Popish Glorying in Antiquity Turned to their Shame, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. How manie vnderunder the Names of Fathers, Bellarmine acknowledgeth to be meerly counterfeyt, and this thorow the first fiue Ages, or Centuries of the Church.
FIrst, Clement's *Anno 7….Epistles are such, for so hee sayth of the fift,Bell. l. 3. de bonis oper. c. 11. sect. caterum. It is sure (sayth hee) either that it is not his, or else by some mightilie corrupted.
The like hee sayth of his Recognitions, Lib. 5. de lib. arb. cap. 25. §. ad hunc.
Also of his Constitutions,Baron. epit. ad an. 102. p. 72. Baronius sayth, that by all men they are counted counterfeyt.
Againe, Iustinus Martyr, *Anno 163.his Questions, are justlie suspect by Bellarmine, Bell. lib. 4. de pen. c. 9. §. ….to bee counterfeit: seeing in the 82 Question, Origen is made mention of, vvho lived after I…stinus, more than an hundreth yeares and fiftie.
The verie like is cleare of Dionysius Areopagita, *Anno 70.that hee is likewise a counterfeit, as their owne Laurentius Valla, by the like reason maketh good: to vvit, because in his booke, De divinis nominibꝰ, Clemen… Stro…ateus is cited, who lived two hundreth yeares after Dionysius. And yet this is hee, whom Bellarmine oft tymes citeth, to proue the most points of Poperie, as their Hi…rarchie, Monasticall lyfe, Purgatorie, and such lyke: but of whome Ierome maketh no mention of in his Booke, De Viris Illustribus; which hee would not hauehave omitted, if anie such had bene acknowledged in his tyme,Act. 17.34. (whose name especiallie had beene in-rolled in Scripture) and had beene a famous Wryter.
In lyke manner, Bellarmine acknowledgeth Tertullian's *Anno 200. Bell. lib. 1. de Christ…, c. 10. …. responde….Booke, De Trinitate, not to bee his, because the Sabellians are there refuted, who rose not in his tyme.
For the verie lyke reason also hee declareth, that Cyprian *Anno 250.his Explicatio Symboli, Bell. ibidem.is not his, because Arrius, Eunomius, and Pbotinus, who were not borne in Cyprian's tyme, are by name refuted.
Lyke-wyse,Bell. l. de confir. c. 5. §. author. & l. 2. de Euch. c. 9. sect. …xta…. hee declareth, That the Sermons of the Cardinall Vertues of Christ, as also his Sermon of the Supper of the Lord, are not Cyprian's, but counterfeyt.
In lyke manner,Bell. l. de …nfir. c. 8. & l. 1. de penit. c. 10. hee suspecteth his Sermon of the Vnction of holy Chrisme; and the other, of the Ablution of Feere, to bee none of Cyprian's, but to bee meerelie counterfeyt.
As also, he declareth that Booke, which is given out vnderunder the name of Ar…bius, *Anno 300. Bell. l. 4. de amiss. gra. c. 9. sect. hic ver….Master to Lactantius, to bee none of his, but a more recent Counterfeyt.
More-over, Bellarmine declareth, that the Homilies on Leviticus, attributed to S. Cyrill, *Anno 430. Bell. lib. 4. de verbo, c. 11. sect. item.are none of his, but a counterfeyt, and of no Authoritie.
Likewise, hee suspecteth the Questions attributed to S. Basill, *Anno 370. Bell. l. 1. de amis. gra. c. 13. sect. respond…o.to be none of his, but a miere counterfeyt.
The like sayeth Possevin, of the Questions attributed to Athanasius, *Anno 340. Possevin, apparat. sac. tit. Athanasius.that they are mierlie counterfeyt.
In like manner, the same Possevin, showeth, that manie Treatises attributed to S. Ambrose, *Anno 370. Possevin. in appara…. tit. Ambrosi…s.are surelie onlie Counterfeytes, as, De virtutum & vitiorum, conflictu, expositio fidei, libellus de sp. sancto, liber de concord. Mathei & Lucae; liber de poenitentia, ad poenitentiam ex…ortatio, de …rigine & moribus Brachamorum, expositio in Cantica, & Epistola ad Demetriadem, ac opuscula. And as for his Commentaries on Sainct Paul's Epistles, Bellarmine sayeth,Bell. l. 2. de lib. a…b. c. 14. sect. respondeo. they are surelie none of his, but counterfeyt.
As concerning Chrysostome, *Anno 400. Bell. lib. 2. de …ch. c. 22. §. Respondeo.Bellarmine showeth, that those Bookes attributed to him, are counterfeyt: to vvit, his Commentarie on the Psalmes, Ibid.and his Homilies on Matthew, called, Opus imperfectum: as also, that his Liturgie is counterfeyt, appeareth heere-by, because Prayer is made there-in for Pope Nicolas, who almost 300 yeares lived after Chrysostome.
Of those workes also that goe vnderunder the name of Augustine, *Anno 410.those hee discards, as counterfeyt: to wit, 1,1. Bell. l. 3. de sanct. c. 4. 2. Bell. l. 2. de sacram. c. 10. 3. L. 1. de extrem. vnct. c. 4. 4 L. 2. de gra. … l. arb. c. 3. 5. L. 1. de …ap. c. 6. 6. L. 3. de penit. c. 9. 7. L. 6. de amis. gra. c. 2. 8 L. 3. de Eccl. c. 6. his Exposition of the Apocalypse: 2, his Questions vponupon the Olde and New Testament: 3, his Booke, De visitatione infirmorum: 4, his Booke, De Predestinatione & gratia: 5, his Booke, De Ecclesiasticis dogmatibus: 6, his Booke; De vera & falsa poenitentia: 7, his Booke called Hypognosticon, he pronounceth also suspicious: and last, his Booke Contra Donatistas, hee declareth to bee corrupt.
Besides the former also, Possevin declareth, that those Bookes following, attributed to Augustine, are none of his,Possevm, I…s. in app…r. tit. August. De vita eremitica, Epistola ad Cyrillum, Epistola 16, ad Bonifacium, Liber de Spiritu & anima, Liber de speculo, Liber de conflictu virtutum & vitiorum, item Liber de Antichr…sto. Also hee showeth, that those are suspect, his Exposition vponupon the Gospell, and Epistles of Iohn, his booke De Pastoribus, De Ovibus, De Disciplina Christiana, De Homiliis, & De verbis Apostoli.
Of those works in like manner, which passe vnderunder S. Ierome's name, *Anno 390. Salm. Ies… 2. Thess. 2. desp. 2. §. tertia spici….Salmeron declareth, that his Notes and Commentaries on all Paul's Epistles, are counterfeyt. Senensis likewise disclaimeth his Commentaries on the Proverbes, both for vnlyknesse of Style: and that the Author on the 30 Chapter commenting,S…en. app. l. 4. tit. Hiero…mes. alleadgeth by name S. Ierome, vponupon Ieremie.
Bellarmine in like manner declareth, that Booke attributed to Eusebius Emissenus, *Anno 340. Bell. l. 2. de Euchar. c. 30.to be a plaine Counterfeyt; vvhichwhich is cleare by this, That hee maketh mention there-in of the Pelagian Heresie, vvhichwhich was not broached long after his death.
And for Eusebius Pamphylus *Anno 330. Di…t. 15. cap. Sancta.Historie, as the Councell of Rome defined it to bee an Apocryphall writing,Bell. lib. 1. de pont. c. 26. so Bellarmine likewise affirmeth it to bee corrupt.
Thus of the Fathers, of the first fiue Ages, in the primitiue Church, wee see, howe manie are confessed by our Adversaries, to bee corrupt and counterfeyt: and so, what vnsure Warrand Men hauehave to gather, or ground their Fayth, on such Writs and Workes. Which made their owne Senensis ingenuouslie to confesse,Senens. l. 4. in titulis patrum. saying, Incertum est quid definiant Patres, idque propter libros suppositios, qui falso Patribus ascribuntur, &c. Et propter foedissimas corruptelas quae eis inscribuntur: that is, It is vncertayne, what the Fathers define, and that both for the counterfeyt Bookes, which falselie are ascrybed vntounto them, as also for the most filthie Errours that are insert into them. More of which Bastardlie Brood, who pleaseth to see, he may behold in the fore-sayde Senensis, and Possevin's apparatus; and especially of late, in Master Cooke, an English Man, an Armie of such discovered, bred most of them in the Brayne-sicke Pates of ydle Monkes, and forged on the Anvill of doting Superstition, for building vp of Babell, and opposing the Trueth: And lyke that Harlot before Salomon, who would hauehave Mothered her dead Chylde vponupon her, who truelie did owe the living; So hauehave they Fathered their Bastardlie Brood, vponupon the LORD'S Worthies, as if they had beene their legittimate seed, and brought them with-in the Sanctuarie, Vt ementitis titulis fidem authoritatém que erroribus suis conciliarent, (as sayeth Senensis:) that is, That by their counterfeyt Titles, they might conciliate trust and authoritie vntounto their owne Errours: and which practise, of bringing vp such deluding Counterfeytes, for true Samuels, Erasmus, declar. 91. ad censur. theolog. ….Erasmus showes was so ryfe in the tyme of the seventeenth Generall Councell, when Errour began to prevayle, that hee sayeth, Scatebant omnia libris falso celebrium virorum titulo commendatis: that is, All places were full of Bookes, set foorth vnderunder the false Title of excellent Mens Names. The Devill having begun this Practise, even in the Apostles owne tymes, when the Mysterie of Iniquitie began to worke, which made the Apostle Paul to bee therefore so carefull,2. Thess. 2.3. to fore-warne the Thessalonians, That they should not bee deceived, neyther by worde, or alleadged Tradition, nor by Writ, as from him, that is, by counterfeyt Epistles in his name, to belieue the Lord's Day to bee then at hand. And which Practise, wee see, continued after the Apostles dayes most perniciouslie: Therefore the Arrians wrote a Letter to Constantine, vnderunder the name of Athanasius: the Eutychians also a Letter, agaynst Cyrillus Alexandrinus, beeing dead, vnderunder the name of Theodoret: and the Mani…heans, and others, manie Bookes; some Fathered on Adam, some on Enoch, …ome on the Apostles, and Disciples of Christ, and some on Christ Himselfe; vvho were rejected, (as Augustine sayeth) Non quod eorum qui Deo placuerunt reprobetur authoritas, sed quod ista non credantur esse ipso…um: that is, Not that the authoritie of such Men,Aug. l. 18. de … 38. who hauehave pleased God, is rejected; but because it is believed, that those are not the workes of such Men, but of other men (sayeth Beda) vnderunder those mens names.Beda, in Epist. Iudae. But the last, tho not the least, craftie Counterfeyts, and Corrupters, that ever Satan prevayled by, for erecting his kingdome of Darkenesse, and a Throne to the Vicar of his Power, was that Locust brood, which came out of the bottomlesse Pit;Revel. 9. even that numerous and noysome swarme *See Bell. de scrip. Eccl. ad an. 396.of Monks, & other Popish Clergie: to whome I may say, as Ierome sayde to Ruffinus, for preassing to substitute a certayne Arrians Booke, for Theophilus Martyr, In the Day of Iudgement, consider what they will answere to the Complayntes of such holie Men, Whose Reverend Names they hauehave so Roguishlie abused, vntounto most wicked purposes.