these that made vse of the Hebrew tongue in their Synagogues set twentie two Bookes into their canō according to the nūber of the letters of the Hebrew Alphabet And the others to witt the Hellenist Iewes that is to saie those that vsed the Greeke tōgue in their Synagogues sett in twentie fower according to the nūber of the Greeke Alphabet which cōtaines twentie fower letters But at the least will some man saie there are amongst the monuments of the Greeke Church catalogues wherein the six postume Bookes of the old Testament are omitted Now this is a case apart for the dispute which now is treated of is not of the custome of the Greeke Church but of the the oustome of the Latine Church and particularly of the African in the times of the Councells of Carthage Neuerthelesse for as much as this chance may be mett in our waie wee will furnish it with fower aduertisments The first aduertisement shal be that of the Greeke canons where these bookes are omitted there are manie which haue bene supposed by the later Greekes as amongst others the Synopsis which beares the title of S. ATHANASIVS the which also Beda and the copies of Basile cast into the Tome of the Bookes falsely imputed to S. ATHANASIVS For the Synopsis intitled from saint ATHANASIVS defalketh Wisedome from the number of the Canonicall Bookes and setts it into the 〈◊〉 of the Bookes that were read by the Catechumens only directly against saint AVGVSTINE who saith That the bookes of Wisedome had merited by so long a continuance of yeares to be read in the Church of Christ by the Readers of the Church of Christ and to be heard by all the Christians from the Bishops to the lowest laymen faithfull penitents and 〈◊〉 with reuerence of diuine authoritie And against saint ATHANASIVS himselfe who cryes out They feare not what is written in the holy letters the false witnes shall not be vnpunished and the lying mouth slayes the soule The second aduertissement shall be that although the neighbourhood and the confusion of dwelling with the Iewes hath sometimes hindred the Greeks principally the Asians from setting the posthume bookes of the old Testament into their Canons neuerthelesse there are none of those bookes but haue bene imployed by diuers Greeke Authors in the qualitie of a sacred and canonicall booke as the booke of wisedome by Melito Bishop of Sardes by S. ATHANASIVS and all the Synod of Alexandria which saith speaking of the Arrians They feare not that which is written in the holy scriptures the false witnes shall not remaine vnpunished and the lying mouth slayes the soule The booke of Tobias by the same Sainct ATHANASIVS and the same Synod which saith It is written that the misterie of the King must be concealed The booke of Iudith by the Councell of Nicea which is read saith S. HIEROME to haue reckoned the volume of Iudith amongst the holy Scriptures The bookes of Wisedome and of Ecclesiasticus by S. EPIPHANIVS who writes against Aetius Thou must turne ouer the two Wisdomes that of Salomon and that of the sonne of Syrach and in summe all the diuine Scriptures And finallie the booke of the Machabees by the three first and greatest Antiquaries of the Greeke Christendome Clemens Alexandr Origen and Eusebius For Clemens Alexandr reporting the historie of the Scriptures saith In the captiuitie were 〈◊〉 and Mardocheus whose historie is currant as that of the Machabees And Origen in the second booke of the worke of Principles disputing against the here tickes of the sect of Marcion who placed matter as coeternall to God willing to proue to them that God had created the world of nothing cryes out And that we may proue it to be so by authority of Scriptures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the booke of Machabees to the mother of the seauen martyrs And in his commentarie vpon the Epistle to the Romans expounding this verse of S. PAVL None dyes for the iust and disputing against the same Marcionites who interpreted it of the God of the old lawe he askes But what will they doe For we finde in the 〈◊〉 manie martyrs lett them reade the bookes of the Machābees And Eusebius in the worke of Euangelicall preparation comparing the points of the doctrine of Plato with the diuine Oracles of the Hebrewes setts downe among the examples of cōformitie the place where Plato writes that the soules of the iust after their death helpe the liuing with the place where the booke of the Machabees quots that Jeremy was seene after his death praying for the people The twelfth booke of the Euangelicall preparation saith Euselius shall containe the rest of the conformitie of the doctrine of Plato with the oracles of the Hebrewes And a little after reporting the articles of this conformitie Plato saith hee writes that the soules of the deceased are endued with a certaine vertue and haue a care of the affaires of men c. And in the booke of the Machabees it is written that the Prophet Ieremy after his departure out of this life was seene praying for the people And from this it doth not derogate that Origen alleadged also in the second booke of his worke of principles the volume of Pastor which manie of the auncient held for canonicall for he adds in the fourth booke of the same worke that some despised it which he noe were notes of the booke of Machabees Contrariwise in his apologie against Celsus he cryes out that the historie sf the Machabees is testified by the witnesse of two whole nations that is to say of the Iewes and the Christians Frō whence it is also that the Greeke doctors hold it for so au thēticall 〈◊〉 as they affirme that the things therein described the holy Ghost had long before foretolde by the mouth of Dauid the other Prophets The Prophet saith S. CHRISOS hath indited the 43 th psal not in his person but in the person of the Machabees describing and prophecying the things that 〈◊〉 happe in their times And S. ISIDORE of Egipt time fellow with the same S. CHRYSOS saith The Angell that discoursed with 〈◊〉 spake of Antiochus Epiphanes that he should be manifestlie conquered and dispossessed by the Machabes And Theodoret contiguous in tyme to both of thē The holie Ghost saith hee hath writtēn by the diuine Dauid the fortie third psalme of the 〈◊〉 The third aduetisment shal be that not only diuers Greeke authors 〈◊〉 often the same Greeke authors in speaking of the Bookes of the old testament follow according to the occasion of their speeche sometimes the primitiue computation of the Iewes the Rabbinicall tradition of the canon of Esdras of the bookes inclosed in the Arke answerable to the number of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in which the posthumall bookes of the old testament were not cōprehended somtymes the accessory cōputation of the
learne from her what the true lawes of the Christian Religion are and what ought to be theire true sence and vnderstandinge Of the Examples vvhich vve haue from the practise of the Apostles CHAP. VII The continuance of the Kings answere And that the Sacraments are duely and lawfullie administred that is to saie as the Apostles haue shewed the example and those who haue next succeeded them THE REPLIE It is true the due and lawfúll administration of the Sacraments is that they be administred as the Apostles haue shewed the example and those which haue next succeeded them but that the examples that the Apostles haue tracked to vs for patternes and myrrors to imitate are not all contained in theire Writinges Saint AVGVSTINE teacheth vs when he saith There are manie thinges which are belieued by good right to haue bene recieued by tradition from the Apostles though we finde them not written And Saint CHRISOSTOME when he proclaymed The Apostles haue not giuen vs all thinges by writinge but manie things also vnwritten And Saint Basile when he protests Wee haue somethinges in written doctrine and other some we haue receiued in misterie that is to saie rituall and vnwritten obseruations efrom the tradition of the Apostles And Saint Epiphanius when he faith All thinges cannot be taken from the Scriptures and therefore the holy Apostles of God haue giuen vs somethings by writinge and other some by tradition And his maiesty himselfe when he answeres that he is farr from the opinion of those that would shutt vp all the historie of the primitiue Church into the sacred indeed but yet one onely booke of the Acts of the Apostles And as for the Authors which haue followed next after the first persecution of the pagan Emperors vnder whom they lived which gaue them much lesse leasure to write then those had that flourished after the tēpest and in the tyme of the first peace of the Church and then the very state of the most part of the controuersies of theire ages employed either against the pagans or against the Iewes or against heresies much differing from those which are since risen vp and thirdly the shipwracke of theire workes which the flood of the same persecution hath soe swallowed vp as the least part of them is come to our handes And finallie the care that the authors which succeeded them haue had to reduce into writing the thinges which they haue receiued from them by vnwritten tradition And by succession of custome tyme out of mynde witnes enough how much wee must want of being able to perceaue by the relicks of theire writinges that followed next after the age of the Apostles 〈◊〉 the tracts and lineaments of the face of the auncient Church And therfore equitie wills and the most excellent King who is equitie it-selfe consents to it that not only the monuments which remaine to vs from the first or second age after the Apostles shall be receiued as testimonies of the state of the primitiue Church but also the writinges of the Fathers of the third and fourth age after that of the Apostles and principally when they speake of the customes of the Church of theire tymes not as of things of a new institutiō but as of things come to them from the vniuersall and immemoriall practise of fore-goeinge ages For behold his Maiestiés answere vpon this article this demaunde will seeme to 〈◊〉 little equitie to those that would that all the historie of the primitiue Church should be contained within the diuine indeed but yet onely one booke and that a litle one of the Acts of the Apostles From theire opinion the most iust aud wise king is very farr who in his monitory epistle hath ingenuously declared how much hee esteemeth the Fathers of the fowrth nay euen of the fifth age Of the definition of the Church and in what vnion it consists The continuance of the Kings answere THe Churches that are instituted in this manner it is necessary that they should be vnited amongst them selues 〈◊〉 diuers kindes of communion THE REPLIE THose that obserue the proprieties ofliuing creatures affirme that the nest of the Halciō is wouē and built in such a symmetrie that is to saie the entrie of it is so fitted and equald to the measure of the birdes bodie that it can serue for no other bird either greater or lesse A definition must be iustlie soe it must cōprehend exactly the thing thereby defined without stretching it selfe to anie thing more or restrayning it selfe to anie thing lesse it must be fitt it must agree only with the subiect thereof And therefore ARISTOTLE writes that to frame a definition is verie difficult and to destroy one is contrariwise verie easie for to establish a good definition all the conditions that limitt and inclose the nature of the subiect must meete together and to confute it it is sufficient that anie one be wanting And for this cause Plato saith that if he could haue found a man that knew how to define and deuide well he wold haue cast himselfe at his feete to adore him For definition is an Epitomie and abridgement of the intire knowledge of euery thing which is reduced and epitomized from the more ample consideracon of the 〈◊〉 and accidents which accompanie it to that which is precisely of the essence there of iust in such sort as in the constitution of the numbers which the philosophers propound for types and patternes of essentiall formes euerie addition or substraction be it neuer soe little varies the being and the caracter and destroyes the precise species or kind of the number so in the iust turne of wordes and in the lawfull reuolution of language whereby the essence of euery thing should be bounded as in an horizon or bourning line all additiō or omissiō of wordes ruineth and destroyeth the definition For when the definition aboundes saith DAMASCENF in the excesse of wordes it wants in the conception of things and when it wants in sufficiencie of wordes it is superfluous in the extent and cōprehension of things Wherein as he addes nature hath inuented a merueilous arte to witt a plentifull pouertie and an indigent and defectiue plentie Now as Aristotle notes those are the worst seruantes that steale the corne not out of the garner but from thence where it is kept for seede because this theft is measured not by the quantity of the thing stolne but by the vsury and multiplicatiō of the returne or income depending theron so the errors which are cōmitted in principles which are as the seede corne of cōclusios are more pernicious and hurtfull then those that are cōmitted in anie other part of doctrine For in other parts the faults may be particular but the vices in principles amongst which the definitiō holdes the Scepter and Empire are necessarily cōmunicated to all the bodie of the disputatiō And therefore Clemēs Alex. cries out that the ignorance of
corrected or explained it both in the conference that he had with them in Carthage and in his retractations as there remaines noe more colour to abuse it For Saint AVGVSTINE in his first disputatiōs against the Donatistes finding himself pressed with the arguments that they brought to proue that baptisme could not be giuen by heretickes because heretickes were out of the Church aduised himselfe and particularlie in the worke of the seuen bookes of baptisme from whence this distinction of people knowne in the eyes of God and in the eyes of men is principally taken to helpe himselfe against them not with the formall definition of the Church by which onely infidells and hereticall and Schismaticall Christians are excluded but by the finall definition of the Church that is to saie by the definition of the Church considered according to the finall and future number of those of whom she should be constituted in the other world from which wicked Catholickes are also excluded to the end to inferr from thence against the Donatistes that as euill Catholickes though they were out of the Church defined according to her future permanent and principall being did truly baptise soe heretickes and Schismatickes though they were out of the Church defined according to her present and passant being yet might administer true baptisme And for a foundation of his definition he made vse of Epithetes of Salomon and S. Paul hauing noe spott nor wrinkle and 〈◊〉 her such like elogies of the Church which appertained either to the state of the other world or to the puritie of doctrine But after that the Donatistes abused both this definition and the testimonies from whence it was taken to inferre from thence that the Catholicke Communion which was mingled with wicked men was not the Church he changed his proceding in the conference that he had with them at Carthage and declared that this definition belonged not to the Church considered according to the present and formall being which she hath in this world but accordinge to the future and finall being which she shall haue in the next The Catholicks saith he made it appeare by many testimonies and examples of holy Scriptures that wicked mē are now so mingled in the Church that although Ecclesiasticall discipline ought to be watchfull to correct them both in words and by excommunications and degradations neuerthelesse not onely being hidden they are vnknowne but euen being knowne they are often tollerated for the vnitie of peace and shewed that the testimonies of scriptures did in that manner well agree together to witt that the places whereby the Church is represented with the medly of the wicked signisie the present tyme of the Church as she is in this world and the places whereby she is designed to haue no wicked persons mixt with her signifie the future state of the Church such as she shall eternally haue in the world to come And a little after so the Catholickes refuted the calumny of the two Churches declaring expressely and instantly what they intended to saie to witt that they had not pretended that that Church which is now mingled with wicked men should be an other Church then the kingdome of God that shall haue no wicked pesons in it but that the same one and holy Church is now in one sorte and shall be then in an other now she is compounded of good and wicked men and thē she shall not be soe And in the worke of the Cittie of God made by him after the Conference of Carthage there where the one and other kinde are found that is good euill there the Church is as 〈◊〉 is at this present but where the one only shal be there is the Church such as she is to 〈◊〉 when there shal be no wicked men in her And in the answere to the second Epistle of Gaudentias written also after the said Conference You see that the Church according to Cyprian is called Catholicke by the name of all and it is not without manifestly-wicked men And in the second booke of his retractations I wrote said he 7. bookes of Baptisme against the Donatistes attempting to defend themselues by the authority of the most happie Bishop and Martyr 〈◊〉 in all those bookes where I haue described the Church without wrinckle or spott it must not be takē of the Church as shee in her present being but as being 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 such whē she shall appeare in glorie And againe In my writings to an vnknowē Donatist speaking of the multitude of cockle I said by which are vnderstood all heretickes there wantes a Coniunction which is necessary for I should haue said by which are also vnderstood all beretickes c. whereas I spake as if there were onely cockle out of the Church and none in the Church And neuerthelesse the Church is the Kingdome of Christ from whence the Angells in the haruest tyme will plucke vp all Scandalls which caused the Martyr Cyprian to saie Although we see tares in the Church yet ought neither our faith nor our charitie to be so diuerted as because we see tares in the Church we should therefore seperate our-selues from the Church Which sense we haue also followed els where and principallie against the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 present in the act of the Conference From whence it appeares how much it is to abuse Saint AVGVSTINES wordes against the sense whereto himselfe intendes they should be either corrected or explained to transferr as the protestantes doe that that he spake of the Church considered according to her future and finall being in the other world and applie it to the Church considered accordinge to her actuall being heere and to inferr from thence that she may consist in this world formally in the onely mumber of the predestinate and remaine hidden and visible To the fift obiection which is that Saint Ierom writes vpon the Epistle to the Ephesians The Church is glorions wthout spott or wrinkle or anie such like thing he then which is a sinner and soyled with anie spott cannot be called of the Church of Christ neither subiect to Christ We answere that he meanes not to saie that wicked men are not of the Church which is the body of Christ which fightes heere below but that they are not of the number of the Church which is the bodie of Christ which shall raigne in heauen For soe farr of is it from Saint IEROM to belieue that the promise to be without wrinkle or spott of manners appertaines to the Church considered as she is in this world that he cryes out quite contrarilie against the Pelagians That what the Apostle writes that our Lord will make his Church holy and without spott or wrinkle shall be accomplished at the end of the world and in the consummation of vertues And againe True perfection and without soyle is reserued for heauen when the bridegrome shall say to the bride Thou art wholie saire my
deceiptfull that is to saie he spake not this language to shewe that when he writt it there was then noe externall and visible Church which must be communicated with vnder paine of anathema but contrarywise to shew that they must continue to conserue the externall and visible communion of that Church impolluted and vndefiled from the contagion of the Arrians And therefore in the second place alleadged by his Maiestie he representes two Combates that the good Catholicke Pastors had in theire charges some within the Church against the iealousie emulation of euill Catholickes others without the Church against heretickes Schismatickes And which heretickes and not against the Church intituled Catholicke he calleth the warre sacred warre in imitation of the Phocensian warre which was called sacred Of the pretended precepts to goe forth from the visible communion of the Church CHAP. XV. The continuance of the Kings answere NOW that in the Church it was once necessarie to make such a separation we lerrne it cleerely as well out of other places of the Scripture as frō that which is opēlie declared to vs by this admonition of the holy Ghost made to the Church certainely not without cause Goe out of Babylon my people least you communicate in her sinnes Now what this Babilon is from whence the people of God are commaunded to goe forth the kinge searcheth not into it nor decides nothinge in that respect This certainly at least the thinge it self shewes manifestly that whether in that place by the word Babylon be meant a particular Church or the greater parte of the vniuersall Church it must be she hath heertofore bene a lawfull Church wherewith Religious men communicated 〈◊〉 and then from whom after her deprauation had yet past further the faithfull receiued commaundement to goe forth and to breake the communion they had with her Soe as it is easie to be vnderstood from thence that the faithfull ought not to desire all kinde of communion with those which are called vnder the title of Christ but only that which is made retaining still the 〈◊〉 of the doctrine reuealed from heauen THE REPLIE IT was not without cause the first Grecians called their allegoricall sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be it that this word intend hidden conealed senses or whether it intend suspitions For all senses purelie allegoricall are but suspitiōs coniectures haue noe firme solide foūdatiō And it is not without cause that the hebrew Doctors call the literall sense of the scripture the little word the allegoricall sense the great word For the literall sense is restrained by the square straight measure of that which is cōtained in the text where as the allegoricall sence hath noe boūd but is multiplied infinitly goes as farre as humane imaginatio can be stretched And therefore this axiom is past for a prouerbe in diuinitie that allegories proue nothinge Now if there be a booke in the world writtē in an allegoricall stile what one cā be equalled in that kinde to the Reuelation which as Sainct IEROM saith containes as manie Sacraments that is to saie sacred riddles as wordes And if Sainct AVGVSTINE cryed out against the Donatists who would haue found a prediction of theire Church in an allegoricall verse of the Canticles and said to them who is it that dares without a most vnbridled licence produce for himselfe that that is 〈◊〉 in an allegorie if he haue not places more cleere by whose light to illustrate that which is obscure What would he saie in this age not against his Maiestie but against the proceedinges of those that haue built the vocation of theire Church vpon these alegoricall wordes of the Reuelation goe forth of Babylon my people who knowes not that it is a solution sufficient for arguments drawne out of allegoricall expositions to answere I denie it and principally when there may be an other sense giuen to the allegoricall wordes then that according to which they are alleadged If I could not saith Sainct AVGVSTINE answering an allegoricall obiection proue this sense by anie more certaine argument yet it ought to satisfie euerie iudicious bearer that I haue foūd an issue for these wordes by meanes whereof it appeares that they haue alleadged nothīge for thēselues that is certaine but what may de doubted of And not only may there be found an other way of vnderstādinge this passage then that which his Maiestie supposes but antiquitie hath found two others and both celebrated by excellent and authenticall Authors and those which haue come after haue yet added a third The first way of vnderstandinge it is to interpret Babylon described by the Reuelation to be the Societie of all the wicked in generall as S. AVGVSTINE and many others often expound it in that sense and to expound Ierusalem described in the same booke to be the Societie of all the Good which are the two Citties whereof Saint AVGVSTINE hath composed a worke of the Cittie of the diuell which began in Cain and the Cittie of God which began in Abell For as there is the same reason in things contrary and opposite soe must the interpretatio of that Ierusalem painted out in the Reuelation and that of that Babylon which is opposed to it be a like Marke said Saint AVGVSTINE the names of these two Citties Babylon and Ierusalem Babylon signifies confusion and Ierusalem the view of peace c. They are mingled from the beginninge of humane kind and shall continue soe to the end of the world Hierusalem tooke her beginning from Abell and Babylon from Cain And a little after From whence can we now shew them that is discerne them Our Lord will shew to vs when he placeth them the one on his right hand the other on his left Ierusalem shall heare come you blessed of my father take possession of the kingdome which is prepared for you from the beginminge of the world and Babylon shall heare goe you cursed into eternall fire which is prepared for the diuell and his Angells Yet we may also bringe some marke accordinge to the capacitie that it pleases God to giue vs by which the faithfull and godlie Cittizens of Ierusalē may be distinguished from the Cittizens of Babylon Two loues make these two Citties the loue of God makes Ierusalem the loue of the world makes Babylon let euerie one then examine himselfe what he loues and he shall finde of which he is a Cittizen And in an other place all the wicked belong to Babylon as all the Saintes doe to Ierusalem And in the volume of the Cittie of God And what shall we gather from this but that we must flie out of the middle of Babilon which propheticall precept ought spirituallie to be vnderstood in this sense that out of the Cittie of this world wich is without doubt the societie of euill Angells and wicked men we should flie with the steps of faith which workes by loue and
manie called it in question yet as for him 〈◊〉 reiected it not The Councell of Constantinople surnamed 〈◊〉 held longe after condemned it And Photius the Patriarke of Constantinople yet later saith It can hardly be iustified from Arrianisme which makes it to be 〈◊〉 that it is not the same writinge which bore that name in Saint Epiphanius 〈◊〉 or that it hath since bene salsified by the Arrians Neither doth that booke 〈◊〉 either expressely or equiualently that all Bishops are in a sort oecumenicall He saith no more but this speakeinge collectiuely to all Bishops and not distributiuely to euery Bishop Wee write these thinges for confirmation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of you to whom the episcopat is committed ouer all But if the had said it what could followe of that doth not Saint AVGVSTINE say that the 〈◊〉 all charge is common to all Bishops and for all that doth hee forbeare to protest in the same place that the Pope is supereminent in a more high 〈◊〉 As 〈◊〉 saith hee cease not to rore about the pastures of our Lords 〈◊〉 and to seeke euerie side for in-letts to snatch awaie the sheepe bought at soe high a 〈◊〉 and that to vs all which exercise the office of Bishops the pastor all charge is common although thou art 〈◊〉 in a higher degree And in an other place that in the Roman Church there hath alwaies flourisht the 〈◊〉 of the Apostolicall chaire Of the comparison of the Pope with other Bishops CHAPT XXV The continuance of the kings answere BVt then the ordinary 〈◊〉 shewed that it was very true and a thousand examples of history may yet easily demonstrate it THE REPLIE ANd wherefore then that we may begin this information in the age of Saint 〈◊〉 which was the first age after that of the Apostle and end it in that of Saint 〈◊〉 the great whom Caluin will haue to be the 〈◊〉 true and lawfull Bishop of Rome when Saint IRENEVS disputes against the Valentinians doth he cry with the Roman Church because of a more powerfull principalitie that is because of the principalitie of the apostolicall Sea it is necessary that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should agree for that by this more powerfull principalitie Saint IRENEVS meant not the 〈◊〉 principality of the Cittie of Rome but an other more powerfull principality to 〈◊〉 the Spirituall principality of the Apostolicall Sea wee haue 〈◊〉 both from the same Saint IRENEVS who in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 period called the Roman Church the greatest and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rome 〈◊〉 the two most glorious Apostles 〈◊〉 and Paule And from Saint AVGVSTINE who saith In the Roman 〈◊〉 hath alwaies flourisht the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Apostolical seate And from Saint PROSPER Saint 〈◊〉 second soule who writt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the apostolicall 〈◊〉 hath added more greatenesse to Rome by the Tribunall of Religion then by that of the Empire And why then when VICTOR had excommunicated the Churches of Asia the lesser vpon the question of Easter day which they obserued not according to the vniuersall tradition of the Apostles but according to a locall and particular tradition which had bene instituted for a tyme in their Prouinces did not the same Saint IRENEVS reproche to him that he could not doe it and that he had noe more power to cast them out of the Church then the other Bishops onely admonishe him as it shall appeare hereafter that he should not for soe small a matter cut of soe manie and soe great Churches He exhorted him said EVSEBIVS not to cut of all the Churches of God which held the tradition of this ancient custome And RVFFINVS translatinge EVSEBIVS He reprehended him said hee to haue done 〈◊〉 to cutt from the vnitie of the bodie soe manie and soe great Churches For as for the slaunders wherewith EVSEBIVS and RVFFINVS hereticall Authors the one an Arrian and the other an Origenist both enemies to the Roman Church doe poyson this history they shall be answered hereafter and it shall be shewed that the censure of VICTOR was soe iust that it was after followed by the Oecumenicall councells of Nicea and Ephesus And why then when TERTVLLIAN priest of Carthage in Africa was fallen into the heresie or rather frensie of Montanus doth he write that Praxeas had inforced the Bishop of Rome who did before acknowledge the prophesies of Montanus Prisca and Maximilla and by this acknowledgement brought peace to the Churches of Asia and Phrigia to reuoke his letters of peace already published and cease to 〈◊〉 the spirituall guiftes persuadinge him to belieue false thinges of these prophets and of their Churches and opposing to him the authority of his predecessors For the Montanists of Asia and Phrigia haueing been excommunicated by the Catholicke Bishops and Metropolitans of their Prouinces what right could the Pope haue to receiue them into his communion and to grante them peace if he were not head and superintendent of the whole Church and principally according to the ancient Ecclesiasticall discipline which held that noe Bishop except he were superior could receiue to his communion those that had been execmmunicated by their owne Catholicke Bishops And why then when the same TERTVLLIAN declaimes against the decree of Pope Zepherinus which ordayned that Adulterers hauing done penance 〈◊〉 be receiued into the communion of the Church doth he call him though whith a 〈◊〉 and hereticall scorne the great high priest and the Bishop of Bishops and the good 〈◊〉 and the blessed Pope I heare saith he that an Edict hath been propounded and certainely peremptorilie to witt that the great high priest and the Bishop of Bishops saith I pardon the crimes of adulterie and 〈◊〉 to those that haue performed their penance And againe thou dost sweeten thy sermons with all the allurements of mercie that thou canst good shepheard and blessed Pope and in the parable of the sheepe thou seekest thy Goates And why then when the blessed Martyr CORNELIVS had been created Pope did Saint CYPRIAN say that the Emperor Decius bare with more patience to see a competitor arise in the 〈◊〉 then to see an high priest of God constituted at Rome or according to the oldest and best Copies thē to see an high Priest constituted his riuall in Rome alluding to the two titles that the pagan Emperors assumed the one of Emperor and the other of high Priest and comparing the concurrence that the Emperor receiued in the quality of Emperor hy the creation of a riuall in his Empire with the concurrence that he receiued in the qualitie of high priest by the creation of a Bishop of Rome And wherefore doth he call the 〈◊〉 Church the Chaire of Peter and the principall Church and the originall of the 〈◊〉 all vnitie They durst saith he saile to Rome and carrie letters from prophane and Schismaticall persons to the chaire of Peter and to the principall Church from whence the sacerdot all vnitie
it temporally executory they testified that it was by the Popes authority that it had iudged the cause of Flauianus The synod of Chalcedon said the lawe by the authoritie of the most blessed Bishop of the Citty eternall in glorie Rome examining exactly matters of Faith aud strengthning the foundation of Religion attributed to Flauianus the reward of his past life and the palme of a Glorious death Now how is this anie other thing but to saie that which Pope Gelasius writt forty yeares after in these wordes The sea Apostolicke delegated the Councell of Chalcedon to be made for the common faith and the Catholicke and Apostolicke truth And againe Flauianus hauing bene condemned by the Congregation of the Greeke Bishops the sea Apostolicke alone because he had not consented thereunto absolued him and contrary wise by his authoritie condemned Dioscorus Prelate of the second sea who had there bene approued and alone annulled the wicked synod in not consenting to it and alone by his authoritie ordained that the Councell of Chalcedon should be kept But things incident carry vs away lett vs againe returne to our careere And why then when the Councell of Chalcedon was open was the first cōplaint that was made against Dioscorus patriark of Alexandria that he had presumed to vndertake to keepe a generall Councell and to be President there without commission from the Pope Vpon which complaint also Dioscorus came downe from this Patriarkall seate wherein he was first sett and stood in the middest of the place as an accused party and not as iudge Wee haue in our handes said Paschasinus Bishop of Lylibea in Sicilia and Legat from the Pope speaking to the Councell the commaundments of the blessed and Apostolicke Prelate of the Cittie of Rome who is the head of all Churches whereby he vouchsaffed to ordaine prouisionallie that Dioscorus sit not in the councell and that if he attempt it that he should be cast out And Lucentius Bishop of 〈◊〉 also the Popes Legate Dioscorus said he must yeild an account of iudgement for as much as hauing noe right to doe the office of a iudge be attempted it and presumed to holde a Synod without the authoritie of the sea Apostolicke which neuer hath bene lawfull nor neuer was done And Euagrius in the narration of the history of the Councell The senat saith he hauing 〈◊〉 of the legates from Leo what charge there was against Dioscorus they 〈◊〉 that he must yeild an account of his owne iudgement because against might 〈◊〉 had vsurped the person of a Iudge without the Bishop of Romes permission After which answere ` Dioscorus by the senats iudgment stood in the 〈◊〉 of the place And why then when Theodoret Bishop of Cyre a cittie as hath bene said in the confines of Persia had bene restored by Pope Leo from the Deposition of the Councell of Ephesus from whence he had appealed to him did the Emperors Officers who assisted in the Councell of Chalcedon to cause order to be obserued proclayme Lett the Right Reuerend Bishop 〈◊〉 come in that he may haue part in the Synod because the most holy Archbishop 〈◊〉 bath 〈◊〉 him to his ` Bishopricke and that supplied vpon this restitution the most sacred and religious Emperor hath ordained that he shall assist in the holy 〈◊〉 For that the Emperor had made himselfe the Executor of the Popes authority in this Councell it appeares by the protestations he had made of it a little before in these wordes Wee conceiued that we ought first to addresse ourselues to thy Holynesse who hast the superintendance and principalitie of Faith And againe Our desire is that peace should be restored to the Churches by this Councell celebrated vnder thy authoritie And why then when the Priests and deacons of Alexandria presented their Petitions against Dioscorus in the Councell of Chalcedon did they couch them in these termes all the Councell seeing and approuing it and ordayning that they should be registred in the Actes To the most holy and most blessed Archbishop and Vniuersall Patriarcke Leo and to the most holy and 〈◊〉 Councell For as for the instance that the Bishop of Constantinople made afterward to participate in this title vnder the Pope and in second place after the Pope as Constantinople being a second Rome it shall be spoken of hereafter And why then when Paschasinus the Popes Legate gaue his voice vpon the deposition of Dioscorus did he saie That the Pope had pardoned all those who in the false Councell of Ephesus had by force consented to Dioscorus that is to 〈◊〉 to almost all the Metropolitans and Patriarkes of the Easterne Empire The 〈◊〉 Apostolicke saith he graunts them pardon for those things that they committed there against their wills for asmuch as they haue remained vnto this time adhering to the most holie Archbishop Leo and to the holy and vniuersall Councell And why then when the actes of the false Councell of Ephesus were in the Councell of Chalcedon annulled did Anatolius Bishop of Constātinople pronounce that of all that had bene done in the Councell of Ephesus nothing ought to remaine entire but the election of Maximus Bishop of Antioch for as much as that had bene cōfirmed by the Pope My voice said he is that none of the things ordained by the pretended Councell of Ephesus shall remaine firme concept that which was done for Maximus Bishop of great Antioch for as much as the most holy Archbishop of Rome Leo receiuing him into his communion hath iudged that he ought to rule the Church of Antioch From whence it is also that the same 〈◊〉 who had bene created Archbishop of Constantinople in the false Councell of Ephesus held not his Archbishopricke from the false Councell of Ephesus but from the confirmation of the sea 〈◊〉 as Pope Leo writing to the Emperor Marcian puts him in mynde in these Wordes It should haue sufficed him that by the consent of my fauour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Bishopricke of soe great a Cittie And why then when the Fathers of the Councell of Chalcedon framed that famous relation to Pope Leo which is not only inserted in all the 〈◊〉 and latine Actes of the Westerne and Easterne libraries but also is cited by the Greeke Schismatickes and amongst others by Nilus Arch bishop of Tessalonica in his Booke against the Pope did they write to him that he had ruled in the Councell as the head to the members and that the Emperors had presided there to cause order to be obserued that is to auoide such murthers and tumultes as happened in the false Councell of Ephesus And put a like difference betwene the Popes Presidencie and the Emperors as betweene the Presidencie of Iesus the high priest of the Sinagogue and that of Zorobabel prince of the Iewish people in the building of the Temple You presided the Councell writt to the Pope in ' this assemblie as the head
Iudea but contrarily he plainely affirmes that he was crucified at Rome PETER said he held the Sacerdotall Chaire at Rome till the fourteenth yeare of Nero by whom he was crucified And againe He was buried at Rome in the Vatican neere the triumpball Streete where he is celebrated by the veneration of all the Cittie Onely after he hath reported the wordes of our Lord Behould I send you prophets and wise men and Scribes and you will kill them and crucifie them and whip them in your Synagogues hee adds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that there are diuers Guifts in the disciples of Christ according to the Apostle to the Corinthians Some are Prophets who foretell things to come some are wise men who know when they should pronounce the word others Scribes well learned in the law whereof Steuen hath bene stoned Paule beheaded Peter crucified But that S. PETER was crucified in Iudea he hath no where said and if he had bene crucified by the Iewes hee had intēded it in the same sence wherein S. PAVL cryes that the Jewes crucified the Lord of Glorie that is to saie the lewes caused him to be crucified but not that hee had bene crucified in Iudea otherwise they must also haue concluded that S. PAVL was not beheaded at Rome but in Iudea for S. IEROM saith it equallie of the one and of the other whereof PAVLE hath bene heheaded and PETER Crucified To the third obiection which is that S. AVGVSTINE writ that the historie of the combatt of S. PETER and Simon the Magitian at Rome had taken ground from an opinion Wee answere that S. AVGVSTINE saith no such thing And indeede how should he saie it that had for suertie and forerunners in this historie not onely S. IVSTIN Martir an author of the next age after Simon Magus who writt thus to the Pagan Emperors from and in the name of all the Christians One Simon a Samaritan hauing by the Diuells art done workes by enchantment vnder the Emperor Claudius in your imperiall Cittie of Rome was accoūted a God and honored by you with a Statue as a God And S. Ireneus and Tertullian which writ the like but also Arnobius Eusebius S. CYRILL of Ierusalem S. EPIPHANIVS 〈◊〉 S. JEROM Sulpitius seuerus who all affirme that Simon hauing vndertakē by art magicke to flie at Rome was hindred from it and caused to fall by S. PETER he saith only that whereas some held that the particular custome obserued by the Roman Church to forbeare dinner on Saturdaies proceeded from a fast celebrated by S. PETER the Satturdaie before this act was an opinion Behold his words It is said hee the opinion of manie although manie Romans hould it to be false that the apostle Peter being on the Sundaie to combat against Simon the magitian for the perill of so great a temptation fasted the daie before both he and the Church of the same Cittie and that hauing obtained so prosperous and glorious a successe he continued the same custome and that some Churches of the west imitated him But that the historie of the conflict of S. PETER and Simon Magus at Rome was grounded vpon an opinion he saith nothing neere it cōtrariwise he setts it downe for the first principle in his booke of heresies in these words Simon would haue made it belieued that he was Jupiter ad that a common woman whose names was Helen with whom he had ioyned himself for a complice of his crimes was Minerua and gaue the images of himself and his Copesmate to be adored to his desciples and had obtained that they might be constituted by publicke authoritie amongst the images of the Gods at Rome in which Cittie the blessed Apostle Peter extinguished him by the power of God Almightie Which it seemes the prophane authors themselues though curious to bury the memorie of all the miracles of Christianitie haue obliquely pointed at when 〈◊〉 saith that there was a spectacle exhibited in a full theater in Nero's time whereby they should haue made the 〈◊〉 flight appeare but the Icarus fell against Nero's chamber and watred it with blood and when Dion Chrisostome saith that Nero had a long time neere him in his pallace a certaine man who promised to flie To the fowrth obiection which is that amongst the Successors of S. PETER some place Linus and Cletus before Clement and some after wee answer that S. EPIPHANIVS hath preuented and solued it 1250. yeares agone in these worde At Rome were first Apostles and Bishops Peter and Paul and then Linus then Cletus and then Clement c. and lett none wonder that others receiued the Bishopricke before Clement And a little after whether that the Apostles being still aliue Clement had receiued the ordination of the Bishopricke from Peter and hauing resused it abstained from it for hee saith in one of his Epistles I goe my waies and withdraw myselfe till the people of God be erected c. or whether after the decease of the Apostles he haue bene instituted by Cletus wee doe not euidently know but it may be that hauing bene promoted to the Bishopricke hauing refused it c. he was againe cōstrained after the death of Linus and of Cletus to accept of it For that which the obiectors add for the banquet and to make vp their mouthes that Eusebius saith that S. PETER was crucified and that the Legend where vpon wee ground the Papacie saith he was beheaded there are two ridiculous ingredients in this last Seruice the one to impute to vs that we ground the historie of S. PETERS seate at Rome which is testified by all the first ages of the Church vpon the Legend which is a booke written in the last ages by a Jacobin called Jacobus de voragine And the other not to discerne that that S. PETER that the Legēd said was beheaded is S. PETER the Iacobin Martir who was beheaded for the Catholick faith in the time of the Albigeses about 400. yeare agone and not S. PETER the Apostle whom it assirmes to haue bene crucified But now let vs leaue the obiections of the Popes aduersaries and let vs heare the testimonies of the Fathers S. DIONISIVS Bishop of Corinth writing to be Church of Rome in the next age after the Apostles you haue said hee mingled the plant of the Roman Corinthian Church made by PETER and PAVL And a little after for hauing taught together in Italie they were both martired at one and the same time And S. IRENEVS We represent the tradition apostolick of the greatest and most ancient Church founded at Rome by the two glorious Apostles PETER and PAVL And againe The blessed Apostles then founding and instructing the Church consigned the Episcopat of the administration of the Church to Linus And TERTVLLIAN Happie Church wherein the Apostles haue shed all their doctrin with their bloud in which PETER is equalled to the passion
translations of the treatises of some Greeke diuines and not of his historicall workes or translations Otherwise how could Pope Gelasius in the same decree haue condemned the ten bookes of the recognitions of Clement which had bene translated by Russinus and how could he haue written in the same place the holy Roman Catholicke and Apostolicke Church hath not bene preferred before other Churches by anie Synodicall Constitutions but hath obtained the primacie by the Euangelicall voice of our Lord and Sauiour saying Thou art Peter and vpon this rock I will build my Church And how could he haue writtē elsewhere speaking of the ancient canons of the Church These are the Canons which ordaine that from all partes of the world the appeales shall be brought to the Sea Apostolicke And how could he haue said that the care of the Regions of Egipt and of Antioch had bene by Pope Felix committed to Acacius Patriark of Constantinople And whereas they add that saint CYRILL sending the Canons of the Councell of Nicea to the Bishops of Africa writt to them that they might finde them in the Ecclesiasticall historie which they pretend must be vnderstood of the history of 〈◊〉 for as much as those of Socrates Theodoret and Sozomene were written since and besides containe nothing of the canons of the Councell of Nicea this is yet a more feeble and deceiptfull caution For besides that many others had made collections of the Ecclesiasticall historie as amongst the Catholickes saint ATHANASIVS Bishop of Alexandria who had composed a volume intituled Synodica Theodorus Bishop of Mopsvestia not yet then noted for heresie who had framed a particular historie of the Councell of Nicea Philip of Sida who had compiled an vniuersall Ecclesiasticall history And amongst the heretickes Philostorgius the Arrian and Sabinus the Macedonian where is the article of the Bishop of Antioch and the precept to adore standing on the sundaies and during the fiftie daies of Pentecoste which were contained in saint Cyrills Copie to bee found in Ruffinus edition and contrariwise where are the permission to deacons to distribute the Eucharist in the absence of priests and Bishops and the restitution of the communion to penitents before the accomplishement of their pennance and the extension of the canon of the Paulianict deaconesses to all deaconesses in generall and the equiuocation and mistaking of the confession of priests after promotion which are all in the edition of Ruffinus to be read in the copie of saint CYRILL contrarywise if saint CYRILLS intention had bene to approue the edition of Russinus by this remittment why did not the Africans which turned or caused to be turned from Greeke into Latine saint CYRILLS Greeke Copie followe Ruffinus in their translation and put in the Clause of Churches Suburbicarie And saint CYRILL himselfe if he had beleiued that the clause of Churches suburbicary should haue bene added to the Canō of the Councell of Nicea how could he haue taken a Vicarship and commission from Pope Celestine to execute the sentence of the Sea Apostolique against Nestorius Archbishop of Constantinople And how could hee and the other Bishops of the Councell of Ephesus haue approued of the oration of the Popes Legates by which they called the Pope the head of the Church and the Vicar and ordinary Successor of saint PETER and why had they reserued the iudgement of the cause of Iohn Patriarke of Antioch to the Pope And then what proofe is there that Ruffinus by the word suburbicary did intend the Churches within a hundred thousand paces of the Cittie of Rome and not the Churches of all the Citties subiect to the Empire of the Cittie of Rome Is there anie likelyhood that the Bishop of Alexandria should haue had Egipt Libia and Pentapolis vnder which were yet intended many other great prouinces either annexed or subalterne as Ammoniaca Maroeotides Thebaidis and besides the immense Region of Ethiopia from whence the Greeke Emperor Leo surnamed the Philosopher saith in the life of saint CHRYSOSTOME that the Emperor Arcadius caused Theophilus Patriarke of Alexandria to cometo Cōstantinople accompanied with Indian and Egiptian Bishops And that the Bishop of Rome by whom they squared him had no more but those onelie Churches that where neere the 〈◊〉 of Rome Theocritus writeth that Ptolomeus Philadelphus king of Egipt of whose Empire the Prouinces since attributed to the Patriarkship of Alexandria made the principall parte commaunded 33339. citties Of townes thirtie three thousand three hundred thirty nine Vnder the yoake of his decrees their seruile heads incline And Strabo and Diodorus Siculus and the interpreter of the notice of the Empire after them saie that the ancient diuision of Egipt was diuided into thirtie six prouinces whereof Delta in Egipt contained ten and the 〈◊〉 Theodosius the second writing to Dioscorus Patriarke of Alexandria to cause him to come to the false Coūcell of Ephesus sent to him to bring his ten metropolitan Bishops or ten of his metropolitā Bishops that is to saie heades of Prouinces with him And the Bishop of Antioch who was but the third Patriarke had vnder him the two Syria's the three 〈◊〉 the two Cilicia's the three Arabia's the Region of Euphrates Mesopotamia Jsauria and Osrhoene and more as he pretended the Isle of Cyprus without reckoning manie other prouinces which though he 〈◊〉 not their metropolitans yet neuerthelesse acknowledge him For there were manie prouinces which acknowledged their Patriarks and were obliged to appeare at their patriarchall Synods although they tooke not from them the ordination of their metropolitans from whēce it is that Balsamon writes that the Councell of Antioch holden vnder the patriark Peter Jberia Asiatica otherwise called the prouince of the Georgians was made Autocephalus that is to saie exempt from takeing the ordination of their Metropolitan anie other where then from the Synod of the prouince and neuerthelesse still remained subiect to the patriarke of Antioch And when the Councell of Chalcedon would erect Constantinople into a patriarkship they assigned him for his patriarchall Diuision the prouinces of Trace pontus Asia minor with the Barbarous prouinces that is to saie Russia and Muscouia which together contained more ground then all Europe principally if we giue Credit to Herodotus who saith that the Thracians were the greatest nation of the world next the Indians And the Pope who was the first patriarke and the patterne and modell of all the patriarkes to haue bene restrained to the onely Churches neere the Cittie of Rome what a Birth-right had that bene For to saie that the Pope had in his portion the Cittie of Rome which recompenced in splendor and dignitie the extént of the other patriarkships and besides that the prouinces neere the Cittie of Rome were much more peopled then the prouinces neere the other patriarchall Citties who knowes not first that the Cittie of Rome being vnder the Popes
to cause the 〈◊〉 of the westerne Church to be carried to the generall Councells celebrated in the East sent a legation compounded of two kinde of Legats the one internall and taken from the bodie of the particular Roman Church whom wee with the Councell of Sardica call Legats taken out of the Popes owne side and the other externall and taken out of the order of the Bishops And this legation was sometymes made by two distinct commissions as in the sixth generall Councell the Legats from the popes particular person and those from the Councell of Rome were deputed feuerally And sometymes by a ioynt deputation as in the Councell of Ephesus and Chalcedon Now were those Legats that we call internall that is to saie taken out of the particular Clergie of the Roman Church the principall Legats not in honor except when the Popes legations and those of the Councell of Rome were distinct but as for the instructions and in the report of the Popes intentions And therefore also when there was question of the particular voice of the Pope they were often named alone as in the historie of Sozomene and in the list of the signatures of the Councell of Sardica because they were onely Legats deputed both from the person of the Pope and from the bodie of his Church And of those examples we haue one remarkable in the commission that the Councell of Ephesus gaue to the Bishops that it sent to Constantinople for by this commission the Councell of Ephesus intituled Phillip Priest of the Roman Church Legate from the Pope in these words To Phillip Priest holding the place of the Bishop of Rome Celestine to Arcadius to 〈◊〉 c. And intituled not Arcadius Legat to the Pope though he were both Bishop and Legat to the Pope altogether because Phillip was Legat à latire from the Pope that is to saie a Legate taken out of the very bodie of the particular Roman Church and Arcadius was Legat from the Patriarchall Roman Church that is to saie Legat from the Pope and Councell of Rome by meanes whereof when Sozomene and Theodoret say there were two Legats from the Pope at the Councell of Nicea to witt Uito and Uincentius and that S. ATHANASIVS and Socrates put Osius Uito and Vincentius into one place they contradict not one an other for as much as the one speakes onely of the internall Legats that we call Legats a latere of which Osius was none and the other speakes of the Legats aswell internall as externall whereof Osius was one And in this the ancient Greeke and Latine Canonists agree with vs For not onely Hincmarus Archbishop of Rhemes who flourished in the time of Charles the Balde and was not suspected to fauour the Pope much writes At the Councell of Nicea in the place of Syluester Osius Bishop of Cordua and Vito and Vincentius Priests of the cittie of Rome presided But alsoe Dalmatius Bishop of Cyzica in Asia one of the Fathers of the Councell of Ephesus who liued neere a thousand two hundred yeares agoe and after him Gelasius Priest of Cyzica who liued vnder the Emperor Zeno a thousand one hundred and fortie yeares agoe that is to saie in the next age to the Councell of Nicea and from whose pen is come to vs the famous Canon of the Eucharist so much cited by Caluin and by all the Sacramentaries written in the extract of the same Councell of Nicea that Osius was the Popes Legat in the Councell of Nicea and that Vito and Vincentius were his Colleagues At this Councell saith 〈◊〉 of Cyzica speaking after Dalmatius of Cyzica of the Councell of Nicea assisted Osius Bishop of Cordua who held the place of the Bishop of great Rome Syluester with the Priests Uito and Vincentius And not onely Gelasius of Cyzica vseth these words but Photius Patriarke of Constantinople the greatestenemie to the Roman Church that euer was amongst the Greekes alleadgeth them neere eight hundred yeares agoe in these words I haue said he read a booke in forme of a historie intituled The Acts of the Councell of Nicea containing three tomes and bearing added he a little after the title of Gelasius of Cyzica in this booke saith he the Author writes that Osius Bishop of Cordua and Vito and Vincentius Roman Priests assisted at the Councell from the part of Syluester Bishop of Rome And not onely Photius alleadgeth them but himselfe in his treatie of the Synods dedicated to Michell King of the Bulgarians and reported by Euthymius writes with Vito and Uincentius was ioyned Osius Bishop of Cordua And indeede for what other cause should Osius simplie a Bishop of the patriarkship of the Roman Church and subiect in the first instance to the Metropolitan of Seuilla in Spaine and by appeale to the Patriarke of the West haue preceded all the Patriarks of the East yea in the East it selfe he that in the Councell of Eluira that we call Elibertin composed of ninteene Bishops of Spaine had held but the secōd or according to others the eleauenth place And in the Councell of Arles compounded of two hundred Bishops had had noe ranke amongst the principall Bishops of the Councell but for the same cause for which Uito Uincentius simple Priests of the Roman Church preceded them to witt for the order of his legation for to precede them by vertue of the particular conditions of his person neither age nor antiquitie of promotion nor learning nor desert hath euer giuen ranke in generall Councells to anie simple Bishops before Archbishops much lesse before the Patriarks otherwise the distinction of the Seas had bene introduced in vaine and the personall condition of Osius were good to make his person reuerent but not to make him preside in a generall Councell where the order of the Hierarchy saith Caluin ought to be singularly obserued Iointly that euen in all these qualities there were manie in the Councell that surpassed him For if wee speake of persecutions for the Faith 〈◊〉 Bishop of one of the citties of Thebaida who had lost a knee vnder the persecution of Maximinus and an eye whose skarre the Emperor Constantine was wont to kisse was not he there Potamon Bishop of Heraclea in Egipt whom S. EPIPHANIVS calls great Bishop and great 〈◊〉 and who in the same persecution had had an eye put out was not he there Paul Bishop of Neocesarea vpon Euphrates whose handes had bene maimed with a hott iron in the persecution of Licinius was not he there And if we speake of the guiftes of prophetie and working of miracles Spiridion Bishop of Trimithunta in Cyprus that Ruffinus calls a man of the order of the Prophets was not he there James that great Bishop of Antioch in Mygdonia otherwise called Nisibis that Theodoret saith had raised againe the dead and whom hee intitles the prince of
confirmed also by the fowrteenth of the same Canons which makes mention of Syricius and of Simplicianus which were not Bishops together but vnder the consulship of Cesarius and Atticus The third reason is that Fulgentius Ferandus citeth these two Canons to witt that of the reading of the canonicall bookes and that of the reading of the passion of Martyrs as two consequent canons and the one vnder the title of the fortie fifth and the other of the fortie sixth Canon of the Councell of Carthage in these wordes That there should be nothing read in the Church but the canonicall scriptures the Councell of Laodicea Canon fiftie sixth and the Councell of Carthage Canon fortie fifth That it shall be also lawfull to reade the Martirs Passions on the daies of their Martyrdome the Councell of Carthage Canon fortie sixth Which cannot be meant but of the third Councell of Carthage as well because the collection intituled the sixth Councell of Carthage contayneth but thirtie three Canons as because the last of these two Canons is not found in the collection intituled the sixth Councell of Carthage and that there is but onely in the third councell of Carthage where they are couched one next after the other And the fowrth finallie because saint AVSTIN teacheth vs. that the first amongst the councells of Carthage wherein the rolle of the canonicall bookes was published was the third Councell of Carthage and not the sixth for he writes in the Epistle to Quintianus That in the same Councell where the rolle of the canonicall bookes was entered it was also ordained that a Bishop should not vsurpe the clerke of an other Bishop I am amazed said he that thou dost admonish me to commaund that those that come from your quarters into our Monasteries should not bee receiued that that which hath bene decreed in the councell by vs may be obserued and that thou remembrest not that in the same councell it was determined what the canonicall Scriptures are which ought to be read to the people Then reuiew this councell and bring to thy memorie all things that thou shalt reade there and thou shalt perceaue it was so decided onely of the clergie and not of the laitie that coming from other dioceses they should not be receiued into our Monasteries not that there is a word of a Monastery but because it hath bene decreed that none should receiue the clerke of an other Now the canon that prohibits Bishops to receiue the clerkes of other Bishops is in the third Councell of Carthage but not in the sixth Moreouer he adds that in a later Councell it had bene ordained that those that departed from a monastery should not be admitted to be clerkes or superintendents of an other monasterie In the Coūcell said he where it was determined what were the canonicall scriptures there was noe mention made of a Monastery onely it was ordained that none should receiue the Clerke of an other but in a later Councell it hath bene decreed that those that haue retired themselues or haue bene expelled out of any monastery should not be made clerkes in anie other place or superintend anie minasteries which shewes againe that the Councell of Carthage where the catalogue of the canonicall Bookes was published where of saint AVSTINE speakes was the third Councell and not the sixth for the canon that forbidds to receiue a Religious man that retires from a monastery and to make him clerke or superintendent of an other monastery was instituted in the fifth Councell of Carthage which preceded the sixth neere eighteen yeares The third controuersie is concerning the fowrth Councell of Carthage holden vnder the consulship of Honorius and of Eutychianus that is to saie the next yeare after the consulship of Cesarius and Atticus the which not the Illustrious cardinall Baronius but the new publishers of the greeke edition of the Councells of Africa race from the number of the ancient Councells moued thereto because it is not inserted into that Rapsodie of the Councells of Africa that we call the African Councell Now this coniecture is soe weake that it is not worth the confutation For besides that the collection that we call the African Councell is farr from comprehending either in generall all the Councells of Africa witnes the Councell of Suffetula the Councell of Septimunica the Coūcell of Marazan the Councell of Tusdra the Councell of Macri the Councell of Zelles the councell of Tunis the coūcell of Iuca or rather Tuca cited by Fulgentius Ferandus which are not spoken of in the bodie of the African rapsody or in particular all the councells of Carthage and principallie if we belieue the edition of the same Ferandus who alleadgeth the fifth canon of the fiftie fift Councell of Carthage There are two euident reasons wherefore the fowrth councell of Carthage ought not to be inserted into the collection of the councells of Africa that we call the African coūcells the one that he that collected them had restrained himselfe of deliberate purpose as it appeares by the diuision of the nintie ninth canon of his rapsodie which is the last of the seauenth Councell of Carthage which to finde the rekoning iust he diuides in two to make but one century of African canons within which the fowrth Councell of Carthage which onely contayned a hundred and foure canons could not enter and the other that the fowrth councell of Carthage hauing prescribed the lawes vnder which all the ecclesiasticall persōs of Africa ought to be promoted to the order of Priestood there was noe neede to inserte it into the bodie of this Rapsodie to keepe them frō wandring frō the matter for as much as all ecclesiasticall persons and particularly Bishops were obliged to keepe it in their hands To those two reasons I will yet annex two others which conuince that it is truly ancient and due to the age whereto wee attribute it the one is that the things there decided agree wholie to the Estate of Africa in S. AVG. tymes as the profession which this councell obligeth Bishops to make coming to the Bishops Sea That one selfe same God is the author of the old and new testamēt and that the diuell is become ill by the libertie of his will to exclude the Maniches as the beleefe that is exacted from them that out of the Catholicke Church one is saued to exclude the Donatists as the prohibition that he made to driue the Gentills or the Jewes or the hereticks out of the Church before the masse that is to saie the dimission of the catechumens which shewes that this councell was holden while paganisme lasted Yet amongst the prouinces of the Christians or as the canons that he instituted that the Clerkes should not nourishe either their haire of their head or their beard and might gett their meate drinke and cloath by a trade or by husbandrie without derogating from their
office which were composed to impugne certaine Religious persons slothfull and long heared that saint AVSTIN combats in the worke of the trauaile of Religious persons who held it for an oprobry that Religious men should labour with their handes or shaue their heades The other reason is that the decrees of this councell are acknowledged and cited not onely by all the canonists that haue written since six hundred yeares as Burchard Iuon and Gratian but also by Isidorus Bishop of Hispalis now called Seuill a cittie neighbouring vpon Africa who liued a thousand yeares agone who reported the canon of the ordination of Exorcists in these wordes When the Exorcists are ordained they take as saith the canon from the Bishops hand the little Booke where the exorcismes are written receiuing the power to impose hands vpon the Energumenes whether they be baptized or Catechumens Which are the very words of the seauenth Canon of the fowrth Councell of Carthage And by Hincmarus ancient Archbishop of Rheims who cites the Canon where it is forbidden to the Bishop to iudge the cause of anie without his clergie in these termes Let the Bishop heare noe mans cause without the presence of his Clergie which are the very wordes of the twentie third canon of the fowrth Councell of Carthage The fowrth difference is vpon the order of the fifth Councell of Carthage that the Illustrious cardinall Baronius pretends to haue bene transferred from the degree and that it ought to be placed againe in the third place that is to saie betweene the Councell of Carthage holden vnder the consulship of Cesarius and Atticus that he places in the second ranke and the fowrth The reasons of the Illustrious Cardinall Baronius are the one that the date of this Councell which is not filled vp in the printed editions but onelie beares The sixth of the calends of June after the Consulship without specifying the consulls names is found in some manuscripts filled vp with these wordes Cesarius and Atticus by which meanes this councell must haue bene holden the next yeare after the celebration of the Councell that we call the third of Carthage and he the second which was holden vnder the consulship of Cesarius and Atticus and the other that there is a canon in the fifth Councell of Carthage which ordaines that the Emperor may be besought to roote out the relickes of Idolatry From whence it followes that this Councell hath preceded the commaundement that the Emperors gaue to abolish the remainder of Idolatrie Now this Commaundement was giuen vnder the consulship of Theodosius the yeare of our Lord according to our computation three hundred nintie nine by two edicts the one addressed to Apollodorus vicar of Africa where the Emperors commaund that the pagans Idolls should be taken out of their temples and their sacrifices abolisht And the other addressed to Eutychianus prouost of the Easterne Pretory where they commaunded that the temples of the pagans that were in the fieldes should be demolished without trouble or tumult And consequently saith he the Councell had bene holden the yeare before which was the yeare after the Consulship of Cesarius Atticus To the first then of these reasons we answere that the manuscript which saith after the Consulship of Cesarius and Atticus is not confirmed by the vniuersall consent of the other manuscriptes for there are collections in manuscripts of Mercator as the new publishers of the Councells of Africa haue noted which saie after the Consulship of Flauius Stelicon And to the secōd we saie that the Canō that ordaines the request for the abolishmēt of the remainders of Idolatrie hath nothing in it common with the Edicts of the Emperors of the yeare three hūdred nintie nine Forasmuch as the Emperors had onely ordained by one of the Edicts that the Sacrifices should be taken out of the Temples and the Idolls deposited into the handes of the Ministers of the Empire but that the buildings should still be kept intire and by the other that the Temples of the pagans which were in the fieldes should be demolished And the fifth Councell of Carthage demaun des that the remainder of Idolatrie should be abolished not onely in the Idolls but also in the woods and in the trees For the pagans adored not onely the similitudes of the false Gods but also adored certaine 〈◊〉 thicketts and certaine ancient Trees that they belieued to be the dwellinges and mansions of the presence of their Gods From whence it is that Quintilian speaking of Ennius said Wee adore Ennius as we doe thicketts that are become sacred through age These trees then and these groues polluted by the worship that the Pagans yielded to thē the canon demaunded to be rooted out as well as the Idolls and similitudes From whence may be drawne that it is soe farr from following thence that this canon was before the Emperors Edictes as contrarywise it appeares hereby that it was after them For as for the decree where was required the distruction of the temples built in fieldes which gaue noe ornament to citties which seemes to haue preceded the Edict of the Emperors addressed to the prouost of the East it is not in the fifth Councell of Carthage in cheefe but in the onely Rapsody of the councell of Africa which hath transferred this canon and manie others from the Councell holden after the consulship of Honorius and Eutychianus where the first legation to the Emperors was decreed to the Councell holden after the consulship of Stelicon where the second was decreed By meanes whereof the obseruation of the Illustrious Cardinall Baronius is good to ouerthrow the order of the African Rapsody and to shew that it was made by some grosse and ignorant Rapsodist and not to remoue the chronologie of the fifth Councell of Carthage But we haue said enough of these reasons it is tyme to propound ours The motiue then that incites vs to belieue that the Councell that we call the fifth of Carthage hath bene holden in the tyme wherein we place it that is to saie betweene the fowrth Councell of Carthage and the sixth consists besides the common consent of copies and the vniuersall voice of Canonists in two reasons the one is that S. AVGVSTIN in his Epistle to Quintianus after he hath spoken of the Councell where there were ioyntly publisht the Canon of the canonicall Bookes and that of the prohibition to Bishops to vsurpe one an others Clerkes which was the third Councell of Carthage saith And after in a fresh Councell it hath bene ordained that those who retire from a monastery or are driuen from it shall not be receiued elsewhere to be clerkes or to be superintendents in an other Monastery which are the wordes of the thirteenth Canō of the fifth Councell of Carthage from whence it is gathered that the fifth Councell of Carthage that saint AVGVSTIN calls freshe in regard of the third Councell of
in the sixth Coūcell of Carthage for the dereee of the Anniuersarie holding of the Nationall Councells of Africa first intituled in the Councell of Hippo and since renewed by this canon in the third Councell of Carthage had bene suppressed and abrogated more then twelf yeare before the sixth Councell of Carthage by the Councell holdē vnder the seauenth consulship of Honorius in these wordes Because it had bene ordained in that Councell of Hippo the there should be holden euerie yeare a Generall Councell of Africa not onely heere at Carthage but in all the other prouinces euerie one in his turne it hath bene reserued to be kept sometimes in the prouince of Numidia and sometimes in that of Byzacia But for as much as this hath seemed laborious to all the bretheren it hath pleased that there should be noe more anniuersarie necessitie to trauaile-trouble the bretheren but that when the common cause that is to saie of all Africa shall require it from whatsoeuer part the letters shall be addressed to this Sea the Synod shall be assēbled in the prouince that shall be thought fittest In the ninteenth and tweentith it is said that Bishops and Priests accused cannot be excommunicated vnlesse after citation and refusall to appeare which are two decrees transferred from the third Councell of Carthage into this collection and not transferred from this collection into the copies of the third Councell of Carthage as the new publishers of the Councell of Africa pretend For S. AVGVSTIN himself notes that the decree forbidding to excommunicate accused Priests but after citation and refusall of appearance was instituted in the tyme that Proculian was Bishop for the Donatists at Hippo. Now Proculian had liued and was dead à long while before the sixth Councell of Carthage as it appeares both by the letters of the clergie of Hippo to Ianuarius which testifie that Proculian was Bishop of Hippo before the lawes of the Emperors against the Donatists came into Africa and by the cōferēce of Carthage which was holden eight yeares before the sixth Councell of Carthage in which tyme it was noe more Proculian but Macrobius that was Bishop of the Donatists at Hippo. In the twentie fourth canon which is of the canonicall Bookes the collection saith Bee it also made knowne to our brother and fellow Bishop Boniface and to the other Bishops of the same prouinces for the confirmation of this canon that these are the bookes that wee haue receiued from our fathers to be read in the church Now we haue alreadie shewed by three reasons and can yet confirme it by a fowrth that the canon of canonicall bookes had bene publisht in the third councell of Carthage For the first Mileuitan councell testifies that the Statutes of the councell of Hippo which cōtained fourtie one canons amongst which was a decree of the canonicall bookes had bene inserted and confirmed in a more full councell assembled at Carthage Which can not be vnderstood but of the third councell of Carthage that is to saie of the councell holden the fifth of the calends of September vnder the consulship of Cesarius and Atticus in which was propounded the extract of the canons of the Councell of Hippo. Moreouer wee haue proued that Pope Innocent the first had alreadie framed a roll of the canonicall Bookes agreable to that of the third Councell of Carthage more then fourteen yeare before Boniface and the sixth Councell of Carthage By meanes whereof it had bene an impertinent thing for the Bishops of the sixth Councell of Carthage to write to Pope Boniface for the confirmation of this canon and it cannot be said that perchance the Africans knewe it not for Faustinus the Popes legat who was present at this Councell and Phillippus and Asellus priests of the Roman Church who assisted him would not haue permitted them to be ignorant of it In the twentie fifth the collection containes Aurelius saith wee add my most deere brothers moreouer as relation bad bene made of the incontinence of some clerkes although but readers towardes their owne wiues It was decreed which also hath bene confirmed in diuers Councells that the subdeacons which should handle the sacraments the deacons and Priests and also Bishops according to the former Statutes should abstaine from their owne wiues c which if they obserue not that they should be deposed from their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 office but that the other clerkes should not be constrayned by this lawe but in a riper age Now besides that these are the wordes of the third canon of the fifth Councell of Carthage which saith moreouer as relation had beue made of the incontinence of some clerkes though toward their owne wiues It was decreed that Bishops priests and deacons according to the former Statutes should abstaine euen from their owne wiues which if they obserue not that they should be deposed from their ecclesiasticall office but that other clerkes should not be bound by this lawe there are soe manie impertiencies in the extract of the canon as it could not be collected by the Fathers of a Councell For first these wordes Aurelius saith Wee add my most deare bretheren hath noe relation with the former canon of the same collection which is of the catalogue of the canonicall bookes And secondlie this contexture Aurelius saith Wee add my most deare bretheren moreouer as relation had bene made to the incontinencie of some clerkes hath noe construction neither naturall nor gramaticall but is a strained and impertinent coniunction to bring into Aurelius discourse the words of the third Canon of the fifth Councell of Carthage which beginus with these wordes Moreouer as relation had bene made of the incontinence of some Clerkes And thirdly this parenthesis although but readers is directly against the discipline of the Fathers of Africa who neuer meant to depriue the Readers from the vse of their owne wiues contrarywise they haue bound them coming to the age of Manhood either to professe chastitie or to marrie It hath bene ordained saith the third councell of Carthage that Readers hauing once attained to the age of 〈◊〉 shall be constrained either to take wiues or to make profession of chastitie And fowrthly this exception vnlesse a riper age vtterlie destroyeth the intent of the councell which wills that none but Bishops Priests deacons and subdeacōs should be obliged receiuing orders to quit their wiue that the other clerkes which handle not the Sacraments should not be obliged to this Condition In the twentie eight Canon which is a repetition of the canon instituted in the second Mileuitan Councell and confirmed in the Councell of Carthage holden vnder the twelfth Consulship of 〈◊〉 where it had bene decided that the priests Deacons and other inferior Clerkes cannot in their proper causes appeale beyond Sea the greeke edition and some latin copies add as it hath-bene often said of Bishops
little after the sixth of Carthage None constituted in the bond of Marriage can be admitted to Priesthood without promise of Conuersion Secondly it appeares by all the Councells of the African Church which concerne the same matter It hath pleased saith the second Councell of Carthage that Bishops Priests Deacons c. practice intire continence c. to the end that what the Apostles haue taught or according to the Greeke edition giuen by tradition and antiquitie itselfe obserued we also should obserue And againe It hath pleased that Bishops Priests and Deacons or others that handle the Sacraments should liue chastlie and abstaine euenfrom their owne wiues And the fifth Councell of Carthage It hath pleased that Priests and Deacons according to their owne Statutes or as the best copies haue it according to the former Statutes should abstaine from their owne wiues It appeares thirdly by the testimonie of all the doctors of the Latine church and especiallie the African who haue liued in the tyme of those Councells That the Ministrie saith Saint AMBROSE must be preserued inuiolate and immaculate without defiling it with anie coniugall embraces you know it you that with integritie of bodie and incorruption of modestie abst ayning yourselues euen from the vse of Marriage haue receiued the grace of the sacred Deaconship And saint Hierom Bishops Priests and Deacons are chosen either virgins or in widowhood or at least are after their Priesthood eternallie chast And saint AUGUSTINE The soule and penn of the Councells of Africa Wee haue said he accustomed to propound to lay men that haue put awaie their wiues the continence of Clergie men who are often taken by force and against their wills to vndergoe that charge and hauing accepted it be are it with gods helpe lawfullie euen to the end Wee saie to them what would become of you if you were constrained and forced by the violence of the people to vndergoe this charge would you not chastlie preserue the office wherewith you were charged instantlie conuerting your selues to beseeche of God such strength as before your neuer thought of Wherto I might yet add the ancient Greeke doctors as Eusebius who writes Now the 〈◊〉 of the diuine word doe necessarilie imbrace abstinence from Marriages to attend to a better imploymeut practizing a generation of spirituall and incorporall children Or as saint EPIPHANIVS that cryes out The holie Church of God receiues not him that hath bene but once married and conuerseth still with his wife and begetts children for Deacon Priest and Bishop But because heere the question is of the custome of the latine Church and particularlie of the African notof the greeke Church I sett the greeke testimonies aside It appeares fourthly by Fulgentius Ferandus an African Canonist of aboue 1100. yeares antiquitie who in his epitomy of the Canons registers the Canon of the Councell of Carthage in these words That Bishops Priests and Deacons should abstaine from their Wiues And by Cresconius an African Canonist likewise of neere a thousand yeares antiquitie who registers it in these wordes That the priestlie and leuiticall order ought to haue no cohabitation with woemen It appeares fistly by the proper text of the Canon which plainely comprehends Bishops which neuerthelesse the Greekes exclude from all coniugall acts and to whom this condition of seruing by turnes and alternatiue weekes cannot agree It appeares besides this by the sixth Canō of the same Coūcell of Carthage which saith That readers when they are come to the yeares of manhood shall be constrained either to marrie or professe chastitie A thing which necessarily shewes that the vse of Marriage was wholie prohibited to Bishops Priests and deacons And finallie it appeares by Andrew Gesnerus minister of Zurich and the German Centuriators being ashamed of this falshood for Gesnerus interpreting the Greeke translation of the Councell of Carthage hath turned it into these words It hath pleased that Bishops Priests and Deacons according to their statutes should abstaine euen from their wiues And the Centuriators of Germanie epitomizing the same Councell of Carthage reporte it in these wordes That the Sacerdot all and and Diaconall order should abstaine from their wiues But forasmuch as this matter was treated of more largely in the appendix of the conference of Fontainebleau where wee confuted the fable of Paphnucius reported by Socrates and Sozomene Nouatian Authors from whom the later Greekes haue borrowed the occasion of their fall and expounded the Canon of the Councells of Gangres which seemes to fauour them It shall suffice me for an end of this aduertisment to remitt the readers thereunto The second Example of infidelitie shal be taken out of the twentie fourth Canon of the Greeke Rapsody which is the twentie fourth of those thirtie three latine Canons whereof the collection is intituled the sixth Councell of Carthage where the Greeke interpretor hath ecclipsed from the Catalogue of the Canonicall Bookes receiued in Africa the two Bookes of the Machabes Now that this subctraction is a notable falshood appeares by six vnreprochable ' meanes It appeares first by all the latine copies as well printed as manuscripts of the collection intituled the sixth Councell of Carthage in which the two Bookes of the Machabes are expressed by name It appeares secondly by the fortie seauenth Canon of the third Councell of Carthage from whence the canon of the collection intituled the sixth Councell of Carthage hath bene extracted which mentions particularly the two Bookes of the Machabes It appeares thirdly by the Canon of the Canonicall Bookes inserted into saint AVGVSTINS second Booke of Christian Doctrine where the two Bookes of the Machabes are expressly contained and to which saint AVGVSTINE for an impediment that the number should not be varied by anie addition or Subtraction setts to this seale In these fortie foure Bookes the authority of the old Testament is determined And againe repeates the same seale in the Register of his retractions in these words In the place 〈◊〉 said hee of the second booke of Christian Doctrine where I haue written in these fortie foure bookes the authoritie of the olde Testament is determined I made vse of the word olde Testament according to the forme of speech which the Church practiseth at this daie but the Apostle seemes to call none the old Testament but that which was giuen in the Mount Sinai It appeares fourthly by the other writings where saint AVGVSTINE speakes of the Machabees as when he saith in the eighteenth Booke of the cittie of God Amongst the volumes seuered from this ranke are the bookes of the Machabees which not the Jewes but the Church hold for Canonicall And in the second booke against the Epistle of Gaudentius the Donatist The scripture intituled from the Machabes the Jewes doe not hold as the lawe the Prophetts and the Psalmes which our
Lord alleadgeth for his testimonie c. But it hath bene receiued by the Church not vnprofitable if it be read or heard soberlie In which passage that saint AVGVSTINE saith that the Iewes hold not the Scripture of the Machabees in the same ranke as the Lawe the Psalmes and the Prophets is not to weaken the authoritie of the Scripture of the Machabees for the Jewes doe no more hold the booke of Wisdome in the same degree of the Lawe the Psalmes and the Prophets and our Lord hath noe more alleadged it amongst the Testimonies then that of the Machabees And neuerthelesse S. AVGVSTINE saith The booke of WISDOME hath merited after so long a continuance of yeares to be read in the Church of Christ by the Readers of the Church of Christ and to be heard by all Christians euen from the Bishops to the lowest laymen faithfull penitents and catechumens with the reuerence of diuine authoritie And againe All the Doctors neere the tyme of the Apostles making vse of the testimonie of the Bookes of WISDOME haue beleeued that they made vse of none but a diuine Testimonie but the reason why saint AVGVSTINE said that the Jewes held not the Scripure of the Machaebees in the ranke of the lawe the Prophetts and the Psalmes was to shew the Donatists who were seperated from the Church and yet made vse of her owne weapons to oppose her that this Scripture hauing bene receiued into the Canon not by the Jewes but by the Church they could not imploy it against the sence and Doctrine of the Church And that he adds that it was receiued by the Church not vnprofitablie prouided it be read soberly it is not to the end to diminishe the credit which ought to be giuen to it but to represse the furious consequences that the Donatists inferred vpon it and signifies no other thing but prouided it be read with setled sences and not with madnesse and frensie as the Donatists read it who tooke occasion from the example of Sampson in the history of the Judges and from the example of Razias in the historie of the Machabees whose zeale and not his act is commended to kill and precipitate themselues which he confirmes a while after in these words Wee ought not then to approue by our consent all things which wee reade in the Scriptures to haue bene done by men euen adorned with prayses by Gods owne testimonie but to mingle our consideration with discretion bringing with vs iudgment not of our authoritie but of the authoritie of the holie and diuine Scriptures which permitt not vs to praise or imitate all the actions euen of those of whom the Scripture giues good and glorious testimonie if they haue done anie thing that hath not bene well done or that agreeth not with the custome of the present time It appeares sifthly by the Catalogue of the Canonicall bookes that Pope Innocēt the first tyme fellowe with S. AVSTINE sēt to Exuperius Bishop of Tholosa where the two Bookes of the Machabees are expressely contained For whereas Pope Gelasius in renewing the decree of the Canonicall bookes makes vse of the history of the Machabees but for one only booke it is because he speakes according to the Stile of S AMBROSE who reckons the first and second of the Machabees for one and the same Booke And whereas saint GREGORIE the great in his commentary vpon Iob compounded neere two hundred yeares after the Canon of the African Fathers cyting the Bookes of the Machabees adds although not canonicall yet written for the edification of the Church that is because the first draught of this comentary was made in the East For saint 〈◊〉 was not yet Pope when he first composed the comentarie vp on Job but a simple deacon exercising the 〈◊〉 of Nuntio at Constantinople amongst the Greekes For this occasion then speaking in the East of the Bookes of the Machabees he added in the forme of a case put and not granted If not canonicall yet written for the edification of the Church that is to 〈◊〉 the which if they were not canonicall neuertheles had bene writtē for the edification of the Church It appeares finally by the very continuance of the African canon inserted into the Greeke Rapsody which is Wee haue learnt from our Fathers that those are the bookes that ought to bee read 〈◊〉 the Church For not only all the ancient African Church but also all the ancient Westerne Church had holden from age to age the Bookes of the Machabees to be canonicall as it appeares in regard of the ancient 〈◊〉 church by the testimonie of saint Cyprian who calls the Machabees 〈◊〉 scriptures and in regard of the other partes of the westerne church by the testimonie of saint AMBROSE who cryes out Moyses saith as it is written in the bookes of the Machabees And by that of the great defender of the Catholick Faith Lucifer Bishop of 〈◊〉 who writt to the emperor 〈◊〉 The holie scripture speakes in the first booke of the 〈◊〉 And by an infinite number of others whose names I will not 〈◊〉 particularly to report Only I will saie in generall that there was 〈◊〉 anie latine Author which tooke liberty to remoue the authoritie of the Booke of the Machabees before saint HIEROME and Ruffinus 〈◊〉 him while he was his disciple Whereupon there are three 〈◊〉 to be made The first obseruation is that as saint HIEROME before the perfect maturitie of is studies for afterward he changed his opinion ecclipsed from the canon of the old testament the historie of the Machabees so did he also shake in the canon of the new testament the epistle to the 〈◊〉 The latine custome saith hee receiues not the Epistle 〈◊〉 Hebrewes amongst the canonicall scriptures And againe If anie one will 〈◊〉 the Epistle which vnder Paules name hath bene written to the Hebrewes And 〈◊〉 where Paule in his Epistle which is written to the Hebrewes though 〈◊〉 of the latines doubt of it By which meanes if the authoritie of saint HIEROME not yet fullie instructed in the sence of the Church be 〈◊〉 for the exclusion of one of these pieces it is also auaileable for the 〈◊〉 of the other The second obseruation is that saint HIEROME 〈◊〉 induced to remoue this stone by the commerce that he had with 〈◊〉 Iewes of Palestina amongst whom hee inhabited and from whom he 〈◊〉 the Hebrew letters For Istdore Bishop of Seuilla who writt a 〈◊〉 yeares agoe reportes that the Iewes in hate of our Lord reiected 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Booke of Wisedome The Hebrewes said Isidore as some of 〈◊〉 sages haue noted it receiued the Booke of Wisdome amongst the canonicall 〈◊〉 but after they had taken Christ and putt him to deach remembring that 〈◊〉 were in the same Booke so manie euident testimonies of Christ c. they made 〈◊〉 together and least ours should conuince them of so manifest a 〈◊〉 they
cutt it of frō the propheticall volumes and prohibited theirs from reading Now the Jewes could haue no faire colour to cutt of the Booke of 〈◊〉 from the rolle of the Canonicall Bookes but because it was not in 〈◊〉 Canon of Esdras a thing which likewise obliged them to cutt of all 〈◊〉 other Posthume bookes from the old restament so call I all the 〈◊〉 of the olde Testament which had bene writtē or published since 〈◊〉 of Esdras and after the death of Esdras as Ecclesiasticus the 〈◊〉 of Tobias the Booke of Iudith and the two Bookes of Machabees 〈◊〉 these causes then saint HIEROME tying himselfe to the catalogue of the Iewes vpon whose text and with whose helpe and particularly of a certaine Rabbin called Barabanus or Barhanina whom Ruffinus by way of reproch calls Barrabas he had made the translation of his Bible not only excludes in his prologue vpon the booke of Kings that he intitles the armed prologue and in his prologue vpon the Prouerbs all the whole bookes which were not in the canon of Esdras as were Wisedome Ecclesiacticus Tobias Iudith and the Machabees but also in his prologue vpon Daniell reiects all the partes of the canonicall Bookes not comprehended in the text of the Hebrowes as were the Canticle of the three Children and the historie of Susanna and that of Bel. The Booke of Daniell saith he amongst the Hebrewes containes neiter the history of Susanna nor the Himne of the three Children nor the fables of the Dragon of 〈◊〉 which neuerthelesse because they are spread ouer all the world we haue annexed thereto but after hauing marked them with an obeliske which precedes them and cutts their throate From whence it is that Ruffinus being growne his enemie reprocheth him thus All those then that supposed Susanna had furnished all married and vnmarried woemen with an example of Chastitie haue erred it is not true all those that conceaued that Daniel yet a child had bene fulfilled with the Spirit of God and had 〈◊〉 the adulterous Elders haue erred it is not true And the whole Church throughout the extent of the world as well as those that are still vpon the Earth as of those that are before our Lord be they holy coufessors be they holy Martyrs who haue sung in the Church of our Lord the Hymne of the thre Children haue all erred and sunge false things Now then after foure hundred yeares doth the truth of the Lawe bought with Siluer Soe he saith because saint HIEROM had giuen money to the Iewes to be helped by them in the edition of this Bible come to vs from the Synagogue And the third obseruation finally is that saint HIEROME being afterward more exactly instructed in the truth of the sence of the Church changed his opinion and retracted both in generall and particular all that he had written in these three prologues For in his Apologie against Ruffinus answering to his reproach about the historie of Susanna and of the Dragon of Bel and of the canticle of the three Children he saith Whereas I haue reported what the Hebrewes vsed to obiect against the historie of Susanna and the Hymne of the three Children and the fables of the Dragon of Bell which are not in the Hebrew volume c. I haue not explicated what I thought but what the Iewes were accustomed to saie against vs. And in his preface vpon the booke of Tobias The Hebrewes saith hee cutt of the booke of Toby from the Catalogue of the diuine Scriptures And againe The ie alousie of the Hebrewes doth accuse vs and imputes it to vs that against their Canon we transferr the booke of Toby into the latine eares but I iudge that it is better to displease the iudgement of the Pharises and to obay the commaundements of the Bishops And in the exposition vpon the fortie fourth Psalme Ruth Hester and Iudith haue bene so glorious as they haue giuen their names into the sacred volumes And in his preface vpon the historie of Indith The booke of Iudith said hee is read by the Hebrewes amongst the Hagiographs whose authoritie is esteemed lesse sufficient to decide contentious things c. but for as much as the Councell of Nicea is read to haue reckoned it amongst the holy Scriptures I haue obeyed your demaund Words which plainly retract what he had said in his Prologue vpon the Prouerbs As then the Church reads Iudith and Toby and the Machabees but receaues them not amongst the canonicall Bookes so may she reade Wisedome and Ecclesiasticus for the edification of the people but not for the confirmation of Ecclesiasticall Doctrines And which cannot be auoided by answering that the word holy Scriptures doth not there signifie Canonicall for the opposition that he makes of the Councell of Nicea to the Iewes which esteemed the Booke of Iudith amongst the Hagiograph bookes whose authoritie is reputed lesse sufficient to diuide contentious things stopps the mouth of that delusion And finallie in his commentarie vpon the Prophet Esay compounded long after the prologue armed he setts the historie of the Machabees amōgst the canonicall Bookes The Scripture saith he reportes that Alexāder king of the Macedonians came out from the land of Cethim Which some Latins that followed being ignorant of it befell that they were seperated from the common voyce of the westerne Church For although the greater part of the later Latine Doctors as Alcimus Bellator 〈◊〉 Isidorus haue followed the catalogue of S. AVS of the third Councell of Carthage and sett the historie of the Machabees amongst the canonicall Bookes yea that some of them as Bellator who liued in the tyme of the Emperor Iustinian the first haue illustrated it with cōmentaries neuerthelesse some others not knowing that S. HIEROME had chāged his opinion haue tyed themselues to that of S. HIEROME But in summe whatsoeuer the later Latine doctors haue done it is certaine that in the Latine Church neuer anie before S. HIEROME had remoued the authoritie of the six posthume bookes of the old Testamēt For whereas S. HILARIE in his commentary vpon the Psalmes cōposed or rather as S. HIEROME saith translated by him out of Origene whilst he was in the East writes that the nūber of the canonicall bookes of the old Testamēt is reduced according to the tradition of the Elders either to the number of the twétie two letters of the Hebrew alphabet or by the additiō of the Bookes of Iudith of Tobias to the nūber of twentie foure letters of the Greeke Alphabet besides that these markes are not the notes of S. HILARY but the notes of Origene in his cōmentary vpō the first psalme that S. HILARY hath transcribed in part into his prologue vpon the psalmes Hee meanes by the traditiō of the Elders not the traditiō of the Church but the traditions of the Iewes whereof some to wit
Christians wherein they were contained from whence it appeares that from the lesser of these computations nothing can be inferred against the larger To proue it so when Origen in his cōmentary vpon the psalmes speakes of the Scriptures of the old Testament he followes the canon of Esdras and the nūber of the twentie two Hebrew letters wherin neither Tobias nor Iudith nor that of Wisedome had anie place Yon must not be ignorāt said hee that the bookes of the Testament according to the tradition of the Hebrewes are 22. according to the number of their letters And whē he speakes in his cōmentary vpō the book of Nūbers of the volumes of the Scripture he followes the accessory cōputatiō of the christians the appēdix of the posthumall bookes sets downe the 〈◊〉 of Iudith Tobie that of Wisedome amongst the canonicall Bookes When there is presented saith hee to those that are newly Schollers in diuine Studies anie reading of the diuine volumes in which there is nothing that seemes obscure as the booke of Hester or of Iudith or of Tobie or the precepts of wisedome they receiue it willinglie but if the booke of Leuiticus be read to them their spirit is presentlie dulled And in the same place of the cōmentary vpon the psalmes where he reckons the Canonicall Bookes of the old Testament according to the cōputation of the Hebrewes and the number of the Hebrew letters hee adds out of this ranke are the bookes of the Machabees which the Hebrewes call Sarbit Sarbaneell that is to saie the Scepter of the Prince of the childrē of God By which wordes he intēdes not to saie that they are not of the ranke of the canonicall Bookes of the old Testament for then wherefore hauing purposed to speake of the Canonicall Bookes should he mentiō the Machabees but that they were not in the ranke of the canonicall bookes inserted in the canon of Esdras Likewise when S. EPIPHANIVS in the Booke of the Hebrew weights measure in the confutatiō of the Sect of Epicurus speaks of the canonicalll Bookes of the old Testamēt he followes the catalogue of Esdras the cabbale or tradition of the twentie two Hebrew letters and saith that the Bookes of Wisedome Ecclesiasticus were not of this nūber The Wisdome of Salomon and that of Iesusthe sonne of Syrach are vsefull and profitable but are not sett downe amongst the bookes enrolled that is to saie enrolled by Esdras And for that cause they are not placed in the Aron that is to saie in the Arke of the testimonie for so it must be read not neither in the Aron nor in the Arke as it is read at this daie by the ignorance of the booke writers interpreters who of the word Aron which in hebrew signifies Arke haue made Aaron brother of Moyses And when he disputeth against Aetius head of the heresie of the Anomeans he follloweth the accessory cōputation of the Church setts both those amongst the diuine and Canonicall Scriptures You must saith hee turne ouer the twentie seauen bookes of the olde Testament that the hebrewes reckon twentie two and the four Ghospells and the fourteen epistles of the Apostles S. PAVL and the Acts of 〈◊〉 Apostles made before and during the same time and the Catholick Epistles of Iames Peter Iohn and Iude and the 〈◊〉 of John and the two Wisdomes that is to saie that of Salomon and that of the Sonne of Syrach and in summe all the diuine Scriptures And finallie the fourth and last aduertisment shall bee that there is not one of all the Greeke canons wherein the Machabees are past ouer in silēce except those that follow the double computation whereof wee now speake which is not according to the verie iudgment of Geneua imperfect omitts those Bookès the Caluinists théselues confesse to be canonicall And to proue it so in the canon of Melito the booke of Hester is omitted in the canon of S. CYRILL of Hierusalem in the canō of the coūcell of Laodicea the Apocalips is forgoten in the Synopsis falsely imputed to S. ATHANAS the booke of Hester is cutt of in the canon laid to S. GREGORIE of Naziazenes charge I say laid to his charge because this canon leaues out Wisedome which S. GREG. of Nazianzene in his true writings cites as canonicall the Booke of Hester and that of the Apocalips are excluded In the catalogue attributed to Amphilochius the booke of Hester and the Apocalips are called in question In the catalogue of Iosephus an author that was an Hebrew by nation but whose Bookes are written in Greeke the booke of Job is omitted principallie according to their computation that will haue Job to haue been before Moyses as Origen amōgst the old Christians Mercerus the Caluinist amōgst the moderne Raby Moyses Kimhi amongst the Iewes And in all the Iudaicall antiquities of the same Josephus there is no mētion made of Iobs history By meanes whereof nothing can be concluded from the silence of those imperfect rolls against the volumes by thē omitted And indeede notwithstanding this catalogue Josephus leaues not of if wee giue creditt to the Greeke text of the worke against Appion to alleadge the booke of Ecclesiasticus for one of the pieces of the Jewish lawe when he writes The lawe saith that the woeman is in all things worse then man and that a mans iniquitie is better thē the good worke of a woeman Nor to insert a great parte of the history of the Machabes into his treatie of the dominion of reason ouer the senses yea with the title of a sacred Booke if wee beleeue the finall clause of the worke which is defectiue in the Greeke text but is in the anciēt latine translation acknowledged publisht by Erasmus For whereas the same Iosephus distinguisheth betweene the bookes written before Artaxerxes when the Prophets flourished in the Jewish Church the Bookes writté since so farr of is he frō excluding heereby the bookes of the Machabes frō the nūber of the bookes writtē by the Prophets that cōtrary wise in noting that the bookes written since Artaxerxes are not reputed so worthie of credit as the former because the successiō of the Prophets hath not bene exact he shewes that they were beleeued to haue bene writtē by the Prophets but with a beleefe lesse assured mingled with some vncertaintie Since Artaxerxes saith he euē to our tyme other things hane bene writtē but they are not esteemed worthie of the same credit as the former becanse the Succession of the Prophets hath not bene exact Now this vncertaintie S. IOHN S. PAVL seeme to take awaie S. IOHN whē he reportes that our Lord assisted at the feast of the dedication of winter whose institutiō is described in the only collection of the Machabees for the historie of the dedication of winter was a thing necessary to Saluatiō
since without this dedicatiō the ordinarie Sacrifices of the Lawe could not be lawful by cōsequēce according to our aduersaries had neede of the testimony of a canonicall Scripture and S. PAVL when he cites in the Epistle to the Hebrewes the historie of the tympanized Martyrs and that not in matters of things knowne by naturall light as when he alleadgeth Aratus or in manners as when he alleadgeth Menander or Epimenides but in matter of faith and to verifie these two theologicall propositions that faith is the proofe of things not apparant and by faith the Saints haue Conquerd Kingdomes and wrought Iustice. For the historie and the word it self of tympanized Martirs S. PAVL takes it from the second Booke of the. Machabees as Theodoret hath noted and after him the Ministers of Geneua who in their annotations vpon the Epistle to the Hebrewes haue quoted in the Margent of this verse the sixth Chapter of the second of the Machabees I know well that the Caluinists doe shake the Authoritie of the two Bookes principallie of the second they obiect fiue things first that the author excuseth the lownesse of his stile the secōd that it is not an originall historie but the extract epitomy of a more large history the third that the primitiue author was called Iason which is a pagan and prophane name the forth that he was a Cyrenian and not a Jewe the fifth that this historie containes manie contrarieties both to itselfe and to prophane histories But there is none of these obiections but brings his solution with him for to the first oppositiō which is in behalfe of the excuse of the stile wee answere that S. PAVL doth yet excuse himselfe in more expresse termes for the stile of his Epistles whē he saith Though I be ignorant as concerning words yet I am not so in knowledge To the second opposition which is in behalfe of the qualitie of the historie which is the abridgment of a larger history wee answere that the historie of Kings and that of Chronicles are also of other larger histories of the Kings of Israel and Iuda and that to make a history Canonicall it is not necessary that the holy Ghost should immediatly indite all the matter of the Narration but it sufficeth that he so assist it that in the composition of the ingredients of the history there be noe falshood mingled with it To the third opposition which is cōcerning the name of Iason one of the authors of the originall history which they will haue to bee a prophane name wee answere that the name Jesus in hebrewe and the name Iason in greeke the one deriued from the hebrewe word Iesa which signifies saluation and the other from the the Greeke word Iasis which signifies healing is one selfe-same From whence it came that the priest Iesus brother of Onias was called Jesus amongst the Hebrewes and Iason amongst the Greekes as Onias his brother was called Onias or Oniā amōgst the hebrewes which signifies the strēgth of the people and Menelaus amongst the Greekes that since Iason sonne of Eleazar and manie other Iewes bore the same name To the fourth oppositiō which concernes the coūtrie of this Iason who is surnamed Iason the Cyrenean we answere that Cyrene was a prouince and peopled with Iewes frō whence it is that the Ghospell calls him that did helpe to carry the crosse of our Lord Symon the Cyrenean and that S. LVKE calls one of the Synagogues of Ierusalem the Synagogue of the Cyreneans And finally to the fifth and last opposition which is concerning the pretended repugancie of this history either against itselfe or against prophane histories we answere that if this gate should be once opened there were noe Canonicall booke whose authoritie might not be called in question For who knowes not that it is a thousand times more difficult to reconcile either the historie of the Chronicles which saith that Elias writ to Ioram king of Iuda with the historie of the Kings which saith that Elias had bene taken vp out of the world eight yeare before the raigne of the same Ioram King of Iuda or saint MATTHEW who writes that Ioram King of Iuda begat Ozias and reckons from Dauid to Ozias fourteen Generations with the history of the Kings the Chronicles which tetestifie that Ioram was the Grandfather of the Grandfather to Ozias and let ts downe from Dauid to Ozias seauenteen Generations or the historie of the Acts which computes the death of Theodas to be vnder the Empire of Tiberius with Iosephus an author of that countrie and tymel who reckons it vnder the Empire of Claudius then to reconcile all the seeming repugnancies which are in the historie of the Machabees either against itselfe or against prophane histories And if it shoud be lesse who sees not that it belongs not as hath bene already said to the matter now in agitation For the question that is in dispute in the matter of the collection intituled the sixth Councell of Carthage is not whether the bookes of the Machabees are in their ground Canonicall or not not whether the other partes of the Church haue reputed them canonicall or not Canonicall but whether the African Church hath holden them for such and whether the Greeke interpreters in ecclipsing them from the canon of the African Church haue done falsely or not Now wee proue that they haue done so both by the Catalogue of the third Councell of Carthage and by that of saint AVGVSTINE and by a thousand other authenticall testimonies and consequently that the latine edition of the African canons is of better creditt then the Greeke Rapsody which is that wee haue obliged our selues to proue Of the difficultie touching the epistles that are at the end of the African Councell CHAPT IX THERE remaines one last difficultie which is represented vpon the matter of the Councells of Africa touching the Epistles annexed to the end of the century of the African Canons to witt whether the latine text of these Epistles which wee haue at this daie in our Libraries haue bene translated from the Greeke translation and added to the collection of Dionisius the ancient latine originall being lost or whether the ancient latine text being come to our hands it haue bene corrupted by the Schismatickes of West the whether it were in the tyme that the Church of Aquilea and that of Grada were in Schisme and that the Popes held for the Church of Grada and the Lumbards for the Church of Aquilea or whether it were afterwards For that it hath bene familiar with the Schismatickes of the West to abuse these Epistles to the fomenting their rebellions it appeares by the mocke-Councell of Rheims holden for the cause of Arnulphus Bishop of Orleans where the principall piece that the Schismatickes made vse of was the Epistle of the
Councell of Sardica Nessus Gratus Magesius Coldeus Rogatianus Consortius Raphinus Manninus Cecilianus Erennianus Marianus Ualerius Dinamius Nyronius Iustus Celestine Cypryan Uictor Honor at Marinus Pantagathus Felix Baudeus Liber Capiton Minersall Cosmus 〈◊〉 Hesperion Felix Seuerian Optantius Hesper Fidetius Salustus Paschasius And Osius speaking to the Councell of Sardica Manie Bishops make a custome of trauailing to the court and principallie the Africans that as we haue vnderstood by our welbeloued brother and Colleague Gratus receiue not wholsome Councells And Gratus himself citing in the first Councell of Carthage cōcerning the credit whereof we are all agreed and which is alleadged by 〈◊〉 Archdeacon of Carthage one of the Canons of the Councell of Sardica I remēber said hee that in the most holie Councell of Sardica it was 〈◊〉 that none should vsurpe a man of another diocesse for his Clerke By meanes whereof not only the Councell of Sardica was of more authority then the Councell of Africke as Zonarus himselfe acknowledgeth when he saith speaking of the intituling of the Archbishopps The Councel of Chalcedon agreed rather to the Canon of the Councell of Sardica then to that of the Councell of Africa but also in regard of discipline was more strong and obligatorie in respect of the Africans then the Councell of Nicea Now it happened as we haue alreadie touched aboue that when the Pope sent this Rule to the Africans the Canons of the Councell of Sardica were no more to bee found in the African Prouinces for the 〈◊〉 had soe wrought by craft as they had suppressed and banished out of Africa all the true Actes of the Councell of Sardica that had bene brought thither in the time of Gratus and of the first Councell of 〈◊〉 and had supposed and slipt into their steede the actes of the Anticouncelle of Sardica that is to saie the acts of the false Councell holden by the Arrians at Philopolis neere Sardica vnder the title of the Councell of Sardica because that in the Epistle of this false Councell the 〈◊〉 made mention of Donatus Bishop of the Donatists of Carthage This appeares by conferring the places of S. AVGVSTINE with the rest of 〈◊〉 For S. AVGVST testifies that the Actes of the Councell of 〈◊〉 which were in his time currant in Africa were the acts of the 〈◊〉 Councell which had condēned S. ATHANASIVS the Councell of Nicea He offerd me said S. AVGVSTINE speaking of Fortunius the donatist a certaine Booke where he would shew me that the Councell of Sardica had written to the African Bishops of the commnnion of Donatus And a little after Then hauing taken the Booke and considering the statutes of the same Councell I found that Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria c. and lulius Bishop of the Roman Church no lesse Catholicke had bene condemned by this Councell of Sardica whereby I was assured that it had bene a Councell of Arrians And in the third Booke against Cresconius the Donatist who had alleadged the same Councell of Sardica The Councell of Sardica saith hee was a Councell of Arrians as the copies that we haue in our hands doe manifest principallie holden against Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria a Catholike And all antiquitie contrariwise teacheth vs that the true Councell of Sardica had confirmed the Councell of Nicea and iustified S. ATHANASIVS and was a most holy and most Catholicke Councell The holy Synod of Sardica saith S. ATHANASIVS who assisted there in person compounded of aboue thirtie fiue Prouinces receiued vs in our iustifieable proceedings And a little after They declared Athanasius and those that were with him pure and free from all crime and their aduersaries slaunderers and wicked persons And elsewhere In the great Councell of Sardica our aduersaries were deposed as slanderers and more then three hundred Bishops subscribed to our iustification And againe The holie councell assembled at Sardica decreed that therein nothing of faith should be concluded but that they should content them selues with the confession of the councell of Nicea And Gratus Archbishop of Carthage who was also there in person I remember said hee that in the most holy councell of Sardica it was decreed that none should vsurpe a Clerke of an other diocesse And the Epistle of the same Councell of Sardica We haue declared our deare brethren and fellow-ministers Athanasius Marcellus Asclepas and others their adiuncts in the seruice of God innocent and blamelesse And Socrates The Bishops assembled at Sardica condemned before all things the desertion of those of Philopolis and then deposed the accusers of Athanasius and confirmed the decrees of the Coūcell of Nicea Sozomene They answered that they would not separate themselues from the Communion of Athanasius and Paul and principallie Iulius Bishop of Rome hauing examined their cause and not hauing condemned them and the Councell of Chalcedon The father 's assembled at Sardica combated against the Relicks of Arrius A manifest proofe that the Africans in the tyme of S. AVGVSTINE and of the sixth Councell of Carthage had no other but the Actes of the false Councell of Sardica holden by the Arrians at Philopolis neere Sardica which had condemned S. ATHANASIVS and ouerthrowne the coūcell of Nicea and not those of the true councell of Sardica wich had iustified S. ATHANASIVS and cōfirmed the councell of Nicea But let vs returne to our history The Bishops of Africa then finding neither of these Canons in the copies of the councell of Nicea and not being able to finde them in those of the councell of Sardica because they had them not they stretched out vpon the occasion of the question of the priests for which at the beginning the conclusion was moued euen to Bishops and seeing that the title vpon which that was groūded which had vntill then bene obserued by custome concerning Bishops Appeales did no more appeare then that of Priestes tooke their tyme and opportunitie to complaine of the progresse of this custome and of the greeuances that the Appeales aswell of the one as of ther other that is to say as well of the Bishops as of the priests brought vpon them not by the fault of the appeales but by the malice of men which is such as the gate cannot be opened for Appeales but there wil happen great euills in the frequent executions of this remedie as the cōtempt of the first Iudges the delaie and prolonging of iustice the cost and vexation of the parties the incommoditie of the transportation of witnesses of all sexes and all ages nor wholly shut it vp from them least worse may come of it And therefore they writt to Pope Sozimus whom their letters found already dead and after to 〈◊〉 his successor an Epistle by which after they had remonstrated to him the troubles that the past examples of appeales had brought vpon them and had represented to him that they had not
himselfe confest in these wordes The Apostles saith hee in truth haue prescribed nothing of this but this Custome ought to be beleeued to haue taken originall from their tradition as there are manie things that the vniuersall Church obserueth which art with good reason beleeued to haue bene giuen by the Apostles although they be not in writing Was this to pretend to seperate themselues from the Church out of iollitie of hart and without anie cause and neither to blame the faith nor discipline of the Church Of the authoritie of the rest of the Christian people which denied to the Church the title of Catholick Chapt. XXXII The continuance of the Kings Answere THE English haue separated themselues by a cruell necessitie from that Church that infinite Christian people that I may speake as modestly as I possiblie can doe not 〈◊〉 to be the true vniuersall Church THE REPLIE THat the English Church hath bene iustly forced by a cruell necessitie to depart from the Catholicke Church wherein alone the stocke of vnitie doth reside as our very aduersaries dare not saie that the bodie of Catholicke vnitie was to be found in anie other Societie when the English nation deuided themselues from her saint AGVSTINE will not avow who saith that there is no iust necessitie to deuide vnitie And lesse S. DIONISIVS of Alexandria who was much antienter then saint AVGVSTINE who writes Thou oughtest rather to suffer all kinds of death then to deuide the Church of Christ. For whereas his maiestie adds that an infinite number of Christian people doe not grant her to bee the true vniuersall Catholicke Church if these people can shew that there was an other to whom this title belonged when Luther came into the world wee will confesse her not to be soe but if it be not in their power not only to shewe but to faine an other then this must be shee For the Catholicke Church is perpetuall and their contradiction that are departed from her can not raise anie doubt of her title more then the contradiction of the antient Arrians and other hereticks could cause the antient Catholicke Church to loose this title For in that only that they haue departed from her and cannot shew that she hath departed from anie of all the other Societies which are in being they testifie that she only is the true Catholicke Church that is to saie the true stocke and originall roote of the Church from whom all others by their Schismes and diuisions are departed and gone forth Of the testimonies of our writers CHAP. XXXIII The continuance of the King answere AND that maniē of your writers themselues haue a longe while agoe ingeniousliē confessed to haue much varied from the antient in the dogm'as and in the forme of discipline and to haue patched and tacked together manie new thinges to the old manie euill thinges to the good THE REPLIE THOSE writers haue bene such as I haue aboue described as Erasmus Cassander and others who partly in presumption and partlie in ignorance of antiquitie and partlie to gratifie those Princes in whose fauour they haue taken penn in hand haue written thinges which would confound their faces if they were to maintaine them before anie that were versed of purpose in the studie of Antiquitie Of the begging of the principle contained in this hypothesis CHAPT XXXIV The continuance of the Kings answere WHICH is alreadie so knowne to all the world as it is noe longer in thé power of anie to denie it or to be ignorant of it THE REPLIE THIS is to take for a principle of disputation that which is the subiect of the controuersie for not only all Catholickes but also all the Christian Societies in the world more antient then the authors of this diuision and who haue noe interest neither for the one part nor for the other and if they had anie would haue it rather against the Church from which they are separated then for her doe maintaine that all the principall pointes that the pretended reformers calumniate in the Roman Church are of the true faith and of the true discipline of the antient Catholicke Church Of the temporall causes of the separation of England CHAP. XXXV The Continuance of the Kings Answere ADD to this that the Church of England had found the yoake of the Roman Bondage so hard vpō her for some ages past being incrediblie tormented frō daie to day with new vexations oppressions and vnheard of exactions as 〈◊〉 only cause before iust iudges may seeme to be able to free her from suspition of Schisme and as S. AVGVSTINE saith speaking of the Donatists wicked dismembring For sur ely the English haue not separarated themselues for iollitie of heart from brotherly charitie as the 〈◊〉 did THE REPLIE IF it may please your maiestie to call againe to memorie the historie of the Schisme of England you will finde that all those thinges which were alleadged for pretence of the Churches diuision haue noe waie bene the cause thereof contrariwlse that the English Church was more flourishing when this separation happened and the King of England and his clergie more affectionate to maintaine the Faith and communion of the Roman Church then euer they had bene before as appeares by the Booke that he made in defence of the Church against Luther the originall whereof he sent to Rome with these verses such as they are addressed to Pape Leo written with his owne hand Harrie the English King at once doth recommend This worke Leo to thee which publick proofe shall lend To shew which way his faith and friendship both doe bend But that it was the amorous passion of that King who to satisfie the appetite which transported him would cause a iust mariage to be broken and marrie her that he loued his first lawfull wife and by whom he had issue being yet liuing to which the Pope conceaued that he could not with a safe conscience giue consent This was the true and onely cause of all this Iliad of euills From hence gusht all these teares Of the comparison of the English Church with the Iudaicall CHAP. XXXVI The continuance of the Kings answere NOT for feare of the 〈◊〉 which was eminent but did not yet presse them like the tenn tribes of the people of the Iewes but after hauing suffered manie ages after the 〈◊〉 of vnspeakable greeuances they haue finallie shaken from their shoulders that insupportable burthen which neither their strength was longer able to beare nor would their conscience permitt them to doe it THE REPLIE HERE I might content myself with saying that what was ordained and approued by God in the separation of the ten tribes of Israell from the Kingdome of Iuda was the only di uision of State and not that of Religion For God as saint AVGFSTINE saith commaunds neither Schisme nor heresie And by consequence what pretence soeuer is added of present and not future euill there can be noe consequence