The Anatomy of the Mass, Book 1 · Chapter 24
CHAP. XXIV. That our Adverſaries reject the Fathers, and ſpeake of them with contempt.
OVr Adverſaries being preſſed by the holy Scripture, are wont to have recourſe to the Fathers, whom never theleſſe they receive not for Judges, and acknowledge in them a multitude of errors, and ſpeake of them with great contempt.
Denis Petau, a Jeſuite, in his Notes upon Epiphanius pag.Multa ſunt à ſactiſſims Patribus, praeapucque à Chryſoſtomo in Homiliſs aſperſa, quae ſi ad exactae veritatis regulam accommodare volueris, boni ſeſus mania videbuntur. 244, ſpeaketh thus. In the moſt holy Fathers, and cheifly in Chryſoſtome his Homilies, are diſperſed many things, which if thore wouldeſt accommodate to the rule of truth, ſhall be found to be voide of ſenſe.
Cardinall Baronius in his Annals in the year 34. §. 213.aSancti… mos Patres in interpretatione Scripturae non ſemper in omnibus Catholica ſequ…ur …deſia. The Catholick Church doth not follow alwayes the moſt holy Fathers in the interpretation of the Scripture, bConſulti… d…ndu pu…a… H…eronymum, (ſit amen ille ipſe eſt) ut humana ſert infirmi…as memoriâ lapſum.And in the §. 185. Hierome hath erred for lacke of memory. And in the yeare 31. §. 24. he checks Saint Auſtin for not underſtanding well theſe words of the Lord, Thou art Peter, &c. And in the yeare 60. §. 20. he is vexed againſt Theodoret, becauſe he rejected the ſervice of Angels grounded upon a place of Saint Paul, Coloſ. 2.cEx his videas haud feliciter (ej…s pace dictum ſit) Theodoretum aſſecutum eſſe Pauls verborum ſenſum. By this (ſaith he) it may he ſeene that Theodoret (with his good leave) did not well apprehend the Apoſtles meanning. And in the veare 369. §. 24. Hilary had alſo his defects.
Alphonſus à Caſtro in his firſt Booke of Hereſies, Chapter 7.aSanctorū Patrumſetent…e ſaepe invicem repugnant. Oftentimes the opinions of the Fathers are repugnant one to the other.
Melchior Canus in his ſeventh Book of common places Chapter 3.bNū. 2. Cū Sanctorum quiſque, his duntax at exceptis qui libros Canonicos eduderunt, humano ſpiritu locutus ſuerit, & aliquā do vel in co …rrarit quod ad ſidem pertinere poſteademonſtratum eſt, &c. Seeing there is none of the Saints, except onelyonly thoſe that have written the Canonicall Bookes, but have ſpoken by the ſpirit of man, and ſometimes erred in that which afterwards was knowne to belong to the Faith: It is evident that from ſuch an authority none can build a certaine and aſſured Faith. And thereupon he produceth for an example, the errors of many Fathers, ſo farre as to ſay that againſt the ordinary courſe of nature they bring forth monſters.
Sixtus Senenſis in the Preface upon the fifth Booke of his Bibliotheca: cPriſ…i illi Eccliſia…il Magiſtr… nonnib…l interdum à propoſito veritatis ſcopo aberraverunt.Theſe ancient Maſters of the Churches of have ſome times ſwerved from the ſcope of the truth at which they aimed. And in the ſame place:dIn libris ſancterum Doctorum quos authentica legit Eccleſia, nonnunquam …uni antur quaedam pravavel haeretica. In the Bookes of the holy Doctors, whoſe authority is read in the Church, are found ſometimes things wicked and hereticall: and he ſpeaketh this after Anſelme in his Commentaries upon the ſecond to the Corinthians.
Maldonat the Jeſuite upon the ſixth of Saint John, checking Saint Auſtin for not well conceiving in what ſenſe Chriſt calleth himſelfe the bread, ſaith,a§ 81. Hoc d…co perſuaſum me habere D. Auguſt… num, ſi noſtra fuiſſet aetate, longe aliter ſenſurum fuiſſe. Et S. 71. Hanc interpretationē multo magis probo quàm illam Auguſtin…. I am perſwaded that if Auſtin had lived in ou… dayes, he would have beene of an other opinion. And in the ſame place: I doe approve of this interpretation much more than that of Auſtins.
Cardinall Cajetan in the beginning of his Commentaries upon Genefis: bNullus deteſtelur novum ſacrae Scripturae ſenſum, ex hoc quod diſſonat à preſcis Do…oribus. Non enim all… gavit Deus expoſi…onem Scripturarum p…iſ…orum Doctorum ſenſibus.Let none deteſt a new ſenſe of the Scripture, under colour it diſagreeth from the ancient Doctors. For God hath not tyed the Expeſition of the Scriptures to the ſenſe or opinions of the ancient Doctors.
Andradius in his ſecond Booke of the defenſe of the Faith of Trent: cVt Auguſtinum, Baſilium, &c. taceam, quorum non ſemper ſumus opinionibus add….I ſay nothing of Auſtin, Baſil, Athanaſius, both Cyrils, Chryſoſtome, and Epiphanius, to whoſe opinions we are not alwayes tyed.
Pererius the Jeſuite, in his eighth Book upon Geneſis, Diſp. 1.dPudet dicere quae de optim… ſcriptoribus hoc loco dictur…, ſ…m, adco ſunt non modo fa…ſa, ſed pudead… & abſ…d… I am aſhamed to tell what I muſt ſay here againſt the beſt writers, ſo much doe they ſay things not one… falſe, but alſo ſhamefull and abſurde. Now the Fathers whom he meaneth, are Juſtin Martyr, Ireneus, Tertullian, Clemens Alexandrinus, Cyprian, Ambroſe, Lactantius, Euſebaus, Sulpitius Severus.
Salmeron the Jeſuite in the eight Prolegomene: aPag. 85 Quiſque Patrum diverſe ab alio unum locum exponit, immo etiam unus & idem vario modo.Every Father expoundeth one place of the Scripture otherwiſe than the reſt, yea one and the ſame Father expounds it in ſeverall faſhions. And in the third Prolegomene, pag. 13. he bringeth many examples of Fathers which contradict themſelves.
The ſame man in the 51 Diſput. upon the Epiſtle to the Romanes, acknowledgeth that the Fathers generally are againſt him in the point of the Conception of the Virgin Mary. Whereupon he ſhifts off thus;bContra hanc quam objectant multitudinem, reſpondemus ex verbo Dei, Exod. 23. In judicio, plurimorum non acquioſces ſententiae, ut devies à vero. Againſt this multitude objected against us, we anſwer by the Word of God, Exodus 23. Thou ſhalt not yeeld in judgement to the opinion of many, cEgo (ut ingenuè fatear) plus uni ſummo Pontifici crediderim in his quae ſidci myſteria tangunt, quàm mille Auguſtinis, Hieronymis, Gregorijs.for to decline from the truth.
Cornelius Mus Biſhop of Bitonto, upon the 14 chapter of the Epiſtle to the Romanes: I would give more credit (to confeſſe it ingenuouſly) to one Pope, than to a thouſand Auſtine, a thouſand Hieromes, a thouſand Gregories.
I ſhould never make an end if I would produce all the places wherein our Adverſaries abuſe the Fathers, and accuſe them of error, or of untruth, or of ignorance: and have reaſon in ſome things, in others not.aChryſ. honul. 45. in Matth. & 21. in Iohannem. Chryſoſtome accuſeth often the Virgin Many of mbition, temeritie, and importunitie.bIuſtin. Deal. in T …ph. Cle. 6. Strom. Juſtin Martyr and Clemens Alexandrinus ſay, that God created the Sun and the Moone, that the Gentiles might worſhip them, leaſt they ſhould bee without Religion.cSee Ireneus in his 5. Booke. Juſtin, Ireneus, Lactantius, Ambroſe, Tertullian, and many others, were Chiliaſtes, holding a Reigne of Chriſt that is to endure one thouſand yeares in feaſtings and carnall delights.dL…b 1. de Spir…tu Sancto. c. 2. Ambroſe teacheth that Baptiſme conferred in the name of the Holy-Ghoſt, without naming the Father or the Sonne, is good and warrantable. Auſtin hath condemned the Children dead without Baptiſme, to the eternall flames. Cyprian taught the Rebaptization of Hereticks, and aſſembled a Councell, in which hee did condemne the doctrine of the Roman Church. aLib, 10. de Trinitate. & in Pſal. 68, & 138. & in Pſal. 118. litera Gimel.Hilary taught that our Saviour Chriſt ſuffered no paine at his death: And that the Virgin Mary is to be purged by the fire of the laſt judgement.bHier. lib. 1. & 2. in Iovinianii, & ſaepe alibi. Saint Hierome calleth Marriage an ignominie, …he end whereof is death, and the perſons marryed, Veſſels unto diſhonour.cHier. i… Epiſt. ad Titum c. 1. He taught alſo that Biſhops and Prieſts are equall by divine right. Whereupon Bellarmin in his firſt Booke de Pontif. chap. 8. ſaith: This opinion is falſe and muſt bee refuted in its due place. Gregory of Nice in the firſt Oration of the Lords Reſurrection, teacheth that when Chriſt inſtituted the Euchariſt, his body was already dead, and that his Soule was in hell. For which he is cenſured by the Jeſuite Salmeron, ſaying:dSalm Tomo XI. Tract. 7. de modo reſurr. Chriſti pag. 49. Cujus in verbis continentur multa non ſatis in Eccleſia recepta. In theſe words of Gregory there are many things which the Church doth not approve off. Clemens Alexandrinus teacheth that the Pagans were ſaved by Philoſophy. Tertullian maketh God to be corporall. Clement the firſt, Biſhop of Rome, in a Decretall Epiſtle, will have goods and women to be common. In the ninth Tome of Baronius Annales, there is an Epiſtle of Pope Gregory the ſecond, wherein hee declareth that it is not lawfull to paint out God the Father: But Baronius aPoſtea uſu veniſſe ut pingatur in Eccleſia Deus, &c.noteth in the margent, that the Church now hath ordained of it otherwiſe.
Six hundred and thirty Biſhops decreed at the Councell of Chalcedone, that the Biſhop of Conſtantinople ſhould be equall in all things to the Biſhop of Rome. The Milevitan Councell where Saint Auſtin was preſent, and framed the Canons of it, forbiddeth upon paint of a curſe, to appeale beyond the Sea, that is to ſay to appeale out of Africk to Rome.
The ſixth Councell of Carthage confirmeth the ſame prohibition, and writeth to Celeſtin Biſhop of Rome long Letters which are inſerted in the Councel, wherein the Councel warnes him to take heed henceforth from receiving any appeales out of Africk, and not to ſend them his Legats any more; not make uſe any more of ſuppoſed Canons for to advance his authority, and not to bring in worldly pride into the Church. In all theſe things and in a thouſand others more, the Roman Church condemneth the Fathers, and maketh no reckoning of their authority. Whence appeareth that it is to no purpoſe that our Adverſaries in certaine queſtions alledge the Fathers unto us, ſeeing themſelves reject them, and ſubject them to the Judgement of the Pope and Church of Rome.