or Symbol of Cyprian containing the Doctrines of Christ his Deity Incarnation Miracles Death Resurrection Ascension and second coming His words are these Indulgentiae Dei gratiae disciplinaeque arbiter magister sermo filius Dei mittitur qui per Prophetas omnes retrò illuminator doctor humani generis praedicabatur Hic est virtus Dei hic ratio hic sapientia ejus gloria hic in Virginem illabitur carnem Spiritu Sancto cooperante induitur Deus cum homine miscetur hic Deus noster hic Christus est qui mediator duorum hominem induit quem perducat ad Patrem quòd homo est Christus esse voluit ut homo possit esse quòd Christus est Cum Christus Iesus secundùm a Prophetis ante praedicta verbo vocis imperio daemonia de hominibus excuteret leprosos purgaret illuminaret caecos claudis gressum daret mortuos rursus animaret cogeret sibi element a famulari servire ventos maria obedire inferos cedere Iudâ—ei qui illum crediderant hominem tontùm de humilitate carnis corporis existimabant magum de licentiâ potestatis Hunc Magistri eorum atque primores hoc est quos doctrina illâ ille sapientiâ revincebat accensi irâ indignatione provocati postremò detentum Pontio Pilato qui tunc ex parte Romanâ Syriam procuraâ—at tradiderunt crucem ejus mortem suffragiis violentis ac pertinacibus flagitantes Crucifixâ—s prevento carnis officio spiritum sponte dimisit die tertio rursus a mortuis sponte surrexit Apparuit discipulis talis ut fuerat agnoscendum se videntibus praebuit simul junctus substantiae corporalis firmitate conspicuus ad dies quadraginta remoratus est ut dâ— vel ab eo ad praecepta vitalia instrui possent discerent que docerent Tunc in Coelum circumfusâ nube sublatus est ut hominem quem dilexit quem induit quem a morte protexit ad patrem victor imponeret jam venturos è Coelo ad poenam Diaboli ad censuram generis humani ultoris vigore judicis potestate 2. Concerning the Article of Christ's descent into Hell the Author of the Exposition of the Apostles Creed thus speaks We are saith he verily to know that it is not to be found in the Creed of the Roman Church neither in the Oriental Churches yet the force of the words seemeth to be the same with those wherein he is said to be buryed 3. Of the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament the same Author of the Exposition of the Apostles Creed having enumerated the same Books that we do These saith he are they which the Fathers concluded within the Canon out of which they would have the assertions of our Faith to consist But we are to know further that there are other Books which our Predecessors called not Canonical but Ecclesiastical as the Books of Wisdom Ecclesiasticus Toby Iudith and Maccabees all which they would indeed have to be read in the Churches but yet not to be produced for the confirmation of the Faith 4. Of how little esteem custom ought to be if not founded upon truth he pithily shews in that short sentence Consuetudo sine veritate vetustas erroris est Custom without truth is but mouldy errour In vain therefore saith he do some that are overcome by reason oppose or object custom unto us as if custom were greater than truth or that in Spirituals were not to be followed which for the better hath been revealed by the Holy Ghost Again if Christ alone must be heard as Matth. 17. 5. we ought not to heed what another before us thought fit to be done but what Christ who is before all first did Neither ought we to follow the custom of man but the truth of God 5. He understands by Tradition nothing but that which is delivered in the Scripture Let nothing be innovated saith Stephen unto him but what is delivered He replyeth whence is this Tradition whether doth it descend from the authority of the Lord and the Gospel or doth it come from the Apostles Commands and Epistles for those things are to be done that are Written If therefore this speaking of the Rebaptization of Hereticks or receiving them into the Church only by imposition of hands which later was Stephens opinion against Cyprian be either commanded in the Evangelists or contained in the Epistles or Acts of the Apostles let it be observed as a Divine and Holy Tradition 6. That the Baptism of children was then received and practised in the Church and that performed by aspersion as valid as that
be found among the Gentiles and that they are deceived who think Christians to be fools and that their sin is great and inexcusable who persecute the Church pretending it to be for their good viz. That they may bring them unto a right mind 6. Of true Worship which consists in this that the mind of the worshipper be presented blameless unto God discoursing at large of vertue and vice as the ways leading unto heaven and hell and conâ—luding that the best Sacrifices which we can offer unto God are these two integrity of mind and the praise of his name 7. Of the Divine Reward and the last Judgment the sum whereof he himself thus sets down the world saith he was made that we might be born we are born that we may acknowledg God the Creator of the world and our selves we acknowledg him that we may worship him we worship him that we may obtain immortality as the reward of our labors we receive the reward of immortality that we may for ever serve and be an eternal Kingdom unto the most High God our Father 2. Of the Anger of God some Philosophers denying it he proves by nine several arguments that God is angry and answers the objections to the contrary He wrote this book unto Donatus and it is highly commended by Ierom who calls it a most fair or elegant book which he wrote in a learned and and eloquent stile 3. Of the Workmanship of God unto Demetrian his Auditor a learned piece and most profitable to be read It was written by him to this end that by the wonderful structure of man he might prove the Providence of God He therefore takes a view of and looks into the several members of the body and in them shews how great the power of Divine Providence is withal removing the cavils of the Epicures against it And toward the end discourseth of the Soul for the same purpose 4. An Epitome of his Institutions which wants the beginning and is clearly saith Baptista Ignatius but a fragment being a repetition of the chief heads of doctrine contained in that larger work All these saith Bellarmine are without controversie the works of Lactantius There are besides these certain Poems that appear and have been published unto the world under his name concerning which it is very questionable whether they be his or no seeing that neither Ierom nor Trithemius take any notice of them nor did Thomasius is he tells us find them in any Ancient Copies The Titles of them are these following 1. Of the Phoenix they are not saith Thomasius the verses of Lactantius but written by some most elegant Poet who yet I believe saith he was not a Christian for he calls his Phoenix the Priest of the Sun and speaks of Phoebus as if he were in very deed a god 2. Of the day of the Resurrection of the Lord which for elegancy is no way comparable unto the former whence it evidently appears that they are not of the same Author and Authority Thomasius saith that he found them in the Vaticane Library among the works of the Christian Poet Venantius Fortunatus Bishop of Poictiers And whereas in the Ordinary Editions the Poem begins with this Distich Salve festa dies By the Authority of the Vaticane copy he placeth it twenty Distichs off immediately before that Mobilitas anni Which from his copy he amends thus Nobilitas anni and in the Pentameter for Stridula cuncta he puts Stridula puncta And out of the same copy he adds unto the Poem ten verses more then are usually found both because they very well agree with it and also because in the end of the Poem be these Numeral Letters CX to make up which those ten were to be added yea I find an hundred and twelve verses of this Poem in the Parisian Edition of the Poems of Venantius 3. Of the Passion of the Lord of which Poem Thomasius tells us he could no where find any footsteps at all and therefore unlikely to have Lactantius for the Author Yea the Author both of this and the former is very doubtful saith Bellarmine because some do deny them to be his though hereof we have no certain Argument His verses of Christs Passion saith Mr. Perkins are counterfeit for they contradict all his true writings in these words Flecte genu lignumque crucis venerabile adora Perkins problem For saith Illiricus in Catalog test veritat lib. 4. He vehemently inveigheth against Images 4. As for the Arguments upon the several Fables of Ovids Metamorphosis and the Annotations upon Statius his Thebais by Gesner and Glareanus attributed unto Lactantius which they account most worthy to be read the diversity of the Stile speaks them not to be his they rather belong saith Poâ—sevine unto Luctatius Placidus a Grammarian The Commentaries upon Thebais saith Gregorius Gyraldus are not of Lactantius for in them many things almost word for word are taken out of Servius the Grammarian who lived more then an age after Firmianus they are the work of one Placidus Lactantius or as some Learned men call him Placidus Lutatius thus he §4 His stile is so accurate and polite that he excelled all those of his time vit omnium inquit Eusebius suo tempore eloquentissimus and hath justly merited the name of the Christian Cicero coming nearest of any unto that Prince of Orators in whom chiefly the Latine Tongue was fully ripe and grown unto the highest pitch of all perfection Ierom therefore stiles him a certain River as it were of Tullian eloquence and he that shall Read his works saith he will find in them an Epitome of Cicero's Dialogues And as he followed his Master Arnobius so did he saith Goddeschalcus Stewchius almost overtake him for however Arnobius might go before him in the strength of his arguments and weight of things yet doth Lactantius so recompence that in elegancy of speech and gravity of sentences that it is a hard matter to know which to prefer before other the clearness and neatness of his Language was wonderful being the most eloquent of all the Christians his sound is plainly Ciceronian to whom Erasmus ascribes faelicem facilitatem fuit eloquentiae Ciceronianae inquit Gyraldus inter Christianos praecipuus aemulator §5 There are to be found in his writings many grave sentences and excellent passages that may be of great use unto the Reader though in the Doctrine of Christianity he come short of many others his principal scope being the discovery and confutation of heathenish idolatry and superstition which he happily performed Non multum potest juvare lectorem inquit Chemnitius tautùm enim ferâ— contra Paganismum disputat Amongst divers things in him not unworthy of serious observation take these that follow 1. Speaking unto those who having been accustomed unto polite Orations or Poems pleasing and delightful to the ear do
though perhaps in some of them as Osiander charitably conceives he thought better and was more sound in his judgment His Errors were such as these 1. Concerning God his expression is very unmeet and dangerous viz. That God made himself Yet may his meaning be that God had his being of himself for so lib. 2. 9. 't is God alone who is not made he is of himself as we said lib. 1. and therefore is such as he would himself to be viz. impassible immutable uncorrupt blessed eternal 2. He so speaks of Christ say the Centuturists that a man may well say he never rightly understood either the person or Office of the Son of Son of God As where he saith That God did produce a Spirit like himself who should be endued with the vertues of God his Father Also The Commands of his Father he faithfully observed for he taught that God is one and that he alone ought to be worshipped neither did he ever say that himself was God for he should not have been faithful if being sent to take away the gods and to assert one should have brought in another beside that one These and such like words he hath that do not a little smell of Arianism Indeed he in this particular doth not express himself so warily as he ought which hath occasioned such suspicions of him but yet however that in his judgment he neither denied nor doubted of the Deity or Eternity of Christ seems clear from divers other places where in so many words he acknowledgeth both as where he calls him the word of God inquit meritò sermo verbum dei dicitur qui procedentem de ore suo vocalem Spiritum quem non utero sed mente conceperat inexcogitabili quadam majestatis suae virtute ad effigiem quae proprio sensu ac sapientiâ vigeat comprehendit alios item Spiritus in angelos â—â—guraverit Also if any wonder that God should be generated of God prolatione vocis 〈◊〉 Spiritus when once he shall know the sacred voices of the Prophet he will certainly cease to wonder Again he saith that the Jews condemned their God Lastly Sicut â—ater inquit sine exemplo genuit Authorem suum sic ineffabiliter Pater genuisse credendus est Coaeternum De matre natus est qui ante jam fuit de Patre qui aliquando non fuit Hoc fides credat intelligentia non requirat ne â—ut non inventum putet incredibile aut reperâ—um non credat singulare If therefore in some places he seem to deliver that which savors too much of Arius or speak not so clearly of Christ as he should Thomasius that diligent peruser of him who compared divers Copies together is of the mind that there his books are by some Arian corrupted giving sundry instances herein 3. He unadvisedly saith that Christ after his resurrection went into Galilee because he would not shew himself unto the Jews lest he should bring them unto repentance and save those wicked men 4. He is silent concerning the Priestly Office of Christ mentioning no other ends of his Incarnation or coming and passion but only to reveal and make known unto men the Mysteries of Religion and to give them an example of vertue 5. He knew nothing at all of the Holy Ghost and makes little or no mention of him in his books now extant Or if he knew any thing Ierom acquaints us what his apprehensions of him were In his books saith he and especially in his Epistles unto Demetrian he denies the substance of the holy Ghost saying according to the error of the Jews that he is referred either unto the Father or the Son and that the sanctification of either person is demonstrated under his name So that what Ierom spake of Origen may not unfitly be applied unto him also viz. that his opinion of the Son was bad but concerning the holy Ghost was worse 6. He conceited that the Angels were given unto men to be their guardians lest they should be destroyed by the Devil unto whom at first the power of the earth was given And that those guardian Angel being allured to accompany with women were for this their sin cast down from heaven and so of the Angels of God became the Ministers of the Devil 7. Also That God created an infinite number of souls which he afterward put into frail and weak bodies that being in the midst between good and evil and vertue being propounded unto man consisting of both natures he might not with ease and delicacy obtain immortality but with great difficulty and labor get the reward of eternal life 8. He speaks nothing of the righteousness of faith but that salvation is merited by good works and that if a man serve not the earth which he ought to tread underfoot he shall merit everlasting life Cum lib. 5. 6. inquit Chytraeus orationem de justitiâ Christiana ex professo instituerit tamen de philosophies tantum sen legis justitia disputat justitiae â—â—dei quae Evangelii propriâ est nullam ferè mentionem facit 9. Of Prayer saith he As often as a man asks he is to believe that he is tempted of God whether he be worthy to be heard Of pardon of sin thus that God vouchsafes it unto them that sin ignorantly but not unto them that sin of knowledge and wittingly Also that a man may be without sin which yet he contradicts within a few lines after 10. He hath many superstitious things concerning the virtue of the sign of the Cross viz. That it is terrible unto the Devils qui adjurati per Christum de corporibus quae obsederint fugiunt Nam sicut Christus ipse Daemonas verbo fugabas ita nunc sectatores ejus eosdem spiritus inquinatos de hominibus et nomine Magistri sui et signo passionis excludunt Cujus rei non difficilis est probatio nam â—um diis sâ—is immolant si assistat aliquis signatam fronte gereus sacra nullo modo litant nec responsa potest consultus reddere vates 11. He thinks it unlawful for a righteous man to go to war or to accuse any one of a capital crime because Murther is forbidden 12. He denyed that there were any Antipodes and that with much earnestness and confidence bestowing a whole Chapter upon the maintainance of so evident a mistake in shewing the Original and as he conceived the absurdity of the Antipodian opinion and confuting it wondring at the folly of those that held it What shall we think saith he of them who give out that there are Antipodes walking opposite unto us Do they speak any thing to the purpose or are there any so stupid as to believe that there are men whose feet are higher than their heads or that those things there do hang which with us do lye on the
Pillar of the Church the eye of the world that second light and if we may use the word forerunner of Christ whom praising I shall praise virtue it self for in him all virtues meet Basil hath recourse unto him vâ—lut ad universorum apicem quo consultore ac duce actionum â—â—eretur A most faithful Master saith Vincentius Lyrinensis and a most eminent confessor An illustrious and famous man saith Cyril of Alexandria and in the Council of Nice one that was had in admiration of all though then but young Theodoret calls him the most shining light of the Church of Alexandria who was among the Bishops thereof as an Orient pearl most conspicuous One most approved in the judgment of all Ecclesiastical men saith Vigilius A profound and every way absolute Divine in so much as he acquired and accordingly is commonly known by the name of Athanasius the Great He was for his natural parts more then ordinary being of a strong and excellent wit as also of a sharp and piercing judgment which he cultured and improved by the study of the Liberal Arts and other Humane Learning wherein he attained unto a competent measure of skill although he spent but a small time in them for he chiefly intended things of an higher nature applying himself unto diligent Meditation in the Scriptures viz. all the Books both of the Old and New Testament by which means he so increased in the riches not only of knowledge and Divine Contemplation but also of an egregious and shining conversation both which he happily joyned together being vir sanctitatis eruditionis eximiae as no man more so that in Learning he went beyond those that were famous for their Learning and in action the most apt for action his life and manners were a rule for Bishops and his Doctrines were accounted as the Law of the Orthodox Faith a man of great ability to oppose error and to defend the truth He was adorned with all sorts of vertues of such gentleness that the way was open and easie for all to converse with him free from anger and passion and very propense unto pity and commiseration withal of most Heroick magnanimity inkindled in his brest by the holy Ghost to bear any adversity and of such invincible courage that he could not be broken with any blows of persecution his speech was pleasant but his manners more of an Angelical face yet in his mind more Angelical he was indeed an exact picture of vertue and pattern for Bishops His skill was great in the Management of the affairs of the Church and an admirable dexterity he had in the composing of differences and distempers unto which his Authority conduced much and was of great advantage as appears by the addresses that Basil made unto him earnestly imploring his aid who stiles him their only comfort against those evils and one ordained by God in the Churches to be the Physician for the curing of their maladies for which work he was abundantly furnished In a word he was as a Maul or Hammer unto the Hereticks semper Arianis velut murus obstitit inquit Sulpitius Severus hereticorum nugis inquit Cyrillus Alexandrinus inexpugnabili quadam Apostolicâ prudentiâ restitit as an Adamant unto his persecutors and as a loadstone unto such as dissented from him drawing them unto the truth § 3. His works declare him to have been indefatigably industrious being very many penè infinita almost infinite saith Trithemius some whereof are generally held to be his and by the stile are discovered so to be for they are destitute of those Rhetorical flourishes so frequently to be found in Nazianzen as also of those Philosophical Speculations in the works of Basil which yet had he made use of them would have rendred his writings more sweet and succulent but some of these Arts he shunned as diligently as he did Heretical opinions and others of them he useth very sparingly Netheless his labors were had in very great esteem as may be gathered from the words of Cyril who thus speaks of them quasi fragrantissimo inquit quodam ungnento ipsum coelum scriptis suis exhilâ—ravit And the Abbot Cosmas intimates his apprehensions of their worth in these words when saith he thou lightest on any of the works of Athanasius and hast not paper to write on write it on thy garments But as many are genuine so some under his name are dubious and questionable and others forged and supposititious An injury which the best Authors have not escaped unto whom many books have been ascribed which were not theirs but to none more then unto Athanasius Vt inquit Nannius fertilissimis agris multa Zizania una cum optimis frugibus nascuntur ita optimb cuique autori plurimi falsi notbi libri adscribuntur nulli auâ—em plures quà m Athanasio Indeed as they are now extant scarce the one half do belong unto him which Erasmus meeting with he cast them away with indignation and being full of them cried out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having his fill and unwilling to meddle more with such stuff Among other that offered him this wrong were the Nestorian and Entychian Hereticks saith Evagrius who set forth divers books of Apollinarius under the name of Athanasius The books extant under his name both of one sort and other I shall briefly set down in the same order that I find them in the Parisian Edition Ann. One thousand six hundred twenty seven contained in two Tomes And they are these following 1. An Oration against the Gentiles 2. Of the Incarnation of the word of God which Bellarmine thinks to be those two books against the Gentiles whereof Ierom makes mention by himself truly stiled the Rudiments or Character of the Faith of Christ for it contains in it an Epitome of Christian Doctrine most necessary to be known and not unpleasant to be read 3. An Exposition of the faith wherein the Orthodox Doctrine of the Trinity is asserted and the Heretical refuted Of this Bellarmine makes question whether it be his or no. 4. His answer unto an Epistle of Liberius Bishop of Rome being a Confession of the Faith but expressed in words very improper it is also foolish in the allegations of Scripture and therefore not to be attributed unto him 5. An Epistle unto the Emperor Iovianus yet written not by him alone but by the Synod then assembled at Alexandria 6. His disputation against Arius in the Council of Nice which plainly appears to be supposititious by the very inscription making it to be held Ann. 310. whereas that council was celebrated Ann. Three hundred twenty five Also the disputation it self saith that it was held not against Arius but against an Arian Again it is said in the lose of the disputation that Arius was hereby converted of him in
yet is he not two but one Christ. One not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh but by taking the manhood into God One altogether not by confusion of substance but by unity of Person For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one Man so God and Man is one Christ. Who suffered for our salvation descended into hell rose again the third day from the dead He ascended into heaven he fifteth on the right hand of the Father God Almighty from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies and shall give account for their own works And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting and they that have done evil into everlasting fire This is the Catholick Faith which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved As for the censures annexed hereunto viz. 1. In the beginning except a man keep the Catholick faith 2. In the middle he that will be saved must thus think and 3. In the end this is the Catholick faith which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved I thought good to give you Dr. Hammond's apprehensions of them how they ought to be understood His words are these I suppose saith he they must be interpreted by their opposition to those heresies that had invaded the Church and which were acts of carnality in them that broach'd and maintain'd them against the apostolick doctrine and contradictory to that foundation which had been resolved on as necessary to bring the world to the obedience of Christ and were therefore to be anathematiz'd after this manner and with detestation branded and banished out of the Church Not that it was hereby defined to be a damnable sin to fail in the understanding or believing the full matter of any of those explications before they were propounded and when it might more reasonably be deemed not to be any fault of the will to which this were imputable Thus he 2. The canonical books of the old and new Testament owned by him are the same with those which the reformed Churches acknowledge for such of which he thus speaks All scripture of us who are Christians was divinely inspired The books thereof are not infinite but finite and comprehended in a certain Canon which having set down of the Old Testament as they are now with us he adds the Canonical books therefore of the Old Testament are twenty and two equal for number unto the Hebrew Letters or alphabet for so many elements of Letters there are among the Hebrews But saith he besides these there are other books of the Old Testament not Canonical which are read only unto the Catechumens and of these he names the Wisdom of Solomon the Wisdom of Iesus the Son of Syrach the fragment of Esther Iudith and Tobith for the books of the Maccabees he made no account of them yet he afterward mentions four books of the Maccabees with some others He also reckons the Canonical Books of the New Testament which saith he are as it were certain sure anchors and supporters or pillars of our Faith as having been written by the Apostles of Christ themselves who both conversed with him and were instructed by him 3. The sacred and divinely inspired Scriptures saith he are of themselves sufficient for the discovery of the truth In the reading whereof this is faithfully to be observed viz. unto what times they are directed to what person and for what cause they are written lest things be severed from their reasons and so the unskilful reading any thing different from them should deviate from the right understanding of them 4. As touching the way whereby the knowledge of the Scriptures may be attained he thus speaks To the searching and true understanding of the Scriptures there is need of a holy life a pure mind and virtue which is according to Christ that the mind running thorow that path may attain unto those things which it doth desire as far as humane nature may understand things divine 5. The holy Scripture saith he doth not contradict it self for unto a hearer desirous of truth it doth interpret it self 6. Concerning the worshipping of Christ we adore saith he not the Creature God forbid Such madness belongs unto Ethuicks and Arians but we adore the Lord of things created the incarnate Word of God for although the Flesh be in it self a part of things created yet is it made the Body of God Neither yet do we give adoration unto such a body by it self severed from the word neither adoring the Word do we put the Word far from the Flesh but knowing that it is said the Word was made Flesh we acknowledge it even now in the Flesh to be God 7. He gives this interpretation of those words of Christ Mark 13. 32. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man no not the Angels which are in heaven neither the Son but the Father The Son saith he knew it as God but not as man wherefore he said not neither the Son of God lest the divinity should seem to be ignorant but simply neither the Son that this might be the ignorance of the Son as man And for this cause when he speaks of the Angels he added not a higher degree saying neither the Holy Spirit but was silent here by a double reason affirming the truth of the thing for admit that the Spirit knows then much more the Word as the Word from whom even the Spirit receives was not ignorant of it 8. Speaking of the mystery of the two natures in Christ What need is there saith he of dispute and strife about words it's more profitable to believe and reverence and silently to adore I acknowledge him to be true God from heaven impâ—ssible I acknowledge the same of the seed of David as touching the Flesh a man of the earth passible I do not curiousty inquire why the same is passible and impassible or why God and man lest being curiously inquisitive why and how I should miss of the good propounded unto us For we ought first to believe and adore and in the second place to seek from above a reason of these things not from beneath to inquire of Flesh and Blood but from divine and heavenly revelation 9. What the faith of the Church was concerning the Trinity he thus delivers Let us see that very tradition from the beginning and that Doctrine and Faith of the Catholick Church which Christ indeed gave but the Apostles preached and kept For in this Church are we founded and whoso falls from thence cannot be said to be a Christian. The holy and perfect Trinity therefore in the Father Son and Holy Ghost receives the reason of the Deity possesseth nothing forraign or superinduced from without nor consisteth of the Creator and Creature but the whole is of the Creator and Maker of all things like it self and
him to have been dead though indeed he were then alive 3. His book against the Arians or agaâ—nst Auxentius Bishop of Millain written unto the Bishops and people detesting the Arian heresie which by Ierom is stiled an elegant book wherein he accuseth the said Bishop as infected with Arianism To which is annexed an Epistle of Auxentius wherein he cleareth himself as not guilty of the crime laid to his charge 4. His book of Synods unto the Bishops of France whom he congratulates that in the midst of so great tumults as are in the world they had kept themselves free from the Arian faction wherein he declares in what meetings of the Bishops the Arian heresie had been condemned This book as himself testifieth he translated out of Greek but with this liberty that neglecting the words he kept still to the sense and where the place invites him so to do he adds and intermingles somewhat of his own Of which Chemnitius thus speaks He gathered together saith he the opinions of the Greeks concerning the Trinity and unless he had collected the decrees of the Eastern Synods we should have known nothing of them as touching their opinions and doctrinâ—s 5. His commentary upon the Gospel of Matthew which he divided into thirty and three Canons by which name it is called of some Going through almost the whole of that Evangelist in a succinct and brief but learned and solid explanation Being more delighted with the allegorical than literal sense herein imitating Origen out of whom I doubt not saith Erasmus he translated this whole work it doth so in all things savour both of the wit and phrase of Origen For as it containeth many choice things which do proclaim the Author to have been most absolutely skilled in the sacred Scriptures so is he sometimes too superstitious and violent in his allegories a peculiar fault to be found in almost all the commentaries of Origen 6. His commentary upon the Psalms not the whole but upon the first and second then from the one and fiftieth unto the sixty and second according to Ierom's reckoning but as now extant in Erasmus his edition from the one and fiftyeth unto the end of the sixty and ninth which addition Sixtus Senensis saith he had read being printed Also from the hundred and nineteenth unto the end of the book only that upon the last Psalm is imperfect the last leaf saith Erasmus in the manuscripts being either torn or worn away as it oftentimes falls out This work is rather an imitation than a translation of Origen for he adds somewhat of his own some do affirm that he set forth tractates upon the whole book of the Psalms and that it was extant in Spain But commonly no more is to be found than the above mentioned as also his book of the Synods being very large Ierom transcribed with his own hand at Triers for he had him in very high esteem There are also some books abroad under his name which are justly suspected and taken for spurious As 1. An Epistle unto Abram or Afram his Daughter which is a mere toy of some idle and unlearned man it hath nothing in it worthy of Hilary much less that which follows viz. 2. An Hymn which hath in it neither rhythm nor reason yet doth Ierom testifie of Hilary that he wrote in verse and perhaps some of those hymns which at this day are sung in the Church whose Author is unknown may be his He was so far skill'd this way that Gyraldus gives him a place and ranks him among the Christian Poets Bellarmine and Possevin had but small reason upon so slender a ground as they have to affirm both of these to be his without doubt 3. A book of the unity of the Father and the Son which whether it were his or no seems very uncertain seeing Ierom makes no mention of it It seems to be a rhapsody of some studious man taken partly out of the second but for the most part out of the ninth book of the Trinity who omitted and added what he pleased With this as a distinct book from it Bellarmine joyns another of the essence of the Father and the Son which yet I find not named by any other Author Indeed there is an appendix unto the former of the various names of Christ which Bellarmine mentions not the phrase whereof differs much from Hilary's The Author whereof would fain imitate Hilary which he was not negligent in the performance of They are grave and learned books saith Bellarmine of his two and not unworthy the spirit and eloquence of Hilary 4. An Epistle unto Augustine concerning the remains of the Pelagian heresie which cannot be Hilary's because that heresie was not known in his time 5. Another Epistle unto Augustine being the eighty and eighth in number among Augustines in which he propounds certain questions to be resolved but neither this nor the â—ormer are our Hilary's who was dead before Augustine became a Christian and yet in his answer he stiles him his Son They both seem to belong unto another Hilary that was afterward made Bishop of Arles who together with Prosper of Aquitain defended the cause of Augustine against the French Semipelagians The former of the Epistles gave occasion unto Augustine to write his treatises of the predestination of the Saints and of the good of perseverance to which are prefix'd this Epistle together with one from Prosper concerning the same matter 6. A fragment concerning the things that were done in the Council of Ariminum rejected by Baronius 7. An heroick Poem stiled Genesis written unto Pope Leo who lived Ann. 440. at what time Hilary had left this life And therefore it cannot be his but may better be ascribed unto the abovenamed Hilary Bishop of Arles 8. A fragment of the Trinity which contains his creed but of little credit as being no where else mentioned It might happily be an extract out of his work upon this subject § 4. As for his stile it is perplex and thâ—rny such as should he handle matters in themselves very clear yet would it be both hard to be understood and easie to be depraved Very lofty he is after the Gallicane manner for this seems to be peculiar unto the wit and genius of that nation as appears in Sulpitius Severus Eucherius and of late the famous Budaeus adeo sublimis ut tubam sonare credas non bominem adeò faeliciter elaboratus ut eruditum lectorem nunquam satiet trivialiter literatos procul submoveat and being adorned with the Flowers of Greece he is sometimes involved in long periods so that he is far above the reach of and in vain perused by unskilful Readers which yet Sixtus Senensis thinketh ought to be referred unto his books of the Trinity wherein he imitated Quintilian both in his
passages of Ignatius might be reported by Origen as well as not And the Authority is of equal strength for the Affirmative or Negative nothing certain can be concluded from them 2. Erasmus his censure which you produce who thinks it none of his is not infallible and Merlin to whose pains we are beholding for one edition of Origen who therefore should be acquainted with his works is very confident that these commentaries are Origen's 3. The reason for which they are judged to be the work of some Latine Author seems not to be so cogent viz. because some Greek words are interpreted by Latine For this he might do for the help of those that might not so well understand some Greek words which therefore needed explication Besides it is known that for Origen's works although he wrote them in Greek yet have we scarcely any of them at this day but only in Latine except his excellent answer to Celsus in eight books Therefore these interpretations of divers Greek words by Latine and the saying that such a Latine word or expression is rendred so or so in the Greek may be done by the Translators of his works which is most likely from whence therefore it cannot be inferred that those Commentaries are none of Origen's 4. For his homilies on Luke they are not mentioned by either Cook or Rivet among the Tracts falsely ascribed to Origen which doubtless they would and in such a work their censure they ought to have done had they judged them not to be Origens 5. Ierom the interpreter of these Homilies on Luke thinks them to be Origens but a birth of his younger years and not so elaborate for some errors sprinkled amongst them Sixt. Senens in Biblioth which errors as Merlin imagines were inserted by those that envied him So that notwithstanding what is said by Mr. Dallee those sayings of Ignatius may have been related by Origen which he might be acquainted with from his Epistles 4. The fourth Argument or objection made by the dissenters is drawn from the testimony of Eusebius Bishop of Caesarea who in his Ecclesiatical History lib. 3. cap. 32. mentions six Epistles of Ignatius So the Reverend Vsser accounts them making that to the Church of Smyrna and to Polycarp their Bishop to be the same but others reckon seven judging that to Smyrna and that to Polycarp to be two distinct Epistles These six or seven saith Mr. Dallee p. 442. we confess that Eusebius acknowledgeth and holds them to be truly the Epistles of Ignatius To these Mr. Dallee's Solutions are 1. Solut. His testimony is of no force being of a man that was two hundred years later than Ignatius Answ. 1. The Epistles of Ignatius might well be preserved unto that time many mens writings have remained many hundred years longer 2. If so then might Eusebius well come to the sight of them though others not being a man so inquisitive after books and Pamphilus his intimate companion most studious and diligent in erecting the Library at Cesarea and searching after books So Ierom. Iulius Africanus began a well furnished Library in the University of Caesarea saith Middendorp of Academyes lib. 2. which Pamphilus and Eusebius so enriched that there is not a more famous one in the whole Earth Being then so intimately acquainted with Pamphilus as that he added his name to his own being called Eusebius Pamphili and assistant with him who was very curious to find out the writings of those that went before him in compleating his Library questionless they would not omit so precious a treasure as the epistle of Ignatius which saith Polycarp epist. ad Philip. are such that from them you may reap great profit for they contain faith patience and all edification pertaining to our Lord. Here then Eusebius might come to see and peruse them if he had them not among his own store 3. The work he undertook and accomplished viz. The compiling of an Ecclesiastical History wherein no one had gone before him required that he should be supplyed with fitting furniture for such an enterprise who therefore being most inquisitive after the chief monuments of antiquity doubtless would not neglect so choice a relique as those epistles that might contribute not a little to his intended design So that if Ignatius writ any epistles and saith Mr. Dallee it were a foolish part in any to deny that he did p. 450. who was more likely to obtain them reserved with utmost care by those that lived with him as Polycarp and the Churches to whom he sent them than Eusebius so conducing to his purpose 2 Solut. He leans saith Mr. Dallee upon a broken Reed viz. the two passages in Polycarp and Irenaeus which are falsly said to be found in them as hath been made to appear Answ. But we have shewed before that the allegations from them are a ground sufficient to prove that for which they were produced and therefore I refer you to what hath been said hereof already 3 Solut. He evidently overthrows this his opinion by somewhat laid down by himself elsewhere which Mr. Dallee stiles his Golden Rule which is this that no books inscribed with the names of the Ancients are to be accounted for true but only those whose testimonies were made use of by men either of the same or certainly of the next memory or Age Euseb. lib. 3. c. 34. Answ. Eusebius his words are these speaking of the second Epistle of Clement Bishop of Rome to the Corinthians we have to learn saith he that there is a second epistle of Clement which was not so received and approved of as the former seeing we find not that the Elders or Ancients did use it Now the question may be what use of it Eusebius means Not that which Mr. Dallee intends viz. their alledging of it in their writings but the publick reading of it in the Churches for so Eusebius records of his first epistle One undoubted Epistle saith he of his there is extant both worthy and notable which he wrote from Rome unto Corinth when sedition was raised among the Corinthians the same epistle we have known to have been read publickly in many Churches both of old and amongst us also hist. l. 3. c. 14. Again saith he Dionysius Bishop of Corinth writing an epistle to the Romans viz. unto Soter their Bishop remembreth the Epistle of Clement thus we have saith he this day solemniz'd the holy Sunday in which we have read your Epistle and always will for instructions sake even as we do the former of Clement written unto us hist l. 4. c. 22 So that Eusebius his golyen rule as your term it being thus misunderstood by you proves in its right sence as no way advantageous unto you so no whit at all prejudicial unto him Thus have I spoken a word in the behalf of Ignatius's his epistles which notwithstanding what hath been said by the learned Mr. Dallee do not appear to be altogether supposititious and that though they have been
which contain in them variety of matter because Carpets and Garments of this compounded of divers colours and Histories were so interwoven The name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Erasâ—â—ns is taken from pictured Carpets or Tapestry Also Sixtus Senensis thus a Rapsody which some call Stroma or a stromatical exposition is an exposition made up of a composition out of divers Authors And in very deed such are Clemens his Commentaries or Stromes which contain so great and innumerable riches of all kind of Learning saith Gentian Heroet that there is no one who is endued with any Arts and Sciences but may receive from him exceeding great profit Yea saith the learned Daille what can you name more mixed and fuller of variety than Clemens his Stromata as he calls them and his other works which are throughout interlaced with Historical Allusions Opinions Sentences and Proverbs out of all sorts of Writers both sacred and profane being here heightened with rich lightsome colours there shaded with darkness in such sort as that it is a vain thing for an ignorant person to hope ever to reach his meaning For which cause Casaubon quoting a passage of these Books doth it after this manner Sic ait Clemens Alexandrinus lib. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 centonum which we may well call varias lectiones The excellency and usefulness of all three is thus fully and at large set forth by Gentian Heroet who among others translated them into Latine Of how great utility saith he this ancient Father may be doth from hence evidently appear Are there some that are delighted with the most ancient Histories Let them read Clement who retained them all so exactly that none of these things which were done throughout the world seem to have escaped his knowledge Are there who reverence the Verses of the old Poets and certain divine answers of the Oracles These must needs have Clement in very high esteem who citeth the testimonies of very many Poets whose works are at this day utterly lost and perished Are there who would fain know and acquaint themselves with the ancient Rites and Ceremonies observed in or about the sacrifices of the Gods Let such betake them unto Clement who so unfolds all those abominable mysteries that if any one among Christians do yet praise and admire those old Heathenish Ordinances and Customs and would to God there were none that did so he will forthwith unless he be more stupid than a stone upon the reading of Clement cast away every fond opinion of those false Gods and must needs be ashamed of the madness of those who aforetime did worship them Would any know the decrees or opinions of the old Philosophers Let them view Clement who so delivers and describes the original of all Philosophy together with the several Sects Successions and Maxims of all Philosophers that seeing a man so singularly learned hath preferred Christian Philosophy or Religion before all other they will be forced though unwilling to confess that this is plainly divine and in very deed inspired and published from God Have any a mind to understand what were the Doctrines of those Hereticks who in its infancy and first rise disquieted the Church of God They may hear them by Clement explicated and confuted Are any willing to have evil and corrupt manners corrected and amended There is none that inveighs against vice more sharply none that better exhorts unto vertue none that shews the way how men should order and lead their lives more exactly then Clement doth An encomium large enough to invite the most curious Reader seeing there is such choice fare and variety of dishes for his entertainment There is observable in these works of his fore-named an admirable order and method purposely intended by himself which shews the mutual aspect and close connexion of the one unto the other So that even herein he is mysterious and Pythagorical For 1. In the first he sets forth the vanity of Heathenish Idolatry by arguments drawn from the original and matter of their gods and the judgement of the more sound Ethnicks who though unwillingly yet acknowledged their errour Also from the vanity of their Temples and Images and in the end exhorteth unto the profession of Christianity and Worship of the one only God which may not unfitly be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a purgation of such as would become Christians from Heathenish superstitions 2. In the second viz. his Paedagogus he teacheth that the Son of God is our Schoolmaster and what the manners of Christians ought to be This is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the initiation or catechising of the new Convert to Christianity wherein he omits no part of a Christian life which he doth not adorn with wonderful Wisdom and Learning 3. In the third viz. his Stromes there is great variety and plenty of matter fetched both from the sacred Scriptures and prophane Authors for the more perfect instruction of those who had been initiated as setting strong meat before such as were of perfect or riper age and had their senses exercised to discern both good and evil And it may be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad sacra maxima supremam dei notionem aeternam contemplationem admissio an admission unto the high and hidden Mysteries of Christianity Concerning this last take a hint of these two things 1. That herein he tyeth not himself unto any exact method or order but is somewhat confused and abstruse for so he himself confesseth rendring the Reason why he did so viz. he therefore dispersed the Doctrines that excite unto true knowledge here and there that they might not easily be found out by any that are not initiated into these mysteries therefore saith he neque ordinem neque dictionem spectant libri Stromaton the Books of Stromes respect neither order nor words So that here it seems he was curious in neither Again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these Books being as a body composed of variety of Learning will artificially conceal the seeds of knowledge Wherein things as they occasionally offered themselves and came into his mind are scattered up and down as a Meadow is variously deckt and adorned And this seems to have been the manner of the Ancients in so doing saith Peter Halliox Clemens imitated Dyonisius Areopagita viz. in that he voluntarily and on purpose wrote his Books somewhat obscurely and would hide the seeds of knowledge and sometimes makes use of new words to the end that as in hunting the truth being found with much pains might be the more sweet and acceptable as also that it might be the more remote and secure from the scorn and cavils of petulant men who apprehend not holy things Yea saith Origen using such obscurity he did herein as the Prophets were wont to do To which let me only add the account which he