Latine Versions this Epistle inscribed thus Ad Mariam Cassobolitam sive Castabalitam And so doth the Reverend Primate chuse to name her in the same Chapter The Scholiast upon this Epistle thinks this to be that Mary whom among others the Apostle Paul salutes Rom. 16. 6. a woman of singular piety and stiled by our Author 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most accomplished for wisdom and learning and his most learned Daughter 2. To Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna 3. To the Church of Tarsis 4. To the Church of Antioch 5. To Hero Deacon of Antioch 6. To the Church at Philippi Baronius is very confident that these as well as the former are Ignatii germanas easdemque sincerissimas The true and unfeigned Epistles of Ignatius supposing that none can rationally doubt thereof who will compare them together seeing that in the judgment of all the Learned their agreement in stile character and many other notes of words sentences and things doth plainly speak out and evidence so much Than which saith he a better proof cannot be brought or desired so that there is no ground for the least suspicion of imposture But these big words of his upon examination will appear to be of little or no force as the Reverend Vsher shews for as touching the likeness of stile c. between these Epistles it is not such or so great but he that would counterfeit Ignatius might easily imitate him so far The Forger observed some forms of speech and composition frequently occurring and familiar to him which he conceived was for his purpose carefully to retain He considered that Ignatius delighted in compounding words with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the end and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the beginning for as he himself was surnamed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so are the Ephesians praised by him as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which words and the like he useth also in other of his Epistles Hence the same words are taken up by the framer of these Epistles So likewise in the true Ignatius we meet with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. wherein he is imitated by his counterfeit as also in divers other expressions and sentences which the Impostor might do without any great difficulty so that it ought not to seem strange if there be in some sort an uniformity of stiles found in them Besides the deceit may be discerned by some passages contained in these which cannot be imagined ever to have fallen from the pen of Ignatius e. g. This is reckoned among the Heresies sown by the Ministers of Satan that Christ is he who is God over all Again if any one shall fast on the Lord's day or Sabbath one only excepted he is a murderer of Christ Also if any one celebrate the Pascha with the Jews or receive the symbol of the Festivity he is partaker with those who slew the Lord and his Apostles wherein he condemns the Romans who used to fast on the Sabbath and Polycarp whom he calls most blessed together with the Asian or Eastern Churches who kept the Pascha or Easter after the manner of the Jews viz. as to the day whereon they observed it which plainly shew the Author of these Epistles to have been some latter obscure and absurd fellow altogether unlike Ignatius Moreover in these Epistles there is some mention of some stiled Laborantes who are ranked among the orders of the Clergy And Diaconissae cujusdam Divini cursoris or Letter-carrier of which Functions or Offices Ecclesiastical there is a deep silence among the Ancients which how could it have been had Ignatius written so plainly of them Lastly writing to Polycarp he thus speaks Attend unto your Bishop that God may to you what had he forgot that he wrote to a Bishop Almost throughout this whole Epistle I find saith Scultetus the genuine Ignatius wanting And well might he say so had he only taken notice of those two words which argues the Author to have been but a mean Grecian and very unskillful in that language viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if the copious Greek were destitute of words by which to express the Latine deposita and accepta Upon such considerations as these the famous Whitaker thus concludes concerning five of these latter Epistles for he accounts the Genuine to be seven because that to Palycarp is reckoned as distinct from that unto the Church of Smyrna both by Eusebius and Ierom It 's apparent saith he that five of these are without doubt adulterate and spurious Again it 's certain these are suppositious and foisted in by others And therefore though Baronius do affirm that four of these should be added by the Philippians unto the former collected by Polycarp and sent unto them and that they were afterward commonly known both to the Greeks and Latines which yet neither Eusebius among the Greeks nor Ierom among the Latines both of them curious enough in their enquiries came to the sight and knowledge of who can imagine and would give credit thereunto upon the bare report of the Cardinal Credat Iudaeus Apella Non ego Besides these there are three more of a later date added to the former by Antiocbus the Monk who lived under the Emperour Heraclius and so seems to be coetaneous with the Constantinopolitan Chronicler one of those formerly mentioned who collected the second rank of Epistles between which two collections there could therefore be no great distance of time Thus now at last they are grown up to the number of fifteen the three last added are 1. One unto the Virgin Mary together with her answer 2. Two unto the Apostle Iohn Which saith Bellarmine are not to be found among the Greek Copies of his Epistles nor do they at all savour of the Gravity of Ignatius his stile And Baronius leaves it to the prudence of the pious Reader whether he will allow them any credit or no Only saith he we know that they are cited by Bernard and some later◠Authors make mention of them But saith Possevine they are of no such certain credit as the other yea seeing they are not found written in Greek nor mentioned by any of the ancient Fathers ad Bernardum usque unto the obscure age of Bernard It 's the safer course in my judgment saith Mastraeus to rank them among the number of Apocryphal Writings or at least to account them not altogether certain and genuine So faintly and dubiously do even the Romanists themselves speak of the authority of these three last Epistles Hence may we observe with what caution the Epistles of Ignatius even the most received and undoubted since so corrupted are to be made use of and upon how weak and sandy a foundation viz. the pretended authority of Ignatius the Papists build their unsound Doctrines of superstitious honouring the Virgin Mary of the name of Pope
meetest man for such a work with their letters that he might comfort those afflicted Churches confirm them in the truth and confute those heretical adversaries He took Rome in his way haply to confer with and crave the advice and help of Eleutherius Bishop there about this affair unto whom he had letters recommendatory from the Churches making Honourable mention of him During his absence upon this weighty occasion in the great persecution under Antoninus Verus which much raged in the Churches of France the good Bishop Photinus aged ninety years is imprisoned and being brought before the tribunal and by the President asked this question who is the God of the Christians he perceiving this demand to be made rather in way of scorn then out of a serious desire to be informed because hâ— would not cast pearls before swine vouchsafed him no other answer but this si dignus fueris cognosces when thou shalt become worthy thou shalt know With which answer as contumelious the President being highly provoked commanded the Officers to beat him which accordingly they did handling him in a most barbarous and cruel manner and afterward almost breathless casâ— him into a filthy prison wherein about two days after by a glorious death he obtained the crown of Martyrdom The Church of Lyons by this means being destitute of a Bishop none was thought moâ—â— worthy to suceed the aged Martyr then his Presbyter Irenaeus who not long after returning was accordingly chosen anâ— took upon him the Government of thaâ— Church He entred upon the administration thereoâ— in a very unquiet and turbulent time the staâ—â— of affairs being much distracted not only bâ— reason of that grievous storm of persecutioâ— they had lately been under yea which 〈◊〉 yet scarcely calmed and blown over 〈◊〉 also through the busie attempts of diveâ—â— impostours cunningly seeking to underminâ— the Doctrine of Christ. For now had thâ— Valentinian Hereticks prevail'd and spread 〈◊〉 far as France and among others bewitchâ—â— sundry eminent women with their sottâ—â— and absurd opinions by means of one Mâ—â—cus a wretched sorcerer and a wicked deceiver and abuser of the weaker Sex But 〈◊〉 such a manner did this vigilant watchmaâ— and painful Pastour bestir himself that he notably prevented the farther spreading of this Pest and recovered many of those who had been therewith infected And having happily secured his own charge he rested not here but proceeded farther affording his help by his excellent letters unto other Churches also particularly unto that of Rome out of which he endeavoured to weed those tares which the envious man had there sown their careless Bishop how unfit to be an universal overseer it seems securely sleeping the while and leaving the work that properly belonged to himself unto another The chief instruments that Satan here imployed in sowing those tares were Florinus and Blastus Presbyters of this Church but by the Bishop degraded for their impiety in commiseration of whose sad condition infected with so soul Heresies he wrote as is reported those five learned books now extant In such kind of laborious imployments did he spend much of his time under the Emperours Antoninus the whole of Commodus and a good part of Severus Reigns being very serviceable unto the Church of God in his generation not only by his preaching and disputations but also by his writings which he left behind him as singular monuments unto posterity of his zeal for the glory of God and love to his truth as a bright shining lamp lighted and set up by the Lord he diffused his Rayes for the good of many till the oyl was wholly spent and consumed In his time fell out that sharp and lasting contention between the Eastern and Western Churches about the observation of the Feast of Easter as also about the kind and manneâ— of fasting The Churches of Asia as from an ancient Tradition and herein following the examples of Philip and Iohn Apostles as also of Polycarp with others their Successors observed this Feast on the fourteenth Moon upon what day of the week soever it fell out on which day the Jews were to offer theiâ— Paschal Lamb. But the Church of Rome together with others in the West did celebrate it always upon the Lord's day and hence grew a great rent between them for those of the East refusing to leave their former usage and custom for which they had so good â— warrant and to conform themselves hereiâ— unto the other Victor who was the Bishop of Rome possessing that Chair that would afterward usurp authority over all Churches and acting accordingly in the heighth of his pride and the heat of his passion begins to threaten and thunder out his excommunication against them Hereupon Irenaeus brooking his name as a lover of peace with the Brethren of the Gallican Churches being grieved at such insolent and harsh proceedings and foreseeing the sad effects they might produce thought it their duty not to stand still as idle Spectators but to interpose at least by their Letters and to endeavour a prevention if it might be of those evils that were like to ensue and follow upon so rigorous and sharp a censure which they did accordingly dealing plainly and roundly with the proud Prelate tartly reprehending him for handling his Brethren in so unchristian a manner and that for things indifferent which he made necessary he would fall upon so extreme a course the cutting off of so considerable a part from the Body shewing withal that his excommunication was void and of no force Now so great was the authority of the man with the Bishop of Rome who had not as yet exalted himself so high that it should not be lawful for any of his Fellow Bishops to take the boldness to admonish him or to say what dost thou though he should lead thousands to Hell and such the strength of the arguments alledged that the issue was as Feuardentius relates the asswaging of his fury and the deterring of him from that rash attempt of cutting off so many famous Churches from the Body of Christ whence followed a more serene face of things and a great tranquillity to the Churches of Christ. § 2. He was a man exceeding eminent and of chief note among those of his time very ancient and not far from the days of the Apostles Honourable mention is made of him by those of the following ages for Eusebius Inter omnes coaetaneos ei palmam tribuit gives him the preheminence above all his contemporaries Others stile him an Apostolical man admirable and the light of the Western Churches an ancient man of God highly commended he is as one in whom the resplendent Beams and brightness of Apostolical Doctrine did gloriously shine forth for what he had learned and received from Polycarp and Polycarp from the Apostle Iohn he retaining it in its purity communicated iâ— unto the Church so that in all things he
and make his way and work by far more facil and pleasant which that it may be the issue of this undertaking is heartily desired by him who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I. H. Each Chapter consists of all or most of these following particulars concerning each Father 1 § A Brief account of his Life and Travels in the Church 2 § His Elogy and the esteem he was held in 3 § His labors and writings whereof 1. Some are lost 2. Some remain of which 1. Some are dubious 2. Some are spurious 3. Some are genuine and of these 1. Their sum 2. Their censure 4. § His language and stile 5. § Some notable and select passages 6. § His slips and errors whereof 1. The Occasion and Ground 2. The Apology and Plea that may be made for some of them 7. § His end and death The FATHERS treated of in this Treatise viz. Page 1. Ignatius Antiochenus 1 2. Iustinus Martyr 22 3. Irenaeus Lugdunensis 51 4. Clemens Alexandrinus 79 5. Tertullianus 111 6. Origenes Adamantius 171 7. Cyprianus Carthaginensis 248 8. Lactantius Firmianus 314 9. Athanasius Alexandrinus 339 10. Hilarius Pictaviensis 390 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 OR A VIEW of Antiquity 1. Ignatius Antiochenus §1 AS touching Ignatius surnamed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Ancient and Eminent Bishop and Martyr what Country-man he was how brought up and Educated in what manner and by what means converted unto the Christian Faith and advanced unto the weightier functions in the Church is no where extant nor recorded in history The relation of Nicephorus seems fabulous and inconsistent with what is to be found in the Epistles attributed by some unto Ignatius himself wherein 't is said that he never saw Christ corporally or in the flesh He therefore could not be as the above-named Author reports him to have been that little Child that Christ called unto him and set in the midst of his Disciples commending simplicity unto them and saying Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven But though he so saw not the Lord Jesus yet did he live and familiarly converse with them that had so seen him being as is generally received the Disciple of the Apostle Iobn as were also his contemporaries Papias Bishop of Hierapâ—lis and Polycarp ordained by the said Apostle Bishop of Smyrna as was our Ignatius Bishop of Antioch by the Apostle Peter of whose right hand saith Theodoret he received 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which Church he was the third Pastor or Bishop the Apostle Peter being the first to whom next succeeded Evodius one of the seventy Disciples as saith Dorotheus Eusebius makes Evâ—dius the first and our Ignatius the second Pastor there which is true indeed of the fixed Bishops of that City for Peter stayed but a while there and then departed unto Ierusalem and other Eastern Regions If therefore the Apostle Peter begin the Catalogue as some make him to do then is he the third but if Evodint as others then the second Bishop of that place His zeal toward the house of God was exceeding great even burning hot for which he was had in as great esteem and most acceptable unto those of chiefest note especially Polycarp and the rest of the Asian Bishops whereof they gave an ample testimony by their flocking to him as the most famous man of all the East when they heard that he was lead bound toward Rome For in his way being at Smyrna the neighboring Churches having notice thereof sent each of them their messengers to salute and visit him in their behalf among whom were the Bishops of some of those places accompanied by the Elders and Deacons the like also was performed by the Bishop of Philadelphia upon his coming to Troas An evident demonstration of the high and more then ordinary respect which they bare unto him and his answerable worth who as they deemed deserved it from them § 2. He was accounted the first and chief of the Oriental Bishops as excelling them all both in the holiness of his life and his powerfulness in Preaching the Gospel as well as in the prerogative of his seat yea among the Fathers of the Primitive Church he holds the first place A Doctor in every regard blessed whom Bernard stiles by the name of the great Ignatius our Martyr with whose precious reliques saith he our poverty is inriched a most holy Man and altogether the most Ancient of all now extant one truly Divine and even unto our memory famous and in the mouthes of many a clear evidence of his admirable worth and that variety of the gifts of the holy Ghost wherewith he was choicely adorned a man of eminent Sanctity as also a singular and â—ervent lover of our Lord Jesus Christ in publishing the word of God very zealous and no less Learned in so much as his Learning as well as his vertues were celebrated of old amongst which the magnanimity of his spirit in the cause of Christ happily conjoyned with sweet humility and holy simplicity did add not the least lustre to this accomplish'd Martyr § 3. The remains of his Learning and labors are only some few Epistles written by him unto several Churches and Persons not long before his death which as a certain well drawn picture do excellently represent and give us a lively image of him for therein are notably discovered his vigorous and singular love to Christ his fervent zeal for God and his glory his admirable and undaunted courage and magnanimity in his cause accompanied with such sweet humility and exemplary meekness of Spirit that as in all he shewed himself to be a true Disciple and follower of Christ so may he well serve as a pattern for the imitation of succeeding generation Talis erat sublimis illius animi submissio è contra ejusdem submissi animi sublimitas ut mirâ quadam connexione summis ima conjungat quae admiratione delectatione animum simul afficiant Such was the submission of that sublime soul and on the other side such the sublimity of that submisse soul that with a certain admirable connexion he joyned together the lowest with the highest both which may well affect the mind with wonderment and delight These Epistles do amount as now extant unto the number of fifteen and may be divided or ranked in three sorts 1. Such as are Genuine and for the main and bulk of them by most apprehended and granted to be his of which Casaubon thus For the Epistles of Ignatius to deny them to be those of that most ancient Martyr and Bishop of Antioch would be Heresie at this day and verily as for some of them we shall else where if it shall please the Lord defend their antiquity by new reasons These are six in number though commonly thought to be seven
given to the Bishops of Rome of the real presence of collegiate and cloystered Virgins of the vertue of the Sign of the Cross to terrifie the Devil of their Feasts and lenten Fast of the authority of Traditions and of the Church of Rome And well may they be driven to such shifts who shun the Scripture◠as insufficient yea justly are they given up to these delusions who not contenting themselves with the Sacred Oracles alone and the Doctrines contained in them which are able to make perfect and wise unto salvation do fansie and devise new ones in their own brains and then Coyn and impose authorities pretendedly Ancient for the maintaining of them Frivolous therefore and vain is the flourish of Baronius that it came to pass by the admirable Counsel and providence of God that these Epistles should all of them be written by Ignatius and notwithstanding the shipwrack which so many writings have suffer'd yet that these should be preserved intire and uncorrupt whereas 't is very evident that the greater part of them now extant are counterfeit and not his and the genuine miserably corrupted and alter'd So that it may upon better ground be said that herein the good providence of God hath been eminently seen that he hath been pleased to stir up and assist some of his servants in vindicating the writings of this and other of the Ancients from the injury that hath been offered them by base and disingenuous spirits who have preferr'd their own interest before the honour and truth of God and in plucking off the vizar and discovering the fraud and Leger-demain of those that would abuse and cheat the world by the obtrusion of Novelty instead of Antiquity thereupon § 4. His stile savours of a certain holy simplicity as did the State of the Church at that time full of gravity suitable unto a primitive Bishop lively fiery and solid becoming so glorious a Martyr § 5. That which is chiefly remarkable in these Epistles are those passages which are mentiond by Eusebius and Ierom as being most unquestionably such as fell from the penof this blessed Martyr wherein are in a lively manner drawn and deciphered the purtraiture of his most excellent spirit his singular and vigorous love to the Lord Jesus whose name is said to have been ingraven upon his heart in letters of gold as also his undaunted courage and Magnanimity in his cause accompanied with unconquerable constancy and sweet humility 1. His earnest desire of Martyrdom he thus expresseth From Syria even unto Rome I fight with beasts by land and sea night and day bound with ten Leopards i.e. with a guard of Souldiers who are the worse for favors But I am the more instructed by their injustice yet neither hereby am I justified Would to God I might injoy the beasts which are prepared for me who I wish may make quick dispatch with me and whom I will allure to devour me speedily lest as they have been terrified at others and did not touch them so they would not dare to touch my body and if they will not I will even force them thereunto Pardon me I know what is best for me Now I begin to be a Disciple of Christ desiring nothing of these things which are seen so I may win Jesus Christ. Let fire cross and troops of violent beasts breaking of bones dissipation of members contrition of the whole body and all the torments of the Divel let them all come upon me that I may injoy Jesus Christ. 2. When he was now condemned to the wild beasts and with an ardent desire of suffering heard the Lions roaring saith he I am the wheat of God whom the teeth of wild beasts shall grind that I may be found the pure or fine bread of God Immediately before which go these words I write to all the Churches and injoyn them all because I willingly die for God if ye hinder not I beseech you therefore that your love toward me be not unseasonable Suffer me to become the meat of wild beasts by whom I may obtain God 3. His care of the Churches was very great whom he earnestly presseth to holiness and a conversation becoming the Gospel And commendeth unto Polycarp whom he well knew to be an Apostolical Man the Flock or Congregation of Antioch praying him to be careful of the business there about the election of a Bishop or Pastor in his room manifesting herein his zeal for God and his glory as also his cordial affection and fidelity to the brethren Besides these there are in the Epistles other things worthy of notice though not so undoubtedly his as the above-mention'd They are such as these 4. His Creed or brief sum of Christian Doctrine wherein he accords with the Apostles Creed His words are Beloved I would have you to be fully instructed in the Doctrine of Christ who before all ages was begotten of the Father afterward made of the Virgin Mary without the company of man and conversing holily and without blame he healed all manner of infirmities and sicknesses among the people and did signs and wonders for the benefit of men and revealed his Father one and the only true God and did undergo his passion and by his murtherers the Jews suffered on the Cross under Pontius Pilate President and Herod the King and was dead and rose again and ascended into heaven unto him that sent him and fitteth at his right hand and shall come in the end of the world in his Fathers Glory to judge the quick and the dead and to render unto every one according to his works He that shall fully know and believe these things is blessed 5. Though he were one of the most eminent men of his time both for Piety and Learning yet out of the depth of his humility he thus speaks of himself when bound for Christ and his truth and lead toward his Martyrdom stiling his chains 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spiritual pearls although I be bound saith he yet am I not to be compared unto any one of you that be at liberty Again speaking of the Pastours of the Church saith he I blush to be named and accounted in the number of them for I am not worthy being the last lowest or meanest of them and an abortive thing he also divers times stiles himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the least 6. Speaking of the Lords day let every Christian saith he Celebrate as a Festival the day of the Lords resurrection which is the most eminent of all days 7. A Pious and Religious Man is money Coyned and stamped of God but a wicked and irreligious Man is false and counterfeit Coyn of the Devils making Matth. 22. 20. 8. As touching Antiquity thus I have heard saith he some to say I will not believe if I find not the Gospel among the Ancient Records But to such I say that JESUS CHRIST is to me
appears but rather a wonder he is no more so which proceeded not so much from want of skill in himself as from the incapacity of the Subject whereof he treateth A most difficult thing it is saith the same Author for him that discusseth things of a subtile Nature to joyn with perspicuity the care of polishing his Language § 5. Among many wherewith this Learned Piece is righly fraught and stored I shall cull out and present you with a few memorable passages 1. His Symbol or Creed containing a brief sum and confession of the Faith of the Churches of Christ at least in the West at that day his words are these The Church although dispersed through the whole World even unto the ends of the Earth received the Faith from the Apostles and their Disciples which is to believe In one omnipotent God which made Heaven and earth and the Seas and all things that are in them and in one Jesus Christ the Son of God incarnate for our Salvation and in the Holy Ghost who by the Prophets preached the mysteries of the dispensation and coming of Christ and his Birth of a Virgin and his Passion and Resurrection from the dead and the Assumption of the Beloved Christ Jesus our Lord in his flesh into Heaven and his coming from Heaven in the Glory of the Father to restore or recapitulate and gather into one all things and to raise the flesh or bodies of all mankind that unto Jesus our Lord and God and Saviour and King according to the good pleasure of the Father invisible every knee should bow both of things in Heaven and in the earth and under the earth and that every tongue should confess to him and that he should pass a righteous sentence or judgment upon all and send the spiritual wickednesses and the Angels that fell and became apostate and also ungodly unrighteous lawless and blasphemous men into eternal fire but for the righteous and holy and such as did keep his commandments and abide in his love some from the beginning and some by repentance gratifying them with life might bestow on them incorruptibility and give unto them eternal Glory Where observe by the way that though it may be wondered at that Irenaeus should no where expresly call the Holy Ghost God yet that he held him to be God equal with the Father and the Son is manifest in that he makes in his Creed the object of faith to be all the three persons of the Trinity alike As also from hence that elsewhere he ascribes the creation of man unto the Holy Ghost as well as to the Father and the Son 2. He gives the reason why the Mediatour between God and man ought to be both God and man For saith he if man had not overcome the enemy of man he had not been justly overcome again unless God had given salvation we should not have had it firmly and unless man had been joyned unto our God he viz. Man could not have been made partaker of incorruptibility For it became the Mediator of God and Men by his nearness unto both to reduce both into friendship and concord and to procure that God should assume Man or take him into communion and that man should give up himself unto God 3. The whole Scriptures both Prophetical and Evangelical are open or manifest and without ambiguity and may likewise be heard of all Again we ought to believe God who also hath made us most assuredly knowing that the Scriptures are indeed perfect as being spoken or dictated by the word of God and his Spirit 4. Fides quae est ad deum justificat hominem Faith towards God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 6. 2. justifieth a man 5. Concerning the marks of the true Church and that it is not tied to one place or succession he thus speaks When once the Gospel was spread throughout the world and the Church gathered out of all Nations then was the Church no where tied to one place or to any certain and ordinary succession but there was the true Church wheresoever the uncorrupted voice of the Gospel did sound and the Sacraments were rightly administred according to the Institution of Christ. Also that the pillar and ground of the Church is the Gospel and Spirit of Life 5. Of the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost continuing unto his time thus Some saith he cast out Devils soundly and truly so that oftentimes even they who were cleansed from wicked Spirits do believe and are in the Church others have the foreknowledge of things to come and also prophetical Visions and Sayings others do cure and restore to health such as labour of some infirmity by the laying on of their hands Moreover as we have said the dead also have been raised and continued with us many years And what shall I say the Graces are not to be numbred which throughout the whole world the Church receiving from God doth dispose in the name of Christ Jesus crucified under Pontius Pilate every day for the help of the Nations neither seducing any one nor taking money from him For as it hath freely received from God so also doth it freely administer nor doth it accomplish any thing by Angelical Invocations nor incantations nor any wicked curiosity but purely and manifestly directing their prayers unto the Lord who hath made all things 6. He plainly asserts that the world shall continue but six thousand years For saith he look in how many days this world was made in so many thousand years it shall be consummate Therefore 't is said in Gen. 2. 2. On the sixth day God finished all his works and rested the seventh day Now this is both a narration of what was done before and also a prophecy of things to come for one day with the Lord is as a thousand years in six days the things were finished that were made and it is manifest that the six thousandth year is the consummaâ—ion of them 7. He finds the number of the Beasts name viz. 666. iâ— the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence he concludes it as very probable that the seat of that beast is the Latin or Roman Kingdom Take his own words Sed Lateinos nomen habet sexcentorum sexaginta sex numerum valdè verisimile est quoniam novissimum verissimum Erasm. edit Regnum hoc habet voâ—abulum Latini enim sunt qui nunc regnant Sed non in hoc nos gloriabimur 8. Of the four Evangelists he thus writeth Mathew saith he delivered unto the Hebrews the History of the Gospel in their own Tongue When Peter and Paul preached at Rome and planted that Church after their departure Mark the Disciple and also Interpreter of Peter delivered unto us in writing such things as he had heard Peter preach And Luke the companion of Paul comprised in one Volume the Gospel preached of him
dearest Friends unto whom herein he consented and as himself saith not without just cause for that it is meet a Bishop should in that City wherein he is set over the Lord's Church there confess the Lord and so make the whole people famous by the confession of their present Overseer for whatsoever in that moment of Confession the Confessour Bishop speaketh God inspiring him he speaks with the mouth of all If it should be otherwise the honour of our so glorious a Church shall be maimed c. Here therefore lying hid we expect the coming of the Proconsul saith he returning unto Carthage that we may hear what the Emperour shall command and speak what the Lord shall give in that hour Accordingly there came suddenly upon the Ides of September two Apparitours to bring him before the new Pròconsul Galerius but being put off till the next day the Lord so willing that he might dispose of the affairs of the Church he was brought then into the Court of Judgment where he received this sentence that having been the Standard bearer of his Sect and an Enemy of the gods and one that would still be an example unto his own refusing to offer sacrifice It is my pleasure saith Galerius that he be beheaded Which Sentence being passed he was led away unto a certain place called Sexti about four miles six saith Baronius from the City a great multitude following him and crying Let us die together with the Holy Bishop Being come unto the place he submitted himself unto the stroke of the Sword by which his Head being severed from his Body he changed this frail for an eternal life being the first of the Bishops of Carthage that sealed the truth with his blood He suffered under the Emperours Valerian and Galerius anno Christi 259. The Carthaginians did so highly honour and had him in such veneration that they erected unto him a most magnificent Temple and kept a yearly Festival in memory of him which from his name they call Cypriana as Mariners do also a certain storm that usually falls out about the same time Lactantius § 1. LVcius Caelius was his name unto which his eloquence gained him the addition of Lactantius from his milky and smooth kind of speaking as his Country that of Firmianus being an Italian by Birth not an African as Baronius and Posseviue imagine because he was the Scholar of Arnobius that was so of the Province called Picenum of old but afterward by the Lombards Marchia Anconitana from the chief Town therein Ancona as also Marchia Firmiana from the strong Town Firmium heretofore the Head City of the Piceni which Country is a part of the Land of the Church under the Government of the Popes of Rome Some do contend that he was of the German Race and that at this day there is a Family not obscure among the Germans which bearing the name of the Firmiani do boast themselves to be the posterity of Lactantius but the general consent of Authors shews this to be but a vain conceit He was at first the Scholar of Arnobius Professour of Rhetorick at Sicca in Africa as also some time at Rome where Lactantius heard him and profited much in the study of eloquence who also instructed him in the Christian Religion which it seems he had embraced before he came into Bythinia whither under Diâ—olesian the Emperor he was called unto the City of Nicomedia wherein for some while he professed the Art of Rhetorick whereof he had been a learner before But being a Latine in a Greek City his auditory grew thin so that he was destitute of hearers hereupon laying aside the work of teaching he betook him unto his pen and fell to writing being provoked unto and put upon it by a couple of impure and foul-mouthed Philosophers who either of them had belched out their books against both the Religion and name of Christians He was at length in France made Tutor unto Crispus the son of Constantine the great and his great friend who committed him for his breeding unto the câ—re of Lactantius an evident argument both of his fame and faithfulness § 2. He was a man of great Learning 〈◊〉 eruditione clarus abundanter 〈◊〉 inquiâ— Trithemius a very grave Author saith Hospinian one notably skilled 〈◊〉 the Art of Rhetorick and in all Philosophy having diligently perused the writings of all sorts of Humane Authors as his books do sufficiently testifie in which he omitted almost â—one of any science or Profession whose testimony he made not use of and so excelled in â—loquence of speech that therein he was judged to be superior even unto his Master Arnolius who yet was of chief note among Orators He is for this cause often stiled Oratâ—â— disertissimus the most eloquent and elegant Lactantius who among the Latines especially added Ornament unto Christian Doctrine the very top and most eminent of the Latine Rhetoricians in Divinis Scripturis nobiliter institutus His great abilities he notably improved for the publick good for though he were somewhat defective in the inward knowledg of Divine Mysteries and far inferiour unto many others for his skill in delivering and confirming the Doctrine of Christianity yet was he a stout Champion for the truth and gave good testimony of his zeal thereunto in opposing with all his might the adversaries thereof for which work he was excellently furnished having such a dexterity herein that he easily refuted and overcame them Vtinam inquit Hieronymus tam nostra confirmare potuisset quà m facilè aliena destruxit For observing the Christian Religion to be destitute of those that should eloquently defend it the opposers of it being such I saith he undertook this task being grieved with the sacrilegious writings which they published and stirred up hereunto with their proud impiety and conscience of the truth it self that so with all the strength of my wit I might reprove the accusers of righteousness not that I might write against them who might have been confounded in few words but that I might at once by one assault put to flight all those who every where do or have undertaken the same work A most laudable enterprise wherein as he manifested no small love unto the truth in attempting it so did he manage it with no less dexterity for which he hath been deservedly famous in the Church of Christ unto this day His challenge that he makes of all the Heathen is remarkable Si qua inquit 〈◊〉 fiducia est vel in philosophiâ vel in eloquentiâ arment se ac refellant haec nostra si possunt congrediantur comminus singulâ— quaeque discutiant Decet cos suscipere defenâ—â—onem Deorum suorum ne si nostra invaluerint ut quotidie invalescunt cum delubris 〈◊〉 ac ludibriis deserantur Procedant in medium Pontifices seu minores seu maximi
be found among the Gentiles and that they are deceived who think Christians to be fools and that their sin is great and inexcusable who persecute the Church pretending it to be for their good viz. That they may bring them unto a right mind 6. Of true Worship which consists in this that the mind of the worshipper be presented blameless unto God discoursing at large of vertue and vice as the ways leading unto heaven and hell and conâ—luding that the best Sacrifices which we can offer unto God are these two integrity of mind and the praise of his name 7. Of the Divine Reward and the last Judgment the sum whereof he himself thus sets down the world saith he was made that we might be born we are born that we may acknowledg God the Creator of the world and our selves we acknowledg him that we may worship him we worship him that we may obtain immortality as the reward of our labors we receive the reward of immortality that we may for ever serve and be an eternal Kingdom unto the most High God our Father 2. Of the Anger of God some Philosophers denying it he proves by nine several arguments that God is angry and answers the objections to the contrary He wrote this book unto Donatus and it is highly commended by Ierom who calls it a most fair or elegant book which he wrote in a learned and and eloquent stile 3. Of the Workmanship of God unto Demetrian his Auditor a learned piece and most profitable to be read It was written by him to this end that by the wonderful structure of man he might prove the Providence of God He therefore takes a view of and looks into the several members of the body and in them shews how great the power of Divine Providence is withal removing the cavils of the Epicures against it And toward the end discourseth of the Soul for the same purpose 4. An Epitome of his Institutions which wants the beginning and is clearly saith Baptista Ignatius but a fragment being a repetition of the chief heads of doctrine contained in that larger work All these saith Bellarmine are without controversie the works of Lactantius There are besides these certain Poems that appear and have been published unto the world under his name concerning which it is very questionable whether they be his or no seeing that neither Ierom nor Trithemius take any notice of them nor did Thomasius is he tells us find them in any Ancient Copies The Titles of them are these following 1. Of the Phoenix they are not saith Thomasius the verses of Lactantius but written by some most elegant Poet who yet I believe saith he was not a Christian for he calls his Phoenix the Priest of the Sun and speaks of Phoebus as if he were in very deed a god 2. Of the day of the Resurrection of the Lord which for elegancy is no way comparable unto the former whence it evidently appears that they are not of the same Author and Authority Thomasius saith that he found them in the Vaticane Library among the works of the Christian Poet Venantius Fortunatus Bishop of Poictiers And whereas in the Ordinary Editions the Poem begins with this Distich Salve festa dies By the Authority of the Vaticane copy he placeth it twenty Distichs off immediately before that Mobilitas anni Which from his copy he amends thus Nobilitas anni and in the Pentameter for Stridula cuncta he puts Stridula puncta And out of the same copy he adds unto the Poem ten verses more then are usually found both because they very well agree with it and also because in the end of the Poem be these Numeral Letters CX to make up which those ten were to be added yea I find an hundred and twelve verses of this Poem in the Parisian Edition of the Poems of Venantius 3. Of the Passion of the Lord of which Poem Thomasius tells us he could no where find any footsteps at all and therefore unlikely to have Lactantius for the Author Yea the Author both of this and the former is very doubtful saith Bellarmine because some do deny them to be his though hereof we have no certain Argument His verses of Christs Passion saith Mr. Perkins are counterfeit for they contradict all his true writings in these words Flecte genu lignumque crucis venerabile adora Perkins problem For saith Illiricus in Catalog test veritat lib. 4. He vehemently inveigheth against Images 4. As for the Arguments upon the several Fables of Ovids Metamorphosis and the Annotations upon Statius his Thebais by Gesner and Glareanus attributed unto Lactantius which they account most worthy to be read the diversity of the Stile speaks them not to be his they rather belong saith Poâ—sevine unto Luctatius Placidus a Grammarian The Commentaries upon Thebais saith Gregorius Gyraldus are not of Lactantius for in them many things almost word for word are taken out of Servius the Grammarian who lived more then an age after Firmianus they are the work of one Placidus Lactantius or as some Learned men call him Placidus Lutatius thus he §4 His stile is so accurate and polite that he excelled all those of his time vit omnium inquit Eusebius suo tempore eloquentissimus and hath justly merited the name of the Christian Cicero coming nearest of any unto that Prince of Orators in whom chiefly the Latine Tongue was fully ripe and grown unto the highest pitch of all perfection Ierom therefore stiles him a certain River as it were of Tullian eloquence and he that shall Read his works saith he will find in them an Epitome of Cicero's Dialogues And as he followed his Master Arnobius so did he saith Goddeschalcus Stewchius almost overtake him for however Arnobius might go before him in the strength of his arguments and weight of things yet doth Lactantius so recompence that in elegancy of speech and gravity of sentences that it is a hard matter to know which to prefer before other the clearness and neatness of his Language was wonderful being the most eloquent of all the Christians his sound is plainly Ciceronian to whom Erasmus ascribes faelicem facilitatem fuit eloquentiae Ciceronianae inquit Gyraldus inter Christianos praecipuus aemulator §5 There are to be found in his writings many grave sentences and excellent passages that may be of great use unto the Reader though in the Doctrine of Christianity he come short of many others his principal scope being the discovery and confutation of heathenish idolatry and superstition which he happily performed Non multum potest juvare lectorem inquit Chemnitius tautùm enim ferâ— contra Paganismum disputat Amongst divers things in him not unworthy of serious observation take these that follow 1. Speaking unto those who having been accustomed unto polite Orations or Poems pleasing and delightful to the ear do
de Sacramento calicis infudit Tunc sequitur singulâ—â—â— vomitus In corpore ore violato Eucharistia permanere non potuit Sanctificatus in domini sanguine potus de polutis visceribus erupit tanta est potestas Domini tanta Majestâ—s The necessity of this and the other Sacrament he seems to conclude from Iohn 3. 5. Except a man be â—orn of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God And Iâ—hn 6. 53. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son if man and drink his blood ye have no life in you 6. But the greatest errour to be noted in him which yet oh how small in comparison of some in many other of the ancients was that about rebaptization by Chemnitius too harshly called a fundamental errour Ha 〈◊〉 inquit errorem in fundamento His judgment was this that those who having been baptized by Hereticks did forsake their Heresies and return unto the Church were to be received by Baptism In this opinion many Bishops not of Africa only but of Asia also consented with him about which there having been three Councils convened at Carthage in the third wherein Cyprian was President it was agreed in the affirmative upon this ground chiefly because they thought the Baptism of Hereticks to be a nullity Great was the contest between the African and Western Churches about this controversie these latter holding with the Bishop of Rome that Hereticks returning unto the Church were to be received only by prayer and imposition of hands wherein they are to be conceived no less erroneous than the former for that they allowed the Baptism of all sorts of Hereticks without making any distinction between them whereas not long after in the Council of Nice if any one flie unto the Catholick Church from the Paulianists meaning the Samosatenians called by either name from the Author Paulus Samosatenus and Cataphrygians it is ordained or decreed that they ought altogether to be rebaptized The reason was because these Hereticks holding Christ to be none other than a meer man they baptized not in the name of Christ and so the substance and true form of Baptism not being retained by them it was adjudged to be no Baptism And indeed whoever is baptized by such an Heretick as openly denies the Holy Trinity ought to be rebaptized so that it was the errour of Stephen and those who joyned with him that they excepted not such Hereticks as these as Cyprian erred in excepting none But Stephen though he were little less erroneous than Cyprian herein yet did he differ much in his disposition and carriage for according unto his hot and cholerick temper he declared publickly against Firmilian Bishop of Cesarea in Cappadocia of Cyprian's opinion and excommunicated all those that dissented from himself Contrariwise Cyprian discovering herein the mildness of his spirit thus bespeaks his colleagues in the Council of Carthage Ierom in commendation of him cites two passages of his to the same purpose the one ex Epistolâ ad Stephanum Episcopum Romanum the other ex Epistolâ ad Iubaianum In the former his words are these Quâ in re inquit nec nos vim cuiquam facimus aut legem damus cum habeat in Ecclesiae administratione voluntatis suae liberum arbitrium unusquisque praepositus rationem actus sui Domino redditurus It remains saith he that we produce what each of us thinks concerning this thing judging no man or removing any of another judgment from the right of Communion for none of us makes himself a Bishop of Bishops or with tyrannical terrour drives his collegues to a necessity of obeying seeing every Bishop hath a proper judgment according unto his own liberty and power as who cannot be judged by another seeing that he himself cannot judge another But we all expect the judgment of our Lord Jesus Christ who only and alone hath power of preferring us in the Government of his Church and of judging our actions Oh how much is Augustin taken and delighted with the peaceableness charity and moderation of Cyprian herein for which he greatly admires and commends him And saith he the Lord therefore did not discover this truth unto him that his pious humility and charity in wholsomly keeping the peace of the Church might be the more open and manifest and taken notice of as a remedy not only by the Christians of that time but also by posterity c. Moreover let me add as making much to his praise that he was not obstinate in his errour for as he was learned and skilful to teach othâ—rs so was he also docil and patâ—ent to learn of others which I doubt not saith Augustin he would have demonstrated had he discussed this question with holy and learned men Yea saith he perhaps he did correct his errour but we know it not for neither could all things which at that time were done among the Bishops be committed to memory and writing nor do we know all things that were so committed Again we do not find saith he that he corrected his errour yet may we imagine not incongruously of such a man that he did correct it and that it was perhaps suppressed by those who were too much delighted with this errour and were unwilling to want so great a patronage And this hath been by some so far charitably believed that they have plainly affirmed so much that he did being convinced by the Orthodox renounce his errour herein so Bede quoted by Pamelius Supplement Bergomens Platina in vitâ Lucii Scaliger in Elench Trihaeresâ—i Nicolai Serari cap. 31. And Baronius who tells us that none can justly doubt of it seeing both the Eastern and Western Churches have always used to celebrate the Birth Day of the Martyr Cyprian Briefly either he was not saith Augustin of the opinion that you the Donatists report him to have been of or he afterward corrected it by the rule of truth or else he covered this quasi naevum spot as it were of his white Breast with the pap or veil of charity while he most copiously defended the unity of the Church increasing through the whole world and most perseveringly detain'd the bond of peace § 7. As touching his Martyrdom it is recorded that upon his first entrance into Cuâ—ubis the place of his banishment it was revealed unto him in a Vision whereof he had divers and attributed much unto them that upon that same day in the year following he should be consummate and crowned which accordingly fell out For being by Galerius Maximus who succeeded Paternus in the Proconsulship recalled from his banishment he according unto the Imperial Edict abode a while in his own Garden from whence being certified that certain Officers were sent to bring him unto Vtica a famous Town not far from Carthage he withdrew for certain days by the perswasion of his