which cannot be understood of the Son of Jehoiada yy Malachi whose Name in the Hebrew signifies My Angel And this has made Origen and Tertullian believe that he was an Angel Incarnate He is called an Angel by the greatest part of the Fathers and in the Version of the Septuagint but he was Angel by Office and not by Nature as he himself calls the Priests Angels Some Persons as Jonathan the Chaldee Paraphrast St. Jerome and several Jews believed that it was an Appellative Name which Ezrah assumed and that he was Author of this Book but this Opinion is established upon very weak Conjectures and besides Ezrah is no where in Scripture called a Prophet St. Jerome proves his Opinion in the first place because Malachi and Ezrah lived at the same time Secondly Because what is in Malachi is very like what we find in Ezrah And lastly Because in chap. 2. vers 7. he seems to point at Ezrah by these Words Verba Sacâ—rdotis custodiunt Scientiâ—m c. â—ut these Conjectures are light and frivolous For the first only proves that Malachi and Ezrah lived at the same time not that they were one and the same The second is not true and if it were it would prove just nothing The Words quoted in the third ought to be understood of Levi and all the Priests of the Law He adds that in Ecclesiasticus chap. 49. where mention is made of all the Prophets the Name of Malachi is not to be found To this it is answered That we ought not to be surprized because he is not Named there since in the same place there is no mention made of Daniel and several others zz The difference of the Style of the Chronology and of the History make it appear The first Book of Maccabees was written by an Hebrew the second by a Greek the second begins the History a great deal higher than the first One follows the Jewish Account the other that of Alexandria which begins Six Months after Some Persons attribute the first to Josephus others to Philo others to the Synagogue and others to the Maccabees The Phrase of the first is Jewish and St. Jerome tells us he had the Hebrew Copy of it It was Intituled The Scepter of the Rebels against the Lord or rather The Scepter of the Prince of the Children of God The second was Written by Jason as it is observed in the Preface Huetius believes that the third and fourth Chapter as well as the two last don't belong to Jason because it is said in chap. 2. vers 20. that he wrote down all that passed under Antiochus and Eupator but then the remainder which is the end and the beginning of that History ought to be understood aaa From a Sentence in Exodus This Sentence is in Hebrew Mi Camacha Be Elim Jehovah Who is like to the Lord amongst the Powers Now taking the first Letters of each Word we make Maccabee Others give a different Etymology of this Name but this is the most probable SECT II. The Canon of the Books of the Old Testament of Books Doubtful Apocryphal and Lost that belonged to the Old Testament WE call the Books of the Bible Canonical Books because they are received into the Canon or the Catalogue of Books that we look upon as Sacred a Opposite to these are those Books we usually call Apocryphal b which are not acknowledged as Divine but rejected as spurious The first Canon or Catalogue of the Holy Books was made by the Jews 't is certain they had one but 't is not so certainly known who it was that made it Some Persons reckon upon three of them made at different times by the Sanedrim or the great Synagogue of the Jews c But 't is a great deal more probable that they never had more than one Canon d or one Collection of the Holy Books of the Old Testament that was made by Ezrah after the rebuilding of Jerusalem and was afterwards approved and received by the whole Nation of the Jews as containing all the Holy Books Josephus speaking of this business in his first Book against Appion says There is nothing in the World that can boast of a higher degree of certainty than the Writings Authorized amongst us for they are not subject to the least Contrariety because we only receive and approve of those Prophets who wrote them many years ago according to the pure Truth by the Inspiration of the Spirit of God We are not therefore allowed to see great numbers of Books that contradict one another We have only Twenty two that comprehend every thing of moment that has happen'd to our Nation from the beginning of the World till now and those we are obliged firmly to believe Five of them are Written by Moses that give a faithful Relation of all Events even to his own Death for about the space of Three Thousand years and contain the Genealogy of the Descendants of Adam The Prophets that succeeded this admirable Legislator in Thirteen other Books have Written all the memorable Passages that fell out from his Death until the Reign of Artaxerxes the Son of Xerxes King of the Persians The other Four Books contain Hymns and Songs composed in the Praise of God with abundance of Precepts and Moral Instructions for the regulating of our Manners We have also every thing Recorded that has happen'd since Artaxerxes down to our own Times but because we have not had as heretofore a Succession of Prophets therefore we don't receive them with the same Belief as we do the Sacred Books concerning which I have discoursed already and for which we preserve so great a Veneration that no One ever had the boldness to take away or add or change the most inconsiderable thing in them We consider them as Sacred Books and so we call them we make solemn Profession inviolably to observe what they Command us and to Die with Joy if there be occasion thereby to preserve them Origen St. Jerome the Author of the Abridgment attributed to St. Athanasius St. Epiphanius and several other Christian Writers do testifie That the Jews received but Twenty two Books into the Canon of their Holy Volumes The Division that St. Jerome has made of them who distributes them into three Classes is as follows The first comprehends the Five Books of Moses which is called The Law The second contains those Books that he calls the Books of the Prophets which are nine in number namely the Book of Joshuah the Book of Judges to which says St. Jerome they use to joyn the Book of Ruth the Book of Samuel which we call the first and second Book of Kings the Book of Kings which contain the two last These Books are followed by three great Prophets viz. Isaiah Jeremiah and Ezekiel which are three different Books and by the twelve minor Prophets which make up but one Book The third Class comprehends those Books that are usually called the Hagiographa or Holy Scriptures the first
Gold What Care would you take to watch them that nothing of them should be lost What Precaution then ought we to use to keep the least Crum of a thing that is infinitely more dear and precious than Gold and Diamonds from falling down After you have thus communicated of the Body of Jesus Christ approach to the Cup of his Blood not by stretching sorth your hands but by bowing your selves as it were to Adore him and do him Homage and then say Amen Then Sanctifie your selves by the Touch of the Blood of Jesus Christ which you receive and while your Lips are wet dry them with your hand and carry it immediately to your Eyes your Forehead and your other Organs of sense to consecrate them In a word while you wait for the last Prayer of the Priest return thanks to God that he has made you worthy to partake of so great and so sublime Mysteries I shall not stay to make all the Reflections upon these Passages which have been already made by the most able Defenders of the Church being perswaded that the Plainness of these words exceeds all that can be said and that Men need only Eyes to convince them that St. Cyril taught the Real Presence and to make them acknowledge that the Ceremonies of the Mass are very ancient in the Church We have a Letter of St. Cyril to Constantius upon the Wonderful Apparition of a Luminous Cross which was seen over the City of Jerusalem mention'd by Sozomen in Ch. 4. of the 4th Book of his History where he also observes That the Emperour was advertis'd of it by St. Cyril In this Letter he gives great Commendations to the Emperour Constantius he says That the Cross of Jesus Christ was found in the time of the Emperour Constantine he describes the Apparition of the Sign of the Cross and concludes with glorifying the Consubstantial Trinity Rivet rejects also this Letter as a Supposititious Writing and gives no other Reason for his Opinion but the great Praises which it gives to the Emperour Constantius Nazianzen commends Constantius in his Invectives against Julian in as high terms as 't is possible and yet they were never questioned But this is not a sufficient Proof since we commonly speak so to Princes and St. Athanasius and St. Hilary did not use to do otherwise even after this Emperour had declar'd himself more openly against the Faith of the Church For this Letter if it is true was written a little after St. Cyril was Bishop of Jerusalem We have also a Letter of the Presentation of Jesus Christ in the Temple which goes under the Name of St. Cyril of Jerusalem and nothing hinders us to attribute it to him But we cannot say this of the Letter written in the Name of St. Cyril of Jerusalem to St. Augustin concerning the Miracles of St. Jerom. Though this Letter were not so ridiculously written as it is the Title alone would show that it is a gross imposture since St. Cyril was dead before St. Jerom. The Stile of St. Cyril's Catechetick Lectures is Simple and Natural 'T is easie to perceive that they were written in hast and without much Premeditation Though they do not dive deeply into the Mysteries yet they explain them very clearly and they contain much Learning One may see there upon every Subject a most exact and exquisite Collection of Passages of Scripture He sets down the Opinions of the Hereticks and refutes them solidly He makes very Judicious Remarks and explains many Passages of Scripture I say nothing particularly of his Doctrine because it is sufficiently explain'd in the Extracts which we have taken out of his Lectures Joannes Grodecius was the First who translated and publish'd the Catechetical Discourses of St. Cyril from a Greek Manuscript of Cardinal Hosius the Pope's Legat at the Council of Trent They were printed in the Year 1564. at Antwerp and at Paris In the Year 1560. at Vienna and in 1584. at Paris The Original Greek appear'd quickly after the Latin Version for Morellus printed the 11 first Catechetical Discourses and the Five last in the Year 1564 from a Manuscript out of Monsieur de Mesmes's Library They were also printed with a Latin Translation in the same Year at Cologne 1564. But at last Prevotius having found the Greek of all the Catechetical Discourses of St. Cyril in the Manuscripts of the Vatican Library he printed them at Paris by Morellus in the Year 1609. This Volume is in Quarto and the Version of Grodecius in one Page answering to the Greek Text in the other 'T was this Edition which was follow'd by that of Paris in the Year 1631. The Letter concerning the Sign of the Cross was printed apart by Morellus and since joyn'd to the Catechetical Discourses of St. Cyril The Oration concerning the Presentation of Jesus Christ was printed at Cologne by Birchmannus in the Year 1598. These Discourses are all in the Bibliothecae Patrum St. EPHREM the Syrian Deacon of Edessa ST EPHREM was of Nisibis a City of Syria or of some place thereabout He was Born under the Reign of Constantine he embrac'd a Monastick Life from his most tender Youth and St. Ephrem the Syrian Deacon of Edessa became in a little time the Governor and Superior of many Monks Coming often to Edessa to visit the Church of that City he was there ordain'd Deacon He came also as far as Caesarea of Cappadocia where he was known and very well receiv'd by St. Basil who had a most particular esteem for him 'T is said That this Saint taught him Greek and that he conferr'd upon him the Order of Priesthood but this Report is not very certain since the Ancients assure us that he died a Deacon Sozomen tells us That when he was chosen Bishop of a City he feign'd himself to be Mad lest they should carry him away by force and ordain him against his Will I shall say nothing here of his Piety his Charity his Humility the Austerity of his Life nor of his other Christian and Religious Vertues no more than of his remarkable Actions and his Miracles because those things do not concern my Subject I shall only apply my self to speak of his Writings which were so famous according to the Testimony of St. Jerom that they were publickly read in some Churches after the Reading of the Holy Books and which were so numerous that the whole World was full of them He wrote them in Syriack and they were translated into Greek in his own time Sozomen observes That though he had never studied yet he had so many Beauties in his Stile and so many Sublime Thoughts that the Tracts of his Eloquence might be discern'd even in the Greek Translation and St. Jerom assures us That having read the Version of his Treatise concerning the Holy Spirit he perceiv'd in the Translation the Fineness of his Sublime Genius St. Gregory Nyssen who wrote a Panegyrick upon this Father insists chiefly
me how you durst undertake to give a new Exposition of them after those Great men You believed that those places which you explained were either clear or obscure If they were clear it is probable to use your own way of reasoning that they did understand them and if they are obscure and they did not well understand them it may be thought that you might be mistaken as well as they And lastly he makes himself sport with their Quarrelling with the good Bishop for reading his Translation of Jonas shewing that the occasion of it was ridiculous because the Question was about one single word only namely the term Gourd which he had rendred Ivy. This Letter is of the Year 404. S. Jerom being sometime without answering this Letter S. Augustin wrote to him that he was informed that he had received his Letters and expected an Answer and whereas there was a Discourse that he had sent a Book to Rome against S. Jerom he assures him that he had not This Letter is of the Year 402. It is here the Ninetieth S. Jerom in answer to it saith That he saw a Letter wherein he reproved a passage of his Commentary upon S. Paul and advised him to retract it but not being sure that this Letter was from him he had not answered it yet because he had been disturbed by the Sickness of Paula Afterwards he upbraids him for the Liberty he had taken and Taxes him with seeking after Glory by attacking Great men telling him that he ought to examine his own Strength and not compare himself with a Man that was grown old in Studying the Holy Scripture and much less provoke him to a Combat And at last deals with him as with one whom he did not much value and whom he judged not worthy of his Anger This Letter is of the Year 402. The Ninety second is written by S. Jerom with the same Spirit Again he complains that S. Augustin's Letter was published He writes him word that his Friends said that he had not Acted innocently in that particular but seemed to go about to establish his own Glory by the ruin of another Man's That if he would Dispute there were young and able Men at Rome of his own strength As for himself he might like a Veteran Soldier commend the Victories of others but not engage in the Fight That he would not so much as read his Books to find fault That he had seen nothing of his but his Soliloquies and some Commentaries upon the Psalms and that if he would examine them he could show him how he departed from the Exposition of ancient Authors This Letter is of the Year 403. S. Augustin having received both these Letters answered him with much Civility and Moderation yet without subscribing to his Opinions He speaks of the Quarrel which he had with Rufinus and laments that Division representing to him that he had not shewed that Meekness and Charity which he might have done This Letter is written very Artificially It is the Ninety third He directed it to Presidius to see it conveyed to S. Jerom as appears by the Ninety fifth S. Jerom contented with S. Augustin's Complements and Satisfaction writ to him some time after the Ninety sixth Letter whereby he excuses himself for having answered him and tells him that he earnestly desired there should be no more Disputes betwixt them S. Augustin having received this Letter by Firmus returned an Answer by the Ninety seventh Letter to what S. Jerom had written to satisfie his Requests and defended his Opinions with great Clearness and Moderation This Letter is here the Ninety seventh and was written as well as the foregoing in the Year 403. After this time there was no more said of the Questions that were betwixt them and they never writ to one another but with Civility This may be taken Notice of in the Letters we have already spoken of and in the Ninety fourth where S. Jerom thanketh S. Augustin for Dedicating and sending to him by Orosius the Books concerning the Origination of Souls and he tells him That he spake honourably of him in the Dialogue which he wrote against Pelagius This Letter is of the Year 406. The Ninety eighth is a Complement from S. Jerom to S. Augustin of the Year 397. The Ninty nineth Letter to Asella was written by S. Jerom at his going from Rome he defends himself very warmly from the false Rumours which his Calumniators had spread against him because of the Familiarity which he had had at Rome with some Roman Ladies This Letter he writ when he was Embarking to return into the East in 385. The Hundredth Letter is a Satyr against one Bonosus who had taken what S. Jerom had writ in general against all Vices as particularly designed against himself it is probably of the same time Erasmus's Edition which Dr. Cave follows calls him Bonasus which seems to be the truer Reading by the Letter it self wherein S Jerom quibbles upon his Name and plays upon his Nose and tells him That tho' his Name be lucky yet upon that Account he has no Reason to value himself with the foregoing The Hundred and first to Pammachius Concerning the best Method of translating is about the Translation which he made Two years before of S. Epiphanius's Letter to John of Jerusalem He was accused of not having done it faithfully To justifie himself he proves by the Examples of the best Translators both Ecclesiastical and Prophane that to translate well one is not to follow the words or terms but the Sence and Conceptions of his Author He saith that this Treatise was composed Two years after the Translation of S. Epiphanus's Letter of the Year 303 which shews that it is of 395. In the Hundred and second to Marcella he argues against those who accused him of corrupting the Text of the Gospel because he had corrected the faults of the Latin Translation according to the Greek Original and he reproveth those that found fault with him for blaming the Virgins frequenting Men's Company This Letter was written likewise sometime after his Departure from Rome in 385 or 386. These are S. Jerom's Letters and Treatises contained in the Second Volume The Third contains the Critical Letters and Works upon the Holy Scripture The First directed to Paulinus is not upon that Subject only for he exhorts him not only to the Reading of the Holy Scripture but also to retire and to vow Poverty But the Principal Subject of that Letter is Precepts and a Method which is to be observed both in Reading and understanding the Holy Scripture He shews at first that no Man ought to enter upon that Study without a Skilful Guide to shew him the Way He complains that all other Arts and Sciences are exercised by none but Men of that Profession but that every one pretends to be Skill'd in the understanding of the Scriptures To shew that Men are deceived and that the Scripture is not so easily
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
last Persecution Patara in Lycia and afterwards of Tyre in Palaestine who suffered Martyrdom at Chalcis a City of Greece towards the end of Dioclesian's Persecution in the Year 302. or 303. composed in a clear elaborate Style a large Work against Porphyrius the Philosopher an excellent Treatise about the Resurrection against Origen another about the Pythonyssa against the same a Book Entituled The Banquet of Virgins one about Free-Will Commentaries upon Genesis and the Canticles and several other Pieces that were extant in St. Jerome's Methodius time At present besides The Banquet of Virgins that was published entire not long ago by Possinus a Jesuit we have several considerable Fragments of this Author cited by St. Epiphanius and Photius and others found in Manuscripts and collected together by Father Combesis who has Printed them together with the Works of Amphilochius and Andreas Cretensis But afterwards Possinus found The Banquet of Virgins entire in a Manuscript belonging to the Vatican Library and Translated it into Latin and sent it into France where it was Printed in the Year 1657. Revised and Corrected by another Manuscript We cannot doubt that this is the true genuine Work of Methodius as well because it carries all the Marks of Antiquity in it that a Book can possibly have as also because it contains Word for Word all the Passages that Photius has cited out of this Work of Methodius and another place cited by St. Gregory Nyssen 'T is written by way of Dialogue in which he introduces a Woman named Gregorium who tells her Friend Eubulus all the Conversation that passed in a Meeting of Ten Virgins which she learnt of Theopatra It was composed by Methodius in imitation of a certain Book very much resembling it written by Plato and Entituled The Banquet of Socrates After that Gregorium and Eubulus have exchanged the usual Complements and Gregorium has given a short Description of the Place where these Ten Virgins were assembled she feigns that Arete in whose Garden they were met requests each of them to make a Discourse upon Virginity which she repeats one after the other The First is that of Marcella who enlarges very much upon the Greatness and Excellence of Virginity She makes it appear how choice a thing Virginity is and that it is a difficult thing to preserve it amidst so many Thousand Temptations we meet with That it is necessary to meditate incessantly upon the Holy Scripture in order to keep it unspotted and undefiled That Virginity was scarce so much as known under the ancient Law when Men were permitted to Marry even their own Sisters and to take several Wives But that God by little and little has taught Men in the first place to preserve their Chastity and afterwards to embrace Virginity That Jesus Christ came into the World to instruct them in this Virtue by the Influence of his own Example that he is the Prince of Virgins as well as the Prince of Pastors that the Company of Virgins has the first place in his Kingdom though they are the least in number And this she justifies by a Passage out of the Revelations Chap. the 14th Since this Conversation of Marcella might seem to throw some Dis-reputation upon the Sanctity of Marriage Theophila proves in the second place that Jesus Christ in making the great Excellencies of Virginity known to the World did not design thereby to banish Marriage and entirely abolish so Sacred an Institution She says That the Ecstasie of Adam denotes and signifies the Passion of Marriage that God is the Author of Generation and that he forms the Infants that come into the World Here Marcella interrupts the Series of her Discourse and enquires of her How it comes to pass if Infants are conceived and born by the Will of God that he permits the Children of Adulterers to come into the World that these Children thrive and are often more perfect in their Body and Mind and also become better Christians than others That nevertheless Experience daily acquaints us with the truth of this Assertion so that we ought to understand this Saying in the Scripture The Children of Adulteterers shall be consumed by Fire only of those that corrupt the Word of God Theophila returns this Answer to the Obejction That God is not the Author of Adulterers though he forms the Infants that are born of such Copulations and this she illustrates by the Example of a Man that makes Earthen Vessels in a place enclosed with four Walls full of Holes through which he is furnished with Clay of which he makes his Work Now if those that serve him are mistaken in taking one hole for another and it so happen that his Work is not such as it ought to be the fault would lie neither in the Workman himself nor in the Clay but in those that had made a wrong Application of the matter That after the same manner we ought not to cast the Sin of Adulterers either upon God that makes Men or upon the Matter of which they are made or upon the Power that is given to Men to beget Children but upon the wicked Inclinations of those Persons that use these things in a dishonest manner that every thing in the World is really Good in it self but becomes Ill through the ill use and management of it She continues afterwards to prove by the admirable Beauty and Harmony that so visibly appears in the Contexture of our Bodies that God is the Author of them She observes that all Infants even those that are begotten in Adultery have their tutelar Angels to guard them immediately after their Conception that the Soul is in its Nature immortal that it is not generated by our Parents but proceeds from God who inspireth it In short after she has thus answered this Objection she concludes That it is permitted for Men to Marry though Virginity is a more perfect State than Marriage The Third Discourse goes under the Name of Thalia who applies the words of Adam to his Wife in Genesis to our Blessed Saviour Jesus Christ and his Church and following the Opinion of the Apostle she adds That the Word was the Wisdom of God who existing before all Ages communicated himself after a very particular manner to the first Man but that Man having violated and transgressed the Commandments of God became Mortal and Corruptible and that it was necessary for the Word to make himself Man to deliver him from the Curse and Tyranny he had rendred himself obnoxious to and save him from Corruption by his own Death and Resurrection That it is upon this account that the Son of God came into the World to unite himself to the Church as to his Spouse which through this means became his Flesh and his Botie that he died for her that he purified her by Baptism and by his Holy Spirit that these words Increase and Multiply are accomplished and fulfilled every day in the Church which encreases in Greatness and
Beauty by the Communication of the Word and by the Union it maintains with him that Catechumens are as it were Infants that are as yet in their Mothers Belly that being perfectly instructed they are born through Baptism and at last become perfect full grown Men that we ought not therefore to abuse these Words and employ them to oppose Virginity to which St. Paul exhorts the Fiathful not allowing Marriage it self and second Marriages in particular but as a Remedy for Incontinence like one that should desire a Person that is Sick and Indisposed to eat on a Fast-day and say to him It were to be wished that you were able to East as all of us have done to day for you know eating is forbidden but since you are sick it is expedient for you to eat that you may not die In the Fourth Discourse that goes under the Name of Theopatra it is maintained That nothing is more efficacious than Virginity to make a Man enter again into Paradise and enjoy a blessed Immortality In the Fifth Thalusa endeavours to demonstrate That the most excellent Gift we can present to God and the most worthy of Him is to embrace Virginity and she gives several Cautions and Advertisments to Virgins how to preserve their Virginity without Spot or Blemish Agatha that manages the Conference after Thalusa undertakes to prove in the Sixth Discourse that Virginity â—â—ght to be accompanied with Vertue and good Works and to this purpose she explains the Parable of the Ten Virgins Procilla afterwards begins the Seventh Discourse wherein she shews the Excellency of Virginity because of all Vertues this is that which has the Honour to be the Spouse of Jesus Christ. She explains a a certain place out of the Sixth Chapter of the Canticles ver 7. and 8. There are threescore Queens and fourscore Concubines and Virgins without number My dove my undefiled is but one Thecla assuming the Discourse after this observes That the Greek word that signifies Virginity only by adding one Letter to it denotes an Union with God and a frequentation of Heavenly Things She takes occasion from tâ—…ce to show That Virginity elevates us up to Heaven and makes us despise the Vanity of things below and having cited a place in the Revelations Chap. 12. concerning a Woman that is there described she explains it of the Church In short after she has drawn some Allegories from Numbers she exhorts all Virgins to persevere in their Virginity and to resist the Attacks of the Serpent that is to say the Temptations of the Devil From thence she launches out into other matter and shows that Men are free Agents and that they are not necessitated to do good or ill by the Insâ—…ences and Configurations of the Stars deâ—iding the Effects that the Astrologers attribute to the Constellations because of their Names For says she if there was any such thing as fatal Necessity from the beginning of the World it was â—o no purpose for God to place the Stars of Men and the Stars of Beasts in order and that if there was not a necessity at that time wherefore should God establish it since the World was then in its full perfection and in a time which they called the Golden Age She afterwards demonstrates That if we were necessitated by the Fatality of our Nativity under such and such a Constellation it would follow that God who is the Author of the Stars and of their Motion and Disposition would likewise be the Author of Sin and Iniquity She adds That Laws being contrary to things that are done by a fatal Necessity it is impossible that these Laws should be made by mere Fatality For says she it is not to be supposed that this Fatality would destroy it self Now if those that had a share in making these Laws were not subject to this fatal Necessity why should we not pass the very same Judgment upon others Besides if such a Fatality really took place it would be Injustice either to recompence the Good or punish the Bad or rather there would be neither Good nor Evil in the World since every one would be constrained to Good or Evil. Afterwards to explain the Cause of Evil she says There are two contrary Motions in us one of which is called the Concupiscence of the Flesh the other the Concupiscence of the Spirit that This is the Original of all Good and the Other the Cause of all Evil. After this Tysians taking up the Discourse explains in the Ninth Discourse a place of Leviticus V. 36. Chap. 23 where mention is made of the Feast of the Seventh Month that is to say the Fifteenth of September which is the Scenopegia or Feast of Tabernacles She reprehends the Jews for stopping at the bare Letter of Scripture without penetrating into the hâ—dden mysterious Sence and for taking the Figures of things to come as Marks of things that were already past She instances in the Paschal Lamb which they did not comprehend to be a Type of Jesus Christ who at the Day of Judgment shall save Souls marked with his own Blood That the Law was the Figure of the Gospel That these Shadows and Representations are no more but that we shall have a perfect Knowledge of all things when we shall be raised up from the Dead That Man was created Immortal but that his Sin causing him to incline towards the Earth God made him Mortal lest he should continue a Sinner everlastingly That for this reason he separated the Soul from the Body that so the Sin which is in the Body being dead and destroyed he might raise it up again immortal and delivered from the tyranny of Sin That we ought to adorn this Body which may be called a Tabernacle with Faith with Charity Vertue and particularly with Chastity That those that live chastly in the state of Marriage adorn it in part but not so perfectly as those that have made a Profession of Virginity That those Persons who have thus adorned and set out the Tabernacle of their Bodies in this Life shall enjoy after the Resurrection a Thousand Years of Repose and Felicity upon the Earth with Jesus Christ that afterwards they shall follow him to Heaven and that this is the promised Beatitude in which there shall be no more Tabernacles that is to say in which our Bodies shall be changed and become incorruptible and Men shall be made like Angels Lastly Domnina to show the Excellency of Virginity falls into a very obscure Allegory upon a place of Scripture taken out of the Book of Judges After her Harangue is ended Arete assuming the Discourse tells them That to be truly a Virgin it is not sufficient barely to preserve and keep Continence of Body but that it is likewise necessary to purifie ones self from all Sensual Desires That we actually dishonour and fully Virginity when we abandon our selves to Pride or permit a Spirit of Vanity to possess us because we have preserved our Bodies
we read of none that there was at this time In Answer to the 1st Objection it may be said that the Figures are wrong or rather that we must count the 36 Years from the 1st Synod held by Alexander against the Arians 'T is more easy to answer the 2d by saying That the Arian Bishops might make a Creed when they sent George besides that Athanasius says onely that he heard say they had made one and not that they had done it Be it as it will this 1st Treatise against the Arians is a Letter to the Bishops of Egypt which has nothing of Affinity with the Subject and Matter of the other Four The Oration that follows begins as a new Discourse and St. Cyril cites a Passage out of the 3d. Book of Athanasius concerning the Trinity which is found in that which is now call'd the 4th and Theodoret cites one taken out of the Second which is now in the 3d. Treatise upon the Persecution which the Christians of Alexandria suffer'd when George took Possession of that Episcopal See The First which was address'd to the Bishops of Egypt is improperly call'd The first Discourse against the Arians The Second is written to all the Orthodox Bishops A little time after he compos'd his Two Apologies in the place of his Retirement 'T is likewise very probable that he wrote at that time his Four Treatises against the Arians which he address'd to the Monks as we learn from the beginning of his Letter to Serapion concerning the Death of Arius His Letter to those that lead a Monastick Life is made up of two different Pieces The First is a Letter written to the Monks which is a kind of Preface to some Treatise against the Arians and may be so to that which follows it contains about a Page and a half and ends at these words in Page 810. Gratia Domini Jesu Christi sit vobiscum Amen The following Treatise which was address'd to those that lead a Monastick Life is a History of all that pass'd from the beginning of Arianism to the fall of Hosius and Liberius i. e. to the Year 358. There are some Periods in the beginning which are lost that not only this Treatise has no Connexion with the Letter that precedes it but also there is no Sence in the beginning of it And I am astonish'd to think that so many able Men should read this Book without perceiving or at least without observing it The Letter to Serapion concerning the Death of Arius was written after the Treatise which is directed to those that lead a Monastick Life as appears by the beginning of it The Book of Synods was compos'd in 359 u The Book of Synods was compos'd in 359. This is evident because he does not finish the History of the Council of Ariminum concluding with the Nomination of the 1st Deputies which were sent to the Emperor and at the End he adds the Letter of Constantius and the generous Answer of the Bishops which he had learn'd afterwards He speaks always of that Council as a thing present and with Commendation and he says nothing more of what pass'd at Constantinople after the Council of Seleucia This Book is probably that which St. Jerom says St. Athanasius had Written against Ursacius and Valens unless we should rather say that it was a Work subjoin'd to his Letter to those that lead a Monastick Life before the Councils of Seleucia and Ariminum were ended He afterwards added in this Book what concerns the Council of Constantinople in 360 and what is there said concerning the Death of Constantius The two Latin Letters which are at the End of the Works of Lucifer Calaritanus were also written under Constantius The Letter of the Council of Alexandria to those of Antioch was written after the Death of that Emperour in 362 the Letter of the Council of Antioch under Jovian was written in 363 That which is directed to all the Bishops of Egypt and Arabia Syria and Phoenicia was written in 368 under the Reign of Valens as well as that which is directed to the Africans x As well as that which is directed to the Africans This is to the Bishops of the Western Africa and not to those of Cyrenaick as Baronius thought who says that these Letters were written under the Pontificate of Damascus And the Letter to Epictetus was written last y And the Letter to Epictetus was written last He observes in this Letter that Auxentius and the other Arians were anathematiz'd by the Councils of France Spain and Rome St. Cyril says that it was corrupted but that which we now have agrees with that which is related by the Emperor There are besides many other Works of St. Athanasius of which the Chronology is not known which it concerns us to distinguish well from those that are doubtful or supposititious These Works are in the First Volume The Homily upon these Words My Father hath given me all things p. 149. The Epistle to Adelphius p. 155. That to Maximus p. 162. Two Letters to Serapion to prove that the Son and the Holy Spirit are not Creatures p. 166 and 173. An Exposition of the Faith p. 240. A Letter concerning the History of the Decision of the Council of Nice p. 248. A Letter of the Judgment of Dionysius of Alexandria upon the Trinity p. 548. A Treatise of the Union of the Humane Nature to the Word which is cited by Theodoret under the Name of A Book against the Arians p. 595. Two Books of the Incarnation against Apollinarius p. 614 633. A Treatise against the Followers of Sabellius p. 650. An Epistle to John and to Antiochus p. 951. An Epistle to Palladius p. 952. An Epistle to Dracontius p. 955. An Epistle to Marcellinus concerning the Interpretation of the Psalms p. 959. The Homily of the Sabbath and Circumcision p. 964. A Treatise upon the Words of Jesus Christ Whosoever shall be guilty of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this World nor in that which is to come p. 970. In the Second Volume there are few of his Genuine Works but here follow those which we own Two Letters to Serapion concerning the Divinity of the Holy Spirit p. 10 and 16. A short Discourse against the Arians p. 22. The Conferences of St. Athanasius with the Arians in the presence of Jovian from p. 27 to p. 29. An Epistle to Ammon p. 35. A Fragment of one p. 39. A Festival Epistle p. 38. An Epistle to Russinian p. 40. A Book of the Abridgment of the Holy Scripture p. 55. All these Works whereof some are cited by the Ancients agree well enough with the Style of St. Athanasius and they contain nothing in my Opinion which gives just cause to suspect them of Forgery z Which gives just cause to suspect them of Forgery Yet there is some Doubt of some of those Works which are mention'd in this Place but the Conjectures which
Letter to Palladius he commends him for being Orthodox and approves of his staying with Innocent He rebukes those Monks that would not obey St. Basil but praises this Bishop saying he was the Glory of the Church for he contended for the Truth and taught those that needed Instruction and none could be good Catholicks that had any Dispute with him He adds That he had written to his Monks to obey him as their Father and that they were to blame for complaining of him Probably 't was about the Question of the Hypostases that the Monks had some Dispute with St. Basil. After we have spoken of his Historical Works let us now come to the Dogmatical The First of these are the two Treatises against the Gentiles whereof the Second is now entituled Of the Incarnation In the First of these two Books he Opposes Idolatry and Establishes the Worship of the true God he discovers the source of Idolatry that it comes from the Corruption of Man's Heart who being created after the Image of God fell under the guilt of Adam's Sin and inherited from him an unhappy Inclination to Sin which the Will does very often follow though it be free to resist it From this Principle he concludes in the first place against the Hereticks That 't is not necessary there should be two Principles or two Gods one Good the Author of Good and another Evil the Author of Evil. He refutes this Impious Opinion by Reason and Authority and concludes that Sin is not a Substance but that it entred into the World by the Fall of the First Man He observes that this is the source of all Idolatry that Men being faln from their first Estate do no longer raise their Heart and Spirit to things Spiritual but fix them on things Terrestrial and Sensible He refutes afterwards the different kinds of Idolatry and shows that we ought not to Worship nor Acknowledge for Divinities either the Gods of the Poets or the World or any part of it After he has thus overthrown all kinds of Idolatry he establishes the Existence and Worship of the true God He demonstrates that God may be known by the Light of Nature 1. From our selves that 's to say by Reflexion upon our own Thoughts that he is neither Corporeal nor Mortal 2. From the Beauty of the Universe which discovers the Existence of him as the Cause of it Then he shows that this God is the Father of Jesus Christ and that he created all things and governs them by his Word The Second Treatise against the Gentiles is that which is entituled Of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ because there he treats of that Mystery For explaining the Causes of it he goes back as far as the Beginning of the World and proves that it was not made by chance nor fram'd of an Eternal Matter but that God the Father created it by his Word After this he speaks of the Fall of Man who being created after the Image of God addicted himself to things corruptible and perishing and so became the Cause of his own Misery and Corruption He says that the Fall of Man was the cause of the Incarnation of the Word because God pitying Man resolv'd to send his Son to Save him and to give him the means of obtaining that Immortality which he had lost Upon this Principle he founds the Necessity of the Incarnation of the Word which he proves First Because the Son being the Essential Image of his Father there was none but he that could render Man like to God as he was before his Fall 2. Because as the Word is the Reason and Wisdom of his Father there is none but he can teach Men and undeceive them of their Errors From the Causes of the Incarnation he passes to its Effects and after he has described the Graces which the Word has merited for Mankind by his Incarnation he speaks of his Death and shows that he was to die as he did by the Torments of the Cross that by his Death he might conquer Death both in himself and us Lastly He proves the Resurrection of Jesus Christ by the wonderful Effects that follow'd his Death and by the contempt of Death wherewith it inspir'd his Disciples After he has thus explain'd the Doctrine of Christians he refutes the Jews and Pagans the former by proving from the Prophets that Jesus is the Messias promis'd in the Old Testament and the latter from the Miracles of Jesus Christ from the destruction of Idolatry and the Establishment of the Doctrine of the Gospel which though contrary to the Lusts and Passions of Men was entertain'd without difficulty and in a little time by the greatest part of the World He concludes these Discourses with an Advertisement to his Friend Macarius to whom they are directed That he should have recourse to the Holy Scripture which is the Fountain from whence these things are drawn to which he adds this Remark that for the better understanding of it we should lead a Life like to that of the Authors of these holy Books St. Athanasius wrote but two Treatises against the Gentiles for his other Dogmatical Treatises are either about the Trinity or the Incarnation The Four Discourses against the Arians are the chief of his Dogmatical Works In the First which is call'd the Second he convicts the Sect of the Arians of Heresie for which end he first makes use of an Argument which he employs against all Hereticks which is the Novelty of their Sect and the Name which it bears Then he explains their Doctrine and proves that 't is Impious full of Blasphemies and comes near to that of the Jews and Gentiles Lastly He refutes their Reasons and clears up a great many difficulties which they propose against the Doctrine of the Church In the Second Treatise which is the Third in the common Editions he explains some of the Passages which the Arians alledge to prove that the Son is a Creature and insists chiefly upon that in Chap. 8. of the Proverbs The Lord hath created me in the beginning of his ways c. He says towards the end That the Arians run a hazard of having no true Baptism because to make this Sacrament valid 't is not sufficient to pronounce the words but we must also have a right understanding of them and a right Faith He adds That if the Baptism of other Hereticks who pronounce the same words be null and void because they have not a true Faith 't is to be thought that we ought to give the same Judgment of the Baptism of the Arians who are become the worst of all Hereticks These words of St. Athanasius shew That in his time those that had been Baptiz'd by Hereticks were Rebaptiz'd in the Church of Alexandria though they had been Baptiz'd in the Name of the Trinity In the Third Discourse which is reckon'd for the Fourth he proves That the Father and the Son have but one and the same Substance and one
also some Religious to continue with Zeal in their Vocation and exhorts those that were separated from the Society of others to a Re-Union Gennadius says that there were Three Letters on this Subject but we have only one Extant which concerns the Assembly of Monks at Easter and that as we have already said is in the Abbot of Anian's Code The MACARII THere are several Hermits of this Name that liv'd much about the same time and who are easily confounded if one does not take heed The First is he that dwelt in the Desart of Sceta and The Macarii liv'd in the time of St. Pachomius and Orsiesis and was Evagrius's Master He was an Abbot in Egypt and his Feast is kept on the 15th of January He was call'd the Young Old-man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he had in his Youth the Judgment and Gravity of an Old-man The Second Macarius Abbot in Thebais was the Disciple of St. Pachomius and his Feast is kept on the 12th of January 'T is commonly believed That the First of these Macarii was the Disciple and Interpreter of St. Anthony mention'd by St. Jerom in the Life of Paul the Hermit But Possinus the Jesuit maintains with great probability that the Disciple of St. Anthony was different from both these two and he proves it because he was one of these two Disciples who stay'd with St. Anthony in his Solitude Fifteen Years and interr'd him which cannot be said of the First Macarius who died in 390 after he had been 60 Years a Monk of Sceta There is yet a 4th Macarius a Monk as well as the other three but Younger than they who wrote at Rome about the beginning of the 5th Century a Treatise against the Mathematicians This is he to whom Ruffinus address'd his Apology for Origen and of whom St. Jerom says to Ruffinus in his 2d Apology If you had not come from the East this able Man had been still among the number of Mathematicians And in his 16th Letter He had been Truly Macarius that 's to say Blessed if he had not met with such a Master There are many Books which bear the Name of Macarius and 't is not known to which of the three they belong These are First Fifty Greek Homilies translated by Picus printed at Paris in Octavo in the Year 1559 and printed since in Folio in the Year 1623 with St. Gregory Thaumaturgus There is also an Edition in Octavo printed at Francfort in 1594 with the Translation of Zacharias Palthenius and they are inserted into the Bibliothecae Patrum Secondly Seven Tracts publish'd in Greek and Latin by the Jesuit Possinus in his Book entituled Thesaurus Asceticus or the Ascetical Treasure printed at Tholouse in the Year 1684. Thirdly A Rule publish'd by Roverius from a Manuscript of the Abby of Becco and in the Collection of the Abbot of Anian where there is also another Rule written by way of Dialogue between Serapion Paphnutius and the two Macarii which had been before publish'd at the End of Cassian in the Antwerp Edition of the Year 1578. Gennadius assures us That Macarius the Egyptian i. e. the Elder who was a Monk of Sceta wrote only one Letter to the young Monks wherein he teaches that Man can perfectly serve God when knowing his Nature he does voluntarily embrace all sorts of Labour and resists all that is most Charming in this Life to try the Aids that God has given him and in short when by keeping himself pure he arrives to that degree of Continence that it becomes as it were natural to him The Subject of this Letter comes near to those Principles which are found in the Tracts Greek Sermons that bear the Name of Macarius which would make me believe that they were his if Gennadius had not assur'd us that Macarius the Egyptian wrote but one Letter only which he mentions We must therefore say either that Gennadius was mistaken or that he intended another Macarius or lastly That the Author of these Works was that Macarius who was the Disciple and Interpreter of St. Anthony supposing with Possinus that he was not Macarius the Egyptian However The 50 Homilies appear to me to be very Ancient they are Exhortations to the Religious and not Sermons to the People The First contains an Allegorical Explication of the Vision of the Cherubims related by Ezekiel which he applies to the state of Man's Soul in this Life The 2d is of the Kingdom of Darkness that is to say of Sin from which he maintains That Man could not be deliver'd but by the Grace of Jesus Christ and by the Gifts of the Holy Spirit In the 3d. He recommends to the Brethren to live in Peace not to condemn one another to pray continually and to purifie their outward Man by fighting against the Temptations of the Flesh and the Devil He says in this Homily That 't is in our power to resist and fight but God only can pluck up Sin by the Roots And that as a Man cannot See without Light Speak without a Tongue Hear without Ears Walk without Feet Labour without Hands no more can a Man be Sav'd without Jesus Christ. In the 4th he shows That in order to Improvement in Vertue we must renounce the World that we may obtain the Love of the Holy Spirit which is absolutely necessary for the Sanctification of Mankind He teaches in this Homily That Angels and Souls are very thin and subtile Bodies which was an Error very common among the Ancient Monks In the 5th he describes the difference between the Life of this World and that of Christians The 6th is of Prayer where he says That it should be made in silence with Peace and Tranquility That we must not throw forth confused Cries but having God before our Eyes we must pray with Attention and with a Mind full of holy Thoughts At the end of this Exhortation there are two Questions and Answers touching some passages concerning the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. The 7th and 8th are Questions and Answers about many Difficulties All which shew That these are not Homilies to the People but the Exhortations of an Abbot to his Regulars who had propos'd to him the Difficulties they might meet with to be resolv'd in them There are some of these Questions more curious than solid and the Answers are often very Mystical Those of the 8th are about Prayer In the 9th he shows That none can deliver himself from Temptations but by fixing his Mind entirely upon God In the 10th he says That though a Man be improv'd in Vertue yet he ought to consider himself as one that has done nothing and then he ought to reach forth after God with greater fervour lest he lose the Holy Spirit by Pride or Laziness The 11th and 12th contain very obscure Reflexions concerning the Fall of Mankind and the Mercies of Jesus Christ and in the latter part there are Questions and Answers of very little use In
the 13th he says That since the coming of Jesus Christ God requires of Men greater Holiness than before In the 14th he discourses of the Reward of Christians The 15th has no particular Subject It begins with a Reflexion upon the Obligation that lies upon Christians to honour Jesus Christ with Purity and Faithfulness and after this it contains many Questions whereof the First is concerning the Resurrection viz. If a Man shall rise with all his Members and the rest concerning Concupiscence and the Inclination to Sin that is found in all Men. He is of opinion That 't is a kind of Fire kindled in a Man which inflames as one may say all his Parts That a Man may resist it but that to do it aright he must watch continually over himself and always fight against it He says That those who resist their Passions receive the Holy Spirit and the Grace which Jesus Christ has merited for them but they ought to take good heed that they be not lifted up with Pride and that they continue in Humility and Contempt of themselves as being accountable to Jesus Christ for the Grace they have received and capable of falling from that State of Holiness in which they are unless they preserve themselves in it by the vertue of Humility which he calls the Sign and infallible Mark of a Christian. In the 16th he says That a Man ought always to live in Fear because he is always expos'd to Temptations That even those that have not yet received Grace ought so to behave themselves as to do Good and forsake Evil by Natural Motives but those who have receiv'd it need not such kind of Motives because this Grace producing Love in their Hearts makes that become sweet and pleasant which appear'd rough and uneasie and makes that appear easie which was thought before to be impossible In the 17th he treats of the Spiritual Unction and the state of the more Perfect Christians and makes it appear that notwithstanding any Holiness they have acquir'd they ought always to fear because they are always in a Capacity of falling away In the 18th he declares the marvellous Effects of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Soul of a Spiritual Man In the 19th he explains the degrees through which a Man ought to pass to acquire Perfection That he ought first to use his utmost natural endeavours to do Good and then God seeing him strive after this manner gives him the Grace of Prayer by which means he obtains all Vertues In the 20th he says That none but Jesus Christ can cure the Soul that 's wounded by the Sin of Adam and therefore we must address our selves to him by Prayer that he would give us his Grace The 21st is of the War that Men are oblig'd to make against their Vices and their Passions In the 22d he describes the terrible difference between the latter End of the Just and the Wicked and says that at the hour of Death the Souls of the Just are received by Angels and conducted to the Lord but those of the Wicked are encompass'd by Devils who draw them down with themselves to Hell The 23d is of the Victory which a Christian ought to gain over his Passions The 24th is of the Necessity of the Grace and Influence of the Holy Spirit to make us capable and worthy of Eternal Life He continues the same Subject in the 25th wherein after he has prov'd that we cannot shun all the occasions of Sin nor resist all our Passions without the assistance of the Grace of Jesus Christ he makes a lively Representation of the state of the Men of this World and describes the wonderful Effects which the Coelestial Fire of the Holy Spirit produces in our Souls The 26th contains many Questions and Answers concerning the Temptations of the Devil and the Effects of Grace The Author there teaches That Man is restor'd to his Primitive Dignity by the Holy Spirit That the Devil cannot tempt us any further than God permits him That Grace changes the Affections of the Heart That the Devil knows some part of our Thoughts but there are others unknown to him That Grace and Charity have no Bounds and we ought never to say that we have arriv'd at the highest degree of Perfection That the Soul goes immediately after Death to that place on which its Love was plac'd during this Life That the Good which may be done by Natural Strength can never Save a Man without the Grace of Jesus Christ That we ought always to attribute to him all the Good we do and to say If God had not assisted us we should neither have Fasted nor Prayed nor forsaken the World And that God seeing us attribute to him the Actions which may be done by our Natural Powers has liberally bestow'd upon us the Spiritual Heavenly and Divine Gifts of his Grace That the Actions which are done without Grace may be Good but they are not Perfect In the 27th after he has first consider'd the Dignity of a Christian he then Answers to many Questions about the Effects of Grace He says That no Man shall ever arrive at the top of Perfection in this World That whatever state they are in whatever Grace they have they are always capable of sinning That the strongest Grace does not hinder the Will from following after Evil because the Nature of Man as long as he is in this World is changeable and that though God has bestow'd very singular Grace upon Christians they ought nevertheless to work out their own Salvation with Fear and Trembling In the 28th he deplores the state of that Soul where Jesus Christ dwells not at all because of Sin In the 29th he says That God gives his Grace after two different manners That he prevents some with it before they have us'd their own endeavours and bestows it upon others after they have labour'd a long time and then he shows what Reason we have to admire the Goodness and Wisdom of the Divine Conduct both towards the one and the other In the 30th he shows That if the Holy Spirit does not produce within us the Love of God we cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven In the 31st he Exhorts Men to Prayer That they may obtain the change and renovation of their Heart In the 32d he says That we cannot certainly know whether we be in a state of Grace as long as we are in this World because we are always tormented with the Motions of Lust but at the Day of Judgment those who belong to God shall be made known The 33d is of the Attention and Fervour we ought to have in Prayer The 34th is of Eternal Glory The 35th is of the state of a Soul which God has deliver'd from Evil Thoughts which he calls a New Sabbath The 36th is of their different degrees of Glory who shall rise again from the Dead In the 37th he proves That many who have thought themselves Just were
Commentaries and that he added many things of his own as the same St. Jerom has also observ'd We have his Commentaries upon St. Matthew we have also more of his Commentaries upon the Psalms than St. Jerem had seen for this Father mentions only the Commentaries upon the 1st and 2d Psalms upon the 51st and those that follow until the 62d and upon the 118th and those that follow unto the last and we have besides thâ—se Commentaries the Commentaries upon the 14th and 15th Psalms and upon the 63 64 65 66 67 68 Psalms which bear the Name of St. Hilary and are written in his Stile But we have none of his Commentaries upon Job which are cited by St. Jerom whereof St. Austin relates a Passage in his 2d Book against Julian to prove Original Sin There was also attributed to him in St. Jerom's Time a Commentary upon the Canticles but this Father says that he had never seen it St. Jerom mentions also a Collection of Hymns compos'd by St. Hilary a Book Entituled Mysteries and many Letters I place not the Letter and Hymn to his Daughter Apra in the Number of St. Hilary's Works because I doubt not but these piâ—ces were the Work of him that wrote his Life which are not at all like this Father's way of Writing Some have attributed to him the Hymn Pange Lingua and that of St. John the Baptist Ut quâ—â—nt laxis but without any Ground The Books of the Unity of the Essence of the Father and the Son were Rhapsodies taken out of the Genuine Works of St. Hilary St. Jerom in his Apology to Pammachius speaks of a Book of St. Hilary address'd to Fortunatus which was concerning the Number Seven Some have confounded this Treatise with St. Cyprian's Books of Exhortation to Martyrdom being address'd to a Person of the same Name But that which St. Jerom attributes to St. Hilary must be different from those of St. Cyprian and therefore if there be no Mistake in this place of St. Jerom we must say that St. Hilary wrote a Treatise address'd to his Friend Fortunatus concerning the mysterious Significations of the Number Seven And this Work may very well be one of those Treatises of Mysteries which St. Jerom mentions in his Catalogue of Ecclesiastical Writers The Twelve Books of the Trinity compos'd by St. Hilary in Imitation of Quintilian's Books as St. Jerom has observ'd are an excellent Work which contains the Explication and the Proofs of this Mystery He has there establish'd the Faith of the Church in a demonstrative Manner he has clearly detected the Errors of the Hereticks refuted them solidly and answered all their Objections So that this is the largest and most methodical Work of any that we have in all Antiquity upon this Subject The First Book is a Preface to the Whole wherein he describes very pleasantly after what manner a Man arrives at Happiness and the Knowledge of the Truth and then gives an Account of the Subject of the Eleven following Books He begins with observing that Happiness does not consist in Abundance nor in Repose as common People imagine nor yet in the bare Knowledge of the First Principles of Good and Evil as many wise Men among the Pagans thought but in the Knowledge of the true God He adds that Man having an ardent Desire after this Knowledge meets with some Persons that give him low and mean Idea's unworthy of the Divinity Some would persuade him that there are many Gods of different Sexes Others take the Representations of Men of Beasts and Birds for Divinities Others acknowledge no God at all and some in short confess That there is a God but deny that he has any Knowledge or takes any Care of things here below But the Reason of a Man discovers these Notions to be false and so by the Light of Nature he comes to know That there can be but one God Almighty Eternal and Infinite who is in all places who Knows all things and Orders all things and afterwards by reading the Books of Mosâ—â— and the Prophets where he found these Truths explain'd he was fully convinc'd of them and studied with the greatest Application of mind to know this Sovereign Being who is the Fountain of all kind of Beauty and Perfection Neither did he stop here but upon further Enquiry he came to understand That 't was unworthy of God to suppose that Man to whom he had given so much Knowledge should be annihilated for ever for if this were true to what purpose would his Knowledge serve since Death would one Day deprive him of all Understanding But then as on the one side Reason discovers it to be fit that Man should be Immortal so on the other side the Sense of his present Weakness and the Apprehension of Death which he sees is unavoidable fill him with anxious Fears In this State he has recourse to the Gospel which perfects all the Knowledge he had before and resolves all the Doubts that yet remain with him There he learns That there is an Eternal Word the Son of God who was made Man and came into the World to communicate to it the Fulness of Grace and Truth This gives him hopes infinitely above all that he could have before for now he presently perceives the Excellency and Greatness of these Gifts by understanding That since the Son of God was made Man nothing can hinder but Men may become the Sons of God and so when a Man joyfully receives this Doctrine he perfects the Knowledge he had of the Divinity by the Knowledge of the Humanity of Jesus Christ. He renews his Spirit by Faith He acknowledges the Providence of one God over him and begins to be fully persuaded that he who created him will not annihilate him In short he understands That Faith is the only infallible means of coming to the Knowledge of the Truth That it rejects unprofitable Questions and resolves the captious Difficulties of humane Philosophy That it judges not of the Conduct of God according to the Thoughts of Men nor of that of Jesus Christ according to the Maxims of this World That 't was by this Faith whereof the Law was only a Shadow and Type that Jesus Christ having rais'd our Minds to that which is most Sublime and Divine prescrib'd to us instead of the Circumcision of the Flesh the Circumcision of the Spirit which consists in the Reformation of our Lives and the Renovation of our Hearts That as we die to Sin in Baptism that we may live a Spiritual and Immortal Life so Jesus Christ died for us that we might rise again together with him and so the Death of him who is Immortal procur'd Immortality to us Mortals Now when once the Soul is fully possess'd with these Thoughts she rests satisfied with this Hope without fearing Death or being wearied of Life For she considers Death as the beginning of Eternal Life and looks upon this present Life as the means of obtaining a happy Immortality
These are the Steps by which St. Hilary guides the minds of Men to the Knowledge of Happiness and Truth after he himself had arriv'd at it by the same Methods For he does not deliver these things as curious and profound Discourses which he had meditated in his Study but as the History of his own Thoughts which by degrees carried him on to a perfect Conversion Then he declares That afterwards being Ordain'd Bishop as his Office oblig'd him to take Care of the Salvation of others he preach'd the Truths of the Gospel And at last That the Heresy of the Arians who would judge of the Almighty Power of God by the weak Light of their own Reason had oblig'd him to undertake the Defence of the Truth and the Refutation of their Errors After he has in a few words Explain'd the Faith of the Church he admonishes the Reader above all things when he thinks of God to devest his Mind of the meanness of humane Opinions and to judge of God according to the Light of Faith and agreeable to the Testimony of God himself For says he the chief Qualification requir'd in a Reader is That he be willing to take the Sence of an Author from what he reads and not give that Sence wherewith he himself is propossess'd He must take the meaning of the Author and not give him one of his own He ought not to endeavour to find in the Passages which he reads that which he presum'd ought to be found there before he read them wherefore in Discoursing of God he ought at least to be persuaded that he knew himself and so to Embrace with Reverence that Doctrine which he teaches us He only can give an Account worthy of himself because he is not known but from himself and by himself But if it happens says St. Hilary That some Comparison from humane Affairs be us'd in Discoursing of these Mysteries we must not believe that they are Just or have a perfect Resemblance to them After this Excellent Advertisement St. Hilary gives an Account of the Subject of his Eleven Books of the Trinity and finishes this First Book with an Invocation of the Divine Assistance In the Second Book He explains the Catholick Doctrine concerning the Three Divine Persons He says He should have permitted Christians to keep themselves to the Words of the Gospel without diving further into the Mystery of the Trinity if the Hereticks had not oblig'd them to explain it more clearly The Errors and Blasphemies of the Hereticks says he oblige us to do those things which are forbidden us to search into those Mysteries which are Incomprehensible to speak those things that are Ineffable and to explain that which we are not permitted to examine And instead of performing with a sincere Faith which were otherwise sufficient that which is commanded us i. e. Worshipping the Father and the Son and being fill'd with the Holy Spirit we are oblig'd to employ our weak Reasonings to explain those things which are Incomprehensible being constrain'd if a Man may so say by the fault of others to commit this one our selves lest we fall into the Error of those who have dar'd to give an heretical Sence to the Words of Scripture for that which makes the Heresy says he is not the Scripture but the manner of Expounding it 't is the Interpretation that makes the Crime and not the Words After this he gives an Account of the Errors of the Sabellians the Ebionites and Arians to which he opposes the Faith of the Church He says That the Father who is the First Person of the Trinity is the Fountain and First Principle of all Things being Eternal and Infinite and that the Word who is the Second Person of the Trinity is the Son begotten from all Eternity of the Father He confesses That this Generation is Incomprehensible and reproves those that endeavour to explain it He asks them If they can comprehend how they came into this World How they receiv'd their Feeling Life Preception Taste Sight Understanding and the other Senses How they can Communicate them to others Tell me says he O Man if thou canst comprehend how all this is done and if thou canst not comprehend it with what Face dost thou demand an Explication of the Generation of the Son of God Thou that art so ignorant of what passes in thy self Wilt thou be so insolent as to complain for not knowing what passes in God And so without insisting on the Explication of the Eternal Generation of the Word by humane Reason he proves it by Holy Scripture and confirms the Catholick Faith of the Divinity of the Word against all Heresies He speaks occasionally of the Temporal Generation of the Son of God that is to say of the Mystery of the Incarnation At last He treats of the Holy Spirit who is the Third Person of the Trinity and maintains That he is a Divine Person distinct from the Father and the Son He observes That tho' the Name of Spirit be given sometimes in Scripture to the Father and the Son yet in most places it signifies a Person distinct from them both He Discourses of the Effects and Gifts of the Holy Spirit and says That he Intercedes for us That he Enlightens our Understandings and warms our Hearts That he is the Author of all Grace and of all heavenly Gifts That he will be with us till the End of the World That he is our Comforter here while we live in Expectation of a future Life the earnest of our future Hopes the Light of our Minds and the Warmth of our Souls From whence he concludes That we must beg this Holy Spirit to enable us to do Good and to persevere in the Faith and keeping the Commands of God In the Third Book He proves the Divinity of the Son of God by the Words of the Gospel of St. John I am in my Father and my Father is in me He observes also That the Generation of the Word is incomprehensible as well as the most part of the Miracles of Jesus Christ That Humane Reason cannot give an Account of it and That Jesus Christ was made Man to Preach this Eternal Power to Men and to make known his Father unto them That in this Sence we must understand his desire to be Glorified that he might glorify his Father viz. That the Glory which the Humanity of Jesus Christ receiv'd and made appear unto Men discover'd the Dignity and Power of his Father He observes also That the Birth of Jesus Christ His Resurrection His Entring into the Room where the Disciples were unseen through the Doors and the other Miracles of Jesus Christ are no less above Reason than his Eternal Generation From whence he concludes That the Nature and Operations of God are above the Reason Perception and Understanding of Men That we must acknowledge in these things the folly of Worldly Wisdom and the Vanity of Humane Knowledge and Embrace that Heavenly Prudence and
Serpent that theyjoyn themselves with Thieves since they correspond with the Devil to extirpate one part of the Flock of Jesus Christ. He describes this after a very pleasant manner All Men says he that come into the World tho' they be born of Christian Parents are fill'd with an unclean Spirit which must be driven away by Baptism This is done by the Exorcism which drives away this Spirit and makes it fly into remote places After this the Heart of Man becomes a most pure Habitation God enters and dwells there according to that of the Apostle We are the Temple of God When therefore ye re-baptize Men and exorcise them anew and when ye say O accurs'd come forth of this Man 't is to God that ye speak after this manner you drive him disgracefully out of this Man and the Devil re-enters into his Heart This place of Optatus is very express for proving Original Sin and the Antiquity of Exorcisms At last Optatus shows That the Donatists render themselves Companions of Adulterers because they separate from the Church which is the only lawful Spouse of Jesus Christ to unite themselves with Adulterers He comes afterwards to the second Passage taken out of Psal. 140. Let not the Oyl of the wicked anoint my Head and he observes That this should only be applied to Jesus Christ and that it is a Prayer and not a Precept a Wish and not a Command Then he explains also two other Passages which Parmenianus had quoted against the Catholicks and shews that the First is to be understood of Adulterers or Hereticks and the Second of Jews and that neither the one nor the other is applicable to Catholicks In the Fifth Book Optatus proves That the Donatists commit a great Crime in reiterating Baptism which Jesus Christ has commanded to be given but once only He approves of the Commendations which Parmenianus has given this Sacrament by saying That it is the Life of Vertue the Death of Crimes the Immortal Birth the means of obtaining the Kingdom of Heaven the Port of Innocence and the Shipwrack of Sins But he adds That 't is not he who gives this Sacrament of Baptism that conferrs these Graces but the Faith of him that receives it and the Virtue of the Trinity and consequently that Baptism is not to be reiterated which is administred in the Name of the Trinity He has also here a most Remarkable Reflection about the Rule which we should Consult in all Ecclesiastical Controversies We ask says he if it be lawful to repeat Baptism given in the Name of the Trinity Ye maintain That it is lawful we say That it is forbidden The People are in Suspence between your affirming and our denying the same thing and they can neither believe you nor us for we are all fallible Men Let us then search after Judges in this Case But where are they to be found If they be Christians they are either of your Party or ours and by consequence cannot be Judges of our Difference We must then enquire after a Judge out of Christendom But then if he be a Pagan he understands not our Mysteries if he be a Jew he is an Enemy to the Baptism of Christians There cannot therefore be found any Judge upon Earth but we must seek for one in Heaven But why should we have recourse to Heaven since we have the Testament of our Father upon Earth Let us search after his Will in the Gospel which will inform us that he who has been once wash'd needs not to be wash'd again Wherefore adds he we do not re-baptize those who have been baptiz'd when they return again to us He proves also That it ought not to be done because there is but one Faith one Jesus Christ and one Sacrament of Baptism That there are three Things to be considered in this Sacrament the Trinity the Faith of him that receives it and the Person that administers it That the Trinity is the first Thing of absolute necessity without which there can be no Sacrament at all That the Faith of him that receives the Sacrament is the second Thing which is no less necessary because it ought always to be the same but then there is not the same Necessity that the Minister should be Faithful and Just because the Ministers are chang'd every day and it is Jesus Christ who baptizes and the Minister ought not to attribute to himself the Effect of the Sacrament which is owing to God only and in short because the Sacraments are Holy and do Sanctify by themselves tho' the Holiness of the Minister do not contribute to it Optatus proves this Truth by many Reasons and many Testimonies He observes by the bye That those who had been baptiz'd by John before Jesus Christ instituted Baptism were not re-baptiz'd but those who were baptiz'd after Jesus Christ had instituted Baptism have been re-baptiz'd At last he endeavours to prove That the Faith of him that receives Baptism is necessary to the validity of this Sacrament which must be understood of Adult Persons only The Sixth Book is written against the Impieties and Sacrileges of the Donatists who had broken cut in pieces raz'd and overturn'd the Altars of the Catholicks Those Altars says Optatus which have born the Offerings of the People and the Members of Jesus Christ upon which the Almighty God has been invok'd upon which the Holy Spirit has descended where the Faithful have receiv'd the earnest of eternal Salvation the Support of their Faith and the Hopes of a blessed Resurrection those Altars upon which we are forbidden to offer any other Offerings but those of Peace For what is the Altar but the place where the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ are laid What hath Jesus Christ done to you says he further to the Donatists that you should destroy the Altars on which he rests at certain times Why do ye break the Sacred Tables where Jesus Christ makes his abode Ye have imitated the Crime of the Jews for as they put Jesus Christ to Death upon the Cross so ye have beaten him upon these Altars If ye believ'd that the Eucharist of the Catholicks is Sacrilegious yet at least ye should have some respect to the former Offerings that your selves have made upon these Altars Upon this occasion Optatus puts a very pleasant Objection to them All the Faithful know says he that Linen Clothes are laid upon the Altars for the Celebration of the Holy Mysteries The Eucharist does not touch the Wood of the Altar but only the Linen Clothes Why then do ye break Why do ye scrape Why do ye burn the Wood of the Altar If the Impurity can pass through the Linen Why cannot it penetrate the Wood nay and the Ground also If therefore ye scrape off something from the Altars because they are impure I advise you also to dig into the Ground and there to make a great Ditch that ye may offer in a most pure Place But take heed
Fire All that I can do is to exhort you 't is your part to Labour and God's to Perfect Raise up your Minds direct your Intentions prepare your Hearts it is for your Souls that you fight and they are Eternal Treasures which you hope for The First Lecture is also an Exhortation to those that are to be baptiz'd to prepare themselves by a Holy Life and by Good Works that so they may receive the Grace of Baptism It is compos'd upon a Lesson taken out of the First Chapter of Isaiah Verse 16. which begins with these words Wash you make you clean put away the evil of your doings c. He exhorts them wholly to put off the Old-man sincerely to renounce all Sin and to spend in the Exercises of Piety the 40 Days that are appointed to Prepare them for Baptism The Second is concerning Sin and Penance He teaches them That Sin is committed voluntarily by the bad use we make of our Free-Will That the Devil was the first Sinner that afterwards he made the first Man sin That by the Sin of the first Man all Men fell under Blindness and Death That he who rais'd Lazarus rais'd our Souls and deliver'd them from Sin by his Blood That therefore we ought not to despair whatsoever Sins we have committed but to trust to the Mercy of God and to have recourse to the Remedy of Repentance He relates many Examples of God's Mercy towards the greatest Sinners He alledges also the Example of the Angels to whom he thinks God pardon'd many Faults He adds towards the end the Example of St. Peter and concludes with these words These are my Brethren the many Examples of Sinners whom God hath pardon'd as soon as they repented Do you also Confess your Sins unto the Lord and you shall obtain the Kingdom of Heaven and enjoy the Heavenly Reward together with all the Saints in Jesus Christ to whom be Glory for ever and ever The Third Lecture is concerning the Necessity of Baptism and of Penance which ought to precede it You must prepare your selves says he by Purity of Conscience for you ought not to consider the External Baptism but the Spiritual Grace which is given with the Water that is Sanctified by the Invocation of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost The Water washes the Body but the Spirit sanctifies the Soul that we being purified may become worthy to approach unto God You cannot be perfect unless you be sanctified by the Water and the Spirit So if any one be baptiz'd without having the Holy Spirit he receives not the Grace of Baptism and likewise if any one receive not Baptism though his Conversation were never so well order'd he shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven This Discourse is bold but it is not mine but Jesus Christ's who has pronounc'd this Sentence when he said Except a man be born again of Water and the Holy Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven He proves this Truth by the Example of Cornelius then he shows the Necessity of Baptism by Water and says That none but Martyrs only can enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven without being baptiz'd The Ancients generally believed that Martyrdom was that Baptism by Fire which John Baptist fore-told Mat. 3. 11. and that was the Cup which our Saviour foretold Zebedee's Children that they should drink and the Baptism wherewith they were to be baptized He teaches That since Jesus Christ was baptiz'd to sanctifie the Waters of Baptism we must descend into the Water to be sanctified and as the Holy Spirit did then visibly appear so now he descends likewise though after an invisible manner upon those that are baptiz'd if they be well prepared for it In short he still exhorts those to whom he speaks to prepare themselves in the remaining part of Lent that so they may obtain by Baptism the Pardon of their Sins and the Grace of the Holy Spirit St. Cyril begins in the Fourth Catechetical Discourse with the Explication of the Articles of our Faith He says in his Exordium That the Worship of God consists in two things in the belief of those Doctrines that Religion teaches us and in the practice of Good Works That Faith is unprofitable without Good Works and that Good Works will prevail nothing without Faith He observes That the Articles of Faith are opposed by Pagans Jews and Hereticks and therefore it is necessary to propose it and explain it to those that enter into the Church He says That before he explains them more largely he will first give a summary of them and prays those that are already instructed to hear with Patience his Catechetical Discourses Afterwards he summarily explains the chief Doctrines of our Religion He instructs them concerning the Divinity That there is but one God only the Creator of all things who is every where present who knows all things who can do all things who never changes who will reward the Good and punish the Wicked c. He adds That we must believe also in Jesus Christ our Lord the only Son of God God begotten of God like in all things to him who begat him who was from all Eternity who sitteth now at his right hand and reigneth with him That we must not believe that the Son is of another Nature than the Father nor confound the Persons of the Father and the Son That he is the Word and the Word of God but a Word subsisting which is nothing like to the Word of Men That this Word was truly and really united to the Humane Nature That he assum'd real Flesh from the Virgin That he was truly Man subject to Humane Infirmities and to Death it self That he was crucified for our Sins That he was buried in the Grave and that he descended into Hell to deliver the Just who had been shut up there a long time with Adam That he was truly risen from the Dead That being ascended into Heaven he was worship'd by all the World and that he shall come again to Judge the Quick and the Dead and to establish an Eternal Kingdom Concerning the Holy Spirit he teaches That we ought to have the same Notions of him as of the Father and the Son That he is One Indivisible and Almighty That he knows all things That he descended in the form of a Dove upon Jesus Christ That he spoke by the Prophets That he Sanctifies the Soul in Baptism and that he ought to be honoured as the Father and the Son being one and the same Divinity He Exhorts his Auditors to hold fast this Creed and gives them Notice That he will prove it in the following Discourse by Testimonies of Scripture For says he we ought not to teach any thing concerning Divine Mysteries but what we can confirm by the Testimonies of Scripture Do not believe what I say if I do not prove it by the Holy Scriptures St. Cyril after having inform'd those whom he instructs what they ought
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
divided into Thirty Chapters wherein he handles many Questions more Curious than useful concerning the Creation of the World the Formation of Man the Nature and Origin of his Soul concerning the Resurrection and the Structure of a Humane Body Theâ—e he teaches That the Soul is a Spirit which is equally in all parts of the Body he refutes the Opinion of Origen concerning the Pre-existence of Souls before the Body and maintains that they are form'd in the same Moment with the Body He thinks That in the State of Innocence there would have been no Generation but that Men would have multiplied by some other means The Two following Homilies about the Formation of Man are St. Basil's as we have already observ'd There is also a Homily in the Second Volume upon the same Subject wherein he explains all the Sencès in which it can be said That Man was created after the Image and Likeness of God We may place among the number of Commentaries upon the Old Testament the little Tract of the Witch of Endor wherein he explains a part of the 28th Chapter of the First Book of Samuel and proves that it was not truly the Soul of Samuel that appear'd to Saul but that it was the Devil who assum'd the Likeness of this Prophet The Book of the Life of Moses is an Allegorical Explication of all the Actions of this Lawgiver to the Jews from whence he draws either Moral Instructions or some Reflections upon Religion upon which account 't is also entitled Of a perfect Life The Two Treatises upon the Inscriptions of the Psalms are more useful than the preceding In the First he treats of the End the Order and the Distribution of the Psalms He affirms That their End is to teach the way of Vertue which leads to Happiness That they are useful and delightful to all sorts of Persons in what State and Condition soever they be and whatsoever their Disposition be He divides the Psalms into Five Parts the First ends at the 40th Psalm the Second at the 71st the Third at the 88th the Fourth at the 105th and the Fifth continues to the End of the Psalms He is of Opinion that the Psalms contain'd in the First Part were compos'd to dissuade Men from Vice and induce them to Vertue That those which are in the Second represent the Thirst and Ardour of those who have any Knowledge of Vertue and any relish of its Sweetness That those of the Third Part describe the State of those Persons who are advanc'd to the Knowledge of Divine Things That those of the Fourth raise Men's Minds above all things in this World That those of the Fifth elevate a Man to the highest top of Perfection There is more Wit than Solidity in these Reflections as well as in the Interpretations of the Titles or Inscriptions of the Psalms which he has given in his Second Part and are almost all of them Allegorical The same Judgment ought to be made of his Homily upon the 6th Psalm which follows this Treatise The Eight Homilies upon Ecclesiastes are less forc'd more useful and more natural Those upon the Canticles are wholly Allegorical but this Book cannot otherwise be explain'd He wrote also upon the Proverbs as he testifies at the beginning of the Homilies upon Ecclesiastes but that Commentary of his is lost Possinus has promised his entire Commentary upon Ecclesiastes The First Discourse of Prayer is concerning the Necessity of it and the manner wherein we ought to pray The Four other Discourses are an Explication of the Lord's Prayer as the following Treatise is an Explication of the Beatitudes He always interweaves his Moral Reflections with a multitude of Allegories Comparisons and Histories which render them less profitable and more tedious In the Homily upon the Words of Chap. 15. of the 1st Epistle to the Corinthians When all things shall be subdued unto God even the Father then shall the Son himself also be subject unto him which is the First in the Second Volume he refutes the Consequences which the Arians draw from this Passage and shows That by the subjection of the Son we must not understand a State of Servitude but the Immortality and Happiness of the Humane Nature of Jesus Christ. The Longest and most Excellent of all the Dogmatical Works of St. Gregory Nyssen is his Treatise against Eunomius divided into Twelve Books c His Treatise against Eunomius divided into Twelve Books There are some who have reckoned Thirteen but they have inconveniently divided the Fifth Book into Two These Books are quoted according to the present Division by Theodoret and the Sixth Council St. Jerom in his Catalogue Testifies That St. Gregory Nyssen read this Division of his Treatise to him wherein he refutes a part of what this Heretick had asserted in his Apology in answer to St. Basil. St. Gregory compos'd this Book after the Death of this Father as we learn from the Letter at the beginning of it which is address'd to his Brother Peter of Sebastea At the beginning of the First Book he defends the Person and Conduct of St. Basil against the Calumnies of Eunomius He describes the Life of this Heretick and that of his Master Aetius and afterwards refutes the impious Reasonings of this Heretick and explains the Passages of Scripture which he alledges to prove his Errors Photius assures us That in this Book St. Gregory did far excell the other Two Authors which have written against the same Book of Eunomius as well for the Beauty and Sweetness of his Eloquence as for the Strength and Multitude of his Arguments He particularly praises the last Book which in his time was consider'd as a distinct Treatise His great Catechetical Discourse is an Excellent Treatise of the Manner in which the Jews Pagans and Hereticks are to be Instructed to Convince them of the Truth of our Religion St. Gregory Nyssen observes in the Preface That the Reasons which are to be used against Pagans who deny the Unity of God are different from those that must be alledg'd against the Jews who oppose the Trinity and that the Method which is to be follow'd in refuting the Hereticks who oppose the Divinity of One of the Three Persons should be different from that which is observed in proving the Trinity against the Jews That in Disputing both against the one and the other we must use Principles agreeable to Reason in which they and we are agreed That when one Disputes against an Atheist he must prove the Existence of a God by the Creation of the World and when he has to do with a Pagan who admits many Deities he must prove to him that there is but One because God must be absolutely perfect and there can be no more of this Nature but One. With respect to the Jew he would have us endeavour to make him understand the Divine Word by comparing it with the Word of Understanding or the Reason that is in Men and give him
already afflicted they may take what is necessary for it In the 9th he says that the Clergy ought not to use the Publick Prayers in the presence of the Arians and Hereticks if they have a Design to forsake their Heresy He takes notice that the Deacon was wont to say with a loud Voice before he saluted the People Let those who do not Communicate withdraw In the 10th he exempts sick Persons from the Fast of Lent and permits them to eat Oyl in that time In the 11th he says that a Clergy-man ought not to marry Persons contrary to Law In the 12th he excuses Nocturnal Illusions when they do not proceed from a voluntary Cause In the 13th he would have Persons that are Married abstain from the use of Marriage on Saturday and Sunday that they may be capable of Receiving the Communion In the 14th he says that an Oblation may be offer'd for those that kill themselves through madness having lost the use of their Reason but because this Pretence is often alledg'd to procure an Offering for those that kill themselves knowingly therefore the Matter should be well examin'd In the 15th Question is of great Consequence It was ask'd supposing a Wife to be perfectly Foolish and Mad so that she must be bound Whether an Husband who says he cannot contain himself may lawfully marry another Wife He answers That this Action would be Adultery in him and that nothing else is to be said upon the Question In the 16th 't was ask'd Whether a Person that fasted in order to Communicate having by chance swallow'd down a drop of Water either in bathing himself or in washing his Mouth ought to Communicate or no He answers that he ought to do it so much the rather because 't is the Devil that uses this Artifice to hinder his Receiving the Communion In the 17th he says that those who hear the Word of God and do it not are in some measure excusable if they be angry with themselves for their Omission and accuse themselves of it In the Last he says that Men begin to sin when they come to the use of Reason and so some begin to sin at Ten Years of Age some sooner and some later NECTARIUS NECTARIUS who was chosen Arch-bishop of Constantinople in the Year 382 after St. Gregory Nazianzen withdrew passes for the Author of a Homily upon the Festival of the Martyr Nectarius Theodorus Printed at Paris by Nivelle in 1554 together with some Homilies of St. Chrysostom He discourses in this Homily of Alms giving and Fasting Nectarius died in 397. He could not be very skilful in Divinity having spent all his Life at Court and being only a Catechumen when he was chosen to be Bishop GELASIUS of Caesarea ST Jerom places Gelasius Successor to Euzoius Bishop of Caesarea in Palastine amongst the Ecclesiastical Writers He assures us that he had an exact and polite Stile but that he would not publish Gelasius of Caesarea his Works Photius in Vol. 89 assures us that he read the Continuation of the History of Eusebius written by Ruffinus Translated into Greek by this Author He observes that he was the Nephew of St. Cyril of Jerusalem and that this Father was his Fellow-labourer in the Translation of this History Theodoret in his first Dialogue quotes with commendation a Passage of this Author taken out of a Homily upon the Apparition of Jesus Christ which proves the distinction of the Two Natures in Christ. SIRICIUS SIRICIUS succeeded Pope Damasus in the Year 385 and govern'd the Church of Rome till the Year 398. The Letters of this Pope are the First Decretals which are truly the Pope's whose Siricius Name they bear The First Letter he wrote soon after he was promoted to the Pontifical Dignity in answer to Himerius Bishop of Tarracon upon some Questions which he had propos'd to Damasus Predecessor to Siricius The First Question was Whether the Arians must be Re-baptiz'd who were readmitted into the Church Siricius answers That this was by no means to be permitted because the Apostle forbids it because the Canons condemn it and because it was forbidden by the Constitutions of his Predecessor Liberius which were sent to all the Churches of the World after the Annulling of the Council of Ariminum Wherefore adds he in obedience to what was Ordain'd by a Synod We reconcile them to the Church as well as the Novatians and other Hereticks by Invocation of the Holy Spirit and by Imposition of hands made by the Bishops This is the Method which all the East and all the West observes and you cannot vary from this Practice but you will deserve to be separated from our Society by a Synodical Sentence The Second Question propos'd by Hiâ—â—rius was about the time wherein Baptism ought to be Administred Siricius thinks that in this we should follow the Custom of the Church of Rome that this Sacrament should not be Administred but at Easter and Whitsontide yet he excepts Infants and such as are in danger of their Life who should be reliev'd with all speed For fear says he lest we be guilty before God of the loss of those to whom we have refus'd Baptism He would have this Law observ'd by all the Bishops and threatens those who shall not observe it â—o separate them from the Apostolick Rock upon which Christ has built his Universal Church Yet this Law was never punctually observ'd neither in the East nor in the West and nevertheless the Bishops who did not observe it were never upon this Account separated from the Apostolick Rock upon which Christ built his Universal Church The Third Question is concerning those who having receiv'd Baptism had faâ—â— into Apostacy Siricius ordains that if they acknowledge their Fault they should do Penance for the rest of their Life but that the favour of Reconciliation should be granted them at the Point of Death The Fourth Question was Whether a Man could marry a Woman that was promis'd to another Siricius answers that we must not suffer it to be done because it was a kind of Sacrilege to violate the Blessing which the Priest or Bishop gave to her that was to be married The Fifth concerns Penitents who have relaps'd into the Sins of the Flesh after they had compleated their Penance and were reconcil'd to the Church Siricius says that since they have no further the benefit of Penance he thinks it convenient to give them leave to be present at the Prayers of the Church but upon condition that they shall be kept back from the Holy Table that is from the participation of the Sacrament of the Eucharist yet he would have this Viaticum granted them at the Point of Death He Ordains that the same Method shall be observ'd towards Women that fall into Sins of this Nature And in fine as to Monks and Religious Persons guilty of Uncleanness he Ordains that those detestable Persons shall be separated not only from the Assemblies of the
rather that is the only Doctrine which he opposes there It is no ways probable therefore that this Treatise should be his and we must still continue in as great uncertainties as ever concerning its Author The Book of Mysteries or Sacraments is an Instruction to the New-baptiz'd wherein St. Ambrose explains to them the Significations and Virtue of the Sacraments which they had receiv'd Here is an Abridgment of what is most remarkable in this Instruction After we have spoken every day of Morality and propos'd to you the Examples of the Patriarchs and Prophets while the Proverbs were reading that you might be accustom'd to follow the Examples of the Saints and to lead a Life becoming those Persons who are purified by Baptism 'T is now time to discourse to you of the Mysteries and to explain the Sacraments for if we had explain'd them to you before you were initiated we should have thought that we had profan'd rather than discover'd them Besides that the light of the Mysteries themselves which you did not expect has now astonish'd you more than if we had instructed you about them before Open therefore now your Ears to receive the sweet word of Eternal Life which we signified to you when we celebrated the Ceremony by which we wish'd that they might be open'd by saying Ephatha that so all those who were to come to Baptism might know what was demanded of them and what they answer'd At last you are introduc'd into the place where the Sacrament of Baptism is Administred you are oblig'd to renounce the Devil and his Works the World and its Pomps and Pleasures You found in this place the Waters and a Priest who consecrated them the Body was plung'd into this Water to wash away Sins the Holy Spirit descended upon this Water you ought not to fix your mind upon the External part of it but to consider in it a Divine Virtue Do not imagine therefore that it is this Water which purifies you 't is the Holy Spirit There are Three things in Baptism the Water the Blood and the Spirit and without these Three Things the Sacrament is not compleat neither the Remission of Sins nor Grace is receiv'd unless it be in the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost The Baptism of Jews and Infidels does not purify at all 't is the Holy Spirit which descended formerly under the Figure of a Dove which sanctifies these Waters We must not consider the merit of the Priest for it is our Lord Jesus Christ who baptizes You made Profession of believing in the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost After this you drew near unto the Priest he anointed you and your Feet were washed This Sacrament blots out your hereditary Sins and the Baptism blots out the Sins contracted by your own Will After this you receiv'd white Garments to signifie that you were stript of Sin and clothed with Innocence You received the Seal of the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Wisdom of Power c. The Father hath mark'd you out the Son hath confirm'd you and the Holy Spirit hath given you assurance of your Salvation Afterwards you run to the Heavenly Feast and see the Altar prepar'd where you receive a nourishment infinitely exceeding that of Manna a Bread more excellent than that of Angels 'T is the Flesh of Jesus Christ the Body of Life 't is the incorruptible Manna 't is the Truth whereof the Manna was only the Figure Perhaps you will tell me But I see another thing How do you assure me that it is the Body of Jesus Christ which I receive That we must prove We must show that it is not the Body which Nature hath form'd but that which the Benediction hath Consecrated Which St. Ambrose confirms by an infinite number of the like Miracles and lastly by the Mystery of the Incarnation which he compares to that of the Eucharist A Virgin says he brought forth This is against the Order of Nature The Body which we consecrate came forth of a Virgin Why do you seek for the Order of Nature in the Body of Jesus Christ since Jesus Christ was born of a Virgin contrary to the Order of Nature Jesus Christ had real Flesh which was fastened to the Cross and laid in the Sepulchre So the Eucharist is the true Sacrament of this Flesh. Jesus Christ himself assures us of it This is says he my Body before the Benediction of these Heavenly Words it is of another Nature after the Consectation it is the Body So likewise of the Blood Before Consecration it is call'd by another Name after Consecration it is call'd the Blood of Jesus Christ and ye Answer Amen that 's to say 'T is true Let the Mind acknowledge inwardly that which the Mouth brings forth let the Heart be of that Judgment which the Words express The Church exhorts her Children to Receive these Sacraments which contain the Body of Jesus Christ. This is not Bodily but Spiritual Food for the Body of the Lord is Spiritual Lastly this Heavenly Meat gives us strength this Divine Drink rejoyces us Having therefore receiv'd these Sacraments let us be persuaded that we are regenerated and let us not say How can this be 'T is not by Nature but by the Holy Spirit From hence we may learn the chief Ceremonies which were observed in the Church of Milan As to the Administration of the Sacraments these which follow are remark'd The Ears of the Catechumens were touch'd saying Ephatha and after that they were bidden enter into the place where they were to be baptiz'd There they were oblig'd to renounce the Devil the World and its Pomps the Bishop blessed the Water of Baptism the Creed was repeated to the Catechumens they were anointed with Holy Chrisms their Feet were wash'd they were plung'd into the Water and at the same time the Three Divine Persons were invocated afterwards they were cloathed with White Garments the Sacrament of Confirmation was given them and the Holy Spirit was called upon for them From thence they were conducted to the Altar where they were present at the Consecration of the Eucharist and received the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ answering Amen Since these Ceremonies and the Doctrine of this Treatise do not agree with the Opinions of Protestants some among them have done what they could to raise Doubts about this Book whether it were St. Ambrose's But the Reasons which they alledge are so weak that the ablest Men among them have sincerely acknowledg'd that it is really his There are very strong Proofs that it is this Father's the beginning alone discovers that it is his for there he speaks plainly of the Sermons he had made to the Catechumens upon the Lives of the Patriarchs and Prophets This does not agree to any other Author but St. Ambrose 't is the Stile of this Father tho' he treats of things more particularly than in his other Books 'T is his Doctrine and no body doubts but it is
Lastly he declares That the trouble he was in when they spake of making him Bishop made him resolve to hide himself He sets forth this trouble by two Comparisons the one by describing the vexation which a Princess incomparable both for Beauty and Vertue might be in who being passionately beloved by a Prince should be forced to marry a mean and contemptible Man the other by describing the astonishment of a Clown that was forced to take upon him the Conduct of both a great Land-Army and of a Navy that was ready to give Battel to a dreadful Enemy He concludes by comforting Basil who was afflicted to see himself ingaged in so hard an Employment and loaded with so heavy a Burden Some say that he writ these excellent Books when he was very young which is not likely Others think with Socrates That he composed them while he was a Deacon but it seems rather that he made them in his Retirement before he was ordained Deacon about the Year 376. The three Books in defence of a Monastical Life against those that blamed that state were the first fruits of S. Chrysostom's Retreat In the first he argues for a Monastical way of life because of the usefulness and necessity of separating from the World In the Second he answers the Gentiles who complained that their Children forsook them to retire into desart places and then he comforts the Christians who were troubled to see themselves bereaved of their Children that embraced a Solitary Life to dwell in Wildernesses He affirms in these Books That a Monk is more glorious more powerful and richer than a Man of the World representing the great difficulty of saving our selves in the World and how hard it is to bring up Children to Christianity and comparing the condition of a Monk with that of Saints and Angels The short Discourse upon the comparison of a Monk with a Prince is upon the same Subject He shews That Men are mistaken who preferr the condition of Kings before that of Monks and retired Men. First Because the greatness of Kings ends with them whereas the advantages of a retired Life continues after death 2. Because the advantages of Retirement are much more considerable than the Fortune of Great Men. 3. Because it is more glorious for a Man to command his Passions than to rule whole Nations 4. Because the War of a Monk is nobler than that of a great Captain and his Victory more certain the one fights against invisible Powers and the other against mortal Men the one engages for the defence of Piety and the honour of God the other for his own Interest or Glory 5. Because a Prince is a charge to himself and to others by reason of those many things which he needs whereas a Monk wants nothing does good to all and by his Prayers obtains those Graces which the most powerful Princes cannot give 6. Because the loss of Piety may sooner be repaired than the loss of a Kingdom Lastly Because after death a Monk goeth in splendor to meet Jesus Christ and entreth immediately into Heaven whereas tho' a King seems to have ruled his Kingdom with Justice and Equity a thing very rare yet they shall be less glorious and not so happy there being a great difference in point of Holiness between a good King and a holy Monk who hath bestowed all his time and care upon praising God But if this King hath lived ill who can express the greatness of those punishments that attend him He concludeth in these words Let us not admire their Riches nor preferr their happiness before that of these poor Monks Let us never say that this rich Man is happy because he is cloathed with sumptuous Apparel carried in a fine Coach and followed by many Footman These Riches and great Pomps last but for a time and all the Felicity that attends them ends with the Life whereas the Happiness of Monks endures for ever It was likewise in his Solitude that he writ the two Books of Compunction of Heart whereof the first is dedicated to Demetrius and the second to Stelechius In these Books he discourses of the necessity and conditions of a true and sincere Repentance affirming That Christians ought to have their sins always in view to abhorr them with all their Heart to lament and continually beg of God the forgiveness of them That this sorrow ought to be a motion of that Charity which the Holy Ghost inspireth into our Hearts and to be animated with the fire of a Divine Love which consumeth sin and is accompanied with a Spirit of Mortification and Disinteressedness from the Goods of this World with an esteem of the Treasures of Heaven and of Spiritual Vertues He saith in the first Book That it is not Grace only which makes us do good since we ought our selves to contribute on our part all that depends upon our Wills and Strength wherefore saith he God's Grace is given to every one of us but it abideth only in the Hearts of them that keep the Commandments and departeth from them that correspond not with it neither doth it enter into their Souls who begin not to turn to the Lord. When God converted S. Paul he foresaw his good Will before he gave him his Grace The Three Books of Providence were composed by S. Chrysostom when he came out of his Solitude and returned to Antioch There he comforteth a Friend of his one Stagirius who having quitted the World was so tormented with an Evil Spirit that he was ready to fall into Despair exhorting him to look upon that affliction as a Grace of God rather than a Punishment for as much as it appears by the most notable Examples both of the old and of the new Law that from Adam to S. Paul Troubles and Afflictions have commonly been the lot of the Saints and Righteous Men For this reason these Books are intituled Of Providence because they clear that great Question which so much perplexed the learned Gentiles Why the Righteous are afflicted and persecuted if there be a Providence over-ruling the things of the World He sheweth there that this Question hath no difficulty if Men believe that there is another Life a Heaven and a Hell For saith he since every one is punished or rewarded in another World to what end are we concerned at what happens in this If wicked Men only were persecuted here we should easily believe that out of this World there is neither Punishments nor Rewards and were there none but good Men in affliction Vertue might be looked upon as the cause of Adversity and Crimes the reason of Prosperity Of necessity therefore there must be in this World righteous and wicked Men some happy and others unhappy He adds That by God's permission the Righteous are afflicted to expiate their sins and to correct them for their faults He saith further That God makes use of the Righteous Man's Fear to oblige others to look to themselves and to
Injustice and Violence exercised towards him and the Disturbance in the Churches of the East upon his account very eloquently he entreats them to write to the East to tell them That what was done against him was to be look'd upon as of no force as being done against the Laws in his absence by his Enemies and to the prejudice of those proffers which he had made to appear before lawful Judges and consequently that such as acted so Uncanonically were to be punished according to the severity of Ecclesiastical Laws declaring That he was ready to justifie his Innocence and to convince his Accusers of Imposture and Violence before uncorrupt Judges There is another Letter to Pope Innocent wherein he thanks him for the good Offices which he had endeavoured to do him but it was written long after the former in the third Year of S. Chrysostom's banishment The Letter to the Bishops and Priests that were put in Prison for defending his Innocence and refusing to communicate with Aâ—sacius was written in the first Year of his Exile There he commends the Constancy and Courage of these generous defenders of Justice whom he scruples not to call Martyrs The seventeen following Epistles are directed to the Widow Olympias who was united to him by the bonds of an intimate Friendship he comforteth her for the Persecutions she had endured the Affliction she was in and for the Sickness she lay under These are some of the Maxims which he lays down to comfort her and himself Nothing is to be feared but sin all other accidents of this life are but a Fable and a Comedy Afflictions Persecutions Sicknesses and Death it self should not move us these are to be born with patience for God's sake no other Blessing is to be compared with Patience We are neither to desire Death nor to neglect Sickness not the Persecuted but Persecutors are Objects of pity and the latter are so much the more to be lamented because like Men in a Frenzie they feel not their Distemper This present life is but a passage all the Goods of this World are but Dust and Smoak Such Christian thoughts as these employ'd the Spirit of S. Chrysostom in his Exile and furnish'd him with matter for the Letters he writ to his Friends He thanked them likewise in his Epistles for the care they had of him and for the generous Methods which they followed to justifie him with other Letters to oblige his Friends to continue stedfast to him to let them hear of him to let them know what they might do for him and to pray them That they would write to him These are the subjects of the greatest part of 225 Letters written to his Friends Some are concerning the Affairs of the Church in Phoenicia the Conversion of the Goths and the helping of the Poor which shew That tho' he was banished and deprived of his Bishoprick yet he preserved an Episcopal Spirit and Pastoral Watchfulness The Judgment which the learned Photius makes of these Letters is this Vol. 36. of his Bibliotheca I have read saith he the Letters which S. Chrysostom writ to several persons in the time of his Banishment the most usefull are those seventeen to Olympias and that to Innocent Bishop of Rome wherein he gives an account of the Persecutions which he suffered as much as the extent of a Letter could permit The Stile of these Letters is not very different from that of his other Works for it is clear and lofty florid pleasant and persuading The Letters to Olympias are not so artless as the others because he could not suit an Epistolary Stile with the Matter he was to write which if we may so say has done Violence to the Laws of the art of Writing This Reflection of Photius is particularly to be apply'd to the Letter directed to Pope Innocent and the other Western Bishops wherein he describeth the Persecutions which he endur'd with great force of Eloquence There is not among these Letters That directed to Caesarius the Monk Peter Martyr was the first that quoted it in these latter times and since he did not tell whence he took it and that the words seem'd contrary to the Doctrine of the Church and of S. Chrysostom upon the Eucharist those of the Church of Rome did long suspect Peter Martyr as guilty of Imposture and look'd upon the fragment of that Letter as a piece of his own Invention But since that time Bigotius having found an ancient Manuscript of the Version of that Letter in the Dominican's Library at Florence it was no longer doubted but that Peter Martyr took from thence the fragment which he quoted and I think we ought not to reject it as unworthy of S. Chrysostom For tho' the Greek Original is not extant entire yet something of S. Chrysostom's Eloquence appears in that Version and this Letter is mentioned by several Greek Authors q By several Greek Authors These Authors are Anastasius in the MS. Collections of the Library of Clermont Nicephorus Patriarch of Constantinople in two MSS. in Mr. Colbert's Library an Author that wrote against the Severians published by Turrianus S. John Damascen Tom. 4. Var. Lect. Canisii p. 211. Theorianus in Legatione ad Armenios p. 74. these Fragments are in the Rotterdam and London Editions who have taken several Quotations that are Printed with the ancient Version By this Letter it appears that Caesarius to whom it was written admired a certain Book wherein it was averred That in Jesus Christ there was such an Union or mixture of Humanity with Divinity that they made but one Nature S. Chrysostom tells him that this was the Errour of Apollinarius Arius Sabellius and Manichaeus about the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. And to inform him better he bids him take notice that there were two Natures in Christ and each of them doth preserve its Properties without mixture and without confusion tho' united together in the same Person to explain this truth he alledges the Example of the Eucharist and saith †The words in the Original are these Sicut enim antequam sanctificetur PANIS PANEM nominamus Divinâ autem illum sanctificante Gratiâ mediante Sacerdote Liberatus est quidem Appellatione panis dignus autem habitus est DOMINICI CORPORIS appellatione etiamsi natura Panis in eo permansit non duo corpora sed unum corpus filii praeditatur Sic hic Divinâ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est insidente corporis Naturâ unum filium unam Personam utraque haec fecerunt Agnoscendum tamen inconfusam Indivisibilem rationem non in unâ solum Naturâ sed in duabus perfectis Thus translated into English by the Learned Defender of the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England against the Bishop of Meaux For as in the Eucharist before the Bread is Consecrated we call it Bread but when the Grace of God by the Priest has Consecrated it it is no longer called Bread
did not believe that the Soul did go out of the Body with a Body That as to Visions and Apparitions nothing can be said without deciding after what manner an infinite number of different Idea's are raised in our Souls which is a thing very hard to be comprehended though it is certain that such Representations are neither Corporeal Motions nor Corporeal Qualities He referrs Evodius to what he had said concerning that Matter in his Book upon Genesis and contents himself to tell him what happened to Gennadius a Physician at Carthage who doubting whether there was another Life was convinced of it by a Young Man that appeared to him in a Dream and made him apprehend that since he did both hear and see him though his Eyes were shut and had no use of his Ears that even so after Death though he should have no bodily Eyes yet he should see and feel and live The 160th and 161st are both by Evodius In the first he asketh St. Augustin what God is and what is Reason And in the Second he desireth him to explain a Passage in his 137th Letter to Volusianus St. Augustin answereth both by the 162d Wherein he tells Evodius That he had not Time enough to answer those Questions but he had already resolved several of them in his Books of the Trinity Of Free-Will Of the Quantity of the Soul and Of True Religion He confirms what he had said in the 159th Letter touching a Soul separated from the Body and about Apparitions And at last justifieth what he had said of the Incarnation to Volusianus If a Reason could be given of that Mystery then would it cease to be Wonderful Were there an Example of it it would not be Singular Though St. Augustin had signified to Evodius That he was not at leisure to answer such sort of Questions yet this Man proposes two more in his 163d Letter The former concerning the Original of Christ's Soul and the other about a difficult Passage in St. Peter's Epistle where it is said That Jesus Christ preached in the Spirit to the Spirits in Prison which some time were disobedient when the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah St. Augustin resolveth both these Questions in the 164th Letter And beginning with the latter he saith 1. That no Man can doubt of Christ's Descent into Hell 2. That he did not deliver all Men from thence but only such as he judged worthy to be delivered 3 That almost the whole Church believes that Jesus Christ delivered our First Father and some others think That he brought out the other Patriarchs and the Prophets But that it is more probable that these righteous Men were not in Hell but in another Place called Abraham's Bosom 4 That those just Men who were raised again when Christ died did take again their Bodies to die a second time 5. In cannot be said That Jesus Christ preached the Gospel in the other World to those that were Incredulous in this Life 6. That that Passage of St. Peter is not to be understood of the Spirits or Souls detained in Hell but of the Spirits who lived in the days of Noah whom the Word did then enlighten So that St. Peter's meaning in St. Augustin's Opinion is not that Christ descended into Hell to preach the Gospel to those who believed not in Noah's time but that Jesus Christ dying for us was raised again by the same Spirit by whom he formerly preached or by which he formerly instructed Unbelievers in the days when Noah prepared the Ark whil'st God's Patience waited and invited them to Repentance 7. That Christ's Birth was not defiled with Sin and though he took in the Womb of a Virgin true Humane Flesh yet was it not sinful Flesh because Lust had no hand in forming of that Flesh. This brings him insensibly to the other Question about the Original of the Soul St. Augustin is still to seek about that Subject and dareth not declare for any of the four Opinions that divided the Christians at that time but clearly disowns the Notion That for the Punishment of some Sins committed in another Life the Soul is cast into the Body as into a Prison But maintains That it is certain that Christ's Soul was not subject either to the Death of Sin or to Condemnation All these Letters of Evodius and these Answers of St. Augustin were written not long after one another after that to Volusianus in the Year 414. The 165th is a Letter of St. Jerom to Marcellinus and Anapsychia Wherein this Father having related the several Opinions about the Origination of the Soul adviseth them to address themselves to St. Augustin if they desired to know more It is visible that this was written before the former because it is directed to Count Marcellinus who was executed in 413. but it is placed here because of its relation with the following Letter of St. Augustin which is a Treatise upon the Soul 's Original dedicated to St. Jerom and sent to him by Orosius in the Year 415. St. Augustin having observed That the Soul cannot be called a Body if by Body be understood an extended Substance though it might be termed Corporeal in another sence if this Term be taken at large to signifie Substance in general he proposes then to St. Jerom the several Opinions concerning the Soul's Original starting some Difficulties upon that which St. Jerom seemed to approve best yet it is that which we now hold That Souls are created and put into our Bodies at the Birth of each Person He insists particularly upon this That it is difficult to make that consist with Original Sin and with what the Church believes concerning Children that die without Baptism and so he asketh of St. Jerom a Solution of these Objections having answered the Reasons alledged against that Opinion which seemed most probable to St. Augustin He takes notice That the Innocents were honoured in the Church as Martyrs The next Letter to St. Jerom upon these words of St. James ch 2. v. 10. He that transgresses in one point is guilty of all was written immediately after the fore-going as St. Augustin observes in his Retractations He desireth St. Jerom to explain that Passage to him and himself giveth an Explication of it which he submits to St. Jerom's Judgment He examineth the Stoicks Opinions who taught That all Sins were equal and that of the Philosophers who affirmed That it was impossible to have any one Vertue without being endowed with all Having bandied these Questions on both Sides he concludes That though it were true That One Vertue could not be alone yet it would not follow That All Sins were equal But however it is not true That all Vertues must necessarily be joined together because Vertue being no other thing than the love of what one ought to love a Man may have more or less of this Love for no Man can attain to perfect Charity in this Life This being supposed he
Degrade Caecilian and Optatus Utremotis duobus unum ordinarent This Passage obliged Albaspinaeus to affirm That Donatus of Casae Nigrae had been Bishop of Carthage He likewise draws from it great Advantages in favour of the Church of Rome yet this Period is not in the St. Germains Copy and it signifies nothing either for that which goes before or for that which comes after If we read the Passage we may judge Tunc duo Episcopi ad Africam missi sunt Eunomius Olympius Venerunt apud Carthaginem fuerunt per dies quadraginta vel quinquaginta ut pronunciarent ubi esset Catholica Hoc seditiosa pars Donati fieri passa non est This Place is clear and plain whereas if this Period be inserted Ut remotis duobus unum ordinarent the sence is alter'd and it will be contradictory There is likewise some Lines before another Restitution which is confirmed by St. Augustin's Testimony in the Conference at Carthage Donatus petiit ut ei reverti licuisset nec ad Carthaginem accederet Whereas they read before Ut ei reverti Carthaginem contingeret In the Extract out of the Third Book of Optatus they distinguish Three Persecutions against the Donatists and the Governors are named by whose Orders they were raised This is not to be found in the ordinary Editions of Optatus I shall not mention several other Corrections which may make us wish that a new entire Edition of this Author were undertaken The TENTH TOME THE Tenth Volume not yet Printed is intended for the Books which St. Augustin composed Tom. X. against the Pelagians The Three Books Of Merits and Remission of Sins wherein he treats of Infant-Baptism directed to Marcellinus ought to be set in the first place for till then he had not undertaken the Pelagians except in his Sermons or in Conversation as he takes notice in his Retractations He writ these in the Year 412. in Answer to the Pelagians Questions which Count Marcellinus had sent to him at Carthage He speaks there particularly of Infant-Baptism as necessary to remit Original Sin and of the necessity of the Grace of Jesus Christ which justifies us or maketh us righteous though whil'st we are in this Life we cannot so perfectly accomplish God's Law but that we are obliged to say in our daily Prayers Forgive us our Sins These are the principal Truths opposed by the Pelagians St. Augustin refutes them without naming the Authors and speaks of Pelagius in good Terms because several Persons had a great Esteem for his Vertue And he had not yet set forth his Doctrine in his own Name being contented to propose it in other Mens Names in his Commentaries upon St. Paul St. Augustin in the last Book refutes the Explications which he had given of those Passages of the Apostle that speak of Original Sin Count Marcellinus having received these Three Books from St. Augustin sent him word back again That he had found a Passage which puzzl'd him St. Augustin had said That with the help of Grace Man might live without Sin though none was yet arrived to that Perfection in this Life and that none would ever arrive to it Marcellinus asked St. Augustin how he could affirm this to be possible if there were no Examples of it To satisfie him about that Question St. Augustin wrote the Book Of the Spirit and of the Letter Yet he doth not examine this Question to the bottom but having answered in very few words That God can do many things which he doth not he boldly attacks those who durst affirm That a Man may fulfil the Commandments be Just and Vertuous without the succour of Christ's Grace He grounds these Reasonings upon that place of St. Paul The letter killeth but the spirit giveth life By the Letter he understandeth the Law and the Commandments which are unprofitable without the help of Grace which is the Spring of Faith of Righteousness Holiness and all Christian Vertues This Book is of the Year 413. In the Year 414. two young Monks Timasius and James having been undeceived by St. Augustin as to the Pelagian Errors sent to him one of Pelagius's Books wherein he pleaded for the Strength of Nature to the Prejudice of Christ's Grace St. Augustin immediately engaged to write against it and composed upon that Subject the Book Of Nature and of Grace St. Augustin Tome X. wherein he defends the Grace of Jesus Christ without Prejudice to Nature which is delivered and regulated by Grace He explains in this Treatise his Principles concerning the Fall of Humane Nature and the Necessity of Grace to be Justified yet he spares Pelagius's Name But this Monk having afterwards discovered his Opinions was cited by Heros Bishop of Arles and by Lazarus Bishop of Aix to a Council of Fourteen Bishops held at Diospolis in Palaestine in the Year 415. wherein he was declared Catholick in the absence of his Accusers having made a shew of condemning the Errors whereof he was accused St. Augustin fearing lest Men should believe that the Council had approved his Doctrine wrote a Book entituled Of the Acts of Pelagius wherein he declares how Things were carried and discovers at the same time that Pelagius had imposed upon the Fathers of the Council by professing a Doctrine which he had opposed in his Writings This Book is of the Year 416 or 417. Pelagius made use of the same Artifice to persuade Albinus Pinianus and Melania that he did not maintain the Errors he was accused of by Anathematizing them in appearance Coelestius also deceived Pope Zosimus by the same Fraud by presenting unto him a Counterfeit Catholick Confession These Cheats St. Augustin discovers and refutes in the Treatise Of Christ's Grace and in that Of Original Sin wherein he shews that these Confessions of Faith are captious and deceitful These Treatises are of the Beginning of the Year 418. It is probable also that it was at that same time that St. Augustin writ the small Treatise Of the Perfection of Righteousness against Coelestius where he Answers the Objections and Difficulties proposed by this Man under the Name of Definitions against the Opinion of the Catholicks who affirmed That there never was nor ever should be a Man that could attain to that Perfection of passing his whole Life without Offending God St. Augustin maintains That God does not grant this Grace even to the greatest Saints and so that it is ridiculous to believe that Man can compass this by the sole strength of his Free-Will as Pelagius and Coelestius imagined He does not mention this Book in his Retractations buâ— St. Prosper quotes it several times The First Book Of Marriage and Concupiscence was composed about the latter end of the Year 418. There St. Augustin Answereth one of the most malicious of the Pelagian Objections against Original Sin If Concupiscence said they is Evil and an Effect of Sin if all Children are Born in Sin how comes Matrimony to be approved which is
or 458. in the Seventieth or Eightieth Year of his Age. But his Enemies after his Death revived the Accusations That they had formed against him in his Life-time and contrary to the Judgment of the Council of Chalcedon used all their Endeavours to obscure his Memory The Ring-leaders of this Faction designed it against the Council it self and did not attack the Memory of Theodoret with any other Design but that they might give a Blow to the Council it self But they had insensibly drawn over many Orthodox persons to their Opinion and being upheld by the Authority of Justinian the Emperor they brought about their Undertaking by causing his Writings to be condemned in the Council which they account the Fifth General Council But notwithstanding the Judgment of this Council many of the Orthodox have always defended and do still defend his Person and Writings But this is not a convenient Place to treat of this Matter of which I shall speak afterward This sufficeth to have advertised you That Theodoret met with as bad Usage almost after his Death as he had while he lived Of all the Fathers who have composed Works of different kinds Theodoret is one of those who hath been very lucky in every one of them There are some who have been excellent Writers in Matters of Controversie but bad Interpreters Others have been good Historians but naughty Divines Some have good success in Morality who have no skill in Doctrinal Points Those who have applied themselves to confute the Pagan Religion by their own Principles and Authors have ordinarily little knowledge in the Mysteries of our Religion Lastly It is very rare for those who have addicted themselves to Works of Piety to be good Criticks Theodoret had all these Qualities and it may be said That he hath equally deserved the Name of a good Interpreter Divine Historian Writer of Controversies Apologist for Religion and Author of Works of Piety But he hath principally excelled in his Composures upon the Holy Scripture He hath out-done almost all other Commentators in that kind according to the Judgment of the learned Photius His Language saith the same Author is very proper for a Commentary for he explains in proper and significant Terms whatsoever is obscure and difficult in the Text and renders the Mind more fit to read and understand it by the pleasantness and elegancy of his Discourse He doth not weary his Reader by long Digressions but on the contrary he labours to instruct him ingeniously clearly and methodically in every thing that seems hard He never departs from the Purity and Elegancy of the Attick Tongue if there be nothing that obliges him to speak of abstruse Matters to which the Ears are not accustomed For it is certain That he passes over nothing that needs Explication and it is almost impossible to find any Interpreter who unfolds all manner of Difficulties better and leaves fewer things obscure We may find many others who speak elegantly and explain clearly but we shall scarcely find any who have written well and who have forgotten nothing which hath need of Illustration without being too diffuse nor without running out into Digressions at least such as are not absolutely necessary for clearing the Matter in Hand Nevertheless this is what Theodoret has observed in all his Commentaries upon Holy Scripture in which he hath wonderously well opened the Text by his Labour and diligent Search There are two sorts of Works of Theodoret upon Holy Scripture The one is by way of Question and Answer the other is a Commentary wherein he followeth the words of the Text. The eight first Books of the Bible that is to say the Pentateuch of Moses the Books of Joshua Judges and Ruth the Books of Kings and Chronicles are explained after the first manner the other are expounded by Commentaries The first of these Works is intitl'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is translated thus Of some select doubtful Questions of Holy Scripture but may be better translated Select Questions upon the difficult places of Holy Scripture It is written by way of Questions and Answers The Question propounds the difficulty and the Answer resolves it This is the last of the Works of Theodoret. He composed it at the desire of Hypatius as he tells him in the Preface where he observes That there were two sorts of Persons who raise difficulties out of the Holy Scriptures the one do it with a wicked intent to find in the Holy Scriptures Falsities or Contradictions but others do it with a design to inform themselves and learn that which they demand Theodoret undertakes to stop the Mouth of the former by making it appear That there is neither Falsity nor Contradiction in Holy Scripture and to content the latter by satisfying all their Doubts so that the intent of this Work is not so much to explain the Literal Sence of Holy Scripture as to answer the Scruples that might rise in the Mind by reading the Text. There are some of the Questions which are very useless and which do not naturally come into the Mind As for Example he demands in the first Question Why the Author of the Pentateuch did not make a Discourse upon the Being and Nature of God before he spake of the Creation Few Men would make that Doubt Theodoret says That he condescended to the Weakness of those he had to instruct in speaking first of the Creatures which they knew that he might make known the Creator to them for he hath sufficiently discovered the Eternity Wisdom and Bounty of that Being in composing a History of the Creation and lastly because he spake to Persons who had already some Idea of him since Moses had spoken already in Aegypt in his Name and had taught them that he is what he is a Name that signifies his Eternity The following Questions are concerning the Angels He pretends That Moses hath not spoken of their Creation for fear they should be taken for Gods He teaches That they are created and finite Beings That they keep their place in the Universe That they are appointed to defend the People and Nations and likewise That every Person hath his Guardian Angel That they were created at the same time with the World tho' it may be said That their Creation was before that of Heaven and Earth After these Preliminary Questions which serve only for the explication of the Text he resolves others that serve to clear the Text. One of the Principal is upon these words The Spirit of God moved upon the Face of the Waters Some saith he believe That it is the Holy Spirit who animated the Waters and made them fruitful but I am of Opinion That it is the Air which is called in this place the Spirit of God For having said That God created the Heaven and Earth and made mention also of the Waters under the Name of the Abyss he ought necessarily to speak of the Air which is extended upon the Surface of the Waters
reckoned it among the Sacred Volumes and many of them have explained it in their Commentaries or cited it with great Praise in their Writings For not only Eusebius of Palaestine Origen of Aegypt the glorious Martyr S. Cyprian and some other Fathers besides who were more ancient and nearer to the Apostles but also those who have since gain'd credit to the Church have acknowledged this Book for a Divine Work S. Basil explaining the beginning of the Proverbs both the S. Gregories one of whom was the Brother the other the Friend of S. Basil Diodorus that excellent Defender of the true Religion John whose Discourses do instruct the whole World at this present and all that have followed them are of this Judgment Is it lawful to contemn these great Men to follow private Opinions Is it reasonable to forsake the Testimony of the Holy Spirit to hearken to the Surmises of Men But least it should be thought adds Theodoret that we are not sollicitous to undeceive our Adversaries being contented that we are our selves perswaded of the Truth Let us see what it is that might cause them to fall into the Error and endeavour to cure it by Remedies taken out of Holy Scripture In reading of this Book and finding therein these words Perfumes Lilies Fruits Kisses Lettices Eyes Thighs and many other Expressions of that Nature they have stopped at the Letter without diving into the hidden and spiritual Sence But they ought to consider that in the Old Testament there are many figurative Expressions which have a clear different sence from that which the Terms do properly and naturally signifie As for Example in Ezek. c. 17. 3. the King of Babylon is described by an Eagle his Power by the Wings of that Bird and his Armies by the Talons Jerusalem is there called Lebanon the Cedars are the Inhabitants Nor do the Christians only thus expound this Text but the Jews themselves In the Prophet Zechariah c. 11. 1. Jerusalem is also understood under the name of Lebanon the King of Babylon under that of Fire the Cedars are the Nobles and great Men the Pines are those of a middle condition there are an infinite number of such like Expressions But to use an Example which hath a nearer resemblance to the subject we are upon God addressing himself to the Nation of the Jews speaks to it as to a Woman and uses the same Terms that Solomon doth Read but Ezek. 16. and you 'll find there Breasts Thighs Hands Nostrils Ears He speaks also there of Beauty Love Embraces which things nevertheless ought not to be understood according to the Letter There are like places in Jeremiah Isaiah and in all the other Prophets We do nothing extraordinary then when we understand the Song of Songs spiritually and so much the rather because the Apostles have expounded who is the Bridegroom and the Spouse spoken of in this Book Jesus Christ himself is called the Bridegroom the Spouse is his Church her Companions are the Souls which are not yet perfect enough to be Spouses of Jesus Christ they that converse with the Bridegroom are either the Prophets or Apostles or rather the Angels Lastly Theodoret observes That the 3 Books of Solomon are as so many Degrees of ascent to Perfection That the Proverbs teach Morality Ecclesiastes the vanity of worldly Things and the Canticles the Mystical Union of Christ and his Church and that 's the reason that this Book is put in the last place He believes That Solomon hath learned a part of what he says from the Books of his Father who hath given an Idea of it in Psalm 44. He will not that this Book be put into the hands of young and weak People and he says That none ought to be allowed to read it but such as have a good Wit and can comprehend the spiritual and hidden sence Lastly he admonishes us That he hath taken many things out of the Works of the Fathers which have written before him yet does not account himself a Thief for that because it is a Privilege allowed to those that succeed them to make use of what they have said He tells us That he added many things That he abridged what was too long and enlarged what seem'd too short in others He makes a Conclusion with a Petition to those who enjoy his Labors without any Toyl that they would pray for him in recompence and if they find not his Commentary very exact he requests them to accept at least his Labour in good part and amend what they find wanting in it This Preface alone gives sufficient Evidence that this Work is Theodoret's It is divided into Four Books He explains the Text with respect to the Sence as he had observed in the Preface Theodoret hath also made Commentaries upon all the Prophets as he declares it in his 82. Letter to Eusebius Bishop of Ancyra We want none of them but that upon Isaiah of which we have some Fragments taken out of the Catena's collected by F. Sirmondus But although much Credit is not to be given to Writings of that Sort I see no cause to fear but what he hath taken from them is Theodoret's As to the Commentaries upon Jeremiah and Ezekiel Daniel and the Twelve Minor Prophets they are all entire in Greek and Latin in the Second Volume of Theodoret's Works The Commentary upon Daniel was composed first in 426. The Comment on Ezekiel was next The Explication of the Twelve Minor Prophets followed this This was no sooner ended but he undertook to explain Isaiah And after he had finished that he wrote upon Jeremiah and concluded all his Works upon the Prophets with the Explication of the Lamentations as he himself tells us at the End of his Commentary upon that Holy Book In this Commentary he keeps to his ordinary Method explaining in a few Words very clearly and intelligibly the Literal and Historical Sence of the Holy Text without departing from it through Allegories or Moral Digressions The Translation of the Comment upon Jeremiah was made by Picus President of the Inquests Upon Ezekiel and Daniel by Gabius And upon the Twelve Minor Prophets by one named Aegidius of Albiga or Albigensis The Commentary upon all the Epistles of S. Paul excels all the Commentaries of Theodoret for their Solidity and Elegancy He therein explains the Text of that Apostle in a very plain and natural way He composed it after the Council of Ephesus Theodorus of Mopsuesta and S. J. Chrysostom having already made excellent Commentaries upon those Epistles it might seem inconsiderately done to undertake to make a new one This Theodoret himself excuses in his Preface and after he hath according to his usual Custom invoked the Assistance of God's Holy Spirit he owns That he hath done nothing almost but abridged the Commentaries of others He next observes the Order in which he believes that the Epistles of S. Paul were composed for he doth not think that they are ranked according to the
he had said nothing of Nestorius's thought he might take that place which bore the Name of the same Author to make a kind of Supplement to the Books of Heretical Fables Lastly if this Fragment and the Letter to Sporatius were Genuine how comes it to pass that it was 〈◊〉 alledged by those that defended his Memory at the time of the 5th Council Why did not Facundus and Liberius cite it How is it That S. Gregory being desirous to prove in his Letter that he wrote in the name of Pelagius II. to the Bishops of Istria That Theodoret had been Orthodox in his Opinions ever since the Council of Chalcedon hath brought no Arguments so Authentick as this would have been These are the Conjectures which seem to be very strong notwithstanding 't is very hard to believe That this Chapter should be added to the Text of Theodoret and so much the rather because Leontius Photius and the Abbot Theodorus acknowledged it to be Genuine and these two last have produced it likewise to justifie him The Conjectures which are alledged against the truth of this Passage are not sufficient wholly to determine it The first were of some consequence if that Work had been written before the Council of Chalcedon but since it is certain that it was written after Theodoret had solemnly cursed Nestorius it might be well enough that he changed his disposition in relation to him 'T is certain That as favourable as he had been to him he disliked him because he never would acknowledge the name of the Mother of God which the Ancients had given the Virgin Since he hath cited S. Cyril as one of the Fathers of the Church altho' he had at other times condemned him why might he not also blame Nestorius after he had heretofore commended him The different disposition that he was in made him speak differently It was the Interest of Theodoret after he had anathematized Nestorius to describe him in that sort as he doth in his Treatise of Heresies as it was before for his honour to excuse him as well as he could As to the difference of Circumstances which is observed between that which is said of the Life of Nestorius in that place and what Theodoret says 't is a thing that deserves no stay upon it 't is so easily solved When he says here that he knows not what was his first Education he speaks not of the time when he was under the Instruction of Theodore but of his first Instructions that he received from his Parents And altho' he knew That he had abode in the Monastery of S. Euprepius he could not know the Journies he had made before he came thither to retire As to that which he says of his Temper and Government he never speaks elsewhere to the contrary He hath spoken some things more honourably of him in other places he excuses him here he blames him and speaks of him as others either because he had changed his Opinion in reference to him or because he thought himself obliged to speak so that he might free himself from the suspicion that some had against him or to make it appear that he did sincerely anathematize him The third Conjecture is weaker than all the rest Theodoret in his last Book doth not name all the Heresies of which he had spoken in the former He contents himself to lay down the Principles which are contrary to their Errors Among those Principles there are things as well against the Heresie of Nestorius as against the Errors of other Hereticks He speaks not against the Heresie of Eutyches in this last Book altho' he hath ranked it among the Heresies in the first Book The Style of this place is not so different from Theodoret's as he imagines but on the contrary it may be said That it hath a great similitude and likeness to the other Chapters of that Work The 5th Objection shews us well enough That it is incongruous to make a Letter to Sporatius into a Chapter of Theodoret's Treatise of Heresies which was dedicated to Sporatius But this doth not prove That this Chapter is supposititious nor that it hath been taken out of that forged Letter But on the other side 't is probable That 't is through Mistake that the name of a Letter is given to an Extract taken out of a Treatise of Theodoret to Sporatius to which a Discourse taken out of some other Work of Theodoret's was joined So that it may be said That this Chapter of the Book of Heresies is genuine and that it was this which gave an occasion to forge the Letter of Theodoret to Sporatius A Conclusion drawn from a negative Argument is not very convincing The Defenders of Theodoret have not cited all the places which might be alledged in his Justification and we have not all that was then said for him S. Gregory did not know all his Works It is sufficient that we see that at length this place has been cited by Authors worthy of Credit as an undoubted Work of this Father I will not undertake to relate in this place what Theodoret hath spoken in particular of every Heresie for then I must transcribe all his Treatise He hath related the Errors of the Hereticks in a way very short clear and easie He hath gathered what he says touching the Ancient Hereticks out of S. Justin S. Irenaeus S. Clemens of Alex. Origen Eusebius of Palaestine and Phoenicia Adamantius Rhodon Titus Diodorus and Georgius These are the Authors which he cites in his Preface He speaks nothing of Epiphanius nor of the Latin Authors which have written an History of Heresies He is more exact and judicious than they yet he is not without some Faults He hath not put the Pelagians nor Origenists in his List of Hereticks He observes at the end of his 3d. Book that the greatest part of the ancient Heresies were of short continuance that they had but few Followers that they spread themselves but into few Provinces and that there was scarce any Man that made Profession of them whereas all the World was full of Christians who made Profession of the Orthodox Faith according to the Promise which God had made to his Church The last Book contains an Explication of the Faith of the Church opposite to the Errors of the Hereticks of which this is the sum There is but one first cause of all things viz. God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This God is eternal simple and incorporeal infinitely good and just omniscient and almighty The Son is begotten of the Father before all Worlds He is not created but equal to his Father and of the same Substance eternal and almighty as well as he The Holy Spirit received his Existence from the Father He is neither created nor begotten but he is God and of the same nature with the Father and the Son These three Persons are no more than one and the same God who hath created Heaven and Earth Matter
eminent Life by an Holy Death Lastly although S. Leo had great Quarrels with him and spake very ill of him in his Life-time yet he could not refrain speaking honourably of him after his Death The only thing that he can be reproach'd with is that he did not follow S. Austin's Opinion about Grace and having favour'd or at least being one of the principal Patrons of the Semi-Pelagians But at that Time the most Learned and Holy Persons of France were of that Opinion This was the Doctrine of the Monks of Lerins with whom S. Hilary lived yea this was the Doctrine held by the Bishops and all the Clergy of the Provinces of Vienna and Narbonne Those that maintained this Opinion were not look'd upon as Hereticks unless it were by the zealous Followers of S. Austin It is no wonder then that S. Leo does not reproach him with it I have forgotten to observe That S. Hilary was present at and subscribed first the Councils of Ries in 439. and Orange in 441. S. VINCENTIUS LIRINENSIS VINCENTIUS a Frenchman by Nation after he had spent some part of his Life among the Troubles Commotions and Waves of the World * Being a Soldier through the Impulse of the Holy Vincentius Lirinensis Spirit retreated as he himself says Into the Haven of Religion O Happy and Safe Haven for all the World And having gotten Shelter against the Storms of Pride and the Vanity of the World to retire the remaining Part of his Days and offer to God the continual Sacrifices of Humiliation that he might avoid the Sufferings of this Life and the Flames of the Life to come The Place of his Retreat was the famous Monastery of the Isle of Lerins so famous for so many Persons eminent for Doctrine and Piety which it hath produced for the Church Vinoentius the Priest was none of the least Ornaments of it S. Eucherius who tells us That he was the Brother of Lupus Bishop of Troyes compares him for the Fervency of his Devotion to the brightness of a sparkling Diamond interno gemmam splendore perspicuam And in another place commends his Learning and Eloquence Gennadius assures us That he was well skilled in the Holy Scriptures and very well versed in the Discipline of the Church He hath composed an excellent Treatise against the Hereticks in which he hath given very infallible Rules and convincing Principles to distinguish Error from Truth and the Sects of 〈◊〉 Hereticks from the Catholick Church But his Humility made him conceal his Name and he published his Treatise under the Title of a * Admonition as Gennadius ' s Commonitorium Voss. Cave Commentary made by Peregrinus against the Hereticks It was divided into two parts but the 2d being lost he contented himself to make an Abridgment of it He proposes to himself in this Commentary to gather the Principles of the ancient Fathers against the Hereticks He tells us in the Preface That it was the Usefulness of the Work it self the time and the place that he lived in and his Profession that engaged him to undertake this Work The time because all things here below being carried on with such a swiftness it is reasonable that we should snatch up something that may stand us in stead in another Life and so much the rather because the terrible expecting of the last Judgment which he thought â—igh at hand because that the Barbarians had made so great a Progress into the Empire ought to stir up the Zeal of the Faithful for Religion and the Malice of the Hereticks ought to oblige the Orthodox to stand upon their Guard The place also was very suitable for such a Work because being distant from the noise and crowd of the Cities retired in a private Village and shut up in the Cloysters of a Monastery he was able without Distraction to do that which is said in the Psalm Attend ye and see that I am your God Lastly no Employment can be more agreeable to a religious Life which he professed He therefore undertakes * Vossius in his Hiâ—â— Pel. prove him a Semi Pelagian from some places of this Treatise as also of his Objections against S. Austin to write rather as an Historian than an Author what he hath learned from the Ancients and they have entrusted to their Posterity He advertiseth us That his design was not to collect all but only to offer to our observation what there is most necessary Entring then upon his Matter he saith That he hath learned from many Learned and Holy Persons That the means to avoid Heresie and adhere stedfastly to the true Faith is to ground themselves upon two Foundations 1. Upon the Authority of Holy Scripture 2. Upon the Tradition of the Catholick Church But perhaps some will demand saith he the Canon of the Holy Books being perfect and sufficient of it self to settle all Religion why is it necessary to join the Authority of the Church with it He answers 'T is because Holy Scripture having a sublime sence is differently explained one understands it after this manner and another after that insomuch that there are almost as many Opinions about the true meaning of it as there are Persons Novatian understands it one way and Photinus another It is necessary then altogether upon the account of the subtile Evasions of so many Hereticks of several sorts in interpreting Scripture to take the sence of the Catholick Church for our Rule But yet we must be careful to choose out of those Doctrines which we find in the Church such as have always been believed in all places and by all true Christians for there is indeed nothing truly and properly Catholick as the Name in its full signification doth denote but what comprehends all in general Now it will be so if we follow Antiquity unanimous Consent and Universality We shall follow Universality if we believe no other Doctrine true but that which is taught in all Churches dispersed through the whole World We shall follow Antiquity if we depart not from the Judgment of our Ancestors and Fathers Lastly we shall follow unanimous Consent if we adhere to the Opinions of all or of almost all the Ancients But what shall an Orthodox Christian do if some part of the Church apostatize from the Faith of the whole Body of the Church There is nothing to be done but to preferr the Doctrine of the whole Body that is sound before the Error of a rotten and putrefy'd Member But what if some new Error is ready to spread it self I do not say over a small part but almost over all the Church We must then be sure to cleave close to Antiquity which cannot be corrupted with Novelty In fine if among the Ancients we find one or two Persons or perhaps a City or Province in an Error we must preferr the Decrees of the ancient and universal Church before the Rashness or Ignorance of some Particulars But if there arise any Question to
which perfects That for this reason the Catechumens are seven days in a white Habit that they are first baptiz'd and then anointed Justinian with Oyl and lastly made partakers of the precious Blood before the Bread be given them and upon this Subject he makes very mystical Reflexions Afterwards he gives three Reasons why Moses does not speak of the Creation of Angels The first is Because he wrote only for Men. The second Because he would make God known by the visible Creatures The third is Lest it should be thought that the Angels created the World He maintains that the Angels were not known till after the Promises which God made to Abraham The fourth and fifth Book contain only two Chapters wherein he endeavours to prove That it was more convenient that the Son should be made Man then the Father The sixth which begins at the 22th Chapter contains the Question Why the Titles of Creator Redeemer and Judge are attributed to the Son He says That they agree well enough to all the three Persons but by way of excellence they are appropriated to the Son He discourses of the Order of the Persons of the Trinity and of the Title Holy which is given to each Person He cites upon this Subject St. Gregory Nazianzen and the Books attributed to St. Denys the Areopagite In the seventh Book he observes three Changes of the World The first from Idolatry to the Knowledge of one God by the Law The second from the Law to the Gospel which Reveals the Son and the Holy Spirit And the third which gives a perfect Knowledge of the Trinity in another Life Upon this occasion he handles many Questions concerning the Names of the Father and the Son He gives many Reasons why the Son was not Incarnate from the beginning of the World He speaks of the knowledge of the Trinity which the Blessed shall have in another Life of the Obscurity of the Old Testament and the Mysteries which it covers under the Letter of the Law In the eighth he handles two Scholastical Questions The first is If it be a good proof that there is in God one Person of the Word because God cannot be without Reason why will it not follow from hence that there is in this Word another Word and so in infinitum Photius remarks That he endeavours to answer this Objection thirteen manner of ways but that they are weak and tho they may satisfie such Persons as are pious and religious yet they afford matter of raillery to those who are of a contrary Disposition In effect these kind of Questions and Arguments can never produce any good Effects but expose Religion to the Contempt of great Wits and the Scoffs of the Impious The other Question is no more useful altho it be at present more common 'T is demanded Why the Son and the Holy Spirit proceeding both from the Father the one is call'd the Son and the other the Holy Spirit and why they have not both the Title of the Son He could find no other Answer to this Question but that this is the Custom and that Men express as they can the Differences of the Divine Persons altho they comprehend them not This Answer is ingenuous very wise and reasonable In the ninth Book he treats of the Dignity and Graces of the Angels and Men compar'd together and applies to them the Parable of the Prodigal Child After this he enquires How it can be that Jesus Christ should die for all since there was an infinite number of Men dead before his Coming He answers to this Question That Jesus Christ preach'd the Gospel to the Dead and that all those who have lived well and believed in him are saved He enlarges here very much upon the Explication of another passage of Jesus Christ I came not to call the Righteous but Sinners to Repentance After this he treats also of the state wherein Angels and Man were created of the Fall of the one and the other of the Reasons for which God redeemed Man and not the Angels c. This is enough to discover to us that the Work of this Author was not very useful that he delighted to start difficult and intricate Questions that he gives extraordinary Sences to passages of Scripture that he maintains Propositions which are indefensible In a word that we ought not much to regret the loss of his Work whereof the Extracts related by Photius are but too long and very tedious JUSTINIAN THe Emperor Justinian may be justly rank'd amongst Ecclesiastical Writers for never Prince did meddle so much with what concerns the Affairs of the Church nor make so many Constitutions and Laws upon this Subject He was perswaded that it was the Duty of an Emperor and for the good of the State to have a particular care of the Church to defend it's Faith to regulate External Discipline and to employ the Civil Laws and the Temporal Power to preserve in it Order and Peace Upon this account he did not only make a Collection of the Laws made by the Princes his Predecessors about Ecclesiastical Discipline but he added many to them Here follows the Catalogue and the Substance of them The third Novel regulates the number of the Clergy of the great Church of Constantinople and fixes it to 60 Priests 100 Deacons 40 Diaconesses 90 Sub-deacons 110 Readers 25 Chanters and 100 Porters It contains also That it shall not be lawful for Clergy-men to remove from a lesser Church to a greater and that the Possessions of the Church shall be employed for the maintenance of the Poor and other pious Works The fifth Novel contains Regulations concerning the Monks and the Monasteries That a Monastery shall not be built until the Bishop comes to the place to Consecrate the Ground where it is to be built by Prayer and fixing a Cross in it That the Habit of a Monk must not be given to those who present themselves immediately after they are entred into the Monastery but that they ought to continue Probationers for three years in their Secular Habit that during this time it shall be lawful for those who redeem them as Slaves to take them back again and not after this time is past That the Monks ought to abide and lye in one and the same place except the Anchorets and Hesycastes who have attained a great perfection That a Monk who quits his Monastery shall lose all his Riches that he had at his entrance into it which shall belong henceforth to the Monastery That a Man or a Woman who enter into a Monastery may dispose of their Possessions before they enter into it but if they enter into it without disposing of them their Possessions belong to the Monastery except the fourth part which belongs to Children or the Portion of a Daughter if she be married and except that which they might have given That if any Person abandon his Monastery to go into the Militia he cannot enter into
Year Lewis the Kind Died how afterward Lotharius being come out of Italy into France Ebbo met him at Worms conducted by the Abbot Boso in the Monastery where he then abode How Lotharius having given order that he should be Restored he went to Reims and began to Exercise his Episcopal Function in the presence of the Bishops of the Province without any contradiction from them How in that time he had Ordained Wulfadus and the other Clerks about whom the Controversie was who were told That he was Canonically restored to his Church How after he had enjoyed peaceably one Year the Archbishoprick of Reims he withdrew himself into the Kingdom of Lotharius when King Charles had passed over the Sequana and Conquered the Country How great Service he had done Lotharius who gave him two Abbeys and had employed him in several Affairs and sent him to Rome with Drogâ—n Bishop of Metz 844 to Pope Sergius who would net acknowledge him for a Bishop How having reâ—uâ—ed to go Ambassador into Greece he fell into Disgrace with Lotharius and was turned out of his Abbeys How afterwards â—etreating into the Empire of Lewis of Germany he was made Bishop of Hildesheim in Saxony where he Exercised his Episcopal Function How in 845 Charles had called a Synod at Beauvais to have a Bishop Ordained for the Church of Reims which had been vacant ten Years yet Governed by the Abbot Fuâ—cus and after by Nothâ— How Hincmarus had been Canonically Elected and Ordained Bishop and his Ordination had been confirmed by Gontbaldas whom Pope Sergius had appointed at the Sollicitation King Charles's Letter in favour of Eâ—bo of Lotharius to regulate that Affair They joined to this Relation all that they had Written to the H. See about that Matter and all that the Pope had given them in Command declaring to him that they approved the Restoration of the Clerks Ordained by Ebbo and consented that they should Exercise their Office Lastly to gratify the Emperor Charles they required the Pall for Wulfadus Ordain'd Bishop of Bourges This Letter was dated Nov. 867 and Sealed up with the Archbishops Seals and given to Actardus Bishop of Nantes to be carried to the Pope But Charles the Bald made him deliver it to him broke the Seals Read it and Wrote another to the Pope which was more favourable to Ebbo relating every thing that was for him and concealing what was against him He sâ—ys he was the Son oâ— a Person that belonged to the Kings Treasury that having his liberty he had entred into the Ecclesiastick State and was made the Kings Library-Keeper That after the Death of Charles the Great in the time of Lewis the Kind Wulfaraus Archbishop of Reims being Dead and it being left in the power of the People to choose whom they would Bishop they first chose Gillemarus but he being presented to the Bishops to be examined was found uncapable of it wherefore the Emperor propounding Ebbo as a Person of Merit the People agreed to choose him That in the first Rebellion of Lewis the Kind's Sons Ebbo continued Loyal but the second time he had engaged himself and the Party of Lotharius and acknowledged his fault publickly in the Church of S. Steven at Metz That to prevent his Deposition he had sent to the Empress Judith the Ring that she had given him That that Princess was employed to pacify her Husband Lewis the Kind and to sollicit for Ebbo That nevertherless some Bishops had perswaded him to confess his fault and after that Confession had advised him never more to exercise his Priests Office That the Emperor had written to Pope Gregory to confirm his Deposition and had received his Letter thereupon but what was in it they knew not yet Lewis the Kind did not seem satisfied by it because he did not make another Archbishop upon it which he would immeâ—iately have done if the Pope had confirmed the Deposition of Ebbo That after the Death of Lewis the Kind Ebbo was acknowledged by all the Suffragan Bishops Archbishop of Reims That they had all communicated with him and all that had been Ordained Bishops in his absence had received the Ring and Crosier from him with Letters of Confirmation This is the account that Charles the Bald gave the Pope in particular about the Deposition of Ebbo and after excuses himself for having caused Wulfadus to be Ordained before he had received the Popes Answer and demanded the â—all for him and commends the condition of the Bishops oppressed by the Britains to him Hincmarus had also written a private Letter to Pope Nicolas in Answer to that which he Hincmaru's Letter to the Pope had received from the Pope full of reproof and angry reflexions In it he defends himself with much submission but as much smartness He tells him that he had found in the Letter written to himself and in that to the Bishops of the Council of Soissons many reproachful imputations which he deserved fâ—r his Sins That if he were present with him he would do as S. Benedict ordered his Monks to do when they found their Prior offended with them cast himself upon the Earth at his feet but what he could not do with his Body he would do with his Mind and Heart according to the Advice of S. Gregory who bids us to have Patience and Charity in our Hearts towards our Neighbour who is at a distance from us In fine that he had executed the Popes Command in restoring Wulfadus and the other Clerks Ordained by Ebbo After he hath thus humbled himself he assures him that he was much troubled to see him so angry with him but he imputes that Charge to the false Reports he had received of him and owns that had he been really guilty of those things he is accused of he should have deserved to be dealt withal more severely but his Conscience testifies to him that tho' he be a great Sinner he is not such an one as the World hath represented him He says That he was heretofore accused to Pope Sergius and Leo that he had not that respect he ought for the H. See but he shewed by his obedient Carriage how submissive he was to the H. See and how far from that ambitious Spirit which was charged upon him as well as from cruelty and falshood That neither his own Church nor the Neighboring Churches ever complained that he was subject to those Vices and beseeches him never to believe that he hath had any design to delude him or oppose his Orders or despise his Admonitions That as to Ebbo he thought it not convenient to lay open his faults lest any Man should think that he insulted over the Dead or would revive an Affair that had been ended and determined above 30 Years Nevertheless to satisfy the Pope he tells him how he had declared himself unworthy of his Priesthood without being constrained by violent means to it or engaged by fraud He takes notiâ—e that of all
Ancient Glossary bearing the Name of John at the head of it he speaks of Pope John who was not raised to the Papal See till towards the end of the year 872. And â—f those Verses be his 't is like he was then come back into France about the year 874. f He seems not to be the same with Johannes Scotus Abbot of Etheling The Reasons which induce me to believe that our John Scot was not the Abbot of Etheling are these First That the Abbot of Etheling was an East Saxon a Saxon of Germany or at least of Essex and John Scot an Irish-man Secondly The first was called into England by Alfred and came thither with Grimbaldus after the year 880 whereas John Scot wiâ—hdrew from France into England upon a Disgust and died before the year 875. Thirdly The Abbot of Etheling was both Pâ—iest and Monk which we do not read any where of John Scot and he was himself so far from owning it that he calls himself only Servus or extremus Servorum or extremus Sophiae Studentium But 't is certain that he lived at Court as appears by the Epistle sent him by Pardulus and by his Preface to the Book of Predestination Fourthly The Abbot of Etheling was slain by some Assassins in his Abbey-Church towards the year 895. being then a strong Man and one that could â—eâ—end himself as Asserus avers it who relates his Death and says That he stood in his own Defence quod bellicosae Artis non expers esset whereas our Scot was dead long before but put the case he had lived till then he could not then be a strong Man or able to make any Defence Fifthly William of Malmesbury makes a Distinction of those two Johns but he mistakes in his Supposition that they were both called into England by Alfred Asserus a Contemporary Author makes mention but of one Scot called into England by Alfred He seems not to be the same with Johâ—nnes Scotus Abbot of Etheling who was Grimbaldus his Companion and Master to Alfred One of the Principal Works of Johannes Scotus Erigena was his Treatise concerning the Body John Scot his Book concerning the Body and Blood of Christ. and Blood of our Saviour Which Book is lost unless it were that which bears the Name of Ratramnus the Improbability whereof we have sufficiently proved In that Treatise he asserted that the Sacraments of the Altar were not the real Body and Blood of Christ but onely a Remembrance of both This Doctrine he did not fully explain But if we may give credit to Asselin that was the Drift of it The Book was Dedicated to Charles the Bald who had commanded him to Write on this Subject And Berengarius quoted this Author as one that had Taught the Doctrine he had stood for wherein his Adversaries did not contradict him But they condemned the Book of John Scot as containing Berengarius's Error and it was attainted for that Reason by the Synods of Vercelli Paris and Rome by which means it might come to be lost It was Written against by Aldrevaldus a Monk of the Abbey of Fleury who mustered against it a Collection of Passages out of the Fathers inserted into the 12th Volume of the Spicilegium John Scot Writ moreover two Books about Predestination Five Books of Natures or about The Books of Natures by John Scot. the Division of Natures and a Book of Vision We have already spoken of his Books of Predestination The Five Books of Natures are Written by way of Dialogue and in the same Style that is after a Scholastick abstruse manner The Natures he divides into four Kinds one that creates and is uncreated another that creates and is created a third that does not create and is created and a fourth which neither creates nor is created In the three first Books he treats of the three first Kinds of Nature and in the fourth and fifth he explains the Return of the created Natures into the Nature uncreated In the Second Book he handles the Controversie betwixt the Greek and Latin Churches about the Pricession of the Holy Ghost He tells us That God has created in his Son from all Eternity the Promogenial Causes of all Things the Goodness by himself Essence by himself c. That the World was Created after Man had sinned and that if Man and Angels had not sinned God would have created no Sensible and Material World He asserts That our Saviour's Manhood was perfectly changed into his God-head after his Resurrection That the Malice and Punishments of the Infernal Spirits shall cease one day and come to a period That after their Fall they were cloathed with Aereal Bodies That the Damned shall enjoy all Natural Comforts That all Creatures whatsoever shall be at last Transformed into the Humane Nature That our Bodies shall be turned into our Souls at the Day of Resurrection And Lastly That all Things shall be converted into their Primogenial Causes and return into God So that as before the World was Created there was no Being but God and the Causes of all Things in God so after the end of the World there will be no Being but God and the Causes of all Things in Him These Books which are in Manuscript in the Library of S. Germain des Prez were Printed at Oxford in 1681. The Book of Vision doth still remain a Manuscript Father Mabillon has found one in a Monastery near S. Omar and says That John Scot Argues in that Book about the very same Question which is debated in the 30th Letter of Lopus Abbot of Ferrara John Scot Translated into Latin the Works Fathered upon S. Denys the Translation whereof he Dedicated to Charles the Bald. Pope Nicholas I. Writ to that Prince about it and desired it of Joh. Scot ' s Translations him Anastasius the Library-Keeper having perused it found he had followed his Author too close and that he had not taken a sufficient care to shun Obscurity This Work with Anastasius his Letter is in a Manuscript of the Library of the Jesuits-Colledge at Bourges and part of it has been Printed with S. Denys his Works at Colen in 1536. Scot has also Translated some Comments of Maximus upon the Books of St. Denys and his Translation of Maximus his Comments upon S. Gregory Nazianzen was Printed at Oxford in 1681. Trithemius makes mention of a Commentary upon St. Matthew's Gospel and of a Book of Offices composed by John Scot. What we have hitherto said of John Scot is a sufficient Proof that he had some Tincture of Learning and that he was skilled in Logicks and Metaphysicks But it is plain on the other side that he had a Thwarting Disposition that he was but a weak Arguer and a sorry Divine To Conclude what relates to the Subject Matter of this and the foregoing Chapter all we Paschasius his Works have to do is to speak of the Works of Paschasius Ratbertus upon which we have been
of Repentance and of the Priest's Power of binding and loosing and of the Use that they ought to make of it The same Subject is farther handled in the Seventh Part where he also treats of the Fruits of Repentance of Church-Discipline of Ecclesiastical and Civil Power of the Distinction of Sacred Orders of the Qualities of Ministers and of Marriage In the Eighth Part he treats of the Eucharist of the last Judgment and of the State of the Blessed and Damned Spirits This Author is somewhat obscure but argues with a great deal of Judgment His Style is not altogether rude neither is it perplexed with Scholastical Terms and Distinctions He does not start any Subtil and Metaphysical Questions but only such as relate to Points of Doctrine Discipline or Morality neither does he resolve them by Principles of Logick or Philosophy but by Passages of the holy Scripture and according to the received Doctrine of the Church and of the Fathers which he makes use of as a firm Basis or Ground-work He sometimes produces certain particular Opinions which nevertheless are common to him with many of these Ancient School-men and he is one of those who have maintain'd the fewest erroneous or dangerous Opinions In the First Part he says that the Father and the Son are Two Principles of the Holy Ghost but this Expression may be taken in a good Sense and he never asserted that the Father and the Son were Two Principles or Essences of a distinct Substance but Two Persons who produced a Third by an Action which although really the same may be virtually distinct He shews in discoursing of the Sacrament of Penance that it does not take away the Guilt of Sin but only remits the Punishment and that the Priest's Absolution is a Declaration that the Penitent is absolv'd from the Guilt of his Sin and that he is free'd from the Punishment due to it by the Satisfaction made by him to God An Opinion which the Author holds in common with many Ancient School-Divines There are also found in his Book some other Opinions which are not approv'd and amongst others That the Union of the Word was not made with an animated Body but with the Mass of Flesh of which the Body was first form'd and afterwards the Soul That the Torments of the Damned may be diminished That the Devils are not as yet cast into everlasting Flames and that they Sin'd even at the very instant of their Creation That if the First Man had not committed Sin those who are Damned would not have been brought forth into the World That the Saints do not really descend on Earth in Apparitions And that St. Benedict had a clear Knowledge of God in this World even such as the blessed Spirits have in Heaven This Author is one of those who have most peremptorily affirmed That the Souls are immediately created by God at that instant when they are united to their Bodies and that the Angels are pure Spirits He likewise maintains That the inward Intention of the Minister is not necessary for the Validity of the Sacrament that without the Love of God Sin could not be forgiven that Infants dying without Baptism are damn'd and that for that Reason they are not bury'd in consecrated Ground For matter of Discipline it may be observ'd That Confession made to Laicks for Venial Sins and even for Mortal ones in case of necessity when there was no Priest present was in use at that time That not only the Communion but also Absolution was also deny'd to Criminals condemn'd to Death That Priests were wont to Discipline their Penitents That Parents were prohibited to enter the Church till their Children were Baptiz'd That it was permitted to receive but not to exact Money for the Administration of the Sacraments and even for the Celebration of Mass That Fast was usually broke at Noon or at the Hour of * One of the Canonical Hours None but that there was no Collation That the Custom of Fasting on Fridays was observ'd although not reputed to be of very great Antiquity and that Saturday-Fasts were not so regularly kept That in many Churches some repast was taken on Holy Thursday in the Evening and that this Custom began to prevail That Baptism even that of Infants was reserv'd for Solemn Days That the Participation of the Cup in the Communion among the Laity was still in use but seldom put in practice And that the Belief of the corporal Assumption of the Virgin Mary was established by the Custom of the Church This Work by Robert Pullus was published by Father Mathoud of the Congregation of St. Maur illustrated with learned and curious Notes and printed at Paris A. D. 1655. The Ecclesiastical Writers who cite this Author mention some other Works compos'd by him particularly a Commentary an the Psalms of David another on the Revelation of St. John a Treatise of the Contempt of the World Four Books concerning the Sentences of the Doctors a Volume of his Lectures and several Sermons We have none of these Works printed neither is it known whether any of them be still extant in Manuscript except certain Sermons which were in Petavius's Library PETER OF POITIERS made use of a more Scholastick Method than any of the above-mention'd Peter of Poitiers Chancellor of the Church of Paris Authors He succeeded them in the Divinity-Chair of the Schools at Paris and was promoted to the Dignity of Chancellor of the Church of that City which he enjoy'd during 38 Years He compil'd his Collection of the Sentences in the Year 1170. dedicated it to William Archbishop of Sens and died in 1200. In Doctrinal Points he follows the Master of the Sentences but uses a quite different Method as to the manner of handling the Matters For he explains and resolves all the Questions by the Principles of Philosophy and treats of them as a Logician with formal Arguments after a very dry and uncouth Manner This Work was set forth by Father Mathoud at the end of that of Robert Pullus Peter of Poitiers likewise wrote certain Allegorical Commentaries on the Books of Exodus Leviticus and Numbers a Commentary on the Book of Psalms and other Works some of which are to be found in the Libraries ROBERT DE MELUN liv'd at the same time and in the end of his Life was ordain'd Bishop Robert de Melun Bishop of Hereford Gautier Regular Canon of St. Victor of Hereford A. D. 1163. His System of Divinity in Manuscript is kept in the Library of St. Victor at Paris and often cited by Father Mathoud in his Notes on Robert Pullus GAUTIER or GAUTERIUS a Regular Canon of St. Victor in the end of this Century took upon him to confute the new Method of these Divines and compos'd a Work which he call'd A Treatise against the Four Labyrinths of France viz. Peter Abaelard Gillebert de la Porrée Peter Lombard and Peter of Poitiers whom he accuses of having asserted many Heresies and
the Reformation Part II. Book I. p. 17. And this is what I thought fit to Remark for the benefit of the English Reader concerning the Doctrin of Transubstantiation which is said to be Establish'd in the Thirteenth Century by Innocent III. concerning whom I Observe in the 2d Place That this Pope was the first who publish'd a Crusade against the Albigenses which is a way of enlightning Men's Understandings by beating out their brains and converting them by the irresistible force of Sword and Gun the same way which Mahomet us'd for propagating his Religion in the World was follow'd by this Pope whose Cruel and Barbarous Actions are no less agreeable to the Spirit of Mahomet than they are contrary to that of Christ. The same Pope Founded the Office of the Inquisition which at first did only draw up a Process against Hereticks and sollicit the ordinary Judges to Condemn them but in a little time the Power of Judging and Condemning Heresie was committed to them and the Secular Judges did only execute their Sentence And it is observable that the Inquisition was established much about the same time with Transubstantiation the Cruelty of the one being a fit Match for the absurdity of the other And indeed this Holy Office was a necessary Engine to cram down the throats of Mankind such a choaking Morcel as Transubstantiation Mr. Du Pin in this History has given us some account of the barbarous Proceedings against the Albigenses by the Croisade and the Inquisition without passing any Censure upon these Actions but lest any should suspect by his Silence that he approv'd them I will now briefly shew you what Opinion he had of all Corporal Punishments when they are us'd by Ecclesiasticks And this will appear from his Book of Ecclesiastical Discipline Dissert 7. where 1st in the Preface he tells us That the Civii Power respects Mens Bodies which may be forc'd to a Compliance and therefore the Civil Magistrate may Punish Men with Corporal Punishment and Death but the Ecclesiastical Power respects Mens Minds which cannot be forc'd and therefore the Governours of this Society can only reclaim Men from their Vices by Exhortations and Commands which if they do not obey they can inflict no other Punishment but that of Excommunication And then 2dly in Ch. 1. Sect. 5. of the same Dissertation he proves that the Church has no Authority in Temporal Affairs because it cannot force Men by Corporal Punishment and Deprivation of their Goods For says he 't is a thing unheard of among the Ancients that the Church should inflict any other Punishment than that of Excommunication or Deposition He owns that after the Emperors became Christian their affection to the Christian Religion and desire to preserve the Empire in Peace mov'd them sometimes to Banish or Fine those who were Ringleaders of Heresy which was very often done of their own proper motion and sometimes but seldom at the desire of the Fathers of the Church But it was only in the latter Ages that the Church obtain'd of the Emperors a Power to inflict Corporal Punishment For proof of this he shews 1st That Christ gave to the Church no Power but what is Spiritual nor did order the Obstinate and Disobedient to be otherwise Punish'd than by excluding them from Communion But this is not all for he shews in the 2d place whatever Power Churchmen may have receiv'd from Magistrates over Men's Bodies That nothing is more contrary to the Design of the Gospel than such a Power as strikes terror into the Minds of Men which he proves from the words of our Saviour to the Apostles when they would have call'd for Fire from Heaven upon the Samaritans Luke 9. 25. Ye know not what Spirit ye are of for the Son of Man came not to destroy Men's Lives but to save them 3dly He shews That Christ forbad his Apostles to use the Temporal Sword in defence of Religion from the Rebuke that he gave to St. Peter for drawing his Sword Put up thy Sword into the Sheath for all they that take the Sword shall perish by the Sword Matth. 26. And lastly he proves That Ecclesiasticks cannot use the Temporal Sword or Civil Power to Force and Punish Men from the Unanimous Consent of the Fathers whom he there Quotes And this may suffice to shew what Opinion Du Pin had of this Wolf of a Pastor Innocent III. and the Sanguinary Methods he us'd to Extirpate Hereticks by the Crusade and the Inquisition since he declares not only that Churchmen have no such Power from Christ and that it was never practis'd in the first and best Ages of the Church but also that it is contrary to the Design of the Gospel to use such Cruelties and to the Mind of Christ to Defend and much more to Propagate Religion by such violent and bloody Methods ADVERTISEMENT THE Preceeding Volumes of Monsieur Du Pin ' s Ecclesiastical History wherein an Abridgment is given of the Writings of the Primitive Fathers and all other Ecclesiastical Writers from the Time of our Saviour with a Preliminary Dissertation of the Authors of the Bible and an Impartial Relation of all Affairs Transacted in the Church is Printed for and Sold by Timothy Childe at the White-Hart at the West-End of St. Paul ' s Church-Yard And those Gentlemen that have the former Volumes wanting those last Publish'd viz. The Eighth Ninth and Tenth being the History of the Tenth Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries may be Furnish'd with them by Tim. Childe A TABLE of the CONTENTS of the ELEVENTH VOLUME CHAP. I. THE History of the different Revolutions in the Empire and Italy during the Thirteenth Century Page 1 Contests about the Empire between Philip and Otho Ibid. Otho acknowledg'd Emperor 2 Otho goes into Italy andmakes War there 2 Sentence of Excommunication against him 2 Frederick elected Emperor and goes into Germany 3 Crown'd Emperor by Honorius III. 3 But differing with the Pope is also excommunicated Ibid. Pope Honorius dies and is succeeded by Gregory IX Ibid. Frederick departs for the Holy Land Ibid. Gregory excommunicates him Ibid. Frederick makes Peace with the Pope 4 Henry his Son whom he had caused to be chosen King of Germany revolts from him 4 Frederick wars again with the Pope 4 The Sentence of Pope Gregory against him 4 The Opinion of the French upon the Deposition of Frederick 5 The Death of Gregory and Election of Celestin IV. and Innocent IV. Ibid. A General Council at Lions 6 Wherein the Pope complains of the Emperor 6 Frederick's Defence 7 The Landgrave of Thuringen and Earl of Holland chosen Emperors by some of the Princes of Germany 7 The Death of Frederick 8 The Government of Manfred in Sicily 9 Troubles in the Empire and Sicily 9 The Elections of Alphonsus and Richard Earl of Cornwal Emperors 9 Charles Earl of Anjou defeats Manfred and makes himself Master of Italy 9 Conradin disputes the Kingdom of Sicily with Charles 9 Defeated and put to death
in 1482. See the Judgment that Gerson gives of this Author and his Works in his Treatise about the Books which Monks ought to read In my opinion says he one of the best Authors that a Man can read is Eustachius for so one may translate his name of Bonaventure he is the Man of all the Catholick Doctors not to derogate from the rest that seems to me the most proper and safe for the enlightning of the Judgment and inflaming the Heart To be convinced of this one need not read any more than two of his Works I mean his Breviloquy and his Itinerary which are written with so much art and brevity that nothing can be beyond them and though they are more difficult and scarce than his other Works yet all Christians ought to search and examine them Mystical Theology being proper for the Faithful In another place in his Book of the examination of Doctrines he says That if any one should ask him which of the Doctors he thought most proper for the instruction of the Faithful his Answer should be without detracting from the rest St. Bonaventure because he is solid safe pious just and devout and keeps as far as he can from Niceties not meddling with Logical or Physical Questions which are alien to the matter in hand disguised under Theological Expressions as too many do and because by clearing the Understanding he sets off Religion and Piety in their true Colours which is the reason adds he that the indevout Schoolmen which the more is the Pity make the greater number cast him by though there is nothing more noble more divine more conducive to Salvation and fitter for Divines than the Doctrine of this Author Trithemius makes almost the same Judgment of him in these words St. Bonaventure wrote many very deep and devout Works all his Expressions are full of heat and inflame the Hearts of those that read him as well as inlighten their Minds by a holy Light for his Works surpass all those of the Doctors of his time in their usefulness the Spirit of the Love of God and of Christian Devotion shining through them He is deep without Prolixity subtile without Nicety eloquent without Vanity his words are full of spirit yet not bombastick which is the reason that such as are touched with the Love of God read him with the more safety understand him with the greater ease and remember him with the greater profit Many Authors teach Doctrine and others preach Devotion but there are very few to be met with who have joined these two things together in their Writings But in St. Bonaventure they are united for his Devotion instructs in Doctrine and his Doctrine inspires with Devotion So that whoever desires both Knowledg and Devotion cannot do better than apply himself to the reading of his Works Much of the same opinion is St. Antoninus who remarks That such as desire Divine Knowledg more than Aristotelical Vanity find his Works easy to be understood Indeed the greatest part of St. Bonaventure's Works are mystical and spiritual they make eight Volumes printed at Rome in 1588. The first contains Commentaries upon some Books of the Old Testament viz. A sort of Preface intituled Principles of the Holy Scripture Thirty three Sermons upon the Six days Work or the Creation of the World Explications or Postilles upon the Psalms upon Ecclesiastes upon the Book of Wisdom and upon the Lamentations of Jeremy The second Volume contains Commentaries upon the Gospels of St. Mathew St. Luke and St. John with Conferences upon the last of them The third is Sermons of time and of the Saints The fourth and fifth are Commentaries upon the four Books of the Master of the Sentences The sixth Tome contains the first and second parts of his Opuscula the Titles of which are Of the reducing of Arts to Divinity The Breviloquy The Centiloquy The Quiver An Explanation of the Terms of Theology An Abridgment of the Books of the Sentences Four Books of Sentences in Verse Of the four Cardinal Virtues Of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit Of the three Ternaries of Sins Of the Resurrection from Sin to Grace The Diet of Salvation Of the Hierarchy of the Church Those of the second Part are the Soliloquâ— Meditations upon the Life of Jesus Christ Of the seven Degrees of Contemplation Of the five Feasts of the Child Jesus The Office of the Passion The Elogy of the Cross The Wood of Life The Mirror of the Praises of the Virgin The Crown of the Virgin The Compassion of the Virgin The Nightingale of the Passion of our Lord fitted to the seven hours On the seven Words of our Saviour on the Cross The Great Psalter of the Virgin The Little Psalter on the Salutation of the Angel and the Salve Regina The seventh Tome contains the third Part of his Moral Opuscula which are Of the ordering of a Christian Life Of the Government of the Soul The Mirror of the Soul Of the ten Commandments Of the degrees of Virtues The Itinerary of the Spirit of God Of the seven Paths of Eternity The Spur of Divine Love The Fire of Love The Art of loving The Book of Spiritual Exercises The Fasâ—iculary The five and twenty Memorials The Confessional Of the manner of confessing Of Purity of Conscience Of the Priests Preparation for the Mass An Explication of the Mass Of the six Wings of the Cherubims and the six Wings of the Seraphims The eighth Volume contains the Opuscula which concern the Religious the Catalogue of which I shall set down A Treatise of the threefold Estate of Religiouses The Mirror of Discipline for Novices which some call in question The twenty steps of Novices Of Advancement in Religion Of the Contempt of the World Of the Reformation of the Spirit The little Alphabet of a good Monk which is Thomas a Kempis's Of the Perfection of a Religious Life An Explanation of the Rule of the Minor Friars Questions about this Rule Why the Minor Friars preach Of the Poverty of Jesus Christ That Jesus Christ and his Apostles went barefoot An Apology for Evangelical Poverty A Treatise against the Reviler of the Order of St. Francis An Apologetick against the Adversaries of the Order of Minor Friars A Treatise intituled De non frequentandis quaestionibus Conferences to the Brothers of Tholouse which are not St. Bonaventures A Treatise of the Reform of the Minor Friars address'd to the Provincials of the Order In this Tome there is an Appendix containing An Abridgment of Theology Treatises upon the Essence Invisibility and Immensity of God and a Work of Mystical Divinity The Life of St. Francis related by Surius in October 4. is likewise ascribed to St. Bonaventure St. THOMAS of Aquino Sirnamed the Angelical Doctor of the House of the Earls of Thomas Aquinas Aquino descended from the Kings of Sicily and Arragon was born in 1224 in the Castle of Aquino which is in the Country of Lavoro in Italy
suddenly expire and that the Law of the Spirit a great deal more perfect would succeed it This Doctrine spread among a great many Spiritual Men and one of â—hem made a Book to establish it to which he gave the Title of The Eternal Gospel This Piece The Book call'd the Eternal Gospel appear'd about the beginning of this Century but what is the Author's Name is not known Matthew Paris ascribes it to the Order of the Jacobines Aimeric to John the Seventh General of the Franciscans Let the Case be how it will 't is certain that a great many Monks approv'd of this Work and that some of them would have Taught this Doctrine Publickly in the University of Paris in the Year 1254 but the Bishops oppos'd it And the Book of the Eternal Gospel was Condemn'd to be The Condemnation of that Book Burnt in the Year 1256 by Pope Alexander IV. who at the same time Proscrib'd those who maintain'd the Doctrine of that Book as William of Saint Amour and Ptolemey of Lucca assure us All the Errors of this Book turn upon this Principle That the Law of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was The Errors of that Book imperfect in comparison of the law of the Spirit which was to succeed it For according to this Book the Law of the Gospel was to last no longer than Twelve hundred and sixty Years and consequently was upon expiring The Author of that Book advanc'd besides this several particular Errors viz. That none but Spiritual Men had the true Knowledge of the Scriptures That only those who went Bare-foot were capable of Preaching the Spiritual Doctrine That the Jews tho' adhering to their Religion shall be loaded with good things and deliver'd from their Enemies That the Greeks were more Spiritual than the Latines and that God the Father should Save them That the Monks were not oblig'd to suffer Martyrdom in Defence of the Worship of Jesus Christ That the Holy Ghost receiv'd something of the Church as Jesus Christ as Man had receiv'd of the Holy Ghost That the Active Life had lasted till Abbot Joachim but that since his time it was become useless That the Contemplative Life had begun from his time and that it should be more perfect in his Successors That there should be an Order of Monks by far more perfect which should flourish when the Order of the Clergy was perished That in this Third State of the World the Government of the Church would be wholly Committed to those Monks who should have more Authority than the Apostles ever had That those Preachers persecuted by the Clergy should go over to the Infidels and might excite them against the Church of Rome These are some of the Extravagancies which the Authors relate as extracted out of the Book of the Eternal Gospel The Maintainers of this Work are call'd Joachites or rather Joachimites in the Council of Arles 1260 The Condemnation of the Joachimites in the Council of Arles 1260. wherein their Doctrine was Examin'd and Condemn'd in these Terms Among the False Prophets who appear at this time none are more Dangerous than those who taking for the Foundation of their Folly several Ternaries in part true and making false Applications of them establish'd a very pernicious Doctrine and wickedly affecting to do Honour to the Holy Ghost do impudently derogate from the Redemption of Jesus Christ by aiming to include the Time of the Reign of the Son and his Works within a certain Number of Years after which the Holy Ghost shall Act As if the Holy Ghost were to Act with more Power and Majesty for the future than he has done yet since the beginning of the Church These Joachites by a Chimerical Concatenation of certain Ternaries maintain That the time of the Holy Ghost shall for the future be inlighten'd with a more perfect Law laying down for the Foundation of their Error this Holy and Coelestial Ternary of the Ineffable Persons of the Ever-blessed Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost and are for establishing their Error on the Basis of all these Truths They add to this Sovereign Truth other Ternaries by asserting That there shall be Three States or Orders of Men who have had or shall have each their proper Season The First is that of Marry'd Persons which was in Repute in the time of the Father that is under the Old Testament The Second is that of Clerks which has been in esteem in the time of Grace by the Son in this Age of the World The Third is the Order of the Monks which shall be glorify'd in time with a larger measure of Grace which shall be given by the Holy Ghost Three sorts of Doctrines answer to these Three States the Old Testament the New and the Eternal Gospel or the Gospel of the Holy Ghost Lastly They distinguish the whole Duration of the World into Three Ages The time of the Spirit of the Law of Moses which they attribute to the Father the time of the Spirit of Grace which they attribute to the Son and which has lasted 1260. Years and the time of a more Ample Grace and of unveil'd Truth which belongs to the Holy Ghost and of which Jesus Christ speaks in the Gospel when he saies When that Spirit of Truth shall come he will teach you all Truth In the First State Men liv'd according to the Flesh in the Second between Flesh and Spirit and in the Last which shall endure to the end of the World they shall live according to the Spirit The Consequence which they draw from this Fiction of Ternaries is That the Redemption of Jesus Christ has no more place and that the Sacraments are Abolish'd which the Joachites have almost the Impudence to Advance by asserting That all Types and Figures shall be Abolish'd at this time and that the Truth shall appear all naked without the Veil of Sacraments Maxims these are which ought to be Abominated by all Christians who have Read the Holy Fathers and who firmly believe that the Sacraments of the Church are visible Signs and Images of Invisible Grace under the Elements of one of which the Son of God abides as he has promised in his Church to the End of the World This Council adds That tho' this Doctrine had been Condemn'd a while ago by the Holy See in its Censure of the Book of The Eternal Gospel yet because several Persons maintain'd it under a pretence That the Books which serv'd as a Foundation to that Error had not been Examin'd nor Condemn'd viz. the Book of Concordances and the other Books of the Joachites which till then remain'd undiscuss'd because they lay conceal'd in the Hands of some Monks and began then to appear in the World and to Infatuate the Minds of many it Condemns and Disapproves of those Works and prohibits the making use of them under pain of Excommunication In the Year 1240 William Bishop of Paris having Conven'd all the Regent Doctors of the University
because he speaks of himself as Bishop of Rome for tho' indeed some say that S. Leo made use of S. Prosper yet I shall never be persuaded that so Eloquent a Pope as S. Leo was hath Craved the Pen of another and Preached to his People the Sermons that another made M. Anthelmi must pardon me if I preferr M. Faber's Judgment before his and if without relying upon the Authority of that MS. we acknowledge the first Sermon to be S. Leo's But why doth it bear S. Prosper's Name in that Ancient MS Do we not know that there is a great confusion in the most Ancient MSS. about the Titles of Sermons and that often they are very faulty Witness the Two Ancient MSS. a Thousand Years old of which F. Mabillon speaks in the Preface to S. Maximus's Homilies Mus. Ital. T. 1. P. 4. where the Homilies of S. Maximus bear the Name of S. Austin We need not then wonder if a Sermon of S. Leo's carries the Name of S. Prosper in a MS. of 900 Years old And yet this doth not prove that it is this Fathers nor that he hath put it under his own Name because it was known even then that S. Prosper made S. Leo's Sermons or that it was Copied out of a Manuscript wherein the Sermons of S. Leo were attributed to S. Prosper M. Abbot Anthelmi owns That in the time of S. Prosper the Sermons which were made for S. Leo did bear the Name of that Pope Why then was the Name of S. Prosper affixed to them Three Hundred Years after Whence did he that wrote the Manuscript learn that they were S. Prosper's Why had not all his other Sermons the same luck What necessity is there for amending all other Manuscripts by this wherein there are no more than Three of S. Leo's Sermons The Transcriber might easily mistake he might Copy the first Sermon from a Manuscript which had been S. Prosper's or written by S. Prosper and take the Name of him that wrote the Manuscript or the Person 's whose it was for the Name of the Author He might find this Sermon at the end of S. Prosper's Works and so attribute it of his own head to S. Prosper However that he it often happens that we find in the most Ancient Manuscripts the Sermons of S. Maximus and S. Caesarius under the Name of S. Austin and Ambrose which in our time have been restored to their true Authors upon the account of the mere agreement of Stile with the other Sermons of S. Maximus and Caesarius and without the Authority of any Manuscript And why may we not do the same to the Sermon of S. Leo A Negative Argument taken from the silence of Gennadius Gelasius and Anastasius is of little consequence Gennadius often passes over in silence many excellent pieces of those Authors of whom he speaks Gelasius had no design to speak of his Sermons and Anastasius never uses to mention the Writings of Popes We must then leave S. Leo in possession of his Sermons The Four First are Discourses upon his own Promotion to the See of the Roman Church The First was Preached according to some a Year after according to others on the Day of his Ordination but it is more probable that it was on the Octave after it for he speaks of his Election as lately past and of some time that came between and yet he signifies that he did not Preach it upon the same Day that he was Ordained but recurrente per suum ordinem Die quo 〈◊〉 â—…s Epistoâ—… officiâ—… 〈◊〉 â—…re principiuâ—… The same Day â—…ing in its course on which the Lord was pleased to give a beginning to my Episcopal Charge which agrees very well to the â—…e He gives God thanks in this Sermon for the favours which he hath received of 〈◊〉 and more especially That he had permitted him to return again to Rome after a long absence to Govern that Church He declares to his People the grateful sense he had of their good-will to him in chusing him their Bishop beyond his desert He desires them to help him by their Prayers that he may govern the Church in Peace He assures them That he will always have that Day in great Honour in which he was advanced to his See because altho he ought to tremble by reason of his unworthiness yet 〈◊〉 was obliged to rejoyce in the favour which God had shewn him hoping that he who hath permitted him to be put into a Charge of so great Weight will help him to undergo it and give him strength that he may not â—…t under the Burden of that Dignity Lastly He testifies the Joy that he hath to see the Bishops his Brethren assembled and makes them to hope that S. Peter is with them and that he governs that Church in the Person of his Successor In the Second Discourse Preached a Year after his Ordination he says That tho' all Bishops ought to give God the Honour of their Ministry yet he had greater reason than any Body else to Attribute it wholly to the Divine Mercy when he considers on the one hand his own Weakness and on the other the Excellency of his Ministry That the very thoughts of it made him tremble because nothing is more to be feared than Labour by the Weak gâ—… Dignity by Mean Persons and an Office by Men of no desert Labor fragili sublimitâ—…â—â—â—mist digâ—… non â—…l That nevertheless he doth not despair nor is faint-hearted because he puts his Trust in him who works in and by Man That the Psalm which they are about to sing is very proper to humble 〈◊〉 Bishop and to give all the Glory to Jesus Christ that it speaks of Melchisedeck an Eternal Priest whose Parents are not known which is a Type of the New Law and the practice of the Church which bestows not the Priesthood upon Persons of Quality or of a particular Family nor by Succession but chuses such Men as the Holy Spirit hath fitted for it insomuch that it is not the Prerogative of Birth that qualifies for the Sacerdotal Unction but 't is the Heavenly Grace that makes Bishops That the Church is still governed by Jesus Christ who hath given to S. Peter the Apostolick Power That that Apostle never forsakes his Church but continues to be the Foundation of it that his Authority and Power still lives in his Successors and that it is to him that that little good which he doth in his Charge is to be attributed That it is S. Peter also that he ought to Extol upon that Day that it is the Feast of that Apostle That the Bishops his Brethren were assembled not so much to Honour him as S. Peter who is not only Bishop of the Roman Church but the Head of all the Churches in the World Upon this Account he Exhorts the Christians of the Church of Rome to excel the Christians of all other Churches in the World in Vertue In the Third Discourse upon the same
subject after he hath shewn that all Christians ought to join in that Feast because all are in some measure Priests to God having received the Unction of the Holy Spirit which makes them in a sence Priests he speaks of the Prerogatives granted to S. Peter and he adds That the Right of that Power hath passed to all the Primates of the Church but it is not without good reason that God spake that to One which belongs to all because in chusing S. Peter to entrust with his Power he hath made him the Prototype of all Bishops and that this privilege granted to S. Peter meets in all those who Judge according to the Justice of that Apostle That as all the Apostles and Bishops have received the Keys in the Person of S. Peter so likewise it was for all the Apostles and all the Bishops that Jesus Christ hath Prayed when he Prayed in particular for S. Peter That his Faith fail not Lastly That S. Peter doth still take care of his Church and tho' he doth not refuse to assist all the Christians in the World yet it is to be believed that he helps in a particular manner those of the Church of Rome whom he hath preferred and among whom his Body is Buried The Fourth Sermon is almost spent upon the same matters After he hath proved that all the good that we do ought to be referred to God he demonstrates that the higher Men are promoted in the Church the more they ought to fear That all Bishops must give an Account of their Flocks That all Churches having recourse to the Holy Apostolick See God requires of his Bishop such an Universal Charity as he hath commanded S. Peter to have That it would be impoâ—…le for him to discharge so great an Office well and that he must infallibly faint under the Burden if Jesus Christ who is an Eternal Priest after the Order of Melchisedeck did not by his Divine Assistance continually aid and assist his Church That this Anniversary Festival was not appointed for Pride and Vanity but to give Jesus Christ upon that Day the Honour of what he doth in the Person of his Minister and to Celebrate the Memory of S. Peter who never ceaseth to preside over the Holy See and hath transmitted to his Successors the same Constancy which he hath received from Jesus Christ That it is to him that we are obliged for that small Power which remains yet in the Church of Roman For saith he if God hath granted to the Martyrs as a recompence of their sufferings and to make known their deserts If he hath granted them I say an Ability to relieve Men in Distress restore Health to the Sick and cast out Devils out of the Bodies of such as are possessed and to heal all manner of Diseases who can be so Ignorant or so Repining against the Glory of S. Peter as to assert That there is any part of the Church which is 〈◊〉 governed by his Care or strengthened by his Help He concludes That if all the Church acknowledge it self obliged to S. Peter the Roman Church ought more especially to 〈◊〉 all â—â—â—ens of the respect which it hath for him and make all thankful acknowledgments 〈◊〉 his Bounty That it is to this Apostle that all the Honour and Respect which is this Day given to his Successor is directed and intended The Six following Sermons are upon the Collections or Contributions which were made for the Poor upon some Sundays in the Year They are very short and much commend Alms-giving to us and shew that Gatherings for the Poor are derived to us from Apostolick Practice Next there are Nineteen Sermons upon the Fast of the Tenth Month that is upon the Ember-Week in the Month of September He observes That the Ember-Fasts were appointed to Teach us That there is no time which ought not to be employed in the doing of Good Works That this Fast in September was Instituted to give God thanks for the Fruits of the Earth which they had just gathered in and put us in mind of bestowing a part of those things which God hath given us to the Poor by abstaining from them our selves That the New Law doth not discharge Men from the obligation of Fasting but on the contrary the Fasts which it prescribes are of longer continuance than those of the Jews That the Apostles commanded it That Fasting is of great advantage but it ought to be accompanied with other Christian Vertues and chiefly Charity to our Neighbours That Almsgiving Prayer and Fasting are efficacious means to obtain remission of Sins that when we give Alms we lend our Money to God upon Usury That such Usury is allowed but 't is not permitted under any pretence whatsoever to lend to Men upon Usuries The Ten Sermons upon the Nativity contain in them more of Doctrine than Morality In them he explains the Mystery of the Incarnation confutes the Errors of the Hereticks who have opposed it and adds to the Doctrine some Moral Considerations The Eight Sermons upon the Epiphany contain some Considerations upon the circumstances of that Mystery In the Twelve Lent-Sermons he speaks of the Institution and Benefit of Fasting He believes That it was appointed principally to make Expiation for Sins and do Penance for their Sins That the Catechumens are obliged to it as well as the Faithful That Vertues must be joined with the due Observation of Fasting and chiefly Almsgiving and forgiveness of Enemies That the whole Lent and above all the last Days of it ought to be used to prepare our selves for the Feast of Easter In the Nineteen following Sermons he explains the Mystery Fruit Effects and Circumstances of the Passion of our Saviour He hath Two Sermons upon the Resurrection Two upon the Ascension of Jesus Christ and Three upon the Pentecost In these last he proves the Divinity of the Holy Spirit in the second he takes notice of some Circumstances of the Heresie of Manes The Four next Sermons are upon the Ember-days immediately after Whitsuntide which follows that Feast saith S. Leo That the Graces bestowed by Virtue of those Mysteries may be preserved by that means He speaks in these Sermons of the Benefit of Fasting The Sermon upon the Feast of S. Peter and S. Paul is looked upon and that with a great deal of Reason as one of the best Sermons of S. Leo. He shews in the beginning of it That tho' this Feast be common to all the Churches in the World it is reasonable that it should be celebrated with the greatest Solemnity in the City of Rome where these two Apostles have manifested the Light of the Gospel and where they received the Crown of Martyrdom He describes the manner how Religion was first settled at Rome and how that City which was the chief City of the Empire became the principal Church in the World He extolls the Zeal of S. Peter who came thither first of all to preach the Faith He equals
the death of Pope Eugenius III. The Four Hundred and Thirty Eighth is a Letter of Bartholomew a Monk of Foigny who had been Bishop of Laon Address'd to Sampson Arch-Bishop of Rheims by which he justifies himself against his being accus'd that he had embezelled the Goods of the Church of Laon while he was Bishop there The Four Hundred and Thirty Ninth is a Letter from Turstin Arch-Bishop of York to William Arch-Bishop of Canterbury containing a Relation of what had happened to him when he had endeavoured to introduce the Customs of Cisteaux into the Monastery of St. Mary at York The Four Hundred and Fortieth is a Letter of Fastrede the Fourth Abbot of Clairvaux to an Abbot of his Order whom he blames for going too richly dress'd and living too delicately He therein renews the Maxim of St. Bernard That a Monk ought not to make use of any external Remedies The Four Hundred and Forty First is written by Peter de Roye a Probationer of Clairvaux to the Provost of the Church of Noyon in which he shews the difference between the Life led in Clairvaux and that which is led at large in the World The Four Hundred and Forty Second is a Letter of a General Chapter of the Province of Rheims who were call'd the Black Monks to Pope Adrian IV. whereby they beg that Godfrey Abbot of Lagny may be suspended The Letter following is from the same Address'd to Pope Alexander III. upon the same Subject Lastly the Four Hundred and Forty Fourth is a Letter from an unknown Hand Address'd to the Abbot of Reatino which contains nothing remarkable The Second Tome of St. Bernard's Works comprehends divers Treatises whereof the first is Entituled Of Consideration divided into V. Books and Address'd to Pope Eugenius III. to serve him for Instruction The Consideration he treats of in this Work is as himself desires it the Thoughts which he employs in search after Truth and more particularly relating to the Duties of his Profession In St. Bernard's Treatise of Consideration the first Book he shews that the Condition of a Sovereign Pontiff would be but very unhappy had he no regard to himself for it would be a very indiscreet thing of him to spend all his time in hearing and deciding other Mens Differences and all the while neglect to employ himself sometimes in Contemplation He exclaims against the great number of Causes that are brought into the Ecclesiastical Courts as likewise against the many Abuses committed there He shews that this is more consistent with the Secular Power than the Ecclesiastical He says he would not have Eugenius follow the Examples of his Predecessors who applyed themselves more to Business than Contemplation but that he should imitate St. Gregory who when Rome was threatned to be besieg'd by the Barbarians labour'd on an Exposition of the most difficult passage of the Prophet Ezckiel He there proves that Consideration serves to form and employ the four Cardinal Virtues Lastly he takes Notice of the unbecoming Bickerings at the Ecclesiastical Bar and exhorts Pope Eugenius to endeavour after a Regulation In the second Book after having justify'd himself for advising the expedition of the Croisade which had been unsuccessful he admonishes Pope Eugenius to consider as to his Person who he is and as to the Dignity of his Profession what he is First he is to reflect whence he is descended which may serve to abate his Pride He gives him to understand that he is not set over others to domineer over them but to be their Minister and watch over them that if this Dignity has procur'd him great Riches he is not to think they belong to him by the right of Apostleship since St. Peter had no power to dispose of what he never enjoyed That he indeed had given him the charge of all Churches but not an arbitrary Dominion over them which he expresly forbids and the Gospel disallows That the same Person cannot well execute the Civil Government and the Papacy and therefore he who grasps at both ought justly to lose both In a word he advises him particularly to avoid being haughty on account of his Supremacy for says he you are not supreamly perfect by being supream Bishop and take notice that if you think your self so you are the worst of Men. But let us consider you as you stand in the Church of God and what Figure you make You are the Chief Priest the Sovereign Pontiff the first among the Bishops the Heir of the Apostles Abel in Priority Noah in Government c. 'T is to you that the Keys of Heaven have been entrusted and to whom the Care of the Flock has been committed but there are other Door-keepers of Heaven and other Pastors besides you yet you are so much the more above them as you have receiv'd the Title after a different manner They have every one a particular Flock but you are superintendent over them all you are not only Supream Pastor over all the Flocks but likewise over all the Shepherds He establishes this Privilege upon the Words of our Saviour in the Gospel and he adds some Lines afterwards Others are but call'd to a part of the Care when the full Power is confided to you Their Power is limited when yours extends even over those who have a power over others for it is your Business to excommunicate a Bishop and suspend him if you see occasion This is what you are at present by your Office to remember also what you were and who you are Personally for you are still what you were once and the Dignity which has been superadded to you has not been able to divest you of your Nature You were born a Man you have been made a Sovereign Bishop yet you are still a Man so that you ought to consider your self as a Man draw the Veil which covers you disperse the Clouds that environ you and you will find your self to be no better than a Poor Naked Wretched Creature that is dissatisfy'd with his Nature that is asham'd of being Naked that grieves for being Born that murmurs at being destin'd to Labour and not to Ease and in a word that is born in Sin with a short Life abounding in Miseries and full of Fears and Complaints From these two Considerations he passes to a Third which is to consider his Manners and Conduct wherein he Counsels Eugenius to make a serious Reflection upon those things He admonishes him in the Conclusion of this Book to be constant in Adversity and humble in Prosperity to fly sloth and unprofitable Discourse and to practise no manner of Partiality in his Judgments In the Third Book he Treats of the Consideration that the Pope ought to have towards those that are under him and they are the Faithful over all the World He admonishes him again not to affect an arbitrary Power over them which he repeats says he because there is no Poison nor Arms that he ought to dread
more than the Spirit of Tyranny He afterwards proceeds to treat of the Duty of a Pope towards his Inferiours and first in respect to those who are out of the Church as well Jews and Infidels as Christians and Schismaticks He says it is a Pope's Duty to bring over those that are in an Error to keep those from straying that are already brought over and lastly to reconcile and fix Wanderers For this purpose he must pitch upon unbyassed Preachers and who shall be apt to be mov'd neither by Ambition nor Avarice Such as these now adays swarm in the Court of Rome and that is the reason that there is so little good done and that Religion seems as it were at a stand He speaks afterwards against the grievance of appealing to the Court of Rome We must says he make a severe Reflection upon these Appeals for fear a Remedy prove fruitless when it is established for it seems to me that a great deal of Mischief may be occasioned by these means if moderation be not made use of Every Body appeals to your Holyness 't is a badge of your Primacy yet if you are wise you will rather endeavour to procure the welfare of the Church than insist upon the grandure of your See Men appeal to the Pope and would to God it was to a good end Would to God that those who oppress others would feel the effect of protection granted to such as are oppressed But on the contrary nothing is more common than for the Oppressors to have cause to rejoyce and for the Oppressed to have reason to mourn The Court of Rome seldom considers either the Fatigue or Expence of a Journey in a just cause and rarely are incens'd against him or them that were the cause of it Rouze thee then O Man of God when these things happen Be touch'd with Compassion for the Sufferer and mov'd with Indignation against the Oppressor Let the first be comforted by a Redress of his Grievance by a full satisfaction for the Injury done him and let the last repent of what he has done and let him have no power to do the like again The same punishment is to be inflicted upon those that appeal without cause for no small Injury accrews that way Men may be permitted to appeal where they are injured but to appeal with design to injure others is an injustice that ought not to be suffer'd One may reasonably appeal from a Sentence but it would be ill done to do so before any be pronounc'd insomuch that as then no manifest wrong appeared Whoever appeals without being injured has either design to molest his Adversary or to gain more time for his Defence He adds that every Body complains and murmurs against the great Number and confusion of Appeals made to Rome and that they are the occasion of innumerable Mischiefs He confirms this by some Examples and moreover Counsels the Pope not to suffer any longer such as promote injustice He also in this Book condemns the Abuse of Exemptions I have a mind says he to speak of the Complaints and Murmurings of the Churches who cry continually that they are torn to pieces and dismember'd and that there are few or none but either feel this Damage or fear it If you ask wherefore It is because the Abbys are wrested from the Jurisdiction of their Bishops the Bishops from that of the Arch-Bishops and the Arch-Bishops from that of the Patriarchs or Primates Does this consist with Order Can this be any ways excus'd You may thereby indeed shew the absoluteness of your Power but it is to be fear'd you can at the same time produce but little Justice You do thus because you have a power to do it but the Question will be only whether you ought to have done it You are set above others only to preserve to every one his Rank and Quality and not to injure any one He proves afterwards that these Exemptions are neither Just nor Profitable that they confound the Oeconomy of the Church that they occasion a great deal of Trouble and raise a contempt as well of the lawful Powers establish'd by God Almighty as of those of the Pope and in a word that they destroy the Ecclesiastick Hierarchy establish'd in imitation of that of the Angels But what may it be objected in the Pope's Name will you then forbid me to grant Dispensations No certainly but to ruin the Church you ought not I know you are establish'd universal Dispenser but still it is to Edifie and not to Destroy When there is a necessity for Dispensation it is excusable when it is profitable it is likewise commendable but when there is neither of these it is rather Dissipation than a faithful Dispensation There are several Monasteries in most Bishopricks which belong peculiarly to the Holy See according to the Will of their Founders but then must those be distinguish'd which have been gain'd on account of Devotion from those that have been coveted by Ambition And lastly St. Bernard says that the Pope ought in general to watch over the Church and see strict Discipline and Ecclesiastical Institutions duly observed He recommends to him more particularly to take care of the Reform enjoyn'd by the Council of Rheims relating to the Habits and Manners of the Clergy as likewise to the Age and Qualifications of such as were to be admitted to Benefices In the Fourth Book St. Bernard considers the Pope's Duty towards the Clergy the Inhabitants of Rome the Cardinals and other Officers of his Court He tells him his Clergy ought to be extreamly regular in all their Actions because it is they that are to set Examples to others In relation to the People he observes that it is enough to say it is the People of Rome to denote what disorders they live in That it is a People that have never been accustomed to Peace that love Disturbances and Tumults that are Cruel and Untractable and who never submit but when they have no power to resist That he is nevertheless obliged to exhort them though they seem irreclaimable He farther admonishes the Pope in particular to endeavour a Reformation of Luxury and Sumptuousness He gives him a great deal of Advice concerning the Qualifications that are to be requir'd in Cardinals and other Ministers which he shall pitch upon to be near his Person and counsels him to take care that they 〈◊〉 neither Selfish nor Arrogant and in a word he admonishes him to discharge his Domestick Affairs with true Oeconomy Lastly he makes a Recapitulation of all the principal Qualities that a Pope ought to have Consider above all things says he to him that the Church of Rome over which God hath plac'd you as Supream is the Mother and not the Commandress of other Churches and moreover that you are not a Soveraign Lord over the other Bishops but only one among them that you are a Brother of those that love God and a Companion of such as fear
with Women Lastly he demonstrates by several Arguments That Labour is requisite to a Monastick Life opposes the Curiosity and Ambitus of the Monks The Third Part contains the Methods which those false Teachers make use of to insinuate themselves into the Affections of the Simple which are Disguises Hypocrisy the affectation of a singular Sanctity the meaness of their Habit and the Austerity in their way of Living The Fourth Part contains the Marks whereby the false Prophets might be known and the Methods of Distinguishing them from the true Teachers which are Fifty in all Lastly in the last Part he relates the means of preventing those Perils and shows the Obligation which the Bishops and Pastors lie under of applying a Remedy thereto and how they shall be Punish'd who are negligent therein There is likewise a Sermon of William of Saint Amour on the same Subject Preach'd on the Festival of St. Philip and St. James which contains the same Maxims The Style of that Author is plain he Advances nothing but what he Confirms by a Passage of Scripture or of the Ordinary Comment or of the Canon-Law In his great Work he likewise Cites the Fathers particularly the Treatise of Saint Augustine about the Labour of Monks Saint Jerome Saint Gregory Saint Isiodore Saint Anselm the Prophecies of Saint Hildegarda c. The Abstract of his Works which we have already given you and the Answers to the Objections made against him are enough to acquaint us of his Real Sentiments but one cannot tell how to justify the Malicious Application which he made of the Passages of Holy Writ to the Orders of the Mendicant Friars approv'd by the Holy See and chiefly to that of the Dominicans For tho' he declar'd that he did not aim at them yet the occasion of his Writing and the Motive of undertaking thâ—â— Task put it out of all question that he had them in his Eye and that 't is them he attacks without naming them but by describing them in a way wherein he could hardly be blamed CHAP. VIII Of the Errors advanc'd by Amaury Abbot Joachim and several others and of their Condemnations IN the beginning of the Thirteenth Century a Clerk Student at Paris Nam'd Amaury Born in The Doctrine of Amaury and his Condemnation Village in the Diocess of Chartres call'd Bena after he had for a long time Taught Logick 〈◊〉 Expounded the Scriptures kept still a particular Method and singular Opinions Among otâ—… things he maintain'd That every Christian was oblig'd to believe as an Article of Faith that 〈◊〉 was a Member of Jesus Christ. This Opinion having been Disputed in the Schools of Paris the Debâ—… was brought before Pope Innocent III. who after he had Heard the Propositions of Amaury and 〈◊〉 Refutation of them by the University of Paris Condemn'd the Opinion of Amaury Being returâ—… to Paris he was oblig'd to retract his Opinion with his Mouth tho' not with his Heart Withiâ— short time after he Dy'd and was Interr'd near the Monastery of Saint Martin in the Fields After his Death some of his Disciples Publish'd other Errors more dangerous than the former 〈…〉 The Errors of the Disciples of Amaury and their Condemtion for instance That since the time of the Law was past the Sacraments were useless and that eâ—… one is Justify'd by the Internal Grace of the Holy Spirit That the Vertue of Charity takes away 〈…〉 sinfulness of an Evil Action and according to this Maxim they committed Crimes contrary to 〈…〉 stity with the Women who follow'd them and which they suffer'd to go unpunish'd under the Pretâ—… of Charity Other Authors Accuse them likewise of Teaching 1. That the Body of Jesus Câ—… was no more on the Altar in the Consecrated Bread than in any other Loaf 2. That God 〈…〉 spoken by Ovid as well as by St. Augustine 3. That there was no Resurrection nor any 〈…〉 Heaven or Hell than good Thoughts and Mortal Sins 4. That one ought not to Honour 〈…〉 Saints or their Relicks A Goldsmith Nam'd William was the Head of this Sect He call'd hiâ—… the Ambassador of God and Prophesy'd That before Five Years the World should be smitten 〈…〉 Four Plagues with Famine on the People with the Sword on the Princes with Earthquakes wâ—… should swallow up Cities and with Fire on the Prelates of the Church He call'd the Pope 〈…〉 Christ Rome Babylon and all the Church-Men Members of Anti-Christ He likewise fore-â—… That King Philip Augustus and his Son should soon Reduce all Nations under the Obedience of 〈…〉 Holy Ghost Peter Bishop of Paris and Jarin the King's Counsellor being inform'd of this 〈…〉 Sect to discover who were of it made use of a Man who likewise pretended to be of it By 〈…〉 means several were Discover'd and Apprehended who being brought to Paris were Condemn'd iâ—… Council Held 1209 and afterwards Burnt by the Order of King Philip. The Authors of that tâ—… reckon up Fourteen of them whose Names and Qualities they tell us There were some Priests 〈…〉 almost all had Study'd Divinity Of those Fourteen Ten were Burnt Three were Condemn'd 〈…〉 perpetual Imprisonment and one who became a Monk before he was Apprehended They Câ—… demn'd the Memory of Amaury his Bones were dug up and thrown into the Common Sewer 〈…〉 who discover'd those Hereticks by pretending to be of their Sect apply'd himself to the Abbot 〈…〉 Saint Victor to Master Robert and Friar Thomas who Consulted the Bishop of Paris and Three othâ—… Masters about it by whose Advice he who had Discover'd those Hereticks continu'd with anotheâ—… Priest to feign himself to be one of them They Condemn'd in the Council of Paris Aristotle's Books of Metaphysicks and Physicks newly Aristotle's Works Condemn'd brought from Constantinople and Translated into Latin They order'd them to be Burnt and forbad the Reading them under pain of Excommunication This Prohibition was Confirm'd about the Year 1215 by the Pope's Legate who endeavour'd to Reform the University but he allow'd thâ—… Teaching of the Logicks of that Philosopher Gregory IX in the Year 1231 renew'd it but withaâ—… adding That he did not forbid the Reading Aristotle's Books but till such time as they were Corrected In the Year 1265 Simon Legate of the Holy See in Reforming the University Confirm'd the Constitution of the Year 1215 about the Books of Aristotle without taking any Notice of the Correction But in the Reform of the University in the Year 1366 they permitted the Reading the Books of Physicks as well as the rest This was the Fortune of the Works of that Philosopheâ— at that time Abbot Joachim having in his Books advanc'd several Propositions against the Irregular Morals The Opinions of Abbot Joachim of his time and Exhorted Men to aspire after a greater Perfection than that which was Practis'd in the World Some took occasion from thence to believe That the Law of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which they thought imperfect would