Popish Glorying in Antiquity Turned to their Shame, Chapter 4
CHAP. IIII. How contumeliouslie they deale with the Fathers, and especiallie, first, with those of the Greeke Church, conjunctlie, and in Councell.
IT is reported of Pelagius, that even when he most disagreed from the Orthodox Fathers of the Primitiue Church, yet in his third Booke for Free-will, hee soothed vp his Heresie, and thought to amaze all men with his prayse of Sainct Ambrose; Blessed Sainct Ambrose, that Bishop (sayeth he) in whose bookes the Romane Fayth especiallie appeareth, who lyke a beautifull Flowre, shyned amongst the Latine Wryters, and whose Fayth, and most pure vnderstanding of the Scriptures, the verie Enemie himselfe dare not reprehende. Even so, our Adversaries, when they most disagree lyke-wyse from the most ancient Fathers, and primitiue Councels, yet how they doe soothe vp their Errours? But with the lyke Salue: alleadging the holie Fathers, and famous Councels of the primitiue Church, al-to-gether to make for them; and therefore they highlie extoll and advance them. But as Ambrose not-with-standing made agaynst his Prayser Pelagius, So doe the Fathers and Councels make close agaynst the Romanistes: and then, how they turne their Osanna, to Crucifie; their Praysing, to Depressing; and their High Valuing, to Low Vilifying, let their owne Mouth, and these Examples, verifie.
Their ancient Pope Gregorie declareth,Gre…. lib. 1. Epist. 24. sub …in. …. that hee reverenced the foure first Councels, as the verie foure Gospels; holding firmlie, that they only stood for Trueth, and only with-stood Errour: and yet, what is it that Bellarmine accuseth the verie second of these Councels of? Even the standing for, & decreeing of a most grosse Heresie, and the with-standing of such a necessarie Trueth, which by the definition of Pope Boniface the eight,Extran. lib. 1. tit. 8. de major & obed. c. vnam sanctam. is of such importance to belieue, that by him who holdeth not the same, there is no salvation to bee expected, because hee is without the Church. And this great Poynt is the Pope's Supremacie.
Bellarmine's owne wordes then are these,Bellar. pr…f. de pontif. § veni…. The first (sayeth hee) who most earnestlie with-stood the Supremacie of the Bishop of Rome, seemeth to be the Grecian Fathers: for they, since the yeare of God …81, would hauehave the Bishop of Constantinople, (who before was not a Patriarch at all) preferred notwithstanding to the three Patriarches of the East, and in the second roome, next the Bishop of Rome. And this may bee vnderstoode (sayeth hee) by the second Generall Councell. Wher-vntounto he might hauehave joyned like-wise the sixt Canon of the first Nyce… Councell, no lesse peremptor against the fore-saide Supremacie.
Where it is to be noted, that Papall Supremacie, which the Greeke Orthodox Church never would admit, can no-wise therefore bee called (as the Papists tearme it) a Catholicke point of Doctrine: as also if the Pope cannot erre, ex Cathedra, it will follow, according to Boniface fore-said definition, that all the Greeke Fathers are absolutelie damned.
Next, hee spareth not to blotte those holie Fathers, of that fourth and famous Councell of Chalcedon, Bel. ibidem.both with Fraud and Deceit, in the fore-named point, saying, Thereafter, in the yeare 451, the Greeke Fathers (sayth he) not being content with their former Determination, they preassed to make the Bishop of Constantinople equall alway to the Bishop of Rome: for in the Councell of Chalcedon, in the sixteenth Act thereof, the Grecian Fathers decreed, (but not without deceit (sayeth hee) and the Romane Legates beeing absent,) that the Bishop of Constantinople should bee so in the second Roome, after the Bishop of Rome: that notwithstanding thereof, bee should hauehave the same equall Priviledges, as the other had.
Now, if anie grosser Imputations can bee layde vponupon anie, than hee doeth vponupon these holie Fathers, and famous Councels, let any man consider; making them hereticall in Mind and Opinion, and false or fraudulent in Manners and Action▪
Yea, what farther falsehood and fraude hee layeth to the charge of that famous & Orientall Church, in corrupting the works of others,Bell. lib. 4. de pont. c. 11. §. ad secundum, & sect. secundo. Item, lib. 2. de Christo, c. 23. se…. Graci. let his owne wordes testifie. For it was the ordinarie Custome of the Grecians, (sayeth hee) to corrupt the Bookes of other men. Where-of hee cleareth the Occidentall, or Latine Church, by a reason to be laughed at, for the palpable evidence of the contrarie, (as shall bee showne) saying, Quoniam Romani sicut non accumina, it a nec impostur as habent: That is, Because the Romanes, as they hauehave no sharpnesse of wit, so they cannot vse deceit, (sayth he:) while as all men know, & experience hath taught, that there are none that hauehave beene more subtill, nor sharper witted than they.
Secondlie, how they deale with the Greeke Fathers, severallie and a-part.
FIrst, when Chrysostome is adduced for peoples reading of Scripture,Bell. lib. 1. de verbo, cap. vlt. §. respondeo verbo. Bellarmine answereth, That continuallie hee exhorted all men (sayeth hee) to reade the Scriptures: Non quod vellet omnes rudissimos id facere: That is, But not, that hee would had all men, altho never so vnlearned, so to doe. And so hee imputeth to this holie Father, that hee spake farre other-wise, than hee meant; and dissimulatelie required that to bee done, which hee would not hauehave done in earnest.
Next, when wee vrge Ireneus testimonie (for proving the Pope to bee Antichrist) that the number of the name of the Beast most fitlie is Lateinus, (according to the olde forme of pronouncing, as Lipsius witnesseth) thereby showing,Lipsius de antiq. pronun. cap. 8. that hee was to bee a Latine Bishop, having his Seate in the Latine Church: and more particularlie, in Latium, or Italie, his Decrees also in Latine, and all publicke Service in these Churches, subject to him in Latine like-wise. VntoUnto this Testimonie of Ireneus, Bellarmine answereth thus,Bell. lib. 3. de pont. cap. 10. sect. has opinio. Conjectura illa Irenei (sayth he) quae tunc aliqua fuit, nunc nulla est: That is, That light conjecture of Ireneus, which was some-what in his dayes, is of no account with vsus now: As if such Varlets were best Valuers, or Trueth changed with Time, and Veritie ran on the Wheeles of vnconstant Varietie.
Agayne, when Saynct Cyprian is opposed agaynst Traditions,Bell. lib. 4. de verbo c. 11. sect. profert. 12. Bell. lib. 2. de sacr. cap. 30. sect. 4. Bellarmine answereth, that Cyprian wrote so (sayeth hee) when hee would defend his Errour, (which hee calleth elsewhere the Heresie of Anabaptisme) and therefore it is no marvell, that he reason after the manner of Heretickes. By which answere, hee condemneth not onlie Saynct Cyprian, but Augustine lyke-wyse, who in this poynt, of requyring recourse to bee had onlie vntounto holie Scripture, greatlie commended Saynct Cyprian.
Lyke-wyse, when Theodoret is objected agaynst Transsubstantiation, witnessing in his second Dialogue, called, Inconfusus, That after Consecration, the Elements remayne still in their former substance; Valentia answereth,Valen. lib. de transsub. c. 7. sect. 11. saying, That some of the Ancients in this Matter, neyther thought nor wrote truely, nor consideratelie, as they ought. Or hee might hauehave added, At least, as the Iesuits now would hauehave had them.
In lyke manner, when Chrysostome is produced to proue, that the Virgine Marie had originall sinne, because shee sinned actuallie, when Christ rebuked her at the Marriage of Cana in Galile;Tolet, in Ioh. 2. annot. 5. sect. v…t…m…. Cardinall Tolet answereth thus onlie, In ho… Chrysostomus probandus non est: that is, (sayeth hee) Chrysostome is not to be approved in saying so.
More-over, when Ignatius, a Greeke Father, is opponed agaynst the mutilation of the Sacrament,Bell. lib. 4. de Euch. c. 26. sect. respondeo pri…um. Bellarmine answereth, Non multum fidendum est Graecis condicibus Ignatii: that is, (sayeth hee) The Greeke Writinges of Ignatius, are not greatlie to bee trusted.
Agayne, when Origen is objected, to proue, that Marriage is no Sacrament, Bellarmine answereth,Bell. l. 1. de matrim. c. 5. sect. alteram. Origines autem non est tantae authoritatis in Ecclesia, ut ejus sententia ne…essario approbanda sit: that is, Origen (sayeth hee) is not of such authoritie in the Church, that his opinion necessarilie is to bee followed. And yet how frequentlie hee obtrudeth him agaynst vsus, as of great authoritie, let his citation of him, and his fellow Iesuits, in their Bookes, testifie: Lindanus, when hee citeth him,Lind. l. 3. c. …4. calling him, Illustre Alexandriae l…men: that is, The bright light of Alexandria:Durcus contra VVhitak. f. 109. and Durie calling him, Testis omni exceptione major: that is, A Witnesse, without all exception, greatest.
Lyke-wyse, when Euthimius is alleadged, in the matter of the Sayncts beatitude,Bell. lib. 1. de sanct. c. 4. sect. h…be…mu…. Bellarmine answereth, Non est …ac in re usque adeo magni faciendus: that is, (layeth hee) In this matter, bee is not so much to bee esteemed.
Now, to resume: if with imputations onelie of double Dissimulation, conjecturall Lenitie, damnable Heresie, rash Inconsideratenesse, seducing Errour, and such lyke, wee should thus aunswere the Testimonies of Fathers, consenting clearlie with Scripture; affirming them vnworthie of Christian approbation, of honest mens trust, wyse mens regard, or Fatherlie Authoritie; what clamours of Indignitie, done to Antiquitie, should wee heare of our opposed Partie? forgetting that Precept of Equitie, Quod tibi fieri non vis, alterine feceris.