Popish Glorying in Antiquity Turned to their Shame, Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Some notable Frauds, vsed by the Romanists, in Citations of the Fathers, where-of the Reader would carefullie beware.
1. By citing of Heretickes wordes for them as if they were the wordes of the Orthodox Fathers.
A Notable Example of this fraudfull Tricke,1. Fraud. wee hauehave in Bella…mine, who to proue, by the Testimonie of Fathers, That Scripture without Tradition, is sufficient to determine Controversies citeth Ireneus: alleadging, Because the Scriptures are Variouslie expounded, that there-fore Scripture onlie cannot bee Iudge. VVhichWhich wordes are not Ireneus owne wordes,Bell. l. 3. de ver…o c. 8. (as Bellarmine giveth them out) neither did Ireneus ever alleadge anie such Reason, as that There was need of Tradition, because the Scriptures were Variouslie expounded: but hee setteth downe this, to bee the Hereticke's Reason, for Traditions, whome Ireneus refuteth.Iren. l. 3. c. 2. There-fore, Ireneus wordes are these, VVhen they are convinced out of Scripture, (saieth Ireneus, speaking of the Heretickes of his time) straight-way they fall out, in the accusing of Scripture it selfe, as if thinges were not well set downe there, nor that the same had not authoritie of its owne, and because the same is variouslie expounded, and there-fore Trueth cannot bee found there-in, by those that are ignorant of Traditions. In which wordes, Ireneus, if hee had beene living, and heard a Papist in our dayes, pleading for Traditions, and accusing God's word of Imperfection, Obscuritie, plyablenesse anie way, and wanting authoritie of its owne, (but such as it hath from the Church, and the Pope) he could not more viuelie hauehave painted, nor described him, than hee doeth heere, by the Patterne of an olde Hereticke.
This necessarie Caution, therefore, wee would keepe, for obviating such Fraude; that is, we would carefullie remarke, that the wordes bee a Father's owne words, which are adduced, and expressing to vsus, his owne mynde and meaning. And this wee should doe, not onelie in cleare places, as this former is; but vvee would more carefullie advert the same, in some that are obscurer, in which it can bee hardlie discerned, vvhether the vvords bee a Father's owne, or some Heretick's, vvhom hee refuteth. An Instance vvhere-of, Bellarmine him-selfe giveth vsus, saying of a Testimonie cited out of Clemens Alexandrinus, which seemeth to favour the Pelagian Heresie, It is not surelie known (sayth he) whose those words bee,Bell. l. 4. de am…ss. gra. c. 9. whether Clement's owne wordes, or those Hereticke's with whom he is in that place disputing. And to this, the Reader would the more diligentlie take heede, because the Papists (lyke the Donatists) out of the obscurest places of Scripture, or Fathers, ever seeke to make their best advantage.
2. How they cite the Fathers, quyte contrarie to their mynde.
A Remarkable Example heereof,2…raude. Bell. l. 4. de amiss. gr.…. c. 15. §. Habem…. wee finde in Bellarmine's citation of Augustine, out of whom to proue, that the Virgine Ma…ie was conceived without Originall Sin, hee adduceth a Testimonie, wherein Augustine never meaned, nor affirmeth, that in her owne conception shee was free from Originall Sinne; but onlie, that from the time of CHRIST'S cōception in her wombe, that shee was preserved thence-foorth from actual sinning, thorow that singular Priviledge (as he thought) that then was granted vntounto her, by being the Mother of the Lord Iesus. And that this is the trueth, we shall cleare the same, out of their Master of Sentences, who speaking of Christ's conception, showeth what was the qualitie of the flesh of the Virgine Marie, before that time, and in that verie instant, to wit, sinfull, as the rest of the race of Adam, Lombard. l. 3. Dist. 3.saying, Surelie it may bee cruelie saide, and must bee believed, according to the vniforme agreement of the holie Fathers witnessing the same, that, that substance of Marie, (where-of Christ tooke His humanitie) was first subject to sinne, *Sicut reliqua Virgin… car….as all the rest of the flesh of the Virgine was: but there-after, by the operation of the holie Ghost, the same was so purified, and made cleane, that beeing free of all tainture of Sinne, it might bee so vnited to the WORD. And after that the fore-saide Master of Sentences hauehave saide thus farre, of Christ's owne conception, then he commeth in the next Section, to d…clare what Priviledge was given to Marie, after that time of Christ's conception, to wit, That from thence-foorth shee was fred from actuall sinne: and to this effect, hee citeth that same place of Augustine, which Bellarmine wresteth, and abuseth, to proue her Immunitie from Originall Sinne, even in her owne conception; and which Augustine, nor none of the Fathers, ever once did meane.
3. How they vrge vsus, with Testimonies of Fathers, which are the brood of those Errours, which them-selues disclayme.
AN Instance heere-of, (in place of manie) is cleare,3Fra…de. in the Point of Purgatorie, and prayer for the dead, where-in Bellarmine, and his Fellowes, adduce Testimonies of Fathers, importing the last, therby to proue the first: and from prayer to the dead, argue so to Purgatorie, as if there were such a Relation betweene those two, that there could no separation bee anie wyse made between them. Whereas prayer for the dead, (where-of the Fathers speak) proceeded from this ground Errour, for the most part, which both the Grecian and Latine Fathers mayntayned: to wit, That the Soules of the Faythfull, vvho departed this lyfe, remayned till the day of the generall Refurrection, vvithout attayning to the blessed Vision of GOD, in certaine Places of Rest,Iren. l. 5. vvhichwhich Ireneus calleth, Invisible Holds, destinated to them by GOD:Aug. En…hir…d. c. 108. or, as Augustine tearmeth them, Hid Receptacles: or, as Lactanctius styleth the same,L…t▪ l. 7. insist c. 21. Hi…ar. in Psal. 120. Amb. d… Cain & Ab… 2. c. 2. A common Custodie: or, as Hilarie speaketh, A Bosome of Rest: or, as Ambrose nameth them, Places of Suspence, and Habitacles: or, last of all, as Bernard calleth them, Atria, or Vtter Portches, or Courtes.Bern …. 3 de omnibus, …. Nowe, seeing this was their foreign, or ground Errour, (which the Papistes disclayme,Bell. lib. 1. de Sanct. c. 1.2.3. & 4. as well as wee) and vponupon this evill layde ground, that they founded onelie their Practise of prayer for the dead; seeing the Papistes reject the first, as an illegittimate Birth; why vrge they vsus then, with the secōd after-birth? vvresting their speaches, farre agaynst the mynde of the Fathers▪ for their new-conceited Purgatorie, where-vntounto their prayers for the dead had no Relation at al. And there-fore, when as they vrge vsus with the Testimonies of the Fathers, for prayer for the dead, they them-selues must first belieue this confining of Soules of the Godlie, in those hidden Receptacles of Rest, where-in they are kept, from the tyme of their death, vntill the Resurrection, as in a Common Custodie, (and which quyte everteth Purgatorie, as their owne Suar…z confesseth:Suarez in 3. part. Thomae …. 59. Art. 6. Disp. 57. §. 1.) or else they must cease by those Testimonies, to induce vsus, fraudfullie to belieue, that there is such coherence, and inviolable dependance, (as they pretende) betweene prayer for the dead, and Purgatorie, that the one necessarily doeth inferre the other, and whereof the auncient Fathers never once dreamed▪ as witnesseth their owne Fisher, bishop of Rochester, saying, That amongst the Fathers,Roffen. art. 1… cont…a Luther. pag. 314. there was never any mention there-of at al, or at the least, verie seldome any wyse; and that the doctrine of Purgatorie, was onelie latelie knowne, and of late a…an…rlie received by the Church.
And where-as in the ancient alleadged Lyturgies,S. Iacobi Liturg … 29. they finde mention of prayers for the dead, the extense of persons beeing considered, to whome those prayers did reach, shall no lesse forciblie evert their Fornace of Purgatorie. In the Lyturgie (which they call Apostolicall) of Saynct Iames, prayer being made for all, even f…ō Abell the just, that had died hither-to: and more particularlie in Chrysostome's Lyturgie (vvhichwhich is called the Lyturgie of the Easterne Church) the prayer that is vsed there for the dead,Liturg. Chrysost. p. 9…. extending it selfe by name, to the Patriarches, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessours, and even to the blessed Virgine, which is there nominate: none of whome the most impudent Papist dare place in their Fyre of Purgatorie:Bell. lib. 2. de purg. c. 18. &c. 5. and Bellarmine him-selfe informeth vsus, how those prayers stand without anie supposall of Purgatorie at all, to wit, Relation beeing had to the seconde Sentence, or full accomplishment, that the whole Man is to receiue, by a solemne and publick Sentence of Acquitall in that Day frō Sinne, or the Consequences▪ there-of, and by an Adjudgement to a full Consummation of all perfect Happinesse, compryzed al in short words, by the Apostle, for Onesiphorus, saying, (whyle hee was alyue) The Lord grant vntounto him, that hee may fynde MercieMercy of the Lord in that Day.
Agayne, it was the Errour of manie Fathers, (sayeth Bellarmine) that after this lyfe,Bell. lib. 2. de purg. c. 1. Aug. l. 20. de civit. Dei c. 25. Lact. l. 7. instit. c. 21. O…g: in Ie…. hom. 13. Amb. in Psal. 11…. Serm. 3. & 20. all the Godlie, (the Virgine Marie, nor the Apostles, no… beeing excepted) should bee purged, by a Fyre, at the Day of Iudgement: Yet, not-with-standing, Bellarmine add…ceth the Testimonies of those Fathers, vvhichwhich speake of this same Fyre, and none other, to proue the Popish Fyre of Purgatorie, immediatly after death, although so farre different, both in tyme, and in extense to persons.
Seeing, therefore, Bellarmine disclaymeth this fore-sayde Opinion, as erronious, vvhy vrgeth hee the Testimonies of Fathers agaynst vsus, to proue fraudfullie, vnderunder the name of (Ignis Purgans) their Popish Fyre of Purgatorie? before the Resurrection, & which after death is indured by some onlie: where-as those Fathers meaned a farre diverse Fyre, to wit, which should be at the Resurrection onelie, and should bee suffered by all indifferentlie.
And yet, that he doth this most impudentlie, let this cleare the Trueth. To proue that the Fathers held such an erronious Opinion, as is fore-saide,Bell. lib. 2. de purg. c. 1. Bellarmine bringeth S. Ambrose wordes, on the 118 Psalme, and twentie Sermon, saying in the fourth of Genesis, That the Lord did put a flaming Sworde before the entrie of Paradise: which (sayeth Bellarmine) hee calleth that purging Fyre, thorow which of necessitie everie one must passe, who-so-ever they bee that enter into Paradise. And yet hee bringeth the same Father,Bell. lib. …. de purg. c. 5. §. Ambrosias. in this same verie place, and those same verie wordes, to proue the Elph-fyre of their Popish Purgatorie.
In lyke manner, Bellarmine citeth Augustine, Bell. lib. 1. de purg. c. 10. §. B. Aug.to patronize their Purgatorie, in his 21 booke, De Civitate Dei, and 16 Chapter, and 24: where hee affirmeth, That some shall suffer certayne Purgatorie Punishmentes, before the last Iudgement. Which beeing compared with the 25 Chapter, of the 20 booke, it will appeare clearlie there-by, that hee meaneth that Fyre of Conflagration, that shall immediatelie goe before the last daye of Generall Doome; and not that Popish Fyre of Purgatorie, that is suffered after the day of particular Death. And the effect where-of, hee showeth shall bee this,Aug. in Psal. 103. conc. 3. to wit, That it shall separate some to the left hand, and melt out others, to the right hand of CHRIST; and so consequently shall seaze on all men, both wicked and Godlie.
To obviate, therefore, this Fraude, the foreign, or ground Errour, would carefully be adverted; that if they reject the Roore of such Colloquintid… themselues, they vrge vsus not with the Blade, or Branch, nor fraudfullie make that to serue their Turne, by clayming the Fathers, in such a poynt, wholie to make for them, vvhyle as tryall doeth discover, that them-selues rejecting the Ground, they, Ipso facto, lyke-wyse disclayme the super-structure.
And this the more warily would bee seene vntounto, because the Ground Errour is some-tymes more latent, especiallie to one, that is not acquaynted with such a Father his whole workes, whose Testimonie is cited: one notable Example where-of, I will instance, out of our Adversaries bringing of Theophylact, for the countenancing of their praying, and offering for the dead: not considering his Ground Errour, where-vponupon this a-rose; vvhichwhich was not for bringing the Soules of those out of Purgatorie, who died onelie with the guilt of Veniall Sinnes; but to saue the Soules of those out of Hell, vngone there, who had died impenitentlie, with the guilt of haynous sinnes; and which hee thought, by the Prayers and Oblations of the living, might be gotten done: grounding his Errour on that Speach of our Saviour,Theophyl. in Luk. 12. Luke 12, 5, in which hee wisheth vsus, to obserue, That Christ did not say, Feare him, who after hee hath killed, casteth into Hell; but, hath power to cast into Hell. For the sinners, which die, (sayeth he) are not all-wayes casten into Hell: but it remayneth in the power of GOD, to pardon them also. And this I say, for the Oblations and Doales, which are made for the dead, which doe not a little avayle them, which die even in grievous sinnes: Where-fore, let vsus not cease, by Almes, and Intercession, to appeale Him that hath power to cast, but doeth not alwayes vse this power, (sayeth hee) but is able to pardon also.
4. How they cite words of Fathers, which no-wyse are in their Writs.
FOR a cleare Evidence of this,Bell. lib. 1. de purg. c. 10. let this one Practise of Bellarmine's sufficientlie examplifie, who to proue Purgatorie, doeth cite these wordes, out of Theodoret's Commentarie, on the first Epistle to the Corinthians, and third Chapter, saying, Hunc ipsum ig…em p…rgatorium credimus: that is, Wee belieue this same Fyre of Purgatorie to bee indeede. Which wordes, not-with-standing, their owne Senensis testifyeth,Senen. l. 6. annot. 258. are no-wyse to bee found in the Writs of Theodoret.