A Key for Catholics, Treatise 1 · Chapter 27
CHAP. XXVII.
Detect. 18. ANother of the Principal Deceits of the Papiſts, is, the forging and corrupting of Councils and Fathers, and the citation of ſuch forgeries. Be carefull therefore how you receive their Allegations, till you have ſearched and know the Books to be genuine, and the particular words to be there, and uncorrupted.
They have by their greatneſs obtained the opportunity of poſſeſſing ſo many Libraries, that they might the eaſilyer play this abominable game. But God in mercy hath kept ſo many monuments of Antiquity out of their hands, partly in the Eaſtern, and partly in the Reformed Churches, as ſuffice to diſcover abundance of their wicked forgeries and falſifications.
Of their forging Canons, yea feigning Councils that never were, (as Concil. Sinueſſan. Concil. Rom. ſub Silveſtr. See Biſhop Uſhers Anſwer to the Jeſ. pag. 12, 13. As alſo of their forging Conſtantines Donation, and Iſidore mercators forging of a fardell of Decretals; and of their falſifying and corrupting in the Doctrine of the Sacrament, the works of Ambroſe, of Chryſoſt. (or the Author operis Imperfecti,) of Fulbertus Biſhop of Chartres; of Rabanus of Mentz, of Bertram, or Ratrannus, &c. Read I pray you the words detecting their horrible impious cheats.
But their Indices expurgatorii will acquaint you with much more. And yet their ſecreter expurgations are worſt of all.
What words of Peters Primacy, and others for their advantage, they have added to Cyprian de unitate Eccleſiae, ſee in Jer. Stephens his Edition of it, where much more additions to Cyprians works are detected out of many Oxford Manuſcripts.
Andreas Schottus the Jeſuite publiſhing Baſils works at Antwerp Lat. A. D. 1616. with Jeſuitical fidelity, left out the Epiſtle, in which is this paſſage following, which ſhould not be loſt: ſpeaking of the Weſtern Biſhops he ſaith [verily the manners of Proud men do uſe to grow more inſolent, if they be honoured. And if God be merciful to us, what other addition have we need of? But if Gods anger on us remain, what help can the pride of the Weſt bring us? when they neither know the Truth, nor can endure to ſpeak it; but being prepoſſeſſed with falſe ſuſpicions, they do the ſame things now, which they did in the caſe of Marcellus, contentiouſly diſputing againſt thoſe that taught the truth, but for Hereſie, confirming it by their authority. Indeed I was willing (not as repreſenting the publike perſon of the Eaſt) to write to their Leader (Damaſus) but nothing about Church matters, but that I might intimate that they neither knew the truth of the things that are done with us, nor did admit the way by which they might learn them. And in general, that they ſhould not inſult over the calamitous and afflicted, nor think that Pride did make for their dignity, when that one ſin alone is enough to make us hatefull to God] ſo far Baſil in that Epiſtle left out by the Jeſuite; in which you may ſee the Romane power in thoſe daies, in the conſciences of Baſil and ſuch other Fathers in the Eaſt.
And (by the way) how Tertullian reverenced them, you may ſee lib. de pudicit. pag. 742. where he calls Zepherinus, as we ſay, all to naught: And the Aſian Biſhops condemning of Victor, with Irenaeus his reproof of him; Cyprians and Firmilians condemning Stephen: Marcellinus his condemnation by all: Liberius his being ſo oft Anathematized by Hilary Pictav. the reſiſtance of Zoſimus and Boniface by the Africans, &c. ſhew plainly in what eſteem the now-infallible univerſal Head was then among the Fathers, and in all the Churches. But when the Papiſts come to the mention of ſuch paſſages, what juglings do they uſe? ſometime they ſilence them: ſometime they paſs them over in a few words that are buried in a heap of other matters: ſometime they bring in ſome forgeries to obſcure them. But commonly they make a noſe of wax of Councils and Fathers, as well as of Scripture, and put any ridiculous ſence upon them that ſhall ſerve their turns, though perhaps ſix men among them may have five or ſix Expoſitions.
An Epiſtle of Ciril of Jeruſalem to Auſtin is forged by one, that their Molanus calleth A barbarous impoſtor (Hiſtor. Imag. l. 3. c. 36.) about the miracles of Hierom; where Purgatory and other errors are befriended. When as Ciril himſelf dyed thirty years before Hierome. And yet Binsfield, Suarez and other of the moſt learned Papiſts ſtick not to make uſe of this forgery for all that.
But it would be tedious to recite their particular forgeries. The ſtudious Reader may find many of them diſcovered up and down by Biſhop Uſher and other of our Writers. And for his fuller help, I adviſe him to read Dr. Reignolds de Libris Apocryph. and Dr. Th. James his corruptions of the Fathers, and Scultetus his medulla patrum: yea of the Papiſts themſelves, read Sixtus Senenſis his Bibliothec. and Bellaerm. de Scriptorib. Eccleſ. and Poſſevines Apparatus, and Eraſmus cenſures on the Fathers which he dealt with: But eſpecially let him not be without Cooks cenſura Patrum, and Blondell on the Decretals; to which alſo add Rivets Critica Sacra, and Dallaeus de Pſeudepigraphis.
Of their abominable Legends I ſhall ſay nothing, but that the wiſer ſort of themſelves are aſhamed of them. And if any Ancients have abuſed the Church by ſhameleſs forgeries, the Papiſts make uſe of ſuch as confidently as if they were the word of God. For inſtance, Let any man but read over the Books of Baſil Biſhop of Seleucia (if it be his indeed) of the life & Miracles of Thecla, and try his faith upon it, whether he be able to believe that Thecla ſtood ſo long at the window to hear Paul while all thoſe daily applications and orations were made to her? that Demas and Hermogenes were there to ſtir up the people againſt Paul as a deceiver, under the cloak of being his companions; that any of thoſe Orations recited are true, when the Author like a profeſſed fabler uſeth to ſay [I ſuppoſe thus or thus they ſaid:] that her Mother Theoclaea, and her lover Thamiris were on the ſudden ſo cruel as to burn her, while they are ſaid ſo much to burn in Love to her; that when Thecla had formed her body like a Croſs, and caſt her ſelf into the flaming pile, the flames in reverence of the Croſs, became as a Chamber to her, covering her like a vault from the peoples ſight, and not approaching her; and that the earth making a grievous noiſe, the ſhowrs and hail deſtroyed the people, and Thecla went her way without obſervance, finding Paul and Oneſiphorus hid in a Sepulcher at prayer for her: that Paul permitted her to cut her hair, and change her habit, and become his fellow travailer; that Alexander the Governour was ſo inflamed with her beauty at Antioch, even before ſhe came in full ſight of the people in the City Gate, that he could not forbear, but preſently muſt leap upon her like a mad dog; that ſhe tore his Cloak, and threw off his Crown, and ſo ſaved her Virginity; that for this ſhe was caſt and tyed to wild beaſts, and the Lyons couched to her, and one Lyoneſs fought for her, and killed the reſt that aſſaulted her; that yet they turned more upon her: that ſhe leaped into the Fiſh pond among the devouring Sea Calvs; and that fire from Heaven came down into the Water, and there made her a chamber, and ſaved her from thoſe Sea-beaſts; that Falconilla's ſoul appeared to her Mother Tryphaena to beg Thecla's prayers that ſhe might be admitted into heaven, telling her how much Thecla was admired in Heaven. (She knew who was admired in Heaven before ſhe could be let in:) that at Thecla's prayers ſhe was admitted into heaven; (but tells us not where ſhe was before:) that when Thecla was again tied to wild bulls, and fire ſet to their poſteriors to enrage them, the fire killed them, and burnt the bonds, and ſhe was unhurt. That Thecla again puts on mans cloaths, and ſeeks Paul; (whether ſhe wore breeches I find not;) that Paul hereupon pronounceth her an Apoſtle (a predeceſſor of Pope Joan) and ordaineth her to go and preach the Goſpel: and appointeth her to one Pagan City (as if either women were Apoſtles, or ordained to be preachers of the Goſpel, that by Paul were forbidden to ſpeak in the Church: or Apoſtles were confined to a City:) that ſhe fixed at Seleucia, and there converted and baptized many, and at laſt (after many miracles) did not die, but entred alive into the earth, which opened it ſelf for her in the place where the holy Table ſtood; that after her death ſhe wrought thoſe one and thirty miracles that fill a ſecond Book, and many more; appearing to this Baſil, and encouraging him when he was weary, to go on in the writing of her praiſes, and plucking him by the ear, and ſo curing his headach, which elſe would have prevented his Oration in her praiſe the next day, with abundance more that are more ſtrange then this.
I have inſtanced but in this one caſe of Thecla, becauſe it would be endleſs to tell you of all the reſt of their fictions (were I acquainted with them all) Nor do I mention this as one of their Legends, no nor as a piece of Metaphraſtes, but as the works of St. Baſil (not Baſil the great) an ancient Father. Now either this is Baſils work, or it is not. If it be not, then you ſee what truſt is to be given to the Papiſts Antiquities, and ſuppoſed Fathers: For this is one of them, and this ſtory vindicated by Petrus Pantinus, yea by no leſs a man then the Great Baronius, the Maſter of Antiquities, who Annal. Tom. 1. ad. An. D. 47. bringeth a whole Army of Fathers to atteſt the Acts of Thecla, and approveth of this of Baſils, and the like of Metaphraſtes. Two Teſtimonies trouble him ſhrewdly. One is no later then Tertullian, who (de Baptiſ. cap. 18.) ſaith thus [But if any women read the pretended writings of Paul, and defend the example of Thecla, for womens Liberty to teach and baptiſe, let them know that a Presbyter in Aſia, that framed that writing, putting Pauls name inſtead of his own, was caſt out of his place, being convicted of it, and confeſsing that he did it in love to Paul.]
The other is Hieroms teſtimony de Script. Eccleſs. who citing the fore-cited words, ſaith [The travails therefore of Paul and Thecla, and the whole fable of the baptized Lyon, we reckon among Apocryphal writings: For how can it be that the inſeparable companion of the Apoſtle (Luke) was ignorant of this only among all his matters?]
But yet Baronius thinks that theſe are not the ſame Books that Tertullian and Hierom ſpeak againſt: and why ſo? Becauſe 1. Here is no mention of Theclaes Preaching and Baptizing, nor of the Lyon baptized. 2. Becauſe ſo many Fathers atteſt the ſtory. But the firſt is a viſible falſhood, contrary to the expreſs words of the ſtory, which feign Paul to have ſent her to preach as a true Apoſtle, and mention her baptizing the people of Seleucia. And for the baptized Lyon, perhaps Hierom ſpoke de baptiſmate ſanguinis: and meant the Lyon that dyed in the defence of Thecla: And in that place Thecla is brought as calling Death a Baptiſm: However that word which might eaſily be miſtaken, is no great diſproof that this is the ſame ſtory. And for the Fathers Teſtimony, as we believe that a famous Martyr called Thecla there was, from whence the occaſion of the ſtory roſe, ſo it doth but ſhew how unfit the Fathers are to be the Authors of our Faith, or to be eſteemed infallible, that ſo eaſily believe and recite the forged ſtories of an Aſiatick Presbyter, even when Tertullian had before revealed the deceit.
But if really this Book was written by Baſil of Seleucia, and was not ſpurious, then we yet further ſee, that they that reſt upon the Holy Scriptures alone for the matters of their faith, do take a ſurer wiſer way, then they that build all on the credit of ſuch credulous imprudent fabulous Fathers as this author was.
By this little taſte you may ſee how their Records and Teſtimonies from Antiquity are to be truſted: Even as Zoſimus report of the Nicene Canon to the African Council was, who proved it a forgery, and ſo rejected it, when the writings are only in their keeping, and their intereſt calleth them to deprave them, they are little to be truſted; who dare venture to corrupt thoſe that are in the hands of the Chriſtian world.