Popish Glorying in Antiquity Turned to their Shame, Chapter 5
CHAP. V. How the Romanists deale with the Latine Fathers, conjunctly and apart.
AS Canus sayeth of the Fathers in generall,Can. loe. theol. lib. 7. cap. 3. num. 7. The canonick Authors (sayth he) as they are supream, heavenlie, and divine; so they keepe a perpetuall and firmè constancie of trueth; but other holie Wryters being inferiour, and humane, they erre some-times, yea, and bring foorth Monsters, against the convenient order, and ordinarie course of Nature. Alph. l. 1. adv. heres. c. 7.So doth Alphonsus de Castro, declare, that they are oftentimes found cōtradictorie to themselues, (saith he:) the particular examples where-of Iansenius, Ians. concord. Evang. c. 137. p. 541. & cap. 146. p. 624.in his Concordance of the Evangels, hath laboured to show, in Ierome, Ambrose, and Augustine.
Like-wise, with levitie and inconstancie, thus doeth both Bellarmine and Alphonsus brand holie S. Ierome, who when hee is objected vntounto them against their Pompaticall and Papall Hierarchie, alleadging no difference to bee in Scripture, betweene a Bishop, and a Presbyter,Bell. lib. 1. de cler. c. 15. sect. est antem. Bellarmine answereth, Est autem observandum Hieronymum in h…c sententia, non adeo constantem videri: That is, It is to bee observed, (sayeth hee) that Ierome in this point seemeth not to bee so constant, as hee should bee.
Alph. l. 6. adv. heres. tit. Episcopus.The like sayeth Alphonsus, in these wordes, Ex quibus verbis apparet B. Hieronymum sibi ipsi in hac parte minime constare: That is, By which words it is evident, that S. Ierome was no wise constant in this point.
Yea, more-over, when Ierome is produced, consenting with a number of Fathers, whom their Medina nominateth, to prooue the same point, that primitiuelie a Bishop and Presbyter were all one,Bell. lib. 1. de pont. c. 8. §. respondeo. Bellarmine answereth grossely, giving him the Lie, saying, Videtur revera Hieronymum in ea opinione fuisse, quae falsa est: That is, It appeareth indeede, that Ierome was of that opinion, but yet the same is false.
After the same manner doeth Pigbius also vse Augustine, Pigh. de orig. pecc.whose doctrine when hee hath brought, in two pointes, concerning originall sinne, (agreeable to Scripture) yet thus he speaketh thereof, Quae Augustini sententia [sayth hee] non solum incerta, sed & falsa est: That is, Which doctrine of Augustine's, is not onlie vncertaine, but lyke-wyse vntrue, or false.
Yea, little lesse vnreverentlie doth Bellarmine vse one of their own Popes, to wit, Pius the secōd, whose testimony when we oppose against Papall Supremacie, proving, that no such thing was knowne, nor acknowledged, in the primitiue Church; the fore-saide Pope testifying, Quod ante Nicenam Synodum parum respectus habebatur ad Romanam Ecclesiam: That is, That little regard was had to the Romane Church, before the Councell of Nice: Bellarmine thus answereth, Quae sententia (sayth he) partim non est vera: That is, Which declaration of his heere-in, is in a part false and vntrue.
Agayne, when Tertullian is produced agaynst the Pope's infallibilitie,Bell. lib. 4. de po…t. c. 8. §. respond…o. proving Pope Zepherin to hauehave beene a Montanist, Bellarmine answereth roundlie, That Tertullian is a Liar, saying, Non est omnino Tertulliano hac in parte fides adhibenda: that is, In that matter there is no credit at all to bee given to Tertullian.
Bell. lib. 2. de bon. oper. c. 9. sect. 8.So lyke-wyse, when the same Tertullian is adduced, for proving Christian libertie in fasting, Bellarmine answereth thus, Tertullian (saith hee) in that booke expoundeth the Catholicke Doctrine after that manner, as at this tyme the Lutherians vse; that is, everie-where mixing in Cal…mnies and Lies.
More-over, when Augustine in his Retractions,Bell. lib. 1. de pont. c. 10. §. ad Augustin… ̄. interpreting the Rocke, where-on Christ was to build his Church, is adduced agaynst the Papists, to signifie, not Peter, but CHRIST Him-selfe; Bellarmine answereth, Ex sola ignorantia linguae Hebreae esse deceptum: that is, that Augustine was deceived heere-in, onelie by his ignorance of the Hebrew tongue.
And agayne,Bell. de …uch. l. 1. c. 11. sect. fi rùrsus. when he is produced agaynst Transsubstantiation, showing, that Christ's wordes, saying, I will not drinke hence-foorth of the fruit of the Vine, were spoken of the consecrated Cup, Bellarmine answereth, Augustinum non expendisse hunc locum diligenter: that is, that Augustine did not weigh or consider this place diligentlie: to wit, not so friendlie for the Pope's behoofe, and his Darling of Transsubstantiation, which was hatched after.
In lyke manner,Bell. lib. 1. de purg. c. 5. sect. quarta diff. when the foresayde Augustine, and Pope Gregorie's expositions, on 1 Cor. 3, 13, are adduced, showing, by that Fyre which is spoken of there, are meaned the Troubles of this lyfe, and no other Fyre of Purgatorie, Bellarmine summarilie goeth to worke, and sayth, Sed hoc jam rejecimus: that is, But as for this exposition of theirs, (sayth hee) wee hauehave alreadie rejected it.
And when hee hath showne, how many ancient and famous Authors hauehave vehementlie oppugned their ydle begging Orders,Bell. lib. 2. de mon. c. 45. yet he answereth, At …ihileminus vitam mendicantium, tanquam sanctam & perfectam, approbarunt multi Pontifices: that is, Not-with-standing of all those Ancients and Authors, it is enough, that manie Popes hauehave approved the lyfe of begging Friers, as holie and perfect.
Yea, more-over, when both a Romane Councell,Bell. lib. 2. de mon. c. 35. §. at his. Greg. l. 3. Ep. 11. 1 Tim. 5.9. and a Romane Pope, are produced, forbidding the vayling of Nunnes, before 60 years of age, according to that Apostolicall Precept, of receiving of Widowes, Bellarmine there-vntounto answereth, His non obstantibus licere in quacunque aetate, si adsit usus liberi arbi…rii, talia vota nuncupare: that is, Notwith-standing of all that is alleadged, (to wit, out of Scripture, Councels, or Fathers) it is lawfull (sayeth hee) of what age so-ever they bee, (provyding that they hauehave the vse of Free-will) to vnderunder-goe such Vowes.
I omit, how hee answereth the Authorities of other Fathers, onlie with imputation of Ignorance, and want of Learning vntounto them, when they are objected; as where hee sayeth,Bell. lib. 1. de Christo, c. 6. §. at contra. Procopius was a better Orator, than a Divine, (sayeth hee:) Lactantius also was better seene in Cicero's Bookes,Bell. lib. 1. de sanct. c. 5. sect. habenius. than hee was in the Scriptures: and Victorius was indeed (sayeth hee) a Martyr, but he wanted Learning.
To conclude, therefore; if with baser Money anie can bee payed, who exacteth Satisfaction to the Testimonies of Fathers, than you see by our Adversaries layde down heere, let anie one judge: Or if Imputations to those Auncientes, of Monstrous Births, crosse Contradictions, grosse Errour, light Inconstancie, base Lying, vilde Slandering, blynde Ignorance, carelesse Neglect, with vndeserved Distrusting them, and open Rejection, can passe for currant, eyther on their bare word, to satisfie vsus, or to expresse their so much pretended, and bragged of reverence to venerable Antiquitie, then let Light and Darknesse, and GOD and Beliall be agreed, or as the Poet sayth,
Iungentur jam gryphes equis,
aevoque sequenti
Cum canibus timidi venient ad
pocula damae.