should soon be destroyed 948 years after its Foundation and many other Things that could never be asserted by later Christians who would have been very far from admitting such Notions when they were convinced of the falsity of these Predictions Upon the whole matter it ought to be concluded that the Books of the Sibyls were certainly forged in the Second Century but it is difficult to determine the precise time and by whom this was done all that can be alledged as most probable is that they began to appear about the end of the Reign of the Emperor Antoninus Pius m They began to appear about the end of the Reign of Antoninus Pius Possevinus affirms that these Books were written under the Reign of Câ—mmodus but he is deceived in taking the Conflagration mentioned in Book V. for the Fire of the Temple of Vesta that happened in the time of that Emperor for the Temple of Jerusaleus is to be understood in this place which is called the desirable House and the Guardian Temple of God We have already shewn that the Author had seen Lucius and Marcus but that he knew not the later Emperors All the Fathers that have quoted the Sibylline Books wrote either under the Reign of Antoninus Pius or after that time Josephus indeed and Hermas cite the Sibyls but in general Terms and there were possibly some Verses extant under their Names even in the time of Josephus who produceth one of them concerning the Tower of Babel Lib. 1. Ant. c. 5. M. Vossius in his last Book gives us an Hypothesis of the Sibylline Oracles somewhat different from this he acknowledgeth that the ancient Writings of the Sibyls which were preserved until the burning of the Capitol were entirely prophane and differed from those that are cited by the Fathers But he maintains that among those that were brought from Greece by Octacilius Crassus there were some Prophecies inserted that had been received from the Jews who pretended that they were written by the Sibyls in which the Coming of the Messiah was foretold and that these were cited by the Fathers under the Name of The Books of the Sibyls which Title was actually attributed to them This Hypothesis which is well enough contrived yet lies liable to many Difficulties for first the Collection of Oracles ascribed to the Sibyls that was made after the burning of the Capitol related no less to the Pagan Superstitions than the ancient Verses ascribed to the Sibyl of Cuma Secondly Since the Predictions concerning Jesus Christ expressed in the passages of the Sibylline Books and quoted by the Fathers are clearer than those that were contained in the Prophecies of the Jews there is no probability that they could proceed from any of that Nation Lastly The Doctrine comprised in the Books of the Sibyls seems rather to be that of a Christian than of a Jew since the Coming of Jesus Christ is therein manifestly foretold the Resurrection of the Dead the Last Judgment and Hell Fire are expresly described in plain Terms and mention is made of the Millennium of the appearing of Anti-Christ together with many other Things of the like nature which could not be related but by one that had been instructed in the Christian Religion Therefore it is much more probable that the Writings attributed to the Sibyls were forged by a Christian rather than by a Jew However none ought to be surprised that we reject those Books as supposititious which have been quoted by the Ancients as real and it must not be imagined that we thereby contemn the Authority of the Fathers or that we impugn the Truth on the contrary we should do an Injury to it if we should endeavour to support it by false Proofs especially when we are convinced of their Forgery The Fathers are to be excused for citing the Sibylline Verses as true because they had not examined them and finding them published under the Name of the Sibyls they really believed that they were theirs but they that are certainly informed of the contrary would be inexcusable if they continued to rely on such Testimonials or refused ingenuously to confess what the Truth obliged them to own And indeed it ought not to be admired that the Fathers did not examine these Books critically it is sufficiently known that they wholly applied themselves to Matters of the greatest Consequence at that time and that they often happened to be mistaken in prophane Histories and to cite fictitious Books such are the Works of Hystaspes and Mercurius Trismegistus which they almost always joyned with those of the Sibyls as also the Acts of Pilate Apocryphal Gospels divers Acts of the Apostles and a great number of other Records that have been undoubtedly forged But altho' the most part of the ancient Writers cited the Oracles of the Sibyls yet there were even then many Christians that rejected them as Counterfeit and could not be perswaded to approve the practice of those that made use of their Testimony whom in derision they called by the Name of Sibyllists This is attested by Origen in his Fifth Book against Celsus Celsus says he objects that there are Sibyllists amonst us perhaps because he hath heard it reported that there are some amongst us who reprove those that affirm that the Sibyl is a Prophetess and call them Sibyllists St. Augustine hath likewise acknowledged the falsity of these pretended Oracles and as often as he makes mention of them he declares that he is not convinced of their Truth particularly in Lib. 18. c. 45. De Civit. Dei. Were it not says he that it is affirmed that the Prophecies that are produced under the Name of the Sibyls and others concerning Jesus Christ were feigned by the Christians And in cap. 47. It may be believed that all the Prophecies relating to Jesus Christ that are not contained in the Holy Scriptures have been forged by the Christians Wherefore there can be nothing more solid in confuting the Pagans than to alledge those Prophecies that are taken from the Books of our Enemies But the Heathens say they doubted not of the truth of the Predictions of the Sibyls that were urged by the Fathers they only put another sense upon them nay they even proceeded so far as to own that the Sibylline Verses foretold the Nativity of a certain new King and a considerable Revolution This is mentioned by Tully in divers places moreover when Pompey took the City of Jerusalem it was commonly reported that the Sibyl had foretold that Nature designed a King for the People of Rome the Senate was likewise astonished at it and by reason of this Prediction refused to send a General or an Army into Egypt Lentulus according to the Testimony of Cicero and Sâ—llust flatter d himself that he should become this King that was intimated by the Sibyl Others have interpreted this Prophecy with respect to Julius Câ—sar or Augustus as is observed by Cicero and Suetonius Virgil in his Fourth Eâ—logue produceth the Verses
nor the Profession of Miltiades he wrote a Book against the Montanists wherein he particularly maintains That a Prophet ought Miltiades c. not to speak in an Ecstasy or Fury a In an Ecstasie or fury This is taken from the Author against the Heresies of the Montanists in Eusebius Book 5. Chap. 17. and the meaning of it is that true Prophets ought never to deliver themselves in a Fury nor to be out of their right Senses as the Montanists were This likewise is the Rule which S. Chrysostom gives for distinguishing the False Prophets from the True Homil. 29. in Epist. ad Corinth 8. And S. Jerom in his Preface upon Nahum Non enim loquimur in Extasi ut Montanus Prisca Maximillaque delirant sed quod Prophetat liber est visionis intelligentis S. Jerom here uses the Term Ecstasie in the same sense with the Anonymous Author Eusebius affirms that he has left evident Proofs of his Skill and the Pains which he took in the Study of the Holy Scripture in those Books which he wrote against the Gentiles and the Jews each of which was divided into two Volumes And that besides these Discourses he wrote an Apology for the Christian Philosophy Dedicated to the Governors of the Provinces b To the Governors of the Provinces 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eusebius and S. Jerom understood these Words of Emperors but since there was but one in this Author's time it is more natural to explain this Expression by Governors of Provinces This Author lived under the Emperor Commodus There were at the same time two different Authors both of which were called Apollonius The false is a Greek Author who wrote against the Sect of the Montanists wherein he Confutes their last Prophecies step by step and Censures the Practice and Manners of those Hereticks Eusebius gives us a Fragment of it in Book V. Chap. 18. where he describes the Exorbitances of Montanus and his Prophetesses he accuses them for taking Sums of Money and Presents He particularly reprehends two Persons of this Sect who boasted of their being Martys Besides Eusebius observes that Apollonius says in this Book that it was forty years since Montanus invented his Prophecies that he makes mention of Thraseas who was a Martyr in his time and that he mentions a Tradition that Jesus Christ had given Orders to his Apostles not to go out of Jerusalem for twelve years The second Apollonius was of Rome a Senator of that City if we may believe S. Jerome c If we believe S. Jerom. Eusebius does not say that Apollonius was a Senator but S. Jerom affirms it in his Catalogue to Magnus We cannot tell whether he knew it certainly or whether it be onely by Conjecture that he says so But it is likely that it was upon the account of his being a Senator that the Praefectus Praetorio sent him back to the Senate to be Tryed there He was accused in the time of the Emperor Commodus for being a Christian and was brought into the Judgment-Hall before Perennis the Praefectus Praetorio His Accuser was Condemned d His accuser was condemned It was his Slave if we may believe S. Jerom and 't is very probable for he was condemned to have his Bones broken the ordinary Punishment of Slaves according to the Law of the Emperor which punished the Accusers of the Christians with Death and Apollonius was sent back to justifie himself before the Senate where he appeared and made a very Eloquent Oration in Defence of his Religion tho' notwithstanding that he was condemned to Death because there was an Ancient Law which ordain'd That those Christians who were once judicially accused for their Religion should not be acquitted if they did not forsake it S. Jerome says that he Composed this Oration to Present to the Senate But Eusebius assures us on the contrary that he spoke it before them But whether he wrote it with a design to speak it or that the Christians had taken care to preserve it it was extant in Eusebius's time among the ancient Acts of the Sufferings of the Martyrs The same Esebius gives us a Fragment of an Anonymous Author against the Heresie of Montanus This by some is attributed to Apollinarius and by S. Jerome sometimes to Rhodon and sometimes to Apollonius Tho' it was not written by either of these Authors but by one more modern who lived as we have said after the Death of Montanus and his Prophetesses It was divided into five Books Eusebius relates some Passages taken from the First Second and Third In that which is taken from the first Book the Author describes the furious Transports of Montanus and his Prophetesses and those who pretended to Prophecy In the Passages taken from the second Book he says That Montanus and Maximilla killed themselves that Theodotus likewise threw himself down head-long and that very Holy Bishops as Zoticus of Comana and Julian of Apamia being willing to Convict the Prophecies of Maximilla of Imposture were hindred by some who favoured that Sect. He adds that Maximilla foretold before she died Wars and Persecutions and yet that after her Death both Church and State enjoyed perfect Peace and Tranquility In the Passage taken from the third Book he says That the Martyrs of which they boast cannot justifie themselves since even the Marcionites likewise have made the same Pretences But that the Martyrs of the Church do carefully avoid Communicating with those of this Sect as has been practised in the City of Apamia by the Martys named Alexander and Caius who were of Eumenia Moreover in the following Chapter Eusebius relates a Passage taken from the same Book where he says That all the Prophets which have been since the time of the New Testament such as Agabus Judas Silas the Daughters of Philip Quadratus were not agitated by the same Spirit of Prophecy as Montanus and Maximilla whose False and Lying Prophecies were made in a sudden Heat accompanied with Lewdness and Impudence which took its Rise from Ignorance and ended in Involuntary Folly But that in the ancient Prophecies nothing like this was to be found That since the time of Maximilla and Montanus there has not been any Person of this Sect who could boast of being a Prophet whereas the true Gift of Prophecy ought to be always in the Church The other Author whereof Eusebius gives us a Fragment without naming him in the fifth Book of his History Chap. 28. had written a Discourse against the Heresie of Artemo who believed that Jesus Christ was only a meer Man It is related in this Fragment that those of this Sect affirmed that till Victor's Days the true Apostolical Doctrine was preserved but that it was corrupted from the time of Zephirinus Which possibly may be somewhat probable says this Author if what they assert had not been first confuted by the Holy Scripture and secondly by the Writings of those Christians who were more ancient than
Letter to Palladius he commends him for being Orthodox and approves of his staying with Innocent He rebukes those Monks that would not obey St. Basil but praises this Bishop saying he was the Glory of the Church for he contended for the Truth and taught those that needed Instruction and none could be good Catholicks that had any Dispute with him He adds That he had written to his Monks to obey him as their Father and that they were to blame for complaining of him Probably 't was about the Question of the Hypostases that the Monks had some Dispute with St. Basil. After we have spoken of his Historical Works let us now come to the Dogmatical The First of these are the two Treatises against the Gentiles whereof the Second is now entituled Of the Incarnation In the First of these two Books he Opposes Idolatry and Establishes the Worship of the true God he discovers the source of Idolatry that it comes from the Corruption of Man's Heart who being created after the Image of God fell under the guilt of Adam's Sin and inherited from him an unhappy Inclination to Sin which the Will does very often follow though it be free to resist it From this Principle he concludes in the first place against the Hereticks That 't is not necessary there should be two Principles or two Gods one Good the Author of Good and another Evil the Author of Evil. He refutes this Impious Opinion by Reason and Authority and concludes that Sin is not a Substance but that it entred into the World by the Fall of the First Man He observes that this is the source of all Idolatry that Men being faln from their first Estate do no longer raise their Heart and Spirit to things Spiritual but fix them on things Terrestrial and Sensible He refutes afterwards the different kinds of Idolatry and shows that we ought not to Worship nor Acknowledge for Divinities either the Gods of the Poets or the World or any part of it After he has thus overthrown all kinds of Idolatry he establishes the Existence and Worship of the true God He demonstrates that God may be known by the Light of Nature 1. From our selves that 's to say by Reflexion upon our own Thoughts that he is neither Corporeal nor Mortal 2. From the Beauty of the Universe which discovers the Existence of him as the Cause of it Then he shows that this God is the Father of Jesus Christ and that he created all things and governs them by his Word The Second Treatise against the Gentiles is that which is entituled Of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ because there he treats of that Mystery For explaining the Causes of it he goes back as far as the Beginning of the World and proves that it was not made by chance nor fram'd of an Eternal Matter but that God the Father created it by his Word After this he speaks of the Fall of Man who being created after the Image of God addicted himself to things corruptible and perishing and so became the Cause of his own Misery and Corruption He says that the Fall of Man was the cause of the Incarnation of the Word because God pitying Man resolv'd to send his Son to Save him and to give him the means of obtaining that Immortality which he had lost Upon this Principle he founds the Necessity of the Incarnation of the Word which he proves First Because the Son being the Essential Image of his Father there was none but he that could render Man like to God as he was before his Fall 2. Because as the Word is the Reason and Wisdom of his Father there is none but he can teach Men and undeceive them of their Errors From the Causes of the Incarnation he passes to its Effects and after he has described the Graces which the Word has merited for Mankind by his Incarnation he speaks of his Death and shows that he was to die as he did by the Torments of the Cross that by his Death he might conquer Death both in himself and us Lastly He proves the Resurrection of Jesus Christ by the wonderful Effects that follow'd his Death and by the contempt of Death wherewith it inspir'd his Disciples After he has thus explain'd the Doctrine of Christians he refutes the Jews and Pagans the former by proving from the Prophets that Jesus is the Messias promis'd in the Old Testament and the latter from the Miracles of Jesus Christ from the destruction of Idolatry and the Establishment of the Doctrine of the Gospel which though contrary to the Lusts and Passions of Men was entertain'd without difficulty and in a little time by the greatest part of the World He concludes these Discourses with an Advertisement to his Friend Macarius to whom they are directed That he should have recourse to the Holy Scripture which is the Fountain from whence these things are drawn to which he adds this Remark that for the better understanding of it we should lead a Life like to that of the Authors of these holy Books St. Athanasius wrote but two Treatises against the Gentiles for his other Dogmatical Treatises are either about the Trinity or the Incarnation The Four Discourses against the Arians are the chief of his Dogmatical Works In the First which is call'd the Second he convicts the Sect of the Arians of Heresie for which end he first makes use of an Argument which he employs against all Hereticks which is the Novelty of their Sect and the Name which it bears Then he explains their Doctrine and proves that 't is Impious full of Blasphemies and comes near to that of the Jews and Gentiles Lastly He refutes their Reasons and clears up a great many difficulties which they propose against the Doctrine of the Church In the Second Treatise which is the Third in the common Editions he explains some of the Passages which the Arians alledge to prove that the Son is a Creature and insists chiefly upon that in Chap. 8. of the Proverbs The Lord hath created me in the beginning of his ways c. He says towards the end That the Arians run a hazard of having no true Baptism because to make this Sacrament valid 't is not sufficient to pronounce the words but we must also have a right understanding of them and a right Faith He adds That if the Baptism of other Hereticks who pronounce the same words be null and void because they have not a true Faith 't is to be thought that we ought to give the same Judgment of the Baptism of the Arians who are become the worst of all Hereticks These words of St. Athanasius shew That in his time those that had been Baptiz'd by Hereticks were Rebaptiz'd in the Church of Alexandria though they had been Baptiz'd in the Name of the Trinity In the Third Discourse which is reckon'd for the Fourth he proves That the Father and the Son have but one and the same Substance and one
Sabbath nor the Jews to labour or trade on the Lord's Day not to eat in Lent with them not to eat any Flesh they have killed nor drink any Wine that they sell. Lastly not to converse familiarly with them nor trade with them because they daily Blaspheme the Name of Christ. Then he describes the insolence of the Jews because they found themselves upheld by the Authority of the Commissioners He beseeches him to hear the humble entreaty of Himself and Brethren and rectifie this disorder To this Petition he joyns a Letter written in his Name and in the name of Bernard Arch-bishop of Vienna and another Bishop called Eaof or Taof in which they produce the Authorities of the Fathers and Scripture to justifie the Severity they treated the Jews withall They relate the example of S. Hilary who would not salute them of S. Ambrose who writes that he would rather suffer Death than rebuild a Synagogue of the Jews which the Christians had burnt They add to these two Fathers S. Cyprian and S. Athanasius who wrote against the Jews Then they alledge the Canons of the Councils of Spain and Agda which forbid Christians to eat with the Jews and the Constitutions of the first Council of Masco which declares that according to the Edict of Childebert it is not permitted to the Jews to be Judges or Receivers of the publick Revenues nor to appear in publick in the H. Week and renew the prohibition given the Christians not to eat with them This is Confirmed by the Canons of the First and Third Councils of Orleans and the Council of Laodicea which forbids Christians to converse with them They forget not the Action of St. John who fled from the Bath in which he saw Cerinthus the Heretick entered who was an Heretick of the Sect of the Jews They accuse the Jews of their time to be worse than Cerinthus because they believed God Corporeal and had gross and false Notions of the Divinity allowed an infinite number of Letters and believed the Law to be written several Years before the World were perswaded that there are several Worlds and Earths introduced many Fables about the old Testament and uttered Blasphemy against Jesus Christ published the false acts of Pilate used the Christians as Idolaters because they hated the Saints and did infamous Actions in their Synagogues from whence they conclude that if they ought to separate themselves from Hereticks they ought with more Reason to have no commerce with the Jews which they maintain by several passages of H. Scripture 'T is very probable that Agobard went to Court about this Business He applyed himself to Three Persons who were in great Favour at Court viz. Adelardus Abbot of Corbey Vala the Son of Bernard Brother of Pepin and a Relation to the Emperour and Helesacharius Abbot of S. Maximus at Treves having complained before them of those that defended the Jews they brought him into the King's presence to relate it but he received no Satisfaction and was ordered to with-draw Being returned he consulted those Three Persons by a Letter what he should do with those Jewish Slaves who desired to become Christians and be Baptized He shews by several Reasons that he could not refuse to do it and that the Jews might have no ground of Complaint he says that he offer'd to pay them for those Slaves what was ordered by the ancient Laws But since the Jews would not receive that Price because they were perswaded that the Court Officers were their Friends he prays them to whom he wrote to direct him what to do upon that occasion about which he was much perplexed fearing on the one Side Damnation if he denyed Baptism to the Jews or their Slaves who desired it and on the other Side being fearful of offending the great Men if he granted it to them In Agobard's Letter to Nebridius Arch-bishop of Narbonne he shews how dangerous it is to hold a familiar converse with the Jews and tells him that he hath admonished his People of it all along his Visitation of his Diocess and boldly opposed the attempts of the Emperour's Commissioners Agobard presented another Petition to Lewis the Godly in which he prays him to abolish the Law of Gundobadus which ordered that private Contentions and Differences should be decided by a single Combat or some other proofs rather than by the Deposition of Witnesses He shews that that Law which was made by an Arrian Prince is contrary to the Spirit of the Gospel to that Charity that Christians ought to have one for another and to the peace both of Church and State He observes that it came neither from the Law nor Gospel That the Christian Religion was not established by such sort of Combats but on the Contrary by the Death of him that preached it That the most Wicked and Guilty have often overcome the more Just and Innocent He adds that Avitus Bishop of Vienna who had some Conferences about Religion with Gundobadus and converted his Son Sigismond disallowed this Custom He complains of the little Regard had to the Canons of the Church of France Lastly he says he could wish that all the Kings Subjects had but one Law but because he believed that impossible he desired he would abolish at least that Custom which was so unjust and so prejudicial to the State In the Treatise of the Privileges and Rights of the Priest-hood dedicated to Bernard Bishop of Vienna Agobard Treats of the Excellency of the Priest-hood He says that all Christians being Members of Jesus Christ who is our Chief Priest are Kings and Priests of the Lord. That in the beginning of the World the First Born were Priests and Sacrificers There he produces several Examples taken out of the Holy Scripture and many Authorities to shew that God hath often heard wicked Priests and had no regard to the Sacrifices of good ones because he looks chiefly upon the Dispositions of the Heart of those for whom they offer Sacrifices and that otherwise 't is not the Merit of the Priest nor his Person that God respects but his Ministery and Priest-hood For this Reason it is that wicked Priests may administer Sacraments which the most H. Lay-men cannot do And upon this account Men ought to hear and believe what the Priest teacheth if he do not corrupt the Doctrine of Jesus Christ for if he teach any thing that Christ hath not Commanded he that hears him saith Agobard is a Leper that follows another Leper a Blind Man lead by another Blind Man and consequently both of them ought to be driven out of the Camp and shall both fall into the Ditch This gives him occasion to cite several Texts of Scripture to exhort the Priests of the New Testament to behave themselves worthy of their Ministery and to complain of the Irregularities of his time He observes that the Great Lords of his time kept Domestick Priests in their Houses not to obey them but to employ them
that all the four Evangelists except St. Matthew wrote in Greek The Latin St. Mark which we now have is certainly a Translation of the Greek i St. Luke a Physician by profession St. Paul in his Epistle to the Colos. Luke the beloved Physician greets you Nicephorus l. 2. c. 43. of his History affirms that he was an excellent Painter and some People say that he drew the Picture of the Virgin Mary but these are fictions k He was neither of the number of the Apostles nor of the Disciples This is certainly true because he tells us that what he wrote he learnt from others St. Irenaeus l. 1. c. 2. St. Jerome upon ch 65. of Isaiah St. Austin and several others positively say that he was not a Disciple of Jesus Christ. They are only some few modern Authors that are pleased to bestow this Character upon him l Cujus laus est in Evangelio per omnes Ecclesias We cannot certainly tell whether the word Evangelium in this place signifies a Book of the Gospel or whether we are not rather to understand it thus The Brother who deserves praise for having preached the Gospel That which follows afterwards and who was ordained to be the Companion of our Travels made Baronius believe that it is Silas of whom we are to understand this passage But St. Jerome and St. Ambrose in his Preface upon St. Luke do understand it of this Evangelist m He afterwards changed his name of Saul for that of Paul after having converted and baptized the Proconsul Sergius Paulus The Author of the one and thirtieth Sermon attributed to St. Ambrose tells us that he changed his name at his Baptism but this is but a groundless fancy for in his time they gave no name to any body at their Baptism Others say that he changed his name when he changed his profession and some pretend to affirm that he had two Names The most probable opinion is that he took the name of Paul after the conversion of Sergius Paulus for till that time he is constantly called Saul in the Acts of the Apostles and afterwards he is always called by the name of Paul It was the custom of the Romans to give their own names to others in testimony of friendship Josephus for example received the name of Flavius from the Emperor Vespasian by way of Honour Or rather because having been once his Prisoner he set him at Liberty it being usual for freed Men to take their Patrons Praenomen n Some Authors pretend that he went into Spain but this is very uncertain St. Athanasius in his Epistle to Dracontius St. Cyril Cat. 17. St. Epiphanius Haeres 27. St. Chrysostome in Ep. ad Hebr. and in Matth. 76 and Homil. de laud. Pauli Theodoret in Ep. ad Timot. c. ult Hier. in 11. Is. Greg. moral l. 3. c. 22. Isidore Bede Ado c. are of this opinion All these Authors lived after the third Century but before that time nothing is written concerning it and besides they don't speak of it as a certain thing but only as a probable conjecture St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans c. 15. v. 24. promises that he would go into Spain but though it follows from thence that he had a design of going thither yet we cannot rationally conclude that he was ever there Pope Gelatius and Innocent the first tell us that he did not perform that promise and it is very certain that the Gospel was preached somewhat later on this side the Alpes o In the year 61 according to the vulgar computation All Authors are agreed that St. Paul was beheaded at Rome but however they are not agreed about the year Some of them tell us that he suffered Martyrdom with St. Peter others place it a year and some two years lower some pretend that this happened in the last year of Nero's Reign which was the sixty eighth of our Blessed Saviour but most Men think that St. Peter and St. Paul suffered Martyrdom at the time of Nero's Persecution which began in the fourth year of that Emperor after the burning of Rome Anno Dom. 63. and therefore according to this account these two Princes of the Apostles suffered Martyrdom in the 64th year of the Vulgar Aera p The most received opinion is that it was written by St. Paul This opinion seems to be the most probable The Epistle to the Hebrews does not belong to St. Barnabas having a different Title from that of this Apostle There is no reason to attribute it to S. Luke The style and the thoughts very much resemble those of St. Clement in his Epistle to the Corinthians and upon this account I am apt to believe that we ought to attribute the Composition or Translation of it rather to him than any other although it is written in the name of St. Paul and by that Apostle for it was written at Rome by a Person that enjoyed his liberty and who had Timothy for his Collegue These three Characters shew plainly that it was written by St. Paul who did not put his name to it for fear of offending the Jews who were prejudiced against him Grotius believes that it was written after the taking of Jerusalem because it is observed says he in the third Chapter that there were certain Christians who supposed the Day of Judgment was very near an Opinion that was not common till after Jerusalem was taken but this is a bare conjecture upon weak grounds St. Jerome answers the usual Objection about the diversity of stile that is alledged to prove that this Epistle was not written by St. Paul by saying that it was occasioned either by him that composed it under St. Paâ—d or else by the Interpreter But i◠〈◊〉 Lowth's Opinion be true the Controversy must be aâ— an end For in his Vindication of the Authority of the H. Scriptures against the five Letters published by the Answerers of Mr. Simon p. 24. He says that St. Peter quotes the 37th Verse of the 10th Chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews in the 15th Verse of the 2d Chapter of his 2d Epistle where he says that St. Paul often said those things which the unlearned and unstable wrest as well as the other Scriptures to their own destruction q In Hebrew to the Hebrews St. Clemens Alexandrinus is of another opinion as also St. Jerome Theodoret Oecumenius and several others Estius and some of the moderns believe that it was written in Greek 1. because the Scriptures there cited follow the Septuagint and not the Hebrew 2. because there is no probability that the Copy should be lost These reasons are exceeding weak for suppose the Citations are not to be charged upon the Interpreter yet why might not St. Paul when he was writing in the Syriack Tongue translate the Septuagint into that Language rather than cite the Hebrew Text since the Septuagint was more familiar to him This may serve by way of answer to the first Reason The second is yet
or Acts of S. Peter This Work tho fictitious is ancient being cited by Origen f Being cited by Origen Tom. 〈◊〉 Comment in Genes in Philocal chap. 22. and in Matth. ch 26. Euseb. lib. 3. Hist. chap. 3 and chap. 38. Athanas. in Synops. Epiph. Hâ—res 30. chap. 25. Hieron in Catalog and Lib. 1. in Jovin chap. 14. and Comment in Ep. ad Gâ—lat Lib. 1. chap. 18. Ruffinus de Adulterat Lib. Orig. Autor op imp in Matth. chap. 10. vers 15 16 24 and 42 Photius Cod. 112 and 113. Eusebius S. Athanasius S. Epiphanius S. Jerom and the Author of The Commentaries on S. Matthew ascribed to S. Chrysostom Ruffinus hath made a Translation thereof which is still extant Gelasius hath inserted it in the Catalogue of Apocryphal Books and Photius observes that there are Absurdities and Errors to be found in it And indeed it is a Writing full of Fables Tales Conferences and ridiculous Disputes feigned at pleasure and pretended to be holden between S. Peter and Simon Magus concerning certain Events and Occurrences that are related after a childish manner But that which is more dangerous is that we may easily discover in several Passages thereof the Opinions of the Ebionites tho much palliated together with many other Errors In short this Book is of no use if we reflect on the Style and Method in which it is written or on the Things that are comprised therein I shall not pass the same censure upon the Apostolical Constitutions that are likewise falsly imputed to S. Clement and which tho' written by a later Author g Tho' written by a later Author The Author of the Recognitions is not the same with the Author of the Constitutions tho' some have been of this Opinion for their style is different the later is well versed in the Principles of the Christian Religion and in the Rites of the Church but the other is ignorant of these matters moreover they maintain a contrary Doctrine The Author of the Constitutions in lib. 8. c. 46. reckons the Sun Moon and Stars in the number of inanimate Creatures whereas the Author of the Recognitions imagineth that they have a Soul in lib. 5. chap. 16. Lastly the Author of the Constitutions was not an Ebionite but he that writ the Recognitions was yet contain many things very useful to the Discipline of the Church â—t is not known by whom nor when they were composed h It is not known by whom â—r when they were composed It is certain that they do not belong to the Apostles as we have already evidently demonstrated All that can be certainly affirmed is that they are cited by S. Epiphanius i They are cited by S. Epiphanius In Haeres 45. this Father produceth a passage that is found in the beginning of the Constitutions and in Haeres 80. he cites another which we read in Lib. 1. Constitut. chap. 3. concerning the Beards of Priests In Hâ—res 25. he quotes a passage taken from Lib. 5. chap. 14 and 17. relating to the Fasts enjoyned on Wednesday and Friday as also on the Days before Easter In Hâ—res 70. he observes that the Audians made use of certain Constitutions which tho dubious ought not altogether to be rejected as containing nothing contrary to the Faith or Discipline of the Church This may induce us to believe that the Constitutions which are now extant have been corrupted since the time of Epiphanius because the same thing could not be â—ssâ—med of those Add to this that in the same place Epiphanius cites a passage concerning Easter wherein the Christians are admonished to celebrate that Feast together with the Jews and the contrary is expresly declared in Constitut. Lib. 5. chap. 1â— Moreover in the same place he produces other Testimonies out of the Constitutions that are not found therein Perhaps S. Epiphanius had not sufficiently examined this Work or perhaps he cited it without Book or on the Report of another However it be he acknowledgeth it to be dubious and the Author of The Commentary on S. Matthew falsly attributed to St. Chrysostom but the passages which are produced by them not perfectly agreeing with those that are found in the Constitutions which are extant at this day we may be induced to conjecture that they have been since corrupted and so much the rather because they are infected with the Arian Heresie k Because they are infected with the Arian Heresie In Lib. 6. chap. 25. the Author reckons in the number of Hereticks those that believe that JESUS is the same with the God of the Universe but this might have been said in opposition to the Sabellians and so much the rather since he adds and do not distinguish the Son and the Holy Ghost Many other Passages are likewise alledged wherein he affirms that the Son and the Word is the Servant and Minister of God the Father These are the Phrases used by the ancient Ecclesiastical Writers but they have been suspected ever since the Council of Nice and several other Errors This is the Judgment that was given concerning them by the Greek Bishops in the Synod that was conven'd in the Imperial Palace of Constantinople after the fifth General Council However I admire that the Learned Photius l That the Learned Photius He censures them on Three several Accounts in â—od 112. First ex malafictione from which as he says they may be vindicated Secondly by reason of some Expressions used by the Author which are Contradictory to the Book of Deuteronomy and for these he might likewise be excused and Lastly he chargeth him with Arianism from which he cannot be cleared without offering him some violence hath not made this Observation and that he hath imputed the Errors of this Book to its Primitive Author It remains only to enquire whether this Book be the same as that which is mentioned by Eusebius m Mentioned by Eusebius Euseb. Lib. 3. chap. 25. Athan. in Ep. Fest. Synopsi and S. Athanasius Entituled The Doctrine or the Precepts of the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is the Opinion of Nicephorus n Of Nicephorus Niceph. in Stichometria Zonaras in Ep. Ath. Mat. Blastâ—res in a Collection of Canons that is not Printed Zonaras and Matthaeus Blastares but it seems to me to be most probable that The Constitutions of the Apostles and the Book called their Doctrine were two different Works which the likeness of their Titles hath caused to be confounded o Which the likeness of their Titles hath caused to be confounded There are many Reasons to prove that these are two different Books for first S. Athanasius reckons the Book of the Doctrine of the Apostles among those that were usually read to the Catechumens whereas the Constitutions were Composed rather for the use of Bishops and we find it prohibited in the last Canon to publish them or to discover the Contents thereof to all sorts of
of S. Justin was perfectly skilled in the Christian Philosophy and yet more in the Profane he had acquired an universal Learning and a perfect knowledge of History but he hath taken no care to adorn the Natural Beauty of Philosophy with the Artificial Ornaments of Eloquence Therefore his Discourses tho' very Learned have not the Elegancy and Grace of Eloquent Discourses This Character appears throughout all his Works which are extreamly full of Citations and of passages taken from the Holy Scriptures and profane Authors with little Order and without any Ornament He had joined to his exquisite Skill in the Pagan Philosophy an admirable knowledge of the Sacred and Prophetical Writings as also of the Principles of the Christian Religion that there is scarce any one of the ancient Fathers who ever Discoursed more accurately than he hath done of all its Mysteries It is true indeed that as to the Doctrine of the Trinity r he seems to differ from us in following the Platonick Maxims but it will appear to those who shall thoroughly examine his Opinions and those of the ancient Fathers that in the main they agree with ours s In the main they agree with ours We need only examine his Discourse concerning the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity in his Apology to the Emperour p. 36 93 94. as also concerning the Divinity of the Word p. 67 96. and in his first Apology p. 44 45. and more especially his Declaration concerning the Word in his Dialogue p. 267. where he not only confutes the Opinion of those that imagined that Jesus Christ was a mere Man but he likewise proves that he is really God and in p. 358. where he plainly asserts that the Word was begotten of the Father without dividing his Substance and that they are only different in the manner of Expression He asserts with many of the ancient Writers that the Souls of Men after their Separation from the Body shall wait for the Day of Judgment to be either entirely happy or miserable t To be either entirely happy or miserable In his Dialogue p. 223. he declares that the Souls of the just and of the wicked wait for the day of Judgment in a place where they suffer more or less proportionably to the good or evil that they have done in the World but at the same time he acknowledgeth that during this interval they shall receive Punishments or Rewards according to their Deserts Moreover he believes according to the Opinion of the most part of the primitive Christians that the Just after the Resurrection shall remain for the space of a Thousand years in the City of Jerusalem where they shall enjoy all lawful Pleasures u Where they shall enjoy all lawful pleasures See p. 306. of his Dialogue This Opinion is common to him and almost all the ancient Fathers and it was a fancy set on foot by Papias and from him spread among the Primitive Christians of the vanity whereof we are at present convinced He seems to have thought that the Souls of the wicked should at last become capable of dying x That the Souls of the wicked should at last become capable of dying We find this notion in the beginning of his Dialogue p. 222 223 and 224. where the old Man that instructs him refutes the Opinion of Plato that Souls are incorruptible of their own nature and maintaining that they are so only through grace from whence he concludes that the Souls of the wicked are only tormented as long as it shall seem good to the Will of God insomuch that after many Ages they shall cease to be tho' in other places y Although in other places c. In his Apology to the Emperor p. 57. he affirms that the torments of the Damned shall not only last for a thousand years as these mentioned by Plato but that they shall be everlasting Observe likewise what he says concerning these torments in p. 64 65 66. and in other places wherein he always calls them Eternal opposing this word Eternal to the Pains that shall one day have an end he affirms that their torments shall be eternal He has a peculiar Opinion concerning the Souls of the righteous which he affirms to have been before the coming of Jesus Christ under the power of the Devil who could cause them to appear whensoever he should think fit z Who could cause them to appear c. He asserts this in speaking of Samuel whose Soul the Witch really caused to return according to his Opinion in Dialog p. 332 and 333. He hath asserted as S. Irenaeus assures us aa According to the testimony of S. Irenaeus This passage is set down above that the Devils were ignorant of their Damnation until the coming of our Saviour nay he goes further in his Apology to the Emperor affirming that they are not as yet thrust down into Eternal Flames bb That the Devils are not as yet thrust down into Eternal Flames We find this in his Apology to the Emperor p. 71. c. Lastly he seems not to despair of the Salvation of those who have lived Vertuously among the Gentiles having only the knowledge of God without that of Jesus Christ. cc Having only the knowledge of God without that of Jesus Christ. In his second Apology pag. 83. he declares that they that lived according to the Principles of Natural Reason as Socrates Heraclitus Azarias Misael c. might be called Christians and he seems to suppose that they were saved by living up to the Law of Nature These are almost all the particular Points wherein he hath departed from the present Opinions of the Catholick Church The Works of S. Justin were first Printed all together in Greek dd The Works of S. Justin were first printed all together in Greek I do not speak of the several Editions of the Versions which are common and whereof there are three besides that of Langus The first was Composed by Picus Mirandula and printed at Basil by Henry Peter in the years 1528 and 1551. The second by Perionius and Printed by Nivelle at Paris in 1554. The third by Gelenius was Printed at Basil in 1555. Lastly a Translation of all the Works of Justin was set forth by Langus and Printed at Basil in 1565 and at Paris in the same year and in 1578 together with large Commentaries The Book of the Confutation of the Opinions of the Aristotelians was translated by Postellus printed by it self by Nivelle in 1552. A Greek Edition of his Apologies and several other little Tracts of the Greek Fathers were Printed at Rome by Zannerus The Exhortation to the Greeks in Greek is Printed by it self by Guillard at Paris by Robert Stephen in the years 1551 and 1571 except the Second Treatise against the Gentiles and the Epistle to Diognetus which were printed by themselves by Henry Stephen in the years 1592 and 1595. This Edition was soon followed by that
called the Son of David whereas Tatian's Gospel was a Rhapsody of the passages taken out of the four Evangelists on purpose to induce us to believe that our Saviour was not descended from the Lineage of David Tatian lived after the Death of S. Justin and died about the time when S. Irenaeus wrote his Book concerning the Heresies S. Clement in the Third Book of his Stromata cites a Treatise of this Author Entituled Of Perfection according to the Saviour written by him after his Fall into Heresie he produceth a passage out of it against Marriage which he confutes in Pag. 460. ATHENAGORAS and HERMIAS ATHENAGORAS an Athenian Philosopher lived in the time of the Emperor Marcus Antoninus Athenagoras Hermias to whom he presented an Apology for the Christians a In the time of Emperor Marcus Antoninus c. He joyns Lucius Aurelius Commodus with Marcus Labbé affirms that it was Lucius Verus but it is more probable that it was Commodus the Son of Antoninus and that this Apology was presented after his being taken into the Government about the Year 178. This Work and its Author were unknown to Eusebius S. Jerom and Photius but it is cited by S. Epiphanius in the Heresie of Origen In this Apology he refutes the three principle Calumnies that were alledged against the Christians as 1. That they were Atheists 2. That they eat humane Flesh. 3. That they committed horrible Crimes in their Assembles To the first Accusation he makes Answer that the Christians were not Atheists since they acknowledged and adored one God in Three Persons and lived Conformably to his Laws and Commandments believing that he sees and knows all things that they refused to worship Idols and to offer Sacrifice to them as being persuaded that they were not Dieties He replys to the two last Objections in shewing that the Life Laws and Manners of the Christians were very far from Murther and those infamous Crimes whereof they were accused He plainly Establisheth the Unity of the Essence of God and the Trinity of the three Divine Persons He affirms that the Word that remained in God from all Eternity departed from him if we may use such an Expression to create and govern all things He maintains the worship of Angels and declares that they were created to take care of Affairs here below He asserts that the Devils were ruined through the Love that they bore unto Women he admits Free-will in its utmost Latitude he makes divers Descriptions of the Holiness of the Conversation of the Christians he commends Virginity he condemneth second Marriages calling them an honest Adultery Lastly he Treats of the Resurrection and of the last Judgment There is another Treatise of this Father extant concerning the Resurrection of the Dead wherein he endeavours to prove that it is not only not impossible but even extremely credible These two Books are written in a Dogmatical style they were Printed separately in Greek and Latin b In Greek and Latin At Paris in Quarto by Veke Ann. Dom. 1541 and in Octavo by Stephen with Nannius's Translation in 1557. Also by Plantin at Antwerp in 1560 1583 and 1588. The Translation of Suffridus was Printed at Colen with Commentaries in 1567 and 1573. Nannius's Version of the Treatise concerning the Resurrection was published at the end of the Works of Philo at Basil 1561 and in 1558 by Episcopius as also at Colen in 1599. There is a Version of the Treatise of the Resurrection by Ficinus and Printed at Basil in 1516 and another of Valetus in Italian Printed at Venice in 1556. The Apology was Printed in Latin at Paris in 1498 in Greek and Latin in 1577. In Latin at Basil 1565. Translated by Gesner and there again in 1558 in Octavo at Zurick in 1599. The Book concerning the Resurrection of the Dead was Printed in Latin at Paris in 1498 at Basil in 1561. In Greek and Latin in Venice in 1498 and 1550. At Basil in 1593 and 1653. At Paris in 1615 1618 and 1636. The Translations which are at the end of S. Justin are Nannius's of the Treatise of the Resurrection and Gesner's of the Apology Athenagoras has also been Printed at Oxon Gr. Lar. in 12 o. 1682 and at Leipzick 1684 in Oct. cum Not is Var. Translated by Gesner Nannius Marsilius Ficinus and Suffridus and are inserted in the Bibliotheca Patrum as also in Greek in the Supplement to the Bibliotheca and Lastly after the Works of S. Justin with the Annotations of Gesner and Henry Stephen there is another imperfect Tract annexed to them which is a continual Series of Satyrical Reflections on the Opinions and Philosophical Notions of the Gentiles Composed by Hermias a Christian Philosopher But this Author is not known nor the precise time when he wrote however it is not to be doubted but that he is ancient and that he lived before the Pagan Religion was extirpated This little Book was Printed by it self in Greek and Latin at Basil Anno Dom. 1553. THEOPHILUS Bishop of ANTIOCH THEY that imagine a They that imagine c. This was the Opinion of Gulielmus Tyrius who in S. Bernard's time wrote the History of the Crusade See lib. 4. c. 9. It is a gross error for according to this account Theophilus must have lived above 150 years that this Theophilus whom we speak of is the same with him to whom S. Luke dedicates the Acts of the Apostles are grosly mistaken for this Man was so far from being Contemporary with S. Luke and the Apostles that he was not Ordained Bishop Theophilus Bishop of Antioch of Antioch b Ordained Bishop of Antioch He was the sixth The first according to the testimony of Eusebius was Evodius the second S. Ignatius the third Hero the fourth Cornelius the fifth Heros and Theophilus the fixth S. Jerome indeed declares in one place that he was the seventh but he is mistaken Eusebius in his Chronicle and in his History refers his Ordination to the eighth year of the Reign of the Emperor Marcus that is the 170 after Christ according to the common computation until the Year 170. after the Nativity of Jesus Christ and he governed this Church Twelve or Thirteen Years until the beginning of the Reign of Commodus c Until the beginning of the Reign of Commodus Eusebius affirms that Maximinus was his Successor in the seventeenth year of Marcus Antoninus but in the Chronology of the Emperors composed by Theophilus at the end of his third Book to Autolycus he reckons nineteen years and ten days of the Reign of Verus that is to say of the same Emperor Antoninus and it cannot be affirmed that 16 years ought to be put instead of 19 as it is in the Translation for by computing the total Sum of the years of the Emperors which amount to 237 years and one day it is apparent that there must of necessity be 19. From whence it follows that either he was mistaken
have confest that there was but One true God and that even the most ancient Poets as Aratus Hesiod Euripides and Orpheus have been obliged to acknowledge the same and that the Sibyls the Prophets and the Books of Scriptures teach only the Worship of One God Afterwards he is very earnest to persuade Men to embrace the Christian Religion in Consideration of the great Advantages that it carries along with it towards the Attainment of eternal Salvation which they cannot otherwise hope for and for preserving themselves from eternal Torments which they cannot possibly avoid but by believing in Jesus Christ and by living conformably to his Laws If you were permitted says he to purchase eternal Salvation what would you not give for it And now you may obtain it by Faith and Charity There is nothing can hinder you from acquiring it neither Poverty nor Misery nor Old Age nor any other State of Life Believe therefore in One God who is God and Man and receive eternal Salvation for a Recompence Seek God and you shall live for ever Thus he concludes with a long Exhortation wherein he most earnestly presses Men to quit their Idolatry and Vices and to live and believe as the Christians do The Second Book Entituled the Pedagogue is a Discourse entirely of Morality It is divided into three Books In the first he shews what it is to be a Pedagogue that is to say a Conductor Pastor Book I. or Director of Men He proves that this Quality chiefly and properly belongs only to the WORD Incarnate He says that it is the part of the Pedagogue to regulate the Manners conduct Chap. 1. Chap. 2. Chap. 3. Chap. 4. the Actions and cure the Passions That he preserves Men from Sins and heals them when they have been already Guilty That the WORD performs these Functions by forgiving our Sins as he is God and instructing Us as he is Man with great Sweetness and Charity That he equally informs Men and Women the Learned and the Ignorant because all Men stand in need of Instruction being all Children in one Sense Yet however that we must not think that the Doctrine of the Christians is Childish and Contemptible But that on the contrary the Quality of Children which they receive in Baptism renders them perfect in the knowledge of Divine Things by delivering them from Sins by Grace and inlightning them by the Illumination of Faith And that so we are at the same time both Children and perfect Men and that the Milk wherewith we are nourished being Chap. 5. Chap. 6. Chap. 7. both the Word and the Will of God is a very Solid and Substantial Nourishment That the WORD guided the Jews in the Old Testament by Fear but that after it was Incarnate it has changed this Fear into Love That Reproaches Afflictions and Punishments which the WORD makes Chap. 8. use of to chastise Men are not Signs of his bearing any hatred towards them but Effects of his Justice and of the Care which he takes to Correct them That it is the same God the Creator of the World who is both Good and Just that punishes and shews Mercy That he is good upon his own Chap. 9. Account and just as to Men That Reproofs and Chastisements are for their Good that there are two kinds of Fear the Fear which Children have of their Father or Subjects of their King and the Fear which Slaves have of their Master That both these Sorts of Fear are profitable to Men but that the First is by much the most perfect That the WORD inclines Men to good by its Exhortations and prevents them from Sinning by its Threatnings That he performed the Function of a Chap. 10. Pedagogue by Moses and the Prophets and that he is at last come himself to give Men suitable Remedies to their several Miseries and to Conduct them according to the Dictates of right Reason Last Chap. That the whole Life of a Christian is a continued Series of Actions conformable to Reason and that Sin is produced by the going out of that way In the 2d and 3d. Book of the Pedagogue S. Clement descends to the Recapitulation of humane Actions and gives Rules for Temperance and Christian Modesty In the former of these he shews Book II. Chap. 1. Chap. 2. Chap. 3. Chap. 4. Chap. 5. Chap. 6. Chap. 7. that the End and Design of Eating ought not to be Pleasure but Necessity and that therefore we must avoid Excess both in the Quantity and the Quality of our Meat That Wine is not to be Drunk but with great Moderation and that young Persons particularly ought wholly to abstain from it He finds great Fault with Luxury in Houshold-stuff and Moveables He is of Opinion that Vocal and Instrumental Musick ought to be banished from the Christian Festivals and that we should only celebrate therein the Praises of God He is against immoderate Laughter and uttering such Words as are unseemly He requires that exact Modesty be observed in the Countenance and in Discourse he reprehends those who put Crowns and Garlands upon their Heads and who perfumed themselves with Balm He allows but little Sleep and that in such Beds that are neither too Chap. 8. Chap. 10. Chap. 11. and 12. Book III. Chap. 1 2 3 4 and 5. stately nor too delicate That it is not lawful to Marry but with a Design of begetting Children That we should not make use of Clothes but for the sake of Decency He declaims against Luxury of Apparel against precious Stones against Fantastical Dresses in Men or Women and against publick Baths He describes and enveighs against all these things better than ever Juvenal or any of the ancient Satyrists had done before him He intermixes his Satyr with several Curious Instructions and descends to particulars like a Casuist He passes in the next Place to the Precepts of Vertue opposite to the Vices he has been reprehending Chap. 6. Chap. 7. and 8. Chap. 9 and 10. Chap. 11. Last Chap. He shews that there is none but the Christian who is truly rich That he ought to live in an entire Frugality That he must not make use of any Exercises and Pleasures no farther than is absolutely necessary for his Health He adds moreover divers Instructions more particularly suited to the Women to perswade them to carry themselves always Civilly and Modestly and more especially in Churches Lastly he makes a Collection of several Places of Scripture which relate to Morality and the Conduct of our Life and concludes by exhorting Men to hearken unto and to obey the Precepts of Jesus Christ their Supreme and Sovereign Pedagogue to whom he Addresses a Prayer praising him with the Father and the Holy Ghost and returning him Thanks for making him a Member of his Church These Books are very profitable for those that study Morality and if the Casuists of our Times had perused and considered them well they had not faln
Imperii Antistites are the Governors and Proconsuls and that which follows plainly shews it for he says that they preside in vertice civitatis which does not signifie the City of Rome which is always called Urbs and what he adds that it belongs to them to examine the Cause of the Christians to try them and to receive Informations against them does evidently prove that he speaks of the Governors of Places Secondly he does not mention so much as one word of the Senate in the whole Book Thirdly he speaks of the Proconsul as of the Supream Magistrate Chap. 45. Lastly he always calls those to whom he Addresses this Work Praesides a Title which properly agrees to the Governors of the Provinces and indeed he does not address himself to the Senate but to the Proconsul of Africa and the Governors of the Provinces The Books concerning Patience and the Exhortation to the Martyrs may have been written about the same time But that to Scapula was not composed till some years after as well as the Two Books to the Nations Afterwards as he began to incline towards the Montanists he wrote about the year 202 or 203 the Discourses concerning Publick Sights and Spectacles and of Idolatry r The Discourses concerning publick Sights and Spectacles and of Idolatry In the 5th Chapter of the Book concerning Idolatry he alludes to the Joy at the Birth of Geta He speaks in his Book concerning Publick Sights and Spectacles Chap. 7. of the City of Rome like a Person who was not there so that this Book could not be made at Rome as has been believed This is the last of the two the other being quoted Chap. 13. He was not yet a thorough-paced Montanist but he began to embrace their Opinions though he had not yet openly left the Church He still kept the same Opinions when he composed his Books Of the Ornament and Dresses of Women s His Books of the Ornament and Dresses of Women The Latin Titles are De cultu Muliebri de habitu Muliebri And two Books Dedicated to his Wife His Book of The Testimony of the Soul has no certain Epocha t His Book of the Testimony of the Soul has no certain Epocha It was written after his Apology as may be concluded from the 5th Chapter but as we do not find therein any Foot-steps of the Errors of the Montanists we may believe that it was written by Tertullian before he separated from the Church And these are all the Works that can be attributed to Tertullian whilst he remained Orthodox all the others being certainly written after his returning Montanist His Books against Marcion are the first of these last kind of Books v His Books against Marcion are the first of this last sort It is evident that he was a Montanist when he Composed the Books against Marcion this appears by the 28th Chapter of his First Book by the 24th of the Third Book by the 22d of the Fourth Book and by the 15th of the Fifth Book In the Fourth Book Ch. 22. he calls the Catholicks Psychici The Epocha of them is certain for in the first Book chap. 15 he says That he writ it in the 15th Year of the Emperor Severus that was the 207th after Christ. In the first of these Books he promises his Book of Praescriptions x He promises his Book of Praescriptions Lib. 1. cap. 1. Alius libellus hunc gradum sustinebit adversus Haereticos etiam sine tractatu Doctrinarum revincendos quod hoc sit de Praescriptione novitatis We may affirm that it was written before and that he only publish'd it then that he might confirm some Arguments in his Books against Marcion Which has given occasion to some to think that this Book was written by Tertullian whilst he was yet Orthodox because he speaks so advantageously for the Church against Novelties But he makes use of the very same Principles in his Book against Marcion and against Praxeas The Catalogue of the Hereticks where he puts the Montanists in the Number of Hereticks is not Tertullian's so that Reason which might contribute to make it believed that he wrote his Praescriptions whilst he was a Catholick is of no consequence So that although this be a very excellent Discourse and that it contains nothing but what is Catholick yet it must be confessed that he composed it when he was a Montanist unless we should say that he kept it by him for some time unpublished However it be it was composed when he wrote his Book concerning the Flesh of Jesus Christ wherein he refers to the Book of Praescriptions in the second Chapter The Book concerning the Soul was written after the Books against Marcion which are cited in the second Chapter but before the Book concerning the Resurrection of the Flesh where he quotes his Book concerning the Soul and also that concerning the Flesh of Jesus Christ. So that this is the Order of the Books composed by Tertullian after those against Marcion The Book of Praescriptions of the Soul of the Flesh of Jesus Christ of the Resurrection of the Flesh these were all composed from the year 207 to the year 210. His Scorpiacus y The Book entituled Scorpiacus This Book of Scorpiacus was written after the Books against Marcion as may be seen by the 5th Chapter his Book De Coronâ z The Book De Coronâ It was written upon occasion of a Donative granted by the Emperors Antoninus Caracalla and Severus to the Soldiers about the Year 209. and that De Pallio aa The Book De Pallio Scaliger pretends that this was his first Work and Salmasius on the contrary says that it was written when he was made Priest The first believes that the Cloak was a Habit for all Christians And the second maintains that it was only a Habit for the Priests but both of them are mistaken for the Christians and Priests wore both long and short Garments indifferently according to the Customs of the Places where they were The Cloak was a Habit for Philosophers and such as made Profession of a more austere Life than ordinary What is said in the second Chapter of his Book De Pallio that the triple Virtue of the Emperor had entirely routed the Barbarians and procured Peace and Tranquility to the People can no otherwise be understood but of the latter end of the Reign of Severus who enjoyed a most profound Peace after he had defeated all his Enemies and taken in as Partners in the Governments his two Sons Caracalla and Geta and this is what Tertullian calls Triplex Imperii Virtus as when he says Barbari exclusi he alludes to the Wall which Severus caused to be built in Britain to put a stop to the Incursions of the Barbarians were written about the same time but we do not know the year In his Book De Coronâ he says That he had composed a Treatise concerning
they allowed them to speak in their Assemblies when they would and they believed that they had more Power and Authority than Priests and Bishops And this was the Reason that there was but very little Order and Rule observed in their Assemblies But as to other things they practised a very severe and austere Discipline they for ever condemned not only those who after their Baptism had committed Murder or Idolatry but also those who had fallen into Fornication and Adultery to â—ye under a perpetual Excommunication They imposed new Fasts and observed them very strictly eating nothing but Bread and Fruits They Condemned second Marriages and they believed that it was not lawful to flee in Times of Persecution As soon as ever this Sect appeared in the World it deluded a great many Christians by that outward Shew of Perfection and Sanctity which it carried along with it For on the one hand the Austerity of their Lives added Weight and Credit to their Revelarions and on the other hand their Revelations caused their Discipline to be embraced Several good Men were immediately brought into the Snare and in a short time we find the Churches of Phrygia and afterwards other Churches divided upon the Account of these new Prophesies Even the Bishop of Rome himself was imposed upon by them and granted them Communicatory Letters which he presently Revoked being sensible of his Error The Christians of the Church of France were more circumspect as to this Matter and wrote to Pope Victor and the Churches of Asia concerning these new Prophesies giving such a Judgment of them as was very discreet and agreeable to the Faith as Eusebius tells us But we do not certainly know what it was that they wrote though it is very likely that they disapproved of these new Revelations wishing nevertheless that they would treat with Gentleness and Moderation those who had suffered themselves to be surprized by Error that so they might be induced to return into the Bosom of the Church At length the Bishops of Asia having met together several times to examine these new Prophesies considering of what Consequence it was to put a Stop to their farther Progress Condemned them and Excommunicated as well those who were the Authors of them as those that followed them And this is all that I thought necessary to say concerning the Sect of the Montanists and the Condition in which it was in Tertullian's time We will now return to our Author and speak of his Genius his Style and the Judgment that ought to be passed upon his Writings He was of a very quick sprightly and sharp Temper but he had not all that Exactness and Clearness that might have been wished There is very often more Glittering then Solidity in his Reasonings He rather strikes and dazles by his bold Expressions than convinces by the Force of his Arguments His Thoughts are far fetch'd and sometimes lofty enough the Turn which he gives them is high but not very natural He oftentimes stretches things too far He is warm and transported almost upon every thing He is full of Figures and Hyperboles He was very well furnished with Knowledge and Learning which he sufficiently knew how to make use of to good purpose His Excellency consisted in Satyr his Jests are very ingenious and biting He attack'd his Adversaries very cunningly and overthrew them by a multitude of Reasons which are interwoven and as it were linked one within another Lastly If he does not persuade by his Reasonings he at least forces Consent by that pompous way of Expression whereby he sets them out His Style is Concise his Expressions Emphatical and there are in his Writings almost as many Sentences as Words Yet Lactantius had reason to take notice of three considerable Defects in him Tertullian says he was very well vers'd in the fine Learning but his Style is neither fluent nor polite but very obscure In loquendo parum facilis parum comtus multum obscurus These three Faults in Style are common to him with the greatest part of the African Writers kk These three Faults in Style are indeed to be found in the greatest part of the African Writers We must except Minutius S. Cyprian and Lactantius they had quite worn off that way of Writing though S. Cyprian still retains some relish of it but we may say that they are in a very high Degree in Tertullian and that there is not any Writer whose Style is more harsh less polite and more obscure than his All his Works are subject to these Defects some more and some less He is more clear and concise in his Polemical Discourses more obscure and harder in his common Places as in the Book De Pallio which is one of the obscurest Pieces of Antiquity His Book of Pennance is the most Polite of all The most excellent and the usefullest of his Works are his Apology the Praescriptions his Books of Pennance of Baptism of Prayer and his Exhortations to Patience and to Martyrdom After what we have said already it is an easie matter to judge the true Character of Tertullian But it is not so easie to determine whether he be more to be commended or Blamed For first of all if we were to make a Judgment in relation to the Service which he did the Church it would be difficult to say whether he has done more Hurt or Good For on the one hand he vigorously defended its Doctrine against several Hereticks he maintained in some of his Works very considerable Points relating to Discipline and laâ—tly he all along Established an eâ—cellent Morality Buton the other hand besides that he always had several Errors he formerly opposed the Discipline of the Church after he separated from it And if we judge in the second Place by the Temper of the Man there is so much of Good and 〈◊〉 in it that we cannot tell which of the two ought to carry it Lastly If we make a Judgment of him by his Style we cannot tell whether he is to be Commended for what he has that is Great and Surprizing or to be Blamed because of its other Defects and Imperfections And thus Learned Men have always been and are still extreamly divided ll And thus Learned Men have always been and are still extreamly divided We shall here set down some Judgments made by the Ancients and Moderns concerning Tertullian S. Cypriâ—n by the Relation of S. Jerâ—m who was told it by a Priest that had heard it from a Secretary of S. Cyprian's used every day to read something of his Works and when he called for his Book he said Give me my Master And in truth S. Cyprian has imitated him and has borrowed a great many things from him He has likewise composed the greatest part of his Works with the same design as Tertullian as his Book of Idolatry in imitation of Tertullian's Apology His Books De Disciplina habitâ—â—uliebri de zelo livâ—re de Oratione Dominica
by Photius and even by Eusebius in the Sixth Book Chapter 31 of his History If that Passage which is not to be found in Ruffinus's Version nor in S. Jerom be not foisted in But it is more likely that this is the Work of another Africanus g Is the Work of another Africanus These Books Entituled Cesti were Discourses containing nothing but prophane Learning they were so called à Cesto Veneris They treated of Herbs and particularly of those that had any Faculty in procuring Love The Author of this Book was of Lybia he called himself Sextus Africanus or rather Africanus Cestus He was probably a Heathen as the Title and the Subject of his Work sufficiently shew There is a Book attributed to one Africanus cited by Politian under the Name of Cestus being a Manuscript in the King's Library but not the same which Photius speaks of It was lately published We do not know whether he of whom we speak wrote any thing else nor when he died MINUTIUS FELIX MInutius Felix a famous Lawyer at Rome a A Lawyer at Rome Not only Lactantius and S. Hierom assure us that he was of this Profession but this likewise appears by the beginning of his Dialogue where he says That it being Vacation time he had no Business at the Hall who lived in the beginning of the Third Century b In the begining of the Third Century The Ancients do not fix precisely the time wherein he lived S. Hierom in his Catalogue wherein he keeps the Order of Time places him between Tertullian and S. Cyprian It is evident that Minutius has taken several Thoughts from Tertullian and that S. Cyprian in his Book Of the Vanity of Idols has transcribed in several Places the Words of Minutius This makes it probable that he was an African and his Style savours a little of Africa wrote an excellent Dialogue Entitulled Octavius in defence of the Christian Religion Minutius Felix 'T is a Conference between a Christian whom he calls Octavius c Octavius He is also called Januarius and Cecilius is named Natalis and Minutius Felix Marcus It would be rather to divine than to believe that these were the Januarius and Natalis Bishops of Africa who lived in S. Cyprian's time It would have been more likely that Octavius and Caecilius were imaginary Names in the Dialogue if we had not been told that they are their proper Names and a Heathen named Cecilius where Minutius sets as Judge Cecilius speaks first against the Christian Religion and begins by laying down this Maxim that every thing is uncertain and doubtful and that therefore it is a great piece of Rashness especially in the Christians who are an ignorant and stupid sort of People to pretend to establish their Opinions as certain and Infallible Truths That there being no Providence that governs the World and all things being dubious it is the best way to stick to the Religion of our Ancestors That the Roman Empire was first established and afterwards arrived to its present Height by the Religion of the Gods that they never contemned the Omens and Presages of the Sooth-sayers without repenting of it and that their Oracles certainly foretold things that were really to come to pass Afterwards he attacks the Religion of the Christiand in particular he accuses them of worshipping an Asses Head adoring Crosses and other things which were yet more dishonorable He upbraids them for those Crimes of which the Heathens them-were justly accused to wit the Murthering of Children the Committing of Incests He reprehends in them as a Crime that excessive Love which they had one for another He finds fault with them because they had no Temples Altars nor Statues He tells them that they can neither see themselves nor shew to others that God whom they adore that they feign that he sees all things but that it is impossible that he should be able to take care of every particular thing if he has the Charge of the whole Universe lying upon him He pretends that it was to no purpose that the Jews adored and honoured this God He scoffs at the Hopes of the Christians He looks upon the Resurrection Hell and Heaven to be Fables like those of the Poets He says that Men being necessarily Good or Evil 't is ridiculous to believe that God will punish or reward them for their Actions He examines the Condition of the Christians in this Life which is to be Poor Ignorant subject to Diseases persecuted exposed continually to Racks and Tortures Which shews says he that their God either cannot or will not relieve them and by consequence that he is Impotent or Malicious That on the contrary the Romans who do not adore the God of the Christians are not only Powerful and Lords of the whole World but they likewise enjoy all those Pleasures from which the Christians are forced to abstain He concludes by advising the Christians not to seek any more after Heavenly Things and not to flatter themselves vainly with the Knowledge of them maintaining that all things being uncertain and doubtful it is better to suspend our Judgments than to judge rashly for fear of falling into Superstition or utterly destroying all Religion After some Reflexions of Minutius Felix Octavius answering Cecilius's Discourse observes how he has argued after a very inconstant manner sometimes admitting a Deity and sometimes seeming to doubt thereof Which he has not done says he out of any Craft or Cunning this sort of Artifice not suiting with his Candid and Frank Temper but that has happened to him which usually happens to a Man who is Ignorant of the Way when he sees several Paths he stands in suspence not daring to chuse any and not being able to follow them all In like manner as he adds he who has no certain Knowledge of the Truth is always in doubt and suffers himself to be led by the first Suspicion without being able to stop himself He afterwards reprehends all the Reasonings of Cecilius and he answers every one in particular After having shewn that Poverty and Ignorance which was upbraided to the Christians could be no ways prejudicial to the Truth he proves the Divine Providence by the Order and Beauty which is seen in the Universe and by the admirable Perfections of all the Creatures And he shews that it could be no other than God who has created all things governing them by his WORD ruling them by his Wisdom and bringing them to perfection by his Power That he is not to be seen because he is more subtile than the Sight That he is not to be comprehended because he is greater than all the Senses That he is infinite and immense That the Bounds of our Understanding are by much too shallow to have a perfect Knowledge of him That it is only he who comprehends himself that it is impossible to give him a Name suitable to his Perfections And yet that all Men do naturally know him
Testimonials from the Magistrates certifying that they had committed Idolatry or by offering Incense publickly upon the Altars of their Gods or by eating the Meat which was Sacrificed to them For the first they ordained that they should be reconciled but for the Latter they judged it necessary to leave them still under Pennance and not allow them Reconciliation till they became dangerously sick provided also that they had begun to do Penance beforethey fell sick For as for those who staid till they were seized by some desperate Distemper before they desired to undergo their Penance it was thought expedient wholly to refuse them Absolution because then says St. Cyprian 'T is not so much their Sorrow for their Sin as the Fear of Death that obliges them to desire it Quia eos non tam Delecti Penitentia quam Mortis Admonitio petere compellit As for those Ecclesiasticks who had fallen into Idolatry it was ordained that they should for ever be excluded from the Clergy that they should communicate no more with the Faithful but as Laymen and that even some of them should be obliged to undergo the Severities of Penance They Excommunicated Felicissimus and those of his Party who had disturbed the Tranquillity of the Church of Carthage in St. Cyprian's Absence Perhaps it was at this Synod that Privatus a Heretick of the Colony of Lambesa presented himself who had been already Condemned in a Synod of Ninety Bishops and seeing himself so far rejected that they would not so much as hear him make his Defence embraced the Party of Felicissimus The Council after they had made these Regulations wrote a Synodal Letter to Cornelius lately Elected Bishop of Rome who assembled likewise a Synod of Sixty Bishops and several Priests who followed the Rules of the African Council in the ordering of publick Penance and Excommunicated Novatian who joyning himself to Novatus refused the Grace of Reconciliation to those Persons who had once fallen into any Sin and caused himself to be ordained Bishop of Rome in opposition to Cornelius by three Bishops whose Credulity and Easiness he had abused in this Matter This for a time made a kind of a Schism in Rome for Novatian drew to his Party not only some Priests but also the Confessors who were ready to suffer Martyrdom The Heads of both Parties being desirous to obtain the Favour of St. Cyprian and of the other African Bishops wrote Letters to them and sent their Deputies into Africk But Novatian's were received very ill and the African Bishops who had for some time suspended their Judgment and ceased to send Letters of Communion to either of the two Parties till they were informed of the Matter by two of their own Brethren whose Names were Caldonius and Fortunatus whom they had dispatched to Rome on purpose to learn the true State of the whole Affair after they were fully instructed by them and two other African Bishops who were present at the Ordination of Cornelius after what manner he had been ordained decided it in Favour of him and sent him Letters of Communion having first confirmed the Judgment he had passed against Novatian in Italy The Judgment of the Church in Africk and the Eloquent Letters of St. Cyprian brought the Confessors of the Roman Church over to Cornelius's Party Thus the Novatians finding themselves cryed down in Italy to be revenged upon St. Cyprian raised Disturbances in Africk where they caused one Maximus a Deputy of Novatian to be chosen Bishop and on the other side Felicissimus the Deacon an Enemy to St. Cyprian got Privatus of Lambesa whom we have already mentioned to ordain in opposition to him one whose Name was Fortunatus and afterwards came into Italy to get his Ordination ratified there by Cornelius and by the rest of the Italian Bishops pretending that this Fortunatus had been ordained by five and twenty Bishops and that St. Cyprian favoured the Party of the Novatians Cornelius immediately rejected Felicissimus and those of his Faction but at last being either frighted by their Menaces or else shaken by their Discourses he entertained some Suspicions to the Prejudice of St. Cyprian and writ to him after a very disobliging manner to this the Saint returned a vigorous Answer exposing his Weakness and acquainting him with the Malice of his Enemies In the mean time while Felicissimus endeavoured to create a Misunderstanding between St. Cyprian and Cornelius that Holy Man assembled a Council of Sixty six Bishops at Carthage in April in the Year 252 wherein some Ecclesiastical Regulations were made concerning a certain Priest whose Name was Victor whom his Bishop had received to Grace contrary to the Decision of the Council and also concerning the Baptism of Infants About the same time he opposed one Fortunatianus a Bishop who still held his Bishoprick though he had Sacrificed to Idols and offered to reconcile those who after they had held out for some time at last yielded to the violence of Torments and who had undergone Penance for this their Transgression three whole Years St. Cyprian after this having had several Revelations which inclined him to believe that the Church was to be Persecuted within a short time was of Opinion that in order to prepare the Christians for this new Assault it would be necessary to fortifie them with the Eucharist and to that Effect to reconcile them to the Church So in the Year 253 he assembled a Council of several Bishops who were all of the same Judgment and signified their Resolution to Pope Cornelius that he might use the same Conduct in his own Church Soon after happened the Persecution of Gallus Pope Cornelius was sent into Banishment and suffered Martyrdom the very same Year Lucius who succeeded him was immediately banished from whence he returned after the Death of Gallus in the beginning of the Year 254 but he did not long enjoy the Comforts of Peace but suffered Martyrdom after he had held the See of Rome for the space of Eight Months only Stephen was elected in his Place towards the End of that Year or the beginning of the next Under this Pope the celebrated Dispute about the Validity of the Baptism of Hereticks was warmly discussed between the Churches of Africa and Rome St. Cyprian being consulted in the Year 255 by Januarius and the other Bishops of Numidia whether it was necessary to re-baptize those who after they had been Baptized by Hereticks desired to be re-united to the Church returned this Answer as did several African Bishops assembled in Council that no Baptism could be valid out of the Church that it was absolutely necessary to Rebaptize those who had received the Baptism of Hereticks and in one Word that this Question had been already decided by the African Bishops their Predecessors Quintus having also sent the same Demand to St. Cyprian he made the same Answer and sent him the Decision of this Synod which was moreover confirmed in another African Council held in 256 which
Philosophers believed the same things that are received by the Christians as for Instance The Immortality of the Soul the Resurrection of the Body and Hell Fire He takes occasion from thence to discourse of the Nature of Souls he pretends that they are of a middle quality between a Spirit and a Body that they are by Nature Mortal but that God of his Goodness immortalizes the Souls of those who repose their Considence in him He confutes Plato's Notions concerning the Soul's Immortality and it's Excellency Dignity Exile or Imprisonment in the Body He supposes that it is Corporeal and extraduce That Man is but very little different from the Beasts That his Soul is mortal by Nature but that it becomes immortal by the Grace of God Opinions unworthy of a Man that had been perfectly instructed in the true Religion What he at the same time observes that in the Matters of Religion we ought not to indulge a fond Curiosity not endeavour to penetrate into the Reasons of God Almighty's Conduct nor judge of it by our own Light is infinitely more worthy of a Christian Jesus Christ says he was God and I ought to tell you so though you are not willing to understand it yet he is God and speaks unto us from God He has commanded us not to perplex our selves with unprofitable Questions let us therefore leave the Knowledge of these things to God and not amuse our selves in a vain pursuit after them And yet he does not forget to answer those Questions that were ordinarily proposed by the Pagans concerning Jesus Christ. Now they often demanded the reason why our Blessed Saviour since his Coming was so absolutely necessary for the Saving of Souls from Death would suffer so long an Interval of time to pass before he came to deliver them Arnobius replies Is it possible for Man to know after what manner God dealt with the Ancients Who has told you that he never relieved them any other way Do you know how long it is since Men have been upon the Earth or in what place the Souls of the Ancients are reserved Who has informed you that Jesus Christ did not deliver them by his coming Forbear then to torment your selves about these things and meddle not with those Questions which 't is impossible for Humane Reason to resolve Be perswaded that God has shown Mercy to them Jesus Christ perhaps had taught you how and when and after what manner it was done if it would not have afforded matter to your Pride But wherefore continued the Pagans did not Jesus Christ deliver all Mankind He invites he calls upon all the World says Arnobius he rejects no body he readily receives those that come to him he only requires that Men would desire and wish for him but he constrains and forces no Man for otherwise it would be Violence and not Grace But are none but Christians delivered from Death No assuredly for Jesus Christ alone has Power to effect it But say the Pagans this is a new upstart Religion and why should we quit that of our Ancestors for it Why not reply'd Arnobius provided it is better Did we never change our Ancient Customs Did we never alter our old Laws Is there any thing in the World which had not a beginning at first Ought we to esteem a Religion for the Antiquity of it or rather for the sake of the Divinity which we honour Within less than Two Thousand Years none of the Gods that are now worshipped by the Pagans were in being whereas God and his true Religion has been from all Ages Jesus Christ had his Reasons why he appeared when he did though they are unknown to us But why does he suffer those that worship him to be Persecuted And why replies Arnobius do your Gods suffer you to be afflicted with Wars with Pestilence and Famine c. As for us 't is not to be admired that we suffer in this Life for nothing is promised to us in this World On the contrary all the Evils and Calamities which we suffer here make way only for our Deliverance In the Three following Books Arnobius falls upon the Pagan Religion and shows that the Christians had very great reason to reject a way of Worship so very foolish Extravagant and Impious In his Sixth and Seventh Books he demonstrates that the Christians did very wisely not to Build Temples or trouble themselves with the Pageantry of Statues Images and Sacrifices and that it is a ridiculous piece of Folly to imagine that God dwells in Temples that the Images are Gods or that the Divinities are contained in them Or lastly That we honour the true God when we Sacrifice Beasts burn Incense or pour out Wine in Adoration of him Thus we have considered the Subject of the Seven Books of Arnobius that are written in a manner worthy of a Professor of Rhetorick The turn of his Thoughts very much resembles that of an Orator but his Style is a little African that is to say his Words harsh ill-placed unpolisht and sometimes scarce Latin and 't is likewise evident that he was not perfectly acquainted with the Mysteries of our Religion He attaques Paganism with a greater share of Skill and Vigour than he defends Christianity and discovers the Folly of That better than he proves the Truth of This. But we ought not to be surprized at it for 't is the ordinary Fate of all new Converts who being as yet full of their former Religion know the weakness and blind-side of it better than they understand the Proofs and Excellencies of that Perswasion which they have newly embraced I will say nothing concerning the Latin Commentary upon the Psalms that carries the Name of Arnobius because it is a certain truth in which all the Learned World agrees that this Arnobius is a different Person from him of whom we have been speaking that he is of a later Date and lived after the Council of Chalcedon since he mentions the Pelagians and Predestinarians The Books of the Senior Arnobius were first published by Faustus Sabaeus and Printed at Rome by Theodorus Priscianensis in the Year 1542. out of a Manuscript belonging to the Vatican Library but with abundance of Faults that were to be found in that Manuscript Galenius who afterwards set out another Edition of them at Basil in 1546. and 1560. by Frobenius took the liberty to Correct them upon his own bare Conjecture and to insert his own Emendations into the Text. Thomasinus printed them at Paris 1570. Canterus Corrected the Edition of Gelenius and was the first Man that wrote Annotations upon Arnobius His Edition was Printed by Plantin at Antwerp 1582. in Octavo Elmenhorstius published a larger Comment upon him and reviewed his Seven Books out of an ancient Manuscript They are likewise Printed with Heraldus's Notes in the Year 1583 and 1603 at Paris 1605 and at Hamburgh 1610 Stewechius a Learned Man took pains also with the same Author and Printed him at Doway
Happiness and the Wicked everlastingly Punished They never disquieted themselves in examining wherein the Beatitude consisted but they were perswaded That the Wicked should be punished with Fire and that not Metaphorical but Real They advanced Man's Free-Will very highly and maintained that he might carry himself either to Good or Evil and yet they acknowledged That since the Transgression of the First Man we were naturally inclined to Evil and that we stood in need of the Assistance and Grace of God to determine us to what was Good They did not Philosophize too far about the Nature and several Species of Angels but only satisfied themselves that there were good Angels and likewise bad ones called Daemons They were of Opinion that both the one and the other were Corporeal and imagined that the bad Angels were lost for their love of Women and they positively asserted that the good Ones took care of things below All of them were sensible of the Wounds and Punishment of Adam's Sin but they don't seem to agree that Infants were born subject to Sin and worthy of Damnation Nevertheless this appears to be the common Opinion as is evident from St. Cyprian who says That it was requisite to Baptize Infants before the Eighth day for fear lest if they died without Baptism this delay should prove the occasion of their Destruction They often spoke of the Necessity and wonderful Effects of Baptism and said that the Holy Ghost descended by the Imposition of the Hands of the Bishop They maintained That the Church had Power to reconcile those that repented of their Sins and did not doubt but that the Eucharist was the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and accordingly called it by that Name They extolled Virginity without condemning Marriage they honoured the Saints and Martyrs as the Servants of God they spoke of the Virgin Mary with a great deal of respect and yet with no less discretion and advisedness St. Clement affirms That she continued a Virgin after her Delivery but Origen Tertullian and some others were of the contrary Opinion We find nothing in the Three first Ages of the Church either for or against the Assumption there is a Passage in St. Irenaeus that is not favourable to the immaculate Conception They believed that the Holy Scriptures were written by the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost that they contain all the principal Articles of our Faith that though they are obscure in some places yet they are clear enough in many others and that even their Obscurity has its Use and that all Christians might read them provided they made good use of them That it is necessary to believe what the Scripture Tradition and the Church teach us without endeavouring to search too deep into the Mysteries of our Religion and disputing about them They acknowledged no other Books of the Old Testament to be Canonical but those that were received into the Canon of the Jews though now and then they cited some other Books as very good and useful In the New Testament they received as Canonical the Four Evangelists the Fourteen Epistles of St. Paul though some of them questioned that to the Hebrews and many Persons attributed it to another and not to St. Paul the First Epistles of St. John and of St. Peter The Epistles of St. James and St. Jude The Second of St. Peter the Second and Third of St. John were received by some and rejected by others as well as the Apocalypse They sometimes cited the Apochryphal Books but never reckoned them amongst the Canonical Scriptures Thus I have given you a short Summary of part of the Opinions of the Fathers in the Three First Ages of the Church The most part of the Proofs which I have here laid down are to be found in the Abridgment of those Authors that I have made in this Volume and I don 't in the least question but that those Persons who will carefully read over the same Authors will be sensible that I have imposed nothing upon them and that their Doctrine is what I have now represented it An Abridgment of the Discipline WE cannot say of the Discipline of the Church what we have affirmed concerning its Doctrine viz. That it is the same in all Times and all Places because it is an undeniable An Abridgment of Discipline Truth that it has been different in many Churches and has been from time to time subject to change We ought not however to conclude from this Principle that it is unnecessary to study the Primitive Discipline or that we are obliged only to learn that of the Time and Church where we live for besides that those Persons who are ignorant of the Discipline of the Primitive Church cannot pretend to understand the Books of the Ancients this ancient Discipline is the Foundation of ours And though the Exteriour part has been changed yet the Spirit of the Church is always the same It is not therefore an unprofitable Labour as some have vainly imagined to busie ones self in examining the Discipline of the Ancient Church on the contrary it is a Study extremely useful and necessary for a Divine It must be acknowledged that the Discipline that was observed in the Infancy of the Church however Holy it was in its Simplicity yet was not arrived to its Perfection for the Apostles altogether applying themselves to what was necessary at the beginning were content to Preach the Doctrine and Morality of our Blessed Saviour without giving themselves the trouble to regulate what related to the Ceremonies or Discipline of the Church Nevertheless we are not to imagine that they intirely neglected it and St. John who lived longer than the rest of the Apostles seems to have applied himself more particularly to it But the Successors of the Apostles by little and little regulated the Ceremonies that ought to be observed as well in the Administration of the Sacraments as in the Assemblies of Christians and made particular Orders about the Government of Churches the Form of Ecclesiastical Judicatures and many other Points of Discipline These Ceremonies were exceedingly augmented in the Fourth Century when the Church began to enjoy the benefits of Peace and Tranquillity and Publickly celebrated the Divine Service in the time of the Emperour Constantine Then it was that the Bishops met together with Liberty being supported by the Authority of Princes and made abundance of Rules concerning the Government of the Church the Rights of the Bishops of the greater Sees the Forms of Judicature and infinite Numbers of other Matters We have here obliged our selves to speak only of the Discipline that was observed in the Three First Ages of the Church Then it was plain and simple and had scarce any other Splendor to recommend it but what the Holiness of the Manners and Lives of the Christians gave to it They Assembled every Sunday in particular in certain Places appointed and set apart for Publick Devotion where they continued a long
Rome In his Additions to the second Chapter of Bishop Pearson's first Discourse he brings some Arguments to prove that this Theophilus the Author of these Discourses to Autolycus was not that Bishop of Antioch that was the sixth from St. Peter as it has hitherto universally been believed Theophilus speaks of the Persecution as of a Calamity the Christians then groaned under in two or three places towards the End of the Third Book 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 daily and until now He says also that it chiefly lay upon those that hastned after Vertue and endeavoured to live a Holy Life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 These Mr. Dodwell affirms to have been Proselytes and Catechumens who endeavoured to live up to the Rules of their new Religion and used great Philosophical strictnesses of Life as Origen and his Disciples did which is properly meant by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Persecution of Severus was raised particularly against New Converts and those that endeavoured to instruct the Catechumens in the Christian Faith for which reason Origen was so severely enquired after from hence it will necessarily follow That Theophilus who mentions the Persecution as a thing that had been of some Continuance which did not begin till the Year CCIII could not be that Bishop of Antioch that succeeded Maximinus and preceded Heros  APOLLINARIUS  An Apology to the Emperor for the Christians A Treatise against the Gentiles divided into five Books Two Books against the Jews Discourses against the Montanists  DIONYSIUS Bishop of Corinth  Epistles to the Lacedaemonians the Athenians the Nicomedians the Church of Gortynd the Amastrians the Gnossians Soter and to Chrystophora  PINYTUS  Letter to Dionysius Bishop of Corinth  PHILIP and MODESTUS  Discourses against Marcion  MUSANUS  Discourse against Encratitae  BARDESANES  Discourse against Marcion Of Fate  St. IRENEUS Five Books against Heresies extant only in Latin A Letter to Victor in Eusebius Letters to Blastus to Florinus A Discourse of Knowledge A Discourse against Marcion Several Discourses of various Subjects  VICTOR POLYCRATES THEOPHILUS BACHYLLUS  Letters and Discourses concerning the Celebration of Easter  HERACLITUS MAXIMUS  Commentaries upon St. Paul A Discourse concerning the Original of Evil.  APPION CANDIDUS  Commentaries upon the Hexameron  SEXTUS  A Discourse of the Resurrection  JUDAS  A Discourse upon Daniel's Weeks  ARABIANUS  Works unknown  SERAPION  Letters against the Montanists to Domninus Other Letters A Discourse concerning the Gospel falsly attributed to St. Peter  RHODON  A Discourse against Marcion A Discourse upon the Hexameron  PANTAENUS  Commentaries upon the Bible  St. CLEMENT of Alexandria Exhortation to the Gentiles Paedagogus in three Books Stromata in eight Books A Discourse concerning What rich man can be saved Dr. Cave mentions a Hymn in Praise of our Saviour Eight Books of Institutions A little Book of Easter A Discourse of Fasting A Discourse of Slander An Exhortation to Patience And several other Discourses  MILTIADES  A Discourse against the Montanists Against the Gentiles and Jews An Apology for the Christian Religion  APOLLONIUS a Greek  A Discourse against the Montanists  APOLLONIUS a Roman  An Apology for the Christian Religion  ANONYMOUS Authors  Discourses against the Heresies of Montanus and Artemo  TERTULLIAN Of Penance Of Baptism Of Prayer An Apology for the Christian Religion Of 〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—â—tation to Martyrdom A Discourse to Scapula Two Books to the Gentiles Of Publick Shews Of Idolatry Of the Dresses of Women Of Womens Habits Of the Testimony of the Soul Five Books against Marcion Of Prescriptions Of the Flesh of Jesus Christ. Of the Soul Of a Soldier 's Crown A Book entituled Scorpiacum Against the Gnosticks Against the Jews Against Praxeas Against Hermogenes Against the Valentinians Of the Philosophick Cloak To his Wife two Books Of Chastity Of Fasting Of single Marriages An Exhortation to Chastity Of Flight in Persecution Of Veiling of Virgins A Discourse against Apollonius Of Aaron's Robes Of Cirâ—… Of clean and unclean Beasts Of Paradise Of Fate Of the Hope of the Righteous Against Apelles Of Baptism Of Publick Shews Of veiling of Virgins in Gr. The Discourse de Coronâ Militis was translated likewise by himself into Greek A Catalogue of Heresies at the end of his Prescriptions A Letter of Jewish Meats Of the Trinity Several Poems CAIUS  A Discourse against Proclus the Montanist Another entituled The little Labyrinth Of the Nature of the Universe  HIPPOLYTUS A Paschal Cycle Commentaries upon the Psalms Of the Witch of 〈◊〉 Commentaries upon St. John's Gospel and the Apocalypse Of Spiritual Gifts Apostolical Tradition Chronicles or Chronological Accounts of Time Against the Greeks and Plato concerning the Universe Exhortation to Severina A Demonstration of the Time of Easter as it is in the Table Odes upon all the Scriptures Of God and the Resurrection of the Dead Of Good and whence cometh Evil. What I said formerly concerning the Engastrimuthos will not hold the LXX Interpreters from whom the Church has borrowed most of its Technical words call the Witch of Endor by no other Name Against Heresies Against the Marcionites Several other Tracts Of the End of the World and Anti-Christ A Demonstration against the Jews A Discourse of Susanna Not disowned by Doctor Cave Collections against Berâ— and Helico amongst the excerpta of Anastasius Homilies of the Trinity and the Incarnation A short Account of the Lives of the XII Apostles Ascribed by some to Hippolytus Jun. who lived about the year DCCCCXXXIII GEMINIANUS  Works unknown  ALEXANDER  Epistles to the Antinoitae to the Antiochians to Origen to Demetrius and others  JULIUS AFRICANUS Letter to Origen concerning the the History of Susanna A Chronicon Letter to Aristides of the Genealogy of J. C. a great part whereof is quoted by Eusebius  MINUTIUS FELIX Octavius A Dialogue against the Gentiles   AMMONIUS Evangelical Harmony Several Treatises Of Fate lost ORIGEN See the Catalogue of his Comments upon the SS in his Life Against Celsus in Eight Books Of Martyrdom Of the History of Susanna in a Letter to Africanus His Principles in Latin Of Prayer His Principles in Four Books Of the Resurrection Stromata in Ten Books Conference with Beryllus Bishop of Bostra Dialogues concerning the Resurrection Explication of the Hebrew Names of the Old Testament Against Marcus Dialogue Two Commentaries upon Job Commentaries upon St. Mark Several Homilies The Lamentations of Origen BERYLLUS  Conference Letters and other small things  St. CYPRIAN LXXXIII Letters Of the Vanity of Idols Testimonies against the Jews to Quirinus in Three Books Of the Discipline and Habits of Virgins Of the Lapsi Of the Unity of the Church Of Prayer An Exhortation to Martyrdom Of Mortality To Demetrianus Of Works of Mercy and Alms-Deeds Of Patience Of
together with Sound and true Doctrine This he proves by a particular Induction of their Opinions because there is no Theology but this which teaches the Immortality of the Soul which commands Men to Adore one God only which informs them that he was the Creator of the World which teaches them that the Word is the Son of God and that the Holy Ghost is to be Worship'd with the same Worship that is due to the Father and the Son There is no other Religion but this which teaches Men that they must not Adore the Angels as Gods but honour them as the Ministers of God which gives a rational Account of the Fall of some of the Angels and instructs Man that he is made after the Image of God In a word there is none but this whose Doctrine is agreeable to Right Reason After this he subjoins a long Fragment out of a Treatise of Maximus which demonstrates that Matter is not Eternal In the Eighth Book he gives the History of the Version of the Septuagint and to prove the Authority of the Holy Scriptures he makes it appear by the Testimony of the Jews that their Law is Mystical and very Significant which he afterwards represents as worthy of all Esteem by the holiness of their Lives who have embrac'd it by the Example of the Essenes whose manner of Life he describes and by the Wisdom of Philo. In the Ninth Book he relates the Testimonies of the Pagans who have spoken in favour of the Jewish Religion and of those who allow the Truth of Moses's History In the 10th he shows that Plato and the Pagan Philosophers have taken the greatest part of what they have written from the Books of Moses In the 11th Book he demonstrates particularly that the Doctrine of Plato is agreeable to that of Moses and compares many of the Opinions of that Philosopher with those of the Jews He carries on that Comparison in the 12th and 13th Books But in the mean time he demonstrates that this Philosopher had his Errors and that no Book but the Scriptures is wholly free In the 14th and 15th Books he relates the Opinions of the Philosophers he shows their Contradictions and oftentimes confutes one of them by another From all which he concludes that the Christians had reason to forsake the Religion of the Pagans and embrace that of the Jews After he has thus prepar'd the Minds of Men to receive the Christian Religion by establishing the Authority of the Religion and of the Books of the Jews he demonstrates the Truth of it against the Jews themselves by their own Prophecies This is the Subject of his Books of Evangelical Demonstration of which there are only Ten remaining of Twenty which he compos'd In the First Book he shows that the Law of the Jews was calculated for one Nation only but the New Testament was design'd for all Mankind That the Patriarchs had no other Religion but that of the Christians since they ador'd the same God and the same Word honour'd him as they do and resembled their holy Lives In the Second Book he shows by the Prophecies that the Messias was to come into the World for all Mankind In the Third he makes it appear in favour of the Faithful that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the World and demonstrates against the Infidels that he was no Seducer as his Doctrine his Miracles and many other Reasons do evidently prove In the Fourth Book he shows that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and gives an Account of the Reasons for which he was made Man he explains the Name of Christ and cites many Prophecies wherein he was foretold by that Name In the following Books he brings abundance of Prophecies to demonstrate that the Coming of Jesus Christ the time of his Birth the Circumstances of his Liâ—â— and Passion and in a word all things that concern'd him were foretold in the Books of the Old Testament What we have of these Books ends with the last words of Christ upon the Cross And in the following Books he recited the Prophecies concerning his Death his Burial his Resurrection his Ascension the Establishment of the Church and the Conversion of the Gentiles But these are wholly lost These Books of Evangelical Preparation and Demonstration are the largest Work that has been made by any of the Ancients upon this Subject where a Man may find more Proofs Testimonies and Arguments for the Truth of the Christian Religion than in any other They are very proper to instruct and convince all those that sincerely search after Truth In fine Eusebius has omitted nothing which might serve to undeceive Men of a false Religion or convince them of the true The Treatise against Hierocles was written against a Book of that Philosopher publish'd by him under the Name of Philalethes against the Christian Religion wherein to render it ridiculous he has compar'd Apollonius Tyanaeus with Jesus Christ and says That Apollonius wrought Miracles as well as Christ and ascended into Heaven as well as he But Eusebius has prov'd in his Answer That Apollonius Tyanaeus was so far from being comparable to Jesus Christ that he did not deserve to be rank'd among the Philosophers and that Philostratus who wrote his Life is an Author unworthy of Credit because he contradicts himself very often he doubts himself of those very Miracles which he relates and he reports many things which are plainly Fabulous At the End of this Treatise Eusebius has given some Observations against Fatal Necessity In the First of the Five Books against Marcellus of Ancyra Eusebius endeavours to prove That this Bishop wrote his Book upon no other Motive but the hatred of his Brethren he charges him with Ignorance of the Holy Scriptures and rallies him for the impertinent Explications of some Greek Proverbs brought in not at all to the purpose In fine he blames him for accusing Origen Paulinus Narcissus Eusebius of Nicodemia and Asterius of Error touching the Mystery of the Trinity and endeavours to justifie their Doctrine about it In the Second Book he discovers the Errors of Marcellus and proves from many Passages of his Book That he believes the Word was not a Person subsisting before he was born of the Virgin That he denies the distinction of the Son from the Father That he is positive in asserting the Flesh and not the Word to be the Image of God the Son of God the King the Saviour and the Christ and in short That he durst affirm that this Flesh shall be destroyed and annihilated after the Day of Judgment After he has discovered the Errors and the Malice of Marcellus of Ancyra he confutes his Opinions in the Three following Books Entitled Ecclefiastick Theology and Dedicated to Flacillus Bishop of Antioch In the First Book he proposes the Faith of the Church which he explains very exactly rejecting the Errors of the Ebionites Paulianites Sabellians and Arians After this he shows that Marcellus is guilty of
Oppression of the Poor Wherefore Constantine says wisely in this Edict That it was just the Rich should maintain the heavy Expences of the State and that the Poor should be fed with the Riches of the Church We have this Law in the Theodosian Code B. XVI Tit. 2. l. 6. Besides this there is also another Edict publish'd in the Month of July in consequence of the former altho' it bears the Names of the Consuls for the Year 320 which forbids the disturbing of those that had taken Holy Orders before the preceeding Law was publish'd and commands at the same time that such as had taken Orders since its publication on purpose to avoid the publick Taxes should be remov'd from the Clergy and sent back into the World and left liable to publick Taxes This Edict is related in the same place B. III. After all by another Edict of the first of September the same Year 326 it is ordain'd That Clergy-men who were Hereticks and Schismaticks should not enjoy this Privilege of Exemption but should be subject to Taxes and Impositions This Edict is in the Justinian Code B. I. Tit. de Heret and in the Theodosian He treats the Novatians with more moderation than the other Hereticks permitting them by an Edict of the Month of September in the same Year 326 to keep their Churches their Coemeteries and the Goods which they had purchas'd after their Separation from the Church In the Code of Theodosius Tit. 5. B. II. In the Year 330 he publish'd an Edict against the Hereticks in which he forbids their Assemblies It is related in Euseb. B. III. of the Life of Constantine Ch. 63 c. There is in the Theodosian Code another Edict of the same Year in favour of the Clergy that were accus'd or evil treated by Hereticks The Laws concerning the Jews are the last which Constantine made in the favour of the Christian Religion By an Edict September 27th 330 He grants to the Patriarchs of the Jews i. e. to those that presided in their Assemblies Exemption from the publick Taxes He renews the same favour by another Edict December 1st in the Year following It is probable that he granted these favours to the Jews for no other reason but because they Worship the same God with the Christians and to leave them some kind of Consolation as he says in one of his Laws because their's was once the only true Religion For at the same time he made very severe Laws against the Jews that should purchase or detain Christian Slaves and condemn'd those to death that circumcis'd them There are many other Laws in the Theodosian Code upon this Subject of the Years 330 331 and 336. I do not place among the Number of Constantine's Edicts the Donation which bears his Name in which he is suppos'd to give to the Bishop of Rome and his Successors the Soveraignty of the City of Rome and of the Provinces of the Western Empire because this Act has so many signs of Forgery that 't is impossible it can be attributed to Constantine I shall here subjoin some of those Reasons which clearly prove that it is an Impostor 1. Not one of the Ancients mentions this pretended Liberality of Constantine to the Church But who can believe that Eusebius and all the other Ancient Historians who have exactly describ'd all the Benefits of this Emperour to Christians and especially to the Bishops should pass over in silence one so considerable as this of the Western Empire to the Bishop of Rome 2. Not one of the Popes who mention the Benefits of Kings and Emperours to the See of Rome or who dâ—â—â—nd their Temporal Patriâ—ony did ever alledge this pretended Donation tho' it had been very much for their Advantage so to do 3. The Date of this Act is false for it bears the Names of the Consuls Constantine for the fourth time and Gallicaâ—â—s Now Constantine in his fourth Consulship had not Gallicaâ—â—s but Licinius for his Collegue And this Consulship answers to the Year 315 at which time Constantine was not baptiz'd even in the Opinion of those that believe he was baptiz'd at Rome by St. Sylvester and yet mention is made of his Baptism in this Edict of Donation We must add to this Argument another Error in Chronology Byzantium is there call'd Constantinople tho' it had not that Name till Ten Years or thereabouts after the Date of this Edict 4. The Stile of it is barbarous and very different from that of the Genuine Edicts of Constantine It is full of new Modes of speaking the Expressions are affected and the Terms such as were never us'd in any publick Acts till after the time of Constantine 5. Who can believe that Constantine should give the City of Rome all the Provinces and Cities of the West that is to say one half of his Empire to the Bishop of Rome and that this should never be known till the Eleventh Age of the Church 6. There are infinite Numbers of Falsities and Absurdities in this Edict which demonstrate that it was compos'd by an ignorant Impostor take some of them as follows In it the Pope is permitted to wear a Crown of Gold like that of Kings and Emperours whereas in those times Kings and Emperours did not wear a Crown at all but a Diadem The Fabulous History of Constantine's Baptism by Sylvester and the miraculous Cure of his Leprosy is reported there as a thing Certain There are reckon'd up in this Edict five Patriarchal Churches and that of Constantinople is put in the second place whereas it had not this Honour till a long time after And yet it is suppos'd That Sylvester had already acknowledg'd it for a Patriarchal See These Falfities and many others that occur in this Edict do plainly prove That it is a Forgery In short to destroy entirely this pretended Edict it is sufficient to observe That while Constantine liv'd and a long time after his Death the City of Rome and the Empire of the West were always subject to the Power of the Emperours That the Popes themselves acknowledg'd them as their Sovereigns without pretending that the City of Rome or Italy or any part of the Western Empire belong'd to them That all the Temporal Power they have obtain'd since is owing to King Pepin and the Emperour Charlemaigne The Account of this deserves a little Digression which will not be tedious to the Reader and will not carry us too far from our present Subject 'T is certain that the City of Rome Italy and all the other Provinces of the Western Empire were under the Power of Constantine and the Emperours that succeeded him History informs us That they were absolute Masters of it That they sent Governours thither That the City of Rome depended upon their Laws upon their Power and the Magistrates whom they should appoint That they made such Changes there as they pleas'd In a word That they were no less Masters of it than of all the
Serpent that theyjoyn themselves with Thieves since they correspond with the Devil to extirpate one part of the Flock of Jesus Christ. He describes this after a very pleasant manner All Men says he that come into the World tho' they be born of Christian Parents are fill'd with an unclean Spirit which must be driven away by Baptism This is done by the Exorcism which drives away this Spirit and makes it fly into remote places After this the Heart of Man becomes a most pure Habitation God enters and dwells there according to that of the Apostle We are the Temple of God When therefore ye re-baptize Men and exorcise them anew and when ye say O accurs'd come forth of this Man 't is to God that ye speak after this manner you drive him disgracefully out of this Man and the Devil re-enters into his Heart This place of Optatus is very express for proving Original Sin and the Antiquity of Exorcisms At last Optatus shows That the Donatists render themselves Companions of Adulterers because they separate from the Church which is the only lawful Spouse of Jesus Christ to unite themselves with Adulterers He comes afterwards to the second Passage taken out of Psal. 140. Let not the Oyl of the wicked anoint my Head and he observes That this should only be applied to Jesus Christ and that it is a Prayer and not a Precept a Wish and not a Command Then he explains also two other Passages which Parmenianus had quoted against the Catholicks and shews that the First is to be understood of Adulterers or Hereticks and the Second of Jews and that neither the one nor the other is applicable to Catholicks In the Fifth Book Optatus proves That the Donatists commit a great Crime in reiterating Baptism which Jesus Christ has commanded to be given but once only He approves of the Commendations which Parmenianus has given this Sacrament by saying That it is the Life of Vertue the Death of Crimes the Immortal Birth the means of obtaining the Kingdom of Heaven the Port of Innocence and the Shipwrack of Sins But he adds That 't is not he who gives this Sacrament of Baptism that conferrs these Graces but the Faith of him that receives it and the Virtue of the Trinity and consequently that Baptism is not to be reiterated which is administred in the Name of the Trinity He has also here a most Remarkable Reflection about the Rule which we should Consult in all Ecclesiastical Controversies We ask says he if it be lawful to repeat Baptism given in the Name of the Trinity Ye maintain That it is lawful we say That it is forbidden The People are in Suspence between your affirming and our denying the same thing and they can neither believe you nor us for we are all fallible Men Let us then search after Judges in this Case But where are they to be found If they be Christians they are either of your Party or ours and by consequence cannot be Judges of our Difference We must then enquire after a Judge out of Christendom But then if he be a Pagan he understands not our Mysteries if he be a Jew he is an Enemy to the Baptism of Christians There cannot therefore be found any Judge upon Earth but we must seek for one in Heaven But why should we have recourse to Heaven since we have the Testament of our Father upon Earth Let us search after his Will in the Gospel which will inform us that he who has been once wash'd needs not to be wash'd again Wherefore adds he we do not re-baptize those who have been baptiz'd when they return again to us He proves also That it ought not to be done because there is but one Faith one Jesus Christ and one Sacrament of Baptism That there are three Things to be considered in this Sacrament the Trinity the Faith of him that receives it and the Person that administers it That the Trinity is the first Thing of absolute necessity without which there can be no Sacrament at all That the Faith of him that receives the Sacrament is the second Thing which is no less necessary because it ought always to be the same but then there is not the same Necessity that the Minister should be Faithful and Just because the Ministers are chang'd every day and it is Jesus Christ who baptizes and the Minister ought not to attribute to himself the Effect of the Sacrament which is owing to God only and in short because the Sacraments are Holy and do Sanctify by themselves tho' the Holiness of the Minister do not contribute to it Optatus proves this Truth by many Reasons and many Testimonies He observes by the bye That those who had been baptiz'd by John before Jesus Christ instituted Baptism were not re-baptiz'd but those who were baptiz'd after Jesus Christ had instituted Baptism have been re-baptiz'd At last he endeavours to prove That the Faith of him that receives Baptism is necessary to the validity of this Sacrament which must be understood of Adult Persons only The Sixth Book is written against the Impieties and Sacrileges of the Donatists who had broken cut in pieces raz'd and overturn'd the Altars of the Catholicks Those Altars says Optatus which have born the Offerings of the People and the Members of Jesus Christ upon which the Almighty God has been invok'd upon which the Holy Spirit has descended where the Faithful have receiv'd the earnest of eternal Salvation the Support of their Faith and the Hopes of a blessed Resurrection those Altars upon which we are forbidden to offer any other Offerings but those of Peace For what is the Altar but the place where the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ are laid What hath Jesus Christ done to you says he further to the Donatists that you should destroy the Altars on which he rests at certain times Why do ye break the Sacred Tables where Jesus Christ makes his abode Ye have imitated the Crime of the Jews for as they put Jesus Christ to Death upon the Cross so ye have beaten him upon these Altars If ye believ'd that the Eucharist of the Catholicks is Sacrilegious yet at least ye should have some respect to the former Offerings that your selves have made upon these Altars Upon this occasion Optatus puts a very pleasant Objection to them All the Faithful know says he that Linen Clothes are laid upon the Altars for the Celebration of the Holy Mysteries The Eucharist does not touch the Wood of the Altar but only the Linen Clothes Why then do ye break Why do ye scrape Why do ye burn the Wood of the Altar If the Impurity can pass through the Linen Why cannot it penetrate the Wood nay and the Ground also If therefore ye scrape off something from the Altars because they are impure I advise you also to dig into the Ground and there to make a great Ditch that ye may offer in a most pure Place But take heed
Impostures and Tricks That he allow'd the People to Abuse and use Violence to the Christians and reserved to himself the ways of moderation to allure and perswade them That he changed his Court and gain'd the Souldiers over to his side That he removed Christians from all Offices that he entic'd some by Hope of Rewards and seduc'd others That he sent some of them into Banishment and in spite of his affected Gentleness he had exercised the greatest Cruelties upon others He adds That this Tyrant had a Design to shut out Christians from all Protection of the Law and to forbid them to make use of it alledging this for a Reason That their Law commanded them to bear Injuries patiently and to render Evil for Good St. Gregory answers this Raillery by saying That if Christians had a Law which oblig'd them to bear with Evil yet there was no Law in the World which permitted any to do it And besides that there were among Christians Two sorts of Precepts that some of them do so oblige that it is absolutely necessary to obey them but there are others which do not oblige but Christians are free to fulfil or not fulfil them that all the World cannot arrive at that perfection which consists in the observation of Evangelical Counsels and that one may be Sav'd by observing only what is commanded as necessary to be done In this place he makes a Digression about the Moderation which Christians observ'd when they were in Power and this he opposes to the Cruelties which the Pagans have exercis'd There was a Time says he to the Pagans when we had the Authority in our Hands as well as you but what have we done to those of your Religion which comes near to what the Christians have suffer'd from you Have we taken your Liberty from you Have we stirr'd up the Fary of the Mobile against you Have we put Governours in places on purpose to condemn you to Punishment Have we attempted the Life of any Person Have we remov'd any Body from the Magistracy or from their Offices In a word Have we done any of those things to you which you have made us suffer and which you have threatned against us I cannot conceive how St. Gregory could reconcile all these things with what he had said before that Constantius did very ill to suffer Julian to live and leave the Empire to him because he was an Enemy to the Christian Religion and was to Persecute it and that in this Constantius made a very ill use of his Gentleness and Goodness Afterwards he speaks of the Prohibition which Julian had given to Christians to study humane Learning It belongs to us says he to Discourse it belongs to us to understand the Greek Tongue as it belongs to us to Adore the Gods But as for you Ignorance and Barbarism is your Portion and all your Wisdom consists in saying I believe St. Gregory answers him that the Pythagoreans who had no other Reason to give for what they Affirm'd but the Authority of their Master would not have jested in that manner upon what the Christians answer when they are askt about their Doctrine This is what I believe that this only signifies that 't is not lawful to doubt of what is written by Persons Divinely inspir'd and that their Authority is of greater force than all the Reasons and Arguments of the World but that it does not follow from thence that Eloquence Terms of Art and Skill in Languages belong only to those who Profess to acknowledge many Gods For says he if this be so either the Greek Tongue is confin'd to the Religion or to the Nation It cannot be said that 't is confin'd to the Pagan Religion For Where is that Commanded Who are the Priests that have enjoyn'd us to study humane Learning as an Action of Religion Neither can it be said that 't is confin'd to the Nations that profess to Adore false Gods For it will not follow because the Greek Tongue has been us'd among those that profess the Pagan Religion that therefore it is so confin'd to them who profess that Religion that others cannot make use of it This is as if one should say that working in Gold cannot be exercis'd but by Painters because there were some Painters that were Goldsmiths likewise He concludes that Languages cannot be confin'd to a Profession nor an Art nor a Religion but that they are common to all those that can make use of them He adds several Curiofities about the Invention of Letters and Sciences about the Origin of Sacrifices about Pagan Ceremonies and the infamous Actions which the Poets attributed to their false Gods He occasionally answers an Excuse which the Pagans make to cover the Folly of their Poets alledging that they invented what they said concerning their Divinities to please the People but that under these Veils there was a secret Sence and hidden Mystery St. Gregory confesses that there may be in Religion hidden Mysteries and such Discourses as all the World does not understand and he acknowledges that there are some of this nature among Christians but then he maintains that the Veils Representations the Appearances and the Figures which conceal these Mysteries and Truths ought to have the Character of Honesty and not of Infamy That otherwise this was to do like one that would conduct a Man to a fine City through a Bog or that would bring a Man into Harbour by leading him over the Rocks And besides that there was no Example produced by the Poets which excited to Vertue but on the contrary they inclin'd all Men to Vice whereas the Christian Religion teaches nothing but Vertue and Perfection The 4th Oration is also an Invective against Julian There St. Gregory represents the visible Judgments which God had made use of to punish his Impiety as well as the sensible manner of protecting his Church and defeating the Designs of this impious Man He relates first that when Julian would have had the Jews rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem there arose such a Storm as drove away those that undertook the Work and that having retir'd into a neighbouring Temple there came forth a Fire which consum'd them He adds that there appear'd a Sign of the Cross in the Heavens which was a Mark of the Victory which Jesus Christ had gotten over these Impious Men and that all those who saw it or spoke of it found their Clothes mark'd with this Sign He says that this Miracle was so publick that many who saw it embrac'd immediately the Christian Religion and were Baptiz'd But if the Power of God appear'd in this Miracle his Vengeance clearly appeared in the miserable Death of Julian Before he departed to march against the Persians he made a Vow That if he return'd Conqueror he would reduce all Christians under the Power of the Devil But God who confounds the Designs of the Wicked did not suffer him to return from this Journey For being unseasonably engag'd
du Pin may hereafter print upon Ecclesiastical Matters because Fear of giving Offence will make him extreamly cautious and he will dread a severe Inquisition that may set upon every thing which he shall write Those who are unacquainted with Antiquity will be hereby further confirmed in their Opinion of the Impartiality of our Author in his Abridgment of the Writings of these Ancient Doctors of the Church when they see how severely he has been dealt withal upon that account Otherwise it is very probable that some might think him too favourable in his Accounts of Monkery Invocation of Saints and some other Superstitions which arose very early and which were a means of introducing in a course of Ages such enormous Abuses into the Church but tho' some Errors have a more ancient Original than is commonly believed yet that ought not to be wondred at by any Man who believes that the Church was never Infallible since the Apostle's Days Still as we read downwards we shall see how that Primitive Simplicity which adorn'd the Profession of the first Christians who were almost always under Fear of Persecution lessened and wore away Those who were sensible of the decay of the Primitive Zeal sought to retrieve it by placing great Merit in the practice of monastical Austerities whereby they hoped to obtain that Reward which was believ'd to be peculiarly reserved for those who laid down their Lives for the Name of Christ This put them upon all those Opinions that tended to mortify not only forbidden Lusts but also the allowed Appetites of Human Nature which the Christian Religion intended to regulate and not to remove And when those who could not be Martyrs saw what Honours were paid to those who had formerly suffered for the Truth it raised in them an Emulation to do something for the sake of Jesus Christ that should be more disagreeable to Flesh and Blood than Death itself This I believe is the most probable Reason of that great Ardour wherewith so very many Persons bound themselves under Vows to embrace a Monastical Life in the fourth and fifth Ages of the Church The first Monks were some Aegyptians who in the tenth Persecution fled into the Deserts of Thebais there they accustomed themselves to Retirement and Use taught them to relish the Satisfactions of a Contemplative state When the Storm was over they returned home and easily perswaded others who had then as they thought no other way of shewing their Zeal for Jesus Christ to embrace this austere Course of Life In such warm Climates this was not so extraordinarily difficult Those Esstern People could live upon a very little better than other Men so that the terrible Mortifications mentioned in the oldest Ascetical Books were not so impracticable as we at this Distance of Place and Time may be apt to think them The Monk in Sulpicius Severus who heard Posthumianus give an account of the Abstinences of the Eastern Monks cries out Edacitas in Graecis Gula est in Gallis natura Excessive Eating is Luxury in a Greek it is Nature in a Gaule And though one can hardly believe all that Posthumianus there relates of the Abstinence of the Monks of Nitria and Cyrene yet it is most certain that they put a mighty Force upon Nature such a one as nothing but the modern Practices of some of the Mahometan Dervises could make us believe to be possible But though the Honours paid to Martyrs which gave Rise to an Opinion That they could intercede for us in Heaven or at least hear our Prayers together with the Love which most Men then shewed for a single and a retired Life may seem too excessive yet the Opinions and Practices of these Ages were generally speaking very venerable One sees a great and a serious concern for the Truths of the Gospel in almost all their Writings one sees a sincere Respect paid by Men of all Parties to the Censures of the Church and to the Persons of those with whom they were entrusted They always distinguished between the Faults of Men and their Character and Employment and when they punished the one they took care not to cast a Disrespect upon the other by which means they preserved a real Veneration for Holy Things in their Minds though their Divisions run as high and were as eagerly managed as ever they have been since This is not the only Age wherein Men have met with Temptations and have shewn their Frailty by being too weak to withstand them so that an Acquaintance with the Opinions and Practices of these earlier Ages before a general Corruption had infected the Church will be of great Use to such as value Religion and Godliness for their own sakes when it suggests such Thoughts as can only be effectual to restore that Sense of Piety and Charity which is so generally lost among us July 25. 1693. W. W. ERRATA PAge 96. line 10. from bottom read 140th ibid. l. ult r. that Hoshahna p 97. l. 22. r. against Jovinian p. 99. l. 3. r. altered in it p. 100. l. 15. from bot for speaking r. when he speaks p. 112. l. 12. r. published five ibid. l. 25. for Sons of Men. r. Sons of God p. 192. l. 6. from bot del being p. 204 l. ult for yea r. yet p. 206. l. 5. r. working by Love ibid. l. 18. from bot for suspicious r. suspected l. ult r. Opinator p. 208. l. 28. r. Zozimus's l. 29. r. for their making default p. 215. l. 16. r. he maintains p. 217. l. 2. r. This Practice is forbidden in very strong Terms and upon p. 222. l. 20. for retract r. re-examine p. 226. l. 16. for Parents r. Relations Proper Names mistaken Rufinus for Ruffinus Zosimus for Zozimus Province of Byzacena for Provincia Byzacena passim S. Maura p. 106. for S. Maurus Lodevae p. 210. for Lodeve CONTENTS of the Third Volume Of the Lives and Writings of the Ecclesiastical Authors that Flourished in the Beginning of the Fifth Century viz. EVagrius Ponticus 1 Mark the Hermit 2 Simplicianus Bishop of Milan 3 Vigilius Bishop of Trent 3 Prudentius 4 Diadochus Bishop of Photice 5 Audentius 5 Severus Endelechius 5 Flavianus Presbyter of Antioch 6 St. John Chrysostom 6 Antiochus and Severianus 52 Asterius of Amasea 53 Pope Anastasius I. 58 Chromacius Bishop of Aquileia 58 Gaudentius Bishop of Brescia 59 John Bishop of Jerusalem 61 Theophilus Bishop of Alexandria 62 Theodorus Bish. of Mopsuestia 64 Palladius 66 Pope Innocent I. 67 St. Jerom 73 Rufinus Toranius 107 Sophronius 111 Sulpicius Severus Ibid. St. Paulinus 113 Pelagius the Monk 119 Coelestius Disciple of Pelagius 120 Niceas 120 Olympius 120 Bachiarius 121 Sabbatius 121 Isaac 121 Paulus Orosius 122 Lucian Avitus Evodius and Severus 122 Marcellus Memorialis 123 Eusebius 123 Ursinus Monk 123 Macarius Monk 123 Heliodorus Presbyter of Antioch 123 Paul 123 Helvidius and Vigilantius Hereticks 124 St. Augustin 125 The first Vol. of his Works 126 The second Volume 135 The third Volume
puts them among those Books which he had composed before the year 438. He therein speaks of the Law of the Emperor in which he had commanded that the Temples should be demolished pursuant to a Law of Theodosius promulgated in 426. So that this Work was framed in some of the following years It is divided into 12 Discourses of which Theodoret himself hath made an Abridgment The first is of the Credulity of the Christians and Ignorance of the Apostles Theodoret proves both of them are unjustly imputed to the Christians as a proof of the Falshood of their Religion That the wisest Persons have not always been those who have had most Eloquence and Learning That the Greeks have been taught that Wisdom by the Barbarians That Plato had acknowledged That the greatest Philosophers were not always those who were most skilful in Arts and Sciences That it was not true that the Christians believed rashly and without proof That the Heathen Philosophers required Faith and that they themselves had yielded Faith to the Poets That they had acknowledged that Faith was necessary in order to Knowledge yea that there was no part of Knowledge but required some sort of Faith in order to it In the second after he hath examined the Opinions of the Heathen Philosophers concerning the beginning of the World he makes it appear that what Moses hath said of it is much more rational than all that the Philosophers have imagined and that Plato had taken all that he hath spoken so well upon that subject out of the Books of Moses In the Third he compares that which the Greeks have written concerning their Petty-Gods with what the Christians have said of Spiritual Creatures Angels and Demons and makes it clear by that Comparison that the Doctrine of Christians is as wise and rational as the Heathens is impious and ridiculous In the Fourth he shews That what the Christians believe of the Creation of the World is far more reasonable than what Plato and the other Philosophers have taught of it In the Fifth he speaks of the Nature of Man and after he hath laid down what the Christians and Greeks think of it he shews the Difference between Light and Darkness Ignorance and Error In the Sixth he discourses of Providence for saith he it was just after I had spoken of God and the Creatures to say something of Providence in Refutation of the Impiety of Diagoras the Blasphemies of Epicurus and the Fabulous Sentiments of Aristotle by confirming the Doctrine of Plato and Plotinus upon that Subject and by proving from Reasons drawn from Nature and the Frame of the World that the Providence of God is manifested in all Creatures In the Seventh Discourse he condemns the Sacrifices of the Heathen and makes use of the Testimonies of the Prophets to prove that the Ceremonies of the old Law were intended for Persons unperfect only In the Eighth he undertakes to defend the Honour which the Christians give the Martyrs shewing by the Testimonies of the Philosophers Poets and Historians that the Greeks have honoured the Memory of Eminent Men by offering Sacrifices to them after their Death and by bestowing on them the Qualities of Gods Demi-Gods and Heroes although the greatest part of them had been Infamous and Criminals And this he does to give a clearer Demonstration that the Christians did honour their Martyrs far more deservedly He makes a Comparison between the Heathen Law-givers and the Apostles which is the Subject of the Ninth Discourse In the Tenth he compares the Predictions of the Greeks with the Prophecies of the Jews and by that Comparison demonstrates that the one promoted Falshood and Absurdities whereas the other had foretold nothing but what is true and reasonable In the Eleventh he relates what both Heathens and Christians have said concerning the End of the World and the Last Judgment Lastly in the Twelfth Discourse he shews That the Life of the Apostles and of those who have imitated them is far above the Life of other Men. In these Discourses there is a great deal of Learning Theodoret quotes above an hundred Heathen Authors in them They are written with a great deal of Art and Eloquence and may not give Place in any thing to all the Works of Antiquity composed for the Defence of Religion They are translated by Acciaolus who printed his Version at Paris in 1519. Silburgius hath published them since in Greek and Latin at Heidelberg 1592. in Folio with his own Notes full of most useful and excellent Learning Cave The Addition which is at the End of this Fourth Tome of the Works of Theodoret doth not contain forged Pieces but certain Treatises that have not yet been put in order The First is a Discourse of Charity which is a kind of a Conclusion of his History of Religion in which he extols the Charity and Love that the Martyrs of the Old and New Testament had shewn in their Sufferings The Discourse which carries the Name of a Letter to Sporatius is not a Letter but a Fragment of the Treatise of Heresies to which is joyned an Explication of the Mystery of the Incarnation We will put the Letter to John bishop of Germanicia to the other Letters of Theodoret and will elsewhere speak of the Confutation of S. Cyril's Anathematisms as also of the Discourse that he made at Chalcedon against S. Cyril when he was Deputy for the Oriental Bishops after the Council of Ephesus We have one of thâ—se Discourses entire in the Acts of the Council of Ephesus and some Fragments of Three other in the Acts of the Fifth Council Theodoret being returned to Antioch after the Council of Ephesus composed Five other Books against S. Cyril M. Mercator hath given us some Extracts of them in Latin and F. Garner hath published some Fragments of them in Greek Photius in the Forty sixth Book of his Bibliotheca makes mention of Twenty seven Books of Theodoret against several Propositions The Twenty last are Eutherius's of Tyana as we have learned of M. Mercator F. Garner believes That the Seven First Books are the Work against S. Cyril but for my part I rather believe them another Treatise of the Incarnation which he often speaks of For 1. The Work of S. Cyril was divided into Five Books this into Seven 2. Photius without doubt would have observed That these Discourses were against S. Cyril 3. The subject of these Discourses does not agree in the least with the Treatise against S. Cyril The First saith Photius is against those that say That the Word and Humanity make up but one Nature and who attribute the Sufferings to the Divinity The Second sets upon the same Errors very strongly by Testimonies of Scripture The Third is about the same Subject The Fourth contains the Opinions of the Holy Fathers about the Incarnation of Jesus Christ our Saviour The Fifth gathers together the Opinions of the Hereticks and shews that they are near-a-kin to their Error who
eminent Life by an Holy Death Lastly although S. Leo had great Quarrels with him and spake very ill of him in his Life-time yet he could not refrain speaking honourably of him after his Death The only thing that he can be reproach'd with is that he did not follow S. Austin's Opinion about Grace and having favour'd or at least being one of the principal Patrons of the Semi-Pelagians But at that Time the most Learned and Holy Persons of France were of that Opinion This was the Doctrine of the Monks of Lerins with whom S. Hilary lived yea this was the Doctrine held by the Bishops and all the Clergy of the Provinces of Vienna and Narbonne Those that maintained this Opinion were not look'd upon as Hereticks unless it were by the zealous Followers of S. Austin It is no wonder then that S. Leo does not reproach him with it I have forgotten to observe That S. Hilary was present at and subscribed first the Councils of Ries in 439. and Orange in 441. S. VINCENTIUS LIRINENSIS VINCENTIUS a Frenchman by Nation after he had spent some part of his Life among the Troubles Commotions and Waves of the World * Being a Soldier through the Impulse of the Holy Vincentius Lirinensis Spirit retreated as he himself says Into the Haven of Religion O Happy and Safe Haven for all the World And having gotten Shelter against the Storms of Pride and the Vanity of the World to retire the remaining Part of his Days and offer to God the continual Sacrifices of Humiliation that he might avoid the Sufferings of this Life and the Flames of the Life to come The Place of his Retreat was the famous Monastery of the Isle of Lerins so famous for so many Persons eminent for Doctrine and Piety which it hath produced for the Church Vinoentius the Priest was none of the least Ornaments of it S. Eucherius who tells us That he was the Brother of Lupus Bishop of Troyes compares him for the Fervency of his Devotion to the brightness of a sparkling Diamond interno gemmam splendore perspicuam And in another place commends his Learning and Eloquence Gennadius assures us That he was well skilled in the Holy Scriptures and very well versed in the Discipline of the Church He hath composed an excellent Treatise against the Hereticks in which he hath given very infallible Rules and convincing Principles to distinguish Error from Truth and the Sects of 〈◊〉 Hereticks from the Catholick Church But his Humility made him conceal his Name and he published his Treatise under the Title of a * Admonition as Gennadius ' s Commonitorium Voss. Cave Commentary made by Peregrinus against the Hereticks It was divided into two parts but the 2d being lost he contented himself to make an Abridgment of it He proposes to himself in this Commentary to gather the Principles of the ancient Fathers against the Hereticks He tells us in the Preface That it was the Usefulness of the Work it self the time and the place that he lived in and his Profession that engaged him to undertake this Work The time because all things here below being carried on with such a swiftness it is reasonable that we should snatch up something that may stand us in stead in another Life and so much the rather because the terrible expecting of the last Judgment which he thought â—igh at hand because that the Barbarians had made so great a Progress into the Empire ought to stir up the Zeal of the Faithful for Religion and the Malice of the Hereticks ought to oblige the Orthodox to stand upon their Guard The place also was very suitable for such a Work because being distant from the noise and crowd of the Cities retired in a private Village and shut up in the Cloysters of a Monastery he was able without Distraction to do that which is said in the Psalm Attend ye and see that I am your God Lastly no Employment can be more agreeable to a religious Life which he professed He therefore undertakes * Vossius in his Hiâ—â— Pel. prove him a Semi Pelagian from some places of this Treatise as also of his Objections against S. Austin to write rather as an Historian than an Author what he hath learned from the Ancients and they have entrusted to their Posterity He advertiseth us That his design was not to collect all but only to offer to our observation what there is most necessary Entring then upon his Matter he saith That he hath learned from many Learned and Holy Persons That the means to avoid Heresie and adhere stedfastly to the true Faith is to ground themselves upon two Foundations 1. Upon the Authority of Holy Scripture 2. Upon the Tradition of the Catholick Church But perhaps some will demand saith he the Canon of the Holy Books being perfect and sufficient of it self to settle all Religion why is it necessary to join the Authority of the Church with it He answers 'T is because Holy Scripture having a sublime sence is differently explained one understands it after this manner and another after that insomuch that there are almost as many Opinions about the true meaning of it as there are Persons Novatian understands it one way and Photinus another It is necessary then altogether upon the account of the subtile Evasions of so many Hereticks of several sorts in interpreting Scripture to take the sence of the Catholick Church for our Rule But yet we must be careful to choose out of those Doctrines which we find in the Church such as have always been believed in all places and by all true Christians for there is indeed nothing truly and properly Catholick as the Name in its full signification doth denote but what comprehends all in general Now it will be so if we follow Antiquity unanimous Consent and Universality We shall follow Universality if we believe no other Doctrine true but that which is taught in all Churches dispersed through the whole World We shall follow Antiquity if we depart not from the Judgment of our Ancestors and Fathers Lastly we shall follow unanimous Consent if we adhere to the Opinions of all or of almost all the Ancients But what shall an Orthodox Christian do if some part of the Church apostatize from the Faith of the whole Body of the Church There is nothing to be done but to preferr the Doctrine of the whole Body that is sound before the Error of a rotten and putrefy'd Member But what if some new Error is ready to spread it self I do not say over a small part but almost over all the Church We must then be sure to cleave close to Antiquity which cannot be corrupted with Novelty In fine if among the Ancients we find one or two Persons or perhaps a City or Province in an Error we must preferr the Decrees of the ancient and universal Church before the Rashness or Ignorance of some Particulars But if there arise any Question to
by saying That he might Answer That he is Ignorant of the reason and that it belongs not to him to unfold the hidden Counsels of God nor give a reason of his unsearchable Judgments that it is sufficient for Christians that the Holy Scripture hath clearly taught this point insomuch that they cannot doubt of it That they ought to content themselves with what the Apostle says That in this World we must suffer Persecutions But because many believe that worldly good things are due to them as a reward of their Faith he saith first of all That there are very few Men that can truly pretend that they have Faith and are through-Christians We are made Christians saith he by the Law by the Prophets by the Gospel by Baptism and by Chrism Now what Man is there that lives conformably to this Calling Who is there that observes the Commands of Christ in the literal sence Who loves his Enemies heartily Who utterly forsakes all Who bears Injuries patiently c. False Oaths Murthers Lusts and many other Sins reign in the World His way of handling this subject convinceth us that his main end was to declaim against the Manners of his Age which he doth in all the rest of this Work He therein describes with all the Strength and Elegancy possible the most common Irregularities He inveighs particularly against the Uncleanness of the Theatres and Prophane Sights He gives a terrible description of the Corrupt Manners of the People and especially the Africans and â—e affirms That as great as the Calamities of Africk and other parts of the Empire of Rome were in being made a Prey to the Barbarians they were nothing like to those Punishments and Chastisements which the Crimes of Men deserved In this Work he speaks of the taking of Carthage by Gensericus which happened in 439 and of the War of Lotharius against the Visigoths in the same Year as of things newly done which helps us to fix the time when these Books were written The Four Books of Salvian Dedicated to the Catholick Church under the Name of Timothy contain a Satyr against Rich and Covetous Men and some important Precepts about the Obligation of giving Alms. He bewails in the beginning the general Corruption of Christians That blessed time of the Primitive Church is gone and past saith he That time wherein all that believed in Jesus Christ did freely offer the Corruptible Goods of this Life to obtain Eternal Riches in Heaven changing the possession of the things of this Life for the hopes of the good things of another and purchasing immortal Riches with present Poverty But now Covetousness Lust Theft and other Vices which accompany them such as Envyings Hatred Enmities Roughness Lasciviousness Drunkenness have come in their place the Vices of the Church are increased as much as the Members The Number of Christians is greater but their Faith is less for where is now the singular Beauty of all her Members Where is the time wherein every one minded not his own things Further Having described the eager desires which the Christians of his time had to gather great Riches he confutes the plausible Reasons and ordinary Pretences which the Rich Men made use of to excuse their desires of Wealth The first says he are those that say That the Love which they bear to their Children obliges them to gather Wealth and get Riches as if it were impossible to love their Children without being Rich. Must Avarice be the Bond and Knot of Kindness If this be so I must not condemn Covetousness but that Love which inclines you to it How so Do you condemn the Affection which Fathers have for their Children I am so far from that that I say That we must Love them above all things but we must Love them as God commands us by giving them a good Christian Education and making them Rich in Vertue and Piety Salvian after he hath rejected this foolish pretence by which Rich Men attempt to cover their desire proves That it is not allowed to Men to make such use of their Riches as they please That they are but Stewards of what God hath given them and he will require an account of the Management and use they have made of it and condemn them to Eternal Flames for the misuse That it is dangerous to put off our Conversion or Alms to the Poor till we come to Die because there is a great likelihood that we do not abstain from Sin out of choice but because we cannot do otherwise That Alms-deeds are of no use to them who live ill and hope to buy off their Sins by the Legacies which they give at their last Gasp but may be very helpful to those who having fallen thro' frailty or ignorance are really touched with a sincere Repentance when they know their fault That he can say nothing of those who continue in their Vices to the last Moment That he can promise them nothing That it were Cruelty indeed to forsake them altogether and hinder them from applying the last Remedies but it would be also rash to promise any thing seeing they offer themselves so late to be cured That all the Remedies that can be used to cure their Sins is nothing but Alms-giving which must then be applied to them That they ought to be advised to offer their Wealth for the deliverance of their Soul but to do it with Tears Grief and Sorrow because God doth not regard the Offering so much as the disposition of the Heart of him that Offereth That also when they Offer their substance to God they must do it not with the Confidence of a Person that brings a Present but with the Humility of a Debtor who would pay what he owes Salvian having thus shewn in the first Book That Sinners are obliged to give Alms he demonstrates in the Second That this Obligation reaches to the Righteous also 1. Because there is none of all those many Benefits of Nature or Grace which we are not beholding to God for and more especially for the Death of Jesus Christ. But are then the Widow Virgin Consecrated to God the Monk and Clergy-Man obliged to give all their Goods to the Poor Did not the Law permit the Holy Men to preserve their Estates The Law saith Salvian was perfected by the Gospel all that was allowed then is not so now Under the Law there was more liberty Eating of Flesh was then commended to us but now Abstinence is wholly Preached up there were few Fasting-Days now all our Life is a continued Fast. Revenge was then lawful but now we must suffer c. Let any Man read the Precepts of the Gospel The Apostle will not have a Widow to live in Pleasures and Delights how can it then be permitted her to be Rich Such Virgins as give but a part of their Goods are Fools for the Lamp goes out because there is not Oil enough It is needless to demonstrate that Clergy-Men and Bishops are
be joyned the Letter to Rusticus Lugdunensis Published in F. Dacherius in Tom. V of his Specilegiâ—… In which he thanks that Bishop of Lyons for his assistance and relates how much trouble he had in the business of Acacius but this Letter doth not seem to me to be Gelasius's Style But Pope Gelasius hath not only written Letters but also hath composed some small Treatises We have already observed that several of these Letters may pass for Works Memoirs or Manifesto's Of this Nature is his Treatise De Anathematis Vinâ—â—lo He begins it with an Answer to the Objection of those who complained that he urged the Authority of the Council of Chalcedon in the business of Acacius too much but would not consent to the Privileges which the Council had granted to the Bishop of Constantinople He answers that all the Church embraced such definitions of this Council as were consonant to Holy Scripture to the Tradition of the Holy Fathers and the Decrees of the Church concerning the Orthodox Truth and the Common Faith of all the Church But as to other things therein treated of which the Holy See gave no Person Commission to meddle with to which the Legats of the Holy See oppose themselves and which the Holy See never would approve of which Anatolius himself had abandoned by referring them to the Approbation of the Holy See and which are contrary to the Privileges of the Universal Church he never would in any wise defend them After this he discourses of Excommunication and Absolution He acknowledges that all Sinners may be absolved in this Life if they do Repent and althô it be said in the Sentence given against Acacius that he shall never be loosed from the Curse pronounced against him this ought not to be understood but in case he do not Repent for if that be done in this Life he may be Pardoned but if he go on and Die in that estate he cannot be Absolved That the Judgment of Absolution which the Emperor had caused to be pronounced in favour of Peter of Alexandria was void being done by his own Authority contrary to the Canons of the Church and without the Consent of the Bishop of the Holy See by whose authority he had been Condemned The second Treatise of Gelasius is a Discourse against Andromachus a Roman Senator and * Caeterosque Romanus other Persons who endeavoured to restore the Lupercalia at Rome which were at that time utterly Abolished Superstitiously believing that the Diseases with which the City was then afflicted proceeded from the neglect of those Sacrifices This Pope smartly reproves those who were of this Opinion and proves they are unworthy of the Name and Profession of Christians That they commit a Spiritual Adultery and fall into a kind of Idolatry which deserves a separation from the Body of Christ and severe Penance In sum That their Opinion was a foolish and groundless Imagination because the Lupercalia were not appointed to avert Diseases but to make Women Fruitful as T. Luvius relates in the second Decad of his History That the Plague and other Distempers were as Common when the Lupercalia were Celebrated as they are now and if Rome be afflicted with Diseases the Plague Barrenness c. it ought to be imputed to the corrupt and disorderly manners of the Inhabitants That if the Lupercalia have any thing Divine they ought to be Celebrated with the same Ceremonies and in the same manner that they were heretofore and what Man is there that will be guilty of such shameless Impudence That they were a Remnant of Paganism which was the reason that they were Abolished and thô indeed they remained in use a long time under the Christian Emperors yet it doth not follow from thence that they ought always to be preserved for all Superstitions could not be abolished at once but by little and little Lastly He tells them that a 〈◊〉 Christian cannot nor ought to do it And althô his Predecessors did tolerate it they had some reasons which hindered them from abolishing them but yet he doubts not but that they did endeavour it The third Treatise was composed * D. Cave Entitles it Dicta adversus Pelagianam Haeresin against this Doctrine of the Pelagians that Men may pass their Life without Sin He proves the contrary by several Reasons grounded upon the Testimonies of Holy Scripture In it also he explains in what sense St. Paul says That the Children of the Faithful are Holy and the believing Wife sanctifieth the unbelieving Husband But the most eminent Treatise of Gelasius is his Treatise against Eutyches and Nestorius concerning the two Natures in Jesus Christ. The Criticks at first doubted whether it belonged to this Pope and * The Popish Writers are generally of Baronius judgment because there is a clear testimony against Transubstantiation in this Book Dr. Cave Baronius affirms it with greater Confidence than any that it is not his but Gelasius Cyzicenus's and Bellarmine followeth his Judgment The Conjectures which they bring seem to have some resemblance of truth if we consider them alone They are as follows 1. The Author of this Treatise quotes the Greek Fathers only and never mentions the Latins now what probability is there that Pope Gelasius would not alledge St. Jerom St. Ambrose St. Austin and St. Leo. 2. He numbers Eusebius Caesariensis among the Orthodox Doctors Now Gelasius thought him an Arian and puts his Books among the Apocryphal 3. The Treatise of Gelasius against Eutyches was a large Work according to the testimony of Gennadius this that we have is a small Tract These Reasons seem to prove that 't is not probable that it is Pope Gelasius's On the other hand there are no Objections against Gelasius Cyzicenus all things concur to attribute it to him for the time and name agree there is no other Gelasius to whom it can be attributed the Style of this Book is very like that of the History of the Council of Nice written by Gelasius Cyzicenus Lastly The Author of that History says in the Preface that he hath written against the Eutychians and commends Eusebius in the Body of his Work All this makes it sufficiently evident that this Work belongs to Gelasius Cyzicenus rather than Gelasius Bishop of Rome Nevertheless there want not convincing proofs to evince that it is really the Work of this Latter For first It is found in the MSS. joyned with the Letters of this Pope Second St. Fulgentius who is a Witness beyond exception cites it as Pope Gelasius's Lib. de 5. quest apud Ferrand Diac. c. 18. and John II. uses the Testimony of this Author as Pope Gelasius's in Epist. ad Avieâ—â—m Thirdly Gennasius * De Scrip. c. 94. assures us that this Pope made a large Treatise against Eutyches and Nestorius This agrees to this Book which bears the same Title and is very considerable for thô it be not a great Work in it self 't is a great Volume
Commentary upon all the Prophets great and small except Isaiah Upon the EVANGELISTS Victor of Antioch's Commentary on Mark. S. Cyril's Commentary upon S. John's Gospel Upon S. PAUL's Epistle Theodoret's Commentaries upon all S. Paul's Epistles Historical Books Cassian's Conferences S. Nilus's Relation of the Persecution of the Monks of Mount Sinai Possidius's Life of S. Austin Uramius's Life of Paulinus M. Mercator's Memoirs against the Pelagians and Nestorians as also the Pieces collected by him The Fragments of Philostorgius's Church History The Ecclesiastical History of Socrates Sozomen and Theodoret. The History Entituled Philotheus Theodoret's four first Books of Heretical Fables His Letter to Sporatius Several other Letters of his Irenaeus's Tragedy of which we have some Fragments Hilary Bishop of Arles's Life of Honoratus S. Prosper's Chronicon Constantius's Life of S. German Paulinus's six Books of the Lite and Miracles of S. Austin Idacius's Chronicon and Kalendar of the Coss. Victor Vitensâ—s's History of the Persecution of the Vandals Victorius's Paschal Cycle The Memoir about the Affair of Acacius The History of the Council of Nice by Gelasius Cyzicenus The Acts of the Councils of Chalcedon and Ephesus and other pieces which concern them The Book of Circular Letters POEMS Victorinus's Poem upon the Hexa-emeron Sedulius's Poem upon the Life of Jesus Christ. Nonnus's Paraphrase of the Gospel of S. John Hilary Bishop of Arles Poem upon the Hexa-emeron Dracontius's Poem upon the same Homer's Cento's Virgil's Cento's Asterius's Comparison of the Old and New Testament Mamertus's Hymn Pange Lingua Sidonius's Panegyrick and other Poems Books of PIETY MORALITY and DIVINITY S. Isidore's Letters S. Nilus's Treatises Cassians Institutions of the Monks and Conferences The Consolatory Letters of Antoninus and Honoratus S Leo's Sermons S. Eucherius's Treatise in praise of Solitude His Treatise of the Contempt of the World Two Books of Instructions The Homilies of Maximus of Turin and Valerian Cemeliensis Victor Cartennensis's comfort in Adversity His Treatise of Repentance The Sermons of Basil of Seleucia A Treatise of the Christian Life by Fastidius Priscus Salvian's Works Julian Pomerius's Books of the Contemplative and Active Life Books concerning a Monastick Life S. Isidore's Letters Cassians Institutions of Monks and his Conferences S. Nilus's Works Theodoret's Philotheus or Religious History S. Eucherius concerning Solitude and contempt of the World Rules for Monks by Vigilius the Deacon An INDEX of the Principal Matters contained in this FOURTH VOLUME A. ABEL the first just Man slain unjustly 139 S. Abraham a Monk of great Piety a Discourse of this holy Mans p. 14 66 He desires Theodoret to celebrate the Sacrament in his Cell 66. He was Ordained Bishop of Carre ibid. Absolution after what manner and in what cases it is to be administred 16 19 26. Acacius a Favourer of Timotheus Aelurus and Petrus Mongus 160. He contended about it with Simplicius ibid. Pope Foelix proceeded against him and condemned him 172 c. Gelasius would not celebrate his Memory 176 c. An History of the Differences Acacius had with these Popes ibid. Acacius of Berea his Letters 44. He Negotiates for a Peace 205 c. Acacius of Melitina a Bishop of S. Cyril's Party His Letter to him 47. See the History of the Council of Ephesus Acaemetae the Monastery of the Acaemetae at what time it was founded at Constantinople 156. Acepsimas a Monk his Life 66. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Explication of this word 4. Acts of the Martyrs they were not received by the Church of Rome 180. Adâ—m his Fall repaired by Jesus Christ 139. Adoâ— of Vienna he give S. Prosper the Title of S. Leo's Secretary 81. Aeneas Gazaeus his Opinion about the Nature and Original of the Soul 187. Aëtius the Archdeacon 97 99 100 101 102 105. Agapetus his Letter to Leo the Emperor about the Affair of Eutyches 138. Aggarus ordained Bishop from a mere Layman 83 Agathius a Monk 17. Alexander of Hierapolis the number of his Letters his resistance to the Peace and exile 207 c. Alexandria the See of S. Mark 77. The Bishop of that City was enjoyned to give Notice on what Day Easter should be kept 12 99. Altino now Torzillo a City in the Patriarchate of Venice 87. Alypuis a Priest of Constantinople of S. Cyril's Party His Letter to that Saint 47. Ambrun the Metropolis of the Sea-Alps 149. Ammonius a famous Grammarian 53. Ammonius a Monk hanged by the Command of Orestes Governor of Alexandria 27. Anchorites a curious Question about them 18. Anastasius a Priest of Antioch Nestorius's Friend His Sermon against the Holy Virgin 40. Anastasius Bishop of Thessalonica The Advice he gave to S. Leo 91 92. Anastasius II Pope his Life and Letters 181 c. Anatolius Flavian's Successoâ—â— his Letters 138. Ordain'd Patriarch of Constantinople 228. The Differences between him and S. Leo 96 97 99. He comes over to S. Leo's Judgment 228. Anatolius a Patrician 76 78. Ancyra a City of Galatia 46. Andrew Bishop of Samosata Theodoret's Friend His Writings and Letters 80. His Death ibid. Andrew an Eutychian 97 103. Anjou a Council held in that City Anno 453. the Number and Abridgment of these Canons 247 Angels their Distinction according to the Author of the Books of the Hierarchy 188. Anianus a Deacon a Judgment upon this Authors Translations 38. A different Person from him that wrote the Theodosian Code ibid. Anthelmi his Opinion of S. Leo's Sermons refuted 105 106. Anthropomorphites Hereticks 12 32. Antioch S. Peter's See 77. Antipater of Bostra a Censure upon this Authors Work 156. Antiquity to be followed as well in Matters of Discipline as Faith 100. Antoninus Honoratus Bishop of Constantina in Africk his Letter about the Persecution 49. Aphraates a Miracle wrought by him in curing an Horse 66. Apocryphal Books rejected by Gelasius 181. Apollinaris Sidonius Bishop of Ciermont his Life Disposition and Writings 166 c. Apostles their Life is above the Lives of other Men 73. Arcadius by whom banished for the Faith 49. Arles the Church by whom founded 95. the Privileges of the Church of Arles by whom revoked and restored to the Church of Vienna 89. The second Council held in that City The Number and Abridgment of its Canons 246. Armentarius the Sentence given against him by the Council of Ries being unduly Ordain'd Bishop of Ambrun Arnobius Junior a different Person from Arnobius the Apologist 148. his Doctrine and Writings 148. he did not believe Original Sin ibid. Arsacius Patriarch of Constantinople S. Chrysostom's Successor 1. Asclepiades a Novatian Bishop 2. Asclepius his Writings against the Hereticks 145 Asparus a Consul 78. Assemblies of the Christians on different Days in distinct Churches 53. Athanasius a Priest his Petition against Eutyches 138. Atticus Patriarch of Constantinople his Life Disposition and Writings 1 2. Atticus a Priest 103. S. Austin his Memory honoured by the Church of Rome 22. Avienus Consul 89. Advice to Bishops and to Christians of all conditions 89. Alms-giving Of Priests
although there was no Invocation of Saints yet many Doctrines and practices were allowed and believed which laid the Foundation of Saint-Worship which was introduced soon after As 1. It was held That the Souls of the Martyrs were every where present but especially at their Tombs where several Miracles were wrought 2. Many of the eminent Fathers both for Learning and Devotion made Rhetorical Panegyricks of the Christians deceased wherein by Apostrophe's and Prosopopeia's they seemed to invoke Souls departed Thus S. Jerom in his Epitaph of Paula saith Farewel O Paula and â—y thy Prayers help the decrepis Age of him that honours thee And so Nazianzen in his Invectives against Julian saith Hear O â—â—ou Sâ—ul of great Constantine c. 3. The Christians in their Prayers at the Commemoration of the Memories of the Martyrs not only used many unwary Expressions implying a sort of Invocation of them but did formally pray to God to grant them such Blessings as they stood in need of through their Intercession for so Austin says We mention not them as Aug. in Joan. tract 84. though we prayed for them but that they may pray for us These Doctrines and Practices so prepared Men's Minds for the Invocation of Saints that about the Year 60â— S. Gregory inserted Petitions to them in the publick Litanies among the Latins as Petrus Gâ—apâ—aus had some time before among the Greeks and it was quietly received and allowed and so continued to the Times of Charles the Great and downward till the Reformation without any considerable Opposition So apt are Men to cherish Will-worship was much used Relicks and the Cross were reverenced ii Relicks reverenced Altho the Reverence of Bones and other Relicks of Saints seems as absurd a piece of Idolatrous Worship as the Heathens themselves were guilty of yet it was the first that crept into the Church through the Policy of Satan which was effected by this Means It pleased God for the Testimony of his Doctrine and Truth to work great Miracles by the dead Bodies of his Saints in witness that they had been his Messengers and Instruments of his Will But that which was intended by God for the good of Men and Conversion of Souls became a Snare to lead them into Error for their admiration of the vertue which God seemed to put into them stirred them up not only to seek for them and use them as Amulets and Remedies against all Evils and Distempers but also made them give them a singular Respect and Veneration as we may gather from S. Austin's Words I know many Aug. de Eccles Man c. 34. that worship Graves Images c. Indeed there was a Respect always paid to the Martyrs deceased by the Christians by celebrating their Memories at their Tombs upon the anniversary of their Martyrdom and by bestowing a neat and convenient Burial upon them but it was never allowed by the Orthodox Fathers to give them a Divine Honour Yea S. Gregory says That it is not lawful to bring the Greg. lib 3. ep 30. Body of the Saints into a publick view or handle them with the Hands 'T was Satan's Subtilty to insinuate Idolatry by an intemperate Devotion But in France no veneration of Images was allowed The Prohibition of contracting Marriages was extended to the fourth degree of Consanguinity Spiritual Affinity kk Prohibition of Marriage to the fourth Degree of Consanguinity Spiritual Affinity To avoid all incestuous Marriages such Canons as these prohibiting Marriage within certain degrees are very convenient to be imposed and ought to be observed And tho' indeed this may seem too strict restraining such Kindred from Marriage as the Word of God it self doth seem to permit Lev. 18. being extended to the fourth degree of Consanguinity yet 't is better to prohibit something in it self lawful where there is little or no inconvenience consequent upon it than to permit a thing which in strictness perhaps is lawful but is in appearance evil and scandalous as a Marriage-Conjunction of Persons near-a-kin is commonly accounted But as to Spiritual Consanguinity or Affinity as it is no real Relation so to hinder such as are thus allied from Marriage is an Instance of Papal Tyranny and Usurpation no Persons being really better qualified for Marriage together than such as are Brethren and Sisters in the Lord So that though the Constitution for not marrying to the fourth degree is tolerable enough yet the latter since it may produce many Inconveniences among Men deserve no Regard or Observation and it is to be believed that it had long since expired had it not been much for the Advantage of the Papal Hierarchy by creating an abundance of Dispensations began then to take Place The Celebration of Sundays was then very solemn On this Day they did forbear all manner of servile Work and Christians were obliged to be present at Divine Service which was solemnly perform'd The keeping of publick Markets was prohibited on this Day This is the number of the Holy Days then kept set down in the 158th Chapter of the first Book of the Capitularies The Festivals of Christmas S. Stephen S. John the Evangelist the Innocents the Octave of the Lord the Epiphany the Octave of the Epiphany the Purification of the Blessed Virgin eight Days at Easter the great Litany the Ascension Whitsunday S. John Baptist S. Peter and S. Paul S. Martyn and S. Andrew As to the Virgin 's Assumption it is said We leave it out to enquire into it Churches were built with as much splendor and Magnificence as the Age would permit they were decked and adorn'd the Altars consecrated and covered with Linen-Cloath the Service was performed with great Pomp. The Roman way of singing was brought into the Churches of France but they kept still their own peculiar way of Singing They took great care of the Church-Books and Singing Women were forbidden to come near the Altars and Abbesses to give the Blessing to make the Sign of the Cross upon Men's Heads and to give the Veil with the Sacerdotal Benediction Simony was severely forbidden They made Laws against Usury then not only in Ecclesiastical but Laymen There were many Hospitals for the Poor and the Sick The paying of Tithes was become obligatory and all sorts of Persons were constrained to pay them to Church-Men They were forbidden exacting any thing for the Sacraments or for Ecclesiastical Offices Church-Revenues were divided into three Parts one part was for the repairing of Churches the other for the Poor and the last for Churchmen They began to oblige the Clergy of Cathedrals to live together canonically They made divers Constitutions to keep Monks in order They forbad to receive Children without the Parent 's Consent and to veil Virgins before 30 Years of Age and Widow-Women before the thirtieth Day after their Husbands Decease They prohibited a Sort of Clerks which wore the Religious Habit and would live neither as Monks nor Clergymen The Rectors of Country Parishes
be separated That though our Saviour did Administer this Sacrament to his Apostles after Supper for some Mystical Reasons it was nevertheless the Practice of the Catholick Church to receive it Fasting That it is not requisite however to forbear eating till the Eucharist be digested according to the Injunctions of some Apocryphal Books That though this Sacrament nourishes our Bodies we ought chiefly to consider the Spiritual Effects of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ as nourishing our Souls in a Spiritual manner so that it is frivolous to fear that this Sacrament goes into the draught as our Terrestrial Food or that it mingles it self and is digested with it That we ought not to believe that Christ is to drink Wine during his Reign of a Thousand years as some have imagined And lastly that though Good and Bad Men receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ yet we must believe that this Sacrament is Salvation to the first and Damnation to the last Thus I have in few words summed up Paschasius his Doctrine upon the Eucharist from his aforesaid * This Book is Printed by it self at Cologne 1551. under the Name of Rabanus and under Paschasius ' s at Hagenoa 1528. Lovain 1561 and at Helmstad 1616. Treatise To which he adds several Considerations with Allegorical and Mystical Reflections and towards the Conclusion some Passages out of S. Hilary S. Austin S. Ambrose S. Gregory S. Leo S. John Chrysostom and Beda for the Confirmation of it A long time after this Treatise was published for it was Written in 831. before Paschasius was Abbot of Corbey and what we are going to say hapned but about the latter end of his Life towards the Year 864. Fredegardus or Frudegardus a Monk of the New Abbey of Corbey for whose Monks Paschasius had Composed this Book having met with some Men of a different Opinion and himself entertaining some Doubts upon this Subject did freely Write unto him his Thoughts upon the Matter In Answer to which Paschasius Writ him a †Pasch siua his Letter to Fredegardus Letter wherein he explained and confirmed what he had laid down in his Treatise concerning the Body and Blood of our Saviour There he says That notwithstanding the Scruples of those Persons he had good Reason to maintain that it is the very Flesh of our Saviour which is given to us in the Eucharist the same Flesh that was Born of the Virgin and the same Blood that was shed upon the Cross. Otherwise says he How can this Sacrament confer Eternal Life and the Remission of Sins were it not the Flesh and Blood of him who is Life and Salvation Fredegardus did own it to him that he had been of that Opinion but that having Read in the Third Book of the Christian Doctrine Writ by St. Austin that these words of our Saviour This is my Body This is my Flesh are a Figurative expression and a Figure more than a Reality he could not tell how to Reconcile that with his former Sentiment And the rather considering what that holy Father seems to say That it were a horrible thing to believe that Christians eat the same Body which was Born of the Virgin and drink the same Blood that was shed upon the Cross. To which Paschasius Answers That it is not inconsistent with good Sense to say That those words of our Saviour are a Figurative Expression because there is a Figure in this Mystery and that the Real Body and Blood of Christ are really found in it but in a Mystery and Figure as our Saviour is called the Character and Figure of his Father though he is really God That he has sufficiently explained it in his Book by asserting That the Eucharist is both a Figure and a Real thing That St. Austin himself did own it and that he agrees in that Point with St. Ambrose St. Cyprian and Eusebius Emesenus some of whose Passages he quotes Whence he infers That it is the Doctrine of the Fathers though many doubt of it who cannot apprehend how the Bread remaining visibly intire it can be said that it is the Body and Blood of Christ. But that they would have other Thoughts of it should they but consider how five or six Loaves could be Multiplyed into an infinite Number and as those Loaves were Multiply'd by the Power of God so Christ's Flesh is multiply'd and the abundance of his Flesh and Blood diffused in the Sacrament That we say likewise That Christ is daily Sacrificed upon our Altars though he Died but once for the Salvation of Mankind because we believe it to be done Spiritually but not without the Sacrament Which is not reiterated by causing Christ to Die again but he is Mystically Sacrificed every day for us that we may receive in the Bread what was nailed to the Cross and drink in the Cup what ran out of our Saviour's Side For walking by Faith our Belief ought to be Spiritual not Carnal Upon which he quotes a passage of St. Gregory and another of the Council of Ephesus and then invites Fredegardus to Read over his Treatise attentively Not says he that there is any thing extraordinary in it being contrived for the meanest capacity but because he heard that Treatise had stirred up many to apply themselves to the Knowledge of this Mystery teaching them to entertain Notions worthy of our Saviour whose Body is Incorruptible because Spiritual and that all things that are done in the Sacrament are also Spiritual He tells him That 't is that Spirit who gives Life to those who receive it worthily and that those who want Faith or receive it unworthily eat and drink their own Damnation To his Letter he subjoyns an Abstract of his Commentary upon the 26th Chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel wherein he explains the words of the Institution of the Eucharist and opposes those who give it onely a Figurative Sense as if the Words imported nothing but the Figure and Vertue of the Body and Blood of our Saviour and not his Real Flesh and Blood Then he tells him that he thought himself obliged to explain that passage more at large upon the Information he had received that some People found fault with what he had formerly Written upon that Subject Which Doctrine he confirms by the Testimonies of St. Ambrose St. Hilary and the Council of Ephesus together with some Expressions in the Canon of the Mass. Although Paschasius in his Book followed the Doctrine of the Church it having been the Opinion of all the Orthodox before him That the Body and Blood of Christ were actually present in the Eucharist and that the Bread and Wine were changed into the Body and Blood of our Saviour Yet it was not usual in those Times to say positively That the Body of Christ in the Eucharist was the same that was born of the Virgin and Assert it so plainly This is the Judgment of Father Mabillon which he expresses in these
as they pleased as well in Temporal as Spiritual Services insomuch says he that some Priests wait at Table provide Meat and Drink look after Dogs and Horses and take care of their Farms in the Country And because they can't find any good Clergy-men who will so dishonour their Calling they take such as come next without regarding whether they are ignorant and worthless and guilty of many Crimes They only desire to have some Priests with them that they may leave the Churches and publick Offices to them And when they have a mind to have them ordained they come and say in an imperious way I have a little Clergy-Man whom I have brought up who is the Son of one of my Waiting-Men or Tenants I desire you to make him a Priest and when they have got him ordained they think that they have no need of the Curates and never come to the Service of a Parish-Church nor Exhortions made there He crys out against this abuse and bewails the badness of his time in which the Bishops were not allowed to reprove their irregularities as by their Office they are obliged Lastly he exhorts the Laity to have respect to the Sacraments which are administred by the Priests For says he the Holy Sacraments Baptism and the Consecration of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and the rest which give Life and Salvation to the Faithful are so Great and Holy that they cannot become more Excellent by reason of the Holiness of good Ministers nor worse by the impiety of wicked ones because they operate not by the Virtue of Men but by the Majesty of the Holy Spirit when the Priest hath made his Invocation whereupon he cites several passages of S. Austin Gelasius and Pope Anastasius and advises the Bishops to be careful that they be not partakers of other Mens Sins by ordaining such Persons Priests as are vicious ignorant and unable to discharge their Ministery well He says that the Learning of Ministers is more to be regarded than their Manners because though a Priest ought to be blameless in both yet 't is less dangerous to have a Priest that teaches well and lives ill than to have the ignorant though they live well Lastly he distinguishes Ministers into four sorts 1. Such as are to be loved who live well and teach well 2. Tolerable such as teach well but live ill or who live well but have not learning enough to instruct others 3. The Contemptible who live ill and are ignorant 4. Such as are accursed who live either well or ill and teach Heresies In the Conclusion he prays God to pour his Graces upon the Priests of his Church that they may carry themselves so as becomes their Ministery Nothing is more judicious than the next Treatise of Agobard's which he wrote to undeceive the People and remove the Opinions they had that Sorcerers could raise Tempests cause Thunder and bring Hail by their Inchantments He proves by several Texts of Scripture that it is great Folly and a kind of Sacrilege to attribute to Men that which belongs to God He laughs at the fancy of some who supposed that there was a Region in the Air whither they conveyed the Corn and Fruit which the Hail beat down He shews by several Texts of Scripture that God only is the cause of Thunder and Hail that he punishes Men by these Plagues That all that is done in the Air is the effect of his Power whether done by Himself or Angels or Men That he alone is the Mover and Creator of the Universe That if wicked Men had power to afflict and destroy other Men all their Enemies would be so dealt with That he understood not how Men had power to disturb the Air or Heaven whose Nature they are ignorant of That most of the Histories written upon this Subject being examined will be found false although there be some People so ignorant as to expose themselves to Death to maintain them as it happen'd a little before when they accused Grimoaldus Duke of Beneventum of having scattered a Powder through the whole Countrey which made all the Oxen die As if says he he could make a Powder which should kill Oxen only and not other Beasts or could make such quantities of it and have Sowers enough to scatter it through the whole Countrey Fredegisus Abbot of S. Martins at Tours having found fault with some passages in one of Agobard's Books he thought himself obliged to defend himself and answer that Abbot's Objections The first Expression of Agobard's which he reproved was That the humble Man who hath mean Thoughts of himself is subject to errour Fredegisus says That Jesus Christ was humble and yet 't is certain he was not subject to errour Agobard answers That his Maxim ought not to be understood of Jesus Christ who abased and humbled himself voluntarily without ceasing to be Omnipotent and Sinless but he confirms it in respect of all other Men who are subject to Errour and Sin Secondly Fredegisus accuses him of weakning the Authority of Scripture and of the Interpretation of it because he had observed that they did not always observe the rules of Grammar Agobard answers that that ought not to make those things doubted of which are related in Holy Scripture that the Interpreters have used so to do either to accommodate themselves to the capacity of the Simple or to express the Sense of the Original the better That it is not allowable to doubt of the authority of those Authors of whom the Holy Spirit hath made use to write the Canonical Books or believe that they ought to have written otherwise than they have That next to the Original the authority of the Translation of the Seventy ought to be acknowledged and the fidelity of S. Jerom's Latin Version upon the Hebrew Text and that the Latin Versions made by Orthodox Christians out of the Seventy are not to be contemned but there are several Translations which are justly to be corrected and reproved as those of those famous Hereticks and Bastard Jews Aquila Theodotion and Symmachus as also certain Latin Interpreters reproved by St. Jerom. And Lastly as to Commentators Men ought to follow the Rule of St. Austin who gives all Liberty to judge of them and reject what is not orthodox and true in their Writings Afterward examining particularly the question about the Holy Books he says 't is absurd to believe that the Holy Ghost did inspire the Prophets and Apostles with the Words and Terms which they used and to prove this he alledgeth the Example of Moses who says that he was of a slow Speech He produces the Testimonies of S. Jerom who acknowledgeth that there is a difference in the Style in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles some of whom wrote more Loftily and Eloquently others with less Elegancy and Loftiness and sometimes there is the same difference in different Writings This difference may not be attributed to the Holy Spirit
and Annuntiation of the Virgin Palm-Sunday the Incarnation the Burial Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ upon the Feast of Pentecost and Death of the Virgin which he calls her Repose maintaining That she as well as others paid the last Debt to Nature leaving us in doubt whether her Body was afterwards re-united to her Soul or whether she was put into some place to be reserved there to the General Resurrection Theophanes surnamed Cerameus or the Potter Bishop of Tauromenium in Sicily liv'd about Theophanes Bishop of Tauromenium the End of the IX Age. He hath composed several Homilies upon the Gospels and yearly Festivals which are Printed in Greek and Latin at Paris in 1644. Gretzer hath put out two upon the Cross. Another Bishop of the same Place nam'd Gregory * Dr. Cave places him in 1040. Georgius Chartophylax hath composed several Homilies upon the same Subjects but they are not yet printed Georgius Monachus the Keeper of the Records of the Church of Constantinople and afterwards Archbishop of Nicomedia was one of Photius's great Friends He composed several Homilies upon the Feasts of the Virgin published by F. Cambefis in vol. 1. of his Auctuar Biblioth Patrum They are in a copious Style and full of Common Places of little Benefit and tedious Nor doth the West furnish us with fewer Historians who wrote the Lives of the Saints of their Time than we have seen the Eastern Empire to have done viz. Ludgerus the Scholar of S. Gregory of Utrecht having spent much Time and Labour in Ludgerus Bishop of Munster converting the Infidels in England and Swedeland was made Bishop of Munster in Westphalia in 802. He wrote the Life of his Master S. Gregory Bishop of Utrecht which is published by Brower at Mentz 1615. who hath joyned with it a Relation of the Beginning of S. Benedict's Mission This Life is in Tom. 2. Saec. Benedict III. published by F. Mabillon Surius and Bollandus have published a Letter under Ludgerus's Name dedicated to Rixfridus Bishop of Utrecht which contains a Relation of the Life and Miracles of S. Switbert but it is proved by Cointe in his Ann. Eccl. Fran. ad ann 779. n. 31. 754. n. 78. by many Arguments not to belong to this Author He died in 809. and his Life is written by Alfridus the third Bishop of Munster Aegil or Eigil fourth Abbot of Fulda governed that Monastery from 818. to 822. He Aegil Abbot of Fulda hath written a Relation of the most eminent Actions of his Master S. Sturmio his Predecessor in the Abbacy of that Monastery It is put out by Brower at Ingolstadt in 1616. and is also in Tom. 2. Saec. Benedict III. The Life of S. Aegil is written by a Monk of the same Abby named Candidus and published by the same Authors Candidus Vufinus Boetius Bishop of Poictiers Hermenricus Abbot of Elwangen Vufinus Boetius Bishop of Poictiers flourished from the Time of Lewis the Godly to the year 830. He wrote the Life of S. Junianus Abbot of Maire which is extant in Tom. 1. Saec. Benedict put out by F. Mabillon Hermenricus a Monk of Elwangen a Monastery in Germany was chosen Abbot of it in 846. He wrote the Lives of S. Magnus and S. Sola with a Dialogue about the Foundation of his Monastery The Life of S. Sola was written about the Time that Rabanus was chosen Bishop of Mentz about 847. It is dedicated to Rodolphus a Monk of Fulda under whom Ermenricus had studied These two Lives are published by F. Mabillon Eulogius whom some believe to have been chosen Archbishop of Toledo suffer'd Martyrdom Eulogius the Martyr at Corduba in 859. in the Persecution of the Christians in Spain by the Saracens He wrote the Martyrdom of the Christians which suffered for the Faith of Jesus Christ before him in that City This Treatise is entituled Memoriale Sanctorum or An Account of the Sufferings of the Martyrs of Corduba and is divided into three Books Afterward he composed an Apology or Defence of the same Martyrs against those who denyed them that Title and Honour for 3 Reasons 1. Because they never did any Miracles as the ancient Martyrs did 2. Because they did not suffer variety of Torments but were put to Death presently 3. Because those that put them to Death were not Idolaters but Mahometans who worship the true God He answers these Objections and continues the History of those Martyrs These 4 Books are followed by an Exhortation or Instruction which he made in Prison and dedicated to two Virgins Mary and Flora who also were Prisoners In which he gives all the Christians then in Bonds for Christ's sake Arguments and Encouragements to suffer constantly and adds a Prayer for them to use in their present Condition He hath also composed a Writing dedicated to Wilifindus Bishop of Pampelona when he sent him some Relicks of the ancient Martyrs of Corduba which he had desired of him when he was at Pampelona In it he speaks of the Persecution of the Christians of Corduba and sets down the Names of the Martyrs and the days of their death He sent his Instruction to Flora and his Memoir of the Martyrs to his Brother Alvarus who was then in Banishment in Germany and wrote two Letters to him about the same matter which Alvarus answered Afterward he sent him an Account of the Martyrdom of those two Virgins as he did also to Baldegosena Flora's Sister We have these Letters with the Works of Eulogius in the Biblioth Patr. Tom. 15. p. 242. and in the IV. Tome of the Spanish Writers p. 213. Ambrosius Moralis also hath printed all together with his own Notes at Complutum in 1554. which was the first Edition of Eulogius's Works but Maluenda finds fault with it because he hath left out several things concerning Mahomet and his Doctrines in the first and second Books of his Memoir of the Martyrs which Eulogius had written Wherefore Poncius Leo put out a more correct Edition at the same place in 1574. but continued Moralis's notes Surius also hath printed his Lives of the Martyrs of Corduba Alvarus Brother of Eulogius hath written besides the Answers to his Brother Eulogius's Letters before-mentioned which are among Eulogius's Letters the History of his Brother's Alvarus Martyrdom which is prefixed before Eulogius's Works in the Complutensian last Edition and in the Biblioth Patr. and Surius-March II. Vossius attributes to this Author two other Treatises viz. Scintillae Patrum which is a Collection of Moral Sentences out of the Fathâ—… and Voss. de Hist. Lat. Indiculus Luminosus but they are not yet commonly received for his by Learned Men. Herricus or Erricus born at a Village of the same name viz. Hery two Leagues from Auxerre was a Benedictine Monk of the Abby of S. Germans in that City He had for his Masters Herricus a Monk of S. Germans at Auxerre Haymo of Halberstadt and Lupus of
into Heaven or else that the Flesh of CHRIST should be brought down hither neither of which appear'd to be done Lanfrank answers them that this is a Mystery which we ought to believe without inquiring into the manner of it After Lanfrank had answer'd these two Objections he then raises two new Arguments against Berenger The first is that if the Eucharist were call'd the Flesh of JESUS CHRIST only because it is the Figure of it it would from thence follow that the Sacraments of the old Law were more excellent than those of the New because 't is more excellent to be the Type of Things future than to be the Figure of Things past And moreover that the Manna which fell down from Heaven was a more noble Figure than a little Bit of Bread could be The second Argument is the universal Opinion of the Church and the Consent of all Nations If says he to Berenger that which you believe and maintain be True it follows that what the whole Church believes and teaches in all the World must needs be False For all the Christians who are in the World are Persuaded that they receive in the Sacrament the real Body and the real Blood of JESUS CHRIST Ask the Latins the Greeks the Armenians and all the other Nations of the Christian World and they will all unanimously tell you that this is their Faith If the Faith of the universal Church be false you must say that there never has been a Church or else that it is lost But there is not any Catholick who dares to affirm either After he had prov'd this Truth by several Passages of Scripture he adds speaking still to Berenger You and those whom you have deceiv'd object against these plain Testimonies of our Lord and of the Holy Ghost concerning the Perpetuity of the Church that indeed the Gospel has been Preach'd to all Nations that the World has believ'd that the Church is Establish'd that it has increas'd and improv'd but that it afterwards fell into Error by the Ignorance of those who have put a false Gloss upon Tradition and that 't is to be found among you alone This is the usual Answer of Innovators which Lanfrank refutes in a few words The Statutes or Rules of the Order of S. Benedict made for the Monks of England go under Lanfrank's Name but Father Luke Dachery observes that they are not in his Style The Rules of the Order of S. Benedict that he is cited as a third Person in the second Section of the second Chapter and that there are some Rules which appear too Remiss this makes him believe that 't is a Collection of Rules of which Lanfrank is not the Author or which has been augmented by some other of a more modern Date Let the case be how it will it contains nothing but what relates to the Customs and Practices of Monks therefore we shall not insist any longer upon it Lanfrank's Letters are short and few but contain in them things very Remarkable Lanfranks Letters The three first are directed to Pope Alexander II. In the first he earnestly intreats him to give him leave to lay down his Arch-bishoprick which he had not taken upon him but by his Order that he might retire into a Monastery He likewise excuses himself for not being able to wait upon him at Rome In the second he gives him to understand that Herman a Bishop who had formerly quitted his Bishoprick under the Popedom of Leo IX and embrac'd a Monastick Life had a design to do it again and would have done it had not he hinder'd him He assures the Pope that that Bishop was no longer in a Condition by reason of his Age to discharge his Functions and that he is not forced to retire but does it voluntarily to give himself wholly up to the Service of God The English Historians tell us that this Herman was Flamand and that he had been Bishop of Winchester under the Reign of King Edward that he afterwards left both that Bishoprick and England and became a Monk of S. Berthin That he return'd some time after into England to be Bishop of Sarum and that he liv'd to the time of William the Conqueror which part of his Life he spent at the Bishoprick of Sarum 'T is about the end of his Life that he desir'd to retire the second time Lanfrank likewise consults the Pope about the Bishop of Litchfield This Bishop being accus'd of Incontinence and other Crimes before the Popes Legats in England would â—ot appear before the Synod which they held they had Excommunicated him and given â—he King liberty to put another in his place He afterwards came to Court and gave his Resignation to the King Lanfrank was not willing to ordain another in his place till he had receiv'd Permission from Rome he therefore desires it in this Letter The third is about the difference then on foot between the Sees of Canterbury and York about the Primacy and about several other Churches The Pope had referr'd the Examination of the Matter to an Assembly of Bishops of Abbots and of other Prelates of the Kingdom This Assembly was held at Winchester by the Order of the King of England and in his presence It was there prov'd by the Ecclesiastical History of Bede that from the time of S. Augustin the Apostle of England the Church of Canterbury had always enjoy'd the Right of Primacy over all England and Ireland and that the Bishops of the Places now in Question had been ordain'd cited to Synods and deposed by the Arch-bishop of Canterbury for above 140 years together This was likewise prov'd by the Acts of Councils and confirm'd by the Decretals of Pope Gregory I. Boniface IV. Honorius Uitalian Sergius I. Gregory IV. and Leo IX The Arch-bishop of York having nothing but weak Arguments to oppose these Authentick Testimonies yielded the Point and had desired the King to adjust Matters between Him and Lanfrank Afterwards by a general Consent an Act was prepar'd touching the Privileges of the Church of Canterbury which he sends to the Pope and desires him to confirm He thanks him for those Testimonies of Love which he had given him and for granting him two Palls He tells him at last that he sends him the Letter which he had writ formerly to Berenger whom he calls Schismatick The fourth is a Letter of Pope Alexander directed to Lanfrank wherein he confirms the Decrees of his Predecessors made in favour of the Monks who were in the Cathedral Churches of England in opposition to those who would dispossess them for to put secular Clerks into their Places The fifth is directed to Hildebrand Arch-deacon of Rome After he had return'd him Thanks for the good Will he bore to him he informs him that the Controversie about the Primacy of the Church of Canterbury was ended and that he had sent the Act of it to Rome The sixth is Hildebrand's who gives him to understand that he
Bibliotheca Cisterciensis with a Treatise of the Spirit and the Soul attributed to St. Augustin He is also reputed to be the Author of a certain Letter on the Canon of the Mass which is contain'd in the first Tome of the Spicilegium The Abbey of Clairvaux has produc'd in the end of this Century three Abbots who may Henry Peter and Garnier Abbots of Clairvaux be reckon'd amongst the Ecclesiastical Writers viz. HENRY the seventh Abbot who wrote a Treatise call'd De peregrinante Civitate Dei and some Letters PETER the eighth Abbot who was the Author of some Letters and GARNIER his Successor who compos'd divers Sermons If any Persons are desirous to consult those Works they may have recourse to the third Tome of the Bibliotheca Cisterciensis GILBERT OF SEMPRINGHAM an English Man and Founder of the Order of Gilbert of Sempringham the Canons call'd Gilbertines in England flourish'd in the end of this Century He compil'd two Books of Constitutions for his Order which are to be found in the Monasticon Anglicanum In the Library of St. Germain des Prez is to be seen a Manuscript Collection of divers Sermons which bear the Name of CHRISTIAN Some are of Opinion That this Author Christian. was Abbot of St. Peter An Val in the Diocess of Chartres Others attribute this Piece to Christian Arch-bishop of Mentz who died A. D. 1183. and who wrote as it is generally believ'd an History of the Emperor Frederick's Expedition to the Holy Land But others with greater probability ascribe it to one of the two Christians Monks of Clairvaux and the Pupils of St. Bernard who were made Abbots and Bishops in Ireland and of whom mention is made in Chap. 8. of the second Book of St. Bernard's Life Let the case be how it will this Author has apparently taken many Notions out of the Works of that Saint GAUTIER sirnam'd DE CHATILLON a Native of Lisle in Flanders was the Author Gautier de Chatillon of the Alexandreis or Poem on the Actions of Alexander printed at Strasburg A. D. 1531. and at Lyons in 1558. He also compos'd three Books in form of Dialogues against the Jews which Father Oudin says he has seen in Manuscript in the Library of the Monastery of Premontre at Braine GARNIER a Canon and Superior of the Abbey of St. Victor at Paris compil'd in the Garnier of St. Victor end of the Century a Treatise call'd The Gregorian containing certain Allegorical Explications on the Bible taken out of the Writings of St. Gregory Pope This Work was printed at Paris A. D. 1608. THOMAS a Monk of Cisteaux is the Author of a Commentary on the Canticles divided into twelve Books and dedicated to Pontius Bishop of Clermont altho' some Persons have Thomas Monk of Cisteaux attributed it to other Authors of the same Name and Paul de Reatino a Cordelier took the boldness to cause it to be printed at Rome A. D. 1655. under the Name of John Duns sir-nam'd Scotus but he was soon oppos'd by the Sollicitor General of the Cistercian Order who obtain'd a Decree of the Master of the Sacred Palace by which it was declar'd that that Commentary was unadvisedly printed under the Name of Scotus and a Prohibition was made at the same time to sell or publish it for the future under that Name but only under that of Thomas of Cisteaux Charles de Wisch who caus'd this Work to be printed in the Bibliotheca Praemonstratensis attributed it to divers Thomas's and afterwards John le Page the Collector of the Library of Premontre ascrib'd it to one Thomas Canon of that Order in the Monastery of Quesnoy but the true Author of it is Thomas Monk of Cisteaux as it appears from the ancient Manuscripts which are extant in the Libraries of the same Order It likewise bears his Name in the first Editions set forth by Badius at Paris A. D. 1521. and at Lyons in 1571. This Author flourish'd in the end of the Centuâ—y PETER sirnam'd COMESTOR or the Eater a Native of Troyes in Champagne Priest Petrus Comestor Dean of St. Peter at Troyes and Dean of the Church of St. Peter in that City acquir'd so great Reputation that he was invited to Paris and made Chancellor of the University He retir'd near the end of his Life to the Monastery of St. Victor and died there A. D. 1198. His principal Work is a Scholastical History divided into sixteen Books which comprehends an Abridgment of all manner of Sacred History from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the Acts of the Apostles but he intermixes therein divers Passages of profane History and some fabulous Narrations This Work was first printed at Rutlingen A. D. 1473. and afterwards at Strasburg in 1483. as also at Basil in 1486. and at Lyons in 1543. The Sermons which Busaeus caus'd to be printed under the Name of Peter of Blois belong to this Author as well as some others which are extant in the Libraries ROBERT OF FLAMESBURY a Regular Canon of St. Augustin and Penitentiary in Robert of Flamesbury the Abbey of St. Victor was in good repute for his Learning He compos'd a large Penitential which is kept in Manuscript in the Library of St. Victor and in that of the College Des Cholets The English were always very accurate in their penitential Books and two Authors were Bartholomew Bishop of Oxford Odo of Chirton more especially famous for writing on that Subject in the end of the Twelfth Century The first is BARTHOLOMEW Bishop of Oxford a Manuscript Copy of whose Work is to be seen in the Library of St. Victor and the other is ODO OF CHIRTON whose Piece call'd The Summary of Repentance is extant in divers Libraries of England with several Homilies by the same Author ELIE OF COXIE so call'd from the Name of a Village in the Territory of Furnes in Elie of Coxie Abbot of Dunes Flanders the place of his Nativity was at first a Monk of Cisteaux and afterwards Abbot of Dunes He has left us two large Discourses made by him in the Chapter of Cisteaux which are contain'd in the Bibliotheca Ordinis Cisterciensis He died A. D. 1203. JOHN a Carthusian Frier of the Monastery of Des Portes flourish'd in the end of this John a Carthusian Monk of des Portes Century and compos'd five Letters on pious Subjects viz. the First about shunning of the World The Second and Third of Prayer the Fourth of the care that ought to be taken to observe the Inclinations of the Heart and the Fifth of Perseverance in the State that one has once embrac'd dedicated to Bernard his Nephew a Carthusian Monk who was tempted to quit that Order There is also a Letter written by another Monk of the same Carthusian Convent nam'd Stephen de Chaulmet a Carthusian Monk Zachary Bishop of Chrysopolis STEPHEN DE CHAULMET about continuing in the Order into which one has been
Bernard to confute that Duke 38. Witnesses such as are liable to be accepted against in the case of Adultery 19. 20. Women that their Conversation with Ecclesiastical Persons is Scandalous 17. 20. Y. YVes Bishop of Chartres see Ives FINIS L. E. DU PIN's Ecclesiastical History OF THE THIRTEENTH FOURTEENTH and FIFTEENTH CENTURIES Which make the ELEVENTH TWELFTH and THIRTEENTH VOLUMES THE TRANSLATOR TO THE READER AS Monsieur Du Pin has merited the Applause of the Learned World for his former Volumes of Ecclesiastical History so in these three which are now publish'd he continues still to write like himself and maintain the same Character which has been given of him he is no less faithful in his Relations judicious in his Reflections exact in his Criticisms and moderate in his Censures of those who differ from him and even more impartial than would be expected from one of a contrary Party The two first Ages treated of in this Volume viz. the 13th and 14th were cover'd with some Remains of that Ignorance and Barbarism which reigned in the last preceeding Ages But this is so far from being any just Prejudice against this History that it should rather invite the Ingenious Reader 's Curiosity when he considers that the excellent Historian has enlightned these dark Ages by giving a clearer account of them than any one Writer before him for he has brought to light some notable Pieces of History which seem'd to be buried in Oblivion and collected together the several Fragments which were scatter'd in many Volumes and plac'd them in such a clear light that the Darkness of the Times serves to set off and commend the Judgment of the Historian It is his peculiar Excellency that he gives a just Idea of the most considerable Ecclesiastical Writers in all the Ages of the Church not by general Characters but by giving an account of the Matters handled in their Works and taking judicious Extracts out of them and particularly in this Volume he has added to the History of each Century such useful Observations as give the Reader a general Idea of the great Transactions then on foot So that nothing seems to be wanting to render this Translation compleat but some Remarks which may be use to the Protestant Reader of which I shall therefore present him with a few relating to the Controversies between the Roman Church and the Church of England It has been observ'd by Monsieur Du Pin and others That School-Divinity was corrupted in the 13th Century by introducing into it the Principles of Aristotle's Philosophy whereby all Matters of Doctrin were resolved into a great many curious and useless Questions and decided by the Maxims of that Philosophy which yet was learned not from the Greek Originals but the corrupt Versions of the Arabians as if they were of equal Authority with the Scriptures And as this mixture corrupted the Simplicity of the ancient Christian Faith so it was the cause of many Mischiefs among which I reckon this to be none of the least that it furnish'd Men with such Principles as were subservient to maintain the Popish Doctrin of Transubstantion which begun in this Century to be established As for instance This Philosophy taught Men that Quantity is an Accident distinct and separable from Body from whence they inferr'd the Possibility of the Replication and Penetration of Bodies and maintain'd as the School-men do to this Day That the same Body may be in a thousand distant Places at the same time That the same Man may be alive at London and kill'd at Rome That the whole Body of a lusty Man with all its several parts may be crouded within the Compass of a Pins head by which Doctrins they defended some of these Absurdities which are implied in Transubstantiation viz. That the Body of Christ is at the same time in Heaven and Earth and in all the several Places where the Eucharist is celebrated that it is whole in the whole Loaf and whole in every the least part of it and many other such like Absurdities which are real Contradictions to the Nature of a Body if Extension is essential to it as it is held to be by the best Philosophers both Ancient and Modern The first pretended General Council in which Transubstantiation is said to be established was the fourth Lateran Council under Innocent III. in the Year 1215. But Du Pin has plainly prov'd that the Canons which go under the Name of this Council were Du Pin 13 Cent. not made by the Council it self but only by Pope Innocent III. who read some of them in the Council and after its Dissolution added many more as he pleas'd Dissert 7 de Antiq. Eccl. Discipl Ch. 3. Sect. 4. which is a Trick that the Popes had commonly used in the 12th Century who publish'd their own Constitutions as the Decrees of Councils Du Pin. Hist. Eccl. 10th Cent. p. 217. I shall not pretend to give an Account what was the Doctrin of the first Eight Ages of the Church concerning the Eucharist which may be learn'd from Archbishop Usher Bishop Cosins and others But to me it seems an Invincible Argument that Transubstantiation was not then believ'd That the Jews and Heathens did not charge the Christians with the Absurdities and Contradictions which are the obvious and natural Consequences of that Doctrin As to the Term of Transubstantiation Du Pin says it was first used by Celles Bishop of Chartres and Stephen Bishop of Autun in the 12th Century p. 156. As to the Doctrin it self it appears to have been first published by Paschasius in his Treatise of the Body and Blood of our Saviour about the Year 832. wherein he asserts That after the Consecration under the Figure of Bread and Wine there is nothing but the Body and Blood of Christ and which is yet more wonderful he adds It is no other Flesh than that which was born of Mary suffered on the Cross and rose again from the Grave He might very well call it wondâ—…ul Doctrin not only for its apparent Absurdity but for its Novelty since the like Expressions had never been used before which is ingenuously confess'd by Bellarm. de Scriptor Eccl. ad annum 850. and by Sirmondus in the Life of Paschasius prefix'd to his Works Par. 1618. and may be plainly proved from the Writings of the most learned Men in this Century For first Claudius Bishop of Turin asserted the contrary Doctrin eighteen or nineteen Years before Paschasius's Book upon this Subject was publish'd which Doctrin was never oppos'd by those who cenfur'd some other Opinions of his as Dr. Allix shows from a Manuscript Commentary of this Author 's upon St. Matth. Remarks upon the Ancient Church of Piedmont p. 62 c. II. In the same Century after this Doctrim was published it met with great Opposition from many eminent Men such as Ratramnus Joannes Scotus Amalarius Florus Druthmarus and Erigerus all which are own'd by Du Pin to have oppos'd the Doctrin of
Venice to take up some Gallies there After he had said this he would have given a Writing to the Emperor who refus'd to receive it The Pope being angry at this Refusal withdrew but he caus'd tell the Emperor by the Cardinal Julian that after the Affair was concluded he might return that he would defray his Charges as far as Venice and give him assistance to go to Constantinople The Greek Prelats having examin'd a-new the Articles propos'd by the Latins found them reasonable and pass'd even the Article of Purgatory On the 17th of June the Emperor call'd together the Greek Prelats who were all found to be of the same Opinion about the Union except Mark of Ephesus who remain'd unmoveable The next Sunday they examin'd the Privileges of the Pope and approv'd them all adding to them two Conditions First That the Pope could not Call an Oecumenical Council without the Emperor and the Patriarchs Secondly That in Case of an Appeal from the Judgment of the Patriarchs the Pope could not call the Cause to Rome but he must send Judges to sit in the Places where the Fact is committed The Pope being unwilling to pass these two Articles the Emperor was ready to break off the whole Negotiation but the Greek Prelats some Days after drew up the Article concerning the Pope in these Words As to the Pope's Supremacy we confess That he is the High-Priest and the Vicar of Jesus Christ the Pastor and Teacher of all Christians who governs the Church of God saving the Privileges and Rights of the Eastern Patriarchs viz. of Constantinople who is next after the Pope and then of Alexandria of Antioch and lastly of Jerusalem This Project was agreed to by the Pope and Cardinals and all Parties consented to labour from the next Day in composing the Decree of Union The first Difficulty which presented it self was to fix upon the Name that should be put at the Head the Latins would have it to be that of the Pope and the Emperor pretended to the contrary that it should be his At last it was order'd That the Pope's Name should be put there but then it should be added with the Consent of the Emperor the Patriarch of Constantinople and the other Patriarchs There was another Difficulty about the manner of expressing the Pope's Privileges The Latins would have it put thus that he should enjoy them as was determin'd in Scripture and the Writings of the Saints This Expression pleas'd not the Emperor for says he If any Saint has made honorary Complements in a Letter to the Pope shall this be taken for a Privilege And therefore he said That he would not pass this Article as it was thus express'd The Pope consented but with Difficulty that it should be amended and that in stead of saying according to the Writings of the Saints it should be put according as was contain'd in the Canons The Archbishop of Russia and Bessarion would have an Anathema pronounc'd against those who did not approve this Decree but the Archbishop of Trebizonde and the Protosyncelle oppos'd it and the Emperor was of their Opinion At last all the Words of the Decree having been for a long time weigh'd and examin'd on both sides it was fairly written out in Greek and Latin and a Day was set for Signing it and then concluding solemnly the Union The manner of expressing this Decree is as follows The Title of it is The Definition The Decreâ— of Union between the Greeks and the Latins of the Holy Oecumenical Council celebrated at Florence of Eugenius the Servant of the Servants of God to serve for a perpetual Monument with the Consent of our dear Son John Palaeologus the Illustrious Emperor of the Greeks and of those who supply the place of our most venerable Brethren the Patriarchs and of the other Prelats representing the Greek Church The Preface is a kind of an Hymn which contains the joyful Thoughts and Thanksgivings for the Union of the two Churches after which the Definition is express'd in these Words The Greeks and Latins being Assembled in this Holy Oecumenical Council have us'd all Care to examine with the greatest exactness possible the Article which concerns the Holy Spirit and after the Testimonies of Holy Scripture and the Passages of Greek and Latin Fathers were related whereof some import that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son and others that he proceeds from the Father by the Son it was acknowledg'd That they had all the same Sense tho' they make use of divers Expressions That the Greeks by saying that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father did not intend to exclude the Son but in regard the Greeks thought that the Latins by affirming The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son admitted of two Principles and two Spirations therefore they abstain from saying that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son The Latins on the contrary affirm'd That by saying the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son they had no design to deny that the Father was the Fountain and Principle of the whole Divinity viz. of the Son and of the Holy Spirit nor to pretend that the Son does not receive from the Father that wherein the Holy Spirit proceeds from him nor lastly to admit two Principles or two Spirations but that they did acknowledge there was one only Principle and one only Procession of the Holy Spirit as they had always held And forasmuch as these Expressions came all to one and the same true Sense they did at last agree and conclude the following Union with unanimous consent Therefore in the Name of the Holy Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost by the Advice of this Holy Oecumenical Council Assembled at Florence we Define that the truth of this Faith be believ'd and receiv'd of all Christians and that all profess that the Holy Spirit is eternally from the Father and the Son that he receives his Substance and his Subsisting Being from the Father and from the Son and that he proceeds from these two eternally as one only Principle and by one only Procession declaring That the Holy Doctors and Fathers who say That the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father by the Son have no other Sense which they discover by this That the Son is as the Father according to the Greeks the Cause and according to the Latins the Principle of the Subsistence of the Holy Spirit and by this That the Father has Communicated to the Son in his Generation all that he has except that he is the Father and also has given him from all Eternity that wherein the Holy Spirit proceedeth from him We define also That this Explication and of the Son was added lawfully and justly to the Creed to clear up the Truth and not without necessity We declare also That the Body of Jesus Christ is truly consecrated in Bread-Corn whether it be Leaven'd or Unleaven'd and that the Priests
going to the Council of Pisa wherein he congratulates them that they were going to this Council to endeavour after the Peace of the Church exhorts them to make a Peace and shews them the means of procuring it There is a Trialogue of his about the matter of the Schism wherein he introduces Zeal Good-will and Discretion disputing together about the means of putting an end to Contention a Letter in the Name of the University of Paris against the Letter in the Name of the University of Tholouse and a Letter in the Name of the King of France to justify his Substraction of Obedience from Peter de Luna After these Works follow many Sermons preach'd at Constance during the time of the Council In the second he sets himself against the Partizans of the Duke of Burgundy who would hinder the Council from Examining and Condemning the Errors of John Petit and shews by many Reasons that 't is very necessary to be done At the end of this Sermon there is a small piece wherein he recollects divers Errors chiefly about this Precept of the Decalogue Thou shalt not kill against which some had advanc'd many cruel and sanguinary Propositions prejudicial to the Security of Princes and about the Validity of Confessions made to Friars Mendicants The Duke of Burgundy having caus'd the Proposition of John Petit to be maintain'd by Peter Bishop of Arras That it was lawful to kill Tyrants Gerson reply'd to him in the Name of the King of France in a long Discourse spoken in an Assembly of the Fathers of the Council on the 5th of May 1416. and made two other Sermons wherein he searches this Matter to the bottom and refutes at large the Propositions of John Petit and relates the Censure of it made at Paris both by the Bishop and the Doctors The three following Treatises are not concerning the Affair of the Schism but the Principles of Faith The first is entitled a Declaration of the Truths which must be believ'd and according to him they are as follow First All that is contain'd literally in the Canonical Books Secondly All that is determin'd by the Church and receiv'd by Tradition from the Apostles not all that it tolerates or permits to be read publickly but only what it defines by a Judgment condemning the contrary Thirdly The Truths which are certainly reveal'd to some private Persons Fourthly The necessary Conclusions of Truth which are establish'd upon the preceding Principles Fifthly The Propositions which follow from these Truths by a probable Consequence or which are deduc'd from a Proposition of Faith or any other suppos'd to be true Sixthly The Truths which serve to cherish and maintain Devotion though they be not perfectly certain provided they be not known to be false From these Propositions he draws the following Corollaries First That 't is false and heretical to affirm That the literal Sense of Scripture is sometimes false Secondly That 't is Blasphemy and Heresie to maintain That nothing that is evidently known can be of Faith Thirdly That 't is also Heretical and Blasphemous to say That the Precepts of the Decalogue are not of Faith and that the contrary Propositions are not Heretical Fourthly That the Learned are obliged to believe with an explicite Faith many Propositions that are the Consequences of the prime Truths which the common People are not oblig'd to believe Fifthly That the Pastors Doctors and other Persons plac'd in Ecclesiastical Dignity are oblig'd to believe explicitly the Precepts of the Decalogue and many other Points of Faith which other Christians are oblig'd to believe only implicitly The second Treatise is entitled Of Protestation or Confession in Matters of Faith against Heresies where he treats of Protestations both general and particular and of Revocations and Retractations which we are oblig'd to make in Matters of Faith and shews that a general Protestation is not sufficient to justifie a Man when he is guilty of particular Errors that a particular Protestation which is conditional and express'd in these Words I would believe this Truth if it were known to me to be so does no justifie neither before God nor Men. He that revokes an Error which he hath held ought no to satisfie himself with making a particular Protestation of the contrary Truth but ought to mention that he retracts the Error which he maintain'd and this Revocation does not hinder him from being an Heretick before Yet this is not necessary with respect to those who have been in Error but did not know it nor maintain it obstinately Lastly A Retractation does not hinder but he who has made it may still be suspected of Heresie if he discovers by external Signs that his Revocation is not sincere The third Treatise coâ—tâ—iâ—s the Characters of Obstinacy in Matters of Heresie In it he defines Obstinacy a Depravation of the Will caus'd by Pride or some other Vice which hinders him that is in Error from seeking carefully after the Truth or embracing it when it is made known to him The Signs of Obstinacy are these when he who is in Error suffers Excommunication when being Cited he does not appear when he defends an Error contrary to the Truth which he is oblig'd to believe with an explicit Faith when he hinders the explaining and defining of the Truth when he declares himself an Enemy to those who would have the Matter decided when he denies a Truth which he had formerly taught when being requir'd to explain the Truth to the Doctoâ— or Judges he will not follow their Advice when he stirs up Wars and Seditions because the Truth has been explain'd when he declares That he would rather die than change his Opinion when he defends or maintains a Heretick knowing that he is in an Error lastly when one does not oppose an Error as he may or ought either by his Office if he be a Judge or from brotherly Charity These according to Gerson are the 12 Signs of Obstinacy The Treatise upon that Question Whether it be lawful to appeal from the Judgment of the Pope in Matters of Faith was compos'd by Gerson after the Election of Martin V. upon occasion of that Pope's refusal to condemn the Propositions of which the Polanders desired the Condemnation There he maintains the Affirmative because the Judgment of the Pope is not infallible as that of a General Council is wherefore in Matters of Faith no judicial Determination of any Bishop or even of the Pope himself does oblige the Faithful to believe a Truth as of Faith although it oblige them under pain of Excommunication not to be Dogmatical in affirming the contrary unless they have evident Reason to oppose against the Determination founded on the Holy Scripture or Revelation or the Determination of the Church and a General Council but in every Case as we may appeal from the Judgment of a Bishop to the Pope so we may appeal from the Judgment of a Pope to a General Council The following Pieces are concerning
and Cleanness and in them he discovers as well the sharpness of his Wit as the extent of his Knowledge His Nephew John Francis Picus of Mirandula has also left us many Works which are printed John Francis Piâ—us of Mirandula with the preceding in the Edition of Basil in 1601. viz. A Treatise of the Study of Divine and Human Philosophy wherein he compares Profane Philosophy with the knowledge of the Scripture and shews how much more excellent this latter is and what use we ought to make of the former A Treatise to prove that we ought to meditate on the Death of Jesus Christ and our own a Treatise of Unity and Being in defence of that written by his Unkle a Treatise of the Imagination two Treatises of Physicks one of the first Matter the other of the Elements a Treatise of Imitation address'd to Bembus together with the Answer of Bembus and the Reply of Francis of Mirandula Theorems of Faith and of what we are oblig'd to believe wherein he Treats very largely of the Principles of our Faith in 26 Theorems After he has shewn that the Faith of Christians is well grounded he proves in the 1st Theorem that we cannot be Sav'd without Faith in Jesus Christ but he believes that God will shew that favour to all those who observe the Law of Nature as to give them Faith In the 2d That the Faith of a Christian is the Gift of God In the 3d That all those who have the Habit of Faith give their consent to the Truths of Faith which are propos'd unto them or at least do not oppose them with obstinacy In the 4th that every one is oblig'd to believe and observe all that the Catholick Church has determin'd by an express or tacit Decision at least as to what concerns Faith and Manners for as to other things she may deceive and be deceiv'd as in the Canonization of Saints according to the Opinion of Thomas and Panormitan In the 5th That every one is oblig'd to believe all that is liâ—terally express'd in the Old and New Testament In the 6th That we are also oblig'd to believe and practise all that the Church has learn'd or receiv'd from the Apostles In the 7th That the same is to be said of those Truths which follow by necessary Consequence from such as are founded upon the preceding Principles In the 8th That we ought also to believe the Definitions and Decrees of Popes when the Church does not oppose them In the 9th That the Truths which God reveals to private Persons are not of Faith save only for those to whom they are reveal'd In the 10th That we ought to obey the Decisions of Bishops in their Dioceses when they Condemn any Doctrines as contrary to Faith or Good Manners In the 11th That every one is oblig'd to believe and practise what is necessary for attaining happiness In the 12th That among Christians the difference of Dignities States and Understanding obliges some to have more knowledge of Matters relating to Religion than others In the 13th That no Person is oblig'd to believe what one or many private Persons teach but only the Doctrine of the Catholick Church is to be embrac'd by every one In the 14th That none is oblig'd to follow the Opinion of Saints and Doctors and to give credit to their Miracles and Revelations In the 15th That we are not oblig'd to give Credit to the Words or Writings of Men even in such things as do not relate to Faith and Manners In the 16th That in case a Council and the Pope be of contrary Opinions we must adhere to the Decision of a Council and when the Fathers of a Council are divided we must follow the Majority In the 17th That when there are two Persons who call themselves Popes we must endeavour to discover whose Election was Canonical and in case it be difficult to know this that it will be better to follow his Party who is thought to have the greatest probability on his side than to own no Pope at all In the 18th That when Divines or Interpreters differ about any Opinion we must follow that which is thought to be most true but if their Opinions happen to be equally probable we must follow that which is taught by the most Famous and Holy Persons In the 19th That in Matters of Controversie and Faith a Man is not at liberty to follow what Opinion he pleases when the thing is once defin'd In the 20th That when it is not determin'd we ought to follow what is most agreeable to the Gospel and best founded In the 21th That in case the Opinions appear to be equally reasonable we ought to shun that against which Anathema's are thundred out In the 22th That in Controversies of Faith which cannot be explain'd we ought to suspend our Judgment In the 23th That those who have a pure heart who pray to God without ceasing that they may know the Truth and have an humble submissive Spirit cannot Err dangerously in matters of Faith In the 24th That those Truths which one is not oblig'd to believe explicitely at the beginning because they were not explain'd and defin'd become afterwards necessary Points of Faith when they are In the 25th That every Christian is instructed Spiritually nourish'd and perfected in the Unity of one only Church and its Head In the 26th That 't is not sufficient to have Faith but it must be accompanied with good Works whereof God is the Author that we must love God and live in conformity to his Will After this Treatise follows a Piece upon a passage of St. Hilarius of the manner after which Jesus Christ is in us reported by Gratian in the Decree Distinct. 2. de Consecrat A Translation of the Exhortation of St. Justin to the Greeks a Poem upon the Mysteries of the Cross Nine Books of the prescience of Things wherein he treats of the Divine Prescience and of that knowledge which some pretend to of things future by Compacts with Evil Spirits by Astrology Chiromancy Geomancy c. which he confutes at large in this Treatise and therein he justifies these Predictions which Prophets Divinely inspir'd Angels and even God himself has given us of things future The Six Books of the Examination of the Vanity of the Doctrine of the Gentiles and of the Truth of the Christian Religion oppose the Errors of Philosophers and particularly those of the Aristoteleans There are also Four Books of Letters written by this Author which are almost all upon Profane Subjects at the end of which there is a Discourse address'd to Leo X. about the Reformation of Manners There is not so much Wit Vigor Subtilty nor Elegance in the Works of Francis Picus as in those of his Unkle nor yet so much Learning but there is in them more solidity and evenness This Prince was unhappy during his Life for he was driven out of his Dominions by his younger Brother Louis and being
Victor such as Justin Martyr Miltiades Tatianus Clemens and several others that maintain in their Discourses the Divinity of Jesus Christ. For who can be ignorant of the Writings of Irenaeus and Melito who have taught that Jesus Christ was God and Man at the same time And even those Hymns and Psalms written by the Faithful since the beginning of Christianity extol the Word of God attributing Divinity thereto So that since the Doctrine of the Church has been Preached for so many years how can they say that till Victor's time the whole Church was of their Opinion Are they not-ashamed to invent this Calumny against Victor who knew very well that Theodotus the Currier who was the first Author of the Sect of those that deny the Divinity of Jesus Christ was turned out of the Church by Victor himself For if this Bishop had been of the same mind with Theodotus how comes it to pass that he Excommunicated him upon the account of his Doctrine And what probability is there that Zephirinus who succeeded Victor and continued in the See of Rome for ten years should make an alteration in the Doctrine of the Church And thus it is that this Author confutes the General Principle of all Hereticks that ever were or ever shall be giving us an infallible Rule to convince them which has been and shall always be the Custom in the Church of God For there was never any Age wherein the Hereticks did not say that the Church had changed its Doctrine nor was there ever any time wherein they were not confuted first by Scripture and secondly by Tradition that is to say by the Testimony of Authors who lived before the Rise of those Heresies Eusebius adds another Fragment from the same Author where he speaks of the Penance of a Confessor called Natalis who suffering himself to be abused by Asclepiodotus and Theodotus the Goldsmith the Disciple of Theodotus the Currier was Tormented for several Nights as a Punishment for his Fault and afterwards did publick Penance for the same in the Pontificate of Zephirinus and so was Reconciled to the Church To conclude in this last Passage he describes the Character of these Hereticks and he says that they have corrupted the Scriptures and overthrown the Rule of Faith that when we object to them any Passages of Scripture they try whether they can make thereof any Compound or Disjunctive Syllogisms that they study Geometry and Logick and that they pervert the simplicity of the Faith taught in the Holy Scriptures by their false Subtilties which is the Common Character of all Hereticks We do not know who this Author is nor what was the Title of his Book e We do not know who this Author is nor what was the Title of his Book Nicephorus calls it the Labyrinth and Theodoret Lib. 2. Haeret. Fabul confirms this Title Photius Cod. 48. attributes the Book of the Labyrinth to Caius and others ascribed it to Origen But this Fragment set down by Eusebius plainly discovers that he was a Learned Man and well skilled in the Controversie and understood how to Reason closely against the Hereticks and to give admirable Rules for their Conviction TERTULLIAN TErtullian a Tertullian He was called Q. Septimius Florens Tertullianus which distinguishes him from the Consul Tertullus and Tertullian the Martyr was a Native of Africa of the City of Carthage b And of the City of Carthage He testifies as much himself in his Book De Pallio c. 2. and in his Apology c. 9. Witness says he the Troops of our Country speaking of the Troops under the Proconsul of Carthage S. Jerom confirms the same in his Chronicon and in his Book of Ecclesiastical Writers His Father was a Centurion Tertullian in the Troops which served under the Proconsul of Africa c And says that his Father was a Centurion of these Troops which was no very considerable Employment Eusebius seems to say that Tertullian was a Roman and a Person of Quality Hist. l. 2. c. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What he says of Tertullian's being well skilled in the Roman Laws has made some believe that he was a Lawyer and indeed there is a Lawyer of the same Name But it is certain that he is a different Person from our Tertullian and Eusebius does not say that he was a Lawyer but that he was well versed in the Roman Laws What Eusebius adds of his Country and his Extraction is by no means to be maintained if we do not understand it of the Roman Writers and that the Sense must be that Tertullian was one of the most Excellent of all the Latin Authors Ruffinus has given this Sense to this Passage of Eusebius by translating it Inter nostros Scriptores admodum clarus Pamelius says that Tertullian was a Lawyer but he brings no good Argument for it relying only upon the Authority of Trithemius who is a modern Author And there is no doubt to be made but that he was at first a Heathen d But that he was at first a Heathen He himself says speaking to the Heathens in his Apology We have been likewise of your Party Men are not born Christians but they become so And in his Book De Spectaculis and in that concerning the Resurrection of the Flesh chap. 19. and 59. he says That he had assisted at those Sights and Spectacles and that he had spent part of his Life in Lewdness but it is not known when nor upon what occasion he was entred into the Church e But it is not known when nor upon what occasion he was converted to the Church Pamelius says that he was converted by the Answer of an Oracle and Father George of Amiens affirms that it was by a Vision but neither of these are to be credited He flourished chiefly under the Reigns of the Emperors Severus and Antoninus Caracalla f And Antoninus Caracalla S. Jerom affirms that he flourished under these Emperors and this appears by his Writings some have said that he flourished about the year 160 but they are mistaken from about the year of our Lord 194 till towards the year 216. And it is very probable that he lived several years after since S. Jerom relates that it was reported in his time that he lived to an extream old Age g To an extream old Age. S. Jerom in his Book of Ecclesiastical Writers says Usque ad Decrepitam aetatem vixisse fertur But we do not exactly know the time of his Death The Books that he wrote to his Wife sufficiently shew that he was a Married Man but we cannot gather from thence when he was Married The Learned are divided as to this matter some pretending that he married his Wife before he was a Christian and that he left her after he embraced Christianity others believing that he was not Married till after he was Baptized Which has been the occasion that some have found a difficulty in
Verona who lived under Constantius and Julian because they are borrowed out of other Authors There are Four Sermons of them that are a Intirely St. Basil ' s. The Sermons of S. Basil upon these Words Attende tibi de Livore Invidia are entirely stoln and the two other Homilies about Fasting and Temptation are part of the two longest of St. Basil. intirely St. Basil's All the Homilies upon the Psalms are taken word for word out of the Commentaries b Of St. Hilary These Sermons upon the 126 127 128 129 and 130 Psalms belong to St. Hilary Those upon the 49 79 and 100 Psalms might be his also because we have lost the Commentaries of this Father upon the Psalms of St. Hilary which shews That these Sermons attributed to Zeno of Verona are a Collection of Sermons c Stoln out of several Autkors Some of the long ones are taken out of Greek Authors and the short ones out of the Latin Writers and Fragments of Homilies stoln out of several Authors and heaped together without any Choice Some are short others are long some are well written and in an elevated Style others ill and in a mean pitiful one some are clear others obscure In short nothing can be imagined to be more unequal In the Sermon of Continence he reckons more than 400 Years since St. Paul wrote his Epistle to the Corinthians and yet in other Homilies he speaks of Temples Martyrs and Carechumens All these things set it past Dispute that these Sermons attributed to Zeno of Verona and unknown to all Antiquiry are a Collection of Sermons taken out of several Authors of different Times and different Countries put together indiscreetly by some ignorant Copier The same Censure ought in all probability to be passed upon the 18 Sermons cited by Turrianus under the name of Eusebius of Alexandria This Author is unknown to the Ancients neither was there a Bishop of Alexandria d A Bishop of this Name Eusebius indeed Lib. 7. Chap. 11. of his History gives a good Character of one Eusebius a Deacon that lived with Dionysius of Alexandria who was afterwards Bishop of Laodicea but this Man ought rather to call himself Eusebius of Laodicea than Eusebius of Alexandria of this Name for the Three first Ages of the Church Therefore these Sermons belong to a more modern Author ARNOBIUS THough Arnobius and Lactantius lived the better part of their time in the Fourth Century of Arnobius of the Church yet we shall nevertheless joyn them to the Authors of the Third because they wrote with the same Spirit and after the same manner that is to say they did not employ themselves in writing against the Heresies that role in the Fourth Age but only in in confuting the Pagans in Imitation of the Ancients Arnobius was Professor of Rhetorick at Sicca a City of Numidia in Africk a Under the Emperor Dioclesian He wrote his Books toward the end of the Third or the Beginning of the Fourth Century for in his First Book he expresly tells us That it was Three Hundred Years more or less since the Christians began to appear in the World under the Emperour Dioclesian He was first a Pagan but as St. Jerome tells us in Euseb. Chron. being desirous to be converted that he might more easily prevail with the Bishops to admit him amongst the Faithful he composed when he was but a Catechumen Seven Eloquent Books against the Religion he had then left and these Books were as Pledges or Hostages that procured for him the Favour of that Baptism he so earnestly sollicited Now though it must be consessed that he did not perfectly understand the Christian Religion when he wrote these Books in which some Errours are to be sound yet he confuted the Absurdities of Paganism with singular Dexterity and vigorously defended the principal Articles of our Religion He begins his First Book with consuting that Popular Calumny which the Pag ans so industriously advanced against the Christians viz. That they were the Authors of all the Calamities and Miseries that afflicted the World He shews that this is a groundless and unreasonable Fancy that there were Plagues and Famines and Wars before our Saviours appearance and that nothing had been changed since his coming That he was so far from being the Author of their Miseries that on the contrary he brought abundance of Good unto the World That Miseries proceed from Natural Causes and that it often happens that those things which in the common acceptation of Mankind pass for Misfortunes don't prove so in effect That if the Christians were the Cause of these Calamities the World would have had no Interval without them ever since the appearance of Jesus Christ That if the Pagans Deities sent these Miseries to Men for the Punishment of the Christians they were unjust as well as weak That the Christians worship the true God and apprehend no dangers from false ones That they adore Jesus Christ but don't consider him as a Man that suffered Death for his own Transgressions but as a real true God who took the Humane Nature upon him to manifest himself to the World to teach Mankind the ways of Truth and to accomplish all those things for which be appeared upon Earth That he died and afterwards was raised up from the Grave to satisfie all Men that the Hopes of their Salvation were certain He proves the Divinity of Jesus Christ by the Exemplary Holiness of his Life by the Innocence of his Manners by the great number of Miracles and Prodigies that were wought by him and by others that had Commission from him by the Signs that appear'd upon the Earth at his Death and then he shews that we cannot reasonably question the Truth of these things because the Evangelists who have delivered them in writing were Persons of great Integrity and Simplicity That there is no reason to imagine they were so Vain or indeed so Mad as to pretend they saw those things that they never did see especially since they were so far from reaping any Advantages from such Inventions that they thereby exposed themselves to the Hatred of all the World In his Second Book he demonstrates that Jesus Christ was wrongfully Persecuted since he had done nothing to deserve the hatred of any one since he was no Tyrant and destroy'd no body since he acquired no Riches for himself and did no manner of Injustice to the meanest Person He likewise shows that the Pagans had no certain Principles whereby to judge which was the true or false Religion that they were very much in the wrong for laughing at the Credulity of the Christians since in the generality of things that have a relation to Humane Life Men usually manage themselves by the belief which they repose in particular Persons That Jesus Christ merited a great deal more than all the Philosophers in the World because of the Miracles which he wrought That the Pagan