Antient People from whence Colonies have fill'd all the World as we are taught by the oldest Histories that remain amongst us It 's true also that to this hath been added a thousand Extravagancies touching the Nature of the Divine Being and the manner of Worship done to him But 't is thus that Judaism was corrupted by the Jewish Doctors and the Christian Religion by that of the Christians which have innovated so many Changes that it was hardly known for some Ages Is it not false say they that these two Religions came from Moses and Jesus Christ The same thing hath happen'd to the first Tradition and Aristotle hath believ'd that in effect it was thus his words are too remarkable to be omitted The most profound Antiquity hath left to future Ages under hidden Fables the belief that there were Gods and that the Divinity was displayed in all the Works of Nature There 's added afterwards That these Fables teach us to perswade the People and render 'em more obedient to the Laws for the good of the State although some say that the Gods resemble Men Animals and other things If we keep to those things only which were spoke of in the beginning to wit that the Gods were the Original of Nature there would be nothing said that is unworthy of the Divinity There is some likelihood that the Sciences having been often found out and as often lost these Opinions were preserved until now as the other Doctrines of the Antients Thus we may distinguish the Opinions of our Fathers from those who lived first upon the Earth 'T would be difficult to make a better proof of a matter of fact and some have even dared to say That in Physicks there is rarely proved an existence of one Cause by a great number of effects which are so great in number so divers so sensible and so certain The harmony which is between the parts of the Universe which conspire all to the same end and always keep the same order shews that this Divinity known to all Mankind is one in Number and the same in Concord as may be seen in a State between persons of different humours which live under the same Laws Thus it appears in the March of an Army which obeys its General and thus the Order and Regularity which is seen in a House proves 't was built by one Architect only This all the World acknowledgeth in spite of the great number of Gods the Heathens have made for they themselves confess'd a Supreme Divinity to whom all others were to submit themselves as the Poets even call him The Father the King the Most High the Greatest the Most Excellent of the Gods c. This much Philosophers have acknowledged which say that even all names that are call'd upon by the People shewed but one Divinity only Quoties voles saith Seneca tibi licet aliter tunc Auctorem rerum nostrarum compellare Tot appellationes ejus esse possunt quot Munera hunc Liberum patrem Herculem ac Mercurium nostri putant c. omnia ejusdem Dei nomina sunt variè utentis sua potestate Sophocles says very often in a Tragedy that is lost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. In truth there is a God and there is but one who hath made the Heaven the Earth the Sea and the Winds nevertheless there are many Mortals who by strange Illusions make Statues and Gods of Stone of Brass of Gold and Ivory to give them speedy deliverance from their evils they offer Sacrifices and consecrate Festivals vainly imagining that Piety consists in Ceremonies Thus Marcillius Ficinus who translated Plato into Latin and who was willing to renew the old Platonick Tenets believes amongst several more that men were offended because they found in Plato the name of God in the Plural Number but this Philosopher did only mean subalternate Gods or Angels that those says he which are not surprized with the number of Angels are not at all astonish'd with the number of Gods because in Plato so many Gods import no more than so many Angels and so many Saints Dr. Barrow concludes upon the whole that the Universal consent of all Nations does very well prove that there is a God and we cannot doubt but that it is very reasonable One may understand by this that the Sermons of this Author are rather treatises or exact dissertations than pure harangues to please a multitude If we were not resolved to keep within the bounds of an unbyassed Historian we might say that there never was a Preacher comparable to this Author but our particular suffrage or rather that of all England ought not to be a president to all Europe The Life of the most Reverend Father in God James Usher late Lord Arch-Bishop of Armagh Primate and Metropolitan of all Ireland with a Collection of 300 Letters which he writ to the most illustrious men of his time for Piety and Learning and some he received from England and other parts Published from the Original by Richard Parr after his Death to whom he had given the Care of his Papers London Sold by Nathaniel Ranew 1686. in Folio THIS Volume is composed of two Parts whereof the one contains the Life of the famous Vsher written by Parr Doctor of Divinity and the other a Collection of divers Letters that this Illustrious Arch-Bishop hath written to several Learned Men of his Time with some of their Answers 1. There have been already seen several Abridgments of the Life of Vsher but as those who compos'd them had not a memory sufficient for the Work so they have given nothing to the Publick but what was very imperfect 'T was this made Dr. Parr undertake to publish what he knew of this Prelate to whom he was Chaplain thirteen years from 1642 to 1655 he knew him throughly in that time and learn'd many circumstances of his Life which those were Ignorant of who lived at a greater distance Dr. Parr hath also received much assistance from the Papers of Vsher which among others fell into his hands and from the Conversations that he hath had with Mr. Tyrrel his Grandson a Gentleman of an extraordinary merit The Primate of Ireland was Universally esteem'd during his Life and his works are still in so great a reputation that men will not be sorry to see here a little Abridgment of his History Iames Vsher was born at Dublin the fourth of Ianuary 1580. his Fathers name was Arnold and was one of the six Clerks of the Chancery The Family of the Vshers is very Antient altho' the right name is not Vsher but Nevil but one of the Ancestors of our Archbishop chang'd it into that of Vsher because he was Usher to King Iohn who ascended the Throne of England 1199. our Prelate had from his Infancy an extraordinary passion for Learning Two Scotch Gentlemen who advis'd him in his studies entertain'd him with much care The one was nam'd Iames Fullerton the
Priestly Habits In giving the measure of all the parts of the Tabernacle he speaks of the heighth of the Altar for the Burnt-offerings which was three Cubits He saith that if every Cubit had been three foot no man could serve at the Altar which had not been nine Cubits in heighth He therefore reduces a Cubit to a Foot and half so that the height of the Altar was but four feet and an half According to Lightfoot this is the measure that was observed in the Dimensions of the Temple As to the rest he remarks with care the mystical significations of each part of the Sacred Building in the 48th Section Speaking of the Vrim and Thummim he confutes the Opinion of those who believed that God answered to the Questions that were made him in causing a certain brightness to appear upon the Stones of the Breast-plate He maintains that they proposed first to the Priest what they desired to know and that afterwards the Priest consulted the Oracle of God or in drawing near to the Ark when that might be done or even without the Ark provided that he was cloathed with the Ephod and Breast-plate which was unseparable 3. After these Treatises there is another p. 195. whereof the Title is Erubhim sive Miscellanea Christiana Iudaica aliaque relaxandis animis otio discutiendo conscripta It 's one of the first Works of Lightfoot and a mixture of divers Remarks on the prophane Authors and upon the holy Scripture but the greatest part of it concerns the sacred Books Every Chapter is like a work apart which hath no connexion with the others so that we cannot undertake to give here an abridgment of all that is therein The Author saith Chap. 4. the reason for which God called Ezekiel and Daniel Son of Man was because this manner of speaking was much more common to the Chaldeans and Hebrews than to say simply a Man In the 19th and 20th Chapters he compares some passages of the Rabbins to some of the New Testament He believes that even the Rabbins have taken thence divers places and that 't is not at all surprizing if the Jews who lived amongst the Christians and who had often heard them speak of the New Testament shou'd retain something thereof and added it to their own Writings But if it was so many observations of our Author would not be of great use as may be seen in the Extract of the second Volume He says in Chap. 22. that he believes the Seventy Interpreters translated the Old Testament into Greek in spight of the Jews and that it is for this reason that there is nothing in this Version but what is wandering and uncertain and that there are many additions changes and faults He brings some examples of which some are drawn from some words that the Seventy have pointed contrary to the Massorites as Gen. 16.11 and Iudg. 5.8 id 7. and 11.7 Chron. 10.7 Tho our Author believes that the Vowels of the Hebrews are of Divine Institution in the same manner that they are found at this day he saith every thing is a fault that agreeth not in the Seventy He had even undertaken a work in which he would recollect all the Errours which he thought he saw in this Translation In his Manuscripâ—â— there is to be found a Collection entituled Discrepantiae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. à Textu Hebraico which he had begun to place in a clear Method with a design to publish it under the Title of Disquisitio modesta de 70 de Versione Graeca See the second Section of the Collection of divers things concerning the Life of Lightfoot He praiseth in some places the Elegance Sweetness and Richness of the Hebrew Tongue as the Rabbins did before him and he maintains every where the Antiquity of the Points so that it seems there was no other knowledge of the Hebrew Tongue than that which may be drawn from the Writings of the Rabbins to whom all the World hath not given so much credit as himself It is difficult to know from whence he had learned That the Greek Tongue having flourished for many Ages at last received its perfection from the New Testament and that as they called Athens the Greece of Greece the New Testament deserves to be called because of the Tongue INTER GRAECA GRAECISSIMVM the most excellent Greek of all the Greeks 4. This work we speak of is a Product of our Authors younger years There is another of his more mature Age. 'T is a Harmony of the four Evangelists as also of the Old Testament divided into three parts This is the Method of the Author 1. He disposeth the Text of the Evangelists according to the order of times to which he joyns a literal Interpretation of the most difficult words and phrases 2. He giveth the Reason of this disposition 3. He expoundeth the principal difficulties of the Text and sheweth the agreement that is between the sacred Writers You may find before the first part of the preceding Discourses that our Author gives an Abridgment of Chronology drawn out of Holy Writ from the Creation to the Birth of Iesus Christ. He therein expoundeth by the by divers Chronological difficulties of the Old Testament He believeth Jesus Christ was born in the year of the World 3928. The first part of this Harmony compriseth what we find in the Gospels before the Baptism of our Lord and what St. Iohn saith of the Word There is a Kalender in p. 260. whereby you may discern the order that was among the Priestly Families as to what regarded the service of the Temple the time in which each entred into service the Sections or Portions of Scripture that were read each Sabbath day so that in the circuit of one year the whole Law was read As the Author in the Title of the work promiseth to shew the Harmony betwixt the New Testament and the Old so he expoundeth in their places the Prophecies which have foretold the coming of the Messia as Numb 24. in p. 287. This first part endeth with an exposition of what the Evangelists say touching the Baptism of Jesus Christ and of his Genealogies as St. Luke relates it The second comprises what happened since the Baptism of our Lord to the first Passover that he celebrated Here we find a very large exposition of our Saviours Temptation especially upon these words of St. Matthew that the Devil shewed Iesus Christ all the Kingdoms of the Earth and their Glory There is a digression some pages lower touching Baptism where the Author makes divers remarks 1. Upon the practice of Baptism with the Jews before that St. Iohn the Baptist Preached amongst them 2. Upon the custom of Baptizing Infants which was in use in that time He relates the passages of the Thalmud and of Maimonides whereby it appeareth that the Jews did Baptize their Children This Rabbin in his Treatise of Slaves saith that if an Israelite find a
quite contrary Every man that prayeth or that prophesieth saith St. Paul having his Head covered dishonoureth his Head 1 Cor. 11.4 After this general description of the service that was performed throughout the year in the Temple Lightfoot treateth very largely on the Festivals of the Jews He begins by telling us after what manner they observed the new Moon and how in a very short time they made known the day it appeared throughout all Iudea It was done by the means of Fires that were lighted successively upon a vast number of Hills or by Messengers which was not extreamly certain and gave much trouble whereas if the Jews had known a little of Astronomy a Kalender or an Almanack would have spared them all this labour and would more surely have marked the new Moons After this are seen the differences that the Jews put betwixt the Passover celebrated in Egypt and those that have been celebrated since that time The manner how they took away all the Leaven that was found in their Houses Which was done the morning and afternoon of the day of the Passover before they Sacrificed the Paschal Lamb The precise time of its immolation The number of persons that associated to eat it together and the manner it was offered in the Temple No body till now has so exactly described all these circumstances and we may further say that neither Buxtorf nor Cappel who have had a dispute upon this Subject have with so much clearness spoken of it as our Author The Ceremonies the Jews observed in eating the Passover Ch. 13. are of much use to Illustrate what the Evangelists say of the last Passover of our Lord and to discover the Original of the Institution of the Eucharist This it was that obliged us to give here an abridgment of what our Author saith in which those that doubt may find the proofs 1. They did not begin to eat till night whence the Evangelists say that the night being come our Saviour sate at meat with his Disciples They did not eat much before this meal or else they fasted that they might with more appetite eat the unleavened bread 2. They neither did properly sit nor altogether lye down but stretched themselves upon the beds which were about the Table so that they held themselves half risen upon the left Elbow This was the ordinary posture of the Romans as may be yet seen in their ancient Monuments but the Rabbins do seek herein for a Mystery and say men put themselves into this posture to note that they were free because slaves were used to eat standing They call this Posture at Table Iesibba 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus in process of time they changed this Ceremony tho the Law had commanded them to eat the Passover standing and in haste with their staf◠in their hand and their shooes on their feet as if they were begining a journey Our Saviour that did not so much regard the Letter as the Sense of the Law accommodated himself to this custom of his time and it is by this that Lightfoot expoundeth these words of the Gospel of St. Iohn one of them that Jesus loved lean'd upon his Bosom ch 13.23 Jesus Christ was in the posture we have observ'd so that St. Iohn who was in like manner lying near him was almost in his Bosom because Jesus Christ could not lift his right Arm to make use thereof but in a way that it should seem to embrace this Disciple that he loved Thence it cometh that to speak softly to Jesus Christ St. Iohn needed only to turn his Head backwards and lean it upon the breast of our Saviour this he did when Peter made him a Sign to enquire of Jesus who was he that was to betray him leaning saith the Evangelist upon the Breast of Iesus he said Lord who is it ver 25. 3. As soon as he was lain after this manner one of the company gave thanks and each drank a Glass of Wine with Water There could not be less Wine than the 16th part of a Hin That was the first cup. 4. After having drunk each washed his Hands in plunging them into the Water They thought themselves obliged to take notice of all the Ceremonies and to say for example This Night is different from all others in which we wash but once but in this we wash us twice 5. The Paschal Lamb was serv'd in with unleaven'd bread and a Dish of bitter Herbs They might be green or dry but they were not to be boiled or salted Besides that other food was added that there should be enough to fill them They had particularly a Dish that they called Charoseth which was a Ragoot composed of Figs Dates and Raisins with a little Vinegar All that mingled and kneaded together was to represent the Bricks that their Fathers had made in Egypt 6. He that rehearsed the Haggadah or the Paschal Prayers took a few bitter Herbs and then putting his hand into another dish he put thereto at least the bigness of an Olive of some other food and every one did the like He did that for to excite curiosity and for to oblige those that were present to be attentive to all the ceremony 'T is upon this occasion that our Lord said that he who put his hand in the dish with him would betray him 7. A little after all the Dishes were taken away and every one drank a second time and then it was that he who rehearsed the Haggadah related the deliverance from Egypt and the institution of the Passover The dishes were after that put upon the Table and all the Guests drank a second time after that they returned thanks many times 8. They also washed their hands again and he that served took two unleavened Cakes broke one in the middle put it upon the other that was whole and gave thanks It was the order constantly kept on this occasion whereas on other occasions they gave thanks before they brake Bread as it appeareth in divers places of the Gospels 9. Hitherto they eat but bread and herbs but after these ceremonies he that officiated gave God Thanks in this wise Blessed be thou O Lord our God Eternal King who hast Sanctified us by the Precepts and hast commanded us to eat Sacrifices Then they ate of a Sacrifice if they had offered any a few days before or of some other food if they had no Sacrifice 10. After a second Thanksgiving like the first except that it ended with these words and who hast commanded us to eat the Paschal Lamb they ate this Lamb and every one was obliged to eat at least the bigness of an Olive 11. After they had eaten the Paschal Lamb he that officiated washed his hands three times and gave thanks upon the third Cup that he then drank This was called the Cup of Thanksgiving because as they drank it they gave thanks to end the Meal Hence it is that St. Paul calls it the Cup of Blessing 1
subject could bear II. After these Sermons of which we have spoke there is a small work Intituled a brief exposition of the Lords Prayer and the Decalogue with the Doctrine of the Sacraments these treaties have been already published in Twelves they are extreamly short but one may there find the Lords Prayer and the ten Commandments explained in a good and correct method yet there is almost nothing essential which is forgot Altho the Author took pains for the Vulgar yet he did not omit to cite in the Margin the Fathers and Heathen Authors where he found it for his purpose as when he expounded these words in the Lords Prayer thy Will be done c. he cites Epictetus Plato Antoninus and Seneca Epictetus says in his Enchiridion if God will have it so let it be so and Plato in his Dialogue Intituled Citron affirms that Socrates being in Prison pass'd the time whilst he tarried there as one that resigned himself to God in every thing which should happen to him The Emperor Antoninus says that we must chearfully receive every thing that happens to us and the words of Seneca are no less remarkable Ego Secundum Naturam vivo si totum me illi dedo optimum est Deum quo auctore cuncta proveniunt sine murmuratione comitari c. hic est magnus Animus qui se Deo tradidit I live according to Nature when I resign my self entirely to him nor is there any thing better than to follow without murmuring that God that is the cause of every thing It belongs only to great Souls to commit themselves wholly to God Mr. Barrow in the beginning of his Exposition of the Decalogue says it seems at first sight That it rather contains the Laws of the Iewish State than their Moral Precepts since there 's nothing spoke of the manner how we ought to live in regard of our selves as to the Continency Sobriety or Devotion and which we owe towards God as to Prayer Thanksgiving Confession of sins c. It seems to have a particular respect to the Jews who were a chosen people and that God govern'd them after a more peculiar manner than other Nations in giving 'em Laws for every particular thing which was only accommodated to the State of the Israelites to whom God only made himself known and that so this Law does not oblige all Nations in that especial sense wherein it was given by the Holy Ghost After this he gives divers Reasons for which we yet ought to have the Decalogue in the greatest Veneration and to observe it exactly except the 4th Commandment which doth not oblige the observation of Christians in this that it is Ceremonial no more than the first Patriarchs who also were not the less pleasing to God notwithstanding the testimony of Iustin and St. Ireneus but Reason it self dictates that it is necessary to set some time apart in which we may more particularly apply our selves to Divine Service and in which Servants may rest themselves from Labour 't is this the Heathens themselves observed witness Plato who says that the Gods are touch'd with pity towards Men and because of the Labour which they are obliged to he permits 'em some repose and days of rest Legum Conditores says Seneca festos instituerunt dies ut ad hilaritatem homines publicè cogerentur tanquam necessarium laboribus Mr. Barrow says nothing of the Sacraments since there is enough spoken of them by the most able Protestant Divines In the beginning there is one thing worthy of remark Besides other Washings which he speaks of he shews that it was a Custom amongst the Jews that those who were dedicated to God were exhorted to repentance for transgressing the Law and were wash'd in publick Testimony that they should change their Life He maintained this assertion upon the success which the Baptism of St. Iohn the Baptist had for it wou'd have been without doubt rejected as an Innovated Ceremony in a time when the Jews had such an extravagant respect to their own Traditions that they wou'd have opposed it if not upheld upon an Antient Custom If this is so one might also conjecture that the Lustrations of the Heathens gave birth to this extraordinary Baptism for 't is well known that those who had committed some Crimes were to be washed by some publick person and even by Princes themselves whereof we find an infinite number of Examples in the most Antient History of the Greeks III. The third piece which is in this Volume is a Treatise of the Pope's Supremacy to which is added a Discourse concerning the Vnity of the Church There has been already published in quarto in 1679. by Dr. Tillotson to whom the Author had committed the Care of the Impression at his death the first Testimony in a small Preface He believes that Dr. Barrow has omitted nothing essential or what might be of any consequence in this Controversie he believes that there is enough to decide for ever all the difficulties and to disswade all wise men of either Party from writing any more upon this Subject We shall remark in few words the method of his Treatise to the end that we may have a general Idea of what is contained in it we have at the first sight a preface wherein the Author relates the different sentiments of the Doctors of the Roman Church touching the Authority of the Pope which some make Inferiour to that of the Councils whilst others are of a contrary perswasion yet he briefly gives us the History of the Original and progress of the Papal Power Mr. Barrow having remarked that all that is said on this Power can only be founded upon seven suppositions he divides his Work into seven parts and examines them one after another these are the suppositions 1. That St. Peter received from Iesus Christ the Preheminence amongst the Apostles and had given to him an Authority and Sovereign Iurisdiction over the rest 2. That the rights and advantages of this Soveraignty were not personal but might be transmitted to others and left to their Successors 3. That St. Peter was the Bishop of Rome 4. That St. Peter continued to be Bishop of Rome after he had left Judea and that he remained so till his death 5. That 't is from thence that the priviledges of the Pope do come as Successor to St. Peter to wit Vniversal Iurisdiction over the whole Church of Iesus Christ. 6. That the Popes have effectually enjoy'd this Power and have exercised it without discontinuations from St. Peter till now 7. That this Power could not be lost nor be lessened by any means whatsoever The Author admits that St. Peter might be the first of the Apostles in regard of personal qualities esteem and reputation but he questions his precedency in order or dignity It appears too great a vanity for a man that had the Vertue and Humility of St. Peter He supposes it is very probable
upon the perpetuity of the Faith of the Church concerning the Eucharist and concerning Bertram in particular his Work intituled Ratramne otherwise Bertram the Priest of the Body and Blood of the Lord printed in Latin and French with an Advertisement wherein in shewn that this Author is a witness not suspicious of the Faith of the Church in the ninth Age at Roan in 12. But the efforts that a great number of Learned men made against the new Tenets which were introducing in that time were unprofitable Whereas those Tenets were too advantageous to the Court of Rome not to maintain them with all their might It lacked but one thing only which was to diminish the power of Emperors to whom they were submitted until then It worked powerfully therein and begun by publishing Suppositious pieces in vertue of which the Popes pretended that the Soveraignty of Rome and Italy belonged to them and that they had an universal Jurisdiction over all the Bishops of the World to that purpose tended the false Donation of Constantine to Pope Sylvester and the Epistles attributed to the first Bishops of Rome of which Blondel and several other learned men have shewn the falshood Notwithstanding the manners of the People Monks and Clergy were in the utmost corruption and a horrible account is given us of the depravation of the tenth Age drawn as well from the writings of modern Catholicks as from the Authors of that time The conduct of the whole Clergy from the Bishops of Rome with the least degree of Priests and Monks was so far from the duties which the Gospel prescribes us that there have been few Ages whilst Europe continued in Paganism more corrupt than that was This is so known that it 's needless to make a further stop thereat and those who would be instructed throughly in it may only consult Vsher and the Authors whom he cites The eleventh Age is in like manner described and they assure us that the year M. after the Birth of our Lord was afflicted with divers Prodigies besides War the Plague and Famine which ravaged Europe a long-long-time as it appears by the testimony of divers Authors which may be read in Vsher. In that time they reckoned amongst Prodigies the Comets and Eclipses and the Historians a little while after describe them to us in such frightful terms as if we never had seen any we should tremble for fear in reading what they say thereof But when once one hath a wounded imagination nothing ordinary and common is seen all is great and wonderful and we see even that which never was such as was perhaps the Dragon whereof Glaber Rodolphus speaks in his 11. book c. 8. The Saturday night before Christmasday was seen in the Air saith he a surprizing Prodigy a frightful Dragon which was all Shining with Light and which went from the North to the South The evils of that time and the reports of these prodigies true or false made it to be believed that the time was come in which Antichrist was to appear after that the Dragon should be untied This was probably enough grounded upon what is said in the Apocalypse that the Dragon was to be chained during a thousand years and then let loose These thousand years were reckoned from the Birth of our Lord by which the Devil had begun to lose his Power until that time This calculation was not new seeing it is found conformable to that of St. Hippolita's Martyr of St. Cyril and Chrisostome It appeared without doubt more just and better grounded so that they expected from day to day the coming of Antichrist and end of the World Many People made a difficulty to undertake any considerable business and even of re-establishing the Churches which were destroyed fearing they should work for Antichrist Lastly when they saw it did not come they were perswaded that they did not well understand the Propheâ—y and went about rebuilding the Churches and to live as before Richard Victorinus of Scotland who upon the relation of Iohn Major his Compatriot is the first who maintain'd that the Holy Virgin was exempted from Original Sin saith in his Commentary upon the xx Chap. of the Apocalypse that as to the Letter the thousand years were already accomplished a long time since but that it could not be known when Antichrist would come nor when the Serpent would be unloos'd Thus it is that the Interpreters of Prophecies which they understand not never miss of a back door to escape at when the event sheweth that they are mistaken There is a great likelihood that our age will furnish us with some examples of this truth As it 's desired in great evils to know if they shall last long those who of late have arrived to a great many Protestant Churches have made a great many to covet a knowledge of the time to come some thought they foresaw it in the obscurity of the Praedictions of the Apocalypse and have foretold it with sufficient boldness tho' they agree not amongst themselves no more than those who undertook to do the same thing the eleventh and twelfth age Glaber Rodolph saith that in effect the Devil was let loose in 1000 because one Vilgard who taught Grammar at Ravenna and some others had essayed in that time to re-establish Paganism But this event appears too inconsiderable to apply unto him what is said in the Apocalypse of the Dragon who was to be loos'd Also our Archbishop believes that Antichrist was not to be be looked for out of Rome and that the Devil was enough at liberty whilst in the Pontifical Chair sate a Magician such as was Sylvester II. if the Authors of that time may be believed and whilst great errours were brought into the Church as the infinite Power of Popes Transubstantiation and Prayers for the Dead And it is observ'd that Berengarius Wickliff and his Disciples have maintained that from that time this Prophecy of the Apocalypse begun to be accomplished There have been notwithstanding some who have believed that the thousand years were to begin at the Ascension of our Lord as Iohn Purvey saith and Wickliff seems not far from this thought in a place of his Trialogue which Vsher cites Some persons had already been of this opinion in the time of St. Augustin as he testifies in his City of God l. XVIII c. 53. But these people speak with more precaution than the others for they did not positively say that the World would end 1000 years after the Ascension of Jesus Christ but only that it might be that there were but a thousand years from this term unto his last coming annos mille ab Ascensione Domini usque ad ultimum ejus adventum compleri posse One of the new Interpreters of the Apocalypse hath said the same with much prudence that the present Persecution may end in three years and a half God if he will saith he elsewhere can reckon the three years and half of the death of
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
like yet seeing he pleads for his Opinion with all Elias's Arguments which Elias brings for his own Opinion and chideth Buxtorf for stating his Opinion as if it were different from that of Elias seeing he agrees with him that they might be begun by the Masorites A. D. 500. Therefore we shall examine the Arguments and Objections of Capellus more at large together with the Opinion and Arguments of Elias which we shall begin to take in hand in the following Chapter CPAP. II. The Evidences for the Novelty of the Points considered in the Examination of the Opinion of Elias Levita and of the Testimonies produced by him and his Followers Capellus and Others for the same in General WHereas there is no Testimony produced by any for the Proof of the Time Place and Persons when where or by whom the Points were invented or placed A. D. 500. or since that time but only those Expressions that Elias Levita hath gathered out of Aben Ezra Cosri Kimki Tsak Sephataim c. as he supposeth in favour of his Opinion That the Points were invented Simul Semel A. D. 500. and then placed by the Masorites of Tiberias It will be convenient therefore to examine the Evidences for the Novelty of the Points under this Opinion of Elias seeing they were first brought by him for the Proof of his own Notion But we must distinguish between the Arguments which are brought or Objections made against the Antiquity of the Points and the Evidences for the ubi quando à quibus when where and by whom precisely they were invented For most of the strength of Capellus and Others is placed in making Objections against the Antiquity of the Points which we intend to consider in the SECOND PART And such are the Objections 1. Of Reading an Vnpointed Copy of the Law in the Synagogue 2. The Samaritan and other Eastern Languages being without Points 3. The LXX and other Versions not following the present Punctation 4. The Silence of Jerom and the Fathers 5. The Silence of the Caballistical Writers 6. The Silence of the Talmuds the Mishna and Gemara about the Points 7 The Novelty of the Names of them 8. The Redundancy Superfluity and Anomalies of the Punctation and the like do only conclude a bare Conjecture against their Antiquity but do not so much as touch the Time Place and Persons when where and by whom positively the Punctation was invented and placed which alone is our present Enquiry Nay indeed they tell us they do not insist much when where and by whom the Points were invented whether A. D. 500 600 700 or 800. whether by the Mosorites or Others at Tiberias or elsewhere so it be granted the Points be not of Divine but Humane Original Vid. Considerator Considered p. 219. Capellus Arcanum Vindicia in the Prooemium and yet do say that Elias hath proved they were invented A. D. 500. by the Masorites of Tiberias Prol. 3. § 42. But we say we 'll not be so served for before we quit the Punctation we 'll know when where and by whom it was invented within this last Thousand Years then we 'll yield it But if they can't prove this we 'll abide by our own For if it were invented so lately they might be able to shew us when where and by whom it was invented and placed to the Text for it is impossible the whole World of Jews and Christians should universally receive it without taking notice when where and by whom it came So that will they or nill they we must examine what they can say to this Point When where and by whom the Points were first invented and placed to the Text. Now if they were placed since A. D. 500. it must be done by the Jews they would never have received it at the Hands of Christians had any been able to have done it This must then have been best known to the Jews and none of them would have done more to gather up the Evidences hereof than Elias the first and last of this Opinion among them This he hath done as well as he could which we shall now examine seeing his Followers have added nothing to what he hath produced in this Matter Which amounts to no more than some dubious Expressions of four Rabbins about the Punctation viz. Aben Ezra Kimki Cosri and Tsak Sephataim and what they say in Commendation of the Skill of the Masorites of Tiberias Now we shall examine the Quotations out of the four Rabbins about the Punctation And we say in General 1. We deny that any one of these Rabbins do speak one Word for the Novelty of the Points But if they did all four speak positively for it what could be thence concluded more than this That four Jews were of this Opinion contrary to the universal Belief of all their own People 2. Our Adversaries say the Jews are not fit to be heard when they speak in the Praise of their own Nation for they are partial to their own Glory But nothing could be said more to their own Honour than this That they were enabled by the Lord to perform so great so useful and admirable a Work as the present Punctation is even then when the Christians said they were under the Curse of God for Crucifying of Christ. The Time of Ezra needed not the Honour it had as much besides as this was there being several Books of Scripture then written by Men divinely inspired but the poor ignorant Jews A. D. 500. despised of all the World and rejected of God for their Unbelief wanted such an Encomium So that by their own Argument their Testimony is to be rejected because it is in their own Cause and for their own Glory of which they are too ambitious 3. But we deny that Aben Ezra Kimki Cosri and the Author of Tsak Sephataim do suppose the Points to be a Novel Invention For First We shall produce plainer Testimonies out of these very Authors wherein they plainly express themselves for the Antiquity of the Points Secondly We shall prove they have wrested those places they have collected and that the genuine Sence of the Authors in those very places they have alledged out of them is very consonant unto and doth well agree with what the same Authors say elsewhere for the Antiquity of the Points We shall begin in the First place with Aben Ezra who by Elias and his Followers is esteemed Instar Omnium none being in their Opinion so fully of their mind in this Matter CHAP. III. The Opinion of Aben Ezra for the Antiquity of the Points particularly considered IN the Consideration of Aben Ezra's Opinion we shall First Produce plain Testimony out of him for the Antiquity of the Points And then Secondly Discover the Frauds and Violence which Elias and his Followers have used to wrest his words in the places they alledge out of him First then We shall produce what he saith for the Antiquity of the Points and to this purpose
we shall translate a full Testimony out of his Book entituled Mozenee haleshon hakkodesh towards the beginning of it as it is delivered by Buxtorf De Punct Origine pag. 13. The words are these or to this effect viz. The words of the Lord are pure Words or Sayings preserved by the hands of holy Men one Generation after another For they were sanctified from the Womb they heard the holy words at the Mouth of him who is most excellent in Holiness and they were Interpeters between him viz. the Lord and between Iacob The holy People and these were before the building of that holy House viz. the Temple and when it stood upon its Basis or Foundation and after it until the Vision and Prophecy was sealed up But after a few years about the time of the building of the holy House the second time at that time the Spirit of the Lord the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding rested upon the Men of that House that were called Anashee keneset haggedolah The Men of the great Synagogue or Sanhedrim to explain all that was sealed up in the Command And the words that are translated by the Mouth of the Just Men from the Mouth of the former and latter Prophets that is delivered by Oral Tradition from hand to hand Also they were rendring a Reason or restoring the Accent Meshebe taam Prov. 26.16 and taught their Posterity Chephets Colinian the sence of every word or thing al jad taamee hamikra by the hand or means of the Accents of the Scripture And the Kings and the Ministers they taught their Posterity and the closed Sections and the open Sections And what continues carries on the sence in opposition to the Pause and the Verses or Pauses that stop the sence and they were Eyes to the Blind therefore we go in their steps and follow after them and lean upon them in all the Expositions of Scripture And after the Captivity of our Fathers from the Holy City the Lord stirred up the Spirit of his Saints and the Chief of them was our holy Rabbi viz. Iudah to compose what was noted in loose Writings of the Commands of our God and that is the Mishna whereunto nothing may be added nor may any thing be taken away from it Also after them came other holy Princes and pious Hero's and they are the Men of the Talmud viz. the Gemarists and they went on in their paths viz. of the Masters of the Mishna and they took up the Stones out of the High-ways of the Testimony and they removed every Stumbling-stone out of the paths of the Lord. And after this stood up in Israel according to the good Hand of our God upon us two great Rows or Orders Neh. 12.31 the one keeping the Walls of the Sanctuary of Strength Dan. 11.31 founded by the Hand of our God that no Stranger may be able to destroy it Now this Sanctuary is the Holy Books of Scripture and the Men of this Row or Order are the Men of the Masora or the Masorites who separated all the mixed Multitude from the holy People alluding to Nehem. 13.3 and meaning what is Humane from what is Divine in Correcting the Copy And they numbred the Men of the Sanctuary from Two or Eleven to the end that no Stranger might draw near to the Gates of Righteousness Blessed be the Lord our God who hath put such a thing as this in the heart of the rest of the Kingdom of his Priests to beautifie his House which is a House of Wisdom as Solomon saith Wisdom hath built her House And the second Row that goeth over against it And I go after it Neh. 12.38 are those that are expert in War alluding unto Cant. 3.8 in the Law or about the Law and they are the Grammarians Thus far Aben Ezra In this place saith Buxtorf Aben Ezra doth elegantly and discreetly Expound in what manner and by whom the holy Word of God was preserved from the Beginning quite down to the Time of the Grammarians and what was done in every Age about the Preservation thereof and by whom it was done For First he saith The true and genuine Sence of the Word of God was preserved without Points by holy Men such as Moses and the Prophets unto the time of the Second Temple and the time wherein Vision and Prophecy were sealed up Secondly After the building of the Second House about the ending of Prophecy or the Prophetick Gift and Ministry God raised up other holy Men to wit the Men of the Great Synagogue that is to say Ezra with his Councel who preserved the Word of God which was brought to them by Oral Tradition This Holy Scripture they did by other means than Tradition with great care and study deliver down to Posterity But how they did this and what in particular it was that the Men of the Great Synagogue did about the Preservation of the Scripture this he doth teach particularly and by Parts For First he saith That this was done Al jad taamee hamikra By the means of the Accents of the Scripture Secondly By the Kings and Ministers that is the Vowels The Kings he calls afterwards seven viz. Holem Shurek Chirek Pathak Segol Kamets Tsere And the Ministers Sheva Mute Mobile and Compound And he doth not mean the Accents which the Grammarians divided into Kings and Ministers Vid. Balmes cap. 3. of the Points more of this Thirdly By the Doctrine concerning the Sections that are close open or continued Hasetumim Vpetuchim Vdebikim Fourthly By Hapesukim the Verses or the Distinction of the Scripture into Verses by these helps he saith they are like Eyes to the Blind and in their Steps we go in Reading and Expounding the Scripture at this time He saith we every where lean on their Exposition of the Scripture and therefore not of the Tiberian Masorites Thirdly In the Third place after the Men of the Great Synagogue he proceeds to the Masters of the Mishna and to them he chiefly ascribes the true Explication of the Precepts of God Fourthly He makes the Talmudists or Gemarists succeed the Masters of the Mishna and to these he ascribeth the Illustration and Explication of the Doctrine of the Mishna and their Disputations Fifthly He saith By the good Hand of God to Israel he raised up Two other Orders of Men labouring profitably for the Preservation of the Scripture The First Order he ascribeth to the Masorites but unto these he ascribeth no Invention either of the Points or of the Accents or of the Distinctions But he principally commends these for Two things First That they did separate every thing that was strange that is Foreign or Humane from the Books of Scripture if any thing had by hap crept into it Secondly That they numbred the Words and Letters of the Books of Scripture that so there might be no way left whereby the Text could be corrupted in time to come And agreeing to this is what he writes of the Masorites in his Book
they writ their Epistles but that they only taught privately being not as yet separated from the Church He enquires into the time that all these Epistles had been written and shews according to his account that this agrees very well with the Epoche which he hath observed of the first Schism that happened in the Church Celsus a great Enemy to Christianity confesseth in Origen that the first Disciples of our Lord were all of the same Opinion and that they were not separated from one another until their number increased He reproaches them with these Divisions and had not omitted it if there had been any in the time of the first Disciples to have made a Demonstration of them in like manner The same Truth also appears by a place of Clemens of Alexandria This Author pretends to prove that the Heretical Churches were of a later date than the True To this purpose he divides the time which passed since the Birth of Iesus Christ into three Periods the first comprehends the time of our Saviour's Life from Augustus to the fifteenth Year of Tiberius according to the Calculation of Clement the second from the Death of Iesus Christ to the Martyrdom of St. Paul under Nero's Empire and the third from Nero to Adrian Clement shews that all Heresie began after these three Periods thus agreeing with Mr. Dodwell that they appeared not until Adrian so that some were in being until the Emperor Antoninus's time which is true of the Heretick Marcion and very likely of Valentinus Mr. Dodwell having proved in his first Dissertation that the Hereticks did not begin to disturb the Church until under the Emperor Trajan pursues this Subject in the Dissertation whereof we give the Extract and proves in particular that Marcion Basilides Valentinus and some other Hereticks made Polycarp say so often O God to what times am I reserv'd That all these Hereticks I say did not discover themselves until under the Empire of Adrian the reason hereof may be seen in the Author we will be satisfied to remark that he reprehends Tertullian by the bye of some very gross Faults as that he made but one Emperor of Tiberius and Claudius under the name of Tiberius Claudius but this of Tertullian will not seem so strange as in Eusebius one Emperor divided into three Marcus Aurelius Antoninus and that the Historian says they were Brothers After having spoke of the time of St. Irenaeus's Birth Mr. Dodwell search'd after that of his Death he rejects the pretended History of his Martyrdom by the Persecution of the Emperor Severus because it does not appear in any Author of the four first Ages that this Father was Martyred there being none that gives him this name To comprehend the strength of the Argument which is a Demonstration on this Subject you must know that the Honour of Martyrdom was so Glorious that this Praise was never forgot so that St. Irenaeus not having it from any Ancient Author though they gave him many Glorious Titles we ought to conclude that it was not due to him It 's true some of the following Ages honoured him with the Title of Martyr the first that gave it him was the Author of the Questions to the Orthodox which Mr. Dodwell supposes to be one Iustina Sicilian that is supposed to be writ about the end of the fifth Age at least he is sure he did not live until after the Emperors embraced Christianity and consequently his Testimony alone ought not to be taken for things that passed a long time before The second who calls S. Irenaeus Martyr is St. Ierom but because this Doctor has not given him this name in the places wherein he ought to have given it him if he had thought it his due Mr. Dodwell judges it is some Remark that might have passed out of the Margin into the Text so that nothing can be concluded in favour of St. Irenaeus's pretended Martyrdom neither from the Author of the Questions to the Orthodox nor from the Testimony of St. Ierom and Gregory of Tours may be looked upon as the first that spoke of it affirmatively but it is with so little Exactness and upon so false Supposition that one ought not to take notice of what he says He will have him dye in the same Persecution that crowned Photion Bishop of Lions whom nevertheless St. Irenaeus succeeded Besides it is certain that he lived when Victor was Pope as appears by the famous Dispute that happened about Easter which was undoubtedly in that Pope's time And it seems under the Empire of Commodus Eusebius and the Chronicle of Alexandria make mention of this Father in the third Year of this Emperor Mr. Dodwell believes that it was upon the occasion of his Works against the Schism of Blastus and Florinus that he put out under Commodus rather than Severus by reason of the Troubles of the Reign of this last during which it seems this Dispute was quieted The last Actions of St. Irenaeus which we have any knowledge of end in the Year CLXXXIX of our Saviour and the Tenth of the Emperor Commodus so that it may be concluded this Father died about Ninety but not full a Hundred Years of Age. This Author attributes this long Life to Providence that Tradition might be more compleat The same also was said of the Patriarchs before Moses because the Revelations were not writ but the Writings of the New Testament being received and known the like Necessity does not appear Nevertheless Mr. Dodwell carries this thought further and says That it was more difficult that the Churches planted by the Apostles should consent to an Error than to convey Books under the borrowed names of Apostles there would be nothing wanting to fall into this Unhappiness but the Perfidiousness of an Ill or the too great Credulity of a Good Man It 's to befriend Tradition extreamly to bring it from the Inconveniencies to which it seems a thousand times more subject than Scripture For after all how would it be possible to distinguish from the true Apostolick Tradition what might be added under pretext of Explication for some other end After having spoke of the Person of St. Irenaeus Mr. Dodwell passes to his Writings in the following Dissertations The design of his Work against Heresies and the time wherein it was written wholly takes up the fourth Dissertation If this Father excuses the Rudeness of his Style it is not that he was an Enemy to Eloquence or that he despised it but because his long abode in Gaul made him lose the Habit of speaking the Greek Tongue and because he was not accustomed to write whence it is concluded that his Work against Heresies was the first of his Writings nor did he write it until he was far in Years because he talks of having seen Polycarp in his Youth as a particular Advantage which seems to intimate that there were but few then in the World that could say the same thing He says
also that divers Bishops succeeded Polycarp in the Government of the Church of Smyrna which shews it was a long time after the Death of that Holy Man Irenaeus might be then about eighty Years of Age. This Work against Heresies was not all writ at the same time nor was it built upon the same Foundation on the contrary it appears by divers places that the two first Books entirely took up the Design of the Author It was after these were ended that he thought of making a third which soon followed the other two After that he made a fourth and fifth Book wherein he speaks of the Doctrin of our Lord. But though he writ these things at several different times all the work was ended in a short time As Irenaeus himself says in a Letter to a Friend that had desired to write upon this Subject Mr. Dodwell acknowledges that he does not know who this Friend was and makes no Scruple to refute those that thought it Turibius a Priest of Toledo whom the Author of this Fable Confounds with one Turibius of Asturia who lived not till the fifth Age whether there were two of this name or that they made two of one which was often done it was so that Anaclet was made two Popes in taking away from him the two first Syllables of his name However this Friend must be a Grecian because St. Irenaeus writes to him in Greek and makes an Apology for the Roughness of his Style It may be he lived in Cephalonia or in some place of the Continent that is near this Island according to the Author's Conjectures who pretends that the Heretick Ptolomy was of this Country He desired him to explain the Doctrins of the Valentinians and because they imbraced almost all the Opinions of the other Hereticks it makes Irenaeus speak of them all in his Work going back as far as Simon the Magician pretending that they derived their Birth from him as the Orthodox did theirs from Iesus Christ and his Apostles It is true the Valentinians and other Hereticks of St. Irenaeus's time did not acknowledge this for they maintained on the contrary that they received their Doctrin from Theodad Disciple of St. Paul as Basilides said he received his from Glaucias Interpreter to St. Peter But this Father proves that they descended by an uninterrupted Succession from the Heretick Menander Disciple to Simon the Magician The better to apprehend all this the Author observes that the new Hereticks used always to joyn themselves to the Ancient ones and to enter into a Society with them adding also some new Error to their Heresie whereby to distinguish themselves And as among Philosophers there was one Potamon that pick'd and chose what he liked in all the rest to form his own Principles by So it is very likely that the Valentinians formed their Heresie from what they found in the other Heresies that suited with their Design This is the reason that Irenaeus calls it a Recapitulation of all Heresies Ptolomeus was one of the chief Disciples of the Valentinian Heresie who according to the Maxim we just before spoke of added new Errors to those of his Masters It 's of him that this Father speaks of in the beginning of his Work Marcus was Disciple to Ptolomeus erected a new School and is more spoken of in what follows than his Master His Errors spread as far as Gaul and all along the Rhine But Mr. Dodwell proves that the Valentinian Heretick Colorbasus was more ancient than either Marcus or Ptolomeus because he was contemporary to Valentine of whom he learned his Doctrin after which he formed a new School All which is contrary to what Epiphanius writ These Hereticks like the Pythagorians did not explain their Opinions nor communicate their Books to any but them who were initiated into their Mysteries which was the reason that very few were well acquainted with them this caused St. Irenaeus's Friend to desire him to inform therein therefore this Father design'd as he himself declares to discover the Practices of the Valentinians and exclaim against their Manners Mr. Dodwell Remarks upon this that the Fathers used to represent the Ill Lives of Hereticks thence to draw Consequences against their Doctrins according to the Maxim of Jesus Christ You shall know them by their works Matth. 7.16 Though this Consequence is not always lawful for the Manners of one that is Orthodox in his Judgment and may be corrupt and on the contrary a Heretick may lead a pure and holy Life But it was just against the ancient Hereticks whereof the most part approved by their criminal Opinions their lewd Practices They affirm'd that one might deny our Saviour by word of Mouth if Persecuted That Magick was lawful and that simple Fornication was not a Crime .c. The Author employs the rest of this Fourth Dissertation to find out the time wherein St. Irenaeus writ this piece against the Hereticks to which purpose he runs over all the Valentinian Hereticks of whom we before have spoken and by the great many helps of Conjectures and Inquiries discovers the Times wherein they lived and Taught and concludes at last that Irenaeus writ this Work after the Death of Photinus his Predecessor about the Year CLXVII of the common Aera and the ninth or tenth of his Episcopacy and because this Father speaks of the Version of Theodotian which is thought to have been later he endeavours to shew that it is a Mistake and that there is nothing in the whole but what agrees with his Calculation The Reasons may be seen in the Author because they cannot be alledged here without being Tedious The Fifth Dissertation treats of the Interpreter of St. Irenaeus and a Passage of St. Ierom which joins St. Irenaeus with the Greek Authors that clear'd Erasmus from his doubt whether he writ in Greek or Latin Mr. Dodwell adds another that neither Erasmus nor Father Feuardant who published an Edition of St. Irenaeus took notice of which is that St. Ierom says that he 'll mention none of the Greeks but Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons He adds Arguments to these Testimonies This Author excuses the Roughness of his Stile because he lived along time among the Celtes and was obliged to make use of their barbarous Language but had he writ in Latin this excuse would not have taken for there was not only a Roman Colony at Lyons but also every fifth Year they celebrated the terrible Combat of Orators in Honour to Augustus of which Iuvenal speaks in these Verses Aut Lugdunensem Rhetor dicturus ad Aram. St. Ierom says also that St. Irenaeus writ learnedly and eloquently and without dispute this Father was too good a Judge to give this Praise to so rude Latin as that of St. Irenaeus was if it were that which is now extant it is not difficult to observe that the Author of this Version understood Greek very well but could not speak Latin so that if St. Irenaeus had writ in
and things which were to fall out Read Hydaspes and you shall find that he hath much more clearly written of the Son of God and hath said that several Kings should arm themselves against Jesus Christ that they should hate him for those who bear his Name c. As the Preaching of the Gospel came in his time so in their time the Law and the Prophets were given to Barbarians and Philosophy to the Grecians which accustomed their Ears to the Preaching of the Gospel Clement speaks after the same manner in divers other Places and declares evidently enough that he believed Philosophy was amongst the Greeks what Prophecy was amongst the Hebrews and that God always gave equally to all Men the means of being Saved which was also the Opinion of divers other Greek Fathers Clement believed also that the Greeks had nothing good but what they had taken from the Barbarous People chiefly from the Iews and from the Books which he endeavours to prove in a thousand places and we know that this was the common Opinion of the Fathers who undertook to Censure the Philosophy of the Grecians The Iews said also the same thing as is plain by a Passage of Aristobulus a Peripatetick who is said to have been Tutor to Ptolomy and Philometor and who speaks thus Plato hath followed our Laws and shewn that he studied them well And before the time of Demetrius before even the Empire of Alexander and that of the Persians they were Translated by another besides the Seventy as well as the History of what happened to the Hebrews our Fellow-Citizens at their coming out of Egypt of what Remarkable things they did and saw and of the manner wherewith by force they possessed themselves of the Country of Canaan and how the whole Law was given so that it 's visible the Philosopher whom we have mentioned learned several things thereof for he had much Learning as well as Pythagoras who added to his Doctrin several of our Opinions But many things render this Author suspicious and as he is the only Man who has spoke of a Version made before the Empire of the Persians there is reason to doubt this is a Iewish Fable Howbeit it appears that in the time of this Author true or suppsititious the Iews accused the Pagans of having stolen from the Holy Books what good Opinions soever they had It is very probable that the Greeks learned several things of the Eastern People as of the Egyptians and Babilonians for they confess it themselves but if the thing was throughly examined it would perhaps be found that in Greece they spake very clearly of several things before the Iews spake thereof after the same manner and that these latter began to express themselves as the Greeks did only since they have had Commerce with them Proofs of this Conjecture might be brought at least as strong as all those which the Fathers urge to prove the contrary but as that would make us abandon too far our principal Subject whereof we treat here we shall not undertake to enter upon this matter It is more proper here to observe that though Clement often accuseth the Grecian Philosophers of Stealth and Robbery Yet he believ'd God had given them some of their Knowledge by the Ministry of Inferiour Angels whereas he instructed Christians by that of his Son The Lord of all Men says he of the Grecians as well as Barbarians perswades those who will believe in him for he forceth not him to receive Salvation who can chuse and do what depends upon time to embrace the Hope which God offereth unto him It 's he who gives Philosophy to the Grecians by the Ministry of Inferiour Angels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for it is a long time since that by the Commandment of God Angels were dispers'd amongst the Nations but the Opinion of such as believe is the Portion of the Lord. He after that proves at large in the same place that God is the Saviour of the Pagans as well as of the Iews In respect to the Ministry of Angels to reveal Philosophy to the Greeks Clement and those who were of this Opinion fell into it partly by reason of what Socrates said of his Demon who advertised him of several things and whereof Clement seems to speak in terms which may make us believe that he was perswaded Socrates spoke truth And this also doth not ill agree with the thoughts of the same Father and several others who believed according to many Pagan Philosophers that each Person had his Guardian Angel who would sometimes give him Advices It will be no wonder after that if Clement attributes a kind of Prophecy to Plato chiefly if we consider that the words of this Philosopher agree so well to Jesus Christ that scarcely at this day can the State better be described in which our Saviour was when he was Crucified upon the Cross. He describes an exact Virtue and saith Thus may be named the Virtue of a Just Man who notwithstanding should go for a wicked Man although he courageously followed Justice and who in spight of this evil Judgment which all the World should have of him should to his latest Breath walk in the ways of Virtue Yea though he was scourged though he should suffer divers Torments though he was kept in Irons though his Eyes were burned with a hot Iron though all manner of evil should be inflicted on him and lastly though he should be Crucified As to the rest it was not that Clement equaliz'd in any respect the Heathen Philosophy to that of the Doctrin of Jesus Christ. He acknowledged that before his coming it was but like a Degree or Preparation to Christianity and that Philosophers could pass but for Children if they were compared to Christians He looked upon Faith as necessary since the Gospel was Published throughout all the World Our Saviour having given saith he his Commandments to the Barbarians and Philosophy to the Greeks hath shut up Incredulity until his Coming at which time whosoever believeth not in him is unexcusable All the Books of Clement are full of these Opinions which he defends every where with much clearness and enlarges on them so that we may see in those Times these Opinions were not looked upon at least commonly as dangerous for there is no likelihood that he should have the Charge of Cathechist after his Master Pantenus nor that he shou'd have so many Praises bestow'd on him as afterwards appears if he had been considered as a Man infected with dangerous Sentiments St. Chrysostom hath maintained the same thing concerning the Salvation of Pagans in his Thirty eighth Homily upon St. Matthew It was necessary to observe in a few words these Opinions of Clement because otherwise divers places of his Writings could not be understood and that it was upon these Grounds he retained all he thought rational in the Notions of the Pagans rejecting only what appeared false unto him or incompatible with the
might both have condescended a little nearer Afterwards we have an Account of several Schisms and the manner of their Growth all along very curious in his Remarks and very plentiful in the Citation of his Authorities in the Margent to which for greater Satisfaction we refer the more inquisitive Reader The Second Part of the Enquiry into the Constitution Discipline Unity and Worship of the Primitive Church that Flourish'd within the first Three Hundred Years after Christ. 1. IN the First Chap. of this Second Part he begins with the manner of their Publick Worship in the Primitive Church when the Congregation was assembled the first Act of Divine Service was reading the Holy Scriptures and sometimes the Epistles and Tracts of Eminent and Pious Men he that read the Scriptures was particularly destin'd for that Office being the Lector which as we said above was preparative for an higher Office how long they read our Author could not determin but he says it was a considerable part of the Divine Service Then follow'd singing Psalms the Matter he says was not always the same some times as he Cites out of Tertullian they Sung an Hymn out of the Bible or one of their own composing one of their Hymns as he tells us being made on the Praise of our Saviour began thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Hail Light they sung with their Voices altogether some times alternately Origen de Orat. § 6. Pag. 7. Ep. ad Trajan 'T was in Rhime Metre and Consort He mentions particularly the 133. Psalm Oh how good and pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in Unity c. After singing of Psalms Preaching succeeded Scripturae leguntur Psalmi Canuntur ad Locutiones proferuntur Tertull. de Anima c. 3. p. 530. Scriptures are read Psalms sung and Sermons pronounced The Subject of the Sermon was usually a Commentary or Explanation of the Lessons which were just before read according to Iustin Martyr Ap. 2. p. 98. The Bishop made a Sermon by way of Instruction and Exhortation to the Imitation of those excellent things which had been read They usually preach'd about an Hour Origen Hom. de Engast p. 29. The manner of their Sermons was thus they began with a short Exordium and then explained Verse after Verse or Sentence after Sentence shewing the natural and literal Signification of the Words and then the Spiritualized or Mystical meaning of them and concluded with a suitable Application of all regarding the Quality of their Hearers and suiting themselves to their Capacity he gives some Instances of the Laity who by the Permission of their Bishops were suffer'd to Preach some times but never but upon sufferance and they were only such as were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fit to profit the Brethren II. He continues his Inquisition in the Primitive Worship and informs that as soon as Sermon was ended they all rose up and offer'd their Prayers unto God Justin Martyr Apol. 2. p. 98. The manner of their Praying was with their Faces towards the East for these Reasons which by the way might give light why we make the Communion-Table at the East-end of our Churches 1. Because the Title of East is given to our Saviour in the Old Testament the Word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies an arising or sprouting out in the Greek 't is rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies arising out and by a Metonymy is appropriated to the East 2. Because it symbolized a Spiritual arising out of the Darkness of Sin and Corruption Here our Author mentions Alexandrinus Stromat Lib. 7. p. 520. Let Prayers be made towards the East because the East is the Representation of our Spiritual Nativity As from thence Light first arose shining out of Darkness so according to that Rising of the Sun the day of true Knowledge arose on those who lay buried in Ignorance whence the ancient Temples looked towards the West that so they who stood against the Images therein might be forced to look towards the East 3. The next Reason our Author gives is out of Origen viz. to denote our Diligence in the Service of God in being more forward to arise and set about it than the Sun is to run his daily course 4. Another Reason was the Opinion of the Excellency of this Quarter above others The Posture of Prayer Clem. Alex. Strom. Lib. 7. p. 519. was thus We lift up our Head and stretch out our Hands towards Heaven There was a little Preface to their Prayer as Let us pray or Lift up your Hearts and the People answer'd We lift them up unto the Lord. Some times our Author says they used the Lord's Prayer and some times not St. Cyprian us'd it commonly I can't pass over notwithstanding the smalness I design'd in this Abstract what this holy Father has said upon the Lord's Prayer De Orat. Dom. § 1 2. Pag. 309. Christ hath given us a Form of Prayer he hath admonished and instructed us what we should pray for He that made us live hath taught us to pray that whilst we offer unto the Father the Prayer which the Son taught we may be the more easily heard For what Prayer can be more Spiritual than that which was given us by Christ who gave us also the Holy Spirit And what Prayer can be more prevalent with God than that of his Son who is the Truth proceeding out of his Mouth so that to pray otherwise than he hath taught is both Ignorance and Impiety Let us pray therefore dearly beloved Brethren as God our Master hath taught us It is a friendly and familiar Prayer to ask God with his own and to present the Prayer of Christ to his Ears the Father will acknowledge his Sons Words When we pray let him that dwells in the Heart be in the Voice and since we have him an Advocate with the Father for our Sins when we beg Pardon for our Sins let us use the Words of our Advocate and since he says that whatsoever we shall ask of the Father in his Name he will give it us how much more efficaciously shall we prevail for what we beg in Christ's Name if we ask it in his Prayer For the manner of Prayer our Author says he finds not such a thing as set Forms or Liturgies that were impos'd upon the People nor to use his own words that having no imposed Form they unpremeditately immethodically or confusedly vented their Petitions or Requests III. Chap. Third our Author treats of Baptism which was done by the Bishop or whom he should order in cases of necessity even to Laymen but never to Women The Subjects of Baptism were of two sorts either Infants or Adult Persons to shew Infants were Baptized he also proves that the Communion was never given till after Baptism and then he brings Instances of Children that received the Communion Iustin Martyr p. 97. To which he adds the Testimonies of Irenaeus lib. 2. cap. 39. p. 137. and of
bestowed where the Divine Gifts are received with a sound and full Faith both of Giver and Receiver For in Baptism the Spots of Sin are otherwise washed away than the filth of the Body in a Secular and Carnal Bath is in which there is need of a Seat to sit upon of a Vat to wash in of Sope and other such like Implements that so the Body may be washed and cleansed but in another manner is the Heart of a Believer washed otherwise is the Mind of a Man purified by the Merits of Christ. In the Sacraments of Salvation through the Indulgence of God in Cases of Necessity the Divine Abridgments convey the whole to those that believe Nor let any one think it strange that the Sick when they are Baptized are only perfused or sprinkled since the Scripture says by the Prophet Ezechiel Chap. 36. v. 25 26. I will sprinkle clean Water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your Filthinesses and from all your Idols will I cleanse you a new Heart also will I give you and a new Spirit will I put within you Also it is said in Numbers chap. 19.19 20. And the Man which shall be unclean to the Evening he shall be purified the third day and the seventh day and he shall be clean but if he shall not be purified the third day and the seventh day he shall not be clean and that Soul shall be cut off from Israel because the Water of Aspersion hath not been sprinkled on him And again the Lord spake unto Moses Numb 8. v. 6.7 Take the Levites from among the Children of Israel and cleanse them and thus shalt thou do unto them to cleanse them sprinkle Water of Purifying upon them And again the Water of Aspersion is Purification From whence it appears that sprinkling is sufficient instead of Immersion and whensoever it is done if there be a sound Faith of Giver and Receiver it is perfect and complete V. The Fifth Chap. treats of Unction Signation and Confirmation he brings his Authorities from them who mention them as succeeding Baptism but the manner how is not exprest only about the last he gives us an uncommon Remark to wit that Absolution and Confirmation were the same and that when they absolved Penitents the Bishop put his Hands upon their Heads and that this Confirmation was frequently repeated VI. In the Sixth Chap. our Author treats of the Lord's Supper in which he considers three things 1. The Time 2. The Person 3. The manner thereof 1. For the time he proves it to be commonly at Supper some times Morning and Evening and in times of Persecution according as they had Opportunity 2. The Persons that communicated were such as were initiated into the Church by Baptism but Penitents that were yet under Penance and the Chatechumens were not admitted 3. The manner of Celebrating the Eucharist In some places the Communicants made their Offerings first as in Africa and France presenting according to their Ability Bread Wine the first Fruits of their Encrease c. which were employ'd to the use of the Poor Iustin Martyr Apol. 2. Pag. 97. says Bread and Wine are offered to the Minister who receiving them gives Praise and Glory to the Lord of all through the Son and the Holy Ghost and in a large-manner renders particular Thanks for he present Mercies who when he hath ended his Prayers and Praise all the People say Amen And when the Minister hath thus given Thanks and the People said Amen the Deacons distributed the Elements Our Author tells us that the Prayer consisted of two Parts viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Petition and Thanksgiving in the former they prayed for the Peace of the Church the Quiet of the World the Health of their Emperors and in a word for all Men. In the latter they gave God Thanks for sending Christ and for the Institution of that comfortable Sacrament desiring his Blessing on and the Consecration of the Elements then before them After some Prayer the Minister consecrated both the Elements together blessed and distributed them amongst the rest to Children as above The posture of Receiving at Alexandria was Standing in other Places Kneeling especially at Whitsontide After Distribution was over they Sung an Hymn or a Psalm to the Praise and Glory of God and then they concluded with a Prayer of Thanksgiving and made a Collection for the Poor VII He treats of the Circumstances of publick Worship as Time Place c. He says the Primitive Christians had their Churches and appointed Places except in times of Persecution when they took the best Opportunities they could Their Churches were erected high and in open Places made very light and shining in Imitation of the Holy Ghost's descending in Fire they built them towards the East as we said above They imagin'd no Sanctity or Holiness tied to them or that Divine Service was more acceptable there than elsewhere but for Convenience Clem. Alex. Strom. Lib. 7. Pag. 520. The times of meeting together were constantly every first day of the Week or Sunday by them commonly styled The Lord's Day and the Western Churches met on Saturday and Sunday both the former to gratifie the Jewish Converts who were numerous in those parts VIII The Eighth Chap. treats of the Primitive Fasts which were of two sorts occasional and fixt the first not determin'd by any constant fixed Period of time but observed on extraordinary and unusual Seasons according as the variety and necessity of their Circumstances did require as as in case of eminent Dangers in Church or State particularly against Persecutions thus Cornelius Bishop of Rome Ep. 57. § 3. Pag. 159. was writ to by St. Cyprian That since God was pleased in his Providence to warn them of an approaching Fight and Tryal they ought with their whole Flocks diligently to fast and watch and pray to give themselves to continual Groans and frequent Prayers for those are our Spiritual Arms that make us firmly to stand and persevere The fixt Fasts our Author tells us were Fridays and Wednesdays some times till Three of the Clock sometimes till Night Besides these they had an Annual fixt Fast viz. Lent the reason of it says our Author was from these words Matth. 9.15 The days will come when the Bridegroom shall be taken from them and then shall they Fast. They imagined this to be an Injunction of Christ to all his Followers as appear'd by some places he quoted out of the Fathers IX In the Ninth Chap. we have an Account of Primitive Feasts the first we meet with is Easter mentioned by Tertullian upon which we find there were some differences in the Churches as to the precise time of keeping it The next was Whitsuntide or Pentecost spoke of by Tertullian and Origen The next was Christmas mentioned by Clemens Alexandrinus here the Author takes notice that the Ancients disagree'd about the time of our Saviour's Birth-day some were for
the Twenty fifth of December some the Twenty sixth of December some the Twentieth of April some the Seventeenth of April and some the Sixteenth of May. There was yet another Feast amongst them called by us Epiphany mentioned by Clemens Alexandrinus The Author observes they kept no other Saints days nor did they call 〈◊〉 Apostles Saints but plain Matthew 〈◊〉 c. only they celebrated the Anniversaâ—â— of their own Martyrs praising their Actions and exhorting one another to Imitation the Place of their Meeting was at their Graves and Tombs Lastly our Author observes that their Festivals were not times of Revelling Drunkenness Gluttony c. but in Acts of Piety Charity and Religious Employments X. In the Tenth and last Chapter our Author comes to consider the Ceremonies of the Primitive Church for instance when they Baptized in some Churches the new Member had Milk and Hony given to him and in some Places before they prayed they washed their Hands they had Exorcism before Baptism and Unction after and innumerable more such Ceremonies which crept in partly by a Misunderstanding some Texts and partly by being amongst the Superstitious Heathens Yet the Churches retain'd their own Liberty and Customs without imposing or being impos'd upon by one another I shall give only one of those many Instances that our Author has brought for his Purpose 't is out of a Fragment of an Epistle written by Irenaeus and other Bishops of France wherein they affirm that Victor was in the right with respect to the time of Easter that it ought to be celebrated as he said on the Lords Day but that yet he had done very ill to cut off from the Unity of the Church those that observed it otherwise that it had never been known that any Churches were Excommunicated for a disagreement in Rites an Instance of which there was not only in the time of Easter its self but in the Fast that preceded it Some fasted one day others more some forty hours which variety of Observations began not first in our Age but long before us in the times of our Ancestors who yet preserved Peace and Unity amongst themselves as we now do for the Diversity of Fasts commended the Unity of Faith And as for this Controversie concerning the time of Easter the Bishops which governed the Church of Rome before Soter viz. Anicetus Pius Higynus Telesphorus and Xystus they never celebrated it the same time with the Asiaticks neither would they permit any of their People so to do but yet they were kind and peaceable to those who came to them from those Parishes where they did otherwise observe it and never any for this Cause were thrown out of the Church even their Predecessors though they did not keep it yet they sent the Eucharist to those that did keep it and when in the times of Anicetus blessed Polycarp came to Rome and there were some Controversies between them they did not separate from one another but still maintained Peace and Love And though Anicetus could never perswade Polycarp nor Polycarp Anicetus to be of each others mind yet they Communicated one with another and Anicetus in Honour to Polycarpus permitted him to Consecrate the Sacrament in his Church and so they departed in mutual Love and Kindness and all the Churches whether observing or not observing 〈◊〉 same Day retained Peace and Unity amongst themselves Apud Euseb. Lib. 5. Cap. 24. Pag. 192 193. After all our Author concludes with a most passionate Exhortation to Love and Peace amongst our selves protesting that in this Treatise he has not been byass'd by any Party or Faction whatever but has endeavour'd a plain full and impartial discovery of Truth leaving every one to their Liberty as to the Judgment they shall make of it He says he has left out many Ancient things and handled mostly those Points that are now in dispute amongst us He has taken a great deal of pains in citing his Authorities all along In short he has out-done all that ever have Wrote in this kind before him and yet with a Spirit of so much Modesty and Humility that every Party may see their Errors without having any cause to be angry withe their Exposer He has given a Table of the Fathers Names which he has made use of as also their Ages and Countries that we may thereby be able to ghess at the Original of some Customs amongst them and the Places where they were chiefly practised St. Clementis Epistolae duae ad Corinthâ—os Interpretibus Patricio Iunio Gottifredo Vendelino Iohan. Bapt. Cotelerio Recensuit Notarum Spicilegium adjecit Paulus Colemesius Bibliothecae Lambethanae Curator Accedit Thomae Brunonis Canonici Windesoriensis Dissertatio de Therapeutis Philonis His subnexae sunt Epistolae aliquot singulares vel nunc primum Editae vel non ita facile obviae London Impensis Jacobi Adamson 1687. in 120. Pag. 377. 1. THese Epistles of St. Clement which were known only by some Citations of the Ancients were published the first time more than forty Years ago by Patricius Iunius who found them joined to the end of the New Testament in the famous MS. of Alexandria This Learned Man added to them a Latin Version and Notes William Burton Translated them into English in 1677 and added likewise Remarks of his own much larger than those of Iunius The Edition of the latter being soon become scarce it was imitated at Helmstadt in 1654 and Iochim Iohn Maderus added to it a new Preface since that time the Edition hath appear'd in Twelves by Dr Fell Bishop of Oxford and that of Mr. Cotelier in Folio Here is a fifth which we owe to the Care of Mr. Colomies who hath compared the precedent Editions with the MS. whence they have taken them and hath shew'd that the Learned Iunius was some times mistaken and had in the Reading this MS. put a wrong Sense upon many things we shall give an Example hereof after we have made some little mention of a small Dissertation which Mr. Colomies placed before St. Clement Entituled De Clementis ejus Epistolarum tempore Vandelini Divinatio This Vandelin was Tutor to the famous Gassendus and died Chanon of Ghent He believes that St. Clement was near the Age of St. Iohn the Evangelist and lived as long as he dying the third Year of the Reign of Trajan at Chersone in Pontus whither he was banished The Ancients all agree that St. Clement was Bishop of Rome but they do not agree upon the time he was so nor upon the Order which ought to be given him in the List of the first Bishops of this City Baronius himself confessed that he was not well assured of the order of the Succession of these Bishops until the Year CLXXIX Vandelin undertakes in this Dissertation to resolve the Difficulties by the means of the old Breviaries and Martyrologies after which he speaks of the time in which the Epistles of St. Clement were written As his
Dissertation is extremely short the Reader is desired to consult it We shall only Remark that according to this Author St. Peter being upon the point of parting from Rome for England in the Year of our Lord LV he established Linus to govern the Church of Rome in his absence whither being returned in LXVI he found it without a Pastor Linus being dead during his absence A little time after being cast into Prison he established Clement in the place of Linus towards the time of the Pass-over in LXVII a few Months before his Death St. Clement held the See nine Years and eleven or twelve Days after which great Contestations arose in the Church of Rome which obliged St. Clement to quit the Episcopacy It would not be permitted if we believe Vandelin that St. Clement should succeed in the See of Rome by virtue of St. Peter's Testament fearing lest this Example might render the Episcopacy Hereditary and St. Clement having declared That if it was upon his account that these Contestations happened he was ready to retire in what place of the World they would have him he was taken at his word and Cletus was chosen in his place to whom Anacletus Evaristus Alexander Telesphorus c. succeeded in the order we have named them Vendelin believes that the first Epistle of St. Clement as it is commonly called was written by this Holy Man not in his own particular name but in that of the Clergy of Rome in XCV after the death of Anacletus and during the Vacancy of the See though according to him Evaristus had been nominated to succeed Anacletus so that this Letter was written during the most violent Persecutions of Domitian But Vendelin pretends that which is called the Second was written in a time wherein the Christian Church enjoyed an entire Peace in LXXV after which account the second would have been written twenty Years before the first He grounds what he says chiefly upon a Letter of Denys Bishop of Corinth to Pope Soterus written about the Year CLXVII where Denys speaks thus to the Church of Rome We have celebrated Sunday this day in which we have read your Letter which we always read for our Instruction as well as the former that Clement writ to us He believes the latter to be that which is called the second of St. Clements and that the other is the first which Clement of Alexandria calleth according to the Remark of Mr. Colomies the Epistle of the Romans to the Corinthians After the Dissertation of Vendelin are the two Epistles of St. Clement in Greek and Latin the first of the Version of Iunius and the second translated by Vendelin Mr. Colomies hath joined to it little Notes where 1. he corrects some places of the Text which Iunius had ill transcribed from the Original For Example from the first Page there is according to the Edition of Iunius That Grace and Peace which come from God-Allmighty through Iesus Christ be abundantly poured upon you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. upon every particular Person amongst you and upon one towards another We have thought most dear Brethren a little later then we should have done upon what you have demanded of us by reason of the evils and accidents which happened to us c. but according to the MS. of Alexandria the Phrase is much more clear since there it is That Grace and Peace c. be given to you abundantly by reason of the unforeseen Evils and Accidents which have happened to us one after another we have thought c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mr. Colomies Remarks also in a place or two wherein the Original was not observed but these Passages are not of the same Importance with that which we have cited 2. Some Conjectures are in these Notes and varieties of Reading taken from Clement of Alexandria who has several times cited St. Clement of Rome which places are all marked here as well as the rest of the Ancients who have cited the latter Clement 3. Mr. Colomies in some places corrects the Latin Version 4. He Expounds divers words of the Original 5. Upon the occasion of St. Clement he makes some critical Observations about Ecclesiastical History Thus also upon what St. Clement saith § 21. of the death of St. Peter and St. Paul he affirms that the time of their death is not certain A Council held at Rome under Pope Galasius says that the Hereticks pretend that St. Peter and Paul received the Crown of Martyrdom in divers times nevertheless it was the Opinion of Iustin Martyr and St. Irenaeus who said St. Paul died five Years after St. Peter Philastrius also reckoned amongst Hereticks those who give the names of the Seven Planets to the days of the Week though St. Ignatius and Iustin Martyr followed the received Custom therein St. Clement in Chapter 28th cites a Passage of the Psalms under the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Writing upon which it 's remarked that Mr. Vossius was mistaken when he saith that this word was found out by Aquila and that seems to teach us that the word Chetoubim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Writings to mark the Psalms Proverbs Iob and the other Books which the Iews comprise this day under this name is not new 2. There have been in England several Learned Men who having consumed all their Life in the study of Antiquity seem to have studied only for their particular Satisfaction without caring to impart to the publick their admirable knowledge therein Such was Richard Thomson Gerard Langbaine and Matthew Bustus whose few Writings which remain amongst us serve for almost nothing but to discover to us what these great Men might have done had they been willing Mr. Colomies adds Thomas Bruno Chanon of Windsor who left several Collections with his Friend Mr. Vossius but of which there is scarcely any thing that is fit for the Press The Dissertation which we have of it here De Therapeutis Philonis adversus Henr. Valesium was by good Luck ended and it is to Mr. Vossius who communicated it to Mr. Colomies that the Publick is indebted Amongst the Works of Philo is found a Treatise of a Contemplative Life where he describes the Esseans manner of living who dwelt near Alexandria and solely applied themselves to Contemplation There were Esseans spread through all Egypt who sent the most virtuous amongst them to inhabit a Hill which is near the Lake of Maria in a Place agreeable enough and which is not far from Alexandria They lived there after a Devout manner and very austere and Eusebius thought that when St. Mark went to Preach the Gospel into Egypt he converted them to the Christian Faith Ioseph Scaliger hath very bitterly reprehended Eusebius for saying so and many times that these Therapeutes as Philo calls them never were Christians but only Essean Jews Mr. Valais in his Annotations upon Eusebius holds with Scaliger that the Therapeutes did not embrace Christianity
Saint Basil whom Saint Ambrose imitated as he himself served in that as a Model to other Churches St. Chrysostom was the first amongst the Orthodox who put them in use at Constantinople fearing lest the Arians who made use thereof should draw the People to them by this means It ought to be observed that this manner of Singing is called Liturgy by St. Chrysostom Theodoret and Iustinian as this Author says Afterwards the same word being since taken to sinifie a Form those who read in the Writings of the Preceding Ages that these Fathers had introduced new Liturgies thought without Reason that they had made new Forms This Conjecture is maintained by these Two Remarks First a Liturgy has indeed been Attributed to St. Iames Brother of our Lord because Hegesippus in Eusebius call him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Liturgus or Publick Minister Secondly amongst the Latins in the time wherein these Liturgies were supposed to be extant the most part of these Forms were called Cantus Singing without excepting even the Prayers as the Author shews by several Examples So those who had introduced new ways of Singing might pass for Authors of new Liturgies when Cantare and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 came to signifie the same thing The Author believes it is a like expression which made some say that St. Ierome made a Liturgy tho' he did nothing else but introduce a new manner of Singing in the Church of Rome 7. Mr. Clarkson examins after that the 15 Canon of Vannes held towards the end of the Fifth Age where there is Sacrorum ordo psallendi una sit consuetudo The word ordo according to the Author signifies only the disposition of the Respontes Prayers Hymns and Psalms in the order they ought to be which he proves by the 21st Canon of a Synod of Agatho held some years after in the same Country Besides this if by ordo a Liturgy is understood or a regulate Form that which is in question must be Attributed to Six Bishops only in a Province of France and that upon the end of the Fifth Age. These are according to the Author the principal citations of of the first Five Ages which are alledged in Favour of Liturgies He speaks afterwards in few words of the Benedicite the Te Deum and Song of the Three Children which he maintains to be of the Sixth or Seventh Age. 8. In short the Author examining the Reasons why Liturgies were introduced into the Church attributes this use to the Ignorance and Corruption of the Times which became excessive since the Fourth Age. Those who Govern'd the Church did it with an unsupportable Tyranny not only at Rome but elsewhere they were Negligent Lasie and Ignorant after a scandalous manner as appears by the complaints which St. Ambrose St. Gregory of Nazianze St. Chrysostom and St. Basil c. made of them in their time Several Bishops knew not even how to write their Names so that they were forced in the Councils to make others Subscribe for them which by-like was very common seeing they made no difficulty to confess a thing which should have covered them with shame The Author relates several Examples thereof drawn from the Councils of Calcedon and Ephesus where Subscriptions are found after this manner I such a Man have Subscribed by the hand of such a Man because I cannot Write Such a Bishop knew not how to write I underwritten have subscribed for him After that if these Assemblies judged well of Controversies it must have been a great Chance or Miracle The Misfortune still is that if we are now a little more expert there are yet so many who know not how to pray to God that Liturgies are little less necessary than at that time But the Author advances nothing that he endeavours not to prove by passages of the Ancients which he cites in the Original Languages Those who would throughly Examin these matters will not do amiss to read this work and compare them with the Originals A Scholastical History of the Primitive and General Vse of Liturgies in the Christian Church together with an Answer to Mr. David Clarksons Late Discourse Concerning Liturgies By Thom. Comber D. D. Precenter of York London Printed for Robt. Clavel 1690. DR Comber in his Introduction shews that Mr. Clarkson was to blame in his Work 1. In repeating his Testimonies many times over to appear Numerous 2. In Stuffing the Margin full of what no Body Denies 3. In placing the latter Fathers before the former and mixing the First Last and Middle Ages together 4. In false Translating and false Citing several passages 5. And lastly In saying he hath Answered all the Places of the Ancients which either others had alledged or he in his diligent search of Antiquity had met with which seem to make for Liturgies When it will appear by some Hundreds of Proofs the Dr. produces that this is a prejudic'd Error For a fuller Citation and Evidencing these Five Heads those that have the Curiosity may Consult the Author Our Author begins with the Old Testament as Forms of Prayer and Thanksgiving used by Moses and David and shews from Dr. Hammond that the Iews had Forms in the same Method with our Common-Prayer and that they had stated Forms and set down the Order both of their Hymns and Supplications and Demonstrates that these continued so till our Saviours time and long after CHAP. 1. Our Author in Speaking of the Liturgies of the First Century proves that Philo and Iosephus speaking of the Esseans whom Eusebius and the Learned of these Ages believe to have been Christians says of 'em That their manner was to rise before the arising of the Sun and to Worship God with certain Prayers received from their fore-Fathers Philo also relates that they had a Choir of two Sides Singing Alternately so that when one had begun to Sing the rest answered him by repeating the ends of the Verses in imitation of those at the Red-Sea Eusebius speaks of these Hymns Sung in this manner calling them the Hymns used among us Christians Clemens Romanus in his Epistle to the Corinthians intimates they had a Liturgy We ought to do all those things in order which our Lord hath commanded us to perform viz. to Celebrate our Oblations and Liturgies at certain days Pliny Iunior says the Christians used to meet and Sing an Hymn to Christ as God Carmen dicere according to Vossius his Comment upon Pliny says it signifies to Repeat a Prayer in a set Form of words There 's only one other Testimony of Ignatius in the First Century who makes mention of one Prayer and Supplication Epist. ad Magnes p. 34. In the Second Century Testimonies are more Plentiful Iustin Martyr speaks of Common Prayer Apol. 2. p. 97. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St. Nazianzen whom Mr. Clarkson had wrested Exhorts Christians as well as they were able to sing that