St. Ioseph who made choice of St. Ann for their Patroness they afterwards established themselves in France under the protection of Ann of Austria Regent of the Kingdom So that it was in our times that the Grand-father and Grand-mother of Iesus Christ were brought into remembrance and I hope his great Grand-father and his Father will be soon deisy'd especially if the principle lay'd by the Maidens of St. Ioseph in this work be followed for if one must make his address to the Blessed Virgin because Iesus Christ cannot refuse her any thing and if we must address our selves to Ann the Mother of Mary to have the Daughters Favour then we must go back to great Grand-mother and so on to the rest BOOKS concerning the Exposition of M. de Meaux his Doctrine I. An Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England upon the Articles that M. de Meaux heretofore Bishop of Condom has Explained in his Exposition of the Catholick Doctrine with the History of this Book Quarto 1686. II. Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrin of the Church of England against M. de Meaux and his Apologists Objections Quarto 1686. III. A Second Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrin of the Church of England against M. de Meaux and his Apologists new Objections Quarto At London Sold by R. Chiswell 1688. IF it be useful in Civil Life to know them that give us advice and the secret motives that make them act such an examination cannot be of less advantage for our Spiritual conduct in the different ways shewn to Christians by the Doctors of divers Societies if Prejudices and Obstinacy do not damn at least it cannot be deny'd but they are very dangerous but when Learned Divines whose imagination is neither overheated with Dispute nor with the Opinion of a particular Party and does endeavour to call into doubts the most constant practices and publick customs there is reason to suspect that they have imbib'd no less odious Principles than Head-strongness and Prejudice If the Roman Church ever had Judicious and moderate Controvertists they were the Iansenists and M. de Meaux and some English that in these times have imitated the former so that if there be want of sincerity in the proceedings of these Gentlemen it is a strong presumption against the Defenders of Rome and no weak proof that its Doctrin cannot be maintained but by indirect courses These Reflections were necessary to shew the usefulness of the Modern History of Controversies as well in France as in England which Dr. Wake gives in his Preface of these Three Works and whereof we design to give a more than ordinary exact Abridgment here because there are remarkable circumstances known to very few I. All the World knows now that the Extirpation of all the Hugonots of France was resolved on even from the Pyrenean Peace and there are some that believed it was one of the secret Conditions of that Peace The difficulty was to put that Decree in execution without raising a Civil War and without alarming the Protestant Princes The Politicians took very just measures to weaken insensibly the Reformed of that Kingdom and either lull asleep or set at variance the Forreign Powers of their Communion There is none ignorant of the success but it would have been more happy if the Divines employed to maintain Rome's Cause had sped as well as the Coyners of Propositions and Inventers of Decrees And nevertheless it might be said that the Roman Catholick Doctors were not in the fault that things did not go on better and that it was not for want of incapacity that they persuaded no body The first that endeavoured to give a new turn to Controversies was M. Arnaud whose very Name is praised enough It is well known that this eminent Man who was a Philosopher a Mathematician well read in the Fathers and as well acquainted with Scripture has had several remarkable victories over the Adversaries of his own Communion yet with all his great qualities all that he did in his perpetuity of the belief of the Roman Catholick Religion touching the Lord's Supper was to repeat over and over that Transubstantiation being now the common Doctrine of the Church it follow'd that there never was any other Belief because it cannot be comprehended how all Christians should have agreed to change their Opinion which had it happened the certain time should be marked wherein the Universal Church had varied in this Point and when and how each particular Church came to Corrupt the Antient Doctrine It is very strange that after so many proofs of matter of Fact which M. Aubertinus alledged out of the Belief of the Holy Fathers that an Argument purely Metaphysical should make so much noise and be so much applauded by the Roman Communion It 's almost a certain sign of the weakness of a Cause to see the maintainers of it blinded with the least Sophism and Triumph in their fancy for the least appearance of Truth There wanted no great strength to ruin these imaginary Trophies The Protestants had no harder task than to shew that this reason supposed no error could be brought into the World nor embraced by a numerous Society The beginning of Idolatry is disputed upon and nothing yet decided Some will have it that it began by the adoration of Stars others from the deifying dead Men and then say they Statues were erected for Kings for the Benefactors of the People for Law-makers and for the Inventors of Sciences and Arts. And this to reduce People to the practice of Vertue and to do it the better they spoke of their Ancestors and proposed their Examples their Actions were spoken of in high Terms and their Soul placed in Heaven near the Divinity they thought they would not be idle there but that God would give them some considerable office there because they had acquitted themselves so well of the Employments they had upon Earth The common sort of People generally much taken with Figures and great Words it may be conceived a higher Idea of those excellent Persons than their first Authors designed and Priests observing that these Opinions made People more devout and brought themselves Riches made the People to pass insensibly from a Respect to a Religious Veneration And hence Idolatry was rais'd by little and little to its height now must we infer from hence that it is not a pernicious Error and that it was from the beginning of the World because the precise time cannot be marked in which People begun to adore the Stars nor tell who the first Hero was that had Divine Honors rendred to him and yet the Argument would be as concluding as Mr. Arnaud's Many Learned Men have Writ much of the Antient and Modern Idolatry and have shewn its various progress One can tell very near what time the Saturnalia were Instituted and the Mysteries of Ceres and Corpus Christi-Day and that of St. Ann. And at what time the Temple of Ephesus
of Solid Piety and very fit to remove the Abuses whereunto Superstition wou'd engage ' em The Bishop of Mysia Suffragan of Cologne the Vicar General of that City the Divines of Gant Malines and Lovain all approved it Nevertheless the Iesuite assures that That Writing scandalized the good Catholicks that the Learned of all Nations refuted it that the Holy See condemned it and that in Spain it was prohibited to be printed or read as containing Propositions suspected of Heresie and Impiety tending to destroy the particular Devotion to the Mother of God and in general the Invocation of Saints and the Worship of Images There are now near 10 Years past since M. Meaux kept us in Expectation of Mr. Noguier and M. Bastides Refutation but at length instead of an Answer in form there only appeared a second Edition of his Book bigger by half than the first by an Addition of an Advertisement in the beginning of it One may soon judge that it does not cost so much pains to compose 50 or 60 pages in Twelves as the taking of the City of Troy did But tho' the time was not very long it was too long to oblige all that time the Pope and the Court of Rome to give their Approbation to a Book so contrary to their Maxims Without doubt the Secret was communicated to them and they were assured That as soon as the Stroke was given and the Hugonots converted either by fair or foul means what seemed to be granted would be recalled Some Roman Catholicks worthy of a better Religion suffered thro' the ignorance of this Mystery A Prior of Gascogne Doctor in Divinity called M. Imbert told the People that went to the Adoration of the Cross on Good Friday in 83. That the Catholicks adored Iesus Christ crucifyed on the Cross but did not adore any thing that they saw there The Curate of the Parish said it was the Cross the Cross but M. Imbert answered No no it is Iesus Christ not the Cross. This was enough to create trouble this Prior was called before the Tribunal of the Arch-bishop of Bordeaux and when he thought to defend himself by the Authority of M. Meaux and by his Exposition what was said against that Book was objected to him that it moderated but was contrary to the Tenets of the Church After which he was suspended from Ecclesiastical Functions the Defendant provided an Appeal to the Parliament of Guienne and writ to M. de Meaux to implore his protection against the Arch-Bishop who threatned him with a perpetual Imprisonment and Irons it is not known what became of it The History of M. de Witte Priest and Dean of St. Mary's of Malines is so well known that I need not particularize upon it Our Author refers us here to what the Journals have said It is known what Persecutions he has suffered for expressing the Popes Supremacy and Infallibility according to M. de Meaux's Doctrine He did not forget to alledge that Bishops Authority and to say That his Exposition required no more of a Christian and an Orthodox but this did not hinder the University of Lovain to judge that Proposition pernicious and scandalous that intimates that the Pope is not the Chiefest of Bishops In the mean time the Reformed did not forget M. de Meaux his Advertisement did no sooner appear but it was refuted by Mr. de la Bastide and Mr. Iurieâ— a little after made his Preservative against the change of Religion in opposition to that Bishops Exposition But all these Books and those that were writ against his Treatise of the Communion under the two Kinds had no Answer this Prelate expecting booted Apologists who were to silence his Adversaries in a little time The Roman Catholicks of England notwithstanding their small number flattered themselves with hopes of the like Success having at their head a bold couragious Prince and one that would do any thing for them They had already translated M. Condom's Exposition of 1672 and 1675 into English and Irish and as soon as they saw King Iames setled on his Brothers Throne they began to dispute by small Books of a leaf or two written according to the method of the French Bishop The Titles with the Answers and the several Defences of each Party may be had in a Collection printed this present Year at London at Mr. Chiswells which is Entituled A Continuation of the present State of Controversy between the English Church and that of Rome containing a History of the printed Books that were lately published on both sides The Gentlemen of the Roman Church did begin the Battel by little Skirmishes but found themselves after the first or second firing without Powder or Ball and not able to furnish scattered Sheets against the great Volumes made against them said at last instead of all other answer that the little Book alone entituled The Papist Misrepresented and there represented a-new was sufficient to refute not only all the Dissertations which the English Divines lately published against Papists but all the Books and Sermons that they ever preached against Catholicks It is to no purpose to take the trouble of Disputing against people that have so good an Opinion of their Cause And in consequence of this the English answer to M. de Meaux's Exposition and the Reflections on his Pastoral Letter of 1686. met with no Answer as well as several other Books But Dr. Wake had no sooner published his Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England but these Gentlemen which know better to assault than to defend made a Book Entituled A Vindication of the Bishop of Condom 's Exposition with a Letter of that Bishop Because we do not design to enter on the particulars of these Controversies we will only take notice as to what past That First M. de Meaux denyed that any Roman Catholick writ against or did design to write against it Secondly That Sorbonne did not refuse approving his Book Thirdly He says his Exposition was reprinted to alter those places which the Censurers had improved and maintains that it was put into the Press without his knowledge and that he had a new Edition made only to change some expressions that were not exact enough Fourthly That he neither read nor knew any thing of Father Cresset's Book Dr. Wake published the Defence of his Exposition about the middle of the same year 1686 where he shews First That the deceased Mr. Conrait a Man acknowledged by both Parties to be sincere had told many of his Friends that he saw this Answer in Manuscript and other persons of known honesty that are still living assured the Author that they had this Manuscript in their hands Dr. Wake justifies his Accusations on the 2d and 3d heads by so curious a History that it seems worthy of being believed He says that one of his Acquaintance who was very familiar with one of Marshall de Turenne's Domesticks was the first that discover'd this Mystery For this
a general Critique of all this History to which he adds some Reflections upon M. le Grand It was translated into French and had been published long ago had not M. le Grand busied himself in making a small Book against a Letter of Dr. Burnet and against the Extract of his History of Divorce The Author of this Bibliotheque had begun to Answer it but this xi Tome of the Bibliotheque which lay upon him alone and which could not be put by made him discontinue yet 't is hop'd that the Publick will lose nothing by this delay but may see once more if God be pleased to lend him health and give him leisure to shew that M. de Meaux is none of the sincâ—rest in the World And yet this Prelate has subject to reason himself since those who approve his Works have as little sincerity as himself At least Mr. Wake shews that what the Cardinals Capisucchi and Bona teach in their Works is a very different Doctrine from that of the Catholick Exposition concerning the Invocation of Saints and the Worship of Images Dr. Wake 's Adversaries were so long silent that the Dispute was thought ended but at last they broke silence about the middle of the year 1687 when was publisht a Reply to the Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England with a second Letter from M. de Meaux Dr. Wake a little after that made his 2d Defence which he divided into two parts in the first he justifies all that he advanced concerning the Expositions of M. de Meaux He brings many Historical Proofs of the difference between the old and new Papism or between the Speculative Doctrine of M. de Meaux and of the other Doctors of the Catholick Church and their common practice And examins in particular what Rome Teaches concerning the Worship of Images The Second Part runs upon the Nature and Object of the Divine Service upon the Invocation of Saints and upon Images and Relicks and upon the accusation of Idolatry which the Protestants charge the Roman Church with III. M. de Meaux's Apologist believed that to be even with Dr. Wake he should make a History of Controversies and presently runs upon Generalities that are not to the purpose he speaks of the Roman Catholicks Zeal and of the different methods that Rome has made use of to bring back those who have left her Communion but he has forgot the chiefest of them at least that which had most success which is her Persecution Then he comes to England jumps from the Monk Augustin to Henry the VIII makes some Reflections upon the Duke of Sommerset and on Queen Elizabeth and then like Lightning passes to the Reign of Queen Mary and then to Iames the 1 st to Charles the 2 d and then to Iames the 2 d. These Preambles gave Dr. Wake occasion to speak of several remarkable things which would be too tedious to mention here It will be enough to Remark two of the most important The First relates to the Dissentions of the Episcopal Party and the Presbyterians and the other to the Murther of Charles the 1 st 1. As to the First He acknowledges that many of those whom the Persecution of Q. Mary had Exiled were obstinate in the Form of Religion which they saw abroad but that this Spirit of Schism was fomented by Roman Catholicks who mix themselves with them pretending to be of their number In effect it was by the Roman Catholicks in 1588 that the Puritans begun to make a noise the Chief of them being Commin Heath Hallingham Coleman Benson were all Papists who thus dissembled and disguised themselves as appeared by a Letter which dropped out of Heath's pocket And it was discover'd that the Roman Catholicks had Colledges in Germany France Spain and Italy wherein the Students were brought up in Sciences and Mechanick Arts and they exercised twice a week to Dispute for and against Independents Anabaptists and Atheism it self After which they sent them to England to play the best game that they understood A Iesuit of St. Omers acknowledged that there were some of the Fathers of their Society hid for Twenty years among Quakers which is likely enough because the scruple these Fanaticks make of Swearing gives the Fryars the means of living among them being so exempted from the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy In 1625. the Jesuites published a Book Intituled Mysteria Politica or the Letters of some famous persons designing to break the League that divers Princes of Europe made against the House of Austria it contained Eight Letters equally injurious to France and England to the Venetians Hollanders and Swissers In the last the Author that counterfeited the Protestant forgot nothing which he thought proper to give a mean Idea of King Iames and to sow division between this Prince his Son and the Princess Palatine and between the Lords of the Parliament the Clergy of the Church of England and the Puritane Ministers Upon the Civil Wars of England and the death of King Charles the First Mr. Wake acknowledges that the fear of seeing Popery re-established made the People take Arms who since the Reformation had always horror for this Superstitious Worship But he maintains that the Papists were the first Authors of the troubles M. du Moulin Doctor of Divinity and Chaplain to King Charles the II. accused the Roman Catholicks with this a little after the Re-establishment of this Prince and not contented to prove it in his Answer to the Philanax Anglicus he offered to prove it legally or by Law there were then many alive that were ready to Swear that there was held a Consultation of Cardinals and Doctors of Sorbonne wherein it was declared That it was lawful for the English Roman Catholicks to push the King on to his ruin thereby to endeavor the Change of Religion and Government The Roman Catholicks instead of taking this Challenge made use of King Charles's Authority to hinder Mr. Moulin to press for the decision of this Suit And though the Book and Accusation remained without Answer for 17 years The Author renewed the Challenge in a Second Edition of his Work and dyed without being Answered none having Courage to undertake it They that do not understand English will find the most part of M. Moulin's proofs in the Politicks of the Clergy in the last endeavors of afflicted innocence And in Mr. Iurieu's Parallel betwixt Calvinism and Popery with some new reasons of the Author to which if we add what Mr. Wake has here the conjecture will be more than probable 1. In the beginning of the Troubles the King perceived that the Fanaticks were set on by the Papists Their Principles says he in his Declaration against the Rebels of Scotland are those of the Iesuites their Preachers Sermons are the style of Becan Scioppius and Eudaemon Joannes from whom they borrow their very Phrases The pitiful Arguments of their Seditious Libels are drawn word by word out
that Iesus Christ Interceded not for us and takes no care of his Church and that he pities not our Infirmities having suffered them himself and that he will not come at last to Judge all Mankind then there would be Reason to call the one Atheists and the other no Christians but every one knows that they are far from these impious thoughts The Protestants accuse the Romish Church of Idolatry and for having recourse to other Saviours besides Iesus Christ but the Moderators make a noise of that as if it were a hainous Calumny and maintain that it is only God that is to be worshiped with Religious Worship and that we are not saved but through the Merits of Iesus Christ. The Reformed shew them that they invoke Saints and that they worship them and the Cross Images and Relicks as the Pagans did their Heroes their Demons and inferiour Gods their Statues their Idols c. That they believe they satisfie Divine Justice by Indulgences Vows and Pilgrimages and that according to them the Merit of these Actions and of the Saints together with them of Iesus Christ reconcile Sinners to God They prove that this is the Doctrine which their Divines Popes and Councils teach not only in their great Volumes for the Learned but also for the rest in their Catechisms and Prayer Books and other Books of Devotion for the use of the People that it is not only the practice of the Laity and of some ignorant and superstitious Priests but also of all the Roman Church in their Rituals Breviaries Missals and other Publick Offices that it never punished such as pushed the Superstitions to an Excess which the Moderator seems to blame But that far from having a mind to redress these Abuses she prosecutes such as are suspected to have a design to abolish them as the Iansenists and Quietists tho' these two at bottom are but idle People and of little sincerity Would a Magistrate set a Murderer at liberty simply because he denyed a Deed that is well proved or because he has the face to maintain that the killing a Man at 12 a Clock is neither Murder nor a Crime punishable by Law On the contrary this Criminal would deserve a double Chastisement as a Murderer and as a Disturber of the Publick Peace in teaching a Doctrine that is contrary to Civil Society Because M. Daille acknowledges the Fundamental Points which the Reformed teach M. de Meaux pretends to justifie his Church and prove it's Purity tho this acknowledgement serves only to state the Question between both Parties and to shew that the Question is not whether the Fundamental Doctrine of Protestants be true seeing that is confessed on both sides but the Question is to know whether what the Roman Catholicks hold over and above be Articles necessary to Salvation as they pretend or whether they are contrary to the truth that both hold as Divine and whether they ought to be cast away for this reason as the Reformed have done It is according to this method that Dr. Wake explains the Articles exposed by M. de Condom marking in each what the Protestants approve and what they condemn in the Tenets of Rome and bringing some of the chief reasons that make them remark these Distinctions V. We said before that we were not willing to enter upon the particulars of Controversies but because the Roman Church continually fomenting the Divisions of Protestants have persuaded some illiterate People that the Church of England agrees in a great many more Points with it than with the other Protestants We shall mention her Sentiments here according to Dr. Wake 's Exposition upon the Articles wherein the Roman Catholicks brag of this pretended Conformity As First The Invocation of Saints Secondly Justification Thirdly The Necessity of Baptism Fourthly Confirmation Fifthly Orders Sixthly Real Presence Seventhly Tradition Eighthly Authority of the Church Ninthly That of the Fathers Tenthly The Question if one can be saved in the Roman Church Eleventhly If it be Idolatry First The Invocation of Saints Dr. Wake speaking in the name of his Church says it is an extravagant Practice invented at pleasure and so far from being contained in Scripture that it is several ways contrary to it It is true that according to an innocent ancient Custom we make mention before the Communion Table of Saints that dyed in the Communion of our Church thanking God for the grace he did them and praying him to give us the grace to follow their Example But this respect we bear their Memory does not hinder us from condemning a Practice that M. de Meaux seems to have omitted and which cannot agree with us at all which is that Roman Catholicks recommend the Offering of the Host to God by the Merit of the Saints whose Reliques are upon the Altar as if Iesus Christ whom they pretend to Sacrifice needed S. Bathilde or Potentiana's Recommendation to become agreeable to his Father Secondly Iesus by his Passion has satisfy'd Divine Justice for us and therefore God pardons us all our Sins thro' the Merits of his Son and by an Effect of his Good Will treats us with an Allyance of grace and by Vertue of this Allyance solely founded on the Death and Passion of Iesus Christ he sends us his Holy Spirit and calls us to Repentance If we answer this Calling God justifies us thro' his pure Goodness that is to say he forgives us all our past faults and gives us the grace to obey his Precepts better and better and will Crown us in Heaven if we persevere in his Alliance he grants us all these Graces not for any good Quality that he sees in us or for any good we do but only in vertue of the Satisfaction and Merits of his Son that are applyed to us by Faith Thirdly Tho' our Church take all manner of care to hinder Childrens dying without Baptism rather than to determine what would become of them they died without it we cannot nevertheless but condemn the want of Charity of Roman Catholicks that excludes them from Salvation Fourthly The Church of England does not believe that Confirmation is a Sacrament nor that the use of Chrism tho' of an antient Custom was an Apostolical Institution but because the Imposition of Hands is an antient Custom and comes from the Apostles the English have kept it and according to their Discipline the Bishops only have liberty to administer it The Prelate that does it addresses his Prayer to God to beg of him to strengthen with his Spirit him that he puts his Hands upon and that he may protect him from Temptations and that he may have the grace to fulfill the Conditions of his Baptism which he that he prays for ratifies and confirms with his Promises Fifthly Nor are the Orders a Sacrament according to the Church of England because they are not common to all Christians but she believes that no one ought to put himself upon the Function of a Minister without
which they quote the Arch-bishop Laud Iackson Feilding Hâ—ylin Hammond and M. Thorndike There is not one but has writ the contrary These are the Points whereon the Enemies of Protestants would make the Church of England pass for half Papists tho there is not one but was taught by other Reformed excepting Episcopacy And this Government is so ancient that even those who think Presbytery better ought not to condemn for some little difference in Discipline a Church that is otherwise very pure unless they are minded to anathematize St. Ignatius St. Clement St. Polycarp St. Irenaeus St. Cyprian and the whole Church of the second and third Age and a great part of the first Without question the Episcopal Clergy of England have the like Charity for Presbyterians I will not alledge the Testimonies of Modern Doctors nor of such as were accused of having favoured the pretended Puritans we see the Marks of its mildness and moderation towards all excepâ—ing some turbulent Spirits amongst 'em which indeed are too common in all Societies If there ever was a time wherein the Church of England differed from Presbytery and had reason so to do it was in the middle of the Reign of K. Iamss the First and notwithstanding you may see how the Bishop of Eli speaks writing for the King and by his Order against Cardinal Bellarmin One may see how much the Protestants of this Country agree by Harmony of their Confessions where each Church acknowledges wherein she agrees with the rest Then lay aside those odious Names seek our Professions of Faith in our Confessions The Reproach you make us concerning the Puritans is altogether absurd because their number is but small and the most moderate among them agree with us in the chief Articles of Religion The Scotch Puritans Confession has no Error in Fundamental Points so that the King might say with reason That the Establish'd Religion of Scotland was certainly true And as for the rest there 's no reason to suspect Dr. Wakes Testimony for the Bishop of London and the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury have approved his Books None of the other Doctors contradicted him and some sided with him against Roman Catholicks And these last have not accused him of swerving from the common Doctrine of the Church of England only in the Article of the necessity of Baptism and he proves by several Authorities in his Defence of his Exposition what he therein advanced At the end of this Defence are several curious Pieces 1. A Comparison betwixt the Ancient and Modern Popery 2. An Extract of the Sentiments of Father Cresset and Cardinal Bona concerning the Devotion to the Blessed Virgin 3. The Letter of Mr. Imbert to Mr. de Meaux 4. The Epistle of St. Chrysostom to Caesarius with the Preface of Mr. Bigot which was suppressed at Paris in 1680. and a Dissertation of Dr. Wake upon Apollinarius's Sentiments and Disciples A DISCOURSE of the Holy EUCHARIST wherein the Real Presence and Adoration of the Host is treated on to serve for an Answer to two Discourses printed at Oxford upon this Subject With a Historical Preface upon the same Matter At London 1687. p. 127. in 4to DR Wake Minister of the Holy Gospel at London who is said to be the Author of this Book gives First In few words the History and Origine of Transubstantiation as it hath been ordinarily done amongst Protestants Secondly He names several Illustrious Persons of the Romish Church who have been accused of not believing the Real Presence or Transubstantiation to wit Peter Picherel Cardinal du Perron Barnes an English Benedictine and Mr. de Marca Arch-Bishop of Paris who gave his absolute Sentiment hereon in one of his Posthume Dissertations tho' in the Edition of Paris the places wherein he said it have been changed or blotted out But it could not be hindered but that this Work having appeared before Persons took notice of these Sentiments some entire Copies thereof have fallen into the hands of Protestants who got it printed in Holland in 1669. without cutting off any thing To these Authors are joined F. Sirmond the Iesuite who believed the Impanation and who had made a Treatise upon it which hath never been printed and whereof some persons have yet Copies M. de Marolles who got a Declaration printed in form in 1681. by which he declared that he believed not the Real Presence and which was inserted here in English And in short the Author of the Book Entituled Sure and honest means of Converting Hereticks whom we dare not affirm to be the same who published a Treatise of Transubstantiation which the Fifth Tome of the French Bibliotheque speaks of p. 455. The Cartesians and several others are suspected of not believing the same no more than the Protestants So that if the Catholicks cite some Reformed for them Protestants also want not Catholick Authors who have been of their Opinion Thirdly The Author sheweth the dangerous Consequences which arise according to the Principles of the Romish Church from the incredulity of so many Men of Knowledge be it in respect to Mass or in respect of the Infallibility and Authority of the Church The Treatise it self is divided into two parts The first contains two Chapters and an Introduction wherein is expounded the Nature and Original of the Eucharist much after the Ideas of Lightfoot In the first Chapter Transubstantiation is at large refuted by Scripture by Reason and the Fathers We shall make no stay at it because this Matter is so well known The Second Chapter is imployed to refute what Mr. Walker said concerning the Opinions of several Doctors of the Church of England upon the Real Presence Dr. Wake at first complains That his Adversary in that only repeats Objections which his Friend T. G. had before proposed in his Dialogues and which a Learned Man had refuted in an Answer to these Dialogues printed at London in 1679. As to what concerns the Faith of the Church of England which he maintains to have been always the same since the Reign of Edward He reduces it to this according to the Author who refuted T. G. viz. That she believes only a Real Presence of the invisible Power and grace of Iesus Christ which is in and with the Elements so that in receiving them with Faith it produces Spiritual and real Effects upon the Souls of Men. As Bodies taken by Angels continueth he may be called their Bodies whilst they keep them and as the Church is the Body of Iesus Christ because his Spirit animates and liveneth the Souls of the Believing so the Bread and Wine after the Consecration are the Real Body of Iesus Christ but spiritually and mystically He gives not himself the trouble to prove the solidity of this comparison by Scripture and when he comes to the Examination of the Authors that Mr. Walker hath quoted he contents himself to produce other Passages where they do not speak so vigorously of the participation of the substance of Iesus
of Bellarmin and Suarez The means they use to make Proselytes are the pure Stories and Inventions of the Iesuites and false Reports and Prophecyes and pretended Inspirations of Womens Dreams as if Herod and Pilate were reconciled and had joyned to destroy Jesus Christ his Worship and his Religion In 1640 there was a design discover'd to the Arch-bishop of Canterbury That the Pope the Cardinal of Richlieu and several English Roman Catholicks but especially the Iesuites were engaged together and that what they proposed was to cause a Rebellion in Scotland as was done a little after this is certain for the Histories of those times have it all at length Sir William Boswel was then King Charles the First 's Resident at the Hague he was told of this Conspiracy and that the Roman Clergy misled the English giving them hopes of a Presbyterian Government That there were Indulgences from Rome and Dispensations from the Pope approved by a Congregation of Cardinals that suffered Scholars to be instructed to Dispute against the Episcopal Party and against the Liturgy of the Church of England That in the space of a years time 60 Priests and Fryars went from France to England to Preach the Scotch Doctrine and to endeavor to destroy the Bishops whom they looked upon as the only Supporters of the Crown Arch-bishop Bramhall being in France some time after the King's death learned there how this business was manag'd In 1646 about 100 Popish Clergymen crossed the Seas and being Mustered in the Parliament Army they kept Correspondence with the Catholicks that served the King and acquainted them with what passed every day The ensuing year having deliberated among themselves whether the King's death would not be an advantage to their Cause and main Business they concluded in the Affirmative But some Priests and Fryars were of opinion to Consult the Universities and among others that of Sorbonne which made Answer That for the good of Religion and Interest of the Church it was lawful to alter the Government especially in a Heretick Countrey and that so they might take off the King with a safe Conscience Father Salmone in his History of the Troubles of England Printed in France with the King's Priviledge makes mention of two Companys of Walloon Catholicks which the Parliament had in it's Service and that at Edge-Hill-Fight there were many Popish Priests found among the dead of their Army After all these Proofs if one does but consider the Principles of both Religions it will be easie to find the true Authors of King Charles's Death It is certain that the Reformed had not Pastors at the Court of Vienna nor in Italy nor in Spain to cause Rebellions or beset the Prince and make them violate the Priviledges of their Subjects But it must be confest that they were for a Common-wealth as their Adversaries accuse them and not that they did not obey a King as freely as they would States it was because they loved Peace and Liberty and that after the Example of Common-wealths they sought quietness suffering others to do as they please Their Doctrine and Discipline dispose them equally for a Peaceable Life All their Ministers may Marry and because this is a Grave and Staid State there are few but do Marry When one is engaged in such firm Tyes there are but few that think of Removing or Seeing and Travelling the World whereas those that serve the Roman Church have no greater engagement than that of a Mistress which they may break at pleasure and which they always do when a good occasion serves or when they are sent into other places by their Superiors Moreover the Popish Conspirations against Q. Elizabeth and King Iames the First without mentioning other Princes make it more suspicious that the Monks were the contrivers of King Charles's death What could not they do against a King who did not love them and that is certainly dead in the Profession of the Protestant Religion since they have Sacrificed the Repose and Restitution of both his Sons whereof the latter has declared in Ascending up to the Throne that he was of their Communion After a step of that consequence one should think that the Roman Church had reason to be satisfied and that they should study to blot out the remembrance of her past Cruelties by a more moderate and mild conduct But on the contrary it is well known how far the Jesuites have pushed this easie Prince and his Retractations are undoubted proofs of the Infringments they made him guilty of they may be seen in the Memorials of the English Protestants and in his Highness the Prince of Orange's now King William's Declaration which now are very common But if these Books and several others were lost and that one had but the King 's own Writing they would be sufficient to condemn that Society The Proofs that were brought that the Prince of Wales was but a CHEAT deserved to be otherwise destroyed than by Witnesses incapable of being heard to Swear according to the Laws of the Country Or of such as only heard a Woman Groan which they did not see or have seen a Child new-born without being sure that it was the Queen's To examin a business of this consequence and to prevent Civil Wars there ought to be a Free Parliament according to the Custom of the Nation And though all England desired it yet the Roman Catholicks stay'd the King a long time from calling it to give all along the marks of their bad intentions IV. It is time to give an Idea of each of these Treatises In the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England Dr. Wake follows the Bishop of Condom's Order and in explaining his Doctrine he shews wherein it agrees or disagrees with Popery as Mr. de Meaux explains it and according as the other Doctors Teach it There is a Preface in the beginning where the Author examins the Principle by which the Expositor pretends to justifie the Tenets of his Church which is that it is unjust to impute the consequences of a Tenet to Adversaries that deny them Which is true when they deny as well in deed as in word And thus the Contra-Remonstrancers are to be excused that make God the Author of Sin for this Inference can lawfully be made out of their System of Absolute Predestination Nor can it be imputed to the Lutherans that some of them believe that Iesus Christ ceased to be Man and was Transformed into a Deity after his Ascension though this is a clear consequence from the Doctrine of Ubiquity The reason is not that Contra-Remonstrants fear these consequences but because they do not influence neither their Worship nor their Practice and because they Teach contrary Doctrines to these Principles If in stead of this the first had maintained that a Man was but a Machine that had neither Liberty Vice nor Vertue nor Punishment nor Reward and that all is necessary to God himself And if the other affirms
not necessary nor ordained by the Apostles and he gives many reasons to which he adds divers Examples in Ecclesiastical History by which one may see he believes it not necessary that there be an Union of Discipline amongst the Churches Upon this occasion he particularly makes use of the Epistles of St. Cyprian by which it appears according to Dr. Barrow that every Bishop lay under a double obligation whereof one regarded his Flock in particular the other the whole Church By the first he was obliged to take care that every thing be done in good order in his Church and that nothing should be done which was not for Edification and this should be endeavour'd by taking counsel of his Clergy and his People By the second he was obliged when the good of his Flock required it to confer with other Bishops touching the means of preserving Truth and Peace But in that time a Bishop knew not what it was to be hindered from acting according to the extent of his Power by appealing to a Superior Power to which he was obliged to give an account of the Administration of his Charge Bishops were then as Princes in their Jurisdictions but they omitted not to keep a certain Correspondence for the preserving an universal Peace Statutum est omnibus-nobis saith St. Cyprian ac aequum est pariter ac justum ut uniuscujusque causa illic audiatur ubi est Crimen admissum singulis Pastoribus portio Gregis sit adscripta quam regat unusquisque praepositus rationem actus sui Domino redditurus and elsewhere Qua in re nee nos cuiquam facimus nec Legem damus cum habeat in Ecclesiae administratione voluntate sui liberum arbitrium unusquisque praepositus rationem actus sui Domino redditurus Dr. Barrow shews after this the Inconveniencies which would attend the Government of the Christian Church if it should acknowledge one Visible Head A famous Divine of the Church of England having maintained the Unity of an Ecclesiastical Discipline so that all the Christian Churches ought to be according to him in the nature of a Confederacy which submits every Church in particular to an entire body if it is permitted so to speak Dr. Barrow believes he is obliged to refute this Tenet and to that end he hath drawn from his Works twelve proofs of this Opinion which that Divine has spread in divers places and which he proposed with great care altho' after a manner very obscure and intricate This last Author having objected for instance to those who believe not that the Unity of Discipline is necessary the Article of the Creed where 't is said I believe in the Holy Catholick or Vniversal Church and the Creed of Constantinople where 't is said The Holy Catholick and Apostolick Church Dr. Barrow answers to this that this Article is not in the Abridgment of the Christian Faith which is found in St. Irenaeus Tertullian and St. Cyprian no more than in the Creed of the Council of Nice And 1. That it was not in the Apostles Creed which the Church of Rome makes use of but that it is added after the Times of Ruffinus and St. Augustine against the Heresies and Schisms which sprung up in the Christian Church 2. That it agrees with the Unity of the Catholick Church in many respects and that this is not the manner of Unity which is in Question and which is not decided in the Creed 3 'T is fairly supposed that the Unity which is spoken of in the Creed of Constantinople is that of outward Government 4. That one might reasonably think that the sense of this Article is no other than this That we make profession to remain stedfast in the body of Christians which are scatter'd throughout the whole World and which received the Faith the Discipline and the Manner of living Ordained by Iesus Christ and his Apostles that we are bound to be charitable to all good Christians with which we are ready to Communicate That we are willing to observe the Laws and Constitutions and Ioynt-Opinion of the Churches for the Conservation of Truth Order and Peace Lastly That we renounce all Heretick Doctrines all scandalous Practices and all manner of Factions 5. That it appears that this is the sense of this Article because that he hath put it in the Creed to preserve the Truth Discipline and Peace of the Church 6. That 't is not reasonable to explain this Article in any manner which agrees not with the Apostolick Times and Primitive Church for then there was no Union of Discipline amongst Christians like to what has been since As it was objected to Dr. Barrow that this opinion favours the Independants so afterwards he shews the difference between it and that of these Men after which he draws divers consequences from his own positions as That those who separate from the Communion of the Church in which they live that is established on good foundations are Guilty of Schism and ought to be Censured by and excluded from the Communion of all other Churches and they must not think themselves to be exempted from Error altho some other Church would receive them as a Subject cannot withdraw himself from the obedience of his natural Prince in putting himself under the Protection of another This also is defended by the Apostolick Canons which the antient Church hath observ'd with much Care as Dr. Barrow makes appear by many examples This is according to his opinion a means to extirpate Schisms and not that which is proposed by the Roman Church to wit to Establish a Political Vnion amongst divers Churches by which they are Subordinate to one only Every Church ought to suffer the others to enjoy in peace their Rights and Liberties and content it self to condemn dangerous errours and factions and to assist with Counsel the other Churches when they have need thereof The second Volume contains the explication of the Creed in 34 Sermons upon this Article I believe in the Holy Ghost The rest being briefly explained because that the Author has treated of 'em in other places of his Works marked in a little advertisment which is at the End of his Sermons These Sermons are not simple explications of the Letter of the Creed The Author hath explained the Articles as he had occasion by divers texts of Scripture treating of the matter that he found therein and the particular circumstances of each text He shews first how much doubting is necessary and on the contrary in the two following what Faith is Reasonable and Just. In the fourth and fifth he explains Justification by Faith He afterward proves in four Sermons successively the existence of a Deity by the Works of Creation by the order of the Body of Man consent of all Nations and by supernatural effects The tenth and two following treat of the Unity of God of his power and of the creation of the World In the 13th and to the 20th the Author
said also that Usher was a Bishop that he had made because that he had appointed him so without being sollicited to it by any person this Election was made in 1620. Returning into Ireland sometime after he was oblig'd to discourse some persons of Quality of the Roman Religion to administer to 'em the Oath of Allegiance and Supremacy that they had refused to the Priest this discourse is inserted in his Life he remarks the form of this Oath is compos'd of two parts the one positive in which they acknowledge the King is Soveraign in all cases whatsoever and the other negative in which they declare they acknowledge no Jurisdiction or Authority of any strange Prince in the estates of the King he says afterwards in regard of the first part that the Scripture commands that we submit our selves to the Higher Powers and that we ought to acknowledge that the power the Kings have whatsoever it may be is Supream as they are Kings upon which he cites this verse of Martial Qui Rex est Regem maxime non habeat That one ought well to distinguish the power of the Keys from that of the Sword and the King of England does not exact an acknowledgment of the same power that is possess'd by the Bishops but nevertheless the Kings may interest themselves with Ecclesiastical Affairs in as much as it regards the body since according to the Church of Rome 't is the Magistrates duty to punish Hereticks For that which regards the second part of the Oath where it 's said that we shall not own any strange power as having any Iurisdiction Superiority Preheminence Ecclesiastical or Temporal in the Kingdom He says that if St. Peter were still alive he would willingly own that the King had this Authority in Ireland and that he us'd the same in regard of all the Apostles that the Apostleship was a personal dignity which the Apostles have not left hereditary to any but nevertheless suppose it was so he sees not why St. Peter should leave it to his successors rather than St. Iohn who outliv'd all the Apostles that there was no reason to believe that St. Peter shou'd leave the Apostolical Authority to the Bishops of Rome rather than to those of Antioch this last Church being founded before the first The King writ to Vsher to thank him for this Discourse which produced so good effect He afterwards went into England by the King's order to collect the Antiquities of the Churches of England Scotland and Ireland and publish'd two years after that his Book intituled De Primordiis Ecclesiarum Britannicarum 'T was in that time that the King made him Arch-Bishop of Armagh The Winter following he caused to be brought before him the Order for Toleration of the Roman Catholicks and the Lord Falkland then Deputy for the King in Ireland convocated and assembled the whole Nation to settle this Affair But the Bishops call'd by the Primate oppos'd it with much heat as may be seen by a Remonstrance sign'd by ten Bishops besides the Primate and which is in the 28th page They also spoke of raising some Forces by the Joynt consent both of Catholicks and Protestants to hinder any differences that might arise in the Kingdom the Protestants refus'd to consent thereto and wou'd not hearken to discourse the Primate thereupon in the Castle of Dublin altho' his reasonings were founded upon the principal Maxims of the Government of Ireland and maintain'd by Examples drawn from the Antient and Modern Histories of that Kingdom During the time our Primate stayed in Ireland after he had performed the Duties of his Charge which he acquitted with extraordinary care he employed the remaining part of his time to study the fruits whereof were to be seen in 1631. in the first Latin book which he ever published in Ireland 't is his History of Godescalch Monk of the Abby of Orbais who lived in the beginning of the 6th Age there was soon made a small abridgment of the History of Pelagianism which was then extreamly dispersed through Spain and England when he comes to the History of Godescalch he explains his Doctrine and shews by Flodoard and other Authors of that time that those sentiments whereof Hincmar Archbishop of Rhemes and Rabanus Archbishop of Maynce accused him and which were condemn'd by their Authority in two Councils were the same that St. Remigius Archbishop of Lyons and the Clergy of his Diocess defended openly many opinions and odious consequences according to Vsher were fathered upon Godescalch because that this Monk who maintained the opinions of St Augustine about Predestination and Grace did not at all understand ' em Ioannes Scotus Erygenus wrote a treatise against him in which are to be found the principal heads of Vsher but Florus Deacon of the Church of Lions answers it and censures him in the Name of all the Diocess Vsher gave an abridgment of this Censure as also of divers other treatises as that of St Remigius Pudentius Bishop of Troy Ratramus Monk of Corbi who writ against Scotus for his defence of Godescalch there had been two Councils which established the doctrine of this Monk and condemn'd that of Scotus 'T is true that Hincmar published a very large Book against these Councils which he dedicated to Charles le Chauve as Flodoard reports who shews briefly what it is that this Book treats of but that did not at all hinder St. Remigius and those of his Party to convocate another Council at Langres where they confirm'd the Doctrine established in the former Councils and condemn'd that new one of Scotus These Controversies were still agitated in the National Council of the Gauls where nothing was concluded altho' Barancus and others voted that Godescalch should be condemn'd there On the contrary Vsher maintains that in an Assembly which was in a small time after his Sentiments were approv'd of Nevertheless this wicked Godescalch was condemn'd by the Council of Maynce to perpetual Imprisonment where he was severely treated because he would never retract his Errours There are still two Confessions of his Faith by which one may see there are many things attributed to him which he never believ'd after having made a faithful report of the Sentiments of this Monk and those of his Adversaries Vsher concludes that it were better for men to be silent upon these matters than to scandalize the weak in proposing to 'em such Doctrines from which they may draw bad consequences There has been adds Mr. Parr and always will be different Opinions upon the great and abstruse Questions of Predestination and Free Will which nevertheless may be tolerated in the same Church provided those who maintain these divers Opinions have that Charity for one another which they ought to have That they condemn them not publickly That they abstain from mutual Calumnies and that they publish no Invectives against those who are not of the same Sentiments To return to the Life of our Prelate who altho' he
afterwards in what manner the Apostles consecrated the Sabbath particularly by this passage of St. Ignatius to the Magnesians Non amplius sabbatizantes sed secundum Dominicam Viventes in qua vita nostra orta est But this matter hath been more largely treated upon by others and Vsher confesses when he read the Fathers he collected nothing upon this subject because he thought there was never any controversie about it produced amongst the Divines Those that desire to understand all the Antient Characters of the Saxons may find an Alphabet thereof in the 253 Letter from Dr. Longbain as also divers Letters that treated by the by of Chronological questions and Astronomy but as there is nothing compleat or very considerable upon these abstruse matters upon which few persons will give themselves any trouble 't was thought unnecessary to make any extract thereof I shall say but one word of the 267 Letter addressed to Lewis Cappel where our Archbishop takes against him the part of Arnold Boat the difference that was between these two Learned men may be reduced to these two heads First Boat believed there was very little variety of reading in the Old Testament as the differences of Keri and Chelib and of the Eastern and Western Copies and that these varieties were not to be found but by the means of the Massore and from the Hebrew Manuscripts Cappel on the contrary maintains that the number of these varieties are very great that they may be collected from many ancient Copies and particularly that of the Septuagint although much corrupted The Archbishop says also that we can't have such assurance upon this version where there are many prodigious faults and so very many differences that the Authors connot be made use of but as an Original very corrupt even without speaking of the errors produced by malice but there is no Book of the Scripture where they are so far from the Original as that of Iob which by the Authority of Origen and St. Ierome is proved that these Interpreters have cut off a great number of verses Vsher maintains after St. Ierome that they added and changed several passages He says 't was occasioned by malice to keep from the Greeks the knowledge of the Sacred Oracles having shewn in some places that they were very capable of translating it well had they been Inclin'd thereto as in the Book of Ezek. where they are much more conform to our Hebrew than in the other Books of the Scripture according to the works of St. Ierome These Sentiments of Vsher are not to be wondered at when we consider what hath been said of his opinion concerning the Author of the Translation of the 70. Secondly Boat and Vsher believed that they began to work at Massore immediately after the time of Esdras whereas Cappel maintains that it was not so much as thought on till 600 years after Christ Vsher endeavours to maintain his Sentiment by a proof drawn from the Gemare of Babylon Which makes mention of Certain Scribes who counted all the Letters of the Law and mark'd that Vau which is in the word Gachon Levit. 11.24 is exactly in the middle in regard of the number of the Letters c. On which occasion Usher speaks of Ioseph and tho he confess'd to Cappel that Philo did not know the Hebrew he agrees not with the Jewish Historian who had written his History in Hebrew as himself saith and who drew it from the Original Hebrew Vsher says nevertheless that he hath not done it faithfully As Ierome Xavier the Jesuite saith 't is not long since he gave the History of the Evangelists to the Persians which he hath adjusted as himself pleas'd Ioseph gave formerly to the Greeks the History of the Old Testament changing therein and adding thereto many things drawn from the Apocriphal Books 'T is thus that he says Solomon Reigned 80. years in stead of 40. and that he says David Left for the use of the Temple 100000 talents of Silver instead of 1000000 He adds to the Text an account of Moses Age from three years of the War he made with the Ethiopians and of Tharbis son of the Ethiopian King which conceived a great love for him c Vsher speaks also of the Samaritan Pentateuch from whence he brings 5. or 6 Copies first into Europe He believes that it was corrupted by one Dosthes or Dositheus which in the time of the Apostles was suppos'd to pass for the Messia amongst the Samaritans this is founded upon the Authority of St. Origen who assures us in express terms that this Dositheus corrupted the Pentateuch in many places He afterwards brings some passages in the Samaritan Pentateuch where he maintains that the numbers or the words were chang'd he even believes that Hebrew was intermix'd with the Greek Septuagint If that were true we ought not to be surpriz'd to find that this translation is more conform to the Samaritan text than the Hebrew Vsher also pretends that there is not more variety of reading any where than in the Greek Version Tom. 8. p. 174. The Antiquities of the British Churches in which is inserted the History of the Pestiferous Heresie introduced into the Church by Pelagius a Britain against the Grace of God To which is added an historical Exposition of the most important dispute about the Succession and State of the Christian Churches By James Usher Archbishop of Ardmagh Primate of Ireland The Second Edition Each part Corrected and Augmented by the Author himself At London 1687. in Fol. pag. 738. THE British Antiquities of Usher are composed of three parts the first containeth six Chapters and includes the fabulous History of the Progress of the Christian Religion in England since the year XLI of Jesus Christ to the year CCI. The Monks of the last Ages have almost entirely invented it and whatsoever truththere may be in it is so mingled with gross lyes that in divers places of the Pagan Fables are found more footsteps of truth than in these Monastick Histories Neither doth Vsher propose them as true he is so far from that that he advertiseth the Reader to believe nothing of it by these terms of the Epicharme Watch and Remember to be incredulous are the sins of Wisdom and by these words of Euripides there is nothing more profitable to mortals than a wise incredulity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As it is certain that a great many men do but too much follow this maxim in our Age So it cannot be doubted but a great part of Christianity hath need enough to be put in mind thereof What is most likely in it to be true is according to the testimony of Gildas which hath been related elsewhere that some person Preached the Gospel in England towards the end of the Reign of Tiberius which continued here until the time of Dioclesian At least Tertullian and Origen reckon England amongst those Countries that in their time had
be found that almost none of these Ideas are distinct so that when the word is spoken to which it is applied we may perfectly know what is meant by it There are also according to them some of these words to which there hath been no Idea absolutely applied so that in some places of this dispute the two parties do very nigh the same thing that a French man and an Arabian would that should know their natural tongue only and speak by turns the lowdest they could and sometimes both at once without understanding each other and then each should boast to have conquered his Adversary This was chiefly what the opinions of Pelagius consisted in and those of his Adversaries touching Grace As to the election it seemeth Pelagius hath believed that there were two sorts the one to Grace and the other to Glory God hath resolved according to his Judgment to call certain persons to the knowledge of the Gospel that they might the more easily arrive at everlasting happiness This was the predestination of Grace He after that hath resolved to save those that he foresaw would persevere until the end in making good use on these favours This is the Predestinatiof to Glory which is founded upon merits whereas the other is purely of Grace St. Augustin in disputing against Pelagius hath confounded as Father Petau believes these two Predestinations and made thereof but one because according to his opinion all those that have received the necessary means to attain Salvation do infallibly arrive at it 'T was that made him exclaim so strongly against those that maintain'd Predestination according to works as if the Predestination to Grace was in question whereas they meant but the Predestination to Glory The year after the Council of Diospolis being Anno 415. there were in Africk held two Councils upon the same matter the one at Carthage and the other at Mileve Aurelius Bishop of Carthage presided in the first where were LXVII Bishops more met together also They had not as yet received in Africk the Acts of Diospolis but Eros and Lazarus had written what had passed therein and had sent their Letters by Orosius who was returned from Palestine to Africk It was resolved on the hearing this Relation to anathematize the opinions of Pelagius to hinder them from spreading any further and to anathematize him after with his Disciple Celestius in case they did not absolutely renounce these Errours After that they sent the Acts of the Council to Pope Innocent to engage him to condemn the same opinions The Council of Mileve consisting of LXI Bishops in which Silvanus Primate of Numidia presided did the same thing as that of Carthage Besides the Synodal Letters of these two Councils Innocent received particular ones from some Bishops of Africk among which St. Augustine was one The design of these Letters was the same as of the preceding ones the design being to incline Innocent to condemn the Doctrine attributed to Pelagius and to cite him before himself to examine whether he continued to maintain the same They insinuated that they might accomplish their end that it might be that Pelagius had deceived the Bishops of Palestine tho' they cou'd not positively affirm that the Churches of Africk might not be joined to those of the East Innocent answered the year following ccccxvii to the two Councils and to the Bishop that had written to him in particular He said he believed that Pelagius and Celestius did deserve to be excommunicated and that the former could not be purged at Diospolis but by Equivocations and by obscure expressions Nevertheless having received no new assurances from that Country and not knowing well how things had passed there he saith he can neither approve nor disapprove the conduct of the Bishops of Palestine He likewise excuseth himself in regard of citing Pelagius upon the distance of the places This Bishop writ these Letters at the beginning of the year and died a little after for the tenth of March in the Martyrology of Beda is marked for the day of his death After the death of Innocent St. Augustine and Alypius writ to St. Paulin Bishop of Nola to exhort him to oppose Pelagianism in Italy provided he was in a Condition of making any An historical Explication of the most weighty Question of the continual Succession and State of the Christian Churches especially in the West from the Apostles time until the last Age. By James Usher Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland Augmented and Revised by the Author London 1687. in fol. p. 191. THe principal difficulties which Roman Catholicks raise against Protestants consists in these two things that the Protestant Religion is new and that it was not remitted from the Apostles unto us whereas they pretend theirs is that of the Apostles and hath suffered no Interruption from their time unto ours Iohn Iuel Bishop of Salisbury hath undertaken in his Apology for the Church of England to shew on the contrary that the opinions of Protestants are conformable to those of the Fathers of the six first Ages Vsher was willing to answer the above cited difficulties in shewing that from the sixth Age unto the Reformation to wit during 900 years there have always been Churches in the West who have received the same Doctrines with the Protestants To that end he thought he ought to give the History of the Tenets and conduct of the Popes with those who have opposed their Usurpations during these nine Ages without mixing any thing of his own being contented to cite only the proper terms of the Authors who have spoken of those times for fear he should be accused of turning things after a more favourable manner for the Protestants This History had once appeared imperfect enough but now very much corrected and enlarg'd in this Edition and therefore we shall give a compleat Abridgement thereof We shall not however stay to relate what the Author saith as concerning the thousand years during which the Devil was to be bound and the time in which he was to be set free As there are as many different Sentiments as Interpreters upon this opinion and that there are but simple conjectures brought which are likewise subject to a thousand difficulties 1. Those who have a mind to be instructed therein may consult the Commentaries upon the Apocalypse At what year soever men relate the beginning of the thousand years whether it be from the Birth of our Saviour or from his Death and his Ascension or finally from the ruine of Ierusalem our Author equally draws his advantage as will be seen in the sequel It shall suffice to say that he divides his work into three parts whereof the first goeth from the seventh Age to the eleventh in which Gregory the seventh arrived to the Pontificate The second should have gone to Mccclxx but the Author could not continue it but to Mccxl. The third reaches to the past Age. So this work is far from being
other means and that at last they employed an Army of 50000 Men who except killing committed all the Disorders that they usually commit when they live at discretion in an Enemies Country which has made some merry People term it The Dragoon Croisade or the Conversion of the Dragoons They say a great deal more but since it is the sign of prudence not to believe them lightly Qui cito credit levis est corde I would advise the Readers to suspend their judgment a little All wise Men should go on leisurely on these Matters and should neither believe the Relations of the Catholicks nor them of the Reformed until they have well considered all the Circumstances What is most certain upon sight of all their pieces is that either the Reformed Writers must be the boldest Calumniators that ever were in the World or that the Catholick Writers must be the falsest and the boldest Flatterers that have ever been heard of For in fine an Army that Plunders or threatneth to Plunder the Hugonots Houses through all the Kingdom is a thing that 't is hard to suppress the Truth of or to persuade that it is false The Author of this Work dedicates it to God This Dedicatory Epistle has a very singular turn and an uncommon advantage which is that it prosecutes his Praises to the highest without becoming suspected of Flattery I am mistaken if Praises be the only thing aim'd at in it For certainly there enters Censure either directly or indirectly in the Reflections that follow this Dedication they have much Fire and Wit but are very disadvantageous to the Clergy for they shew That they managed their Work after so cheating a way that tho' they have gull'd the People yet there could be nothing so gross and ill knit together as their Artifices This Author complains continually that on all occasions they seemed to have wholly the Edicts of Pacification tho at bottom they had no such thought as the Event has confirmed one might press People far enough both according to the Notions of the Gospel and Maxims of Morals when they are convinced of such Dissimulation but those that are acquainted with the Rights of the Art of Governing and who have experienced that Politick Wisdom is obliged to conceal their intentions and know that this is a necessary evil in this State of corrupted nature will not trouble themselves with all these Complaints but will send all Protestant Writers to Plato's Common-Wealth or to Sir Thomas Moore 's Vtopia because they think like Cato without considering what a Man is in such an Age as this and without thinking that a perfect Regularity does not belong to this World we must stay until the Resurrection new forms Man from Head to Foot to see him in this Order To these Complaints are added others the violent Advices suggested by the Bishops and after this are made some rough Reflections upon the two Orations of the last Meeting of the Clergy spoke by the Bishop of Valence and the Coadjutor of Rouen and there is to be seen the Discourse which the Lieutenant General of Rochelle made to the Heads of the Protestant Families wherein he declared that if they did not quickly learn and enter into the bosom of the Church they should be punished in this World with much Pain and Calamities And here follows an Account of what pass'd at Mounaban and of divers Remarks that help to shew that the Persecutions of the Pagans nor of the Duke of Alva and them of Hungary were not so grievous as those of our Days The Donatists are spoke of and it 's maintained that they are not to be compared with the Hugonots and that the success of the Persecutions raised against them is not to be expected now They found it on this thought that the new Converts change only in the exterior and that they will never be drawn from their Hypocrisy but by having leave to return to their former Belief If a thousand Reports that run were credited it would be thought that there would become a true Samaritanisme in France and a mixt Religion that would neither be Calvinism nor Papism and which would have been soon excommunicated by the Pope in the times that the Court of Rome could maintain his Pretensions There was a Discourse that there is nothing asked of the most of the Proselytes but a general Promise That they would not remain Separatists And the Gazett tells us they are suffered to sing in the very Cathedrals the Psalms of Clement Marot And upon this many cry that it is an effect of the Promise that they complain of But as I have said already A wise Man should not credit things of this nature upon Hear-says we must expect until time clears all these doubtful Matters to see whether the Prelates of France will not by good Apologies annul the complaints spread of them through all Europe As the Common-wealth of Sciences is a State of Abstraction and Precision from all Sects and as such is not to take the part of any Sect of Divines or Philosophers it will be its duty to give an impartial account of the Books that will be published by the Clergy and which it will not neglect The Author makes an end of the First Part of his Book with a Letter upon what happen'd at Guyenne in the time of the M. of Boufflers Croisade It 's strange he says nothing of the Revocation of the Edict of Nanâ—es And we may conclude hence that his Book was Printed before that was known Without doubt it will be the subject of another Work He that made these Reflections does not look as if he would slip so fertile a matter or as if he would stop in so fair a road To understand better the Contents of his Second Part I must first tell the Reader that the Second Assembly of the Clergy brought a parallel of the Doctrine of the Roman Church and that which is imputed to it by Protestants which comprehends in Seven Articles all the Points that are Disputed of and there are three Columns made on each Article of these The first contains the Formal Terms of the Profession of Faith and of the Council of Trent The second the French Translation of these Terms The third is of the Imputations of Protestants which the Clergy pretend to be Calumnies of the highest degree and have all in a Body petitioned the King for a Formal Justice The Author having made several Remarks on all this with his ordinary heat descends to a more particular examination of these Seven Articles and maintains that the Calumnies that were complained of are very unjust Accusations and pretends that the most rigorous and hard expressions of the Ministers contain nothing but pure Truth and marks that the Translation of these pretended Calumnies contain a more injurious meaning than the Original I will not enter on particular proofs it is enough to say that they are passed with much Vigour and Wit and that
are very curious Particulars There is the Life of famous M rc Antony de Dominis Arch-Bishop of Spalatro included in a Letter written from Rome The Author had already published it in the Third Part of his Brittanica Politica It is a very curious Piece wherein is seen how this Prelate imbraced the Protestant Religion and how being deluded by the Promises of Dom Diego Sarmianto de Acuna Ambassador of France in England and by that of the Court of Rome he returned into Italy where he unhappily ended his Days without obtaining any thing of what he hoped There also is a Letter of Pope Gregory XV. to the Prince of Wales who was since Charles I. Upon his Marriage with the Infanta of Spain and an Answer of this Prince to the Pope The Fifth Book contains the Reign of the same Prince where his Innocence may be seen and the unheard of Violence of his Subjects described without partiality and all the Proceedings which were made against him The last Volume is composed of Six Books The first contains the History of Cromwell's Usurpation more exact and sincere that it had been heretofore Hitherto have been but Satyrs or Panegyricks thereupon The Creatures of Cromwell have raised him up to the Clouds and his Enemies have omitted nothing that might defame him The Author pretends that he hath been the greatest Politician and the greatest Captain of his time and that he was much more able to Reign than several of those whom Providence hath plac'd upon the Throne by Inheritance But he sheweth on the other side That he was a Cheat and a Tyrant who after having dipped his hand in the Innocent Blood of his Master all his Life cheated the People by a specious Zeal for Religion The Second Book contains the History of Charles the II. until his Restauration In this Book are seen the Honours which were rendred to him in Holland his Magnificent Entry into London his Clemency to those who had bore Arms against him and his Justice towards the Murderers of his Father The same History is continued in the Third Book from the Year M. DC LXI unto the Year M. DC LXXX There is also the Life of the Duke of York until his Marriage with Chancellour Clarendon's Daughter the Quarrel which happened between the Ambassadours of France and Spain about Precedency The subtilty wherewith the Spanish Ambassador carried it the Marriage of the Princess Henrietta and that of the King the War of England with Holland and with France the Peace that was made afterwards with both the others which was followed with a secret Treaty betwixt England France appeared in M. DC Lxxii the Marriage of the Duke of York with the Princess of Modena the Calling Prorogation and dissolving different Parliaments In fine the Discovery which Oates and Bedlow made of a Conspiracy which made so great noise and whereof this Author appears not very much persuaded We find in the fourth Book the sequel of the same Troubles and the History of what passed in the Parliaments convocated in M. DC.LXXX at London and Oxford There is particularly in this Book one thing of very great importance which the Author relates with as much sincerity as if none was interessed therein Which are 1. The Endeavours the Parliament of England made to exclude the Duke of York from the Crown 2. The Reasons which were alledged for this 3. The manner wherewith the Creatures of this Prince defended his Rights The Author endeth this Book by the Description of Pensilvania without omitting either the Offers which are made to those who will go to inhabit it or the manner they may be established in it The fifth Book begins with the Encomium of the House of Savoy and tells us afterwards with a very great exactness the means which Madam c. made use of in M. DC LXXX and M.DC.LXXXII to obtain of his British Majesty that the Ambassadours of Savoy shou'd be received in London like those of Crowned Heads It is one of the finest places of the whole Work and they who love to read the particulars of a Negotiation cannot read a more curious one nor one better related than this The last contains the Affair of Count Koningsmarc with all its Circumstances which is a very good History and whence the manner may be Learned after what Strangers are judged in England Here it is that the Work endeth The Author promiseth us in his Preface another Volume where all will appear which hath happen'd in England till these latter Years The Style of this History as well as the other Works of Mr. Leti is easy and without Affectation contrary to the custom of most Italian Writers But what is most considerable is that he relateâ— Matters so nakedly and speaks so freely of the Interests of the greatest Princes of Europe that perhaps one day persons will not be easily persuaded that the Author had caused this Work to be printed during his Life and the life of those of whom he speaks if at the beginning the Year had not been marked wherein it was printed Mr. Leti hath since written a Book which treats of all that concerneth Embassies There may not only be seen the modern use of all Courts in this respect but the ancient also so that it will be a History of great concern The Author is not contented to speak of the Duties and Priviledges of all the Ministers which one Soveraign sends to another but of each according to the Degree of his Character he speaks largely also on the Origine of this Function and upon all the Principalities which are formed in the World He relates several Examples of Ambassadours who have committed gross Mistakes and gives Instructions how to manage worthily this Post according to the different Courts wherein they are oblig'd to reside Men will easily believe that a Work which treats of things of this nature and of so great a number of others is worthy of Publication An Examination of the Infallibility and Right which the Roman Church pretends to have in Judging Absolutely in Matters of Controversie 8 vo 1687. 255. WHilst the Romish Church makes use of all the Power of Soveraigns to re-unite to its Communion those who have quitted it Protestants oppose these progresses by coâ—ntaining their Cause with the soundest Reasons which they can think upon Though they differ amongst themselves about several Speculative Doctrines they perfectly agree upon Morality and the Worship which we owe to the Divinity they also in general are of one Mind in those Principles of Religion which they admit in respect to Holy Writ and have all an extream aversion for that Church which pretends to be a Judge in its own Cause and which without delay forceth those it calls Hereticks to a Worship which is against their Consciences Amongst the Protestant Societies there is none who hath declared it self more openly against Human Authority in matter of Religion and against the Constraining and Spirit of
Persecution than the Remonstrants They will have the Fundamental Error of the R. Church to consist in this We must not saith Episcopius in a Writing inserted by Mr. Limborg in the Preface of this Work consider Popery in some of its parts but in its whole not in this Doctrine nor in that which is accused of Heresie for it is almost the same thing on both sides the one is mistaken in one point and the other in another ..... We must look upon the whole Body of the Roman Church which is a composition of ignorant ambitious and tyrannical Men I call them ignorant not because they are not very Learned for sometimes they are too much so but because they know not and are obliged to know only what is prescribed unto them often against their Conscience against Reason and Divine Law It is the most pernicious of all Ignorances because it is a servile one which is upheld only by the Authority of the Pope and Councils and which is the source of the many Sophisms they are constrained to make to maintain such Opinions they have ingaged themselves into whether they find them true or false It extends its Empire as well upon the Practice as Belief because they are both tyed to the Foundations which they are always to suppose unshaken without freeing themselves by examining the solidity thereof Thence Tyranny is form'd It is this which makes it impossible ever to come back from this ignorance and which produceth Idolatry and ridiculous thoughts of the Divine Worship It is the Poyson of true Religion because it leads Men to serve God not according to his Will or by a Principle of Knowledg and Conscience but after that manner which the Pope liketh So that it is in vain to say that in this Church are many things which are good or sufferable this availeth nothing seeing they hold not what is good because it is good but because they are obliged to acknowledge it for such The Remonstrants have upon this establisht Principles which are very opposite to those of the Roman Church They not only believe with other Protestants that Scripture contains clearly all that is necessary to be known to believe to hope to do and to be saved and that all those who read it with an attentive mind and without prejudice may acquire by this reading a perfect knowledge of the Truths contain'd in it and that there is no other Divine Rule of our Faith but they admit also and maintain the necessary consequence of this Principle upon which many Divines expound not themselves distinctly enough Thence it followeth saith Mr. Limborg in this Preface 1. That no Man whoever he be no Assembly how considerable soever its Authority is and how Learned soever its Members are have not a Right of prescribing to the Faithful as necessary to Salvation what God hath not commanded as such in his Word 2. That from the Communion are to be excluded those only whom God hath clearly revealed he will exclude from Heaven 3. That to know certainly Damnable Errors and wholsome Doctrines we must see if in Scripture God hath promised Salvation to those who shall believe these Doctrines or threatned with Damnation those who shall embrace these Errors 4. That the only means to procure the Peace of the Church it to suffer those who retain the Fundamental Doctrines although according to us they are mistaken in things which God hath not commanded nor prohibited expresly under the condition of Salvation or Damnation 5. That if this rule was followed all Christians who have quitted the Roman Church would soon agree in Fundamental Points and differ but in Tenets which have neither been commanded nor prohibited under this condition 6. That consequently none have a right of imposing the necessity of Believing under pain of Damnation these non-essential Tenets 7. That no other means can procure a true Christian Union because constraint may tye the Tongue but not gain the Heart This is the drift of the Preface to come to the Work it self It is composed of three Letters and of a small Treatise of William Bom a Roman Catholick with as many Answers and some other Letters of Episcopius concerning the Infallibility of the Church The matter we see is of the utmost consequence and it is sufficiently known after what manner Episcopius was able to treat thereof Bom was a Priest who was no great Grecian as he confesseth himself and who besides was ingaged in the weakest Hypothesis which the Doctors of Rome ever embraced it is that which makes the Infallibility of the Church reside in the Pope's Person So that although he hath exposed pretty well the common reasons of his Party it may be said of him in relation to his Adversary Par studiis aevique modis sed robore dispar The occasion of this Dispute was a Conference which Bom and Episcopius had at the coming from a Sermon which the last had Preached Some of those who had been present thereat declared That Bom had been reduced to silence upon which he being willing to shew how much these reports were false Writ to two common Friends to put them in mind of the Reasons he had said and added to that a Writing to prove that St. Peter was established chief of the Catholick Church Episcopius at first made some difficulty of Answering this Priest because there is nothing more tedious and more unprofitable for a Protestant than to enter into dispute with a Catholick seeing that as it is an Article of Faith with him that his Church is Infallible so he believes himself obliged in Conscience not to confer with Hereticks but in the design of instructing them and not to have even the thought of receiving any instruction nor any light from them It is not possible without ingaging ones self into an excessive prolixity to relate all the reasons which have been said on each side in this dispute we shall only stop at some of the principal proofs and those which are not so commonly met withal in Books of Controversie Episcopius failed not at first to ask of his Adversary in what place of the Gospel Iesus Christ had appointed any body to be Soveraign Judge of Controversies and to decide without Appeal all the differences which should arise in the Church after the death of the Apostles As there are not in Scripture passages sufficiently express for this institution Bom had recourse to the Practice of the Church upon which Episcopius alledged to him three Acts of the Ecclesiastical History which agrees not well with the Belief of the Infallibility of the Pope 1. The first is drawn from the dispute which fell out towards the middle of the Second Age concerning the day in which the Passover should be celebrated Victor Bishop of Rome Excommunicated the Churches of the Diocess of Asia because they Celebrated this Feast the Fourteenth day of March and not the Sunday following according to the Custom of Rome Palestine and
Divines who pretend that Episcopacy is of Divine Institution maintain at the same time That Saint Iames Bishop of Ierusalem was not an Apostle But St. Paul gives him the Title of an Apostle They say That this first Bishop of Jerusalem had a right of entring into the most Holy Place and to carry a Golden Reed as the High Priest of the Jews But it is certain at least that St. Epiphanes mistook when he relyes upon the Authority of Eusebius to prove it For Eusebius never said any such thing speaking of St. Iames and there is a great likelyhood that this is one of these false Traditions which cannot be applyed to any of the Apostles Besides the Apostles there were Prophets in the Christian Church whose Charge consisted chiefly to edifie the Church by the Exposition of the most difficult passages of Scripture They penetrated sometimes into the time to come and foretold its events Justin Martyr assures us that this Gift of Prophecy continued also to his time But it was soon extinguished For when Montan begun to publish his Revelations the Churches of Phrygia were moved thereat and these motions of wonder and admiration are formed commonly on unheard of events or which are extreamly rare The Author affirms this Maxim That Prophecies are not well understood until after their accomplishment Opinions have been always much divided about the duration of the Ministery of Iesus Christ who is the Head of the Church St. Irenaeus refuting the Valentinians is fallen into a great Excess For he believed that Iesus Christ lived almost 50 years The most common opinion is that he Preached the space of 3 or three years and a half Mr. Burman takes another Party and maintains that Iesus Christ Celebrated but two Feasts of the Passover whence he concludes That he could live but a year and a half after his Baptism The last Passover wherein Iesus Christ Instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist makes another subject of Contestation The Greeks who think they have a great Interest to maintain That Iesus Christ Communicated with Leavened Bread pretend That he Celebrated his last Passover after the Wednesday at night This opinion which is established by them but since the Dispute they had with the Roman Church upon the Azymes deserves not much examination Scaliger hath not been ashamed to retract and to refute himself upon this matter For after having inclined to the Greeks he maintains at last That there is reason to believe that Jesus Christ eat the Lamb of the Passover a day before the greatest part of the other Jews who begun to Celebrate the Feast but on Friday at Night Our Author believes on the contrary That all the Jews were forced to Celebrate the Feast the same day because it was necessary to kill all the Lambs in the Porch of the Temple The almost infinite number of these beasts which were to be killed and which if Iosephus may be believed amounted to Five Millions five thousand six hundred troubleth him not He believeth that the great number of Priests who assisted at this Service was sufficient for this great Execution Not mentioning that each private Man had a right to kill his Lamb provided it was in the Porch of the Temple which was so big that in the time of Solomon there entred into it 22000 Oxen 12000 Sheep besides the other Sacrifices which the People offered Yet there remains a great difficulty For the Lambs were not begun to be presented but at the Ninth Hour to wit at three in the Afternoon and Iosephus assureth us that this Ceremony ended about Nine of the Clock So though the Temple should be spatious enough to contain the number of Lambs the time would not be long enough to kill them The last Disputes concern the Eucharist But as this matter hath been treated on very often we will make an end here A Famous SPEECH of Monsieur Cocquelin Chancellor of the Church of Paris in 1686. IT is the Custom amongst the Divines of Paris before the Cap is given to those who have accomplished their License to present them by a Doctor to the Chancellour of the Cathedral Church The Doctor who presents these Licentiates makes a small Discourse in their Praise to which the Chancellor answers by another Discourse As this which Mr. Cocquelin hath made this year on the like occasion hath had something singular in it as well for its Eloquence which how natural soever it is to the Author had not notwithstanding appeared with so much lustre but for the fine and delicate turn wherewith he manag'd his Subject when he treated on the Affairs of the times and by the fine Poem which he added to it We have thought we could not do better than to begin with this Piece which hath fallen by chance into our hands and to gather together the scatter'd Pieces which we have promised to impart to the Publick when they should deserve to have this Justice done them Here is then what he saith VIris eruditis è Theologica Palaestra Biennio quolibet secendentibus Viri Ecclesiae Parisiensis Proceres sapientissimi Patres Auditores humanissimi non defuit huc usque neque decrit unquam laborum laudisque sibi conciliandae seges si modo quod in scholis didicerint ad summum perducere pro rerum pro locorum pro temporum opportunitate impendere ad bravium de quo hodie Apostolus at que immarcescibilem corenam totis viribus contendere voluerint Et sane quamvis pro uberrima Sacrae facultatis Theologicae Paris feracitate ex ipsius sinu viri in omni sacrarum litterarum genere quantum patitur aetas exercitatissimi longè plures uno quoque biennio prorumpant quam ex toto quantus quantus est reliquo Christiano orbe quod nihilominus apud Apostolos Christus olim Dominus pronuntiavit effatum illud ipsum labentibus exinde perpetuo saeculis merito proferri potuit poteritque inposterum Messis quidem multa operarii vero pauci At nunquam ejusdem Christi aliud oraculum vos Apostolos ad fidem religionemque praedicandam adhortantis aequiori jure quam in praesentiarum possit usurpari quo verae sapientiae candidatis ejusdem fidei religionisque aut disseminand◠aut propagandae pro nostro munere concedamus Licentiam Videte aiebat Deus ille generis humani servator videte Regiones quoniam jam albae sunt ad messem Enimvero quicumque hactenus sacrae Facultatis Theol. Paris stadium emensi praeivere vobis ad coronam Galliam quae monstris ad Calvinum usque caruerat aut totam Catholicae fidei deditam aut nascentem haeresim quae proinde tunc contemptui potius quam timori habebatur aut jam adultam atque roboratam atque adeo cui evertendae inutilis ut plurimum opera navabatur divino sacrae sapientiae lumine illustrandam aggressi sunt vobis vero Licentiandi meritissimi id unum ex divinae providentiae
which is added a Preface touching the Original of this History Sold by Mr. Chiswell at London 1688. p. 44. THe Devotions of the Roman Church appear so ridiculous to them that are not born superstitious that the ablest Controvertists of that party have endeavoured to hide them or to make them pass for popular Abuses but as it is impossible that in a great Society all them that write should be of the Secret so there are a great number of Bigots who feared that the Bishops of Meaux and Turnai would with their mildness betray the Church and were minded really to abolish the Ways that enriched it So much the Protestants have seconded the sincerity of these latter and have collected out of their Offices Rites and the most famous Doctours of Rome the true Doctrine of our Church To avoid the contestations commonly raised by such as do not act sincerely The English are advised to translate whole Books of the Doctrine of Rome as the Life of Magdalene of Pazzi the Contemplations of the Life and Glory of the Blessed Virgin and other such like The Abridgment of the Perogatives of St. Ann is one of these Works The time will not be lost that is imployed in making an extract of it it is sufficient that it was ridiculous enough to cause the Effect which the Translator proposed himself it was printed at Paris in 43. with the approbation of the Doctors of Sorbonne and was Dedicated to the Queen Mother Ann of Austria then Regent so that any godly Book could not be more Authentick The Reader will be far more obliged by the taking out of the English Preface the History of St. Ann's Devotions by which may be learned what are the grounds of Monastick Orders and the Authors of Legends The Friars used ways of forming the Genealogies of their King 's and attributing great Deeds of Chivalry that never hapned to their Princes and thought that it became them to be no less liberal to the Predecessors of Iesus Christ. No Antient Author ever spoke of Iachim and of St. Ann who are said to be the Father and Mother of the Blessed Virgin and St. Epiphanius was the first that mentioned it by the by In the succeeding Ages Germain Hyppolitus and Damascenus spoke of them but 't was little or nothing at all and Nicephorus one of the greatest lyers among the Friars made but a very short History of them so that all the Legends are grounded upon two pieces whereof the Falshood is well known by Criticks One is a Letter upon the Birth of the Blessed Lady attributed to St. Ierome the other is the pretended Gospel of St. Iames. As for the first it cannot be precisely determined when it was invented All that can be said is that an old Fabulous Tradition has been the occasion of it There is a feigned Letter of Chromatius and of Heliodoâ—e desiring St. Ierome to Translate the Gospel of St. Matthew out of Hebrew into Latine which Armanius and Virinus said was in his possession and contained the History of the Infancy of the Blessed Virgin and that of our Saviour Ierome begins to excuse himself from it upon the difficulty of the work and because the Apostle did not design to make this Book publick maintaining that he writ it in Hebrew and did not mention a word of it in the common Gospel designing to keep this History from the Peoples Knowledge adding That it was a Secret that ought to be trusted to none but choice Clergy-men that might make the extract of it to Christians That Seleucus was the first that Translated it and mixed several false Doctrines tho not very different from the Truth in what regarded the History and Miracles and for that reason he promis'd them an exact Version of the Original Hebrew There are in these Fables the Maxims and Folly of the Friars which suffice to refute it Besides this Seleucus or Lucius was a Manichee which doubtless was one of the reasons why St. Augustin rejected a Work like this or perhaps it might be the same with that of Seleucus For says he If one did alledge to me the Book of Apocrypha wherein Iachim is said to be the Father of Mary I would not yield to that Authority because that Book is not Canonical Pope Gelasius not content to term the Work Apocryphal calls the Author a Child of the Devil II. The second piece whereon the Legend is founded is not of better Alloy because it is the Gospel of the false St. Iames. William Postel published it first and having Translated it out of Greek into Latin got it printed at Basil in 1552. under the Title of Prot-Evangelion cum Evangelica Historia Sanctae Mariae Evangelistae vita ejus Octavo Some years after Bibliander made Notes upon this Work and this was printed with the other which was not much better under the Title of Orthodox Writing Orthodoxographae If any one is minded to know who William Postel was he may be informed in the first Chapter of the Apology for the Reformers by Mr. Iurieu Henry Stephens that was no Divine but knew that such a Deist as Postell was might be suspected that he had embellished this Work and Casaubon attributed the whole to him However it is this pretended Gospel of St. Iames with many others was condemned in a Council of 70 Bishops held at Rome under Pope Gelasius Nevertheless the Writers of Legends receive them and form new ones as the Book of the Birth of Mary of the childhood of Iesus and the Gospel of St. Ann. The latter may be judged of according to this passage mentioned by Henry Stephens when Iesus was so grown that he could work Joseph employed him to Carpentry and one day having commanded him to saw a piece of Wood he did it without taking notice of the Mark that was to direct him and so made the piece too short Joseph was angry at this and had a mind to beat him and would have done it if Iesus had not lengthened the stick by making Joseph pull at one end whilst he pull'd at the other If the Inventors of those absurd Relations were design'd to dishonour the Christian Religion they could not find a better way the Gospel of the fictitious St. Iames is full of such extravagant Histories and one would think the Inventor had a mind by his Ironique Imitation to ridicule several passages of Scripture and several Miracles of the Old and New Testament among others the History of Abraham and Sarah that of Hanna and her Son Samuel and that of Zachary and Elizabeth And nevertheless it is upon these counterfeit Books and scurrilous Relations that the most part of the Devotions of the Romish Church are founded the pretended St. Iames has consecrated a Feast to St. Ann which is kept the 16 th of Iuly and was ordained by Pope Gregory XIII 1584. Sometime after Sixtus the 5 th founded or at least confirmed a Religious Order called the Maidens of
was built and the Church of Loret and when Hercules was Canonized and Aeneas and Francis of Abisa and Ignatius Loyola all this is known But the first beginning of an Error is always impenetrable and can never be found out As for the Consent of Christians which Mr. Arnaud did alledge he was shewn that the Eastern Churches termed Schismaticks by Rome were not of her opinion touching the Lord's Supper and that if they had any Idea of a Real Presence it drew nearer the Consubstantiation of the Lutherans than the Transubstantiation of Rome It is true Mr. Arnaud produces several Attestations of Graecian Priests to shew that the Greeks were of the same opinion with Roman Catholicks but it is likewise true that he obtained the most part of them by Bribes Mr. Wheeler assures us in his Voyages of Greece that he spoke to many Pappas whom M. of Nointel Nephew to Mr. Arnaud had endeavoured to bribe for the same end The Miscellanea of Mr. Smith may also be seen to this effect One might be satisfied with this Answer yet the Superstitions of Rome being not so antient as those of Paganism the Reformed have thought that by a continual search at last that Prodigious Opinion might be discover'd which gave Birth to Transubstantiation And they have accomplisht it for they have shewn how the Energetick Expressions of the Fathers touching Transubstantiation occasioned in the ignorant Ages an obscure Idea of an Union or of an incomprehensible change and they have marked the Authors of these two Opinions differing thus about the Sense of Figure and Vertue Iohn Damascenus in the year 728 began to Preach in the East the Union of the Bread and Body of Iesus Christ and Paschase Ratbert was the first that published Transubstantiation or the change of the Substance of one into the Substance of the other in the Latin Church in the year 818. So that all that the Catholicks of France gained by Dispute was to see their Heroes worsted by a Minister who though Eloquent and Witty enough would nevertheless have yielded to M. Arnaud in many other things This Tryal made the Romish Church sensible that it ran the hazard of losing its reputation with all honest People if its Tenets came once to be examined And therefore their Advocates turned wranglers and barricading themselves with formalities prescriptions and the ends not answering they thereupon pretend that their Adversaries are condemnable without any necessity of examining into the bottom who is in the right and who is in the wrong M. Nicole took upon himself to plead this part and acquitted himself in his lawful Prejudices against the Calvinists with as much cunning and Eloquence as could be expected from a Disciple or Friend of M. Arnaud By ill luck the Iansenists came to the worst both in Rome and in France in the Famous Dispute of the Five Propositions and were forced to say That the Five Condemned Propositions were not in the Augustin of Iansenius whence it clearly followed that neither the Pope nor Councils were Infallible in what they did because they might call People as Hereticks that were not so at all in imputing to them Opinions which they never held nor were to be found in their Works The Iansenists saw this consequence and maintained it openly and did advance several Principles that destroyed the Authority of the Church and its Infallibility The French Protestants presently took notice of this contradiction of Doctrin between the Author of the Prejudices and his Friends or his Disciples and did not fail to promote it M. Pajon did it after shewing with much Wit and Acuteness that the Arguments of a prejudiced Author are more valid in a Iew 's a Pagan's or Mahometan's Mouth against Christianity than they are when used by a Roman Catholick against the Reformed About the same time M. Claude Answered M. Nicole in a direct way shewing that the excess of Corruption which the Doctrin and Worship of the Romish Church was come to made our Predecessors to examin Religion strictly and consequently to separate from a Society that would force them to receive under pain of Damnation a Faith whose practices were altogether opposite to Scripture That was enough to make the Roman Catholicks repent that they gave that turn to their Controversies and that being their last shelter there was no hopes they would leave it for they continued turning their Prejudices into so many meanings and proposing them as confidently as if they had never been refuted And these pitiful evasions pleased the Assembly of the Clergy of France so well in 82. that they made Sixteen Methods of Prescription on which the conversion of the Reformed was to be laboured for And which is yet more these Gentlemen thought them so convincing that they intreated the King that a Copy of them might be given to every Consistory imagining perhaps that some Ministers may happen to be there who might be wrought upon by these Illusions or frightned with the Threatnings of the Pastoral Advertisement The Intendant or some other of the King's Commissaries went on a Sunday accompanyed with some Clergy-men deputed by the Bishop of the Diocess and with Two Apostolick Notaries to acquaint each Consistory with this Writing and give several Copies amongst the People making several Orations to desire them from the King to enter into the Communion of the Roman Catholick Church but all to no purpose M. Pajon Minister of Orleans made presently some Remarks upon this Advertisement and Methods and addressed a Letter to the Clergy wherein there are not so many Figures of Rhetorick as in their Writing but much more Sense and Judgment Dr. Burnet who has always gloried in assisting his Afflicted Brethren seeing most of our Ministers out of a condition of defending themselves gave himself the pains to examin the little Books of the Prelats of France And at last Mr. Iurieu Answered them by way of Recrimination in his Lawful Prejudices against Papism which he proposes to the number of Nineteen which are so many whereof the least plausible has more force than all those of the Clergy We must add to these Books Two other of the same Author wherein he Refutes two of the Indirect ways which the Roman Controvertists use the First is his Apology for the Morals of the Reformed against M. Arnaud and the Second his true System of the Church against M. Nicole All these Methods were in Vogue when the Book of M. de Meaux appeared The turn he gave to the Controversies did much more surprise the Protestants than all the Subtilities which the Divines of France thought of There was a Prelat of great reputation Tutor to the Dauphin that did not intangle himself in the Disputes of Grace and that consequently was neither suspected by Iesuites nor by the Iansenists nor by the Church of Rome nor by the Gallican Church he was seen I say to publish a Book well stocked with Approbations wherein he endeavors to moderate
the most displeasing Tenets of his Sect to put their grosser abuses in Oblivion and finally to bury the most part of School Disputes It was hard to think that a Man supported by all that is great in his Communion whereof he seemed the Oracle should Write to deceive his Fellow-Citizens or that he should think that a bare Exposition of the Doctrin of his Church should be capable to bring back into its Bosom them that had quitted it with so much reluctancy and remained in it in spight of what could be inflicted upon them The Tenets of Rome are not taught in the Indies nor in America nor are we to learn from the uncertain relations of some ignorant Travellers We see its Practices and Devotions before our Eyes The Books of their Doctors are told in every place and most part of our Reformers were either Bishops Priests or Fryars so that neither they nor their Disciples can be ignorant neither of what the Romish Church Believes nor of what it Practises besides the Ministers have no reason to dissemble in their Opinions because the Clergy of it gain far more than those of any other Communion This Reflexion might make M. de Meaux's sincerity very doubtful who declares at the very beginning That he Designs to render the Tenets of the Catholick Church more clear than they are and to distinguish them from such as are falsly imputed to it Nevetheless the Reformed being brought up in a Religion which inspires true Faith and being otherwise moved to desire a Re-union in hopes to see the end of their Miseries fancy'd that the Accusation of this Bishop was but a pretext he used to cast out of his Creed what is troublesom and hard to believe Besides the noise of an Agreement between the Two Religions which was a long time sown among the People and whereof divers ' Ministers were made to draw the Project M. de Meaux and his followers slipt many words which were general Promises of a Reformation upon condition of Re-union If it appears now that there was not the least shadow of sincerity in all the Promises that the Roman Catholicks made and that at that very time the clear-sighted could soon discover that it was but a pure cheat the Reformed cannot be praised enough for not trusting to them nor can the others be blamed enough that make nothing of playing with what is most sacred when they have a design to cheat the simple To know whether M. de Meaux be of this Number as several Protestants pretend and endeavour to prove in shewing the opposition of his Sentiments with those of the other Doctors of his Communion it will not be unprofitable to know the History of his Book because it may be commonly perceived by the way that a design is managed which is the end proposed M. Turenne who saw a long time that his Religion was a hinderance to his Fortune would have been very glad if he could accommodate himself to the Romish Religion But the vile Practices of this Church seem so strange to those who are brought up in other Principles that he could not persuade himself to join with a Society that imposed such ridiculous Superstitions upon its Votaries to cure him of this Scruple M. de Meaux published a small Writing wherein he strained himself to shew That these small Devotions were not of the Essence of the Catholick Doctrine and that one might live and die in its Communion without practicing them This Work or rather the King's Caresses and Liberalities having had Success which all People know our Prelate was of Opinion That he could work the same effect upon others and resolved to print this Manuscript that remained written four years before and to add to it divers Sections as that of the Lord's Supper of Tradition of the Authority of the Church and Pope and obtained the approbation of the Bishop of Rheims and of some other Bishops Sorbonne these several Ages has been looked upon as the source of the French Divinity it 's therefore that not only the Doctors of this University but also Bishops and other Clergy are glad to have the approbation of that famous House at the beginning of what Books they write of Religion M. of Condom had that design but he did not speed for having sent his Exposition as soon as it came from the Press to some of the Doctors of Sorbonne instead of approving the Work they marked several Places either contrary to or favouring but in a very little the Doctrine of their Church So that Edition was presently suppressed and another was composed wherein the Passages were changed that were marked by the Censurers This could not be managed so secretly but the Reformed came to know it Mr. Noguier and M. de la Bastide who knew the Edition that was published and this last did not fail to remark the Alteration that the Author made in the Manuscript and in the suppressed Edition They also reproached him that the true Roman Catholicks were but little pleased at his Moderation and one of them finish'd the Refutation of his Book before any Protestant had Printed his but he was not forbidden to publish it M. de Meaux's Credit was great enough to stifle the direct Answer that those of his own Party made to him But he could not hinder them that were dissatisfy'd from taking an indirect course and to say what they thought and even to refute him The Iesuites and the Friars sharp maintainers of the Superstitions that enrich them could not forgive him at all Father Maimbourg in his History of Lutheranism drew this Prelates Character and criticiz'd on his Book under the Name of Cardinal Contarini and of one of his Works and says well That these Agreements and Managements of Religion in these pretended Expositions of Faith which either suppress or do express in doubtful terms a part of the Doctrine of the Church neither satisfie one side nor the other who equally complain of swerving in a matter so momentous as that of Faith Father Cresset gave this Bishop a more sensible stroke in his Book of the true Devotion to the Blessed Virgin printed at Paris in 4to in the Year 79. with priviledge from the King and the Arch-bishops leave and the consent of his own Provincial and of three Iesuites that are the Censurers of all the Works of that Society The Dauphins Tutor was too powerful an Adversary to be opposed directly But a Writer of lesser Authority that adopted the Opinion of this Prelate touching the Invocation of Saints and Worship of Images felt the weight of Father Cresset's Anger This Author was a German Gentleman called M Widenfelt intendant of the Prince of Suarzemberg and his Book was Entituled Monita Salutaria B. Virginis wholsom Advices of the Blessed Virgin to her indiscreet Votaries This Book made much noise in the World especially after the Pastoral Letter of the Bishop of Tournay wherein he recommends this Book to his People as full
Domestick shewing his Friend in his Masters Library the suppressed Edition of M. de Meaux's Exposition with Marginal Notes which he assured him were Written by the hands of some of the Doctors of Sorbonne the Friend desired to borrow the Book which the Servant consented to So strange an accident made the borrower use his utmost care to get a Copy of the First Edition but there was such care taken to suppress it that all he could do was but to gather up some loose Leaves whereof he almost made an entire Book and copyed what he wanted out of M. Turenne's Original which he then restored to the Servant it is this same Copy which Mr. Wake has with his Certificate that gather'd it and compared it with the Mareschal's Copy It is not at all likely that Mr. Cramoisi Director of the Printing-House at the Louvre should Print a Book of Importance without the knowledge and good-will of the Author that was a Bishop and Tutor to the Dauphin and a great Favorite at Court and it is more unlikely that Mr. Crà moisi should obtain the King's leave and the Approbation of the French Prelates for a subreptitious Copy And why did not M. de Meaux shew his resentment for a boldness of this nature And how came he to give this Printer not only the Corrected Copy but also all the other Books that he made since We must examin but Fourteen places of the First Edition taken notice of by Dr. Wake to see whether the alteration that M. de Meaux made in it did only concern the exactness and neatness of the style First Edit p. 1. Thus it seems very proper to propose the Doctrine of the Catholick Church to the Reformers in separating the Questions which the Church hath decided from those which belong not to her Faith Second Edit p. 1. It seems that there can no better way be taken than simply to propose the Doctrine of the Catholick Church and to distinguish them well from those that are falsly imputed to her First Edit p. 7 8. The same Church Teaches That all Religious Worship ought to terminate in God as its necessary end So that the honour which the Church gives to the blessed Virgin and to the Saints is only Religious because this honour is given to them only in respect to God and for the love of him And therefore the honour we render our Saints is so far from being blamable as our Adversaries would have it because it is Religious that it would deserve blame if it were not so M. de Meaux has thought it expedient to blot out the last period and to express himself thus in his common Editions p. 7. And if the honour that is rendred to Saints can be called Religious it is because it regards God In the same place speaking of M. Daille the Author expressed it after a very ingenious manner but little favourable to his cause As for Mr. Daille said he he thought that he ought to keep to the Three first Ages wherein it is certain that the Church then was exercised more in Suffering than Writing and has left many things both in its Doctrine and Practice which wants to be made clearer This Acknowledgment was of importance and the Censurers had reason to note it and has not been seen since All the other Alterations are as considerable as these and Dr. Wake protests he could mention more if he were minded to shew all the places wherein the Manuscripts differed from the common Editions The Author may judge whether these be words or things that M. de Meaux has corrected but as to Father Cresset it may be said that this Bishop has strained his boldness to such a degree that none dares give him the Epithet it deserves Is it possible that this Author should not have heard of a great Volume in Quarto Writ against the profitable advice of the Blessed Virgin since the Pastoral Letter of the Bishop of Tournay who approved this last Book has caused such long Disputes in France Can it be supposed that M. de Meaux was ignorant that the Opinion of this Jesuit was contrary to his Exposition After M. de la Bastide reproached him with it in his Answer to the Advertisement And that the Author of the General Reflexions on his Exposition and M. Iurieu in his Preservative have made great Extracts out of the Book of The True Devotion Since Mr. Arnaud laughed at Father Cresset in his Answer to the Preservative and Mr. Iurieu refuted his Adversary in the Iansenist convicted of vain Sophistry That Mr. Imbert in his Letter to this Bishop offered to refute the Preservative provided he might be secured that no violence should be done him and that he might have the liberty of saying what he thought In fine after that he himself Answered divers passages of the Preservative in his Treatise of the Communion under both kinds Let us add to all this what M. de Meaux had the confidence to advance in his Pastoral Letter upon the Persecution of France I do not wonder says he my dear brethren that you are come in such great numbers and so easily into the Church none of you have suffered violence either in his Body or Goods And so far from suffering Torments that you have not heard talk of any I hear that other Bishops say the same Let this notorious falshood be compared with the Apology for the Persecution which this Prelate made in a Letter to one of his Friends that I read my self Writ and Signed by his own hand The Original whereof a certain Author proffered to shew him And it will be acknowledged that one may be very hard upon the Catholick Religion without committing so gross a contradiction But why should we stay so long upon the discovering the mystery of the Composition the Gentleman had done it himself without thinking of it Confessing that he weighed all his words and racked his Invention to cheat the simple At least this is what they that understand French will soon perceive in reading this period of his Advertisement In the mean time the Italian Version was mended very exactly and with as much care as a Subject of that importance deserved wherein one word turned ill might spoil all the Work Though one must be very dull to look upon these pious Cheats as a sincere dealing M. de Meaux was so fearful lest he might be thought to abolish some abuses and to labour to reform his own Church that he has lately given evident proofs of the hatred that he always bore the Protestants and which he thought fit to hide under an affected mildness until the Dragoon Mission It was in the History of Variations that he unmasked himself and shewed him what he was by the Injuries and Calumnies which he cast upon the Protestants and has given a Model of the manner how he deserves to be treated There were Three Months past when Dr. Burnet whom this Bishop attacked without any cause made
Ordination and that it belongs to the Bishop only to confer it and she allows the Distinction of Orders And tho' there is none under a Deacon because the Scripture makes mention of none yet she acknowledges that they are very antient Sixthly As for the Real Presence tho' Dr. Wake treats of it at length we will omit speaking of it until we come to the XII Article where there are many Books seen that concern this Subject Seventhly We receive says the English Expositor with equal Veneration all that comes from the Apostles let it be by Scripture or Tradition provided we be assured that they are the true Authors of the Doctrine or Practice attributed to them so that when we are shewn that a Tradition was received in all Ages and by all Churches then we are ready to receive it as having the Character of an Apostolical Institution So our Church does not reject Tradition but only the Tenets and Superperstitions which Rome pretends to justify after this way Eighthly And as for the Authority of the Vniversal Church of all Ages the English acknowledges 1. That they have received Scripture from their Hands and it is chiefly for this Authority that they look upon Solomon's Song to be Canonical and reject other Books Apocryphal which perhaps they would have received with as much ease These Books have our respect even before we know by reading whether they be worthy of the Spirit of God but this Reading confirms us in the respect which the Authority of the Church gives unto them as to the Holy Writings II. If there had been an Vniversal Tradition not contested that had come from the Apostles to us concerning the meaning of the Holy Books as concerning their number the Church of England would receive it also but she does not believe that a particular Church such as that of Rome should usurp this Priviledge nor that it ought to force others to follow the Interpretations which she gives of the Passages of Scripture III. When any Disputes arise concerning Faith the best way to appease them is to assemble a Council but it does not follow that such an Assembly can say as the Assembly of the Apostles at Ierusalem It seem'd good to the Holy Ghost and to us nor that it is Infallible or that it's Canons are not subject to Correction IV. Dr. Wake goes on and says When we say I believe in the Holy Catholick Church we do not only understand that Iesus Christ has planted a Christian Church which is to last to the end of the World but also that the Son of God will conserve either among the Christians or in the Vniversal Church Truth enough to denominate it such a Church that is he will never suffer that Truths requisite for Salvation should be unknown in any place So that tho' the Vniversal Church can err it does not follow that it can sink altogether nor become wholly erroneous because then it would cease to be but such a particular Church as that of Rome can err and fall into utter Apostacy And tho' the Fundamental Points be clearly contained in Scripture and that it is very hard that one Man alone should gain-say the Opinion of all the Church nevertheless if this Man was certainly convinced that his Opinion was grounded upon the undoubted Authority of the Word of God we would be so far being afraid to bear with him that we all agree that the most glorious Action that St. Athanasius ever did was that he alone maintained Christ's Divinity against the Pope the Councils and all the Church V. And so tho we acknowledge that God has subjected Christians to the Government of the Church for Peaces sake and to preserve Vnity and Order and that she has power to prescribe to her Children what Doctrines are and are not to be publickly taught in her Communion yet we believe that the Holy Scripture is the only Support of our Faith and the last and infallible Rule by which the Church and we are to govern our selves Ninthly That there are some that think that the Church of England makes the Fathers of the three First Ages Idols and equals them in Authority to the Holy Scripture But Mr. Wake will undeceive them for says he Tho' we have appealed to the Churches of the first Ages for new Proofs of the truth of our Doctrine it is not that we think that the Doctors of those times had more right to judge of our Faith than those had that followed them but it is because that after a serious examination we have found that as for what concerns the common Belief that is among us they have believed and practised the same things without adding other Opinions or Superstitions that destroy them wherein they have acted conformably to their and our Rule the Word of God notwithstanding it cannot be denyed but that they effectually fell into some wrong Opinions as that of the Millenaries and Infant Communion which are rejected by both Parties Tenthly Whether one may be saved in the Roman Church the English think that as she yet conserves the Fundamental Doctrines those that live in her Bosom with a disposition to learn and leave off their pernicious Errors and profess all the truth that they will discover may be saved thro' the grace of God and Faith in Jesus Christ and by a general Repentance that puts their Errors in the number of the Sins they do not know of But that ill use may not be made of this charitable Grant the Expositor limits it as followeth I. That it is harder to be saved in the Communion of this Church since the Reformation than it was before because its Errors were not so well known nor so solidly refuted which rendred the ignorance excusable II. That they that live among Protestants and in a Country wherein they may learn and make publick and open profession of the Truth are more condemnable than the other III. That Priests are yet more than Laicks In a word the Protestants hope that the good Men of the Roman Church will be saved but they have no assurance that they are to be saved Whereas they are assured That they will be saved that live Christian-like in their own Communion They do not know whether God will condemn Roman Catholicks for the Errors they professed taking them for truth but they are assured that the Crime of those that being convinced of Popish Superstitions leave the Protestants thro' motives of Interest and Ambition and maintain Tyrannical and Superstitious Tenets against their Consciences deserve no pardon Eleventhly As for Idolatry the Homilies of the Church of England accuse that of Rome as well as the English Doctors who lived under Edward the VI. and Queen Elizabeth The Catholicks object that the Learned of this Kingdom changed Opinion in the Reign of King Iames the First and begun to maintain that the Church of Rome was not Idolatrous but these Gentlemen are so unlucky in Proofs that of six Authors
Christ which according to Calvin descends not from Heaven The vertue of the Mind being sufficient to penetrate through all impediments and to surmount the distance of Places He cites several other places of Beza of Martyr and many English Doctors by which it appears that they did not believe the Body of Iesus Christ properly descended from Heaven into the Eucharist or is in divers places at the same time though they say we are nourished hereby through Faith but after an incomprehensible manner Yet it must be granted that if these Great Men understood nothing by nourishing our selves by the flesh of Iesus Christ but to believe that we are saved by his Sacrifice and to feed our selves with this hope or to receive his Spirit it was not necessary to tell us of a miraculous Union of our Spirits with the Body of Iesus Christ notwithstanding the distance of places the Spirit of God being every where and Faith having no relation to local distance there 's nothing in the Spiritual eating of the Body of Iesus Christ taken in the sense we have above-mentioned of Miraculous nor of Incomprehensible more than in other acts of Piety and other Graces which God gives unto us Whether we suppose this or any other method to expound the eating of the Body of Iesus Christ there would be no danger to the Reformation to say that these Learned Men have not had an Idea altogether distinct thereupon or that their Expressions are not exact Although it were granted that they mistook in some things it would not follow that the Romish Church could have justly rejected all their Doctrines or that Protestants are in the wrong by inviolably retaining their Sentiments as far as they are conformable to Holy Scripture and to abandon that wherein they might be deceived We do not make a profession of believing that those who err in one thing are deceived in all or of rejecting every thing they have said because they have not perceived the truth clearly enough in some things Thus all the Objections of this nature might be ruined without undertaking to defend indifferently all that the Reformers may have said seeing it 's agreed on that the Protestant Religion is not founded upon their Authority and that they might be mistaken in inconsiderable things without its being in danger But Dr. Wake thought not convenient to act in this manner He believes that the Reformed never changed their Opinions hereon and for the Divines of Edward and Elizabeth he maintains that they were perfectly of the same opinion which he proves by a passage of the History of the Reformation by Dr. Burnet In the Second Part which is wholly included in the 3d Chapter he answers first to what Mr. Walker affirms to have been allowed by Protestants and maintained against him that he hath not well understood the words of some of the Authors whom he cited that say very well that in Communicating Iesus Christ ought to be Adored but not as Corporally present under the Species of Bread and Wine As for Forbes and Marc-Antony de Dominis it is agreed on that the desire they had of reconciling Religions made them say too much Thorndyke speaks not less vigorously but upon a Hypothesis quite different from that of the Roman Church seeing he believed that the Bread is called the Body of Iesus Christ and the Wine his Blood because by the Consecration they are Hypostatically united to the Divinity of Iesus Christ as well as to his Natural Body It was spoken of in the First Part. To oppose to the Catholick Author Doctors of his own Party they say that Thomas Paludanus and Catharin maintains that it was an enormous Idolatry to Adore the Sacrament without believing Transubstantiation Thus although it is agreed on that if a Consecrated Host is truly Adorable one would not be guilty of Idolatry if one Adored one which should not be Consecrated thinking it once would be so It 's incredible that the Reformed Religion can receive so much prejudice hereby as the Authority of the Catholick Doctors who have been cited because the Reformed deny that a Host can be Adored whether it be Consecrated or not As to the Grounds of this Subject he sends us in his Preface to a Book Entituled A Discourse concerning the Adoration of the Host Printed at London 1685. In the Second place The Catholick Doctrine is briefly examined but as there is none who hath not read divers Treatises upon this Subject we shall insist no longer upon it ORIGINES BRITANNICAE Or the Antiquities of the British Churches with a Preface concerning some pretended Antiquities relating to Britain in vindication of the Bishop of St. Asaph by Dr. Stillingfleet London 1685 in Fol. p. 364. WE should speak of the Preface of this Work wherein the Author refutes the Opinion of the Scots concerning the Antiquity of their Kings if there had not been an Extract made of a Book wherein it is already done and the Principal reasons related with much fidelity It shall suffice to say in general that our Prelate in it defends the Bishop of St. Asaph who in his Relation of the Antient Ecclesiastical Government in Great Britain and in Ireland hath shewn 1. That the Scots could not be in Great Britain so soon as they say 2. That the Historians from whom this is maintain'd are not of sufficient validity for one to rely upon As the Scots may be pardoned the zeal they have for their Country their Neighbours likewise may be suffered to endeavor the refuting them if it be necessary It 's a contestation which as Dr. Stillingfleet observes will not be decided neither by a Combat nor a Process and which hath no influence in matters of Religion or State That which concerns the Antiquities of the British Churches is more considerable by the connection which this matter hath with the important Controversies as it will appear hereafter This nevertheless is but the Proof of a greater Work where the Author endeavors to clear the most important difficulties of Ecclesiastical History Judging that to Write a compleat Ecclesiastical History is a design too great for one Man to accomplish he hath only undertaken to clear some parts thereof and thought he was obliged to begin with that which concerns the Antiquities of the Church whereof he is a Member This Book is divided into Five great Chapters the Abridgment of which you have here 1. It hath been believed for a long time in England that the Gospel was Preached here in Tyberius's Reign But if the short time be considered betwixt the Resurrection of our Lord and the death of this Emperor and that 't is thought during a long while the Apostles Preached the Gospel only to the Iews it will be hard to suppose that in this little distance persons came from Iudea into Britain to Preach the Gospel Some of the Learned of the Church of Rome have by the same Reason refuted the Fabulous Tradition which
rest of the People till they were visited by the Priests and declared Lepers And this Inspection was neither made upon the Sabbath nor Holy-day that Devotion and Publick Rejoycings might not be hindered It is not likely that People should tarry so long a time to separate the Pestiferous 4. The Gentiles who were not Proselytes and who lived in Canaan were not obliged to shew themselves to the Priests though they were Leprous and yet they were not hindered to converse with all the World 5. Those who were suspected to be Lepers were shut up in the Field or even in the Town and there were only those who were judged Lepers that were obliged to go out which if they recovered were not suffered to enter till after many washings and other Ceremonies which they were to observe 6. According to the Judgment which the Priest pronounced a Man was looked upon to be clean or unclean and so he was conversed with or his company shunned But it is not likely that this Sentence rendered a Man more or less Contagious 7. The general Leprosie which covered the whole Body did not render a Man unclean because they were declared clean who had all their Body covered with White Leprosie and in whom there was not a bit of Live flesh to be seen Naaman the Leper had several to serve him and he himself was Minister to the King of Assyria which could not be if his Distemper was Contagious Also the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tame which is spoken of polluted and unclean People marks only a legal impurity and is not applyed to them who are Infected with a Contagion The Heptades are followed by a small Treatise entituled Sciagraphia Biblica seu specimen Oeconomiae Patriarcharum It is as it were a Historical Abridgment of Divinity disposed according to the order that is contained in Holy Writ This Treatise is not ended because it begins at the Creation and ends at the Punishment of Sodom The Letters of Mr. Alting are one of the most considerable Pieces of this Volume being all full of Moderation and Learning In the Second he proposes some difficulties to Mr. Wetstein Professor at Basil who said in one of his Dissertations that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were Synonyms in St. Iohn The Author on the contrary will have the terms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shew not only That the Word was in the beginning of all things but supposeth also that he was in being before whereas the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shew that this word is destined to the Office of Mediator which was done since or at the beginning God having Promised the Messia who was to bring Life to Men and that immediately after the first Sin In the Third Letter which is Written to Buxtorf the Son Mr. Alting to shew that the Sabbath was a Ceremonial Institution which Figured Iesus Christ and the Gospel thus Translates a passage in Isaiah 58.13 If thou call the Sabbath a delight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Likdosâ—h Iehova mecubbad the Holy of the Lord. He pretends that this Holy of the Lord is the Messia who is called the Holy One of God Mark 1.24 Luke 4.34 And that the Father hath sanctified and sent him into the World John 10.36 The Author Answers in the 4 5 and 6th Letters some difficulties which were made upon the Explication of this passage and upon Iob 11.7 In the Ninth is sought the Origine of this Phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basar vedam Flesh and Blood which is common in the Rabbins and Writings of the new Testament The Author believes that the Iews did not begin to make use of it until after the Prophets times when Philosophy began to be brought in amongst them They saw some Pagan Philosophers define a man a compound of Body and Soul and searching in their own Tongue for familiar Terms which would answer this Definition they added to the word Basar Flesh by which the Scripture commonly marks Man that of Dam Blood Besides the passages of Genesis 9. and Levit 17. where it is said That the Blood is the Soul of Beasts there are many others by which it appears that the Soul and Blood are Synonymous with the sacred Writers so they say in some places the Messia has given his Blood and in other places he has given his Soul to ransom many There is in the 16.50 a Judgment which deserves our observation but to know the importance of it we must know the dispute upon which it was delivered about the end of the Year 1655. There arose a dispute amongst the Mennonite Ministers of Amsterdam about the external State of the present Christian Church from Conferences they came to Writings whereof there were several Copies soon made and as soon printed The first which appeared upon this Subject was signed by Gallenus and David Spruit who put it into the hands of their Brethren The 11 th of Ianuary 1657. it was digested in Nineteen Articles wherein these two Ministers expounded their Opinion touching the Church which is to this purpose 1. That there is but one Church which is called the Spouse and Body of Iesus Christ and that it was to that alone that the promises of Iesus Christ were made 2. That Iesus Christ has established in this Church Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and Doctors and hath given them the Gifts of the Holy Ghost which guide them infallibly so that they and their Hearers might be assured they did not err 3. That not only the Apostles but even the inferiour Ministers of the Apostolical Church and even the Deans and Antients after receiving the imposition of hands were endowed with miraculous Gifts which were necessary for the Exercise of their Charge 4. That so the first Ministers had a Right to call themselves Embassadors of Iesus Christ and that the People were obliged to receive them in that Quality 5. That the Church should fall into an entire Apostacy that this Prediction should be accomplished soon after the Death of the Apostles seeing that from the time of St. Paul and St. Iohn the mystery of Iniquity began to increase since there were already several Antichrists One must have but a small insight of Ecclesiastical History to know that the Zeal of Christians cooled a little after and that they fell from a Remissness into a corruption of Manners from a corruption of Manners into that of Doctrine and that instead of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost there was nothing seen to Reign in the Church but the Spirit of Superstition of Tyranny over Consciences of Schism and Excommunication 6. That those who undertook in these late Ages to reform the Church had neither miraculous Gifts nor an Express not extraordinary Vocation from Iesus Christ. 7. That to prove that the Assemblies which were held are the true Church they have only some Arguments drawn from passages of Scripture explained according to the weak Lights of their own reason or
Bread that the same Body of Iesus Christ which had been stretched upon the Cross was upon the Altar and his not appearing to be there Do you think that I stood to tell them all that in all Bodies there are small Entities vulgarly called Accidents and that amongst these Entities there is principally one called Quantity which extends the Body without being always extended it self of the Body or the Essence of the Body or the Moods of the Body and that God in the Eucharist depriving the Body of Iesus Christ of this Entity made it to stay without Extention Do you think I say that I went to tell them all this fine Discourse Truly I was far from it I should have embraced them again and even as they have a very subtil Wit more fit for Sciences than we when they are minded to apply themselves thereunto it may be I should have given them a distast I was satisfied to tell them simply and in three Words That God who had made that World of nothing could as well make that a Body should appear where there was none and that there should appear no Body where there was one He adds that these good People went away with this more contented and more submissive than if the Thing had been expounded to them after the ordinary manner He is not only contented to defend himself he besides attacks the Cartesians upon the infinity of the World the Soul of Beasts the cause of Motion and Free-Will c. The fourth Piece is the Work of a Cartesian against the same Mr. de la Ville and in favour of the excellent Philosopher who hath made the Disquisition of Truth Mr. de la Ville had witnessed some particular Spleen against him and had by the by attackt his Exposition of Original Sin He is answered and accused of relating the passage fasly After that he is told that the Counsels have not decided all the particular Tenets that the Philosophers of Schools have advanced to expound the Mysteries of the Eucharist and that one may be a very good Catholick without adopting all these Tenets That also it is not apparent that the Bishop of Condom spoke thereof in exposing the Doctrin of the Church It is maintained against him that these Tenets were unknown to the Ancient Fathers and consequently that Tradition and Reason are for those who are called Cartesians There is added a Memorial to expound the possibility of Transubstantiation It deserves to be read for it is a different manner of explication to all those which have been seen hitherto After these four Pieces in French comes a Dissertation in Latin Composed by a Protestant against the same Mr. de la Ville The Protestant is so wife as to intrude into the dispute which the Catholicks have amongst themselves upon the Tenet of the Real presence He lets them go on he supposeth that his mediation would displease both of 'em and that it would be thought he rather endeavoured to put the evil forward than allay it He is content to examin that place of the Book of Mr. de la Ville where this Author endeavours to prove by natural Reasons that the Extent is not of the Essence of the Body and because Mr. de la Ville to bring this about only weakeneth as much as he can the Reasons by which Cherselier Rohault and the Author of the Disquisition of the Truth have maintained that the Extent is the Essence of the Matter The Protestant is contented to Restablish the Reasons of these Gentlemen in all their strength in ruining all the Exceptions and all the subtility of Mr. de la Ville He applieth himself chiefly to shew that the penetration of Matter is impossible The Printer hath added to this Dissertation some Theses of Philosophy which come from the same Hand and where it is maintained amongst other things that Place Motion and Time have not as yet been defined but after an unexplicable manner It is also remarked that the Reflection of Bodies must needs proceed from their Elastick Vertue being Motion is Divisible to Infinity and that by Reason of this Divisibility any fixt Body cannot hinder that which is in Motion to continue in its Motion in a right Line Mr. Descartes had not taken care of this Lastly at the end of this Collection are the Meditations upon Metaphysicks which appeared in 1678. Under the name of William Wanduis In this is the quintessence of the Cartesian Metaphysicks and all the best things which are in the Meditations of Mr. Descartes It even appears to be much better digested in it more short and pertinent than in that of Mr. Descartes and that he is surpassed in it The French Author of the Learned Mercury of the Month of February speaks of these Meditations of William Wanduis and refutes some places thereof but his Remarks tho good in his System have no very great strength when they are used against the Principles of the Author of the Meditations Of the Agreement of Specifick Remedies with the Corpuscular Philosophy To which is added A Dissertation about the various usefulness of Simple Medicaments By Robert Boyle Esq Fellow of the Royal Society WHEN the Ancient Philosophers were asked the Reason of any Natural Effect their Custom was always to have recourse to certain occult Qualities whereof they had no Idea at all It was but in this latter Age that People began to Discourse according to the Rules of Geometry and to explain by Properties by which we clearly conceive the different Effects of Bodies the most universal Properties of Body and Extension Figure and Motion And whereas Bodies do not always act by their whole Bulk but sometimes by their insensible Particles it is necessary to speak of the Figure and Motion of these Particles There have been an infinite number of Conjectures made upon these little Bodies and some have made it their endeavour to draw hence Consequences not only for Natural and Experimental Philosophy but also for Medicine As for Example when some were satisfied that the mass of Blood was in a disposition that disagreed with its Nature they thought that particle of a certain Shape and Figure should be made use of to bring this Blood back to its due and natural Temper And there were some that believ'd that universal Remedies might be found out which would produce this Effect let the Distemper be what it would and so have insensibly fallen into an Opinion That what is said commonly of Specificks is but meer Fancy and an effect of our own Brain 1. Mr. Boyle intends to shew in the first of these two short Dissertations That the common Opinion concerning Specificks is not at all incompatible or inconsistent with the Modern Philosopher's Thoughts of the Operation of the insensible Particles of Bodies To avoid Obscurity and Equivocation Mr. Boyle takes notice from the very beginning That three kind of Remedies may be termed Specificks 1. Such as may serve for the Cure
little the better for the very places of Scripture we most frequently alledge because they most commonly respect the Masoretick Bible which we have not room to explain to those who know nothing of these things If therefore such Subjects are fit for Divines to understand then must the Knowledge of the Rabbinical Writings be so likewise 'T is peculiarly incumbent on the Ministry by their Office to defend the Doctrines they teach by the Scriptures But if they are unable to defend the Scriptures the only Evidence and Proof of their Doctrines the Christian Religion with the Doctrines thereof must fall to the ground And yet this Position That the present Hebrew Bible and Greek Testament in the Words Letters Points Vowels and Accents we now enjoy is the same uncorrupted Word of God which was delivered of old by the holy Pen-men of it to the Church This we say cannot well be defended against all Opposers without the Rabbinical Knowledge we speak of And so much for the need of this Knowledge We shall only give some Directions about this Study First He must well understand the Hebrew Bible in the first place who would know the Rabbins before he look after them And for this if he hath no Latin he must get William Robertson's First and Second Gate to the Holy Tongue His Key to the Bible Iessey's English Greek Lexicon c. But we suppose most have the Latine Tongue and such have Grammars and Lexicons enough as Buxtorf's Epitome his Thesaurus His Lexicon And many other Authors especially Bythner's Lyra Prophetica in Psalmos Leusden's Compendium Biblicum Arius Montanus his Interlineary Bible c. Let him read the Hebrew Bible much And then for the Rabbins take this brief Account and Direction The ancient Chaldee Paraphrasts are most of them translated and thereby easie to learn The ancient Cabalistical Writings as the Zohar Bahir c. are both most difficult and least useful Their Oral Law or Traditions were collected after the Destruction of the Temple A.D. 150. by Rabbi Iudah the Holy as they call him This they preferr before the Scripture and suppose it was Orally delivered by Moses to Israel and unlawful to be written but when Ierusalem was destroyed they were constrained to write it lest it should be lost but yet 't was so written as that none but themselves might understand it This Book is called Mishnaioth comprizing all their Religion with the Bible 'T is divided into Two Parts each Part into Three Seders or Books each Seder into many Masecats or Tracts each Masecat into Chapters and Verses A brief Account of the Contents of the Mishna and all the Parts of it is given by Martinus Raimundus in his Prooemium to his Pugio Fidei a very Learned and Useful Book which also gives an Account of the Tosaphot the Gemara and the Commenâ—â—ries thereon which compleat the Talmuds both that of Ierusalem A.D. 230. and that of Babylon Five hundred Years after Christ which Gemara is but a Comment and Dispute on the Mishna which is the Text of the Talmud There are several Masecats or Tracts of the Mishna translated as the Nine first Masecats viz. Beracoth c. So also Masecat Middoth by Le Empereur Sanhedrin and Maccoth by Cock Megillath by Otho Codex Ioma and others But as the very Learned Ludivicus de Campeigne du Veil observes He that would know the Mishna must learn Maimonides This Moses Maimonides Physician to the King of Egypt about Five hundred Years ago wrote his Iad Chaseka or Mishna Torah wherein he hath comprized the Substance of the Mishna and Talmud in a pure pleasant plain and easie style if compared with the Mishna and Talmud and yet he that has read him may with ease and pleasure understand all the Mishna And then for the Talmud There is Clavis Talmudica Cock's Excerpta c. This Maimonides of whom the Jews say from Moses the Law-giver to Moses Maimonides there was never another Moses like this Moses Several of his Tracts are translated also as Iesudee Hatorah the First Masecat of all and Deoth Aboda Zara the 1 st entituled De Fundamentis Legis 2. Canones Ethicae 3. Idololatria 4. De Iure Pauperis 5. De Poenitentia c. But most are translated by the excellent Ludivicus de Campeigne du Veil as De Sacrificiis one of the fourteen Books which he hath divided this Work into and De Cultu Divino another of the fourteen Books comprizing several Tracts Also his Tracts about Vnleavened Bread about the Passover about a Fast c. As to other Rabbins several are translated as Cosri c. and that on various Subjects as Logick by R. Simeon Physick by Aben Tibbon with Maimonides's Epistle against Iudiciary Astrology So of Arithmetick and Intercalating the Month by Munster and that of Maimonides by Duveil with many other Books as Ietsirah Bachinath Olam c. And of History as Seder Olam Zutha and Seder Olam Rabba Tsemach David c. And as to Rabbinical Commentaries the best and chief are R. Sal. Iarchi or Isaac R. Aben Ezra R. David Kimchi all these upon the Proverbs are translated by Antony Giggeius upon several minor Prophets by Mercer viz. on Hosea Ioel Amos c. on Ioel and Iona by Leusden as also a Masecat on the Misbna called Pirke Abbot Kimchi on the Psalms is likewise translated These Rabbins lived about Five hundred Years ago and do excellently explain the Text where Grammar and Jewish History are necessary But several of the above-mentioned Books being scarce we shall be ready to Translate and Print in two Colums the one Hebrew the other English either any Masecat of the Mishna or any Hilcoth or Tract of Maimonides or the Commentaries of the Rabbins on any part of the Bible if our Bookseller receive Encouragement which with Buxtorf's Great Lexicon Talmudicum and his Book de Abbreviaturis would no doubt enable one that hath read the Hebrew Bible to understand the Rabbins Which is all the Direction we have room to give here and therefore conclude with our hearty Wishes That our Young Students may be mighty in the Scriptures Acts 18.24 2 Tim. 3.15 16. and thereby they will by the Grace of God become Able Divines according to the Old Proverb Bonus Textuarius Bonus Theologus The PROEM Containing the Cause Occasion and Method of the ensuing Debate IN this Introduction we shall take notice of Three things wherein are contained the Cause and Occasion of the following Discourse with the Method of proceeding therein 1. The Weight and Moment of the Subject in Controversie 2. The many Circumstances that render its Consideration at this time necessary and seasonable 3. The Method and Order of manageing the same First As to the Weight and Moment of the Matter in Controversie it is small in quantity about no more than a Point or Tittle but great in quality about no less a Cause than the Keeping or Rejecting of the Bible For 1 st The Old
not Hebrew And as to the Opinion of many Modern Divines both Papist and Protestant about the Novelty of the Points there is no cause to wonder at it For 1. For the Papists 't is their great Interest to have the Bible rendred unmeet to be a perfect Rule of Faith that some necessity thereby might be supposed for the Infallibility of their Pope and 't is no marvel if they embrace this Advantage And as to Protestants 't is known the Authority of Elias the Great if not Only Master of the Hebrew Tongue of their time was very greatly esteemed among them And how easie is it for so great a Master to instill his own Notions into the Minds of those that depend upon his Instruction He lived with Paulus Eligius for some time and when some few Eminent Men among the Christians are at first infected with such an Opinion not at first it may be well considering the Consequences that do attend it jow readily do Others who esteem them for Leaders in that kind of Learning follow them without duly examining the Merits of the Cause as is the practice of most Scholars that do not penetrate very far into a particular part of Learning to embrace the common Notions about it without examining of the them But moreover whilst these very Divines themselves together with all Christian States Nations and Churches do follow the Hebrew Bible as it is at present Pointed and publickly embrace those Translations of the Bible into the Vulgar Tongue of each Nation as are taken either from the Original Hebrew Bible as it is Pointed or from those Translations that are so translated or pretended so to be which is the present state of Affairs throughout Christendom We have an ample full and sufficient Testimony of all Christian States Churches and People Learned and Unlearned for the Antiquity and Divine Authority of the Points For though some Protestant Divines deny the Antiquity of the Shapes they all own the Divine Authority of the Sounds of the Points and thereby follow the Punctation But the generality of Protestants own the Antiquity of the Shapes as well as the Sounds of the Points And that this is the publick professed Opinion of all or most of the Protestant Universities Colledges Doctors of Divinity and Professors of the Hebrew Tongue in most of the Protestant States and Churches beyond Sea is proved by a large Collection of their several Suffrages and Judgments about the Antiquity of the Points lately delivered and Printed by Matthias Wasmuth in the end of his Treatise entituled Vindiciae Hebraeae Scripterae c. adversus Impia Imperita multorum prejudicia imprimis contra Capelli Vossii F. Waltoni Autoris Operis Anglicani Polyglotton Assertiones falsissimas pariter as pernitiosas So that we have herein the full and ample Testimony of the Christian States and Churches of all Ages and Places as well as of all the Jews for the Antiquity of the Points § 3. Now the strength of this Argument lyes in this That the Hebrew Bible as it is Pointed is become the peaceable Possession Treasure and Inheritance of the Church and People of God by Prescription It hath always in all Ages been enjoyed and under the Conduct and Guidance of it they have safely arrived at Glory when all others wandered in darkness who have been totally without it or some Translations taken from it or from those that were so taken as is the LXX the Syriack Vulgar Latine and all others only some more and some less truly and exactly Hereupon we have sufficient ground to acquiesce in it and all that can be desired of us is That when any accuse it of being a Novelty we fairly examine what Evidence they can produce to prove their Charge This we have done at large in the FIRST PART and shewed the Accusations and Charges brought in against the Antiquity of the Points are all False altogether Improbable in every respect and on several accounts Impossible That all the Evidence is totally silent in what it is brought to testifie and witnesseth to the quite contrary of what 't is brought to prove declaring the Antiquity instead of the Novelty of the Points So that hereby the Antiquity of the Points appears with the greater lustre having passed the Fire of Tryal and Examination Nay Dr. Walton himself confesseth Considerator Considered pag. 208. the Text was generally so read by the Christian Church as it is now as appears both by the Hebrew Copies among them and by the Comments and Expositions and Translations of the ancient Writers of the Church And indeed our Debate is not with any Protestants about the Divine Authority of the Punctation directly for they universally own it even those who suppose that the Shapes of the Points were first invented by the Masorites of Tiberias A. D. 500. The Hebrew Bible as it is Pointed is enjoyed and owned by all Jews universally even Elias Levita himself and by all Christians too a few Papists only excepted to be the only Standard whereby all Translations and Doctrins are to be tried unless what Capellus and Vossius hold to the contrary And we have already proved in the Prooemium and in Chap. 8. of the First Part and elsewhere That the Opinion of those who suppose the Shapes of the Points to be first invented A. D. 500. by the Masorites is utterly inconsistent with their own Opinion of the Antiquity and Divine Authority of the Sound and Force of the Points it being impossible to preserve the true Sound until that time without the Shapes of them So that we must either reject the Punctation and then we have neither Standard nor Bible left us or else we must own the Antiquity of the Shapes as well as the Sounds of the Points Vowels and Accents as all the Jews and the generality of Christians acknowledge And so much for the Testimony of Jews and Christians for the Antiquity of the Points together with Answers to the several Objections that are made thereunto The Second Part of the Second Part of this Discourse WHEREIN The Reasons of Jews and Christians for the Antiquity of the Points are Stated and the Objections against them Answered CHAP. IV. §. 1. The First Reason for the Antiquity of the Points stated and maintained That the Vowels are oft expressed in the Bible by the Punctation only and yet are so essential to Speech that all Languages are constrained to express them in one shape or other §. 2. The Objection That the Bible may be read without Points because the Rabbininical Commentaries the Mishna the Talmuds and the Oriental Tongues may be so read and the Greek without Accents Answered The Bible oft expresseth the Vowels only by the Points which the Rabbins and other Tongues express by the Vowel Letters §. 3. As is evinced by several Instances §. 4. And the Argument thereby proved § 1. WE proceed in the next place to Artificial Arguments or Reasons And these are of Two
Latin we might justly apply to him the words of Cato Utican on the Subject of Posthumius Albinus who being a Roman would nevertheless write in Greek and yet excused the badness of his Stile saying He did not well understand the Greek Tongue He had rather says this grave Senator beg Pardon for his Fault than not to commit it He has also Expressions so proper to the Greek Tongue that they could not have slipt from an Author that had writ in Latin had he been never so little versed in the Tongue for Example this Author translates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Qui sunt ciro◠Ptolomaeum instead of saying barely Ptolomaeus or Ptolomaei Discipuli he also makes an Adjective of the proper Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he translates Clarus Mr. Dodwell goes much further and maintains that this Latin Version is so far from being the Original or made by St. Irenaeus as some have believed that it appeared not until a long time after the Death of this Father since Tertullian quotes this Work always in other terms though he writ thirty Years after The first that produced formal Testimonies was St. Augustin in his Books against Iulian. What is most strange is that it seems this Father did not know that St. Irenaeus writ in Greek this Version then must be made in the time that passed between St. Augustin and Tertullian and whereas St. Ierom makes no mention of it in his Catalogue composed the Year of our Saviour CCCLXXX and the Fourteenth of Theodosius it must needs be made between the Year CCCLXXXV and the time which St. Augustin speaks of Our Author thinks it is the Work of some French or Spaniard that was very ignorant in the Latin who undertook this Version upon the account of the Priscillianists who renew'd the Errors of the Gnosticks which St. Irenaeus had disputed against This Version was the occasion of a very singular Action which was that after the Heresies were smothered this Version was so rough and full of strange Matter that it was quite despised so that Gregory the Great could not find one simple Copy of it after an exact Search which he caused to be made and that none of the ancient Schoolmen speak of it But on the contrary the Greek Authors had several Copies of the Greek Original and there are Fragments of it in all Places And nevertheless now this excellent Greek is lost and the World is full of the bad Latin Translation the Fate of Books very often is like that of Fountains there are little Rivers that carry their Name into the very Sea and very considerable ones that lose themselves without any Name St. Irenaeus writ his Books both without Distinction or Arguments and his Translator or some other Authors have added what we see at this day IV. Our Author in his last Dissertation of the other Works of St. Irenaeus begins his Letter writ to Blastus and by the first to Florinus the first treated of Schism and the second of Monarchy Baronius thought that Florin's Errors oblig'd St. Irenaeus to write the Books against Heresies but Mr. Dodwell is not of his mind It is manifest that it is against the Valentinians that this Father intended these Works and Florinus taught a quite contrary Doctrin to that of these Hereticks for whereas these Hereticks establish'd two Principles the one good the other bad them Florinus made conformable to the Doctrin of the Church but he made that the Author of Good and Evil. As for Blastus he is acquitted of the Crime of Heresie whereof many Ancient and Modern accused him and it s believed he was but a Schismatick having done the Office of a Priest after he was deposed by his Bishop These two Letters were writ at the same time after his Work against the Hereticks according to our Author in the Year CLXXXII and the Third of Comodus and the Eighty fifth of Irenaeus Florinus did not stop at these Errors he soon fell into the Dreams of the Valentinians which obliged St. Irenaeus to write him a second Letter which he entituled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Eighth because it was writ against the Eighth des Eons de Valentinians Our Author believes that Irenaeus was above Eighty five years old when he writ it which was about the CLXXXII Year of Jesus Christ. Irenaeus writ also an Harangue against the Gentiles the Subject whereof was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Science It is known that Isocrates not having the necessary Talents for speaking publickly contented himself in writing several Orations with important Advise to them that ruled the People he was imitated by a great many others and the Christians themselves were assisted by this Custom to teach the Pagans the Truths of the Christian Religion and did not neglect to embellish their Orations with the vain Ornaments of the Sophists to move the Curiosity of the Readers whose Gust lay that way Such was then St. Irenaeus's Discourse of Science that it was addressed to the Greeks that is to say to all them that were not Christians for as the Christian Church succeeded that of the Iews and the Iews called all them Greeks that were not of their Religion so the Christians gave the same Name to all those that did not embrace their Opinions Mr. Dodwell believes that this Work was employ'd to refute the Opinion of some Philosophers who thought that by Study and Meditation one might raise himself beyond all that is sensible or material and to the perfect knowledge of God and of all Spiritual Beings and this by themselves that St. Irenaeus proved that Knowledge was reserved for the other Life and that we do not know in this but only by Faith St. Irenaeus writ another Work which he named the Demonstration of Preaching or of the Apostles Doctrin and dedicated it to one Mavejon to contradict several Writings that were father'd on the first Disciples of our Saviour and particularly the Sermons falsly attributed to St. Peter Mr. Dodwell says that the design of this Work was the same of that of the Prescriptions of Tertullian The Ancients speak yet of another Work of St. Irenaeus intituled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is according to St. Ierom's and Mr. Dodwell's Interpretations a Book containing divers Treatises our Author imploys a long Discourse to shew that St. Irenaeus had erected a School in his latter days and that he taught his Scholars what he himself had learned of the Apostles Disciples that is to say Apostolical Traditions and that this Work we speak of was a Collection of the Lessons that he made in that School It is pleasant to see the trouble Mr. Dodwell gives himself to establish this his Opinion and it is like he took it with pleasure because it tends to the general end he proposed to himself of reconciling the Traditions of the two first Ages of the Church with the Scripture What is very advantageous is that all these Enquiries include many
retake that Shield which by their Apostacy they lost that so they may be armed not against the Church which grieves at their Misery but against their Adversary the Devil a modest Petition a bashful Supplication a necessary Humility and an Industrious Patience will be advantageous to them let them express their Grief by their Tears and their Sorrow and Shame for their Crimes by their Groans Ep. 31. ap Cypr. Tertullian in a like manner describes one in this State by lying in Sackcloth and Ashes by having a squalid Body and a dejected Soul by Fasting Praying Weeping Groaning and roaring night and day by throwing himself at the Clergies feet and kneeling before the Faithful begging and desiring their Prayers and Pardon If the Criminals Repentance was thought real he was admitted to part of the Service but not to all for a long time some two three five ten Years and some even to their Lives end On the day appointed for Absolution â—he came cover'd with Sackcloth and Ashes throwing himself at the Feet of the Clergy and Laity and with Tears in his Eyes begging their Pardon and Forgiveness confest his Fault and received Absolution by the Bishops putting his hand upon his Head and blessing him and then he was looked upon as a true Church-Member again 8. In the Eighth Chap. he comes to shew the Independency that Churches had one of another as to Superiority or Preheminence which concludes very strongly against the Usurpations of the See of Rome he Cites the Decree of the African Synod Apud Cyp. Ep. 55. § 16. Pag. 142. That every ones Cause should be heard where the Crime was committed because that to every Pastor was committed a particular Portion of Christ's Flock which he was particularly to rule and govern and to render an Account thereof unto the Lord. Yet he shews there was such a Dependence and Correspondence betwixt one another Cypr. Ep. 67. § 6. Pag. 199. Although they were many Pastors yet they were but one Flock and they ought to congregate and cherish all the Sheep which Christ redeemed by his own Blood and Passion And a little after We ought all of us to take care of the Body of the whole Church whose Members are distended through various Provinces Apud Cypr. Ep. 30. § 4. Pag. 67. Our Auâ—hor treats next of Provincial Synods which he proves were a Convocation of Bishops Presbyters Deacons and deputed Laimen who often met to advise about Eccâ—esiastical Affairs and reguâ—ate what should appear amiss He shews that this Convocation was usually every Year Per singulos annos in unum Conveniamus Apud Cyprian Ep. 75. § 3. Pag. 23â— In these Assemblies they chose out of the gravest and most renowned Bishops two to be Arbitrators and Moderators Apud Euseb Lib 5. Cap. 23. Pag. â—90 The Decrees that they made were binding and who ever broke them came under the Ecclesiastick Censure 9. In the Ninth Chap. our Author treats of the Unity of the Church Here he shews that the Unity of the Church consisted not in an Uniformity of Rites and Usages but every Church was at its own liberty to follow its own particular Customs Iren. apud Euseb. Lib. 5. Cap. 24. P. 193. In some Churches they fasted one day in others two in some more and in others forty hours but yet they still retained Peace and Concord the diversity of their commending the Unity of their Faith And a little after the same Father They retained Peace and Love and for the diversity of such Customs none were ever cast out of the Communion of the Church Also Firmilius apud Cyprian Ep. 75. § 5. Pag. 237. That in most Provinces their Rites were varied according to the Diversities of Names and Places and that for this no one ever departed from the Peace and Unity of the Catholick Church 'T would be well if this Primitive Union was well considered on by such as keep up the Dissentions amongst us at this day they will certainly have a severe Account to make one day to the Prince of Peace nor will their Ignorance excuse them in not making a due distinction betwixt the Fundamentals of Religion and mere Circumstances Our Author proceeds to shew what condescentions there were amongst them from Iustin Martyr who speaking of those Jewish Converts who adhered to the Mosaical Rites says That if they did this only through their Weakness and Imbecillity and did not perswade other Christians to the observance of the same Iudaical Customs that he would receive them into Church-fellowship and Communion Dialog cum Tryphon Pag. 266. After this our Author shews how the whole Churches censur'd such as were Authors of Divisions about the different Observation of Easter Baptizing Hereticks c. and afterwards he brings in Irenaeus saying That at the last day Christ shall judge those who cause Schisms who are inhuman not having the fear of God but preferring their own advantage before the Unity of the Church who for trivial and slight Causes rend and divide the great and glorious Body of Christ and as much as in them lies destroy it who speak Peace but make War truly straining at a Gnat but swallowing a Camel Lib. 4. Cap. 62. Pag. 292. Here our Authors defines Schism according to the Primitive Fathers to be an unnecessary causeless Separation from their lawful Pastor or Parish Church So that who ever separates upon such a Ground is a Schismatick then he comes to lay down such measures as the Primitive Christians did make use of for Separation from their Bishop 1 Apostacy from the Faith 2 Or when a Bishop renounc'd the Christian Faith and through fear of Persecution embrac'd the Heathenish Idolatries as was done in the Case of Martialis and Basilides two Spanish Bishops 3 ly When the Bishops Life was scandalous and wicked he gives Instances of all of them yet he brings in Origen against this last Opinion his words are these Origen Hom. 7. in Ezek. He that hath a care of his Soul will not be scandaliz'd at my Faults who am his Bishop but considering my Doctrin and finding it agreeable to the Churches Faith from me indeed he will be averse but he will receive my Doctrin according to the Precept of the Lord which saith The Scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses his Chair whatever therefore they say unto you hear and do but according to their Work do not for they say and do not The Scripture is of me who teach what is good and do the contrary and sit upon the Chair of Moses as a Scribe or Pharisee the Precept is to thee O People if thou canst not accuse me of false Doctrin or Heretical Opinions but only beholdest my wicked and sinful Life but do those things which I speak After having mentioned this Father's Opinion he adds that whether Irenaeus or an African Synod or Origen deserves most Credit he leaves it to the Learned to judge but however our Author gives his own Opinion that they
and also brings some new Reasons to prove it but he denies that they were Esseans He will have them to be a sort of Jewish Philosophers who all applied themselves to Contemplation Reading of the Law and the Prophets and to Prayer He brings several Reasons thereof which may be seen in the Original Mr. Bruno undertakes in this Dissertation to refute Scaliger and Mr. Valois He maintains that the Contemplative Esseans who were near Alexandria were converted by St. Mark contrary to these two Learned Men and endeavors to shew that Mr. de Valois in particular was mistaken when he said that the Contemplatives were no◠Esseans As to this last Opinion we shall make no stay at it because it is particular to Mr. Valois and the Refutation can be read in Mr. Bruno in half a quarter of an hour He is of the Opinion that the Therapeutes of Philo were converted to Christianity 1. Because we find in the Lausiack History of Palladius a Description of a Place wherein the ancient Christian Monks of Alexandria kept themselves exactly like that which Philo gives of the Habitation of the Therapeutes and that there is no appearance that 200 Years after the time of Philo the Christian Monks could have driven the Jews from this Place seeing in that time the Iews were more powerful than they were in Egypt There is much more likelihood that St. Anthony and some other Solitaries of Thebes joined themselves to the Christians who before lived very austerely and introduced thereby the Rules for a Monastical Life a little time before Palladius lived 2. It being very certain that in the time of Iosephus there were three Sects amongst the Iews Pharisees Sadducees and Esseans and that these Sects were not immediately lost it 's very strange that from that time there should be no mention of the Esseans But the Wonder will cease according to Mr. Bruno if it be acknowledged that these Esseans embraced Christianity Scaliger following the Opinion of this Author proved that the Esseans remaining Esseans viz. Iews could not be Christians but hath not proved that they were not become so by abandoning Judaism He speaks more largely in the Refutation of Mr. de Valois This Learned Man said particularly that Philo observed that the Therapeutes had Writings from some ancient Authors of their Sect who interpreted the Law after an Allegorical manner which did not agree with Christians who then had no Ancient Author of their Sect. Mr. Bruno answers to that that they might have been some old Jewish Authors who since the time of the Ptolomy had expounded the Law allegorically and had thus rendred the Iews more proper to receive the Gospel than if they were kept only to the Letter of the Law Such were Eleazar and Aristobulus whereof Eusebius speaks in his Evangelical Preparation Book 8. c. 9. It may be that St. Mark sent the Essean Converts to these Books to convince themselves of the Truth of the Gospel by seeing the Law was expounded therein after a manner conformable to what he told them Mr. Bruno believes even that it was these Books that Jesus Christ had respect two when he said to the Iews Search the Scriptures they are they which speak of me Because to take Prophecies according to to the Letter of the Word it would not be easie to form a clear Idea of the Messia It was necessary that the Christians should be satisfied at that time with the Books of the ancient Iews seeing that under the Emperor Claudius the Books of the New Testament were not as yet published We shall say no more concerning the Dissertation of Mr. Bruno it is so short that those who have a mind to examin his Opinion may read it in less than an hour 3. Mr. Colomie added to the end of this Volume a Collection of Fifty five Letters of divers Learned Men both of the past and present Age there are several which never were Printed and it is certain that those which have already appeared either are more correct in this Edition or such as were become so scarce that it was not easie to meet with them There is no Question treated on in these Letters but some Events of the Times are spoken of in which they were written or some Circumstance about the Life of these great Men or other Places which will divert those who love to be instructed in the least things which concern Manners or the Genius of those whom their Knowledge or their Employments have rendred Illustrious There is for Example a small Address of Father du Moulin in the Fifteenth Letter to Lancelot Andrews Bishop of Winton Father du Moulin writing to this Bishop calls Episcopacy a thing received since the Age which followed that of the Apostles Rem à saeculo Apostolis proximo receptam but as the Bishop reproached him with it he immediately writ à saeculo Apostolorum from the Age of the Apostles After that he blotted out the word Apostolorum and substituted those of Apostolis proximo yet so that what he writ at first might be read The Bishop suspects him to have made this Correction in favour of those who inclin'd to the Opinion of the Presbyterians and of having but half blotted the word which he at first writ to make People suspect that he was not a zealous Presbyterian seeing this word slipt from him before he was aware For the Letter otherwise is so short that it was easie to transcribe it which he undoubtedly had done to a Person of the quality of Bishop Andrews if he had not the design we observed All these Letters are short and there are a great number which were written by English men Amongst others the XLII Letter which is directed to Mr. Anthony de Dominis It 's Ioseph Hall who writes to him and testifies that he is very much scandalized through the Reports which ran then concerning this Arch-Bishop and which were found to be true afterwards It is that he would not quit England but to return into the Bosom of the Roman Church This Letter is very fine and worthy to be read although it had then no effect Some others will be found which are not less curious as the LI tho it treats ill enough of St. Augustin under the name of Traducianus A New Bibliothique of Ecclesiastical Authors Containing the History of their Lives the Catalogue Crisis and Chronology of their Works the sum of what they contain a Iudgment upon their Style and Doctrin with an Enumeration of the different Editions of their Works By Mr. Ellis Du Pin Doctor of the Faculty at Paris and Royal Professor in Philophy Tome Second of the Authors of the Fourth Age of the Church Octavo at Paris 1687. Pag. 1060. THE Design and Method of Mr. du Pin in this new Bibliotheque of Ecclesiastick Authors is very largely treated on in his first Tome an Abstract of which is to be found towards the latter end of this Book which
Term Consubstantial when as they freely acknowledg'd the Divinity of the Son of God He approved not of the Disputes at that time upon the Subject of the Hypostasis because he look'd upon those that received Three into the Trinity and those that admitted but of one to be of the same Opinion and only to differ in the manner of Expressing St. Basil was not so moderate for accoding to his Opinion those were Sabellians that said the Father and Son were two in Thought and one in Substance The Demi-Arians or Homoiousians that was those that would not acknowledge that the Son was Consubstantial with the Father and that said nevertheless that he was like him in all things c. the same in Substance were no more Hereticks than those that maintan'd the Three Hypostases in the Judgment of St. Basil St. Hilary of Poictiers of Philaster and even of Saint Athanasius who confesses in his Book of the Synods that Basil of Ancyra and those of his Party differed from those who made a Profession of Consubstantiality as to the name only Some of these Demi Arians are placed in the number of Saints in divers Martyrologies as Euseb. of Caesarea and Euseb. of Emissa and Pope Liberius also being a Catholick receiv'd them into his Communion St. Hilary of Poictiers although a great Defender of the Nicene Faith was not free from Error for to Answer to the Objections that the Arians drew from such passages of Scripture as proved that Jesus Christ was subject to fear sorrow and grief he fell into such an Opinion as made the Humanity of our Saviour a Fantom he maintained that Jesus Christ sustained not really either Fear or Grief but that these Passions were only represented in him To explain what the Son of God says of himself That he was ignorant of the day of Iudgment Mark 13. He says it ought not to be understood in the Letter as if Jesus Christ had been effectively ignorant of this Day but in this Sense that he knew it not to discover it to Man He had an other very very particular Error that he advanced in the Twentieth Canon upon St. Matthew that Moses and Elias should come with Jesus Christ near the time of Iudgment and that they should be put to death by Antichrist contrary to the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews for he says that Jesus Christ being rais'd from death shall dye no more He was of the Opinion also that Predestination was subsequent to Merit and that the Divinity of Jesus Christ was separated from his Humanity in the time of his death As to the rest the Roman Catholicks which complain that some Protestant Refugees have spoken too freely of those that have deprived them of their Goods and reduced them to the utmost Misery may read what St. Hilary says of Constantius That neither he nor the Bishops of his time received the thousandth part of the evil Treatments that the Reformed have suffered Mr. du Pin thinks the Errors of Optatus of Milan small and pardonable although he believed that Hereticks ought to be Rebaptized and seems to give Free-Will the Power not only of willing and beginning a good Action but also of advancing in the way of Salvation without the Assistance of the Grace of Jesus Christ. He approves not however of the Allegorical manner whereby this Bishop explains many Passages of Scripture giving them a very distant sense from what they naturally have and applying them to such things as they have no Relation to This defect says our Author that might be suffered in a Sermon appears intolerable in a Treatise of Controversie where all the Proofs ought to be strong and convincing But Optatus had to do with Enemies that did the same and who abused Passages of Scripture to injure the Church and give Praises to their own Sect. After having complain'd of the loss of Apollinarius's Works the most Learned of all the Christians Authors in Humanity this Loss is attributed to his Errors or rather the Zeal of the Catholicks which have had such an Horror to the Books of Hereticks that they have not even preserv'd those that regarded not their Heresie and that might have been useful to the Church Wherefore continues du Pin we have almost no Books of the Ancient Hereticks remaining Many Men believe that the Disputes with the Heterodox have been the Cause of the Catholicks inventing Solutions which have afterwards pass'd into Opinions such is the Doctrin of the Infallibility of the Church which was not regarded till towards Luther's time Some in this Rank place Original Sin which begun in the Seventh Age to be more acknowledg'd than before according to Mr. du Pin. They speak also more of Grace than they did in the preceding Ages and notwithstanding much was always attributed to Free Will It 's surprising that Titus of Bostres whose Arguments are solid and subtil had not recourse in his Treatise against the Manicheans to Original Sin which he might have made use of as a general Solution to almost all their Difficulties For we may easily apprehend why Man is inclined to evil why he suffers why he is subject to hunger to grief sickness miseries and to death it self where once we have admitted Original Sin Neither doth this Author speak of the Grace of Iesus Christ and he seems to have supposed that Man can of himself as well do good as evil The Disciples of St. Augustin will not find Dydimuss of Alexandria much more Orthodox since he maintains that Predestination is nothing else but the Choice which God hath made of those that he foresaw would believe in Jesus Christ and would Act according to it He likewise believed with his Master Origen that the Incarnation of the Son of God was beneficial to Angels as well as to Men and that it took away the Guilt of their Transgressions As to the Sentiment of the Eternity of Spirits he speaks on 't without condemning or approving it In Truth it would be absurd and impious to fix Eternity to any other Being than God if by this word was understood an Absolute Eternity or Existence by it self but if we suppose that the Souls of Men were Spirits created a long time since which have offended God and which he sends into mortal Bodies there to do Penance for their Faults this Hypothesis perhaps would be instrumental to discover many Difficulties in Divinity which have hitherto appeared Unexplicable All the World hath heard of the Catechumens of the Ancient Church that few well know what they were 1. When an Infidel presented himself to be admitted into the number of Christians they begun to instruct him in private but he was not suffered to enter into the Church nor to assist at publick Exhortations 2. Afterward when he was believed to be well undeceived of his old Errors he was permitted to go to the Church but only to hear Sermons
Gregory of Nyssa in his Discourses against those that defer Baptism distinguisheth three sorts of Persons with Relation to the other Life The first Order is that of the Saints and Righteous which will be happy the second those that shall be neither happy nor unhappy and the third those that shall be punished for their Sins He puts in the second Rank those that cause themselves to be Baptized at the point of Death There is a Letter of this Father concerning Voyages made to Ierusalem where he diverts the Faithful from undergoing slightly these sort of Pilgrimages by reason of the Abuses that proceed from thence Some Catholicks have been willing to make it pass as Supposititious but Mr. du Pin believes it to be true Here Priscillian and his Disciples are placed in the Rank of Ecclesiastical Authors after St. Ierom who speaks thus of them Priscillian Bishop of Avila was put to death in the City of Treves by the Command of the Tyrant Maximus having been oppressed by the Faction of Itharius He hath written several Works whereof some are come to us Some accuse him this day of the Heresie of the Gnosticks of Basilide and Marcion But others defend him and maintain that he was not Guilty of the Errors that are imputed to him It 's true pursues Mr. du Pin that the same St. Ierom in his Letter to Ctesiphon speaks of Priscillian as of a notable Heretick which hath made Mr. du Quesnel believe that this place of the Ecclesiastical Writers was corrupted This Conjecture which is grounded upon the Authority of a Manuscript would be of Consequence if we knew not that St. Ierom hath often spoke differently of the same Man besides it 's apparently the manner that St. Ierom speaks in his Catalogue which placed Priscillian and Matronian his Disciple in some Martyrologies amongst the Holy Martyrs The second Letter of Pope Syricius furnisheth us with a fine Example Saith Mr. du Pin of the Ancient manner of the Holy Patriarchs Iudging He writes in it to the Church of Milan that having Assembled all his Clergy he had condemned Jovinian and all his Sectators by the advice of the Priests Deacons and the whole Clergy Baronius Bellarmin and some others pretend that part of the second Letter of St. Epiphanius is Supposititious because he there relates a History which is not favourable to the Worship of their Church Being entred saith this Bishop into a Church of a Village in Palestine call'd Anablatha and having found a Vail that hung at the Door which was Painted where there was an Image of Iesus Christ or some Saint for I do not remember whose it was but since against the Authority of Holy Scripture there was in the Church of Iesus Christ the Image of a Man I rent it and gave order to those that had the Care of this Church to bury a dead Body with this Vail Mr. du Pin after having proved that all this Letter is St. Epiphanius's adds That though it be true that there were placed in some Churches Pictures that represented the Histories of the Scriptures and the Actions of the Saints and Martyrs it cannot be said that this use was general and that it must be granted that St. Epiphanius hath disapproved it although without reason according to him for I believe continueth he that it would be contrary to the Candor and Sincerity that Religion demands of us to give another Sense to these words After the Extracts of the Writings of the Fathers are found those of the Councils held in the Fourth Age. The Canons of that which is called the Council of Elvira are an old Code or an ancient Collection of the Councils of Spain and it cannot be doubted but these Canons are of great Antiquity and very Authentick The XXXIV Canon and the XXXVI have given much Exercise to the Roman Catholick Divines The one forbiding to light Wax-Candles in the Church-yard because the Spirits of Saints must not be troubled and the other Paintings in Churches lest the Object of our Adorations should be painted on the Walls They have endeavoured to give several Expositions on these Passages but it seems to me saith Mr. du Pin that it is better to understand them simply and to allow that the Fathers of this Council have not approved the use of Images no more than of Wax-Candles lighted in open day But continueth he these things are of Discipline and may or may not be in use and do no Prejudice to the Faith of the Church The XXXV Canon prohibits Women to pass in the Night in Church-yards because often under pretence of Praying they in secret committed great Crimes The LX deprives such of the quality of Martyrs as are killed in pulling down Idols publickly because the Gospel commands it not nor is it read that it was practised by the Christians in the time of the Apostles The same Spirit of Parties which wrested the Canons of the Council of Elvira hath caused Men to doubt of the History of Paphnusius related by Socrates lib. 1. c. 9. This Egyptian Bishop opposed the new Law that was going to be made in the Council of Nice to oblige Bishops Priests and Deacons to keep unmarried and abstain from Women that they had espoused before their Ordination Although he himself had never been married he maintained that this Yoke was not to be imposed upon the Clergy and that it was to bring the Chastity of Women in danger I believe saith Mr. du Pin upon this speaking of the Roman Catholick Doctors that this doubt proceeds rather from the fear they are in that this act should do some hurt to the present Disciplin than of any solid proof But these Persons should consider that this Regulation is purely a Disciplin which the Disciplin of the Church may change according to the times and that to maintain it it is not necessary to prove it hath always been uniform in all places The Author shews that it was Osius Bishop of Cordova who presided in the Council of Nice and not the Legats of the Pope He only acknowledges for Authentick Monuments of this Council the Form of Faith the Letter to the Egyptians the Decree touching Easter and the two first Canons He consequently rejects as Supposititious pieces the Latin Letter of this Council to St. Sylvester the Answer of this Bishop and the Canons of a pretended Synod held at Rome for the Confirmation of that of Nice The Christians of that time who were not perfectly instructed by the holy Scripture in what they ought to believe touching the Mystery of the blessed Trinity were in great uncertainty for neither the Tradition nor Authority of the Church were then infallible marks of the Truth of a Tenet since the Ecclesiastical Assemblies that the most reasonable Catholicks make the Depositaries of these Traditions and Authority some time declare for the Arians some time for the Orthodox and another for a third
there are many things very remarkable as that the Cook of Corbie getting up at Midnight the Eve of St. Vitus the year 86 and opening the Larder Door it appear'd to him all of a light fire Cocta autem comestaque in festo paâ—roni carne quam ubi suspenderat Oeconomus splendor iste evanuit I Relate these words in Latin because I fear I could not Translate them well for I find no Syntax in them Upon this M. Paullini says That Bartholin and Aquapendente have made the same experience The Journal of the Learned informs us That on the 14th of Iune 83. at Orleans Meat has been seen at the Shambles to shine like phosphore The Conjecture of Bartholin is not altogether improbable that somewhat of the Glo-worms sticks to this Flesh and communicates this shining There is affirm'd in one of the French Novels of the foregoing Month That M. Lanzwerdo does not much credit such Generations as are called Equivocal that is to say where the Mother is of a different kind from that which engenders or is produced nevertheless one of these Fryars assures us that in the year 874. a Woman brought forth a Black Cat and that a Mare brought forth a Calf He adds That this Black Cat was burned because the Father of it was supposed to be of Devils M. Paullini makes mention of several such Generations and it may be concluded in general that the Text and Commentary thereon make a very curious Treatise There is likewise the History of a Dog that lived in the year 897. at Corbie which was of an Exemplary Devotion hearing the Mass very modestly and observed all the requisite Postures at the reading the Evangelists or when the Priest rais'd up the Host Besides this he kept Fasting Days with so much exactness that all imaginable Civility could not engage him to tast Flesh. If he had seen any Dogs piss against the Walls of the Church he went presently to bite them with great Zeal and if there were any that barked in the Yard during the Mass he would not fail to quit the place without disturbance to quiet them he never suffered any Dog to enter into the Church Father Iohn Eusebe of Nieremberg brings yet a more admirable Example of a Dog if the Crow of the Abby of Conrad were as wise as that Dog he had not felt an Excommunication that took away his Appetite and ordinary briskness the cause whereof was thus Conrad having a mind to wash his Hands took the Ring off his Finger and could not find it when he wanted it again he caus'd it to be sought for in every place without hearing of it so that he had issued out an Excommunication against whoever had stole his Ring the Crow that took it presently felt this stroke and confin'd himself within his Nest with a heavy heart this raised the Abbot's suspicion that it was he that had stole his Ring and in effect so it proved for it was at length found in his Nest upon which the Crow came to his first Condition as may be seen more at large in the Holy Recreations of Father Angelin Gazee A Work full of Pious Iests and Diversions for Devout Souls as the Sieur Rems remarks who has Translated them into French It may be truly said that there are more pleasing Accounts in this Book than in that of Bocace I do not know what to say to that which Fryar Isibord relates concerning a Cat of their House which hatch'd Ducks Eggs and took all possible care of the young ones to whom she communicated her Nature of warring against Rats But for what concerns the inability of the Ears of a certain young Girl the Abbot of Marolles has left no room to doubt of it being so confirmed by the Philosopher Cressot in the 32 page of his Memoirs She much resembled says he the Figures or Pictures of the Cynick Philosophers that are in the Closet of the Curious being as dirty as they with a long Beard and Hair uncombed she had a very particular thing which I never took notice of in any but in her which was to raise her Ears and to fould them at pleasure without touching them Father Messie in his 24th Chapter of his first Part makes mention of a Man which St. Augustin has seen not only to move his Ears at pleasure but also his Hair without any motion of Hand or Head This little Girl then is not so great a rarity as the Relation of a Woman who had 4 Breasts corresponding to each other before and behind equally full of Milk she lived in the Year 1164 and had thrice Twins who sucked her on both sides Nevertheless what we hinted at the Fryars of Corbie does not hinder but there have been very famous Men amongst 'em which may be seen in the Account that M. Paullini published at Ione intituled Theatrum illustrium virorum Corbeae Saxonicae Fasciculus Rerum Expetendarum Or a Collection of Things to be sought after and Things to be avoided Published at Cologne in the Year 1535. by Orthuinus Gratius Presbyter in Daventry for the Vse and Instruction of an Assembly then Conven'd freed from Innumerable Faults according to the best and choice Editions of those may Tractates which are contain'd therein by the Labour and Study of Edward Brown Minister Tom. 19th Sold at Amsterdam WHen Orthuinus Gratius alias Graes Publish'd this Work there was a Council call'd for a Reformation of the Church and the Catholick Princes did extreamly desire it from the Court of Rome yet it was doubted very much whether they shou'd obtain it Nevertheless the Collector of these Pieces believed he ought to publish 'em that in case the Assembly met they might draw thence some very necessary Instructions to satisfie such as were for a regulution of Abuses Wherefore he added it to his Title which was since a little changed in this new Edition Quod si futurum Concilium celebrari contigerit summopere tanquam cognitu necessaria ab optimis quibusque expostulabuntur All these Advertisements being unprofitable this Collection is become very scarce Whether it was endeavour'd to be suppress'd because it has been condemn'd by the Index's of many Books or that length of time only had produced this effect is uncertain However 't was this perswaded Mr. Brown to publish this Book anew though the Roman Church having not received those Truths it contain'd 't is not likely they shou'd be more welcome now than formerly also the World hath not seen this Collection because of the fewness of the Copies I will in brief give an account here of what it means It 's compos'd of 66 different pieces all which relate to some Abuses of the Roman Church either in the Doctrin or in the manner of the Clergy or some Scandalous Histories which this Church hath produc'd since the Popes have had a desire to usurp a Despotick Power over the Revenues and even the Consciences of the Christians or of pretended
made for Women against the Calumnies of Men By James Chausse Master of the Court-Rolls Printed at Paris sold by Samuel Parrier in the Pallace 1685. in Twelves and at Amsterdam by Peter Morteri I Have in the first Article of the last Month said that 100 Officious Writers might please themselves infinitely in imploying their Pens to the Glory of the Fair Sex He needs be no great Divine that says so and he must have but a little Memory and a very mean Knowledg of Books who without this Treatise is afraid of being deceived in judging as we do since so many have Written in favour of Women in all Countries and all Ages of the World We shall always find some who exercise themselves with pleasure upon this repeated Subject How many Books have we seen in favour of Women Those Written by Monks wou'd stock a Library even the Chief Magicians according to the Common Opinion have Written upon this Inviting Subject as appears by the Discourse of Agrippa De nobilitate praecellentia foeminei Sexus I know some have Writ against them but their number is inferiour to those who spoke in their Praise There are too many as well on the one side as the other but those who know how to Write being sensible of the trouble there is to keep the Mean more easily pardon the Extreams these Authors fall into 'T is very difficult to maintain Marriage without decrying Celebacy and speak for a single Life without bringing Marriage into Disgrace Therefore we ought to excuse those who cannot shun this Rock St. Ierom had so little power in this Affair that his Friends were forc'd to suppress some of his Books where under pretext of establishing Continency he entirely ruin'd the Doctrin of the Church concerning Marriage Some say that Mr. Chausse runs upon the different Rock when he says That Marriage is the only way to Paradise and 't is to rob himself of the greatest happiness and the most solid Blessings of this Life to forbear entring into the Matrimonial State But certainly when they only imputed these thoughts to him they forgot the Declaration which he made in these decisive Terms Nothing is better nor more excellent than Marriage except an absolute Continency There are some who indifferently regard the Disputes of these Authors and only divert themselves as if they saw different Persons acting a Comedy Yet there cannot be seen without some agreeable Sentiments two Books publish'd at Paris both at the same time each well arm'd with Approbation and Priviledge which maintains absolute Contraries upon the great Theme of Matrimony One of these Books is an Answer of Mr. Ferrand to his Apology for the Reformation the other is that of which we are going to speak Marriage is in it every where almost elevated to the highest point of perfection where Fidelity continues during this Life but in the other Book 't is to Virginity that this advantage is attributed and that in so violent a manner that if we follow'd the Maxims of the Author cited step by step we shou'd look upon Married Persons but as Vultures and Swine We ought certainly to remit something of each side and say that Celebacy and Marriage are speaking Morally in themselves neither good nor bad Those who remit nothing on the part of Marriage will immediately shew us how to prove the Excellency thereof by these three Reasons First Because it was God that Instituted Marriage in the Earthly Paradice during the State of Innocency Secondly There is nothing agrees better with Man than Marriage nor is more adapted to his Necessities Thirdly That Marriage is the most necessary thing in the World to maintain Society Wisdom and Chastity These three Proofs are clearly amplified these two Considerations annext First That Marriage is the most perfect Bond the sweetest and most beneficial of all humane Unions The Second That 't is the most legitimate and agreeable exercise and of the most absolute Authority in the World This he proves by most lively Descriptions and observes that this Union includes both Body and Souls that it represents the greatest Mysteries of Religion that 't is a Source of sweetness and infinite Consolations and which furnishes us with excellent Vertues as Patience Charity and a desire to improve our selves amongst the number of the Elect and Fellow-Citizens He adds that the Father of a Family is Master of a little State where he exercises the Function of a King Priest and Prophet It allows him a very lawful and priviledg'd satisfaction of that desire which rules in a Man He ends with this Consideration That in one sense nothing can be more excellent than Marriage since 't is an Universal Custom and the most general of all Societies in all times all places and all sorts of persons how different soever This seems to me a just Abridgment of the first part of the Work In the second is represented the Infamy of Incontinency considering three sorts of people that plunge themselves therein one by Inclination another by Habit and the last by both but with this difference that the first look upon Lasciviousness as their Sovereign good whereas the second continues there in spight of themselves being subjected to the force of Custom and Temper but the last look upon these Irregularities as an Innocent Gallantry The Author considers besides that four sorts of Importunities that of the Heart of the Eyes of the Mouth and that of the Hand he shews wherein they consist he proves 'em Criminal and gives the Reason why God hath so severely prohibited such things to Man as he was Naturally inclined to and why he tolerated Poligamy in the Ancient Patriarchs The Third Part contains the full End and chief Design of the Author for he writ this Book only to perswade the necessity of Marriage to a considerable Person whom he extreamly Honoured for his Merit and Family where in this place he displays all his force to represent to the life those Motives that ought to perswade People to Marry he immediately proposes this Principle there is nothing but Marriage that can naturally preserve Man from the guilt of unchastity and by consequence that 't is necessary for Salvation After that other Reasons seem Superfluouse Nevertheless the Author sticks not to this great Principle which he ought to make appear since he believes it is true but he brings many other Advantages with abundance of Truth he urges the unusefulness of Continency he says that the most Favourable Iudgments of the Wisest about a single life is that 't is a vertue neither good nor bad and that being without Action it is a kind of Vice He maintains that God made Two Sexes in Nature to shew they cannot subsist without being joyn'd together he sends us to learn of the Animals amongst which the Mutual love of Males for Females and Females for Males is common to every Individual after this he considers Men as Men in a State in a Family and in
Vicissitudes of all that past in them He likewise applies himself very particularly to the History of the Province of Holland and shews the Epoch of these Courts which is generally given He clears by the by several things concerning the History of other Nations that of the Low Countries and in particular that of the Franches and makes many learned Observations upon all the Dignities mentioned in his Title so that its a very useful Work The Church was always so embodyed in the World the Disorders of which he sheweth that the Author cannot get forward without falling foul on all sides so that the Reader may expect in this great Volume a long account of what concerns the Clergy He finds there Fryars and Canons of all Sects and Kinds Convents where the Religious and Religiouses lived together I do not say in the same Cell but under the same Roof and in the same Apartment The World Naturally detracting the Chastity of Cloisters hath given occasion to think very oddly thereon and it was to take away that Scandal that the Civil and Canon Laws have forbidden both Sexes to live in the same Convent Nevertheless Mr. Matthews Reports that St. Briget founded several of this Nature and that Gilbert of Semplingham founded a great many by Advice of St. Bernard Amongst other Authors he quotes the Chronicle of Montserain which saith that in the Year 1223 because they would send abroad many of the Convent Sisters many glossed thereupon that the time of their Lying In drew near Consueto Laicis more loquentes dicebant Moniales illas à Monachis stupratas esse quibus jam pariendi tempus instaret He quotes a Poet named Nigellus who said that the Mother Abbess very well deserved that name by her Marvelous Fertility Quae pastoralis baculi dotatur honore Illa quidem melius fertilius que parit As he is a Satyrical Poet it would be very ill done to believe this upon his bare saying It is generally believed that St. Willibrord was the first Preacher of the Gospel amongst the Frizons But Mr. Matthews shews that St. Eloy Bishop of Nayon had Instructed these Barbarians It is true that the greatest part of these Conversions was reserved for those that came after them for St. Wilfride St. Willibrord St. Vulfran c. had a great hand in them and so had Pepins Troops and them of Charles Marlet his Son For Mr. Cordunoy acknowledgeth in his History of France that tho' the Frizons suffered Wilbrord to speak to them of the Christian Religion Pepin could not trust to that because most of them left off the worship of their Gods only by force A little after he saith they Revolted and Charles Martel having Vanquished them beat down their Idols and Temples and cut down the Forests which they thought Sacred and caused all them to be killed which would not submit It was a good time in those Countries for those which converted Mr. Matthews quotes William Malmesbury who saith that the Saxons and the Frizons were Converted by the pressing care of Martel who threatned one and promised a recompense to the other If it were Charles Magne St. Willibrord would not have received any profit for he did not live so long but under Charles Martel St. Willibrord and St. Boniface might have passed for Famous Converters at the Expence of the manner of doing and of their Masters Purse The Art of Preaching the Word of God containing the Rules of Christian Eloquence 12s At Paris 1687. page 524. THe Judgment of men is so different and the circumstances which produce perswasion are sometimes so contrary to one another that it is hard to prescribe unto Orators such Rules as are a little particular and of some use Yet as there are defects which all Men blame and such methods as please almost all People in the same Age Masters of Arts have thought it requisite to remark them Indeed these general reflections are not unprofitable provided we do not exceed those bounds For as soon as we come to particulars we may chance to give for Maxims contested things and so force or spoil the Genius of a young Man instead of perfecting him This is what those who shall read the Books which we are going to speak of may easily observe and which we shall endeavour to make here as plain as we can The Author of the work whose Title we have set down is a Roman Catholick Preacher who has thought convenient to remain Nameless apparently for the same Reason which hath hindred him a long while from Publishing these Reflections upon the Art of Preaching the reason was because he saw every day so much Jealousie amongst Persons of the same imploy Every Orator has particular turns and methods which seem good to him only That leaves always some suspicion that he blames unjustly in others what agreeth not with his particular Genius He hath divided his work into Four Books which are as so many Conversations wherein he Treats after a particular manner and which have no Taste of the Style of Schools of the principal qualities necessary for a Preacher The first Book concerns the Studies which a Christian Orator ought to prosecute Herein is maintained that he ought to read the Precepts of the Heathens and that they are necessary to attain Christian Eloquence 2. That Logick is not less necessary provided thereby is understood the Art of Reasoning well to discern what is true from what is false the certain from the doubtful and that which is evident from what is probable because this necessary use of true Logick cannot be sufficiently learned by the reading of Aristotles Rhetorick nor even by the frequent Commerce which we ought to have with good Authors as F. Rapin pretends who is cited here without being named 3. In regard to Physick he thinks that that Part only which regards Man is absolutely necessary to be known because he ought to be acquainted with all the natural Dispositions of the Mind and all the general and particular Truths which make him more able and ready to say this is true 4. Touching Scholastick Divinity he introduces an Abbot who testifies a high contempt for those who maintain that the Scholastick Doctors teach often nothing less than the Doctrin of the Church and that when even they do teach it they cannot dispose their minds to Preach it well But he answers him that true Scholastick Divinity is nothing else than the Doctrin of the Church Examined and Established according to the solid Rules of true Logick which teach how to define divide and reason exactly The Abbot having replyed that if so Men have no other obligation to the Master of Sentences nor to his Commentators than for having made the Science of the Church Scholastick or filling it with an infinite deal of unprofitable and Chymical Questions and of having given it a very Barbarous Style the Author replies That we must distinguish what this method hath in it
Essential in it self from the defect which the misfortune of Times and imprudence of several Professors have suffered to slip into it 2. That the only Design of these Authors was to include in one body of Doctrin all the vast Science of the Church which was confusedly disposed in Scripture and in the Ancient Fathers without any natural Order and to Reduce all the Truths which God hath Revealed to us to certain principal Heads which comprise them all and give them an Order founded upon the nature of things or upon the Subject 3. That before this Reduction this Study did extreamly displease the Mind not only by its length but also by the confusion of matters That according to the opinion of the Roman Church Men put themselves into great danger of â—alling into Error and of casting others therein when they immediately apply themselves to the Study of Holy Writ and Ancient Fathers without having before studied in Methodical Divinity necessary Precautions 4. That the Roman Church approves not that Men should indifferently read Scripture 5. That there are a great many Errors in the Works of the Ancient Fathers which they advanced with a good intention but that they have been since condemned That they have made very Orthodox Propositions upon the Mysteries of their time and in the sense they gave them which ought no more to be mentioned without some Mollifying That they have made use of several Hyperbolical Expressions which seem contrary to the Sentiments of other Fathers and what they themselves have elsewhere spoke with less heat 6. Scholastick Divinity Teacheth according to the Author how to distinguish always what is of Faith with that which is not This exact distinction pursueth he is very important in our Sermons tho' never so much neglected by a thousand People who apply themselves much more to the opinions of Doctors than to the true Faith and who affirm doubtful opinions with the same firmnâ—ss as undoubted Truths Notwithstanding he dissembles not the Defects of the Catholicks but their obscure and barbarous Style he attributes to the Ignorance and ill Judgment of the Ages wherein they lived The evil is that when Men begun again to know and tast the Clearness and Elegance of the Style there hath been found too great a number of Professors who would maintain the Barbarity as Essential to their Method Nevertheless by little and little this unsupportable Iargon is leâ—t off but there is another defect which is not easily forsaken and that is an hundred unprofitable Questions wherewith the Imprudence of Ancient Professors have filled the Divinity of the Schools and that the weakness or negligence of their Successors still obstinately maintain They stop so long at these Questions which only perplex and that disputations have rendred Famous that they are forced entirely to omit the greatest part of such truths as are necessary for our Faith for Christian Morality which should make the principal Subject of each Treatise So that Scholars found themselves at the end of their Study altogether ignorant of true Divinity The reason of this conduct and that which has never yet been observed is of that to settle to the Study Divinity only Men must Read Think Digest and Range an infinite number of positive things which they have never heard of In fine these Famous Questions are more proper to cause a glittering show and make the Subtility of the Wit be admired whereas if they were slightly passed over they think it might be Attributed to some defect of Reason or Apprehension It must be confest also that the Air of Schools is contrary to Eloquence This Book ends with the Examination of this Question Whether a Minister ought always to Preach us the most severe Morality The Author who is not of this Sentiment alledges in favour of the Casuists a great number of Doctors which are for them and the esteem that the Roman Church makes thereof upon which the Abbot answers him That a man alone who sounds his Decision upon the Gospel or upon a Writing that cites the Canon Law or some holy Father ought always to be believed even against the common opinion of Recent Doctors what number soever they may be because their opinion is founded but upon human Reasons The strongest Reply to this is That their Maxim is dangerous and makes room for the Calvinists It s in fine concluded that a Minister ought never to take part in the particular opinions of Divines and that he ought never to Preach them being sent to Teach the pure Word of God which contains only the truths of Faith and moral Reflections which are clear consequences of ' em II. The Second Book treats on the manner how to gain the attention and good will of the Auditors to a Christian Orator and it is affirmed that the principal means is to give them an advantageous Idea of his good manners and probity not in praising or abasing himself by a Foolish and Proud Humility or in making Compliments to them but in â—aking of every thing the Sentiments Expressions and Manners which ought to be expected from a grave Man full of Honour and Integrity Every thing which may Augment or Diminish this Idea is carefully remarked Amongst what serves to encrease the first place an inviolable Application to the most exact Truths which banish all those extravagant thoughts that are called Concetti and even to shun excessive Hyperboles 2. An extream horror to Vice and a sincere desire of inspiring it into his Auditors Which engage him to be very grave in all his discourse to avoid all sort of Railleries even the most honest ones never to paint Vice so as to may make the Hearers laugh and not to speak Comedies or Satyrs instead of Sermons to avoid all Tones of the voice and all such Gestures which render a man contemptible or ridiculous 3. He must appear extreamly Modest and be so far from all manner of boastings as to be satisfied to make others sensible of the beauty solidity and force of his thoughts without seeming to take notice thereof himself and without making use of his Wit Knowlâ—dg Memory or any other Artifice in Discourse to gain applause he ought to shew a Moderation void of all regret and every interessed passion never to speak of any thing which the People know they have any Personal Interest in All that may be said or done against a Minister he cannot mention in his Sermons without its producing a very ill effect The best Apology is to appear as if one did not so much as think one had been affronted 5. To give to these Expressions a Noble and Affectionate turn 6. To make a frequent and judicious use of Sentences or often to make use of general Expressions conceived in few words which express that which is done or is not done what we ought and what we ought not to do in relation to the general conduct of Men. 7. To advance nothing but
Orthodox Treatises of Tertullian he gives the chiefest place to his Apologetick his two Books to the Gentils and that which he Dedicated to Scapula to perswade the Governour of Africk from Persecuting the Christians He proves in this last that all Men ought to have the liberty to embrace what Religion seems the truest to them That 't is no part of Religion to constrain men to embrace a Religion which ought to be a voluntary choice Non est Religionis cogere Religionem quae sponte suscipi debet non vi In the Sixth Book of Baptism Tertullian disapproves of Baptizing Children without Necessity How is it necessary says he to expose God-fathers to the danger of answering for such who may prevent and hinder the performance by Death or Apostatizing from the Christian Religion when they come of Age Our Author assures us that this Opinion of Tertullian is his own particular one and there 's no other Father to be found who hath said as much But Tertullian affirms other things as incredible as for Instance when he says Christians are absolutely forbidden to bear Arms and he calls the Crowns that Soldiers put upon their heads the Pomps of the Devil To râ—ad his Book of Spectacles one wou'd hardly believe that he was the Author of that of Prescriptions but only by his affected Style and Particular Transports he endeavour'd to prove in his Book of Spectacles that Virgins ought to have their Faces covered in the Church contrary to the Custom of the Country which only oblig'd Women to be Vail'd He mightily exclaims against Custom and Tradition and maintains that nothing can be prescribed contrary to Truth 'T is true adds Mr. Du Pin when not Dogmatically enjoyned but 't is when it is done as a Disciplin of little Consequence In mentioning the History of Origen and how he was persecuted by Demetrius the Patriarch of Alexandria he relates an Article of the Discipline of that time viz. when a Priest was once Excommunicated and depos'd by a Bishop with the consent of the Bishops of the Province he cou'd no more be receiv'd into any Church and it was never Examined after the Judgment was past whether it was just or unjust He places among the Errors of Origen the Exposition which he gave upon the words of Jesus Christ Whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth c. because he seems to retain the power of binding and loosing only to Bishops and Priests which follow the vertue of St. Peter and he says that all Spiritual Men are this Stone upon which Jesus Christ hath founded his Church St. Cyprian is one of the Fathers whom Mr. Du Pin has been large upon because the Life and Letters of this Martyr make a considerable part of the Ecclesiastick History of his Age. We may see there in the troubles that were excited amongst the Christians by the parties of Novatian and Felicissimus on the account of those that were fallen by Persecution The Moderation that St. Cyprian observed to avoid the Rigour of the first and the extream Remissness of the second and the Weakness of Cornelius Bishop of Rome who suffering himself to be seduced by Felicissimus writ to St. Cyprian after a disobliging manner These Two Schisms were not extinguisht before a third arose upon the Question whether Hereticks ought to be Re-Baptized proposed by Ianuarius and the Bishops of Numidia who upon that Account came to consult a Council where St. Cyprian was They that composed it answered that this Question was already decided by the Bishops that were their Predecessours who had declared in the Affirmative The Year following another Synod was Assembled in Africk which having confirmed this Decision sent to Stephen who was then Bishop of Rome to perswade him to embrace this Discipline But the Bishops was so far from complying with the Reasons of the Africans that he was Transported with anger against St. Cyprian and his Collegues and treated their Deputies very ill calling them false Christians false Apostles and Seducers even forbidding all those of his Church to entertain them and so depriving them not only of Ecclesiastick Communion but also refusing them the Laws of Hospitality but St. Cyprian testified great Moderation being unwilling that any Person shou'd Separate himself from the Communion upon this Dispute Mr. Du Pin afterwards endeavours to prove in his Notes that St. Cyprian did not change his Opinion and that the Churches of Greece were also a great while after his time divided about this Question He directs the Reader to a Letter of St. Basil to Amphilocus in which this Father relates the different Customs of the Church upon this Point Almost all the Letters of St. Cyprian run upon those Subjects that we have already spoken of the extracts of 'em are given to our Author according to the order of time He relates many fine passages from thence upon the necessity of examining the Disposition of such as are admitted to the Communion the Excellency of a Martyr which principally consists in keeping in every respect an Inviolable Holiness in his words and not to destroy the precepts of Jesus Christ at the same time that he 's a Martyr for him This holy Bishop made it a Law to do nothing in the Affairs of his Church without the Council of his Clergy and consent of the People Whefore in the Council of 37 Bishops held at Carthage in 256. upon the Reiteration of Baptism this holy Man gave this reason against Excommunicating those that were of a contrary opinion to him For no one amongst us says he ought to establish himself Bishop over the Bishops or pretend to constrain his Collegues by a Tyrannical fear because each Bishop has the same liberty and power and he can no more be judg'd be another than he can judge him but we ought all to expect the Judgment of Jesus Christ who only has power to propound to his Church and Judg of our actions In this question the Two Parties pretended to have Tradition on their side And St. Cyprian opposed to the Tradition that Pope Stephen brought the Truth of the Gospel and the first Tradition of the Apostles Our Author says also that St. Cyprian was the first that spoke clearly of Original Sin and the necessity of the Grace of Jesus Christ. The best Edition of this Fathers Works is that which has been lately published by Two of our Bishops But Persons have not much esteem for the observations of Dametius because he endeavours more to confirm the Doctrin and Discipline of our time than to explain the difficulties of his Author Mr. Du Pin rejects all the Letters that are attributed to Cornelius Bishop of Rome except those that are in the Works of Saint Cyprian because the rest and particularly the Epistle to Lupicinius Bishop of Vienna and two other that are in the Decretals under the name of this Pope are not like the Stile of those that are
undoubtly his In the time of Dionysius of Alexandria who lived about the middle of the Third Age one Nepos Bishop of Egypt writing of a Book to maintain the Reign of a Thousand Years where he proves his opinion by the Apocalypse Dionysius undertook to refute him And to Answer to the Testimony of the Apocalypse that his Adversary quoted he says that some have slighted this Books thinking it the Heretick Cerinthus's who admitted no other Beatitude than what consisted in Corporeal Enjoyments But as for himself he says he durst not entirely reject it because it was esteemed by many Christians yet that he was perswaded that it had a hidden sense which cou'd not be comprehended by any one That it was the Book of some Author inspired by the Holy Ghost tho' not St. Iohn the Evangelist but another that bore his Name as he endeavours to prove by the difference of the Stile and thoughts Denis without doubt went too far upon this matter as well as in the Letter that he writ to the Bishops of Pentapolis when to refute the Error of Sabellius who confounded the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity this slipt from him That the Son is the work of the Father and that he was to the Father as a Vineyard is to it's Vinekeeper or a Ship to its Ship-wright and that he was not before he was made That happen'd to Dionysius adds our Author that does almost to all those that dispute against an Error viz. to speak after such a manner as favours the opposite Errors Baronius thinks that a Letter that Turrian published under the Name of Dionysius and which is inserted in the first Volume of the last Councils P. 850. is certainly his But Mr. Du Pin believes it a Supposititious Work because the Author of this Letter approves of the Word Consubstantial and says that the Fathers have thus call'd the Son of God Whereas it is certain that Dionysius and the Synod of Antioch received not this term and that in his time they cou'd not say that the Fathers commonly made use of it There remains nothing else of this Bishops but a letter to Basilides printed in the first Book of the Councils Besides many Fragments of Methodius Bishop of Olimpius or Patarus in Lycia that Father Combefix has taken from the Ancients or Collections of divers Manuscripts we have now his Feast of the Virgins compleat which we ow to Possinus the Jesuit 'T is a Dialogue of many Virgins each of which make a Discourse in praise of Virginity nevertheless without blaming Matrimony a Moderation very rare to the Ancients says Mr. Du Pin This Work is composed of Ten Discourses full of Allegories and places of Scripture and treats on divers matters as occasion serves In the Second to prove that God is not the Author of Aulteries altho' he Forms the Children that are produced by so wicked an Act he brings some natural instances In the Eighth Discourse this Father speaking against the Fatum of the Stoicks proves that Men are free and that they are not necessitated to do good or evil by the Influences of the Stars At the end of this Dialogue the Author speaks very Orthodoxly of the Holy Trinity if we may believe Mr. Du Pin. We have only some Scattered pieces of Methodius's Treatise against Origen taken from Saint Epiphanius and Father Sirmond Our Author doubts whether the passage that Iohn Damascenus relates in the Third Prayer to Images are Methodius's or no. He affirms there that the Christians made Images of Gold to represent the Angels for the Glory of God If this is our Bishops says Mr. Du Pin it must be that he meant something else than what Damascenus did and that by the Word Angels Principalities and Powers he must understand the Kings of the Earth He adds to the Authors of the Three First Ages Arnobius Lactantius Commodianus and Iulius Firmicus Maternus altho they pass'd the greatest part of their lives in the Fourth Age because they imitated the First Fathers in disputing more against the Heathans than Hereticks He praises Lactantius very much and confesses that in his Book of the Persecucutions he seems to Note that St. Peter came not to Rome till the beginning of Nero's Empire Afterwards he gives an account of the Councils held in the Three First Ages of the Church and affirms that there are none more ancient than those that were held in Victors time about the end of the Second Age upon the Celebration of Easter and that they held no Councils to condemn the First Hereticks the Disciples of Simon Carpocratus the Basilidians and Gnosticks because the Christianâ— abhorr'd all their Errors He rejects all the Decretals attributed to the First Popes And believes 't was Riculphus and Benet his Successor that counterfeited them in the Ninth Age. He ends this Volume with an abridgment of the Doctrin Disciplin and Morals of the Church in the Three First Ages He Makes no Notes upon this Abridgment because he takes it for granted that he has proved all he says there in the Body of his Work Nevertheless we have not observ'd says the Abridger upon the reading of it by what reasons Mr. Du Pin in his Treatise maintains the following Proposition which he advances in his short account 1. That altho' all the Fathers agreed not that Children were born subâ—ect to sin and deserving damnation yet the Church was of the contrary opinion 2. That they Celebrated the Sacrifice of the Mass in memory of the Dead 3. That they pray'd to Saints and Martyrs and believed that they besought God for the Living There are others also better maintain'd and of great consequence in relation to the differences that now separate the Christians 1. That the Ancients spoke of the Virgin Mary with much respect that they went not so far upon the subject as they have done since that for the Generality they did not believe she continued a Virgin after our Blessed Saviour was born that they spoke not of her Assumption and that there 's a passage of St. Ireneus which is not favourable to her Immaculate Conception 2. That the Scripture contains the chief Articles of our Faith and that all Christians may read it 3. That the Elements of the Eucharist were ordinary Bread and Wine mingled with Water That they divided the consecrated Bread into little bits that the Deacons distributed it to those present who received it in their hands and that they also gave them consecrated Wine That in some Churches this Distribution was reserved to the Priests but in others each Person drew near to the Table and took his Portion of the Eucharist 4. That in these Three First Ages the Unction of the Sick which St. Iames speaks of was not mentioned 5. That Priests were forbid to intermix their Civil and Spiritual Affairs 6. That the Priests were permitted to retain their Wives that were Espoused before Ordination but not to Marry afterwards Tho' Deacons
inspiration of God A Treatise upon Nature and Grace against the Two Hypotheses of Mr Pajon and his Disciples by Mr. Jurieu Doctor and Professor in Divinity Rotterdam Sold by Abraham Acher 1687 in Twelves Page 419. THIS Treatise upon Nature and Grace was made in answer to Mr. Pajons Sentiments but supposing they might with their Author Mr. Iurieu be thought to have past it over in Silence till he found that Mr. Pajon was not withou Proselytes to his Opinions and therefore thought fit to Root out such Doctrins as he had planted before they were fixt too deep To the end says he that if God raises our Churches from the dead they may come out of their Tombs purified from the Corruption which began to prey upon them Indeed Mr. Papin is disposing himself to defend the Quarrel of his Uncle but if Mr. Iurieu shou'd turn his Arms towards him he cou'd expect no other fate than that of Patroclus who having put on the Armour of Achilles wou'd therefore contend with Hector and was soon foil'd by that Hero Our Author thinks him not worthy of a Refutation and contents himself only to say in an Advertisement That it is a very rare thing to find one in an Age that will go about to refute a Man who has not Commenc'd for some Yâ—ars and he was much deceived when he cou'd not prevail upon him to answer him The publick says Mr. Iurieu must pardon me it has more need of my leisure for something else If he meaning Mr. Papin had proposed his Quâ—stions with Submission he might have had some Lessons read to him but since he Interrogates in quality of a Master he is far from acknowledging his own Weakness and Ignorance After this severe Reprimand our Author passes on to the body of his Work which is divided into Two Parts In the First he treats of the Superintendence of Providence and in the Second of the Operations of Grace for to comprehend well the difficulty of the Superintendence of Providence it is necessary to explain the Followers of Mr. Pajon They say God before any thing had a being did thro' his vast Intelligence Conceive the System of the World the Concurrence of its divers Springs and the manner whereby it was to be linkt together in all its parts In fine that he created the Universe upon the project which he had formed in his Mind that is to say after having Chained and Tyed all parts of the World together he put the whole Machine in motion after such a manner that the indissolvable Connexion which is betwixt 'em produces all the Events we have known to happen and which shall hereafter happen to the end of Time In a word this Connexion of Causes and Events and the force of this first Impression which every part of Nature has received suffices to give motion to all things without any new Action or Concurrence of GOD. Thus we see the World is like a Machine whose Springs turn regularly and God after having created Second Causes hath left themselves to Act according to their Nature and First Motion which he gave to the whole Universe from whence it follows according to these Divines That the Concurrences of God is nothing else but his Decrees by which from all Eternity he wills that Second Causes shou'd Act after a certain manner and they pretend that they never interrupt the General Order which he hath establisht So that 't is but a necessary consequence to do which Men call a Miracle In fine he meddles not with the Will in particular Events This System hath much relation to that of Father Malebranch Mr. Iurieu maintains on the contrary that God immediately concurs himself in all our Actions and besides this first Impression and General Motion which he has given to Nature he lends his immediate concurrence to all Events Upon this foundation he vigorously attacks the System which we have spoken of He pretends first that without an immediate concurrence he destroys the Infinite dependance of Creatures in relation to their Creator in giving 'em says he the power to Act for themselves without a new Action of God this is to draw 'em after a certain manner out of their Nothingness and to raise them up into the Quality of little Divinities which can dispose of Events One may even assert says he that there is no Independence at all in the Creature because God is alwas the first Mover by vertue of his first Impression which he has made upon every part of Matter whereas that is always to weaken this Truth of Nothingness which is of so great importance in Divinity that without it 't is impossible to get out of the incomprehensible Abysses which the mind of Man finds in the Conduct of Providence On the contrary this is to extol the Majesty of God when we ascribe all the Operations of the Creatures to a perpetual dependence upon his immediate Concurrence which seems if we may so say to add something to the Soveraignty of God over the Creature 'T is impossible without his immediate Operation continues Mr. Iurieu to explain how objects strike the Organs of the Body how they affect the Soul and how the Emotions of the Blood follows that of the Mind for 't is certain that the Soul which is Spiritual cannot be struck by sensible objects nor excite the motions of the Body Indeed if on one side the Mind cou'd be touched it might be extended and if on the other the Spirit has no material parts it cann't move the Body Now all the difficulty is easily resolv'd by a continual Concurrence of Providence to maintain and form the Comerce which is betwixt the Body and the Mind because according to our Author at the presentation of every object God does by an immediate Operation produce the Idea which Men conceive in their mind about such Objects The finest Objection against this System and which appears to be most to the purpose is that in denying an immediate Concurrence he ruins the use of Prayer You demand of God perhaps that he wou'd bless such a Marriage with a happy fruitfulness but if God intermeddles with nothing and if there be a Chain of Causes whose effect is inevitable then nothing is more useless than this Prayer for things wou'd happen-necessarily as they must happen if it be not so then God intervenes and breaks this Chain to stay the course of the first Impression and to punish Crimes or reward Vertue he inverts the General Order and this is that which our Author calls doing a Miracle Thus adds Mr. Iurieu nothing can be more insipid than to tell a man that he must thank God because by vertue and in consequence of the first chaining together of Second Causes there 's a Temperament of Courage in himself and that by the same means his Enemies are disposed to fearfulness whereas by means of an immediate Operation God without inverting the Order of Nature gives Victory to his People
watch what is the cause of it v. 2. n. 16 q. 2 Dying persons why they fold the Sheets v. 2. n. 16 q 8 Debauchery and ruine of youth how prevented v. 2. n. 16. q 19 Dream why of things we never thought of v. 2. n. 17. q. 3 Delightful what is most so to any Man v. 2. n. 17. q. 4. Debt whether a Man may Marry then v. 2. n. 20. q. 3. Deceive the Deceiver is it a sin v. 2. n. 20. q. 10 Die of Conceit whether possible v. 2. n. 21. q. 1 Dancing-master or School-master which preferable v. 2. n. 24. q. 13. Divine Idea's the Notion of Omniformity c. v. 2. n. 26. q. 1 Devil of Mascon v. 2. n. 26. q. 3 Deity acknowledg'd and prov'd v. 2. n. 26. q. 9 Devil does he know our thoughts v. 2. n. 26. q. 11 Democritus or Heraclitus which in the right v. 2. n. 27. q. 13 Die why must in the Night your reason v. 2. n. 29. q. 1 Duelling how far lawful v. 3 n. 2. q. 1 Dream whether obliging to Marry v. 3. n. 4. q. 17 Drunken Man whether capable of Marriage v. 3. n. 5. q. 2 Discourses vain and absurd v. 3 n. 12. q. 8 Drunken man how far obnoxious to the Law v. 3. n. 14. q. 2 Despair caused by unkindress of Relations v. 3. n. 14. q. 9 Drunken man how brought to his Senses v. 3. n. 15. q. 9 Divines whether Preaching against all vice v. 3. n. 18 q. 3 Dew of Hermon how it descends on Mount Sion v. 3. n. 18. q. 6 Die than live is it not better v. 3. n. 19. q. 2 Dreams of commit a grievous sin v. 3. n 20. q. 7 Dreams do we think then v. 3. n. 21. q. 3 Devotion how hinder'd by Ignor. v. 3 n. 21. q 10 Drown'd Bodies why they float v. 3. n. 22. q. Devils can they generate v. 3. n. 24. q. 12 Defrauding whether pardon'd without restitution v 3. n. 24 q 14 Devotion what Book you advise me to v. 3. n. 25 q 4 Dan. 5.23 Why Daniel leaves out a word v. 3. n. 25. q. 9 David's heart why it smote him for Saul's garment v. 3. n. 26. q. 1. David's Sin in numbring the People where consists v. 3. n. 27. q. 6 David's speaking in Scripture is it the word of God v. 3. n. 30. q. 4 Debtor and Creditors what a brother must do v. 4. n. 1. q. 3 Dissenters are they Schismaticks v. 4. n. 2. q. 2 Discourse to cry out O God is it sins v. 4. n. 2. q. 9. Dragon is there any such creature v 4. n. 6. q. 5 Dissenters that freely communicate with the Ch. of England v. 4. n. 7. q 4 Delivery of a Gate c. Town of Lymerick c. v. 4. n. 8. q. 1 Dizziness in the Head v. 4. n. 8 q. 8 Dreaming of a Text Preach't on v. 4. n. 16. q 3. Dealing with a secret reserve whether sinful v. 4. n. 16. q. 5 Divines why they begin their Prayers so low v 4. n 19 q. 11 Death if the cause be in the Body onely v. 4. n. 25. q. 2 Death is the cause of it in the Soul or in the Body v. 4. n. 28. q. 7 Dramatique Writers who the best v. 5. n 1 q. 3 Dramatique Professor who the best v 5. n. 2 q. 1 Disciples how come they to know Moses and Elias v. 5. n 4. q. 3 Devils generating a relation of one v. 5. n. 9. q. 3. Defrauding and over-reaching our Brother v. 5. n. 10 q. 1. Different Colours in Clouds the reason for it v. 5. n. 11 q 5 ‖ DIssertation on a State of Virginity 1 Suppl p. 18 Dispute about the Grandeur of Great Britain 1 Suppl p. 21. Description of the City of Rome 2 Suppl p. 3 Dine or to sup whether better 2 Suppl p. 30 †DIssertations of Mr. Burman p. 107 Darmonseus Philosophical Conferences p. 179 Dodwell's Dissertations on St. Irenaeus p. 356 Du Pin's new Bibliotheque of Ecclesiastical Authors containing the History of their Lives the Catalogue Crisis and Chronology of their Works the sum of what they contain a Iudgment upon their Stile and Doctrine with an Enumeration of the different Editions of their Works Tom. 1. of the Authors of the 3 First Ages p. 445. Tom. 2. Of the Authors of the Fourth Age of the Church p. 391. Dury's Treatise of Church Discipline p. 454 Discourses upon the Sciences in which beside the Method of Studying it is taught how we ought to make use of Sciences for the good of the Church with Advice to such as live in Holy Orders p. 411 Discourse of the French Academy p. 420 E. * EArth its Circumference and Thickness v. 1. n. 2. q. 10 Earth whether destroy'd or refin'd v. 1. n. 3. q 4 Earthquakes their causes v. 1. n. 10. q. 5 Experiment about perpetual motion v. 1. n. 10. q. 7 Eels how produced v. 1. n. 17. q. 9 England be happy v. 1. n. 22. q. 9 Essence be really distinguish'd from Existence v. 1. n. 22. q. 13 Estates whether an ensuring office for 'em v. 1. n. 26. q. 4 Exodus 7.33 comp with Ver. 20 v. 1. n. 29. q. 7 Egyptian Magicians Miracles whether real v. 2. n. 1. q. 16 Earth or Sun which moves v. 2. n. 6. q. 9 Eye-sight how best preserved v. 2. n. 14. q. 1 Eunuchs why never troubled with the Gout v. 2. n. 20. q. 7. East-India and African Company one who has a stock v. 2. n. 24. q. 3 Eve did she lose her Beauty by the Fall v. 2. n. 26. q. 13 Eyes shut under water v. 3. n. 9. q. 8 English Nation why the Finest People and yet Ill Singers v. 3. n. 13. q. 12 Earth are its Foundations to continue for ever v. 3. n. 18. q. 5 Experiment about finding out a Thief whether lawful v. 3. n. 22. q. 1 Errors whether they will be tolerated at Iudgment v. 3. n. 24. q. 13 England the most devout why delight no more in singing Psalms v. 3. n. 29 q. 5 English what Language is it v. 3. n. 30 q 3 Empyreal Heaven had it no Begin v. 3. n. 30. q. 11 Eccho its nature v. 4. n. 17. q. 5 Experiment about artificial wind v. 4. n. 22. q. 7 English Satyrist who is the best v. 5. n. 1. q. 2 Eve what she spun v. 5. n. 5. q. 4 Egyptian Talisman their Force and Vertue v. 5. n. 7. q. 1 Epithalamium on a Wedding v. 5. n. 11. q. 7 Eyes of Beans in the Kid why grow downward some years v. 5. n. 14. q. 6 Ephes. 6.12.5 Whether these words are referr'd to all Christians v. 5. n. 17. q. 1 Evil Spirits in what sence do we wrestle with 'em v. 5. n. 17. q. 2. Evil Spirits in what sence the Rulers of darkness v. 5. n. 17. q. 3 Evil Spirits in what sence they are in High Places v. 5. n. 17. q. 4 Evil Spirits how reconcile some Phrases about ' em v.
a Successor to Melece would not hearken to this Proposition A Crowd of young Persons begun to cry out like Magpies and made so much noise that they even forc'd the old Bishops who should have resisted them and brought in question again the Affair of Gregory which had been decided Gregory perfectly describes their Ambition Ignorance and Defects in the Poem he hath made of his Life It is better to read it in the very Author than here Yet the People hearing that the Council gave Gregory a Distast and that the latter spoke of retiring cried out That they should not take away their Pastor and intreated him not to abandon his Flock About that time Timothy Bishop of Alexandria who succeeded Peter and who was of a Violent and Contentious Spirit arrived there with divers Egyptian Bishops The old Malice they had against Gregory upon the account of Maximus the Cynick had so much inflamed them against our Bishop that they began by complaining that the Canons had been violated in transporting Gregory from one Bishoprick to another This excited a great Noise in the Council and it was upon this occasion that Gregory made his Speech of Peace which is the Fourteenth wherein he at length presents the Advantages of Agreement and the evil Consequences of Divisions He highly Censures therein the lightness of the Bishops who had without reason changed their Opinion in his behalf and suffered themselves to be deceived by the Calmness of his Enemies He saith That Back-bitings ought to be slighted which are commonly spread of Moderate Persons and in fine we may easily see by what he hath said that it is not in our Age alone that Men do cover their Passions most unworthily under the fair name of Zeal for the Purity of Faith Gregory testifieth also that he told them For what concerned himself they should not put themselves to so much trouble but that they should endeavour to be reunited That it was time to make People cease laughing at them as wild Men who had learned nothing else but to fight That provided they would agree he consented to be Jonas who should make the Tempest cease That he had taken against his Will the Episcopal Seeâ— and that he quitted it freely and that his Body being weakened with old Age obliged him thereunto Notwithstanding all this they accused him of Ambition he therefore made a Speech which is the Twenty seventh wherein he protests he had accepted of the Bishoprick of Constantinople but by force and brings the People to witness it He saith That he cannot tell whether he ought to call the Seat of Constantinople The Throne of a Tyrant or the See of a Bishop he complains of the Distractions of his Enemies and the Envy they bore him because of his Eloquence and his Learning in the Sciences of the Heathens It may be that made some People envy him but the Post which he was in made a great many more envy him He would have suffered him to have made use of his Rhetorick at Sasine without giving him the least trouble for it After having declared in full Council that he desired to quit the place which was envied him he went to the Emperor's Palace to entreat him to suffer him to withdraw He obtain'd it with some difficulty and afterwards he only thought upon taking leave publickly which he did in the Cathedral in the presence of one hundred and fifty Bishops and all the People We have the Discourse he then made and 't is the Two and Thirtieth in order he there represents the Ill Condition wherein he found the Orthodox Church of Constantinople and the Change he had accomplish'd he makes a Confession of his Faith touching the Blessed Trinity and shews he had done nothing which was worthy of Censure he exhorts the Fathers of the Council to choose a Person worthy of the See of Constantinople to succeed him and afterwards took his leave of all that heard him In this Speech he complains of his Old Age and in the Poem of his Life he saith he was then but a dead Man animated which he could not say if he was according to the common Supposition but Fifty six Years Old As soon as he took his Leave the People and in general all those who had heard him at Constantinople testified a great deal of Grief The Conduct of the Council appears very unequal and Violent since after they Confirmed Gregory in the See of Constantinople they oblig'd him to quit it at the Age of about 80 Years This manner of acting so Unwise and Un-christian like gave pleasure enough to the Enemies of the Council and much diminished the Authority of their Decisions For in fine how can we think that Bishops so Factious so Unjust and so Ignorant as Gregory describes them in divers places were nor capable of Examining maturely the Doctrins in question If their Authority did not make them incline to the Orthodox â—ide it must needs be Chance only that led them into the right way The love of Truth is seldom found with so much Vanity and Ignorance Thus Gregory Abandoned the Bishoprick of Constantinople some few Weeks after he had been established by that Council that Banished him He withdrew into Cappadocia according to Gregory the Priest Author of his Life and went to live at Arianze where he was Born Amongst those that were presented to the Emperor some Bishops put up Nectairus Senator of Constantinople a Man of regulate Manners and comely Countenance but who was not as yet Baptized and who had scarcely any Learning It is not known whether Gregory parted for Cappadocia before this Election was made or staid at Constantinople until he had a Successor named to him Howbeit Gregory writ an Instruction to Nectairus where he begins thus That it seemed as if the Providence of God who before kept the Churches had altogether abandoned the Affairs of this Life That which made him speak thus he says was not his particular Evils tho so great that they would have seemed insupportable to any body else He assures us that the State of the Church only forc'd those words from his Mouth He afterwards describes to Nectaire the boldness of the Arians and Macedonians who were in as great a number at least as the Orthodox and who durst Assemble and form Churches a horrid Attempt after the Decisions of a Council so well Regulated as that which had been newly held Gregory comprehended not how his Holiness and his Gravity it was thus that Bishops were stiled permitted the Apollinists to Assemble He advertised him that Apollinarus said that the Body of the Son of God Existed before the World that the Divinity served him as a Soul and that his Body descended from Heaven and was essential to the Son yet nevertheless Died. Gregory thought tho I know not why that to permit these Men to Assemble was to grant that their Doctrine was truer than that
of the Canonical since there cou'd not be two Truths as if to suffer any one was a sign that they believed his Opinions to be true In fine he advises Nectairus to tell the Emperor that what he had done in favour of the Church would be of no use if Hereticks were admitted to Assemble It was thus that good Gregory who would not whilst the Arians were the strongest Party the Emperor being on their side have any thing undertaken which was blamed in them Exhorted his Successor to forget this good Lesson so difficult it is not to contradict our selves when we take not great care to free our selves from Passion The following Year CCCLXXVIII there was an Assembly of Bishops held at Constantinople where Gregory was called but he would not go to it and thus he Answer'd those which Invited him If I must write the truth to you I am disposed always to shun every Assembly of Bishops because I never saw a Synod which had good Success or which did not rather augment the Evil than diminish it The Spirit of dispute and Ambition without exaggerating upon it is so great there that it cannot be expressed It must not be thought that our Bishop said this without thinking well on it in a time wherein he might have any regret He repeats it again in his Letters LXV LXXI LXXII and LXXIV and also diverted himself by putting this thought in Verse I will never be present saith he at any Synod because none but Geese and Cranes herd there which fight without understanding one another There are Divisions among them Quarrels and shameful things which before were hidden and which are Re-assembled in one Place with Cruel Men. Being returned to Nazianze he found that Church Vacant a second time and by that reason Infected with the Opinions of Apollinarius He was immediately desired to take the Place of his Father but he never would do it and that gave occasion to his Enemies to accuse him of Pride as if he had scorned to take care of a small Church after having possest the Patriarchal See of Constantinople Gregory protests in one of his Letters that he had refused it only because he was too Old and too much Indisposed yet seems nevertheless to promise to lend his Body to the Church as he himself said which makes us believe he really took care of the Church of Nazianze at least until they had provided a Bishop for it We shall not speak of what hapned after the retreat of Gregory because he was not concern'd in it only he writ to several of his Friends to endeavour that the Bishops might live in Peace tho they were to be severely Censured for it At his leisure hours he composed some of the Poetry which we have and particularly that which concerns his Life We may say of his Poetry that the Stile is as Prosaick as that of his Speeches is Elevated As there is often top much Ornament in his Speeches so there is too little in his Verse the turn of which besides is harsh enough But he is not alone among excellent Orators who have been indifferent Poets The rest of his Poetry that is extant not being placed according to the order of Time we cannot well distinguish those that he made at the end of his Life from those writ under the Empire of Iulian as has been already observed unless there be in the very Poetry some matter of Fact which may distinguish the time Gregory died very Old according to the Relation of the Priest who writ his Life And Suidas tells us that he Lived above XC Years and died in the Year CCCXCI the third Year of the Reign of the Emperor Theodosius We have still a Testament which he made being at Constantinople and which is at the beginning of his Works some suspect it to be Supposititious but as it contains nothing Singular and no more than Gregory has said before there is no convincing reason that can make us reject it It is not requisite that I should make here an Encomium upon Gregory of Nazianze It might be seen by his Conduct and those Places we have related of his Writings what judgment may be made of him in general and it is not sure to trust to any whatever when we are to judge with exactness of an Author In his writings is a very faithful description of the Manners of that Age as wherein the Penitency of those that lay on the hard Ground and such as rose at Midnight to sing Hymns and to weep hindred not the Ecclesiasticks from being generally very Corrupt Religion began from that time to serve as a pretence to get Mony and as it is more easie to keep an outward guard upon our selves than to correct our inward Defects so cannot be thought strange that many Persons whose Conversation seemed unblameable were nevertheless after some time found out to be very ill Men. The Elections of Bishops were then for the most part made in Churches by the People amongst whom there was strange Caballing to be advanced Gregory wish'd that this Election depended on the Priests who were more capable of judging of the Capacity of Persons than those that considered nothing but their Riches or Authority where People acted impetuously without Reason and were very easily Bribed Nevertheless his own experience taught him as is evident that the very Bishops did not act on these occasions with more Widom than the Vulgar We only need to read his description of the Council of Constantinople to be convinced herein Their judgments were so much the more to be feared because they determin'd very speedily without being exactly informed of the matter in question but agree'd with very great difficulty as in the business of Maximus and Gregory They scarcely thought on any thing but to enrich themselves and to augment their Authority under pretence of Piety as Gregory reproacheth them in divers Places This inclination commonly possessing the Ecclesiasticks of that time made them gather the People into the Churches and begin to publish both Miracles and Legends much more frequently than before and to Preach up a blind Credulity instead of exhorting Christians to examine their Faith and to maintain it by good Reasons An Example whereof may be seen in the Eightenth Speech of Gregory which is in the Honour of St. Cyprian He Accuses the Bishop of Carthage who bore this name of being a Magician and of having endeavoured to seduce a Christian Virgin named Iustina by the means of a Demon who not being able to accomplish his aim entred into the very Body of Cyprian and was driven away by this Magician by calling upon the God of Iustina Those who have read St. Cyprian know that this Bishop never had such an accident and the refutation of the Fable may be seen in the Oxford Edition of St. Cyprian's Works before a supposititious piece that is Intituled Confessio S. Cypriani