not the Agreement or Disagreement of Coexistance but respecting other Relations more easy to be discovered than that of Coexistence we are capable of making further Progresses To augment this knowledg we must establish in our Mind clear and constant Ideas with their Names or Signs and after that exactly consider their Connections their Agreements and their Dependencies As to know if we could not find some Method as profitable in regard to the other Moods as Algebra in regard to the Ideas of quantity to discover their Relations 'T is they that cannot be determined aforehand yet we ought never to despair of it Notwithstanding I doubt not but Morality may be brought to a much greater degree of Certainty than it hath been hitherto if after having applied the Term of Morality to clear and constant Ideas we examin them freely and without prejudice 13. Knowledg is not innate nor presents not it self always to our Intellect We must often bring in our Searches both Application and Study and 't is that which depends upon our Will but when we have examined some Ideas with their Agreements and Disagreements by all Means that we have and with all the exactness whereof we are capable it depends not upon our Will to know or not to know the Truths that concern these Ideas 14. Our knowledg extending not it self to every thing that belongs to us we supply it by what we call judgment by which our Mind concludes that Ideas agree or disagree to wit that a Proposition is true or false without having an evidence that may produce a certain knowledg 15. The foundation upon which we receive these Propositions as true is what we call probability and the manner wherewith the Mind receives these Propositions is that which is called Consent Belief or Opinion that which consisteth to receive an Opinion as true without having a certain knowledg that it is so effectively Here are the foundations of probability 1. The conformity of something with that which we know or with our Experience 2. The Testimony of others founded upon what they know or what they have experienced 16. In this Chapter we treat of the different degrees of Assurance or of Doubt which depend upon these two things diversified by Circumstances that concur with others or that counterbalance them but they are in too great a number for to be noted in particulars in this Extract 17. Errour is not the failure of knowledg but a fault of judgment which causeth Men to give their consent to things that are not true The causes ares 1. Want of proofs such as may or may not be had 2. The little ability Men have to make use thereof 3. The want of Will to make use thereof 4. The false rules of probability which may be reduced to these 4. Doubtless Opinions supposed as Principles Hypotheses received unruly Passions and Authority 18. Reasoning by which we know Demonstrations and probabilities hath as it seems to me four parts The first consists in discovery of proofs The second in ranging them in such order as is necessary to find the truth The third in clear perception or an evident connection of Ideas in each part of the Consequence The fourth in carrying strait Judgment and drawing a just conclusion from the whole It appeareth by this that Syllogism is not the great instrument of Reason that is serveth but in the third part and only to shew to others that the connection of two Ideas or rather of two Words by the interposition of a third one is good or bad But it is not at all subservient to Reason when it seeks for some new knowledg or would discover some unknow Truth and the proofs upon which it is grounded which is the principal use which we ought to make of Reason and not to Triumph in Dispute or to reduce to silence those that would be Litigious 19. Some Men oppose so often Faith to Reason that if we knew not distinctly their limits we should run a hazard to entangle our selves in our Searches about matters of Religion The Subject of reasoning is Propositions which we may know by the natural use of our Faculties and which are drawn from Ideas that we have by Sensation by Reflection The matters of Faith are those which are discovered to us by a Supernatural Revelation If we carefully consider the distinct Principles of these two things we shall know in what Faith excludeth Reason or imposeth Silence to it and in what we ought to hearken to Reason as a lawful Judge of a matter 1. A Proposition which we pretend to have received by an original and immediate Revelation cannot be admitted as an undoubted matter of Faith if it be contrary to the clear and evident Principles of our natural Knowledges because that though God cannot lie notwithstanding it 's impossible that a Man to whom the Revelation is made should know it comes from God with more certainty than he knows the truth of these Principles of Reason 2. But an original Revelation can impose Silence upon Reason in a Proposition wherein Reason giveth but a probable assurance because the assurance that we have that this Revelation comes from God is clearer than the thing that is most probable 3. If it cannot be granted that original Revelation may contradict our clear and evident natural Knowledg it can yet be less granted to what we know by Tradition only because that although that which God reveals cannot be called in Question nevertheless he to whom the Revelation hath not been immediately made but who holds it from the Relation of other Men can never know that God hath made this Revelation nor that he understands well the Words in which they are proposed to him nor even that he ever had read or heard this Proposition which we suppose to be revealed to another with as much certainty as he knoweth the truths of Reason which are evident by themselves It hath been revealed That the Trumpet shall sound and the Dead shall rise but I see not how those that hold that Revelation only is the object of Faith can say that it is a matter of Faith and not of Reason to believe that this Proposition is a Revelation if it be not revealed that such a Proposition advanced by such a Man is a Revelation The Question recurs to wit Whether I understand this Proposition in its true Sense 20. In fine conformable to these Principles I conclude in dividing the Sciences into three kinds The first which I call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the knowledg of Things whether Spiritual or Corporal or some of their Proprieties in their true Nature We propose in this no other end than simple Speculation The second which I name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contains the Rules of all our Operations comprehends the things that are in our power and chiefly that which belongs to the conduct of our Manners This second Science proposeth the action for its end The third to which
in his Historical Dissertations p. 45 c. fol. IV. Bom after that takes another turn to Answer the Question of Episcopius touching the Institution of a Soveraign Judge over Controversies who succeeded the Apostles He asks of him a formal passage Wherein Iesus Christ hath ordered the Apostles that if there arose Disputes in the Church they should Convocate a Synod and make Decisions thereupon to which the Faithful should be obliged in Conscience to submit There is no appearance adds he that the Apostles should do it if they had not believed this Action conformable to the Will of their Master nor that the Primitive Church should so soon imitate them if the Apostles had ordered nothing thereupon It must then be that either the Institution of Synods is an Apostolical Tradition or that it is an inseparable Sequel of the Ministery and Promises that Iesus Christ hath made to those who exercise it I am always with you until the end of the World and other Passages which tho they are at every moment in the mouth of Catholicks seem not the stronger for that to Protestants Episcopius confesseth that Iesus Christ hath commanded no where his Disciples to convocate Synods and that notwithstanding they have done it He adds That according to their Example Ecclesiastical Assemblies may be held but that it followeth not that these Assemblies where none less than the Holy Ghost presides have as much Authority as the Apostolick ones The reason hereof is that the Authority of the Apostolick Synods depended not so much on the consent and conformity of their Opinions as on the quality of their persons and of the Authority which God had clothed them with by the Revelations he had made unto them and the Orders he had given them This will appear evident if we take notice of the conduct of the Apostles When they have an express command from God they expect not the Resolutions of a Synod for to act and St. Peter understood no sooner the meaning of the Vision which he had had but he went to Cornelius But when they speak of their own head they say I advise you 1 Cor. vii 25. On these occasions they took advice of one another Sometime they agreed not as it happened to Paul and Barnabas Act. xv 39. But commonly the spirit of Mildness and Peace which fill'd them and which shewed them all the Principles and all the Consequences of the Gospel brought them mutually to consult each other So that their actions being thus conducted by the Spirit of God they could say It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us But tho it was granted that the Convocation of Synods is of a divine Institution doth it follow that all the Synods and Councils which have been held after the Apostles have made good Decisions A Catholick denyes it and if he is asked the reason He must of necessity answer that what distinguisheth true Synods from false ones is that there have been some which have had all the Conditions necessary for a true Synod and have made good Decisions and the others wanting these Conditions have been but Conciliabula But how can it be known that these Conditions are assured marks of the Truth of Synods seeing that there is not one which is not equivocate according to some Doctors of the Roman Church And how can one tell what Synod hath them Will it be known by its Decisions But they should be examined and so to deny the Principle to wit that it might have pronounced a definitive Sentence Is it enough to assure it lawful that it be general Yes for the Gallican Church which receives the Council of Basil but not for Italy It must besides be confirmed by the Pope but who hath given him this Right Is it a Priviledge of the Successors of St. Peter How have they obtained it and whence comes it that the Bishops of Antioch who have succeeded this Apostle as well as those of Rome have had no share in it After all what needs there any trouble to prove the Authority of Synods when People are of the sentiment of Bom and the Iesuites And seeing that St. Peter and his Successours are the Soveraign Judges of Controversies what need is there of these Ecumenick Assemblies convocated with so much difficulty and Expences It 's not enough to interrogate this infallible Judge and to receive his Decisions as Oracles from Heaven The Passages which the Catholick alledgeth here in his behalf and the Answers which he hath made to those of the Protestants have been so often repeated that tho Episcopius refutes them sufficiently after a new manner we notwithstanding do not think it worth while to stop at them We shall only relate the manner wherewith our Professour translates the famous passage of the First Epistle to Timothy III. 15 16. because it is not common and that it destroyeth at once all the proofs which the Roman Church could draw thence Episcopius having proved against his Adversary as an illiterate Person that the Division of the Canonical Books into Chapters and Verses is not of the Sacred Writers and that it is not they who have put the Points and Comma's thereto he sheweth him that it is much more natural and more conformable to the aim of the Apostle to point this place otherwise than the common Copies are And to Translate it thus I have written this unto you That if I delay to come you may know how Men ought to behave themselves in the House of God which is the Church of the living God The stay and prop of Truth and the Mystery of Piety is certainly great God manifested in the Flesh c. When there is want of clear Reasons and convincing Arguments people are constrained to have recourse to Prejudices to Comparisons and to the Reasons of Convenience Therefore the Roman Catholicks say incessantly to us That God who well knew that there would arise Disputes in the Church upon Matters of Faith as there are Processes formed amongst Citizens of one State touching the Goods which they possess ought to establish a Judge who should be consulted at all times and who might instruct us in the true sense of Scripture in contested places and thus end the Differences It seemeth that Iesus Christ otherwise would not have taken care enough of his Church and the faithful who compose it seeing he would not have given them means of assuring themselves perfectly that the Doctrine which appears most conformable to Scripture is true if they might be in doubt as to several Articles of Faith and that what they should most determinately believe thereupon could not pass but for a a greater likelihood of Truth It must be granted that there would be nothing better understood nor more commodious than a Judge of this nature There would be no more need for one to break his Head in examining all things and to seek for truth it should be all found and People would go to Heaven
PAste a small piece of paper over those three lines beginning with a Hand at the end of page 240 and place all the seven Alphabets as they lie in order beginning with A in the first Alphabet and next place A in the second Alphabet and all the rest in the same order for the placing A in the fourth Alphabet first of all tho' the Subject Matter of that part would more properly come there will make some persons apprehend the Book Imperfect AN ESSAY Upon all sorts of LEARNING Written by the Athenian Society Of Learning in General HAppiness is the end of every Intelligent Being for this we Court whatever appears agreeable to us some seek it in Riches and Preferments some in Gratifying their senses but the Wise Man pursues it in such refin'd speculations as are most becoming the Dignity of his Nature He that knows most comes nearest to the perfection of his Maker and who can transcribe a fairer Copy than he that imitates the Eternal Wisdom 'T is the first question in Philosophy whether a thing be or exist because ' twoud be a fruitless Labour to search into the Nature of that which has no Being but the Universal consent of Humanity about the Inquiries after Wisdom resolves this first Question And it won't be altogether impertinent to examine here the reasons of these Inquiries That which puts in for preheminence amongst the rest is the Analogy betwixt the Power and Subject the proportion between the Mind and Science The spirit of man is continually upon the Wing Visiting every Element and examining more or less the Treasuries of Nature Storing up from thence what his inclination dictates and if he fails in his Expectation he makes a second Choice and so on Nor does this different Genius of Persons lessen the truth of our Maxim as to the Analogy betwixt the Mind and Science but rather confirm it for tho' some chuse Evil or Ignorance 't is under the notion of Good or Science for to pursue Evil as Evil is impossible 't is a rape upon the very Will and to Chuse Ignâ—rance as Ignorance is a Contradiction for when a Man chuses to be ignorant of such a Science 't is because he wou'd discover some other good in the absence of it Nay even in self destruction where the Wretched promise themselves an Ignorance of all their Evils 't is not so much to avoid their Evils as to discover some unknown rest in their Non-being So unaccountably desirous is Mankind of new discoveries as Seneca observes the happy are weary of pleasure and even seek out misery for a Change and we must believe him a Schismatic from Humane Nature that disclaims a Propriety in some sort of Knowledge and Learning Twou'd be a tedious and unprofitable task to make a particular Survey of the infinite variety and different application of Humane Studies and 't is an unhappy truth that for the most part the Body comes in for a larger share than the Mind the accomplishments of this are postpon'd to the gratification of that because appearances have brib'd so many Judgments from making a strict examination and amongst those few that pretend to enquiries how small a number can perfect the attempt without prejudices Hence it is that true Honour is baffled and outrival'd by dress challenges Pageantry and Gay Retinues True nobility is the effect of a Pious and Learned Education A noble Custom of the Mind promises an happy Harvest of a flourishing Republick it fixes Crowns by Counsel prevents and resolves the Riddles of Plots and Insurrections it procures the Love of wise Men and the reverence of Fools settles a reputation that outbraves the ruines of Age the Revolutions of Empires in short it teaches us to be Happy since it 's a friend to both the Mind and Body and secures an interest in both Worlds A Doctor of the Civil Law who had more Estate than Reason had the honour of Knighthood confer'd upon him by Sigismund the Emperor whereupon he began to value himself more and his old acquaintance less the Emperor hearing of it and meeting him at the Council of Constance he publickly accosted him in these words Fool who preferrest Knighthood before Learning the gingles of fame before the true worth of the Mind I can coin a thousand Knights in one Day but not one Doctor in a thousand years Who can be proud of his debts or any advantages which are not the effects of his own Merit but of Nature or Providence without being ridiculous and attracting a greater blemish than an Hereditary Estate can compensate Wou'd a Gentleman deserve his Name and the gifts of Nature his Study must be the Laws of Nations the foundations of Common-Wealths the Examples of such as by their own virtue have ennobled mean Families and other such tasks as Learning and Knowledge may suggest to him How many feeble Families are degenerated into contempt and baseness for want of such a Study and how many now are and have been always mean and contemptible for being haters of thinking and eternal Truants from the School of Learning and Vertue My Lord Verulam whose observations have deservedly Characteriz'd him a wise Man tells us That Learning is the perfection of Reason the only Note of distinction between Men and Beasts delivering the Mind from Wilderness and Barbarism It is Religions Handmaid the great Honour and Accomplishment of a Person or Nation the most Vniversal and useful Interest that God vouchsafeth to the Sons of Men. Cato's distich deserves the Study of more than School-boys Instrue praeceptis animum nec discere cesses Nam sine Doctrina vita est quasi mortis Imago Which may be thus Englished In Learnings precepts spend thy utmost breath Life without Learning bears the stamp of Death Learning is of Universal extension like the Sun it denys not its Rays and benign influence to any one that will but open their eyes other Treasures may be Monopoliz'd and engrost but this is encreas'd by Communication and diffusion and the more a Man imparts the more he retains and encreases his first store Thus far of Science or Learning in general which rather than a Wise man wou'd be depriv'd of he wou'd even steal it from the Minutes of a necessary rest or recreation we shall now descend to particulars but our short limits will rather confine us to shew the use and method of obtaining them than a full and distinct Treatise of every head and first of Divinity Divinity That there is a God no person can doubt that will open his eyes if we look upon the Heavens the regular motions of those vast Bodies that determine times and Seasons every object about us whether Brutes Fishes Fouls Trees or Minerals each one indued with a Soul or Nature not to be dissected by the greatest Philosophers but above all when we look upon our selves and consider the wonderfulness of our Structure the curiosity of our Frame the Ideas reasonings conclusions on
proves the truth of the Christian Religion the falseness of Paganism and Mahometanism Imperfection of the Religion of the Jews and the excellency of that of Jesus Christ whom he shews in four large Sermons to be the true Messia Afterwards he explains all that is contained in the second article of the Creed In the two last he shews the Justice and certainty of a day of Judgment In fine the 34th treats all along of the Divinity of the Holy Ghost The third Volume contains 45 Sermons which treat mostly of Morals The three first are upon those texts of the Scripture which command us to do all in the Name of Jesus Christ and in Imitation of him The six following shew the Submission which we ought to have to the will of God and contentment of mind to which the Apostle gives so great praises The 10th and 11th treat of patience and joy the 12th and 13th on the study of a mans self the 14th and 15th of the thoughts of our latter end the 16th and 17 of the danger of deferring repentance the 18th and from thence to the 22th of the labours and employments of all sorts of persons of whatsoever condition they may be the 23d of the depth of the Judgment of the Almighty the four following of the obedience we owe to our spiritual Guide the 28th and the following to the 31st of self-love and its different kinds the 32d and unto the 35th to do nothing but what is honest in the eyes of the world the three following of the goodness of God and that he is no respecter of persons the 39th and unto the 42th of the Universality of Redemption and the three last of the birth and passion of Jesus Christ and of the gift of the Holy Ghost Besides what we have said of the method of Dr. Barrow which is that that is at this day observed by the most able Divines of the English Church 't will not be amiss to observe that by the application he hath made to the Mathematicks he has formed to himself a habit of writing very exactly avoiding unuseful digressions and making use of Solid proofs rather than Rhetorical figures according to the Custom of many Preachers who apply themselves rather to a plausible eloquence than the Solidity of sound reasons It was thought necessary to give this account lest the Publick should be displeased with the name of Sermon which was so dreadful for three Volumes in folio to contain nothing else Those who have been in England and have had any knowledge of the writings of the Divines of that Country know the esteem in which our Author is there but to satisfie in some manner those who understand not English I shall here give an extract of the 8th Sermon in the 2d Book where the Author proves the existence of God by the Consent of all Nations Lactantius After having cited many Heathen and Christian Authors against Atheism he brings the testimony of all People and Nations which agree almost in nothing but the belief of a Divinity Testimonium Populorum atque Gentium in Vna hac re non dissidentium this is of great force whether it be considered in it self or by the relation to its Original An Antient Philosopher ranged probable things in this order that which seems true to some learn'd persons is in some sort probable that which appears so to the greatest part or to all the Learned is most probable what is believed by most men both Learned and Ignorant is yet more likely but what all men consent to has the greatest probability of truth so that one must be very extravagantly obstinate to have the boldness to deny it there is no man in the World can by his reasons only ballance the constant authority of all men If any one by a Spirit of contradiction or otherwise should undertake to prove that Snow is black as did Anaxagoras or maintain motion impossible as Zeno did or that contradictory assertions may be true at the same time as Heraclitus did That there remains no other means to refute such a man because he hath rejected the most evident principles and opposes himself to the Universal consent of Mankind if he refuses such a concession all that we can do is to look upon him rather with pity than contempt We ought to have very convincing and clear reasons to resist the common suffrage of all men and accuse them equally of error To illustrate this still more or rather to demonstrate the Thesis upon which it is founded it is necessary to cite the testimonies of some Heathen Philosophers which cannot be suspected on this occasion The consent of all men saith Seneca is of very great weight to us 't is an argument a thing is true when it appears so to all the World thus we conclude there is a Divinity because that all men believe it there being no Nation however corrupted which denies it Cicero says the same thing in several places and observes further that many Nations had extravagant opinions of the Divinity yet they all agree in this that there is one eternal power on which all men have their dependance In violent disputes saith Maximus of Tyre in contestations and divers opinions which are amongst men one may see a Law and Doctrine equally established in all Nations that there is a God which is King and Father of all men and that there are many Gods Sons of this Supream Being which Reign with him This is confess'd by the Greeks and Barbarians the Inhabitants of all places both Learn'd and Ignorant There are many like Witnesses and if any Philosophers have contradicted this general consent they are so few in number that according to the foresaid Author they ought to be looked upon as Monsters as an Oxe without Horns and a Fowl without Wings If we should consider the Original of this common Opinion we should acknowledge it yet more solid for in fine this consent can proceed but from one of these four things Where there is a thought which is the result of a natural Instinct as the most evident principles of the Sciences and the desire we have to be happy as Cicero and many other Philosophers have declared Where we have a natural disposition to receive this Impression as our eyes are naturally disposed to see the Light as soon as it appears as Iulian himself said Where some strange reason that presents it self to the minds of men even the grossest and what depends chiefly upon common notions hath produced this consent as Plutarch has it Where in fine some ancient Tradition that came from the same source has spread this opinion through all the earth according to the thoughts of some others There can be no other way Imagined by which this opinion hath been received amongst all men who are so much inclined to judge diversly of the same thing now chuse which of these ways you will our reasons are equally strong and
convincing if it is by the Light of Nature 't would be as extravagant to deny it as that the most evident principles of all Siences are false if 't is said that 't is by a natural disposition that men believe there is a God why should we resist the Instinct of Nature since the notions thereof never deceive us If you agree that there is a powerful reason which persuades all men 't is renouncing a Common sence to refuse to yield thereunto But if they agree that man received this knowledge from an ancient tradition as appears more likely we must seek from whence this tradition is come to us and who was the Common Master of all mankind The Names of those who were the first founders of a sect are sufficiently known as are they also who have engaged the World in certain opinions but of him that invented this there 's neither name nor place to be found nor time in which he lived nor the manner whereby it was introduced and spread amongst Men 't is this that makes one believe that the Authors of this tradition were our first Parents who as they could not be Ignorant of their Original were obliged without doubt to teach this truth to their children It is easily conceived that from thence all the World have learnt it This thought conducts us to another which is of the greatest Importance to the subject we are speaking of viz that all mankind is descended from one man only or at least a very little number of People that assembled together from whence appears first that the Generations of men had a beginning and secondly that we cannot resist the doctrine of the existence of a Deity as an apolitical fiction for suppose that mankind hath a beginning upon the earth from whence could he draw his Original but from a Divinity as we have conceived what other being could form bodies so admirably as ours and to have joyn'd to 'em an Intelligence like that of our soul let us consider also who hath taught the first man there was a God and how it entred into his mind that he drew his existence from him if he that formed him had not discovered it to him in a sensible manner and taught him 't was to him he owed his being only in a word since they have taught to their posterity we have no reason to refuse 'em our belief and we can't Imagin their testimonies less worthy of faith nor find men who can be instructed in their Original than themselves nor can we reasonably reject a Tradition which is transmitted from 'em to us This reason we find entire in Plato We must believe those who told us they were of the race of the Gods since they say they know perfectly from whom they were descended 't is impossible to distrust the Children of the Gods altho they should bring no evident demonstration of what they declared and since they advance things only that belong to themselves 't is Iust to believe ' em Thus one sees these two truths the universal Tradition of a Divinity and the Supposition that all men are come from the same Original maintain both As to the last there are divers Histories and opinions that confirm it altho' it cannot be better upheld than by the universal belief I just spoke of Nevertheless 't is not unuseful to give you some examples 'T is without doubt by an antient Tradition which relates no more than to the first men as the greatest part of the Heathens have believed that all mankind drew their Original from the same Parents who received their being from that divinity in resemblance of which they were form'd Finxit ad effigiem Moderantûm cuncta Deorum That the Soul is immortal that there are rewards and punishments after this Life according as men live well or ill That there are places where good men are happy and others where the wicked receive their punishment after death It cannot be said that Philosophers have discovered these truths and perswaded all the World of 'em for they are too subtle and fine upon this subject to perswade all men It must necessarily be from Tradition that all men have learn'd this Truth One ought to believe with Plato Relations touching these sort of things which are so great in number permanere animos saith Cicero arbitramur consensu Nationum omnium Cum de animarum aternitate disserimus saith Seneca after him Non leve momentum apud nos habet consensus hominum aut Timentium inferos aut Colentium 'T is also from the same source that this Opinion is spread amongst the Heathens as thus that in the beginning men enjoy'd a Felicity which they lost by their own fault and that this fault is the Original of all evils to which their Posterity have been exposed 'T is well known what the Poets have said of the Golden Age and of Pandora's Box. From this also comes the Opinion of the prae-existence of the Soul whereof these words are to be found in the fragments of Cicero When one considers the errours and miseries to which men are exposed in this life It doth not seem unreasonable that these Antient Prophets and Interpreters of the will of the Gods who have instructed us in the mysteries of Religion say that we are born to be punished for Crimes which we have committed in a prae-existent state I know if Antient Traditions be not corrupted by length of time that Plato believ'd that the first man was man and woman and divided into two and this disagrees not with holy Writ which informs us that the first woman was formed from the body of the first man There are also some Histories which agree with the Sacred Writ as what the Poets say of the long life of the first men of the general Corruption of all Mankind and of the Deluge sent to punish them several things have been also said of the Divinity of Hero's which seems to come from the same source To which may be added divers Customs formerly spread almost thro' the World as that of counting by Tens dividing the Time by Weeks beginning to reckon from the Night as being made before the Day Besides that men almost always and throughout the whole Earth agree upon the principal Heads of Morality It 's true that reason might teach such as consulted it but the greatest part of the World was not well enough disposed to hearken quietly to the voice of Reason only and to silence those passions which hinder'd us from understanding it if this Voice had not been maintain'd by another more clear and powerful to wit that of Tradition It may also be said there were Barbarous Nations among which the belief of a Divinity had been stifled by Ignorance and Stupidity and among more learned Nations as the Greeks some have been doubtful and rejected it as a Lie but it must also be granted that it has been commonly receiv'd in the East amongst the most
ignorant in the time of the III. Council of Lateran held under Alexander III. in MCLXXIX This Author saith that some of them presented to the Pope divers books of Scripture translated into French with Comments and demanded instantly of him the Power to preach Two amongst them who passed for the most able were introduced in an Assembly where Mapes was Commissioned as he saith to Question them He asked of them if they believed in God the Father the Son and Holy Ghost They answered Yes Do ye also believe added he in the Mother of Iesus Christ The Vaudois replied they did and made themselves thus saith the Author to be laughed at by all Men. Notwithstanding as it appeared not that they were willing to desist from their design they were excommunicated in the Council yet they continued their Assemblies in Gasconny and in the Neighbouring places where they begun from that time to exclaim against the abuses they had observed at Rome History tells us that Manicheans were mixed among them tho' they were very different in opinions and some were burned who were discovered in divers places of France and Germany St. Bernard hath written in the following Age against I know not what Hereticks whereof he speaks very contemptibly and to whom he also attributes some of the Sentiments of the Manicheans He assures us that they chose rather to die than to be converted and that they not only shewed Constancy but even rejoyced when they were led to the place where they were to be put to Death Mori magis eligebant quà m converti nec modo patienter sed laeti ut videbatur ducebantur ad mortem We may see hereby that seduced Persons as sincerely believe a false Doctrine as the Orthodox do theirs who defend the Truth for infine one would not be burned for what one look'd upon as a lye An Author of that time named William de â—uylaurens in the Prologue of his Chronicle besides adds Arianism to them and saith that they as well as the Vaudois tho' in different opinions licet inter se dissides agreed equally against the Catholick Faith They made the greater progress by reason that Priests were fallen into the utmost contempt whereof here is a proof drawn from a vulgar way of speaking which this Author relates To shew that they were far from doing a thing they were accustomed to say I would rather be a Iew But the Proverb changed and it is said in Gasconny I would rather be a Priest than to do that Mallem esse Capellanus quà m hoc vel illud facere Men were every where so wearied with the Ecclesiastical Tyranny and so scandalized at their lewd course of Life that those who spake against them were hearkened to with Delight and Pleasure as they did to one Arnand of Bresse a Disciple of Peter Abailards who went to censure them at Rome The Poet Gunther speaks thereof more at large in the third book of his Ligurin and concludes thus what he says of ' em Veraque multa quidem nisi tempora nostra fideles Respuerent monitus falsis admixta monebat Our Author relates divers of the violent proceedings against them and amongst others a Declaration of Alphonsus King of Arragon published in MCXCIV wherein he drives the Vaudois out of his Estates prohibites his Subjects to give them any succours upon pain of Confiscation of all their Goods and orders them to add all manner of grievances and affronts to beat and abuse them yet upon Condition they will neither kill nor cripple them praeter solummodo laesionem mortis aut membrorum detruncationem This is a cruel mildness which sometime Persecutors have practis'd and whereof it would not be hard to find fresh Examples The second period of time during which Usher believes the Dragon was let loose extends from the beginning of the Pontificate of Innocent III. unto the beginning of that of Gregory XI to wit from the year 1194. unto 1370. Innocent endeavour'd not a little to establish the indirect Authority of Popes over Kings and that which they pretend to have over all the Bishops of the World He named himself in a discourse which he made upon the Consecration of Popes the Spouse of the Church He maintain'd that all Bishops were but his Vicars and that it was he alone who retain'd an absolute Episcopal Authority So that other Bishops might say of him as of God we have received of his fulness He caused a Synod to be held at Rome in MCCXV which is called the fourth of Lateran where he confirmed a Canon of the III. Council held in the same place by which Alexander III. had absolved from the Oath of Fidelity the Subjects of a Prince who had favoured Hereticks against the Remonstrances of the Court of Rome Here are the terms of the second decree If a Temporal Lord required and advertised by the Church neglect to purge his Lands from the pollution of Heresie let the Metropolitan and the other Bishops of the Province excommunicate him If he makes not satisfaction in a year let the Soveraign Pontif be advertised that he may declare his Subjects absolved from the Fidelity which they owe him and give his Countrey to be possessed by Catholicks who having rooted out the Hereticks may possess it without any contradiction As this Decree is quite contrary to the Authority of Princes some Catholick Authors who have lived in places where this indirect Authority of Popes is refused to be acknowledged over the Temporalities of Kings they say that the Canons attributed to this Council were suppositious or at least that things did not pass therein after a canonical manner so that these Decrees obliged no Body But a famous English Protestant hath shewn that these Decrees are not suppositious that they are obligatory according to the Principles of the Roman Church that they have been received in England that the distinction of those who say that the Decrees of Councils oblige in matters of Faith and not in matters of practice are unreasonable and contrary to the Principles of the same Church and that tho' this distinction was true it could not exempt them from submitting themselves to the Decrees of the IV. Council of Lateran It was in this same Council that Transubstantiation was established and that a Croisade was published against the Vaudois as it was usually done against the Infidels Antoninus in his Chronicle affirms that the County of Thoulouse and Lombardy being full of Hereticks who amongst other errours endeavoured to take from the Church all it's Temporalities omnem Temporalitatem St. Dominick set himself to preach against them and converted a hundred thousand of ' em He took adds he to his help some devout and zealous Persons for the Faith who conquered these Hereticks corporally with the material Sword when they could not convince them with the Sword of the Spirit Quae corporaliter illos Hereticos gladio materiali expugnarent quos ipse gladio verbi Dei
in Holland and his Letter was shewn to Peter du Moulin as then Minister of Charenton who had made some Reflections upon this Letter which were sent to Grotius This gave him occasion to write to the same Ambassador the 62 Letter of the 1. p. Where he treats of some of these Controversies and amongst others those which respect the Authority of the Magistrate in Ecclesiastical things It seems by what Grotius saith that du Moulin should believe that a Magistrate ought to be Learned to have some Authority in Ecclesiastical things Grotius refutes this thought He applyes himself again to shew that the Authority of a Prince depends not on the truth of his opinions in matters of Religion He brings the words of St. Augustin in the Letter ad Vincentium Reges cum in errore sunt pro ipso errore leges contra veritatem ferunt cum in veritate sunt similiter contra errorem pro ipsa veritate decernunt He cites besides the example of the Emperor Aurelian who at the prayer of the Christians drove from his Bishoprick Paul de Samosate who would not submit himself to the Authority of the Councils w ch had condemned his Doctrine Grotius saith several things upon the Power of Princes in the regulating of Controversies which arise in matter of Religion But he hath treated on all this more fully in his Book de Imperio summarum Potestatum circa sacra We find in the Letter 329. the solution of another question which belongs to the Canon Law It was to know if the Religious to whom the Pope permitted to Preach and Confess can do it without consulting the Bishops and without asking their Permission Mr. de S. Cyran under the Name of Petrus Aurelius maintain'd they could not and the Jesuites pretended that these priviledged Fryars needed no permission from the Bishops Mr. des Cordes Canon of Limoge and a great friend to Grotius had demanded of him his opinion thereupon He answers that the Antiquity of Mr. de S. Cyran was certainly reasonable and that even where these Commissions are received they ought to be interpreted in such wise that they make the least prejudice to the Canons and received Uses But he adds that he cannot tell how Mr. de S. Cyran as well as the Jesuits attributing to the Pope an almost absolute Authority can maintain that he has not the power to do what Bishops do every day to wit to give the permission of Preaching and Confessing He saith that in giving the Pope the power that is given him they ought to fall into the same inconveniency wherein the Romans were under an Emperour who would have all the questions of Law to be sent to his Oracle In Letter 693. directed to a Polish Lord who had asked him his opinion concerning Torments he answers that there is nothing less certain than a Confession extorted by Torments upon which he cites this word of an ancient mentietur quiferre non potuerit mentietur qui ferre potuerit I have saith he infinite examples of People who were unjustly put to Death upon so uncertain a foundation I do not wonder that there have been grave persons who believed that Christians should not make use of Torments to extort Confessions seeing it's certain there is no such thing in the Law of Moses That in England Men live in as great security as any where tho' Tortures are not in use there and that whilst Rome conserv'd it's Liberty the Citizens were never tortured William Grotius had made some questions to his Brother concerning the publick Law upon which occasion our Author shews in his Letter 4. P. 2. the difference which is betwixt particular and publick Laws and sheweth that they are equally founded upon Nature the Law of Nations and the Civil Law He treats afterwards on this Question If natural Right can suffer some change He divides this Law into divers branches and shews in what sense there may happen some change He also treats on the same matter in Letter 6. It had been it seems objected against him that the Civil Laws do sometimes alter the Law of Nature when they make void all the promises that a Pupil might make without the consent of his Guardian seeing he violates this Right of the Law of Nature that one must keep his promises Grotius shews how Civil Law agrees herein with the Law of Naâ—ure and also expounds some like cases as if a Pupil having borrow'd without the consent of his Tutour and being become rich by this borrowing whether he is oblig'd to pay Grotius answers that although by the Ancient Civil Law of the Romans a Creditor could not have an action against a Pupil altho ' the Pupil is bound to pay by the Law of Nature whereof here is an inviolable Law That none ought to enrich himself with the damage of another He cites divers Laws upon this subject He treats in Letter 4. of the same Part of Servitudes and sheweth that it is a Right established by Men against Liberty and Natural Freedom He expounds the Law in fine ff de aqua where it is said that the low possessions have commonly this Servitude that they receive their waters which run from those that are highest In Letter 12. He speaks fully enough of Conventions in general and of Stipulations in particular He shews that the Law of Nature necessarily obligeth one to keep his word whence several Philosophers have given the name of Truth to justice and Simonides said that Justice consisted in speaking the truth and in giving what one hath received notwithstanding Plato and Theophrastus were of opinion that no body ought to have the power of forcing any one to keep his word by virtue of the Laws but that it should be free not to keep it as it is free not to be generous But this Philosophy saith our Author agrees not with our Age wherein few Folks are virtuous by their own motion without the fear of Laws He enters after that upon a great Question to wit how Civil Law can derogate from the Law of Nature in matters of agreement and promises He expounds in a few words in what manner the Roman Laws have taken away from those who submitted themselves thereto the Liberty of promising certain things so that on these occasions they have rendered contracts void as well as when they were not extorted after the manner which these Laws prescribed He shews that the Laws have not in all that injured the Law of Nature We find besides in Letter 352. p. 2. The examination of this Question Vtrum voluntas testatoris coram septem testibus ad id convocatis declarata nolle se Testamentum ante factum valere habenda sit pro Testamento tali quale esset si haeredes ab intestato instituisset disertè Grotius answers yes and that it is thus he understands those terms Voluitque intestato decedere in l. 1. § Si haeres D. si tabulae Testamenti nullae extabunt
IV. Grotius hath also by the by spoken of some other Questions of Law which are not necessary to be related here We shall pass to what is Historical in his Letters whereof one part belongs to ancient History Profane or Ecclesiastical and the other to the History of his Time or of his own Adventures We shall in a few words observe what 's most curious upon these matters We have already noted that there is in a Letter to Mr. de Pieresc the Life of Nicholas of Damascus There is no other profane History but this except some allusion by the by to some fact which he relates not as Letter 399. p 2. One of the finest works saith he of Parrhasius is written in Pliny He represented the People of Athens after a very ingenious manner He would represent a People Cholerick Unjust Inconstant and at the same time easie to be perswaded Merciful Clement Proud Cowardly Fierce and Timorous He painted the figure of a man much as I would have the Republick of Holland or that of the United Provinces to be represented by a Virgin I would have a Virgin to be painted who hath yet her Virginity but who makes it known that it is burthensome to her In the Letter 122. p. 1. He remarks the Oaths that the ancient Jews were accustomed to make use of but in things of small consequence they believed one should not swear by Divinity it self but by ones Father and Mother by the Earth by the Stars by Heaven or by the Universe It 's apparent in the beginning of the Book of Philo intituled de specialibus legibus Which serves much according to the Judgment of Grotius to clear what Jesus Christ saith of Oaths in ch v. of St. Mat. Where he prohibites us to swear at all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to wit after any manner which the Jews swear He makes besides some other remarks upon this place of the Gospel but as he most enlarged upon this matter in his Annotations it 's better to send the Reader to them and to take notice of another thing which is in his Letters touching the Jews He saith that since the Jews were banished from their Countrey and dispersed amongst Nations who hate them they are more exposed to calumny and that we ought not slightly to believe the evil which we may hear of them that notwithstanding he would not always answer for their innocency seeing they believe it is lawful to curse Christians as appears by the Thalmud and by other Books They are not satisfied with words they proceed to effects when they think themselves strong enough for it You may see adds he in the History of Dion what the Jews of Cyrene have done in times past and in Sozomen l.vii. c. 13. and Socrates l.vii. c. 17. what the Jews did who lived between Calcedon and Antioch Nicephorus passeth for an Author on whom one cannot well rely It 's not amiss however to hear what he saith of the Jews of Arabia Samaria and Antioch l. xvii c 6. 24. l. xviii 44. because what he saith is upheld by the Testimony of Paul the Deacon l. xviii and by Zonaras in the Life of Phocas Polydor Virgil assures in l.xvi. of his History that they were banished from England because a cruel design was discovered which they had formed Stumphius Thomas Barbartensis in his Fortalitium fidei Michael Neander in his Erotemata linguae sanctae accuses them of having killed Children and gather'd their Blood for he knew not what uses at Munster Zurich Berne at Weessensch in Turing at Vberlingue near Ausbourg at Dieffenhof c. Sabellicus affirms the same thing of the Jews of Trent l. viii Ennead x. Bonfinius saith as as much of those of Tirnave in Hungary l.iv. Dec. v. For to say nothing of the Magick and Superstitious uses which may be made thereof the Blood of Infants being a remedy against Leprosie whereof several Princes have been accused to have made use Jewish Physitians might have easily undertaken to make a trial of it because of the hatred which they bore to Christians when they believed they had no reason to fear the Laws It 's then visible 't is a long time since this crime was imputed to them true or false Let. 693. p. 1. There is another observation touching a Sect of the ancient Jews wherein perhaps more likelihood of Truth will be found The most exact Chronologists according to Grotius say that Pythagoras lived towards the end of the Empire of Cyrus Numenius Porphyrius and Hermippus followers of this Philosopher say he was in Iudea and that he followed in several things the Sentiments of the Jews If we seek what Sect of the Jews might have served for a model to Pythagoras none will be found upon whom this suspition may fall but that of the Esseans There was nothing more alike than the Assemblies of these Jews and the common Auditories of the Pythagoreans such as Porphyrius Iamblicus Herocles and others describe In effect Iosephus says that the manner of living of the Esseans and Pythagoreans was the same If Iosephus speaks of the Esseans only in remarking what happened under Ianathas an Asmonean Prince it was but by the by and on the occasion of mentioning the Sadduces and Phariâ—ees without telling when this first Sect begun Grotius believes that their Sects were formed upon those of the Rechabites and Nazarenes Let. 552. p. 1. Speaking of Ecclesiastical History in general he cryeth out Let. 22. p. 1. What do those read who read the Ecclesiastical History but the Vices of Bishops Qui Ecclesiasticam Historiam legit quid legit nisi Episcoporum vitia and elsewhere upon the occasion of something which Heinsius said of the Trinity he remarks that the Greek and Latin School agree not after which he adds Mihi constat Patres in explicatione harum rerum plurimum dissensisse etiamsi vocum quarundam sono inter se conveniant quae sex repertae sunt bono affectu successu non semper optimo There arose in 1630. a pretty warm dispute between Mr. de l' Aubespine Bishop of Orleance and Mr. Rigaut who had printed some Books of Tertullian corrected upon some old Mss. touching the sence of a passage of this Author in his Book de Exhortatione Castiâ—atis Mr. Rigaut thought Tertullian meant that it was permitted to Laicks to Consecrate being in places where they cou'd have no Priests Mr. de l' Aubespine upheld that in this place he did not speak of the Eucharist but of what we now call Blessed-Bread because the Council of Trent defined that it belonged to Priests only to consecrate These are the Words of Tertullian Nonne Laici sacerdotes sumus scriptum est regnum quoque nos sacerdotes Deo Patri suo fecit Differentiam inter ordinem Plebem constituit Ecclesia honor per Ordinis consessum Sanctificatus adeo ubi Ecclesiastici ordinis non est Consessus OFFERS TINGUIS Sacerdos es
of wit It 's notwithstanding most true that nothing more useful could have been imagined nor more proper for the acquisition of the Knowledge of Plants One finds for example walking in a Garden a Plant never seen before and hath none to tell him the Name on 't and knoweth not whether it be a Forreign or Native one If he had the most exact and the most universal Herbal that can be imagined it may be he may look it all over without finding the Plant he seeks for unless he takes the pains to read all the Descriptions after one another and to compare this Plant with the Figures he may probably spend too much time unless by chance he meets it on a sudden On the contrary according to the method of Mr. Raius he only need take notice of the marks whereof we now speak and to seek for the Plant in Question in his Herbal amongst those that are of a like Character If it hath been described it will be infallibly found in the Rank and under the kind it ought to be Not but that there are Anomal Plants that one cannot tell where to range them but if any of this Nature be found it must be sought for in a particular book of the second Tome of Mr. Raius where he hath put those whose Character was ambiguous The Author having made a Collection of all those who have written before him whether of the Plants of Europe Asia of Africk or America it may be said that nothing will scape this Herbal when there are Figures That will undoubtedly render it a little dear but whatever it costs when all these Figures will be in it it will not cost the tenth part of what all the Herbals would which it comprehendeth There are divers which are no more to be found or which are extreamly dear as Fabius Columna which is but a small one in 4 to This is the Judgment of a Botanist which Mr. Raius knoweth not Nothing is to be added but 1. There will be found in this Volume the Abridgement of the History of Plants of Mexico by Francis Hernandez 2. The Reader ought moreover to remark in general the method of Mr. Raius that it hath been invented but to avoid Confusion and to help the Memory It would be ridiculous to imagine that by the means of some Divisions and Subdivisions drawn from the exteriour figure of Plants their nature is throughly known as the Philosophers of Schools imagined to know all by the means of the Vniversals and Categories into which they reduced well or ill all the Beings that they knew They did the same thing as a man would do who for to know the forces of an Army would carefully observe what colours the Cloaths of the Souldiers were that shou'd compose it and should believe he could judge thereby of the enterprizes of this Army The Truth is that we know but the outside of things and some of the Effects they produce whilst the inside remains in such Obscurity as all our Knowledge cannot dissipate so we cannot distinguish the Species but by some outward appearances which cannot be so much as described but very grosâ—â— A Body of Canon Law with the Notes of Peter and Francis Pitheas Brothers Sold at Paris 1687. in Folio 2. Volume and at Rotterdam By Reinier Leers THis new Edition of the Works of Peter and Francis Pitheas is added by the care of Mr. Pellatier Comptroller General of the Kings Exchequer to the Works of Peter Pitheas his great Grand-Father This Family was originally of Normandy and we find the Name of William Pitheas in the Catalogue of the Gentlemen of that Province who made the Voyage to the Holy Land in the year 1190. since they retired into the Countrey and Peter Pitheas who was Advocate in the Parliament of Paris rendered himself so famous by his profound Learning that they called him the Varro of his Age. He was afterwards Procurer General of the Chamber of Justice the King established in Guyenne and after having refused the same place in Catalonia he returned to Paris where he contributed much to the Resubmission of this great City under the Obedience of King Henry the fourth The most part of his and his Brother Francis's Works had been printed But there were some others upon which Francis wrought since the death of his Brother and not having time to print them he gave them to Anthony Alain his Friend who kept them a long time and at last they came into the hands of Mr. Pelletier who knowing how precious the Relicks of these great men of Letters are hath himself assisted in the Work and given the publick this mark of his Love to Sciences So we find in this Edition with another in Folio of Francis Pithou which is the Codex Canonum vetus Ecclesiae Romanae notis illustratus Parisiis ex Typographia Regia 1687. Many pieces that had not appear'd which are enlarged with many fine Notes Two Treatises with necessary Indexes of William Seldens of Utrecht about the use and abuse of Books Amsterdam at Booms 1688. p. 520 IF there be Plagiaries who attribute unto themselves the works of others whether it is in translating them into another Language or in publishing the same things in another order and under another Name the Publick may be assured that Mr. Selden is not of this number He attributes not his Works to the fertility of his imagination and suffers us not to doubt that they are fruits of his reading For almost at every Period he cites the Authors whence he hath taken what he saith We see therein passages of Scripture Fathers Scholastick Doctors Canonists Catholick and Protestant Divines Lawyers Physicians Philosophers Historians ancient and modern Poets Humanists Criticks c. And in case the Citations are as faithful as they appear exact this work may be very useful to find passages or Authorities which men want sometimes we shall briefly explain the Subject thereof It is divided into two parts the first whereof treats in nine Chapters of those who love Books 1. He begins by relating the Names of some persons who have Written or became famous by their Works and then passeth to the manner of describing how the Books of the Ancients were made the matter and form of their Volumes after which he sheweth that the fair sex is not destitute of learned Persons and that well ordered study cannot be displeasing to Women 2. The multitude of Books is the subject of the second Chapter He speaks herein of those Libraries which have made most noise and of the Invention of Printing He examines whether this prodigious quantity of Writings and great Reading spoils sound sense 3. He gives rules to prevent the falling upon bad Authors by marking 1. That we ought not to Write with haste 2. That we ought to propose general maxims and leave the application thereof to the Reader which is the Origin of Apologies and Fables 3. That the Style ought to
Persecution than the Remonstrants They will have the Fundamental Error of the R. Church to consist in this We must not saith Episcopius in a Writing inserted by Mr. Limborg in the Preface of this Work consider Popery in some of its parts but in its whole not in this Doctrine nor in that which is accused of Heresie for it is almost the same thing on both sides the one is mistaken in one point and the other in another ..... We must look upon the whole Body of the Roman Church which is a composition of ignorant ambitious and tyrannical Men I call them ignorant not because they are not very Learned for sometimes they are too much so but because they know not and are obliged to know only what is prescribed unto them often against their Conscience against Reason and Divine Law It is the most pernicious of all Ignorances because it is a servile one which is upheld only by the Authority of the Pope and Councils and which is the source of the many Sophisms they are constrained to make to maintain such Opinions they have ingaged themselves into whether they find them true or false It extends its Empire as well upon the Practice as Belief because they are both tyed to the Foundations which they are always to suppose unshaken without freeing themselves by examining the solidity thereof Thence Tyranny is form'd It is this which makes it impossible ever to come back from this ignorance and which produceth Idolatry and ridiculous thoughts of the Divine Worship It is the Poyson of true Religion because it leads Men to serve God not according to his Will or by a Principle of Knowledg and Conscience but after that manner which the Pope liketh So that it is in vain to say that in this Church are many things which are good or sufferable this availeth nothing seeing they hold not what is good because it is good but because they are obliged to acknowledge it for such The Remonstrants have upon this establisht Principles which are very opposite to those of the Roman Church They not only believe with other Protestants that Scripture contains clearly all that is necessary to be known to believe to hope to do and to be saved and that all those who read it with an attentive mind and without prejudice may acquire by this reading a perfect knowledge of the Truths contain'd in it and that there is no other Divine Rule of our Faith but they admit also and maintain the necessary consequence of this Principle upon which many Divines expound not themselves distinctly enough Thence it followeth saith Mr. Limborg in this Preface 1. That no Man whoever he be no Assembly how considerable soever its Authority is and how Learned soever its Members are have not a Right of prescribing to the Faithful as necessary to Salvation what God hath not commanded as such in his Word 2. That from the Communion are to be excluded those only whom God hath clearly revealed he will exclude from Heaven 3. That to know certainly Damnable Errors and wholsome Doctrines we must see if in Scripture God hath promised Salvation to those who shall believe these Doctrines or threatned with Damnation those who shall embrace these Errors 4. That the only means to procure the Peace of the Church it to suffer those who retain the Fundamental Doctrines although according to us they are mistaken in things which God hath not commanded nor prohibited expresly under the condition of Salvation or Damnation 5. That if this rule was followed all Christians who have quitted the Roman Church would soon agree in Fundamental Points and differ but in Tenets which have neither been commanded nor prohibited under this condition 6. That consequently none have a right of imposing the necessity of Believing under pain of Damnation these non-essential Tenets 7. That no other means can procure a true Christian Union because constraint may tye the Tongue but not gain the Heart This is the drift of the Preface to come to the Work it self It is composed of three Letters and of a small Treatise of William Bom a Roman Catholick with as many Answers and some other Letters of Episcopius concerning the Infallibility of the Church The matter we see is of the utmost consequence and it is sufficiently known after what manner Episcopius was able to treat thereof Bom was a Priest who was no great Grecian as he confesseth himself and who besides was ingaged in the weakest Hypothesis which the Doctors of Rome ever embraced it is that which makes the Infallibility of the Church reside in the Pope's Person So that although he hath exposed pretty well the common reasons of his Party it may be said of him in relation to his Adversary Par studiis aevique modis sed robore dispar The occasion of this Dispute was a Conference which Bom and Episcopius had at the coming from a Sermon which the last had Preached Some of those who had been present thereat declared That Bom had been reduced to silence upon which he being willing to shew how much these reports were false Writ to two common Friends to put them in mind of the Reasons he had said and added to that a Writing to prove that St. Peter was established chief of the Catholick Church Episcopius at first made some difficulty of Answering this Priest because there is nothing more tedious and more unprofitable for a Protestant than to enter into dispute with a Catholick seeing that as it is an Article of Faith with him that his Church is Infallible so he believes himself obliged in Conscience not to confer with Hereticks but in the design of instructing them and not to have even the thought of receiving any instruction nor any light from them It is not possible without ingaging ones self into an excessive prolixity to relate all the reasons which have been said on each side in this dispute we shall only stop at some of the principal proofs and those which are not so commonly met withal in Books of Controversie Episcopius failed not at first to ask of his Adversary in what place of the Gospel Iesus Christ had appointed any body to be Soveraign Judge of Controversies and to decide without Appeal all the differences which should arise in the Church after the death of the Apostles As there are not in Scripture passages sufficiently express for this institution Bom had recourse to the Practice of the Church upon which Episcopius alledged to him three Acts of the Ecclesiastical History which agrees not well with the Belief of the Infallibility of the Pope 1. The first is drawn from the dispute which fell out towards the middle of the Second Age concerning the day in which the Passover should be celebrated Victor Bishop of Rome Excommunicated the Churches of the Diocess of Asia because they Celebrated this Feast the Fourteenth day of March and not the Sunday following according to the Custom of Rome Palestine and
by a very plain way Why was not Iesus pleased to render the way more easy and did not tell us where we should find such a Judge We are therefore obliged to look for him saith Episcopious and this Disquisition must necessarily aim at either of these two things Either that each particular Society of Christians and even each Member of this Society attribute to it self the Power of Soveraign judging of Controversies or that the Universal Church to wit the Body of all those who profess the Gospel hath at all times right to chuse such a Judge The first cannot be granted because every one looking upon himself as Infallible no body would submit himself to the Decisions of his Neighbour The second is naturally unpracticable for before the Universal Church can choose a Supream Judge of Controversies it must needs have cast it's Eyes upon divers Subjects capable of fulfilling this Charge and examined carefully their capacity And how shall it make this Examination All the Christian Societies must concur in this Election But how should they agree thereupon and whom could they choose who should not be suspitious or uncapable of this Employment Seeing all Christians have already taken Parties and those who are not Christians understand not our Disputes Add to this that tho Men would be decided by the ordinary Judges of the Roman Church there would still a Party of Male-Contents remain If the Pope was chosen France would appeal to the General Council if a Council was assembled Italy would not accept on 't until it had been confirmed by the Pope and this Bishop would only do it upon condition that this Ecumenick Council would acknowledge it self beneath him which is contrary to the pretensions of France The impossibility of this Design is an evident proof according to our Author that God will not have his Church to be governed after the manner of the Kingdoms of the Earth where one is obliged to submit without knowing for what because there is but the Body and some transitory Goods in question But the Kingdom of God extending it self over the Soul and Conscience Men must be instructed convinced and persuaded Men must read pray meditate and live Christianly to obtain the Grace of distinguishing Truth from Falshood In vain would Scripture teach us these Truths and exhort us to these practices if there were an infallible Judge All this would be useless neither is it of great me amongst those who believe they have one All the World knoweth the ridiculous explications the Roman Doctors gave to Scripture before Protestants had put it into the hands of the People and no body is ignorant of the many Truths which have been discovered since it hath been believed that every one should instruct himself in the Will of God by his Word It is true that there have arisen Disputes which are the unavoidable consequences of Examination But if Christians applyed themselves only to Scripture and that instead of deciding of their Differences when Scripture is not clear thereupon they supported each other with a mutual Charity we should soon see them become both more wholsome in their Opinions and more reformed in their Manners It is a consequence very clear and very easie to comprehend but such as apparently will never be justified by Experience V. The last writing of Bom is a small Treatise to prove that St. Peter hath been established Head of the Catholick Church where this Priest relates the common Passage of Controvertists Thou art Peter c. Feed my Sheep c. The Answer of Episcopius is not complete but that which there is on 't appears more than sufficient to refute all the Objections of the Missionaries The first Reason would be even enough which is that although his Adversary had clearly proved his Thesis he would do nothing for all that if he did not shew that the promises made to St. Peter regard also his Successors whereas most of the Fathers have taken them for personal Priviledges as Tertullian in his Book of Chastity c. 21. who speaks thus to Pope Zephirin If because the Lord hath said to Peter Vpon this Rock I will build my Church I will give thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and all that thou shalt bind or unbind upon Earth shall be bound or unbound in Heaven If I say for that cause you imagine that the power of unbinding or binding is passed unto you to wit to all the Churches founded by Peter Who are you that overturn and change the clear intention of the Lord who hath conferred this personally on Peter Vpon thee saith he I will build my Church and I will give thee the Keys and not to the Church and all that thou shalt unbind and not that they shall unbind 2. After having shewed that these Priviledges are not personal it should be proved that they regard only the Bishops of Rome excluding those of Antioch 3. That they regard them all without exception and without condition to wit That all and every one of the Popes are infallible as well in Fact as Right against the Experience and the Sentiment of most of the Doctors of the Roman Communion 4. It should be defined what the Catholick Church is and shewed by formal passages that these Terms denominate the Body of Pastours which is called the Representative Church which is impossible Whereas it is very easy to shew that the Church signifieth in Scripture only the People in opposition to Pastours And in this sense there is nothing more absurd than all that is said of the Power of the Church and it's Priviledges seeing it is but the Body of the Pope's Subjects and Roman Clergy and that Subjects who are far from making Decisions must submit and obey their Lot 5. After all this it should be still proved that the Priviledges given to St. Peter and the Bishops of Rome his Successors import not simply a Primacy of Order and some Authority in things which regard the Discipline and Government of the Church which Protestants could grant without doing a prejudice to their Cause but they do moreover mark a Primacy of Jurisdiction of Sovereignty and Infallibility in matters of Faith which is impossible to be proved by Scripture and all the Monuments we have of Antiquity and which is even contradictory seeing the belief of a Fact or Truth is persuaded and forceth not it self Have not Roman Catholicks much Grace to accuse Protestants of Obstinacy because they refuse to embrace a Hypothesis which supposeth so many dubious Principles whereof most are contested even amongst the Divines of Rome and to ask them to obey the Church without distinctly telling them what this Church is or in what consists the Submission which is required of them or how far it ought to be extended An Abridgment of Universal History The First Part containing the Ecclesiastical History in Two Books by Henry le Bret Provost of the Cathedral Church of Montauban in 125. 3 Volumes At
which hath been so often fatal to the Church they undertook to become Masters of the Conscience of the People and to put the young Folks from their Imployments or to impose an Oath upon them that all perhaps have not signed without remorse of Conscience Yet some of those who have established this Form are persons of an extraordinary meritâ—â— who I am persuaded have acted in this occasion by a sincere zeal to maintain what they regard as Truth I should only wish they had more Extent and a greater freedom of Mind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The 33 Orations of Themistius 13 of which have been formerly published Dennis Petavius of the Society of Jesus Translated many of 'em into Latin with Annotations To 20 of these Orations are added other Notes and to the remaining 13 are joyn'd the perpetual Observations of John Harduinus a Member of the same Society Paris in Fol. THemistius was a Philosopher of Paphlagonia so Eloquent that he had given him the Sur-name of Euphrades He published Commentaries upon Aristotle when he was very young which were so much esteemed that one of the best Philosophers of Greece quitted his School to go to see him He Taught with so much clearness at Antioch Nicomedia Rome and elsewhere that he out-did all the Philosophers of his time The Romans were so charmed with him that they sent to the Emperor desiring that he would oblige him to live in the midst of them but they obtained not this advantage Themistius chose rather to return to Constantinople where he passed the greatest part of his life He was beloved of Six Emperors Constantius conferred the dignity of Praetor upon him and honoured him with a Brazen Statue Valence had so great a deference for him that in consideration of him he moderated the false zeal which led him to persecute the Orthodox It is assuredly one of the greatest marks of esteem which can be given to a Man for as soon as a Prince hath determined to extirpate a Religion all that retards the progress of this design is uneasie to him and incommodes him extraordinarily they are very powerful Reasons only which can work an alteration of this nature Yet the Discourse of Themistius produced this great effect upon an Emperor animated to the ruin of the Orthodox by the Counsel of some Arian Bishops and by the Intreagues of the Empress This Philosopher represented to Valence That he persecuted without cause Men of worth that it was not a crime to believe and to think otherwise than he did that he should not wonder at this diversity of Opinions that the Gentiles were much more divided amongst themselves than Christians that every one pointed at truth by some place and that it had pleased God to confound the pride of Men and to render himself more venerable by the difficulty which there is of knowing him It is pity that such fine thoughts have been said by a Pagan and that it should be necessary that Christians should learn this Important Lesson from anâ— Idolatrous Man Yet they ought to profit thereby But Mr. Flecher who hath so carefully related this Discourse of Themistius to shame thereby the Memory of an Arian Emperor tells us that the Emperor Theodosius a little while after also took upon him a command which was as a fit subject for a second discourse of Themistius But he was far from doing it because of the charge of Prefect of Constantinople and of Tutor to the Son of Theodosius the Great which this Emperor gave him lest he should cease his Applauses for all the Orders of the Court It is very strange that a Prince who abolished vigorously the Relicks of Paganism and who gave even no very good quarters to the Sectaries of Christianity should trust the Education of his Son to a Heathen Yet it 's true that Theodosius hath done all this for those who say that Themistius was a Christian and Chief of the Sect of the Agnoites who believed that Iesus Christ was absolutely ignorant of the end of the World they confound him with another Themistius a Deacon of the Church of Alexandria who was the head of this Sect under the Empire of Iustin towards the year 519. It signifies nothing to the proof of the pretended Christianity of Themistius to say that he hath cited this passage of Scripture The heart of the King is in the hand of the Lord This I say signifies nothing because that besides his citing these words as if he had taken them from the Books of the Assyrians every one knoweth that Longinus hath quoted Moses with Elogies on him without being on that account engaged e're the less in Paganism Themistius must needs have been an honest Man because he always had the Friendship of St. Gregory of Nazianze He had left 36 Harangues Henry Stephen is the first who hath published any of them Father Petau being then at the Colledge of la Fleche made an Edition thereof He added a second much better when he came to Paris but it was yet very imperfect seeing there lacked Sixteen Orations He sought so successfully that he found thirteen whereof he Translated into Latin the considerablest part He left them as a Depositum in the Colledge of Clermont's Bibliotheck and these are they which appeared the first time in the Edition of Themistius that Father Hardouin hath lately given us He is a very learned Iesuit who was brought to Paris to be imployed with Father Cautel to make the Supplement of Dogmata Theologica of Father Petau but this design hath not succeeded so that these two Jesuits have elsewhere endeavour'd by other Works to make their Talent be valued Father Cautel hath set his face another way As for Father Hardouin the Publick hath already known that he worketh upon a Commentary of Pliny in usum Delphini which will be say they a most complete piece and which will be publish'd in a year Moreover he hath a design to publish all the Manuscripts of the Bibliotheque of Clermont which have not been as yet printed and he hath begun by the Orations of Themistius at the intreaty of Father Garnier who dyed an Bologne in Italy the 26 th of October 1681. during the Voyage he made to Rome about the Affairs of his Society In this Edition have been inserted all the Notes of Father Petau upon twenty Discourses of Themistius and many things are very Learned therein There is in particular a gross Error of Appian who saith in the First Book of the Civil War That the Romans have had Kings during 100 Olympiads and Consuls 100 Olympiads also whereas it is certain that Tarquin was banished Rome in the Year 244 after the Foundation of the City 156 years before it had lasted a hundred Olympiads Besides that Appian contradicts himself visibly seeing he places the Dictatorship of Sylla but in the 175 Olympiad Father Petau also pretends That Scaliger was mistaken when he said That the lesser Mysteries were celebrated at
Ordination and that it belongs to the Bishop only to confer it and she allows the Distinction of Orders And tho' there is none under a Deacon because the Scripture makes mention of none yet she acknowledges that they are very antient Sixthly As for the Real Presence tho' Dr. Wake treats of it at length we will omit speaking of it until we come to the XII Article where there are many Books seen that concern this Subject Seventhly We receive says the English Expositor with equal Veneration all that comes from the Apostles let it be by Scripture or Tradition provided we be assured that they are the true Authors of the Doctrine or Practice attributed to them so that when we are shewn that a Tradition was received in all Ages and by all Churches then we are ready to receive it as having the Character of an Apostolical Institution So our Church does not reject Tradition but only the Tenets and Superperstitions which Rome pretends to justify after this way Eighthly And as for the Authority of the Vniversal Church of all Ages the English acknowledges 1. That they have received Scripture from their Hands and it is chiefly for this Authority that they look upon Solomon's Song to be Canonical and reject other Books Apocryphal which perhaps they would have received with as much ease These Books have our respect even before we know by reading whether they be worthy of the Spirit of God but this Reading confirms us in the respect which the Authority of the Church gives unto them as to the Holy Writings II. If there had been an Vniversal Tradition not contested that had come from the Apostles to us concerning the meaning of the Holy Books as concerning their number the Church of England would receive it also but she does not believe that a particular Church such as that of Rome should usurp this Priviledge nor that it ought to force others to follow the Interpretations which she gives of the Passages of Scripture III. When any Disputes arise concerning Faith the best way to appease them is to assemble a Council but it does not follow that such an Assembly can say as the Assembly of the Apostles at Ierusalem It seem'd good to the Holy Ghost and to us nor that it is Infallible or that it's Canons are not subject to Correction IV. Dr. Wake goes on and says When we say I believe in the Holy Catholick Church we do not only understand that Iesus Christ has planted a Christian Church which is to last to the end of the World but also that the Son of God will conserve either among the Christians or in the Vniversal Church Truth enough to denominate it such a Church that is he will never suffer that Truths requisite for Salvation should be unknown in any place So that tho' the Vniversal Church can err it does not follow that it can sink altogether nor become wholly erroneous because then it would cease to be but such a particular Church as that of Rome can err and fall into utter Apostacy And tho' the Fundamental Points be clearly contained in Scripture and that it is very hard that one Man alone should gain-say the Opinion of all the Church nevertheless if this Man was certainly convinced that his Opinion was grounded upon the undoubted Authority of the Word of God we would be so far being afraid to bear with him that we all agree that the most glorious Action that St. Athanasius ever did was that he alone maintained Christ's Divinity against the Pope the Councils and all the Church V. And so tho we acknowledge that God has subjected Christians to the Government of the Church for Peaces sake and to preserve Vnity and Order and that she has power to prescribe to her Children what Doctrines are and are not to be publickly taught in her Communion yet we believe that the Holy Scripture is the only Support of our Faith and the last and infallible Rule by which the Church and we are to govern our selves Ninthly That there are some that think that the Church of England makes the Fathers of the three First Ages Idols and equals them in Authority to the Holy Scripture But Mr. Wake will undeceive them for says he Tho' we have appealed to the Churches of the first Ages for new Proofs of the truth of our Doctrine it is not that we think that the Doctors of those times had more right to judge of our Faith than those had that followed them but it is because that after a serious examination we have found that as for what concerns the common Belief that is among us they have believed and practised the same things without adding other Opinions or Superstitions that destroy them wherein they have acted conformably to their and our Rule the Word of God notwithstanding it cannot be denyed but that they effectually fell into some wrong Opinions as that of the Millenaries and Infant Communion which are rejected by both Parties Tenthly Whether one may be saved in the Roman Church the English think that as she yet conserves the Fundamental Doctrines those that live in her Bosom with a disposition to learn and leave off their pernicious Errors and profess all the truth that they will discover may be saved thro' the grace of God and Faith in Jesus Christ and by a general Repentance that puts their Errors in the number of the Sins they do not know of But that ill use may not be made of this charitable Grant the Expositor limits it as followeth I. That it is harder to be saved in the Communion of this Church since the Reformation than it was before because its Errors were not so well known nor so solidly refuted which rendred the ignorance excusable II. That they that live among Protestants and in a Country wherein they may learn and make publick and open profession of the Truth are more condemnable than the other III. That Priests are yet more than Laicks In a word the Protestants hope that the good Men of the Roman Church will be saved but they have no assurance that they are to be saved Whereas they are assured That they will be saved that live Christian-like in their own Communion They do not know whether God will condemn Roman Catholicks for the Errors they professed taking them for truth but they are assured that the Crime of those that being convinced of Popish Superstitions leave the Protestants thro' motives of Interest and Ambition and maintain Tyrannical and Superstitious Tenets against their Consciences deserve no pardon Eleventhly As for Idolatry the Homilies of the Church of England accuse that of Rome as well as the English Doctors who lived under Edward the VI. and Queen Elizabeth The Catholicks object that the Learned of this Kingdom changed Opinion in the Reign of King Iames the First and begun to maintain that the Church of Rome was not Idolatrous but these Gentlemen are so unlucky in Proofs that of six Authors
Christ which according to Calvin descends not from Heaven The vertue of the Mind being sufficient to penetrate through all impediments and to surmount the distance of Places He cites several other places of Beza of Martyr and many English Doctors by which it appears that they did not believe the Body of Iesus Christ properly descended from Heaven into the Eucharist or is in divers places at the same time though they say we are nourished hereby through Faith but after an incomprehensible manner Yet it must be granted that if these Great Men understood nothing by nourishing our selves by the flesh of Iesus Christ but to believe that we are saved by his Sacrifice and to feed our selves with this hope or to receive his Spirit it was not necessary to tell us of a miraculous Union of our Spirits with the Body of Iesus Christ notwithstanding the distance of places the Spirit of God being every where and Faith having no relation to local distance there 's nothing in the Spiritual eating of the Body of Iesus Christ taken in the sense we have above-mentioned of Miraculous nor of Incomprehensible more than in other acts of Piety and other Graces which God gives unto us Whether we suppose this or any other method to expound the eating of the Body of Iesus Christ there would be no danger to the Reformation to say that these Learned Men have not had an Idea altogether distinct thereupon or that their Expressions are not exact Although it were granted that they mistook in some things it would not follow that the Romish Church could have justly rejected all their Doctrines or that Protestants are in the wrong by inviolably retaining their Sentiments as far as they are conformable to Holy Scripture and to abandon that wherein they might be deceived We do not make a profession of believing that those who err in one thing are deceived in all or of rejecting every thing they have said because they have not perceived the truth clearly enough in some things Thus all the Objections of this nature might be ruined without undertaking to defend indifferently all that the Reformers may have said seeing it 's agreed on that the Protestant Religion is not founded upon their Authority and that they might be mistaken in inconsiderable things without its being in danger But Dr. Wake thought not convenient to act in this manner He believes that the Reformed never changed their Opinions hereon and for the Divines of Edward and Elizabeth he maintains that they were perfectly of the same opinion which he proves by a passage of the History of the Reformation by Dr. Burnet In the Second Part which is wholly included in the 3d Chapter he answers first to what Mr. Walker affirms to have been allowed by Protestants and maintained against him that he hath not well understood the words of some of the Authors whom he cited that say very well that in Communicating Iesus Christ ought to be Adored but not as Corporally present under the Species of Bread and Wine As for Forbes and Marc-Antony de Dominis it is agreed on that the desire they had of reconciling Religions made them say too much Thorndyke speaks not less vigorously but upon a Hypothesis quite different from that of the Roman Church seeing he believed that the Bread is called the Body of Iesus Christ and the Wine his Blood because by the Consecration they are Hypostatically united to the Divinity of Iesus Christ as well as to his Natural Body It was spoken of in the First Part. To oppose to the Catholick Author Doctors of his own Party they say that Thomas Paludanus and Catharin maintains that it was an enormous Idolatry to Adore the Sacrament without believing Transubstantiation Thus although it is agreed on that if a Consecrated Host is truly Adorable one would not be guilty of Idolatry if one Adored one which should not be Consecrated thinking it once would be so It 's incredible that the Reformed Religion can receive so much prejudice hereby as the Authority of the Catholick Doctors who have been cited because the Reformed deny that a Host can be Adored whether it be Consecrated or not As to the Grounds of this Subject he sends us in his Preface to a Book Entituled A Discourse concerning the Adoration of the Host Printed at London 1685. In the Second place The Catholick Doctrine is briefly examined but as there is none who hath not read divers Treatises upon this Subject we shall insist no longer upon it ORIGINES BRITANNICAE Or the Antiquities of the British Churches with a Preface concerning some pretended Antiquities relating to Britain in vindication of the Bishop of St. Asaph by Dr. Stillingfleet London 1685 in Fol. p. 364. WE should speak of the Preface of this Work wherein the Author refutes the Opinion of the Scots concerning the Antiquity of their Kings if there had not been an Extract made of a Book wherein it is already done and the Principal reasons related with much fidelity It shall suffice to say in general that our Prelate in it defends the Bishop of St. Asaph who in his Relation of the Antient Ecclesiastical Government in Great Britain and in Ireland hath shewn 1. That the Scots could not be in Great Britain so soon as they say 2. That the Historians from whom this is maintain'd are not of sufficient validity for one to rely upon As the Scots may be pardoned the zeal they have for their Country their Neighbours likewise may be suffered to endeavor the refuting them if it be necessary It 's a contestation which as Dr. Stillingfleet observes will not be decided neither by a Combat nor a Process and which hath no influence in matters of Religion or State That which concerns the Antiquities of the British Churches is more considerable by the connection which this matter hath with the important Controversies as it will appear hereafter This nevertheless is but the Proof of a greater Work where the Author endeavors to clear the most important difficulties of Ecclesiastical History Judging that to Write a compleat Ecclesiastical History is a design too great for one Man to accomplish he hath only undertaken to clear some parts thereof and thought he was obliged to begin with that which concerns the Antiquities of the Church whereof he is a Member This Book is divided into Five great Chapters the Abridgment of which you have here 1. It hath been believed for a long time in England that the Gospel was Preached here in Tyberius's Reign But if the short time be considered betwixt the Resurrection of our Lord and the death of this Emperor and that 't is thought during a long while the Apostles Preached the Gospel only to the Iews it will be hard to suppose that in this little distance persons came from Iudea into Britain to Preach the Gospel Some of the Learned of the Church of Rome have by the same Reason refuted the Fabulous Tradition which
two strait ones so that it may perceive immediately their Equality it maketh use of some other Angles to measure them For to produce a Knowledge of this Nature we must know with a simple view the Agreement or Dis-agreement of two middle Ideas whereof we make use in each degree of Deduction for without that there can be no Demonstration and one cannot shew the Agreement or Dis-agreement of two Ideas that he considereth For either the Agreement or Dis-agreement of two Ideas is not evident by it self that is to say cannot be perceived immediately we still need Proofs to shew it This kind of Knowledge may be called a reasoned or demonstrative Knowledge and how certain soever it may be it 's never so clear nor so evident as the Knowledge of a simple view The reason of it is this The Memory must intervene to retain the connection of all the parts of a Demonstration together and we must be sure we omit none thereof which in a long Deduction demandeth an extraordinary Attention if we design to avoid Error I will not speak in this little Abridgment of what is commonly believed That Demonstration belongs but to Ideas which regard Quantity These are the two sorts of Knowledge that we have of general Truths As for the Existence of some particular finite Beings we perceive 'em by our Senses and we can call this Knowledge sensible Knowledge Though it hath not all the certitude of the two first degrees of Knowledge notwithstanding it must be granted that it hath something more than simple probability 3. From what hath now been said it followeth 1. That we can have no Knowledge where we have no Idea 2. That our Knowledge of a simple view extendeth not it self so far as our Ideas because we cannot compare the greatest part of them after a manner so immediate that we may discover the Agreement that we look for 3. That our reasoned Knowledge cannot make us to perceive the Agreement or Disagreement of all the Ideas where the knowledg of a simple view faileth us because we cannot find middle Ideas that may unite them after an intuitive manner 4. That the sensible knowledge not extending it self further than the actual presence of the particular objects that strike our Senses it has a great deal less extention than the two preceding ones What I pretend to conclude from all this is that our Knowledg is not only infinitely below the Extent of Beings but that it also faileth us in the greatest part of the disquisitions that we can make upon the Ideas we have First of all as to what regards the whole Extent of Beings if we compare this small Corner of Earth upon which we are confined with this part of the Universe whereof we have some knowledge we shall find that the Earth is but as a Point but if we carry our thoughts yet further we shall find that 't is more than probable that this part of the Universe whereof we have some knowledge is in it self how immense soever it seems but as a Point in regard to that which is altogether beyond our discoveries And if we consider the vegetable the reasonable and corporal Animals not to speak of the different orders of Minds and the other things with their different qualities more proportionable perhaps to others Senses than ours and whereof we have no Notion if we make I say a little Reflection upon the number the variety and excellency of Beings that may exist and which without doubt do exist in an Extent as immense as is that of the Universe we shall with reason conclude that the things whereof we have some Idea are in a very small number in comparison to those that we do not at all know In the second place if we consider in what a small number how imperfect and superficial are the Ideas that we have of the things which are near us that we can know them better and which in effect are the best known to us In fine if we mark by how little we can discover by those Ideas we have of Agreement or Disagreement we have cause enough to infer from thence that our Minds are extreamly limited that they are no way proportionable to the whole extent of Beings and that Men are not capable of knowing all things It s true that in regard of Identity and of diversity our Knowledge of a simple view is as much extended as our very Ideas But on the other side we scarcely have any general knowledge of the coexistence of Ideas because not being able to discover the causes whereof the second qualities of the substances do depend nor to see any connection between these causes and our Ideas there are very few cases in the which we can know the coexistence of any other Idea with the complex Idea that we have of some sort of substances and thereby the knowledge we have of Substances is reduced almost to nothing As for what concerneth other Relations of our Ideas it does not yet appear how far our Knowledge can reach I believe nevertheless that if we studied well Morality which consists in the Relations of Moods it would be as capable of Demonstration as the Mathematicks as to the Existence we have our own a knowledge of simple view a demonstrative knowledge of the Existence of God and a sensible knowledge of the Existence of some few other things I shall not put in this little Abridgment the particular Examples that I gave to shew the small extent of our Knowledges What I have said here sufficeth I think for to convince us that there is no proportion betweâ—â— what we know and those things of whiâ—â— we are in an irreparable ignorance Bâ—â—â—des the Extent of our Knowledge in the Species of things we may therein consider another sort of Extent in regard of its Vniversality When our Ideas are abstract the knowledge we have of 'em is general The abstract Ideas are the Essences of Kinds what names soever are given them and are the foundations of the general and eternal Truths 4. It will perhaps be said that this Knowledge which we make to consist in the consideration of Ideas may be Chimerical and leave us in an entire ignorance of what things really are in themselves seeing we see that Men can and even often have Ideas altogether extravagant To that I answer that our Knowledge is as real as our Ideas are conformable to things and no more To be able to know what Ideas are conformable to the reality of things we must consider the different sorts of Ideas whereof I have spoken above 1. We can not doubt but simple Ideas are conformable to the things I do not mean a conformity of Resemblance but the conformity that is between a constant effect and its cause because the Mind being not able to form any simple Idea those it hath must be conformable to the Powers of producing them which are in things and this conformity is sufficient to
he thought there were three Gods also as Dr. Cave remarks St. Athanasius is far from attributing any Error to him in this Case and cites him among the Fathers who have been Orthodox touching the Trinity and calls him an admirable Man and one of great Studies 3. Many of his Opinions are rather Sentiments of Philosophy and Speculation than of Religion also we see not that the Councils have denied any thing about him nor that the Divines raise any Disputes concerning him amongst themselves 4. He hath written many things for his own particular Use and which were publish'd against his will as Pamphilus hath formerly complain'd casting the fault upon his Friend Ambrose to whom he had communicated them 5. The Hereticks have corrupted and added many things to the Works of Origen as Ruffinus hath shew'd more at large and Origen himself complain'd on even in his Life time Ruffinus also makes it appear that the same Fate happened to the Writings of St. Clement Romanus Clement and Dionisius of Alexandria and to Dionisius of Corinth But Dr. Cave believes that it was not amiss that Marcellus and Ancyrus had reasonably said that Origen had mingled too much Platonism with the Christian Religion and that he began to Teach in a time in which he had much more studied Plato than the holy Scripture Thus Dr. Cave c. Gregory Nazianzen his Works and Life with many of his Epistles c. at Cologne in Folio 1690. GRegory was born according to the most exact Chronology in the Year Three Hundred in a Village of the second Cappadocia named Arianze near the City Nazianze whence the Surname is taken which is commonly given to Gregory His Father and Mother were Persons of Quality and whose Virtue was esteem'd of those that knew them if we may believe their Son who always speaks of them with much praise He is free to tell us that his Father who likewise was named Gregory was born of Parents who had I know not what Religion divided betwixt the Pagans and Jews They had neither Idols nor Sacrifices but they adored the Fire and Torches They observed the Sabbath abstained from Eating of certain Beasts and yet despised Circumcision They took the name of Hypsistaires because they boasted they did adore but the Supreme God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 These People seemed to have borrowed the worshipping of Fire from the Magi of Cappadocia which were called Pyrathes because of the respect they had for the Fire which they look'd upon as the Symbol of the Supreme Divinity But they were not like them in other things It is a Wonder that Gregory who as we see denies that they adored Idols and saith that his Father was born in these Sentiments should elsewhere positively say that he worshipped the Images of Animals It seems that his Memory was a little short in this place or his great Zeal made him fall into this Contrariety unless we excuse him by taking what he saith of the Idols of Animals which his Father adored for an Exaggeration of Rhetorick a figure common enough in the Style of Gregory As for his Mother Nonna she was born of Christian Parents who had carefully educated her and who had found in her a Disposition extremely inclined to Piety Her Son also praiseth infinitely her Wit and her Conduct A Woman thus qualified must be much afflicted for her Husband's Inclination to such Errors as those of the Hypsistaires yet he was of a very mild Temper and extreme orderly so that although his Sentiments were erroneous nothing could be found of ill in his Manners Nonna would continually press him to get himself instructed in the Christian Religion and as he could not be prevailed with it happened that he had a Dream which made him resolve to do it He dreamed that he Sung these words of the Psalm cxxii I have rejoiced in that I was told we shall go into the House of the Lord. This manner of Singing though new gave him delight and his Wife failed not to make use of this occasion to induce him to embrace Christianity It happened when Leontius Bishop of Cesarea in Cappadocia passed by that place with some other Prelates to go to Nice where Constantius called the Council Gregory went to see him and told to him the desire he had to become a Christian. Leontius got him instructed and whilst they were instructing him for a Catechumen he kneeled without any bodies advice whereas Catechumens were commonly standing whilst they were instructed Those that were there observed this Posture because it was that of Priests whilst they were Consecrated His Son testifieth that every body guessed from thence that he would be one day honoured with the Order of Priesthood After that as the Bishop of Nazianze baptized him those that were present saw him go out of the Water all environ'd with light and the Bishop could not with-hold saying that Gregory would certainly succeed him in the Episcopacy as it really fell out after that the See of Nazianze had been sometime vacant His Son in relating these two Circumstances treats on them both as Miracles and as then so at this day all the World believed not all that Ecclesiasticks said he declares he proposes these Marvels but to the Faithful only Because there is none of these fine things which appear credible to prophane Minds Without being Prophane we cannot but suspect not of Falsehood but of a little Credulity and Exaggeration these Rhetorical Souls which draw an Advantage from every thing in relating matters of this Nature When we think to declare what we have seen we often say what we judge of a thing which surprizes us and instead of affirming what we see with our Eyes we draw some doubtful Consequences from a prejudiced Mind so we believe without enquiry all that is advantageous to that which we have embraced and all that is contrary thereunto is false or at least suspicious If we do not make these Reflections in reading Gregory of Nazianze we shall run the hazard either ' to take him for a Man of little Truth or to believe his Miracles suspicious Nonna had at the beginning of her Marriage but one Daughter Gorgonia of whom Gregory her Brother speaks in divers places who was the first of Nonnas Children her Mother wished very much for a Son and vowed to Consecrate him to God if she had one whereupon she had presently after a Dream that she saw the Face of the Son which she was to have and what should be his Name Instead of one Son she had two of whom she took great Care as to their Education because she found them of a Nature worthy of Instruction As soon as Gregory was a little grown he was sent to Cesarea the Metropolis of Cappadocia where the best Masters had the Instruction of him to wit to understand the Greek Poets and Orators and to learn perfectly that Tongue This was the only
and things which were to fall out Read Hydaspes and you shall find that he hath much more clearly written of the Son of God and hath said that several Kings should arm themselves against Jesus Christ that they should hate him for those who bear his Name c. As the Preaching of the Gospel came in his time so in their time the Law and the Prophets were given to Barbarians and Philosophy to the Grecians which accustomed their Ears to the Preaching of the Gospel Clement speaks after the same manner in divers other Places and declares evidently enough that he believed Philosophy was amongst the Greeks what Prophecy was amongst the Hebrews and that God always gave equally to all Men the means of being Saved which was also the Opinion of divers other Greek Fathers Clement believed also that the Greeks had nothing good but what they had taken from the Barbarous People chiefly from the Iews and from the Books which he endeavours to prove in a thousand places and we know that this was the common Opinion of the Fathers who undertook to Censure the Philosophy of the Grecians The Iews said also the same thing as is plain by a Passage of Aristobulus a Peripatetick who is said to have been Tutor to Ptolomy and Philometor and who speaks thus Plato hath followed our Laws and shewn that he studied them well And before the time of Demetrius before even the Empire of Alexander and that of the Persians they were Translated by another besides the Seventy as well as the History of what happened to the Hebrews our Fellow-Citizens at their coming out of Egypt of what Remarkable things they did and saw and of the manner wherewith by force they possessed themselves of the Country of Canaan and how the whole Law was given so that it 's visible the Philosopher whom we have mentioned learned several things thereof for he had much Learning as well as Pythagoras who added to his Doctrin several of our Opinions But many things render this Author suspicious and as he is the only Man who has spoke of a Version made before the Empire of the Persians there is reason to doubt this is a Iewish Fable Howbeit it appears that in the time of this Author true or suppsititious the Iews accused the Pagans of having stolen from the Holy Books what good Opinions soever they had It is very probable that the Greeks learned several things of the Eastern People as of the Egyptians and Babilonians for they confess it themselves but if the thing was throughly examined it would perhaps be found that in Greece they spake very clearly of several things before the Iews spake thereof after the same manner and that these latter began to express themselves as the Greeks did only since they have had Commerce with them Proofs of this Conjecture might be brought at least as strong as all those which the Fathers urge to prove the contrary but as that would make us abandon too far our principal Subject whereof we treat here we shall not undertake to enter upon this matter It is more proper here to observe that though Clement often accuseth the Grecian Philosophers of Stealth and Robbery Yet he believ'd God had given them some of their Knowledge by the Ministry of Inferiour Angels whereas he instructed Christians by that of his Son The Lord of all Men says he of the Grecians as well as Barbarians perswades those who will believe in him for he forceth not him to receive Salvation who can chuse and do what depends upon time to embrace the Hope which God offereth unto him It 's he who gives Philosophy to the Grecians by the Ministry of Inferiour Angels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for it is a long time since that by the Commandment of God Angels were dispers'd amongst the Nations but the Opinion of such as believe is the Portion of the Lord. He after that proves at large in the same place that God is the Saviour of the Pagans as well as of the Iews In respect to the Ministry of Angels to reveal Philosophy to the Greeks Clement and those who were of this Opinion fell into it partly by reason of what Socrates said of his Demon who advertised him of several things and whereof Clement seems to speak in terms which may make us believe that he was perswaded Socrates spoke truth And this also doth not ill agree with the thoughts of the same Father and several others who believed according to many Pagan Philosophers that each Person had his Guardian Angel who would sometimes give him Advices It will be no wonder after that if Clement attributes a kind of Prophecy to Plato chiefly if we consider that the words of this Philosopher agree so well to Jesus Christ that scarcely at this day can the State better be described in which our Saviour was when he was Crucified upon the Cross. He describes an exact Virtue and saith Thus may be named the Virtue of a Just Man who notwithstanding should go for a wicked Man although he courageously followed Justice and who in spight of this evil Judgment which all the World should have of him should to his latest Breath walk in the ways of Virtue Yea though he was scourged though he should suffer divers Torments though he was kept in Irons though his Eyes were burned with a hot Iron though all manner of evil should be inflicted on him and lastly though he should be Crucified As to the rest it was not that Clement equaliz'd in any respect the Heathen Philosophy to that of the Doctrin of Jesus Christ. He acknowledged that before his coming it was but like a Degree or Preparation to Christianity and that Philosophers could pass but for Children if they were compared to Christians He looked upon Faith as necessary since the Gospel was Published throughout all the World Our Saviour having given saith he his Commandments to the Barbarians and Philosophy to the Greeks hath shut up Incredulity until his Coming at which time whosoever believeth not in him is unexcusable All the Books of Clement are full of these Opinions which he defends every where with much clearness and enlarges on them so that we may see in those Times these Opinions were not looked upon at least commonly as dangerous for there is no likelihood that he should have the Charge of Cathechist after his Master Pantenus nor that he shou'd have so many Praises bestow'd on him as afterwards appears if he had been considered as a Man infected with dangerous Sentiments St. Chrysostom hath maintained the same thing concerning the Salvation of Pagans in his Thirty eighth Homily upon St. Matthew It was necessary to observe in a few words these Opinions of Clement because otherwise divers places of his Writings could not be understood and that it was upon these Grounds he retained all he thought rational in the Notions of the Pagans rejecting only what appeared false unto him or incompatible with the
Term Consubstantial when as they freely acknowledg'd the Divinity of the Son of God He approved not of the Disputes at that time upon the Subject of the Hypostasis because he look'd upon those that received Three into the Trinity and those that admitted but of one to be of the same Opinion and only to differ in the manner of Expressing St. Basil was not so moderate for accoding to his Opinion those were Sabellians that said the Father and Son were two in Thought and one in Substance The Demi-Arians or Homoiousians that was those that would not acknowledge that the Son was Consubstantial with the Father and that said nevertheless that he was like him in all things c. the same in Substance were no more Hereticks than those that maintan'd the Three Hypostases in the Judgment of St. Basil St. Hilary of Poictiers of Philaster and even of Saint Athanasius who confesses in his Book of the Synods that Basil of Ancyra and those of his Party differed from those who made a Profession of Consubstantiality as to the name only Some of these Demi Arians are placed in the number of Saints in divers Martyrologies as Euseb. of Caesarea and Euseb. of Emissa and Pope Liberius also being a Catholick receiv'd them into his Communion St. Hilary of Poictiers although a great Defender of the Nicene Faith was not free from Error for to Answer to the Objections that the Arians drew from such passages of Scripture as proved that Jesus Christ was subject to fear sorrow and grief he fell into such an Opinion as made the Humanity of our Saviour a Fantom he maintained that Jesus Christ sustained not really either Fear or Grief but that these Passions were only represented in him To explain what the Son of God says of himself That he was ignorant of the day of Iudgment Mark 13. He says it ought not to be understood in the Letter as if Jesus Christ had been effectively ignorant of this Day but in this Sense that he knew it not to discover it to Man He had an other very very particular Error that he advanced in the Twentieth Canon upon St. Matthew that Moses and Elias should come with Jesus Christ near the time of Iudgment and that they should be put to death by Antichrist contrary to the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews for he says that Jesus Christ being rais'd from death shall dye no more He was of the Opinion also that Predestination was subsequent to Merit and that the Divinity of Jesus Christ was separated from his Humanity in the time of his death As to the rest the Roman Catholicks which complain that some Protestant Refugees have spoken too freely of those that have deprived them of their Goods and reduced them to the utmost Misery may read what St. Hilary says of Constantius That neither he nor the Bishops of his time received the thousandth part of the evil Treatments that the Reformed have suffered Mr. du Pin thinks the Errors of Optatus of Milan small and pardonable although he believed that Hereticks ought to be Rebaptized and seems to give Free-Will the Power not only of willing and beginning a good Action but also of advancing in the way of Salvation without the Assistance of the Grace of Jesus Christ. He approves not however of the Allegorical manner whereby this Bishop explains many Passages of Scripture giving them a very distant sense from what they naturally have and applying them to such things as they have no Relation to This defect says our Author that might be suffered in a Sermon appears intolerable in a Treatise of Controversie where all the Proofs ought to be strong and convincing But Optatus had to do with Enemies that did the same and who abused Passages of Scripture to injure the Church and give Praises to their own Sect. After having complain'd of the loss of Apollinarius's Works the most Learned of all the Christians Authors in Humanity this Loss is attributed to his Errors or rather the Zeal of the Catholicks which have had such an Horror to the Books of Hereticks that they have not even preserv'd those that regarded not their Heresie and that might have been useful to the Church Wherefore continues du Pin we have almost no Books of the Ancient Hereticks remaining Many Men believe that the Disputes with the Heterodox have been the Cause of the Catholicks inventing Solutions which have afterwards pass'd into Opinions such is the Doctrin of the Infallibility of the Church which was not regarded till towards Luther's time Some in this Rank place Original Sin which begun in the Seventh Age to be more acknowledg'd than before according to Mr. du Pin. They speak also more of Grace than they did in the preceding Ages and notwithstanding much was always attributed to Free Will It 's surprising that Titus of Bostres whose Arguments are solid and subtil had not recourse in his Treatise against the Manicheans to Original Sin which he might have made use of as a general Solution to almost all their Difficulties For we may easily apprehend why Man is inclined to evil why he suffers why he is subject to hunger to grief sickness miseries and to death it self where once we have admitted Original Sin Neither doth this Author speak of the Grace of Iesus Christ and he seems to have supposed that Man can of himself as well do good as evil The Disciples of St. Augustin will not find Dydimuss of Alexandria much more Orthodox since he maintains that Predestination is nothing else but the Choice which God hath made of those that he foresaw would believe in Jesus Christ and would Act according to it He likewise believed with his Master Origen that the Incarnation of the Son of God was beneficial to Angels as well as to Men and that it took away the Guilt of their Transgressions As to the Sentiment of the Eternity of Spirits he speaks on 't without condemning or approving it In Truth it would be absurd and impious to fix Eternity to any other Being than God if by this word was understood an Absolute Eternity or Existence by it self but if we suppose that the Souls of Men were Spirits created a long time since which have offended God and which he sends into mortal Bodies there to do Penance for their Faults this Hypothesis perhaps would be instrumental to discover many Difficulties in Divinity which have hitherto appeared Unexplicable All the World hath heard of the Catechumens of the Ancient Church that few well know what they were 1. When an Infidel presented himself to be admitted into the number of Christians they begun to instruct him in private but he was not suffered to enter into the Church nor to assist at publick Exhortations 2. Afterward when he was believed to be well undeceived of his old Errors he was permitted to go to the Church but only to hear Sermons
Gregory of Nyssa in his Discourses against those that defer Baptism distinguisheth three sorts of Persons with Relation to the other Life The first Order is that of the Saints and Righteous which will be happy the second those that shall be neither happy nor unhappy and the third those that shall be punished for their Sins He puts in the second Rank those that cause themselves to be Baptized at the point of Death There is a Letter of this Father concerning Voyages made to Ierusalem where he diverts the Faithful from undergoing slightly these sort of Pilgrimages by reason of the Abuses that proceed from thence Some Catholicks have been willing to make it pass as Supposititious but Mr. du Pin believes it to be true Here Priscillian and his Disciples are placed in the Rank of Ecclesiastical Authors after St. Ierom who speaks thus of them Priscillian Bishop of Avila was put to death in the City of Treves by the Command of the Tyrant Maximus having been oppressed by the Faction of Itharius He hath written several Works whereof some are come to us Some accuse him this day of the Heresie of the Gnosticks of Basilide and Marcion But others defend him and maintain that he was not Guilty of the Errors that are imputed to him It 's true pursues Mr. du Pin that the same St. Ierom in his Letter to Ctesiphon speaks of Priscillian as of a notable Heretick which hath made Mr. du Quesnel believe that this place of the Ecclesiastical Writers was corrupted This Conjecture which is grounded upon the Authority of a Manuscript would be of Consequence if we knew not that St. Ierom hath often spoke differently of the same Man besides it 's apparently the manner that St. Ierom speaks in his Catalogue which placed Priscillian and Matronian his Disciple in some Martyrologies amongst the Holy Martyrs The second Letter of Pope Syricius furnisheth us with a fine Example Saith Mr. du Pin of the Ancient manner of the Holy Patriarchs Iudging He writes in it to the Church of Milan that having Assembled all his Clergy he had condemned Jovinian and all his Sectators by the advice of the Priests Deacons and the whole Clergy Baronius Bellarmin and some others pretend that part of the second Letter of St. Epiphanius is Supposititious because he there relates a History which is not favourable to the Worship of their Church Being entred saith this Bishop into a Church of a Village in Palestine call'd Anablatha and having found a Vail that hung at the Door which was Painted where there was an Image of Iesus Christ or some Saint for I do not remember whose it was but since against the Authority of Holy Scripture there was in the Church of Iesus Christ the Image of a Man I rent it and gave order to those that had the Care of this Church to bury a dead Body with this Vail Mr. du Pin after having proved that all this Letter is St. Epiphanius's adds That though it be true that there were placed in some Churches Pictures that represented the Histories of the Scriptures and the Actions of the Saints and Martyrs it cannot be said that this use was general and that it must be granted that St. Epiphanius hath disapproved it although without reason according to him for I believe continueth he that it would be contrary to the Candor and Sincerity that Religion demands of us to give another Sense to these words After the Extracts of the Writings of the Fathers are found those of the Councils held in the Fourth Age. The Canons of that which is called the Council of Elvira are an old Code or an ancient Collection of the Councils of Spain and it cannot be doubted but these Canons are of great Antiquity and very Authentick The XXXIV Canon and the XXXVI have given much Exercise to the Roman Catholick Divines The one forbiding to light Wax-Candles in the Church-yard because the Spirits of Saints must not be troubled and the other Paintings in Churches lest the Object of our Adorations should be painted on the Walls They have endeavoured to give several Expositions on these Passages but it seems to me saith Mr. du Pin that it is better to understand them simply and to allow that the Fathers of this Council have not approved the use of Images no more than of Wax-Candles lighted in open day But continueth he these things are of Discipline and may or may not be in use and do no Prejudice to the Faith of the Church The XXXV Canon prohibits Women to pass in the Night in Church-yards because often under pretence of Praying they in secret committed great Crimes The LX deprives such of the quality of Martyrs as are killed in pulling down Idols publickly because the Gospel commands it not nor is it read that it was practised by the Christians in the time of the Apostles The same Spirit of Parties which wrested the Canons of the Council of Elvira hath caused Men to doubt of the History of Paphnusius related by Socrates lib. 1. c. 9. This Egyptian Bishop opposed the new Law that was going to be made in the Council of Nice to oblige Bishops Priests and Deacons to keep unmarried and abstain from Women that they had espoused before their Ordination Although he himself had never been married he maintained that this Yoke was not to be imposed upon the Clergy and that it was to bring the Chastity of Women in danger I believe saith Mr. du Pin upon this speaking of the Roman Catholick Doctors that this doubt proceeds rather from the fear they are in that this act should do some hurt to the present Disciplin than of any solid proof But these Persons should consider that this Regulation is purely a Disciplin which the Disciplin of the Church may change according to the times and that to maintain it it is not necessary to prove it hath always been uniform in all places The Author shews that it was Osius Bishop of Cordova who presided in the Council of Nice and not the Legats of the Pope He only acknowledges for Authentick Monuments of this Council the Form of Faith the Letter to the Egyptians the Decree touching Easter and the two first Canons He consequently rejects as Supposititious pieces the Latin Letter of this Council to St. Sylvester the Answer of this Bishop and the Canons of a pretended Synod held at Rome for the Confirmation of that of Nice The Christians of that time who were not perfectly instructed by the holy Scripture in what they ought to believe touching the Mystery of the blessed Trinity were in great uncertainty for neither the Tradition nor Authority of the Church were then infallible marks of the Truth of a Tenet since the Ecclesiastical Assemblies that the most reasonable Catholicks make the Depositaries of these Traditions and Authority some time declare for the Arians some time for the Orthodox and another for a third
necessity of eating is pleasing to him which afterwards he prevents and eats between Meals will have Sauces and imploys in them the Mony he at first gave the Poor He gets him Friends who are people of pleasure and Goodfellowship He thinks himself no longer rich enough but seeks after Benefices he is distasted at a Regular Life and in a little time becomes like the Laicks Commixti sunt inter Gentes didicerunt opera eorum For in fine he keeps not Company with them in their Pleasures to Preach Repentance They invite him to divert themselves with him and he strives to be neither Incommodious nor Displeasing He like to them esteems Goodfellowship they Sing they provoke one another to Drink It is indeed a most dangerous Temptation for Ecclesiastical Persons They are too much afraid lest they should pass for Formal Men and interrupt the Pleasures of a good Meal They are too solicitous lest People should complain that they are not contended only to be tedious in their Sermons A Recital of the Conference that Luther had with the Devil given by Luther himself in his Book of the Private Mass about the Vnction of Priests with Remarks upon his Conference at Paris by John Baptista Coignerd 1684. THis is the third Edition of this Work of Monsieur Cordemoi He relates the Dispute that Luther confesses himself he had one Night with the Devil touching private Masses and draws from them most grievous and odious Consequences against the Protestants The Lutherans who have made so great a number of Books ought to oppose him It looks as if he was not willing to destroy the disadvantageous Idea that it represented to the mind when in a Dream or any other manner an Instruction is received from the Devil for as he is call'd in the Evangelist the Father of Lies so there is no great Perswasion necessary to make one believe he never spoke truth But we ought to conclude otherwise when a Spirit is so wicked as himself which delights in the disorder of the World and in committing many Crimes so that nothing is more hateful to him that the Truth that he shou'd be capable to Induce Men to speak the Truth 'T is not wonderful that the Providence of Almighty God who often to his end makes use of second Causes and sometimes employs the Malice of the Devil to the advancement of good Now in part omitting here the Question Whether Luther Preaches the Truth or not It is easily apprehended that 't is possible that an Evil Spirit might at that time believe a Lye would be less proper than the Truth to excite cruel Passions in their minds It is not very likely that any thing was more pleasing to the Devil than the Discord that was caused about the Contest of Truth As for Example The Ten Persecutions of the Ancient Church sufficiently shew The Grand Seignior's Spye and his Secret Relations sent to the Divan of Constantinople discovered at Paris in the Reign of Lewis the Great in Twelves at Amsterdam by Westhein THis Work was Counterfeited at Amsterdam with the consent of the Bookseller of Paris who first Printed it it s composed of many little Volumes which contain the most considerable Events of Christendom in general and of France particularly from the Year 1637. to 1682. An Italian Native of Genoa Marana by Name gives these Relations as Letters Written to the Ministers of the Ports by a Turkish Spy who conceal'd himself at Paris He pretends he Translated it from Arabick into Italian and relates at length how he found them It 's probably suppos'd 'tis the product of an Italian Spirit and an Ingenious Fiction like to that which Virgil made use of to praise Augustus This Poet very often introduces Anchises sometimes Vulcan who to praise this Emperor more artificially begins by little and little and falls by degrees into the Panegyrick which was the Poets main design this is much handsomer than to praise a Prince purely with a prospect of Interest It s thought that the Sieur Marana had no other design than to make an Elogy upon His Most Christian Majesty the better to conceal his Game and to render him something marvellous he puts into the mouth of a Turk that which himself had studied upon the Glorious Actions of this Puissant Monarch but before he hath done makes his Spye say many other things 't is no matter whether it be a Turk or Genoese that speaks to us provided he gives us a good Book The first Book is very agreeable it contains the History of the last Month from the Year 1637. and of the most part of the Year 1638. An Anatomical Bibliotheque Or a New and Copious Treasury of Anatomical Discoveries in which there is a full and exact Description of the whole Human Body which is accurately treated of from the Collections of the Tractates of the most Famous Anatomists Publish'd and Vnpublish'd To which is added an Anatomical Administration of all its parts with divers Curious Preparations A Work very profitable and necessary for Anatomists Physitians Surgeons Philosophers and all Learned Men whatever performed by Daniel le Clerke and Johannes Jacobus Mangetus M. M. D. D. who have supply'd the Tractates Arguments Notes and Anatomico-practical Observations with necessary Indexes and a great number of Copper Cuts Geneva at the expence of Johannes Antonius-Chouet in Folio 2 Vol. 1684. A Title so well Circumstantiated as this seems to leave nothing for the Journalists or the Novelists of the Learned to add It carries the Recommendation and Praise of the Work with it self Nevertheless if we had seen it we wou'd observe many things of this Anatomical Bibliotheque but how can we see it not being yet publish'd but hope it may be soon ready for the Press 'T will be a most useful Work because it unites in one Body many Books of Anatomy that were dispers'd and being joyn'd together from a Compleat Anatomy there are divers pieces of Mr. Malpighi and some Celebrated Authors which never appear'd in the World Those who have endeavour'd to gather so many separated Pieces together and give an account of them as soon as they came out are Mr. Clerk and Mr. Manget Physitians of Geneva which will be very serviceable to the Republick of Letters There was Printed also in Geneva the Research of Truth translated into Latin with a handsome Preface which the Translator had joyned thereto to shew the usefulness of those Principles the Author hath offer'd to give some Advice to them who wou'd read the Work with advantage And in fine 't is to shew that it is impossible to have an exact knowledge of these things if we are not skill'd in the Abstracts of Metaphysicks If any will buy the whole Edition Sieur Iohn Picteat Bookseller at Geneva will sell it at a reasonable Price 'T is in Quarto A Treatise of the Excellency of Marriage of its necessity and of the means of Living Happy therein Where is an Apology
made for Women against the Calumnies of Men By James Chausse Master of the Court-Rolls Printed at Paris sold by Samuel Parrier in the Pallace 1685. in Twelves and at Amsterdam by Peter Morteri I Have in the first Article of the last Month said that 100 Officious Writers might please themselves infinitely in imploying their Pens to the Glory of the Fair Sex He needs be no great Divine that says so and he must have but a little Memory and a very mean Knowledg of Books who without this Treatise is afraid of being deceived in judging as we do since so many have Written in favour of Women in all Countries and all Ages of the World We shall always find some who exercise themselves with pleasure upon this repeated Subject How many Books have we seen in favour of Women Those Written by Monks wou'd stock a Library even the Chief Magicians according to the Common Opinion have Written upon this Inviting Subject as appears by the Discourse of Agrippa De nobilitate praecellentia foeminei Sexus I know some have Writ against them but their number is inferiour to those who spoke in their Praise There are too many as well on the one side as the other but those who know how to Write being sensible of the trouble there is to keep the Mean more easily pardon the Extreams these Authors fall into 'T is very difficult to maintain Marriage without decrying Celebacy and speak for a single Life without bringing Marriage into Disgrace Therefore we ought to excuse those who cannot shun this Rock St. Ierom had so little power in this Affair that his Friends were forc'd to suppress some of his Books where under pretext of establishing Continency he entirely ruin'd the Doctrin of the Church concerning Marriage Some say that Mr. Chausse runs upon the different Rock when he says That Marriage is the only way to Paradise and 't is to rob himself of the greatest happiness and the most solid Blessings of this Life to forbear entring into the Matrimonial State But certainly when they only imputed these thoughts to him they forgot the Declaration which he made in these decisive Terms Nothing is better nor more excellent than Marriage except an absolute Continency There are some who indifferently regard the Disputes of these Authors and only divert themselves as if they saw different Persons acting a Comedy Yet there cannot be seen without some agreeable Sentiments two Books publish'd at Paris both at the same time each well arm'd with Approbation and Priviledge which maintains absolute Contraries upon the great Theme of Matrimony One of these Books is an Answer of Mr. Ferrand to his Apology for the Reformation the other is that of which we are going to speak Marriage is in it every where almost elevated to the highest point of perfection where Fidelity continues during this Life but in the other Book 't is to Virginity that this advantage is attributed and that in so violent a manner that if we follow'd the Maxims of the Author cited step by step we shou'd look upon Married Persons but as Vultures and Swine We ought certainly to remit something of each side and say that Celebacy and Marriage are speaking Morally in themselves neither good nor bad Those who remit nothing on the part of Marriage will immediately shew us how to prove the Excellency thereof by these three Reasons First Because it was God that Instituted Marriage in the Earthly Paradice during the State of Innocency Secondly There is nothing agrees better with Man than Marriage nor is more adapted to his Necessities Thirdly That Marriage is the most necessary thing in the World to maintain Society Wisdom and Chastity These three Proofs are clearly amplified these two Considerations annext First That Marriage is the most perfect Bond the sweetest and most beneficial of all humane Unions The Second That 't is the most legitimate and agreeable exercise and of the most absolute Authority in the World This he proves by most lively Descriptions and observes that this Union includes both Body and Souls that it represents the greatest Mysteries of Religion that 't is a Source of sweetness and infinite Consolations and which furnishes us with excellent Vertues as Patience Charity and a desire to improve our selves amongst the number of the Elect and Fellow-Citizens He adds that the Father of a Family is Master of a little State where he exercises the Function of a King Priest and Prophet It allows him a very lawful and priviledg'd satisfaction of that desire which rules in a Man He ends with this Consideration That in one sense nothing can be more excellent than Marriage since 't is an Universal Custom and the most general of all Societies in all times all places and all sorts of persons how different soever This seems to me a just Abridgment of the first part of the Work In the second is represented the Infamy of Incontinency considering three sorts of people that plunge themselves therein one by Inclination another by Habit and the last by both but with this difference that the first look upon Lasciviousness as their Sovereign good whereas the second continues there in spight of themselves being subjected to the force of Custom and Temper but the last look upon these Irregularities as an Innocent Gallantry The Author considers besides that four sorts of Importunities that of the Heart of the Eyes of the Mouth and that of the Hand he shews wherein they consist he proves 'em Criminal and gives the Reason why God hath so severely prohibited such things to Man as he was Naturally inclined to and why he tolerated Poligamy in the Ancient Patriarchs The Third Part contains the full End and chief Design of the Author for he writ this Book only to perswade the necessity of Marriage to a considerable Person whom he extreamly Honoured for his Merit and Family where in this place he displays all his force to represent to the life those Motives that ought to perswade People to Marry he immediately proposes this Principle there is nothing but Marriage that can naturally preserve Man from the guilt of unchastity and by consequence that 't is necessary for Salvation After that other Reasons seem Superfluouse Nevertheless the Author sticks not to this great Principle which he ought to make appear since he believes it is true but he brings many other Advantages with abundance of Truth he urges the unusefulness of Continency he says that the most Favourable Iudgments of the Wisest about a single life is that 't is a vertue neither good nor bad and that being without Action it is a kind of Vice He maintains that God made Two Sexes in Nature to shew they cannot subsist without being joyn'd together he sends us to learn of the Animals amongst which the Mutual love of Males for Females and Females for Males is common to every Individual after this he considers Men as Men in a State in a Family and in
Understanding wherefore to enlighten the Understanding its sufficient to encline the Passions and the Will That is to say before all things we must perswade the Understanding because a Man can't will or consent where he is not convinc'd whence it follows that the Understanding inclines the Will when it is perswaded there must not be an immediate Action of the Mind upon the Will because there must be only a Predication to enlighten and convince the Understanding by the Evidence of Truth Mr. Iurieu who hath studied much the heart of Man and knew all its foldings tells us quite contrary viz. That 't is the Passions and not the Understanding which determins the Will They prevent deliberation the violent Motions which they cause leave not the Understanding time to judge Video Mcliora Proboque Deteriora sequor This is the condition of all Men. They raise up an Eternal War in themselves and after much strugling they are carry'd away to sensible Objects and Charms in spight of the Light of the Understanding Man believes a thousand things only because he wou'd believe 'em and his Passions plead for an Interest even the Air of a Mans Face changes according to the Nature of the Passions so much is Passion the Mistress of the Judgment In fine according to Mr. Iurieu the Understanding is so little Master of the Will that we ought to look upon it as a Passive Faculty which receives Ideas as they are imprest upon it 't is an Ice which receives Images and reflects 'em more or less distinctly now as it acquiesces it determines not the Will ceases not to revolt and follow the Motions of the Passions If the Understanding resists it is only in those things wherein it hath not acquir'd a habitude of Sinning without remorse and which stay upon the brink of the Precipice being at a loss how to free themselves The Understanding is almost always subject to the Will which disposes of all its Reasonings whence we may conclude that 't is not necessary to pass through the Understanding in order to penetrate the Will and as it is this which determines so 't is this by which the Holy Ghost also Acts immediately upon the Mind Thus the Joy that the Souls of the Faithful possess is not a Reason'd Motion nor does it arise from reflection 't is inward Grace which gives it birth In fine it must be an immediate Action of the Holy Ghost upon the Will to overcome its inclination to Evil and draw it back from sensible things The other Proposition we have chosen is this That the Word of God contains Moral Demonstrations capable of themselves only to produce a full and intire certainty of the truth of it That is to say the Scripture has such Evident Characters of the Divinity of its Author that they are sufficient to form this certain perswasion viz. The Scripture is Divine I know not says Mr. Iurieu that ever man yet durst advance what these Gentlemen have done without having a design to lessen the Power and Light of these Holy Characters I dare affirm that there 's not one which can't be avoided by the profane not one that will amount to a proof or to which nothing can be objected But say these Gentlemen It is true there 's nothing which the Mind of Man can't turn into Darkness nevertheless if these Characters of Scripture are not sufficiently evident to produce this certainty will it be a fault in the Wisdom of God to make use of means which are incapable of producing the Effect which he proposed And will it be a lawful excuse for those who are chain'd in the Darkness of Paganism God will only reprove the malâ—ce of their heart and the source of their incredulity since he hath hid his Word under so great obscurity that the Characters of Divinity which it bears along with it cannot make one proof They add that if by the Assistance of the Holy Spirit there are not found in Scripture sufficient proofs to produce a certainty which excludes the fear that the Contrary can't be true as Mr. Iurieu says himself then there will be an eternal restlesness For a man can't be fully assur'd that the Scripture is Divine by the Scripture it self doubtless Grace can form a confidence which excludes all doubts that the Scripture is Divine But as Grace is not so prevalent that one can't sometimes be perswaded by the prejudices and darkness of Reason instead of that of Grace So that one shall be at a loss to be so much assured of the Divinity of the Scripture that there won't rest some doubt and some fear that the contrary will be true In fine can't the Scripture be said at least to produce a certain and humane Faith without the Assistance of the Holy Spirit and can't we convince a Heathen that it is Divine by the Light of Reason only Mr. Iurieu confesses that there is nothing appears more contrary to Reason than that these Character of themselves shou'd be able to produce an intire certainty For Man is full of Errors and prejudices which blind his Understanding and hinder him from discovering the Truth Besides the subtilty of Mysteries and their disproportion with the powers of the Soul distract the Reason and cause Insurrections in it Thus he pretends we can have only that certainty of the Divinity of the Scripture that he calls Adhesion which is produced from the Importance and not Evidence of the thing For Example I believe that such a one is my Father I have no demonstration of it says he but the importance of this Truth upon which the Obedience I owe him is founded and the right to his Succession makes my Will adhere thereto Thus as Sensible Advantages recur from this great Truth the Scripture is Divine so it is the visible interest of man to believe whatsover that Commands and that his Will shou'd be absolutely determined by it In a Word the Holy Spirit which acts in us produces with these Characters a greater certainty than naturally could be produced and creates an inward sense of the sweet Efficacy of the Word Without the Operation of Grace the Scripture wou'd continue like an unfruitful Seed upon the heart for it is that which strengthens and encourages the Mind against all its doubts and diffidence The last Proposition that we shall examine is that the Word of God Preacht under Proper External Circumstances manag'd by Providence may cause an Irresistible Grace and overcome all the wickedness of Mans Heart This is the Foundation of the Controversy in Question Mr. Iurieu makes no scruple of saying that this is a Pelagian Opinion and that it wou'd be to make use of the Hereticks Arms which have disturb'd the Church God said Pelagiuâ— works in us the Will to do what is Holy and Good by Inflaming us with the Prospect and Recompence of future Glory to draw us back from Earthly Concupisence in which we are overwhelm'd Now the Scripture is