low esteem he had of the Septuagint He finds fault with his contemptuous rejecting the Story of their 70 Cells He blames him for not owning the History of Susanna for Canonical Lastly he makes it Criminal in S. Jerom to Translate the Bible a-new This Invective is written with much address and vehemence He composed it in the Year 399. Sometime after he writ his Apology to Pope Anastasius wherein having expounded his belief of the Trinity the Resurrection the last Judgment and the Torment of Eternal fire for the Devils in a very Catholick manner he declares that he was uncertain of the Origination of Souls having observed that Ecclesiastical Authors were not agreed upon that Subject That some with Tertullian and Lactantius believed that they were formed with the Bodies That others as Origen were of opinion that they were created with the World and that God infused them into Bodies and Lastly That others affirmed that God both created and placed them in the Bodies at the same time and so not knowing which of these Opinions was the truest he remitted the decision to God not being able to be positive concerning any more than what the Church teaches That God is the Creator of Souls and Bodies Having thus given an account of his Doctrine he justifies himself of the Objections made against him for Translating Origen's Books He saith that it is very plain that it was Envy only that made them condemn that Undertaking That if there is any thing displeasing in the Author the Translator is not to be charged therewith who has barely delivered the Sence of the Author That he had prevented the inconveniency that might have happened by striking out the Errors which he conceived to have been added in Origen's Books That he had given notice of it in his Preface so that they were much to blame to accuse and calumniate him upon that Subject For saith he when will Simplicity and Innocency be secured against Envy and Slaundering if they be not upon this occasion I neither justifie nor approve Origen but I Translated him and so did many others before me I am the last and that at the request of my friends If such a Translation is not acceptable be it so I will Translate no more He concludes by assuring the Pope That he neither has nor ever had any other Sentiments than these he hath now declared and which are those of the Church's of Rome Alexandria and Aquileia telling him withall That such as through Envy or Jealousie against their Brethren do occasion Scandals and Divisions shall give an account at the Judgment-seat of God The Exposition of the Creed directed to Laurentius which is found amongst the Works of S. Cyprian and of S. Jerom is likewise Rufinus's Work Gennadius who was one of the most zealous Defenders of this Author saith he hath done extremely well in this piece and that all other Expositions of the Creed are not to be compared with it and indeed it would be hard to find a more compleat Treatise upon the Creed than this He observes in the beginning the difficulty of that Undertaking because it was very dangerous to speak of Mysteries That some famous Authors had already written but very succinctly upon that Subject That Photinus had chosen that way to establish his Heresie but his design was to expound the Creed with simplicity by keeping to the very terms of the Scripture so to supply what had been omitted by those that writ before him Then he declares that the Apostles had Conference together to compose the Creed before they divided that so they might teach all whom they should convert by the same common Creed That it is called Symbolum either because it is the result of a Conference betwixt several Persons or because it is the Mark of distinction whereby Christians are known Afterwards he examines all the Articles and observes the several ways of repeating them in different Churches He clears their Sence in a very plain manner and confirms it by the most opposite passages in the Holy Scripture In explaining the Article of the Catholick Church he gives a Catalogue of the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament and admits into the Canon of the Old Testament none but the Books owned by the Hebrews But he says That there are other Books read in Churches which are not made use of to confirm Articles of Faith and he calls them Ecclesiastical Books These Books in the Old Testament are Wisdom Ecclesiasticus Tobit Judith the Maccabees and in the New Testament the Book of Hermas and S. Peter's Judgment He observes further upon the same Article that there is but one Church and in few words he condemns most of the Sects that have separated from it He enlarges much upon the last Article concerning the Resurrection of the Body observing again in this place that the Church of Aquileia had added of this Body and that they made the sign of the Cross in the Conclusion of the Creed The Exposition of Jacob's Blessing is the first Book that is Printed under Rufinus's Name in the Collection of his Works This Treatise was written at Paulinus's request which made Isidore to attribute it to Paulinus tho' it be composed by Rufinus as Gennadius assures us It is divided into two Books In the first he explains Judah's Blessing and in the second that of the rest of Jacob's Children He particularly keeps to the Historical Sence without neglecting either the Mystical or the Moral He shews That this Patriarch's Prophecies are fulfilled either in the Church or in the Jewish Tribes He follows the same method in his Commentaries upon the Prophets Hosea Joel and Amos. These Commentaries are clear and neat He expounds his Text after an elegant but natural way without intangling himself with Allegories hard Questions or long Digressions He tells us in the Preface That he had made some Commentaries upon Solomon's Books and that he designed to do the like upon all the lesser Prophets He desires the Reader to take Notice That he made use of the-last Translation which is conformable to the Hebrew Text but that he had but little help from other Men's Works in his Commentaries For saith he the Latins seem to have been agreed to write nothing upon the Minor Prophets Some Greek and Syrian Authors indeed have endeavoured to expound their Prophecies and I confess I have read upon those Books some Commentaries of S. John Bishop of Constantinople but his Custom was he composed them rather for Exhortations to his Auditors than for Expositions of the Scripture Text. Origen after his peculiar way entertained his Readers with delightful Allegories but takes no pains to give the Historical Sence which is the only thing that is solid S. Jerom a Man of vast Parts and throughly learned hath written Commentaries upon those Prophets but he so much insisted upon the Jewish Traditions that he took no pains to find out the Sence of the Prophecies by their
of Iddo of Ahijah and Jehu cited frequently in the Books of the Chronicles were Memoirs composed in all probability by these Prophets We must say the same thing of the Book of the Sayings and Acts of the Kings of Israel oftentimes cited in the Kings which is different from the Chronicles as we have already observed To these must be added the Book of Samuel cited in the first Book of Chronicles and the last Chapter The Discourses of Hosai or of the Seers that are mentioned in the second Book of Chronicles chap. 33. vers 19. The History of Uzziah written by the Prophet Isaiah and cited in the second Book of Chronicles chap. 26. vers 22. The Three Thousand Parables written by Solomon as it is said in the first of Kings chap. 4. vers 32. The Five Thousand or rather the Thousand and Five Songs with the several Volumes concerning all manner of Plants and Animals that were likewise composed by Solomon as we are informed in the same place The Descriptions of Jeremiah that are mentioned in the second Book of Maccabees chap. 2. vers 1. The Prophecy of Jonas that is lost The Memoirs of Johannes Hircanus mentioned 1 Maccab. 16. 23 24. and the Books of Jason that are mentioned in the second Book of Maccabees 'T is usually Ask'd Whether these Books cited in the Old Testament were Canonical or no This Question in my Opinion is asked to no purpose since we have not any remainders of them at present but however certain it is that they are not Canonical in the same Sense as we usually take the Word that is to say they were never received into the Canon either of the Jewish or Christian Church and no body knows whether they ought to have been admitted there in case they had been still preserved Neither can we positively tell whether they were written by the Inspiration of God or were the mere Works of Men only the latter Opinion seems to be more probable In the first place because the greater part of them having been composed before Ezrah he had without question reckoned them in the Jewish Canon if he had looked upon them to be Divine Books Secondly because we must otherwise be obliged to say that the Church has lost a great part of the Book of God Thirdly because the Apostles never cited any other Books than what we now have as Books of Scripture Fourthly because the Fathers are all agreed that these Books were Apocryphal and place the Book of Enoch cited by St. Jude in the same rank This is the Opinion of Origen of St. Jerome St. Austin and indeed of all the Fathers except Tertullian For although Theodoret and some other Greek Fathers give the Title of Prophets to the Authors of these Books that are cited in Scripture yet it does not follow from thence that they composed these ancient Memoirs by the Inspiration of God It is not necessary that all the Writings and Discourses of a Prophet should be Inspired by Heaven Upon this account St. Austin has very Judiciously observed cap. 38. l. 28. de Civit. Dei that although these Books cited in the Holy Scriptures were written by Prophets that were Inspired by the Holy Ghost yet it is not necessary to say that they were Divinely Inspired For says he these Prophets might one while write like particular Men with an Historical Fidelity and another while like Prophets that followed the Inspiration of Heaven Alia sicut homines Historicâ diligentiâ alia sicut Prophetas Inspiratione Divinâ scribere potuisse Let us now go on to the Books that are not in the Canon of the Old Testament and which we have at present The Catalogue of them is as follows The Prayer of King Manasses who was Captive in Babylon cited in the second Book of Chronicles where it is said that this Prayer was written amongst the Sayings of Hosai who has Translated into Greek the Discourses of the Seers or Prophets It is to be found at the end of the ordinary Bibles there is nothing lofty in it but it is full of pious Thoughts The Latin Fathers have often quoted it It is neither in Greek nor Hebrew but only in Latin The third and fourth Books of Ezrah are also in Latin in the common Bibles after the Prayer of Manasses The third which is to be found in the Greek is nothing but a Repetition of what we find in the two former it is cited by St. Athanasius St. Austin and St. Ambrose St. Cyprian likewise seems to have known it The fourth that is only to be had in the Latin is full of Visions and Dreams and some Mistakes 'T is written by a different Author from that of the third for besides the great difference of Style one of them reckons Nineteen Generations from Aaron down to him and the other but Fifteen The third Book of Maccabees contain a miraculous Deliverance of the Jews whom Phiscon had exposed in the Amphitheatre at Alexandria to the fury of Elephants Josephus relates this History in his second Book against Appion This Book of the Maccabees is to be found in all the Greek Editions It is reckoned in the number of Canonical Books in the last Canon attributed to the Apostles but perhaps that has been added since it 's also mentioned in the Chronicle of Eusebius and in the Author of the Abridgment of Scripture attributed to St. Athanasius This History if it be true happened about Fifty years before the Passages that are related in the other two Books and therefore ought to be the first It is without any Reason called the Book of Maccabees since it does not speak of them in the least The fourth containing the History of Hircanus is rejected as Apocryphal by the Author of the Abridgment of Scripture attributed to St. Athanasius It is mentioned by scarce any of the Ancients Perhaps it was taken out of the Book of the Actions of Johannes Hircanus mentioned towards the end of the first of Maccabees Sixtus Senensis assures us that this account very much resembles Josephus's but that he has abundance of his Hebrew Idiotisms there There is towards the end of Job in the Greek Edition a Genealogy of Job that makes him the fifth from Abraham with the Names of the Edomitish Kings and of the Kingdoms of his Friends This Addition is neither in the Latin nor in the Hebrew There is likewise in the Greek a Discourse of Job's Wife that is not in the Hebrew rejected by Africanus and St. Jerome Towards the end of the Psalms in the Greek Editions we find a Psalm that is not of the number of the Hundred and Fifty made in the Person of David when he was yet a Youth after he had Slain the Giant Goliah The Author of the Abridgment of Scripture attributed to St. Athanasius cites it and places it also in the number of the Canonical Psalms To conclude at the end of Wisdom there is a Discourse of Solomon drawn from the
Christ. Which he evidently makes out from the Prophets who foretold the time of his Coming and the circumstances of his Life and Death He observes that the Original of the Jews mistake arose from their confounding his last Coming wherein he will appear in great Power and Glory with his first Coming wherein he was seen in great Humility and took upon him the mean Condition of other Men. Although the Book of Praescriptions against the Hereticks is not in the order of Time the first that Tertullian has written against them yet it is so as to the Order of the Matters which it contains because it is designed against all Heresies in general whereas the others are only against some particular Heresie This Book is entituled Of Praescriptions or rather Of Praescription against the Hereticks because herein he shews that their Doctrine is not to be admitted by reason of its Novelty Before he enters upon the Matter he endeavours to obviate the Scandal of those who admire how there could be any Heresies in the World how they could have been so great and so powerful and how it comes to pass that so many considerable Persons in the Church have been seduced to embrace them by shewing that Heresies have been foretold that they are necessary Evils for the Tryal of our Faith and that we must not judge of Faith by Persons but of Persons by their Faith Ex personis probamus fidem an ex fide personas After having given this necessary Caution he lays down the first Principle of Prescription We are not allowed says he to introduce any thing that is new in Religion nor to chuse by our selves what another has invented We have the Apostles of our Lord for Founders who were not themselves the Inventors and Authors of what they have left us but they have faithfully taught the World the Doctrine which they received from Jesus Christ. Heresies have risen from Philosophy and humane Wisdom which is quite different from the Spirit of Christianity We are not allowed to entertain our Curiosity nor to enquire after any thing that is beyond what we have been taught by Jesus Christ and his Gospel Nobis curiositate opus non est post Christum Jesum nec inquisitione post Evangelium And when we have once believed we are to give credit to nothing any farther than as we have already believed And here it is that he Answers the Objection of the Hereticks who urged this Passage of Scripture Seek and you shall find by telling us that it is not permitted to seek when we have once found that it would be a Labour to no purpose to seek for Truth among all the Heresies and lastly that if it be permitted to seek it is after having admitted the Rule that is to say the principal Articles of Faith which are contained in the Creed But as the Hereticks did often alledge the Holy Scripture in Defence of themselves he proves that the Church was not obliged to enter into a Discussion of those Passages which they quoted that this way of confuting them is very tedious and difficult because they do not acknowledge all the Books of the Scriptures or else they corrupt them or put a false Interpretation upon them which renders the Victory that is to be obtained over them uncertain and difficult He says then that it is to better purpose to understand perfectly who it is that is in Possession of the Faith of Jesus Christ who those Persons are to whom the Scriptures were committed in Trust and who are the first Authors who have given an Account of our Religion He goes back even to Jesus Christ who is the Source and Original of this Religion and to the Apostles who received it from him He shews that it is impossible that the Apostles should preach any other Doctrine than that of Jesus Christ and that all the Apostolical Churches should embrace any other Faith than that which the Apostles had delivered to them from whence he concludes that it must of necessity follow that that Doctrine which is Conformable to that which is found to be the Faith of all the Churches must be that which was taught by Jesus Christ and that on the contrary that that which is opposite thereto must be a Novel Doctrine He farther confounds the Hereticks by the Novelty of their Opinions It is evident says he that the most ancient Doctrine is that of Jesus Christ and by consequence that alone is true and that that on the contrary which had not any Date till after his Ascension must be false and supposititious Having laid down this infallible Rule he proves the Doctrine of the Hereticks to be of a later Date than that of the Church because the Authors of the Heresies were after the Establishment of the Church from which they have separated themselves That the several Sects of the Hereticks cannot reckon their Original from the time of the Apostles nor shew a Succession of Bishops from their Times as the Apostolical Churches can with whom they do not communicate That though they could pretend to such a Succession yet the Novelty of their Doctrine condemned by the Apostles and the Apostolical Churches would convince them of being Cheats and Impostors and that what they have added taken away or changed in the Books of the Holy Scripture does farther discover that they invented their Doctrine after these Books were composed That lastly their Discipline and Conduct which is absolutely Humane and Earthly without Order and without Rule renders them every way contemptible I have exactly set down the Reasonings of Tertullian in this Work because as he himself observes they are not â—nly proper to confute the Heresies that were in his Time but also to disprove all those that sprang â—p afterwards or that should arise hereafter even to the end of the Church I shall not enlarge so much upon the Works which were written against those Heresies which â—re now extinct The most considerable is that which he composed against Marcion which is disided into Five Books This Heretick maintained that there were two Principles or two Gods the â—e Good and the other Evil The one Perfect and the other Imperfect that this last is the God whom the Jews worship who created the World and delivered the Law to Moses whereas the first 〈◊〉 the Father of Jesus Christ whom he sent to destroy the Works of the Evil One that is to say â—e Law and the Prophets which Marcion rejected He affirmed likewise that Jesus Christ was not â—loathed with true Flesh. And by consequence that he did not suffer really but only in appearance â—hese are the Errors which Tertullian confutes in this Work In the First Book he shews that the unâ—nown God of Marcion is only a Fantastical and Imaginary Being In the Second he proves that â—…at God the Creator of the World whom the Jews worshipped is the Only true God and the Auâ—â—or of all Good After having demonstrated this
This Fire as l Tract 30 34. in Matt. lib. 2. in Ep. ad Rom. lib. 9. Hom. 6. in Exod. Hom. 3. in Psal. 36. Hom. 14 in Luc. lib. 5. cont Cels. lib. 8. ad Rom. he Explains it in other Places is Remorse of Conscience and Vexation of Spirit n Lib. 4. Per cap. 2. lib. 1. cap. 6. Philocal cap. 1. He makes Blessedness to consist in an Union with God He says that Souls come to it by degrees that after they are separated from their Bodies they are for some time upon Earth in order to be purified that afterwards they are taken up into the Air and instructed by Angels that they pass through several Places where they remain for some time and that at last they come to the Highest Heaven in comparison whereof the Firmament is but a Hell that the more they retain of Earth in them the longer they are upon this Journey That the Souls which are arrived at this Sovereign Degree of Bliss may fall from it and that they are sent back again into Coelestial Bodies or others and that they afterwards return from whence they were driven that so Blessedness may have an End and that Torments shall have a Conclusion likewise n Lib. 2. de Prin lib. 5. con Cels. Tract 34. in Joan. Hom. 26. in Num. 27 28. Passim Tract 30. in Matt. Lib. 1. de Prin. c. 6. lib. 2. c. 3. 12. lib. 3. cap. 6. lâ—b 3. de Prin. c. 3. lib. 2. Hom. 7. in Levit. Hom. 6. in Num. in Reg. in Ezech. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lib. 1. Per. c. 6. 〈◊〉 15. Tract 33. in Matt. Hom. 8. in Lâ—vit 14. in Luc. He says in his Preface to the Book de Principiis that God Created the World that it had a Beginning and that it must have an End but that it is not determined by Tradition what it was before and what it will be after He imagines that it was made if I may so express it to be a Place of Banishment for all Intelligent Creatures He makes no Difficulty of asserting that there were more Worlds before this and that there shall be more after it He says That God always had the Matter upon which he wrought which supposes that it is Eternal since God Created it from all Eternity o Lib. 2. cap. 1. 8. Tom. 19. in Joan. Justin. Ep. ad Mennam and two Passages from Lib. 1. 4. Hieront Ep. 59. ad Aâ—ituâ— He says That the Earthly Paradise was in Heaven and he has explained of the Souls which were there that which is said in Genesis concerning Adam and Eve He understands by the Fig-Leaves wherewith they covered themselves after the Fall the Mortal Bodies to which the Souls were Chained It may be concluded from all that we have already said concerning Origen's Doctrine upon the Tenets of our Religion that although he professed to believe the Doctrine of the Church p Lib. 1. Per. c. 2. Method apud Pâ—â—tiam c. 3. on Genesâ— c. 1. This was objected against him by Methodius in Epiphanius by Photius by Eustathius by John of Jerusalem by St. Jerome and it may be found in Lib. 4. de Prin. 〈◊〉 2. yet he sets up some Philosophical Principles the Consequences of which were found contrary to what was taught by the Christian Religion which obliged him in order to accomodate these things which were so directly opposite one to the nother to invent several Opinions that were very far from the Simplicity of the Faith So that we must distinguish in Origen what he says according to the way of Speaking used by the Church in his Time and what he says according to the Principles of Plato's Philosophy and then we need not wonder if after having acknowledged the Truths of Christianity he should lose himself by advancing such Platonick Notions as are destructâ—â—e to them And this in my Opinion is the reason of his principal Errors which are all of them founded upon three Principles taken from the Platonick Philosophy which are First That Intelligent Creatures have always been and shall eternally exist Secondly That they have always been free to do Good and Evil. And Lastly That they have been precipitated into the Lower Places and confined to Bodies for a Punishment of their Sins Let any one throughly examine all Origen's Errors of which we have just now spoken and he will easily perceive that they all proceed from this that he was willing to accommodate the Truths of the Christian Religion to these Platonick Principles There are besides some other slighter Errors in Origen into the greatest part of which he fell by confining himself too much to the Allegorical Sense of the Scripture for Example q Tom. 12. in Matthaeum Explaining Christ's Words concerning the Power of Binding and Loosing which he granted to St. Peter he seems to reserve this Power to those Bishops and Priests who imitate the Virtues of this Apostle and in the same Sense he says that all Spirituall Men are this Rock upon which Jesus Christ has built his Church So likewise r Tom. 11. in Matt. explaining that Passage of Scripture where it is said Not that which goeth into the Mouth defileth a Man he speaks of the Eucharist after so Obscure and Allegorical a manner that it is very difficult to comprehend his Meaning s Hom. 〈◊〉 in Num. Tract 35. in Matt. Hom. 7. in Levit. 〈◊〉 Tom. 〈◊〉 in Joan. He likewise explains Alllegorically what is said of the Eucharist in other Places of the Word of God It is easie however to defend him against the Protestants upon the Subject of the Real Presence since he acknowledges in the Eighth Book that the Loaves which are offered in the Church are made a Holy Body by Prayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We might easily bring other Examples of the Oversights that he has committed endeavouring too much to Spiritualize the Words of the Scripture but I shall pass them over in Silence He speaks of the Sacred Scripture after a very excellent manner as of a Book written by Persons who were inspired by God His Passages upon this Subject have been collected by St. Basil and St. Gregory Nazianzen in a Book which they have Entituled Philocalia t Hom. 2. 6. in Gen. Hom. 3. 5. in Levit. Hom. 2 3. in Exod. item 7 11. in Levit. lib. 1. Per. c. 2. Hom. 9 2. in Jâ—s He distinguishes the three Senses of Scripture but he applies himself particularly to the Allegorical Interpretation and he affirms that there are some Places which have no literal Meaning He proves that every Body ought to read the Scripture Now for some Points of Discipline which may be observed in his Works The Christians assembled together in his Time in the Churches not only on Sundays and Festivals but also on other Days u H'm. 10 13. 9 in Num. Hom. 6 in
Arius vigorously and endeavour'd to stiâ—â—e it in its Birth by Excommunicating him who was the Author of it and his Followers This he did in a Council assembled in the City of Alexandria for that purpose But Arius and those of his Faction having found some Bishops that receiv'd them into their Communion though they were Condemn'd by their Bishop Alexander complains in a Letter which he wrote to his Fellow-Bishops which is related by Theodoret Ch. 4. of the First Book of his History wherein he describes the Troubles that were caus'd in the Church by Arius and his Faction he lays open their Heretical Doctrine and observes that they had withdrawn to some Bishops who had received them into their Communion and sign'd Letters in their Favour because they disguis'd their true Sentiments and conceal'd the Poison of their corrupt Doctrine He reprehends the Conduct of those Bishops and accuses them of having violated the Canon of the Apostles by Patronizing the Actions of those who deny'd the Divinity of Jesus Christ. Afterwards he refutes the impious Opinion of the Arians and proves from Testimonies of Scripture That the Word was not a Creature made of Nothing but that he subsisted from all Eternity and is equal to his Father being of the same Nature with him and that there never was a time when the Son of God was not and that the Father was always a Father After having thus Establish'd the Divinity of the Son of God by most convincing Proofs drawn from the holy Scriptures he proceeds to the Explication of the Articles contain'd in the Creed concerning the Holy Spirit the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and the Resurrection of the Dead He observes that Jesus Christ had a real Body and not an imaginary one that he was Crucified and was dead but his Divinity suffer'd nothing He adds That this is the Doctrine of the Apostolick Church for which he is ready to die and says that Arius and Achillas were cast out because they taught another Doctrine wherefore he exhorts his Fellow-Bishops to avoid them and to joyn with him to repress their Insolence After all he prays them to send him their Letters approving what he had done and concludes his Letter with the Names of those Hereticks whom he had Condemn'd and cast out of the Church When the Bishops who maintain'd Arius wrote also on their Side in his favour Alexander found himself oblig'd to write again a large Letter on this Subject to all the Bishops in the World which is set down by Socrates and Theodoret Ch. 6. of the First Book of their History I know very well that 't is commonly thought that this Letter was written immediately after the Excommunication of Arius before that which is in the Fourth Chapter of Theodoret But this is a mistake since this Letter was written at the time when Eusebius of Nicomedia was fully declar'd a Patron of Arius Wherefore Alexander having observ'd in this Letter That since the Catholick Church was but one Body and all the Bishops were oblig'd to preserve Peace in it It was expedient that they should reciproâ—ally advertise one another of what happen'd in each Diocess to the end that when one Member was afflicted all the rest should mourn or else rejoice together with it After he had begun his Letter with this handsom Reflexion he adds That he had once a design to have buried this Disorder in Silence but since Eusebius had taken upon him the Patronage of these Apostates and had written on all hands in their favour he thought himself oblig'd to break Silence and to give Notice to all the World of this New Error and to hinder his Fellow-Bishops from giving credit to the Letters which Eusebius might have written After this he inserts the Names of these Hereticks lays open their Error and refutes it in a few words He says That their Impiety was the cause why they were thrown out of the Church and smitten with an Anathema and though he acknowledges that he was sensibly troubled for their loss yet he must not wonder that such false Teachers should arise and corrupt the Faith and Doctrine of Jesus Christ since we are forewarn'd of them by Christ and his Apostle These Two Letters of Alexander were sharp and vehement wherein he pursues Arius and his Party vigorously and having represented their Doctrine after such a manner as discovers all that 's odious in it he disputes against it by many solid Arguments and writes to his Fellow-Bishops with great Assurance and yet with due respect In short one may say That these Letters are the best in their kind Cotelierius has also publish'd a Letter or a Pastoral Advertisement of Alexander to his Priests of Egypt and Mareotis written after these Two Letters in which he tells them That tho' they had subscrib'd to the First Pastoral Advertisement which he had address'd to Arius and those of his Faction wherein he exhorted them to return from their Impiety and make Profession of the Catholick Faith yet he thought it still necessary once more to Assemble the Clergy of Alexandria and Mareotis to shew them the Letter which he had written to all the Bishops since the first Condemnation of the Arians and to give them Notice that Carus and Pistus Priests Serapion Potamon Zosiâ—us and Irenaeus Deacons having join'd themselves to the other Arians were depos'd He demands their Consent and Approbation because says he 't is reasonable that ye should know what I have written and imprint it in your Minds as if you your selves had written it This Monument of Antiquity gives us to understand That according to the Discipline of the Church of Alexandria which was agreeable to that of other Churches the Bishop of that great See held Synods of his Priests or Curates not only of those that were in the City but also of those that were in the Country and that he would do nothing without the Consent and Approbation of his Clergy The Cause of Arius being afterwards carried into the Council of Nice Alexander assisted there and held one of the Chief Places as appears by the Council's Letter to the Alexandrians wherein they say That he was Head of the Council and had a great Hand in all its Decisions He liv'd but five Months after this Council and left Athanasius Successor to his See and to his Zeal against the Arians St. ATHANASIUS ST Athanasius was born at Alexandria a At Alexandria He was a Clergy-man of this Church and the Clergy were commonly of that Place where they discharg'd their Office but besides this Conjecture 't is plain also that he was originally of Alexandria by the Letter of Constantius who recalling him from his Exile says that he would restore him to his own Country c. Apol. 2. p. 769 770. and he takes his Country and Church for the same thing Orat. 1. contr Ar. but the precise Year of his Birth is not certainly known neither do the Ancients tell us
a Zeal that he might deserve to be accus'd of too violent a Passion if it were not otherwise certain that he was acted only from a principle of Love to the Truth * The best Excuse that can be made for St. Hilary is That Oppression may make a Wise Man mad and St. Athanasius needs it as much as he for in his Letter to all those that lead a Monastick Life he shews as great Marks of Rage and Anger against Constantius as St. Hilary does here and yet St. Gregory Nazianzen a Man that was never suspected of Arianism has said very great Things of that Prince when he set him against Julian the Apostate He begins with these Words which are all Sparks of Fire 'T is time to Speak since the time to be Silent is past we must wait upon Jesus Christ since Anti-Christ Governs Let the True Pastors cry aloud since the Hirelings are fled Let us die for the Sheep since the Thieves are entered and the Lion full of Rage goes about the Sheepfold After he has exhorted the Pastors in these Words and many others of the same Nature to Defend the Truths of the Gospel with Courage and Boldness He gives an Account of the Conduct which he had observ'd since his Banishment He says That he kept Silence in Modesty hoping that things would change for the better but there being now no further place for hope he found himself oblig'd to speak He declares That he wishes he had rather been in the time of Decius or Nero than in that wherein he liv'd That neither Tortures nor the Fire nor the Cross could have made him afraid but he would boldly have maintain'd the Combate against his declared Enemies and suffer'd with Constancy in this publick Persecution But now adds he we oppose a Persecutor that deceives us with false appearances an Enemy that puts on a Friendly Countenance to us Constantius the Anti-Christ who Persecutes the Church under a mask of designing its advancement He professes says he to be a Christian that he may deny Jesus Christ He procures Union to hinder Peace He stifles Heresies to ruine Christianity He honours the Bishops that he may make them lose the Title of the Ministers of Jesus Christ He builds up Churches that he may destroy the Faith Let him not imagine adds he that I Charge him falsly That I Reproach him The Ministers of Jesus Christ ought to speak the Truth If what I have propos'd be a Calumny I am willing to pass for an infamous Person but if it be true and publickly known I use the freedom of an Apostle in reproving it after a long Silence After this He Justifies his calling Constantius Anti-Christ by giving a horrible Representation of the Persecution that he raised He adds That it was neither through Indiscretion nor Rashness nor Anger that he spoke so of him but that his Reason his Constancy and his Faith oblig'd him to say these things Yes says he addressing himself to Constantius I tell you what I should have told Nero what Dioclesian and Maximian should have heard from my Mouth You fight against God You use Cruelties to the Church You Persecute the Saints You hate those that Preach Jesus Christ You utterly abolish Religion In a word You are a Tyrant I speak not with reference to the Things of this World but with reference to the Things of God This is what is common to you with the Pagan Emperours Let us now come to that which is peculiar to your self You feign your self to be a Christian and you are the Enemy of Jesus Christ You are become Anti-Christ and have begun his Work You intrude into the Office of procuring New Creeds to be made and you live like a Pagan You teach things Profane and are ignorant of Piety and Religion You give Bishopricks to those of your own Faction and take them away from the good Bishops that you may bestow them upon the Bad. You put the Bishops in Prison You keep your Armies in the Field to terrify the Church You assemble Councils to establish Impiety in them and you compel the Western Bishops to renounce the Faith that they may embrace Error You shut them up in a City to weaken them by Famine to kill them with the Rigor of the Winter and to corrupt them by your Dissimulation You foment the Dissentions of the East by your Artifices He adds also many other Accusations of the same Nature and to compleat all he says That the Church never suffer'd so much under Nero under Decius and Maximianus as it has done under Constantius who is more cruel than all those Tyrants because the former gave Martyrs to the Church who overcame Devils whereas Constantius makes an Infinite number of Prevaricators who cannot so much as comfort themselves by saying that they were overcome by the violence of their Torments I should never have done if I should relate all that St. Hilary says in this place of the Persecution of Constantius He charges him particularly with the Banishment of Paulinus and Liberius and the Troubles wherewith he exercis'd the Church of Tholouse and concludes with saying That all those things that he had accus'd him of were publick and certain and therefore he had Just Cause to call him Anti-Christ He shows afterwards the Impiety of those Bishops that Assisted at the Council of Seleucia who maintain'd that the Father was not like in Substance to the Son and condemn'd the Words Consubstantial and like in Substance He answers what Constantius alledges as the Reason of condemning these Terms That we must not make use of any but Scripture Expressions He answers I say That these Terms agree with the Doctrine of the Gospel That Constantius and those of his Party are also forc'd to make use of such Terms as are not to be found in Scripture and in short That the Scripture makes use of Terms more Emphatical since it establishes the Equality and Unity of the Father and the Son He blames Constantius for the variety and contrariety of those Creeds that were made after that of the Council of Nice He explains the Faith of the Church concerning the Majesty of God and proves by many Examples That we are not to wonder if the Eternal Generation of the Son is Incomprehensible This Book is also imperfect The Book of Fragments is a Collection of many Pieces taken out of two Books of St. Hilary and likewise of some Passages out of his other Works 'T is not known who is the Author of this Abridgment nor when he liv'd The Passages that are cited in it are certainly St. Hilary's and for the most part the Pieces that are collected in it are ancient but he does not observe any Order in this Collection He begins with a Fragment of St. Hilary's Preface wherein after he had spoken of the Excellency of Faith Hope and Charity he declares That he had undertaken to publish a Work of great Importance and vast
to believe concerning the Divinity acquaints them with the Knowledge of their own Natures teaching them that they are compos'd of Body and Soul That the Soul is Immortal because of Jesus Christ who has given it Immortality That it is free and has the power of doing Good and Evil That it did not Sin before it came into the World That the Souls of Men and Women are of the same Nature That the Body is the Work of God That it is not Wicked by Nature That when it meets with a holy Soul it is the Temple of the Holy Spirit and that we ought to be very watchful lest we defile it by Uncleanness He occasionally takes Notice That Virginity is the more perfect state but that we ought not to blame Marriage That Married Persons may hope for Salvation provided they use Marriage aright That in Order to their living holily in this state they must abstain sometimes from the use of Marriage to give themselves unto Prayer and that their Intention should not be to satisfie a brutal Passion but to have Children He adds That we ought not to condemn even those that proceed to Second Marriages and that this weakness should be pardon'd in those who stand in need of this Remedy to avoid Fornication As to what concerns Abstinence from Meat St. Cyril says That Christians do abstain during their Fasts from Flesh and Wine but that they have no aversation to those things as if they were in themselves Abominable That they do not abstain but to Merit the more by despising what is agreeable to our sense that they may enjoy the heavenly Feast He absolutely forbids the Eating of things Sacrificed to Idols and things Strangled As for Clothes he desires that they may be modest and such as may serve not to adorn but to cover the Body and defend it from the Injuries of the Weather He speaks afterwards of the Resurrection and brings Examples to show that it is not impossible The Holy Scripture is the last thing of which he treats in this Lecture He says That the Old Testament is part of the Holy Scripture and exhorts them not to read the Apocryphal Books He informs them That there are but 22 Canonical Books of the Old Testament and observes That they have been translated by the LXX He believes that this Translation was made by Inspiration and that the Seventy Interpeters being shut up in separate Cells all their Versions were found to agree together He recommends the Reading of the Canonical Books and Meditation upon them He reckons amongst this Number in the Old Testament the Book of Ruth that of Esther Job and Baruch but he does not reckon those other Books which are not in the Hebrew Canon The Canonical Books of the New Testament are according to him The Four Gospels the Acts of the Apostles the Seven Canonical Epistles and the Fourteen Epistles of St. Paul which in his time and in his Country were at the End of the New Testament after the Canonical Epistles He says nothing of the Revelation He condemns Judicial Astrology Necromancy Publick Spectacles Games Usury Covetousness the other Superstitions of the Jews and Pagans and the Assemblies of Hereticks In the Fifth Lecture after he has prov'd by many Examples the Necessity and Vertue of Faith he says That we must continue in that Faith which we have received from the Church and which is fortified with the Testimony of Holy Scripture But says he because Men cannot read the Scripture some being hindred by their Ignorance others by their Worldly Business therefore all that we are oblig'd to believe is compriz'd in a few words I pray you then to remember to fix it upon your Minds and to be fully perswaded that this is the only true Faith Afterwards at your leisure ye may search for the Proofs of it in the Holy Scripture But at present do you acquiesce in the Doctrine which you have learn'd by Tradition engrave it upon your Hearts that you may persevere in it with Piety for if you remain in doubt and uncertainty 't is to be fear'd that the Enemy will work your Perdition and that Hereticks will overthrow that Doctrine which I have taught you The Sixth is concerning the Monarchy or the Unity of God against Pagans and Hereticks He describes the Errors both of the one and the other and more particularly enlarges upon the Heresie of the Manichees and gives an account of its Original Progress and Impiety He produces a Fragment of the Dispute of Archelaus against the Heretick Manes He observes That Men cannot comprehend the Nature and Essence of God In the Seventh he explains how the Name of Father agrees to God He observes that he has only one Son by Nature who is Jesus Christ and that Men are his Children by Adoption He takes occasion from hence to Exhort his Hearers to live worthy of the Title of the Sons of God and to honour him though of his good Pleasure he chose them to be his Children At the same time he admonishes them to have a Reverence for their Fathers and Mothers In the Eighth he shows That God is Almighty because he can do all things and all things depend on his Power The Ninth is upon these words the Creator of all things visible and invisible There he shows what cause we have to admire the Greatness and Beauty of God's Works The Tenth is upon these words in Jesus Christ our only Lord. He says That in order to the Pious Adoration of the Father we must adore the Son also He explains all the Names that are given him He maintains That 't was the Son who appear'd to Adam and Moses He makes Moral Remarks upon the Name of Jesus and that of Christ. He produces many Proofs concerning Jesus Christ and places in this number the Wood of the Cross which says he is seen to this day amongst us and with those who having taken of it here have fill'd the whole World almost with it The Eleventh is concerning the Divinity of the Word and his Eternal Generation There he refutes the Error of the Arians and proves that the Word is of the same Nature with the Father That he was from all Eternity and that he made all things There he calls St. Peter the Prince or the Chief of the Apostles and the Sovereign Preacher of the Church The Twelfth is concerning the Incarnation where he shews by many Testimonies of Scripture That Jesus Christ was made Man for the Salvation of Mankind He quotes some of the Prophecies that foretold the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and shows That the time of the Messias's coming the place where he was Born his Condition and the manner of his coming into the World were foretold he praises Virginity and observes That those who perform'd the Sacerdotal Office observ'd Celibacy In the Thirteenth he relates the Prophecies which concern the Death and Passion of Jesus Christ. He recommends to the Faithful the signing
Holy Things They push forward and involve themselves in much trouble that they may have access to the Holy Table not considering it as an Employment that engages them to Vertue but as a means to live at their own Ease In so much that they never think of discharging their Office after an unblameable manner but of exercising such a Dominion as shall be subject to no body Never did this Ambition reign more in the Church of Jesus Christ than it does at present I know it will be in vain for us to endeavour to put a stop to it but I count it a Duty of Piety to testify our detestation and shame of it Afterwards he describes very Eloquently the Difficulties and Troubles of the Episcopal Office He says That this Office is more troublesome and painful than can be imagin'd That 't is a most difficult thing to govern Souls That 't is the greatest and rarest thing in the World to know how to Command well That nothing is more dangerous than an Obligation to answer for others That a Bishop ought not only to be free from Faults but also to be very Vertuous That he ought to be still perfecting himself from Day to Day and that Vertue should be Natural to him for if it be forced it will not continue long That the Science of governing Men without Violence and Fear is the Science of Sciences ars artium scientia scientiarum That 't is infinitely more difficult to Cure Souls than to Heal the Diseases of the Body because the Cure of the Soul depends entirely upon the Will of the Sick That the Physician of the Body has leave to use Iron and Fire and the most violent Medicines for recovering the Health of the Body but the Love which Sinners have for themselves will not allow these sort of Remedies to be us'd when their Souls are under Cure That they shun them That they are are resolv'd to continue in their Sins and are ingenious to hinder their Recovery That they hide their Sins or excuse them or else impudently defend them That the Physicians of the Body know by sensible and external Signs the Diseases which they undertake to Cure but the Physicians of Souls have invisible and hidden Maladies to heal That the End of the Physician for the Body is to restore Health which puts Men in a Condition to enjoy the Good Things and the Pleasures of this World but on the contrary the Design of the Spiritual Physician is to withdraw Men's Affections from this World and fix them upon God That for this End God was made Man and suffered so much upon Earth From all this he concludes That the Profession of a Spiritual Physician is more difficult than the Practice of an ordinary Physician He adds also to prove the same thing the great Diversity of Spiritual Diseases and the different Dispositions of those who are to be cur'd who require an infinite number of different Remedies Some says he will be reform'd by Discourse and others by Example Some must be push'd forward and others kept back Praises are useful to some but others have need of Rebukes Some must be Exhorted and others must be Chid Some must be Reproved in Secret and others in Publick Some must be severely Punish'd for small Faults and others must be gently Handled Some must be Frighted with the fear of the Judgment of the Great Day and others must be Allur'd with hopes of Mercy In a word Great Moderation must always be observed and all Excess avoided Lastly He represents the Difficulties of discharging the Duty of Preaching as we ought which he calls the First and Principal Employment of the Ministers of Jesus Christ. He says That all the World undertakes to Preach and yet 't is a folly to believe that all those who undertake it are Capable of it That this Sacred Ministery requires a sublime Soul a perfect Knowledge of the Doctrines of the Church and a very good discerning Faculty He declaims against those who thrust themselves into this Ministry before they have meditated long upon the Holy Scripture and studied their Religion He proposes as a Pattern to Preachers the great Apostle St. Paul he Collects together a great many Passages of Holy Scripture against False Prophets against Priests that are unworthy of their Function and against those that abuse the Word of God he does not forget the Charge which Jesus Christ draws up against the Pharisees That they were like painted Sepulchres which appear'd outwardly very Fair but inwardly were full of Filthiness and then he makes this Important Reflection This says he is what I think upon Day and Night These are the Thoughts which macerate me which consume and confound me I am so far from dreaming of Governing others that I think of nothing but appeasing the Wrath of God and purifying my self from my own Faults One should be pure himself before he undertakes to Purify others he should be fill'd with Wisdom before he attempts to Instruct others he must have Light that he may be able to Communicate of it to others he must not be far from God who would draw others to him he must be Holy that he may Sanctify others he must be Prudent that he may give them Advice But when shall we be so will the People say that are always ready to Undertake every thing who build those Buildings slightly which presently fall down again When will you place your Lamp upon a Candlestick When will you improve your Talent This is what they say who have more Friendship for me than Piety You ask me when I shall be in a Condition to Guide others I tell you That the Oldest Age is not too long a Term to prepare ones self for so Excellent and so Difficult an Employment That 't is better to be slow than forward in this Case That tho' I have been Consecrated to God from my Infancy tho' I have Meditated from my Youth upon the Law of God tho' I have been Exercis'd in the Practice of Vertue yet I acknowledge my self altogether uncapable of Governing a Church chiefly at a time when the best thing a Man can do is to shun it that he may escape the Tempest wherein all the Members of the Church are divided Charity seems to be wholly extinguish'd Bishops have but the empty Names of Bishops all the World publickly Slights them and some Defame them there is no Fear of God remaining but Impudence Reigns every where and 't is counted a piece of Piety to treat others as Impious Our Judges are Enemies to God Holy Things are trampled under Foot and the Mysteries are laid open to the Prophane Strangers and Infidels who were not permitted to enter into our Churches do now come even into the Sanctuary The Gate is opened to Detraction and Calumny and he that Rails best at his Neighbour passes for the honestest Man The Faults of others are observ'd not to bewail them or bring a Remedy to them
French but retracted it in Africa In the Second and Third Book he proves That Jesus Christ is God and Man and the Virgin may be called the Mother of God In the Fourth he endeavours to shew That there is but only one Hypostasis or Person in Jesus Christ. In the Fifth he comes to a close Examination of the Error of Nestorius He confutes his Theses and shews That the Union of the Two Natures in one Person alone makes it lawful to attribute to the Person of Jesus Christ whatsoever agree to both Natures In the Last Place he proves That the Union of the two Natures is not a Moral Union only nor a Dwelling of the Divinity in the Human Nature as in a Temple as Nestorius asserts but it is a real Union of the two Natures in one Person In the Sixth he falls upon Nestorius with the Creed of the Church of Antioch where he was brought up taught and baptized Some have needlessly enquired by what Council of Antioch that Creed was made Cassian speaks of the Creed which was usually recited in the Church of Antioch and not of a Creed composed by any Council of Antioch But we must not forget here what Cassian observes That the Creed * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to joyn together c. Symbolum is so called because it is a short Collection of all the Doctrine contained in Holy Scripture He urges Nestorius extreamly with the Authority of the Creed of his Church which contained the Faith which he had embraced when he was baptized and which he had always professed If you were saith he to him an Arrian or a Sabellian and I could not use your own Creed against you I would then convince you by the Authority of the Testimonies of Holy Scripture by the Words of the Law and by the Truth of the Creed acknowledged by all the World I would tell you That tho' you had neither Sense nor Judgment you ought to yield to the Consent of all Mankind and that it is unreasonable to preferr the Opinions of some particular Men before the Faith of the Church That Faith say I which having been taught by Jesus Christ and preach'd by the Apostles ought to be received as the Word and Law of God If I should deal thus with you what would you say what would you answer You could certainly have no other Evasion but to say I was not brought up in this Faith I was not so instructed my Parents my Masters taught me otherwise I have heard another thing in my Church I have learned another Creed into which I was baptized I live in that Faith of which I have made Profession from my Baptism You would think that you had brought a very strong Argument against the Truth upon this Occasion And I must freely own 'T is the best Defence that can be used in a bad Cause It discovers at least the Original of the Error And this Disposition were excusable if it were not accompanied with Obstinacy If you were of the same Opinions which you had imbibed in your Infancy we ought to make use of Arguments and Perswasions to bring you from your Error rather than severity to punish what is passed but being born as you were in an Orthodox City instructed in the Catholick Faith and baptized with a true Baptism we must not deal with you as an Arian or a Sabellian I have no more to say but this Follow the Instructions you have received of your Parents depart not from the Truth of the Creed which you have learned remain firm in the Faith which you have professed in your Baptism 'T is the Faith of this Creed which hath gained you admittance to Baptism 't is by that that you have been regenerated 't is by this Faith that you have received the Eucharist and the Lord's Supper Lastly I speak it with Sorrow 'T is that which hath raised you to the Holy Ministery to be a Deacon and Priest and made you capable of the Episcopal Dignity What have you done Into what a sad Condition have you cast your self By losing the Faith of the Creed you have lost all the Sacraments of your Priesthood and Episcopacy are grounded upon the Truth of the Creed One of these two things you must do either you must confess That he is God that is born of a Virgin and so detest your Error or if you will not make such a Confession you must renounce your Priesthood there 's no middle way if you have been Orthodox you are now an Apostate and if you are at present Orthodox how can you be a Deacon Priest or Bishop Why were you so long in an Error Why did you stay so long without contradicting others Lastly he exhorts Nestorius to reflect upon himself to acknowledge his Error to make Profession of the Faith into which he was baptized and have recourse to the Sacraments That they may regenerate him by Repentance they are Cassian's very Words as they have heretofore begat him by Baptism With this Discourse he mingles Arguments against the Error of Nestorius whom he undertakes to confute in the last Book by answering the Objections which he proposed and by alledging the Testimonies of the Greek and Latin Church against him He concludes with a Lamentation of the miserable Condition of Constantinople exhorting the Faithful of that Church to continue stedfast in the Orthodox Faith which had been so learnedly and eloquently explained to them by S. Chrysostom He seems to be much troubled for the Misery of that Church Altho' I am very little known saith he am of no worth and dare not rank my self with the great Bishop of Constantinople nor assume the Title of a Master I have the Zeal and Affection of a Scholar having been Ordained and Presented to God by S. John of blessed Memory And altho' I am far distant from the Body of that Church yet I am united in Heart and Spirit which makes me to sympathize in her Grief and Sufferings and pour out my self in Complaints and Lamentations This and the foregoing Place teach us That this Treatise of Cassian's was composed before the Deposition of Nestorius or at least before it was known in the West They also give us ground to conjecture That the Reason why S. Leo imposed this Task upon him to write against Nestorius was this That being known at Constantinople to be S. Chrysostom's Scholar his Work might have more Weight and be more effectual than if any other had written on the same Subject The Institutions of Cassian saith the learned Photius are very useful especially for those who have embraced a Monastick Life It may likewise be said That they have something so Powerful and Divine that the Monasteries which observe that Rule are flourishing and make themselves eminent for their singular Vertues but they that do not observe it have much-a-do to uphold themselves and are always near a Dissolution And indeed of all the Rules for Monks there are
understand what they answer to the Priest Lastly They reject all the Exorcisms and all the Benedictions of that Sacrament They Likewise reject the Sacrament of Confirmation and wonder that only Bishops are allow'd to Administer it Concerning the Sacrament of the Eucharist they say That the Priests who are in any Mortal Sin cannot Consecrate and that Transubstantiation was not effected in the Hands of him who Consecrated Unworthily but in the Mouth of him who received the Eucharist Worthily and that one might consecrate on a common Table according to what the Prophet Malachy says They shall offer in all Places a pure Offering in my Name They likewise condemn'd the Custom of Christians who Communicated only once a Year because themselves Communicated daily They said That Transubstantiation ought to be made with Words in the Vulgar Tongue That the Mass was nothing because the Apostles never said it and they only said it for their own Interest They receiv'd not the Canon of the Mass but only made use of the Words of Jesus Christ in the Vulgar Tongue They call'd the Chanting of the Church an Infernal Crime They rejected the Canonical Hours They maintain That the Offering made to the Priest at Mass signifies nothing and disapprov'd of kissing the Pyx and the Altar About the Sacrament of Pennance they said That no body could be absolv'd by a Wicked Priest and on the contrary a good Laick has that Power That they remit Sins and confer the Holy Ghost by the Imposition of Hands That it was better to confess one's self to a good Laick than to a bad Priest That they ought not to impose large Pennances but to follow the Example of Jesus Christ who said to the Adulteress Go and sin no more They reject the Publick Pennances and the Annual general Confessions They likewise cast a blemish on the Sacrament of Marriage by maintaining That it was a Mortal Sin for a Man to have to do with his Wife when she was past Child-bearing They did not acknowledge the Spiritual Alliance nor the Impediments of Affinity and Consanguinity appointed by the Church no more than those of Publick Order and Decency They hold That Women have no need of Benediction after their Lying in That the Church was in the wrong in prohibiting the Clergy from Marrying and that they who live continently do not Sin by Kisses and Embraces They do not approve of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction because it was only given to the Rich and ought to be administred by a great many Priests That all the Laicks are as so many Priests That the Prayers of Wicked Priests signify nothing They laugh'd at the Clerical Tonsure They say That the Laicks ought not to pray in Latin that all the Laicks even the Women may Preach That whatever is not in the Scriptures is Fabulous They Celebrate and Administer the Sacraments in the Vulgar Tongue They learn by heart all the Text of the Scriptures and reject the Decisions and Expositions of the Fathers They despise Excommunication and have little or no regard to Absolution They laugh at Indulgences and Dispensations They do not allow of any Irregularity They believe no other Saints but the Apostles and invocate no Saints but God alone They despise the Canonizations Translations and Vigils of the Saints They laugh at the Laicks who make choice of Saints in the Lots which they draw upon the Altar They never say any Litanies They do not believe the Legends They ridicule the Miracles and have no esteem for Relicks They look upon Crosses as Common Wood. They Teach that the Doctrine of Jesus Christ and the Apostles is sufficient to Salvation without being oblig'd to observe the Laws of the Church and that the Tradition of the Church is the Tradition of the Pharisees They do not allow of any Mystical meaning in the Scriptures nor in the Practices or Ceremonies of the Church In the Third place these are the Errors which they held concerning the Usages of the Church They despis'd all the approv'd Customs which are not to be met with in the Gospel such as the Festivals of Candlemass and Palm-Sunday the Reconciling of Penitents the Adoration of the Cross the Festival of Easter with those of Jesus Christ and the Saints They say That all Days are equal and work on Holy-days as well as on other Days They do not observe the Fasts of the Church They despise the Dedications the Benedictions and the Consecrations of Wax-Tapers Boughs Chrism Fire the Paschal Lamb Lying-in-Women Pilgrims Holy Places Sacred Persons Ornaments Salt and Water They would have no Wall'd Church and disapprove of the Dedication of Churches and Altars and their Ornaments the Sacerdotal Habits the Chalices and the Corporals They would not have any lighted Tapers nor any Incense offer'd nor any Holy Water us'd They condemn Images the Chanting of the Church Processions on Festivals or Rogation-Days They find fault That a Priest is allow'd to Say many Masses on one Day They make Merry during the time of Interdiction They go not to Churches and perform the Duties of Christians only in appearance and Hypocritically They Condemn the Ecclesiastical Burial the Ceremonies of Interrments the Masses and Prayers for the Dead and the Confraternities They deny Purgatory and maintain That there are only Two States after Death one for the Good and Elect in Heaven and the other for the Reprobate and Damn'd in Hell They Teach That all Sin is in its own Nature Mortal and that there is no such thing as a Venial Sin They pretend that it is Unlawful to Swear whereupon those that are perfect among them chuse rather to Die than to Swear Those who are not so perfect Swear but do not think themselves oblig'd to keep their Oath and look upon those who exact it of them as more guilty than Homicides They Condemn all Princes and Judges being perswaded That 't is not Lawful to Punish Malefactors Lastly They Condemn the Ecclesiastical Judgments Pelicdorfius who Wrote about an Hundred Years after Rainerius against the Vaudois relates the Original of them after the same manner and observes That at first they only oppugn'd the Discipline and the Ceremonies of the Church without reflecting on the Sacraments but that afterwards they thought â—it to hear Confessions to impose Pennances and to grant Absolution and that within a while after some among them intruded to Consecrate the Body of Jesus Christ and to Communicate to others but that several of their Sect had disapprov'd of that Conduct The Errors of the Vaudois which Pelicdorfius refutes in his Work are 1. That the Sacerdotal Order was sunk ever since the time of St. Sylvester and that the True Faith was obscur'd and only a few Elect in the World 2. That the Priests and the other Clergy of the Church of Rome being Fornicators Usurers Drunkards c. have not the Holy Ghost cannot Confer it and are not to be Obey'd 3. That the Blessed Virgin and the Glorify'd
1273. until the year 1422. and the other more large from the Conquest of England by the Normans i. e. from the year 1066. to the 6th year of Henry V. being the 1417th of Jesus Christ. These have been Printed in the Collection of the Historians of England at London in 1574. and at Frankfort in 1602. he has also continued the Polychronicon of Ranulph Higden * Whereof Dr. Wharton saw one Manuscript Copy in the Library of Gonvil and Caius which reaches no further than the Year 1398. tho' the History was continued from 1342 to 1417. Whart Hist. Lit. App P. 120. Nicholas of Inkelspuel of Suabia Rector of the University of Vienna Flourish'd at the beginning Nicolaus Dinkelpulius Rector of the University of Vienna of this Century and was present in the Councils of Constance and Basil. He wrote a Commentary upon the Four Books of Sentences and some Quesâ—ions upon the same Books but these Treatises are lost there remains now only of his some Diâ—courses of Piety Printed at Strasburg in 1516. viz. Eleven Sermons and Discourses upon the Precepts of the Decalogue the Lord's-Prayer upon the Three parts of Penance upon the Eight Beatitudes upon the Seven Mortal Sins and the Tribunal of a Confessor Trithemius also mentions a Treatise of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit a Treatise of Charity a Treatise of the Sins of the Tongue and of the Eight Capital Vices and many Sermons which Aeneas Sylvius says were much sought after in his time The Treatise of the Seven Gifts is to be found in Manuscript in the Library of Ausburg together with a Treatise of Gratitude and Ingratitude and a Treatise of Sacramental Communion At the same time Flourish'd Theodoric of Ingelhuse a German Canon of Hildesheim who wrote Theodoricus Ingelhusius Canon of Hildesheim Herman Petri of Stutdorp a Carthusian Thomas Waldensis or of Walden a Carmelite the Chronicon of Chronicons or an Universal Chronicon from the beginning of the World to the year 1420. Publish'd by Macerus and Printed at Helmstadt in the year 1671. Hermani Petri of Stutdorp a German Carthusian of the Monastery of St. Anne near Bruges died in the year 1428. wrote a Treatise of the Government of Nuns and many Sermons whereof Fifty upon the Lord's-Prayer have been Printed at Lovain in 1484. Thomas Waldensis or of Walden a Village in the County of Essex in England the Son of John Netter and Matthilda Studied at Oxford and after he had taken the Degree of Doctor he entred into the Order of Carmelites He was present at the Councils of Pisa and Constance and was chosen for Confessor to Henry V. King of England whom he waited upon in his Journey to France where he died at Roan November the 3d 1430. He stoutly oppos'd the Errors of Wiclef and confuted them and establish'd the Truth of the Doctrine of the Church he wrote a great Book Entituled A Doctrinale of the Antiquities of the Faith of the Catholick Church against the Wiclefites and Hussites divided into three Tomes and Printed at Paris in 1532. at Salamanca in 1556. and at Venice in 1571. This Work is Dedicated to Martin V. and approv'd by this Pope In it the Author proposes to himself to relate the Doctrin of Jesus Christ of the Apostles and the Fathers against the Errors of the Wiclefites and joyns Tradition and the Testimony of the Universal Church and of the Councils with the Holy Scripture which are the Principles he lays down for his Foundation in refuting the false Maxims of Wiclef who following the foot-steps of the Ancient Hereticks rejected the Tradition and Authority of the Church pretending that we ought to found our Doctrins upon the Scripture only The First Tome of this Work contains Four Books against the Errors of Wicklef In the 1st he Refutes the Errors of Wicklif concerning the Divinity the Human Nature and the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. In the 2d he Treats of the Preheminence of St. Peter among the Apostles of the Church of the Primacy and Privileges of the Pope and of the Roman Church of the Authority Rights and Prerogatives of Bishops and other Pastors as well in Matters of Faith as for the Government of the Church In the 3d. he defends the profession of the Regulars and in the last he justifies particularly the Orders of the Regulars Mendicants of those who live by the Labour of their Hands and of those who have Revenues and shews against Wicklef that the Ecclesiasticks may possess Temporal Revenues In the Second Tome he lays down the Doctrin of the Church about the Sacraments and shows against Wicklef 1st that the Consecration and Administration of the Sacraments by Ministers is valid tho' they be Sinners After this he Treats of the Eucharist and having prov'd the Real Presence and Transubâ—tantiation he shews that the Communion under both kinds is not necessary As to Baptism he establishes the absolute necessity of it to Salvation and proves that Infants who die without Baptism are Damn'd and that this Sacrament imprints a Character As to Confirmation he insists chiefly upon discovering the effects of it and shews that the Bishops only can Administer it As to the Sacrament of Orders he makes it evident that the Distinction between Bishops and Priests was Establish'd from the beginning of the Church that the Priests ought to be Ordain'd by the imposition of the hands of the Bishops that the Reprobate may Consecrate as well as others and that the Celibacy of Priests is according to the Spirit and Genius of Holy Scripture and agreeable to the practice of the Ancient Church As to Marriage he shews That this Sacrament may subsist between Persons who preserve Continence That it Thomas Waldensis or of Walden a Carmelite ought to be contracted according to the Forms prescrib'd by the Church and with the Benediction of the Priest and distinguishes between Marriages which are Lawful and which Unlawful In the Treatise of Penance he defends the necessity of Confession the Vertue of Absolution and the Practices of the Church against the Accusations and Errors of Wicklef There he Establishes the difference between Sins Mortal and Venial against Wicklef who made no distinction between them but with respect to the predestination of God and who admitted no other Mortal Sin but final Impenitence He shews also that the Predestinate may lose Charity against the Opinion of the same Heretick Lastly he shews that the Sacrament of Extream Unction was Founded by Jesus Christ and his Apostles and that the Sacrament produces its effect by its own Vertue and not only by the Merits of the Prayers of those who Administer or Receive it In the Third Tome he Treats of those things which are call'd Sacramentals and first of the Effects and the Necessity of Prayer in general 2. Of Singing Prayers in the Church 3. Of the Service of the Church 4. Of the Mass and its parts 5. Of the Ceremonies of the Sacraments of Baptism
and indeed if such Reasonings were to be allowed I don't know one single Book in the World which might not upon as good Grounds be taken away from the true Author and bestowed upon another From hence we may see of what ill consequence it is to give ones Imagination too large a Scope and mistake bare Conjectures for eternal Truths h They would only prove that the same thing has happened to the Books of Moses which has almost happened to all the ancient Authors viz That some few Words Names and Terms have been added or altered to render the Narrative more intelligible If one examines all these Objections that I have already answered he will be convinced they prove no more and that one might have answered almost all of them by this very Remark Mr. Simon who cannot contradict me in this Point is mighty desirous to set upon me another way by objecting that in my Preface and other places of my Book I have laid down Rules which seem to prove from these Additions that the Pentateuch is a supposititious Work For it seems I had affirmed in the first part of my Preface That impostors for the most part relate Matters of Fact that happened after the Death of those whom they speak of and they give an Account of Cities and People that were not known in the time of those Authors whose Names they assume From whence Mr. Simon draws this Consequence that since I own there are several such Additions in the Pentateuch a Disciple of Spinosa may thence conclude that according to my Rule 't is a supposititious Work To this I answer that this Objection of Mr. Simon shews that he has not so great a share of good Sense and closeness of Arguing as he has of Rabbinical Learning For if he had only considered the General Remark which I made in my Preface about the Rules of Criticism there laid together he could not have been guilty of so manifest a Solecism as this I desire him to mind these Words a little A Man may say that all these Rules which I have here laid down are convincing and probable in different degrees but that the Sovereign and Principal Rule is the Judgment of Equity and Prudence which instructs us to ballance the Reasons of this and t'oher side in distinctly considering the Conjectures that are made of both sides Now this is the General Rule of Rational Criticism and we abuse all the rest if we don't chiefly make use of this Let us now apply it to the present Question There are in the Pentateuch some Terms and Names of Cities and other Passages that could not come from Moses must we therefore hastily conclude that it was not written by Moses because 't is a certain sign that a Book is spurious when one finds such Occurrences in it as have happen'd after the Death of the Author to whom it is attributed and because we there meet with some Names of Cities and People that were not known in his time Or on the other hand Does it follow because the Pentateuch was writ by Moses notwithstanding some Additions which are there to be found does it I say thence follow that the above-mentioned Rule is false These two Consequences are very indiscreetly drawn but the Rule is still good and the Books of the Pentateuch may yet be written by Moses The Rule is good but we ought to make a good use of it When there are no certain Proofs of the Antiquity of a Book and besides there are other Conjectures to incline us to doubt of it we may in pursuance to this Rule conclude it spurious But when it is past Dispute that such a Book is written by such an Author and there is an infinite number of evident Arguments to demonstrate the truth of it then we are necessarily to conclude that these Words and Terms and Names were afterwards added After all where there are Reasons on one side as well as on the other we ought carefully to ballance them to weigh one against the other and at last to determine the matter on that side where the greatest appearance of probability lies These are the true Rules of Criticism which it seems Mr. Simon is ignorant of or at least does not rightly examine otherwise he could never have forgot himself so far as to accuse me wrongfully for giving favourable Rules to the Disciples of Spinosa The fault is by no means to be imputed to these Rules which almost every Critick has given before me but 't is his way of Arguing and drawing of Inferences that has been favourable to the Spinosists His Conjectures and Objections and in short his Hypothesis has served to confirm those Persons in their Errors besides that several places of his Book give the greatest Blow imaginable to the Authority of the Holy Scripture When he asks me What answer I will return to a Spinosist who to prove that the Pentateuch was not written by Moses shall use my own Reasons to show that the Liturgy of St. James as 't is commonly received by the Oriental Nations was not made by him I will answer him that there are not the same Reasons to induce a Man to believe that St. James was the Author of that Liturgy which goes under his Name as that the Books of Moses were written by him That this was never affirmed in any of the Epistles of the Apostles that the Ancients never speak of it that this Liturgy does not agree with the Discipline that was in use in St. James's time Whereas the Scripture informs me that Moses was Author of the Pentateuch and Jesus Christ and his Apostles have assured me of the truth of it and all the ancient Writers have testified so much besides the Universal Agreement of all People in this matter 'T is therefore a manifest Injustice and Calumny in Mr. Simon to accuse me for designing to destroy the Books of Moses under a pretence of defending them against the Spinosists Nor does Mr. Simon reason better in applying what I have said with regard to the Book of Joshuah to the Books of the Pentateuch 't is but comparing the Arguments I brought to prove that the Books of the Pentateuch belonged to Moses with those that are commonly produced to prove that the Book of Joshuah was written by Joshuah and any Man will soon perceive the mighty difference between one and the other and that the Reasons that are alledged in favour of Moses are infinitely stronger than those that are urged to prove that Joshuah composed the Book that bears his Name No Man ever yet doubted that the Pentateuch was written by Moses but 't is not the same case with the Book of Joshuah Mr. Simon supposeth there is as much evidence for one as the other in order to prove this he imagines that all those formal places of Scripture that are produced to shew that Moses was Author of the Pentateuch reduce themselves to this Head viz. That Moses wrote the
of which is the Book of Job the second the Psalms of David the three following are the Books of Solomon which are the Proverbs Ecclesiastes and the Canticles the sixth is Daniel the seventh the Chronicles the eighth Ezrah which is divided into two Books by the Greeks and Latins and the last is the Book of Esther Thus says St. Jerome all the Books of the Old Testament amongst the Jews just make up the number of Twenty two five whereof were Written by Moses eight by the Prophets and nine are the Hagiographa Some Persons make them Twenty four in number by separating Ruth and the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremy and placing them amongst the Hagiographa This Prologue to the Bible continues he may serve as a Preface to all those Books that we have Translated out of the Hebrew and we ought to understand that whatsoever Book is not to be found in this number is Aprocryphal From hence it follows that the Book of Wisdom commonly attributed to Solomon the Ecclesiasticus of Jesus the Son of Sirach Judith Tobit and the Pastor don't belong to the Canon no more than the two Books of Maccabees do one of which was originally Written in Hebrew and the other in Greek as the style sufficiently shews Thus we see how St. Jerome has clearly explained the Canon of the Scriptures as they are received by the Jews yet we have reason to doubt whether he has been very exact in this Catalogue since in some particulars it does not agree with Josephus For although they are agreed about the number of the Books yet they notoriously differ in the manner of distributing them Josephus places all the Historical Books to the number of Thirteen amongst the Prophets adding to St. Jerome's nine Daniel the Chronicles Ezrah and Job And consequently he sets only those in the third rank that are purely Moral Treatises as the Psalms of David and the Three Books of Salomon But besides this difference we may probably suppose that Josephus has not reckoned the Book of Esther in the number of the Canonical Books For he is of opinon that they were all written before the Reign of Artaxerxes but as for the History of Esther he believed it fell under the Reign of that King as we may see in his Antiquities 'T is therefore very likely that he never considered that Book as Canonical but that to make up the number of the 13 Books of the Prophets he reckoned the Book of Ruth separately from that of the Kings 'T is in pursuance of this Canon that Melito and the Author of the Abridgment of the Scriptures attributed to St. Athanasius reject the Book of Esther and separate the Book of Ruth from that of the Kings Some Persons pretend that he has not owned the Book of Job because he makes no mention of that History but we ought not to wonder that he passes it by since it has no relation to the Nation of the Jews and he only designed to speak of them in his Antiquities Others imagine that he acknowledged Ecclesiasticus for a Canonical Book because he has cited a passage out of it in his second Book against Appion But it is visible as Pithaeus has remarked that this Citation which is not to be found in the ancient Version of Ruffinus has been since inserted into the Text of Josephus e The ancient Christians have followed the Jewish Canon in the Books of the Old Testament There are none quoted in the New Testament f but those that were received into the Canon of the Jews and the greatest part of these g are frequently cited there The first Catalogues of the Canoncial Books made by the Ecclestastick Greek and Latin Authors comprehend no more but at the same time we ought to affirm that even those Books that have been since added to the Canon have been often quoted by the Ancients and indeed sometimes under the name of Scripture The first Catalogue we find of the Books of Scripture amongst the Christians is that of Melito Bishop of Saâ—dis set down by Eusebius in the 4th Book of his History chap. 26. It is entirely conformable to that of the Jews and contains but twenty two Books in which number Esther is not reckon'd and the Book of Ruth is distinguished from that of the Judges Origen also in a certain passage drawn out of the Exposition of the first Psalm and produced by Eusebius in his 6th Book chap. 25. reckons twenty two Books of the Old Testament but he places the Book of Esther in this number and joins the Book of Ruth with that of Judges The Council of Laodicea which was the first Synod that determined the number of the Canonical Books St. Cyril of Jerusalem in his fourth Catechetick Lecture St. Hilary in his Preface to the Psalms the last Canon falsely ascribed to the Apostles Amphilochius cited by Balsamon Aâ—astasius Sinaita upon the Hexameron lib. 7. St. John Damascene in his fourth Book of Orthodox Faith the Author of the Abridgement of Scripture and of the Festival Letter attributed to St. Athanasius the Author of the Book of the Hierarchy attributed to St. Dionysius and the Nicephori follow the Catalogue of Melito Gregory Nazianzen is of the same opinion in his thirty third Poem where he distributes the Books of Scripture into the three Classes viz. Historical Poetical and Prophetical h He reckons up twelve Historical Books namely the five Books of Moses Joshua Judges Ruth the two Books of Kings the Chronicles and Ezrah The five Poetical Books are Job David and the three Books of Salomon and there are likewise five Prophetical Book viz. the four Great and the twelve Minor Prophets Leontius in his Book of Sects follows this Catalogue and distribution only he reckons the Book of Psalms by it self St. Epiphanius in his Eighth Heresie counts twenty seven Canonical Books of the Old Testament nevertheless he adds nothing to Origen's Canon but he separates the Book of Ruth from that of Judges and divides into two the Book of Kings the Chronicles and the Book of Ezrah Several of the Latins reckon twenty four Books whether it be that they add Judith and Tobit as St. Hilary has observed of some in his time or whether they separate Ruth and the Lamentations of Jeremiah as St. Jerome has observed Victorinus upon the Apocalypse St. Ambrose upon the same Book Primasius the Author of the Poem against Marcion Bede and the Author of the Sermons upon the same Book attributed to St. Austin and several others reckon twenty four Books of the Old Testament and say they are represented by the twenty four Elders in the Revelations The first Catalogue of the Books of the Holy Scriptures where they added some Books to the Jewish Canon is that of the third Council of Carthage held Anno Dom. 397. when the Books of Judith Tobit the Wisdom of Salomon Ecclesiasticus and the two Books of the Maccabees were reckoned in the number of Canonical Books There
Science amongst the Persians and observes that he was the Son of Oromazes Eubulus cited by Porphyry attributes the Institution of the Mysteries of the Goddess Mithra to him Eâ—doxus and Hermippus cited by Pliny tells us that he lived Six thousand Years before Plato But Ctesias who has written the History of Zoroaster testifies that he lived in the time of Cyrus This is the reason why Arnobius distinguished the two Zoroasters Eusebius also makes Zoroaster as old as Ninus and St. Epiphanius says that he lived in the time of Nimrod He is called Zarades by the Persians and by the Greeks Zoroaster There are several Explications given of his Name Some pretend that it signifies a Living Star others say that he was the Son of Aster and lastly others tell us that it signifies a Contemplator of the Stars All that is related of the ancient Zoroaster is fabulous Diodorus Siculus tells us that the King of Bactria that fought against Ninus was named Oxiartes and not Zoroaster Nevertheless there is a great deal of reason to believe that there was a Man of this Name amongst the Persians who taught 'em Magick Hermippus tells us that he made an infinite number of Verses The Fragment which Eusebius cites in the 7th Chapter of his first Book De praeparatione Evangelicâ taken out of the History of the Persians attributed to this Author has so plainly explained all the Attributes of God that it is visible it was composed by an Author who was no Stranger to the Christian Religion Synesius cites the Oracles of Zoroaster upon the Dreams that are taken out of the Works of the later Platonists These Oracles have been publish'd by Opsopaeus and printed at Paris 1599. with the Notes of Psellus and Plato 'T is no difficult matter to discover that these Writings have been forged by the Platonists that lived since our Blessed Saviour b Sanchoniathon This Author was unknown to all the Ancients Porphyry is the first Man that cited this History which is full of Fables and ridiculous Fictions Whatever we there find concerning the Origine of the World and the first Men is taken out of Genesis From thence he has borrowed the Word Bohu to signifie Night and that of Colpia which is given to the Wind as for what he says of the Aeora and of the First-born it looks very like the Dreams of the Valentinians Lastly he takes several things out of the Fables of the Greeks which evidently shew that the Author of this Book could not live in the time of Semiramis Mr. Dodwell has writ an English Discourse to prove that this Book could not be older than Philo Byblius who is said to Translate it out of the Phaenician Language c Philo Byblius This Man was a Grammarian of whom mention is made in Suidas who lived after Nero's time for 't is observed that he was 78 Years old when Serus and Herennius were Consuls which was A. D. 137. that is almost an hundred Years after the Death of Nero. According to the Testimony of the same Suidas he wrote twelve Books 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thirty Books 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et de Claris viris and one Treatise about Adrian's Empire under which he lived Suidas does not speak of this Translation of the History of Phaenicia Eusebius and Theodoret cite it after Porphyry This Philo is probably the Man of whom St. Clement of Alexandria speaks lib. 1. Strom. and whom he calls Philo the Pythagorean SECT V. Concerning the Authors of the Books of the New Testament THE Gospel in the Greek Language signifies a Happy Tydings but now this Word in the common acceptation of the Church is taken for the History of the Life of Jesus Christ and the Name b of Evangelist that was heretofore given to all those Persons that preached the Word of God is at present only given to the four Saints that writ the four Gospels which the Church has always owned for Canonical We there find two Apostles that were Eye-Witnesses of the Life and Actions of Jesus Christ and two Disciples of the Apostles who wrote their Gospel upon the relation of others The first of the four Evangelists is St. Matthew who of a Publican became an Apostle of our Blessed Saviour He wrote his Gospel in Jerusalem soon after the Death of Jesus Christ c in favour of the Jews that embraced the Christian Faith as St. Jerome has observed d For this reason he wrote in Hebrew or rather in Syriack according to the Testimony of Papias St. Irenaeus Fusebius St. Jerome St. Chrysostom St. Epiphanius and indeed of almost all the Ancients whose positive Determinations we ought not to reject unless we have convincing Proofs to the contrary Therefore the Opinion of Cajetan and some others who pretend that the Original of St. Matthew's Gospel was written in Greek is rejected with reason by all the Learned Criticks as being established upon very weak Foundations St. Jerome assures us that in his own time he saw an Hebrew Copy of this Gospel in the Library at Caesarea and that the Nazarenes likewise had a Copy of it in the City of Beraea which they gave him the liberty to Transcribe and that it was remarkable that all the Passages out of the Old Testament cited in this Gospel were exactly according to the Hebrew and not according to the Septuagint Eusebius also tells us that Pantaenus found a Copy of it amongst the Indians but it is not certain whether that was not a Copy of the Gospel of the Nazarenes which was different from that of St. Matthew However it is 't is past dispute that the Original Hebrew of St. Matthew's Gospel is lost at present and it is equally certain that the Hebrew Texts that have been published in our time are not the Original of St. Matthew e no more than the Syriack Version published by Widmanstadius The Greek Version which we have is very ancient and was extant even in the time of the Apostles as St. Jerome and St. Austin have observed We cannot tell who is the Author of it Some Persons as for instance St. Athanasius in his Book Entituled The Abridgment of Scripture attribute it to St. James Bishop of Jerusalem Theophylact to St. John Papias says that they Translated into Greek as well as they could without naming in particular any Author of that Version f The Evangelist St. Mark the Discple and Interpreter of St. Peter and Founder of the Church of Alexandria seems to be different from that Mark who is so often mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles and in the Epistles of St. Paul g He composed his Gospel at Rome with St. Peter at the intreaty of the Christians residing in that City setting down in Writing those things which he had learned from that Apostle who also approved of his Gospel after it was composed h Some late Authors imagine that it was written in Latin but this Opinion is contrary to St. Jerome's and St. Austin's
the Churches of Christ otherwise the Treatise of Hermas and the Epistle of St. Clement ought also to be inserted in the Catalogue of Canonical Books Therefore it is a very weak Argument to affirm that the Epistle of St. Barnabas doth not appertain to this Apostle because that if it were certainly his it would have been reckoned in the number of the Canonical Writings since before a Book can be owned as Canonical it is necessary whosoever is the Author thereof that it should be acknowledged by the whole Church because there are Books written by the Apostles or their Disciples that were not heretofore and are not as yet placed in the Rank of Canonical Writings and on the contrary there are others the Writers whereof are not certainly known that have been formerly and are now inserted in the Canon of Holy Scripture as in the New Testament the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Revelation and several Books in the Old the true Authors of which cannot be positively shewn Besides though it were true that all Books are Canonical which we know to have been written by Men who had Authority to make them so yet who hath assured us that St. Barnabas ought to be included in this number rather than St. Clement or Hermas The Catholick Church hath a Right to declare it and since she has not done it this is a sufficient warrant to reckon his Epistle amongst the Apocryphal Writings though it be really his Furthermore it hath been objected that this Epistle is unworthy of St. Barnabas and that it is not credible that so great an Apostle who was full of the Holy Ghost and the Colleague of St. Paul should be the Author of the most part of those things that are therein contained such are the forced Allegories the extravagant and incongruous Explications of Holy Scripture the various Fables concerning Animals and several other Conceits of the like nature that are comprised in the first Part of this Epistle To this I answer That notwithstanding these Defects St. Clement Origen Eusebius and St. Jerom attributed it unto him and I am of the opinion that it is a very great piece of Impudence for any one to imagine himself to be more clear-sighted in this matter than those exquisite Criticks of Antiquity They lived much nearer the time of the Apostles than we do They had a great number of Books composed by their Disciples which are now lost and consequently they were more capable than we are of judging of the Style and manner of Writing of the Apostles and their Companions and Disciples If then they have found that the Allegories Mystical Explications and Fables that are found in the Epistle of St. Barnabas might be his with what right can we positively assert that they cannot be his Certainly they must needs have but a very little knowledge of the Genius of the Jewish Nation and of the Primitive Christians that were Educated in the Synagogue who obstinately believe that these sort of Notions could not proceed from them on the contrary this was their Character They had learned of the Jews to turn the whole Scripture into Allegory and to make Remarks on the peculiar Properties of those Living Creatures that were prohibited to be eaten therefore it is not to be admired that St. Barnabas being by Nation a Jew and writing to his own Countrymen hath allegorically explained divers Passages of the Old Testament in applying them to the New and found out several Moral Reflections upon the Proprieties of those Creatures that were not permitted to be eaten by the Jews The Epistle of St. Clemens Romanus and the Stromata of St. Clemens Alexandrinus are full of this kind of Allegories and Figurative Expressions The History of the Phoenix related by St. Clement in his Epistle to the Corinthians so much celebrated among the Primitive Christians seems to be more Fabulous than that which is alledged by St. Barnabas in this Epistle concerning the Properties of certain Animals and the Allegory of the Blood of Jesus Christ typified by the Scarlet Thread of the Harlot Rahab in the Epistle of St. Clemens Romanus is as far fetch'd as the greatest part of those of St. Barnabas But what necessity is there to produce farther Proofs of a Matter of Fact that is so evident since it is sufficiently known to all Men that the Writings of the Primitive Christians are generally full of such Fables and Allegories Lastly the Author of this Epistle is accused for representing the Apostles as the most flagitious Persons in the World before their Conversion but his Words have been taken in too strict and literal a sense for he intended not to say that they were the wickedest Men in the World but only that they were great Sinners g That they were great Sinners Thus the following Words ought to be interpreted Super omne peccatum peccatores Many very devout Persons have often used this Phrase I am the greatest Sinner that ever lived in the World and other Expressions of the like nature which are not to be understood Literally It is not known to whom the Epistle of St. Barnabas is directed because we want the Title it appears from the Body of this Letter that it was written to some converted Jews that adhered too much to the Law of Moses It is divided into two Parts in the first of which he shews the unprofitableness of the Old Law and the necessity of the Incarnation and Death of Jesus Christ producing divers passages of Scripture relating to the Ceremonies and Precepts of the Old Law which he explains Allegorically when he applies them to our Saviour and the New Law The second Part comprehends particular Moral Instructions containing several Rules and Directions concerning what ought to be done and what ought to be avoided This Epistle was first published h Was first published in Greek c. It is said that there was an older Edition than Menardus's printed in England by the order of the Learned Usher but that the whole Impression was burnt We may add to these another Edition of this Epistle published by Maderus in Germany at Helmstadt There have been two other Editions of this Epistle one at Oxon 1685. in Duodecimo wherein all that is in the old Latin Version that is not in the Greek as also all that is in the Greek that is not in the old Version is printed with Red Letters Lastly Mr. Le Moyne has set it out in his Vari◠Sacra with large Comments at Leyden in Quarto 1685. in Greek together with the ancient Version by Menardus and this Edition was printed at Paris by Piget in the Year 1645. Afterwards the famous Dr. Isaac Vossius caused it to be reprinted with the Epistles of St. Ignatius revised and corrected from three Manuscripts Anno Dom. 1646. Lastly Cotelerius published it adding a new Translation è Regione together with the old Version entire and certain Critical Remarks at the end It is prefixed
People Secondly the Book of the Doctrine of the Apostles contained only Two hundred Verses according to the Stichometria of Nicephorus which cannot agree with the Constitutions that are more voluminous Thirdly in the Index of Scripture made by Anastasius Nicenas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are mentioned as distinct Books and in some Manuscripts the Constitutions are Entituled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fourthly in the Epitome of S. Athanasius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are distinguished therefore this Work was not attributed to S. Clement Fifthly when Eusâ—bius Discourses of the Writings of S. Clement he takes no notice of the Apostolical Constitutions neither have the Ancients mentioned them The Arians might have objected them in Vindication of their Heresie and the Orthodox would have been obliged to make a Reply but this is not done by either Party therefore they are of a later Daâ—e than the Doctrine of the Apostles that was known to Eusebius and S. Athanasius These Reasons howsoever probable they may seem to be are not altogether Irreprehensible to the First it is replyed that the Constitutions were made for the use of all Christians as appears from the first Words thereof that the last Canon might perhaps be of a later Date that S. Athâ—nasius observes only that this Book was useful for the instructing of Catechumens in the Discipline and Faith of the Church tho' it was not Canonical which may be very safely affirmed of these Constitutions In Answer to the Second it is alledged that there were two Editions of the Constitutions one more large being that which is now extant and another that was an Epitome thereof and perhaps Nicephorus makes mention of this last under the Name of The Doctrine of the Apostles Besides that there are some Manuscripts wherein there are 6000 Verses and besides the Length of every particular Verse is not known Thirdly that the Distinction of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is nothing to the purpose the one possibly was an Abridgment of the other neither is it certain whether The Constitutions be the Books now called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fourthly the Clementinae are a Work different from the Constitutions as well as The Doctrine of the Apostles Lastly the ancient Writers have not cited every thing that occured to them the Arians have not made all the Objections that were obvious and the Orthodox have not replyed to every particular Circumstance that might be objected against them These are the Answers that are propounded to those that distinguish this Book of The Doctrine of the Apostles from The Constitutions and I shall leave it to the Determination of the Reader whether they do not cause greater Difficulties for my part I believe the formet Opinion to be more probable It is therefore extremely difficult to determine when the Constitutions ascribed to the Apostles first appeared since the Author of them is absolutely unknown neither can it be proved whether they were at first the same as they are now We can only conjecture that it is most probable that the Constitutions ascribed to the Apostles or St. Clement belong to the third or rather the fourth Century and that they have been from time to time corrected altered and augmented according to the various Customs of different Ages and Countries p That they have been from time to time Corrected c. according to the various Customs of different Ages and Countries It is on this Account that the Ethiopians have certain Constitutions different from Ours which are cited by Anastasius Nicenus Cod. 189. in the King's Library and in his Questions Q. 160. where they are much commended Those that we have at present are not in Greek Crabb gives us a Latin Epitome of them in his second Edition of the Councils Pinted Anno 1557. The first entire Version that ever appeared was made by Bovius and inserted by Surius in the Collection of Councils which he set forth in the years 1567 and 1585. Nicolinus published another Translation of the Constitutions composed by Turrianus together with the Annotations of the same Author this was Printed at Venice in 1563 and at Antwerp in 1578. Afterwards Binius caused it to be Re-printed in his first Edition of the Councils Anno Dom. 1606. but he did not think fit to allow it a place in his second Edition of the year 1608. Fronto Ducaeus a Jesuit is the first that published a Greek and Latin Edition of those Constitutions at the end of Zonaras which was annexed to the new Collection of Councils They are divided into eight Books containing a great number of Precepts relating to Christian Duties especially to those of Pastors and concerning the Ceremonies and Discipline of the Church of all which it would be too tedious to give a particular account They that are desirous to be further informed may have recourse to the Titles of the Chapters that are prefixed to these Tracts The last Work attributed to S. Clement is a Collection of divers Pieces Entituled Clementinae and there hath been a Book under this Title for some time The Author of the Epitome of the H. Scriptures attributed to S. Athanasius mentions them and after him the Chronicle of Alexandria Nicephorus Callistus in the third Book of his History chap. 18. S. John Damascen and some others q 8. John Damascen and some others S. Epiphanius seems to quote Haeres 26. n. 16. as also Anastasius Q. 20. p. 242. Maximus in Homil. 53. and 55. Cedrâ—nus in Compâ—nd Hist. p. 170 and 171. Moreover it is cited in a Collection of the Works of the Fathers which is in the Library of the Jesuits College at Clermont and by Nicon in his Pandect Perhaps this is the second Part of the Recognitions cited by Ruffinus for it is a Continuation of the Preachings and Acts of S. Peter The Greek and Latin Collection published by Cotelerius under this Name contains divers Tracts full of Errors in Philosophy as also of the Heresie of the Ebionites and is such another Book as the Recognitions There must needs have happened some Alteration in these Clementinae as well because they do not agree with that which is cited from them by Maximus and by the Author of the Chronicle of Alexandria as because they are infected with the Errors of Eunomius besides there is a Passage cited by an Author in the Library of the College of Clermont which is not to be found there and we are informed by Nicephorus that the Clementinae are an Orthodox Work whereas this as we have already shewn abounds with Errors It contains first two Apocryphal Letters one of which is attributed to S. Peter as written to S. James wherein he adviseth him not to deliver the Book of his Preachings to the Gentiles which is followed by a Protestation of S. James The other is a Letter of S. Clement to S. James which tho' it be ancient and translated
not Canonical and in this sense the Epistles of S. Ignatius may be reckoned under this Denomination as the Book of the Pastor which is styled Apocryphal by those that do not receive it as Canonical tho' it is very ancient and was certainly written by him whose Name it bears Secondly This Author doth not mention the Epistles of S. Ignatius or S. Polycarp and there is no probability that he intended to do it because his design is to make a Catalogue of the Sacred Writings both Genuine and Apocryphal now what Analogy is there between this and the Epistles of S. Ignatius which being written a long time after the Death of the Apostles could not be comprized amongst the Books of the Holy Scripture And indeed if the Epistles of S. Ignatius and S. Polycarp ought to be rejected as fictitious because this Author hath inserted their Names among the Apocryphal Books of the New Testament we must likewise reject the Epistle of S. Clement whose Name is found immediately before therefore it must necessarily be inferred that he intended to reject some other Books that were ascribed to S. Clement to S. Ignatius and to S. Polycarp and that the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ought to be understood with relation to these three last for after having said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Doctrine of the Apostles he adds without specifying any thing else of Clement Ignatius and Polycarp that is to say the Books in like manner Entituled The Doctrine of Clement The Doctrine of Ignatius and The Doctrine of Polycarp this is the plain sense of that Passage Thirdly Altho' it were granted that this Author had rejected the Epistles of S. Ignatius which is not true of what weight could his Testimony be against the Tradition that we have even now alledged Object 2. It is said that these Epistles were unknown to S. Justin to S. Clement of Alexandriae and to all the ancient Writers before Eusebius Ans. Tho' this were true yet there are many Books whose Truth is not called in question that are mentioned by Eusebius alone and by no other ancient Author but besides we have already shewn that these Epistles are cited by S. Polycarp S. Irenaeus and Origen and that the Passages which they produce are found in those Letters that we have Object 3. The style say they of the Epistles attributed to S. Ignatius is very different from that of this Father it is full of lofty Expressions and affected Epithets which is very far from the simplicity of the Apostolical Times They say moreover that the Inscriptions of these Letters are long and full of pompous Epithets Ans. The Objections taken from the Style are of little moment for who hath informed these modern Criticks how S. Ignatius writ However it is not true that the Style of these Epistles is far from the simplicity of the ancient Christians on the contrary it is very simple and extremely natural It must be confessed indeed that there are some Epithets and compound Words but this agrees with the Asiatick style which is generally more florid than that of other Nations It might also be added that we find the like Epithets in the Epistle of S. Clement and in other ancient Authors The inscriptions are not longer than S. Paul's Epistles and in the Editions of Usher and Vossius they are not so large nor so magnificent as in the Vulgar as well as in that of the Epistle to the Romans recited by Metaphrastes Object 4. This Objection is the first of those that are taken from the Contents of the Epistles themselves It is said that the Author writes against the Opinion of Saturninus who believed that Jesus Christ suffered only in Appearance and of Theodotus who imagined that our Saviour was a mere Man Now these two Hereticks are later than S. Ignatius Ans. The fast of these Errors was maintained by Simon Magus and Menarder the other was asserted by Cerâ—aâ—us and Eâ—ton Hereticks who lived in S. Ignatius's time Object 5. This is the principle or the only Objection that hath any difficulty it is taken from an Expression in the Epistle to the Magnesians That the Eternal Word proceeded not from Silence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which seems to be said purposely against the Errors of the Valentinians who first used the word Silence as a Term of Art Ans. If there were no Answer to be given to this Objection I should rather chuse to affirm that this Passage is added than merely on this account to reject the Epistles that are acknowledged as Authentick by all the Ancients There are many Books wherein some Editions have been made which make them appear later than they really are and we find some of this sort in the Bible in Homer and in almost all the Ecclesiastical and Prophane Authors But there is no necessity to make use of this answer since we have several others that are sufficient to afford reasonable Satisfaction to the Impartial and Judicious Reader For 1. It is not true that S. Ignatius here speaks of the Silence of the Valentinians or of any other Notion of the Hereticks that is like it he only declares that the Word of God is not like unto that of Men which comes from or follows after Silence These are his Words There is but one God who hath made himself manifest by his Son Jesus Christ who is the Eternal Word of God that doth not proceed from Silence and that is in all things like unto him that sent him The main design of S. Ignatius in this place is to Establish our Saviour's Divinity against the Ebionites He shews that he is God because he is the Word or the Speech of God which being Eternal is not preceded by Silence as that of Men. This Explication is natural and liable to no difficulty though M. Daillé hath thought fit to censure it as Impertinent however there is none that reads this Passage but will readily grant that this Sense is most proper and very conformable to the Intention of the ancient Writers who endeavoured to demonstrate the Difference that there is between the Word of God and that of Men. S. Augustin in his Homily concerning the Nativity of Jesus Christ makes use of the very same Comparison without having any regard to the Valentinians Quod est says he hoc Verbum Quod dicturus antea non silebat quo dicto non siluit qui dicebat And S. Fulgentius Lib. 3. ad Trasim cap. 28. Idem Verbum nullo potuit coerceri silentio quia ipse Patris est sempiterna locutio That which is affirmed by M. Daillé that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was used by the Valentinians may be true but they oftener used the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither is the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 peculiar to the Valentinians it is commonly applied in Greek to signifie To go or come forth Besides S. Ignatius says not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
Eusebius cites a Fragment of this Book by which it appears that the subject and occasion which induced Serapion to write it was a Contest that arose in the Church of Rhossus in Cilicia about the truth of that Gospel that Serapion happening to be there permitted them to read it but that afterwards being convinced that those Persons who defended it were secret Hereticks and that Marcion who was the principal Asserter of it received it from some Hereticks named the Docâ—tâ— who believed that Jesus Christ did not really suffer but only in appearance he wrote this Letter to them till he could go to see them himself to acquaint them with the falsity and errors of that Gospel St. Jerome takes notice that in his time there were some short Epistles of the same Author that were conformable to his austere rigid way of living but they are wholly lost This Bishop governed the Church of Antioch till the first year of the Emperor Caracalla and the year of our Lord 203. Antoninus succeeded him and was the Ninth Bishop of Antioch after the Apostles RHODON RHodon though he was of Asia studied at Rome and had Tatian for his Master He wrote many Books and amongst the rest a Treatise against the Heresie of Marcion dedicated to one Callistion He likewise wrote a Piece upon the Hexaëmeron St. Jerome attributes Rhodon to him a Book against the Montanists a Fragment of which as he supposes Eusebius has cited But since Eusebius says nothing of its being written by Rhodon and since it is certainly of a later date we may be sure that it cannot be his So that we have nothing of Rhodon's left save only a passage or two cited by Eusebius taken out of his Book against the Heresie of Marcion wherein he observes that this Heresie in his time was divided into several Sects that one Apelles acknowledged but one Principle but that the rejected the Prophecies that some others as Potitus and Basilicus acknowledged two and others introduced three Natures He also tells us that he had a Conference with Apelles and that he himself being convinced of several Errors in their Conference said That we are not obliged to examine what we believe and that all those who place their hope in Jesus Christ crucified would be saved that the question about the Nature of God was exceeding obscure that he in truth believed there was but one Principle but that he was not assured of it and that the Prophecies were contrary one to another Lastly Eusebius adds that Rhodon says in this Book that he was Tatian's Disciple at Rome that Tatian had written a Book concerning the most difficult questions of Scripture promising to explain them but that having never done it he himself endeavoured to perform it And this is all we know of this Author he flourished under the Emperors Commodus and Severus PANTAENUS PAntaenus a Stoick Philosopher a Born in Sicily Some have thought that he was an Hebrew but they are mistaken for St. Clement speaking of the Master he had in Aegypt who was our Pantaenus Lib. 1. Strom. calls him the Sicilian Muse which shews that he was a Sicilian for otherwise he would as soon have called him the Attick Muse. That Master of his whom he calls an Hebrew was another Person that instructed him in Palestine born in Sicily about the beginning of the Reign of the Emperor Commodus b Presided Eusebius lib. 5. c. 10. and St. Jerome in Catalogo presided over the celebrated School of Alexandria where from the time of S. Mark the founder of that Church they had always a Divine that was eminent for Pantaenus his Learning and Piety to explain the Holy Scriptures and to instrust them in Human Learning He was obliged for a time to leave this Employment to undertake another far more excellent For the Indians having sent to the Bishop of Alexandria to furnish them with a Divine to instruct them in the Christian Religion Demetrius sent Pantaenus thither who undertook this Mission with Joy and behaved himself very worthily in it 'T is reported that he found that the Indians had already some Tincture of the Christian Religion which had been infused by St. Bartholomew the Apostle and that he met with the Gospel of S. Matthew amongst them written in Hebrew c Which that Apostle had left there S. Jerome tells us that Pantaenus brought it with him and that it was in his time preserved in the Library of Alexandria I cannot easily prevail with my self to believe this Story and indeed I should rather believe that this was the Gospel according to the Hebrews which the Nazarenes owned which might pass for that of S. Matthew for why should S. Bartholomew leave an Hebrew Book with Indians which that Apostle had left there After Pantaenus was returned to Alexandria he re-assumed the Government of the School of that City which in his absence he in all probability had committed to the care of his Disciple S. Clemment a Presbyter of Alexandria He continued to explain the Holy Scripture publickly under the Reign of Severus and Antoninus Caracalla and as S. Jerome tells us was more serviceable to the Church by his Discourses than by his Writings Nevertheless he published some Commentaries upon the Bible where he has discovered as Eusebius says the Treasures of the Scripture We may judge after what manner he explained the Sacred Text by the like performance of St. Clement of Alexandria Origen and the rest that were brought up in that School They abound in Allegories they find mysteries and instructions in every thing and scarce ever follow the literal sence and fill their Annotations generally with a great deal of Learning A Man ought to have abundance of Wit and Eloquence to keep up this way of writing Commentaries and to render it advantageous and entertaining to the People otherwise it will degenerate and grow flat and tedious The Commentaries of Pantaenus are all lost We only know that he was the Author of that Rule which has been ever since followed by all the Interpreters of Prophecies that the Prophets often express themselves in indefinite terms and that they make use of the present time instead of the past and future Theodotus has related this Opinion of Pantaenus but he speaks of it as if he had rather said it than writ it S. CLEMENT of ALEXANDRIA SAint Clement a S. Clement He was called Titus Flavius Clemens S. Epiphanius in the Heresie of the Secundians says that he was called Atheniensis by some and Alexandrinus by others which has been the occasion that it was generally believed that he was of Athens and that he was called Alexandrinus from the name of the Church whereof he was a Priest but his Country is not certainly known He was of the Sect of the Stoicks a Presbyter of Alexandria and Disciple of Pantaenus b Disciple of Pantaenus S. Clement had several Masters as he tells us himself
what wonder is it if they were received with little Contestation And yet Hincmar Archbishop of Rheims with the i The French Bishops made great Difficulty of acknowledging them Hincmar rejected them as having no Authority Nicholas the First in Epist. 42. to the Bishops of France endeavours to confute those that rejected them but since that time they have been received and inserted into a Collection of Canons though Learned Men always questioned the Truth of them However at present no body dares undertake to defend them the Imposture being so abominably gross that all People may discover the Cheat at first fight They may serve as a remarkable Example both of the Credulity of the preceding Ages and the intolerable Impudence of Impostors French Bishops even at that time made great difficulty of acknowledging them But a short time after they acquired some Authority being supported by the Court of Rome whose pretensions they mightily favoured After having thus represented the Reasons that prove in general that all the Decretal Epistles of the Popes before Syricius are Spurious I shall now descend to particulars and endeavour to show in few Words that every Epistle carries undeniable Signs of its being an Imposture along with it The First and that which seems to bear the greatest Authority is the Epistle of St. Clement to St. James the Brother of our Lord the First Part whereof was formerly Translated by Ruffinus Isidore has added a Second to it and they are both of them equally Supposititious The first because it supposes that St. Clement wrote that Letter after the Death of St. Peter whereas it is a Truth that has been constantly received that St. James to whom it is written died before St. Peter Secondly 'T is there said That St. Clement immediately succeeded St. Peter which is contrary to the Ancients that place St. Linus and Cletus or Anacletus between them two Thirdly the West is there ridiculously called the darkest part of the World Fourthly It is composed to justifie the Itinerary or Book of the Voyages of St. Peter which is Apocryphal The Second Part that was composed by Isidore is yet a more evident Cheat For 1. It was unknown in the time of Ruffinus and therefore has been invented since 2. It is full of Texts of Scripture that follow the Translation of St. Jerome And we likewise meet several Passages there Copied out of St. Cyril of Alexandria against Theodore of Mopsuestia out of the rule of St. Benedict out of the Exposition of the Creed by Venantius Fortunatus out of St. Gregory and Isidore of Sevil. In short it speaks of Arch-Priests and Primates and we find abundance of Words and Expressions in it that are unworthy of the time of St. Clement The Second Epistle of St. Clement directed to St. James has likewise all the same Marks of Forgery In the first place it makes mention of Sacraments of the Habits in which the Priests celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass of the Pall of Sacred Vessels of Chalices things that seem not to have been in use in the time of St. Clement Secondly It speaks of the Ostiarii or Door-keepers Arch-deacons and other Ecclesiastical Officers that were not then introduced into the Church Thirdly The Letter is writ in a barbarous Stile Fourthly The Author alledges the Authority of his Ancestors Fifthly It ordains several Practices of little or no Censequence to be observed under pain of Excommunication for Six Years Sixthly It supposes that St. Clement instructed St. James in the Actions of our Blessed Saviour and the Discipline of the Church Seventhly It alledges St. James his own words Work out your Salvation with fear and trembling under the Name of St. Peter's This Letter is full of divers Passages taken out of the Author of the Recognitions out of St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Prosper Laurentius Justinianus and St. Gregory the Great Lastly The Scriptures there cited follow St. Jerome's Translation The Inscription of the Third Letter of St. Clement alone is enough to discover the falsity of it It is directed To all Suffragan Bishops Priests Deacons and others of the Clergy To all Princes great and small and to all the Faithful Now in St. Clement's time there were no great or small Princes that were of the Church Secondly This Letter mentions Sub-Deacons an Order not then established in the Church Thirdly It is for the most part wholly composed of Passages drawn out of the Books of Recognitions We ought to reject the Fourth for the same Reasons The Fifth is directed to St. James in the Name of St. Clement Bishop of Rome and Successor of St. Peter Now St. James died before St. Peter from whence it necessarily follows that this Epistle cannot have been written by St. Clement 2. The Author of this Letter seems to approve the Doctrine of the Nicolaitans who taught that Women ought to be kept in common and the place where he maintains this Errour is borrowed out of the Book of Recognitions in which a Platonist is introduced disputing upon this occasion In short the Author of this Letter tells us he was present at the Death of Ananias and St. Clement was not as yet Converted when St. Peter inflicted that terrible Punishment upon Ananias We must add to all the foregoing Arguments this weighty Consideration that all these Letters are of a different Stile from that of the Epistle to the Corinthians which is undoubtedly St. Clement's There were indeed some other Letters formerly assigned to this Saint but they were different from those which we have examined here for St. Epiphanius who mentions them assures us that he there commends Virginity and speak very advantageously of the Prophets Now there is nothing that looks like this in the above mentioned Epistles that are chiefly stoln out of the Itinerary of St. Peter an Apocryphal Work forged by the Hereticks The first Epistles attributed to Pope Anacletus is visibly Spurious For 1. He calls himself in this Letter the Defender of St. Clement now according to St. Irenaeus Eusebius St. Jerome and some other ancients Anacletus â—…d St. Peter and not St. Clement 2. The Author of this Letter is pleased to say That he received several things from his Ancestors by way of Tradition and could this Expression possibly drop from a Man that lived in the time of the Apostles 3. He says That Appeals from Secular Judges ought to he determined before Bishops but this was not Customary in the time of the Apostles 4. He tells us That the Privileges and Laws of the Church ought to be confirmed none of which were written in Anacletus's time 5. He talks of Appeals from Ecclesiastical Judgments to the Holy See and mentions the different sorts of Ecclesiastical Causes But these Questions were never debated under Anacletus and when they came to be afterwards discussed the Authority of this Letter was never alledged 6. He speaks not only of Primates and Metropolitans but also of the
much Heat and Passion the Stile is Harsh and Barbarous there is no Reasoning nor Principles in any thing that he says He only proposes Maxims which he proves by the Testimonies and Examples of Scripture whether they be pertinent to his Subject or no from whence it comes to pass that his Writings are nothing but a Collection of Passages of Scripture mix'd with Apostrophe's Applications and Reflections In the Two Books against Constantius he designs to prove That this Emperour was very much to blame for endeavouring to compel the Bishops to condemn St. Athanasius who was Absent and Innocent To prove this Truth he produces abundance of Histories and Passages out of Scripture which show First That God condemns no Man without hearing him And Secondly That 't is forbidden in Scripture to condemn any Man without hearing his Defence Thirdly That those who shed the Blood of the Innocent shall be most severely punish'd Fourthly That Constantius has no right to command Bishops because he is a Profane Person a Heretick and a Persecutor The design of the Treatise Of Apostate Kings is to prove by the Examples of many impious Kings That the Success of Constantius does not demonstrate that he has any right to Persecute the Orthodox Bishops nor that his Doctrine is true The other Books shew their Arguments by their Titles The First is to show That we must neither Assemble nor Pray with the Arians who are declar'd Hereticks The Second Is to Justify the severe Conduct of the Catholicks against the Arians and the Liberty that they take to reprove them with boldness and vehemence without sparing even the Powers themselves that is to say this Book is peculiarly design'd to justify Lucifer St. Hilary and some other Catholicks in their way of speaking to the Emperour Constantius The last Book contains many Proofs of this Truth That we must die for the Son of God He blames the Emperour Constantius for his Impiety and Cruelty and at the same time he praises the Constancy of the Catholicks who suffer Martyrdom with Joy for the Defence of the Orthodox Faith Lucifer's Works with the Letters of St. Athanasius and Florentius were Printed at Paris in 8 vo by Johannes Tillius Bishop of Meaux in 1568. and afterwards inserted into the Bibliothecae Patrum VICTORINUS of Africk FABIUS MARIUS VICTORINUS born in Africk after he had profess'd Rhetorick for the space of many Years in the City of Rome with so much Reputation that a Statue was Victorinus of Africk erected for him in one of the publick Places of the City did at last in his old Age embrace the Christian Religion The studying of Plato's Books which he had translated gave him some relish for the Holy Scripture for when he read it he admir'd it and so became a Christian in his heart He discover'd this Inclination to his Friend Simplicianus who exhorted him to enter into the Church of Christ since he was persuaded of the Truth of his Religion Victorinus thinking it was sufficient to know the Truth answer'd him as it were jesting upon his Simplicity And do the Walls then make Christians But at last being confirm'd in the Faith by Reading and Meditating upon the Holy Scripture and considering that Jesus Christ would not own him at the Day of Judgment if he should be asham'd to confess him publickly here he says to his Friend Simplicianus Let us go to Church and after he had been some time a Catechumen he was baptiz'd in the presence of all the People St. Austin reports this History B. VIII of his Confessions Ch. 2. which he says he learn'd from St. Ambrose St. Jerom places this Victorinus among the Number of Ecclesiastical Writers and observes that he wrote Books against Arius compos'd in a Logical Method Dialectico More which are very obscure and cannot be understood but by Learned Men. He adds That he had also written Commentaries upon the Apostle St. Paul but he says in another place that these Commentaries were almost useless because this Author having been wholly addicted to the Study of humane Learning did not understand the true Sence of the Holy Scripture We have at present those Four Books of Victorinus against Arius which are printed in the Orthodoxographa and in the Bibliothecae Patrum but besides this Book which St. Jerom mentions there are some other Tracts which bear the Name of the same Author These are in the Bibliothecae Patrum viz one in Defence of the Word Consubstantial three Hymns of the Trinity and one Poem of the Maccabees Sirmondus has also publish'd by its self in the Year 1630 a little Treatise against the Manichees and another about the beginning of Day All these Books are written in the same Stile and by the same Author In the Four Books against Arius dedicated to Candidus he refutes the Errors of this Heretick and those of his Followers he proves there the Divinity of the Word and defends the Consubstantiality But he does it in so Scholastick and Intricate a way that 't is very difficult to comprehend his Arguments One may find several Expressions about the Mystery of the Trinity that are scarce Sence and quite different from that way of speaking which is us'd in the Holy Scripture and by the Church of God The Book in Defence of the Term Consubstantial is a kind of Summary of those Four Books The Treatise to Justinus who was a Manichee is written against the Error of those Hereticks who admitted two Principles of the World and believ'd that the Flesh was created by an Evil Principle Victorinus refutes these two Errors in few words and exhorts Justinus to acknowledge one God only Suffer not any more says he my Friend Justinus suffer not your self you who are of the City of Rome to be abus'd by the Impieties of the Persians or Armenians In vain do you macerate your self with extraordinary Mortifications for after you have made your self lean by those Austerities your Flesh is of no other kind than that which shall return to the Devil in darkness who according to you created it I advise and require you to acknowledge That God Almighty is he that created you that so you may be truly the Temple of God according to the Words of the Apostle You are truly the Temple of God and his Spirit dwelleth in you If you have not the Honour to be the Temple of God and to receive the Holy Spirit into you Jesus Christ is not come to save but to destroy you for if we are his our Body and Soul must belong to him and then it may be truly said That God is all in all That he is the One and only Almighty and Eternal Principle of the whole Universe and perfectly Infinite to whom be Honour and Glory This is the Conclusion of this Treatise which ispleasanter and more intelligible than those which are written against the Arians In the little Tract about the beginning of Day he endeavours to show That the
my Brethren and to prove my own Opinion by Testimonies of Scriptures lest some of the Faithful that are Ignorant of this Doctrine should be seduc'd by those that hold the contrary After he has in the following words observ'd That the Holy Spirit is no where spoken of but in the Holy Scripture and that the same Spirit inspir'd the Prophets and Apostles he enters upon the Matter and proves by many Arguments founded upon Passages of the Holy Scripture That the Holy Spirit is not a Creature but that he is of one and the same Nature with the Father and the Son He shows that the Holy Spirit is not a Creature 1. Because every Creature is either Corporeal or Spiritual Now the Holy Spirit says he is not a Corporeal Creature since it dwells in the Soul neither is he a Spiritual Creature because Spiritual Creatures receive into themselves Vertues Knowledge and Holiness whereas the Holy Spirit produces them in others being himself Substantially Vertue Light and Holiness 2. Because every Creature is liable to Change and circumscrib'd within a place but the Holy Spirit is immutable and every where present and therefore the Holy Spirit is not a Creature 3. Because he who Sanctifies and he who is Sanctified are of different Natures but the Holy Spirit Sanctifies all Creatures and therefore he is not of their Nature He adds That 't is never said that Men are fill'd with a Creature as 't is said that they are fill'd with the Holy Spirit He shows That the Holy Spirit is not divisible but that it receives different Names according to the different Effects it produces though it be always one and the same Spirit In short he shows That the Apostle St. Paul puts an Essential Difference between the Holy Spirit and the Angels which sufficiently discovers that it is not a Creature Afterwards he refutes those that say the Holy Spirit is of the number of those things which were created by the Divine Word He explains a place in the Fourth Chapter of the Prophet Amos where 't is said That God created the Spirit Creans Spiritum by showing that this place is literally to be understood of the Wind and that it cannot be applied to the Holy Spirit but in an Allegorical and Figurative sence After he has thus shown that the Holy Spirit is not a Creature he proves That he is of the same Nature with the Father and the Son 1. Because they have but one and the same Operation and by consequence must be one and the same Substance 2. Because to Lye to the Holy Spirit is to Lye unto God as appears by the words of St. Peter to Ananias 3. Because the Wisdom and Teaching of the Holy Spirit is call'd the Wisdom and Teaching of God 4. Because the Holy Spirit is call'd the Finger of the Father 5. Because 't is said of him that he is Wisdom it self 6. Because we are to believe in the Holy Spirit as we do in the Father and the Son and we are baptiz'd in the Name of the Holy Spirit as we are in the Name of the Father and the Son 7. Because he is call'd Lord as the Father and the Son are 8. Because he is sent from the Father in the Name of the Son as having the same Nature with the Son 9. Because the Father Son and Holy Spirit are never separated every thing that agrees to one of the Three Persons agrees to the other two and whatever is said of one is said of the other two and whatsoever one does is done by the others c. And therefore they have all three the same Nature and the same Substance He concludes with these words Since there is no Pardon for those that Blaspheme against the Trinity we must be very cautious in speaking of this Mystery lest we be mistaken in the least Expression And every one who desires to read this Book must purifie himself that so by an enlightned Mind he may understand what is contain'd in it and by a Heart full of Charity and Holiness he may Pardon us if we do not always answer the expectation of the Reader He must only consider the Mind wherewith we have written and not tie himself up to our manner of Expression For as the Testimony of our Conscience makes us boldly affirm That our Doctrine is that of the Christian Religion so our Sincerity makes us confess That in the manner of Writing we do not come near the politeness fineness and eloquence of others because we have only attempted to give a religious Explication of what the Holy Scripture teaches us without studying to pollish and adorn our Discourse But though he speaks thus of his Stile and St. Jerom says also That this Author is not a very able Penman yet this Treatise is very well written for a Dogmatical Treatise I speak not this of the Words or Terms since we have not now the Original Greek but of the turn of his Thoughts the methodizing of his Arguments and the manner of expressing himself about a Mystery so difficult to explain as this of the Trinity He treats of the Subject in a very clear Method without diverting from the Difficulties of it He proposes his Arguments plainly and smoothly His Reasons are close and convincing one may observe a Vein of Logick which runs through all his discourse without intermission He quotes the passages of Scripture in their natural sence and makes many very curious and profound Remarks He uses the most proper and most fit terms for Explication of the Mysteries He does not too nicely distinguish and yet he clears up all Difficulties In a word it were to be wish'd that all the Schoolmen had taken this Treatise for their Pattern and had follow'd his Method in treating of the Mysteries of Religion I forgot to observe that he speaks occasionally of the Incarnation and that he says Jesus Christ is God-man and yet we must not affirm that there are two Persons in him but believe that he being God and Man both together there is attributed to him what agrees to the Nature of God and the Nature of Man 'T was good to observe this against the Error of the Nestorians We have in the Bibliothecae Patrum Commentaries in Latin upon all the Canonical Epistles which go under the Name of Didymus They seem to be Ancient and they may possibly be a Translation from a Greek Commentary of this Author He speaks of the Opinion of those who thought that Spirits were from all Eternity and he neither Condemns nor Approves it He maintains That Predestination is nothing else but the Choice which God made of those that he foresaw would believe in Jesus Christ and do good Actions He rejects the Millennium and affirms That the Pleasures and Joys of Paradise are all Spiritual He disapproves of servile Fear He believes with Origen That the Incarnation of Jesus Christ was profitable to Angels as well as Men and that it Purifies them
and Germinius to thank them because by their means the Bishops of the West had embraced their Doctrine Of the COUNCIL of Ancyra THE greatest part of the Eastern Bishops opposed this Design of Eudoxius and could not endure Of Ancyra 358. that he should make so publick a Profession of the Impious Doctrine of Aëtius George Bishop of Laodicea wrote a Circular Letter upon this Subject wherein he exhorted his Brethren to join together for defending the Faith of the Church Basil of Ancyra presented this Letter to many Bishops who were assembled in his City for Dedicating his Church about the Feast of Easter in the Year 358. These Bishops wrote a Synodical Epistle related by St. Epiphanius wherein they First confirm'd the Creeds of the Eastern Bishops made at Antioch at Sardica and at Sirmium and then condemned the Heresy of Aëtius and professed to believe the Son of God to be like his Father There follow after their Creed 18 Anathematisms wherein they condemn these following Impious Dogmes viz. That the Son of God is not like to his Father That he is unlike in Substance That he is a Creature That he is another God than God the Father c. At the end of these Anathematisms there is one against those who say That the Father and the Son are Consubstantial St. Hilary who explains the others makes no mention of this last because the Deputies of this Synod durst not bring it to Sirmium Of the Fourth COUNCIL of Sirmium SOON after the Council of Ancyra there was a Council held at Sirmium wherein the Bishops Of the Fourth of Sirmium 358. of Italy and the West were present Therein was made a Collection of the Creeds of Antioch of the First of Sirmium of that of Sardica and of that of Ancyra which Eustathius Bishop of Sebastea and Eleusius Bishop of Cyzicum presented to be sign'd by all the Bishops who made no Scruple to do it Of the Fifth COUNCIL of Sirmium COnstantius having appointed Two great Synods one in the East at Seleucia and the other in the Of the Fifth of Sirmium 359. West at Ariminum some Eastern Bishops before they went to Seleucia met together at Sirmium where they made a new Confession of Faith which was dictated by Marcus of Arethusa after a long Conference with the other Bishops and was sign'd by those that were present Therein they make Profession of believing the Son of God to be in all things like to his Father but they reject the name of Substance as a Term that ought not to be us'd in speaking of the Trinity because it is not found in Scripture and is not intelligible by the People Nevertheless Basil of Ancyra added in his Subscription That the Son of God was in all things like to his Father not only by the consent of Will but also in Substance and Essence This Creed has the Names of the Consuls at the beginning which displeased many Of the COUNCIL of Ariminum WHile these things were a-doing in the East the Western Bishops assembled from all Parts Of Ariminum 359. to Ariminum The Emperour had sent his Letters Mandatory for them and provided for them publick Carriage and Money for performing their Journey but the Bishops of France and Britain thought it below them to accept of these Offers and chose rather to travel at their own Expence There came about 400 to the Synod which began about the Month of July in the Year 359. Ursacius and Valens proposed there the Creed which was made a little before at Sirmium but the Council confin'd themselves to that of Nice and would not receive any other This it declared by a solemn Decree which was sign'd by all the Bishops and to it they subjoined Anathematisms against the Error of Arius which are related at the end of St. Hilary's Fragments Ursacius Valens Germinius and Demophilus refusing to acquiesce in this Definition were condemn'd by the unanimous consent of all the Bishops Matters being thus determined in the Council to the advantage of the Faith of the Church the Bishops sent Deputies to Constantius with a Letter wherein they give him an account of what they had done But on the other side Ursacius Valens and their followers sent also Deputies to the Emperour and having much greater Interest in the Emperour they prepossess'd him and hindred him from giving audience to the Deputies of the Synod And so he did nothing but write back to them that he had not time to hear the Twenty Deputies which the Synod had sent to him because he was obliged to go against the Persâ—…s and that he had given them Order to wait till his Return to Adrianople because he would examine Matters of Religion with a Mind calm and disengaged from all other Business The Council answer'd him That they would never depart from what they had done and they earnestly prayed him to permit the Bishops to return to their Churches before the rigour of the Winter In the mean time the Deputies of the Council assembled at Nice a City of Thrace and declared all that was done at Ariminum null and void Ursacius Valens and Germinius approved a Confession perfectly like that of Sirmium wherein they declare That the Son of God is like his Father in all things and reject the Terms of Substance and Hypostasis Ursâ—cius and Valens recited this Confession oâ— Faith at Ariminum and the Emperour sent his Commands to the Governour that he should not suffer any Bishop to go away till he had Sign'd it and gave Order to lend those into banishment who should continue Obstinate provided they were no more than Fifteen At first they all testified much Constancy but by little and little they suffer'd themselves to be overcome through Emulation and the greatest part of them Sign'd the Confession of Faith There were but Twenty that held out to the last but in the end they were overcome also and Sign'd as well as the others Nevertheless some of them as Phegadius Bishop of Tongres added Professions of Faith to their Subscriptions wherein they expresly condemn the Heresy of Arius When all the Bishops had Sign'd the Confession of Faith they wrote to the Emperour that they had fully satisfied his Commands by agreeing with those of the East and rejecting the Word Substance and therefore they prayed him earnestly to give Order to the Governour to suffer them to go to their Churches The Emperour gave them leave And thus ended this Council whose beginning was Glorious and end Deplorable Of the COUNCIL of Seleucia WHile these things were doing in the West the Eastern Bishops assembled at Seleucia and Of Seleucia 359. there raised Disputes which they maintained with extream Heats There came to this Synod 160 Bishops of two different Parties altogether opposite to one another One of them were pure Arians who maintained That the Son of God was not at all like in Substance to his Father There were about 40 of this Party The
Circumcision A Treatise of the Words of Jesus Christ Whoever shall be guilty of Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost c. Two Letters to Serapion upon the Divinity of the Holy Ghost A short Discourse against the Arians Conference between St. Athanasius and the Arians in the Presence of Jovian Epistle to Ammon A Fragment of a Festival Epistle An Epistle to Ruffinian The Book Entituled An Abridgment of the Holy Scripture The Life of St. Anthony interpolated extremely if not Spurious BOOKS Lost. A large Treatise of Faith A Treatise upon these Words of Jesus Christ My Soul is troubled even unto Death Some Dogmatical Treatises Supposititious BOOKS A Treatise to Prove that there is but one Jesus Christ. A Treatise of the Incarnation against Paulus Samosatenus A Refutation of the Hypocrisie of Meletius A Treatise concerning Virginity A Treatise of the Testimonies of Scripture for the Trinity An Homily of the Annunciation of the Virgin The Life of St. Syncletica The Creed which bears the Name of St. Athanasius An Exposition of Faith upon the Incarnation A Disputation against Arius A Letter to Liberius An Explication of these Words of Jesus Christ Go to the Village c. A Homily upon the Passion A Homily upon Seed-time A Discourse against all Heresies A Discourse of the Ascension of Jesus Christ and of Melchizedech A Letter to Jovian A Book of Definitions Seven Dialogues of the Trinity A Book Entituled a Tragedy Questions to Antiochus c. A Homily upon Easter Eve A Fragment of a Letter to Eupsychius Eleven Books of the Unity and of the Trinity An Exhortation to the Monks A short Instruction to the Monks Letters of St. Athanasius to the Popes Marcus and Foelix A Relation of the Passion and of the Image of Jesus Christ in the City of Berytus A Fragment upon the Incarnation against the Disciples of Paulus Samosatenus A Fragment upon the Sabbath Seven Homilies Published by Holstenius Four Discourses Published by F. Combefis Fragments of Commentaries upon Job and the Psalms cited in the Catenae upon the Scriptures JACOBUS NISIBENUS BOOKS Lost. Twenty three Treatises cited by Gennadius the Titles of which are set down in Pag. 49. MARCELLUS of Ancyra BOOKS Lost. Treatises on different Subjects and particularly against the Arians Eusebius cites several Passages in them which he Refutes HOSIUS Genuine BOOK still Extant A Letter to Constantius BOOKS Lost. Several Treatises against the Arians A Letter to his Sister in Praise of Virginity JULIUS Genuine BOOKS still Extant A Letter to the Bishops of the East A Letter to the Egyptians produced by St. Athanasius Supposititious BOOKS A Letter to Dionysius concerning the Incarnation A Letter to Docius upon the same Subject The two Decretals attributed to this Pope ASTERIUS BOOKS Lost. Commentaries upon the Epistle to the Romans upon the Gospels and upon the Psalms THEODORUS BOOKS Lost. Commentaries upon St. Matthew St. John the Epistles of St. Paul and upon the Psalms TRYPHILLIUS BOOKS Lost. Commentaries upon the Canticles and several other Books HELIODORUS BOOK Lost. A Book of the Nature of Principles DONATUS BOOKS Lost. A Treatise of the Holy Ghost A Letter on the same Subject VITELLIUS BOOK Lost. A Book shewing that the Servants of God are hated by the World and some other Writings concerning Discipline MACROBIUS BOOK Lost. A Treatise Addressed to Confessors and Virgins St. ANTHONY Genuine BOOKS Extant Seven Letter to Monasteries An Exhortation to Monks A short Rule Supposititious BOOKS A Sermon against Vice Other Sermons St. PACHOMIUS Genuine BOOKS Extant A Rule for the Monks Moral Precepts Eleven Letters ORESIESIS Genuine BOOK still Extant A Treatise of the Institution of Monks THEODORUS Genuine BOOK Extant A Letter concerning Easter WORKS Lost. Several other Letters The MACARII Genuine BOOKS Extant Fifty Homilies or Discourses to the Monks Seven small Tracts A Rule for the Monks Another Rule in the Form of a Dialogue BOOK Lost. A Letter cited by Gennadius SERAPION Genuine BOOK still Extant A Treatise against the Manichees BOOKS Lost. A Treatise upon the Titles of the Psalms Several Letters EUSEBIUS EMISENUS BOOKS Lost. A Treatise against the Jews Another against the Gentiles Another against the Novatians A Commentary upon the Epistle to the Galatians Several Homilies upon the Gospels Supposititious BOOK A Homily in Latin BASIL of Ancyra BOOKS Lost. A Treatise against Marcellus of Ancyra A Treatise of Virginity Some other small Tracts LIBERIUS Several Letters See the Catalogue p. 63. St. HILARY Genuine BOOKS still Extant Twelve Books of the Trinity A Treatise of Synods Three Discourses addressed to Constantius Fragments Conference with Auxentius Commentaries upon the Psalms and upon St. Matthew BOOKS Lost. A Treatise against Ursacius and Valens An Historical Treatise A Tract against Dioscorus Commentaries upon Job Commentaries upon the Canticles A Collection of Hymns A Treatise of Mysteries to Fortunatus Letters Supposititious BOOKS A Hymn and Letters to his Daughter Apra LUCIFER Genuine BOOKS still Extant Five Books for St. Athanasius against Constantius and against the Arians VICTORINUS of Africa Genuine BOOKS still Extant Four Books against Arius A Treatise in Defence of the Term Consubstantial Three Hymns of the Trinity A Poem of the Maccabees A Treatise against the Manichees A little Tract about the beginning of Day BOOKS Lost. Commentaries upon St. Paul St. PACIANUS Genuine BOOKS still Extant Three Letters against the Novatians A Treatise of Baptism GREGORY of Boetica BOOKS Lost. Several Treatises A Book concerning Faith unless this be the same with the 49th Discourse among St. Gregory Nazianzen's PHAEBADIUS Genuine BOOK still Extant A Treatise against the Second Creed of Sirmium OPTATUS Genuine BOOKS still Extant Six Books against the Schism of the Donatists Supposititious BOOK A Seventh Book ACACIUS of Caesarea BOOKS Lost. A Treatise against Marcellus of Ancyra The Life of his Predecessor Eusebius Seventeen Volumes of Commentaries upon the Scripture Seven Volumes upon divers Subjects PHOTINUS BOOKS Lost. A Treatise against the Gentiles A Treatise addressed to the Emperour Valentinian A Conference with Marcellus of Ancyra cited by St. Epiphanius Haeres 71. Several other Discourses AETIUS BOOK Lost. An Impious Libel upon the Trinity whereof St. Epiphanius relates some Fragments Haeres 76. EUNOMIUS BOOKS Lost. Seven Books of Commentaries upon the Epistle to the Romans Several Discourses against the Church An Apology against the Treatise of St. Basil. GEORGE of Laodicea Genuine BOOKS still Extant Two Letters produced by St. Athanasius A Circular Letter against Aëtius cited by Sozomen BOOKS Lost. A Treatise against the Manichees The Life of Eusebius Emisenus The APOLLINARII Genuine BOOK still Extant A Translation of the Psalms in Verse BOOKS Lost. Several Commentaries upon the Scriptures Treatises against the Arians against Origen and against several other Hereticks A Treatise against Porphyrie divided into Thirty Books A Treatise of the Truth of the Christian Religion against Julian Some Letters A Poem containing the History of the Jews divided into Twenty Four Books Tragedies
Antioch was the First who in the Year 413 inserted the Name of S. Chrysostom into the Diptychs and who by that means was re-admitted to communicate with Pope Innocent Acacius of Beraea likewise received Letters of Communion from the Pope upon condition that he should not shew any hatred against S. Chrysostom afterwards About the Year 428. Attiâ—â—s Bishop of Constantinople inserted the Name of S. Chrysostom into the Diptychs and exhorted S. Cyril of Alexandriâ— to do the same This Bishop scrupled it at first But at last 〈◊〉 Isâ—odore Pelusiota persuaded him to do it Thus all the Churches did right to the Memory of S. Chrysostom and Peace 〈◊〉 â—estored The Number of S. Chrysostom's Works is 〈◊〉 great that the Ancient Criticks durst not pretend to make a Catalogue of them S. Isâ—odore and 〈◊〉 look'd upon it as almost impossible George and Nicephorus say that he composed above a Thousand Volumes Suidas and â—â—ssâ—â—dorus affirm that he wrote Commentaries upon the â—… From all which it is evident that how many soever of S. Chrysostom's Works are â—… they are fewer than they have been and so much the rather because among those that we have some are none of his though they bear his Name The 65 Homilies upon Genesis are the First of S Chrysostom's Commentaries of the Bible according to the Order of the sacred Books the Thirty two first were preached in Lent in the third Year of his being Bishop This Subject was â—â—terrupted by the Festivals for he was to preach upon the Passion of Jesus Christ. After Easter he undertook to expound the Acts of the Apostles and was near a Year about that Work Afterwards he betook himself to his former Task and finished his Exposition of Genesis in Thirty four Homilies These Homilies are Commentaries upon Genesis rather than Sermons And he applies himself particularly to explain the Text of Scripture literally The Examples of Vertues or Vices spoken of in the Text which he expounds are commonly the Subject of his Homilies The Style is plain and without those Figures and Ornaments which are to be found in his other Sermons The Nine Sermons of S. Chrysostom upon single passages of Genesis are more florid and contain more moral Thoughts The First is upon the first Words of Genesis In the Beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth in it he treats of Fasting and Alms-deeds The Second is upon these Words of the first Chapter v. 26. Let us make Man after our own Image There he gives the reason why Moses speaking of the Creation of Man uses the Expression God said Let us make whereas he said of the Creation of other things God said Let them be And there he shews wherein this Resemblance with God consists In the Third he makes some further Reflexions upon Man being like God and upon the Dominion given to him over other Creatures and there he answers the Question Why Beasts fall upon and kill Man and confesses that it is because Man by Sin has lost the Empire he had over them S. Austin quotes this Homily in his First Book against Julian and produces a passage out of it to prove Original sin In the Fourth the three kinds of servitude which Mankind is fallen into by sin are discoursed of which are the Subjection of the Wife to her Husband that of one Man to another and that of Subjects to their Princes He insists much upon this last and occasionally speaks of the Attention Men ought to give to Sermons In the Fifth he shews that those who live well purchase their Liberty and declaims against those that refuse to assist the Poor The Sixth Seventh and Eighth are concerning the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In the First he shews that Adam knew Good and Evil before he tasted the Fruit of that Tree In the Second he says that it is so called because Evil is more perfectly known after Commission there he also explains those Words of our Saviour to the good Thief This Day shalt thou be with me in Paradise The Third is about God's forbidding Man to eat of the Fruit of the Tree The Ninth is upon the Names of Abraham and Noah where he discourses of brotherly Correction The Tenth Homily upon Genesis in the English Edition is not genuine it has the same Preface with the Third Homily upon David and Saul it is written in a swelling Style and full of Metaphors and quite different from the first Part. The following Sermons are upon the History of Hannah Samuel's Mother in the first Book of Samuel but it treats of several Subjects The Preface to the First is upon the Fast of the last Lent and upon the Sermons which he had made since against the Gentiles and after Flavianus his return upon the Feasts of the Martyrs and against swearing After this he resumes the Subject of Providence which he was entred upon he demonstrates That it is God who gave unto Man the knowledge of the things which he ought to know That sickness and death have their use He takes notice that the Love which Parents have for their Children is an effect of Providence and that Mothers are not less concerned in the Education of their Children than Fathers And upon occasion of this last Reflection he relates the History of Hannah and he speaks of it in the following Sermon and thereupon he Discourses of Moderation of Modesty and the Reverence due to Priests and of Grace before and after Meat In the Third he speaks of the Obligation which lies upon Men to give their Children good Education In the Fourth upon the second Part of Hannah's Song he reproves those who neglect Divine Service to go to Plays and publick Shows and discourses of the usefulness of Prayer In the Fifth he shews their Errour who go to Church only upon great Festival Days He expounds the rest of Hannah's Hymns and he speaks of the Advantage of Wealth above Poverty These five Discourses were preached by S. Chrysostom in Antioch about Whitsuntide after Flavianus his Return In this last Sermon he mentions a Discourse upon the first Part of Hannah's Hymn not extant There are three Sermons about David and Saul In the first after a Declamation against those that frequent Plays to the neglect of Holy Worship and a Declaration that they should be excommunicated he treats of patience and forgiving of Enemies proposing for an Example David's Action who would not kill Saul though God had delivered him into his Hands In the second that Action is commended and preferred before all the other great Actions of that King He prosecutes the same Argument in the third Discourse where he also complains of those that were given to Plays He observes that it is as great an Act of Vertue to bear an Injury patiently as to give Alms. At the End of these there is another Sermon against Idleness which hath no relation to the Rest. The Homilies upon the Psalms are Commentaries rather
these words of S. Paul There must be Heresies He commends the Old Agapae or Feasts of Charity The Twenty-third is of Alms-deeds and the care which Men ought to have of such as are in want This should be placed among the Sermons of Morality The Twenty-fourth is upon these words 2 Cor. c. 4. Having the same Spirit of Faith c. He gives great Praises to Virginity and to a Monastick life which he describes in these words Doe you not take notice of those Monks who live privately and dwell upon the tops of Mountains What Austerities and Mortifications doe they not practise They are covered with Ashes cloathed with Sackcloth loaden with Chains and Irons shut up in little Cells struggling continually with Hunger they spend their time in Watchings to blot out part of their Sins He observes also that though Virginity is a super-natural Gift yet it is unprofitable if it be not accompanied with Charity and Meekness The Twenty-fifth is upon the same Text he opposes the Manichees and exhorts them to give Alms. The Twenty-sixth upon the same words presses the Duty of Alms-giving The Twenty-seventh is upon these words 2 Cor. Bear a little with my folly He lays down Rules very judicious both at what time and upon what occasions a Man may commend himself The Twenty-eighth reproves them who abuse what S. Paul saith Phil. c. 1. v. 18. What matters it how Christ is preached His Discourse is about Prayer and Humility In the Twenty-ninth he treats of the Marriage of Christians and of the Duties of those that are Married The Thirtieth is upon these words 1 Thess. c. 4. v. 13. But I would not have you to be ignorant Brethren concerning them which are asleep that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope He discourses of the way how Christians should bear with the Death of Relations and confirms what he says by the Examples of Job and of Isaac The Thirty-first is concerning the Duty of Widows on these words 1 Tim. c. 5. v. 9. Let not a Widow be chosen of less than Sixty years He there discourses of Children's Education The following Sermons have less relation to Texts of Scripture being for the most part upon solemn Festival-days The Thirty-second is about Judas's Treason where he speaks of the necessary Dispositions to communicate worthily The Thirty-third concerns the Festival of Christmas which was celebrated for Ten years before in the East upon the 25th of December as it had been before at Rome S. Chrysostom proves by several reasons that this was exactly the day of Jesus Christ's Nativity The Thirty-fourth and Thirty-fifth are upon the Passion of Jesus Christ In the latter he speaks of forgiving Enemies upon occasion of the good Thief The Thirty-sixth is upon the Resurrection from the Dead The Thirty-seventh is a Sermon upon the Resurrection of Jesus Christ preached upon Easter-day The Thirty-eighth upon the Ascension was preached in a Church of Martyrs The Thirty-ninth and Fortieth Sermons are upon Whit-sunday In the former he answers that curious Question Why Miracles are not wrought now as they were in the time of the Apostles The Forty-first is of the Dignity of the Eucharist and the respect we ought to shew to the holy Mysteries This discourse seems to me to be neither of the Style nor the Order of S. Chrysostom The Seven following Sermons being Panegyricks upon S. Paul were translated by Anianus who lived in Athalaricus his time The Forty-ninth is of Meekness The Fiftieth upon the Conversion of S. Paul was preached at Antioch after that upon the Title of the Acts. The Fifty-first is upon the Inscription in the Temple of Athens To the unknown God spoken of Acts c. 17. v. 17. The Fifty-second is upon the beginning of the First Epistle to the Corinthians Paul called an Apostle c. The Fifty-third shews the Profitableness of Reading the holy Scripture It is dedicated to persons newly baptized there he extolls the Quality of an Apostle It is one of the Four upon the beginning of the Acts preached at Antioch before Flavianus The Fifty-fourth of Christ's Prayers and Qualities is the First Sermon upon the Incarnation The Fifty-fifth is against those that Fast at Easter The Fifty-sixth against such as observe the Jewish Fasts In the Fifty-seventh he speaks of Alms-deeds upon occasion of the Hospitality practised towards the Prophet Elijah who was reliev'd by the Widow of Sarepta The Fifty-eighth of the Pleasures of the Life to come and of the Vanity of this World's goods The Fifty-ninth is against those that despair when they receive not what they ask of God or who petition for unjust things he there occasionally speaks of the Duty of Husbands towards their Wives In the Sixtieth he compares Riches with Poverty treats of the manner how Sinners are to be reproved and blames those who call upon God against their Enemies The Sixty-first begins with an Exclamation against those that communicate unworthily He shews that a Preacher is not to preach God's Word with complaisance but to reprove Vice with fervency because this is profitable for Sinners to make them know and confess their Sins The Sixty-second concerns Martyrs there he proves That the best way of honouring Martyrs is to imitate their Vertues The Sixty-third is against those who teach That Daemons govern the affairs of this World and against such as doe not endure with patience the Chastenings of God and lastly against those who are scandalized at the prosperity of the Wicked and the misfortune of the Righteous In the Sixty-fourth he treats of S. Paul's action in resisting S. Peter and endeavours to prove that both did it by agreement for the instruction of the Faithfull The Sixty-fifth is a Discourse or rather a Treatise against Jews and Gentiles to prove the Divinity of Jesus Christ. The Sixty-sixth is another Treatise against those who were offended because of the mischiefs that happened to the City and the persecution of the Priests and of the Faithfull It is an excellent Explanation of that hard Question Why there is so much evil in the World if the Providence of God governs it Both these Pieces should be put among S. Chrysostom's Treatises The Sixty-seventh is an Homily concerning the Two Paralyticks of the Gospel There he proves the Divinity of the Son of God The Preface to the Sixty-seventh is about the Use that Men are to make of Sermons preached in the Church He gives a reason why the Acts of the Apostles are read in the Church at Whitsuntide Lastly he shews that the Miracles of the Apostles proved the Certainty of Christ's Resurrection and rendred it more famous This Sermon follows that which he made upon the Title of the Acts. In the Sixty-eighth having reproved those who complained that his Sermons were either too long or too short he gives a reason of altering S. Paul's Name and that of Abraham and of the Signification of that of Adam The Sixty-ninth Sermon was preached at
at Constantinople when S. Chrysostom was expelled from thence as we learn from Palladius who tells us That S. Chrysostom before he went away entred into the Baptistery and called to him Olympias the Deaconnesses Procla Pentadia and Silvina Nebridius ' s Widow So that S. Jerom's Letter might be written about the Year 400. not long after the Death of her Husband The Tenth is written to another young Widow named Furia of the Race of the Camilli He disswades her from Marrying a second time tho' she had had no Children by her first Husband he tells her that in this particular she should not regard neither the Remonstrances or threatnings of her Father but he recommends to her that she should be sober modest constant in reading and praying that she should give Alms avoid the World despise its Pomps c. Lastly he represents the inconveniencies of a Second Marriage very livelily and says at the latter end of the Letter that he writ it two Years after his Books against Jovinian that were composed sometime before the Year 392. and so this Letter is of 394. The following Letter to Ageruchia is upon the same Subject He does speak there with less Zeal against Second Marriages than in the foregoing and yet he professes not to condemn them He says that he had seen at Rome a Woman buried by her Twenty second Husband and a Husband who had buried Twenty Wives At the end of this Letter he Discourses against such as are too much in love with this Life and the good things of this World Men says he build as if they were to live for ever and they live as if they were sure of Life next day There is none so aged but promises to himself That he shall live one year more and so forgets what he is and when he is come to the age that he desired yet does he not think himself near Death and flatters himself with the Life of many years to come He concludes this with a Description of the pitiful condition the Roman Empire was reduced to by the Incursions of the Barbarians especially in Gaul and Spain which made him afraid of Rome it self This shews that this Letter was written some time before the taking of Rome which happened in 410. In the Twelfth Letter S. Jerom prescribes to Gaudentius some Rules for the Education of his Daughter Pacatula whom he designed for a Religious Life It contains such Precepts as are in the Letter to Laeta there he bewails the misfortune of the taking of Rome in 410. The Thirteenth is directed to Paulinus afterwards Bishop of Nola who intending to be a Monk addressed himself to S. Jerom as a Person perfectly well skilled in the Exercises of a Monastical Life to ask his advice how he should behave himself This Father having with great Humility answered Paulinus his Complements for his living so long solitary in the Wilderness of Bethlehem Counsels him to retire out of Cities if he resolved to embrace a Monastick State In this Separation from the World he chiefly places the difference between a Monastical and an Ecclesiastical State If Says he you will enter upon the Ministery of the Church and perform the Functions of the Priesthood if you are pleased with the Episcopal Dignity then keep in Towns and work out the Salvation of your own Soul by saving others but if you would be a Monk that is live Solitarily what do you do in Towns which are no Habitations for Monks but for those that love the World .... Priests and Bishops ought to imitate the Apostles and Apostolical Men to succeed them in their Vertue as they do in their Dignity as for us we have for our Commanders The Pauls the Antonies the Julians the Macarii the Hilarions and to come to the Scripture it self Elias is the first of our Order Elisha is one of us the Sons of the Prophets that dwelt in the Fields and Desart places and upon the Banks of Jordan they are our Masters The Sons of Rechab who drunk neither Wine nor Sider are also of this Number S. Jerom having exalted the Monastical State by these Examples prescribes several Rules to Paulinus for the Exercises which he was to follow in his Retirement He thanks him afterwards for the Books that he sent him in Commendation of Theodosius and having commended it he exhorts Paulinus to apply himself to the reading of the Holy Scripture telling him that if he had but that Foundation nothing would be more learned more sweet or more acceptable and better written than his Works From thence he takes occasion to describe the Stile and Character of the Latin Ecclesiastical Authors Tertullian saith he is full of Sentences but his Elocution is hard S. Cyprian ' s Stile is smooth and like the running waters of a Fountain which passes away quietly and without Agitation but having wholly apply'd himself to the teaching of Vertue and being busy'd by Persecutions he writ nothing upon the Holy Scripture The glorious Martyr Victorinus can hardly tell his meaning Lactantius is like a River of a Ciceronian Eloquence would to God he could as easily have confirmed our Doctrine as he overthrows that of other Mens Arnobius his Stile is uneven without method or order S. Hilary hath an high and swelling Stile like the Gallick Tragedies but intermixing thâ—â— way of writing with Grecian Flowers he often writes long Periods and very intricate which can neither be read nor understood by Men of ordinary Capacities And having thus set forth the Character of those ancient Authors he giveth that of Paulinus in these Terms You have saith he a great deal of Wit a wonderful abundance of Expressions a natural pureness and rare prudence If you add to that Eloquence the Study and understanding of the Scripture I shall quickly see you the first of our Authors And to this he exhorts him This Letter was written before Paulinus was ordained and after his Conversion about the Year 380. The Fourteenth Letter to Celantia is not like S. Jerom's Stile It is thought to be written by Paulinus Bishop of Nola. It contains very useful Instructions and Precepts for a Lady to lead a Christian Life in the midst of Honours Riches and the Perplexities of managing her Family The Fifteenth Letter to Marcella is in Commendation of one Acella a Virgin The Sixteenth directed to a Virgin named Principia is the Panegyrick of Marcella a Roman Lady Daughter of Albina who being left a Widow seven Months after Marriage resolved to continue so though she was courted by the Consul Cerealis and was the first of the Roman Ladies that embrac'd a Religious Life S. Jerom after a description of her Vertues commends her for procuring the Condemnation of Origen's Books and for the Courage which she shewed when Rome was taken he observes that she died quickly after and that he writ this Panegyrick two Years after her Death which shews that this Letter was written in 412 or 413. The
Hereticks was far more intolerable and we do not read that the Fathers quoted by S. Jerom did precisely refute Helvidius's Error However S. Jerom rejects Tertullian's Authority by saying That he was not of the Church and as for Victorinus Patarionensis he saith That his Testimony hath no greater difficulty than that of the Scripture since he speaks of Christ's Brethren but does not say that they were the Sons of Mary In the latter part of this Discourse he speaks like an Orator of the inconveniencies of Marriage and the Advantages of Virginity This Treatise was composed at Rome about the Year 383. In his Treatise against Jovinian he further defends the Excellency of Virginity This Jovinian had asserted in a small Discourse published at Rome That Widows and married Women were not to be less regarded than Virgins if they have the same Vertues This was the first Error of this man The Second was That a Christian baptized could not fall from Righteousness The Third That Abstinence from certain Meats was unprofitable The last That the glorified Saints are all equally Happy S. Jerom refutes the first of these Errors in the first Book He explains at first S. Paul's Notions concerning Marriage and Virginity afterwards he takes notice of the Examples of the Old and New Testament which Jovinian had brought to prove that the greatest Saints and most excellent men of all Ages had been Married S. Jerom shews that he has multiplied those Examples too much He affirms that the Apostles left their Wives after their Call to the Apostleship and that S. John being called before he was Married always lived in Celibacy He answers those places of Scripture alledged by Jovinian and discourses of the Celibacy of Bishops Priests and Deacons He condemns second Marriages with much severity and produces several Examples of Heathen Women that either kept their Virginity or continued in Widow-hood In the second Book he refutes Jovinian's other errours He shews against the second that the holiest of Men may fall from Baptismal Grace Against the third that tho' God is the Creator of all things fit for Man's use yet it is good to fast and use abstinence and that it is very dangerous to indulge one's Senses and satisfie greediness Lastly that as there are various degrees of Vice and Vertue here in this life so there are likewise in the other several degrees of felicity and pain These Books were not compleated by S. Jerom when he writ his book of famous men tho' he mentions these two books there and so they are of the year 392. These Books being published at Rome several persons found fault with the hard terms which S. Jerom made use of in speaking of Marriage Pammachius having sent word of it to S. Jerom hinting withall at the principal Passages excepted against This Father expounds them in the apology directed to him declaring that it was never his intention to condemn Matrimony He found himself obliged a second time to defend himself from the same accusation against a Monk and this he does in the Letter intituled the fifty first to Domnion The fifty second Letter to Pammachius was joyned to the apology directed to him He thanks him for securing the Copies of his Books against Jovinian but he tells him that it was impossible to suppress them that he had not the good fortune to be able always to correct his own Works as some had because he had no sooner composed them but they were made publick even against his Will He insults over those that found fault challenging them to write against him He adviseth him to read the Commentaries of Dionysius Rheticius Eusebius Apollinarius and Didymus who expounded that passage of the Epistle to the Corinthians and spoke in the behalf of Virginity more powerfully than himself He sends him Word that he had Translated out of the Hebrew the Books of the Prophets of Job and that he had written Commentaries upon the twelve Minor Prophets and upon the Book of Kings He observes that if his Translation of Job be compared with the Greek and the old Latin Version there will be found such a difference as is betwixt truth and falshood The fifty third Letter is directed to Riparius a Presbyter in Spain who desired to know his opinion of a Book of Vigilantius a Presbyter of Barcelona who condemned the Veneration of Relicks and the Worship of Saints S. Jerom exclaims against that errour and prayeth Riparius to send him his Book that he might refute it at large and this he does with great earnestness in the Treatise that followeth this Letter written two years after as he himself affirms He taxeth Vigilantius with reviving Jovinian's errours and wonders that any Bishops should be of his mind If saith he the name of Bishops may be given to such as will Ordain no Deacons except they are Married what will the Churches of the East those of Egypt and even of the See of Rome which do not admit into the Clergy any but such as are unmarried or who being married profess to live as if they were not Having made this occasional remark concerning the celibacy of Clarks he particularly undertakes Vigilantius's errour about Relicks and the Invocation of Saints This Man maintained that the Bones of the dead were not to be honoured and that the Saints could not hear our Prayers S. Jerom puts himself into a great heat to prove the contrary and falls upon Vigilantius with a great deal of reproachful Language In that Treatise he likewise defends the Festivals of Saints the Solemnities practised upon their Eves Pilgrimages to Jerusalem the Monastick State and the use of lighted Torches only in the Night for he owns that in his time they lighted none in the Day We saith he do not light Torches in the day time as you accuse us but only in the Night that their Light may afford joy and comfort in the Obscurity of the Night This Treatise was written long after the Book of famous Men about the year 406. The fifty fourth Letter to Marcella is against the errours of the Disciples of Montanus He not only lays them open but accuseth them 1. Of owning but one person in God 2. Of condemning second Marriages as adulterous 3. Of holding the obligation to keep three Lents 4. That they did not acknowledge Bishops to be the Apostle's Successors and the first of the Hierarchical Order but that there were two degrees of Persons above them 5. That they were very rigid in imposing of Penances and never granted Absolution 6. That they believed the prophecies of Montanus Prisca and Maximilla Lastly he says that they were accused of celebrating Criminal Mysteries with the Blood of a Martyred Child but declares that he had rather believe that this was not true This Letter is written about the year 400. In the fifty fifth Letter to Riparius he says that Ruffinus whom he calls his Catiline had been expelled out of Palaestine In the fifty sixth he commends
the Sixteenth Psalm 7. It is manifest that these Commentaries are not Notes explaining the Letter of the Scripture but Instructions and Conferences as appears by the Expositions of the Eighty ninth Hundred and eleventh and Hundred and fifteenth Psalms whose Conclusions are in the form of an Homily and by several Expressions discovering that the Author spake to others And this has made it be believ'd that they are the Discourses of some Monk who expounded the Psalms to his Brethren by collecting the Expositions of some Commentators Wherefore it is no wonder to find in the Commentary upon the Ninety third Psalm a passage which S. Augustin citeth in his Epistle to Fortunatianus under S. Jerom's Name and in the Commentary upon the Fiftieth Psalm another passage quoted under S. Jerom's Name by S. Gregory in his Exposition of the Fourth pentential Psalm The Commentary upon Job having been made as appears by the Conclusion at the request of Victorius an English Bishop who lived in Bede's time cannot be S. Jerom's but very likely Bede's himself Some attribute it to Philip a Priest and Monk S. Jerom's Disciple to whom Gennadius ascribes Commentaries upon Job But this Commentary of Philip's is that which is attributed to Bede and this is rather Bede's being very like the Commentary upon the Proverbs of Solomon which is undoubtedly his as Trithemius assures us These Commentaries do very much differ from S. Jerom's both as to the Stile and the Matter The Author citeth the Scripture according to our Vulgar Translation he quotes S. Augustin S. Gregory and S. Jerom. In the Commentary upon the Twenty fifth Chapter of Job there is a passage cited by Faustus Rhedonensis under S. Jerom's Name It is likely that the Author of that Work had taken it out of this Father The Commentaries or Notes upon all S. Paul's Epistles are not S. Jerom's but a Pelagian Author's who openly teacheth his Errors in several places and particularly upon the Seventh Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans It is certain that Pelagius made a Commentary upon S. Paul's Epistles which S. Augustin quoteth in several places of the Third Book of Merits and Remission of sins This same Commentary of Pelagius is likewise cited by Marius Mercator and there are most of the passages quoted by both these Authors Yet two or three are not there which might give occasion of doubting whether it were perfectly the same if Cassiodorus had not informed us that he struck some places out of it The Epistle to Demetrias the Virgin which is the first Book of S. Jerom's Ninth Volume belongs likewise to Pelagius as S. Augustin assures us in his Book of the Grace of Jesus Christ where he refuteth the Errors therein contained The Second Epistle of the same Volume is a Letter of S. Augustin's to Juliana Demetrias's Mother against the foregoing Letter The Third directed to Gerontius's Daughters is of the same stile with the First and the Author seems to be of the same Opinions He commendeth S. Paulinus as his Contemporary and his Friend The Eighth Letter of the knowledge of God's Law seems to belong to the same Author and perhaps Pelagius who was S. Paulinus's Friend and had written a Letter to him The Fourth Letter to Marcella the Fifth to a Banished Virgin the Ninth of the Three Vertues the Twelfth of the Honour due to Parents are written in the same stile Marianus thinks that the former belong to S. Paulinus The Sixth and Seventh are of the same Author In this last there is some Discourse of the Worship of Relicks and of discovering the Bodies of S. Gervasius and S. Protasius by S. Ambrose Some ascribe both these Letters to Maximus Taurinensis The Tenth Letter of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is written by some Latin Author who lived when the East was infected with the Errors of the Eutychians as he observeth himself long after the Death of S. Jerom and Sophronius to whom some have attributed this Letter He that writ it set it out under S. Jerom's Name that what he saith of the Blessed Virgin Mary might be more valued And the better to colour his Cheat he pretends to direct it to Paula and Eustochium Altho' he enlargeth much upon the Commendations and Prerogatives of the Virgin Mary yet he saith that it was not certain whether she was risen again and her Body carried up into Heaven This Treatise tho' supposititious was inserted into the Offices of the Church by Paulus Diaconus and Alcuinus in Charlemaign's time And since it hath made up part of the Lessons for the Feast of the Assumption in the old Breviaries of France and Itaâ—y The Eleventh is likewise upon the same Subject and perhaps written by the same Author The Book of the Seven Ecclesiastical Orders falsly supposed to be directed to Rusticus Bishop of Narbon who lived at the same time with S. Leo belongs to a Modern Author in comparison of S. Jerom who lived after Isidore of Seville from whom he hath taken many things Yet he is older than Micrologus or than Bishop Hincmar who quote this Work under S. Jerom's Nâ—me which shows that this Author wrote about the seventh Century The fourteenth Letter is a Commendation of Virginity where he describes the Danger of Losing it and the Enormity of the Crime committed by a Virgin consecrated to God when she violateth her Vows This likewise is a Work of an Author younger than S. Jerom as well as the thirteenth Letter where some Expressions which the Scripture makes use of after a Manner suitable to the Weakness of our Understanding are explained An ordinary Skill may discover that none of these pieces are S. Jerom's The Creed attributed to Damasus which is the fifteenth piece of this Volume is a Confession of Faith copied out partly from that in S. Gregory Nazianzen and in Vigilius Tapsensis which we attributed to Gregory of Boetica but this was brought to the Form it now has long after Damasus for there is the Article that the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Son which was not in all the ancient Creeds The Explication of the Creed dedicated to Damasus immediately after this Confession of Faith now spoken of is that Confession of Faith which Pelagius sent to Pope Innocent that is condemned by S. Augustin in his Book of the Grace of Jesus Christ where he produces some Extracts out of it which are word for word in this The eighteenth Tract is a third Confession of Faith supposed to be directed to S. Cyril and composed by some Modern Author as appears by his Method of Expounding the Mysteries The following Treatise upon the Creed goes under Rufinus's Name who without dispute is the true Author of it The Treatise to Praesidius is a Declamation composed by some mean Imitator of S. Jerom who affects to speak of the Deaths of Valentinian and Gratian as happening in his time for I cannot believe that the trifles and impertinences that occurr in
Churches in the World which held Communion with the Churches of Caecilian's Party having been defiled ceased to be Parts of the true Church of Jesus Christ that was then reduced to the small number of those who would not partake with Prevaricators but kept themselves in the Primitive Purity Besides this They charged the Church with another great Crime as they esteemed it which was That they made Application to the Emperor's Authority to Persecute their Party and that they caused several Violences to be exercised against them Now they persisting in the Opinion of St. Cyprian and of the ancient Bishops of Africa who held That Baptism by Hereticks and Schismaticks was invalid and ought to be renew'd a necessary Consequence of their Principles was the Rebaptizing of the Catholicks that came over to their Party These are the Grounds on which the Schism of the Donatists stood There were two ways to deal with them either by denying the Matter of Fact or by opposing the Matter of Right Those who first writ against the Donatists insisted most upon the Matter of Fact that is The Justification of Caecilian Felix of Aptungis and the rest Neither doth St. Augustin omit this for he often proves Caecilian's Innocency by the Judgments given in his behalf First At Rome by Pope Miltiades and other Bishops Secondly In the Council of Arles and at last By the Judgment of Constantine He adds as an absolute Justification the consent of all the Churches in the World which had approved and followed the Judgment of those Councils He likewise produces the Acts that were made to justifie Felix of Aptungis He defends Miltiades and Hosius against the Calumnies laid upon them And shews at last That the Donatists had no Proofs of what they alledged against the Catholick Bishops But he doth not think this to be the main Point and therefore he passes to the Matter of Right and maintains That though Caecilian and the rest of his Brethren had been guilty of the Crimes laid to their Charge yet that was not a sufficient Ground for a Separation from the Church and that the Church did not cease to be the Church because it Communicated with wicked Men since either she did not know them or else she bore with them to preserve Peace which brings him to that great Question Whether the Church here below is made up only of Saints and Righteous Men or composed of Good and Bad. St. Augustin affirms That there was always in the Church Chaff and Corn that is both good and wicked Men and that such will be to the Day of Judgment which shall divide the good from the bad That sometimes the number of the latter exceeds that of the former That many cannot be driven out of the Church because they are not known and because it is convenient to tolerate some for quietness sake to prevent a Schism which might be occasioned by cutting off from the Communion those Persons who might draw along with them several of the Faithful That it is great rashness to condemn all the Churches in the World for the Crime of one or two That the Catholick Church ought to be diffused over the whole Earth and not confined to a small part of the World as in a Corner of Africa Here St. Augustin triumphs over his Adversaries proving by Prophecies and other Passages both of the Old and New Testament That the Catholick Church was to have a considerable Extent These are properly the main Points in Controversie betwixt the Church and the Donatists but there are other Secundary Questions The First is concerning the Persecutions which the Donatists imputed to the Church as a Crime St. Augustin defends the Church very Modestly either by disapproving such Violences or by shewing that it was lawful to make use of the Imperial Laws and of some sort of Severity to bring the Donatists back to the bosom of the Church He chargeth them likewise with the same things objecting the Cruelties Violencies Sacrileges and Murders committed by those of their Party called Circumcellians and authorized thereunto by Optatus Gildonianus The other accessary Question which St. Augustin looks upon as a principal one is about the Validity of the Baptism of Hereticks St. Augustin needed only to prove that his Party was the true Church and so Condemn by a necessary Consequence the Donatists for Rebaptizing those that had been baptized before by Catholicks since it was agreed on both sides that the Baptism of the true Church was valid But St. Augustin undertook besides to prove the validity of the Baptism of Hereticks and Schismaticks And that though his Party were not the Church yet the Donatists were not to baptize them a second time He confesses That St. Cyprian and most of the African Bishops in his time were of a contrary opinion That Agrippinus his Predecessor had appointed Hereticks to be Rebaptized That St. Cyprian and the Councils held in Africa at that time confirmed Agrippinus's Decree That this Question remained long undecided or rather variously decided in divers places But that at last the thing was decided in a Plenary Council of the whole Church in all likelihood he means that of Arles and that after such Determination it was not permitted to doubt because the Provincial or National Councils must give place to the Authority of Plenary Councils That St. Cyprian was to be excused for not taking the right side of so hard a Question which was not yet cleared or decided and so much the rather because he defended his own Opinion without making a Schism and with the Spirit of Peace and Unity However That the Letters and Writings of the Saints were not to be rely'd upon as the Apostles Epistles and the other Books of the Holy Scripture Now to explain St. Augustin's Opinion touching Baptism more particularly we are to observe as he doth That Baptism may be said to be of two sorts The one administred in the Name of the Trinity that is by invoking of the Trinity and the other performed without naming the Three Divine Persons The latter St. Augustin confesses to be null but affirms the other to be valid whosoever he be that administers it So that it matters not who baptizeth provided that Baptism be in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Two things are likewise to be distinguished in Baptism the Sacrament and the Effect of the Sacrament The Sacrament is found in those that are baptized by Hereticks but because they have not Faith they are deprived of the Effect For that Baptism may be complete both as a Sacrament and as to its Effect the Sacrament must be intire that is the Person must be baptized outwardly in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost and he that receives must believe and be converted The Sacrament is often found without Faith and Faith without the Sacrament Children have the Sacrament without Faith The good Thief
of St. Ephrem's Works which fell into the hands of Photius The second contains four Treatises In the first he explains the sense of St. Cyril in his Letter to Successus wherein he opposes the Heresie of the Severians In the second he answers Anatolius Scholasticus about those things wherein he desir'd to be instructed The third was an Apology for the Council of Chalcedon address'd to two Monks of Cilicia call'd Domnus and John and the fourth An Admonition to the Monks of the East who were entangled in the Errors of the Severians Photius makes long Extracts out of these four Treatises The Extract out of the first is about the Union and Distinction of the two Natures in Jesus Christ which he confirms by the Testimonies of St. Cyril and other Fathers The Extracts out of the second inform us that Anatolius had propos'd five Heads of Questions to St. Ephrem The first Whether Jesus Christ is yet in Flesh. 2. How he being descended from the Children of Adam could be Immortal 3. What proof there is that the Apostle St. John is yet alive 4. How Adam being created Immortal could be ignorant of what was useful for him 5. What is meant by these words of God Behold Adam is become like one of us As to the first Question he proves by many Passages of Scripture that Jesus Christ has still his Flesh. As to the second he says That whether it be affirm'd that Adam was created Mortal or Immortal 't is certain that the death of the Body and Soul was the effect of the Sin which he committed by his Free-will and that tho Adam by his Nature was not Immortal yet he had not died unless he had finned To the third he answers That he knew by Tradition that St. John was not dead no more then Elias and Enoch and that this Consequence might be inferr'd from the words of Jesus Christ concerning him in his Gospel If I will that he tarry till I come what is that to you That it cannot be concluded from thence that he was Immortal but that he was reserv'd for the Day of Judgment That if Eusebius has noted the number of the years that he liv'd this is to be understood of the years that he was upon Earth That the Acts of the Life of this holy Apostle make it credible that he disappear'd all on a suddain Nevertheless he says that this Question does not concern the Faith but that it is always profitable in this kind of Questions to take the better side Upon the fourth Question he says that we must not wonder that Adam tho immortal did not know what was useful for him since the same thing happen'd to the bad Angels As to the last Question he says that these words Behold Adam is become as one of us are an Irony which God uses to upbraid the Man for his Sottishness or that God speaks according to the false imagination of Adam to cover him with shame The Extracts out of the third Book are Citations out of many Works of the Fathers to shew that the Decision of the Council of Chalcedon which recognizes two Natures in Jesus Christ is not new but the ancient Doctrine of the Church He cites besides the Authors that are known as St. Peter of Alexandria St. Athanasius and St. Basil St. Cyril of Jerusalem the St. Gregories of Neocaesarea Nazianzum and Nyssa Amphilochius St. Ambrose and St. Chrysostom St. Epiphanius Proclus and Paul of Emesa Atticus of Constantinople St. Cyril of Alexandria he cites I say besides these Authors the Books of St. Dionysius the Areopagite a Book of Hilary about Faith and Unity one Cyriacus Bishop of Paphos who as he says was one of the Fathers of the Council of Nice the supposititious Procopius of Gaza Letters of Pope Julius and one nam'd Erecthius Of these Authors there are but five who made use of this Expression There is but one Nature of the Word Incarnate who are Gregory of Neo-caesarea St. Athanasius Julius St. Cyril and Erecthius He shews that the sense wherein this manner of speaking ought to be taken does not exclude the two Natures since they themselves acknowledg'd them He goes on in the Extracts of the fourth Book to quote passages of the Fathers to prove that the Divinity and Humanity of Jesus Christ are two different Natures Among these last he cites St. Ephrem of Syria a Letter of Simeon and of Baradanus to Basil of Antioch and another Letter of the same to the Emperor Leo and a Letter of James to Basil the Bishop Photius neither says any thing nor makes any Extracts out of the third Volume of St. Ephrem so that we have no knowledge of it What Photius says and relates out of the two former gives us a great Idea of this Author and informs us that he had read many of the Works of the Fathers and that he reason'd very well about the Mysteries of our Religion He died in the Year 544. PROCOPIUS of Gaza PRocopius the Sophist of Gaza liv'd in the sixth Age He applied himself earnestly to the study of the Commentators upon the Holy Scripture and made a Collection of all that they had written upon the Octateuque copying out their very words But this work being of a prodigious thickness he abridg'd it and put it in order suppressing what he found said by many and so made a continued Commentary made up of the Expositions of the ancient Commentators yet without naming them His Commentary upon Genesis and the Pentateuque is very large and chiefly upon Genesis What he wrote upon the Books of Kings and Chronicles is very short and indeed they are properly speaking nothing but Scholia wherein he reports the different Translations of the Text and explains the sense of the Words Perhaps these Scholia are only an Extract out of his Work For Photius assures us that the Commentaries of this Author were very copious and written after one and the same manner However this be the Commentary upon Isaiah is very long wherein he relates the Text entire notes the difference of Versions and explains every word in particular This Commentator confines himself sufficiently to the literal sense he remarks carefully the differences of the Greek Versions and even those of the Hebrew Text. He enlarges also upon the History and sometimes upon the Morality He touches but little upon Allegory but sometimes he insists upon little things and upon the Exposition of those words which are clear of themselves and do not need any Interpretation Photius thinks his style very polite but too rhetorical for a Commentator The Version of his Commentary upon the Octateuque was made by Clauserus from a Manuscript of the Library of Ausburg and printed at Basle in 1555. in Fol. with his Notes upon the Books of Kings and Chronicles In 1620 Meursius caus'd to be printed at Amsterdam in Quarto his Scholia upon the Books of Kings and Chronicles in Greek and Latine In fine in
Body and Blood of Christ with a clean and pure Heart The 8th prohibits breaking the Fast of Good-Friday before Sun-set excepting only Children Aged and Sick Folks The 9th orders That on Easter-eve they shall bless the Lamp and the Taper Some Churches of France did not observe this Practice wherefore they are enjoyned to observe it for the future In the 10th they are reproved who never said the Lord's Prayer but on Sunday They prove by the Testimonies of S. Cyprian S. Hilary and S. Augustin that this Prayer is to be said every day and judged this Practice so necessary that they threaten to depose the Clerks that shall omit saying that Prayer every Day in their Publick or Private Office This shews that Clerks did even then recite their Office in private The 11th Canon prohibits singing Hallelujah during the whole Lent because it is a Time of Mourning as well as the Kalends of January in which they abstain from Flesh as in Lent to feed only on Fish and Herbs It is observ'd That some did likewise abstain from Drinking Wine In former Time Abstinence from Wine was as strictly commanded as Abstinence from Flesh. The 12th Constitution decrees That the Laudes shall not be said after the Epistle but after the Gospel These Laudes are some Verses which they recited before the Offertory The 13th rejects the Opinion of those who believed That the Hymns of Humane Composition made in the Praise of the Apostles and Martyrs were not to be recited as not being drawn out of the Canonical Scriptures nor authorized by Tradition They observe That if it were not lawful to recite any thing in the Divine Service but what is from the Scripture they should retrench the most part of the Masses Prayers Collects Recommendations and most of the Prayers said in the Confirmation The 14th orders That the Song of the Three Children in the Furnace shall be sung in the Pulpit at the Mass on Sundays and Holy Days The 15th orders That in the End of the Psalms they shall not only say Glory be to the Father but Glory and Honour be to the Father In the 16th it is observed That some do not say the Gloria after the Responses because it is not proper to what was said Gloria is to be said when the Subject is joyful and cheerful and the beginning of the Response to be repeated when it is sad and mournful The 17th Canon pronounces Excommunication against them that will not receive the Revelation of S. John as a Divine Book or that will not read it in their Churches from Easter till Whitsunday in the Time of Divine Service The 18th orders That after the reciting of the Lord's Prayer and the mingling of the Bread with the Wine in the Cup they shall bless the People before the Distribution of the Sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood It says also That Priests and Deacons ought to receive the Communion at the Altar the rest of the Clergy in the Quire and the People without the Quire The 19th forbids advancing to the Priesthood the following Persons them that have been convicted of any Crimes or that having confessed them have done Penance publickly Them that have been Hereticks or baptized in an Heresy or rebaptized Them that have made themselves Eunuchs or have lost some of their Limbs Them that have had many Wives or have married Widows as also those that have had Concubines Those of a servile Condition Neophytes Laymen or those that are entangled in Businesses The Ignorant and Unlearned those that are not yet 30 Years old and have not passed through the Ecclesiastical Degrees Them that seek to be ordained by Bribery or to buy that Dignity Those that are chosen by their Predecessors Those that have not been chosen by the People and the Clergy nor approved by the Metropolitan and the Provincial Synod That he that hath all these Qualifications is to be consecrated on a Sunday by all the Bishops of the Province or at least by three Bishops with the Consent of the others in the Presence and by the Authority of the Metropolitan and in the Place which he shall chuse The 20th forbids making any persons Deacons before 25. Years of Age and Presbyters before 30. The 21st recommends to the Bishop a chaste and innocent Life that they may offer the Sacrifice with Purity and pray to God for others The 22d exhorts them not only to keep a pure Conscience but moreover to have a care of their Reputation and to have always in their Chambers some persons of probity with them which may bear Witness of it The 23d enjoyns the same thing to the Presbyters and Deacons that do not live with the Bishop The 24th commands That young Clerks shall dwell all together in the same Hall under the Conduct of an Elder The 25th Recommends to Bishops the Knowledge of the Holy Scripture and the Canons The 26th shews That the Presbyters put into Parishes ought to receive from the Bishop a Book containing the Service of the Church and instructing them in the manner of administring the Sacraments and when they come to the Council or in his Visitation they ought to give an account to the Bishop how they celebrate Service and administer Baptism The 27th That the Presbyters and Deacons put into Parishes are to promise to their Bishop that they will live regularly and orderly The 28th That if a Bishop a Presbyter or a Deacon have been unjustly condemned and their Innocency be acknowledge in a Second Synod they cannot be what they were before till they have received before the Altar and from the Bishop's hands the degrees which they were fallen from If it be a Bishop he shall receive the Stole the Ring and the Staff If a Priest the Stole and the Chasuble If a Deacon the Stole and the Albe If a Sub-deacon the Chalice and the Patine or Cover of it and so of the other degrees which shall receive again what was given them at their Ordination The 29th is against the Clerks who consult Diviners or use Sorcery It is ordered they shall be deposed and shut up in Monasteries to do Penance the rest of their Life The 30th Forbids Bishops bordering upon the Enemies of the State to receive any order from Strangers The 31st Forbids Bishops to be Judges between Princes and their Subjects who are accused of High-Treason till they have promised to pardon the guilty The 32d Warns the Bishops not to suffer the Magistrates and Men of Power to do unjustly and oppress the Poor to reprove them if they perceive them to do so and when they will not amend to complain to the King The 33d Forbids Bishops to take to themselves above the Third part of the Revenues of Churches Founded in their Diocess tho' it leaves them the whole Administration thereof The 34th appoints That between the Bishops of the same Province Thirty Years possession shall be a valid Title to keep the Churches which they
mutually The 49th That the Names shall not be recited before the Oblation The 50th That we must not believe that Men cannot pray to God but in 3 Languages only because God may be worshipped in all sorts of Languages and he understands all our Petitions The 51st That the Bishops and Presbyters shall not be ignorant of the Canons The 52d That Churches cannot be sold to prophane uses In the 53d the Synod assents That the Emperor may keep the Bishop Hildebold in his Court as he did Ingilram already In the 54th he recommends Alcuin to the Prayers of the Synod as a Man very well seen in Ecclesiastical Matters The Capitulary for the Saxons of the year 797. given in an Assembly of Bishops and Lords contains nothing but Articles meerly civil An. 799. Charlemagne sent two Persons to Rome to Pope Leo III. to consult him about the Chorepiscopi and the punishment of wicked Priests he wrote to his Bishops also about it and we have a Fragment of that Letter with Chapters brought over from Rome for the abolishing of the Chorepiscopi An. 800. or thereabouts he set out an Edict wherein he charges the Counts and other Judges to afford the Bishops their helping Hand for the Execution of the Constitutions made about Ecclesiastical Discipline Some time after he made a Capitulary to recommend the reverencing of the Holy Apostolick See in honour of S. Peter's Memory There is another Capitulary yet of the year 801. containing 22 Chapters drawn by the Bishops and confirmed by the King's Authority The 1st and the 2d import That the Priests shall pray for the Health and Prosperity of the King and the Royal Family and for their Bishop The 3d That they shall take care of the Church and the Relicks The 4th That they shall preach every Sunday and Holy-day The 5th That they shall learn the People the Creed and the Lord's Prayer The 6th and 7th That Tythes shall be paid and one part shall be bestowed upon Church-ornaments another upon the Poor and the third upon Ecclesiasticks The 8th That Divine Service shall be perform'd at convenient hours The 9th That they shall not celebrate Mass but in consecrated Churches The 10th and 11th That Baptism shall not be administred but at the appointed times excepting Children which may be baptized at any time The 12th That they shall exact nothing for the administration of Sacraments The 13th That Presbyters dwell in the Church where they were ordained The 14th and 15th That Clerks shall be free The 16th That they shall have no strange Woman in the House with them The 17th That he that had the possession of a Church during the space of 30 years shall continue in the peaceable possession of it The 18th and the next That Clerks shall carry no Weapons with them that they shall not meddle with Law-suits that they shall not go to the Tavern that they shall forbear Swearing The 21st That they shall impose Penance upon those that shall confess to them and shall grant the Viaticum and the Communion to the Sick The 22d That they shall give the Unction to the Sick The 1st Capitulary of the year 802. given by the King to his Commissaries contains some Articles of the Life and Manners of the Clergy of Abbots and religious Persons The other Chapters and the 2d Capitulary of the same year are upon civil Matters The Capitulary of the year 803. was made in the Synod held by Paul of Aquileia at Aix-la-Chapelle it contains 7 Articles The 1st provides for the preservation of Church-lands The 2d is for the restoring the Election of Bishops by the People and Clergy The 3d prohibits encroaching upon Churches Lands and Priviledges The 4th 5th and 6th declare the Ordinations Imposition of Hands and Consecrations made by the Chorepisccpi to be void The last is concerning the Judgments of Presbyters There be also two Capitularies more made a little after upon this Article The 3d Capitulary of the same year contains only two Articles upon Ecclesiastical Matters The 1st imports That Churches shall be repaired and that in those places which have more Churches than needs some of them shall be pulled down to build up others where they shall be needful The 2d That none shall be ordained Priest before he be examined and no Excommunication shall be pronounced without cause The 5th of the same year contains one whereby it is forbidden to give or take any thing for the Holy Chrisme The 8th given at Worms in the same year is an Edict for the exemption of Bishops and Priests An. 804 he made at Salz eight Articles for the Bishops By the 1st they are charged to take care of the Churches of their Diocess By the 2d and 3d he preserves the Tythes to the Parochial Churches The 4th imports That the Bishops shall take care to ordain Priests The 5th forbids secular Persons to go into Nunneries and Clerks also except in case of necessity and by the Bishops order The 6th forbids Nuns to have in their Monasteries any other Girls but such as design to stay there The 7th and 8th forbid admitting Male-children thereinto or carrying Arms thither These Articles are back'd with the following Advertisements to Presbyters to preach and teach the Scripture and the Creed to be able to say the Psalter without Book as also the words for administring Baptism to be skilful in the Canons and the Penitential and in Singing not to dwell with Women except their Mother Sister or Aunt not to go to the Tavern not to be Covetous Drunkards or Idle not to break the Fast of Holy Thursday not to administer the Holy Chrisme and to come to the Synod An. 805. He made a Capitulary of 16 Articles at Thionville containing several Rules of Ecclesiastical Policy Some Articles of it are also found in the second and third Capitularies In the Articles given the same year to Jesse Bishop of Amiens The 2d imports That no Lay-man shall be Superior of Monks nor Arch-deacon There 's an Edict of the same year and in the same place about the reverence due to Bishops and Priests The 4th Capitulary of the year 806. contains several Constitutions of Ecclesiastical Policy The 6th renews some ancient Canons about Discipline The 2d Article of the 1st Capitulary of 809. discharges the Priest from administring the Holy Chrisme The 5th of the 1st Capitulary of 810. enjoins them to preach and instruct the People The 1st and 2d Capitularies of 811. contain excellent Instructions of the duty of Abbots Monks Clerks and Bishops The Capitulary of 813. contains 28 Articles made in the Councils of Arles and Mentz and confirmed by the Authority of Charlemagne about Church Discipline and the Manners of the Clergy Lastly besides these Capitularies of Charlemagne of which we know the Time there are also 5 Capitularies more of which the Time is unknown they contain several Constitutions which are almost all contain'd in the Capitularies above-mention'd Most of the
Charles the Bald. In the first which he intended to be publick he complains that he had taken his Petitions which he made to him ill and exhorted him to accept them favourably He orders him to send Hincmarus and his Accusers to Rome assuring him that he would not consent to his Deposition till that were done He approves the Promotion of Actardus to the Archbishoprick of Tours without depriving him nevertheless of the Right which he hath to the Reversion of the Diocess of Nantes He exhorts the King to see that all the Revenues of the Church of Tours be restored that belong to it as also the Monasteries which according to the Canons are subject to that Bishop The second Letter which was private and secret was wrote with more mildness and assurance but he insists more particularly upon this That the King had not received his Admonitions with all possible subjection and that he had enriched himself with the Revenues of the Church In the rest he pretends a great deal of Friendship to him commends his Piety blames the carriage of Hincmarus Bishop of Laon and seems to think him faulty and justly condemned but nevertheless hopes he will send him to Rome that after he hath heard him he may appoint him Judges or send his Legates to the place to have him Judged before them there King Charles being offended at these two Letters of the Pope's as also at a former which the K. Charles's Answer to the Pope Pope had written to him full of reproachful Language to his Person which he exhorted him to bear patiently and take in good part writ sharply to him and shewed himself angry for being treated in such a manner and because he had ordered him to send Hincmarus immediately to Rome Hereupon he accuses him of Worldly Pride in ambitiously claiming a Dominion in the Church and says That he did not know before that a King whose Office is to punish Evil doers and revenge Crimes was obliged to send the guilty to Rome after they were condemned and convicted That he should know that the Kings of France are not the Bishops Vicegerents but absolute Masters of their Country That he doth not find that the Popes his Predecessors did ever write in that fashion to the Kings of France Then he recites several expressions of the Popes and shews by many Ecclesiastical Laws that no Canon obliged him to send Condemned Bishops to Rome but on the contrary that Ecclesiastical Causes should be Judged and Determined in the Province where the Matters were acted Lastly He advises him not to write to him more in such a strain nor to the Bishops and Lords of his Kingdom unless he will have his Letters and Messengers slighted which he wrote to him saith he because of the respect he did bear to him and because of the design he had to be subject as he ought to the Vicar of St. Peter the Prince of the Apostles lest he should force him against his Will to do otherwise than he intended In fine that he knew that he ought to follow and to hold to that which was approved by the H. See when 't is found agreeable to the H. Scripture Tradition and the Laws of the Church but rejected the claim which was grounded upon Forged and ill-composed Pieces Nor did the Bishops of France write with less Resolution to the Pope about that Affair they The Execution of the Judgmens given against Hincmarus boldly rejected the pretences the Pope had that Hincmarus should come to Rome and be Judged and maintain'd that the Judgment given against that Bishop ought to be Executed And in effect it was done and the Church of Laon became vacant de facto de jure altho' the H. See would not confirm the Judgment of the Synod of Douzi Hincmarus Bishop of Laon was put in Prison and two years after his Eyes were put out as Caroloman's were a very usual punishment at that time for such as were found guilty of Rebellion Charles the Bald being afterwards Crowned Emperor by * This Pope according to Platina's reckoning which is accounted the truâ—st is John IX for John VIII is Pope Joan of which the Romish Church is so much ashamed that they have blotted her out of the Catalogue of their Popes for though thâ—y allow their Popes 〈◊〉 many Women yet they will not endure to hear of a Woman to be a Pope John VIII gave him an Account of the Judgment given at the Synod of Douzi and desired the confirmation of it from him which he granted writing to Hincmarus that upon the Relation of the Emperor he approved the Judgment he and other Bishops of France had given against Hincmarus of Laon after whom Henedulphus was Ordained Bishop of Laon in pursuance of the Decree of his Election made March 26. and 876. After the Death of Charles the Bald Hincmarus Bishop of Laon was set at Liberty who hearing The Council of Troyes that Pope John VIII was retired into France held a Council at Troyes he went thither and Presented a Petition in which he complained That being carried to the Council of Douzi by force deprived of his Goods accused by K. Charles he was condemned by the Archbishop of Reims although he had Appealed to the H. See that since that time he had been put in Chains and his Eyes were put out He begged of the Pope to do him Justice and pass an equitable Sentence upon that Matter which was referred to him He alledged That the Bishops of the Synod of Douzi had condemned him very unwillingly that most of them were very much troubled at what they had done by the impulse of Hincmarus Archbishop of Reims who advised them to it by Writing Nevertheless by the Acts of the Council and the Letters written by them it doth appear that they condemned Hincmarus Bishop of Laon with a full consent and agreement and never did repent that they had done it Nevertheless the Petition of Hincmarus Bishop of Laon was approved in the Council of Troyes by some Bishops and King Ludovicus Balbus did not oppose it But Pope John VIII judging that it would be a very difficult thing to reverse the Sentence of the Council of Douzi ordered that Henedulphus should continue Bishop of Laon although he himself desired that he might retreat into a Monastery but allowed Hincmarus liberty to Sing Mass and to have a Pension out of the Revenues of the Bishoprick of Laon. Whereupon some Bishops took him and having Cloathed him with his Episcopal Vestments they led him to the Church with Singing and caused him to give the Benediction He died not long after and his Unkle Hincmarus made Prayers to God for him after his Death CHAP. VI. An Account of several other Ecclesiastical Affairs transacted in France in which Hincmarus was chiefly engaged HIncmarus besides the private Affairs had also a share as I before intimated in all the most The Divorce of thâ— Queen Theutberga
are authorized to administer the Sacrament of Penance The Twenty ninth is directed to a certain Abbot whom he reproves for wearing too sumptuous Apparel The Thirtieth is written to the Inhabitants of Florence and more especially to the Monks of that City who refus'd to communicate with their Bishop and to receive the Sacraments from his Hands because they suspected him to be guilty of Simony Peter Damien makes it appear that although the Information they brought against him were true yet they ought not to withdraw themselves from his Communion till he were legally convicted nor to refuse to receive the Sacraments administer'd by him by reason that unworthy Ministers are capable of administring them as well as the worthy In the Thirty first he exhorts the Cardinals to oppose the Covetousness and Concupiscence of the Clergy which was the source of the greatest part of the Disorders and Calamities that befel the Church The Thirty second is a Moral and Mystical Treatise on Lent or the Forty days Fast and on the Forty Stations of the Israelites in the Wilderness The Thirty third is a letter directed to the Abbot of Mount Cassin who had threaten'd that if he did not come to him he should no longer partake of the Benefit of the Prayers put up in his Monastery Peter Damien excuses himself upon account that he was sensible that the time of his Dissolution drew near and that he was afraid of going in quest after a Monastery lest he should die without the precincts of a Monastery He entreats that Abbot not to deprive him of the Advantages that might arise from the Supplications of those of his Order He enlarges on the Devotions to be perform'd to the Virgin Mary and produces a great number of Miracles wrought by her Intercession in favour of those who had a particular Respect for her and amongst others he says that she appear'd to his Brother Damien a little before his Death Afterwards he shews that Alms distributed for the Dead procure them Consolation as well as Prayers and Sacrifices The Thirty fourth is a Collection of a great number of Miracles Visions Apparitions and Historical Passages relating to the Punishment of evil Actions and the reward of good the Torments of Hell and the deliverance of Souls out of Purgatory In the Thirty fixth after having alledged for a Reason why the Image of St. Paul is usually plac'd on the right Hand and St. Peter's on the lest that the former was of the Tribe of Benjamin which signifies the Son of the right Hand he enlarges on the Commendation of that Apostle In the Thirty sixth he treats of the Eternity Immensity Purity and more especially of the Omnipotence of God In the Thirty seventh he explains several Difficulties relating to the Holy Scripture that were proposed to him In the Thirty eighth he confutes the Opinion of the Greeks concerning the Procession of the Holy Ghost In the Thirty ninth after having commended the Arch-bishop of Besanson for the good Order he had established in his Church and for having caus'd a Tomb to be prepar'd for himself he finds fault with the Custom of his Church and of some other Churches of France in which the Clerks and even the Monks in some places were permitted to fit during the Celebration of Divine Service He is of Opinion that all those who assist at it ought to continue standing till it be perform'd In the Fortieth after having congratulated a certain Bishop upon the recovery of his Health he exhorts him not to give way to Passion for the future and to forgive his Enemies In the Forty first he maintains That those Persons who make Matrimonial Contracts within the time prohibited by the Church that is to say in Lent three Weeks before the Festival of St. John Baptist and from Advent to Epiphany ought to be divorc'd and their Marriage declar'd null But forasmuch as some made no scruple to marry at those times and imagin'd that it was sufficient to abstain from the use of Marriage to avoid the Ecclesiastical Censures he confutes that Opinion by shewing that it is not carnal Copulation but the mutual Consent of the Parties that makes the Marriage The Forty second contains two Letters in which he admonishes two several Persons to perform the Vow that they had made to enter into a Religious Order shewing by divers Authorities and Examples the Obligation they lie under to fulfill their Vows who have once made them In the Forty third he exhorts the Monks of Mount Cassin to discipline themselves every Friday In the Fourty fourth he gives Moral Explications of the ten Plagues of Egypt In the Forty fifth to comfort a tender-conscienced Monk who was troubled for his Ignorance he shews that Learning often occasions many Vices more especially when it is not accompanied with other Vertues but that downright Integrity is always profitable to Salvation In the Forty sixth he exhorts that Monk patiently and cheerfully to bear Reprimands and Corrections In the Forty seventh he recommends Chastity to his Nephew Damien and perswades him to receive the Communion every day to be in a condition to preserve that Vertue Afterwards he gives him wholsome Instructions to withstand the Temptations of the Devil In the Forty eighth he reproves a Monk who had still some inclination for delicious Fare and costly Apparel and admonishes him to fix all his Delight and Repose in God In the Forty ninth he gives a great deal of wholsome Advice concerning the Spiritual Life to a young Monk his Nephew The Fiftieth is a Moral Instruction dedicated to the Countess Blanche who had taken a Nun's Habit. The Fifty first is directed to a Monk nam'd Teuzo who having left his Monastery retir'd to a Cell in the middle of the City and refus'd to entertain Peter Damien as well as his Abbot when they came to Visit him He exhorts him with a great deal of Charity and Gentleness to quit that particular way of living and to return to his Duty In the Fifty second he makes divers Moral Reflections on the Qualities of several sorts of Animals In the Fifty third he shews the Advantages that arise from Afflictions and Adversity In the Fifty fourth he exhorts certain Monks to fast on Saturdays in honour of our Saviour's Burial and makes use of an Apparition to confirm that Custom In the Fifty fifth he admonishes the Monks of his Order to fast on the Vigils of the Festivals of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary of Christmass of the Epiphany of Holy Thursday of Whitsunday of the Nativity of St. John Baptist and of those of all the Festivals of the Apostles as also to observe a Fast on all Saturdays throughout the Year In the Fifty sixth he commends the Empress Agnes upon account of the singular Modesty and Humility she had shewn in going to Visit the Sepulchre of St. Peter and St. Paul and makes it appear that Potentates ought not to take a pride in their Grandeur
to be their Disciple to make a Discovery of all their Errors He follow'd this Advice and having associated himself with them several times was inform'd by them That they did not believe that JESUS CHRIST was born of the Virgin Mary nor that he died for the Salvation of Mankind nor that he was bury'd and rose again And that they maintain'd That Baptism did not procure the remission of Sins that the Consecration by the Priest did not constitute the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Lord and that it was unprofitable to make Prayers to the Holy Martyrs and Confessors Afterward Arefastus having interrogated them about the Salvation which they hop'd to be partakers of they inform'd him That at certain Hours of the Night they were wont to meet together in a particular Place every one being furnish'd with a Lamp where after having invok'd the Demons they perpetrated infamous Villanies and even burnt the Children born of their incestuous Copulations whose Ashes they reserv'd to be given to sick Persons as a kind of Viaticum King Robert being arriv'd at Orleans with some Bishops caus'd this Herd of Miscreants to be apprehended and Arefastus among them by whose Testimony they were Convicted and their Errors were refuted by the Bishops But upon their refusal to abjure their Heresy they were depriv'd of their Ecclesiastical Habits and all burnt in a House except one single Clerk and a Nun who were Converted These Circumstances are thus related in an ancient History of the Council of Orleans referr'd to by Father Luke Dachery in the second Tome of his Spicilegium and Glaber a Cotemporary Historian relates them almost after the same manner as to the matter of Fact except that he makes no mention of Arefastus but he attributes to them some other Errors viz. That they deny'd the Holy Trinity affirm'd the World to be Eternal and believ'd that sensual Pleasures are not to be punish'd in the future State and that good Works are unprofitable This Author adds That the Persons burnt upon that Account were thirteen in Number The Synod of Arras held in the Year 1025. SOME time after there appear'd in Flanders another Sect of Hereticks which was likewise Condemn'd in a Synod held at Arras A. D. 1025. on the Festival of Christmas by The Synod of Arras in 1025. Gerard Bishop of Cambray and Arras for both these Cities had then but one Bishop Gerard residing some Days in the latter News was brought him that certain Persons were arriv'd from Italy who introduc'd a new sort of Heresy which ruin'd the Gospel Ordinances and the Discipline of the Church and that these Miscreants making profession of perfect Righteousness gave it out That that alone was sufficient for the Justification of a Person and that there was no other Sacrament in the Church for the attaining of Salvation Upon this Report Gerard caus'd a strict search to be made after those who were suspected to be maintainers of this Heresy insomuch that they were apprehended by the Governor's Order and even brought before the Bishop who being taken up at that instant with other Affairs after he had examin'd them for some time concerning their Doctrin and perceiv'd them to be in an Error caus'd them to be confin'd during three Days and order'd a Fast to be kept the next Day by the Clerks and Monks who were there present that Almighty God might be implor'd to give Grace to those Miscreants to acknowledge their Errors On the third Day being Sunday he held a Synod compos'd of the Abbots Arch-deacons Monks and other Clergy and caus'd the Prisoners to be brought forth in the presence of the People Then after having made a Speech to the Assembly he demanded of the Prisoners what their Doctrin was and who were their Teachers They reply'd That they were the Disciples of an Italian nam'd Gandulphus who had instructed them in the Commandments of the Gospel and of the Apostles that they receiv'd no other Scripture but that they observ'd that very strictly The Bishop having heard it reported That they abhorr'd Baptism that they rejected the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of JESUS CHRIST that they gave it out that Pennance was altogether unprofitable that they despis'd the Churches that they condemn'd lawful Marriages that they did not acknowledge any Eminency in the Confessors and that they affirm'd That none ought to be honour'd except the Apostles and Martyrs he thought fit to interrogate them and to give them Instructions about those Points As to the first they own'd That their Master had Taught them That provided that they practis'd the Precepts of the Gospel that they renounced the Vanities of the World that they did not follow their Passions that they got their Livelihood by the Labour of their Hands that they did no injury to any and that they exercis'd Charity toward those who were animated with the same Zeal it was not necessary to receive Baptism that if the performance of these Duties were neglected Baptism would be unprofitable and that altho' 't were granted that it had some efficacy yet it was now become altogether useless and of none effect for these three Reasons viz. 1. Upon account of the irregular Practices and Conversation of the Ministers 2. Because the Sins which might have been remitted by Baptism are committed again by Professours during the whole Course of their Lives 3. In regard that Infants are Baptis'd who have neither Faith nor free Will who cannot desire Baptism nor know what is meant by Faith or Free Will neither can the Profession of others avail them any thing The Bishop reply'd upon that Article That altho' JESUS CHRIST was perfectly Righteous yet he condescended to receive Baptism from St. John That he instituted it for the regeneration and the remission of Sins That in this Sacrament the Holy Ghost operates invisibly in the Soul what is done outwardly by the Water on the Body That altho' it be administer'd by worthy or unworthy Ministers nevertheless it is always effectual because it is the Holy Ghost who Sanctifies and the Iniquity of a Man cannot hinder the effect of the operation of God That whilst the Minister outwardly sprinkles the Body the Soul is inwardly purify'd by the operation of the Holy Ghost That afterward Holy Unction is administr'd to the Infant for its farther Sanctification after Baptism by reason that as Sin is remitted by Baptism so Unction sanctifies the Person after Baptism That the Imposition of Hands was also added to procure the Descent of the Holy Ghost That the necessity of Baptism is prov'd by the Doctrin of the Gospel and of the Apostles That how Holy or Innocent soever the Life of a Man may be yet he cannot be Sav'd without receiving this Sacrament That Baptism takes away both original and actual Sins and re-establishes Man in the same State of Uprightness in which he was created altho' it does not render him immortal That the Example of the Man Sick
distinguishes between the procession of the Holy Ghost and the Generation of the Word in that the Logos being Wisdom partakes of the power of the Father and may therefore be said to be of the substance of the Father whereas the Holy Ghost being denoted by the Name of Love or Charity which is not a Power is not of the substance of the Father He immediately corrects the Notion of Arianism which those Words seem to imply by saying that the Holy Ghost is of the substance of the Father in the Sence that he so proceeds from him as to have the same substance with him but that though he be Consubstantial to the Father yet properly speaking he is not begotten of his substance This is a hard and improper Expression contrary to the manner of the Father's speaking and conformable to that of the Arians though Abaelard rejects their Error He says that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son because Love or rather the effect of Love proceeds from Power and Wisdom since the Reason of God's doing Good is because he has Power to do it and Wisdom to know that it is Good This gives him an occasion of refuting the Opinion of the Greeks concerning the Procession of the Holy Ghost from the Son alone and of shewing that one might add something to the Creed provided it were not contrary to the Faith He explains the Coeternity of three Divine Persons by the Instance of the Light and Rays which proceed from the Sun and which exist the same moment with the Sun Lastly he pretends that the Heathen Philosophers have acknowledg'd the Trinity In the Third Book he treats particularly of the Power of God and maintains that God cannot do any thing but what he does do and cannot do all that he does not do because God can only do what he Wills but he cannot Will to do any thing but what he does do because it is necessary for him that he should Will whatever is convenient from whence it follows that whatever he does not do is not convenient that he cannot Will to do it and consequently cannot do it He himself owns that this is his own particular Notion that scarce any Body else is of this Opinion that it seems contrary to the Doctrine of the Saints and to Reason and to derogate from the greatness of God Hereupon he starts a very difficult Objection A Reprobate says he may be sav'd for he knows no Being but what God does save wherefore God may save him and consequently do something which is not necessary to be done To this he replys that one might very well assert that such a Man may be sav'd by the Relation to the possibility of Human Nature which is capable of Salvation but that it could not be affirm'd that God could save him if we have respect to God himself because 't is impossible that God should do any thing but what he ought to do He explains this by several Examples A Man who speaks may hold his Tongue but that 't is impossible for one who speaks to be at the same time silent A Man's Voice may be heard but one who is Deaf cannot hear it A Field may be Cultivated and Till'd though a Man may not cultivate it c. From the Power of God he proceeds to his Immutability he says that God does not change himself when he produces new effects because in him there are not such new Motions and new Inclinations as are in us but only new effects proceeding from an Eternal Will that he cannot change Places since he is Omni-present and that when 't is said that he descended into the Virgin 's Womb 't is to denote his Humiliation but that in being made Man he was not chang'd because the Divine Substance is united to the Humane Nature without a change of its Nature and that the Person of Jesus Christ is a Compound of the Divine Logos the Soul and of the Flesh That those three Natures are united in such a manner as that they retain each their own Nature and that as the Soul is not chang'd into Flesh so the Divine Nature is not chang'd though it be personally united to the Soul and the Flesh. Lastly he treats of the Divine Knowledge and Wisdom He says that God has foreseen and pre-ordained all things and so with respect to God nothing happens by chance though his prescience does not destroy Free-Will He defines it to be a free Determination of the Will and asserts that it has been frequently experienc'd that the Will is not constrain'd by any Violence and that it has a power of doing or not doing a thing He observes that this kind of Freedom in the Will does not relate to God but only to Men who may alter their Will and do or not do a thing He produces the Opinion of some who believ'd that this Freedo'm consists in a Power of doing both Good and Evil but he maintains that those who are so happy as to have no power of Sinning are nevertheless Free and are so the more because of their being delivered from the servitude of Sin From hence he concludes that generally and properly speaking Free-Will is when one may voluntarily and without constraint accomplish that which it has resolved upon a Liberty which is in God as well as in Men and in all who are not destitute of the Faculty of Willing He adds several Philosophical Niceties about the Prescience and Determination of Propositions concerning future Contingencies The Explications of the Lord's-Prayer and of the Creeds of the Apostles and of St. Athanasius contain nothing in them which is very remarkable The Problems or Questions which were propos'd to him by Heloissa are almost all of them upon hard Texts of Scripture which Abaelard explains with a great deal of Justice and Accuracy The Book of Heresies is a summary Account of the principal Errors of the Hereticks against which he produces several Passages out of the Holy Scriptures He therein particularly refutes the Abaelards Doctrine examin'd Errors against the Sacraments of the Eucharist and of Baptism against the Administration of Penance against the Ceremonies of the Church and against the Invocation of Saints Some have thought that this Piece was not Abaelard's but 't is not unworthy of him and there is nothing to hinder us from thinking it to be his The Commentary upon the Epistle to the Romans is a literal Explication of that Epistle wherein he shews the Coherence and Consequence of the Apostle's Discourse and renders his Terms intelligible by paraphrasing upon them Abaelard's Sermons are not very Eloquent but such Discourses as contain in them Reflections upon the Words of Scripture which agree to the Mysteries whereof he Treats together with several Moral Instructions The Sermon upon St. John the Baptist is a very sharp Satyr against some Monks and several Canons of his time and particularly against St. Norbert St. Bernard in the general
Cisterciensis and in the last Bibliotheca Patrum The Rule for Nuns falsly attributed to St. Augustin is inserted under the Name of St. Aelred in the Collection of Rules published by Holstenius and Gilbert of Hoiland has made an Encomium on the same Saint in the Continuation of St. Augustin's Commentary on the Book of Psalms S. HILDEGARDA born at Spanheim in Germany A. D. 1098. was the Daughter of St. Hildegarda Abbess of St. Rupert's Mount Hildebert and Mathilda she received the Vail at the Age of Eight Years and in process of time was chosen Abbess of St. Rupert's Mount near Binghen on the Rhine The Fame of her Revelations and Miracles procur'd her so great Reputation that when Pope Eugenius III. came to Trier in 1148. Henry Arch-bishop of Mentz and St. Bernard took an opportunity to acquaint him with the wonderful Operations that God perform'd by his Servant Hildegarda insomuch that the Pope being much surpriz'd at the Relation sent Albert Bishop of Verdun with some other Persons worthy of Credit privately to make an Enquiry into the Truth of what was reported concerning that Nun. These Persons having interrogated her she gave them a plain Account of her Condition and deliver'd to them several Books which she avouch'd to have written by Divine Inspiration The Pope caus'd them to be read publickly in the presence of all the Prelates and perus'd a considerable part of them himself Whereupon all the Assistants were surpriz'd and entreated his Holiness not to suffer so great a Light to be extinguish'd Then the Pope wrote a Letter to Hildegarda to Congratulate her upon account of those transcendent Graces which God had bestow'd on her and to exhort her to preserve them granting her at the same time a permission to reside in the Place that she had chosen to lead a Regular course of Life with the other Nuns according to St. Benedict's Rule The Popes who succeeded Eugenius viz. Anastasius IV. Adrian IV. and Alexander III. honour'd her in like manner with their Letters and Admonitions as well as the Arch-bishops of Mentz Colen Trier Saltsburg and many other Prelates of Germany not to mention the Emperors Conrad and Frederick She returned an Answer to their Letters without deviating from her Character that is to say in a Mystical and Prophetical Style The Collection of all these Letters is still Extant with divers Visions directed to particular Persons Answers to several Questions about the Holy Scriptures and certain Explications of St. Benedict's Rule and of St. Athanasius's Creed These Works were printed at Colen A. D. 1566. and in the Bibliotheca Patrum There are also Three Books of Revelations which bear the name of this Saint printed with those of St. Thierry Abbot of the Order of St. Benedict St. Elizabeth Abbess of Schonaw Brigit at Paris in 1533. and at Colen in 1628. St. Hildegarda died in 1180. and her Life was written in 1200. by Thierry or Theodoric an Abbot of the same Order of St. Benedict S. ELIZABETH Abbess of Schonaw in the Diocess of Trier near the Monastery of St. Florin which her Brother Ecbert govern'd in Quality of Abbot was likewise famous for her Revelations She flourish'd A. D. 1155. and died in 1165. aged 36 Years There are Three Books of Visions or Revelations written by this Saint and a Volume of Letters printed at Colen in 1628. Her Brother ECBERT Compos'd besides the Thirteen Discourses Ecbert Abbot of St. Florin against the Cathari of which we have already made mention the Life of his Sister which is prefix'd to her Revelations 'T is also reported that he was the Author of some other Letters ODO a Regular Canon of St. Augustin wrote A. D. 1160. Seven Letters about the Odo a Regular Canon Duties and Functions of Regular Canons which are inserted in the Second Tome of the Spicilegium by Father Luke Dachery JOHN of CORNWALL had Peter Lombard for his Tutor but afterwards fell at John of Cornwall variance with him upon several occasions He studied for a long time at Rome and obtained a great share of the Favours of Pope Alexander III. We have not any of his Works printed but Dr. Cave mentions two Manuscript Treatises of this Author viz. one Dedicated to Pope Alexander under the Title of A Discussion of Humane Philosophy and of Heresies and the other call'd A Summary of the Manner how the Sacrament of the Altar is made by the Vertue of the Cross and of the Seven Canons or Orders of the Mass. In the time of Pope Alexander III. FOLMAR Provost of Trieffenstein near Wurtzburg Folmar Provost of Trieffenstein in Franconia was accus'd of maintaining the Errors of Nestorius and Elipandus concerning the Person and Adoption of JESUS CHRIST and of spreading them abroad in Bavaria Two Monks of that Country viz. GEROCHUS Provost of the Abbey of Reichersperg and another who was Dean of the same Monastery wrote against him the Gerochus Provost of Reichersperg A nameless Dean of Reichersperg former in a Treatise of Antichrist and the other in a Book written on purpose Their Works are still Extant in the Libraries of Germany according to the report of Stevart who assures us that they are worthy to be brought to light altho' those Authors seem to have fallen into an Error directly opposite to that of the Eutychians or Ubiquitarians in maintaining That the Divine Perfections pass'd into the Humane Nature of JESUS CHRIST and that the latter is become equal to the Godhead Stevart has produc'd in his Collection the Epistle Dedicatory of the Dean of Reichersperg's Treatise directed to Henry Dean of the Church of Wurtzburg and it is also inserted in the Twenty third Tome of the last Edition of the Bibliotheca Patrum GILBERT FOLIOT an English Man by Nation and Abbot of Liecester was translated A. D. 1161. from the Bishoprick of Hereford which he obtain'd in 1149. to that of Gilbert Foliot Bishop of London London and was one of the principal Adversaries of Thomas Becket Arch-bishop of Canterbury He wrote a Commentary on the Book of Canticles which was publish'd by Junius and printed in Quarto at London in 1638. There are also Seven of his Letters in the Collection of those of Thomas Becket He died in 1187. PHILIP of HARVENGE Abbot of Bonne Esperance of the Order of Premontre in Philip of Harvenge Abbot of Bonne Esperance Hainaut sirnamed the Alms-giver by reason of his extraordinary liberality to the Poor flourish'd A. D. 1150. and died in 1180. His Works were published by Nicolas Chamart Abbot of Bonne Esperance and printed at Douay in 1621. according to the following Catalogue viz. Twenty one Letters A Commentary on the Canticles Moral Observations on the same Book Several Discourses on King Nebuchadnezzar's Dream on Adam's Fall and on the Damnation of King Solomon Six Treatises of the Dignity Learning Uprightness Continency Obedience and Silence of Clergy-men A Relation of the Lives of
with Two Letters of this Author viz. One written to the People of Antioch about the Fasts they ought to observe and the other to Theodosius Superiour of Papicius's Monasteries concerning the Custom of Shaving Admitting and Investing with the Habit such Persons as present themselves to embrace the Monastick Life a little while after their appearance without obliging them to submit to a Probation of Three Years The First of these Letters is inserted in the end of the Second Tome of the Monuments of the Greek Church and the Second in the Third Tome of the same Work Balsamon without doubt is the most able Canonist that appear'd among the Greeks in these later Times JOANNES CAMATERUS Chartophylax and afterward Patriarch of Constantinople in the Joannes Camatetus end of this Century wrote in the Year 1199. a Letter to Pope Innocent in which he declares that he caâ—…t but admire that the Church of Rome shou'd assume the Title of the Catholick or Universal Church There is also in the Collection call'd Jus Graeco-Romanum a Statute of this Patriarch about the Marriages of Cosin Germans He died A. D. 1206. CHAP. XV. Of the Original of Scholastical Divinity and of the first Divines of that Faculty who flourished in the Twelfth Century THE Manner of treating of the Christian Religion and of its Mysteries has not been Of the Original of Scholastical Divinity and of the first School-men always uniform in the several Ages of the Church but has been chang'd at several times according to the various Occasions or the different Inclinations of Men. The Apostles contented themselves only to teach with much simplicity the Doctrine they receiv'd from Jesus Christ to propose it to Believers as the Object of their Faith and to render it credible by the Means of Authority by the Testimony of the Prophets by our Saviour's Resurrection and by Miracles They never observ'd the difficult Points that might be form'd from the sacred Mysteries neither did they take any Pains to make a thorough search into them nor to discover all the Consequences arising from them much less to explain them according to the Principles of Philosophy and human Reason Neither were the holy Fathers nor Ecclesiastical Writers who liv'd in the First Ages of the Church more careful to insist on the Explication of these Mysteries nor did they make use of Philosophy but only to extirpate the Errors of the Pagans relating to their Gods Idols and false Worship which might be easily confuted by the Light of Reason and the Authority of the Philosophers As for the Jews and Primitive Hereticks they only alledg'd to convince them the Authority of the holy Scriptures and of Tradition and the general Belief of all the Churches in the World and in the Disputes they had with them they never undertook to give particular Reasons for the several Mysteries but only to prove that they ought to be believ'd It is true indeed that in Process of time the Heresies gave occasion more thoroughly to examine the Doctrines and to fix the Terms that ought to be us'd in explaining them and to draw Consequences from the Articles of Faith which were formally reveal'd but the Fathers enter'd upon the Discussion of those Points being only incited by a kind of necessity Neither were they so bold as to start a great number of new Questions relating to the Mysteries nor to resolve them according to Philosophical Principles Upon the whole as they did not commit to writing any Speculations about Doctrinal Points but only with respect to the Heretical Opinions so neither did they compose any particular Theological Treatise concerning the Doctrines of the Christian Religion of set purpose but they treated of them whenever there was occasion to refure some new Heresy Origen was the first who undertook to compile as it were a Body of Divinity in his Work call'd The Principles But this new Undertaking did not at all prove successful insomuch that the Author relying too much upon his own knowledge and being desirous to accommodate the Doctrines of Christianity to the Maxims of Plato's Philosophy had the misfortune to fall into many Errors which have fullied his Memory But such Inconveniences did not happen to those Divines who contented themselves only to teach with the simplicity of Catechists the principal Mysteries of our Religion contain'd in the Apostles Creed and to prove them by Passages taken out of the holy Scriptures In the Ages following the great Heresies of the Arians Nestorians Eutychians c. the Reverend Fathers were oblig'd to treat at large of the Mysteries of the Trinity and of the Incarnation but the holy Scriptures and Tradition were the only Principles on which they grounded their Proofs and they only made use of Argumentations to discover the Sense of the Passages of Scripture and of the Ancient Fathers The same thing was done with respect to other Heresies and we do not find any other Arguments alledg'd to refute them nor any other Rules made use of in the Councils to condemn them But by little and little an over-weaning Curiosity induced Men to start divers new Questions relating to Theological Matters particularly the Mysteries and other difficult Points of the Christian Religion Indeed at first the Authority of holy Scriptures and of Tradition was only brought to decide them but afterwards Philosophy was also call'd in to their assistance more especially the Platonick that was then most in vogue and which seem'd most conformable to the Rules of Christianity The Author of the Works ascrib'd to St. Dionysius the Areopagite who wrote in the end of the Fifth Century follow'd this Method and treated in his Books of the Divine Attributes and Hierarchy of divers Theological Questions according to the Principles of the Platonick Philosophers Some time after Boethius a Man well versed in Aristotle's Philosophy made use of his Maxims to explain the Mysteries of the Trinity and of the Incarnation which engag'd him in Debates about some very subtil and intricate Questions But St. Joannes Damascenus is the first who undertook methodically to discuss all sorts of Theological Questions and to reduce them into an entire Body In the Ninth Century Joannes Scotus Erigena apply'd Aristotle's Method and Principles to the resolution of several Questions relating to Points of Divinity but his subtil Notions having lead him into divers Errors his Doctrine and Method were rejected by the Divines of his Time The study of the most necessary and most obvious Points being neglected in the Tenth Century it is not to be admir'd that no application was made to those abstruse and difficult Questions so that Aristotle's Philosophy was not begun to be taught in the Publick Schools according to the Method of the Arabians till the beginning of the Eleventh Century neither was there any use of it made at first in Theological Matters But in process of time Men whose Heads were fill'd with those Notions insensibly introduced them into Divinity and apply'd
of Schonaw Genuine Works Three Books of Visions and Revelations A Book of Letters S. AELRED or ETHELRED Abbot of Reverby Genuine Works still extant Thirty Sermons on the 13th Chapter of the Prophecy of Isaiah The Mirrour of Charity A Treatise of Spiritual Amity Twenty Six Sermons A Fragment of the History of England The Life of St. Edward ODO of Deuil Abbot of St. Cornelius A Genuine Work A Relation of the Expedion of Lewes XII King of France to the Levant THOMAS BECKET Archbishop of Canterbury Genuine Works Six Books of Letters written by him and by others to him GILBERT Abbot of Hoiland Genuine Works A continnation of the Commentary of St. Bernard on the Book of Canticles Seven Ascetick Treatises Four Letters RICHARD of St. Victor Genuine Works A Collection of Questions on the Holy Scriptures divided into ten Books attibuted to Hugh of St. Victor Critical Tracts concerning the Tabernacle and the Temple and the Chronology of the Books of Kings and Chronicles An Explication of Ezekiel's Description of the Temple Allegorical Commentaries on the Books of Psalms and Canticles Questions on the Epistles of St. Paul A Commentary on the Revelation of St. John Dogmatical Tracts concerning the Trinity the Attributes appopriated to the Divine Persons the Incarnation of Immanuel the Power of Bindiâ—g and Loosing the Sin against the Holy Ghost the Difficuties that occur in Holy Scripture the Holy Ghost and the difference between Mortal and Venial sins Several Treatises of a Spiritual Life PETER DE ROY a Monk of Clairvaux A Genuine Work A Letter to the Provost of the Church of Noyon ENERVINUS Provost of Stemfeld A Genuine Work A Treatise against the Hereticks of Colen ECBERT Abbot of St. Florin Genuine Works still extant XIII Discourses against the Hereticks call'd Cathari The Life of St. Elizabeth Abbess of Schonaâ— his Sister Two Sermons BONACURSIUS of Milan A Genuine Work A Treatise against the Cathari and other Hereticks of his Time EBRARD of Bethune A Genuine Work A Treatise against the Manichees of his Time MICHAEL of Thessalonica Defender of the Church of Constantinople A Genuine Work A Confession of Faith ODO a Regular Canon of St. Augustin Genuine Works Seven Letters concerning the Functions and Duties of Regular Canons HUGH of Poitiers a Monk of Vezelay A Genuine Work A Chronicle of the Abbey of Vezelay ADELBERT or ALBERT Abbot of Hildesheim A Genuine Work still extant An Account of the Restitution of his Monastery to the Benedictins JOHN of Hexam Provost of Hagulstadt A Genuine Work A continuation of Simeon of Durham's History of the Kings of Denmark to the Year 1154. FASTERDUS Abbot of Clairvaux A Genuine Work A Letter to an Abbot of his Order HUGH a Monk of St. Saviour at Lodeve A Genuine Work The Life of Pontius Larazus LAURENTIUS a Monk of Liege A Genuine Work A Chronicle of the Bishops of Verdun S. HILDEGARDA Abbess of Mount St. Roberâ— Genuine Works still extant Spiritual Letters Visions Answers to several Questions concerning the Hoâ—â— Scriptures An Explication of St. Benedict's Rule and of St. Athanasius's Creed PHILIP DE HARVNG Abbot of Bonne-Esperance Genuine Works Twenty One Letters A Commentary on the Book of Canticles Moral Discourses on the same Book A Discourse concerning Nebuchadnezzar's Dream the Fall of Adam and the Damnation of Solomon Six Treatises of Dignity Knowledge Justice Continency Obedience and the Silence of Clergy-Men The Lives of St. Augustin and St. Amand. The History of the Passion of St. Cyricius and St Julitta The Passion of St. Salvius The Lives of St. Foillanus St. Gisâ—enius St. Landelinus St. Ida and St. Valtruda The Passion of St. Agnes in Elegiack Verse Divers Poetical Pieces Several Epitaphs ADAMUS SCOTUS a Regular Canon Genuine Works still extant A Commentary on St. Augustin's Rule A Treatise of the Triple Tabernacle of Moses A Tract of the three kinds of Contemplation Forty Seven Sermons GEFFREY ARTHUR Bishop of St. Asaph A Genuine Work The History of Great Britain ALANUS Bishop of Auxerre A Genuine Work The Life of St. Bernard JOHN of Salisbury Bishop of Chartres Genuine Works A Treatise call'd Polycraticon or of the Fopperies of the Courtiers Three Hundred and One Letters The Life of Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury A Doubtful Work A Commentary on the Epistles of St. Paul ARNULPHUS or ARNOLDUS Bishop of Lisieux Genuine Works still extant Divers Letters Several Poems A Discourse against Peter of Leon Antipope A Sermon on the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary PETER of Celles Bishop of Chartres Genuine Works Several Sermons Thrce Books of the Loaves c. A Mystical and Moral Exposition of the Tabernacle A Treatise of Conscience A Treatise of the Discipline of the Cloister Nine Books of Letters NICOLAS a Monk of St. Alban A Genuine Work A Letter on the Festival of the Conception of the Virgin Mary GILBERT FOLIOT Bishop of London Genuine Works A Commentary on the Book of Canticles Seven Letters MICHAEL ANCHIALUS Patriarch of Constantinople Genuine Works still extant Certain Synodical Statutes A Manuscript Work A Conference with the Emperour Manuel ROBERT of Melun Bishop of Hereford A Manuscript Work A Body of Divinity ALEXIS ARISTENES Oeconomus or Steward of the Church of Constantinople A Genuine Work Notes on a Collection of Canons SIMEON LOGOTHETA A Work lost Nâ—tes oâ— a Collection of Canons A Manuscript Work A Treatise of the Creation of the World JOHN of Cornwall Manuscript Works A Discussion of Human Philosophy and of Heresies A Treatise of the Sacrament of the Altar and of the Canon of the Mass. GEROCHUS Provost of Reichersperg and a nameless AUTHOR Dean of the same Church Manuscript Works A Treatise of the Incarnation against Folmarius Provost of Trieffenstein PETER DE RIGA Canon of Rheims A Manuscript Work A Book call'd Aurora containing the History of the Book of Kings and the Gospels in Verse HENRY Archbishop of Rheims Genuine Works still extant Two Letters in favour of Dreux Chancellor of the Church of Nâ—yon GEFFREY Abbot of Clairvaux the Disciple of St. Bernard Genuine Works Declarations or Discourses on the Words that pass'd between JESUS CHRIST and St. Peter The Third Book of the Life of St. Bernard A Panegyrick on St. Bernard A Description of Clairvaux A Letter to Cardinal d'Albano against Gillebert de la Porrée Another Treatise against the same Author A Letter to Josbert about the Lord's Prayer A Letter to the Bishop of Constance Works lost A Treatise on the Book of Canticles The Life of St. Peter of Tarentaise Certain Sermons WILLIAM Archbishop of Tyre A Genuine Work still extant The History of the Crusade to the Year 1183. A Work lost The History of the Eastern Emperors from the Year 614. to 1184. RICHARD Prior of Hagulstadt Genuine Works The History of Hagulstadt The History of the Acts of King Stephen The History of the War of Standardius CLEMENT III. Pope Genuine Works Seven Letters BALDWIN Archbishop of Canterbury Genuine Works still extant Sixteen
But notwithstanding all their endeavours and tho' the Pope's Legates made use of very harsh and rigorous Methods to constrain them to it yet they could not gain their end and the Emperor Henry Baldwin's Successor was forc'd to put a stop to these Proceedings to open the Greek Churches and to set their Priests and Monks at liberty in spite of Pelagius the Pope's Legate who oppos'd it The Bulgarians in the year 1204 return'd to their Obedience to the Pope Theodorus Comnenus Prince of Epirus abjur'd the Schism under the Pontificate of Honorius III. and afterwards having taken upon him the Title of Emperor of Constantinople and become Master of Thessalonica he was Excommunicated by Pope Gregory IX in the Year 1229. The Emperor Baldwin did not long enjoy his new Dignity for he was taken on the 15th of August 1205 by John King of the Bulgarians who kept him in Prison for Sixteen Months at the end of which he died a cruel Death After his Death his Brother Henry was advanced to the Empire in the Year 1206 who Reign'd Ten Years or thereabouts and had for his Successor Peter of Courtnay Count of Auxerre who had marry'd Jolanta the Sister or Daughter of Henry But that unfortunate Prince never enter'd into the Possession of the Empire For being on his way thither after he had been Crown'd at Rome by Honorius III. he was taken in his passage thro' Thrace by Theodorus Prince of Epirus and sent to the Emperor Theodorus Lascaris who put him to death His Son Robert Succeeded him in the Year 1221 who dying in the Year 1228 was Succeeded by his Brother Baldwin II. from whom the Greeks retook Constantinople in the Year 1261. During this the Greeks had an Emperor at Nice in Bithynia Theodorus Lascaris was the first and in the Year 1222 John Ducas his Son-in-Law Succeeded him This John retook from the Latins a Part of those Countries which they had Conquer'd and after he had Reign'd Three and thirty Years left his Son Theodore Lascaris Heir to his Estates which he did not long enjoy being taken away by death in the Fourth Year of his Reign A. D. 1259. His Son John being in his Minority was soon turn'd out of the Empire by Michael Palaeologus the Son of Andronicus Palaeologus and by the Mother's side descended from the Family of the Comneni who put to death the Man whom Theodore had nominated for the Young Prince's Tutor caus'd himself at first to be declared Regent afterwards Associate of the Empire and at last rid himself of his Collegue after he had caus'd his Eyes to be put out Michael had an happy Beginning of his Reign by the taking of Constantinople which Alexius Strategopulus Caesar had seiz'd upon by the Treachery of some Greeks who were in the City in the Year 1261 and drove out thence the Latins Under the Empire of John Ducas Pope Gregory IX entred into a Negotiation in the Year 1233 with Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople Residing at Nice for the Re-union of the Two Churches Projects set on fâ—ot for the Re-union of the Greeks and Latins That Pope wrote a Letter to the Patriarch related by Matthew Paris about the Differences in Religion which were between the Greeks and Latins and made choice of Two Monks of the Order of the Preaching Friars nam'd Hugh and Peter and two of the Order of the Minor Friars nam'd Aimo and Radulphus to treat with the Patriarch They met at Nice where they had several Conferences with the Greeks about the Procession of the Holy Ghost and the Celebration of the Eucharist with unleaven'd Bread But they came to no Conclusion and the Patriarch of Constantinople told them that he would call a Synod where the Patriarchs of Jerusalem and Antioch would meet him with whom he might resolve upon something in the Case The Pope's Advocates retir'd to Constantinople from whence they were call'd to Nymphea in Bithynia near the Euxine Sea where that Council of the Greeks was held on the morrow after Easter-day in the Year 1233. They there repeated all that had been said on either side at Nice concerning the Two Points in Question and after several Disputes the Greeks gave in Writing a Declaration wherein they maintain'd That one might celebrate the Eucharist with Unleaven'd Bread and the Latins presented a Profession of Faith concerning the Procession of the Holy Ghost The Latins refuted the Opinion of the Greeks about Unleaven'd Bread by the Authorities of Scripture and of the Greek Fathers The Greeks oppos'd the Testimonies of others against them and the Dispute lasted till late at Night They had no Conference afterwards for several days together and at last the Emperor John Ducas propos'd to the Latins to leave out that Addition made in the Creed about the Procession of the Holy Ghost and to permit the Greeks to adhere to their Opinion and that the Greeks should acknowledge and approve of the Sacrament of the Latins celebrated with Unleaven'd Bread But the Pope's Legates reply'd that the Pope would not part with the least Iotâ— of the Faith and that the Greeks ought to believe and Preach to others concerning the Body of Jesis Christ that it may as well be done with Unleaven'd as with Leaven'd Bread And concerning the Holy Ghost that he proceedeth as well from the Son as from the Father and that they should inculcate this Doctrine to the People But that the Pope would not force them to add this Clause expresly in their Creed when they Sung it in the Church nor condemn the Sacrament of the Greeks celebrated with Leaven'd Bread The Greeks were very much nettled at this Proposition and having call'd together the Pope's Legates a second time order'd their Profession of Faith about the Procession of the Holy Ghost to be read before them and offer'd several Passages of the Fathers to refute it The Pope's Legates adher'd stiffly to their Sentiments and both sides parted looking on each other as Hereticks Afterwards the Pope's Legates obtain'd Leave to depart The Greeks sent in all haste after them to regain the Declaration which they had given them concerning Unleaven'd Bread and gave them another concerning the Procession of the Holy Ghost wherein they produc'd a great many Passages out of the Greek Fathers to prove that he proceeds only from the Father There was likewise another Treaty of Re-union set on foot between Pope Alexander IV. and the Emperor Theodore Lascaris This Pope sent him the Bishop of Orvieto as his Legate and gave him an Instruction containing the Articles of Obedience to the Holy See granted by the Greeks in the time of Innocent III. with the Demands of the Greeks and the Answers which the Legate ought to return them But this Negotiation had no success and the Legate was sent back without having done any thing in the Business Michael Palaeologus forseeing that the Pope would not fail to arm the Princes of the West against him for the Retaking
Whether it be lawful to give all one's Estate to the Poor and be reduc'd to Beggery In the Second Whether one ought to bestow any Alms on a lusty Mendicant He resolves both in the Negative founds his Resolutions on several Passages out of the Scriptures and Fathers and proposes to himself the Objections which might be made to it to which he returns his Answers He concludes the Second Query by asserting That the Preachers ought not to ask any Money lest it be an occasion to them of Covetousness and lest they should seem to be guilty of Simony Those Writings are follow'd by the Answers which William of St. Amour made to the Erroneous Propositions which were laid to his Charge He therein shews either that he never had advanc'd any such thing or that they had put a false Construction on what he had said or that they had added to and perverted his Expressions 1. They accus'd him of having said That he who Preaches commits a Mortal Sin if he receives or asks any thing of those to whom he Preaches He replies That he had never advanc'd this Proposition that on the contrary he had said That the Preacher who has a Lawful Mission may receive for his Subsistence and that 't is his Due 2. Of having said That the Monks may not be Doctors nor hold Dignities He replies That he had not said that but had only said That the Monks who have abandon'd the World ought not to be over-sollicitous in being made Doctors as they ought not to hunt after the Riches Honours and Pleasures of the World 3. Of having said That 't is not lawful for Monks to reside in the Courts of Princes and Prelates He Replies That he had only said that it was dangerous for them 4. Of having said That he who presents himself to Preach without being call'd thereto is guilty of a Mortal Sin He replies that he had only said That one ought not to intrude into that Ministery without being Call'd thereto 5. That he who admitted another's Parishoner to Confession was guilty of a Mortal Sin To which he replies That he had added without the Permission of the Superior 6. That a Bishop who Preaches out of his own Diocess commits a Mortal Sin He Replies That he had never said thus but had only said That 't is not Lawful for a Bishop to Execute his Episcopal Functions out of his own Diocess without the leave of the Ordinary 7. Of having said That he who gives away his whole Estate to live himself upon Charity is not in a State of Salvation He Replies That he had only said That a Man in Health who has not wherewithal to live ought to Work with his Hands to get himself a Livelyhood And to give a full Resolution to this Head he declares That he who is not Skill'd in any Trade may Beg till he has Learn'd a Trade That those who are naturally incapable of Working such as Children Aged and Infirm Persons might likewise Beg That the same might be extended to those who are Habitually render'd incapable of Working that those who cannot get Work or cannot get a Livelyhood by Working may likewise Beg. Lastly That those who by their Duty being Employ'd in Spiritual Functions have not Time to Work may likewise Beg. 8. Of having Asserted That all those who are in an Order who have no Revenue who are able to Work and do not but Live on Alms are not in a State of Salvation and cannot be excus'd upon the Account of Preaching He Replies That he had only said this upon the Account of the great number of Mendicants who are in the Nation and especially upon the Account of certain Young Persons who were call'd Bons-Valets and of certain Nuns call'd Beguines who are not of any Order Approv'd by the Holy See 9. Of having said That the Handsomness of Habits is not profitable nor unprofitable to Salvation He Replies That he never said this but only That it was Lawful to wear a Fine Habit provided it were not above the Quality of him who wears it and against the Custom of the Country 10. Of having said That he who wears a mean Habit beneath his Quality sins more than he that wears one above his Quality He Replies That he had never said this but That there might be something of Pride in wearing a Habit beneath one's Quality and that this Pride is a greater Sin because of the Hypocrisy that attends it That moreover in these two Articles he aims at the Beguines and Bons-Valets who say That one may not wear a fine Habit without endangering one's Salvation 11. Of having said before the Bishop of Mascon That the Spiritual Functions do not excuse a lusty Mendicant who lives upon Alms. He Replies That he had already Answer'd that Head 12. Of having said That Women who take upon them the Religious Habit or cut off their Hair and still lead a Secular Life Sin heinously He Replies That he never said this but only That it was not Lawful to take upon them an Habit different from that of their Profession 13. Of having said That Jesus Christ and the Apostles did not Beg. He Replies That he had never Read in Scripture that they had any Right of Receiving of those to whom they Preach'd things necessary for this Life That after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ the Apostles Preach'd and that they Receiv'd what was voluntarily offer'd to them with a great deal of Difficulty 14. Of having advanc'd several things against the Pope's Decree by which it was order'd to admit the Dominicans into the University of Paris and such things as were prejudicial to that Order and of having declar'd That he was afraid that they were the Men who crept into Houses who are Idle and Inquisitive who would be call'd Rabbi Rabbi c. He Replies That it was true that he was present at the Treaty which was made between the Mendicants and the University that he had heard those Objections started by those who Defended the Cause of the University but that he had not Propos'd them as being neither the Proctor nor the Governor of the University 15. Of having said That they could not Condemn the Books of Abbot Joachim because there were several Persons who supported him He Replies That he never said this but only That several Errors of that Abbot had been already Condemn'd and that the others could not as yet have been condemn'd because they could not be Detected in so short a time by Reason of the great number of them of the Business of those who were Employ'd to Examine them and of the Credit of those who maintain'd them I omit the following Heads which contain only either general Reproaches or particular matters of Fact or are only a Repetition of what relates to the Habits and Poverty And shall only speak of that which relates to the Preaching and Mission of the Mendicant Friars They had Accus'd him of having
of the Court of Rome concerning Collation of Benefices 'T is divided into three Parts in the first he treats of the Nature of Benefices of the Order which is among Prelats of the Canonical ways of Promotion to a Benefice of the Injustice of Reservations and Promises of vacant Benefices of the Simony that is committed for the obtaining of Benefices and the Enormity of the Crime of Simony of the Penalties which Simoniacks and those who have a hand in Simony do incur In the second he shews That the Pope may commit Simony by receiving Mony for the Collation of Benefices directly or indirectly In fine he alledges in the last That the Court of Rome and its Officers commit Simony by receiving Mony for the Dispatch of Bulls of Benefices and Graces That the Cardinals partake in this Simony That the Pope cannot be excus'd when he grants Exorbitant Graces and that the Plenitude of his Power does not give him Right to grant Dispensations without Cause and without Reason This Treatise is printed in the second Tome of the Monarchy of Goldastus Page 1527. About the same time flourish'd another English-man call'd John Lattebur of the Order John Lattebur a Friar Minor of Friars Minors who wrote a Moral Commentary upon the Lamentations of Jeremy printed in 1482. and some other Treatises in Manuscript viz. Theological Distinctions a Moral Alphabet and some other Pieces which are wholly lost as Commentaries upon Jeremy upon the Psalms upon the Acts of the Apostles some Lectures upon the Scripture and some Sermons Richard Ullerston Doctor and Professor of Divinity at Oxford flourish'd also at the beginning Richard Ullerston a Doctor of Oxford of this Century and wrote in the Year 1408. a Treatise of the Reformation of the Church at the desire of Robert a Halam Cardinal Bishop of Salisbury This Treatise is to be found in Manuscript in a Library at Cambridge b viz. in the Library of Trinity College and the Title of it is The Petitions of Richard for the Defence of the Church Militant It contains sixteen Articles the first is about the Election of a. Pope the second of Simony those that follow are against the Abuses of the Revenues of the Church against Dispensations Exemptions Plurality of Benefices Appeals Privileges about the Life and Manners of the benefic'd Clergy and the Celebration of Divine Service In this Piece he speaks boldly against the Disorders of the Court of Rome There is in the same Manuscript c Reformation as the Title is publish'd by Mr. Wharton Hist. Lit. App. p. 86. Boston a Benedictine Monk a Treatise of the Duty of a Souldier written by the same Author at the desire of Richard Courtnay his Master and dedicated to Henry Prince of Wales There is also mention made of some other Treatises of the same Author which are not to be found viz. a Defence of the Donation of Constantine Commentaries upon the Psalms and the Canticles of the Ordinary Lessons and a Treatise upon the Creed Some time after Boston a Benedictine Monk of the Monastery of St. Edmund d This Boston was of the Abby of St. Edmundsbury Whart Hist. Lit. App. p. 90. Theodorick of Niem Bishop of Ferden at Usk in the Province of Wales wrote a Catalogue of the Writers which he had found in the Libraries of England which is only in Manuscript There is also another Treatise attributed to him entituled The Mirror of the Monks and the Chronicle of his Monastery which Works are lost Theodorick of Niem a German Secretary to some Popes and according to some Bishop of Ferden and afterwards of Cambray wrote the History of the Schism of the Popes from the death of Gregory XI to the Election of Alexander V. in three Books to which he added another Work entituled Nemus Unionis which contains the Original Pieces written on both sides about this Schism and a third wherein he writes the Life of Pope John XXIII and the Transactions of the Council of Constance until the Deposing of this Pope The two former were printed at Basile in 1566. at Nuremberg in 1592. and at Strasburg in 1608. and in 1629. the latter was printed at Frankfurt in 1620. He wrote also a Treatise of the Privileges of the Empire as to the Investiture of Bishopricks and Abbies printed at Basil in 1557. and at Strasburg in 1609. and 1618. The Exhortation to Robert King of the Romans which is in Goldastus is one of the Chapters of his Book about Union The Style of this Author is harsh and unpleasant but he is full of Vigour faithful and exact in his Relations Jerom of St. Faith a Spanish converted Jew and Physician to Benedict XIII is the Author of Jerom of St. Faith a converted Jew two Treatises against the Jews whereof the one is entitled The mâ—â—ns of Refuting and Convincing the Jews and the other is against the Talmud Both of them have appear'd under the Title of Hebraeo-mastix and were printed at Frankfurt in 1602. and in the last Bibliotheque of the Fathers In the former he proves That the twenty four Conditions which the Jews acknowledge should happen at the coming of the Messias according to Scripture and their own Tradition are all accomplish'd in Jesus Christ. In the second he discovers the Errors and wild Conceits of the Talmud and shews that it contains things contrary to Charity to the Law of Nature to the Service of God to the Law of Moses and Blasphemies against Jesus Christ. These two Treatises were written by Jerom of St. Faith in the Year 1412. and many Jews were converted by reading them About the same time flourish'd another Spaniard who was also a converted Jew call'd Paul Paul Bishop of Carthagena of Carthagena a Native of Burgos who was Bishop of Carthagena and after that of Burgos Chancellor of the Kingdoms of Leon and Castile and at last Patriarch of Aquileia He had three Children before his Conversion Alphonsus Gonsalvus and Alvarus Garsias The first succeeded him in the Bishoprick of Burgos the second was Bishop of Pâ—aisance and the last continu'd in a Secular Life He died in the Year 1435. Aged 82 Years and in the preceding Year he finish'd a Work entituled The Scrutiny of the Bible printed at Mantua in 1474. and at Burgos in 1591. But his principal Work is an Addition to the Postils of Nicholas of Lyra upon the whole Bible printed with that Gloss. He wrote also a Treatise about the Name of God printed with the Notes of Drusius at Franeker in 1604. There is much Jewish Learning in this Work and they are very useful for the understanding of Scripture Peter of Ancharano of Bononia in Italy descended of the Family of the Farnese a Disciple Peter of Ancharano a Lawyer of Baldus and a famous Lawyer flourish'd from the Year 1410. until about the middle of this Century He wrote Commentaries upon the Decretals and Clementines printed at Lyons in 1549. and