those of Plato 7. That the History of the Hebrews is confirmed by the Testimony of several Heathen Historians 8thly That the Graecians took their Philosophy from the Barbarians especially from the Jews to whom Plato and the Platonicks owe what they said concerning their Three Principles and several other Doctrines which the Greeks admired 9thly That the Philosophers had an infinite number of different Opinions which may easily be confuted the one by the other as it appears by Eusebius his Essay towards it One may see by this whole Work that he was very well vers'd in Heathen Authors and had taken care in his Study to collect whatever might be of use to prove or confirm the Christian Religion by the Testimony of Philosophers It affords several Fragments of Authors who are lost as Sanchoniathon and several Platonicks out of whom he cites some long Passages 3. The Evangelical Demonstration which contain'd Twenty Books is now reduced to Ten. The Author explains in it the Old Jewish Religion and undertakes to prove by the Prophets the Truth of the Christian Religion But he grounds all his Arguments upon some Mystical or Allegorical Explications of some Places of the Old Testament without being able to prove against those who would have denied it that they ought to be understood so He lends if I may so say his Principles to the Prophets and then fixes to their Terms the Idea's he had of them by virtue of those Principles Thus Book 5. chap. 1. where he explains at large the famous Passage of Solomon concerning Wisdom God hath begotten me before the Mountains he finds in the word to Beget all the Subtilties which the Arians used after the Council of Nice to explain it according to their Mind without openly shocking the Orthodox 4. The Ten Books of the Ecclesiastical History came out after the preceding which are cited in them It begins with Christ and ends in the Year 324 before the Council of Nice met One may complain of Eusebius because he hath incerted several Fables in it as that of Agbarus c. and committed several Faults in Chronology of which I have already said something But one ought to forgive him those Faults because he is the first who hath composed any Work concerning the Christian History for he hath preserved a great number of Fragments of ancient Authors whom we have lost and related their Opinions faithfully enough Besides 't is he chiefly who can give us some light concerning the Canon of the Books of the New Testament He dedicated that Book to Paulinus Bishop of Tyre who hath been rank't among the Prelates who favoured Arius The neatest Greek Edition we have of this Work is that of Robert Stephen in 1544 and the best Translation is that of Valesius which was printed together with the Greek in Columns at Paris and Francfort Yet the Translation of that learned Man is not without Faults I am persuaded that the greatest part of them come from meer Inadvertency but it cannot be doubted that some arise from his understanding the Terms of the Antients according to the Modern Notions as when he renders the words of Alexander Bishop of Alexandria which I before mention'd Duas Personam Vnam esse c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 One cannot alledge any place wherein the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what we call now-a-days Persona in Divinis but by supposing that the Antients ought to think as we do and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can signifie only Two Natures in Existence that is which do not differ in Kind as a Man and a Horse but only in Existence or Number as Two Men. This Lucas Holstenius observed in a Discourse which Valesius himself caused to be printed at the end of * Pag. 199 Theodoret Evagrius c. wherein he says that this Place must needs be corrupted either by some Hereticks or Transcribers because he knew not how to reconcile it with the Orthodox Opinions 5. Of the Martyrs of Palestine This Book is to be found next to the Eighth of the Ecclesiastical History 6. The Book against Hierocles was writ against a Judge of Nicomedia who * Vid. Lactant Instit l. 5. c. 2 3 4. in the time of Dioclesian's Persecution had composed two Books entitled Philalethes wherein he compared Jesus Christ to Apollonius Thyaneus Eusebius hath shewed the absurdity of that Comparison by a short Critick of the Eight Books of the Life of that Philosopher written by Philostratus This Hierocles must be distinguish'd from a Philosopher of the same Name who lived almost a hundred years after and wrote a fine Commentary upon the Golden Verses of Pythagoras 7. I have already spoken of Eusebius his Books against Marcellus and of the Ecclesiastical Theology I shall only add here two things The first is that R. M. which are seen in the Title signifie Richard Montagu Bishop of Chichester who first publish'd them The second is of greater moment viz. that Eusebius wrote 'em in anger and not only gives his Adversary no quarter but besides Disputes with him about things that are clear and which himself had proved elsewhere * L. 1. c. 4. Marcellus said That if we ought to tell the truth about Origen it must be acknowledged that he was but just come from the study of Philosophy when he applied himself to the reading of the Scripture and that before he understood it well he betook himself to write sooner than he ought to do because of his great Learning in the Pagan Sciences from whence it is that Philosophy made him wander and that he had writ some things which are not true For Example says Marcellus having his mind full of Plato's Doctrines and the Difference he teaches between the Principles he wrote his Book Of Principles and entitled it so That Title only was sufficient to make one clearly perceive that he took from Plato the first Words of his Work as as well as the Title for he begins thus Those who have believed and those who have been believed c. words taken out of Plato's Gorgias There is nothing truer than what Marcellus says here and all who have read something of Origen will grant it Yet Eusebius answers him in these extremely morose terms Supposing this were true there was no need of calumniating Origen for it since he immediately after adds that Grace and Truth are by Jesus Christ and that Jesus Christ is that Truth What is there in it that 's common to Plato I never heard that Plato wrote a Book of Principles and Origen hath not taught the same thing as Plato concerning those Principles Origen acknowledged only One Principle without Generation and Beginning and above all things who is the Father of an Only Son by whom all things were made One may plainly see that Eusebius made as if he understood not Marcellus or that Anger hinder'd him from understanding him The Bishop of Ancyra meant only this viz. that Origen had
Angels that were in Love with Women Clemens * Pad l. 3. p. 222. Strom. l. 3. p. 450. l. 5. p. 550. says in more than one place that he thought the same thing and most of the Ancient Greek and Latin Fathers have explained so the Beginning of the Sixth Chapter of Genesis Photius cannot blame that Opinion without censuring at the same time all Antiquity but 't is his Custom to treat ill the most Ancient Authors when he finds in them some Opinions that were not received in his time or some Expressions which he doth not think energick enough to express such Thoughts as in his judgment the Antients should have had because 't would have been an Heresie not to think so in his time 7. The Incarnation being a Mystery which we do not comprehend and Clemens's Style not being for the most part very clear he might have exprest himself so as not to be well understood by Photius which is so much the more easie to believe because that Patriarch commonly explains the Thoughts of the Antients agreeably to the Opinions and Ways of Speaking of his time The Writings of the Antients are full of Equivocal Terms which they use in such a sence as they had no more in the following Ages Terms which signifying Spiritual and Obscure Things and very compounded Idea's must necessarily be difficult to understand because they took no care to Define them and make an exact Enumeration of the Idea's which they fixed to them Perhaps it did not so much as come into their Mind that this was very necessary to be well understood At least One may observe that when they endeavour to explain themselves about those Obscure Matters they use Terms as Obscure as the fore-going 8. One may observe an Example of it concerning the Two Reasons mention'd by Photius Those who will carefully read the Second Tome of Origen upon St. John may observe that he establishes a First or Supreme Reason which is Christ's Divinity and many Inferior Reasons which are made according to the Image of the Precedent It might be said in that sence that None but the Second Reasons became Flesh because none but they animate Humane Bodies for although the First was united to the Humane Nature of Christ it did not supply the Place of a Soul So that although Clemens had said what Photius pretends yet he could not be charged with Heresie upon that account But he did not say so as appears by the Passage which Photius himself quotes out of him The Son is called Reason as well as the Paternal Reason but 't is not that which was made Flesh Nor is it the Paternal Reason neither but a Divine Power which is as it were an Emanation of that same Reason which became Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is come into the Hearts of Men. By those Terms The Son we must not understand the Only Begotten Son of God but the Man as it clearly appears by what follows Clemens perhaps call'd him only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he might have before clearly enough denoted whom he meant by that word Photius who did not well apprehend the Meaning of that Passage might easily mistake the Series of that Discourse As the Jesuite Schottus otherwise a Learned Man was altogether mistaken in the Latin Translation of those Words as one may presently observe by comparing it with mine Lastly We have a Latin Work * In Bibliot Pat. ascribed to Clemens and intituled Commentariola in Primam Canonicam S. Petri in Epistolam Judae Tres Epistolas S. Joannis Apostoli There is indeed several things in those Notes which do not differ from Clemens's Doctrine but we can't know whether they are an entire Translation of part of the Hypotypoles or only some Extracts corrected according to the Interpreter's mind 'T is well known that when the Latins translated some Greek Writings they were very apt to make such Alterations in them as they thought fit as Ruffinus hath been upbraided with it Nay there is no need to look so far for Examples of that ill Custom since we have one with relation to part of Clemens's Hypotyposes of which Cassiodorus speaks thus * Lib. 1. de Just Div. Script Clemens Alexandrinus explained in the Athenian Language the Canonical Epistles that is the First Epistle of St. Peter the First and Second of St. John and that of St. James wherein there is many subtle things but also some unwarily spoken which we have caused to be so translated into Latin as to take away what might give scandal that his Doctrine thus purified might be more safely read Vbi multa quidem subtiliter sed aliqua incautè loquutus est quae nos ita transferri fecimus in Latinum ut exclusis quibusdam offendiculis purificata doctrina ejus securior posset hauriri Clemens also composed Five Tracts which are lost 1. The Rule or Canon of the Church against those that followed the Opinions of the Jews 2. Concerning Easter 3. Concerning III Speaking 4. Some Disputes about Fasting 5. An Exhortation to Patience directed to the Neophytes Having thus made some Particular Remarks upon every one of his Works and some General Ones on that Occasion what remains is only to take notice of Three Things 1. He often cites Suppositious Writings as if they had been acknowledged by every Body as one may observe by that Place of St. Peter's Preaching which I have alledg'd and another of St. Paul which seems to have been taken out of the Book of his Travels upon which Eusebius and St. Jerome may be consulted Which may make one believe that the great Reading of that Learned Man gave him no refined Palate One need not be a great Master of this sort of Learning to perceive that what he cites out of them doth not suit the Style of the Apostles and is not agreeable to their Principles It cannot be doubted but that they believed that the God whom the Jews worshipped was the True God Maker of Heaven and Earth and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ who says so himself Nor can the Jews be charged with having served the Angels the Month and the Moon with any probability and the Reason which the Author of St. Peter's Preaching gives for it is so ridiculous that none but such as will be deceived can be deceived by it 'T is true that some * Huet in Orig. T. 2. p. 212. Learned Men have otherwise explained that Accusation which that Author lays upon them but one may easily see by what follows that he understood it in a more simple manner than they do However that Book being manifestly Supposititious †Ibid. T. 14. in Joan. Origen dealt much more prudently than his Master since being to refute Heracleon a Valentinian who drew some Consequences against the Old Testament from those pretended words of St. Peter he begins with saying That one should enquire whether that Book is truly St. Peter ' s
he put a new sence upon those words since Freedom in his Opinion is only a meer Spotaneity and doth not imply a Power of not doing what one doth The difference therefore that was between St. Augustin and Pelagius in this Matter is that the former believed that since the Fall of Adam Men are so corrupted that they are born with ill Habits which do necessarily encline them to do Evil That if God would encline them to Good he must bestow upon them for every Good Action a Grace which makes 'em unavoidably willing to do Good And further That those to whom he gave not that Grace were Damn'd God by a Wisdom which we do not comprehend being willing that Mankind should be born with an unavoidable Necessity of Offending him and of being afterwards tormented with Everlasting Punishments without freeing from that dismal Necessity but a very small number of Persons upon whom he bestows an Irresistible Grace St. Augustine believed that this was to give God the Glory due to him Pelagius on the contrary believed that God had not permitted that Adam's Sin should cause so great a Disorder in the World that those who descended from him should not be able still to obey or not obey God's Law who gave their Souls the power of avoiding Evil and doing Good so that they were Damned only by their Fault without being bound to Sin and Everlasting Misery by any unavoidable Necessity Having received a Free-Will from God 't was not necessary that God should interpose in every Action * Vsser p. 141. ubi sup To be able to do Good said Pelagius comes from God who gave it to his Creature but to be willing to do Good and to practice Vertue depends on Man The Second Grace which Pelagius acknowledged is the Forgiveness of Past Sins which God grants to those who mend their Lives Pelagius Anathematized in the Council of Diospolis whosoever durst say that God hath any respect to Merits on this occasion St. Augustine complains that Pelagius being content to acknowledge that God freely forgives us our Past Sins confest not that he helps us to abstain from them hereafter But Pelagius maintain'd that that Forgiveness helped us to do our Duty for the time to come seeing we cannot betake our selves to serve God when we have offended him but by being persuaded that he will freely forgive us what is past He further said that as to those Sins which were committed in the very time of Penitence that is in the state of Regeneration they were forgiven us in consideration of our Good Works by which we also come to Glory And in that sence he maintained that Grace is given according to Merits that is according to Good Works Forasmuch as Children before the use of Reason commit no Sin they are not concerned in that kind of Grace The Third Grace according to Pelagius is the Law that is to say the Preaching of the Gospel and the Example of Jesus Christ which those who lived under the Old Dispensation had not He said that this Grace was altogether necessary to live like Christians The Fourth sort of Grace is an Inward Illumination of our Minds which Pelagius exprest thus * Apud Aug lib. de Grat. Chr. c. 7. I maintain that Grace doth not only consist in the Law but in the Assistance of God c. Now God assists us by his Doctrine and Revelation by opening the Eyes of our Hearts by shewing us things to come to hinder us from being too much taken up with present things by discovering to us the Snares of the Devil by enligthning us with the various and unspeakable Gifts of his Heavenly Grace Do you think adds Pelagius that those who speak thus deny the Grace of God Do they not rather acknowledge both Free-Will and the Grace of God together St. Augustine accuses Pelagius on this occasion not of having positively denied Grace but of having denied the Necessity of it and said that God did only give it that Free-Will might the more easily encline to Good That Grace according to Pelagius doth not infallibly and by it self produce the Will of Doing Good and Good Works but only enclines to be more easily Willing The Fifth is the Grace of Baptism by which according to him although Children receive not the Forgiveness of Sins which they have not committed being according to Pelagius altogether Innocent yet they enter into a better state which consists in their being thereby adopted by God and becoming Heirs of the Heavenly Kingdom On the contrary St. Augustine maintained that Children being born Sinners Baptism confers upon them the Forgiveness of Sin and sanctifies them by a Grace which God hath annexed to it Lastly The Sixth Grace consists according to Pelagius in Eternal Life and the Kingdom of Heaven He is accused of having distinguished those two things and said that Eternal Life might be obtained without the Revelation of the Gospel but that God gave the Kingdom of Heaven only to those who were Baptized According to Pelagius that Grace was given consequently to Merits that is to say a Good Life 'T is a hard matter to know wherein that Distinction of Eternal Life and Kingdom of Heaven did consist and to reconcile it with the Accusation raised against Pelagius that the Kingdom of Heaven was promised under the Old Testament St. Augustin said upon this last Article that if by the Old Testament the Legal Covenant was understood it did not promise Eternal Life but if all the Books of the Old Testament were understood by it 't was true that it was promised therein although the Kingdom of Heaven is not mention'd in them that Phrase belonging to the New Testament There was never a Dispute more intricate than this because each Party being urged with some troublesom Consequences endeavoured to get rid of them with the help of some Terms upon which they put a Sence different from that which they had in the Mouth of their Adversaries The word Grace when used by Pelagius did not signifie the same thing as when used by the Bishop of Hippo and the latter gave the Name of Liberty to a thing which was not ordinarily so called In short several People believe that if the chief Words that have been used in that Controversie and the Idea's that have been fixed to 'em were examined it would be found that there is scarce any of those Idea's that is very distinct so as to know perfectly the meaning of a Word to which one of those Idea's is fixed when 't is pronounced Nay there is in their opinion some of those words to which no Idea at all hath been fixed so that in some parts of that Dispute both Parties do in a manner imitate a Frenchman and an Arabian who knowing only their Mother-Tongue should speak by turns as loud as they could and sometimes both at one time without understanding one another and should afterwards boast each of them of having overcome his
know that it is apparent they contain'd not the subject of the Three Principles like an infinite of others which they have known how to express in an even clear and elegant manner The Second thing we should observe is That in so difficult a Matter we must content our selves with what they say positively without attempting to draw far-fetch'd Consequences from their Principles which we cannot understand but by halves otherwise we are in danger of attributing to them such Notions as they never had Neither must we endeavour to reconcile in so abstracted a Subject the Contradictions which seem to appear in their Doctrine nor conclude that they could not mean things in such a manner because then they must contradict themselves It was the Custom of these Philosophers to affect certain apparent Contradictions in using the same Terms in divers Sences Besides its obvious enough to imagine that they may have sometimes contradicted themselves on a Subject whereof they had no distinct Idea These two Remarks were necessary to prevent the Questions which might be offer'd on these Matters and to shew that in writing the History of these Doctrines one should keep wholly to Facts and the Terms of the Authors we treat of A Second Opinion of the Platonists which has made a great noise in the World is that of the Prae-existence of Souls in places above the Moon * See Plato's Timoens of the Faults which they may have there committed of their banishments from these happy Abodes to come to inhabit in differently disposed Bodies according to the different Merits of these Souls in fine of their return into places whence they drew their Original We shall not trouble our selves to explain this Doctrine because it belongs not to the Relation in hand having only made mention of it for a particular Reason which will appear in its place The Kings of Egypt and Syria having carried the Sciences of the Greeks into Asia the Jews who were in great numbers in these two Kingdoms and who were obliged to converse with them learn'd of them their Opinions and made no difficulty of embracing those which did not appear to 'em contrary to their Religion Their Books containing nothing inconsistent with sundry of the Platonick Doctrines they believed therefore that these Doctrines might be true and receiv'd them so much the more easily in that they thought they might hereby defend their Religion against the Pagans and make them relish it the better Plato every where affirm'd the Unity of the Supreme Being yet without denying that there are other Beings which may be called Gods to wit the Angels which is agreeable to the Expressions of the Old Testament And this is apparently one of the things which made the Jews better relish the Opinions of this Philosopher But we should give some particular Proofs of this The Author of the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon was plainly of the Opinion of the Prae-existence of Souls as it appears from these words of chap. 8. ver 19 20. For I was a witty Child and had a good Spirit Yea rather being good I came into a Body undefiled The same Author has used the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reason in some places where Plato would have used it were he to have said the same thing Thus in chap. 18. ver 15 16. in speaking of the Deliverer of the Israelites he says Thy Almighty Reason descended from Heaven out of thy Royal Throne as a fierce Man of War into the midst of a Land of Destruction and brought thine unfeigned Commandment as a sharp Sword and standing up fill'd all things with Death and it touched the Heaven but it stood upon the Earth In chap. 9. ver 1. he says That God has made all things by his Reason It cannot be alledg'd that he has been the only one of the Jews that has spoke in this manner seeing that Philo who liv'd a little while after Our Saviour is full of the like Expressions as several of the Learned have observed It s known that this Author has so well imitated Plato that he has been call'd the Jewish Plato He believ'd that there was One only Supreme God as all the rest of the Jews do whom he calls TO ON the Being through Excellency But he further acknowledg'd a Divine Nature which he calls ΛΟΓΟΣ the Reason as well as Plato And another whom he calls likewise the Soul of the World His Writings are so full of these manner of speaking that there is no nead of offering * Vid. Defens Fid. Nicen. §. 1. c. 1. §. 16 17. Instances The Jews were of these Opinions when Our Saviour and his Apostles came into the World And this is perhaps the Reason why we find accordingly as it has been observed by several learned Men several Platonick Phrases in the New Testament especially in the Gospel of St. John It 's well known that Amelius the Platonick Philosopher having read the beginning of this Gospel remarked that this Apostle spake like Plato In effect this Philosopher might have said according to his Principles The Reason was in the beginning with God She it is who hath made all things who is Life and the Light of Men c. We find several Passages in Philo like to this This Jewish Philosopher calls Reason the Priest the Mediator between God and Men the Eldest Son of God c. Wherein it is observable that he mixes his Jewish Notions with the manners of Speaking of Plato He has likewise used in one place the term Paraclete * De Vit. Mos p. 521. Edit Gen. Graeco-Lat Intercessor in speaking of the Reason It was necessary said he that the High-Priest who is to offer Sacrifices to the Father of the World should have for Intercessor him of his Sons whose Vertue is the most perfect for to obtain the Pardon of Sins and abundant Graces He had said * Quod Det. Pot. Insid p. 137. that Moses denoted by the Manna and by the Rock of the Desart the same Reason The Prophet says he calls elsewhere this Rock Manna a name which signifies the same thing to wit the Divine Reason the most Ancient of Beings Our Saviour Christ calls himself Paraclete in St. John chap. 14.16 when he promises his Apostles to send them another Paraclete He says likewise that he is the True Bread in opposition to the Manna which could be no more than a Shadow of it And St. Paul says that the Stone of the Desart was Christ 1 Cor. 10.4 These ways of speaking which are found in St. John to be the True Bread the True Vine and which denote that he to whom they are applied is able to produce in Mens Spirits as much Efficacy in another kind of things as the Bread and Wine produce in the Body These ways of speaking I say were particular to the Platonists as has been observed elsewhere We might give several other Examples of Platonick Phrases to be met with in
spoken of the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity after the same manner as Plato spoke of the Three Principles of all things and that he borrowed the word Principle of him and the first words of his Book wherein he treated of them Eusebius might have easily apprehended his meaning and he was so far from believing that Plato was of another Opinion in this matter than the Sacred Writers and Origen that he he undertakes to prove the contrary at large in his Evangelical Preparation lib. 11. chap. 13 c. which are worth the reading In effect what he adds concerning the Father and the Son is equally agreeable to Origen's and Plato's Opinion Eusebius seems to have followed at this time St. Jerom's Maxim who ascribes it to him too as he himself made no scruple to follow it * In Apol. prolib cont Jov. p. 106 c. Edit Gryph 'T is one thing to write in order to Dispute and another to write in order to Teach In the first Method the Dispute is very much extended and one minds only to answer one's Adversary Sometimes one thing is proposed and sometimes another Men argue as they please speak after one manner and act after another c. In the second an open and ingenuous Face is necessary c. Origen Methodus Eusebius Apollinarius have writ a great deal against Celsus and Porphyry Consider what doubtful Arguments and Problems they use to confute some Writings composed by the Spirit of the Devil And because they are forced to say not what they think but what the Dispute requires non quod sentiunt sed quod necesse est they contradict the Heathens We may see thereby whether we ought always to believe what the Holy Fathers say and that Eusebius was no Arian only because he denied it and used all the terms of the Orthodox In the Writers of this kind a word spoken against the common Opinion proves often more than a hundred places wherein they speak as the Vulgar 8. The Letter to those of Caesarea concerning the Nicene Creed which I have already mention'd 9. Of the Places named in the Old Testament which is a little Geographical Dictionary of the Places mention'd in the Hebrew Books of the Scripture St. Jerom translated it and added to it what he thought fit Jacobus Bonfrerius printed the Original with St. Jerom's Translation and his own at Paris Anno 1659 in Fol. 10. The Life of Constantine is as hath been said rather a Panegyrick than a History and the Style of it also as Photius hath observed more florid than that of the other Works of Eusebius which is somewhat careless However there is afterwards a Panegyrick of that Emperor in due form which Eusebius recited Anno 335 at his Tricennales 11. An Exposition of the Song of Solomon printed at Leyden by Meursius in the Year 1617 in Quarto with Polychronius and Psellus 12. The Lives of the Prophets are ascribed to Eusebius in an ancient Manuscript and are joined with Procopius his Commentaries upon Isaiah in Greek and Latin John Courtier publish'd them at Paris in 1580 in Fol. Those who have publish'd a new Edition of the Evangelical Demonstration at Cologne in 1688 would not have done amiss to join those Pieces with it or to endeavour to get some of those which are not yet printed 13. Of that number are Four Books entitled Eclogae Propheticae de Christo which as Lambecius says are in the Library of Vienna and in that of the Escurial But 't is with those two Libraries as with that of Buda The Keepers of them are so faithful and jealous that they let nothing come out of them Labbaeus says that besides there is some Libraries some Commentaries of Eusebius upon Isaiah a Discourse upon the Three Days that our Lord remained in the Grave and two more concerning the Women who went to it and the Angels they found in it 14. We have lost of Eusebius 1. Some Books concerning the Ecclesiastical Preparations 2. Concerning the Ecclesiastical Demonstration 3. Thirty Books against Porphyry which in all probability are the greatest loss we have sustained with respect to the Writings of Eusebius for we might have learn'd by them the Objections of the most learned Philosopher of his time and the Answers of the most learned Bishop of his Age. 4. Some Varieties of the Evangelists 5. Five Books concerning the Coming of Jesus Christ 6. Some Commentaries upon the Psalms of which we have some Fragments in the Catena of the Greek Fathers upon that Book 7. Of Topical Names 8. An Apology for Origen whereof the Sixth Book only as hath been said was Eusebius's 9. Three Books of the Life of Pamphilus which he mentions in the 11th Chap. of the Book of the Martyrs of Palestine 10. An Apology for himself perhaps a Vindication of himself against those who accused him of following the Opinions of Arius 11. A Collection of Ancient Martyrdoms which is reported to be in the Library of the Escurial 12. A Description of a Church of Jerusalem 13. Of the Feast of Easter 14. Three Epistles the First to Constantia Constantine's Sister the Second to Alexander Bishop of Alexandria for the Re-establishment of Arius the Third to a Bishop named Euphration Some Fragments of those Letters may be found in the Acts of the Second Council of Nice Act. 5. 6. 15. An Ancient History which perhaps is the same with his Chronicle and is cited by Anastasius Sinaita as well as a Book dedicated to Marinus 15. Father Sirmond a Jesuite printed at Paris in 1643 several Latin Homilies which two Manuscripts ascribe to Eusebius of Caesarea and which Valesius thought to be his but Dr. Cave rather believes they were written by Eusebius of Emesus a Semi Arian who lived towards the middle of the Fourth Century After all the same may be said of the Cologne Edition 1688 of Eusebius his Evangelical Preparation and Evangelical Demonstration c. as of Clemens Alexandrinus his Works of the same Edition They have added nothing to the Paris Edition but new Faults Although Eusebius doth not observe in those Discourses a very exact Order yet because he divides them into Chapters one may more easily follow him than Clemens and in this Edition the Citations are better distinguish'd from the Words of the Author than in the Works of the Catechist of Alexandria for there is some Comma's in the Margin of the Passages that are quoted or they are in Italick Characters However there is still some Distinctions of Paragraphs wanting in it as well as in that of Clemens The Life OF Gregory Nazianzen GREGORY was * Vid. Pagi Crit. Baron ad An. 354 368. born according to the most exact Chronology in the Year 300 in a Village of the Second Cappadocia named Arianzum near the City of Nazianzum from whence comes the Sirname that is commonly given him His Father and Mother †Greg. Presb. in ejus Vita were Persons of Quality and
Christians did against the Opinion of Fate He says that if it be true there should be no Laws nor Punishments against Malefactors quos ferrea Fata Cogunt ad facinus inevitabile mergunt Quin velle adigunt pravum insinuantia votum Ne liceat miseris vetitum committere nolle That Unmoveable Fate doth unavoidably force to Sin That it disposes the Will to do Ill so that Men cannot forbear being willing to do what is forbidden 4. The Heathen Orator vaunted much the Institution and Chastity of the Vestales But Prudentius who did not suffer himself to be surprized by fine words when the Question was about Paganism replied * Ver. 1065. That it must be observed that the Vestales were chosen in their Childhood before they came to despise the lawful Bond of Marriage of their own motion and kindled with the love of Virginity and Religion They Consecrate says he their Chastity before the Altars against their Wills and those poor Wretches are deprived of a Pleasure which they take away from them but they have not despised it If they are Chaste as to the Body they are not so as to the Mind They enjoy no Rest in their Beds where an Invisible Wound makes them sigh after the Nuptial Torches The same Argument cannot be made use of against the Christian Nuns of that time who were permitted to Marry if they were not content with Celebacy But some things have happen'd since among a part of Christians by the means whereof we see now-a-days upon the Theater of Christianity its several Parties act the same Scene between themselves which was acted formerly by the Pagans and Christians VII Lastly There are Forty nine Quadrants to be found in the Works of Prudentius upon several Histories of the Old and New Testament which make up a little Book entitled Enchiridion whereby the Style is still less Poetical than that of the other Works of our Poet. THE HISTORY OF PELAGIANISM IN the Fourth Century a vast number of People went to visit the Holy Places in Pulestine which made the Books of Origen to be known in the West where they were unknown before Rufinus amongst others a Priest of Aquileia having lived thirty Years in the East and studied under Evagrius an Origenist not only embraced the Opinions of Origen but being returned into Italy spread them every where by translating several of his Works Pelagius and Celestius learned of him at Rome that Doctrine of which I shall speak hereafter They were both Monks and of Great Britain Celestius was a Scotch-man and Pelagius an English-man The latter's Name was Morgan in the Language of his Countrey that is Born of the Sea or in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Name which he took out of his Native Countrey If we believe * In Proem Dial. cont Pelag. St. Jeram Pelagius was an ignorant Fellow who knew not how to express himself who deserved more to be pitied than envied and Celestius a Solecism-maker But St. Augustine speaks well of their Parts in several Places and indeed it appears by their Fragments which remain in his Works that they did not express themselves so ill as St. Jerom says We have still two Pieces of Pelagius among the Supposititious Writings of this latter whereof one is a Letter to Demetriades and the other is entitled Symboli Explanatio ad Damasum whereas it should be called Professio Fidei ad Innocentium for Pelagius sent it to Innocent This last Piece is also to be found in Baronius and in the First Volume of the Councils of Cologne in 1606. Pelagius made a long stay at Rome where he got a great Reputation by his Works and Conduct Hence it is that Augustin Bishop of Hippo praised him and wrote a very obliging Letter to him before he fell a Disputing with him He calls him in his Book De Peccatorum Meritis †Cap. 1 3. Vir ut audio sanctus nec parvo profectu Christianus bonus ac praedicandus Vir As I hear says he he is a Holy Man and very much improved in Piety a Good Man and worthy of Praise Petavius in his Book * Dogm Theol. T. 3. p. 586. De Pelagianorum Semi-Pelagianorum Dogmatum Historia observes that St. Augustin wrote the Book in which he speaks so advantageously of Pelagius after the Condemnation of Celestius in the Council of Carthage in 412. From whence he concludes that St. Chrysostom doth not mention the same Pelagius in his Fourth Letter wherein he laments the Fall of a Monk of the same Name 'T is not more likely that Pelagius the Hermit to whom St. Isidorus of Damietto wrote †Lib. 1. Ep. 314. sharp Censures was the same whose History I write and whose Life was always unblameable as it appears by St. Augustin's Testimony Rome having been taken by the Goths in the Year 410 ‖ Vid. Vsser Brit. Eccl. Antiq. c. 9. p. 16. Pelagius who was there left it and sailed into Africa but he did not stay there having presently set out for the East In the mean time Celestius his Disciple stay'd at Carthage and aspired to be Priest of that Church but because he made no scruple to maintain the Opinions of his Master he was accused by Paulinus a Deacon of the same Church in a Council wherein Aurelius Bishop of Carthage presided in the before-mentioned Year Celestius was Condemned and Excommunicated as having maintained these Seven Propositions 1. That Adam was created a Mortal Man and would have died whether he had sinned or not 2. That Adam's Sin had prejudiced none but himself not all Mankind 3. That the Law brought Men to the Heavenly Kingdom as well as the Gospel 4. That before the Coming of Jesus Christ Men were without Sin 5. That New-born Children are in the same Condition in which Adam was before his Fall 6. That all Men do not die through the Death and Prevarication of Adam as all Men do not rise through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ 7. That Man is without Sin and may easily obey God's Commands if He pleases Celestius answered all those Heads but we have only some Fragments of his Answers in St. Augustine's Book that is to say we have no other Witnesses of his Doctrine but his Adversaries who took no great care to propose their Accusations clearly and to apprehend well of the Opinions of those whom they accused as it appears by the Obscurity of the before mention'd Heads * Aug. de Pecc Orig. c. 3. Celestius said among other things that as for what concerns the Propagation of Sin He had heard many Catholick Priests and especially Rufinus deny it He presented a Request to the Council wherein he consest that Children were Redeemed by Baptism But he was Condemned notwithstanding and being obliged to leave Africa he went into Sicily where he wrote some Books in his Vindication From thence some short Questions were sent to St. Augustine which Celestius