Concerning the Right Use of the Fathers in Controversies, Book 1 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Reaſon VIII. That it is Neceſſary, and withal very hard, to diſcover how the Fathers have held all their ſeveral Opinions; Whether as Neceſſary, or as Probable onelyonly; and in what degree of Neceſſity, or Probability.
LOgick teacheth us, That True Propoſitions are not all equally ſo; ſome of them being but Contingent only, as the Schools ſpeak; and others being Neceſſary: and again, both the one and the other being more or leſs either Contingent or Neceſſary, according to that admirable Diviſion which the Philoſopher hath made,Ariſt. Poſter. Analyt. foreign, foreign, foreign. into thoſe Three Degrees of Neceſſity, explained by him in the Firſt Book of his Demonſtrations. And hence it comes to paſs, that the Knowledge or Ignorance of theſe Degrees is the more or leſs important, in thoſe Sciences whereunto they appertain; there being ſome of them, as namely, thoſe which they call Principles, that are ſo Neceſſary, as that a Man cannot be ignorant of them, without overthrowing the whole Science wherein they ought to have place: and there being others again, on the contrary ſide, that a Man may be ignorant of, ſo far, as to hold their Contradictories for true, and yet nevertheleſs not run any great hazard. As for example, Theſe here following are Philoſophical Principles of the firſt ſort; namely, That there is Motion; and, That every Body occupieth ſome certain Place, and the like. For, I beſeech you, what ſtrange Philoſophy would it be, that ſhould either be ignorant of, or ſhould deny theſe Principles? But theſe other following are of the ſecond ſort; namely, That there are preciſely but Five Senſes in Living Creatures; and, That the Heavens are not of an Elementary Subſtance, and the like. For, although theſe Propoſitions are by moſt held to be True, yet notwithſtanding are they not ſo Neceſſary, but that a Man may paſs for a Philoſopher, and yet not only be ignorant of theſe Poſitions; but may alſo, if he pleaſe, maintain even thoſe things that are contradictory to them. Now if there be any Science where this Conſideration ought carefully to be applied, it is, in my judgment, in this of Divinity. For, there is very much difference betwixt the Truths whereof it conſiſteth; ſome of them being evidently more Neceſſary than others, as Origen proveth plainly, in his XXVII Homily upon S. Matthew. Do but compare theſe two Propoſitions together; Chriſt is God; and, Chriſt ſuffered death, being of the age of thirty four or thirty five years: who ſeeth not, that though both theſe Propoſitions are true, yet notwithſtanding there is a very vaſt difference betwixt them. For, the former of theſe is Neceſſarily True, that is to ſay, it is True in ſuch ſort, as that it is Impoſſible but that Chriſt ſhould be God; the Salvation of Mankind, which is the End of our Religion, being otherwiſe not poſſibly to be obtained: But as for the ſecond, notwithſtanding that it is true, and is collected clearly enough out of the Scriptures, yet is it not at all Neceſſary. For, Chriſt might, if he had ſo pleaſed, have ſuffered at the Fortieth or Fiftieth year of his age, without any prejudice at all to our Salvation, which was the End of His Suffering. Now according to this diverſity of D…grees, the Belief or Ignorance of theſe two Propoſitions are alſo of very different importance. The firſt of them we may not be ignorant of, and much leſs deny, without renouncing Chriſtianity. The ſecond we may be ignorant of, and even deny too, as ſuppoſing it falſe, yet without any great danger. To be able therefore to come to a clear and perfect underſtanding, what was the Senſe of the Fathers touching the Points of Religion at this day controverted amongſt Us, it is neceſſary that we ſhould know, not only whether they believed, or not believed them; but alſo, how they believed, or not believed them: that is to ſay, whether they held them as Propoſitions Neceſſarily, or Probably, either True, or Falſe; and beſides, in what Degree either of Neceſſity, or Probability they placed them. Now that this Inquiry is very Neceſſary, Cardinal Perron hath clearly demonſtrated in that Learned Epiſtle of his, written to Caſaubon, againſt K. James. For, the King attributing to himſelf the name of Catholick, under pretence that He believed, and held all thoſe things, that the Fathers of the four or five firſt Centuries did; the Cardinal denies his Sequel; replying, among other things, that to be of the Communion of the Ancients, a Man ought not only to believe what they believed, but alſo to believe it in the ſame manner, and in the ſame Degree, that they did: that is to ſay, to believe as Neceſſary to Salvation, what they believed as Neceſſary to Salvation; and to believe as profitable to Salvation, what they held for ſuch; and for lawful, and not repugnant to Salvation, what they held for lawful, and not repugnant to Salvation. And thus he goes on, and gives us a long and exact Diviſion of the different Degrees of Neceſſity, which may, and ought to be conſidered, in all Propoſitions touching Religion. I could heartily wiſh that this Occaſion had carried on this Learned Prelate ſo far, as to have made an Exact Application of this Doctrine, and to have truly enformed us, of what the greateſt part of the World is at this day Ignorant; namely, in what Degree each Point of the Chriſtian Faith is held, either by the Church of Rome, or by the Ancient Fathers; & what things are abſolutely Neceſſary in Religion; and what are thoſe other things, that are neceſſary under ſome certain Conditions only: which again are neceſſary by the neceſſity of the Means; and which, by the neceſſity of the Precept; (as he there ſpeaks:) that is to ſay, which are thoſe things, that we ought to obſerve, either by reaſon of their Profit, as being Means which are profitable to Salvation: and which we are to obſerve, by reaſon of the Commandment only, being enjoined us by ſuch an Authority, as we owe Obedience to: and after all theſe Points, Which again All▪ and every of the Faithful are bound to believe Expreſly; and, which are thoſe, that it is ſufficient to believe in groſs only, and by an I…plicite Faith: and Laſtly, which are thoſe things that we ought actually to do▪ and, which are thoſe, that it is ſufficient if we approve of them only, though we do them not. So that it appeareth clearly out of theſe Words of his, that to be able to know, what the Belief of the Fathers hath been, eſpecially in the Points now in debate, we ought firſt to be aſſured, in what degree they believed the ſame. And that this diſtinction was of very great Conſideration with the antient Church, it appears ſufficiently out of the ſpecial regard which it always had unto it; opening to, or ſhutting the door againſt men, firſt of all, according to the things which they believed, or not believed: Secondly, according to the different manners, how they believed, or not believed them. For it Excommunicated thoſe who rejected thoſe things that it held as Neceſſary; and ſo likewiſe, thoſe, who preſſed as things Neceſſary, ſuch as it held for things probable only. But it received, with all the ſweetneſs that might be, all thoſe who either were Ignorant of, or doubted of, or indeed denied thoſe things which it accounted though True, yet not Neceſſarily ſo. This appeareth clearly,Hist. Eccleſ. Euſeb. lib. 5. cap. 24. Cod. Graeci cap. 26. out of an Epiſtle written by Irenaeus to Victor Biſhop of Rome, ſet down by Euſebius, in his Eccleſiaſtical Hiſtory: where this holy Man teſtifieth, that although there had been before Victors time, the ſame difference betwixt the Aſian and the Roman Church, touching the celebration of Eaſter-day▪ yet notwithſtanding they lived in peace, and mutual amity together; neither were any of the Aſian Biſhops ever excommunicated at Rome, for their diſſenting from them, either in this, or in any other Point: but that rather on the contrary, Polycarpus, coming to Rome, in the time of Pope Anicetus, after they had had a Conference touching the differences betwixt them, and each of them continued ſtill firm in his former opinion; yet notwithſtanding did they not forbear to hold fair correſpondence with each other, and to communicate together; Anicetus alſo, out of the reſpect he bare to Polycarpus, allowing him the uſe of his own Church, to celebrate the Euchariſt in. Tertullian in his Book,†Tertul. de Praeſcript. adverſ. Haeret. c. 4. Caeterùm manente formâ ejus in ſuo ordine, quantumlibet quaeras, & tractes, & omnem libidinem curioſitatis effundas, &c. Vid. l. de Virg. vel l 1. De Praeſcriptionibus adverſus Haereticos, requires only that the Rule of Faith (as he calls it) ſhould continue in its proper Form, and Order; allowing every Man, in all other particulars, to make what Inquiries and Diſcourſes he pleaſe, and to exerciſe his Curioſity to the height of Liberty: which is an evident Argument, that He admitted into His Communion all thoſe who not contradicting the Rule of Faith, broached any other opinions; if ſo be they held them but as Probable only; and propoſed not any thing which was contrary to the Rule of Faith. The Author of the*Apol Orig. inter opera Origen. Apology of Origen publiſhed by Ruffinus▪ under the name of Pamphilus, was of the ſame opinion alſo▪ For, having confeſſed, that Origen, if not held, yet publiſhed ſome certain very ſtrange opinions, touching the State of the Soul before the Birth of Man, and concerning the Nature of the Stars; he wi…hal maintains, that theſe opinions do not preſently make a Man an H…retick▪ and that even among the Doctors of the Church there was diverſity of opinion touching the ſame. But beſides all this, it is evident that this difference of judgment is even at this day to be found in the Church of Rome; where you ſhall find the Jacobins and the Franc…ſ…ans maintaining opinions utterly contradictory to each other, touching the Conception of the Virgin Mary; the one of them maintaining that ſhe was conceived without ſin; whereas the other utterly deny it. And, that which makes me wonder the more, is, that they ſuffer ſuch Contradictory opinions as theſe to be held amongſt them, in ſuch particulars, as conſidered barely in themſelves, ſeem yet to be of very great Importance. As for Example, a Man may either believe that we oug… to yield to the Croſs the Adoration of Latria; or, if he pleaſe, he may believe the contrary; without loſing, either by reaſon of the one, or the other, the Communion of the Church, and Salvation. And yet notwithſtanding if you but conſider the thing in it ſelf, it will appear to be a matter of no ſuch Indifferency as people take it for. For, if the Former of theſe Opinions be indeed True; then muſt thoſe that are of the other Opinion, needs ſin very grievouſly, in not worſhipping a Subject, that is ſo worthy of Adoration. But if it be Falſe, then are thoſe Men that maintain the ſame, guilty of a much greater ſin, by committing ſo horrible Idolatry. What Point is there in Religion, that ſeemeth to be of greater Importance than that, touching the Foundation, and Head of all Eccleſiaſtical Power, upon the Authority whereof the whole Faith, and State of the Church turneth? And yet, touching this Particular alſo, which is of ſo great conſequence, do they ſuffer Men to maintain Contradictory Opinions; ſome attributing this Dignity to the Pope; and others, to a General Council. Ferron. Repl. l. 4. in Praefat.Now if the opinion of the Firſt of theſe be true, then is the Faith of the Later built upon a very Erroneous Ground: but if the opinion of the Later be true, than doth the Faith of the Former depend upon a Cauſe, which is not Infallible; and conſequently is Null. Now theſe Different opinions are reconciled, by ſaying, that the Church accounting neither of theſe Beliefs as neceſſary to Faith; a Man is not preſently an Heretick, for holding the Falſe opinion of the two; nor yet is he to be counted Orthodox, meerly for holding the True one. Seeing therefore that this Particular concerns the Communion of the Church, and our Salvation alſo, which dependeth thereon; it will behove us to know certainly, in what Degree the Ancients placed thoſe Articles, which are at this day ſo eagerly preſſed upon the Proteſtants; and whether they held them in the ſame, or in a Higher, or elſe in a Lower Degree of Neceſſity, than they are now maintained by the Church of Rome. For, unleſs this be made very clear, the Proteſtants, though they ſhould confeſs, (which yet they do not,) that the Fathers did indeed really believe the ſame; might yet alledge for themſelves, that notwithſtanding all this, they are not bound to believe the ſame; for as much as all opinions in Religion are not preſently Obligatory, and ſuch as all Men are bound to believe; ſeeing that there are ſome that are indeed neceſſary, but ſome others that are not ſo. They will anſwer likewiſe, that theſe opinions are like to thoſe at this day controverted, betwixt the Dominicans, and the Franciſcans; or to thoſe other Points, debated betwixt the Sorboniſts and the Regulars: wherein every one is permitted to hold what he pleaſeth. They will urge for themſelves the Determination of the Council of Trent, …onc. Trident. Seſſ. 21. cap. …. extr. & Can. 4.which in expreſs terms diſtinguiſheth betwixt the opinions of the Fathers; where having thundred out an Anathema, againſt all thoſe that ſhould maintain, that the Adminiſtring of the Euchariſt was neceſſary for little Infants, they further declare, that this Thunderbolt extended not to thoſe Antient Fathers, who gave the Communion to little Infants; for as much as they maintained, and practiſed this, being moved thereunto upon Probable Reaſons only, and not accounting it neceſſary to Salvation. Seeing therefore that ſome Errors, which have been condemned by Councils, may be maintained in ſuch a certain Degree, without incurring thereby the danger of their Thunderbolts: by the ſame reaſon a Man may be ignorant of, and even deny ſome Truths alſo, without running the hazard of being Anathematized. Who can aſſure us, (may the Proteſtants further add) that the Articles which we reject, are not of this kind? and ſuch, as that though perhaps they may be true, it is nevertheleſs lawful for us not to believe. My opinion therefore is, that there is no Man now that ſeeth not, that it concerns the Doctors of the Roman Church, if they mean to convince their Adverſaries out of the Fathers firſt to make it appear unto them, that the Antients held the ſaid Points, not only as True, but as Neceſſary alſo, and in the very ſame Degree of Neceſſity that they now hold them. Now this muſt needs prove a buſineſs of moſt extream Difficulty, and much greater here, than in any of the other particulars before propoſed. And I ſhall alledge no other Argument for the proof of this, than that very Decree we cited before, where the Council of Trent hath declared, that the Fathers did not Adminiſter the Communion to Infants, out of any opinion that it was neceſſary to Salvation; Concil. Trident. Seſſ. 21. c. 4. Ut enim ſanctiſſ…i…ill… Patres ſui facti probabi…em cauſam pro illius temporis ratione habuerunt; ita certè eos nullâ ſalutis neceſſitate id …ec…ſſe, ſine controverſi… tenendum eſt.but did it upon ſome other probable Reaſons only. For, we have not only very good reaſon to doubt, whether the Fathers held this opinion, and followed this practice, as probable only, but it ſeemeth beſides (with all Reverence to that Council be it ſpoken,) to appear evidently enough out of their Writings, that they did hold it as Neceſſary. For, do but hear the Fathers themſelves▪ and St. Auguſtine in the firſt place: who ſaith, †Aug. l. 1 …e peccat. Mor▪ & rem…ſſ Ex antiqu…, ut exiſtimo, & Apoſtolica Traditione Eccleſiae Chriſt…mſitum tenent, praeter Baptiſmum & participationem Dominicae men…ae, non ſolùm ad Regnum Dei, ſed nec ad ſalutem, & vitam…aeternam poſſe quenquam hominum pervenire. Hoc enim & Scriptura …eſtatur, &c. Ibid. Paulo poſt. Si erg…, ut tot & tanta divina teſtimonia concinunt, nec ſalus, nec vita aeterna ſine Baptiſmo, & corpore & ſanguine Domini cu…quam ſpecta…a eſt; fruſtrà ſine his promittitur parvulis.That the Churches of Chriſt hold, by an Antient, and as I conceive (ſaith he) an Apoſtolical Tradition, that without Baptiſm, and the Communicating of the Lords Table, no Man can come either into the Kingdom of God or unto Salvation, or Eternal Life. And afterwards having, as he conceives▪ proved this out of the Scriptures, he addeth further: Seeing therefore that no Man can hope either for Eternal, Life, or Salvation, without Baptiſm, and the Body and Blood of Chriſt, (thus doth he call the Sacrament of the Euchariſt, according to the language of his Time;) as hath been proved by ſo many Divine Teſtimonies; in vain is it promiſed to Infants, without the participating of theſe. And ſome three Chapters before, treating of thoſe words of our Saviour in S. John, Except you eat my Fleſh, and drink my Blood, you can have no Life in you: which words he underſtandeth, both there an… … where, of the Communicating of the E… chariſt; he makes a long Diſcourſe to prove, that they extend as well to little Infants, as to people of riper Ag…. †Id. Ibid. c. 20. verò quiſquam etiam hoc dicere audebit, qu…d ad parvulos haec ſententia non perti…eat; poſſint que ſine participatione corporis hujus & ſanguinis in ſe habere vitam &c?… there any man ſaith he, that dares affirm that thi… ſp…ech belongeth not to little … o… that they may have life in them▪ without participating of this Body▪ and of this Blo…d? And this is this conſtant manner of ſpeaking, in eight or ten other Paſſages in his*Id. T. 2. ep. 106 ep. 107. ep. poſter ib. Mar. l. 2. contr. Pel. & Celeſt. c. 18. l. 1 contr. 2. ep. Pelag. ad Bon. cap. 22. & l. 4 c. 4. l▪ 1. contr. Jul. & l. 3. c. 1. &c. 12. lib. de Praedeſt. Sanct. ad Proſp. c. 13. Hypomn. l. 5. & 6. Tract. 120. in J…h. Serm. 32. de verb. Ap. Works, which are too long to be here inſerted▪ Pope Innocent I▪ his Contemporany▪ ſpeaketh alſo after the ſame manner▪ proving againſt the Pelagians, that Baptiſm is Neceſſary for Infants, to render them capable of Eternal Life; for as much as, without Baptiſm they cannot†Innoc. in ep. ad Milevit Synod. quae eſt inter ep. Aug 15. Illud verò quod eos veſtra fraternitas aſſerit praedicare, parvulos aeternae vitae praemiis, etiam ſine baptiſmatis gratia poſſe donari, perfatuum eſt. Niſi enim manducaverint carnem fi…i hominis, & biber…nt ſargu…em ejus, non habebunt vitam aeternam in ſeme…ipſis. Vid. Aug. l. 2. contr. 2. ap. Pelag. c. 4. & lib. 1. contr. Jul. c. 2. Communicate of the E… chariſt, which is neceſſary to Salvation. *Cyprian lib. …. Test ad Qui. c. …5.S. Cyprian alſo, long before them ſpake to the very ſame ſenſe: and this†Maldon. in Joan. c. 6. num. 116. M…ſſam facio Augustini, & Innocent… I▪ ſententiam, quae ſexce…tos circiter annos viguit in Eccleſia, Euchariſtiam etiam Infantibus neceſſariam. Maldonate affirmeth▪ to have been the opinion of the ſix firſt Centuries. Theſe things conſidered, we muſt needs think one of theſe two things following; namely, that either the Council of Trent, by its Declaration, hath made that, which hath been, to be as if it never had been; which is a Power, that the Poet*Agath… apud Ariſtot. Eth ad Nicom l. 7▪ c. 2. foreign. Agath… in Ariſtotle would not allow to God himſelf: or elſe, that the Fathers of this Council, either out of forgetfulneſs, or otherwiſe, miſtook themſelves in this account of theirs, touching the opinion of the Ancient Church in this particular: which, in my judgment▪ is the more favourable, and the more probable Conceit of the two: and if ſo, I ſhall then deſire no more. For, if theſe great Perſonages, who were choſen with ſo much Care, and Circumſpection, out of all parts of Chriſtendom, and ſent to Trent, to deliberate upon, and determine a Buſineſs of the greateſt Importance in the World; and were directed by the Legats of ſo exquiſite a Wiſdom▪ and digeſted their Decrees with a judgment ſo Ripe, and ſlow-paced, as that there is ſcarcely any one word in them, but hath its Deſign; if after all this, I ſay, theſe Men ſhould be …ound to have erred in this their Inquiry, in affirming, that the Fathers held only as Probable, that which they evidently appear to have held as Neceſſary: If Pope Pius VI. with his whole Conſiſtory, conſiſting of ſo many Eminent, and Wiſe Men, hath approved and confirmed this Miſtake of theirs, not perceiving it at all: what can we, or indeed what ought we to expect from any other hands, whoſe ſoever they be, as touching the Points now controverted betwixt us; in compariſon of which, a Man may very well ſay, that all the Difficulty, that this Matter now ſpoken of yieldeth, is nothing at all, wherein notwithſtanding this whole Council miſtook it ſelf? Where ſhall we find a M that after this their Failing, can have the courage to adventure upon ſo Difficult, and ſo Intricate an undertaking? Who can promiſe himſelf ſucceſs there, where ſo Great a Council hath failed? The very hope of effecting ſo weighty a Matter can hardly be excuſed from the guilt of High Pr…ſumption. For, firſt of all, the Fathers tell us very ſeldom, in what Degree either of Neceſſity, or Probability, they held their Opinions: and even when they do tell us, their Expreſſions being ſuch, as we have obſerved of them, we ought not preſently to conclude any thing from them, without firſt examining them throughly. For, many t…mes, when they would recommend unto us ſuch things, as they accounted profitable for us; they would ſpeak of them, as if they had been Neceſſary: and ſo again, to take off our Belief of, and to divert our affections from ſuch things as they conceived either to be ſimply falſe, or otherwiſe unprofitable for us; they repreſented them as the moſt deteſtable and pernicious things that could be.Ignat. ep. 4. ad Phil. foreign. Whoſoever faſteth upon the Lords day, or upon any Saturday, except that one Saturday, (he meaneth Eaſter-Eve) he is a murtherer of Chriſt, ſaid S. Ignatius. Who would not think, hearing theſe ſo Tragical Expreſſions of his, that certainly he was ſpeaking of the very Foundation of the whole Chriſtian Religion? And yet the Buſineſs he there ſpeaks of, was only the Obſervation of a certain part of a Poſitive Law, and which yet (as moſt are of opinion) was at that time received but by a part onelyonly of the Church; the belief and obſervation whereof was ſo far from being reckoned among thoſe things that were Neceſſary, that it was ſcarcely placed in the firſt Degree of Probability; and is now at length utterly aboliſhed too. This manner of Diſcourſing is very frequently uſed by Tertullian, S. Ambroſe, and eſpecially by S. Hierome▪ who are all ſo eager for the Side which they take to, that you would think, in reading them, that all thoſe whom they commend, were very Angels; and all thoſe other, whom they ſpeak againſt, arrant Devils: that whatſoever they maintain, are the very Foundations and Ground-work of the Chriſtian Religion; and whatſoever they refute, is meer Atheiſm, and the higheſt Impiety▪ that may be.Hieron. ep. 10. ad Furiam. Tom. 1. Certainly S. Hierome, writing to a certain Roman Matron, named Furia, who was a Widow, and diſſwading her from marrying again, diſcourſeth of this Matter in the very ſame manner as he would have done in diſſwading her from the committing of Murther. And here are we to call to mind again the divers Reaſons of the obſcurity of the Fathers, and particularly that of their Rhetorick, all which have place in this Particular, rather than in any other. So that there ſeemeth to be but one onelyonly Certain way left us to diſcover in what degree they placed the Propoſitions of Chriſtian Doctrine; namely, their Creeds, and Expoſitions of their Faith, whether they were General or Particular ones; and the Determinations of their Councils and Eccleſiaſtical Aſſemblies. For we may very well believe, that they held as neceſſary all ſuch Points, as they made profeſſion of in ſuch a manner, Anathematizing all ſuch as ſhould deny the ſame. And by this Rule we may indeed aſſure our ſelves, that they held, as Neceſſary, the greateſt part of all thoſe Points wherein we at this day agree among our ſelves. And ſome of theſe we have formerly ſet down in our Preface; for they are moſt of them either delivered expreſly in their Creeds, or elſe poſitively determined in their Councils; and the Contradictors of them, there expreſly condemned. But yet this Rule will ſcarcely be of any uſe at all to us, in the Decilion of our preſent Controverſies: For, ſome of them appear not at all, neither in that Rule of Faith ſo often mentioned by Tertullian, nor in the Nicen Creed, nor in that of Co…ſtanti…ople, nor in the Determinations of the Council of Epheſus, nor yet in thoſe of Chalcedon. The firſt of theſe Councils Anathematized Arius; the ſecond, Macedonius; the third, Neſtorius; and the fourth, Eutyches: and yet nevertheleſs are the ſeveral Tenets of theſe very Men at this day received, and maintained by one Side or other. Nay, which is more, the aforeſaid Articles do not at all appear neither in the two following Councils; namely, the ſecond Council of Conſtantinople, which condemned certain Writings of Theodorus, Theodoretus, and Ibas, as we have touched before; nor yet in the III Council of Conſtantinople, which Anathematized the Monothelites, and was held about the year of our Lord DCLXXXI. And yet have theſe Six firſt Councils (if you will believe the Fathers of the VII) eſtabliſhed and confirmed all thoſe things which had been taught in the Catholick Church, Synod. 7. Act. 6. Refut. Synod. Iconocl. foreign, (Sex Synodi Oecumen…cae) foreign.down from the Primitive Times, whether by Writing, or by Ʋnwritten Tradition. So that it will hence follow, that theſe Points, which appear not here in the ſaid Six firſt Councils at all, were not delivered from the beginning, neither in Writing, nor otherwiſe. Only about the Eighth Century, and ſo for a good while afterward, we find mention of one of thoſe Points now controverted among us, namely, that touching Images; which was diverſly and contrarily determined in the Councils of Conſtantinople, of Nicaea, and of Francfort: the Second of theſe Councils enjoyning the Ʋſe and Adoration of Images; whereas the Firſt had utterly forbid it; and the laſt of theſe Councils taking off, and correcting, as it were, the Exceſſes of the other Two. What can you ſay to this, that neither in the Writings of Particular Men, which yet are uſually more copious, and fuller, than the Determinations of Councils are, there is ſo much as any mention made of the ſaid Points? Epiphanius, Epiphan. in Panar. l. 3 & in Anacephal.in the Concluſion of his Treatiſe of Hereſies, gives us two Diſcourſes; in the one whereof he ſetteth down the Order, Cuſtoms, and Diſcipline of the Church in his time: wherein I muſt needs ſay, that there are very many things which much differ from the Cuſtoms that are at this day obſerved by us, both of the one ſide, and of the other. In the other is contained an Expoſition of the Faith of the Church, ſet down at large, which he calleth,*Id ibid foreign. The Pillar of the Truth, the Hope and Aſſurance of Immortality. And yet of all thoſe Controverſies which are at this day debated amongſt us, you ſhall there meet with onelyonly one which is touching the Local Deſcent of our Saviour Chriſt into Hell: which yet is an Article of very ſmall importance, as every one knows. In the Acts of the Sixth Council we have a Synodical Epiſtle of Sophronius, Concil VI. Act. II.Patriarch of Jeruſalem, wherein, as the uſual Cuſtom was, he explaineth the Faith, in a very large and particular manner: and yet notwithſtanding, you ſhall no there meet with any of thoſe Points which are now controverted amongſt us. Thoſe that ſhall ſearch more narrowly into the Buſineſs, will be apt poſitively to conclude from this their ſilence, that theſe Points were not at that time any part of the Belief of the Church: and certainly this their way of Argumentation ſeems not to want Reaſon. But as for my own particular, it is ſufficient for me, that it confirmeth the Truth of my Aſſertion, which is, That it is, if not an impoſſible, yet at leaſt a very hard thing, to diſcover in what degree either of Neceſſity, or Probability, the Ancient Fathers held each of thoſe Points which are now debated amongſt us; ſeeing that they appear not at all, neither in the Expoſitions of their Faith, nor yet in the Determinations of their Councils; which are as it were the Catalogues of thoſe Points which they accounted Neceſſary.