A treatise of the sibyls so highly celebrated, as well by the antient heathens, as the holy fathers of the church : giving an accompt of the names, and number of the sibyls, of their qualities, the form and matter of their verses : as also of the books now extant under their names, and the errours crept into Christian religion, from the impostures contained therein, particularly, concerning the state of the just, and unjust after death / written originally by David Blondel ; Englished by J.D. Blondel, David, 1591-1655. 1661 Approx. 1204 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 155 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2005-12 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A28402 Wing B3220 ESTC R38842 18178083 ocm 18178083 106901 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. 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Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Oracula Sibyllina. Sibyls. Oracles. 2005-06 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2005-07 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2005-08 Jonathan Blaney Sampled and proofread 2005-08 Jonathan Blaney Text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion A TREATISE OF THE SIBYLS , So Highly Celebrated , As well by the Antient HEATHENS , as the Holy FATHERS of the CHURCH ; GIVING An Accompt of the Names , and Number of the SIBYLS , of their Qualities , the Form and Matter of their Verses ; As also of the BOOKS now Extant under their Names , and the Errours crept into Christian Religion , from the Impostures contained therein , Particularly , concerning the State of the Just , and Unjust after Death . Written Originally , by DAVID BLONDEL ; Englished . by J. D. LONDON , Printed by T. R. for the Authour , MDCLXI . To the worthy of all Honour , Sir EDVVARD MAUNSELL of Margam in the County of Glamorgan , AND Sir EDVVARD MAUNSELL of Mudlescomb , in the County of Carmarthen . Baronets . Most Honoured , THE Favours receiv'd from Men have this Allyance , with those descend from Above ; That , how secretly soever they may have been conferred , we may , without the least hazard of Modesty , make the most Publick Acknowledgments we can of them . Nor is it unlikely , that Addresses of this Kinde were the Issue of some such Reflection ; They , who make them , being desirous they should rather be thought the Effects of a Duty , then the Satisfaction Men are apt to conceive , from their acquainting the World , how highly they are obliged to Great Persons . Hence those excessive Celebrations , frequent in Dedicatories ; a Custome I am the more unwilling to comply with , out of a Caution , lest what I should say , might be thought Advanced to Commend my own Choice . And yet , what could I not say of two Persons , the Glory of a most Noble , and Antient House ; One , heightned with all the Advantages of a Princely Education , and Travel ; The Other , so Transcendent in the Constancy of a Noble Passion , as , known , would reconcile our Faith to Romances , and make us confess it possible , that Representation may be indebted to Reality . As to the Present Treatise ; What Importance it may be of , I rather leave to be seen in the Perusal of it , then insist on here . 'T is a Discovery of the Pious Frauds , and Impostures , which , having crept into Christian Religion , even in its Infancy , have ever since poisoned it , more or less , by their Continuance therein : a Design may justly be termed Great , if out of no other Consideration , yet this at least , that it imposed a Necessity on the Authour , to unravel all Antiquity to find them out , and bring them to the Tribunal of a Rational Disquisition . For my own Endeavours herein , they are left to the success Time , and Mens Censures shall afford them , with all my Wishes summ'd up in this , That my addressing of them to so Noble a Name may be look'd on , as an Eternal Testimony of my humblest Respects thereto , and the greatest Expression I can , at present , make of my being , Most Honoured , Your Most Obedient , and Most Obliged Servant , J. DAVIES . A TREATISE OF THE SIBYLS . BOOK 1. CHAP. I. That the most earnest Pursuers of Truth , are ( as others ) subject to mistakes . THough ( according to the judgement of Tertullian ) it be much better for a man to be less knowing , then to know that which is worse , and to erre , then deceive , it being the Characteristick of that Charity , which is recommended by St. Paul , as the greatest of the Vertues , to believe , and hope all things ; so far as concurrence and compliance with reason may permit ; yet ought not the credulity , which accompanies Charity , nor its hope ( what latitude soever we may imagine to allow it ) as it were out of a design to be enslav'd to impostures and circumventions , put out its eyes , for fear lest it should be in a condition to discover and elude them . And if it be requisite , it should be free from all servile stupidity , since it is the principall effect of the holy Spirit , who calls and conducts us , by the liberty of his Grace to that of Glory , it may with much more reason be expected it should be far from being subject to blindness , because it presupposes the conduct of Faith , which is in some sort the eye of the regenerate soul , in whom the simplicity of the Dove , which is , of it self , inclin'd candidly to interpret what there might be some difficulty to exempt from the censures of persons not easily satisfi'd , is ever attended by the prudence of the Serpent , whose vigilancy is employ'd to foresee and prevent surprises . The same profession of piety , which encourages sincere souls to walk in an innocent confidence , is also their perpetuall remembrancer that Truth perswades by teaching , whereas , on the contrary , Impostors , who are loth to communicate themselves , even to their own Disciples , till such time as they have gain'd them , artificially endeavour to perswade , before they instruct : and , discovering , that they make it their main business to conceal what they preach , if so it may be said of those who smother what they would have the world acquainted with , that they preach it , make it appear , that they are therein diametrically opposite to the Truth , which blushes at nothing so much as the regret she conceives at her being undiscovered . Hence comes it to pass , that the just and vertuous , having their brests open , and void of all dissimulation , are , according to the saying of the same Tertullian , likened to the Dove , which is the Figure of the holy Spirit , and loves the East , the Figure of Christ , and are willing to leave to Impostors the shamefull imitation of the Serpent , who arrogates to himself the image of God , the beast which shuns the light , hides himself as much as may be , that smothers all the prudence it hath in obscure places , that lurks in blind holes , that eludes those who would see it , by decietfull contractions of its own length , and goes in folds and wrinckles , and is never at once wholly seen . For ( after the manner of Serpents ) those who think it a glory to deceive , are never reduc'd to any complyance with truth , but by force , and can hardly avoid being at difference even with themselves , nor will express themselves to others ; the malice , which they are ever guilty of who are engag'd in a design to surprize others ( to make the event of their attempts the more certain ) putting on all manner of masks , and leaving no wayes unsought , to prepossess the minds of the good , who thinking there cannot be a greater subtilty , then to live without subtilty , imagine it somewhat unreasonable , to conceive , at the first sight , any suspicion of those by whom they had not as yet been over-reached . And thence it comes to pass , that the best men have this misfortune , upon no other ground then that they are the best , to be the more credulous , and inclining rather to security , then diffidence , easily give advantage to those , who , by their craft and insinuations , make it their design to triumph over their simplicity . CHAP. II. Instances of certain misapprehensions of Justin Martyr . THough there be no Age which cannot furnish us with severall examples what effects Imposture hath had on such as have been most ardently zealous for the Truth , yet were it hard , in all the series of Time , to meet with any one more remarkable , then that of the mistake of Saint Justin , a Person very recommendable , if any may be admitted such : First , for his Antiquity , since he dy'd but very little after the midst of the second Age of the Church . Secondly , for his knowledge , as being one , who ( before his reduction to the Christain Faith ) had , by profession , been a Philosopher . Thirdly , for his piety , since he became so constant a maintainer of the true Religion , as that he was , at last , honour'd with the Crown of Martyrdom . All these advantages might have rais'd him above the ordinary rate of men ; yet have they not exempted him from being abus'd by certain advancers of foolish Stories , who having perswaded him to take the Idol of Semo Sangus , one of the false gods of the Sabini , for the Statue of Simon Magus , engag'd him ( I know not how ) to maintain his mistake in the presence even of some of the Heathens , and that with so much confidence , as clearly discover'd , he said nothing but what he really believ'd . He it was also , who thought himself very much in the right , when he boasted , that he had seen at Pharos neer Alexandria , the remainders of the LXXII . Cells , where the Interpreters of the Bible had been employ'd in that Work ; nay some others , as Saint Irenaeus , Saint Cyril , and Saint Augustine have believ'd him ; and yet Saint Hierome ( who ; as well as the other , had been upon the place , and taken more particular notice thereof ) does not onely laugh at it , but says , I know not who by his glozing hath built them . With the same security , disputing against the Heathens , who ( according to the observation of Origen ) by way of derision , called the Christians Sibyllists , he opposes thereto the Authority of Hystaspes , a supposititious Author , of whose Works there is , at the present , nothing extant ; as also the Oracles of the Cumaean Sibyl , whom he pretends to have been the Daughter of Berosus , * who was later then Cyrus by 250 years , and dyed in the 225 year of the foundation of Rome , and the fourth of the reign of Tarquin , to whom many hold , that one call'd Amalthaea Sibylla , sold at an excessive rate , the books since known by the name of the Sibylline , and preserv'd in Rome for the space of above 440 years , till the civill wars of Sylla ; not minding , it seems , that ( according to the generall perswasion of the Romans ) the Cumaean Sibyl had entertain'd Aeneas , who dyed 639 years before Cyrus possess'd himself of Babylon ; nor yet reflecting on what Pausanias , an Author much about his own time , observes ( from Hyperochus Cumanus , and other Ancients ) 1. That the Sibyl who convers'd in that place , was called Demo ; 2. That the Cumaeans had not any Oracle to shew of hers : 3. That she had not been preceded by any , but by Lamia , the daughter of Neptune , sirnamed by the Lybians , Sibylla ; and Herophila , the daughter of Jupiter and Lamia , who had her residence sometimes at Ida in Phrygia , sometimes at Mapessos , sometimes at Samos , sometimes at Claros of Colophon , and sometimes at Delos and Delphi . 4. That her Monument and her Epitaph , grav'd upon a pillar , was at Troas : 5. That the Erythraeans would not onely have it that she was born among them of Theodorus a Shepherd , and the Nymph Idaea , but also that she gave Hecuba the interpretation of her dream : and , 6. That , after the Cumaean Demo , the Hebrews who live above Palestine , set up Sabba , the daughter of Berosus and Erimantha , who went under the name of the Babylonian or Aegyptian Sibyl : Nor lastly , regarding , that the very argument , whereof he thought to make his greatest advantage , in order to the conviction of Pagan Idolatry , expresly maintains , that she , who compos'd it , was wife to one of Noe's Sons , and of neere kin to him , who departed this life , 1697. yeares before Antiochus Soter was established in Babylon , and that Berosus ( whose Daughter they would have her to be , meerely because her VVriting intimates her coming out of Babylon ) could have been allow'd the name of Father : For these are her words . O the great joy I have had , since I have escap'd the destruction of the Deep , having before undergone many misfortunes , toss'd up and down by the waves with my husband , my sisters-in-Law , my Father and Mother-in-Law , and those who were married together . And elsewhere , When the World was overwhelm'd with waters , and that a certain man , who had undergone the tryall , was left alone , exposed to the waters , in a house cut out of the Forrest , with the beasts , and birds of the aire , to the end that there might be a Restauration of the World ; to that man was I daughter-in-law , engendred of his blood . By which words she clearly destroyes what she had writ some lines before ; saying , that the Greeks took her for the daughter of Circe , and Gnostus , or rather Ulysses , whom she entitles known Father , because of the reputation of his name , never considering that 800. yeares and more , were slipped away , between the death of Noe , and the arrivall of Ulysses , at Cir●aeum . She further affirmes , that she came from Babylon in Assyria , speaking so much the more improperly , for that Babylon was neither built , nor named , till 153. yeares after the Deluge , nor was it of Assyria properly so called , but of another different Country , that is to say , of Sennaar , and that it took not the name of Assyria , till above 165. yeares afterwards . Nay , the impudence of the Imposture is so much the more palpable , in that this pretended daughter-in-law of Noe , describes her selfe as a notorious strumpet , saying , Ah wretch that I am ! what will become of me in that day , for all the things I set my mind upon in my folly , having no regard of either my Marriage , or my reason ? And again , What great evills have I heretofore committed , wittingly , and willingly , and how many other things have I imprudently run after , without the least remorse thereat ? I have taken my lustfull pleasure with ten thousand , and have not had the least consideration of my marriage , &c. CHAP. III. The supposititiousnesse of the Writings pretended to be Sibylline , exemplified in severall particulars . IF St. Justin Martyr had been but pleased , I will not say to look a little better about him , but only to open his eyes , and fasten them with ever so little recollection on what he read , he had met with a thousand instances of imposture in those pleasant Oracles , which he objected against the Heathens , employing against them three Verses out of the first book , as many out of the third , and seven out of the fourth . For he would upon the first sight , have perceived , that that ill-digested collection , written in wretched Greek , and coming from the hands of a person who discovers his ignorance of the Hebrew , could not be attributed either to Noah's daughter-in-law , who liv'd above 250. years before the confusion of Tongues , and consequently before there was any Greek ; nor yet to the daughter of Berosus , born in the Metropolis of Chaldaea , and later ; by almost 1700 years . Nay , he would have thought , that the Impostor , who had made it so much his business to gain reputation by a cheat of so great antiquity , had sufficiently discover'd himself an upstart : 1. In deriving Adam from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as if it were a word of Greek extraction . 2. In saying , * that the same word signifies , East , West , South , and North , by its four letters , though in the Hebrew and Chaldee it hath but three . 3. In supposing that the letters of the Name of God make up the number of 1697 which cannot be true , but onely writing it in Greek characters , and that barbarously too , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 4. In drawing , from those of the Name of Jesus , which he makes to consist of four vowels , and two consonants , the number of 888. which again cannot agree With the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is onely of five letters , all consonants , and exceed not the number of 391. unless it be in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 5. In affirming that the duration of Rome shall be 948 years , because the number 948 arises from the Greek letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and not from the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which make onely 251. 6. In placing Ararat ( where the Ark stay'd ) in Phrygia . 7. In affirming that Phrygia was the first Countrey discovered after the Deluge , and that Noe , who continu'd in the Ark from the seventh day of the second Month , to the twentieth day of the second Month , in the year following , stay'd there but one and fourty days . 8. In imagining that the Fables of the Titans were true Histories . 9. In supposing ( according to the heresie of the Chiliasts ) that Jerusalem shall not only be re-built again , but shall be the Imperiall seat of the Son of God , where the faithfull , having pass'd through the purgatory fire of the worlds conflagration , shall enjoy all manner of delights , corporeall and spirituall . 10. In feigning that the Eurotas , a River of Laconia in Peloponnesus , issues aut of Dodona in Epirus , and mingles with the Peneus , a river of Thessaly ; Again , that Gog and Magóg are among the Aethiopians . 11. In foretelling that the Italians shall become subject to the Asiaticks . 12. In maintaining , that Nero is the great Antichrist , that he is retir'd into Persia , and that returning from Babylon with an army of Jews , he will destroy Rome , and set it on fire . 13. In confounding Alexandria with Memphis . 14. In feigning that Eliah shall come down from Heaven in a Chariot ; That Joshuah , rais'd again , shall restore the Jews ; That Tyberius was to set upon Persia and Babylon ; That Trajan , a native of Italica , in the extremities of Spain , was born among the Gauls ; That Adrian strangled himself with a string ; That under Antoninus , sirnamed the Debonnaire , whom he impertinently calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in stead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and his two adoptive Sons , Marcus Aurelius , and Lucius Verus , one whereof must necessarily survive the other , would be the end of the world ; That Rome , being destroy'd in the 948. year after its foundation , should come to its period in the year of our Lord , 195. which was the third year of Severus : And lastly , after all this , in acknowledging himself to be a Christian , by these words , which absolutely take off all the precedent suppositions ; And yet we descended from the holy geniture of Christ , are called of the same blood . For , from the consistency of all these remarks , this consequence must necessarily ●e deduced ; that the Impostor , who took upon him the name of Noës daughter-in-law , and perswaded St. Justin , that he was the daughter of Berosus , was , by Profession a Christian , but ignorant of the Hebrew Tongue , and true Theologie , no less then of Geography and History , and that he compiled his Rhapsody between the year 138. wherein Adrian was by death deliver'd of his disease on the twelfth of July , and the year 142. or 151. in which Cardinall Baronius , with divers others , affirm , that justin presented his Apology to the Emperor Antoninus , and the Caesars his adoptive sons , and consequently , that this counterfeit piece was just come out of the Mint , and was not quite cold when he undertook the dispersing of it , and , by his example , recommended it to Athenagora , Theophilus of Antioch , Clemens Alexandrinus , Tertullian , the Author of the Work , called , The Apostolicall Censtitutions ; Lactantius , Constantine the Great , Eusebius , Optatus , Hierom , Augustin , Prosper , Palladius , Sozomenus , Junilius , &c who have all drunk out of the common shore , of the Sibylline Imposture , and that with so little difficulty , and so strong a prejudice , that nothing could ever offend their stomacks . If therefore so many great men , and Justin himself , who first broke the Ice before them , could find any relish in so unsavory a dish ; and if they have ( with a kind of emulation ) serv'd it up , and commended it to others , with so much assurance , as begat an imagination , that , to express any horrour thereat , was to quarrell with God himself , who can think it strange , that the example of their credulity should be able in as high a measure to injure others ? CHAP. IV. The judgement of Antonius Possevinus , concerning the W●itings pretended to be Sibylline , taken into examination . IT is no miracle to me , if , after the antiquity of the first Ages had been circumvented through the excess of their credulous sincerity , ours ( though much refin'd from the scurf of ignorance , and forc'd by the necessity of so many difficult experiments , to be more cautious and diffident should not be wholly free from the remainders of the same misfortune , in so much , that we now find there are some very grave men , such , for instance , as Onuphrius , Sixtus of Sienna , the Cardinalls , Baronius and Bellarmine , and the Bishop of Norwich , Montague , enslav'd by the tyranny of the popular errour , fortifi'd by length of time , and consent of such Christians as are admirers of inveterate opinions . Yet can I not but express my dissatisfaction with the judgment of Antonius Possevinus , a Divine of the Society of Jesus , who , having discover'd the Imposture of the Sibylline books , hath chosen rather to think them corrupted , then supposititious . I shall therefore in the first place , to make a full discovery of this forgetfulness in him , lay down his censure , with some observations thereupon , and afterwards examine the ground of his Sentiment . It is apparent ( saith he ) both from the Fathers and other Ecelesiasticall Writers , that there was not any Sibyl before Moses , to the end the world might know , that , if , in the Oracles publish'd under the name of the Sibyls , and compriz'd in eight Books , there be any thing relative to what was before the Age of Moses , it is counterfeit and false , as having been since sown by Satan , out of a design , that falshood , being thrust in together with truth , might bring into question the truth of other times . Of that kind is that which is attributed to the Sibyl of Moses , hinting at , and foretelling the Deluge , Lib. 1. p. 9. as also what is found written in the same Book , pag. 11. that the Sibyl her self , with her husband , her Father-in-law , Mother-in-law , her brethren-in-law , and others , was t●ss'd up and down by the waves in the time of the Deluge . But it is evident rom pag. 30. that those very things which have come abroad under the name of Oracles , were written fifteen hundred years after the Empire of the Greeks : whereof , whether we take the beginning from the reign of the Argives , or Sicyonians , or Athenians ; or whether it be taken from Moses , from the reign of Solomon , the Macedonian Empire , or the four Monarchies ; those things which are called Predictions , will be frivolous , and after the things done . They will be found also to be wanting , as to truth , if the government of the Greeks began since Moses ; for from the departure of Moses and Israel out of Aegypt , to the destroying of the Administration or Commonwealth and Government of the Jews , under Vespasian , are reckoned one thousand four score and two years . Further , what can be said , as to what we find in the fifth Book , p. 49. where the Sibyl affirms , that she had seen a second conflagration of the Temple of Vesta ? And that ( according to the testimony of Eusebius ) it happened under the Emperour Commodus , in the year , 199. for in that year the Temple of Vesta , and the Palace , and the greatest part of the City was burnt , whereas the first conflagration happened in the 134. Olympiad . Whence it is to be conceiv'd , that the Prophetess ( if it may be lawfull to call her such ) prophesy'd not before the birth of Christ , but long after , and pretends not to any thing beyond Commodus , since that in the eighth Book . p. 57. she says , that three Emperours shall reign after Adrian , that is to say , Antoninus , the Debonnaire , Antoninus the Philosopher , and Commodus . To this may be added , that it is apparent from the first Book of Lactantius Firmianus , Chap. 6. that each of the Sibyls writ her own Book , and yet that now they seem to be all the Work of one , because they all go under the name of the Sibyl , and that we cannot distinguish them , nor assign to any one her own , unless it be to the Erythraean , who put her name into her Poem , and is called Erythraea , ( now that was the Work of the Erythraean , which takes up the third place among those Books . ) The Author of the first Book , feign'd himself to be daughter-in-law to Noë : the second and the seventh seems to personate a most impudent strumpet , pag. 56. though there want not some credible Authors , who affirm , that the true Sibyls were chast , and inspir'd of God. The sister of Isis challenges the fifth Book ; the rest were publish'd under the names of uncertain Authors . By way of Annotation upon this ( granting what he sayes , as to the supposititiousness of the pretended Sibyl , as also that Moses is more ancient then any that have gone under that name ; ) I affirm , In the first place , That the writing which goes commonly under that title , does not introduce Moses , but Noah himself , foretelling the Deluge , which speaks yet a little more confidence . 2. That from the departure out of Aegypt , to the taking of Jerusalem , by Titus , there are 1600. years compleat , 518. more then was thought . 3. That the Author of the Sibylline Books , does not affirm , he saw the second conflragration of the Temple of Vesta , but the last of Jerusalem ; The house sometime so much desir'd by thee ( says he to Rome ) when I saw that house pull'd down , and set on fire the second time , by an impure hand ; a house ever flourishing , and having God in it ; which house he supposes that Christ himself , descending from heaven , will come and re-establish , together with Jerusalem , to reign there in his glory . Which manifestly argues , that ( though threatning Rome with finall destruction ) he writes , The Virgins shall not always find the Divine fire ; yet he neither saw nor foresaw the conflagration that happened in the twelfth year of Commodus , which was but the 191. of our Saviour , but reflected on the Prediction of St. John , expressing , that Rome should be utterly burnt with fire , and be found no more at all : so that he thought it would be to no purpose to look there for Vesta's fire , and other Monuments of her Paganisme . 4. That if his intention had been to denote the conflagration happened under Commodus , he could not truly have call'd it the second ; for that besides the first mentioned in Dionysius Halicarnassaeus , and happening under the Consulate of Gracchus and Falto , in the third year of the 135. Olympiad , and the 516. of Rome , there had been a second , observ'd by Tacitus , and other creditable Authors , under the Consulship of Bassus and Crassus , in the fourth year of the 210. Olympiad , which was the 817. of Rome , the 64. of our Saviour , and 11. of Nero. 5. That he doth not onely not pretend to any thing beyond Commodus , but makes an apparent stop at Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus , which latter he presum'd must needs ( as being the younger by seven years ) out-live the other . After him ( saith he ) whose name begins with a T. the note of the number three hundred , that is to say , Trajan , another shall reign , a person with a silver head ; that is , one that was already arriv'd to grey hairs : or shall be , ( as he speaks in the eighth Book ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , hoary , and his name [ that is to say , Adrian ] shall be deriv'd from the Sea [ Adriatick ] and he shall be good all manner of wayes , and shall know all things : and under thee ( O man absolutely good , excellent all manner of wayes , and hoary headed ) and under thy boughs [ that is to say , thy adoptive sons ] the last dayes shall come to pass ; three shall reign [ that is to say , Antoninus , Marcus , and Lucius ] but the last [ that is , Lucius ] shall obtain the soveraignty of all things . And in the eighth Book , After him [ that is to say , Adrian ] there shall reign three , who shall see the last days , filling the Name of the heavenly God , whose kingdom is now and to all ages ; that is to say , they shall be called Antonini , or ( according to our manner of pronouncing ) Andonini , from the name Adonai , and Adonim ; that is , Antoninus the Debonaire , Antoninus the Philosopher , and Lucius Verus Antoninus , who he pretends ought ( as being the youngest ) to survive the other two , succeed them , and continue til the 948. year of Rome , or the 195 of our Redemption , in which he would have been 67. years of age ; never imagining , that Lucius , by his irregularities , would prejudice his health , so as to be cut off in the flower of his age , in the midst of Winter , between the years 169. and 170. 6. That though Lactantius , carried away with the prejudice of his time , conceiv'd that the Books , called Sibylline , had no other Authours then the ancient Sibyls , celebrated by Varro ; and that they had been chast and inspir'd of God ; yet hath he not escap'd a mistake , as we shall make appear more at large hereafter . 7. That the Author of the third Book , neither was , nor would be thought the Erythraean Sibyl , but wife to one of the sons of Noah , come from Babylon to Greece ; for those are her own words : These things I tell thee far from the walls of Babylon , &c. The men of Greece will say , I am of another Countrey , born in Erythraea , &c. 8. That the first Book is ( as all the ensuing ) of the same vein . 9. that the impudence and whoredom , so much bewail'd in the second and seventh books , were by the third acknowledg'd for the proper description of the pretended wife to Noah's son , who cries , Men will say , I am of another Countrey , and shameless . In a word , that all the eight books are the extravagant fictions of the same Impostor , who , under pretence of advancing the truth , hath perfidiously dishonour'd it . CHAP. V. The recommendation of the Writing , pretended to be Sibylline , attributed by Clemens Alexandrinus to St. Paul , examined . TO qualifie , with more ease , the reproach consequent to so unworthy an attempt , and in some sort , to save his reputation that was guilty of it , there are many , who ( as it were out of a certain emulation ) alledge that St. Paul himself recommended the reading of the Sibyls , and , to justifie their assertion , bring in Clemens Alexandrinus , speaking in these terms : Besides , the preaching of St. Peter , the Apostle , St. Paul will declare the same , saying , take also the Greek books , acknoweledge the Sibyl , how she discovers one onely God , and the things that are to come ; and taking Hystaspes , read , and you will find the Son of God much more manifestly and openly described . But I shall not stick to presume their pardon , though I affirm they heap evil upon evil . For if it be blame-worthy for a man ( as St. Justin did ) to subscribe a piece of forgery which he was not able to discover , how odious must needs be the malice of that false witness , who ( to deceive Clemens Alexandrinus , and other Christians ) would needs maintain the supposititiousness of the Sibylline writings , by a worse Imposture , and feign that St. Paul himself had brought them into credit by his recommendation ? If souls perfectly vertuous cannot without difficulty endure that Encomiums of chastity should be bestow'd on common Prostitutes , who among such as are truly Christian , will be able to suffer comparisons to be made between the Prophets of God , and persons in the depth of an extravagant melancholy , between their celestiall Oracles and the disorder'd resueries of the other , and that the Projector of so base a cheat should presume to give it the greater reputation , produce the Apostle as a complice of his sacrilegious insolence ? And yet there are those who would , that , out of this vessel of election , should come the words alledged by Clemens ; and whereas there cannot any such thing be found in his Epistles , they imagine them spoken by him in his popular Sermons , as if it were possible , that he , who sacrificed his life in a glorious martyrdom , in the 65. year of our Lord , should give his approbation to a piece full of errors , and forg'd since the year 137. as it were out of a design , by that recommendation , to oppose the Authority , as well of the old Testament , and the Son of God himself , as his own preaching and the most excellent of his Epistles . For if , among the Heathens , the Sibyl and Hystaspes , have not onely declared one God , and manifested the things to come , but also describ'd the Son of God after a manner more clear and convincing , with what credit could David have written , It is in Jury that God is known ; God sheweth his words unto Jacob , his Statutes and his Judgements unto Israel . He hath not dealt so with other nations ; and as for his judgements , they have not known them ? Or , how comes it that the Saviour of the World hath decided the case on the behalf of the Jews , saying , Salvation is of the Jews ? And upon what ground doth St. Paul make this precise Declaration to the Lycaonians ; God in times past , suffered all nations to walk in their own wayes : and speaking to the Athenians , ( the most refin'd people of all the Europaeans ) call the times preceding the publication of the Gospel , The times of ignorance ; and maintain in his Epistle to the Romans the advantage of the Jew , to be much every way ; chiefly , because that unto them were committed the Oracles of God : Again , that to the Israelites pertaineth the glory and the covenant , and the giving of the Law , and the service of God , and the promises ; and put other nations , in comparison of them , into a qualification of such as are no people , and a nation voyd of understanding ? Certainly , if the Gentiles ( according to the pretended presupposition of St. Paul , in Clemens Alexandrinus ) have been depositaries of the Oracles of God more clear and manifest then the Prophets , they neither have , nor ought to have granted , that God hath not shewen them his Ordinances and Judgements , and that on the Jews behalf ( over whom they were notoriously advantag'd ) the advantage was much every way . For since , before the Incarnation of the Messias , they had , in their hands , the illuminating predications of the Sibyls , which furnish'd them with historicall descriptions of what in the Propheticall Writings , is but aenigmatically proposed , their time was not a time of ignorance , but of light and knowledge , more distinct then that of the Jews , and it must have been false , that God was only known in Jury ; since that we do not esteem ignorant , at least comparatively to another , him who in the same matter of fact , knowes as much , if not more , then the most knowing , and that these propositions are formally contradictory : the advantage is of the Jews , and the advantage is not of the Jews . Again , the advantage of the Jews over the Gentiles consists , having the Oracles of God committed to them ; and , the Oracles of God committed to the Gentiles by the means of the Sibyls , are more clear and manifest then those of the Jews . From all which I must needs inferr , that , it being impossible , a person sound in his intellectuals , should at the same time , hold both parts of the same contradiction , and there being yet a greater impossibility , that such as are inspir'd from God , should be guilty of such a miscarriage ; St. Paul did not onely not say what is attributed to him in Clemens Alexandrinus , but could not have said it . And thereupon I shall desire the prudent Reader , to take four things into his consideration : 1. That he who hath presum'd to borrow his name , to gain the greater credit to his fond imaginations , does , by the generall description he hath given us of what is contain'd in the pretended Sibylline predictions , saying , they declare one onely God , discover things to come , and the Son of God , clearly shew , that he alludeth to those very books , which are now extant of them , and consequently , that his work was hatch'd after that , entitled the Sibylline , and must needs be later then the year of our Lord , 137. 2. That , with Justin and Clemens , he acknowledges but one Sibyl , who manifested one onely God , which shews , it were to little purpose to look for different Authors for the eight books that are come to our times . 3. That the most clear and remarkable descriptions of the Son of God , palpably relate to the designation as well of the four vowels and two consonants , which make up the Greek name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as the number precisely arising thence ; as also the Acrostick of the eighth book , wherein we have consecutively the names of Jesus Christ , Son of God , Saviour , and Cross , with the Paraphrase on the greatest part of the history of the Gospel . 4. That the more express and historicall these descriptions are , the more apparent it is that they are supposititious , and written after the event , the Spirit of God having never thought it convenient to propose things to come otherwise then aenigmatically , and under the veil of severall figures , and there being no instance but onely of one person , whose proper name it hath express'd in its Oracles , that is to say , Cyrus , twice nam'd by Isaiah , 175. years before he was possess'd of the Monarchy of the Universe . Clemens might soon have observ'd this , if , to compass his design , he had made it as much his business to exercise his judgement , as exhaust his memory ; but having resolv'd to make use of Heathens and Hereticks against themselves , so to undeceive them all , without taking heed himself of being surpriz'd , he , as well as others , is fallen into the snare , and the cloud of witnesses , he had to produce , suffer'd him not to see the bad marks which some of them carried in their very faces . Accordingly do we find , That this vast Wit , whom nothing escap'd , and who thought to make his advantages of all , and take away ( as sometimes Israel did ) all the treasures of Aegypt , after he had with a miraculous ostentation laid down the Depositions of 250. Heathen Authors , as well Philosophers , as Historians and Poets , and given quarter to the most execrable Heretiques , such as Basilides , Carpacrates , Julius Cassianus , Epiphanes , Heracleon , Hermogenes , Isidorus , Marcion , Prodicus , Tatian , Valentin ; &c. and opened his brest to Apocryphall pieces ; that is to say , the Prophesies of Enoch , Cham , Abacuc , Esdras , Parchor , and Sophony , the book of the Assumption of Moses , the Gospels of the Aegyptians and Hebrews , the Sermons of St. Peter , and St. Paul , the Traditions of St. Matthias , the Epistle of St. Barnabas , the Pastor of Hermas ; Brother to Pope Pius the first , ( a piece which dazled the eyes of St. Irenaeus , and many others ) hath also given credit to the counterfeit Sibyll , whose discourse he thought so much the more authentick , the more directly it contributed to his design . CHAP. VI. An accompt of severall instances of dis-circumspection in Clemens Alexandrinus . SInce therefore it could not well be otherwise , but that this great man drawing out of so many severall sources , must needs , out of divers of them , bring up dirt rather then water ; we shall not fear being thought awanting as to the respect we owe his memory , and the merit of his great abilities and knowledge , if we presume to affirm , that , in what we have left of his Works , we meet with many instances of dis-circumspection , weakness , and an excessive credulity . To come to particulars , what is it else , when he says , after a very uncouth manner of speaking , that the Word is the minister of the paternall will , and the second cause , which comes nearest the Father : That the Angels fell through fornication : That it is not lawfull for a man to touch blood ; nor to swear : That Philosophy hath been , to the Gentiles , a Paedagogue to bring them to Christ , fo far , that it hath justified them ; that thereby they have glorify'd God ; and that it hath been their Testament , and the foundation of all Christian Philosophy . That Numa , who dyed in the second year of the 27. Olympiad , 134. years before Pythagoras appear'd , and 168. years before he came into Italy , was a Pythagorean : That Semiramis was Queen of Aegypt ; That the Devil may repent : That it is in our power to be delivered from ignorance and bad choyce : That the soul makes the difference in the election of God : That man is saved through his own means : That in the time of Debora , Osius the son of Riezu was high-priest : That Solomon was Son-in-law to Hiram : That Rehoboam was father to Abiu , and Abiu to Athaman , and this last to Jehosaphat ; and that Joram was father to Ozias : That Jonathan was son to Ozias ; that Amos the Prophet was father to Isaiah : That Achaz was father to Osea , and Osea to Hezechias : That from the time of Samuel , to that of Josias , the Passover was never celebrated : That the false Prophet , Ananias , was son to Josias : That Nechao fought Josias neer the river Euphrates : That Helchias the high-Priest , was father to Jeremy , and that he dy'd immediately after he had read the book of the Law : That the ten Tribes carried away ( according to the express certificate of the Scripture ) in the sixth year of Hezechias , were brought into captivity in the fifteenth year of Achas , his father : That the transportation of the Jews under Sedechias , who was later then the birth of Moses , by about 1073. years , and the raising of David to the Throne , by 517. years , was after the former 1085. years , six months , ten dayes ; and after the latter 492. years , six months , ten days precisely : That Zachary , who began not to prophesie to the people , till the second year of Darius , which was the first of the 65. Olympiad , is more ancient then Pythagoras , who began to come into reputation in the fourth year of the 60. Olympiad . That Moses , before his adoption , was called Joachim , and that now he goes under the name of Melchi : That he killed the Aegyptian by his word : that he was cast into prison , and afterwards got out by miracle : That the King , having heard the name of God pronounc'd , fell dumb , and was afterward miraculously restor'd : That it was to Philip o●… ●…aviour said , Let the dead bury their dead : That the body is the Sepulchre of the soul : That Saint Matthias is Zachaeus the Publican : That the Sacerdotall Vestment was bordered with 360 , bells : That the Son of God and his Apostles , did , after their death , preach in hell ; that many were there converted ; that there was so great a necessity of that predication , that otherwise God had been unjust : That our Saviour did not eat out of any need his body stood in of sustenance , but out of a fear of raising any ill opinion of himself in those who saw him : That he who is endu'd with knowledge , is free from all animal passion , and cupidity ; that he is not overcome by any thing of voluptuousness ; that he hath no further need of patience , temperance , &c. That he is impe●●able : That Saint Matthias was chosen , because he had shewen himself worthy to be an Apostle : That the Sun and the Stars were bestow'd on the Gentiles , to be adored by them : That by the worship of the Stars , they should have looked up to God : That it is lawfull to lye for the safety of another : That God would have a faithfull man to be so far his own guide , as not to need any other assistance : That after Marcion ( whom he acknowledges to have liv'd under the Empire of Adrian and Antoninus ) Simon did ( for a short time ) hear Peter preaching , &c. He discovers also , that he had not met with very skilfull Masters in the Hebrew , when he writ that Hosanna , interpreted in Greek , signifies light , glory , and praise , with supplication to the Lord : Again , that Abraham is , by interpretation , elected father of the sound , and gave other such Etymologies of the Hebrew names . CHAP. VII . Reflections on severall supposititious pieces , whereby many of the ancient Christians have been imposed upon and abused . ARe we then to think it much , after so many strange remarks , that he , who with an excessive easiness of belief , could take things from all hands ; from Heathens ; from Hereticks ; from Judaicall Traditions ; from the Apocriphall Writings of Christians , and ( upon the credit of the false Pastor of Hermas ) introduce our Saviour and his Apostles preaching in hell , should be drawn in to admit the predication father'd on St. Paul the Apostle , and swallow down the pretended Oracles of the Sibyl , which deriv'd their recommendation from it ▪ And why should we make any difficulty , to acknowledg what expe●●ence proclaims , as it were , in the open streets ? In the second Age , ( the first year whereof had been signaliz'd by the decease of St. John the Evangelist ) Satan , not satisfy'd with the open war there was against the Church , by the persecution of the Heathen , would needs fasten on her skirts a numerous crue of Hereticks of all sorts , execrable in their Opinions , and deprav'd in their Manners , and made it his business to pull all into disorder within , by the uncontrolable licentiousness of forgers and Impostors , who with a certain earnestness , and in a manner , at the same time , have , either to gratifie some particular Heresie , or under the specious pretence of engaging against the Idolatry of the Heathen with greater advantage , out of a pious fraud , fill'd the world with adulterate and supposititious pieces . In so much , that it may be said , there was not any season more fruitfull in those pernicious excrescencies and Apocriphall Writings , then that Age , nor haply at any time a greater disposition in mens minds to give them credit and entertainment ; the simplicity of some not permitting a perfect anatomy of the evil ; and the confidence of those who were either satisfy'd therewith , or suspected it , inclining them to this opinion , that they might make some benefit thereof , to the confusion of falshood , and advantage of truth . Nay , those , whom learning had a little more refin'd , and a conversation with the Sciences made more capable of things , as such as being well advanc'd in years had forsaken the banners of Paganisme , were apt enough to bring into the Church some tincture of the Opinions they had been imbu'd with before ; and thinking by the correspondence they still held with the Philosophers , to make them more susceptible of piety , imagin'd themselves concern'd in point of honour , to reconcile their own Maximes to Christianity , which , by that base allay , lost much of its naturall lustre and beauty . As therefore men were either totally hereticall , or incendiaries and troublesome , accordingly did they impose upon the credulity of the simple ; some broaching and advancing false Prophesies and Histories ; such as were those of Jaldabaoth , of Seth , of the sons of Seth , of Enoch , of Cham , &c. The Prayer of Joseph , the Assumption of Abraham , Moses , Eldad , and Modad ; The Testament of Moses , Esdras , Baruc , Abacuc , Ezekiel , Parchor , Zephany , the lesser Genesis , the Book attributed to Zacharias , father to St. John ; the Repentance of Adam , of James and Mambres ; the Book of the Giant Ogenes , Jacobs Ladder , the Testament of Job , the greater and lesser Symphony ; the Prophesies of Marsiades and Marsian , the Ascension of Isaiah , &c. Others , vented counterfeit Gospels , such as were those of Eve , Peter , Andrew , James the less , Philip , Barnabas , Matthias , Thaddaeus , of the Apostles , of the Aegyptians , of the Hebrews , of Judas , according to Basilides and Apelles ; that which the Gnosticks call'd the Gospel of Truth and Perfection ; whereto , upon the declination of the third Age , the Manichees , added that of Thomas , and some others , later Impostors , that of Nicodemus . Others , false Acts ; as those of Peter , Andrew , Paul , and Tecla , John , Philip , Thomas , forg'd in some part by Nexocharides , or Lucius Charinus , and Manes , after whom , a new Impostor , 300. years after , puts upon the world the life of St. John , under the name of Prochorus ; and a Rhapsodist , who liv'd about 860. years since , and took upon him the name of Abdias , the Babylonian , the lives of all the Apostles . Others scatter'd abroad false Relations ; such were the Books , entituled , The infancy of our Saviour ; of the Questions of Mary ; of the extraction of Mary ; of the Assumption of Mary ; of the Nativity of our Saviour ; of the Lots of the Apostles ; of the commendation of the Apostles , of the Ascension of Saint Paul ; of the Itinerary of Saint Peter ; of the preaching of Saint Peter ; of the doctrine of the Apostles ; of Apostolicall Constitutions ; of the Controversie between St. Peter and Appion ; of the Passion of St. Peter and St. Paul , by Linus ; the Pastor of Hermas ; whereto , about the beginning of the fourth Age , Maximian the Emperor , caus'd to be joyn'd the Acts of Pilate . Others disperc'd counterfeit Epistles ; such as was that of Abgarus , Prince of Edessa , to our Saviour , with our Saviours pretended answer thereto ; those that go under the name of St. Barnabas ; of the B. Virgin to St. Ignatius ; of St. Ignatius himself ; of St. Paul to the Laodiceans ; of the same , a third Epistle to the Corinthians ; as also a third to the Thessalonians , the second to the Corinthians , wrongfully attributed to St. Clement . Others started counterfeit Apocalypses ; such as were those of Adam , Abraham , Eliah , Paul , Thomas , Stephen , &c. Others there were , who , looking with a jealous eye on what ever was remarkable , among either Jews or Heathens , would needs make it contribute to Christianity , and appropriate all the glory of it to the Church . Thus to rob the Grecian Jews of their golden-mouth'd Philo , it must be feign'd he had had some conversation with St. Mark ; and to apply to Christian Monks ( who began not till the times of Paul and Anthony the Hermits , whereof one dy'd the tenth of January , in the year 343 and the other the seventeenth of January , 358. ) what he had expresly written of the Esseni , a Sect much given to contemplation , seated neer Alexandria , upon the Lake Maria , Eusebius himself ( who had acknowledg'd as much in his eighth Book of Evangelicall preparation , Chap. 11. ) does , in his Ecclesiasticall History , retract what he had deliver'd before , and , by his example , hath so prepossess'd those that came after him , that St. Epiphanius was perswaded , that Philo spoke not of the Esseni , whom he * names in express terms , but of the Tesseni , of whom he said not any thing either good or evil , supposing them to be some of the first Christians , and to have derived their denomination either from Jesse , the father of David , ( whence St. Paul takes occasion , after Isaiah , to call out Saviour , the root of Jesse ) or from Jesus himself . But all without any ground , for the description of Philo cannot any way be attributed to Christian Monks , since he says of his contemplative Esseni : 1. That they went away , so as never to return again , forsaking brethren , children , wives , kindred , &c. directly contrary to the command of Saint Paul , 1 Cor. 7. 12. &c. 2. That they spent the whole day , as well in reading the sacred books , and the Commentaries of the Ancients , to Allegorize upon them ; as in the composing of certain Hymnes : which shews their conversation to have been onely with the Old Testament , and their study therein wholly after the manner of the Jews . 3. That they met together every seventh day , that is to say , every Saturday . 4. That the most austere among them , did not break their fast , but onely on the sixth day , consequently Friday , contrary to the custom of the Christians . 5. That they celebrated the Pentecost as their principall Feast ; and that in honour of the number of seven , seven times reiterated , a conceit not deriv'd from the Gospel , but the Discipline of Pythagoras . 6. That in their common Festivities , the Males were seated on the right hand , and the Females on the left , a custom which never was of any account in the Church . 7. That there was no flesh eaten among them ; but onely leavened bread , salt and Hyssop . 8. That they drunk nothing but Water , Wine being accounted poyson with them ; an evident testimony that their entertaiment had nothing common , either with the Eucharist , where there is such a necessity the Chalice should be fill'd with Wine ; that those who endeavour'd to reduce it to Water , have been branded as Heretiques , under the name of Aquarii , and Hydroparastati ; nor with the Love-feasts of the Primitive Christians , who used Wine freely , and in abundance , and condemned the Tatianites and Encratites , who abstain'd from it , as what might not lawfully be drunk , and call'd it , in imitation of the Esseni , The poyson of the Dragon . 9. That having ended their Feast , they spent the night in dancing and singing : first in two Quires , afterwards in one , in imitation of Moses and his sister Miriam , after the passage through the Red-Sea ; a ceremony , which hath not onely never been observ'd in the Church , but hath been expresly condemn'd by her in the Councel of Laodicea , forbidding dancing , even at the marriages of Christians . 10. That seeing the day break , turning towards the East , they pray'd ; which done , every one return'd to his Cell ; Which last ceremony , is all that might seem contrary to the common practice of the Jews , and to have some relation to that of the Christians , who , in their Prayers turn to the East , whereas the Jews look'd towards Jerusalem , in what part soever of the world they made their supplications . But as to what he observes that this Sect of people were not serv'd by slaves , as esteeming that the possession of servants was absolutely contrary to nature , it speaks somewhat dissonant from the generall belief and practice , as well of the Ancient Jews , who permitted slavery , as the Primitive Christians , who disallow'd it not , as appears by the words , both of St. Paul , 1 Cor. 7. 21. Philemon 16 , and St. Peter , 1 Epist . Chap. 3. 18. but it was indeed , common to all the Esseni , of whom Philo said , There is not so much as a slave among them , but all are free , yet mutually serving one another ; and they condemn Masters , not onely as unjust , defiling , holiness , but also as impious . With the same design of making some advantage of Josephus , hath some bold hand or other inserted into his Antiquities , Lib. 18. cap. 4. certain words which are so much the less likely to come from him ; for that they contain an honourable testimony , as well of the person of our Saviour , as of the holiness and truth of Christian Religion , from the profession whereof that Author ever stood at a great distance ; besides , it is notoriously remarkable , that they are hedg'd in , so as not to have any coherence with the rest of his Discourse , either going before , or coming after , and put into the place which they take up , rather out of affection to some certain party , then any reason there was to do it . Of the same thread is also ( if I am not deceiv'd in my conjecture ) that Encomium of St. John , inserted in the sixth Chapter ; for , besides that , he describes him as a very good person , one whose advice it was to those Jews who exercised vertue , and were observers of justice one towards another , and piety towards God , to become , as it were , one by Baptisme ; and that this Discourse can speak no less of him who made it , then that he was a Disciple of St. John's , the contexture of the whole Story formerly concludes , and evidently shews , that it was thrust in ( it may be ) out of some zeal , but certainly with much want of sincerity . Tiberius ( says Josephus ) being extremely incensed , at the attempt of Aretas , writes to T. Vitellius , that he should declare war against him , and if he took him alive , to send him ●…und in chains to him , if he were kill'd ; that he would send him his head . Tiberius sent Orders to the Generall of his Army in Syria , that he should do these things ; * and Vitellius , ( as it were , for the war against Aretas ) prepar'd two Legions , &c. And it is to be noted , that the defeat of Herod by Aretas , happening seven years after the suffering of St. John ( seeing Vitellius being upon his way to take his revenge of that affront , receiv'd four days before his arrivall at Jerusalem , the news of Tiberius's death ) there is very little likelihood , that the Jews ( who had delivered our Saviour to Pilate , though they had follow'd and admir'd him , after the martyrdom of St. John , which had not wrought any alteration in them ) should have had , for so long time , so lively a remembrance , both of the unworthiness of his death , and the sanctity of his life . It was also conceiv'd in the time of Origen , that Josephus , desirous to find out the cause of the destruction of Jerusalem , and the Temple , had said , that those things were happened to the Jews , in revenge of James the Just , who was the brother of Jesus , called Christ , since they had kill'd him , though a just person : and no doubt , these words were to be read in his time , in the History of the Jewish war ; but at present , there 's no such thing to be found , and the falsification , as to that particular , hath lost its credit . With the same observance of civility and sincere dealing , which makes us concern our selves many times , where we have least to do , was it , that Paulus Orosius , a Spanish Priest , who had read in Josephus , that , in the time of Claudius , about the year of our Lord , 46. Izates , King of the Adiabenians , had ( with his mother Helene ) embrac'd the Jewish Religion ; that the said Princess , being come to Jerusalem to adore in the Temple , and to offer sacrifices ( acts of devotion , proper onely to Judaisme ) had contributed very much to the relief of the City then hard put to it by the famine ; must needs infer thence , that , having been converted to the Law of Christ , she had made very great contributions towards the relief of the necessitous Christians in Jerusalem . But there needs no more to refute this mistake , then , First the magnificent Sepulchre of Helene , a monument which the Jews , the implacable enemies of the Church , would never have suffer'd to be erected to the memory of a Christian Princess so neer Jerusalem : Secondly , the Palaces which were known in Jerusalem , as well by her name , as that of Monobazus her husband : Thirdly , the obstinate continuance of her Grand-children in that City , when besieg'd by Titus , after the generall retreat of the Christians to Pella , there having not any thing been heard of this mistake , till the fifth Age , at the beginning whereof , Orosius writ ; and so I return again to these of the second . As it hath happened on the one side , that the excessive desire of advancing the credit of the true Religion , engag'd some in considerate Christians , to feign of the Jews , such things as were not true : So wanted there not those on the other , who thought themselves oblig'd to do the same offices to the Pagans , and thence came the supposititious Letters , written under the name of Lentulus to Tiberius concerning the stature and beauty of our Saviour , and others from Pilate concerning his death . And whereas St. Paul had , during his abode at Rome , brought the light of the Gospel even into the Pr●●torium and gain'd to Christ , some of Nero's retinue ; it gave many occasion to ●magine , that the paquet must needs ( rather then to any other ) be directed to Seneca , a man learned , grave , and by Profession a Stoick , that is , the Sect that came nearest , in appearance , to the perswasion of the Christians . Thence started up the Opinion of his pretended familiarity with St. Paul , and the Letters which it is reported he writ to him ; the passion to Christianize so great a man , having prevail'd more on the refin'd Wit of St. Hierome , to make him a place in the Catalogue of Saints , and to authenticate his pretended Letters , though written in Latine bad enough , then the roughness of their stile , and the little gravity they discover , hath hitherto had power to have them ( as it were but just ) proclaim'd counterfeit . Let us not therefore expect a more convictive proof of the force of these charming prejudices , then to find St. Hierome , one of the sharpest understandings of all Antiquity , so overcome with the fume thereof , as to have numbred , if not among the children , at least among the friends of the Church , a person who confounded her with the rebellious Jews , saying ( according to the relation of St. Augustiue ; ) The custom of this most wicked race of people hath prevail'd so farr , as that now it is receiv'd all over the world , and the conquer'd have given Laws to their Conquerours ; and one , who , having ( with a Pagan resolution ) made use of Iron , poyson , and the heat of the Bathes , to put a period to his life , took leave of it with these Idolatrous expressions ; I pour out this liquour ( his blood ) to Jupiter the Deliverer . But , if , to convince the incredulity of the Jews , the Church , deriving her proofs from their own Library , drew them by the collar to the acknowledg'd revelations of their nationall Prophets ; as to the true foundations of her Faith ; she could not deal with the Heathens upon terms so advantagious , there being not between them and her any common principle , other then the light of Reason , nor she finding any other Oracles in their hands , then what were prophane and deceitfull , as such as were the suggestions of the spirit of Errour , who is a liar and murtherer from the beginning . And yet there have risen up amongst such as had given up their names to Christianity , those , who had the confidence to feign in its behalf , what it could not any way pretend to , and ( producing to Infidels adulterate allegations ) to prepare for it the solemnities of an imaginary triumph : nay , they urg'd them with so much the greater shew of ostentation , the more certain they were that they had to do with adversaries , whose abilities went not much beyond a confused knowledge of names , whereof they were , in effect , ignorant of the things signify'd thereby . CHAP. VIII . The different opinions of the Ancients concerning the Sibyls . EVery one had heard talk of the Sibyls , Rome made it her brag , that she had books of them , wherein might be read her destiny ; but there was not any one fully satisfy'd as to the number , or times of those who had gone under that name , nor assur'd of the ground of their predictions . Diadorus Siculus had had no knowledge but only of one , to wit , Daphne , the daughter of Tiresias , taken at the sacking of Thebes , by the Epigoni , and plac'd at Delphi , some 27. years before the taking of Troy , and of her he affirm'd , that Homer borrowed . But Virgil , and Pausanias , and Suidas , call her ●anto , and Clemens Alexandrinus , Art●…is , and Apoliodorus , in Lactantius , attributes what Homer had borrowed to the Erythraean Sibyl ; Plautus , Dionysius Halicarnassaeus , Strabo , Pliny , Josephus , Justine Martyr , Athenagoras , Theophilus of Antioch , Celsus , Lucian , and Juvenal , speak of the Sibyl in the singular number , as acknowledging but one ; only Strabo , ( who assigns her residence at Erythrae ) observes , that ( some Ages after ) she was seconded by another Prophetess of the same place , named Athenais ; and Pliny relates , that in his time , there were , at Rome , three little Statues of the Sibyl , so ancient , as that they might have been thought the first of any , and to have been made in the time of Tarquineus Priscus , which relation of his , many have misunderstood , so conceiving him , as if he affirm'd , they were the Statues of the three Sibyls . Martianus Capella gives us an account of two , that is , Erophila , the daughter of Marmessus , born in the Territories of Troy , otherwise call'd the Phrygian or Cumaean Sibyls ; and Symmachia of Erythrae , the daughter of Hyperchus , or Hyperides . Solinus reckons three , the Delphick , whom he affirms ( from Boethius ) to have preceded the wars of Troy , and was a kind of Patroness to Homer ; Eriphila of Erythrae , who follow'd the precedent not many years after , and gave notice to the Lesbians , long before it happened , that they should lose the soveraignty of the Sea ; and the Camaean . Pausanias ( as hath been already seen ) numbers four ; Lamia , otherwise called the Lybian Sibyl ; Herophila , otherwise called the Delphick , or Erythraean ; Demo , the Cumaean ; and Sabba the Babylonian . Aelian raised the number to ten , that is , the Erythraean , the Samian , the Aegyptian , the Sardinian , the Cumaean , the Judaick , and four others . Clemens Alexandrinus , though he cites not any thing of them , but what 's in the singular number , expresses himself in these terms , whence it may be inferr'd , he admitted divers ; Manto , and a multitude of Sibyls , the Samian , the Colophonian , the Cumaean , the Erythraean , Phyto , Taraxandra , the Macedonian , the Thessalian , the Threspotick . Lactantius ( from Varro ) affirms their number to be ten , and observes , that the first was of the Persians , of whom Nicanor , who writes of the Acts of Alexander the Macedonian , makes mention . The second was the Lybian , mentioned by Euripides in the Prologue to his Lamia . The third , the Delphick ; of whom Chrysippus speaks in a book he writ , Of Divination . The fourth , the Cumaean , or of Cumae in Italy , named by Naevius in his books of the Punick War , and by Piso , in his Annals . The fifth , the Erythraean , whom Apolodorus the Erythraean affirms to have been of the same City with him , &c. The sixth , the Samian , of whom Eratosthenes hath written , consonantly to what he had found written before in the ancient Annals of the Samians . The seventh , the Cumaean , under the name of Amalthaea , who by others is also called Demophila , or Herophila , &c. The eighth , the Hellespontick , born in the country neer Troy , at the Town of Marpessus , near the City Gergithum , whom Heraclides of Pontus , writes to have li'vd in the time of Solon and Cyrus . The ninth , the Phrygian , who Prophesied at Ancyra . The tenth , the Tiburtine called Albunea , who is serv'd as a Goddess at Tibur , which stands not far from the River Anio , in the bottome whereof , it is reported , that her Image was found holding a book in her hand . Issidorus of Sevil follows Lactantius ; save that , speaking of the Delphick , he addes , that she was begotten in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi : That the fourth was the Cimmerian of Italy : That the fifth , that is to say , the Erythraean called Erophila , was Originally a Babylonian , and that she was called the Erythraean , because her Verses were found in that Issand ; and that the sixth , namely , the Samian , was called Samonota , from the Isle of Samos , whence she took her sirname . In a word , Suidas , who hath glean'd together all he could meet with in other Authors , standing much upon the number of ten , in imitation of Lactantius , says , that the Chaldaean or Persick , whose proper name was Sambetha , was descended from the most blessed man , Noah ; That she spoke before of the things that are reported of Alexander the Macedonian ; that Nicanor , who hath writ the History of the life of Alexander , makes mention of her ; that she foretold ten thousand things , concerning Christ our Lord , and his coming ; that the rest agree with her , and that moreover , there is of hers four and twenty books , treating of all nations and places ; Again , that her fathers name was Berosus , and her mothers Erymantha ; that the Delphick was born at Delphi ; that the Samian was called Phito , the Cumaean , Amalhaea , or Herophila . And whereas Lactantius and Isidorus have written , that the Hellespontick had liv'd in the time of Solon and Cyrus , he makes this referr to the Town of Marpessus , and the little City Gergithum , which sometime were in Troas , in the time of Solon and Cyrus . And elsewhere , speaking of the Sibyl in generall , he makes this Discourse : The Sibyl was the daughter of Apollo , and Lamia ; according to some , of Aristocrates and Hydole ; and ( as others would have it ) of Crinagoras ; or , ( as Hermippus affirms ) of Theodorus . She is called Erythraea , because she was begotten at a place of Erythrae , called Batti , and now that place encreased into a City is called Erythrae . Some have thought her a Sicilian , others a Sardian , others a Gegithian , others a Rhodian , others a Lybian , others , a Lucanian , others a Samian , &c. The Sibyl Helissa hath written , in Verse , certain Prophesies , and Oracles . The Colophonian Sibyl , whose name was Lampusa , the daughter of Calchas , hath also written in Verse , certain Oracles , and Divinations , and other things . The Thessalian Sibyl , whose name was Manto , was the daughter of Tiresias . The Sibyl by some , called Sarbis , by others Cassandra , by others Tarraxandra , hath also left Oracles . Nor have the Cumaean , and Threspotick Sibyls left us without their Oracles . Thus then ( according to his account ) the two Sibyls of Martianus Capella ; four of those of Aelian , that is , the Erythraean , the Samian , the Aegyptian , the Sardian ; three of those cited by Clemens Alexandrinus , that is , the Samian , the Erythraean and Phyto ; five of those , mentioned by Lactantius , as also by Isidorus , who hath follow'd him , that is , the Libyck , the Erythraean , the Samian , the Hellespontick , and the Phrygian , all reduc'd to one Sibyl . Pausanias , who distinguishes the Libyck from the Erythraean , makes another kind of reduction , affirming , that the Phrygian , the Samian , the Colophonian , the Delphick , and the Erythraean , were all but one and the same person , residing in severall places . Martianus Capella , gives us another after his dressing , making the Cumaean and Erythraean one and the same Sibyl . And Justin Martyr , shoots his arrow much to the same mark , when he takes for one Sibyl , the Cumaean and the Babylonian , as Isidorus , after the Author of the book , De mirabilibus auscultationibus in Aristotle , confounds the Erythraean and Cumaean . And as the same Isidorus is extremely mistaken , when he reckons Erythrae ( which was in the Continent over against Chio ) among the Islands , and makes his Samonota fly with the wind : so Suidas , maintaining ( after Justine Martyr ) that the Chaldaick Sibyl was the daughter of Berosus , does in some sort agree with Pausanias , who places her among the last : but he palpably contradicts : First , what he had said of her being daughter to Noah , and more ancient then Alexander ; and , Secondly , the sentiment of Varro , who had , in Lactantius , adjudg'd to the Persick ( who was no other then the Chaldaick ) the prerogative of Antiquity . Another contradiction of his , is , where he writes that the Erythraean was 483. years after the war of Troy , in which assertion , he comes neer the opinion of Eusebius , who hath given her place in his Chronologie , under the reign of Romulus , who began it 431. years after the taking of Troy ; for in the next page , he acknowledges she was before the taking of that place , which confirms the sentiment , as well of Dionysius Halicarnssaeus who relates that she was consulted by Aeneas , as that of Lactantius , who affirms ( from Apollodorus ) that she foretold the Grecians the issue of the siege they were to make to that famous place ; and that of Solinus , who observes , that she was some few years after the Delphick , who had liv'd before the expedition of the Greeks . Clemens Alexandrinus , lays it down for certain , that the Delphick ( whom he names Artemis , the daughter of Lamia , a Sidonian ) liv'd before the time of Orpheus , who made one of the Argonauts , 79 years before the Trojan war ; and in the mean time , Diodorus Siculus , ( who calls her Dap●●e , the daughter of Tiresias ) makes her taken , together with her father , 52. years after , at Thebes , by the Epigoni . Diodorus affirms further , that she was seated by them at Delphi ; and Pausanias , that she came thither from Asia ; Plutarch , from Helicon , and that she was the daughter of Lamia . On the otherside , Isidorus and Suidas pretend , that Delphi was the place of her Nativity ; nay , this later , who names her Manto , the daughter of Tiresias a Thebane , seems to have forgotten his Geography , when he makes her a Thessalian , as if Baeotia and Thessaly , neighbouring Countries , had been in effect , the same Canton . What he writes also of Lampusa the Colophonian , the daughter of Calchas , contradicts not only what is affirmed by Pausanias , who bestows the title of Colophonian Sibyl on Herophila , descended from Jupiter and Lamia , but also that probability , which seems not easily to perm●t , that the daughter of Calchus , an European , who had accompany'd the Greeks , should , be born in Asia . Virgil calls the Cumaean Deiphobe , the daughter of Claucus , and makes her contemporary with Aeneas ; but there is not any one of the other Authors that speak of her , agrees with him about either her name , her extraction , or the time she liv'd in , but make her to flourish a long time after . Pausanias● gives the Chaldaick the name of Sabba ; Isidorus calls her Erophyla , and Suidas , Sambetha ; and here I think it not unfit to observe by the way , the inadvertency of Possevinus , who making generall what Suidas had particulariz'd , sordidly imagin'd that all the Sibyls went , among the Chaldaeans , under the name of Sambethae . Pliny and Solinus hold that the Cumaean Sibyl having written three Books , burnt two of them , and sold the third to Tarquinius Superbus ; but this latter pulls down with one hand what he had built with the other , relating this sale to have been in the 50. Olympiad , which was about the 35. year of Tarquinius Priscus , and the 47. before the reign of his Son ; besides that Varro , in Lactantius , and Dionysius Halicarnassaeus , and * Aulus Gellius ( who in the mean time , attribute it to the later Tarquin ) and * Servius , and Isidorus , and Suidas , affirm there were nine books , whereof six were burnt , and three remaining , sold to Tarquinius Priscus . Eusebius not agreeing with the sentiments of others , nor indeed , with himself , gives entertainment to the Samian Sibyl , one while under Numa , and another under Tullus Hostilius : and Suidas ( to satisfie the world , that there is nothing so fantastick , but there may be some brain which hath garret-room to receive it ) contrary to the opinion of all Authors , who generally hold , that Sibyl is an Aeolick word , would have it pass among us for a Roman , as if it had been of the invention of the Latines , and receiv'd its originall from them . CHAP. IX . The Precautions of Rome , while yet in Paganisme , to prevent the reading of the Books which she believ'd really Sibylline . INto whose hands soever of the Roman Kings the Sibylline Writings fell , and whensoever it happen'd , is not much materiall ; it is evident from the unanimous consent of all the Ancients ; that they have been always kept under so strict a guard , that ( as Dionysius Halicarnassaeus observes ) the Romans kept not any thing , how holy or sacred soever , as they did those Oracles . Tarquin had , at the very begining , committed them to the custody of two persons of quality , who ( under the title of Duumviri of the sacred things ) had the express charge to preserve them religiously ; as also to consult , read , and interpret them , when need should require ; which was not put in execution , but in some extraordinary emergency , and was observ'd with so much rigour , that Tarquin inflicted the punishment of Parricides on M. Attilius , who had lent them , to be copied out , to Petronius Sabinus . Some 213. years after , that is to say , in the year of Rome 388. the number of the keepers being increased to ten ; their Colledge went under the name of The Decemviri of sacred things ; and under their charge and inspection , the Writings of the Sibyl was kept entire 283. years , being disposed under ground in a chest of stone , plac'd in the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus , till the conflagration of the Temple , which happened in the year of Rome 671. and was the second of the 147. Olympiad , and the 83. before the Incarnation of our Lord , under the Consulship of Scipio and Norbanus . Now these execrable Monuments of Heathenish Idolatry , coming by that accident to be consum'd with the other Ornaments of the Temple , to repair the pretended damage of this imaginary loss , there were , after a solemn debate in the Senate concerning it , sent away three Ambassadors , namely , P. Gabinius , M. Octacilius , and L. Valerius , who brought from Erythrae about a thousand Verses , which had been transcrib'd by private persons . And thence it comes , that Dionysius H●…carnassaeus , speaking of that recovery , says , that , those which are now extant , are pieces glean'd up from severall places ; some having been brought from the Cities of Italy , others from Erythrae in Asia , according to the decree of the Senate , Ambassadors having been purposely sent to take Copies thereof ; others came from other Cities , copied out by private persons , among which there are some imposed upon the Sibyls , which are discover'd by those things which are called Acrosticks . Luctantius adds to what he had observ'd concerning the sale of the three Books of the Cumaean Sibyl to Tarquin , that , the number hath since been increased , upon the repairing of the Capitol , as having been ( under the name of some Sibyl or other ) got together , and brought to Rome from all the Italick and Grecian Cities , especially from Erythrae . And whereas Dionysius Halicarnassaeus , had concluded his Discourse , with this protestation , I follow in this , what Terentius Varro hath related , Lactantius puts a period to this , with this conclusion , which is equivalent ; We have already shewen that Varro hath delivered the same thing ; and yet prejudicially to this , and contrary to what Dionys . Halicarnassaeus had gathered , as well from the Treatise of Varro , as the practice of his time , which was , that all the Oracles brought out of Italy and Asia to Rome , were so carefully kept in the same place ; that none could have the sight thereof but the Commissioners particularly entrusted with the charge of them , he sayes , The Poëms of all these Sibyls are publish'd , and all easily met with , except those of the Cumaean , whose books are kept secret by the Romans , who permit them not to be seen by any but the Quindecimviri . For if ( as Pausanias assures us ) the Cumaeans themselves had not any Oracle of the Sibyl to produce , what production could be made thereof at Rome , if so any were desirous to do it ? If the books of all the Sibyls were equally sought for up and down , were all committed to the oversight of the same Guardians , who kept them lock'd up altogether in the same place , and all preach'd one only God , especially those of the Erythraean esteem'd the most famous and most noble among them , what reason or likelihood is there , they should not be as highly valu'd and priviledg'd as those of the Cumaean ? And if he cite Verses out of the Erythraean , with this particular remark thereupon , That she inserted her own reali name into her Poëm , and foretold that she was to be call'd Erythraea , though she were originally of Babylon , shewing , that he speaks of the pretended Authoress of that Rhapsody , which we have at this day ; how came it into his imagination , that the Heathens extraordinarily jealous of the secret of their Mysteries , would have been so careless of a piece , which they thought the noblest of all , and that was , in effect , so opposite to them , as that should it have fallen into the hands of the Christians , they must needs expect it would have been publish'd to their confusion ? But observe by the way , that he speaks of the Quindecimviri ; for that between the year of Rome , 671. wherein the Capitol was burnt , and the 675. in which Sylla laid down the Dictatorship , fifteen men had been appointed to keep that collection which the Senate and People of Rome , had made of the Oracles they had met with up and down , through the diligence of their Embassadors . For though since that time ( according to the observation of Servius ) the number of these Guardians was augmented to fourty , there was●…o alteration , either as to their former Title , or their Function ; nay ( after the coming of Christian Princes to the Empire ) the fall of Paganisme , the cessation of the priviledges of its Ministers , the prohibition of sacrifices and the desolation of Temples , had not abolished either the Sibylline books , transferr'd by Augustus to the Temple of Apollo Palatinus , nor yet the ancient regulation made for the custody thereof among the In●idels , who ( notwithstanding the loss of their credit ) abated nothing of their courage in maintaining their inveterate customes . Ammianus Marcellinus relates , that in the year of our Lord , 363. The Sibylline books were consulted at Rome , by the command of Julian , and that the twentieth of March , in the night time , Apronianus being Praefect , the Temple of Apollo Palatinus was set on fire in the eternall City , where ( had it not been for the assistances of all sorts of people ) the greatness of the flames had consum'd the Cumaean Poëms . In like manner , from the Itinerary of Rutilius , Claudius Numatianus , it appears that they had been preserv'd even to the year of our Lord , 389. since that , that Author , who writ in the year of Rome , 1199 , or the 416. of our Lord , objects to Stilico , kill'd by the command of Honorius , on the three and twentieth of August , 408. that he had not onely committed his rapines against Rome , by the arms of the Goths , but that he had before burnt the Destinies of the Sibylline assistance , as not presuming to fasten that execution on Honorius , who had commanded it out of revenge , for that the Idolaters had forg'd , I know not what Greek Verses , as if they had been communicated by the Divine Oracle , to some person that consulted it , wherein they made Christ really innocent ; as to the Religion they abhorred , as of a sacriledge ; but that Peter had by Magick founded the worship of the Name of Christ for 365 years , and that at the expiration of that number of years , there should be no more heard of it . But certain it is , that the Emperour justly incensed at the impudence of a rascally sort of people , that durst presume to bark at the Dignity of the Religion he profess'd , and terminate the continuance thereof to 365. years , expiring under his fourth Consulship with Eutychianus , in the year of our Lord , 398. issu'd out his commands the year following , that the Sibylline books ( whence the pretended Prophesie had been taken ) should be burnt , and the Temples demolish'd . The year following , ( saith St. Augustin ) Manlius Theodorus being Consul , the time being already come , wherein ( according to that Oracle of evil spirits , or humane fiction ) there should have been no longer any profession of Christian Religion , &c. in the most eminent and known City of Africk , namely , Carthage , Gaudentius and Jovius , Governours under the Emperour Honorius , did upon the ninteenth of March , cause to be pulled down the Temples of the false gods , and their Images to be broken . Prosper Africanus confirms the same thing , though he attributes that command to Theodosius , who dy'd at Millain , the seventeenth of January , 395. and the Edicts of the nine and twentieth of January directed to Macrobius , Praefect of Spain , of the thirteenth of July to Eutychianus Praefect of the Praetorium in the East , and of the twentieth , and twenty ninth of August , to Apollodorus , Proconsul of Africk , do yet satisfie the world of it . But however the case stands , it matters not ; while the Sibylline books were in the custody of the Heathens , and they possessors of the Empire , the provision made on that behalf , was , that they should never be consulted without express command from the Senate ; the sight and reading thereof was absolutely forbidden all , but the Quindecimviri ; and all the places whence they had been gotten depending on the Roman Monarchy , must necessarily have been oblig'd , to the same Law. Whence it came , that , as nothing more sharpens the edge of curiosity , then the rigour of prohibitions , and that the dis-satisfaction men conceive at their being incapable to exercise it openly , makes them beyond all reason daring ; so were they not a few , who endeavour'd to sift the secret out of the Quindecimviri , or made their brags that they had learn'd part thereof of themselves . Nay , sometimes it came to that heighth , that the State became engag'd in the distractions occasion'd by that superstitious passion . Of that nature was what happen'd in the 710. year of Rome , when ( to gratifie Caesar , and compell the Senate to honour him with the royall Diadem ) those who were the Guardians of the Oracles , scatter'd abroad of themselves this false report , that ( according to the saying of the Sibyl ) the Parthians could not be destroy'd , nor the Common-wealth be secure from their arms but by a King ; which no doubt had been put to the triall of experience , had it not been for the murther committed in the person of Caesar the fifteenth of March the same year , which was the four and and fourtieth before our Saviour . Twenty years after , under the Consulship of the two Lentulus's , Augustus gave command to the Priests , to copy out with their own hands , those of the Sibylline Verses which time had defac'd , to the end that no other should read them . And to the same effect , Suetonius relates , that after he had taken upon him the charge of the High-priesthood , of the Divinatory Writings , as well Greek as Latine , he burnt above two thousand books brought together from all parts , and divulg'd , either without Authors , or under the names of Authors not much to be credited , and reserv'd onely the Sibylline , and that after tryall made thereof , he lock'd them up in two golden Drawers , under the basis of Apollo Palatinus : To which relates also that saying of Horace , Lib. 1. Epist . 3. — Et tangere vitet Scripta Palatinus quaetunque recepit Apollo . So that it was then in vain to look for them any more in the Capitol , or for any to pretend a more familiar acquaintance with them then before . Under the Consulship of Silanus and Norbanus , in the year of Rome , 771. which was the ninteenth after the Incarnation , according to our accompt now , and the fifth of Tiberius , a certain Oracle , which agreed not with the time of the City , put the people into no small disturbances : for it said , that , three times three hundred years being come and gone , an intestine sedition , and a kind of Sibaritick madness would prove the destruction of the Romans . But Tiberius found much falt with that Verse , as guilty of imposture , caused a review to be made of all the books which contain'd any prediction , rejected some , as being of no worth or credit , and retain'd others . And in the eighteenth year of his Empire , which was the 785. of Rome , and the two and thirtieth of our Lord , under the Consulship of Domitius and Camillus , it was propounded in the Senate by Quintilianus , Tribune of the people , concerning the Sibyls book , which Caninius ▪ Gallus , one of the Quindecimviri , had requested might be receiv'd among other books of the same Prophetess , and demanded it might be so established by Decree of the Senate . Which being uanimously granted , Caesar sent Letters , somewhat reprehending the Tribune , as ignorant of the old custom by reason of his youth , and upbraided Gallus , that having grown old in knowledge , and the Ceremonies , he had nevertheless demanded the opinion of the Senators , it being uncertain who was the Author thereof ; and before the Colledge had yielded their judgement ; neither , as the custom was , the Verses having been read , and taken into consideration by the Masters . He further represented what abundance of vain things were published under so celebrious a name ; that Augustus had , under a certain penalty , set down ▪ a day , within which such books should be brought to the Praetor of the City ; and that it was not lawfull for any to have them in their private possession . That the same thing had been decreed by their Ancestors ; that after the burning of the Capitol , during the time of the civil war , their Verses were sought at Samos , Ilium , and Erythrae , through Africk also , Sicily , and the Colonies of Italy , ( whether there were one Sibyl or many ) and a charge was given to the Priests to distinguish the true Prophesies from the false , as near as might be by the judgement of man ; so the book was referr'd to the examination of the Quindecimviri . To be short , two and thirty years after , viz. in the year of Rome , 817. which was the 64. of our Lord , and the tenth of Nero , under the Consulship of Bassus and Crassus , the City having been set on fire on the ninteenth of July , the fire could not be stopped , till it had devour'd the Palace , and Nero's house , and all about it . And though ( as Tacitus observes ) recourse was then made to the books of the Sibyl , yet the whole Quarter , where they had been disposed by Augustus , being destroy'd by the fire , it is very probable they were in no less hazard then they had been six and fourty years before , when the Capitol was burnt , as it was again afterwards in the year of Rome 822. in the month of December . CHAP. X. The Motives which he might have gone upon , who was the first Projector of the eight books , which at this day go under the name of the Sibylline . AFter so many irreconcileable differences , making it undeniably apparent , that the ancient Heathens never had any thing which might be rely'd on as certain , concerning their Sibyls ; after the conflagration of the books sold by one of them to Tarquin , and the severall accidents , which since the time of Sylla , happened to that confused collection which the superstition of the Romans had glean'd together from all quarters of the world ; after the Senate had in the first place interposed their judgement on all that had been sent to them ; and that Augustus had 65. years after , smothered to the number of two thousand books , such as were thought either supposititious , or of little consequence , and exercised his censure on the rest ; after that Tiberius had , two severall times , taken into a re-examination the sentence of Augustus , to cull out as superfluous what he had any quarrell at ; and the fire , if not devour'd or prejudic'd , at least come very near what had , after so many disquisitions and retrivals , been preserv'd ; who , I say , all these things considered , can think it strange , that Posterity should , from time to time , have been guilty of a presumption of furnishing the Romans with some new piece of that kind , though it were done meerly by reason of their being the more inquisitive after Writings of that nature , by how much they both were , and were oblig'd ( by their own provisions , and orders to that purpose ) to be ignorant of what they contain'd ; and consequently , that they should deferr the publishing thereof , till after the death of Adrian , at which time , supposititious pieces of that kind had free toleration even among the Pagans , 74. years after the conflagration of Mount Palatine under Nero , and 69. after the desolation of the Capitol under Vitellius and Vespasian ? And to give a check to the Authority of the Heathenish Prophetesses , and confirm this common principle of both the Jews and the Fathers , that , the most ancient monuments of Idolatry , were later then the Writings of Moses ; and to raise a greater reverence thereof in the Christians , who were not acquainted with any thing at so great a distance from their own times , they brought upon the stage Noah's daughter-in-law , who liv'd eight Ages before ; and much about the same time that the Gnosticks ( who called his wife Noria ) made it their brag , among the Christians , that they had some of her Writings , out of a design , to corrupt the simplicity of the Church , by a supposititious piece , pretending to so great Antiquity , the Millenaries , and some counterfeit Christians , scatter'd up and down certain spurious Oracles and Predictions , under the name of one of his sons wives , especially among the Gentiles , imagining ( not without some likelihood ) that the curiosity of those blinded wretches would open a gap for the cheat , and dazle their understandings into admiration , and that the Christians overjoy'd to find therein the condemnation of idolatry , the preaching of one only God , the prediction of the Incarnation of the Word , the redemption of mankind by the blood of the Cross , the generall resurrection , and the last judgement , would the more easily swallow down the venome of the imposture craftily instill'd among so many truths , and would be rather inclin'd to set up this new Engine to pull down errour , then to discover the mischievous intent of him who had invented it . Nay , further , to gain it entertainment ( such as had sometime the Trojan Horse ) with greater pomp , and to perswade people the more effectually , that among all nations of all Ages , there rose up witnesses equally authentick and creditable to maintain the same truth , there were spead abroad ( under the title of Hermes , or Mercurius Trismegistus , whom Diodorus affirms to have been Secretary to Osiris , or Mitsraim , the son of Cham ) certain Greek books of Paemander , and Asclepius , whereof the latter hath imposed upon good St. Augustine , and Prosper Africanus , and suborn'd a counterfeit Hystaspes , who , in the very heart of Persia , must be a maintainer of the truth in the Greek Tongue ; and in fine ( to raise up things to the greatest heighth of impudence ) deriv'd from the name and recommendation of the Apostle St Paul , a certain reputation to such old wives tales , whereto , as to this particular , Clemens Alexandrinus hath ( as we have already observ'd ) given but too too much credit . For he , giving absolute credit thereto , hath ( as well as some others of the Fathers ) made no difficulty at all to object them , ( nay , with a certain ostentation ) to the Heathen , who knew not what they spoke to them of . Nay , so far was the rigorous observance of the Ancient provision made on that behalf , ( which reserv'd the reading of those Propheticall Books only to the Quindecimviri , and allow'd it not to them , but in case of extraordinary necessity ) from raising ( as it should have done ) a jealousie in the Christians , that those Writings , which came not to the knowledge of any but the Guardians thereof , to whose custody they were committed , had no relation to , or any thing common with the pieces put into their hands ; or that imagination from prevailing so far with them , as to weaken the resolution they had taken to make their advantages thereof , that , on the contrary , it hath extremely fortified it , every one being apt to believe , that the very remorse of conscience , and the shame it was to see Idolatry condemn'd by the Sibyls , had occasioned the prohibition of reading those Oracles ; and consequently , that there was some ground to press the unbelievers with these earnest and stinging reproaches . You indeed have them [ the Writings of the Sibyls ] in your possession , but conceal them out of an aversion to the truth which they discover ; You prohibit the reading thereof , because they speak what is contrary to your opinions . What is come to our hands of them , is onely the extract of what there is among your Archivi , where the Originals are still to be found , to your conviction ; and yet you perversly deny it : or if they are not there , they have been out of a mischievous design suppressd . And as on the one side the retrenchments made at severall times by your chief Priests and Emperors , of such things as they were not pleased with , are to be look'd on as an effect of diabolicall rage against the worship of the true God ; so may it be thought , on the other , that those accidentall fires , which have consum'd your evidences , proceeded from the train of an infernall malice , to the prejudice of the Religion we propose to you . But since it hath pleased the divine Providence , out of its excessive indulgence towards you , to rescue out of so many horrid ruines brought about by the implacable enemy of mankind , and opposer of your salvation , some small remainders of your ancient treasures , be not so irreclaimable against the cordiall remonstrances of those who kindly invite you to joyn with them in a consideration of their divine beauty , and such as you have so much the less reason to be jealous of , in that they press you purely upon the credit of Copies extracted our of your own Originals , of familiar arguments drawn out of your breasts , and your own domestick witnesses , whose depositions and testimonies ( being much more valuable then the antiquity of all your devotions , and all your gods ) deserve you should , without any further contradiction , afford them the submission due thereto in point of honour and soveraign Authority . CHAP. XI . A Discovery of the mistakes of Constantine the Emperour , concerning the Sibyl and her Writings . ALl these being imagin'd with abundance of ingenuity , and spoken with a more then ordinary measure of confidence , was enough to shew , that those , who gave entertainment to such conceptions , and express'd them with so much freedom , spoke consonantly to their perswasion , and without any indirect design . But if the violent prejudice which pre-possess'd their minds , were , on the one side , somewhat extraordinary , the insolence of the cheat which occasion'd it was most unworthy , and their simplicity so much the more to be bemoan'd , by how much it had been the more miserably over-reach'd and besotted with an imagination , that the counterfeit money , which was put into their hands to disperse , had been current amongst the ancient Heathens . But above all , the first Christian Emperour , Constantine , was so far pre-possess'd with this opinion , that that great Monarch , ( now 1330. years since ) would needs undertake to maintain it in the face of the Church , and grounded his proof thereof on certain considerations , which so much heightned his piety , and the excellence of his great parts , that ( if ever the Imperiall Diadem might have serv'd for a mask to disguise Truth ) we were all oblig'd to entertain Her , put into that dress by so noble a hand : but since her dignity never had any dependance on the authority of men , and that Constantine had no other design then to make her more glorious , and not to gain any reputation to himself , by misrepresenting Her , and enslaving Her to falshood , it will be no presumption in us ( to the end she may appear in Her own true light ) to take notice of his inadvertencies who hath misapprehended Her. The first mistake we observe in him , is , where he sayes , That the Erythraean Sibyl ( whom with Pausanias he places at Delphi , and , with Diodorus , calls Daphne ) had written of her self , that she had liv'd in the sixth race after the Deluge . For besides that the daughter of Tiresias ( taken by the Epigoni at Thebes , about 1212. years before our Saviour's time , above eleven hundred years after the Deluge , and consequently in the twelfth Age , or thirty sixth race after it ) could not have said with any truth , that she was of the sixth , it is clear as any thing can be , that the Emperour had misunderstood the words by him attributed to her ; since that , having formally distinguished that part of mankind which preceded the Deluge , into five races , and laid it down , as acknowledg'd , That the last was that wherein the Gyants flourished , she expresly began the sixth , which he calls , The first , and golden Age , upon the disburthening of the Ark , wherein she , with a strange impudence , affirm'd , that she had been kept in one and fourty days , a thing which never either came , or could come into the imagination of Daphne . The second is , when , after he had said , That on a certain time , the Sibyl , fill'd with a divine inspiration , utter'd the 33. Verses , which make up the Acrostick of these words : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , he adds , It is manifest that Cicero , having read this Poem , translated it into the Language of the Romans , and inserted it into his Works , and that he was kill'd while Anthony had the supreme power of the Empire in his hands , and that Augustus ( who reign'd 56. years ) came after Anthony , and that Tiberius succeeded Augustus , in whose time was the coming of the Saviour into the World , and the mysterie of the most holy Religion came into reputation . For not to take much notice , that the Acrostick of the pretended Sibyl , such as we find it in the eighth Book of her Writings , consists of four and thirty Verses , among which Constantine hath left out this : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which is the ninth , and ( according to the translation of the ancient Interpreter in Saint Augustine , and Prosper ) rendered thus : Exuret terras ignis , pontumque polumque . whence it follows , that the spurious Sibyl had writen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as hath been notoriously discovered by the Author , of the Traduction copied by Saint Augustine , wherein the Latine Acrostick runs in this order of the Letters , Jesues Qreistos , &c. Nay , further , to pass by ( as what 's generally acknowledg'd , that Anthony was the contriver of Cicero's death ; that Augustus reign'd 56. years afterward , or thereabouts , and that Tiberius succeeded him ; and not to urge , that though the most remarkable accidents of the reign of Tiberius were the Baptisme and Passion of our Saviour , yet his coming into the World cannot be properly attributed to that time , since he took flesh of the blessed Virgin , in the fourty second year of Augustus's government , and consequently , that he was going out of the fifteenth year of his age , when the same Augustus departed this life : Now , I say , to make any advantage of all this , I answer , that it is not onely not manifest , either from the reading , or the version , nor yet from the record pretended to be made thereof by Cicero , that any such thing was , but that ( what is directly contrary ) it is evident , from the very ground whence it might be imagin'd , that Constantine deriv'd his opinion , that is to say , from the second Book of Divination ( written by Cicero , between the fifteenth of March , in the year of Rome , 710. wherein Julius Caesar was murther'd in the Senate , and the seventh of December , in the year 711. in which he was himself put to death by the command of Anthony , ) that he neither did , nor could have done what is pretended . The first reason is , for that he maintains in generall terms , that there is no Divination by inspiration , such as it is supposed , was that of the Sibyls . What authority ( saith he ) is there in that fury , which you call Divine , which is such , as that a person distracted , seeth what a wise man sees not , and that he who is at a loss of humane abilities , should have acquir'd divine ? Secondly , for that he particularly observes , that the Author of the Verses which were kept at Rome , under the title of the Sibylline , was so far from doing what he did , by vertue of any inspiration , that it was the effect of a jugling and crafty invention , out of a design to cheat . We take notice , saith he , of these Verses of the Sibyl , which it is reported fell from her in a fury , out of which it was thought not long since [ that is to say , in the year 710 ] that the Interpreter [ Cotta ] would tell the Senate things that were not true , according to the common report of men , to wit , that if we would be safe , [ from the Parthians ] we must call him King , who in effect was our King. If this he in the Books , what man , what time does it particularly design ? For , finally , he who hath composed these things , hath so done his work , as that ( whatsoever should happen ) it might seem to be foretold , the determinate observation of men and times being taken away . He hath also put on a vayl of obscurity , that the same Verses might seem applyable , one while to one thing ; another , to another . But that the Poem is not the work of a person in fury , on the one side , the Poem it self declares it ; for it is rather the effect of Art and diligence , then of transportation and extasie ; and on the other , the Acrostick , as they call it , when there may some connexion be made of the first Letters of the Verse , as in some of Ennius's Poems ; this certainly is the work rather of an attentive mind then of a distracted . Thirdly , in as much as he concludes that that the Poëms , committed , in Rome , to the custody of the Quindecimviri , tended rather to impiety , then the establishment of Religion . Wherefore ( saith he ) Let the Sibyl be still secret and sequestred from us , that ( as it hath been ordered by our Ancestors ) the books be not read without the permission of the Senate , as contributing more to the putting off religious worships , then submission thereto . Let us treat with the Priests , that they would draw any thing out of them rather then a King , which neither gods nor men will ever hereafter suffer in Rome . This he spoke in relation to the design of Cotta and his Colleagues , to have Caesar proclaim'd King , the poor man not in the least imagining that he was himself upon the threshold of his greatest misfortune , for having through an almost fatall inconsiderateness , contributed to the translation of the Royall power , which Caesar had been possess'd of , into the hands as well of a remote descendant [ Augustus ] of that Prince , as of Anthony his most inexorable enemy . And thence it may be deduc'd : 1. That he had not ( though Augur ) read the Sibylline books , in as much as he expresses himself in these terms , If that be in the books ; and with greater reason , that he had not been the Interpreter of them , nor inserted into his Works any pieces thereof . 2. That though they had been absolutely at his disposal , yet would he not have taken the trouble upon him , either to transcribe ought out of them , or give any interpretation thereof , since he did not acknowledge there was any thing Divine in them , but onely artifice , mixt with imposture and impiety . 3. That it is not possible he should account the Sibyl ( whatever she might be ) a Prophetess , in as much as he deny'd there either were , or could be any Prophets ; it being not imaginable in an understanding man , and a Philosopher , that after he had laid down this universall negative Proposition , No person was ever seiz'd by Divine fury , he would betray so much forgetfulness , as to maintain the contradictory affirmative , Some person ( to wit , the Sibyl ) hath been seiz'd by a Divine fury . 3. That what he observes of the Acrostick and the Poëm which was full of ambiguity and artifice , signifies , that it was ( in his judgement ) an attempt of subtil knavery , and not the effect of any Divine inspiration . CHAP. XII . The sentiment of Cicero concerning the Acrostick attributed to the Sibyl , further clear'd up . BUt I proceed further , and say , That though it were granted , that Cicero could have been perswaded that the Pieces kept at Rome in the custody of the Quindecimviri , were Divine , yet would he never have made that judgement , either of the eight Books now extant among us , nor yet of the thirty three Verses taken by Constantine out of the eighth . He would not have made it of the whole body of the eight books ; for all the Sibylline Oracles were ( as being not much unlike the Centuries of Nostradamus ) little fragments of Poetry writ down one after another , but distinguish'd as well in regard of the form as subject , and disposed by way of Acrosticks . Whence it is , that Dionysius Halicarnassaeus , writing under Augustus , and some few years after the death of Cicero , sayes , that The Verses attributed to the Sibyl , are discover'd by the Acrosticks ; And Cicero himself , who had spoken of an Acrostick in the singular number , shews that the artifice of it was common to all the Poëms that went under the name of the Sibylline . In the Sibylline books ( saith he ) of the first verse of every sentence , is made the beginning of the contexture of all the Poëm , by the first Letters of that sentence ; this is the work of a person that writes , not of one in a fury ; of a man that does things with circumspection , not of one that is extravagant . So that it might be saïd of these Pieces , that there was in them not a simple , but a double artifice , as wherein the first verse was written , as it were , in the frontispeece , and down along sideways , making the begining of the Poem , and containing , in order , the first letters of every of the following verses . Of that kind was that forc'd Preface which Athelme , Bishop of Sarisbery writ , about the year , 705. and put at the begining of this Poem , Of the praise of Virgins ; the first verse , which was , Metrica tyrones nunc promant carmina castos , contains an Acrostick of all the rest of the work , so that as the first Letter , that is , M , begins the whole body of the Preface ; the second E , is the first Letter of the second verse ; the third , which is T , of the third ; and so of the rest . And hence it is apparent , that , though the Acrostick of thirty three , or thirty four verses , copied by Constantine , as also by St. Augustine , had been truly Sibylline , the rest of the eight books , according to the presupposition of Cicero and Dionysius Halicarnassaeus , could not be the like ; since that there is not any Tract of an Acrostick elsewhere . But that those thirty three verses , whereof the Capitall letters make up the name of our Saviour , neither have been , nor could be such as the ancient Christians believ'd them , is further apparent from this , that the first verse contains not the Acrostick of all that follows , and does not any way express the artifice : of the Sibylline verses , observ'd by Cicero . Whence it must necessarily follow ; First , that the person , who was the Author , as well of this part of the eighth book , as of all the rest of both that and the other books , which many upon such triviall grounds , would have us entertain for Divine Oracles , had onely heard so much of the Acrostick mention'd by Cicero , as that he never understood it . Secondly , that it may with much more reason be believ'd , that he never had any sight or knowledge of the Sibylline books celebrated by the ancient Heathens . Thirdly , that Constantine the Great , and those Fathers who were later then Justine Martyr , as Tertullian , and Optatus , dazled with the false lustre of an imposture , which carried some appearance of piety , were deceiv'd ; not onely when they receive'd , with open arms , for Divine and Propheticall , what was not such ; but also when ( critically endeavouring to find something of mystery in it , and striving to go beyond the Acrostick , which they so much , though without any just cause , admir'd ) they shuffled together the capitall Letters of these five Greek words , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to raise out of them the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a Fish , and to gather thence , that our Saviour is the onely Fish of Salvation , and that the Christians are Pisciculi , the little fishes , whom he nourishes and enlivens in the Fish-pond of his Baptisme . For though it be most certain , that Baptisme is the washing of regeneration , and that our Lord and Saviour ( who was the Author and consecrator thereof ) is the Fountain of our spirituall life ; yet was the ground whence they thought to derive this truth , most false . Nor do I make this remark out of any design to cast a blemish on those holy persons , who made their advantage of it ( for who is not subject to be surpized ? ) but out of compassion , to see their plain dealing , and want of caution , so unworthily play'd upon , and their piety so insolently abused by a sort of persons , who ( without any shame or conscience ) have presum'd to lodge their own fantasticall imaginations in the most honourable places of Gods Sanctuary , one while as Propheticall Oracles , pronounc'd immediately after the Deluge ; another , as Apostolicall Predications , added some 2400. years after , to confirm and raise them into greater veneration . CHAP. XIII . The sentiment of Virgil in his fourth Eclogue examin'd and clear'd up and , that it hath no relation to the Writing pretendedly Sibylline , which was composed a long time after , made apparent . HAving made the best advange he could of this Certificate of Cicero's on the behalf of the Sibyl , the Emperor Constantine produces that of Virgil , to the same purpose , the gravity of which second Witness deserves a more particular examination of what is alledged by him . I take no notice of the conceit which the Prince , who produces his testistimony , had , when he thought that this verse , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , whereby he would express the Latine , Jam nova progenies coelo demittitur alto , is out of some other place of the Bucolicks then that which begins Sicelides musae ; for though it be indeed out of that very Eclogue , and clearly discovers that Constantine either had not read it exactly , or had it onely upon the report of some other , I shall not , I say , make any advantage of this mistake of little consequence , but intreat the Reader to remember , that whether he be pleased to reflect on the occasion of the Poem , or on the whole contexture of it , he shall not find any thing in it , which does not favour of Paganisme , and accordingly is so much the further from Divine , or may shew , that the Author had his thoughts fixt on any Oracle which might set his fancy on work . In the year of Rome , 713. which was the third of the Triumvirate , and the one and fourtieth before our Saviour , under the Consulship of , L. Antonius , and P. Servilius , Augustus , victorious over Cassius and Brutus whom he had defeated the Summer before , to recompence his old Soldiers , bestow'd on them the Lands beyond the * Po , so that the Inhabitants of Cremona and Mantua were cruelly treated , and Virgil , then in the twenty ninth year of his age , had been put to great extremities ( his estate being fallen to the share of Claudius , a Veterane , or Arius a Centurion , who coming to take possession thereof had put him into some danger of his life ) had it not been for the support of Asinius Pollio , Alfenus Varus , and Cornelius Gallus , who procur'd his indemnity . And as ( to represent the misery of the poor Mantuans ) he had introduc'd Melibaeus crying out : Shall ever I again my old aboad , &c. Shall th'impious Soldier have these new-plow'd Fields ? And Moeris , complaining that the new-comers said to the antient Inhabitants , Depart , and that Mantua had been too neer to sad Cremona , and said elsewhere , That unhappy Mantua had lost her fields ; which Martial , in imitation of him , alluding to , writes , that Tityrus had lost his Lands neer wretched Cremona : So , to express his gratitude , he call'd Augustus the god who had been the Author of his quiet ; and speaking of himself , sayes , that he had seen at Rome , — That gallant * youth , for whom Twice six dayes annually his altars fume . And that he answering first his suit , said , Shepherds , feed your cattel as before , and let your Oxen plow : and celebrated Pollio , by his third and fourth Eclogues , Varus by the sixth and ninth ; and Gallus by the tenth , besides , that he had fill'd the fourth of his Georgicks with the praises of the last ; But , ( to comply with the humour of Augustus , who forc'd him fourteen years after , to kill himselfe , as guilty of some attempt against his life ) he transform'd all into the Fable of Aristeus . In the year of Rome , 714. which was the fourth of the reign of Augustus , the first of Herod's , and the fourtieth before our Saviours coming , Pollio being raised to the Consulship , with Domitius Calvinus , and his wife brought to bed of a son , Virgil thought himself obliged to take occasion , upon these two honourable and pleasing accidents , to break forth into praises ( I am loth to say flatteries ) and vows for Augustus , for Pollio , and for his child . Thence is it that he says in his fourth Eclogue , that there was then coming on a new age , and a golden race of mankind beginning with the Consulship of Pollio , and the Nativity of Saloninus his son , that , in Pollio's happy reign , all nations should be freed from fear of the Iron age , if any Track of it remain , Apollo , that is , Augustus , already reigning who shall live the life of the gods , and be mixt with them , that is , converse familiarly with them and the Heroes , and shall rule the World by his mighty Father's power , Julius Caesar . That the little Saloninus shall be surrounded with such happiness , that the earth shall no longer bear any pernitious plant , nor Serpents , but produce Assyrian Roses , and play-games for his Infancy . That during his youth , Harvests and Vintages shall come without trouble , and honey from the Oak distill , though as yet there must be setting out of Ships , fortifying of Cities , War and Tillage . But when he shall have attain'd the age of a perfect man , there shall be no longer any commerce by Sea or Land , no Agriculture , or Mechanicks ; forasmuch as all places shall bring forth all things . And thereupon , desiring Augustus , burthen'd with the weight of the Worlds government , to accept the honours due to him , he wishes himself a long life to describe his atchievements . Now , what is there in all this , not suitable to a Heathen ? Or , what is there that makes the least discovery of any Divine revelation ? Nay , indeed , what is more remarkable all along , then that there is not any thing which speaks not the person wholly Idolatrous , as one , whose imagination cannot raise it self to ought more excellent then the fabulous state of the world under Saturne , but withall , promising himself ( according to the Platonick principle ) the restauration of it , in the revolution of the great Months of the long year , which that Philosopher imagin'd to himself should come , and mingling the frivolous hope of that feign'd prosperity with the invocations of the fals Deities , so far as to cry out ; O chast Lucina , aid the blessed birth , &c. The Fates conspiring with eternall doome , Said to their Spindles , Let such ages come ? Accordingly , could not the good Emperour Constantine give any Christian interpretation to his Verses , without making them speak otherwise then they do in themselves ; For , whereas Virgil had said , Tu modo nascenti puero quo ferrea primum Desinet , ac toto surget gens aurea mundo , Casta fave Lucina : tuus jam regnat Apollo . Téque adeo decus hoc aevi , te consule inibit Pollio ; & incipient magni procedere menses . Te duce , siqua manent sceleris vestigia nostri Irrita perpetuâ solvent formidine terras . O chast Lucina , aid the blessed birth , Who shall from Ir'n extract a golden Age , And to thy Phoebus all the world engage . Thou child being Consul , Pollio shall that year Be most renown'd , then glorious dayes appear . If any print of antient crimes remain , Thou shalt efface them in thy happy reign ; And from perpetuall fear all nations free . He makes him say , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Who would ever imagine ( without notice given him aforehand ) that those four Greek Verses were brought to express the seven Latine ones of Virgil ; or that any one should thence take occasion to discourse of the Adoration due to Christ , and the reconciliation of the World to God through his blood ? Since they attribute that to the child newly born , which the Poet had expresly said of the Consul Pollio ; * they turn the prayer he made to Lucina , to be favourable to the little Saloninus , into a command directed to the Moon , to adore the Saviour of the World ; and referr to the spiritual tranquillity of mens Consciences , effected by the remission of sins , what he had hinted at concerning the establishment of temporal peace , by a restauration of the government of Saturn , succeeding , under Augustus , * the crimes of the Iron-Age , which was ( according to his supposition ) to give place to the Golden-Age , coming in under the Consulship of Apollo . Nor that onely , but they must also omit the clauses , which made mention both of that Consulship , and the reign of Apollo , by which name the Poet had meant Augustus ; and the more probably , not onely for that the Heathens ( as * Macrobius observe ) referr'd all the gods , whom they thought below the heaven , to the Sun , or Apollo : but also by reason of the particular devotion which Augustus had for Apollo , to whom ( not many years after ) he dedicated a magnificent Temple in the Mount Palatine ; and that in his secret Debauches ( as for instance , in his Banquet , sirnam'd Of the twelve gods ) he had represented Apo●… and that with the greater Analogie , in regard of his being the great King among men , as the Sun amongst the Starrs , and was then in the prime of his age , being four and twenty years old ; as the Sun , who never growing old , looks always with the same countenance . According therefore to his first mis-representation , Constantine imagin'd that Virgil had , by the multitude of new men , meant the Christian Church . But it is clear , that his imagination ran onely upon that race , which he supposed was ( under the Consulship of Pollio ) to begin the Golden-Age , after the expiration of that of Iron . From thence the Emperour comes to make this Remark , What can there be more manifest ? for he adds , The Oracle of the Cumaean Prophecy is come to its period , clearly signifying the Cumaean Sibyl . And I acknowledge , that Virgil ( speaking of the coming of the last Age of the Cumaean Prophecy ) reflected on that of the Cumaean Sibyl : but I affirm withall ; First , That to alledge any such thing , is manifest to shoot wide from the Mark , and not to say any thing pertinent to the Discourse , which had preceeded , that is to say , that Cicero had copied out , and translated the Acrostick attributed to the Erythraean Sibyl . Erythraea , and Cumae , are they the same thing ? And to persuade people , that those , who had spoken of the Inhabitress of one of those two places , are at no difference with the Authours , who maintain the other , was it not necessary to make it appear before-hand , that she made her residence in both successively ? Secondly , I say , that ( this supposition being allow'd ) it would not follow from the words of Virgil , that he had , or could have read the Sibylline Prophecy , since he was neither Patrician , nor Quindecem-vir ( to whose Colledge that priviledge was reserv'd ) nay , indeed , not of a competent age to be entertain'd into that Society , which consisted onely of antient men ; and not of young men , such as Virgil then was , as being about the thirtieth year of his Age. Thirdly , That , though he had been one of the Quindecem-viri , yet can it not be granted , he could have any knowledg of those Cumaean Oracles , which had been brought to Tarquin ; for they were destroyed fourty three years before , in the time of Sylla : & those , which Rome was possessed of in the time of Cicero and Augustus , were ( according to the observation of Dionysius Halicarnassaeus ) certain Collections , gotten out of a thousand several places , and went under the name of the Cumaean , improperly onely , in as much as they were disposed into the place of the real Cumaean ones . Fourthly , That , though it were granted , that the true Cumaean Writings ( which had nothing common with those reputed such at this day ) had been preserv'd entire , and that Virgil had been of the number of those , to whom the reading thereof was allow'd : yet had he ( according to what is suppos'd ) discover'd therein any thing of Prediction concerning the Saviour of the World , he would not ( as he hath done ) . wholly have adapted the Sence of the Oracle to Pollio and his Son , and principally to Augustus , not onely in that place , but also above sixteen years after , in the sixth Book of the Aeneids , where he introduces Anchises , saying to his Son Aeneas , of the Prince * so highly qualified in the ●…ucoliks ; and called — Heav'nly race , great progeny of Jove , &c. There , there 's the Prince oft promis'd us before , Divine Augustus Caesar , who once more Shall Golden days bring to th' Ausonian Land , I' th Kingdoms where old Saturn did command . All therefore , that can be with any reason gather'd from the allegation , which he hath in a word made of the Cumaean Prophecy , is , that being carry'd away ( as well as others of his time ) with the common perswasion , that the Oracles , which were kept at Rome , in the place of the Cumaean , and , upon that occasion , went under their name , contained the Fate as well of that City , which pretended to Eternity , as of the Universe ; and consequently were to regulate both , till the return of the great Platonical year , which should reinstate the world in the felicity of the Age of Saturn ; and accordingly , to flatter the growing power of Augustus , and to heighten with extravagant hopes the Ambition of Pollio , one of his greatest Benefactours , and most intimate Friends : he seems to have held it , as a thing most manifest , that that Age , crown'd with peace and glory , would be restored under the Monarchy of Augustus , and take its Commencement from the Consulship of Pollio . The Emperour , prosecuting his design , saies , Virgil is not satisfied with this , but pressing farther , there being a necessity of his Testimony , what hath he more to say ? This sacred Order of Ages is rais'd for us , the Virgin comes , the second time conducting the desirable King. Who then shall be the returning Virgin ; but she , who is full of , and hath conceived by the Divine Spirit ? And who hinders , but that the Virgin , who hath conceived , and is full of the Divine Spirit , still is , and continues a Virgin ? He will also come the second time , and upon his coming will comfort the Universe . To this I answer ; First , That there is a great distance between the Greek and the Latine , which ( as it were particularly , to point at the great Revolution of the Platonick-Year , and the Restauration of the Saturnian Age , and to discard all other speculations ) spoke thus much , — Now Time's great order's born again , The Maid returns , and the Saturnian reign ; So that ( to render it exactly ) it should have been written , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Secondly , That , though the perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Mother of our Lord and Saviour , and the Conception of that great Saviour by the Holy Spirit , and his happy return at the last Judgment , ought to be acknowledg'd by all the World : yet doth it not thence follow ; that Virgil had any knowledg thereof , and much less , that he spoke ought of it . Besides , that in rigour it cannot be said of the Blessed Virgin-Mother ; that she return'd into the World , when she Conceiv'd our Saviour : so as that , having been before upon Earth , she had been absent from it ; to the end , she might return thither again in the fulness of time ; or haply , that , having been brought forth once before , she was snatch'd out of it , and then return'd again into the World by a second Production : and consequently , That , which way soever it be taken , this Imagination will still have a savour of Origenism , if not some thing worse . To conclude therefore : since it is impossible , without great Inconveniences , to adapt to the sacred Virgin this Discourse of Virgil ; who neither did , nor could have thought of her : there will arise a ●ecessity to acknowledg , that the Phantasie of this poor blinded Prophet amounted to no more , then that the Kingdom of Saturn being to be restor'd , the celebrated Virgin of the Heathens ( that is , Urania , or Astraea ) would return . Of whom Ovid , and Juvenal , had written ; That , at the Commencement of the Iron-Age , the Virgin Astraea , the last of the Celestial Deities , had relinquished the Earth , flowing with Blood. So that , in the pretended Prophecy of Virgil , there is no other Virgin to be sought ; but a Astarte , or Hastoreth , and Astaroth , and Atargatis , that famous Goddess of the Sidonians , which b Salomon ador'd in his old age : which the c antient Idolaters of Israel , and d Apuleius , and e Varro , and the f Romanes in general called the Queen of Heaven : which Philo Biblianus , in ( g ) Eusebius , affirms ( taking it from Sanchoniathon of Berytus ) to have been the daughter of Uranus , Sister to Rhea and Dione , and one of the Wives of Cronus or Saturn , her Brother by the Father's side . For to lier it is , that he particularly gives the Title of Virgin. h Tertullian calls her the Celestial Virgin , who promiseth rain ; i St. Augustine , the Celestial Virgin worshipped by the Carthaginians ; k Apuleius ( an African also , and a most superstitious Adorer of this imaginary Deity ) the Virgin , which sumptuous Carthage serves , who riding on a Lion ascended to Heaven : upon which account it is , that in the antient Medals of Severus , and Caracalla , she is represented riding on a Lion. And l Lucian , who proposes her under the name of the Goddess Tyria , or Juno of Hierapolis , says , ( in two several places ) that Lions carry her ; which is affirm'd also by m Macrobius . CHAP. XIV . Remarks of some less Considerable Mistakes of the Emperour Constantine , in the Explication of Virgil's fourth Eclogue . THe Observations , which we have made of these Principal Mistakes of the plain-dealing Emperour Constantine , were enough , to take off the Credit of what other Conjectures he may have made upon the Poem of Virgil : yet , to make his Misapprehensions the more apparent , I shall not think much to add these further Remarks . He says , in the first place , " That the Poet had written ; That Altars were to be erected , the Temples to be adorn'd , and Sacrifices to be offered to the new-born childe : but there is not a Syllable to this purpose in all the Eclogue . Then he is deceiv'd again ; when he conceives it is of the same new-born childe , that the Poet said ; He shall lead the life of the incorruptible God : for , besides that the Latine hath it , Ille Deûm vitam accipiet , The life of the Gods ; it is most evident , that the words of these Verses , and the two next ensuing , were by the Authour applied to Augustus : under whom had happened the Birth he so much celebrated . As to these insinuating Expressions , The Flocks shall not be afraid of the great Lions ; The Serpent shall be crush'd , and the noisome Plant destroy'd ; Assyrian Amomum grews every where ; upon occasion whereof the Emperour observes , that , The Faith shall not be daunted at the greatness of Royal Courts ; that , The Serpent , and Death , are overcome by Jesus Christ ; that , The Church shall spread it self from Syria all the world over : I so acknowledg the undeniable Truths of those Remarks ; as , while I admit them , to affirm withall , that they have not been rationally deduced . For Virgil , having no more in his fancy , then to promise the Reign of Augustus the felicity of that of Saturn , makes a Description of the Advantages thereof , suitable to the imagination , which the Heathens had of the first Race of men , and their Lives : so , as they are represented by a Ovid , when he says ; * The yet-free Earth did , of her own accord , ( Untorn with Ploughs ) all sorts of Fruit afford . — Warm Zephirus sweetly blew On smiling Flowers ; which without setting grew . Forthwith the Earth Corn , unmanured , bears ; And every year renews her golden Ears . With Milk and Nectar were the Rivers fill'd ; And Hony from green Holly-Oaks distill'd . Add to this ; That , from the Analogie , and resemblance , there may be between the Descriptions of Heathen Poets , and those we finde in the Scripture , ( where we read , that , under the Reign of the Messias , b There shall be a handfull of Corn sown upon the Top of the Mountains ; the Fruit whereof shall shake like Lebanon , and the People of the Cities shall flourish like Grass of the Earth ; and , c The Wolf also shall dwell with the Lamb ; and the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid ; and the Calf , and the young Lion , and the Fatling together ; and a little childe shall lead them : And the Cow , and the Bear shall feed ; their young ones shall lie down together : and the Lion shall eat straw like the Ox : And the sucking childe shall play on the hole of the Asp , and the weaned childe shall put his hand on the Cockatrice's den ; they shall not hurt , nor destroy : ) there is not any ground to conclude ; That the Idolatrous Writers had any sentiment of the future ; and , That they themselves , or their Sibyls , were Divinely-inspir'd : because there seems to be a consonancy , as to the Words and Sense , between them and the Prophets . For , besides that the Bible was Translated into Greek , two hundred and nine years before the Birth of Virgil , the Writings of the Prophets had not been , even before , absolutely kept from the knowledg of the Gentiles . Nay , it being supposed , that , having had some acquaintance with the Prophetical Oracles , they might have adapted the words thereof to the Description of their Mythological Golden Age under the Reign of Saturn ; and apply'd to things pass'd what the Spirit of God denounc'd as to come : there were not any inconvenience at all ; provided it be remembred , that these People have not pronounc'd the Sentences of Celestial Predictions otherwise , then as Parrats , without meaning , or aiming at , any thing thereby ; but to heighten their particular Fancies with something , that were strange and borrow'd . Thus it is more then probable , that Virgil , for example , ( it being granted , he had seen somewhat of the Prophecy of Esay in the Greek ) having no other design , then in Hyperbolical Terms to express his wishes for the Prosperity of Augustus's Reign , and the Felicity of his Friend Pollio , had no more in his Fancy , then the restauration of the Saturnian Age ; and accordingly makes a Description of it , not onely suitable to that of Ovid , in the first Book of his Metamorphoses ; where , to represent the Tranquillity of the first Inhabitants of the Earth , not interrupted by any trouble , and that , ( as yet ) there was no object of Fear , he says ; that it was not , till the coming in of the Iron - Age , that Poison began first to be mingled , War to be made , &c. and that , after the Deluge , the Earth first brought forth Monsters , and among others , Python ; whose Serpentine Figure was unknown to the new Race of People : but also in a manner the very same , with what he makes himself elswhere ; viz. in the first of his Georgicks , speaking of Jupiter ; Before Jove's time , &c. All common was , and , of her own accord , The Earth full plenty freely did afford . He to soul Serpents deadly Poison gave , Commanded Wolves to prey , and Seas to rave , Robb'd leaves of Hony , Fire conceal'd , and Wine , Which ran before in Rivers , did consine : That various Arts by Study might be wrought Up to their height : — For , having the same Idaea in his mind , his desire was to make a Pastoral Representation of it ; speaking of the Security of the Flocks , and the cessation of the Production of Serpents , and venemous Plants : never minding , whether any such thing had been written by any other , upon some other account . All therefore he would have said amounts but to this ; that as ( according to the Opinion of his Time ) there had been neither Serpents , nor Poisons , nor hurtfull Creatures , nor War , under Saturn : so there should not be any of all these under Augustus : and , consequently , there is no more Mysterie in what he writes in his Fourth Eclogue ; that , Every where Assyrian Roses grow , — And the unpruned Thorn Shall dangling Grapes with purple Clusters fill : then when he said , in the Third , Such Joys as thine , who loves thee , Pollio , share ; For him flows Hony , Shrubs Amomum bear . For no body needs be told , that the fertility of Briers and Thorns in bearing Roses and Grapes is much alike , and that there were no less Miracle in one then in the other . As to what Constantine adds , That the Poet , having exclaim'd against the War , and Towers , or Fortresses , hath describ'd the Saviour engaging in the War of Troy , and that , in his Eclogue , Troy signifies the world ; I cannot but so much the more pity , the more apparent it is , that he considered not the whole discourse , on which his speculation is grounded . For first , Virgil does not exclaim onely at War and Fortifications of places , but also at Navigation and Agriculture , things most innocent , not to say necessary , if not to the being , at least to the convenience of mens being in the world . 2 He speaks not of the War of Troy , otherwise then by way of example , as he had proposed in matter of Navigation , the expedition of the Argonauts , and alledged those two facts , as two illustrious Arguments of that great Revolution , which he supposed must have followed that of the Platonical year , and began under the Monarchy of Augustus . 3 If by War of Troy he had meant the conquest of the World by our Saviour , he would certainly have excepted it out of the number of those ( wars ) which , in his judgement , deserved to be exclaimed at : and if he was unwilling ( which he could not have denyed without crime ) to celebrate it with its due praises , he would not have presumed to accuse , and put it into the rank of things condemnable . But having detested all Navigation and Wars absolutely , he ( to confine himself to some known fact ) alledges the voyage of Tiphys and the Argonauts to Colchos , and the going of Achilles to the Trojan wars : who yet was not General in the Grecian Expedition , but went under the command of Agamemnon , and did not conquer Troy , but died before the taking of it . Whence it is manifest , he could not be any way taken for a Type of our Saviour , who was not under the charge of any other Chief , but hath onely been known by the Title of a Captain of the host of the Lord ; nor ever made use of any Army for the Conquest of the world , but hath effected it b by himself ; nor c came into the world to judge and destroy the world ( as Achilles went to Troy to lay it desolate , but to save it , and to d reconcile it to God by his blood . So Virgil says , that the equipping of Fleets for Sea , and the undertaking of Wars would be discoveries of the ancient fraud ; that another Tiphys should undertake the Conduct of another Argo ; and , that the great Achilles should be once more sent to Troy ; to shew , that he was far from approving any thing of War : and particularly , that he accounted not the Designs of Tiphys and Achilles among the commendable ; but among the criminal Enterprises of the Iron-Age of old . So that those , who think , that ( under the Coverture of these borrowed Names ) his Design was to speak of the spiritual War between the Saviour of the World and the Devil , imagining by that means to make him a Prophet of his Victory , make him a Blasphemer of his Majesty ; from which he must notoriously derogate , by making a parallel between the glory of his admirable Combat , and the remainders of the antient Fraud . He had represented the Felicity of Augustus's Reign so great ; that all parts of the Earth should bear all kinds of Fruits , and that there would be no farther use of Cultivation . Upon which Constantine , ( who should have remembred , that this Fiction was onely a Pastoral Hyperbole , grounded on the antient Mythologie of the Saturnian-Age , wresting those Words to his own advantage , asked , Whether any one , in his Wits , could imagine this of the Race of men , and of a childe born of a man ; What reason there was that the Earth should be without sowing and labouring , and the Vine should not feel the Pruning-hook , and be exempted from other husbandry ; How it could be conceived , that that was said of humane Race , that Nature , who is subservient to the Ordinance of God , should be the Executress of the command of man : inferring from all this , that the joy of the Elements , described by the Poet , signified the descent of a God , not the conception of some man. I answer , that Nature indeed does not properly ow Obedience to any word , but that of its Authour ; that in effect the Earth , since the Fall of man , never was , nor ever will be , without need of Cultivation ; and that no body either could , or can imagine , that it hath , or ought to be in that condition , without renouncing his Reason . But I think it withall as true , that it is no less an Errour to deny ; that the Heathens were guilty of such an Imagination , as believing , and peremptorily writing , that to the first Race of men , under the Golden-Age , all things happened according to their Wishes , without any trouble , and that the same Happiness would infallibly return : and it having been the particular Supposition of Virgil ; that it would happen , not onely under Augustus , but for his sake , it were a strange course , to cure the extravagance of his Imagination , which was in effect absurd and groundless , to bring it into question ( contrary to the plain matter of Fact ) whether he ever had any such , and thereupon convert his Discourse into Allegories , which he never dream'd of . Virgil , concluding his Poem , had said , speaking to Pollio's little Son , Begin , sweet Babe , with Smiles thy Mother know , Who ten long Months did with thy burthen go : Sweet Babe , begin ; whose Smiles ne'r Parents blest ; No Goddess grants him Bed , no God a Feast . Which words , as they had a formal relation to the Heathenish Opinion ; that the Sun , and Moon ( together with Love , and Necessity ) are the two principal Deities , which preside at the Birth of men : so they shew'd , that Pollio's Wife , who had been very much indisposed during her Pregnancy , should , after her Delivery , make her self known to her childe by her joy ; that that Joy was , as it were , the Earnest of the child's Blessing ; as it were a signification of Misfortune to him , if his Parents were not joyfull at his Birth . But the Emperour , transforming the Discourse of Virgil according to his own way , makes him say , Begin , laughing , and lifting up thy sight , to know thy Mother , who should be dear to thee : for she hath carried thee in her womb many years : thy Parents have not smiled on thee at all , thou hast not been put in a Couch , nor had splendid Banquet . Whereupon he adds , by way of Comment upon it , How have not the Parents smiled on this childe ? Certainly , it was because he , who begot him , is a certain Power , that hath no Qualities ; nor can be figured by the delineation of other things ; nor hath a humane body . Now , who knows not , that , being a holy Spirit , it can have no experience of Coitions ? And what inclination , and desire , can be imagined in the disposition of that good , with a greediness whereof all things are inflamed ? Or what compliance is there between Wisdom and Pleasure ? But let these things be said onely by those , who introduce , I know not what , humane generation of God , and endeavour not to cleanse their minds of every bad Word , and Work. What a small matter needs there to divert men from the Truth ; since the pure Imagination of a Mystery , where there is not any , is able to do it . Certain it is , that , as God the Father hath neither Qualities , nor Figure , nor Body , nor Passions , nor Desires ; so the eternal Generation of his Word hath nothing common with that of men . But nothing of all this coming to the knowledg of Virgil , and his words neither expressing , nor capable of expressing it ; ( since the Greek , properly speaking , is a corruption of the Latine , ) which tended to no other end , then to promise Happiness to Pollio's young Son : to what purpose have some thought to Philosophize , as they have done ? For there had been no occasion given , had they not altered the Sense , by supposing ( as many have done ) that Pollio's little childe had laughed assoon as he was born ; and that , upon that extraordinary Laughter , the whole Prediction of his Happiness had been grounded ; and imagining , that Virgil had said of the child's Laughter what he meant of the Mother's ; as also that she had born him several years ; and that , he was not descended of Parents , subject to , either any inclination to Laughter , or the natural necessity of Sleep and Rest . For should that Great man have returned to Earth again , he might with reason have said to Constantine , what St. Augustine said since to Julian the Pelagian ; Restore me my Words , and thy dreaming Imaginations will vanish . CHAP. XV. That it cannot be said , That Virgil , in his Fourth Eclogue , disguised his own Sentiment . THe same thing may also be said of the same Emperour 's supposing ; that the Poet spake Figuratively , and disguised the Truth , out of a fear , that any of the Potentates of the Royal City should charge him with writing against the Laws of his Country , and dcrogating from what had sometime been the sentiment of his Ancestours concerning the Gods ; and , that he wished the prolongation of his own life , to see the coming of our Saviour . For , as it happened ( about three hundred years since ) that the Poet Dante , mov'd by an Admiration of that incomparable Wit , would needs deliver him out of his Hell ; in like manner , the good opinion Constantine had conceived of him , hath made him read in his Poem , what indeed is not in it , out of such an Imagination , as those have , who , looking up to the Clouds , think they see such and such Figures therein . And thence comes it , that he hath spoken so much to his advantage ; though without any ground , either in Truth it self , or indeed , in the very outward Dress of his Work , which was not done according to the certain Pattern of any antient Oracle of the Sibyls , nor yet to the eight Books now extant among us , and which were writ above one hundred fourscore and six years after the Consulship of Pollio ; but was design'd , onely to express the desire , which Virgil had to comply with Augustus , and Pollio , and to insinuate more and more into their Favour . Whereupon I conclude ; That the antient Paganism ( what Opinion soever Constantine , and others , may have had to the contrary ) hath not given any Testimony , either in favour of these pretended Sibylline Oracles , which openly oppose Idolatry ; or yet to confirm the perswasion , which the Fathers have had thereof . CHAP. XVI . That Apollodorus had no knowledg of the Eight Books , called the Sibylline . FOr to think ( with the generality of modern Christians ) that Apollodorus , the Erythraean , had seen the Third Book ; because ( as a Lactantius observes from Varro ) he had affirmed of the Erythraean Sibyl ; That she was of his City ; and that , she had Prophecied to the Greeks , going to Ilium , that Troy should be destroyed ; and , that Homer should write Lies : is a manifest abuse . The Words we read to this purpose , are these ; b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Troy , I compassionate thy Miseries : A c fair Erinnys shall from Sparta rise ; Which Europe , and the Asian Realms will vex , But thee , 'bove all , with many Woes perplex ; Her self much crown'd with Fame , that never dies . An d Aged Man , Authour of many Lies , Shall flourish next , of unknown Country , blind His Eyes ; but of a clear , quick-sighted Mind . He his conceptions into Verse shall frame , And what he writes , stile with e a double Name ; Profess himself a Chian , and declare Th' Affairs of Ilium , not as they were , Yet clear , both in my Words and Verse ; for he The first , that looks into my Works , shall be . This , I say , is a manifest Mistake . For First , It is no hard matter to imagine , that the Impostour , who composed the Eight Books of the Sibyls , and had impudently taken upon him the name of Wife to Noah ' s Son , two hundred years after the Death of Varro ; who died , according to Eusebius , in the seven hundred twenty and sixth year of Rome , f might at his ease , and long enough before , have read what he had alledged out of Apollodorus , who was more antient , whether in his Latine , or in the Greek Text of Apollodorus ; and that he could do no less , for his own Reputation , then produce , as a probable Argument of his pretended Antiquity , what he had found in him . Secondly , For that Apollodorus , who attests of the Erythraean Sibyl ; that she was born in his City , and acknowledged a Native thereof , whether by common Report , or upon the Credit of her Writings , could not have said any such thing of our Counterfeit Sibyl ; who says she came from Babylon , and was Noah's Daughter-in-law , and formally denyes , that she was by Country an Erythraean , and charges the Greeks with Imposture , for presuming to derive her thence . A manifest Argument ; that Apollodorus could not ground his pretension on her contradictory Testimony : but that the Counterfeit Sibyl , having seen ( as being later by many Ages ) what he had written , took occasion to oppose it , as incompatible with his Fiction . Thirdly , For that she quarrels with the Greeks ; for having said , of her , things , which not any one in particular could be convinced to have affirmed : to wit , That she was the Daughter of Circe , and , by Father , of Gnostus ; for all those among the Antients , who have left any thing behind them , have made the Erythraean Sibyl , the Daughter of Jupiter , or of Apollo and Lamia , or of Aristocrates and Hydole , or of Crinagoras , or , in fine , of the Shepherd Theodorus and the Nymph Idea ; and not any one , of Circe : besides , that indeed they could not have done it without Absurdity . For , how could it have come into their minds , to make her born at Erythrae , a City of Asia ; if they had thought her the Daughter of Circe , by Nation an Italian , born , and dwelling near Rome , upon the Mount called , to this day , by her name , Monte Circello ? I pass by ( as of less Consequence ) the Stupidity of that pretended Prophetess , who ( to put a slur on the reputation of Homer ) betrayed her own Ignorance ; saying , That Homer should write not truly , but clearly , of Ilium ; because he should see her Works . For , who will say , they are things incompatible , To say the Truth , and , To speak clearly ? Are they , who speak Truth , necessarily obliged to conceal themselves ; and Liers , to discover themselves ? Or , can it be said , that the Consequence is good , He hath my Verses ; therefore , He shall not speak the Truth : unless it be presupposed , that those Verses are full of Untruths , and teach him , that hath them , to Lie ? But the Books , pretended to be writ by the Sibyls ( though they have for these fourteen hundred years , and still do , dazle the eyes of many ) swarm with such Impertinences . CHAP. XVII . That Pausanias hath not written any thing , which may give credit to the Books , mis-named the Sibylline . NOr is there any more reason , we should take the Discourse of a Pausanias , who says , The Isle of the Rhodians hath been much shaken ; so that the Oracle of the Sibyl , which had been given concerning Rhodes , is come to pass , for any confirmation of what the pretended Sibyl had writ in two several places , b The greatest unhappiness , that may be , shall happen to the Rhodians . For he speaks of the Earth-quake , which happened in that Isle , almost two Ages before , under Augustus ; soon after which Tiberius had in a manner raised it again , through his c continual Residence therein , from the year of Rome 748. to the year 755. ( upon which account it is , that the Epigram of Antiphilus calls him its Restorer ; ) and the pretended Sibyl d threatens it with a Ruin , to come at the end of the World ; when Rome , having accomplished its Period , nine hundred fourty and eight years , shall be so destroyed by Nero , returned from Persia , that it shall become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that is to say , a street , Delos shall be no more , and Samos be turned into an Heap of Sand. Which may serve to justifie the mistake of Tertullian ; who , thrusting into his Book De Pallio these last words , dis-joynted from the Precedent and Consequent , applies them to that Desolation of those Isles , which reached to his Time ; saying , Of the Isles , Delos no longer is ; Samos is become Sand ; and the Sibyl is no Lier : whereas he should necessarily have concluded ; That she had lyed , in referring to the end of the World , and of Rome , what had happened long before ; as also , that all the eight Books , in three whereof the Mis-fortune of that Isle was recapitulated in the same Terms , were ( contrary to the Opinion , since embraced by Lactantius ) the Draught of one and the same hand . CHAP. XVIII . That the Prohibition , made to read the Books , called the Sibylline , and that of Hystaspes , adds no Authority thereto . THere is yet less ground to rely on the Words of a Justine Martyr , writing to the Emperours ; Through the working of Evil Spirits , is it come , that it is forbidden , upon pain of Death , to read the Books of Hystaspes , ●…he Sibyl , or the Prophets ; that so those , who read them , might , by fear , be diverted from taking cognizance of good things : for we not onely read them without any fear ; but also ( as you see ) we recommend them to your inspection , knowing they would be acceptable to you all . Yet , if we perswade but a little , we gain much ; for that , as good Labourers , we shall receive a reward from the Master . For though we may ( with some likelyhood conjecture , that the Antient Prohibition , to read the Prophetical Books , was much more strictly observed , after the discovery of the forged Pieces of Hystaspes , and the Sibyl , among the Heathens ; and that they had a particular aversion for those , who gave credit thereto : Yet is there not found in their Books any Law to that purpose ; nor does it appear , that they made it much their business to prevent the reading of those Writings , which they , justly , esteemed Supposititious , and such , as had never been among their Archivi ; nor yet that they decreed any Punishment to be inflicted on the Readers , and Admirers , of the Prophets of Israel : since the exercise of the Jewish Religion had been always tolerated in the Empire , and the Synagogues were continued every where . And , if the liberty of such , as were inclined to Judaism , was less , after the tumult of Barchochebas , and the whole Nation more hated : yet did not that Hatred occasion the interdiction of the Prophetical Books ; but onely the Banishment of the natural Jews out of Palestine , and some addition to their Taxes . And , as Justine neither says , nor could have said , That the Prohibition , made to read the Fatidick Books in the Empire , was more particularly levelled against the Christians , then others ; since it was so general , that it comprehended all Nations under the Romane Jurisdiction , without distinction or exception ; and that it is manifest , it was done upon occasion of the Books laid up first in the Capitol , and afterwards under the Base of Apollo Palatinus : So was there not any ground to imagine , that it proceeded from the suggestion of Devils rather , then from a deep Political Prudence ; which very rationally apprehended , that these Oracles , for which the Common People , though they knew them not , had so great an esteem , upon this very account , that they introduced Novelties into the antient Superstition , and ( if I may so express it ) clad it in a new Dress , notoriously derogated from the Customes , derived from Father to Son , were likely to fill mens minds with fruitless Curiosities , and ( as Cicero says ) Valebant ad deponendas Religiones . As for the Supposititious Pieces of Hystaspes , and the Sibyl ; which , under pretence of teaching the Worship of one God , and recommending unto men the Mysteries of Christian Religion , filled it with false Opinions , and raised upon some sound Foundations a mud-wall of Chimeras : the Heathens justly laughed at them . Every one ( whatever Justine Martyr , and many others , imitating him , might think ) was obliged to believe it an Artifice of the Devil , suggesting it into the minds of some besotted Zealots , to lie , that the Truth might be believed , and ( according to the Observation of Saint Paul ) b do evil , that good might come of it . And a compliance with so unworthy an Imposture , and the confidence to produce it ( as Justine , and others , out of simplicity , did , ) should not have satisfied any , that would have advised , ever so little , with Reason . For St. Justine himself , minding things more calmly , might easily have perceived ; First , That he mistook , as well the Prohibition , made by the Romanes , to read the Fatidick Books , as the Motive of it . Secondly , That he was as much to blame , in applying it to the Oracles , lately forged . Thirdly , That the Heathens never had them in their possession , nor knew of them . Which makes me wonder ; how it hath been , or can be possible , for any Christian to entertain a perswasion ; that the sight of such adulterate Pieces should contribute to the advancement of true Piety : when the account of their Extraction is as flat , and impudent ; as if some Jew , having lately forged VVritings , full of criminal Accusations against the Saviour of the World , should maintain to the very faces of the Christians , That he found them in the New Testament ; That the Apostles were the Authors thereof ; and , That the Church ( having always had them in her custody ) hath concealed them , out of very shame for the Imposture of him , whom she adores . But as , to prevail any thing with the Jews , the way were not , to press them with Apocryphal Revelations of unknown Prophets , feigned to have been of their Nation ▪ for that such an Imposture would be so far from convincing them , that it would exasperate them against the Authours of it ; And again , as , for the pulling down of Mahumetism , it were no Prudence to bring in ( as from Mahomet ) a new Alcoran , directly opposite to his Cheat : So was there not any probable reason , for any to promise themselves , from the supposititiousness of the Books of Hystaspes , and the Sibyl , any other of the Heathens , then a more inveterate detestation of Christianity ; some Professours thereof being engaged in so wicked a Design , and that with so strange and incredible confidence , against them . Accordingly , was it not God's pleasure , that any good should be the effect of such an Imposture ; for it filled men ( not provided against such Surprises ) with erroneous Prejudications , and brought into repute , among the first Christians , the extravagant Imagination of the Millenaries , and filled their minds with vain and sottish Conceptions of the World to come . CHAP. XIX . That the Letter , written by L. Domitius Aurelianus to the Senate , gives no Credit to the Sibylline Writings . NOr can we , lastly , derive any recommendation of the eight Books of these false Oracles , which have been preserved even to our Times , from the Letter , which the Emperour Aurelian , engaged in the Marcomannick War , writ to the Senate , in the year of Christ , two hundred and seventy one ; saying , a I cannot but wonder , ( Holy Fathers ) you have been so long time in doubt , whether the Books of the Sibyls should be opened ; as if you were to treat in some Christian Church , and not in the Temple of all the gods . For , though Cardinal b Baronius ( who writes Valerian for Aurelian ) infers thence ; That it was not safe for the Christians , to read , and search into the Sibylline Books : as if that Prohibition , which had been made five hundred and fourscore years before our Saviour , had concerned them more , then others ; and that the Church had ever had an inclination to look into such Ordures : Yet is it most certain , that Aurelian meant not the eight Books we now have against Idolatry ; but those , which the Quindecem-viri had in their Custody , under the Base of Apollo Palatinus , in favour of Idolatry ; and that there is a thousand times more reason , to conclude from his Letter , what c M. Petavius , the Jesuit , hath very well observed , to wit , That the Christians had an horrour for the reading of such prophane Books in their Churches , where they permitted not the reading even of the Apocryphal Books , excluded out of the Canon of the Bible ; as the Councel of d Laodicea hath since expresly decreed The Emperour says then , That the Delay of the Senate had been excusable in an Assembly of Christians ; who could not have touched Books that taught Idolatry , but with an extreme remorse , and would have thought it an intolerable pollution of the Purity of the Church to introduce those execrable Monuments into it : but , that there should no such scruple arise in the minds of an Assembly , consisting of persons , wholly devoted to the Worship of the gods , and met together in their common Temple . Accordingly Cardinal Baronius , as it were , came to himself , and to perswade us , that no good could be expected from the Sibylline Oracles , acknowledges , e That the Heathenish Priests , being greater Enemies then all others , under a feigned pretence of Religion , bad out of them taken occasion to raise the Persecution against the Christians . Which they could not have done , had they expresly taught matters of Piety . And certainly this is remarkable , let there be as much search , as may be , made in what Histories relate of the Consultations , which Rome from time to time held about them , it will be found ; that she never had any recourse thereto , but the Consequence was some new Abomination . For , if the Dispute was of Sacrificing , after some extraordinary manner , to the Infernal gods , and instituting Solemn Games to them ; if about sending for the Mother of the gods from Pessinus in Phrygia , and Aesculapius from Epidaurus , which is now Ragusa ; or about Sacrificing a Gaul of either Sex , to appease the Devils , under the Names of Jupiter , Juno , Cybele , Saturn , Apollo , Venus , Ceres , Bacchus , &c. the Orders for it were taken out of them . f See Varro , ( De Lingua Latina , lib. 5. De Re Rustica , lib. 1. cap. 1. ) Cicero , ( Epist . Famil . lib. 1. 7. & Verrina ult . ) Livy , ( Decad. 1. lib. 3 , 4 , 7 , 10. Decad. 3. lib. 1 , 2 , 5 , 9. Decad. 4. lib. 1 , 5 , 7 , 10. Decad. 5. lib. 1 , 2 , 3 , 5. ) the Epitome of Florus , ( Decad. 3. lib. 2 , 9. Decad. 4. lib. 1. Decad. 6. lib. 9. ) Dionysius Halicarnassaeus , ( lib. 1 , 3 , 10. ) Tacitus , ( Annal. 15. ) Solinus , ( cap. 7. ) Valerius Maximus , ( lib. 1. cap. 1 , 9. ) Plutarch , ( in Poplicola , Fabio Maximo , Mario , &c. and his Book , entituled , De iis , qui tardè à Numine corripiuntur , ) Pausanias , ( Phocaic . lib. 10. ) Capitolinus , ( in Gordiano Juniore ) Trebellius Pollio , ( in Gallienis ) Vopiscus , ( in Aureliano & Floriano ) Sextus Aurelius Victor , ( in Claudio ) Ammianus Marcellinus , ( lib. 22 , 23. ) Macrobius , ( Saturnal . lib. 1. cap. 17. ) Servius , ( upon Aeneid . 6. ) Zosimus , ( lib. 2. ) & Procopius , ( Gotthic . lib. 1. ) CHAP. XX. Other Remarks of Forgery , tending to shew the Supposititiousness of the Sibyilline Writing so called . SOme of the Fathers , as Clemens Alexandrinus , who , in the first of his Books , entituled , Stromata , transcribes these three Verses of an Idolatrous Sibyl ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Ye , Delphians , who Apollo's Servants are , To you great Jove's mind I 'me come to declare , Being with my Brother Phoebus much incens'd . And a Lactantius , who acknowledges , that , after consultation with the Sibylline Oracles , the Romanes beset themselves to appease Ceres , sending Ambassadours to Enna , and had made search in Asia for the Mother of the Gods ; and St. Augustine , b who takes notice of the Transportation of Aesculapius : might well ( had they lai'd Prejudice aside ) have concluded ; That the Poems , out of which they drew Proofs against Idolatry , though for no other reason , then that they were directly opposite to the Oracles , consulted by the Romanes , could not be of the same Vein with those antient Sibyls ; which had been , for so many Ages , the Admiration of the Heathen , and the proper ground of their Superstition . For how should it come to pass , that the same Mouth should , at the same time , breath Life , and Death ? They had also another very clear Proof ; to wit , That not any thing of all , that is related by the Heathen , as from the Sibyls , is , either as to the Substance , or in express Terms , in the eight Books of the pretended Daughter-in-law of Noah . For where shall we finde , in all that simple Rhapsody , the least Track of what c Cicero , and d Dionysius Halicarnassaeus , and ( e ) Livy , and f Suetonius , and g Solinus , and h Plutarch , and i Pausanias , and k Dion , and l Ammianus Marcellinus , and Zosimus , and Procopius , and ( if you will ) m Lucian , and Eustathius ( upon the Description of the Universe , written by Dionysius the African , ) cite for Sibylline ? And Saint Augustine , who had observed in his Book Of Grammar , that there were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , Three mischievous K. designed in the Sibylline Books ; where could he have found them in these ? Nay , they should have thought it a violent presumption of their Supposititiousness ; that not one of the Heathens ever cited , I will not say , one Verse , or one Hemistick , but the least conceit , taken out of these Books . For if ( as is presupposed ) the Romanes had had them in their Custody with the rest ; could they have always forborn to make some Mention , or give some Account of them ? But , to make it appear , that the Christians had not any knowledge of the Pieces , which were in the Custody of the Quindecem-viri ; and , that the Heathens had never admitted any thing , of what the Christians opposed thereto , as taken out of their Bosoms : excepting onely those three Verses , which we just now Transcribed out of Clemens Alexandrinus , ( Strom. 1. ) the three ensuing , cited by n Theophilus Arch-Bishop of Antioch , against the Generation of the Gods according to the Heathen ; If they should engender , and continue immortal , there would be more Gods generated , then men , and there would be no place left for Mortals , where they might subsist : these two others , of the same Vein , copied by Lactantius , o There will be Fire , and Darkness ; when he shall come in the midst of the black Night : and p Hear me , ye Mortàls , the eternal King reigns : and this Exclamation , in Prose , attributed to the Erythraean Sibyl by q Constantine the Great , Why ( Lord ) dost thou impose on me a necessity of Prophecying , and dost not reserve me rather , raised up on high from the Earth , till thy blessed coming ? I say , besides these four Shreds , there is not a Verse produced by the antient Christians , since Martyr's Time ; which may not be read , either word for word , or in Terms equivalent , in the body of those Eight Books attributed to the Daughter-in-law of Noah : which being mangled , and imperfect , in many places , nothing hinders ; but that the Allegations of Theophilus , and Lactantius , might be drawn out of them . Now , what the Fathers have not derived , but from this source , clearly proves they knew not any other , and that it was not opened to them by the Heathen ; who not onely drew not any thing out of it ; but cryed out against it ( assoon as ever it appeared ) by their Charges of Forgery put in against it : as is apparent by the Words of r Celsus , saying to the Christians ; You have with good reason proposed the Sibyl : but it is now in your own power to thrust in at randome , among the Pieces which are hers , many things , that are reproachfull : ( for this Discourse was an earnest Charge against the Christians , concerning the Suppositiousness of the Eight Books ; ) as also by s Constantine's own Observation , writing , upon occasion of the pretended Acrostick of the Erythraean Sibyl ; There are many , who believe not , that the Sibyl foretold things of our Saviour ; and acknowledging , that the Erythraean Sibyl was a Prophetess , have a jealousie , that some one of our Religion , not unfurnished with a Poetick Vein , is the Authour of those Poems : that they are adulterate ; but , nevertheless , called the Oracles of the Sibyl . Whereto t Origen's Answer gives no great satisfaction . He affirms , ( says he of Celsus ) that we have thrust in , among the Writings of the Sibyl , many things , and such , as are reproachfull ; and does shew , neither what we have thrust in ( which he might have done , if he could have shew'd Copies , more antient , and uncorrupt ; and such , as had not what he conceives to have been foisted in ) nor yet that those things are injurious , and reproachfull . For it was not Celsus's intention , to acknowledg , that the eight Books , out of which the Fathers had made Extracts , were legitimate ; and to quarrel onely at the insertion of some things , that were false : but to reproach the Christians , that they had shuffled together ( as much as lay in their power ) those eight Books , Pieces notoriously spurious , among the Writings of the Sibyl , which were pretended to be legitimate . Secondly , Origen's Reply , that , to prove the spuriousness of the things produced by the Christians , it was necessary , to shew Copies that were more antient , more correct , and such , as wherein those things were not , was no way to the purpose . For , first , The complaint of Celsus no less concerned the body of the eight Books ; then the Sentences , extracted out of them by the Christians . Secondly , His Negative was not , These eight Books are not perfect ; but , They are not Legitimate : and , taking them for Supposititious , and shuffled in ( among the Legitimate Works ) not long before , he thought not himself obliged to seek out ( what could never have been found ●…ntient Copies of an Imposture newly advanced . Thi●…y , To require a Pagan to produce antient Copies of the true Sibylline Writings , was to make a ridiculous , and uncivil request to him : since , first , There could not have been , through the whole Romane Empire , besides the Original , preserved under the Base of Apollo Palatinus ; but that onely Copy , which had been Transcribed by the High Priests , in the Time of Augustus . Secondly , For that it was not in any case permitted , that any private Person should read , or interpret it ; and that the Quindecem-viri themselves , whose particular Privilege it was , durst not attempt any such thing , without the express Order of the Senate . Whence it follows ; that the Heathens had good reason to Charge with Imposture the Pieces , produced by the Fathers , upon this account particularly ; That they saw them in their hands , and by them published : nor could the Christians justly press them to produce what none of them could come at , and was to continue locked up under the Key of a perpetual secret . But , all this notwithstanding , Origen's Answer was not necessary ; Celsus does not demonstrate , that the things which he conceives shuffled into the Works of the Sibyl are reproachfull , or detractive ; therefore they are not such . For , though the imputation of Heathenish Superstitions be not properly detraction ; but a most true , and most just , reproach of their Impiety : yet was it a Detraction , according to their Opinion , and to bring the Charge by a Sibyl ( that is , the Person , the most unfit to act such a part ) was to exercise a kind of Detraction , against her Memory , and to bear a false Testimony under her Name , very well deserving to be taken off by the general complaint of all the Unbelievers . Wherefore the Defence of Origen , against the Objection of Celsus , who ( as Contemporary with Justine Martyr , and Lucian , who dedicated his Pseudo-mantis to him ) had seen the breaking forth of the Imposture , being but an Elusion , and no more , Saint Augustine hath had a thousand times more reason , to leave it to the Adversaries of the Church , to acknowledge , or disclaim , at their own choice , the eight Books , pretended to be Sibylline ; saying , u Therefore , though they should not believe our Scriptures , their own ( which they read with blindness ) are fulfilled upon them ; unless it happen , that some may say , The Sibyl ' s Prophecies are but the Fictions of the Christians . And again ; x But what other Prophecies soever there pass concerning Christ , some may imagine forged by the Christians , and therefore there is no way so sure , to convince such , as are Strangers in this matter , and to confirm those of our own Profession ; as by citing the Prophecies , contained in the Jews Books . I would to God the Church's children had continued in these Terms , and so have cleared their hearts of the evil Ambition of having been the Authours of some Pious Frauds , and conceive an holy shame at their being employed in those , which Imposture had endeavoured to introduce into the House of God. For , though they had not thought it fit , to make any reflection on the Arguments I have brought against the spuriousness of the Sibylline Writings , they needed no more , then to have called to account those , that produced them , whence they had had them , taking them up sharply with the ensuing Demands , or the like ; How could these Sacred Privileges of the Empire , and Religion , come ●…o your hands ? By what Artifices could you ( you , who call your selves The Faithfull ) possess your selves of the Treasure , committed to the Custody of the Quindecem-viri , the sworn Enemies of your Faith ? How comes our Age to be so happy , as to have the advantage to discover , and make publike the Predictions , which had been concealed above six hundred and twelve years ? Especially , seeing the lateness of their Discovery , made after the Death of Adrian , the confident Publication of the highest secret of Paganism , and the contrariety of the Consequences , arising from its Publication , to all , that Antiquity had heard of it , for six Ages before , might have given them more , then a presumption of the Imposture , particularly to Justine Martyr , who writ his Apologie five years , or ten at most , after the Advancement of it . And here I can do no less , by the way , then advertise the Reader ; that he , who , after the year four hundred and six , took upon him , under the name of that Holy Doctour , to answer the Questions of the Greeks , seems to be mistaken , when , having writ , That y the end of this World is the Judgment of the Wicked by Fire , according to what is said in the Writings of the Prophets , and Apostles , he adds , As also of those of the Sibyl , according to what is said by the blessed Saint Clement , in the first Epistle to the Corinthians . For , first , The Epistle of Saint Clement ( which hath in some manner received a second life , fifteen years since , when England restored it to the Church of God ) says nothing of the Sibyl , and though there be a Leaf wanting at the end , yet is there not any likelyhood ; that , in that later part , which contained the Conclusion of all the precedent Discourse , woven up of Scriptures , the Holy Martyr should have recourse to the Authority of a strange Testimony , and draw out of a prophane Source . 2. The Allegation of the Sibyl's Words , concerning the Judgment by Fire , is in the Sixth Chapter of the fifth Book of the pretended Apostolical Constitutions : where the fourteen last Verses of the fourth Book of the Counterfeit Sibyl have been inserted , after the Texts of the Prophets , and Apostles ; as of Genesis , Chap. ii . 7. and Chap. iii. 14. Isaiah , Chap. xxvi . 19. Ezekiel , Chap. xxxvii . 13. Daniel , Chap. xii . 2. St. Matthew , Chap. iv . 23. St. Luke , Chap. xxi . 18. and St. John , Chap. v. 28. and xi . 43. so , that it is evident , that the Authour of the Answers to the Questions of the Greeks was extremely mistaken , negligently confounding the Constitutions , unjustly attributed to St. Clement , with his Epistle to the Corinthians . 3. If the recourse to the Testimony of the Sibyl really be in the said Epistle ; it would be an Argument of the corruption of that precious Jewel of Christian Antiquity , rather then a legitimate Confirmation of the Authority of the Books , pretended to be Sibylline , which we have demonstrated to have been forged after the Death of Adrian ; that is to say , thirty eight years after the Martyrdom of St. Clement , and sixty after his Banishment to Chersonesus . CHAP. XXI . That it cannot , with any likelihood of Truth , be maintained , That the Books , called the Sibylline , were written by Divine Inspiration . HAving ( according as the necessity of Reason , and Truth , required ) presupposed , that the eight Books , pretended to be Sibylline , are the Fiction of some bold , and busie Christian , who would needs have his own fantastick Imaginations pass for Oracles : This Question , Whether they were writ by Divine Inspiration , falls of it self to the ground . For , it would argue a total Eclipse of sense , and understanding , to think , that God , who is the source of Truth , would be the adviser of an Imposture , and to say he were Authour of it , no less , then stark madness ; since a there is no communion between the light of Wisdom and the darkness of Lying . Whereof the Result is , That the Sibyls ( from whose Oracles the Idolatrous Romanes always derived Encouragements of Impiety to heighten their Superstition ) neither were , nor could be , ( in that regard ) the communications of the Spirit of God ; to whose Glory , and Worship , those Divinations were directly opposite . So that I cannot conceive any thing , but an over-earnestness of Dispute , should force St. Hierome to make such ostentation of the Sibyls , and maintain , against Jovinian , b That They had , for their Livery , Virginity ; and that Divination had been the reward of their Virginity : for it is an horrid Reward , to be made the Instrument of the Devil , to publish his Lies , and to contribute to his Deceits . Nor can I see , how the greatest of Ills can be ranked among Goods , nor ( at hazard , to say something to the advantage of the Sibyls ) that any Advantage can be made of this improbable shift ; that they made any other Predictions , then these , which induced the Pagans into Errour ; and that , upon the account of them , and their Virginity , they have been thought worthy recommendation . Not , that I would deny ; but it had been as possible for God , to declare by those women the Secrets to come , as to make Balaam's Ass to c speak , or move Balaam himself to Prophecy the coming of the Messias one thousand , four hundred , ninety , and two years before it happened : especially , seeing St. d Augustine , expounding these words of Saint Paul , e Whom he had before promised by his Prophets , took , from the Prejudice he had conceived thereof , occasion to write ; That there have been Prophets , who were not of him ; in whom also we finde some things , which they have sang , as having heard them of Christ ; as it is said of the Sibyl . But I hope , he , and the other Fathers , will pardon me ; if I presume to answer : That they have grounded their Opinion on a broken Reed ; to wit , the Authority of the eight Books of the pretended Daughter-in-law of Noah . For , First , They have taken for very antient a Piece , that was very new , and adulterate . Secondly , Though it were as antient , as they thought ; yet could it not be Divine ; for this very reason , that it contains ( as hath been already observed ) abundance of Errours : which no man , unless lost to his Senses , will ever impute to Celestial Revelation . Thirdly , Though it were granted , that those Pieces are as free from Errours , as they are full of them , and that their Original is to be taken much higher , then the Birth of our Saviour , yet would Hilary , the Deacon , deny , that it necessarily followed thence , that they came from God. f The spirit of the world , ( saith he ) is that , which possesses persons subject to Enthusiasms ; who are without God : for it is the chiefest among the worldly Spirits . Whence it comes , that he is wont , by conjecture , to fore-tell the things which are of this World ; and it is he , who is called Python , or the Prophecying Spirit ; it is he , who is deceived , and deceives by things , that have a probability of Truth ; it is he , who spoke by the Sibyl , imitating ours , and desirous to be numbred among the Celestial . For my part , I freely confess , it were a very hard matter to maintain ; that the eight Books of the Sibyls , which copy out the best part of the History of the Gospel had been written before our Saviour's coming into the Flesh , and ●…at they were the Productions of some Python , or Prophecying Spirit : but it is evident , that Hilary , reflecting on the fond Imaginations , wherewith they are pestered , chose rather to think them the Work a Fanatick , then a Divine Person ; and in that , ( though contrary to the Opinion of many of the Fathers ) , he is much in the right . For , though we should lay the Spunge on all the marks of their Supposititiousness before alleged , yet could we not any way wipe out that Character , which the said Rhapsody hath ( with its own hands ) imprinted so deep in its forehead , that it is remarkable in the chiefest of those great men , who would acknowledg its authority , and oppose it to the Heathens . CHAP. XXII . The Sentiment of Aristotle concerning Enthusiasts taken into Consideration . ARistotle a had been of Opinion , That , the heat of Melancholy being near the place of Intelligence , many were taken with Frantick and Enthusiastical Diseases ; That thence came all the Sibyls , Bacchides , and inspired Persons , that is , when they became such , not through disease , but the temperament of nature ; and thereupon alleges , that , Maracus of Syracuse was a better Poet when he was besides himself ; discovering thereby , That ( according to his Sentiment ) to say of a woman , that she was a Sibyl , was to put her into the qualification of Hypochondriacks , and such , as are subject to black Choler . But the common Opinion of the Heathens was , that the Sibyls were seized by a supernatural power , and not warmed by a simple Ebullition of black Choler ; and that their being so seised made ( while it lasted ) so strong an impression upon their minds , that it deprived them of all Intelligence and Memory . Thus Heraclitus , in b Plutarch , affirms , that the Sibyl had with her frantick mouth said things , which are neither ridiculous , nor gaudy , nor adulterate . Virgil introduces Helenus , speaking to Aeneas of the Cumaean Sibyl ; Thou the enraged Prophetess shalt see ; And elswhere , making a Description of her Transports , he uses these express terms : This said , her colour straight did change , her face And flowing Tresses lost their former grace ; A growing passion swels her troubled breast , And fury her distracted soul possest . And a little after , When she , not able to endure the load Of such a pow'r , strives to shake off the God , The more she chaf'd , the more he curbs her in ; Tames her wilde breast , and calms her swelling spleen . And again , — Then Phoebus slakes His curbing reins , and from her bosom takes His cruel Spurs , granting a little rest : Soon as her Fit , and high Distraction ceas'd . Lucan's Description is much to the same purpose ; and Claudian , in imitation of them , calls the Place of the Cumaean Sibyl The Porch of the enraged Sibyl . — But this Description , which naturally expresses the violent possession of an evil Spirit , tormenting the person it seises , in stead of raising an horrour in the Writer of the eight Books attributed to the Sibyls , enflames him with an emulation ; insomuch , that that impertinent person hath not been ashamed to attribute to the God of glory extravagant sallies , like those of the Devils , and to say of himself what the prophane Poets had writ of their Prophetesses : c Corpore tota stupens trahor huc , ignara quid ipsa Eloquar ; ipse sed haec mandat Deus omnia fari : And elswhere , d Sed quid cor iterùm quatitur mihi ? ménsque , flagello Icta , foràs vocem prorumpere cogitur , omnes Ut moneam . — And again , e Ut mihi divino requieta à carmine mens est , Orabam magnum genitorem , vis ut abesset ; Sed mihi suggessit vocem sub pectora rursum , Pérque omnes terras praecepit vaticinari . And that she came from Babylon f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , furious , or fanatick . All which affords us a manifest Argument , that the unhappy Impostour , who took upon him to play the Sibyl , was besotted with such an extravagant conceit , that he would , upon any terms , be taken for an Enthusiast , and make the world believe , that the presence of some Celestial virtue produced the same in his mind , as the invasion of Satan does in those of possessed persons , whom he deprives of their Senses , and Transports with fury . Nor are we ( to excuse so extravagant a passion ) to make any account of those words of the eighth Book , Novi ego arenarum numerum , mensúmque profundi , Tellurisque sinus , tenebrosáque Tartara novi , Quot fuerint homines , quot sint , quótque futuri , Astrorum numeros , stirpes , frondés que quot usquam , Quot sint quadrupedes , quot pisces , quótque volucres . For , besides the impossibility there is to reconcile this insolent brag , I know all things , with the precedent confession , I know not what I say , any other way , then by attributing it to that alienation of spirit , which he would have described when he said , I know not what I say : it is absurdity enough , but to think , that the g Father of mercies , who disposes his gifts with infinite Wisdome , and an intention they should tend to the advantage , either of those which receive them , or others , would puff up the heart of any man with the windy knowledg of things absolutely unprofitable ; such as are those , which the Counterfeit Sibyl much glories in . For what advantage will it be to mankind , or thy self , that thou know the number of the Sands , of the Leaves , of the Fishes , &c. Will this variety of knowledg make thee any way better , or further thee in the way to salvation , more then another , who shall have learned , from the great h vessel of Election , who had been i caught into the third heaven , and there heard words not capable of being uttered , this admirably-modest protestation , k I determined not to know any thing among you , save Jesus Christ , and him crucified ? If therefore there were nothing else to be quarrelled at in the eight Books of the Counterfeit Sibyl ; but the insupportable vanity of the Authour , it should be more then sufficient to deprive him of his pretended Dignity of Prophet , and to condemn his Verses to be blown away ( as sometimes those of the Cumaean Sibyl ) disturbed in their order , And to the wanton Winds a Sport be made . CHAP. XXIII . That it was unadvisedly done by the Author of the Sibylline Writings , to put himself into the number of the Enthusiasts . BUt it may be these insolent Expressions , the affectation of Enthusiasin , and the other sleights of Imposture , are not in the Original , and that the Fathers , who have had the said Writings in great esteem , have not found them therein . On the contrary , Justine Martyr ( to satisfie us , that he very well knew as much ) takes particular notice of it , and observes them to the Greeks , adding to that Discourse of Menon in Plato , concerning such as foretell things to come , a We shall say no less , then that those are Prophets , and they have Extasies , being inspired of God , when they become famous for delivering many , and great things , and know not any thing of what they say , the ensuing Application , He clearly , and manifestly , saw into the Oracles of the Sibyl . For she had not ( as the Poets have ) the power to correct her Poems , after she had writ them , and to polish them , especially , as to what concerns the exact observation of Measures ; but she accomplished what was of her Prophecy , during the time of the inspiration , and , the inspiration failing , she no longer remembred the things she had said . Hence comes it , that all the Verses of the Sibylline Poems were not preserved . For we our self being at the City ( of Cumae ) understood so much from those , who led us up and down , and shewed us the places , where she spoke her Oracles , and a certain Urn made of Brass , where they said her Reliques were conserved . They also gave us this account , as having it from their Predecessours , That those , who received the Oracle , being people without instruction , many times failed in the exact observation of measures , and said this was the reason , why some Verses were without measure ; viz. that the Prophetess , after the Extasie of inspiration was over , remembred not the things she had said , and that those , who writ them , by reason of their ignorance , had lost the exact measure of the Verses . And a little lower ; Submit to the most antient of all the Sibyls , whose Books , it is so happened , are preserved all the World over ; and who , by Oracles , proceeding from a certain powerfull inspiration , hath taught you concerning those , who are called Gods , that they are not such . In like manner Constantine introduces the Sibyl , making her complaint to God , that he imposed upon her a necessity of Divining . Suidas , for his part , makes this Observation of the Chaldaean Sibyl , The Prophetess is not her self the cause , that her Verses are imperfect , and without measure ; but those , who took Copies of them : as not keeping close to the impetuosity of her way of delivery , and being not well read in Grammar . Besides that , with the inspiration , the memory of the things she had said failed her , and , for that reason , her Verses are imperfect , and the sense halting . Whether it be that this is come so to pass , through the dispensation of God ; to the end , that her Oracles should not be known to many unworthy of them , or that length of time hath been the cause of that , as well as many other things . Besides that , it is not to be admired , if the obscurity of the things said by the Prophetess , and the frequent Transcription of her Books , have occasioned the confusion of the sense , and measures of the Verses . Whereto b Marcus Antimachus adds ( as taking it from Lactantius , whom he ridiculously makes Priest of the Capitol , converted to the Christian Religion upon reading of the Sibylline Writings . ) That , what is to be had of the Sibylline Books , is not onely easily slighted by those , who are troubled with the disease of the Greeks : for that it is easie to recover it ( for scarce things seem more precious ) but also is thought not to deserve any credit ; because there is not an exact measure observed in the Verses . Now this is the fault of the Transcribers c ( who were not able to reach the impetuosity of her way of delivery , and were not well read in Grammar ) and not of the Prophetess ; for when the inspiration was over , she no longer remembred the things she had spoken . CHAP. XXIV . That the Fathers , who were surprised by the pretended Sibylline Writings , supposed the Authour to have been an Enthusiast . IT is manifest then , that both the Antient , and Modern Christians have been so far from being ignorant , or distrustfull of the Enthusiasm of the pretended Sibyl ; that they have taken it for the fundamental Principle of the Opinion they had of her Poem , and been carried away with reports , without reserving to themselves ( as reason would have required ) the privilege to examine them . For , First , Justin Martyr , giving credit to the Discourses of those among the Cumaeans , who had shew'd him the Antiquities of their City , dissents from the common perswasion ; viz. that the Cumaean Sibyl did not onely speak her Verses ; but also writ them upon Leaves , which the Wind carried away : upon which occasion a Virgil brings in Aeneas , making this Prayer , Blest Virgin , not to Leaves thy Verse commit ; and b Javenal says to his Readers , to excite their Attention , Credite me vobis folium recitare Sibyllae . Secondly , He makes but an ill Parallel between the Stories , which the Cumaeans had entertained him with , concerning their Prophetess , and these spurious and upstart Oracles , which he said were preserved all over the World ; never considering , that the Cumaeans never knew any thing of them , and their very being so common , as he imagines , should as well have raised a distrust in him , as in the Greeks , who knew there was not any thing more carefully kept at Rome , then the Sibylline Oracles ; which had been got together from all places , as far as the power of the Empire extended . Suidas also , thinking to alledg sufficient excuses for the Poems attributed to the Chaldaean Sibyl , hath onely made a Discovery of his own Impertinence : For , First , Upon what score would he have the Transcribers to be so ignorant ? Is there any likelihood , that the Heathens , who thought them Divine Sentences , would employ the simplest among them , to put together things , which they accounted so precious , and Sacred ? Secondly , Is it not a great mistake , to think , that God ( whose Works are ever suitable to his own Majesty , that is to say , Divine , and Perfect ) could ever have pronounced Verses , that were imperfect , both as to their Sence , and Measure , to those , whom he inspired ? Thirdly , Could the want of Measure , and Sence , which was obvious to all the world , hinder the knowledg of the unworthy , more then of the worthy ? Or are the later in a greater capacity , to finde sence , and order , where there is not any , then the former ? Fourthly , Can any one say , that this manifest , and by-all-acknowledged , imperfection proceeds from God ; but he must withall sacrilegiously accuse him of having , by his dispensation , opposed his own intention , by making fruitless ( at least in part ) what he had ( as is supposed ) vouchsafed to reveal for the advantage of men ? Fifthly , What disorder could length of time , and frequent Transcriptions , have occasioned in the pretended Oracles of the Sibyls ; when they were in the time of Justin Martyr , ( that is , at their very Hatching ) imperfect ? And , as for the Copies , which some Christians ( deceived by their own credulity ) with abundance of Zeal dispersed abroad , who sees not , that , besides their being absolutely unknown to the Heathens , who received them onely from their hands , they were taken out of one another , with great care , and by persons , who professed Letters ; as Justin Martyr , Clemens Alexandrinus , Lactantius , &c. so , as that they they should rather have diminished , then multiplied the Faults : as indeed it is evident ; that the Different Lections , which are found in the citations of these Fathers , are not Corruptions , that have disfigured , and defaced the Work , pretendedly Sibylline ; but Corrections , which have bettered it , and made it less imperfect , then it was ? And certainly , what hath really occasioned the Blanks , and other Defaults , that are in it , hath been nothing else , but the affectation of that incomparable Antiquity ; which the Impostour , who first advanced it , made so great ostentation of , with an Impudence , and malicious vanity , as great , as what was , one hundred and sixty years since , betrayed by Johannes Annio , a Jacobine , afterwards Master of the Sacred Palace at Rome ; who would needs fill the Universe with Supposititious Books , under the Names of Berosus , Megasthenes , ( whom he transforms into a Chimaerical Metasthenes ) Zenophon , Archilochus , Philo , &c , and scatter up and down Italy , especially in the Places about Viterbo ) Pieces of Marble , made infamous by the Inscription of his Invention , and Forgery c . For the Counterfeit Sibyl , to bring her Name into greater Veneration , and ( instead of absolutely smothering the Discoveries of her Imposture ) to shift all the blame upon the Transcribers , Progress of time , and the irretrivable loss it hath occasioned in the most precious things of Antiquity , put out her ill-digested collection , maimed , and imperfect , imagining ( what indeed the event hath confirmed ) that the Readers would entertain it ( as the wretched Ruins of a great Wrack ) with more compassion , then rigour ; and rather hug , and cherish the miserable remainders thereof , then censure it according to its deserts . Thus , having confuted all the Suppositions of Suidas , I have with the same labour destroyed those , which Antimachus borrowed out of his Dictionary , to make a present of them to Lactantius ; so that all I have to do is , to advertise by the way ; that , as this man had no reason to imagine Lactantius taken out of the College of the Capitol-Priests , and brought to the Profession of Christianity by the reading of the pretended Oracles ; so was it most weakly done of him to look for them at the Capitol in the Time of Constantine : since that , three hundred years before , Augustus had transferred them thence , under the Basis of Apollo Palatinus , where they continued till twenty five years after the Death of Constantine , according to the Observation of Ammianus Marcellinus . CHAP. XXV . The common Sentiment of the Fathers concerning Enthusiasts . COme we now to see , whether true Theologie , and the Sentiment of the Fathers , clear , and confirmed from Age to Age , may permit ; that the pretended Sibyl ( who said of her self what the Idolatrous Heathens writ of their Prophetesses ) should have been taken by some of the antient Christians for a Prophetess , and truly inspired of God. It was so certain among the Heathens , that their Sibyls had been possessed and when they Prophecyed ) cast into such an alienation of Spirit , that ( according to the Testimony of Diodorus ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to act the Sibyl , signified among them , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to act the part of a person inspired , and transported . And Suidas himself acknowledges ; that , to say of a man , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , He Sibyllizes , hath the same sence , as if it were said of him , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , He is seduced , He behaves himself like one , that hath the Gift of Divination . Now it might seem , that the Prophets felt some motion , like that of those , who foretold things to come ; since that , as we read of Saul , a when the evil Spirit from God was come upon him , he Prophecied , whereas the Scripture gives us expresly to observe , b that the Spirit of God was also upon him , as upon Samuel , and David ; adding , that he went on , and Prophecyed , untill he came to Naioth in Ramah ; that c he stripped off his cloaths also , and Prophecied before Samuel in like manner , and lay down naked all that day , and all that night . Besides , the LORD , threatning the Israelites by Hosea , says ; d The Prophet is a fool ; the Spiritual man is mad . So the Captains , sitting with Jehu in Ramoth-Gilead , spoke no less disadvantageously of the Prophet , sent by Elisha to anoint Jehu King of Israel , asking ; e Why is this mad fellow come to thee ? And Schemaiah the Nehelamite , stirring up Zephaniah , and the other Priests , against Jeremiah , writ to them ; f The Lord hath made thee , &c. that ye should be Officers in the House of the Lord for every man , that is mad , and maketh himself a Prophet . And Saint Ambrose doth , in appearance , acknowledg it , by this Discourse ; g There are certain h Madnesses , and alienations of spirit , which are true , and ( it may be ) of the Prophets ; who , i being transported , as to their understanding , Prophecied , being so filled with the Spirit of God , that to some they seemed mad : when , not minding their own safety , many times naked , and bare-foot , as Esay the Prophet did , they ran among the People ; crying , not what they would themselves , but what the Lord commanded them . But ( for the beter understanding of all these Passages ) the Christian Reader is onely to remember ; that , as the Prophets ( though they did not any action , that was irregular , or void of reason ) passed for Mad men in the apprehension of the profane ; such , as might be the Captains at Ramoth-Gilead , and Shemaiah , the Presecutour of Jeremiah : so the Devils egged on their Foretellers of things to come , to play the Apes , and imitate the Prophets , and to brag ( even when they were at the height of their Extravagance ) of Inspirations , equal with theirs . So that , if the true Prophets , moved by Celestial Grace , discovered the operations of it , by some action suitable to their condition ; upon which account Saul ( being among them ) stripped himself of his Royal Robe , and lay upon the ground , humbling himself before God , and celebrating the glory of his Infinite Power , according as the Spirit gave him to speak : on the contrary , when he was overpressed with Melancholy , and tormented by the evil Spirit , which put him into Madness , and Ecstasie , he spoke also , in that condition , as if he had Prophecyed . And Saint Ambrose minds us of the difference , there is between the servile transportation of Possessed Persons , which darkens the light of their minds , binds up its Faculties , makes their Reason unprofitable , and forces them to violent motions , and that holy Ravishment of the Prophets ; which , filling them with admiration , and joy , refined their understanding , and left them the free use of their ratiocination , yet in such manner , as to diver them from all humane Considerations , and bend their thoughts to an extraordinary submission to God. Upon which account he said , They cryed , not what they would themselves ; but what he commanded : intending to express thereby the violence they did themselves , by renouncing their own will , that they might , the more freely , pursue the motions of his Grace : and observed further , that they minded not their own safety ; representing , that they regarded not the preservation of their Lives , nor their own convenience ; but were always ready to Sacrifice themselves , and protest with St. Paul ; k None of these things move me , neither count I my life dear unto my self . Nor did he absolutely pronounce ; that the action of the Prophetick Spirit upon the Person , who was thereby inspired , made him a Fool , or so drew him out of himself , as that he was without reason , and had no other motion , then what was forced : but that ( inclining him to do , not what his own ratiocination suggested to him ; but what it self advised him to ) it many times put him upon such extraordinary actions ; that those , who vouchsafed not to consider the signification thereof , were ( by their own corrupt judgment ) induced to attribute them to Madness , and Extravagant Transportation : which obliged him to say , not that He was , but that To some he seemed Mad. Tertullian went yet much further ; when , drunk with the cup of Montanus , he esteemed highly of those Ecstasies , and Transportations , which so ravish a man out of himself , that he looses ( either wholly , or in part ) the freedom of his Ratiocination . But in regard Justin Martyr ( as well as he ) was of opinion ; That those Alienations , which he pretended to have been in the Cumaean Sibyl ) might proceed from Divine Inspiration , it is of some consequence , as well to clear up his sentiment , as to consider what judgment Antiquity hath made thereof : and that the rather , for that we have now some l Divines , who imagine ; That God does sometimes send such strong , and violent , Irradiations of his Love , as strike through the Hearts of men , like Thunder-bolts , force those , who receive them , to cry out , and do so cast them down , that they are as it were dead . Further , That the Persons , who are honoured with such an Illumination , have motions of Piety so impetuous , that they cannot pray unto God ; and , when they attempt it , suffer incredible pains , their Bodies not being able to bear the vehement motions of so great a Devotion . In his Book Of the Soul , m he hath this Discourse ; ( which Pamelius unjustly applies to Prisca , or Maximilla , dead fifty years before ) There is at this day among us a n Sister ; on whom are fallen the Gifts of Revelations , which she endures , in spirit , in the Church , during the Divine Solemnities , by Ecstasie . And in another place ( having supposed , that the Ecstasis , that is to say , the deep sleep , that fell upon Adam , was o the force of the holy Spirit , working Prophecy ) he adds ; p God sent him an alienation of spirit , which is a spiritual force , wherein Prophecy consists : and lower ; q We say , That Ecstasie is a sally out of sound sence , somewhat like Madness . Item ; r This shall be the property of the said alienation of spirit ; that it comes not through any injury done to health ; but according to natural reason : for it does not exterminate the understanding ; but force it out of the way . It is one thing to shake , another to move it ; one thing to overturn it , another to exercise it . What therefore proceeds from the Memory argues the sound constitution of the Mind ; if the soundness of the Soul be stupified ( the Memory remaining entire ) it is a kinde of Madness . Wherefore we are not said to be Mad , but to Dream : and so , it is then , if ever , that we are wise ; for our knowledge , though in Umbrage , yet is not extinct , save that it may then seem to be wanting . And s elsewhere , wresting to a wrong sence the words of the Gospel , t concerning Saint Peter's not knowing what he said , he put this Question , How not knowing ? was it through simple errour , or u want of reason ? w Wresting also the sence of Saint Paul's Discourse , he hath these Expressions ; Let him take out some Psalm , some Vision , some Prayer , in a spiritual way onely , that is in Ecstasie , in alienation of spirit . And against Praxeas ; x Neither Peter , nor John , nor James , were sensible of the Vision of God without a denial of Reason , and alienation of spirit ; for which we maintain ( in the cause of new Prophecy ) that Ecstasie , that is , alienation of spirit , is consistent with Grace . For it is necessary , that the man ravished in spirit ( especially , when he sees the glory of God , or when God speaks by him ) disclaim his own sentiment ; being overshadowed by the power of God : concerning which there is a Dispute between us , and the Psychici . And indeed Saint Hierome expresly numbers y among the Books , written by z him against the Church , six Volumes , Of Ecstasie , and a seventh , Against Apollonius ; wherein he endeavours to maintain whatever the other quarrels at : his Design being , to vindicate Montanus , who had written thus ; a Behold , man is like a Viol , and I am the Bow : man lies him down to rest , and I watch . Behold , the Lord , who takes mens Hearts out of them , and who also bestows Hearts on them : and Maximilla , who held this strange Discourse ; b The Lord hath sent me , ( &c. ) forced me , I being both willing , and unwilling , to learn the knowledg of God. The Church therefore , formally condemning the Opinion of those , who believed , that God made Ecstatick , and transported such , as he inspired , and that he exercised violence on their spirits , expressed her self , By Claudius Apollinaris , Bishop of Hierapolis , to this effect : c Montanus , through an insatiable covetousness of Primacy , giving access in his Soul to the Adversary , being of a sudden transported in mind , and out of himself , was inspired , and began to speak , and to pronounce strange words : and his Prophetesses were filled with an adulterate spirit , so as that they spoke , with a transportation of their understanding , unseasonably , and after a strange manner : and Theodotus , his Complice , was besides himself , and delivered up to the spirit of Errour . By Miltiades , Disputing against the same Montanus . ( b ) That false Prophet ; being in a Transport of spirit ( which is attended by Confidence , and want of Fear ) began by a voluntary Ignorance , which turned into an involuntary Madness of the Soul ; in which manner they cannot shew that any Prophet ( either of the Old , or New Testament ) hath been transported . By St. Irenaeus , who set forth , in the same colours , one of the Prophetesses of the Marcosians . e Being foolishly swollen , and puffed up by the said words , and having her Soul warmed by the expectation of what she should Prophecy , and her Heart beating more , then it should , she presumed to utter things Fantastick , and whatever occurred to her thoughts , vainly , and audaciously ; in regard she is set on by a vain spirit , according to what a better , then we , hath said of such People : to wit , that a Soul , enflamed by vain air , is a presumptuous , and shameless thing . By f Clemens Alexandrinus , giving the Impostours of his Time this Touch ; They Prophecied in Ecstasie , as the servants of an Apostate . By Origen , who esteemed that kind of Emotion unworthy the Holy men of God. g The Prophets were not ( as some imagine ) alienated in spirit , and spoke not through any violence of the spirit : If any thing ( saith the h Apostle ) be revealed to another , that sitteth by , let the first hold his peace : Whence he shews ; that he , who speaks , is at liberty to speak , when he will , and to hold his peace , when he will. By St. Basil , who presses the same Doctrine in these Terms . i There are some , who say , that the Saints Prophecied , being out of , or besides , themselves ; the humane understanding being shadowed by the Spirit : but this is contrary to what the Divine presence doth promise ; that it should alienate in spirit him , who is seised of God , and that , when he is full of Divine Instructions , he should , himself , be deprived of Ratiocination , and , while he contributes to the advantage of others , should reap no benefit from his own Discourses . In a word , How does it stand with Reason ; that , through the Wisdom of the Spirit , a man should become as one besides himself ? And , that the spirit of Knowledg should deliver what is incohaerent ? For neither is light the Authour of Blindness ; but stirs up the Visual Faculty implanted by Nature : nor does the spirit cause obscurity in mens minds ; but raises the Understanding to the contemplation of things intelligible , cleansing it from the stains of sin . Nor is it improbable , that , through the Design of the evil Spirit ( who lays his Ambushes to ensnare humane Nature ) the mind is confounded : but to say , that the same is effected by the presence of the Holy Spirit , is impious . By St. Epiphanius , who , strongly seconding him , says . k When there hath been any necessity , the Holy men of God have foretold all things with the true spirit of the Prophets , and a strong Ratiocination , and an understanding , reaching the sence of what was said . Again ; The Prophet spoke with a clear ratiocination , and , consequently , saying all things with a certain vigour , as l Moses , the servant of God , who was faithfull in all his House . The Prophet in the Old Testament is called the Seer , m The Vision of Isaiah , the Son of Amos , which he saw , &c. n I saw the Lord , &c. And , after he had heard what the Lord said unto him , coming towards the people he saith , The Lord saith these things . Do you not see , that this is the Discourse of one , who comprehends , and not of one , who is besides himself , and that he expressed not himself , as one that was transported in his understanding ? In like manner Ezechi●l , the Prophet , hearing the Lord speak thus to him ; o Take thou also unto thee Wheat , and Barley , and Beans , &c. p and bake it with dung , that cometh out of man , answers , q Ah! Lord God , behold , my Soul hath not been polluted : for , from my youth up , have I not eaten of that , which dieth of it self , or is torn in pieces , neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth . For , knowing that the Oracle had come to him from the Lord , to serve for a Threat , he was so far from being distracted in his understanding ; that he r delayed to do it : but that he was of that Opinion , is to be attributed to the settledness of his thoughts , which may be argued from his expostulation , Ah! Lord God , &c. This indeed being proper to the true Prophets , to have their reason fortified by the Holy Spirit , by Instruction , and Discourse . Daniel also , had not he s knowledg , and skill , in all Learning , and Wisdom , and comprehended his own imaginations● ? He , who resolved the Riddles of Nebuchadnezzar , and explicated , in such manner , what the other had seen in his Dreams , that he presently gave him the Interpretation thereof , with a settled spirit , and , out of a superabundance of the gift of God ; having an intelligence of things above all men , through the riches of the spirit truly instructing the Prophet , and those , who ( by the means of the Prophet ) were honoured with the Precepts of Truth ? But what t these promise to Prophecy , they declare ; being not well in their wits , nor comprehending the meaning thereof : for their words are elusive , ambiguous , and such , as are uncapable of a right sence . By St. Chrysostome , who writes ; u Hence we learn also another thing ; to wit , That the Prophets were not as those , who foretell things to come : for there , when the Devil breaks in upon the Soul , he blinds the Understanding , and so darkens the reasoning Faculty ; that they utter what they have to say , their understanding not knowing any thing of what is said ; but affording a Sound , as an inanimate Pipe , &c. But the holy Spirit does not so ; but suffers the heart to know what it says . For , if it knew it not , how should it say , that the word is good ? The Devil , as an enemy , and one , that professes open Hostility , fights against the humane soul ; but the Holy Spirit , as taking care of it , and ready to do it good , communicates his counsel to those who receive it , and reveals unto them things divine with understanding . And elswhere ; x If any one hath been seised by the unclean spirit , and hath divined , as being besides himself , he hath been reduced to that condition , bound by the spirit , not knowing what he said . For it is proper to such , as foretell things to come , to be out of themselves , to suffer violence , to be drawn , pushed forward , dragged , as one , that is mad . The Prophet is not so ; but , with a watchfull understanding , and settled disposition , and knowing what he uttereth , he saith all things , &c. After that by certain Ceremonies , and Observations , some one had bound the Devil in the man , the man foretold things to come , and was tormented in Divining , and torn to pieces , and was not able to bear the impetuosity of the Devil , &c. Such is the violence , which they suffer , who are once delivered up to the Devils ; that is , they are alienated from their natural understanding , &c. The evil spirit filling the Prophetess with Fury , she immediately unbound her hair ; behaved her self , as one distracted , and foamed at the mouth , and spoke extravagant things , as if she had been drunk , &c. Our Prophets prophecied as became them , knowingly , and with absolute liberty ; and they were accordingly their own Masters , to speak , or speak not , as they pleased : for they were not forced by necessity ; but honoured with power . Upon which account it was ; that Jonas fled , and Ezekiel deferred , and Jeremiah excused himself : God not pressing them by necessity ; but advising , admonishing , threatning them ; not darkning the understanding . For it is the property of the Devil to make a tumult , to cause madness , and much obscurity , and the property of God , to illuminate , and teach , with apprehension , the things , that are necessary . Again ; y To the end a man should not contend , nor move any sedition ; he shews that the gift is subject : for in that place he calls the efficaciousness of it , the spirit ; but if the spirit be be subject , how much more thou , who dost possess it , shalt not thou be just in contending ? By z Saint Hierome , who , treating of the same matter , says . We are also to observe , that this assumption , or charge , or weight , of the Prophet , is a Vision ; for he speaks not in Ecstasie , ( as Montanus , and Prisca , and Maximilla fondly imagine ) but what he prophecies is the Book of the Vision of one , who understands all he says , and makes it appear in the midst of his People ; that his Vision is the weight of the Enemies . Again ; a We are to observe , that the assumption , or charge , whereof we have already spoken , is the Vision of the Prophet , and that ( contrary to the perverse Doctrine of Montanus ) he understands what he sees , and speaks not as a fool , nor gives ( as distracted Women do ) a sound , without any signification . Whence it comes , that the Apostle commands , b that , if any thing be revealed to another , that sitteth by , the first should hold his peace . For , ( saith be presently after ) c God is not the Authour of Confusion , but of Peace . Whence it is manifest ; that , when any one holds his peace of himself , and gives way for another to speak , be can either speak , or hold his peace , at his pleasure ; but that he , who speaks in Ecstasie , that is , against his will , is not at liberty to speak , or be silent . And again ; d The Prophets spake not in Ecstasie ( as Montanus , with his foolish Women , dreams ) so as they knew not what they uttered , and ( when they instructed others ) were themselves ignorant of what they said ; of which ( sort of people the Apostle says , e Understanding neither what they say , nor whereof they affirm : but , according to Solomon , in his Proverbs , f The Heart of the Wise teacheth his Mouth , and addeth Learning to his Lips ) they also knew , themselves , what they said . For , if the Prophets were Wise men ( which we cannot deny ) and g Moses , learned in all Wisdom , spoke to the Lord , and the Lord answered him ; and it is said of Daniel to the Prince of Tyrus , h Art thou wiser , then Daniel ? and David was wise , making his brag in the Psalm , i Thou hast manifested unto me the unknown , and hidden things of thy Wisdom : how could the wise Prophets ( like irrational Creatures ) be ignorant of what they said ? We read in another place of the Apostle ; k That The Spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets : so as that it is in their power , when to be silent , and when to speak . But , if that seem weak to any one , let him consider this saying of the same Apostle ; l Let the Prophets speak , two , or three ; and let the other judg : If any thing be revealed to another , that sitteth by , let the first hold his peace . How then can they hold their peace , since it is in the power of the Spirit , who speaks by the Prophets , to be silent , or to speak ? If then they understood what they said , all was full of Wisdom , and Reason : and it was not an empty Sound , that came to their Ears ; but God spoke in the spirit of the Prophets , according to what another Prophet says ; m The Angel , that talked with me ; and , n Crying in our Hearts Abba , Father ; and , o I will hearken what the Lord shall say unto me , &c. p If what the Prophet said be called Vision , let us hear no more of the Extravagances of Montanus ; who thinks , that the Prophets foretold things to come in Ecstasie , or Madness ; for they could not see what they were ignorant of . By q Hilary the Deacon , who interprets these words of St. Paul ; r To one is given by the Spirit the word of Wisdom , after this manner ; That is , Prudence is given him , not through the assistance of Letters , but by the irradiation of the Holy Spirit ; that his Heart might be illuminated , and Prudent ; and that he might discern the things , which were to be avoided , and which were to be pursued . Again , upon these words , s He that speaketh in an unknown Tongue edifieth himself ; but he , that Prophecieth , edifieth the Church , he makes this Remark ; For it may be , in regard he alone knows what he says , he alone is edified : for he , who Prophecies , edifies all the people ; when what he says is understood of all . By the Authour of the Commentary upon the Epistles , attributed to Saint Hierome , whereof I should make no account ( since it is , if not the Work of Pelagius , as it seems to be , sufficiently pestered with Pelagianisms ) if Primasius , Bishop of Adrumetum , had not almost wholly Copied it into his own ; even that very Passage , where that man ( whoever he were ) Contemporary of St. Augustine , interpreting the words of St. Paul , ordering him , that spoke in a strange Tongue , to be silent in the Church , and to speak to himself ; and to God , when there is not any to interpret , writes , Let him prudently keep it to himself , and to God , that he hath that grace . And upon these words ; The Spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets , he adds ; He , who hath the spirit of the Prophets , is subject to the other Prophets , by the society of Grace : whereby he is not jealous ; that another should Prophecy , when it is revealed to him . By Theodoret , Bishop of Cyrus , who upon these Words , t The Spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets , declares ; That the Gifts are called Spirits . By Primasius , Bishop of Adrumetum , who concludes from the same place ; u That The Spirit of Humility , and Charity , ought to be in the Prophets ; because God is not the Authour of Pride , and Dissension , who dwells not in them , but of Peace ; because the things they Prophecy are known to them . And , from the last Verse of the same Chapter ; He , who is a true Prophet , no doubt , knows , and stands not in need of admonition , or reproof ; because w he judgeth all things : yet he himself is judged of no man. By Remy , Arch-Bishop of Lyons , confounded ( by Villalpandus , and others ) with St. Remy of Rheims , x when having read the Text of St. Paul in the Singular number ; The Spirit of the Prophets is subject to the Prophets , he observes , That The Holy Spirit is , after a certain manner , subject to all the Saints : for that it forces them , not of a sudden to break forth into speech , as the evil Spirit doth in Possessed Persons , and Lunaticks ; but leaves them at liberty to speak , or be silent . Then adds ; Otherwise , if we read in the Plural Number , The Spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets ; we must understand , by Spirits , the Gifts of the Holy Spirit ; that is to say , the Tongues , the Virtues , the Casting out of Devils , the advice of Wise men . Now these Gifts are in such manner subject to the Elect ; that , when they please , they exercise them , and , when they please , they keep them , as it were concealed . By these Words is given us to understand ; that , although many Doctours were together , who knew by the Holy Spirit what they ought to say ; yet are they not always so compelled by the Holy Spirit , but that , one being silent , the rest may also be silent . By Oecumenius y who inserts these Words in his Chain upon the same Passage ; He calls the Spirits of the Prophets the spiritual Gift it self . Then to the end no man should say , And , how can I be silent ; for the Holy Spirit inspiring forces a man to speak , whether he will , or no ? No ( saith he ) for the Gift is subject to the Prophet ; that is to say , it is in his power to speak , or be silent : contrary to what happens in Diviners ; for those , after their Enthusiasm ( even against their wills , as Possessed Persons ) say what they would not . If then the Gift be subject to the Prophets ; would it not be inconvenient , that you should be subject to what profits in common ; so as that , when it were requisite to be silent , you should be silent ? Consonant thereto , is the common Sentiment of the Modern Latine Interpreters : as Peter Lombard , Bishop of Paris ; Nicholas de Lyra , a Franciscan ; Thomas de Vio ; Cardinal Cajetan ; Ambrose Catharin , Arch-Bishop of Conza ; James de Feure D'Estaples , John de Gagny , and Claudius Cuillaud , Doctours of Sorbon ; Francis Titelman , of the Order of Saint Francis ; Arias Montanus , of the Order of Saint James ; ●…anuel Sà , of the Society of Jesus ; and others , whom , for brevity ●…ke , I forbear to mention . CHAP. XXVI . Consequences following upon the common Sentiment of the Fathers concerning Enthusiasm . FRom all the precedent Testimonies it follows ; First , That there never was any Body deprived of their Understanding , by the efficaciousness of any celestial Inspiration . Secondly , That whoever says , he is compelled , transported , and alienated in spirit , does , by that very allegation , discover , that he is not moved by the Holy Spirit . Thirdly , That the Sibyls , who ( by the Confession of all Antiquity ) were Mad , during the time of their Enthusiasm , were Women , not onely Heathens ; but possessed with Evil Spirits . Fourthly , That the name of Sibyl having never been used , but to denote Persons of that condition , could never have been appropriated to any of the Holy women mentioned in Scripture . So that , as a Glycas , who bestowed it on the Queen of Sheba , did , in so doing , treat her very unworthily : so b Onuphrius , writing , That Deborah , the Wife of Lapidoth , an Hebrew - woman , mentioned in the fourth Chapter of Judges , might be the most antient of all the Sibyls , and that there might be added to her Miriam , the Sister of Moses , and Aaron , as may be read in Exodus , and , lastly , Huldah , the Wife of Shallum , of whom are read many things in 2 Chron. 34. under Josias , King of Judah● ; not onely contradicts himself , in that , to the prejudice of his Supposition concerning Moses's Sister ; whom he places among the Sibyls , he conceives Debora , who was not born , till one hundred , fourscore , and one years , after the Death of Miriam , was the most antient of them all but hath also ( for want of reflection ) put a notorious Affront upon those Devout and Religious Ladies , in comparing them to Possessed Persons , and Sorceresses ; such as were all those , whom the Heathens put into the qualification of Sibyls , because of their Transportation , which they believed to have been Divine . Fifthly , That the Authour of the eight Books , entituled the Sibylline ( upon this very account , that he brags of having pronounced his Oracles with alienation of spirit , by violence ; and not knowing what he said ) hath disclaimed the quality of Prophet ; which he would have usurped , and deserved : we should apply to his Fantastick Imaginations the Judgment , which St. Epiphanius made of those of Montanus ; c Those are the Discourses of an Ecstatick , and one , who comprehends not what he says ; but shews another Character , then the Character of the Holy Spirit , who spoke by the Prophets . Sixthly , That , if the pretension of the foresaid bold Forger argued him guilty of the greatest Impudence imaginable , that of the Authour of the Predication of St. Paul , which refers the Heathens , to the Sibyl , and Hystaspes , was yet more unworthy , and more sacrilegious . Seventhly , That St. Justin , who maintains the Transportation of the Cumaean Sibyl , and attributes to her the Verses he had extracted out of the eight Supposititious Books , under the name of Noah's Daughter-in-law , went upon a most false ground , and such , as was contrary to the perswasion of the whole Church , and to the form of Disputation between the Orthodox , and the Montanists , and such Fanaticks . Eighthly , That the same St. Justin , and Clemens Alexandrinus after his Example , having taken occasion to celebrate the Counterfeit Sibyl , as a Prophetess ; and to recommend Hystaspes , as inspired of God , from their having found somewhat to their commendation in the pretended Predication of St. Paul , have injured their own Reputation , by contracting an over-confident familiarity with Apocryphal Writings . For , though their Learning , and the Rank they held in the Church , exempted them from the rigour of the Prohibition , made since by St. Cyril to his Catechumen , saying to her ; d Read not any thing of the Apocryphal Books ; yet had they as great reason , as St. Hierome , to cry out ; e Let us hear no more of the fond imaginations of Apocryphal Authours ; and to conceive the same Horrour thereof , as he would have raised in Laeta , and his little Disciple , Pacatula ; giving them this remarkable Advertisement ; f Let her beware of all the Apocryphal Books ; and , if at any time she have an inclination to read them , not for the truth of the Tenets , but out of a reverence for the Signs [ which are observed therein ] let her know , that they are not of those , under whose Names they go , and that many evil things are crept into them , and that it is the Work of a great Prudence to seek Gold amongst Dirt , &c. Let her Delight be in the spirits of those , in whose Writings the purity of Faith is unquestionable ; and let her read the others so , as to judg of them rather , then follow them . If the examination of Books of doubtfull Authority was recommended to a simple Maid , how much more should it have been the care of those Great men ; for whom Christianity hath a veneration , as its chiefest Doctours ? And , if the most inconsiderable among the Laity should be armed with Precautions in reading , how much more requisite was it , that the Guids of the Church should read things with attention , and vigilance ? But , the desire of profiting out of all things , of taking advantages every where , of forcing Truth even out of the mouth of Falshood , and to become like Torrents , whose violence carries away what ever they meet with , hath made many of the Fathers , that nothing might escape the greediness of their Memory , neglect the best occasions they could have had to make Discoveries of their Judgment ; and not onely endeavour to draw to themselves all the apprehensions of the Heathen , as well solid , as ill-grounded ( as those great Rivers , which contain in their Chanels Golden Sand , and Dirt , mixed together ) but also triumph in that kind of employment , wherein there must sometimes be foul Play ; as if it had been lawfull for them to say with Aeneas , in Virgil , — g Dolus , an Virtus , quis in hoste requirat ? Thence came it to pass ; that St. Hierome , carried away with the violent Stream of this strange Prejudice , made no difficulty to alledg for his Discharge , that the Fathers h were forced to speak , not according to their own Opinion , but to say what was necessary against what the Gentiles maintained ; and that St. Paul , himself , grasped at all he touched ; that he turned his Back , to gain the better ; that he pretended a Flight , that he might Kill ; that the Testimonies , he made use of , speak one thing in their proper Places , and another in his Epistles ; that there are some captive Examples , which fight not at all in the Books , whence they are taken , yet serve him to get the Victory : as if ever the Apostle of God had , by his own Example , authorised the Licentiousness either of wresting the Scripture ; or stealing , for Truth sake , a shamefull , and basely-obtained , Victory , by a dissimulation of his own sentiment ; or of thinking all means indifferent , nay commendable , so it tended to the prejudice of Errour ; or of seeking ( according to the Maxim of Anaxagoras ) all things in all things , and setting up ( to play the expert Merchant , acording to what is recommended to Christians , by the Authour of the Constitutions , i as from the Apostles ) an open Bank in Religion . But it is not given to all to thrive in this Spiritual Truckage , and ( with Virgil , who boasted he gathered Gold out of Ennius's Dung ) to finde the Gold of Christianity in the common - Sewers of Apocryphal Writings . CHAP. XXVII . Certain Dis-circumspections of the Fathers , concerning the Writing mis-named the Sibylline , considered . TO give the last Touch to this Discourse of the Sibyls , we have yet to observe some slight Forgetfulnesses , as well of the Antient , as Modern . For Example , St. Augustine a says ; that Virgil confesses , he had transferred , out of the Sibylline Poem , these words , which may be applied to our Saviour ; If any Print of Antient Crimes remain , Thou shalt efface them in thy happy Reign ; And from perpetual fear all Nations free . and , That ( it may be ) the Poet meant thereby something of the onely Saviour of the World ; which he thought it necessary to confess . Again , b That He should should not easily have believed of the Sibyl , that she had spoken of Christ , were it not , that one among the Poets , the most eminent of the Romane Language , before he spoke of the Restauration of the World things , which seemed to be sufficiently consonant to the Reign of our Saviour Jesus Christ , begins it with this Verse , saying , The last Time comes , which Sibyl's Verse declare : and that no body questions , but that the Cumaean Poem is the Sibylline . And c elswhere , that Virgil shews , that he said not these words of himself , In thy happy Reign , when he says , The last Time comes . Whence it is apparent , without any contradiction , that that was said by the Cumaean Sibyl . To which I answer , First , That Virgil does not say , he either had , or could have , taken any thing out of the Cumaean Poem ; which could not be come at by a Person of his Quality ; but that the last Time , which was to accomplish the Destinies , foretold by the Cumaean Poem , was then coming in . Secondly , That from this Discourse it does not any way follow , that the Cumaean Sibyl had uttered what the Poet writ ; but that she foretold the Fate of the Empire to its last Time : whereof ( according to his manner ) he makes a Description . Thirdly , That if there be any Piety in the Application of his words to our Saviour , it is wholly groundless : the meaning of the Authour having been absolutely different , as hath been shewed already , and not any way discovering he had any knowledg , or indeed Suspicion , of the Salvation of the Elect by Jesus Christ . d Isidore of Sevil , having presupposed , that the Gauls were so called , because of their Whiteness ; since 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in Greek , signifies Milk , adds , Whence it comes , that the Sibyl calls them so ; when she says of them , — With Gold their White Necks are adorn'd : And yet it is not certain ; First , That these Words are not the Sibyl's , but e Virgil's , representing , in magnificent Terms , the Sculpture of the Buckler , bestowed by Vulcan on Aeneas . Secondly , That Isidore mistook the words of Lactantius , who had ( according to the Observation of St. f Hierome ) in this third Volume to Probus , held this Discourse ; The Gauls were antiently , by reason of the Whiteness of their Bodies , called Galatae ; and the Sibyl calls them so . Which the Poet would express , when he said ; — Their Milkie Necks enchac'd in Gold ; when he might as well have said , White . For it is evident ; First , That he attributes not to the Sibyl the Words , which Virgil made use of ; but onely the Use of the word Galatae , derived ( according to the common Opinion ) from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifies Milk. Secondly , That he would not say , that Virgil took his Conception from the Sibyl ; but that he ( as well , as the other ) reflected on the Etymologie of Galatae , derived fron 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and applied to the Gauls , by reason of the Whiteness of their Bodies . Besides , in the pretended Sibylline Writing , upon which Lactantius onely cast his eye , the word Galatae is not used to signifie our Western Gauls ; who are therein called g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and their Land h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but to design the numerous Colony they had sent into the East of Gallo-Grecians , or Asiatick Gauls : and the Counterfeit Sibyl hath not any where insinuated , that these Gauls derived their Name from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; but Lactantius presupposed it as likely , though without any necessity . CHAP. XXVIII . That the Conjecture of Cardinal Baronius , concerning the Correspondence between Virgil , and Herod , is not maintainable . CArdinal a Baronius , fixed in the Imagination ; that Virgil had learned from the Sibylline Verses , the approaching Advent of the great King ; and that he had out of flattery wrested the Sence , and applied it to Pohio's Son , alledges the Authority of the Emperour Constantine ; whereto we have answeredalready : then makes this Observation ; The said Maro might also have understood something from the Hebrews concerning this Business ; f●r Herod , King of the Jews ( when he came to Rome ) had often ( as b Josephus writes ) been entertained at the House of Pollio , Virgil ' s great Friend . Now , I intreat the Reader to consider , that all this is nothing , but Wind. For First , Josephus , who acknowledges , that Pollio was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , of the number of those , who made greatest account of Herod ' s Friendship , does not particularly denote of which Pollio he speaks , and it is generally known ; that , besides Virgil's great Friend , mentioned by Pliny , c there was at the same time , in Rome , Vedius Pollio , a man no less familiar with Augustus , then Asinius ; as is observed by the same d Pliny . Secondly , Though Herod came four several times to Rome ; yet is it impossible , to make the conceit of Baronius to suit with any one of them . For the first Journey he made thither was in the year of Rome 714 , during the Consulship of Pollio , to implore the assistances of the Senate against the Parthians ; and then he was in a private Condition , made little stay , had other Things in his thoughts , then Discoursing with Virgil ( who was then onely beginning to come into Repute , without minding ought of Religion ) and , having his Imagination employed how to get ( as he afterwards did ) the Crown of Judaea , he would have been more likely to entertain Virgil , and Pollio , with the Rising of his own Glory , then of that of our Saviour ; whom the Scripture calls the e King of the Nations , and f the Day-spring from on high . As for the other three , they were all of them some years after the Death of Virgil ; which happened on the two and twentieth of September , in the year of Rome , 735. For the first was in the year of Rome , 738. to carry away the children of Mariamne into Judaea ; the second , in the year 744. to accuse them before Augustus ; and the last , in the year 746. to restore into favour Archelaus , King of Cappadocia , his Ally . So that Virgil was not then in a Condition to learn any thing , either of him , or of any of his Retinue ; or , yet , of his Friend Pollio . Thirdly , Josephus does not say ; that Pollio was ever Host unto , or entertained , Herod at his House : but that he lodged his Children , from the year of Rome , 733. at which time Virgil was in Greece , to the year 738. which was the third after his Death . And it is so far from being a good Consequence , Pollio entertained in his House the Children of Herod ; therefore , He received Herod himself into his House : that the contrary seems rather to be inferred , He lodged the Children of Herod ; therefore , He could not , at the same time , lodg Herod himself , their Father ; who had a Royal Retinue about him , and was more vain-glorious , then any Prince of his Time. I press not , that Cardinal Baronius ( directly contrary to the Emperour Constantine , who commends the Piety of Virgil ) censuring his prophane Flattery , renders him so much the more criminal , for that , having learned of the Jews the Mysterie of the Messias , he , out of a voluntary Malice , applied the Prophecy to Pollio , and his Son. All which considered , gives me the Confidence to affirm ; that the presumed communication of Virgil with the Jews is a groundless Imagination , and no more . CHAP. XXIX . That the Opinion of Anthonius Possevinus concerning the Sibyls , and their pretended Writings , is not more rational , then that of Cardinal Baronius . ANthony Possevin , carried away with the Tortent of the common Opinion , makes ( as the rest ) no small Stir with the Sibyls ; saying , That a Plato , Iamblichus , Porphyrius , and the other Academicks , of whose Doctrine b Petrus Crinitus hath written , have treated of the Sibyls . c Cicero hath treated of them , and Pliny ; and , before them , Varro in his Books Of Divine things , To Caesar ; As also afterwards , Cornelius Tacitus , Solinus , Fenestella , Marcianus Capella , Virgil , Servius , and others ; and of the Greeks , besides the Platonists , Diodorus Siculus , Strabo , Suidas , Aelian in his Books De varia Historia ; nay , among the Christians , and antient Greek Fathers , Eusebius , Justin , Clemens Alexandrinus , Stratonicus Cumanus , Theophilus in his Books to Autolycus ; and , among the Latines , Lactantius , Hierome , Augustine , &c. Now , many of the Fathers d have affirmed ; that these Sibyls had foretold things through the inspiration of God ; and the Apostle St. Paul exhorted the Gentiles to read their Oracles , as Clemens Alexandrinus hath left in writing , &c. Peter Garcias Galarza hath so Treated of all this whole matter ; that , comparing the Verses of the ten Sibyls with the Prophecies of the Holy Scripture , he hath shewed the admirable Harmony between them . But the Reader will be pleased once more to consider the inconsiderateness of this , otherwise learned , man ; who cites , among the Authours , that have spoken of the Sibyls , Theophilus of Antioch , and , in his Apparatus , questions , whether he should be admitted into that number ; saying , Theophilus of Antioch , in Case that Theophilus ever writ of the Sibyls . For First , The Heathens knew not of any Sibyl , but the Idolatrous ; as hath been already proved , and cite not any thing of what the Christians thought Sibylline : the Christians , on the contrary , made no account of what the Heathen esteemed , and confining themselves to the Rhapsody of the eight Books , which go under the Title of the Sibylline Oracles , were deceived , thinking them to be the antient Sibyls ; and consequently the Testimony of neither Heathens , nor Christians , is not strong enough to authenticate them ; in as much , as the former have charged them with Forgery ; and the later , who made account of them , were circumvented ; and their Design to bring them into credit proves ineffectual upon this account , that ( according to the Civil e Maxim ) The consent of him , who is mistaken , is null . Secondly , St. Paul neither was , nor could be , the Authour of the Recommendation attributed to him ; but some Apocryphal Writer , who ( impiously-bold ) took his Name upon him , to deceive the World with more ease . Thirdly , Eusebius does not so much , as name the Sibyls in the fifth Book of his History . Fourthly , The Name of Stratonicus was never heard of , among the Fathers of the Church . Cumae is not found to have produced any Ecclesiastical Writers : and Possevin , himself , grants as much ; for that he does not allow his Stratonicus any place in his Apparatus Sacer. Fifthly , It was no hard matter for Galarza to finde a Conformity between the Prophets and the Writings of the Counterfeit Sibyl , since she was ( whatever she may seem to the contrary ) a Christian by Prosession ; and that she writ them one hundred , thirty , and eight years after the Birth of our Saviour : onely it is to be remembred ; that this Conformity is not such , as is imagined ; and that the pretended Prophetess , to whom it is attributed , was full of Errours , and a corrupt Divine . If therefore we must ( with Possevin ) blame Opsopoeus the Printer of Basil ; it should be , for having inserted this confused Medley into the Body of Orthodox Writers , and added thereto the Oracles of the false Gods ; when nothing of it is Orthodox , or ought to finde place in the Christian Library . And , as to what is added by Possevin ; That It had been more expedient to set apart some few things of many , and particularly what might be taken , as most certain , out of the Writings of the Fathers , with Notes , or a Paraphrase thereupon ; such as Constantine the Great hath put before the Cumaean Sibyl cited by Virgil ; or Lactantius before Firmianus ; or Augustine before the Acrostick produced by Cicero : it is an Errour infinitely beyond what he was guilty of before . For it will never be expedient to propose to Christians , as a Direction , the Stumbling-Blocks , against which the Fathers fell , much less to raise them into an admiration of Supposititious Pieces . Besides , it is inconsiderately done by some , to alledg either the Paraphrase of Constantine ; who hath put Virgil , and his Poem so unmercifully to the Rack : or the Acrostick of the eighth Book of the Sibylline Oracles ; which Cicero no more thought on , then he did on the Story of Apuleius's Ass . The End of the First Book . OF THE SIBYLS . The Second Book . Of the CONSEQUENCES arising upon the Supposititiousness of the Writing pretended to be Sibylline . ADVERTISEMENT . TO revenge the antient Injury done to the Church ( in whose Bosom it is now above fifteen hundred years , that some have been willing to fasten the Supposititious Work of the Sibylline Writing ) and to Truth , which hath been miserably disguised thereby ; and lastly to the Fathers , who have been surprised by the unheard-of Impudence of the Impostour ; who , presenting them with a counterfeit Jewel , instead of a right Diamond , made them take Coals out of Hell-fire for a Divine Treasure : I have been forced to search into the very Roots of so deep an Imposture , as such , as whereto many of our Time ( even among the Protestants ) are still inclined to give Credit . And in what I have done out of this Design , I have cherished a certain Hope ; that those , who shall be any way offended at the seeming Novelty of my Sentiment , will vouchsafe to consider it without Prejudice : that , upon their acknowledgment of the solidity of its Grounds , they may acquiesce therein ; or , if they think otherwise of it , with Reason correct it . In the Interim ( presupposing it as well , and sufficiently , proved ) I shall intreat the Reader 's Attention , to consider the Consequences of the Doctrine unjustly attributed to the Counterfeit Sibyl , and , to proceed therein with some Order , Observe , First , In what Year precisely the Apocalyps ( whereof the false Prophetess attempts to wrest the true Sence ) was written by the Apostle Saint John. Secondly , About what time the extravagant Imaginations of the pretended Sibylline Writings came first abroad . Thirdly , By how strong a Prejudice they were possessed , who were ( out of an excessive Easiness of Belief ) induced to admit them . A TREATISE OF THE SIBYLS . BOOK II. CHAP. I. An Enquiry thout the Time , wherein Saint John wrote his REVELATION . AS we have , on the one side , the Consent of Antiquity , assigning the Life of Saint John to have ended on Sunday , the 27th of December , in the third year of Trajan ; coincident with the hundredth year after the Birth of our Saviour , according to the Computation now used : so have we , on the other , Saint Irenaeus , who suffered Martyrdom in the one hundred , ninety , and eighth year of Christ , affirming in the thirtieth Chapter of his fifth Book , cited by Eusebius ( both in the eighth Chapter of the third Book , and the eighth Chapter of the fifth Book of his History ) that the Apocalyps was written a about the end of Domitian ' s Reign : which is confirmed by Clemens Alexandrinus about the year 200. writing at the place , Copied out by Eusebius , that St. John b returned from Patmos , after the Tyrant ' s Death ; that is to say , after the eighteenth of September , in the year ninety six , on which Domitian was Assassinated . Eusebius seems the more absolutely to acquiess in their Sentiment , in that , having further published , and observed , in the seventeenth Chapter of his third Book , that Domitian , c towards the end of his Reign , became the Successour of Nero in his enmity , and War , against God , he certifies in the nineteenth Chapter , that Domitilla was Banished for the Profession of Christianity in the fifteenth , and last , year of that Prince's Reign , which falls in with the ninety sixth of our Saviour . Further , that the d Tradition of the Antients affirmed ; that St. John was called back from Patmos by Nerva ; and in his Chronicle ( upon the fourteenth year of Domitian , which he makes coincident with the second of the two hundred and eighteenth Olympiad ) that e Domitian was the second after Nero , who persecuted the Christians ; and that , in his Reign , the Apostle St. John , then banished to Patmos , had seen the Apocalyps , as Irenaeus declares . Which words manifestly relate to the place of that holy Prelate , which he had Transcribed twice in his History , and which yet St. Hierome , as well in his Version of Eusebius's Chronicle , as in his Catalogue , wrests to another sence , turning it , f Which Irenaeus interprets ; as if Euschius had written , not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . and his intention had been to tell us ; that Saint Irenaeus declared the Apocalyps ; rather then to give us to understand , that ( according to the Declaration of that great Martyr ) St. John saw his Apocalyps , not onely under Domitian , but the fourteenth year of that Prince , or ( to express it in his own Terms ) towards the end of his Reign . But with this little distortion of the words of Eusebius , St. Hierome , in his Catalogue , expresses their true sence , saying , g Domitian in his fourteenth year , raising , after Nero , the second Persecution , John ( banished to the Isle of Patmos ) writ the Apocalyps ; which Justin Martyr interprets , and Irenaeus . So that we must not , with h Cardinal Baronius , give that Interpretation to his Discourse ; as if Domitian had began his Reign fourteeen years after Nero. For , though it be indeed true ; since Nero died the tenth of June , 68. and Domitian came into his Brother's place on the eighteenth of September , 81. thirteen years , three moneths , and eight days after the unfortunate End of Nero ; and consequently about the beginning of the fourteenth year : yet was it not the intention of St. Hierome to acquaint us , what number of years had passed between the Reign of Domitian and that of Nero ; but that Domitian , in the fourteenth year of his Reign , ( which was the twenty seventh after Nero's Death ) raised the second Persecution against the Church . So that it was inconsiderately done of him , who Translated the Greek Version of Sophronius , the antient Interpreter of St. Hierome's Catalogue , into Latine , to make him say , as he fancied , i The fourteenth year after the Death of Nero , instead of turning it ( according to the proper expressions as well of St. Hierome , as k Sophronius ) l The fourteenth year , Domitian raising , after Nero , the second Persecution : nor indeed could it have been without contradiction to St. Irenaeus , Clemens Alexandrinus , and Eusebius , nay , to himself ; and that so much the more notorious , by how much the more he pretended to follow the last ; whose Discourse he hath Translated , in a manner , word for word . The Arabian Prolegomena upon the Gospels , published by Peter de Kirstein , have these words in them ; John made his aboad at Ephesus seven and twenty years ; that is to say , six under Nero , ten under Vespasian , two under Titus , and nine under Domitian : then was he Banished by Domitian into the Isle of Patmos , where he stayed seven years , till such time , as he was called back by Nero the younger ; that is to say , Nerva . By this account , the Apostle of God should have retired out of Palaestine into the Proconsulary Asia ; not ( as the Greek Fasti very probably suppose ) in the 68. of our Saviour , because of the Revolt of the Jews from the Empire , and the Eruption of the War brought into the Heart of their Country by Vespasian ; immediately upon the retreat of the Church of Jerusalem to Pella : but in the year sixty three , concurrent with the ninth of Nero , and the time of St. John's Abode , both at Ephesus , and Patmos , should have been thirty four years , comprehending six years of Nero , and the whole Reigns of Vespasian , Titus , and Domitian . For Nero killed himself ( as hath been already observed ) the tenth of June , 68. Vespasian ( having news brought him in Palaestina of the Murthering of Galba ; which happened on the sixteenth of January , 69. as also of the Tragical End of Otho on the twentieth of April following , and of the Rising of his Friends in Rome ) assumed the Empire , and kept it till the twenty fourth of June , 79. and Domitian , who had succeeded his Brother Titus , dying the 13th of September , in the year 81. was violently forced out of the world on the 18th of September , in the year 96. leaving the Empire vacant to Nerva ; who nulled all his Acts , and by that means , gave St. John the Liberty to return to Ephesus . But if this Calculation be receivable , in as much as it maintains the common Sentiment of the Fathers , concerning the time of St. John's return , yet can it not agree with the Relation of St. Irenaeus , affirming ; that , m almost in his time , Domitian began the Persecution , towards the end of his Reign , and leaving it to be inferred , that the Persecution was of no long continuance : which could not be said , if ( according to the account of the Arabians ) we must assign it seven years ; that is to say , a full half of Domitian's Reign , and not onely the End : whereto St. Irenaeus , Eusébius , and all the Fathers , strictly limit themselves ; among whom n Tertullian , Contemporary with St. Irenaeus , expresly observing the Violence of that Persecution to have made no great Havock , says ; Domitian , an Imp of Nero , as to cruelty , had designed a Persecution ; but , being also himself a man , he easily smothered what he had begun , having re-established those , whom he had Banished . So that , according to his Opinion , the mischief was stayed by his very Order , who had occasioned it . But , whereas by attributing to him the Re-establishment of the Banished , he derogates from the Authority of the Tradition of the Antients , which ( according to Eusebius ) delayed it till the Reign of Nerva , whom the Prolegomena ( I know not why ) call Nero the younger , I shall , by no means , presume so much upon his particular Opinion , as to oppose it to the common belief of all the Fathers . Which having forced us to reduce onely to one the seven years assigned by the Prolegomena , for the Banishment of St. John , imposes upon us yet a greater necessity to quit the Opinion of the Greek Fasti ; which place the return of St. John under the twelfth year of Domitian , coincident with the ninety third of our Saviour , and commit therein an Errour so much the more unmaintainable ; in that they make the Persecution cease , as also the effect it had ( by the confession of all ) caused two years before it began , and ridiculously presuppose , that St. John was ( by the Decree for his Release ) restored to his former Liberty , before he had been in a capacity to lose it , by the unjust Decree for his Banishment . He , who hath busied himself in writing a Synopsis of the Lives of the Prophets and Apostles , under the Name of o Dorotheus , having , by mixture of his own Conceptions , corrupted the words of the Synopsis of St. Athanasius , imagines ; that St. John was Banished by Trajan ; that he lived one hundred , and twenty years , and returned from Patmos to Ephesus after Trajan's Death . But all ( yet followed , as it should seem , by Suidas ) is contrary both to Tradition , and the Truth ; since First , Trajan came not to the Empire , till the twenty eighth of July , in the year 98. the very next to that , wherein St. John was restored by Nerva . Secondly , St. John was ( according to the Opinion of St. Hierome ) honoured with the Apostleship p in his Youth , and while he was yet a Boy ; so that the hundredth year of our Saviour , wherein he was Translated to Celestial glory , could not have been much beyond the ninetieth of his Age , ( to which St. Epiphanius confines himself ) nor coincident with the ninety eighth , chosen by Beda ; nor with the ninety ninth , which Usuard hath taken ; nor yet with the hundredth , which Cedrenus ( for some reason unknown to us ) thought most worthy his Choice ; And Thirdly , the Death of St. John was seventeen years before that of Trajan ; who dyed of a Flux at Selinuntium in Cilicia , on the tenth of August , in the year 117. CHAP. II. The Sentiment of St. Epiphanius , concerning the Time of the Apocalyps , refuted . I Have hitherto given an account of their Opinions , who ( dissenting from the common Tradition ) thought , that St. John had writ his Apocalyps , either before the twelfth year of Domitian ; about four years sooner , then he did : or under the Reign of Trajan ; much later , then is consistent with the Truth . I now come to prove the mistake of Saint Epiphanius , who ( contrary to the Opinion of all precedent Antiquity ) going back to the Reign of Claudius , would needs make that Prince Authour of St. John's Banishment to Patmos . a The Holy Spirit ( saith he ) necessitates John ; who , out of a Religious , and humble respect , refused to Evangelize in his old Age , after the ninetieth year of his Life ; b after his return from Patmos , happening under Claudius Caesar , and after an aboad of many years in Asia . And towards the End of the same Treatise ; c The Holy Spirit Prophetically foretells , by the mouth of St. John , what happened after his decease ; d he himself having in the Time of Claudius Caesar long before , when he was in the Isle Patmos ( for they themselves [ that is to say , the Alogians ] acknowledg , that these things have been accomplished in Thyatira ) written , through the Spirit of Prophecy , to those , who professed Christianity there at that time ; that a Woman should call her self a Prophetess . This Venerable man , pressed to Ward off the Objections of the Hereticks alledging the Supposititiousness of the Apocalyps , in that it presupposed , as extant , Churches , that were not in the Time of St. John ( as , for instance , that of Thyatira ) admits , without any necessity , the Objection of those troublesom Spirits , as if it had been out of all Question : then Answers ; That John spoke by Prophecy , not of the Church , which was then ; but of that , which should be planted some time after at Thyatira : where the People , seduced by the Alogians , and Montanists , should , after the ninety third year from our Saviour's Ascension , or the one hundred twenty sixth from his Birth , according to the account of St. Epiphanius , corrupt that wretched City with their Errour ; and , having cited the Text of the Apostle , makes Application of it in these Terms ; Do you not see , that he speaks of Women , who , having been seduced with an Imagination , that they had the Gift of Prophecy , have seduced many others ? Now I speak of Priscilla , and Maximilla , and Quintilla ; whose Seduction hath not been hidden from the Holy Spirit . In fine , after he had searched into the time , when he thought John Banished to Patmos , he shuts up his Discourse with this Conclusion ; that is to say , That in Thyatira a Woman should call her self a Prophetess . But , the more I consider this Answer , the less I finde it ( without prejudice to the respect due to its Authour ) capable of giving satisfaction to judicious Persons . For , First , Is there any likelyhood , that the Holy Spirit should direct Letters from the Son of God to Churches , which had no being , when it dictated them , and that we must understand these words , Unto the Angel of the Church , which is in Thyatira , write these things , I know thy works , &c. The last are more then the first , &c. I have a few things against thee ; because thou sufferest the woman Jezabel , who calleth her self a Prophetess , to teach , and seduce , &c. in this sence , Write to the Angel of the Church , which shall be in Thyatira , I know the works thou shalt do ; the last shall be more then the first ; I shall have some few things against thee ; thou shalt suffer the woman Jezabel , who shall call her self a Prophetess , to teach , & c ? It was no hard matter for St. Epiphanius to write it ; but whom hath he hitherto convinced of it , besides himself ? This manner of Interpretation being such , as that not any one of either the Antients , or Modern , hath followed it , the very Singularity thereof should be sufficient , not onely to bring it into suspicion ; but also to represent it as so much the more unmaintainable , in as much as all , that professed Christianity from St. John to St. Epiphanius , ( that is , from the year 100. to the year 375. wherein the later wrote against the Alogians had held the contrary to what it supposes , and took it for a thing indisputable , that the seven Churches , to whom our Saviour directed his Epistles , had been planted by the Ministery of Saint John before his Banishment to Patmos . Secondly , Contradicting his own Hypothesis , to wit , that Thyatira had not had any Church in the Time of St. John , he comes , for want of reflection , to maintain the opposite Affirmative , saying , Then the whole Church ( of Thyatira was wholly degenerated into the Sect of the Cataphrygians [ or Montanists ] accordingly the holy Spirit would needs reveal unto you how it should come to pass , that the Church should be seduced after the time of the Apostles , and St. John , and those who came after ; it was about ninety three years after the Assumption of our Saviour , that the Church of that place , ( to wit , Thyatira ) should be seduced , and fall into the Heresie of the Cataphrygians . For , if the Church were planted at Thyatira , it necessarily follows , it was there : the Allegation of the destruction of a thing containing the formal presupposition of its precedent existence . Thirdly , But , not to meddle any further with that contradiction of St. Epiphanius , nor the supposition , which he granted the Hereticks , as acknowledged by all , he advances a new one against the express Text of St. John ; for he writes expresly , that the whole Church of Thyatira was degenerated into the Sect of the Cataphrygians ; whereas the Holy Spirit , on the contrary , says it was not the whole Church of Thyatira , that had committed Adultery with Jezabel , and received her Doctrine ; but that , in Thyatira , there were some Members of that Church , which were not fallen into those Errours ; as it expresly declares , speaking To the rest in Thyatira , who had not received that Doctrine , nor known the depth of Satan , I say , &c. Fourthly , Saint Epiphanius , himself , does further destroy the Computation he had taken to denote the falling-away of the Church of Thyatira . For whereas , in his Dispute against the Alogians , he affirms , that , in the ninety third year after the Ascension ( and consequently the one hundred , twenty sixth after the Birth of our Saviour ) this Revolt happened ; in the fourty eighth Heresie , where he particularly refutes the Montanists , he comes thirty years later , then that Date , saying ; These , ( to wit , the Montanists ) were about the twenty fifth year of Antoninus Pius , after Adrian : which ( according to our Computation ) cannot concur , but with the year 156. and is necessarily false , as to their Judgment , who preceded in Time. For Claudius Apollinaris , Bishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia , limits the first eruption of the Montanists to the Proconsulship of Gratus , which is consonant to the year 142. or thereabouts : and Apolionius , the Romane Senatour , who suffered Martyrdom under Perennius , on the eighteenth of April , 181. observes , that , fourty years before , that Sect pretended to a Prophetick Spirit ; thereby insinuating , that it had broke forth about the year 139 , or 140. not much differing from the time assigned by Apollinaris , but three years later , then St Epiphanius would have it , in his Dispute against the Alogians , and thirty six years sooner , then he said in his Treatise against the Montanists . Fifthly , This Sect rose up particularly in Phrygia at a little Village , called Pepuzium , which the Inhabitants ( upon occasion of their pretended Prophets , who were Natives thereof ) named Jerusalem , and not ( as Epiphanius imagined ) in Thyatira in Lydia ; which , though adjacent indeed , and lying upon the Frontiers of Phrygia , yet made a Province of it self , as appears by the Testimony of Strabo ( in his thirteenth Book ) by Ptolomy ( in the second Chapter of his first Book ) by the Councel of Nice , Assembled by the Emperour Constantine the Great , in the year 325. and by that of Lydia , convened by Order of the Emperour Leo the First , in the year 450. where the Bishops of Thyatira subscribed . with the Lydians , as being of the same Division . Nay , though there were onely to satisfie us , but the very Denominations of Cataphrygians , Phrygastae , and Pepuziani , given by the Catholicks to the Montanists , they might suffice to make us apprehend , that we are not to look for their extraction in Thyatira , out of Phrygia , from which they are specifically denominated . Sixthly , From the application of the Name Jezabel arises a new Difficulty against the Sentiment of St. Epiphanius . For whether we read with St. Cyprian , in his fifty second Epistle , and with Primasius , Andrew of Caesarea , and Aretas , e Thy Wife Jezabel , which is consonant to the Reading as well of the antient Copy of Alexandria , wrote above thirteen hundred years since by Thecla , and given to King James of Great Britain by the Patriarch Cyril ; as of that of the French King's Library , followed by Robert Stephen , in the Edition of the New Testament in folio ; that of Alcala de Henares ; and that , which was followed in the Edition of the great Bible of Andwerp ; and other Impressions of Plantine : Or simply f The Woman Jezabel ; as is done by Hilary the Deacon , upon the eleventh Chapter of the second Epistle to the Corinthians ; Tychonius , ( in the Homilies unjustly attributed to St. Augustine ) Beda , Ansbert ( who joyns the two different Lections ) and Berengandus , whose Commentary was published by Cuthbert Tonstal , Bishop of Durham , under the Name of St. Ambrose : Or , lastly , take the Names of Woman , and Jezabel properly , to attribute either to the Wife of the Pastour of Thyatira , or of some other particular Person subject to his Government : Or whether , lastly , they be understood Figuratively of the Heresie ; as most of the antient Interpeters do : we shall not finde any reason to apply them ( as St. Epiphanius does ) to the three Prophetesses of the Montanists , Prisca , or Priscilla , Maximilla , and Quintilla put together , nor to any one of them in particular : not onely because they were neither born at , nor Inhabitants of Thyatira , but Phrygians , Natives of Pepuzium ; but also because the reprehension of the Son of God , charging the Jezabel of the Thyatirians with Adultery , and the use of things sacrificed to Idols , can no way be said either of those Women , whom Saint Epiphanius would have designed by the Name of Jezabel , or to any of the Montanists , persisting in the strict observation of the corrupt Maxims , which made them to err . For those People were so far from introducing Licentiousness , and Dissolution , into life , and ( as g Tertullian speaks ) unbuckling the Thong of Christian Discipline , to give way to crimes ; that they passed to the other extreme of the most scrupulous , and superstitious Austerity , condemning h Second marriages , the Use of things sacrificed to Idols , i the Eating of juycie flesh , and meats , during the time of Fasting , k Flight in time of Persecution , and much more the denial of Christianity , Adultery , and Idolatry , from which ( as indeed from all impurity of life , which they reproached the Catholicks with , attributing to them a l Beastial faith , and upon that acount , crying out against them by the Name of Psychici ) they thought themselves so free , that they called themselves m the Spiritualized , n followers of the Discipline of the Spirit , which endeavoured ( after the Example of St. Paul ) to o smother all the lusts of the Flesh , and which , to subdue it , proposed those p burthen , om things , which the Son of God meant , when he said to his Disciples , q I have yet many things to tell you ; but you cannot now bear them . But the crimes of the Jezabel of the Thyatirians were remarkable in the Sects of the Gnosticks , Nicolaitans , and others , whom St. Irenaeus , Tertullian , Saint Epiphanius himself , St. Augustine , and all the Heresiologists that came after , charge with the commission of them , so far , that Tertullian ( a Montanist , and admirer of those Women , whom St. Epiphanius pretends to have been designed by Jezabel ) engages agaiust the Gnosticks , because they were guilty of the crimes mentioned by Saint John ; as his Scorpiacum , and his other Writings justify . This , I say , demonstratively proves against St. Epiphanius ; that we must seek out the Jezabel of the Thyatirians elsewhere , then among the Montanists , and mildly interpret what seems harsh in the Discourse of that good man , wherein , after he had said , that the Apostle speaks ( under the Name of Jezabel ) of the seduced , and seducing Women of the Montanists , he adds , that , in that place , St. John wrote , that a Woman should call her self a Prophetess . For one Woman , ( to take the word strictly ) is not Women ; but I am rather apt to suppose , he took the word Woman collectively ; and in that comply with his meaning . As to his maintaining , that the Holy Apostle was Banished to Patmos , and there writ his Apocalyps under the Reign of Claudius , at least fourty two years sooner , then is held by the common Tradition of the Truth ; I desire the Reader to see him refuted by the very Acts of the Apostles , where he may finde in the eighteenth and nineteenth Chapters , that Saint Paul , having ( in the year of our Lord 51. coincident with the eleventh of Claudius ) sowed the first Seeds of Christianity at Ephesus , departed thence , to go and keep Easter at Hierusalem , and that , after his Return , he continued constantly at Ephesus two years ; that is to say , the fifty second , and fifty third of our Saviour , concurrent with the twelfth and thirteenth of Claudius , who died on the thirteenth of October , 54. on the twentieth day of the ninth Moneth of his fourteenth year . For , since Saint Paul was the Founder of that famous Church , which hath been , as it were , the Mother of all her Neighbours ; that it is not likely , St. John , who seems to have been then teaching the Parthians , to whom his first Epistle was ( according to the Opinion of some Antients ) directed , should come thither , during the aboad of Saint Paul ; and that , after the Departure of Saint Paul , hastened by the Insurrection of Demetrius , Claudius Reigned but nine Moneths ; there is no likelyhood to presume , that , in so short a space of time , there should come to pass all those things , which Antiquity assures us happened to Saint John ; that is to say , that he Confirmed the Church of Ephesus , and Planted the Neighbour-Churches , and Confessed the Name of Christ at Rome ; where , r having been cast into a Vessel of seething Oil , he came forth more fair , and more vigorous then he was , when he went into it , anointed indeed , and no way burnt ; That s afterwards , pressing forward , as a Champion of Christ , to receive the Crown , he was immediately Banished to the Isle of Patmos ; and that , during the Time of his Banishment , he was honoured with Visions from God. Secondly , Though a man should run the hazard of imagining , that all these Accidents , which require much longer time , happened in the turning of his hand , yet could he not thereby shift off the difficulty ; in asmuch as all Antiquity , attributing the Banishment of St. John to Domititian , who assumed the Empire twenty six years , and eleven Moneths precisely , after the Death of Cla●…us , does , as it were , by an unanimous consent , contradict the particular Sentiment of Epiphanius , which ought not ( what esteem soever we may have for him ) to be opposed either to Probability , universal Tradition , or the Authority of such , as are more antient , and more creditable , then he , upon this account , that they lived nearer the Age of Saint John , and might be more easily informed of the Truth . Thirdly , For that the Church hath always held it for certain ; First , That , full eleven years after the Death of Claudius , the first Persecution was raised by Nero , to derive upon the innocent Christians the Indignation of the Romanes , exasperated by the resentment of their own Losses , in the firing of the City , which that Monster , himself , commanded to be done . Secondly , That the Banishment of St. John was consequent to some Persecution : St. Hierome , Contemporary with St. Epiphanius , and his familiar Friend , assuring us , that , because of the Martyrdom , St. John , immediately before his Transportation to Patmos , was at Rome , cast into the vessel of seething Oyl . Thirdly , That all ( Epiphanius onely excepted ) reduce the Banishment of St. John to the second Persecution ; which they would have break forth towards the end of Domitian's Reign . Fourthly , That , with the same unanimity of Sentiments , they attribute to Nerva , who nulled the Acts of his Predecessour , the calling back of St. John , and that not any one ( no , not St. Epiphanius himself ) ever charged Claudius ( whose Acts were confirmed by his Apotheosis ) with having ill-entreated the Christians . Whence it must of necessity follow , that the Banishment of St. John , could not have been under his Reign , and consequently , that the Opinion of St. Epiphanius , which we have demonstrated not to be maintainable in any of its parts , neither can , nor ought , in this , to be followed by any one . CHAP. III. The Sentiment of the late Grotius , concerning the time of the Apocalyps , refuted . FRom the year , 375. wherein St. Epiphanius writ against the Alogians , to the year 1640. the Opinion of that Father was not embraced , but onely by one Person , that made Profession of Letters ; a man indeed of extraordinary Endowments , whether we consider the transcendency of his Wit , the Universality of his Knowledg , which cannot be too highly esteemed , and the diversity of his Writings , or reflect on the greatness of his Employments ; but still a Man , and , upon that account , not free from the hazard of misapprehension , and sometimes making the worst choice . This man , having published a little Treatise in Latine , entituled , Commentatio ad loca quaedam Novi Teslamenti , quae de Antichristo agunt , aut agere putantur , expendenda eruditis , makes this Remark , well worth our Notice , on the ninth Verse of ●…e seventeenth Chapter of the Apocalyps ; John went first to Patmos , and began to be illuminated by Visions from God , in the Time of Claudius , which is the Sentiment of the more Antient Christians ; and not in the Time of Domitian , as others would have it . See Epiphanius in the Heresie of the Alogians . Claudius had ( as appears by Acts xviii . 2. ) forced out of Rome the Jews , among whom , at that time , the Christians were also numbered , as hath been observed by many learned men . Which example , there is no doubt , but divers Governours of the Romane Provinces imitated ; by which means John was forced to leave Ephesus . But I maintain , in opposition to the Prejudice of this Great man , First , That not any one of the Antient Christians , nor yet of the Modern , either were of the Opinion of St. Epiphanius , or favoured it . Secondly , That St. Epiphanius ( who was neither preceded , nor followed by any one in his Sentiment ) says not any thing , that is maintainable , and is not peremptorily refuted , as well by the Tradition universally received in the Church , as by Reason it self . Thirdly , That the Singularity , and Novelty , of that Father's Sentiment , being contrary to those of all the rest , and in some manner to himself , should rather have raised his Distrust , then prepossessed him . Fourthly , That it cannot , by any Monument of Antiquity , be made good , that the mistake of the Heathen , taking the Christians for Jews , had reduced ( in the Time of the Emperour Claudius , under whom the Jews were the onely Persecutours of the Church ) any one of the Faithfull to suffer Banishment , upon the account of his being of the Faithfull , or a Christian ; and that to presuppose it onely by way of simple Conjecture , without any Proof , is no other , then openly to prejudice one's credit , and to abuse their plain dealing , and easiness of perswasion , who might comply therewith . Fifthly , That it is impossible to make it good , that the Edict of Claudius , which Banished the Jews onely out of Rome , had been , or could have been , imitated by any of the Governours of the Romane Provinces , who knew there was but one Rome in the World , and that it was not within any of their Jurisdictions . Sixthly , That , by the History of the Acts , it is evident , that , after the Edict of Claudius , the Jews enjoyed , in all other places of the Empire , as absolute Freedom , and Toleration , as they could have done before ; since St. Paul , and Silas , and Aquila , and Priscilla , his Wife , lived without any trouble at Corinth , where those of their Nation had their Synagogue , and assembled , as they were wont , without any Disturbance . Seventhly , That though the Governours of the Romane Provinces should have been enclined ( in imitation of their Emperour ) to pack the Jews out of their Jurisdictions , yet would it not be just to imagine any such thing of the Proconsul of Asia ; nor to presuppose , that , to comply with that Extravagance , he had driven St. John ( who was not within his Jurisdiction ) from any place ; when at the same time , that the Jews were forced to depart Rome , St. Paul , Priscilla , Aquila , and Apollos ( who were no less of Jewish Extraction , then John ) sojourned at Ephesus without disturbance , their Brethren according to the Flesh enjoyed there as much liberty as ever : nay , even when Demetrius had ( with those of his Profession ) made an Insurrection in the City against Saint Paul , they thought themselves sufficiently Authorised to pacifie the Tumult , thrusting out Alexander their Brother out of the Multitude , and charging him to speak to the enraged People ; for , if it were to no purpose , that they attempted it , it was at least without apprehension of any danger , either to themselves , or him . Whence it follows , that , not onely without any necessity , but also without any ground , it is imagined , that St. John ( who was not yet come to Ephesus , when the Edict of Claudius came forth against the Jews ) was driven thence by Virtue of that Edict , which no way concerned him ; and that , if there never could be any excuse to introduce Novelties into the Business of Religion , we should be much further from advancing ruinous Hypotheses , to maintain the more ruinous Design of opposing common Sentiments . So that no man should think it strange , if ( through the just Judgment of God ) those , who take a pleasure in contradicting things , that are most evident , unadvisedly engage themselves in inconsistent Opinions , to the prejudice of their Reputation , and such , as are more apt to raise Compassion for their Weakness , then Jealousie upon account of the great Esteem due to them . CHAP. IV. A Refutation of the Sentiment of Johannes Hentenius of Maechlin , concerning the Time of the Apocalyps . HAving demonstrated the Improbability of the Sentiment , as well of St. Epiphanius , as of him , who would needs make it his ground to build upon , not considering he should do himself a thousand times more injury by following it , contrary to the Truth , then he could have done , by contradicting it , to promote the Truth he made it his Design to establish , I conceive it lies upon me , to discover the absurdity of another fond Conceit , which ( to bring , with less inconvenience , the Tradition of the Church into Dispute ) about the year 1545. hath referred the writing of the Apocalyps to the Time of Nero , ten years , and more , later , then according to the Computation of Saint Epiphanius . Johannes Hentenius , an Hieronymite , born at Maechlin , who is the Authour of it , would needs , in his Preface upon the Commentary of Arethas , entertain us with the following Discourse . It seems to me , that John the Apostle , and Evangelist , who is also called the Divine , was Banished to Patmos by Nero , at the very same time , that he put to death at Rome the blessed Apostles of Christ , Peter , and Paul. Tertullian , who lived near the Times of the Apostles , affirms as much in two several places . Eusebius also treats of the same thing , in his Book of Evangelical Preparation , though in his Chronicle , and Ecclesiastical History , he saith it happened under Domitian , which St. Hierome , and divers others follow . But to these last mentioned Books , as such as were written some years before , there is not so much Authority attributed , as to that of Evangelical Preparation ; which was an after Work , on which more care , and exactness was bestowed . Thus are we furnished by this man with a third Opinion , inconsistent as well with the two precedent , as the Truth it self , which declares onely for the first , confirmed by St. Irenaeus , and others of the Antients ; and what should make this new Production the more contemptible , is , that it will be found grounded onely upon Chimaerical Suppositions , and , taking it at the best advantage , speaks nothing positively Affirmative . For , whereas it is confidently affirmed , that Tertullian assures us in two several places , that Saint John was Banished at the time of the Martyrdom of the Holy Apostles , Peter , and Paul , it is absolutely false ; that Father , who makes mention of the Sufferings of the Saints , Peter , Paul , and John , jointly all together in one onely place , to wit , in the thirty sixth of his Praescriptions , expressing it onely in these Terms : a That Church ( to wit , that of Rome ) is very happy , for which the Apostles spent their Doctrine , and spilled their Blood ; where Peter was equalled to the Passion of his Lord ( that is to say , Crucified ) where Paul was crowned with the same way of Departure , as John ( that is to say , Beheaded , as St. John Baptist was ) where the Apostle John , after he had been cast into the seething Oil , yet suffered nothing , was Banished into the Isle . Whence it is evident , that his Design was , to shew , that St. John was persecuted not at the same Time , but at the same Place , where St. Peter , and St. Paul were : so that his Discourse ( which proves nothing of what is in Question ) abates nought of its Truth , though it be believed , that Saint John's Banishment happened under Domitian , and that , eight and twenty years after the Martyrdom of the Holy Apostles , Peter , and Paul , under Nero. Besides the place before cited , there is , in all the Works of Tertullian , no more mention of the Writing of St. John , then there is of the Discovery of the West-Indies ; so that Hentenius , who brags , that he had read , what he says , in them , must needs read it in his Sleep . Nor is there less Imposture in what he attributes to E●sebius , who in his third Book of Evangelical Preparation , and the seventh Chapter , having spoken of the Imprisonment of all the Apostles by the High-Priests of Jerusalem , and afterwards of their Scourging , of the Stoning of St. Stephen , of the Decollation of St. James the Son of Zebedaeus , of the Restraint of St. Peter , and the Stoning of St. James the Brother of our Lord , adds , Peter was crucified at Rome , with his Head downwards ; Paul had his Head cut off , and John was Banished into an Isle . For it is manifest , that this Discourse , designing neither the Place , nor the Time of the Sufferings of these Holy men , cannot oblige any Body to believe , that they were persecuted by the same Tyrant , and at the same Time ; and that nothing hinders , but that ( according to Eusebius himself , as well in his Chronicle , as History ) the two former were put to Death by the command of Nero , and the last Banished , eight and twenty years after , by Virtue of a Decree of Domitian's . So that for a man to imagine the contrary from Eusebius , cannot be without wresting his Words , and to think to deduce it from the same words , by the force of Ratiocination , will amount to as much , as a discovery of want of Reason , and argue , that the Person , who attempts it , dreams waking . The said Authour thinks to give us a third Proof for confirmation of his Opinion , when ( relying on a wrong Interpretation of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which is equivocal he supposes the Chronicle of Eusebius , and his History , were written before his Work of Evangelical Demonstration , and , as less elaborate , were of less Authority . For whence does he inferr it ? Eusebius in the thirteenth Chapter of his sixth Book of his Evangelical Demonstration had used these worrds ; b And , if our own enquiry into things , that concern our selves , is of any account , we have seen with our own eyes Sion , which was of old so celebrious , plowed up with Oxen , and subjected to the Romanes . And every one knows , that Eusebius , who lived not far from Sion , and was a Native of the Countrey , might discourse to that effect with the more certainty , by reason of his having had the opportunity to go thousands of times to the Place ; nay , what is more , that at this day ( as in the Time of Adrian , who re-edified Jerusalem , under the Name of Aelia ) Sion , which in our Saviour's Time was within its Walls , and the Fortess thereof , is wholly out of the Compass of it , and in a manner uninhabited , so that the ground thereof is , and may be , cultivated by the labour of Oxen. But Hentenius , imagining that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 could not signifie any thing , but his Ecclesiastical History , suffered to slip out of his Memory what the Place of the Authour he had in hand should have suggested to him , to wit , that that very word is there ( as frequently in other good Writers ) used to denote an enquiry , a survey , a visit ; as when c Plutarch in his Book Of the Cessation of Oracles , and d Theodoret in the second Chapter of the first Book of his Ecclesiastical History , make use of it ; and when Suidas explicates the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Nay further , though we were apt to understand it otherwise , Eusebius , himself , would not permit it , nor yet , that we should suppose , his Evangelical Demonstration was , or was written after , or of greater account , or more elaborate and correct , then his History ; since that , in the third Chapter of the first Book of his History , he cites the Demonstration , saying , Having disposed into Commentaries , purposely designed for that end , the Extracts of the Prophets concerning our Saviour Jesus Christ , and in others demonstratively confirmed the things , which have been declared of him , and clearly proves that he had written it before ; and it follows not , that , if he had writ it afterwards , it should be ever the more elaborate , for as much as The Life of Constantine , whereof ( contrary to what many at this day think ) he declares himself the Authour , e was written after the year 337. long after his Ecclesiastical History , yet was never the more elaborate ; since that , what it hath common with the History , is alleged in express Terms in several places : which shews , that Eusebius had not any thing better to entertain us with , nor could have expressed himself in better Terms , then he had done in his History , which he carried on but to the the year 325. The same may be said of his Chronicle , which being cited as well in the Evangelical Praeparation , as in his Ecclesiastical History , must of necessity have been written first . For it is so far upon that account from being less correct , and elaborate ; that , on the contrary , we must necessarily by it correct several Passages , which he hath , without sufficient recollection , thrust into his History ; which in that regard is the less elaborate . Add to this the likelyhood there is , that the Chronicle ( which at present makes mention , not onely of the Death of Licinius , of the Councel of Nice , and the wretched end of Crispus , killed in the year 326. ) was reviewed by him , after the setting forth of his History , and consequently more elaborate , then any other of his Works : which Consideration contributes as much , or more , then any thing hath been said , to the conviction of Hentenius of mistake , and to the making of his imagination of no account . It is therefore manifest , by the Testimonies of St. Irenaeus , Clemens Alexandrinus , Tertullian , Eusebius , and St. Hi●rome , in the places alleged , as also by Severus Sulpitius , in the second Book of his Sacred History , by Paulus Orosius , in the tenth Chapter of the seventh Book of his History , by Primasius , Bishop of Adrumetum , in his Commentary upon the Apocalyps , by Jornandes in his Book De Regn. success ▪ by Isidore of Sevil in his Chronicle , and his Book of the Death of the Saints , by the Authour of the Preface put before the Treatises of St. Augustine upon St. John , by Maximus on Dionysius his tenth Epistle , by the Counterfeit Abdias , and Prochorus in the Life of St. John , by Bede on the Apocalyps , and Of the six Ages , by Him who wrote Of the Martyrdom of St. Timothy , by Ambrose Ansbert upon the Apocalyps , by Paul the Deacon in Miscelia , by Freculsius of Lizieux , Tom. 2. Book 2. Chap. 7 , and 8. by the Romane Martyrologies of Bede , Usuard , Ado , Notker , &c. by Michael Syncellus in Encomio Dionysii , by Regino , by Arothas Arch-Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia , by Simeon Metaphrastes , by the Greek Fasti , by the Arabian Prolegomena , by Hermannus , sirnamed Contractus , by Lambert of Schaffnabourg , by Marianus Scotus , by Zonaras , by Cedrenus , by Nicephorus Callistus ( in the eleventh Chapter of his first Book , and the fourty second Chapter of his second Book ) by Georgius Paechymerius on ●ionysius his Episiles , and by almost all those , that have written since the Time of St. John , that that great Apostle received the Revelations from God under Domitian , near the end of his Reign ; that he was recalled from Pa●mos by Nerva , and writ his Gospel after his return to Ephesus , and ended this Life in the third year of Trajan : so that whosoever will have the Obstinacy to maintain the contrary , must needs , before he pretend to have any credit given himself , wholly take away that of all Antiquity . Fourty two years after the re-establishment of Saint John at Ephesus , and thirty eight years after his Death , the Emperour Adrian , troubled with a mortal Disease , and without Issue , did upon the five and twentieth of February in the year 138. adopt Antoninus , sirnamed The Debonnaire , conditionally , that the Adoption should be extended to Marcus Aurelius , and Lucius Verus , the Sons of his former adopted Son , who died on the first of January , in the year 137. and he , himself , coming to die the 12th of July following , immediately thereupon came abroad the Poem attributed to the Sibyls ; wherein the Authour , who , towards the end of the 8th Book , assigned the utter destruction of Rome to happen in the four hundred , ninety eighth year after its Foundation , coincident with the year 195. of our Saviour , upon this very account , that , giving two several times a List of the Emperours , he reckons , after Adrian , Antoninus , and his two adopted Sons , evidently shews , that he lived , and writ after their Adoption . His own words make it manifest . f After him ( that is to say , Trajan ) another , one with a Silver Head , ( that is to say , Grey-haired ) shall reign , who shall derive his Name ( Adrian ) from the ( Adriatick ) Sea. There shall be another Person absolutely good , who shall know all things ( that is to say , Antoninus the Affable : ) and under thee , O most Excellent , and best of men , who art Brown-haired , and under thy Branches , ( to wit , Marcus Aurelius , and Lucius Verus ) will come the time of the accomplishment of all things . Three shall reign ; and the third shall have the government after all the rest . And elsewhere , speaking to Rome , he says , g After that three times five Kings ( that is to say , Julius , Augustus , Tiberius , Caligula , Claudius , Nero , Galba , Piso , Otho , Vitellius , Vespasian , Titus , Domitian , Nerva , and Trajan ) shall have reigned in Thee , and subdued the World from East to West , there shall be a King with an Hoary head , taking his Name ( to wit , Adrian ) from the Sea ( Adriatick ) &c. Besides him , there shall reign ( to wit , Antoninus , Marcus Aurelius , and Verus ) under whom shall be the last of Times , and by the Name they all shall have ( of Antoninus ) fill the Name of the celestical God , ( to wit , Adonai ) whose Power is now , and will be for ever . CHAP. V. A Refutation of Possevinus concerning the Time , when the Sibylline Writing came first abroad . IT must therefore of necessity follow , that the Impostour , who , to draw up Catalogues of the Emperours , had borrowed the Name of the Sibyl , put that Cheat upon the World , since the year 138. let us now see how long after . Possevin , in his Apparatus Sacer , upon an imagination , that he speaks of the second Conflagration of the Temple of Vesta , makes him live after that Accident , and thereupon is mistaken in four several respects . For First , he makes an ill concurrence between the year , 199. with the Empire of Commodus , Assassinated the 31th of December , 192. Secondly , he , no less unjustly , assigns the Conflagration of Vesta's Temple in the year 199. since that ( according to Dion , in his seventy second Book , Herodian , in his first Book , and Orosius , in the sixteenth Chapter of his seventh Book ) it happened toward the end of Commodus's Reign ; who left this world seven years before . To which may be added , that Eusebius , whose Authority he notoriously abuses , determines the time of that ruinous Accident ; affirming it to have happened in the third year of the 242. Olympiad , and the twelfth of Commodus : which concurr onely with the 191. year of our Saviour . Thirdly , When he designs the three Successours of Adrian , omitting Verus taken into Partnership of the Empire by Marcus Aurelius , he reckons in his stead Commodus , on whom the pretended Sibyl neither thought , nor could have thought , since she writ her Poem above fifteen years before the Birth of that Prince , which was on the thirty first of August , 161. and above thirty years before his association in the Empire , happening on the twenty seventh of November , 176. Fourthly , Though the Authour of that Romance might have spoken somewhat of the Conflagration of Vesta's Temple ; since that upon the very account of his having supposed , that Rome should be burned in the year after its Foundation , 948. concurrent with the year 195. of Christ , and the third of Severus , he would insinuate , that all the Temples of that City ( that of Vesta among the rest ) should be consumed by Fire , and could not ( as being dead before ) either see the Conflagration of it , or ( according to his own Hypotheses ) say , that he had seen it ; yet how , after he had measured the duration of Rome by the Lives of Antoninus , and his two Adopted Sons , Marcus Aurelius , and Verus ( shewing thereby he writ in their Times , and consequently , before the year of Christ 160. ) could he have been in a capacity to speak of commodus , who was born the last of August , 161. five Moneths , and twenty four days after the Death of Antoninus , and affirm he had seen the second Conflagration of Vesta's Temple ; which came not to pass till the year , 191. and the twelfth year after the Death of Marcus , with whom he seemed to imagine that Rome , and the whole World , should perish ? For instance , in the third Book ( page 27. ) he had written , that Rome should become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that is to say , a Village ; which he had done in imitation of the Apocalyps , Chap. xvii . Verse 16. and Chap. xviii . Verse 8. and Chap. xix . Verse 3. openly threatening it with a final destruction by Fire , saying in the second Book , ( page 14. ) Rome's seven-hill'd People God shall shake ; And Fire of much Wealth shall destruction make , Snatch'd up by Vulcan's ravenous Flames — And page 20. — By a sad Fate , There shall be three will lay Rome desolate : All men shall in their Houses be destroy'd , By Cataracts of Fire from Heav'n — And in the fifth Book , ( page 40. ) Surrounded with a burning Fire , go dwell In the dreadfull aboad of lowest Hell. And in the eighth Book , ( page 58. ) — To Naphta thou , Bitumen , Sulphur , Fire reduc'd shalt be : But Ashes to be burnt t'eternity . Nay , that there should not be the least difficulty , as to what concerns the Time of that Catastrophe , he had declared himself in these Terms , page 59. — Thou shalt compleat Three times three hundred years , and fourty eight : Of thy Name then the Number being past , Thy wretched Fate shall Thee surprize in haste . That is to say , the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , whereof the Letters produce the Number 948. thus ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 100. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 800. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 40. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 8. But could he , without being ridiculous , and passing for a Fool , brag , that he had survived those , under whom Rome , and the World , should come to its Period ; but also , that he had been Spectatour of an Accident , which but four years preceeded the day , he had assigned for that utter desolation ? Or could he , with any countenance , have acknowledged , that he had out-lived the Time , which he had assigned for the determination of the Empire , and the Universe ? But he hath not shewed himself so much a Fool , as a confident Impostour , and his words , which Possevin thought might be applied to the second Conflagration of Vesta's Temple , relate onely to the final Destruction of that of Jerusalem ; which he calls the Amiable House , the Guardian-Temple of the Divinity : an Elogie , which could not be given the Temple of Vesta by him , who undertook to dispute against the Idolatry of the Heathen , for the worship of one God. Besides the Remark , which Possevin makes of the Authour of the second Conflagration of that Temple , which the Counterfeit Sibyl meant , saying ; That he had , with an impious hand , attempted , clearly discovers , that he reflected on the Hand of that Infidel Souldier , who had fired the Temple of Jerusalem , and was declared impious by the Judgment of Titus , General of the Romane Army . For the Counterfeit Prophetess might well brag of the sight of that horrid Accident ; since it had happened in the year of our Lord 76. sixty eight years full before the reign of the Antonini ; under whom she writ ; though it was no less , then the height of impertinence in her , to call her self ( as she did ) Noah's Daughter-in-law , and to boast , that she had seen a ruin 2068. later then the death of Noah , and 2427. years after the Deluge ; as if ( according to the Fable advanced by Ovid , in the thirteenth Book of his Metamorphoses ) that pretended Prophetess , having obtained the Privilege of living as many years , as there were Grains in the heap of Sand shewed by the Cumaean Sibyl to Apollo , she had ( at the time of her Writing ) already passed not 700. years , as that Prophetess of Ovid , but above 2400. and expected to continue till the end of the World ; whereas the Cumaean Sibyl ( as is reported of her ) thought she was to become , at the end of a thousand , so wasted , as not to have any Body at all ; having after the dissolution of her precedent Form , onely her voice left her to foretell what was to come . Her words , taken out of the fifth Book ( page 49. ) are these : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Nor longer shall in Thee the Virgin quire The Fuel finde of their perpetual Fire . The Amiable House long since by thee Hath been destroy'd . The second I did see , The guardian-Temple o' th' Divinity , That ever flourishing house , in 'ts Ashes lie Fir'd by an impious hand , &c. Which Discourse cannot clearly relate to any thing , but the Conflagration of the Temple of Jerusalem by the Romane Army ; as a Punishment for which act , the Authour of the Sibylline Oracles pretends , that Rome should be lai'd desolate , in such manner , as that the Vestals should not any longer keep in the Fire , which they called Sacred , and Divine . CHAP. VI. Of the Time , when the Sibylline Books were written . FRom what hath been said , is manifest , that the Opinion of Possevin , concerning the Time , wherein the Person , who counterfeited the Sibyl , lived , is ill grounded ; and our Method now calls upon us to make enquiry , how many years we must ascend , assuredly to finde it out . That he Writ under Antoninus , his own words were sufficient to convince any man , that should well consider them ; but his credit , sequestered from the things , which may otherwise keep it up , being with good reason , of no account , his sincerity is greatly to be suspected , and his discourse requiring much caution , it is necessary we finde other helps to confirm what is advanced , and preferr the Testimonies of those , whom his Imposture hath circumvented , before any thing he could have represented of himself . Theophilus of Antioch , who died on the thirteenth of October , in the year 180. in regard he hath inserted into his Books To Autolycus divers things taken out of the Sibylline Writings , does irrefragably prove ; that they were before him in Time ; and that ( contrary to the conjecture of Possevin ) the Authour , who first writ them , reached not the Reign of Commodus ; who , when Theophilus died , onely began the eighth Moneth of his Reign . Athenagoras , who ( in his Embassy to the Emperours , Marcus Aurelius , and Verus , on the behalf of the Christians ) copied six Verses out of the second Book , shews , that this counterfeit Prophecy was in Vogue some time before the year 170. in which Verus died . Hermas , ( whom a Tertullian affirms to have been Brother to Pope Pius the First , who took the Chair on Sunday , the seventh of March , 146. under the Consulship of Clarus , and Severus , and died on the eleventh of July , 150. under the Consulship of Gallicanus , and Vetus ) discovers , that he had a particular knowledg of the said Writings ; since that , in his Work , entituled , The Pastour , he hath not onely shuffled many fantastick Imaginations , suitable to those of the pretended Sibyl ; but designed the Authour by the very Name he would go under : For as much as in the second Vision of the first Book , having imagined that an Aged Woman had , while he was in Ecstasie , given him a little Book to transcribe , containing Exhortations to Penance , he expressed what he seemed to believe of it in these Terms ; Brethren , it hath been revealed to me in my Sleep , by a Young man of a goodly appearance , and saying to me , Who do you think this Aged Woman is , of whom you received the Book ? and I said , The Sibyl . Whence it follows ; That , before the year , 150. this Opinion had gained Footing at Rome , among the Christians ; That a Sibyl , much unlike that of the Heathens , gave Sinners wholesom Instructions in order to the Exercises of Penance , and true Piety . And whereas Pope Pius , in his second Epistle to Justus of Vienna , makes mention of the Death of his Brother ; saying , The Priest , called The Pastour , hath founded a Title , and is worthily departed in the Lord , it justifies , that between the year 146. and 150. Hermas had maintained the Suppostion of the Sibyl , and that the Authour of the Books attributed to her must be yet more antient . St. Justin , a Christian Philosopher , a Native of Neapolis in Palaestina , sometime called Sichem , and who afterwards suffered Martyrdom at Rome , on the first of June , 163. does in his First Apologie , presented to the Emperour Antoninus his Adopted Sons , and the People ( before Marcus Aurelius had been received into Partnership of the Empire , and consequently , about the year 141 , or 142. ) complain of the Prohibition had been made , that none upon pain of Death should read the Books of Hystaspes , and the Sibyl , which he presented to the Princes , and Senate , as things deserving to be highly esteemed : and it is not to be doubted , but that Holy Person spoke of those , which are come to our hands ; since that in his Exhortation to the Greeks he copied three Verses out of his Preface , three out of the third Book , and Seaven out of the Fourth ; a manifest Argument , that they were already published ; since they had passed through his Hands , and that he objected them ( as Pieces generally known ) to the Heathen themselves ; whose Errours he opposed . CHAP. VII . A Conjecture concerning the Authour of the Sibylline Writings . IT were at this Day impossible for any man to be so happy in the discovery of the Authour of that Imposture , as that he might , without any fear of Mistake , make his Name publike , to be covered with the shame , and enormity of his sacrilegious attempt , against the sincerity of the Church . But methinks there is some ground to charge , if not as the principal advancer of the Cheat , at least as a complice of his crime , Hermas , who ( as hath been observed ) spoke of the Sibyl in the year 148 , or 149. and who was grown infamous for another kind of Supposititious dealing , whereby he presumed to feign Apparitions of Women , and Angels , disguised like Shepherds ; who furnished him with Instructions of Penance , pestered with fantastick Imaginations , which he hath expressed in as wretched Greek , as that of the Sibylline Writings , and such as ( equally with the other ) deserves perpetual dishonour . Though he were a Native of Aquileia , yet was his residence , with his Brother Pope Pius , at Rome , that is , in the Heart of that place , which ( for the space of seven hundred and tweny years ) had pretended to the custody of the Sibylline , and Prophetical Books , dictated by the Spirit of Impiety , and Lying , to the Heathens ; in the same City , and at the same time , that Justin Martyr ( as a Eusebius hath observed ) made his Exercises ; so that he was present at the first production of the abortive Issue of the Counterfeit Sibyl , and had been one of the most ready to take care of it . But when I consider , on the one side , that the Adulterous Father of the Poem pretendedly Sibylline , insinuating that he was a Phrygian by extraction , represents Phrygia , as the first of the habitable parts of the Earth after the Deluge , calls it , upon that occasion , b Life-bringing , and Antient , introduces , in the first Book of his pretended Oracles , ( page 9. ) Noah , making this Discourse , — Above the Floods T' appear , thou Phrygia first shalt strive ; That so a second Race thou mayst derive Of men , and be the common Nurse of all . and adds presently after ; In Phrygia's Confines a black Mountain is , Call'd Ararat , high , reaching to the Skies : Translating Ararat out of Armenia into Phrygia : it may be , because he found there , between the Mountain Taurus , and the Maeander , the City of Apamaea , sirnamed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , Cibotos , scituated at the foot of the Mountain Signias in the midst of the Rivers of Marsyas , Obrima , and Orga , all falling into the neighbouring Maeander , and imagined , that it was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifies an Ark , in memory of Noah's Ark , which he supposed to have rested on the Mountain Signias ; never considering , that that Mountain is not of such height , and extent , as to bear the Epithets he gives it , nor that c Josephus , whose Writings he might have read , and whose person he might have seen , affirms from Berosus , Hierome of Egypt , Mnaseas , and Nicholas of Damascus ) that Noah's Ark rested in Armenia upon the Mountain Baris , in the Countrey of the Cordueni , above Minyas ; that the Ruins of it were there preserved , and that the Inhabitants were wont to scrape off bitumen , to use as a Preservative ; which is also confirmed by d Eusebius , from Abydenus : and on the other , that , just at the time that the Counterfeit Sibyl came first abroad , Claudius Apollinaris , Bishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia , and Apollonius , the Romane Senatour , and Martyr , affirmed ( as hath been already observed ) that Montanus , a Phrygian , and their Contemporary , took upon him to act the Prophet ; I finde so much the more likelyhood to lay this Bastard to him , the more free I find it ( as the Pastour of Hermas ) from containing any Passage , that might displease the Montanists ; but I determine nothing , and am very willing to resign to any one , that shall take the trouble upon him , the task of teaching us better things . CHAP. VIII . Divers Extravagances remarkable in the Sibylline Writing . IN the beginning of this Treatise , I gave several Instances of the fond Imaginations observable in that Work , most part whereof are either without order , and coherence , or no way prejudiced the Truth . I might further reduce to this Head an affectation of the Authour sufficiently importunate , and no way suitable to the end , he seemed to propose to himself namely , that of shuffling into his Discourse most of those terms , which the Heathens in their Mythologie had used for the Description of Hell , and Infernal places , as if he had made it his Business to bring it into reputation . Such are , for instance , that of ●rinnys , used by him , lib 3. page 38. Styx , lib. 3. pag. 22. that of Tartarus , lib. 1. pag. 7 , 8. lib. 2. pag. 18. lib. 5. pag. 44. lib. 8. pag. 61. that of Frebus , lib. 1. pag. 7. lib. 3. pag. 33. that of Acheron , lib. 1. page 11. lib. 2. page 18. lib. 5. page 51. that of Flysium , lib. 2. page 18. lib. 3. page 32 , 34. his licentiousness of expression , not well suiting with Christianity , taken in good part by the Fathers , hath been constantly dissembled by them , in like manner as were the Fables of the Titans , Saturn , and others ; which were of no small account in the pretended Sibylline Poem : but there are some other Passages scattered up and down in it of a much greater concern , and such as have occasioned Consequences of far greater importance . I shall not insist on the Authour 's having thrust into his eighth Book an Acrostick made up of these five words , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof the initial Letters , put together , made up the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifies a Fish ; from which supposition Tertullian , ( in his Book De Baptismo ) Zeno de Verone , ( Serm. 5. ad Neophytos ) Optatus Milevitanus , ( lib. 3. ) St. Augustine ( De Civit. Dei , lib. 18. cap. 23 ) and others , have derived so great prejudice ; that they have , with a certain emulation , made a noise about it ; calling the Lord Jesus , Piscem nostrum , that is to say , our Fish ; the Christians , regenerated by Holy Baptism , pisciculos , little fishes ; the Baptismal Font , piscinam , the fish-pond , or place where the Fishes are kept : in consequence whereof a pleasant Humour took them of Allegorizing upon the Piscina , or Pool , mentioned in the Latine Version of the fifth Chapter of Saint John's Gospel . CHAP. IX . The first Principal Tenet of the Sibylline Writing . THe same Authour , having fondly derived from a Adam , which is originally Hebrew , that of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , Hades , which is purely Greek ( and signifies in the New Testament , either Hell , as in Matth. xvi . 18. Luke x. 15. and xvi . 23. or the Sepulchre , and State of the departed in respect of their Bodies , as Acts ii . 27 , 31. 1 Cor. xv . 55. Apocal. i. 18. and vi . 8. and xx . 13 , 14. ) lays it down , as a thing manifest ; that all men from Adam are ( after their death ) confined in Hell , till the time of their resurrection ; saying in the first Book ( pag. 7. ) All men , who have been Inhabitants of the earth , are commanded ( or said ) to go to the habitations of Hell : and page 11. where he speaks of the three Sons of Noah , whom he feigns never to have been sick , or troubled with the inconveniences of Old-age ; They by a certain sleep o'recome shall die ; And gone to Ach'ron there in honour be : For , happy , they were of the blessed Race , In whom ( God ) Sabaoth did his Wisdom place . His will to these he ever did declare ; To these , who , though in Hell , yet happy are . He lays it down , I say , as a thing manifest ; That all men , from Adam , descend into hell , and there expect their Resurrection : a Supposition refuted by the History of Eliah , b whom Elizeus saw ascending into Heaven in a Whirl-winde ; and by the Gospel , which assures us , that the Thief , converted upon the Cross , was the same day , that he died , c with the LORD in Paradise ; and by St. Paul , who teaches ; that , as being in the body , we are absent from the Lord , so d being absent from the body , we are present with the Lord ; and protests that e his desire is to depart , and to be with Christ ; shewing , that , on the one side , these things , to be abjent from the body , or from the Lord , and being in the body , or with the Lord , are irreconcileably opposite ; on the other side these , to be absent from the body , and to be with the Lord , and on the contrary , to be present in the body , and to be absent from the Lord , are inseparably conjoined ; so that the very f act of the separation of the body necessarily translates the Faithfull into the presence of the Lord , of which their presence in the body deprives them . Yet this Supposition , though refuted , as aforesaid , had such a strange influence upon the spirits of many great Church-men in the Second , and Third Age ; that they outvied one another , in the maintaining of it . Thus Hermas ( at the same time , that the Counterfeit Sibyl made her first attempt upon the sincerity of the Christians ) became the Patron , and Propagatour of it , writing of the Apostles , and Faithfull departed before ; The Apostles , and Doctours , who have preached the Name of the Son of God , and are dead , by the power ( of God ) and by Faith , preached to those , who were dead before , and gave them the Seal of preaching . They are descended with them into the water , and they ascended again out of it ; but those , who were dead before , descended dead , and ascended living . Which words are so much the more observable , in that they have been subscribed by Clemens Alexandrinus , ( Strom. 2 , and 6. ) inferring from them , that the Apostles ( conformably to what had been done by our Saviour ) preached the Gospel to those , who were in Hell , and that it was necessary , that the best of the Disciples should be imitatours of their Master there , as they had been here ; supposing , after Justin Martyr , and St. Irenaeus , that our Saviour being descended into hell , after his Passion , had preached the Gospel to those , who were detained there , in which Opinion he hath been followed by St. Athanasius , St. Hilary of Poictiers , Hilary , Deacon of the Romane Church , St. Epiphanius , St. Hierome , St. Cyril of Alexandria , Oecumenius , &c. And secondly , for that they insinuate not onely , that the Apostles descended into hell after their death , for to preach there , but that the Faithfull , departed after the Passion of our Saviour , had been there , taught , and converted ; and consequently , that all , without any exception , were there detained . Presently after the publication of Hermas's Writings , Pope Pius the First , Brother to that pretended Prophet , complies with him , in his first Epistle to Justus of Vienna ; saying , The Priests , who ( having been nourished by the Apostles ) have lived to our days , with whom we have divided together the word of Faith , being called hence by the Lord , are detained , shut up in eternal Repositories ; sufficiently discovering ( by these words , which denote a perpetual detention , if not absolutely , at least in some respect ) that he had embraced the same Opinion . Justin Martyr , in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew ( writ some years after the presentation of his Apologie , where he makes mention of the Sibyl ) endeavours , all he can , to maintain it , as well by his Hypothesis of the Souls of the Just being exposed to the rage of evil Spirits , as by an Apocryphal Passage he attributes to Jeremy ( and which Irenaeus , sometime after , cites , h one while under the name of Esay , i another , under that of Jeremy , and certainly with as little reason one , as the other ) in these Terms , The God of Israel hath remembred his dead , lying in the slimy earth ; and descended to them to preach his salvation among them . Which St. Irenaeus does five several times apply k to the descent of our Saviour into hell after his Passion ; saying , If the Lord , that he might become the first-fruits from the dead ( Col. i. 18. ) observed the Law of the dead , and continued to the third day in the lower parts of the Earth ( Ephes . iv . 9. ) &c. since he went to the valley of the shadow of death ( Psal . xxiii . 4 ) where the souls of the dead were , &c. it is manifest , that the souls of his Disciples ( for whose sake the Lord did those things ) shall also go to the invisible place designed them by God , and remain there ( expecting the Resurrection ) till the Resurrection . Whence it must needs be , that the Latine Interpreter , having found in the Original Text the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( which properly signifies Invisible , and hath been taken by all the Heathens either for Hell , or the God , which they imagined presided there ) Literally translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , Into an invisible place . By which place , the lovers of Truth are not ( as many at this day , who , to free St. Irenaeus form the Errour first proposed in the Sibylline Writing , attribute to him Conceptions he neither ever had , nor could have had ) to understand the State of the souls of the Saints departed , which those Gentlemen conceive might be expressed by the Term of invisible place , because l Eye hath not seen the things , which God hath prepared for those , that love him , wherever they may be laid up for them , rather then the place , properly so called , where they effectually enjoy them . For St. Irenaeus his manner of reasoning , and the contexture of his Discourse expresly refutes their Glosses , in as much , as if the Disciples ( whom the Gospel assures us m not to have been above their Master ) ought both in life , and death , to imitate him ; and if the Master ( according to the sentiment of St. Irenaeus , and the Church of Rome at this day ) passed from the Cross n to the lower parts of the earth , and o to the valley of the shadow of death ; that is to say , to hell , properly so called , and remained there all the time , from his Passion , to his Resurrection : it must of necessity follow ; that by the invisible place , whither the Disciples go after their Death , should ( according to the said Father ) be understood hell , scituated in the lower parts of the earth , and in the Valley of the shadow of Death , and that they remain there , till the time of their Resurrection . It is apparent from the words before transcribed , that Clemens Alexandrinus , Contemporary with St. Irenaeus , was of the same Opinion . And Tertullian ( whom St. Cyprian acknowledges for his Master , and whom Saint Hierome affirms to have died about the year 217. being arrived to a very great Age ) discovers in many places , that all the Montanist Party had embraced it . For instance , in the seventh Chapter of his Book Of the Soul ; After the divorce , saith he , ( or separation ) of the body , the soul is transferred to hell , she is there detained , she is there reserved , ●ill the day of Judgment , &c. Christ , at his Death , descended to the souls of the Patriarchs . And in the ninth Chapter ; The souls of Martyrs are understood to be under the Altar . And in fifty fifth Chapter ; Hell is in an hollowness of the earth , a vast space , as to its depth , and there is an undiscovered profundity in its entrails , &c. Christ descended into the lowest parts of the earth , to the end , that be might there communicate his presence to the Patriarchs , and Prophets , &c. You have enough to put by those , who , insolently enough , think not , that the souls of the Faithfull justly go to hell , by telling them they are Servants above their Master ; conceiving it not much , it may be , in the bosom of Abraham , to reap the comfort of the resurrection , which is to be expected , &c. Heaven is not opened to any one , while the Earth is entire , &c. We have ( in our Book Of Paradise ) made it good , that every soul is sequestred in hell , till the day of the Lord. And in the fifty sixth Chapter ; Why do you not judge worthy hell those souls ; which are pure , and innocent ? And in the fifty eighth Chapter ; All souls , say you , are ( whether you will , or no ) in hell : there you have already both the Punishments , and the Refreshments ; there you have the poor man , and the rich , &c. By that prison , we mean hell , which also the Gospel shews : and the utmost farthing , we interpret to be any light offence , which is to be punished there , by the delay of the resurrection . And in his third Book Against Marcion , and the twenty fourth Chapter ; Marcion having said , that he expected ( after this life ended ) Refreshment in hell , in the bosom of Abraham , Tertullian inferrs thence against him , that God is mercifull , and makes this Exclamation , Oh God! mercifull even in hell ! And in the thirty fourth Chapter of the fourth Book ; I say , that Abraham's Bosom is a Region , though not celestial , yet higher then hell ; which in the interim shall afford refreshment to the souls of the Just , till such time , as , all things being accomplished , all receive the fulness of their reward at the general resurrection , &c. And in his Scorpiacum , in the twelfth Chapter ; In the mean time , the souls of the Martyrs rest quietly under the Altar , &c. Novatian , that famous Priest of the Romane Church , who , in the year 250. was opposed to Pope Cornelius , doth in the first Chapter of his Book Of the Trinity , follow the Track of Tertullian ; saying , That even those very things , which lie under the earth , are not void of certain powers ; being placed , every one according to its rank , and order : for there is one place , into which are brought the souls , as well of the godly , as the wicked , feeling before-hand the sentence of the future Judgment . Lastly , Origen , that famous Priest of Caesarea , whom St. Hierome , in his Preface before his Interpretation of Hebrew Names , sometime acknowledged Master of the Churches after the Apostles , and whom he observes to have departed this life in the year 254. or thereabouts , expresses himself to the same effect ; saying in his fourth Book Of Principles ; Those , who withdraw out of this world , according to the death common to all , are disposed of , according to their acts , and merits , as they shall be judged worthy ; some to the place which is called Hell ; others into Abraham's Bosom , into several Mansions . Where it is to be noted , that by Hell he means the lower parts of Hell , and by Abraham's Bosom the place of sequestration , where the dead ( in his judgment ) are detained before the final Judgment , and not celestial glory ; which , in his seventh Homily upon Leviticus , he pretends , that none of the Saints are admitted to : since he formally excludes from the enjoyment thereof the Patriarchs , Prophets , and Apostles ; saying , that they have not yet received their joy ; that they expect ours , and that they mourn for our sins . It is therefore manifest , from the unanimous consent of the precedent Testimonies ; that all the Authours we have left us of the second , and , as far as the middle , of the third Age , were all of the same Opinion , as being imbued with the Doctrine contained in the Sibylline Books , and proposed by each of them , as the common sentiment of the whole Church . Somewhat to the same purpose may analogically be said of those , who followed them in the after-ages ; as , for instance , of the Authour of the Constitutions attributed to St. Clement , in the fourty second Chapter of his eighth Book ; of the Authour of the Recognitions , in his first Book ; of the Authour of the Liturgie , which goes under the Name of St. James ; of Victorinus , Bishop of Poictiers , and Martyr , upon the sixth Chapter of the Apocalyps ; of Lactantius , in the twenty first Chapter of his seventh Book ; of St. Ambrose , in the second Chapter of his second Book of Cain , and Abel , and the tenth Chapter of his Book De bono Mortis ; of Saint Chrysostome , in his fourth Homily upon Genesis , and the thirty ninth Homily upon the first Epistle to the Corinthians , and the seventh , and twenty eighth Homilies upon the Epistle to the Hebrews ; of Prudentius in his Hymn upon the Obsequies of the dead , and of the eighteen Martyrs of Saragossa ; of St. Augustine , upon the thirty sixth Psalm , and the seventh Chapter of the eleventh Book De Genesi ad Literam , and the thirty fifth Chapter of the twelfth Book , and in the hundred and eighth Chapter of his Enchiridion , and in the ninth Chapter of his twelfth Book Of the City of God , and the fourteenth Chapter of the first Book of his Retractations ; of the Authour of the Questions attributed to Justin Martyr , in the sixtieth , and seventy sixth Question ; of Basil of Seleucia , in his tenth Oration ; of Theodoret , Theophylact , and Oecumenius upon the eleventh Chapter to the Hebrews ; of Andrew , and Aretas of Caesarea in Cappadocia , upon the sixth Chapter of the Apocalyps ; of Euthymius upon the twenty third Chapter of Saint Luke ; of the Authour of the Imperfect Work upon Saint Matthew , in the thirty fourth Homily ; of St. Bernard , in his third , and fourth Sermon upon the Feast of All-Saints , and of Pope John the two and twentieth . For though many of these later , moderating ( after their manner ) the Opinion of those , who preceeded the year 300. do either forbear making any specifical designation of the place , where the Saints are entertained after their death , contenting themselves to call it indefinitely , with St. Augustine , p secret and , hidden receptacles , or , with Primasius , the secret of God , as it were to insinuate , that it is known to God only ; or are so confident , as to affirm it to be out of Hell , not precisely determining , what other habitation it pleased God to assign them : yet all agree in this ; that they often make use of those Expressions , which seem to defer the Glory , and Beatitude of their souls till the Day of the general Resurrection . CHAP. X. The second capital Tenet of the Sibylline Writings . THe second Point of Doctrine advanced by the Author of the Sibylline Writings , concerning the State of the dead , is , that all , without any exception , shall pass through the last Conflagration of the Universe , which shall purge the just , and shall refine them , in such , as we say , that Gold is melted , or refined in the Crucible . To this effect is what we read in the second Book ( page 17. ) And then shall all pass through the burning , River , and the unextinguishable Flame : all the just shall be saved ; but the wicked shall perish to all ages , &c. The Angels carrying them through the burning River , shall bring them into Light , &c. He will give men the power to save themselves from the burning fire , and eternal gnashings of Teeth , &c. And then shall God send from heaven the King , and shall judge every man by blood , and the splendour of Fire . This Imagination , considered by the most antient of the Fathers , as taken out of a Book of divine Authority , made so strong an Impression upon them ; that they took it for an infallible Lesson . Hence Saint Irenaeus , in the ninth Chapter of his Book , having applied to the end of the world those words of Malachy , a The day of the Lord shall burn as an Oven , adds , John the Baptist tells us who that Lord is , at whose coming there shall be such a day , saying of Christ , He shall baptise you with the holy Ghost , and with Fire , having his Fan in his hand to cleanse his Floor ; and he will put up the Corn into his Garner ; but shall burn the Chaff in unquenchable Fire . He therefore , who made the corn , is no other , then he , who made the chaff ; but one , and the same , judging those things , and separating them . Origen , in his third Homily upon the thirty sixth Psalm . If in this life we slight the words of the Scripture , admonishing us , and will not be either healed , or amended by the reprehensions thereof , it is certain , we must come to the Fire , which is prepared for sinners , even to that Fire , [ 1 Cor. iii. 13. ] which shall try every mans work of what sort it is . And ( as I conceive ) it is necessary , that we all come to that fire , though one be a Paul , or a Peter , he will nevertheless come to that fire . But those , who are such , shall hear , Though thou walkest through the Fire , the Flame shall not kindle upon thee . [ Isa . xliii . 2. ] But if any one be a sinner , as my self , he shall indeed come to that Fire , as well as Peter , and Paul. And as the Hebrews came to the Red Sea , so did also the Egyptians ; but the Isralites passed through the Red Sea , and the Egyptians were overwhelmed therein . In like manner we , if we are Egyptians , and follow Pharao , who is the Devil , obeying his commandments , shall be overwhelmed in that fiery Lake , or River , when we shall be guilty of the sins , which we are addicted to , no doubt , through the commandment of Pharao . But if we are Israelites , and redeemed by the blood of the b Lamb without spot ; if we carry not about us the c leaven of malice , and wickedness , we also must enter into the fiery River : but as the Waters were , to the Israelites , d a wall on the right hand , and on the left , so shall the Fire be as a Wall , if we do , as it is reported of them , that is to say , that they e believed the Lord , and his servant Moses , that is to say , his Law , and Commandments , and by that means follow f the Pillar of Fire , and the Pillar of the Cloud . And in his fourteenth Homily upon Saint Luke ; I think , that even after the Resurrection of the dead , we shall stand in need of the Sacrament to cleanse , and purge us ; for none will be able to rise again without Filth . Lactantius , in the twenty first Chapter of his seventh Book . When he shall judge the just , he shall also try them by Fire ; then shall those , whose sins have prevailed , either as to their weight , or number , be smitten by the Fire , and burnt ; but those , whom a fulness of Justice , and maturity of Virtue shall have hardned , shall not be sensible of that Fire . Saint Hilary , who , in the second of his Canons upon Saint Matthew , had observed in general , that it lies even upon those , who are baptised with the Holy Spirit to be consummated [ or accomplished ] by the Fire of the ( last ) Judgment , in his third Sermon , upon the one hundred and eighteenth Psalm , according to the Greeks , applies it particularly to the blessed Virgin ; to shew , that , in his judgment , it cannot admit any exception , saying ; Since we are to give an account [ Matthew xii . 36. ] for every idle word , do we desire to come to the day of Judgment , wherein we are to pass through that indefatigable Fire , wherein we are to suffer those grievous Torments , which tend to the expiation of the soul from its sins ? g If a sword did pierce through the soul of the Blessed Mary , that the thoughts of many hearts might be revealed ; if that Virgin , who was capable of receiving God , was to come to the severity of Judgment , who will presume to desire to be judged of God ? Saint Gregory Nazianzene , Orat. 26. The day of the revelation will declare manifestly , whether it be through a sound Ratiocination , that I please not : as also the last Fire , by which all our works shall be judged , and purged . And in the thirty ninth , speaking of those , who think themselves so pure ; that they think they have reason to bid their Brethren , Stand at a distance from them ; It may be that there [ to wit , at the end of the world ] they shall be baptized by Fire with the final Baptism , which is the most grievous , and most long , which feeds on the matter , as on grass , and consumes the vanity of all wickedness . And in the fourtieth , where he bewails his own imperfection ; Who will secure me , that I shall be saved at the end , and that the judicial seat will not look upon me still , as a debtour , and one that stands in need of the Cons●agration , which shall be then ? Saint Basil , upon the 4th of Esay , Verse 4th , where the Prophet treats of the cleansing of Jerusalem , hath this consideration ; Are there not three Notions of Baptism ? The Purgation of the Filth , the Regeneration by the Spirit , and the Examination by the fire of Judgment ? And upon these words of the Tenth , Howl , for the day of the Lord is at hand : by the day of the Lord he means that of the last Judgment . Then adds , If none be pure , in respect of the works , that are forbidden ; let every one fear that day : for saith he [ to wit Saint Paul , 1 Cor. iii. 15. ] If any man's work shall be burnt , he shall suffer loss ; but he , himself , shall be saved ; yet so , as by Fire . And in the fifteenth Chapter of his Book Of the holy Ghost ; Saint John calleth Baptism of Fire the Trial , which shall be made at the day of Judgment , according to what the Apostle saith , The Fire shall try every man's work , of what sort it is . And in the nine and twentieth , speaking of Athenogenes , a Man famous among the Antient Christians , he says ; That he strove to arrive at the consummation , or accomplishment , which shall be made by Fire . Saint Gregory of Nyssa , Brother to St. Basil , in his Oration upon the eight and twentieth Verse of the fifteenth Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians . All the wickedness , which , as so much false Alloy , is mixed among the things that are , being taken away by the melting of the Purgative Fire , whatsoever drew its Original from God , shall become such , as it was at the beginning , before it had received the tincture of that wickedness . Saint Ambrose , in his Sermon upon the thirty sixth Psalm according to the Greeks . By Fire therefore shall the Sons of Levi be purged , by Fire Ezechiel , by Fire Daniel : but though they are tried by Fire , yet shall they say , We have passed through the Fire , and through the Water ; others shall remain in the Fire , upon these the Fire shall fall down like dew , as upon the Hebrew children , &c. We shall be saved by Faith , yet shall we be saved so as by Fire : though we shall not be absolutely burnt up , yet shall we burn ; and the Holy Scripture teacheth us , how some continue in the Fire , others pass through it , to wit ; as the Egyptians were overwhelmed in the Red Sea ; through which the children of Israel had passed before them , &c. And on the twentieth Section of the hundred and eighteenth Psalm according to the Greeks . It is necessary , that all those , who desire to return to Paradise , be tried by Fire : for it is not without reason written , that Adam , and Eve , being thrust out of the seat of Paradise , God placed at the entrance of Paradise a flaming Sword , which turned every way . All therefore must pass through the Flames , whether it be Saint John the Evangelist ( whom the Lord loved so dearly , that he said of him to Peter ; If I would have him to stay , what is that to thee ? Follow thou me : some have doubted of his death ; of his passage through the Fire we cannot doubt ) or whether he be Peter , who was entrusted with the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven , he must say , We have passed through the Fire , &c. One onely , who is the Justice of God , was not subject to the sense of that Fire ; to wit , Christ , who hath committed no sin ; for the Fire found not in him , what it might have burned . And in his Book Of Widows . God requires not of thee the price of a glittering Metal ; but the Gold , which the Fire cannot burn at the day of Judgment . Saint Hierome , towards the end of the sixty sixth Chapter of Esay , disputing against those , who denied the perpetuity of Torments suffered by the Damned , proposes his sentiment in these Terms ; which suppose a general examination by Fire at the last day : As we believe the Torments of the Devil , and of all such , as deny God , and of wicked men , who have said in their heart There is no God , to be eternal ; so do we believe moderated , and capable of compassion , the Sentence of the Judg concerning those , who , though sinners , and wicked , are yet Christians ; whose Works are to be tried , and purged by Fire . Saint Augustine , in the four and twentieth Chapter of his sixteenth Book Of the City of God ; where he speaks of the Vision of Abraham , mentioned in the fifteenth Chapter of Genesis ; By that Fire ( which Abraham saw ) is signified The Day of Judgment , distinguishing between those , who are to be saved by the Fire , and those , who are to be condemned to the Fire . And in the five and twentieth Chapter of the twentieth Book , where he explicates the second and third Verses of the third Chapter of Malachy . By the things , which have been said , it seems to be very manifest ; that in that Judgment ( that is , the Last ) some are to undergo Purgatory pains , &c. We are to take the Sons of Levi , Juda , and Jerusalem , for the Church of God , assembled , not onely among the Hebrews , but also among other Nations ; not such , as it is at the present , where , if we say , h We have no sin , we deceive our selves , and the Truth is not in us : but such , as it it shall be then ; cleansed by the last Judgment , as a floor , that is swept : those , to whom such a cleansing is necessary , having been also cleansed by the fire . The Authour of the third Homily upon the Epiphany , unjustly attributed to Eusebius Emissenus ; since it seems to have been written either by Eucherius of Lyons , or by Faustus of Rhegium . There ( that is , at the last Day ) Conflagrations changing their nature , the Just shall pass through horrid Gulfs . Their Bodies , which are to derive Glory from their pains , because they are not burthened by sins , shall not be touched by the Fires ; for the cruel Burnings shall prevail nothing on those , whom the Flames of sinfull lusts had not overcome before : and the rational heat shall not be able to injure those ; on whom Purity hath conferred reverence . Otherwise , avoiding wrath , it shall make way for the vapours ; and will of its own accord obey : because it shall not finde any thing , on which , it may be necessary , it should exercise Judgment . Diadochus , Bishop of Photica in the Antient Epirus , in the last Chapter of his Book Of Spiritual perfection . Those , who at their death shall express ever so little fear , shall be left in the multitude of all other men ; as undergoing the Judgment , to the end , that , being examined by the Fire of Judgment , they may receive from the All-good God , and the King Jesus Christ , the reward due unto them , according to their Works . From the joynt Testimony of these twelve Witnesses now produced , it is apparent ; that the second head of the Opinions proposed by the Sibylline Writing , was ( equally with the former ) constantly maintained by the most eminent Prelates of both the Greek , and Latine Churches ; till after the year 459. wherein Diadochus subscribed ( with the Councel of the Antient Epirus ) the Letter written to the Emperour Leo the First , concerning the proceeding of Timothy , surnamed Aelurus , Usurper of the Chair of Alexandria against Proterius , whom he had Assassinated . Nay , it further appears from the Epitaph of Vilithut● , a Parisian Lady , writ in the year 560. by Venantius Fortunatus , afterwards Bishop of Poictiers , that the Church of that Time was not free from that Opinion ; which he expresses in these Terms ; Digni lumen habent , damnati incendia deflent : Illos splendor alit ; hos vapor igne coquit . Res est una quidem ; duplici sed finditur actu : Nam cremat indignos , quo probat igne pios . " The Blest have Light , the Damn'd their Fires bewail : " Those are in Bliss ; o're these the Flames prevail . " The same thing doth t' a double Act divide : " The Bad i' th Fire are Burn'd , the Just are Try'd . CHAP. XI . The Third main Tenet proposed by the Sibylline Writing . THe third Head of Doctrine proposed by the Sibylline Writing concerning the State of the Dead , is ; that The Saints , after their Resurrection , are to be reconducted to live in that Paradise , of the possession whereof Adam , and Eve , were , for their disobedience , deprived . For the Authour of that Romance , having taken literally , and understood carnally , what he had read , Luke xxiii . 43. 2 Cor. xii . 4. Apoc. ii . 7. concerning Paradise ; and John vi . 31. concerning the Bread of heaven , and Apocal. ii . 17. concerning the Hidden Manna , tells us in his Preface , copied out by Theophilus of Antioch , and Lactantius , that , Those , who honour God , inherit the true , and eternal Life ; that is to say , the time of Eternity , having their abode in Paradise , the flourishing Garden , and eating the delicious Bread of heaven ; which , at the end of the seventh Book , ( page 56. ) he means of Manna ; saying , All together eat of the bedewing Manna with their white Teeth . This Doctrine was so much the more acceptable to the Fathers , the more they thought themselves obliged to conceive an aversion for the extravagant Imagination of the Gnosticks ; who transformed Paradise into an Archangel , and assigned for its station the fourth Heaven . Thus Theophilus ( who gave Paradise the qualification of perpetual , and hanging in the midst , between heaven and the world ) a grounded the perswasion , he would give of it to Autolycus , on the Authority of the pretended Sibyl ; and , after his Example , Lactantius , in the twelfth Chapter of his second Book . St. Irenaeus , having ( in the thirty sixth Chapter of his fifth Book ) alledged these words of Esay , ( out of the two and twentieth Verse of the sixty sixth Chapter ) As the new heavens , and the new earth , which I will make , shall remain before me , assigns to each of them its Inhabitants ; saying , Then shall those , who are worthy the conversation of heaven , pass thither ; others shall enjoy the pleasures of Paradise ; and others shall possess the Holy earth , and the splendour of the City , that is to say , Jerusalem . Tertullian , in the fourty seventh Chapter of his Apologetick : We know Paradise to be a place of Divine pleasure , destined for the reception of the spirits of the Saints , and separated from the knowledg of the common world by a certain inclosure of that fiery Zone . And , in the eighth Chapter of his Poem of the Last Judgment : There is a place in the Eastern Parts , wherein the Lord takes great delig●… where there is a clear Light , &c. it is a Region most rich in Fields , &c. thither comes every godly man. But , in the fifty fifth Chapter of his Book Of the Soul , this Great man , dazled by the delusions of the Montanists , moderates the Opinion he had taken out of the Books of the Counterfeit Sibyl , and reserving Paradise for the entertainment of the Martyrs onely , excludes out of it all the rest of the Faithfull ; saying , You say , that our Sleep ( that is to say , the place of our Repose ) is in Paradise , whither the Patriarchs , and Prophets , upon the Resurrection of our Lord , being Appendages thereof , passed from Hell ; but how comes it , that that Region of Paradise , which is under the Altar , revealed to St. John , discovered no Souls , but those of the Martyrs ? How came Perpetua , that most couragious Martyr , in the Revelation , which was made to her of Paradise , not long before her Suffering , to see there onely her companions in Martyrdom ; but that the Sword , which keeps the Entrance of Paradise , suffers none to get in , but those , who are departed in Christ , not in Adam ? Saint Cyprian , after the Example of his Master Tertullian , speaking of our Lord to Demetrian , Proconsul of Africk , a passionate Enemy of Christianity , hath this expression ; He opens to us the way of Life ; he is the Authour of our return into Paradise . And in his Book Of Mortality , towards the end ; We account Paradise ( saith he ) to be our Country , we have already begun to have for our Fathers the Patriarchs . And , in the Chapter of Exhortation to Martyrdom . If it be glorious for the Souldiers , engaged in common Wars , after the Conquest of their Enemies , to return Triumphant into their Country ; how much a nobler , and greater Glory is it to return Triumphant to Paradise , after we have overcome the Devil , and to carry away victorious Trophies , after we have subdued him , who had foiled us before , to the place , whence the Sinner Adam had been thrust out . Lactantius , in the place above cited . God , having pronounced his Sentence against Sinners , that every one should work out his own livelihood , cast man out of Paradise , and encompassed Paradise round about with Fire ; that man might not approach it , till he had exercised sovereign Judgment upon Earth , and recalled to the same place those Just men , that worshipped him ; Death being taken away . Saint Athanasius , in his Treatise upon these Words , ( Matth. xii . 27. ) All things are given to me , &c. Death prevailed from Adam to Christ , the Earth was cursed , and Hell opened , and Paradise shut , &c. But assoon as all things were given to him , and that he was made man , all was amended , and accomplished . The Earth , in stead of the Curse it lay under before , was blessed ; and Paradise opened ; and Hell daunted . And in his Exposition of Faith : Christ shewed the entrance into Paradise , whence Adam had been thrust out ; and into which he is again entred by the Thief , according to what our Saviour said , This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise : whither Paul also is entred . Saint Cyril of Jerusalem , in his Mystagogical Instruction . The Paradise of God , which he had planted towards the East , is open to thee : whence our first Parent was banished , because of his Transgression . And this is signified by thy turning from the West to the East , the place of Light. Saint Basil , in his Treatise Of Paradise . How shall I be able to bring thee into sight of thy Country , to the end thou mayst recall thy self from banishment ? &c. If thou art carnal , thou hast the description of him , that is corporal . And in the seven and twentieth Chapter of his Book Of the Holy Ghost . We all , in our Prayers , look towards the East : but there are few of us , that know , we thereby seek our antient Country , that is to say , the Paradise , which God planted in Eden . Saint Gregory of Nyssa , in his Oration of the fourty Martyrs . That then , which is demanded , is ; Whether Paradise , because of the Turning Sword , is also inaccessible to the Saints : and , If the Champions ( of Christ ) are excluded Paradise , what Promise there remains , upon which they should undertake Combats for Piety : and whether they should obtain less , then the Thief , to whom the Lord said , This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise ; though the Thief came not voluntarily to the Cross ; but , when he was come near Salvation , that Eagle-sighted , and generous Thief saw the Treasure , and , finding an opportunity , stole Life , honourably , and happily abusing the nature of Theft , and saying , Lord , have me in remembrance , when thou comest into thy Kingdom . He was honoured with Paradise , and does the Flaming Sword keep the entrance of Paradise against the Saints ? But the Question resolves it self . For thence it is , that the Word hath not represented the Sword always placed against those , that enter ; but Turning , that it might be opposite to the unworthy , and be behinde the worthy , opening unto them the not-forbidden entrance of Life , into which those ( that is to say , the fourty Martyrs ) are entred , in the assurance of their Combats ; having , without suffering , passed through the Flame : which we also having , undaunted , passed through , may be received into Paradise . And thence it comes , that in his Funeral Orations upon Pulcheria , and Flacilla , her Mother , he says of the former , The Plant hath been removed hence ; but it hath been replanted in Paradise : and of the later , By that ( that is , by Faith ) was she carried hence into the Bosom of the Father of Faith , Abraham , near the Fountain of Paradise . Saint Ambrose , upon the twentieth Section of the hundred and eighteenth Psalm according to the Greeks , lays it down ( as hath been already shewed ) for certain , that it is necessary those , who desire to return into the Paradise , out of which Adam had been driven , should pass through the Fire of Judgment . Paulinus , having forsaken the World , to lead a Religious Life , afterwards Bishop of Nola , in his second Fpistle to Severus his intimate Friend . This is acceptable , and well-pleasing , in the sight of God ; that our good should be voluntarily , that we might receive the things , which are ours ; that is to say , the house of Paradise , and eternal Life , wherein we were created ; and which , if we , purged from the possession of this earth , whereinto we came through condemnation , regain ; then may we , as truly recalled from Banishment into our Country , or returned after a long Pilgrimage into the house we were born in , say , God is our Portion in the land of the living , &c. Prudentius , in the tenth of his Hymns . While thou ( O God ) recallest , and reformest thy body , subject to dissolution , in what Region wilt thou command the pure Soul to rest it self ? Hidden in the bosom of the Blessed Old man , it shall lodge there , where Eleazar is ; whom the rich man burning sees , from afar off , encompassed with flowers all about . O Redeemer , we follow thy Sayings , whereby , Triumphing over black Death , Thou commandest the Thief , who was Companion of thy Cross , to come after thee . Behold already the lightsom way of spacious Paradise opened to the Faithfull ; and it is lawfull to go into that Grove , of which man had been deprived by the Serpent . The Authour of the Homily upon the Thief , unjustly attributed to Eusebius Emissenus . This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise ; as in thy hereditary , and paternal seat ; which at thy entrance shall be opened ; though , upon the expulsion thence of Adam , nay of two ( to wit , Adam , and Eve ) it had been shut up to innumerable people . Enter thou therefore the first of all ; but with a happier entrance , then the first into Paradise ; it being not required , thou shouldest with Adam see hell . Fear not thou shalt there meet with any mortal Viand , any Law , any Tree . I will be to thee both Food , and Life . And , that thou mayst not have the least apprehension , that there may haply be some enemy , in that blessed Grove , and that the antient Thief may lay Ambushes for thee ; I will bring thee into it , and confirm the possession thereof to thee . The Authour of the Questions attributed to Justin Martyr , in the seventy fifth Question . The souls of the Just are carried into Paradise , where they have the conversation and sight of the Angels , and Archangels , and the Vision of Christ our Saviour . And in the seventy sixth Question . It was profitable for the Thief , at his entrance into Paradise , to learn , by the effects , the advantage of Faith , by which he had the honour to be admitted into the Assembly of the Saints ; where he is kept till the day of the Resurrection , and retribution . Now he hath that Sentiment of Paradise , which is called Cogitative ; according to which the Souls see , themselves , the things , that are below them , and moreover the Angels , and Daemons . It were no hard matter to add to this number those Authours ; who have followed the same prejudicate Opinion : as the Monk Caesarius in his third Dialogue ; St. Hierome , in his hundred twenty ninth Epistle , &c. But the fourteen before cited are sufficient , to shew , that , till after the year 450 their Opinion , which had its first rise from the pretended Sibylline Books , was so common in the Church , that it met not with any Contradiction . CHAP. XII . The fourth Capital Tenet proposed by the Sibylline Writing . THe fourth Supposition , advanced by the Authour of that Counterfeit Piece , concerning the State of the departed , is ; That , Jerusasalem , rebuilt , and made more glorious , then ever , the Son of God , being descended from heaven , shall establish a reign of a thousand years ; full of sensible enjoyments , and a miraculous fertlity , and abundance of corporal goods . He spreads his Fiction before us , in these Terms , in the second Book ( page 14. ) The fruitfull earth shall again bring forth several Fruits . And page 18. The Angels , raising ( the Good ) out of the midst of the burning River , shall convey them into light , and bring them to a life free from care . There is the immortal way of the great God , and three Fountains , of Wine , Honey , and Milk ; the earth also common to all , and being divided by neither walls , nor hedges , shall then , of it self , bring forth several Fruits . And in the third Book ( page 32. ) Then shall God give uno men a very great joy . For the earth , the Trees , and the innumerable flocks of Sheep , shall furnish men with the true fruit of Wine , sweet Honey , white Milk , and the best Corn , that ever mortals had . And page 35. The Wolves , upon the Mountains , shall eat grass with the Lambs ; the spotted Lynxes shall feed with the Goats ; the Bears with the Calves , and all Mortals ; the flesh-devouring Lion shall eat straw in the Manger , &c. And the Dragons shall rest themselves with the motherless little ones . And in the six and fourtieth page of the fifth Book . The Land of the Hebrews shall be holy , and bring forth all things ; ( viz. ) the River of the Rock , that distills Honey , and the immortal Milk shall fall down upon the tongues of all the Just . And in the fourtieth page . All those , who live a godly life , shall live again upon the earth . And in page the nine and fourtieth , God hath made the City , he delighted in , more bright , then the Stars , the Sun , and the Moon . So , that it is without all question , it was the design of this Impostour , who ( in imitation of the second Book of Esdras , in the 19th Verse of the second Chapter , and the 35th Verse of the fourteenth Chapter ) would needs entertain us with such extravagant Narrations , to abuse the words of Esay , and Saint John ; who , in the twentieth , and one and twentieth Chapters of his Apocalyps , mystically represents the Church , under the Name of a the holy City , the new Jerusalem , coming down from God out of Heaven ; b built of Gold , and precious Stones ; c having no need of Sun , or Moon ; d and in the midst of it , and of either side of the River , was there the Tree of Life , which bare twelve manner of Fruits , yielding its fruit every Moneth : and the leaves of the Tree were for the healing of the Nations . The same Imagination so gained upon the holy Fathers , that lived after the middle of the second Age ; that those good Souls , prepossessed by the Opinion they had conceived of the pretended Sibylline Writing , took literally , and apprehended , after the Jewish sence , whatever they met with in Esay , and Saint John , concerning the First Raesurrection of those , who died for the Testimony of Jesus , their reign of a thousand years , and all the glory of the celestial Jerusalem . Thus Justin Martyr , in his Dialogue against Trypho , answering that Jew , who ( page 306 ) had asked him , Whether he acknowledged , that Jerusalem should be rebuilt , and the Christians assemble there , and rejoyce with Christ , in the company of the Patriarchs , Prophets , &c. not onely confesses it ; but maintains further , that he had already averred it : reflecting , no doubt , on those words , of page 271. where he saith , that Christ , being raised , should come again in●● Jerusalem , and then drink anew , and eat , with his Disciples . And secondly , that he had signified unto him , that Many among those , who were not of the pure , and religious sentiment of the Christians , acknowledged it not : whereupon he adds ; I , and as many others , as are of the right , and truly Christian , sentiment in all things , know , that there must be a Resurrection of the Flesh ; and the Prophets , Ezechiel , Esay , and others confess , that after Jerusalem shall be built , adorned , and amplified , a thousand years shall be spent there : alledging , to that purpose , the sixty fifth Chapter of Esay , and the twentieth of the Apocalyps . And reinculcating it , page 340. where he says , He ( viz. Jesus ) is the eternal Light , which is to shine in Jerusalem ; and page 369. where he writes of the Christians , that they know with whom ( Christ ) they shall be in that Land ( viz. Judaea ) which he had called the Land of all the Saints ; and that they shall inherit eternal , and incorruptible goods . Eusebius , in the nine and thirtieth Chapter of the third Book of his Ecclefiastical History , attributing the same opinion to Papias , Bishop of Hierapolis , who had been a follower of the Disciples of Saint John , hath this Discourse . He affirms also many other things , that are more fabulous : among which he saith , that there are a certain thousand of years to pass after the Resurrection ; and that Christ shall reign corporally in the same Land. Things ; which , I think , he hath onely imagined upon a misapprehension of the Apostolical Expositions . Saint Irenaeus , in the thirty fifth Chapter of his fifth Book , does not onely agree with Papias ; but relyes upon his authority : citing out of his fourth Book these words , which Papias attributed to Saint John. The daies shall come , wherein there shall grow up Vines , having each of them ten thousand Branches ; and upon every Branch ten thousand Boughs ; and on every Bough ten thousand Buds ; and on every Bud ten thousand Bunches ; and on every Bunch ten thousand Grapes ; and every Grape , pressed , shall yield twenty five Measures of Wine : And , when any one of the Saints shall take one of the Grapes , another shall cry , I am a better Grape , take me , and bless God by me . In like manner , one Corn of Wheat shall bring forth ten thousand Ears ; and every Ear shall have ten thousand Crains ; and every Grain shall give ten Pounds of clear and fine Flower ; and all other Fruits , Seeds , and Herbs , proportionably . Was ever the Synagogue , cut off from the Covenant of God , delivered of an Extravagance , more deserving contempt , then this : which feigns Bunches of Grapes speaking ; and Vines yielding ( infinitely beyond all imaginable force of Nature ) millions of millions of measures of Wine ? And yet , the Holy Martyr , Saint Irenaeus ( out of an excess of respect , by no means , excusable in him , preferring the authority of Papias , deceived by the counterfeit Sibyl , before all reason ) blindly swallowed it , and , in his two and thirtieth Chapter , inferred from it , that The Just shall reign here below before the day of Judgment ; that , on the day of the Sabbath of the Just , they shall have a Table furnished from God , e who shall replenish them with all manner of Viands . That The Wolves shall feed with the Lambs , and the Lyon shall live on Straw : and , in the thirty fifth Chapter , that The Just shall reign on earth ; in the thirty sixth , that ( proportionably to the fruit they have brought forth an hundred , sixty , or thirty for one ) they shall be placed either in Heaven , or in Paradise , or in Jerusalem ; and that In that regard it was , that the Son of God said , f In my Father's House are many Mansions . Tertullian , who lived near the same time , to shew us , that he was carryed away with the same Prejudice , cryes out in the twenty fourth Chapter of his third Book Against Marcion ; We confess , that the Kingdom is promised us upon Earth , for a thousand years , after the Resurrection , in the City of Divine workmanship , g Jerusalem , coming down out of Heaven . There is some ground to think that Meliton , Bishop of Sardes , Contemporary with Justin Martyr , was of the same Opinion with him concerning the temporal Reign of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem ; in asmuch as ( to maintain it ) he writ upon the Revelation of Saint John : the words whereof have been extreamly wrested by the Patrones of that Imagination ; but , in regard I am nothing pressed , and have onely Conjecture to inferr it from , I shall forbear to urge it . I come to Nepos , the Aegyptian Bishop , reverenced by Dionysius of Alexandria for his Faith , and great Learning , in the attainment whereof he had spent himself to the Last . Of this Prelate h Eusebius saies , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Teaching , that the Promises , made to the Saints in the Holy Scriptures , were to be accomplished after the manner conceived by the Jews ; supposing , that there were to pass a certain thousand of Years in the pursuit of corporal Enjoyments upon Earth : and being of opinion , he might confirm his Supposition by the Revelation of John. He writ , concerning the said Revelation , a certain Discourse , entituled A Reprehension of the Allegorists , as not able to endure , that men should take otherwise , then Literally , the Promises proposed by the Holy Spirit for the comfort of the Church ; nor that they should be understood mystically . About fifty years after appeared our Victorinus , Bishop of Poictiers , who suffered Martyrdom on the second day of November in the year 303. after he had composed divers Treatises , great indeed in respect of the sense , and slight in respect of the contexture of the Words , according to the observation of i Saint Hierome : which cannot be contradicted ; since there is nothing left of them , and that the Commentary upon the Apocalyps , which goeth under his name , contains , at this day , nothing of what the Antients had read in it . But , k Saint Hierome assuring us , that he was of the number of those , who expected l to come from Heaven a Jerusalem , adorned with precious Stones , and Gold : we need not fear , upon his Affirmation , to put him into the Catalogue of the Millenaries . Not long after came Lactantius ; who , in magnificent Terms , entertains us with all the particulars of their Opinion ; saying , m Cum deleverit injustitiam , &c. When God shall have taken away Injustice , and kept Sovereign Judgment , and restrored to life the Just , who were from the beginning ; he will converse among men , for the space of a thousand years , and shall rule over them with Justice . Which is no more , then what the prophecying , and distracted Sibyl somewhere proclaims ; Mortals attend , th' eternal King does reign . And then those , who shall be found alive in their Bodies , shall not dy ; but , during the said thousand years shall propogate an infinite multitude , and their progeny shall be holy , and dear to God. Those also , who shall be raised out of Hell , shall , as Judges , command the living , &c. The holy City shall be established in the midst of the earth : in which God , the Founder thereof , shall make his abode with the Just , who govern . After which ; he supposes all we have said of the fruitfulness of the earth , of the peace , which there shall be in it , and of the change of the natures of cruel , and savage Beasts ; alledging to that purpose ( though with some little diversity ) the words of the third Book of the pretended Sibyl , in the thirty second , and thirty fifth pages , and those of the fifth Book in the fourty sixth page , cited by us already . Dionysius of Alexandria ( who had undertaken the Refutation , not of Saint Irenaeus ( as n Saint Hierome thought ) but of Nepos , in two Books , entituled Of the Promises o was ( about one hundred years after ) engaged by Apollinarius of Laodicea ; as we learn from the same Saint Hierome saying , Duobus voluminibus respondit Apollinarius , &c. That is to say , Apollinarius answered in two Volumes ; whom follow not onely the men of his own Sect , but also a great multitude of ours as to that particular onely . So , that I now see , with a spirit foreseeing what will happen , what considerable Persons will be exasperated against me . Much about the same time lived Tychonius , the learned African of the Donatist Party ; of whom Gennadius writes , in his Catalogue , p Mille annorum quoque regni , in terra Justorum , post resurrectionem futuri , suspicionem intulit , &c. He also gave some suspicion of imagining a Reign of the Just upon Earth , for the space of a thousand years , after the Resurrection . To which may be added , that in the confused Collection of Homilies , which is attributed to Saint Augustine , and was indeed extracted out of the Writings of Tychonius upon the Apocalyps , we read these words , q Retulit Spiritus ( dum haec scriberet ) regnaturam Ecclesiam mille annos in hoc saeculo usque ad finem mundi . That is to say , The Spirit ( while he writ these things ) delivered , that the Church should reign a thousand years upon Earth , even to the end of the World. The same Gennadius observes of one Commodianus ; r De divinis repromissionibus adversùs illos ( Paganos ) agens , vili satis , & crasso ( ut ità dixerim ) sensu disseruit : illis stuporem , nobis desperationem incutiens ; Tertullianum , & Lactantium , & Papiam sequutus , &c. Treating against the Heathens concerning the divine Promises , he discoursed thereof in a sence sufficiently flat , and unpolished : casting them into Insensibility , us into Despair ; wherein he followed Tertullian , Lactantius , and Papias for his Authours . We have it also upon the account of s St. Hierome , that our Severus Sulpitius , who writ the Life of St. Martin , had committed the same Errour in his Dialogue , entituled Gallus ; wherein yet there is not , at this day , any thing of that nature to be found . Nay , the same St. Hierome , himself ( though not chargeable with the Errour ; which , to his grief , he saw generally followed by the Christians of the fifth Age ) betrays himself guilty of so great a respect towards those , who first maintained it , that he dares not condemn it ; saying , about the year 415. t Licet non sequamur ; tamen damnare non possumus : quia multi Ecclesiasticorum virorum , & Martyres ista dixerunt ; & unusquisque in suo sensu abundat , & Domini cuncta judicio reservantur , &c. In regard many Ecclesiastical Persons , and Martyrs have said these things ; as also that every man aboundeth in his own sence , and that all is reserved for the Judgment of the Lord : though I do not follow them ; yet can I not condemn them . CHAP. XIII . Inducements of Praying for the Dead , arising from the Hypotheses proposed in the pretended Sibylline Writing . BY this means had the Opinion of the Millenaries ( with a success equal to that of the other Supposi●…s of the pretended Sibylline Writing ) not onely found Partisans among the Christians ; but also gained the applause of many of the most eminent among them : and all had conceived this apprehension thereof ; that it was impossible to maintain all the Hypotheses contained in it , without inducing , by a necessary consequence , Prayer for the Dead : whom they imagined to stand so much the more in need of the Assistances of the living ; by how much they imagined them exposed , as well to the disturbances , which those might be subject to , who are reduced to the expectation of their Happiness , as to the Temptations , and Assaults , which the Faithfull are exercised with , through the implacable malice of Evil Spirits ; and are obliged , at last , to stand to the rigorous Judgment of the God of glory . We cannot make a better representation of the State , whereto the Christians of that Time conceived their deceased Brethren to be reduced ; then by copying-out what Justin Martyr , who had seen the Eruption of the first Sibylline Imposture ) hath written of the condition of our Saviour himself , to whom he very justly applied those words of the two and twentieth Psalm ( according to the Hebrews ) a Save me from the Lyon's Mouth . That he prayed his Soul might be delivered from the Sword , from the Lyon's Mouth , and the Paw of the Dog , was a request , that none should prevail over his Soul ; to the end , that , when we come to depart this life , we should desire the same things , as he did of Almighty God ; that every wicked bold Spirit may be prevented from taking our Souls , as being what the Souls expect . I have shewn as much , in that Saul required , that the Soul of Samuel might be evocated by the Witch . It appears also , that the Souls of all those , who have been Just , and Prophets , are subject to such Powers , as ( by the effect ) it is manifest , was that , wherewith the Witch was Possessed . Whence it is , that he teacheth us by his Son , that we ( for whose sake it is clear , that that was done ) should Fight all manner of waies , and desire , at our Departure out of this life , that our Souls may not fall under any such Powers , for as much , as when he gave up the Ghost upon the Cross , he said b Father , into thy hands I commend my Spirit . From which Discourse we learn ; that he had a certain persuasion of four things ; 1. That our Saviour , at the time of his Passion for our salvation , prayed , that his Soul might not fall under the power of the Devils . 2. That we are obliged , upon our approaches to Death , to imitate his Example . 3. That the Prophets were , after death , exposed to the insolencies of Evil Spirits , in such manner , that the Soul of Samuel could be evocated by the Witch of Endor . 4. That the Souls , of the Faithfull , who dayly depart this world , are subject to the same inconveniences ; and , consequently , do all stand in extraordinary need of being relieved by the Prayers of the Living . In like manner do we see , that upon this mold must needs be fashioned those Antient Prayers , which the Church of Rome makes , at this day , for the Faithfull departed ; saying , Domine Jesu Christe , Rex gloriae , libera animas omnium Fidelium defunctorum de manu Inferni , & de profundo lacu . Libera eas de ore Leonis ; nè absorbeat eas Tartarus ; nè cadant in obscura Tenebrarum loca . Fac eas , Doni●… transire te de morte ad vitam San ctam , &c. Liberatae de principibus Tenebrarum , & locis paena rum , &c. Repelle , quaesumus , Domine , ab ea omnes Principe Tenebrarum , &c. That is to say ; O Lord , Jesus Christ , King of Glory , deliver out of the hand of Hell , and from the deep Lake , the souls of all the Faithfull departed . Save them from the mouth of the Lyon ; that Hell do not swallow them up ; and that they may not fall into the obscure places of Darkeness , &c. Lord make them to pass from Death to an Holy Life , &c. may they be delivered from the Princes of Darkness , and the places of Torments , &c. Drive away from them all the Princes of Darkness , O Lord we beseech thee . Nay the tender Saint Augustine had such a kind of Letany in his Imagination ; when , celebrating , in his Confessions , the Memory of Saint Monica his Mother , who was c dead at least six years before , he hath this Language . d Nemo à protectione tua dirumpat eam : non se interponat , nec vi , nec insidiis , Leo , & Draco ; nec enim respondebit illa , nihil se debere , nè convincatur , & obtineatur ab Accusatore callido , &c. Let no body snatch her out of thy protection : let not the Lion , or the Dragon interpose themselves , either by force , or by ambush ; for she will not answer , that she ows nothing , lest she be convicted , and carried away by the crafty Accuser . CHAP. XIV . The Motives , proposed by Justin Martyr , disallowed ; and those , which St. Epiphanius had to pray for the Dead , taken into Consideration . BUt since the Hypothesis of Justin Martyr was not embraced by all Antiquity ; Tertullian telling us in general , Absit , ut animam cujuslibet Sancti , nedum Prophetae à Daemonio credamus extractam , &c. Far be it from us , to believe , that the Soul of any Saint whatsoever , much less of a Prophet , hath been extracted by the Devil ; and Pionius Metaphrastes , upon the first of February ; Methodius , in a particular Treatise against Origen ; St. Basil , upon the eighth Chapter of Esay , and in an Epistle to Eustathius ; Saint Gregory of Nyssa , in an Epistle to Theodosius ; Saint Gregory Nazianzene , in the second Invective against Julian ; Saint Hierome , upon the sixth Chapter of Saint Matthew ; St. Cyril of Alexandria , in the sixth Book of Adoration in Spirit and Truth ; Procopius of Gaza , upon the eight and twentieth Chapter of the first Book of Kings ; Georgius Syncellus , in his History ; and others , particularly charging with Imposture the pretended Evocation of Samuel ; and Philastrius numbring it expressly among Heresies : we are now to examine , upon what reasons , Praying for the Dead hath been since grounded , and to hear , upon this Point , St. Epiphanius disputing in the year 376. against Aerius ; who , thinking it not enough to deny , that there accrewed any advantage to the deceased from the Prayers made , on their behalf , by the living , had withall , upon that account , left the Church of Sebaste . He engages against him with these Considerations ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Those , who are here , believe , that those , who are departed this world , live : and that they are not deprived of being ; but that they both are , and live to the Lord. And to the end , that this excellent Doctrine may be explained ; that there is an hope for those , who pray for their Brethren , as for persons in their journey ; the prayer made for them is also profitable , although it does not cut all , that may be alledged against them : but ( in as much , as , many times , while we are in this world , we sin voluntarily , and involuntarily ) to signisie what is accomplished . For we make mention of the Just , and pray for sinners ; for sinners , directing our Eyes to the mercy of God , which they have obtained ; for the Just , for the Fathers , Patriarchs , Prophets , Apostles , Evangelists , Martyrs , Confessours , Bishops , Anachorets , and the whole Battalion , to the end , that we might make a distinction between the rank of men , and the Lord Jesus Christ ; because of the honour , which is due to him , and render him convenient Veneration , as having this apprehension , that our Lord is not to be parallelled with any of mankinde , though every one of mankinde were possessed of Justice ten thousand times , and more . It is evident , that the first Consideration of Saint Epiphanius could make nothing against Aërius ; who denyed the advantage of Prayer for the Faithfull departed : the Ratiocination , or Argument of this Father being not necessary , either absolutely , or in respect of his Adversary He is living , Therefore he must be prayed for ; since that , if this were allowed , Prayers should be made for all the living Creatures that are , Angels , Men , and Beasts , without any exception ; and that for this reason , that all these , every one of these kindes is possessed of Being , and Life , in some degree . Besides the Consequence of such a way of reasoning would go much beyond , as well the intention of its Authour , as the practice of the Church of Pontus ; in vindication whereof he had framed it : since that no Community of Christians ever did , or thought it self obliged to communicate its Suffrages to the Angels , who live , and stand in the presence of the Lord ; as supposing that Office could not be due to them , nor be conceived a rational service , in regard they neither stand in need thereof , nor can receive any advantage thereby . The second Consideration , which concerns the Hope the Christians of the fourth Age conceived of the effect of their Prayers for their deceased Brethren , could not be of greater weight , then the former , as far as it concerned Aërius ; who denyed , not that the Faithfull of his Time , had a certain hope of profiting the Dead by their Prayers ( for that they had , was manifest ) but that their hope was well grounded , and that their Prayers for the Dead were , or could be , of any advantage . But , as I cannot , without some trouble , reflect , that a Person so great ( as Saint Epiphanius ) should be ( through I know not what forgetfulness ) reduced to alledg for a reason to his Adversary the very thing he put in question , and which had most need of proof ; so I think my self obliged to make this Observation ; That the Christians at that time used their hope concerning the communication of their Suffrages to the Dead , with so much indulgence ; that they extended it even to those , whom they thought dead in mortal sin , and out of the communion of the Church . CHAP. XV. Of the Prayers made , and Alms given heretofore by the Christians for the damned . NOt to bring upon the Stage the vain imaginations of Origen , and his Party ; who conceived no other Punishments to be inflicted on either men , or Devils , then such , as were Purgatory , and for a time ; nor yet much to urge , that some very Great Person ( as St. Gregory Nyssen , in his great Catechistical Oration , in his Treatise Of the Soul , and in that which he made upon the eight and twentieth Verse of the fifteenth Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians ; and St. Hierome , in the eighteenth Book upon Isaiah ( Chap. lxvi . 24. ) seem to have some time countenanced it : I shall insist on this , that some others , no less eminent , were of Opinion , that there might be obtained some diminution of the Torments of the Damned ; and that they might be relieved by Prayers , and Alms. Hence St. Chrysostome , in his third Homily upon the Epistle to the Philippians , speaking of those , who thought it much to dispose of their wealth to Good Uses , cryes out , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Let us bewail them ; let us assist them according to our power ; let us finde out some little relief for them : little indeed ; yet let us help them that little . And how shall we do it ? By praying our selves , and exhorting others to pray for them ; giving frequently for their sakes to the poor . That brings some comfort . The same St. Chrysostome , affirming that the Catechumens have no part in the publick Prayers made for the Faithfull departed , adds , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. The Catechumens are not honoured with that consolation ; but are deprived of all assistance of that nature , one onely excepted . What is that ? It is in your power to give to the poor for them ; and that gives them some refreshment . And , in the sixty second Homily upon the Gospel of St. John , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. If he , who is dead , were a sinner , and had many ways offended God , it is requisite we weep , for that would be of no advantage to him , but do that which may procure him some consolation ; viz. give Alms , and Offerings . This also we are to rejoyce at ; that he is deprived the opportunities of commiting wickedness . Prudentius , in the fifth of his Hymns , upon a Supposition , that the Night between Easter-Eve , and Easter-Day , the Souls of the Damned receive some ease , and remission of their pains , saith ; Sunt & spiritibus saepe nocentibus Poenarum celebres sub Styge Feriae . Illâ nocte , sacer quâ rediit Deus , Stagnis ad Superos ex Acheronticis , &c. Marcent suppliciis Tartara mitibus , Exultátque sui carceris otio Umbrarum populus , liber ab ignibus ; Nec fervent solito flumina sulphure , &c. That is , Th' Infernal Spirits sometimes gain An intermission of their pain . That Night , when God , from Acheron , Ascended to his heav'nly Throne , &c. A milder torture reigns in Hell , The Ghosts in Flames no longer dwell , Proud that their bonds were eas'd awhile ; The streams of Sulphur cease to boil , &c : The same Prudentius , at the end of his Hamartigenia , numbring himself among the Damned , hath this Discourse , Esto , cavernoso ( quia sic pro labe necesse est Corporeâ ) tristis me sorbeat ignis Averno ; Saltem mitificos incendia lenta vapores Exhalent , aestúque calor languente tepescat . Lux immensa alios , & Tempora vincta coronis Glorificent ; me poena levis clementer adurat , &c. If ( since our Stains corporeal so require ) I shall be swallom'd by Avernal Fire , Yet may ( at least ) those Flames a gentler heat Exhale , and Vapours less intense beget . Whilest others glorious Crowns of Light obtain , Let me but have a gentler heat , and pain . And in the Hymn of St. Fructuosus , Bishop of Tarragone ; Fo rs dignabitur , & meis medelam , tormentis dare , prosperante Christo , &c. It may be also he will give ease to my Torments , Christ granting the good success . For , referring the giving of that ease to the a Destruction of the World , he shews , it was not his meaning to speak of Purgatory such , as the Church of Rome conceives it at this day ; but of the final condition of Souls at the last Judgment . Paulinus , Bishop of Nola , applying to himself the Parable of the sixteenth of Luke , and imagining himself in the place of the wicked rich man , whom the Gospel represents as damned , says to Nicetas , Bishop of Dacia , beyond Danubius , which we now call Transsylvania ; Nos locis , quantum meritis , dirempti , Eminus celsis humiles patronis , Te procul sacris socium catervis Suspiciemus . Quis die nobis dabit hoc in illa , Ut tui stemus lateris sub umbra , Et tuae nobis requietis aura Temperet ignem . Tunc , precor , nostri nimium memento , Et patris sancti gremio recumbens , Roscido nobis digito furentem Discute flammam . We , who in place from thee as far , As in our merits , distant are , From our Abyss to thee on high Direct our cry . Who is 't , when that day comes , will yield , Thy shade may serve us for a shield , And some cool air from thy blest seat May fan our heat ? Ah! then preserve us in thy mind , And , on thy Father's Breast reclin'd , But one drop from thy finger shake , Our thirst to slake . Saint Augustine , in the four and twentieth Chapter of his one and twentieth Book Of the City of God , professes ; that he does not oppose such as applied , to the damned , those words of the seventy seventh Psalm according to the Greeks , b Hath God forgotten to be gracious ? saying , Quibus placet istam sententiam usque ad illa impiorum tormenta protendere , &c. I would have those , who are pleased to extend that Sentence even to the Torments of the damned , understand it at least in this manner ; that the c Wrath of God , which was pronounced against them for their eternal punishment , still remaining upon them , d God shuts not up in anger his tender mercies , and causes them not to be tormented with so much rigour , as they deserve ; not so as they should never undergo those pains , or that a time should come , when they should be determined ; but to the end they should suffer them more remissly , then their deserts might require . For by that means , both the Wrath of God shall remain , and he shall not withhold his compassions even in his wrath , which I confirm not , though I do not oppose . But in the tenth Chapter of his Manual copied-out by Isidorus , Arch-Bishop of Sevil ( Offic. lib. 1. Chap. 18. ) by Julian , Arch-Bishop of Toledo , ( Prognost . lib. 1. Chap. 21. ) by Bede , ( in 2 Cor. v. ) by Eterius , Bishop of Osmo , ( Adversùs Elipand . lib. 1. ) he makes a clearer discovery of his sentiment ; writing , Cùm sacrificia sive Altaris , sive quarumcunque Eleemosynarum pro Baptizatis defunctis omnibus offeruntur , &c. When the Sacrifices , whether of the Altar , or of Alms , of what kinde soever they be , are offered for all the Faithfull departed , they are acts of thanksgiving for those , that have been very good , Propitiations for those , who have not been very Bad , consolations in some sort to the living for those , who have been very wicked , though there are no assistances of the dead ; and as for those , who reap advantage by them , they benefit them in this , that either their sins are fully remitted , or their damnation made more supportable . The result whereof is , that ( according to the Opinion of this Father , whom so many others have followed , as their Guid , and Directour ) it was not impossible , but that Alms might procure an Alleviation of the Torments of the damned , for whom they had been offered to God by the Living . Athanasius of Antioch , in his Answer to the thirty fourth Question of Antiochus , asking , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. How then , do not the Souls even of Sinners receive some benefit , when Assemblies meet , Good Deeds are done , and Offerings are offered for them ? concludes , that they do , and says , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . If they reap no good thereby , there would be no mention made of them at their Intorment . And note , that he speaks of the Souls of those Sinners , of whom he had said in his Answer to the two and thirty Question , that they minded nothing , but their punishment ; and in that to the thirty third , that they could do neither good , nor ill , opposing them to the Souls of the Saints , which , e seized by the Angels , praise God. From this Source sprang several ill-digested Stories , and Relations about the year 416. Vincent Rogatista objected to St. Augustine , that St. Perpetua had by her Prayers obtained the dismission of Dinocrates , her Brother , out of the place of Torments . Nay , after the year 730. Damascene undertook to deliver out three thence upon his Warrant ; the first taken out of the Legend of St. Thecla , converted in Iconia by Saint Paul ; where the Authour ( who seems to have been very desirous to take upon him the Name of Basil , Bishop of Seleucia , upon this account , that in his City rested the body of that Blessed Virgin ) says , that Tryphaena , a Kinswoman to the Emperour ; who , after the death of her Daughter Falconilla , though dead in the darkness of Paganism , had entertained at her house Thecla , persecuted by Alexander , and , upon his prosecution , condemned to be torn in pieces by the Beasts in the Theatre of Antioch ; that this Tryphaena , I say , in a Dream saw her Daughter Falconilla , earnestly begging of her to implore the assistance of the Saints Prayers , that by her intercession she might be f transferred into the abode of the Just ; and that her desire was immediately granted . The Second is taken out of the History of Palladius , Bishop of Helenopolis ( where there is no Track of any such thing to be found now ) to this effect ; that Saint Macarius the Hermite , having made some question to the dry Skull of a certain Heathen , God inspired that dry Bone with this true Discourse , by way of Answer , When thou offerest thy Prayers for the Dead , we receive some little consolation . The Third , attested ( as he saies ) by g the East , and West ( though not any one of the Latines speak of it ) attributes to Saint Gregory the Great the deliverance of Trajan's Soul ; who was not onely an Infidel , but a Persecutour also , 470. years , and above , after his death , and detention in Hell. But it is to litle purpose to disturb the dust of an old Imagination , frivolous enough , and disclamed even by those , who are at this day the most earnest Patrones of Prayer for the Dead . CHAP. XVI . The Third , and Fourth Motives of Saint Epiphanius taken into consideration . THe third Consideration of Saint Epiphanius to confirm the custom of Praying for the Dead : viz. That the departed are ( in relation to the living ) as persons that Travell , seems to presuppose the first Hypothesis of the pretended Sibylline Writing , which gives occasion to imagine , that those , who dy , arrive , upon the dissolution of the Body , not at the place of their sovereign Happiness ; but are transferred to some unpleasing receptacle under the earth , where their patience is no less exercised , then that of Travellers , who have a long and tedious Journey to go through . This Hypothesis indeed ( if so be it were maintained by Aërius ) might justly have been objected to him , to induce him to admit Prayer for the Dead ? since it is evident , that those , who are at a distance from their Happiness , and languish in the expectation of it , stand in need of comfort , and the Prayers requisite to obtain grace of him , who is the author of Grace . But it cannot be of any consideration , as to what concerns the Protestants , who unanimously Impugn it , and constantly teach , that the Souls of men , at the very departure out of their Bodies , enter either into Eternal fire , whence there is no deliverance , and where there is no comfort ; or into the Glory of God , which for ever exempts them from all those exigencies , which they are Subject to , who are deprived thereof , while they endeavour to attain it . The fourth Consideration of the same Father , to wit , that those , who dy , have , during the time of their Pilgrimage in this world , Sinned both voluntarily , and involuntarily , is very Just , and as Aërius never had any reason to deny it , so is it not at all contradicted by any of the Protestants ; who , by that which they have learnt of Saint John , that those men , who ( at any assignable time of their Life ) say they have no sin , deceive themselves , make God a Lyar , and have neither his word , nor truth in them , do very well comprehend , that it must of necessity follow , that those , who should deny they had any till the hour of Death , would deceive themselves no less then others , and with equal presumption charg with falsehood the God of truth . But ( omitting what Aerius might have said according to his Hypothesis , of which we have nothing certain ) the Protestants hold , that there is no necessity of this consequence , he hath ( whether voluntarily , or involuntarily , it matters not ) sinned during his life : therefore we must Pray for him after his death . Secondly , that the Church of Rome grants it , inasmuch as she , acknowledging that this Antecedent , he hath sinned , is and shall eternally be as undeniably true in respect of the Saints , which are , and ever shall be in the Glory of God , and the Damned , who shall never come out of Hell torments , as of the living , who aspire to felicity , and desire to escape Damnation : she , I say , neither prays , nor thinks she ought to pray , for either the Saints Glorified , nor the Sinners Condemned , but onely for the Faithfull , whom she presupposes to expect their Glorification , and that onely for a certain time . Thirdly , that if from this antecedent , he hath sinned , it did of necessity always follow , We must Pray for him , the Church of Rome would be obliged to Pray ; First , For the Apostatized Angels , who , having quitted their first station , sinned no less then men do , but in such manner , that their offence condemned by an irrevocable decree is absolutely incapable of remedy . Secondly , For the Damned , who are not in a state capable of amendment . Thirdly , For those , that are Glorified , who have not any good to obtain , and that as well after , as before , the last Judgment ; since that after the Pronuntiation of it , this truth , that men , and Devils have sinned , will remain evident , and irrefragable as before , though that after the retribution , which shall be for ever made to every one according to his works , it will not be any longer either necessary , or convenient , or rational to pray for him . CHAP. XVII . Saint Epiphanius's fift Motive considered . FOr a fifth consideration Saint Epiphanius alledges , that Prayers for the Dead are made by the surviving , out of a design to signifie what is accomplished ; & thereby insinuates , that he conceived the state of the Faithfull , from the moment of their death , to the time of their resurrection , to be imperfect , and capable of melioration ; it is possible Aerius might have been of the same Sentiment , and upon that account have been forced to acknowledg some necessity of praying for them , untill the absolute accomplishment of their Glory . But this imagination neither hath , nor can have , any force against the Protestants ; who believe , that the Faithfull , at the very demolition of the a earthly Tabernacles of their bodies , are received ( according to the saying of St. Paul ) into their celestial habitations , and that , at the very instant of their putting-off of Flesh , God cloaths their souls with the glory , which they are eternally to enjoy ; so that what till then was b in part , and imperfect in them , is from thence absolutely abolished ; and that these Considerations , that the Prayer does not cut off all , that is layed in charge against the dead , and that it is made to signifie what is accomplished , cannot be any way seasonable in respect of those , who ( as they ) are perswaded by the Scripture , that to no purpose are alledged , either the need , which the Faithfull departed stand in of their accomplishment ; since they are already in actual possession thereof , c being present with the Lord , and absent from the body particularly , to that end : or the charges , which are pretended to remain against them after death , since there can be no d accusation , nor any one to lay ought to their charge , who are justified by the Lord , who protesteth ( according to the tenour of his own Covenant ) that he e will be mercifull to their unrighteousness , and their sins , and iniquities will he remember no more . CHAP. XVIII . Saint Epiphanius's sixth Motive Considered . IN the sixth place , St. Epiphanius tells us , That some , in his Time , prayed for Sinners departed , having a respect , or recourse , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to the Mercy of God ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , imploring the Mercy of God ; and it may be said , that upon this ground , That sinners continued charged with sins , and imperfections after their decease , Antiquity was induced to demand , by Prayers , the remission of their sins , and consequently their establishment in a place of rest . To this purpose is what we read in the one and fourtieth Chapter of the eighth Book of the Constitutions , attributed to Saint Clement ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. That God , the lover of men , having received his soul , would turn away his face from all his sins voluntary , and unvoluntary , and out of his Graciousness , and Mercy , place him in the Region of the godly , who enjoy themselves in the Bosom of Abraham , &c. whence trouble , sadness , and sighing are departed , &c. Look upon this thy servant , whom thou hast chosen , and taken to thy self , to receive another lot , and pardon him what he hath ( voluntarily , or involuntarily ) sinned , and place about him good Angels , and dispose of him into the Bosom of the Patriarchs , &c. where there is neither sadness , nor trouble , nor sighing , &c. In the Liturgie of the Armenians . Memento , Domine , miserere , & fac gratiam animabus requiescentibus , pacifica , illumina eas , &c. Remember , O Lord , shew Mercy , and be Gracious unto the souls , which are in rest , pacify them , and illuminate them , &c. In the Liturgy of St. Basily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . For the repose , and remission of thy Servant . In the Anaphora , or Liturgie , translated out of the Syriack , and attributed to St. Basil , whereof the Summary is alledged by Cassander ; That God would conduct the departed through the horrid receptacles , and place them in habitations of light . That God would deliver them out of the thick darkness of tribulation , and grief , that he would not enter into judgement with them , &c. If they have sinned in any manner , as men clad in flesh , that he would pardon them . In the Missal of the Latine Church . Animabus famulorum , famularumque tuarum , remissionem cunctorum tribue peccatorum ; ut indulgentiam , quam semper optaverunt , piis supplicationibus consequantur , &c. Grant ( O Lord ) unto the souls of thy Servants , of what Sex soever , the remission of all their sins ; that , by devout supplications , they may obtain that indulgence , which they have always desired , &c. Do away , by the pardon of thy most mercifull Piety , the sins , which he hath committed through the frailty of worldly conversation , &c. Do thou ( O God ) mercifully , out of thy wonted Goodness , wipe away the stains , which the souls have contracted from the contagion of the World , Amen . Mercifully pardon them , &c. put them into perpetual oblivion , Amen , &c. O Lord , enter not into judgment with thy Servants ; for no man shall be justifyed in thy sight ; deliver their souls from the Gates of Hell , &c. Grant them the remission of all their sins , &c. free them from all their sins , &c. We beseech thee , that thy judicial sentence fall not heavy upon them , &c. That what vices soever she hath , through the subtlety of the Devil contracted , thou wouldest , out of thy compassion , and mercy , indulgently do away , &c. Free , O Lord , we beseech thee , the soul of thy Servant from all chains of sin . Which Prayers are for the most part repeated in the first Book of Sacred Ceremonies , ( Sect. 15. chap. 1. ) * and the ensuing is there added , over and above , by a late Cardinal ; Non intres in judicium tuum , Domine , cum servo tuo , &c. O Lord , enter not into judgment with thy servant : for no man shall be justifyed in thy sight ; if the remission of his sins be not granted him by thee . We therefore beseech thee , O Lord , that thy Judgments may not by strange Sentences be rigorous towards him , whom the true supplication of Christian faith recommends to thee ; but that , through the assistance of thy grace , he may be thought worthy to escape the Judgment of eternal vengeance , he , who , while living , was honoured with the Seal of the Holy Trinity , through Jesus Christ , our Lord , Amen . Upon some such considerations was it that St. Cyril of Jerusalem , in his fifth Mystagogical Catechesis , speaking of the departed , said , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. We offer prayers to God for the departed : and , if they are sinners , we do not weave Crowns for them ; but offer up Christ sacrificed for our sins : appeasing on their behalf , and our own , him , who is the Lover of mankind . Upon which passage it is to be noted by the way ; that the Text is disordered by the Transcriber ; who , having found in his Copy , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. thrust in a whole line after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , writing , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . From the same Hypothesis also St. Augustine , in the forecited place of his Confessions , took occasion to make these Prayers for his Mother , Dimitte illi & tu debitu sua ; non intres cum ea in judicium ; superexaltet misericordia tua judicium , &c. Do thou also forgive her her Trespasses , enter not into judgment with her ; Let thy mercy be above thy judgment , &c. But though it were granted , this Hypothesis might do somewhat against Aërius ; who might have been drawn into the common Opinion ; that the departed , being after death in an imperfect State , were detained , in a place by themselves , till their resurrection ; yet does it not amount to any thing against the Protestants , who are of a different Opinion ; since that , if it be always lawfull to conclude , He was guilty of sin , Therefore we must pray for him , the Church would be obliged to pray eternally for all its Members , even after their Resurrection , and the last Judgment ; which none hitherto hath conceived she ought to practise . CHAP. XIX . Saint Epiphanius's seventh Motive Considered . IN the last place , St. Epiphanius affirms , that , in his Time , Men prayed for the Saints , and the Just , whoever they were , upon this accompt , that there might be a distinction made between them , and our Saviour ; who , interceding for all , does not stand in need of any one's intercession : and to shew , that there ought not to be parallelled with him any of those , who were most recommendable for their Piety . Upon which last Hypothesis it may be said ; that from most certain Principles , to wit , that we must be tender of the honour of Jesus Christ , and distinguish him from the men redeemed by him , and by no means suffer , that any one compare them to their Saviour ; it draws a false Consequence , to wit , that we must pray for them . For , if it were admitted , it were also necessary to pray for the Faithfull , as well after their Resurrection , and the last Judgment , as before ; since the honour proper to the Son of God , will be no less due after the Resurrection , then before , and that it will be , at all times , impiously done to take away the distinction there is between him , and men , for whom he died , and interceded , by making any one equal to him . Thence it appears , how weak St. Epiphanius's Reason is , even from this ; that it proves more , then he had proposed to himself ; nay , more , then the Church of Rome at this day desires : the Church of Rome , I say ; which hath not onely for the space of 1200. years past , left off Praying for the Patriarchs , Prophets , Apostles , Evangelists , Martyrs , &c. but would look on that kinde of Devotion as injurious , having grounded her proceeding on this Discourse of St. Augustine , copied by Beda , upon the twelfth Chapter a to the Hebrews , and others . Habet Disciplina Ecclesiastica , &c. It is according to Ecclesiastical Discipline , as the Faithfull know ; that , when [ the Names of ] the Martyrs are recited before the Altar of God , men pray not for them ; but for all others , that are Commemorated , Prayers are made . For it is an injury to pray for the Martyr , by whose Prayers we are to be recommended . And yet what ( to use the Terms of this Father ) the Ecclesiastical Discipline of the Christians of Africk , Rome , and in a word , of all the West , thrust , as injurious , and ill-grounded , out of the both Publick , and Private Service ; after they had quitted the Hypotheses of those , that had preceeded them , is continued in the Offices of many other Churches . Whence we read , in the Liturgie of the Armenians , Da aeternam pacem omnibus , qui nos praecesserunt in fide Christi , Sanctis Patribus , Patriarchis , Apostolis , Prophetis , Martyribus , &c. Give eternal peace to the holy Fathers , Patriarchs , Apostles , Prophets , Martyrs , who have preceeded us in the Faith of Christ . In that , which goes under the Name of Saint Mark , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. O Lord , our God , give rest unto the Souls of our Fathers , and Brethren , who are departed before us in the Faith of Christ ; being mindfull of the first Fathers , who lived in the beginning of the World , the Fathers , Patriarchs , Prophets , Apostles , Martyrs , Confessours , Bishops , Saints , Just men , the spirits of all those , that have had their accomplishment in the Faith of Christ , of whom we this day make Commemoration , as also of our holy Father , the Apostle , and Evangelist St. Mark , who hath shewn us the way of Salvation . In that of St. Chrysostome , though very much altered , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. We offer unto thee this reasonable service for those , who rest in Faith , our Ancestours , Fathers , Patriarchs , Prophets , Apostles , Preachers , Evangelists , Martyrs , Confessours , continent persons , and every spirit accomplished in Faith , especially for the absolutely-holy , undefiled , blessed above all things , our glorious Lady , the Mother of God , and ever Virgin , Mary . In the Sacramentary of St. Gregory ; Divina mysteria Sanctis tuis prosint ad gloriam , &c. Let the divine Mysteries be profitable to thy Saints for their glory . We might finde as much in that , which St. Epiphanius had seen in use among the Christians of Cyprus , Palestine , Syria , and all the other Provinces ; not excepting even Africk it self : if we had them at present , since that in the year 250. St. Cyprian in his 34th Epistle , speaking of Celerina , Grandmother to Laurentinus , Uncle by the Father's side , and of Ignatius , Uncle by the Mother-side to Celerinus , Confessour , and Reader in the Church of Carthage , said , Palmas à Domino , & coronas illustri passione meruerunt ; sacrificia pro eis semper ( ut meministis ) offerimus , quoties Martyrum passiones , & dies , anniversariâ commemoratione celebramus , &c. They have , by their illustrious sufferings , obtained of the Lord Palms , and Crowns . We dayly offer sacrifices for them ( as you remember ) as often , as we celebrate the Anniversaries of the Passions , and Days of the Martyrs . But they have been either abolished , or so altered ; that they contain not any thing of what was in them before , of greatest consideration . And thence it is come to pass , that in those , who go under the name of St. James , St. Peter , St. Basil , and St. Gregory , we meet not with ( as in the first ) Prayers to God for the Saints , but Prayers to the Saints ; the fear of making them equal with Jesus Christ being by degrees vanished , and experience forcing us to acknowledg , that all the imaginations of men , as well what are good , as what bad , pass away ; but that Jesus Christ , alone , is , and shall be the same eternally ; as St. Paul , to our comfort , gives us to observe in the 8th Verse of the 13th Chapter to the Hebrews . CHAP. XX. The Motive of Dionysius , the pretended Areopagite , taken into consideration . HE , who about the year 490. took upon him the name of St. Denys the Areopagite , to gain the greater credit to his Books Of the Celestial and Ecclesiastical Hierarchies , grounds , upon one onely consideration , the Commemoration of the departed , which was made in his time in the Publick Service , and declares his sentiment with the ordinary ostentation , in these Termes , a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. The recitation of the sacred Rolls , which is made after the kissing of the Pax , declares the names of those , who have lived holily , and who are irreturnably gone to the perfection of virtuous life , exhorting , and leading us to the most blessed and Godlike condition by resemblance of them , and pronouncing them , as it were living , and ( as Theology expresses it ) not dead , but b passed from death to a most divine life . But withall observe , that they are reposited by sacred Memorials in the Remembrance of the Deity , and not according to the manner of men transmitted from the fancy to the memory , ( but to speak suitably to God ) according to the venerable , and irrecoverable knowledg of the God-like deceased , which is in God. For ( as the Oracles say ) c he knows those , who are his , and d The death of his Saints is precious in his sight ; the death of the Saints being named , instead of their accomplishment in sanctity . Think devoutly upon this ; viz. that the venerable Signs , whereby Christ is signified , and participated , having been placed upon the divine Altar , immediately after follows the Description of the Saints ; declaring thus much , that they are inseparably conjoyned by the supercelestial , and sacred union , which is between them . This Discourse , which makes no mention of any thing , but the recital of the Names of the Departed , denoting the perpetuity of the blessed life they enjoy , in consequence of their living conformably to the will of God , might stand , without the use of any Prayer , made on their behalf by the living . But , in the seventh Chapter , he not onely speaks very clearly ; but expresses his meaning of it thus : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 &c. The divine Hierarch ( or President over things sacred ) advancing , makes the holy Prayer for the Person departed ; and , after the Prayer , the same Hierarch kisseth him ; and afterwards all , that are present , do the like . Now the prayer requires of that Goodness , which divinely governs all things ; that whatsoever sin the departed hath , through humane frailty , committed , might be forgiven him ; and that he might be placed in Light , and in the Region of the Living , in the Bosoms of Abraham , Isaac , and Jacob , whence trouble and e sorrow , and sighing shall flee away . Thus does this learned , but insincere Authour , ground what he says on the sixty of St. Epiphanius's Motives , as the most rational of all , and hath perswaded thereto all the Modern Greeks . And , as St. Epiphanius's alledging of several other Considerations argues , he writ before the pretended Areopagite ever thought of his Supposition : so this latter's copying the words of the Constitutions , attributed to St. Clement , and above transcribed , and not allowing of Prayer for the damned , shews , that his work is later , and of as little authority . CHAP. XXI . The Motives of Tertullian examined . TErtullian , before any of these Authours , alledged two Motives of praying for the Dead ; that is to say , their refreshment , and the hastening , or advancement of their Resurrection . For this Great man ( I know not how ) bewitched by the pretended Sibylline Writing , supposed , that , before the last Judgment , the Son of God , being descended upon Earth , to establish a new Kingdom in Jerusalem , and to govern it himself , should bring together all his Faithfull , and should there fill them with all delights , even corporeal , for the space of a thousand years . And , whereas St. John had foretold in his Apocalyps , that , the Old Serpent being bound for a thousand years , there should be a first Resurrection , in favour of their Souls , who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus , he , with Justin Martyr , Papias , St. Irenaeus , and all those , who have since gone under the name of Millenaries , took that Praediction literally , and , wresting it to a contrary sence , imagined , that , during the thousand years of Christ's Reign , which he pretended should be in Jerusalem , the most eminent for Sanctity , among the Faithfull departed , should rise again before the rest of mankind ; but successively , and every one at this appointed time ; so as that , if one took possession of his body in the first of the thousand years , another should not have that privilege , till a hundred , two , or three hundred years after , and so to the end of that period of ten Ages ; and that those should have least advantage thereof , whose Resurrection should be either delayed , till near the end of the thousand years , or put off till after it , and referred to the last day assigned for the general Resurrection , as well of the rest of the Just , as the Wicked . To induce us to embrace that Opinion , St. Irenaeus , in the thirty fourth Chapter of his fifth Book , making a coherence between the words of St. John in the twentieth Chapter of the Apocalyps , and those of the Son of God in the twelfth of St. Luke , said , Hoc est , quod à Domino dictum est , &c. This is it , which is said by our Saviour ; a Blessed are those servants , whom the Lord , when he cometh , shall find watching : Verily , I say unto you , that he shall gird himself , and make them to sit down to meat , and , will still come forth and serve them : and , if he come in the Evening-Watch , and finde them so doing , they are blessed ; because he shall make them sit down , and shall serve them ; nay , though it be in the second , or the third Watch , they are blessed . The same thing saith also John in the Apocalyps , b Blessed , and holy , is he , that hath part in the first Resurrection . For , comparing the Faithfull departed to the Servants , that wait for the return of their Lord , he would have those , that are raised the first ; those , who next to them ; and those , who after them ; designed by those , who are visited at the first , second , and third watch . And Tertullian , having embraced the same Opinion , presupposes ; that the Faithfull might , either by their own Devotions , or those of their surviving Friends , have the honour of rising , if not the first , at least before the expiration of the thousand years . And thence takes occasion to exhort the Husband , that hath lost his Wife , not to propose to himself any change of condition ; but affectionatly to preserve the remembrance of his deceased Consort , and to do , upon her account , all possible Offices ; saying , ( e ) Pro anima ejus orat , & refrigerium interim adpostulat ei , & in prima Resurrectione consortium , &c. He prays for her Soul , and in the mean time wishes her , by his Prayers , refreshment , and a society with her in the first Resurrection ; as if he had said , Let him wish , that she be of the num ber of those , who shall rise again , during the thousand years of the Saints in Jerusalem ; and that in expectation of that Resurrection , hastened by his Prayers , she might receive those consolations from God , which should refresh her Soul , languishing in expectation of her Happiness . CHAP. XXII . The Sentiment of St. Ambrose brought to the Test . ACcording to this Pattern was drawn the Antient Gothick Liturgie , containing these words ; Quiescentium animas in sinu Abrahae collocare dignetur , & in partem primae Resurrectionis admittat , per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum , &c. That the Lord would vouchsafe to dispose the Souls of those , that rest , into the Bosom of Abraham , and admit them to a participation of the first Resurrection , through Jesus Christ our Lord. It might seem ( and there want not Great men , who have thought so ) that St. Ambrose was of the same Sentiment ; when , closing up his Funeral Oration upon the Death of Valentinian the Second , he writ in the year 392. Te quaeso , &c. I beseech thee , Sovereign God , that , by an hastened Resurrection , thou wouldest awake , and raise up these most dear young men ( Gratian , and Valentinian ) so as that thou recompense by an advanced Resurrection the course of this life , which they have terminated , before it was come to its perfection : as if by the hastened , or advanced Resurrection , which he desired , he had meant the first Resurrection , which the Millenaries imagined to themselves ; and had begged it , as well for Gratian , who was born on the eighteenth of April , 359. and had been murthered twenty four years , four Moneths , and seven days after , that is to say , on the twenty fifth day of August , 383. as for Valentinian , whose birth , happening on the eighteenth of January 370. had not preceeded his death ( falling on Whitsun-Eve , May the fifteenth , 392 ) but twenty two years , three Moneths , and twenty seven days : upon which account he called them both Young men , and bemoaned them , that the course of their Life had been cut off before its maturity , and just perfection . But neither the Expression of Resurrectio matura , &c. Hastened Resurrection , upon which this Imagination was grounded , does necessarily imply any thing , whence such a Conceit might be induced , nor can the Explication , which St. Ambrose made of his Faith , nine years before , permit it . For in his Treatise concerning the Faith of the Resurrection ( writ immediately upon the Death of his Brother Satyrus , which happened on the seventeenth of September 383. ) supposing that the sound of many Trumpets shall awake the dead at the Last day , he hath this Discourse , absolutely incompatible with the Opinion of the Millenaries ; Adverte , juxta Typum Legis , ordinem Gratiae , &c. Consider , according to the Type of the Law , the order of Grace . When the first Trumpet shall have sounded , it gathers together those towards the East , as the Principal , and Elect. When the second , those , who are nearest in point of Merit , such , as , being scituated towards Libanus , have forsaken the vanities of the Nations . When the third , those , who tossed , as it were , in the Sea , by the Wind of this World , have been overwhelmed with the Waves of the present Time. When the fourth , those , who could not sufficiently soften the hardness of their understandings , by the Precept of the spiritual Word ; and are , for that reason , called Those towards the North ; for a Boreas ( according to Salomon ) is an hard Wind. Although therefore b all shall be raised again in a moment , and the twinkling of an Eye , yet are all raised according to the order of their Merits , and thereupon those shall be raised first ; who , by an early Advancement of Devotion , and a certain dawning of Faith , have entertained the Raies of the eternal Sun rising upon them , as I may justly instance ( according to the Tenour of the Old Testament ) in the Patriarchs , or ( according to the Gospel ) in the Apostles . But the second are those , who , quitting the Custom of the Nations , are passed from the sacrilegious Errour , to the Discipline of the Church , and for that reason those first are of the Fathers ; those next , from among the Gentiles . This Discourse of St. Ambrose is an allusion to the Ordinance contained in the tenth of Numbers , concerning the c Assembling of the people of Israel ; and he applies , to the Resurrection of the Dead , what is said d of the calling of those , who possessed the Quarter towards the East . Secondly , Of those who were Quartered towards the e South , and , as it was in his Translation , towards Libs : which he mistaking , confounded with Libanus ; making , for want of reflection , a Mountain of a Wind ; and changing the South-Quarter , whence Libs blows , into that of the North , on which side Libanus is , in respect of the Desart . Thirdly , Of those , who were disposed towards the Sea. Fourthly , Of those , who were towards the Quarter of the North , or of Boreas . And , as he applied the calling together of these several Quarters to the last Resurrection ; so he acknowledged , withall , it should be general ; and that all should rise , not onely the same day , but in the same moment . Which Assertion of his was grounded on the express Declaration of Saint Paul in his first Epistle to the f Corinthians , and absolutely destroyed the Hypothesis of the Millenaries ; who believed there would be two Resurrections , one preceding the other by above a thousand years : but he supposed , that in that moment of the general Resurrection , there would be several divisions , and a certain precedence of order among those Divisions , according to the dispositions of each of them . Next he pretended , that the first Class of those , that were raised , should be that of the Patriarchs , and Apostles ; who had never been infected with the Sacrilegious Errour of the Gentiles , but were come , by an early advancement , and as it were at a start , into the light : and in that he also opposed the Errour of the Millenaries ; who imagined , that the Patriarchs were risen with our Saviour ; that the Apostles , and others of the most Eminent among the Saints should rise , when ( according to their Opinion ) he should come to establish a years●t ●t Jerusalem ; and the rest of the Dead ( after the determination of the thousand years ) at the last Day . When therefore he desires , for Gratian , and Valentinian , that God would grant them an early Resurrection , as a recompense for their short Life , his meaning was not to require , that they should rise before the Last Day , but in the same moment with others ; but , as to order , in the most worthy , and first in excellence , viz. that of the Patriarchs , and Apostles ; and that , because those Princes were descended of a Christian Father ; because they had from their Mother's Breasts been imbued with Piety , and had never ( no more then the Patriarchs , and Apostles ) been defiled with the Superstition of the Heathen , out of which most of the Christians of their time had been delivered . CHAP. XXIII . The Time , when Praying for the Dead was first introduced into the Service of the Church . HAving given an accompt of the Motives , which the Antients had to Pray for the Dead , it may , haply , be questioned by some , When this kind of Office , which is not grounded upon any Precept , or Example , of either Old , or New Testament , came to be used in the Church ? In answer to which , I make no difficulty to affirm , That it might be practised some time before the year 200. in as much as Tertullian , the most Antient of all those , that say any thing of it , numbred it , even then , among the Customs received in his Time ; writing in the year 199. a Oblationes pro Defunctis , pro Natalitiis , annua die facimus , &c. Upon a certain Anniversary-day we make Oblations for the Dead , and for Birth-days : meaning by those Birth-days , the days of the Passions of the Martyrs ; on which , putting a Period to their Lives , and Combats , they entred , as it were , by a second-Birth , into the enjoyment of their true Life , and their Glory . And in another place , treating of the Duties of the Surviving Husband towards his deceased Wife ; b Pro anima ejus orat , & refrigerium interim adpostulat ei , & in prima Resurrectione consortium , & offert annuis diebus dormitionis ejus , &c. He prays for her Soul , and , in the mean time , begs she may finde refreshment , and that he might enjoy her Society at the first Resurrection ; and offers upon the Anniversary-days of her falling-asleep , that is to say , of her departure . Again ; c Jam repete apud Deum , pro cujus Spiritu postules , pro qua Oblationes annuas reddas . Stabis ergò ad Deum cum tot uxoribus , quot illas oratione commemoras , & offeres pro duabus , & commemoras alias duas per Sacerdotem , de Monogamia , ob pristinum de virginitate sancitum , circumdatum virginibus , & univiris ? &c. Consider now well , for whose Spirit thou makest thy Addresses to God , for whom thou dost return annual Oblations . Wilt thou therefore stand before God with as many Wives , as thou dost in thy Prayers commemorate , and wilt thou offer for two , and dost thou make Commemoration of those two by the Priest , who , after his once marrying , because of the precedent Ordinance concerning Virginity , is encompassed with Virgins , and Women , that have had but one Husband ? From the things , which this Great Person , the most Antient , and most Learned of all the Latines , that we have remaining , does advance , as to matter of fact , concerning the Oblations , which were publickly made , and the employment of Priests , the onely Ministers of the Publick service , as a thing ordinary , and grown into Custom , it is manifest ; that Praying for the Dead was , in his Time , used , not onely by particular Persons , but also in the Body of the Church ; and that the Liturgies thereof were full of it . So that , if we admit , as equally , if not more , antient then Tertullian , the Formularies of his Service , such as we have them now , we should not , upon that accompt , have any Inconvenience to fear . But , seeing that Tertullian , who ( the first of all the Authours we have remaining ) gives us occasion to observe what the Practice of the Christians of his Time was , relyed ( as well for the Prayers , as the Offerings ) upon no other Hypotheses , then those proposed by the Authour of the pretended Sibylline Writing ; and that he had reverenced it , as a Piece not to be charged with any insincerity ( alledging it with this Elogie in the year 208. d Et Sibylla , non mendax , that is , And the Sibyl , no Lyar ) I finde my self forced to believe , that , from that Sink , over-easily taken by Antiquity , for a pure and sacred Source , was ( from the midst of the second Age ) derived the Custom , which had already gained strength , when Tertullian writ the Books we have cited . I think also , that who will but consider , that there are threescore years , a●d above , between the year 138. wherein the Romance of the Counterfeit Sibyl seems to have come first abroad , and the year 199. in which Tertullian writ his Book De Corona , and that the Books De exhortatione Castitatis , and De Monogamia are yet later , will easily judge that space of Time , more then sufficient , to give Birth unto , spread , and confirm , as well by solemn Formularies , as by constant Practice , the Custom , which ( though with great alterations ) hath continued even to this day . Add to this , that as none of the Antients , who in the second Age made mention of the State of the Dead , either writ before the year 138. or made any difficulty to go upon the Hypotheses of the Counterfeit Prophetess , who hath described it according to her Fancy , or thought it much sometimes to have recourse to her Authority ; so all those , who ( after Tertullian , and the use confirmed in his Time ) spoke of Prayers for the Dead , have built upon the same Foundations ; some ( as Lactantius ) have alledged her pretended Oracles , and not any one would presume to derogate from the Reputation , which she had but too too easily acquired . I could wish , for their sakes , who ( after they had disclaimed the first causes , for which Tertullian , St. Epiphanius , and others of the Antients , thought it necessary to Pray for the Dead ) are yet resolved to retain the Custom of Praying for them , that it were in their power , to discover a beter ground , whence their Observation might derive its Origine . I should entertain with joy , and respect , what they might have to acquaint me with in recommendation thereof , and would freely subscribe what satisfactory Testimony can be produced ; but I hope they will bear with me , if ( taking the liberty to discover my Thoughts ) I say , they have not any thing of greater weight , then the Custom alledged by Tertullian , and introduced by those , who , for the space of threescore years together , had been deceived by the Writing , unjustly called the Sibylline . I am not ignorant how that St. Chrysostom , two hundred years after Tertullian , spoke advantageously of this Custom , writing in the twenty first Homily upon the Acts of the Apostles , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 &c. It is not in vain , that the Deacon crys for those , who rest in Christ , and those , who make Commemorations for them , &c. the Spirit hath ordained all these things , &c. it is not the Deacon , which utters that voice , but the Spirit . And in the fourty first Homily upon the first Epistle to the Corinthians , where he speaks of Prayers , Offerings , and Alms for the Dead , and says , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All these things are done by the direction of the Spirit . For what other Judgment could he have made of a Custom , which he approved , and admired , the more he saw it confirmed by the Practice of those , who had preceded him , and for whom he had an high esteem , as Persons truly taught of God ? With the same confidence did he alledge the Authority of the Apostles , writing in the third Homily upon the Epistle to the Philippians , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is not in vain , that the Apostles have made Laws concerning these things . For though he found not so much as one Iota in their Writings , that might invite him to that perswasion ; yet , according to the prejudgment of St. Hierome in his Epistle to Licinius , e Unaquaeque Provincia abundet in suo sensu , & praecepta Majorum Leges Apostolicas arbitretur , &c. Let every Province abound in its own sense , and account the Precepts of our Ancestours as Apostolical Laws , he presumed , that what ●ad been practised by men , that had lived near the Apostles Times , and were famous for their Piety , came from the Apostles themselves ; and indeed , it were impossible to conceive any thing more plausible , then to attribute to the Apostles the Custom , which men , reputed Apostolical , had introduced . For who would have thought upon the first Start , that Papias , that Antient Bishop of Hierapolis , whom St. Irenaeus in the thirty third Chapter of his fifth Book , Eusebius in the nine and thirtieth Chapter of the third Book , St. Hierome in his Catalogue , and the Martyrologies upon the two and twentieth of February , have ( with an excess of sincerity ) qualified f Auditour of St. John , and Companion of Saint Polycarp , and whom St. Hierome assures us to have given out the Apostles for Authours of his Relations , was such as Eusebius qualifies him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . a man of little understanding , apt to circumvent , and to scatter abroad , under venerable Names , as of our Saviour , or his Disciples , or of Aristion , and John , their Auditours , all the feigned Stories he had either dream'd , or heard of ? And who could have imagined , that Saint Irenaeus , of whom St. Basil , in his Book Of the Holy Ghost , in the nine and twentieth Chapter says , that he was , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . A neighbour of the Apostles ; and St Epiphanius , in his twenty fourth Haeresie , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , Successour of the Apostles ; and Tertullian , in the fifth chapter of his Book Against the Valentinians , Omnium doctrinarum curiosissimus explorator , &c. The most diligent Inquisitour of all Doctrines ; and St. Hierome , in his twenty ninth Epistle , Vir Apostolicorum temporum , &c. A man of the Apostolical Times ; and upon the sixty fourth Chapter of Esay , Vir Apostolicus , &c , An Apostolical man , who writ with great diligence ; and St. Augustine , in his first Book Against Julian , Antiquus homo Dei , &c. The antient man of God : who , I say , could have imagined , that this Great man should suffer himself to be so far surprized by the fond Conceits of Papias , as to have ( as we have already made appear by what is above alledged out of the thirty fifth Chapter of his fifth Book ) embraced them , and given occasion to St. Hierome to write , that he was Papiae discipulus , &c. the Disciple of Papias , &c. from whose hands he received the Principal Hypotheses of the Sibylline Writing , concerning the State of the departed ? Yet hath he done it , with all those , who were his Contemporaries , of whom we have any thing left ; and though they might all , or most of them , in some respect , have attributed to them the Name of Apostolicks , Lights of the Church , and Martyrs of God , yet have they cast Shadows , and furnished Posterity with examples of Infirmity , which oblige it , and all Christians religiously to practise the advice of St. Paul , g Prove all things , hold fast to that , which is good , and to conclude with the Prophet , h It is better to trust in the Lord , then to put confidence in man. But since St. Chrysostom●●th ●th thought fit , to deduce the Original of Praying for the dead , from I know not what Law , and Ordinance of the Apostles ; whereof there is no Track to be found in their Writings ; since that , of this kinde of Office , which he pretended prescribed by such a Law , no Christian Authour , of whom we have ought , truly Authentick , remaining , hath made any mention before Tertullian , who first spoke of it in the year 199. and continued till about the year 212. And lastly , since that there are , at this day , some Persons , who will needs ascend much higher , and derive ( as to this particular ) the Christian Liturgie from the Custom they are pleased to attribute to the Jews , as if the shame they conceive it to acknowledg ( as they are obliged to do ) Tertullian , a Montanist , a Millenary , and Admirer of the pretended Sibyl , to have been the first certifier of one of their Principal Observations , had reduced them to a necessity of appealing to the Synagogue , and taking up its Authority for a Buckler against the Protestants ; who do not think themselves any way obliged to the admission of any Worship proceeding from the Will of man , without the Word of God. we come now to see what probability there may be in their Opinion . CHAP. XXIV . Whether the Prayers made by Christians for the Dead , are indeed grounded on the Second of the Maccabees , and the Examples of the Jews . THey affirm then , that there was no necessity of making any Regulations in the Church concerning the Offices of the living towards the dead , in as much as the Faithfull , being at first called from among the Jews , had learned the necessity thereof even in the Synagogue , before they were admitted into the Society of the Christians . They further hold , that it is manifest from the Sentiment of the Jews under the Old Testament , by the Example of Judas their General , who ( as we finde it in the twelfth Chapter of the second Book of Maccabees ) caused Sacrifices to be offered , and Prayers to be made for those of his Army , who had been killed in the fight against Gorgias . In answer to which , not to insist on the Considerations , which might be made , as well on the difference there is between the States of the Synagogue , and the Church , as the remarkable diversity of the Legal Administration , and Evangelical Grace , which is enoug to hinder a man from concluding necessarily , This was practised under the Old Testament , Therefore it ought to be under the New , I make in the first place this Observation ; That those , who have recoursee to this kinde of Defence , make a formal disacknowledgment of St. Chrysostome , who , grounding his Hypothesis onely upon the Law of the Apostles , under the New Testament , hath even in that discovered , how vain and frivolous , he thought their undertaking , who would prove their Custom out of the Old , in the same manner , as these later disclaim all the advantage , which St. Chrysostom had promised himself in the allegation of the Apostolical Law. Secondly , That it argues want of circumspection , to suppose , as acknowledged , what is in Question ; viz. That the Synagogue under the Old Testament made any Prayers for the dead , and that their Practice can be justified by Writings either precedent , or immediately subsequent to the Birth of Christianity . For , since the Hierosolymitane Talmud was not ( by the Confession even of the Jews themselves ) began till one hundred sixty two years after the Destruction of both Jerusalem and its Temple , and consequently fifteen years at least after the Death of Tertullian , which happened ( as S. Hierome would have it ) under Caracalla , Assassinated on the eighth of April , in the year 217. seventy nine years after the first littering of the pretended Sibylline Writings ; that the compilation of the Babylonian Talmud began not , till the 476. year after the final Destruction of the Temple , that is to say , in the year of our Lord , 546. that it took up an hundred years to finish it , that these two Collections were made by the implacable enemies of the Gospel , and its Truth , such as have thrust together , without either sincerity , or judgment , all the Extravagancies , that ever troubled the Brains of their Ancestours , delivered over ( as themselves ) into a reprobate sence ; and that their Opinions concerning the State of the dead hold correspondence , neither with the Sentiment of the Fathers , nor with that of the Greeks , nor lastly with that , which the Church of Rome holds at present ; there cannot with reason any certa in relyance be made thereon . Thirdly , That to no purpose is alledged the seventeenth Verse of the fourth Chapter of Tobit , which runs thus , Pour out thy Bread ( the old Latine Version , made according to the Chaldee , adds and thy Wine ) on the Burial of the Just , but give nothing to the wicked : because , First , it is not manifest , that there ever was really such a man as Tobit , and that the Relation of his Adventures smell ( as much as may be ) of a Romance . Secondly , That the Jews , as well Antient , as Modern , have not attributed any authority thereto . Thirdly , That all the Greek Fathers unanimously , and many of the Latine , have held it to be Apocryphal . Fourthly , That though of all the Canonical Books it were the most Canonical , yet neither ought the words alledged out of it to be taken literally , since they are notoriously figurative , nor could they have any relation to the Custom either of praying , or making Offerings for the Dead ; but , according to the use of Funeral Entertainments , or Banquets , ordained , not to procure ease to the Departed ; but to relieve the kindred he had left , to induce them to an oblivion of their mourning , and to comfort them . For , as the Prophet Jeremy , threatning the Jews with the Judgment of God , which was likely to deprive them of all means of comforting one another , said , a Neither shall men break Bread for them in mourning to comfort them for the Dead ; neither shall men give them the Cup of consolation to drink for their Father , or for their Mother ; so Tobit , exhorting his Son to the Offices of Charity towards his afflicted Brethren , orders him to Pour out his Bread , and his Wine on the Burial of the dead , and ( by a kind of speaking ) to fill it , by kindly treating those , that were in mourning , upon their accompt , and raising them out of their Heaviness ; which does not inferr either Prayer , or Offering , for the dead ; but onely a charitable care , and tenderness towards the living . Fourthly , That the words of the Son of Sirach , in the thirty third Verse of the seventh Chapter of his Ecclesiasticus , A gift hath grace in the sight of every man Living , and for the Dead detain it not , make nothing to the Business of Offerings , and Prayers for the Dead , to which some would have them relate : in as much as that Authour , who made his Collection of Sentences in the year 247. before the Birth of our Saviour , is so far from saying , that the gift , which was to be given upon the accompt of the dead , was to be exercised towards the departed Person himself , that he expresly declares , it was so done upon the accompt of the dead , that it referred , as to its proper object , to the surviving , adding in the next verse , b Fail not to be with them , that weep , and mourn with them , that mourn ; as if he said , That that kindness , which he desired should not be detained for the dead , consists not in praying for the dead ; but in having a sympathy for their affliction , who bewail him , and endeavouring to comfort them . Besides it is to be noted by the way , that the Book of Ecclesiasticus ( though very antient , since it was written 247. years before the Birth of our Saviour , and very full of good Doctrine , upon which accompt it hath been cited by the Fathers ) was never enrolled among the Canonical Books , neither by the Jews , nor by any of the Greek Fathers , nor by most of the Latines . Fifthly , That there cannot be a clearer Evidence , to convince those of Errour , who suppose that the Custom of Praying for the Dead was antiently among the Jews , then to urge , that there is not the least track of it in those , who were Contemporary with the Apostles , viz. Philo , who had made himself Master of all prophane Wisdom , and the Philosophy of Plato , and who was ( in Caligula's Time ) reputed the Glory of his Nation ; and Josephus , who was one of the chief Commanders of the Jewish War under Nero , and the most diligent searcher into the Antiquities of his Nation under Domitian . So that the later Jews must needs have borrowed the Custom they still continue , either from some piece of Heathenish superstition , or from the Opinions crept into Christianity , through their means , who were admirers of the pretended Sibylline Writing . Sixthly , That the second Book of the Maccabees was neither known , nor of any accompt among the Jews . For , as it is manifest , that it hath no coherence with the first , neither in respect of the observations of time , nor in respect of events , and their circumstances ; so we both may , and ought to hold it for certain , that Josephus , who very strictly followed the first , either had not any knowledg of it , or ( if he had ) made no accompt of it ; since that even when it was his business to represent some History , whereof there was also a relation in that Book , he hath not onely related it according to his own way ; but hath often laid it down in circumstances , as to the matter of fact , incompatible with what was reported thereof in the said Book . Whereto may be added the strange obscurity of it : which is such , that it is not known , neither who they were , nor about what Time flourished either Jason the Cyrenian , the first Authour ; or the Abbreviator , who reduced into a small Epitome the five Books of Jason ; nor yet in what Language Jason had first writ them ; nor whether he was more antient , then Josephus , who finished his Work Of the Antiquities , in the year of our Lord 94. concurrent with the thirteenth of Domitian , and the fourty fourth before the Forgeries of the counterfeit Sibyl appeared ; nor lastly , whether that Abridgment came betimes into the hands of the Christians ; it appearing not , that any of them had seen it before the year of our Lo●d 200. Seventhly , That it is absolutely impossible , that any of the Christians of the second , third , and fourth Ages , should , in their Prayers for the dead , have proposed to themselves , for a Pattern , the Example of Judas Maccabaeus , and the Judgment , which either Jason the Cyrenian , or his Abridger made of it . And that for these reasons ; First , Because it was not cited by any of the Fathers till 280. years after the first coming abroad of the pretended Sibylline Writing . For , St. c Augustine , having first cited it in the year 416. d Prosper Africanus followed him , about the year 450. It was afterwards cited by Bacchiarius , in his Epistle to Januarius , about the year 460. and Julian of Toledo , about the year 680. in the one and twentieth Chapter of the first Book of his Prognosticks ; and Damascene , about the year 760. in his Oration De d●…nctis ; and Peter , sirnamed the Venerable , Abbot of Clugny , about the year , 1150. in the second Epistle of his first Book ; and Ecbert , a Priest of Bonne , near Cullen , about the year 1160. Adversus Cathar . serm . and Guy of Perpignan , first General of the Order of the Carmelites , afterwards Bishop of Majorca , about the year 1318. De Haeresibus . Secondly , Because we do not finde , that any of the Fathers have cited , or so much as made the least discovery , that they had seen the second Book of the Maccabees , before Clemens Alexandrinus , and Origene among the Greeks , about the year 200 , and 240. ( the former in the fifth of his Stromata , and the later in the first Chapter of the second Book De Principiis , and his third Homily upon Solomon's Song , and his eighteenth Tome upon St. John , and upon the fifth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romanes ) and St. Cyprian among the Latines , in the year 252. in his four hundred , and fifty sixth Epistle , De exhortatione Martyrii , the eleventh Chapter , and Zeno of Verona , about the year 360. Sermone de Resurrectione , & De Sancto Arcadio . Thirdly , In regard that , as not any one of the Greek Fathers , either in Councel , or in any particular Writing held the second Book of the Maccabees for Canonical ; so many of the Latines , for instance , Tertullian in his fourth Book Adversùs Marcionem carmine scripto , cap. 7. St. Hilary in his Prologue upon the Psalms ; Philastrius , Bishop of Brescia , in the Chapter de Apocryphis ; St. Hierome , in his seventh Epistle , and the one hundred and third , and his Prologue upon the Book of Kings , and Solomon ; Ruffinus , upon the Crede ; the Priests of Hilary's Epistle to St. Augustine ; Primasius , Bishop of Adrumetum , in Apocal. lib. 1. cap. 4. Junilius , another African Prelate , in the seventh Chapter of his first Book De partitione Divinae Legis ; St. Gregory , in the seventeenth Chapter of the nineteenth Book of his Morals upon Job ; the Authour of the Book , De mirabilibus Sanctae Scripturae , lib. 2. cap. 33. Beda , De sex aetatibus , & In Reg. lib. 4. In Apocal . cap. 4. Ambrose Ansbert , In Apoc. lib. 3. cap. 4. Alcuinus , Adversùs . Elipand . lib. 1. Charle-Maigne in his Capitulary of the year 789. cap. 10. and the Commentaries attributed to St. Victorinus Bishop of Poictiers , those to St. Ambrose , Bishop of Millain , and those to St. Augustine , upon the fourth Chapter of the Apocalyps , have all ( in imitation of the Greeks , especially of the Councel of Laodicea ) put this Book out of the Canon , that is , out of the List of the Writings inspired by God , to be received as a Rule of Faith. And this Remark seems to be the more necessary , in as much as it contributes to the reconciling with the Greek Fathers , and with the Latines , that have been of the same Opinion , those others of the Latine Church , who have comprehended within the Canon of the Holy Scriptures , as well the Maccabees , as the other Books accounted Apocryphal by the Jews , and several of the Christians . For , if the Councel met at Carthage on the twenty fifth of August , 397. during the Popedom of Siricius , and since adapted , by I know not what Rhapsodist , under the Name of the Sixth Councel of Carthage , to the twenty fifth of May , 419. under the Papacy of Boniface the First ; if St. Augustine , in the eighth Chapter of his Second Book Of Christian Doctrine , writ immediately after the Councel of the year 397. if Innocent , in his Epistle written to Exuperus Bishop of Tolosa , on the twentieth of February , 405. if the Councel assembled at Rome in the year 494. under Pope Gelasius ; and , if Isidore Arch-Bishop of Sevil , in the sixth Chapter of his first Book of his Etymologies , sent to Braulio Bishop of Saragossa , after the year 626. inserting the Books of the Maccabees into the Canon of the Scriptures , had taken the words Canon , and Holy Scriptures , in the same sence , as the Jews , the Greeks , and the Latines , adhering to their Sentiment , concerning the List of the Books bestowed on the Church for a Rule of Faith , since they have esteemed Canonical the Books , which the rest of the Fathers formally excluded out of the Canon , and that holding in appearance , one the affirmative , the other the negative of the same Proposition , they seem to be formally contradictory , it were absolutely impossible to reconcile them all , and there would be a necessity of charging with prevarication ( contrary to the judgment of the Romane Church , declared by Innocent the First , and the Councel assembled under Gelasius ) Gregory the Great , who expresly qualified not-canonical the Maccabees received into the Canon of the Holy Scriptures by Innocent , and numbred by the Councel , under Gelasius , among the Prophetical Scriptures , & Histories of the old Testament . Nay , it would be contrary also to that of the African Church , declared by the Councel of Carthage , and by St. Augustine , Primasius , and Junilius , Africans ; who formally confined themselves to the Canon of the Jews ; nay it were hard to avoid making St. Augustine contradict himself , in as much as , after he had affirmed , that the Maccabees were held by the Church to be Canonical , he presently adds , That they are not among the Holy Scriptures called Canonical ; saying e Supputatio Temporum non in Scripturis sanctis , quae Canonicae appellantur , sed in aliis invenitur , in quibus sunt & Maccabaeorum libri , quos , non Judaei ; sed Ecclesia fro Canonicis habet , &c. The computation of Times is not found in the Holy Scriptures , which are called Canonical ; but in the others , among which are also the Books of the Maccabees , which are held to be Canonical by the Church , but not by the Jews . Whereby it clearly appears , that he ( and , no doubt , with him , the Councels of Rome , and Carthage , and Pope Innocent ) admitted two Canons , or Catalogues , of the Holy Scriptures ; one more strict , viz. that of the Jews , whereto all the Greeks , and some of the Latines confined themselves , and to which he thought himself obliged particularly to submit , holding for a Rule of Faith , and Canonical , the Books contained therein ; and another larger , proposed as well by him , and Pope Innocent , as by the Councels of Carthage , and Rome , as comprehending the Books , which ( in some certain respect , viz. the publick reading thereof in the Church , and the common Edification arising from them , though they were not esteemed to appertain to the Rule of Faith ) were called Canonical , Sacred , and Ecclesiastical by the Latines . And indeed , to make his meaning more obvious to the meaner Capacities , he saies , that the Church holds the Books of the Maccabees to be Canonical , not as absolutely , and properly , as those comprehended in the Canon of the Jews , and Greeks , which contained the Rule of Faith ; but improperly , and taking the word Canonical in a larger signification ; which the better to insinuate , he saies , They are held to be Canonical , propter quorundam Martyrum passiones vehementes , atque mirabiles , &c , because of the grievous , and miraculous Sufferings of some Martyrs : and , in the three and twentieth Chapter of his second Book Against Gaudentius , that the writing of the Maccabees recepta est ab Ecclesia , non inutiliter , si sobriè legatur , vel audiatur , &c. is received by the Church , not without profit , if it be read , or heard soberly ; as if he had said in terminis , that she accounted it among the Canonical , in a certain respect onely , not through an obedience of Faith , but out of a desire of Edification , and upon that accompt was it to to be read , and understood soberly ; without which caution , the admission of it into the Canon , or Catalogue of Ecclesiastical Books would not have been profitable . Consonantly to this sence , Ruffinus , after he had proposed Secundùm Traditionem Majorum , &c. according to the Tradition of our Ancestours , the Catalogue of the Books truly , and properly Divine , and Canonical , concludes it in these Terms , Haec sunt , quae Patres inter Canonem concluserunt , ex quibus Fidei nostrae assertiones constare voluerunt . These are the Books , which the Fathers have comprehended in the Canon , out of which they would have the Assertions of our Faith to be made manifest . To which he immediately adds ; Sciendum tamen est , quòd & alii Libri sunt ; qui non Canonici , sed Ecclesiastici à Majoribus appellati sunt , &c. quae omnia Legi quidem in Ecclesiis voluerunt , non tamen proferri ad authoritatem ex his Fidei confirmandam , &c. Yet is it to be known , that there are also other Books ; which were called by our Ancestours , not Canonical , but Ecclesiastical , &c. all which they were willing should be read in the Churches , but not cited to confirm the authority of Faith. Upon which it may be noted , that this Sentiment , being revived by Cardinal Cajetan , was so stiffly maintained in the f Councel of Trent ; that , from the two and twentieth of February 1546. to the ninth of March , the Assembly continued divided into three Opinions ; some desiring , that the Scriptures might be distinguished into three Classes , of different Authority ; others , that they should be disposed into two ; and the third Party , which prevailed on the fifteenth of March , requiring , that a Catalogue should be drawn up , without any Distinction , apparent in the Decree . By which Decree the Councel , intending to thunder-strike ( at least in appearance ) the Sentiment of the Protestants , though they saw it strongly maintained by many of their own Body , declared , that they comprehended in the Index of Sacred Books those , which the Protestants ( in imitation of the Greeks , and most of the Latine Fathers ) admitted not into the Canon ; which might be understood in the sence proposed by Ruffinus , and without any derogation from those , which the Church ever held properly , and absolutely Canonical . In the next place the Councel anathematized those , who would not receive them for Sacred , and Canonical : which might also very well be ; observing the Distinction of Ruffinus , and Cajetan , which makes nothing against the Protestants . And , at last , they , declare their Anathema is discharged to let the World know , g what Testimonies , and Arguments , principally , they should make use of , to confirm Tenents , and regulate Morality in the Church ; insinuating further , in favour of the Partizans of Cardinal Cajetan , who , as to the main Ground , agreed with the Protestants , the distinction , which they had made , after Ruffinus , of the Books properly Canonical , subservient as well to the Confirmation of Faith , as restauration of Manners ; and the improperly , and in a certain respect , Canonical , appointed onely for the restauration of Manners . This presupposed , it clearly appears , that the Fathers , who had any knowledg of the second Book of the Maccabees , upon this very accompt , that they either absolutely denied it , or onely half-granted it , and upon great Qualifications , the Title of Canonical , could not any way ground upon the report of it , the right , which the Church of Rome pretends to at this day for Praying for the dead ; and that that Report could not be urged any further , then to an Attestation , that it had really been in use , from the Time of the Maccabees . And indeed , St. Augustine , the first who cited it to that purpose , and at the very place where he alledged it , pretended not to go any further ; for his Discouse , cited by Julian of Toledo , runs thus ; In Maccabeorum libris , legimus oblatum pro mortuis sacrificium . Sed etsi nusquam in Scripturis veteribus omnino legeretur , non parva est universae Ecclesiae , quae in hâc consuetudine claret , authoritas , &c. We read in the Book of Maccabees , that Sacrifice was offered for the dead ; but though there should be no such thing any where in the antient Scriptures , yet is the authority of the universal Church , which shines in that Custom , not of little weight . Fourthly , Besides the precedent Reasons which demonstrate the impossibility of deriving the Original of Oblations and Prayers for departed Christians , from the pretended Example of Judas Maccabaeus , and the Application which the Abridger of Jason the Cyrenian conceived he ought to make of it ; this ( no less considerable then the rest ) is to be added , viz. that the first , who undertook the Patronage of such a Custom , built very much upon the not-written Tradition onely , and by that means , acknowledged , and professed , that neither they , nor ( in their Judgment ) their Predecessours , had any ground to recurr to the Authority of any Scripture , either properly , or improperly said to be Canonical ; and consequently , that their imagination is absolutely Erroneous , who believe that the Antients grounded their Custom on the fourth of Tobit , or on the seventh of Ecclesiasticus ; or lastly , on the twelfth of the second of Maccabees . Thus Tertullian , in the year 199. in the third Chapter of his Book De Corona , tells us , Quaramus an & Traditio , &c. Let us enquire , whether the not-written Tradition is not also to be received ? No doubt we shall deny that it ought to be received ; if no prejudice arise from the Examples of other Observations , which we challenge to our selves , without any recommendation from Scripture , onely upon the accompt of Tradition , fortified by the Patronage of Custom , &c. Upon anniversary-days , we make Oblations for the departed , and for their Birth-days , &c. viz. Of the departure of Martyrs . In like manner , St. Epiphanius in the year 376. concludes his Disputation against Aërius with the Allegation of Tradition , saying ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Next I shall again take the consequence of this , that the Church accomplishes this thing necessarily , having taken the Tradition of the Fathers . Now , who can violate the Ordinance of his Mother , or the Law of his Father ? according to the words of Salomon h My Son , hear the Instruction of thy Father , and forsake not the Law of thy Mother , shewing , that the Father , that is to say , God , the onely Son , and the Holy Spirit , hath taught as well by writing , as without writing , and that our Mother the Church , hath Laws made in her self , such as are indissoluble , and cannot be destroyed . Denys , the pretended Areopagite , about the year 490. follows the same track , in the seventh Chapter of his Ecclesiastical Hierarchy , saying ; It is necessary to speak of the Tradition come even to us from our conductours inspired by God , concerning the said Prayer , which the Hierarch pronounces over the Deceased . The like may be said of St. Augustine , who had first of any alledged the pretended example of the Maccabees ; for , distrusting what Arguments might be drawn thence , he flies to the Authority of the Church , and thereby shews his main strength lay on that side . The same thing is further insinuated as well by the ingenuous confession , which the Fathers make of the doubts of many of the Christians in their times , concerning the advantage of Prayer for the dead , as by the answers given by them thereto . For Aërius , in St. Epiphanius , in the year 376. put this difficulty ; asking , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Upon what accompt do you name after their death those , who are dead ? For whether the surviving prays , or dispenses his goods , what advantage accrews thereby to the deceased ? If the Prayers of those , who are here , be any way beneficial to those , who are there , let not any one live religiously , nor do well , but so behave himself , as he would have Friends , whether it be by procuring them for many , or intreating them at his death to pray for him , to the end he may not suffer there , and that there be no inquisition made into the incurable sins he hath committed . Some twenty years before , St. Cyril of Jerusalem had acknowledged , in his fifth Mystagogical Catechesis , that in Palaestine , there were many persons troubled about the difficulty made by Aërius in Armenià , crying out , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. I know many say thus , What advantage is it to the Soul transported out of this World with sins , or without sins , that you remember her in your Prayers ? And , about one hundred years after , Denys , the pretended Areopagite , writing in the seventh Chapter of his Ecclesiastical Hierarchy , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. It may be ( will you say ) that these things are well said by us ; but that you are in doubt as to the Hierarch ' s desiring of the Sovereign goodness of God , for the deceased , the remission of his Sins , and the portion of light assigned for those , who are like God. For , if every one shall receive from the justice of God the reward of all the good things , and others , which he hath done in this life , and the deceased hath accomplished all Functions suitable to the life , which is led here , by what Hierarchical Prayer shall he be transferred ( beyond his merit , and the reward due to the life he hath led here ) into another lot ? From this diversity of Questions , renewed from time to time , it is apparent , that the first answers made to those , who could not conceive any benefit arising from Prayer for the dead , had not given them satisfaction ; and that neither they , nor those , who answered them , saw any Text of Scripture that could decide the difficulty proposed by them . For who could expect from a Christian , that he durst bring into question what he knew to have been resolved by the Oracles of God ? On the contrary , who will not be easily induced to doubt of things , whereof he findes no other confirmation , then that of Custom , and that not fortified by any Command of God , to whose Worship , it is pretended , that Custome relates ? Nay , when we do not finde , in the Fathers Answers to the Objections , whereby that Custom was opposed , any mention either of the second of the Maccabees , or of any place of Scripture , concerning the State of the dead , ought we not , of necessity , to conclude , that not onely they had not any to alledge , but also that they made not , in their Offices for the dead , any reflection on the second of the Maccabees , or any of the Books , justly , or unjustly reputed Canonical , but onely on the example of their Predecessours ? CHAP. XXV . Whether there be any reason to ground Prayer for the Dead upon the Second Book of the Maccabees . I Have hitherto made it my business onely to prove , that praying for the Dead never was , as to matter of fact , grounded by the first that practised it among the Christians , upon the second of the Maccabees , nor any other Book , either Canonical , or Apocryphal . I am to shew , that , as to matter of right , it could not have been grounded thereon ; and to that purpose , I am in the first place to give a relation of the fact of Judas Maccabaeus , and secondly , an accompt of the application made of it by Jason the Cyrenian , or his Abridger . The fact is set down in these Terms . So Judas gathered his Host , and came into the a City of Odollam , and when the seventh day came , they purified themselves ( as the Custom was ) and kept the Sabbath in the same place . And upon the day following , as the use had been , Judas , and his Company came to take up the Bodies of them , that were slain , and to bury them with their Kinsmen in their Father's Graves . Now , under the Coats of every one that was slain , they found things consecrated to the Idols of the Jamnites , which is forbidden the Jews by the Law. Then every man saw that this was the cause , wherefore they were slain . All men therefore , praysing the Lord , the righteous Judg , who had opened the things that were hid , Betook themselves unto Prayer , and besought him , that the sin committed might wholly be put out of remembrance . Besides , the noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves from sin ; for so much as they saw before their eyes , the things that came to pass for the sin of those , that were slain . And when he had made a gathering throughout the Company , to the sum of two thousand Drachms of silver , he sent it to Jerusalem to offer a sin-offering . In this Relation we are to observe , 1. The crime of the Persons killed , condemned in the seventh of Deuteronomy , verse 25. in these Terms : The Graven Images of their Gods shall ye burn with fire , thou shalt not desire the Silver , or Gold , that is on them , nor take it unto thee , lest thou be snared therein ; for it is an abhomination to the Lord thy God. 2. The judgment of all the people , acknowledging that they had been punished according to their sin . 3. The procedure as well of Judas , as the whole Army thereupon , in praying , that the sin might be forgotten , and pardoned , not to the dead , who had perished upon that occasion , but to the Army , which had been infected therewith , as with a pestilent contagion ; in like manner , as when , upon the sacrilege of Achan , God said to Joshua , b Israel hath sinned , and they have also transgressed my Covenant which I commanded them ; for they have even taken of the accursed thing , and have also stollen , and dissembled also , and they have put it even amongst their own stuff . Therefore the Children of Israel could not stand before their enemies , but turned their backs before their enemies , because they were accursed , &c. There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee , O Israel , thou canst not stand before thine Enemies , till ye take away the accursed thing from among you . As also when God , having sent a Famine of three years , answered David , c It is for Saul , and for his bloody House , because he slew the Gibeonites . And when some years after , God , upon David's pride , slew in one day d seventy thousand persons . For the people had not contributed to the sin of Achan , nor to that of Saul ; nor lastly , to that of David , who , acknowledging them no way chargeable therewith , made this observable reflection on it , e Lo , I have sinned , and done wickedly ; but these sheep , what have they done ? To prevent the like misfortunes , God had made these Ordinances , And f if the whole Congregation of Israel sin through ignorance , and the thing be hid from the eyes of the Assembly , and they have done somewhat against the Commandements of the Lord , concerning things , which should not be done , and are guilty . When the sin , which they have sinned against it , is known , then the Congregation shall offer a young Bullock for the Sin , and bring him before the Tabernacle of the Congregation . And the Elders of the Congregation shall lay their hands upon the Head of the Bullock before the Lord ; and the Bullock shall be killed before the Lord , &c. And the Priest shall make an atonement for them , and it shall be forgiven them . Again , g If one be found slain in the Land , which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess , lying in the field , and it be not known who hath slain him ; Then thy Elders and thy Judges shall come forth , and they shall measure unto the Cities , which are round about him that is slain ; And it shall be , that the City , which is next unto the slain man , even the Elders of the said City , shall take an Heifer , which hath not been wrought with , and which hath not drawn in the Yoke . And the Elders of that City shall bring down the Heifer unto a rough Valley , which is neither eared , nor sowen , and shall strike off the Heifer's neck there in the Valley . And the Priests , the Sons of Levi , shall come near ( for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him , and to bless in the Name of the Lord ) and by their Word shall every Controversie , and every stroak be tryed . And all the Elders of that City , that are next unto the slain man , shall wash their hands over the Heifer , that is beheaded in the Valley . And they shall answer and say , Our hands have not shed this blood , neither have our eyes seen it shed ; Be mercifull , O Lord , unto thy people Israel , whom thou hast redeemed , and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel ' s charge ; and the blood shall be forgiven them . If the Elders of the People were obliged , in their own Names , to beg pardon for the evil , which had been committed without their knowledg , as soon as they had discovered it , if there was a necessity , that the Priests should make an atonement for the whole Body of the Congregation , whereof some Members onely had been guilty ; and if the City , in the Confines whereof a Murther had been committed , though the Authours of it had not been known , stood in need of purification , and the Elders , innocent of the Crime , were , not to pray for the dead Person murthered , but to make a publick Protestation of their innocence , and to beg of God , that he would be pleased to turn away , from the innocent Community , the miseries , where with the Murther seemed to threaten it ; how should not Judas , and all the Army , acknowledging , that the hand of God had been upon many of the Souldiery , who had some days before lost their lives , for the sacrilege committed by them , and whereof they were found seized , think it necessary to pray , not for those wretches that died in their sin , but for the whole Body of the Army , which they had ( as much as lay in them ) prophaned , and deprived of the protection of God ? He therefore ( according to the Law ) makes Prayers immediately for himself , and for all the people , that were left ; and because Jerusalem was the onely place , where the Expiatory Victims were to be sacrificed , and that the urgency of Affairs permitted him not to go thither in Person with the Army , he sends thither , and raises a Contribution for the Sacrifice of two thousand h Drachms , amounting to about fourty two Marks of Silver ; after he had exhorted the people , not to Pray for the dead , but to beware of doing that , which was evil , and take example from the calamity of those , who came to destruction through their own fault . As therefore it is manifest , from what we have observed , that the procedure of Judas Maccabaeus was most conformable to the Law ; and that it may be conceived such without any difficulty : so it will be most easie to deduce , that the same thing cannot be said of the Application , which Jason , the Cyrenaean , or his Abridger , would have made thereof , since it disguizes the Intention of that Prince , under pretence of making a natural representation of it . Having then related how he had sent two thousand Drachms to Jerusalem for the Sin-offering , the Historian adds of his own , these words ; Doing therein very well , and i civilly , in that he was mindfull of the Resurrection . ( For , if he had not hoped , that they , that were slain should have risen again , it had been superfluous , and vain to pray for the dead . ) And also in that he perceived , that there was great favour laid up for those , that died godly ( it was an holy and good thought ) whereupon he made a Reconciliation for the dead , that they might be delivered from sin : supposing of his own head ; First , what could not justly be inferred from any part of the precedent Relation , viz. that Judas had prayed , and given order for the offering of Sacrifices at Jerusalem ; not for himself , and his Army ( as the History teaches ) but for those , who had been slain before , because of their prophane covetousness . And secondly , that Judas , and his Army , conceived those Wretches to have died godly , and in a capacity to receive the Favours reserved for those , who die godly , since that it is evident from the Historian's own words , that they were destroyed in the midst of their wickedness , and not departed in godliness ; that every one had known it , and , from that knowledg , taken occasion to bless the Lord , who had by a just Judgment discovered their secret Impiety , beseeching him not to impute it to the Army , whereof they had been a part ; and lastly , that Judas had exhorted every one to be carefull of himself , learning Prudence at their cost , who had so justly received the punishment due to their sin . All which premised , it naturally follows , that whether we stick to the Consideration of Judas , such as it hath been related to us by the Abridger of Jason ; or represent to our selves the accompt , which the Father 's made of his Abridgment , thrust out by them among Apocryphal Writings , and consequently of too weak Authority to serve for the foundation of a Religious Custom ; or lastly , keep to the Declaration of the same Fathers , deriving their Custom purely from Tradition ; there is no ground at all to alledge the History of the Maccabees , for a reason of what the Antient Christians practised , and much of what the Modern practise at this day , as well in the East ( where Prayers are made , not simply for the Resurrection of the dead , as the Authour of the second of the Maccabees would have it , presupposing with the Jews at present , that the Wicked rise not again , and that Judas had prayed for the remission of the Sin committed by those sacrilegious Persons , to the end , they might be raised again , as those , who die godly , but for the dayly consolation of those , who are supposed , in some manner , to languish in expectation of their Happiness ) as in the West , where men propose to themselves onely the obtaining their deliverance out of the Pains of Purgatory . But it may with very great probability , or rather evident necessity , be believed , that the first Custom of praying for the Dead , was a consequence drawn by the Fathers from the Suppositions contained in the Writing by them pretended to be Sibylline . For the first minute of its coming abroad , they not onely entertained it without contradiction , but as a divine Piece , the most antient of all the Prophecies ; that of Enoch onely excepted , the Contriver of that Imposture having cunningly put it out under the Name of one of the Daughter-in-law's of Noe ; the most ample , since it gives an accompt of the principal Heads of the Evangelical History , and extends its Predictions to the end of the World ; the most clear , since it presents us with the Acrostick of the Names , and Titles of the Son of God ; and the most advantageous against the Errour of the Heathens ; since that those among the Christians , who first cited it , imagined they had it from them , and were come to the knowledg of it through their means . Which very Considerations might haply have moved k Clemens Alexandrinus , when he promised them the allegation of the Prophecies , to place that , which he conceived to be the Sibyl's , before all , and afterwards speak of Esaiah , Jeremy , &c. as less antient , and many times less clear . And thence also it seems to have come to pass ; that those who quitted ( if not absolutely , at least in some measure ) the Hypotheses of the pretended Sibyl , either dissembled the Imperfections of the Prophetess , and forbore to charge her with Imposture , treating her in that particular with more regard , then they did some of the Books divinely-inspired , or openly payed her the accustomed respect●… continuing a reverence to her Work , notwithstanding it betrayed it self a thousand ways unworthy their esteem . CHAP. XXVI . That divers of the Fathers have expressed more respect towards the Book attributed to the Sibyl , then to the Apocalyps . TO make this the more clear , I shall onely make a short recapitulation of the heads of Imposture I have already observed , in which any one might have seen , that the counterfeit Sibyl , taking carnally whatever she had read in the Prophecies , and particularly in the Revelation of St. John , concerning the glory , and happiness of the mystical Jerusalem , had imagined , and perswaded Papias , and St. Irenaeus , and all the Millenaries , that our Saviour , before the last Judgment , should establish a Kingdom abounding with corporeal delights in the earthly Jerusalem , laid desolate by Titus . This fond Imagination met with , about the beginning of the third Age , such as stiffly opposed it ; but who can forbear deploring the miscarriages of humane Infirmity ? The first , that took this task upon them , engaged in it with a Judgment so prepossessed , that , proposing to themselves to confute a palpable Errour , they ran themselves ( for want of circumspection ) into a kind of Treason against God , and so unworthily treated the Apocalyps , wherewith he had honoured his beloved Apostle , that they presumed to cry it down , as a counterfeit Piece , composed , and published by the Heretick Cerinthus , under the name of St. John , while they suffered to spread up , and down , unquestioned , uncensured , the Romance attributed to the Sibyl with the strangest impudence , that ever was heard of . Thus Caius , an Ecclesiastical Person , whom a Eusebius , and b St. Hierome observe to have been contemporary with Pope Zephyrinus , and consequently to have written his Disputation against the Montanist Proculus , between Sunday , August the seventh , 197. on which day Zephyrinus succeeded Victor , and August the twenty sixth , 217. on which God took the said Zephyrinus to himself ; this Caius , I say , made no difficulty to disburthen his stomach of this injurious Discourse against the Apocalyps : c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Cerinthus also by Revelations , pretended to be written by a great Apostle , endeavours to introduce monstrous Discourses , feigning , that they were shewn him by the Angels , and saying that , d after the Resurrection , the Royal Palace of Christ shall be Terrestrial , and that the flesh conversing in Jerusalem shall be again subject to sensual appetites , and pleasures ; being also in opposition to the Divine Writings , and , out of a desire to deceive , he saith e that the term of a thousand years shall be spent in f Nuptial Entertainments . Indeed , some thirty years after , Denys of Alexandria passed a more sound Judgment , condemning the Imaginations of Cerinhhus , after whose Example the coun●…feit Sibyl had wrested ; to an ill sence , the Predictions of St. John ; and acknowledging the Apocalyps ( which he confessed to be above his understanding ; and conceived to have been the work of some other Authour , then the Apostle St. John ) should be understood in a more spiritual way , then Cerinthus , the pretended Sibyl , and the Millenaries had conceived . In so much that in the year 380. or thereabouts , g Philastrius , Bishop of Brescia , put into the Catalogue of Heresies the Sentiment of Caius ; saying , Sunt Haeretici , qui Evangelium Joannis , & Apocalypsim non accipiunt ; & non intelligunt virtutem Scripturae , &c. Audent dicere Apocalypsim non Beati Joannis Evangelistae & Apostoli , sed Cerinthi Haeretici , qui , tunc ab Apostolis Beatis Haereticus manifestatus , abjectus est ab Ecclesia , &c. There are certain Hereticks , who receive not the Gospel of St. John , and his Revelation , and understand not the efficacy of Scripture , &c. They presumptuously affirm , that the Apocalyps is not the Work of the Blessed John the Evangelist , and Apostle , but of the Heretick Cerinthus ; who , having been then discovered to be an Heretick by the Blessed Apostles , was cast out of the Church . And yet some sixteen years before , the Councel of h Laodicea , and that in the Time of Philastrius , i Gregory Nazianzene , and k Amphilochius of Iconia , and most of the Greeks , though they were not so unreasonable , as to follow the Sentiment of Caius , in making Cerinthus Authour of the Apocalyps , did nevertheless incline so far to his side ; that they denied the said Book the Title of Canonical ; not vouchsafing to afford it any place among the Divine Writings . Which obliged St. Hierome to write to Dardanus , l That as the Custom of the Latines admitted not the Epistle to the Hebrews among the Scriptures , so the Greek Churches , with the same liberty , admitted not the Apocalyps of St. John. Upon which may be noted ; that none of them , who expressed so much distaste towards those two Sacred Books ( for ought we know at this day ) discovered any aversion against the Impostures of the pretended Sibyl ; which shews , that as the Spirit of man is of it self inclined to love , and admire its own Inventions ( let me not say , Recreations ) in the things , that are most serious , and sacred ; so is it naturally backward , as to the obedience of Faith in respect of the Divine , which would not make any Impression upon him , if God himself , pressing them internally , did not efficaciously insinuate the Truth thereof . To be short , the Errour of the Millenaries , opposed from the beginning of the third Age , being to be weeded out of the Sentiments of Christians , those , who first refuted it ( to compass their design ) engaged against , not the Writing pretended to be Sibylline , which formally contained what was most obviously reprovable therein ; but the Apocalyps , which , well considered , had ever been free from all suspicion of affording it any countenance ; and it was the good pleasure of God , that divers Great Men should rise up ; who , to pull down that erroneous Opinion , should knock against one of the most remarkable parts of that Rule , which condemns them all , and be so unfortunate , as to spare a Fabulous Piece , no way deserving their support ; while they deprived one of the most Divine of the honour , and acknowledgement , due thereto . CHAP. XXVII . That the third Hypothesis of the Sibylline Writing so called is , at this day , abandoned by all Christians . THe third Hypothesis before extracted out of the Sibylline Writing so called , and relating to the conservation of the Terrestrial Paradise , and the establishment of the Saints after their Resurrection in that blessed habitation , out of which the First-man had been driven , was so far from having given Antiquity any trouble ; that , though it supposed what was false , it found favour , and countenance , from Age to Age , the Paradise mentioned in the New Testament neither being to be understood carnally , nor having any thing common with the other , whereof the keeping , and culture , had been at first committed to Adam . And , as to this particular , I conceive that , without any injury done to the Holy Fathers , who ( as it were with a certain emulation ) presupposed the Introduction of the Blessed into that Paradise towards the East , where , after the fall of Adam , the Cherubims were placed to keep the way of the Tree of Life , it may be confidently said of the Christians of all Nations , that they have at the present ( as it were with an unanimous consent ) embraced a belief more conformable to the Truth , then their Ancestours had ; since that there is not at this day ( that I know of ) any Church in the Universe , which proposes to the Hope and Faith of Believers any other Paradise , then the Celestial , and which makes mention of that planted by the hand of God in the Garden of Eden , out of any other Design , then to recommend it to their consideration as a Type , representing the Spiritual Paradise with the same imperfection , according to which the first Adam , who had been driven out of the Paradise of Eden , was the a Figure of the second , who was to come , to open unto us the entrance into the Holy places b by his precious blood , and the sword of the Cherubim , a representation of the c curse of the Law , remains , in respect of the Sinner , onely . d the ministration of Death . However it be , the Supposition of the Counterfeit Sibyl is , as to this respect , insensibly vanished ; so as , that it is quite discarded . CHAP. XXVIII . That the second Hypothesis of the Sibylline Writing so called made way for the new Opinion of Purgatory . THe second Hypothesis , which taught , that the fire of the general Conflagration of the Universe should at the last day purge the Bodies of the Saints , had not been long e're it opened a Gap to imaginations yet more Fantastick , and irrational ; among others , that of the cessation of all Infernal pains ; an Opinion taken out of the Schole of Plato into the Bosom of the Church by Origen , and his Party , to which ( not to mention the multitude , that had followed it from the year 250. to the year 399. ) stuck the most eminent among the Fathers , as Saint Gregory Nyssenus , Didymus , and ( in his Youth ) St. Hierome . But the Councels of Alexandria , Cyprus , and Rome , having almost at the same time issued out their Decrees against that inveterate corruption of Christian Doctrine , and the fifth General Councel having solemnly fulminated it in the year 553. it , by little and little , vanished , to make way for an Opinion before unknown to all Antiquity , and which drew its origine ; First , from the prejudication , which the Christians of the sixth Age conceived of the necessity of their proper satisfactions to appease the wrath of God. Secondly , From the design , which many among them had to reform the Custom of their Predecessours , praying even for those , whom they presupposed Damned , as we have seen before . Thirdly , From the New Philosophy , which some Melancholy Spirits , apt upon any occasion to conceive Horrours , began to advance in the West , about the time of St. Gregory . For some persons , having observed , that the Heathens called by the Name of Ollas Vulcanias , or Kettles of Vulcan , the a gaping places , through which the Mountains of Gibel , Vesuvium , Lipara , Strongoli , and other places , full of sulphur , disburthen themselves of the Flames , which ( either by intervals , or a constant burning ) devour their Entrails , and taken ( either out of astonishment , or of set purpose ) the crakings of those subterranean Fires , for the groans , and crys of Tormented persons ; and lastly met with men , who had the confidence , either out of the excess of their malice against some Persons Departed , or a desire to make their advantage of the credulous simplicity of the Living , to compose Histories of the Apparitions of Souls separated by Death from the Bodies , which they had animated before , would needs ( without any Oracle of Scripture , or Tradition of the first Ages of the Church , and without the Example of any of the Saints , that lived in them ) suppose , that the Souls of those Christians ; which , during their life-time , had been defiled with Sin , were after their death , as it were melted again in a subterranean Fire , where they were purified , some sooner , others later , and all before the Last Day . And as we finde the Poet Dante ( by a Liberty truly Poetical ) confined to the Hell , where the Damned were , all his enemies ; advanced into Paradise the best of his Friends , and reduced the rest to be content with Purgatory ; so were there about the midst of the sixth Age , a sort of People , that had the boldness to affirm ( upon the Authority of their own pretended Visions ) the damnation of the Greatest men . About that time was it , that the b Hermit of Lipara had perswaded the Father of the Step-father of Julian , one of the Agents of the Romane Church , that he had seen Theodoric , King of the Ostrogoths , who died on the one and thirtieth of August , 536. led between Pope John the First , and Symmachus , without a Girdle , without Shoes , his hands tyed , and , at last , cast into the next Vulcanian Cauldron ; whence honest c St. Gregory inferred , in the year 593. that , by the Eructations of Fire , which happened many times in Sicily , and other adjacent Islands , the d tormenting Cauldrons were discovered . Thus also came it to pass , that , after the Death of Charles Martel , which happened on the two and twentieth of October , 741. the Monks of St. Tron , having published , that Eucherius , Bishop of Orleans , had seen in a Vision the eternal Torments of that Prince , who had dealt very roughly with him , and given Ecclesiastical Revenues to those , who had assisted him in the War ; and that thereupon , there had been found in his Sepulchre onely a Dragon , with the visible marks of his Body's being Divinely consumed by Fire ; the Story ( though so much the more evidently false , in as much as the Death of Eucherius , who died the fifteenth of February , 727. preceded , by fifteen years , eight Moneths , and two days , that of Charles Martel , whom he is ridiculously supposed to have survived ) was so pleasing to the humour of the Clergie , that the Writers of the Legends of Rigobert of Rheims , of Eucherius , and Peter the Library-keeper , and Flodoard , undertook the dispersing of it ; and in the year 858. in November , the e Prelats of the Provinces of Rheims , and Rouēn , gave it for certain to Lewis King of Germany , whom they knew to be descended of Martel , by Pipin , his second Son ( who , upon the twenty ninth of July , 753. concurrent with the fourth of his Reign , f gave , for his Father's sake , Saint Michael's-Mount in Verdunois to the Abbey of Saint Denys , and by Lewis the Debonnaire , Grand-Son of Pipin , g who Writ in the year 836. to Hilduin , Abbot of Saint Denys ) that Charles , his Great-grandfather , had religiously recommended himself , and had for that end principally shewn his Devotion , and confidence towards that his particular Patron ; a manifest Argument , that the Fable of his Damnation was not yet invented ; and that those Gentlemen , who two and twenty years before bragged , they had heard the Relation of it from Lewis , imposed upon him , and very boldly abused the credulity of Lewis King of Germany , and Charles the Bald his children . And in the year 1090. h In Saxony , a Clergy-man ( Dead , as was conceived ) dragged into Hell , and returning thence , three days after , confirmed by the Prediction of his own Death , and the discoveries of other things , the Judgment he had before given concerning the Torments of Pope Gregory the Seventh , and the Petty Kings , i Rodolph , and Herman : the first of whom died the twenty fourth of May , 1085. the second , the fifteenth of October , 1080. and the third , in the year , 1088. These three Examples ( whereto a thousand others of equal authority might be added ) are sufficient to make it appear , what a strange power malice hath over those , who are once infected with its venome . There may be produced also such , as shall demonstrate what Impressions Interest can give ; for , to raise an horrour against Schism , there was spread up and down Rome k this Discourse concerning Paschasius Deacon of the Romane Church , who had been , to his death , engaged in the Party of the Anti-Pope Laurence , put by his pretences the 23 of October 501. That , notwithstanding the merit of his Person , being such , that the very touching of the Surplice placed upon his biere had , while he was carrying to the ground , healed a possessed person ; yet had his soul been condemned to endure the ardors of the boyling-waters in the Baths surnamed the Angulani , whence it was afterwards delivered upon the Prayers of Germanus Bishop of l Capua . And to encourage men to liberality , it was said of Dagobert , who died January 19. 644. that the Devils beating him as they were carrying him away in a Boat towards the Isles of Vulcan , St. Denys , St. Maurice , and St. Martin , whom he continually called to his relief , came with Thunder and Tempest to his rescue , and disposed him afterwards into Abraham's Bosom ; all which passages John the Hermite , who lived in a little Isle not far thence , saw in a Vision , and gave the Relation of it to Anseald then Agent , and afterwards Bishop of the Church of Poictiers . In like manner , the Impostor , who took upon him the name of Turpin , for that of Tilpin , Arch-Bishop of Rheims , who died the third of September 789. ( never considering that Wolfarius , Successour to Tilpin , did in the year 811. subscribe the Testament of Charle-maigne ) feigned , that that Prince dying on Saturday , Jan. 28. 814. and Canonized by Paschal the Third , Anti-Pope , in the year 1166. had m been carried up to the Celestial Kingdom by the assistance of St. James , to whom he had built many Churches , and that a certain Devil , whom he had seen running after the Troops of his Companions , and drawing towards Aix la Chapelle , whither they were all going , in hope to be present at Charles's death , and afterwards to carry away his Soul to Hell , had told him at his return , that the headless n Galician had put into the ballance so many stones , and pieces of Timber , out of his Churches , that the good works of Charles had out-weighed the evil , and that notwithstanding he had taken away his Soul from them . And lastly , towards the declination of the tenth Age , to advance the reputation of the Order of Clugni ; and indeed , of all the Religious Orders in general , Peter Damiani , Cardinal of Ostia , and from him o Sigebert , have left in writing , That a Religious man , by Country , of Rouërgue , coming from Jerusalem , entertained for some time in Sicily by the kindness of a certain Monk , was told by him , that in the Neighbour-hood there were certain places casting up flames of fire , and called by the Inhabitants the Cauldrons of Vulcan , in which the Souls of the departed endured several punishments , according to their deserts ; and that there were in those places certain Devils appointed to see the execution done . Of whom he said , that he had often heard their voices , indignation , and terrours ; as also their lamentations , when they complained , that the souls were taken out of their hands , by the Alms and Prayers of the Faithfull , and especially ( at that time ) by the devotions of those of Clugni , who incessantly prayed for the repose of the deceased . That the Abbot Odilo , receiving this information from him , ordained , in the year 998. through all the Monasteries subject to his Order , that as the solemnity of All-Saints is observed on the first of November , so the next day should be celebrated the memory of all those , that rest in Christ : which Custom , passing to several Churches , proved the ground of solemnizing the memory of the faithful departed . Hence then came it , 1. That , Princes and the People , moved with compassion for their kindred , and friends , and conceiving a fear of themselves , with Consciences disturbed and racked with amazement , multiplied their Donations to Churches , and Monasteries , even to infinite . 2. That in the Instruments of those Donations , they began to insert , as necessary and essential , this President , whereof it were hard to produce many Examples more antient , pro remedio animae , & animae parentum , &c. for the relief of my soul , and the souls of my kindred . And 3. That , whereas Antiquity would hardly have been brought to grant any true and real apparition of souls , some endeavoured to perswade people they are so common , that they happen every minute . To be short , they thought they might with some probability introduce into the Church what the Platonick Philosophy had suggested to Virgil , who gives us this draught of the state of separated Souls , and of what he conceived of Hell. Quin & supremo cùm lumine vita reliquit , Non tamen omne malum , miseris nec funditùs omnes Corporeae excedunt pestes , penitúsq necesse est Multa diu concreta modis inolescere miris . Ergò exercentur poenis , veterúmque malorum Supplicia expendunt ; aliae panduntur , inanes Suspensae ad ventos ; aliis sub gurgite vasto Infectum eluitur scelus , aut exuritur igni , &c. Nor when ( poor souls ) they leave this wretched life , Do all their evils cease , all plagues , all strife Contracted in the body : many a stain Long time inur'd needs must , ev'n then , remain ; For which sharp Torments are to be endur'd , That vice invet'rate may , at last , be cur'd . Some empty souls are to the piercing winds Expos'd , whilst others , in their sev'ral kinds , Are plung'd in Icy , or sulphureous Lakes , &c. For , according to the Visions of Germanus , Bishop of Capua , and the Hermite of Sicily , it would be insinuated , that the Souls might be purged by Baths and subterranean fires , and there remained onely ( to make it absolutely Heathenish Mythologie ) to feign some exposed to the Winds , and hung up in smoak , for which the Councel of Florence ( as it were to excuse p Dante and q Ariosto ) hath taken care , supplying what the precedent Theologie of the Cloisters , to whose advantages all these Relations do ever contribute , seemed to have omitted . CHAP. XXIX . Proofs of the Novelty of the precedent Opinion of Purgatory . THe precedent opinion concerning Purgatory came so lately into play , that in the year 593. Petrus Diaconus , astonished at the novelty of it , was in a manner forced to make this question to St. Gregory , a Quid hoc est , quaeso te , qùod in his extremis temporibus tam multa de animabus clarescunt , quae antè latuerunt , ità ut apertis Revelationibus atque ostensionibus venturum saeculum inferre se nobis , atque aperire videatur ? &c. What means it , I pray thee , that in these last times so many things , which before were hidden , are now become so manifest concerning souls , that the world to come seems , by clear Revelations , and Declarations , to bring and discover it self to us ? And as by what we have heard of Odilo , Abbot of Clugny , it might be evident , that at the expiration of the tenth Age , but 400 years after St. Gregory , b that Religious man ( by Country of Auvergne ) extreamly moved at the discourse of I know not what Pilgrim of Rouërgue , had the confidence to put the last hand to the draught of Purgatory , which the first Antiquity had been ignorant of for five whole Ages ; so from this very Position , that it was not believed from the beginning , it follows , that it neither is , nor can be a Catholick Tenet . But this hath appeared also by other means , viz. First , by the opposition of the Greeks , and all the East , which was no less constant and earnest , then that of Peter De Bruis , Henry his Disciple , the Waldenses , and the Albigenses , and at the present all the Protestants in the West . Secondly , By the falling off of the Latines , who have in some measure quitted the Sentiment of St. Gregory , and Odilo , which was restrained onely to the pain of fire , when upon the ninth of June 1439. ( but some few hours before Joseph Patriarch of the Greeks , then dying had signed his last Declaration running in general Terms , c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . I confess the Purgatory of Souls ) they thought good to declare themselves by this indefinite expression , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . The Souls of a middle condition , between the just and sinners , are in a place of torments , and whether it be fire , or darkness , or tempest , or some other thing , we differ not about it . Thirdly , By the Concordate signed by them on Sunday July the fifth , and published the next day under the name of Pope Eugenius , in these words , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . We decree , that if those , who have unfeignedly repented them of their sins , die in charity towards God , before they had , by works worthy repentance , made satisfaction for their sins , as well those of Commission , as Omission , the Souls of such are after death purged by Purgatory pains . Fourthly , By the formal disallowance , and Protestation of the Greeks , immediately after their return , against what ever extreme necessity had extorted from those of their Nation at Florence , maintained by publick Writings , by Mark Arch-Bishop of Ephesus , and Nilus . And lastly , by the Answer , which the Greeks of the State of Venice made in the year 1560. to the fourteenth of the Questions proposed by the Cardinal of Guise , in these Terms ; Eorum hominum animae , quorum quasi media quaedam conditio est , &c. The Souls of those men , that are , as it were , in a middle condition , between the just and the unjust , that is to say , those , who gave not up their last breath in mortal Sins , yet were not absolutely free from guilt , nor manifested the Fruits of Repentance , the Souls , I say , of such are thought by ours to be purged in this manner , not by any Purgatory Fire , or by any determinate Punishment in some certain place , but some by pure fear , at the very separation from the Body ; others , after the separation , it may be also detained in Hell , not so , as if they were in Fire , or Punishment , but as if they were kept in Prison , and Chains . Of which Sentiment though there is as little ground , either in Scripture , or Reason , as there is for the Fire generally believed by most of the Church of Rome ; yet may it suffice to force her to acknowledge , that her Supposition , advanced after the year 500. and consequently New , and not Catholick , nor was , nor is avowed , neither every where , nor by all People ; whereof the Inference again is , that it neither is , nor can be Catholick , by her own Confession , since that , in imitation of Vincentius Lirinensis , ( whose words she perpetually abuses against the Protestants ) it may be said d Quod ubique , quod semper , quod ab omnibus creditum est , hoc verè propriéque Catholicum , &c. What hath been believed in all places , at all times , and by all people , that is truly , and properly Catholick . Besides that , it is impossible , that the indefinite and doubtfull Proposition of the Councel of Florence , declaring that they admit for Purgatory , either fire , or darkness , or tempest , or any thing else , as if they would have said expressly , that they were content with any thing , provided it had some appearance of conformity with their Opinion , should serve to any other end , then to shew , that they knew not what to fasten on , and found in their consciences , that their Purgatory , which they neither durst , nor could determine , could not any way be an Article of Faith. Nor hath the Councel of Trent been more fortunate in the business , then the other ; for though the Prelates there began their Decree on the fourth of December , 1563. in very magnificent Terms , saying , Cùm Catholica Ecclesia , Spiritu Sancto edocta , & sacris literis , & antiqua Patrum Traditione , in sacris Conciliis , & novissimè in hâc Oecumenic â Synodo , docuerit Purgatorium esse , animasque ibi detentas fidelium suffragiis , potissimùm verò acceptabili Altaris sacrificio , juvari , praecipit sancta Synodus Episcopis , ut sanam de Purgatorio Doctrinam , à Sanctis Patribus , & sacris Conciliis traditam , à Christi fidelibus credi , teneri , doceri , & ubique praedicari diligenter studeant , &c. Whereas the Catholick Church , taught by the Holy Spirit , the divine Scriptures , and the antient Tradition of the Fathers , in Sacred Councels , and lately in this Oecumenical Synod , hath taught that there is a Purgatory ; and that the souls there detained , are by the Suffrages of the Faithfull , but especially by the acceptable sacrifice of the Altar , relieved , the holy Synod enjoyns the Bishops , that they endeavour , that the sound . Doctrine of Purgatory , delivered by the holy Fathers , and sacred Councels , may be believed by the faithfull , maintained , taught , and preached in all places . Yet all this well considered comes to nothing , since the Scripture does not any where teach there is either any subterranean Fire , that purges the separated souls , or any place , where they are purged ; since that not any one of the Fathers , before St. Gregory , either durst define , that there was any place of Torment appointed for the purgation of Souls after this life , or positively affirmed , that they pass through any subterraneous Purgatory fire ; since that no Councel ( no not even that of Lateran , under Innocent the Third : whereto nevertheless Cardinal Bellarmine , e either deceived himself by others , or not caring much how he deceives us , is pleased to referr us ) no Councel , I say , before that of Florence , affirmatively assigned any Purgative place , after any manner whatsoever , for the Souls of the Faithfull departed ; and consequently , that the Councel of Trent , which had ( though it boasted as much ) neither Scripture , nor Fathers of the first five Ages nor Councel , before that of Florence , from which it might derive ought in the Question of Purgatory , a thing unknown to Antiquity , hath taught us , not what it had learned from antient Tradition , but what it pleased it self ; and purely upon its own Authority . As to what the Councel adds , concerning what it had , it self , taught before , as if it had taken it , either out of the antient Tradition of the Fathers , or their Councels , 't is a pure Illusion ; for before the twenty fifth Session , we have not in all its Decrees , and Anathematisms , but two words , whence any supposition of Purgatory may be deduced , and those , without any proof of Declaration of what it is : the Former in the thirtieth Anathematism , fulminated on the seventeenth of January , 1547. in the sixth Session , where it pronounces Anathema , Si quis it à reatum Poenae aeternae deleri dixerit ; ut nullus remaneat reatus poenae Temporalis exsolvendo , vel in hoc saeculo , vel in futuro Purgatorio , &c : If any one shall affirm , that the guilt of eternal Punishment is so forgiven , as that there remains no guilt of Temporal Punishment to be paid , either in this life , or hereafter in Purgatory , &c. The later in the twenty second Chapter of the Decree of the Mass , drawn up on the seventeenth of September , 1562. in the two and twentieth Session , where it says again , that the Sacrifice of the Mass is offered , pro defunctis in Christo , nondum ad plenum purgatis , &c. for the departed in Christ , not yet fully purged . Having therefore heard the Councel referring , at its last Session , to the precedent , if you pretend to finde therein any allegation , either of Scripture , or Tradition for Purgatory , or any Reason insinuating it , or any Declaration , expressing the nature of it with any satisfaction , you will make no great advantage of the Allegations ; they containing in effect , but a simple , and naked description , and no more . And whereas the Councel thinks it enough , by its Decree , to say , that it is , without declaring , in what manner , and whether it does , or does not , consist in Fire , such as Saint Gregory , and Odilo , conceived it , and the common Opinion seems to insinuate ; it is thence apparent , that it knew no more of it , then other Councels , and that its Exhortation to the Bishops , to observe , and cause to be observed the sound Doctrine thereof , is , and shall ever be a sound without signification , while there shall onely be an Ostentation to name it and men shall wave to express the Nature of it , to give the Eastern Greeks , and the Protestants , who absolutely deny it , some proof of the Tradition , which they pretend to produce for the Confirmation thereof . CHAP. XXX . Shewing , that the first Hypothesis proposed by the Sibylline Writing , so called is generally disclaimed . AS to the first Hypothesis , which concerns The detention of all souls whatsoever , in Hell , from their separation from the Bodies , which they had animated , to their Resurrection ; though it were in such high esteem that it induced the Christians of the second and third Ages to compose the ibera , and the other Prayers , in which the departed Person is introduced , desiring to be delivered from eternal Death , and the Living require that he be delivered from the Gates of Hell , and preserved from the places of Torment , Tartarus , the deep Lake , from the pains of Darkness , from the mouth of the Lion ; yet was it at the very beginning moderated by those , who seemed to have embraced it with greatest resolution . For Tertullian , perswaded by the Relation had been made to him of the Visions of St. Perpetua , was of Opinion ( as we have already observed ) that the Souls of Martyrs were , by way of preference , placed in the Terrestrial Paradise , and the rest confined in Hell. And since , it hath , by little and little , been abandoned ; yet so , as that those , who quitted it , would not be obliged either to the rejection of the Sibylline Writing , which had occasioned the production of it , or to a change of the Prayers introduced into the Publick Service , which presupposed it . For many ( making no mention of Hell ) contented themselves to assign ( at least in words ) the souls of the Faithfull a certain sequestred place , as under the Altars , and Holy Tables , appointed for the conservation , and distribution of the Eucharist ; and upon that accompt ( if we may rely on the Judgment of the late Bishop of Orleans , a Gabriel de l'Aubespine ) the Councel Assembled about the year 305. from all Parts of Spain , at Elvira , near Granada , had drawn up its thirty fourth Canon in these Terms ; Cereos per diem placuit in Coemeterio non incendi : inquietandi enim spiritus Sanctorum non sunt , &c. It is thought good , that , in the day-time , no Wax-candles should be lighted in the Church-yard : for the spirits of the Saints are not to be disturbed . In effect , it might seem ; that ( the Christians at that time meeting in Coemeteries , or Church-yards , the Altars being , upon that occasion , placed there , and many believing , that the Angels , and separated souls were disposed into some subtile Bodies , capable , as ours , of resenting strong Perfumes ) Prohibition was made by the Spanish Prelates , That Wax-candles should be lighted in the day-time ; lest the smoak of them might prove offensive to the spirits of the Faithfull , whose Bodies had been there interred . It might also be thought that Vigilantius , by Birth indeed of Aquitain , but a Priest of Barcelona , who had , with all Spain , received the Decree of Elvira , Disputing , in the year 406. viz. an hundred years precisely after the said Decree , against the Maintainers of the Worship done ( according to the Custom of that Time ) to the Reliques of the Saints whom he justly conceived b illuminated by the Majesty of the Lamb sitting in the midst of the Throne of God , crushed them with the Inconvenience , which he found in their Opinion ; saying , Ergò cineres suos amant animae Martyrum , & circumvolant eos , sempérque praesentes sunt ; nè fortè , si aliquis Precator advenerit , absentes audire non possint , &c. The Souls therefore of the Martyrs are in love with their own dust , and fly about it , and are ever at hand ; lest , if any one comes to pray , they should not , being absent , hear him . For this Argument makes onely against those , who assigned , at least in appearance , the Souls of the Faithfull departed , for their habitation , the Place under the Altars , that were near their Sepulchres . There is also some Ground to number , among the Followers of this strange Opinion , those , who had been so confident , as to give it for certain to the good St. Augustine , that St. John , having caused himself to be buried alive at Ephesus , c the Earth continually sprung up , and boyled , as it were over the place of his Interment . For , if they thought it no Inconvenience to say of our Saviour's Beloved Apostle , that he was confined to his Sepulchre , there to expect , in Body , and Soul , the Day of Judgment ; how much less would they have thought it , to reduce the Souls of other Saints departed to the same condition ? St. Augustine thought it better d to comply with the Opinion , which he conceived could not be refuted by certain Proofs . But it is so vanished of it self , that , being at this day generally declined , we need not trouble our selves with the Confutation thereof , no more , then of that of Justine Martyr ; who , from the Hypothesis of the pretended Sibylline Writing , and the Story of the Witch of Endor , inferred , that all Souls , without any exception , either of Saints , or Patriarchs , or Prophets , are in Hell under the power of the Devils . For though the Prayers , whereby it is , even to this day , required in the Church of Rome , that God would deliver the Souls of the Faithfull departed from the power of Hell , from the Mouth of the Lion , from the Pains of Darkness , and that he would put away far from them the Princes of darkness , do notoriously discover they drew their Original from such a presupposition ; yet hath it nevertheless so absolutely lost all Credit , that even in the year 380. Philastrius , Bishop of Brescia , charged it with Heresie ; saying , e Alia est Haeresis de Pythonissa , &c. There is another kind of Heresie concerning the Witch ; whereby some , covering a Woman with Cloaths , hoped they might obtain certain Answers from her , whence it is said , that that Witch raised , out of Hell , the Soul of the blessed Samuel : and for that reason is it principally , that many men , even to this Day , suspect ; that she might be believed , especially for that it is known , that she ( as it were a second time ) gave in that excitation true Answers of those things , which the blessed Prophet had said to King Saul : and because many are content to acquiesce in a Ly , they descend into perpetual death ; since the Prophet saith , f The Souls of the Just are in the hand of the Lord , and Death toucheth them not . How then could an impious Soul raise out of Hell a pious , and holy one , especially that of a Prophet ? But what a strange astonishment must we necessarily conceive at this , that the Opinion of Justine Martyr , concerning the State of Souls , should displease the whole Church ; which yet , in her Service , presupposed some such thing ? For , if it be Heresie to think , that the Souls of the ●aithfull , after their retirement out of this World , should be in danger of being exposed to the Rage of Devils , what pretence can there be to continue the Prayers , which infinuate such a perswasion ? And , if the Ground-work of such Prayers be taken away , what reason can be alledged sufficient to authorise the continuance of them ? Can it be said , It is lawful , and consistent with the Piety of the Church to put up to God Requests , that are erroneous according to her own Sentiment , and impossible according to the perswasion she hath of the merciful disposal of her Saviour in respect of his Elect ; whom he hath g taken away from the Evil to come , h to sleep in a sleep of Peace , and i to rest from their Labours ? And , supposing these things grounded upon the express Text of the Scripture , and the k Canon of the Mass , wh●ch makes commemoration to God onely of those , who , sleeping a sleep of Peace , are accordingly in Peace , should not men think themselves obliged , either to discard those Prayers , which contain a formal expression of what is contrary to Peace , in respect of those , for whom they are made , and prove so much the more fruitless , and inconvenient , by how much the Foundations thereof are undermined , by rejecting the Hypotheses , as well of the pretended Sibyllm● Writing , as of Justine Martyr ; or , by retaining them , to run into the Inconvenience of a Contradiction ; and that so much the more inevitable , the more unadvisedly they engage themselves upon the maintaining of both the Terms of it at the same time ; affirming on the one side , that those , who are to be delivered out of the Bonds of a dreadful death , and from the Gates of Hell , a place of Trouble , and ( as the Text of the Prayer bears it ) of Pains , are neither in Death , nor in Bonds , nor in Hell ; that those , far from whom must be driven away the Princes of Darkness , are not onely not engaged in any War against them ; but are in a condition to sleep the sleep of Peace , to be in possession of Peace , to rest , in the enjoyment of that Peace , from their Labours : And on the other side , that those , who are taken away from the evil to come , so as they sleep in Peace , and rest from their Labours , are in the most dreadful Abyss of Miseries , in the horrour of the most irrevocable War , and the extremity of Troubles ? And what does this amount to less , then to affirm , that they are , and are not , either in Peace , and Rest , or in Trouble , and War ; and consequently , that they both can , and cannot , be delivered out of them ? Time was , when those , who followed the Party of the Millenaries , imagining , that during the term of a thousand years , which they assigned for the Earthly Kingdom of our Saviour in Jerusalem , there should be a Resurrection preceding the general one of the Last-day , and upon that accompt be called the First , thought they had just ground to beg , that their deceased Friends might have their part in that first Resurrection : But as soon as their Imagination , lost to all credit , came of it self to be absolutely laid aside , the use of that kind of Prayers came , upon this very score , that every one thought them ill-grounded 〈◊〉 to be so far abolished ; that there is no Track of them in any of the Formularies , that are come to us , but onely in the ●●othick , Which if who sees not there is the same Obligation to ●br●g●te the Pra●ers , which are ( as hath been clearly demonstrated ) formally contradicted by the Canon of the Mass , whereby the Church of Rome is wholly directed at the present ? CHAP. XXXI . That the Passage in the twelfth Chapter of the second Book of the Maccabees hath no relation to the Opinion of Purgatory , nor to the Service of the Churches . THe Doctours of the Romane Communion pretend , that the Christians of the second Age grounded their Prayers for the Dead upon the Authority of the second Book of the Maccabees , unknown ( as we have observed ) to the Jews ; who were contemporary with the Apostles , or at least , slighted by them , and looked upon with so much indignation by the Christians , that not any one of them , before St. Augustine , cited it with any respect to the Offices rendred by the surviving Faithfull to their departed Brethren . Nay , indeed , none among them could ( without destroying his own presuppositions concerning the State of the Dead ) make any advantage of that Testimony , which notoriously wrests the action , and intention of Judas Maccabaeus to a wrong sence , and applies it to the false Hypothesis , which the Jews of the last times did , and do still maintain , so much the more obstinately , the more they are perswaded , that it may be derived from the words of the first Psalm , in the fifth Verse ; saying , that the wicked shall not stand , or ( as the Greek Version , and the antient Latine hath it ) shall not rise up , in Judgment . Since therefore they were of this extravagant Opinion , that the Resurrection of the Last-day should be onely for the Just , and that those , who had concluded a criminal Life in the Wrath of God , should not participate thereof , it must needs be , that , having perswaded thereto either Jason the Cyrenaean , or his Abridger , the said Jason , or other man , had conceived it necessary , that Judas should make a Prayer for a sort of unhappy wretches , whom he acknowledged destroyed in their Sacrilege , to the end that ( being freed from their sin ) they might be made capable of the Resurrection ; which ( according to their prejudicated judgment ) was to be peculiar onely to those , who had continued , and concluded their lives in piety . This Imagination could not relate to any of the Opinions of the antient Christians , assured by St. Paul , a that every one should appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ , to receive the things done in his body , according to that he hath done , whether it be good , or bad , and unanimously presupposing , b that Judgment should be given of all , good , and bad , according to their works , and consequently believing , that there would be a double Resurrection , that is to say , that of the righteous c to eternal life , and glory , and that of the wicked to death , and shame , and everlasting contempt . But let us put the Case , that the Sentiment , whether of the Authour of the Second Book of the Maccabees , or of his Abridger , was absolutely conformable to so manifest , and so known a Truth , and that he alledged this onely end of the Prayer attributed by him to Judas , that the Dead , for whom onely he pretends , that he made it , being freed from their sins , were thereupon conveyed to the enjoyment of Beatitude , which shall have its full accomplishment in the Resurrection , which the Fathers call the proper Faith of Christians , and the consummation of the glory , which they expect . Nay , let us put the Case , that the Latine Church had , from the beginning , a great esteem for the Testimony of that Person , if ( as is supposed ) she drew up her Service according to the President of Judas Maccabaeus , whence comes it , that , in the Canon of the Mass , she hath made no mention of the Resurrection ? And , that among the Liturgies of the Greeks , Armenians , &c. there are onely two , viz. those of St. Basil , and St. Chry●ostome , drawn up , one by the other , which have onely this word of it by the way ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Resting in hope of Resurrection , and eternal life ? Where it is evident , to any one , that hath but common sense , that he , who pronounces the Prayer , desires not for the Dead , either Resurrection , or Life ; but onely declares , that both of them have ever been the Object of their hope . To be absolutely silent in it , as the Canon of the Latine Mass is , or to speak uncertainly of it , without making any request , is that proposing to one's self the pretended Example of Judas Maccabaeus , and the Tradition of the antient Synagogue ? Or can it either enter into any man's Imagination , to say , they imitate , who , neither in their Discourses , nor in their Actions , express any thing of what is contained in the Original ? If it be said ; that the Latins , in the Office of the Dead added to the Canon , demand the Resurrection of the departed Person , whom they recommend to God in their Prayers ; it will be easie to reply ; that of three and fourty Prayers , whereof that Office consists , one onely , viz. the fifth , proposes , in one word , that kinde of supplication , saying , Partem Resurrectionis accipiat Anima famuli tui , &c. That the soul of thy servant may participate of the blessed Resurrection : three others , which spake of the Resurrection : presuppose it , without making any demand , and amount to no more , then to require onely the effect of it ; as , for instance , the second , layd down in these Terms , Inter Sanctos , & Electos tuos resuscitati , gloriâ manifestae contemplationis perpetuò satientur , &c. That thy servants , being raised again , may be perpetually silled , among the Saints , and Elect , with the glory of a manifest contemplation : the fourth , which hath , Ad propria corpora quandoque reversuras , Sanctorum tuorum caetibus aggregari praecipias , &c. That thou wouldest command , that the souls of all the Faithfull , which are one day to return to their bodies , may meet together in the Assemblies of thy Saints : and the nine and thirtieth , which contains these words ; In Resurrectionis gloria inter Sanctos , & Electos tuos resuscitati , respirent , &c. That thy servants of both Sexes , being raised up , may live among thy Saints , and Elect , in the glory of the Resurrection . From all which Forms it necessary follows , that the Latine Church never thought of framing her Service according to the Example of Judas Maccabaeus ; and that it is vainly , and without any shadow of Proof , that any Venture at this day to maintain it ; never considering , that , if the first Authours of Praying for the Dead among Christians had had any design to build their Form of Service upon the pretended Pattern of the Maccabees , they could not , without prevarication from their own Intentions , fo far have missed the Lineaments thereof , as to have omitted in their Canon what they had proposed to themselves to put in Practice ; or not to insist on it , but obliquely , and perfunctorily ; not making it , as they should have done , their Principal business . CHAP. XXXII . That the Primitive Sence of the Prayers , whereby the Remission of Sins is demanded for the Dead , is not embraced by any . THe Prayers , which the antient Church made for Remission of Sins on the behalf of the Faithfull departed , did not onely proceed from the Hypothesis of the Sibylline Writing , concerning the consinement of all Souls in Hell , and of Justine Martyr , concerning the power of the Devils , even over those of the greatest Saints ; but is also an effect of their Opinion , who imagined , that our Saviour , and his Apostles , after his Example , being , after their departure , descended into Hell , had preached there , and , in effect , converted many of those , who were gone thither in the state of Sin. For , looking upon , as reduced to the Trial of some punishment , those , whose Beatitude was ( during their restraint in the common prison of the Dead ) deferred , and conceiving that their Condition was capable of being changed into better , they inferred , very suitably to these Opinions , that it was necessary to implore the mercy of God , and to demand , on their behalf , the forgiveness of their Sins , which for a time kept the Gates of glory shut against them , and exposed them in some manner to the violences of Evil spirits , till such time , as that , by their own supplications , and the suffrages of their surviving Friends , they might better their Condition . We have already produced Examples of those Prayers , and there is not any Expression so strong , or efficacious , which we finde not employed to make us comprehend , that heretofore the surviving Faithfull were of a Belief , that their departed Brethren were treated as Malefactours , and in a manner , covered with the wrath of God. But from the beginning of the Third Age , and afterwards , those among the Fathers , who had more attentively considered the Oracles of God , affirming , That a There is no condemnation for those , who are in Christ Jesus ; That b No man is able to pluck them out of his hand ; That c They are ( at the hour of death ) taken away from the evil to come ; That d They depart out of the Body , to be with the Lord ; That e Their iniquity shall be sought for , and there shall be none , because God hath pardoned them ; That , as soon as they are dead in the Lord , f they rest from their labours , and ( according to what we finde in express Terms in the Canon of the Mass ) sleep a sleep of Peace , as being actually in Peace , and freed from Sin , which deprives a man of it , and g makes a separation between the Lord , and him , that commits it : the Fathers , I say , not discontinuing ( out of the respect they had for their Ancestours ) the Prayers inserted by them , upon prejudications both ill-grounded , and extremely mistaken , into the Service of the Church , do , by the formal Confession of the insufficiency of those Principles , make a certain disclaim of the Prayers , enough to justifie , that ( according to them ) being taken literally , they are absolutely unprofitable , as being destitute of Truth , and a maintainable Foundation . Hence is it , that in the year 252. St. Cyprian tells us of the advantage , which accrews to the Faithfull at their death , h Lucrum maximum jam nullis peccatis , & vitiis carnis , obnoxium fieri , &c. It is a very great gain not to be any longer subject to sins , and the lusts of the flesh . St. Cyril of Jerusalem , i about the year 350. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Remission having its Ordinance onely in this life . St. Epiphamus , in the year 375. in the nine and fiftieth Haeresie , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is not any progress either of Piety , or Repentance , after death . St. Ambrose , k about the year 378. Qui hic non acceperit remissionem , illic non erit , &c. He , who shall not have received remission here , shall not be there ; that is , in glory . St. Hierome , l in the year 386. Ubicunque tibi locum praeparaveris , futurámque sedem , sive ad Austrum , sive ad Boream ; ibi , cùm mortuus fueris , permanebis , &c. Mortis tempestate subversus , ubicunque cecideris , ibi jugiter permanebis : sive te rigidum , & trucem , sive clementem , & misericordem , ultimum invenerit tempus , &c. Lignum , quod in hac vita corruerit , & concisione mortalitatis fuerit incisum , aut peccavit , dum staret , & in Boreae parte posteà ponetur , aut , si dignos Austro fructus attulit , in plaga jacebit Australi , &c. Whereever thou shalt have provided a place for thy self , and the seat thou shalt come into , whether it be towards the South , or towards the North , there shalt thou remain after thy death , &c. Being once overwhelmed by the tempest of death , in what place soever thou shalt fall , there shalt thou perpetually remain : whether thy last hour have found thee there harsh , and cruel , or mild , and mercifull , &c. The Tree , which shall be faln in this life , and hath been cut down by the stroak of Mortality , or hath sinned , while it stood , shall afterwards be placed on the North - side ; or if it hath brought forth Fruits worthy the South , he shall be disposed into the South - Quarter . St. Chrysostome , m in the year 396. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 After we are departed , it is no longer in our power to repent , and to cleanse our selves of the sins , which we have committed . St. Augustine , n in the year 420. Qualis in die isto quisque moritur , talis in die illo judicabitur , &c. Such , as every one dyes in this day , as such shall he be judged in that day . Again ; o Qualis exîeris ex hac vita , talis redderis illi vitae , &c. Such , as thou shalt depart this life , such shalt thou be delivered up to the other . Olympiodorus , p 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In what place soever a man , at his departure , hath been seized , whether it were of light , or of darkness , as also in what work , whether of iniquity , or of virtue , he shall remain in the same degree , and rank ; either in Light , with the just , and Christ the King of all ; or in Darkness , with the unjust , and the Prince of this World. For , if from the very hour of their departure the Faithfull are no longer subject to any sin ; if repentance , and remission of sin have place onely in this life ; and , if such as men die , such they shall rise again , and be judged at the Last-day , there neither is , nor can be any pardon , either to be asked , or to be obtained for them , after their death . Whereof the Consequence is , that the Prayers , which are made for them , are ( by their very Confession , who have most recommended them ) unreasonable , in that they suppose what ( according to their own Principles ) neither is , nor can be , viz. that the Faithfull departed in Jesus Christ are subject to sin : besides , they are fruitless , in that they demand ( according to the same Principles ) an effect , which is already fully accomplished , and is to be unchangeably such to all Eternity . CHAP. XXXIII . The Censures , pronounced by the Doctours of the Church of Rome against the Fathers , taken into Examination . BY those Prayers it was , and still is demanded , that God would place the Departed in the Bosom of the Patriarchs , in the Society of the Saints , in the Region of the Godly , the Saints , and the Living , in the Pleasures of Paradise , in a place of Refreshment , Light , and Peace ; granting them the passage from Death to Life , the participation of the redemption of God , the rest of Beatitude , the opening of the Gates of glory , the Happiness and Joy of an everlasting Light , the fulness of Glory , &c. All these things , I say , are prayed for on the behalf of the departed ; as if they were not in the enjoyment of any of them ; or as if ( it being granted they were ) it were convenient to demand for them what they are already in possession of , as if they were absolutely deprived thereof . This kinde of Office is very consonant to the first Hypothesis , as well of the pretended Sibylline Writing , as of those , who were of a perswasion , that all Souls were sent to Hell , and there confined till the Resurrection of their Bodies . Nor is it unsuitable to what is told us by several of the Fathers of later Times , who ( continuing the Forms of their Ancestours ) endeavoured to avoid the inconvenience of the Imagination , which their Predecessours had , as it were , from hand to hand , transmitted to them . Thence comes it , that Stapleton ( measuring the more , and the less Antient by the same measure ; never considering whether the later any way moderated what had been in high esteem among the former ) makes no difficulty to entertain us with this disadvantageous Language ; which equally charges them all : a Tot illi , & tam celebres , antiqui Patres , Tertullianus , & Irenaeus , &c. So many antient , and so eminent Fathers , as Tertullian , Irenaeus , Origen , Chrysostome , Theodoret , Oecumenius , Theophylact , Ambrose , Clemens Romanus , Bernard , were not of that Sentiment , which , at last , after so great Disquisition , was defined to be an Article of Faith in the Councel of Florence , viz. That the Souls of the Just enjoy the Beatifical Vision before the day of Judgment ; but delivered the contrary Opinion . b Sixtus Senensis had put also into the same Predicament Justine Martyr , Lactantius , Victorinus of Poictiers , Aretas , and Pope John the Two and Twentieth . Nor do I deny , but that very ill Consequences may be drawn First , From what St. Ambrose hath written , in the second Chapter of his second Book Of Cain and Abel . Anima , post finem vitae hujus , adhuc tamen futuri Judicii ambiguò suspenditur , &c. After this life ended , the soul is yet in suspense , through the uncertainty of the future Judgment , &c. And elswhere ; c Videntur , usque ad diem Judicii , per plurimum scilicet temporibus , debitâ sibi remuneratione fraudari , &c. Satis fuerat dixisse illis , quod liberatae animae de corporibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 peterent , id est , locum , qui non videtur , quem Latinè Infernum dicimus , &c. Expectant remunerationem debitam , &c. Mens souls , till the day of Judgment , that is to say , for a very long space of time , seem to be defrauded of the remuneration due to them , &c. It had been sufficient to tell them ( viz. the Heathens ) that the souls , freed from their bodies , go to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that is to say , to a place , not to be seen , which in Latine we call Infernum , Hell , &c. They expect the reward due to them . Secondly , From what St. Chrysostome says in several places ( making use of a Figurative , and ambiguous manner of Expression ) when he conceives it enough to call the place , where the souls of the Just are disposed , Abraham's Bosom ; and , in some other Places , seems to deny their Beatitude : writing in the nine and twentieth Homily upon the first Epistle to the Corinthians , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Without the flesh , the soul shall not receive those unspeakable goods ; in like manner shall she not also be punished , &c. If the body be not raised again , the soul remains uncrowned , deprived of that Beatitude , which is in the Heavens , &c. And again , d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. You also think what , and how great , a thing it is , that Abraham , and the Apostle Paul should sit down till such time , as thou shalt be accomplished , to the end , that then they might receive their reward : for if we also are not arrived , the Saviour hath foretold , that he would not give it , &c. What shall Abel do , who overcame first of all , and is sate down without being Crowned ? Thirdly , From what is said by Prudentius : who , speaking of the Martyrs of Saragossa , seems to deny their Souls admission into Heaven ; saying , Sub Altari sita sempiterno turba , &c. The company seated under the Eternal Altar . To which may be added ; that St. Augustine , e not content to have said , That , after this life ended , we shall not be there , where the Saints shall be , as if he could not have designed by its proper Name the place of the Soul's habitation , is forced in several places to make use of the most general Term of all , viz. that of Receptacles : And to that , that of Paulinus , who , in his Epitaph upon f Clarus , as if he knew not where to assign him Entertainment , makes this Discourse to him , Sive Patrum sinibus recubas , Dominive sub ara Conderis , aut sacro pasceris in nemore , Qualibet in regione Poli situs , aut Paradisi , Clare , sub aeternâ pace quietus agis , &c. Whether in th' Patriarch's Bosom thou remain , Or under the Lord's Altar art detain d , Or an Aboad i' th' sacred Grove hast gain'd , What part , or place , of Paradise thou hast got , Clarus , eternal Peace , and Rest's thy Lot. But all this is not enough to induce me to subscribe to the disadvantageous Censure given by Stapleton ; who , not making any distinction of either Times , or Persons , or Expressions , durst attribute to all Antiquity , what the Authour of the pretended Sibylline Writing had perswaded those , who had first consulted it . Nor do I see , that from the places , above cited , it may rigorously be inferred , that the Fathers , out of whose Writings they are extracted , delayed the Beatitude of the Saints , till after the Day of Judgment . For , though the words of Sain● Ambrose seem to bear , that they expect their Happiness with uncertainty , and doubtfully ; yet he neither understood , nor could have understood it so ; since that , in the second of the places objected to him , he writes , that the Soul of the Faithfull Person departed , Non busto tenetur , sed quiete piâ fungitur , &c. is not detained upon the Funeral Pile , where the Body had been consumed , but enjoys a pious Rest . His design then ( as it was also St. Chrysostom's , who means , by the Bosom of the Fathers , the Kingdom of Heaven ) was to have it understood , that the supreme Happiness , and absolute accomplishment of the glory of the Saints departed , was to be a Consequence of the Resurrection , and Last Judgment , at which time the souls already in Glory shall receive their true Crowns , in the remuneration promised to compleat Persons , whereof they before made the principal part ; and that , in expectation of the Judgment , which shall fully consummate their Glory , they remain in suspense , not as uncertain of the effect it shall produce ; but as ignorant of the time , when it shall please God , that so admirable an Event shall come to pass : So that his particular Judgment reaches no further , then that the souls , freed from their bodies , are transmitted to Hell ; but simply supposes , that , as to the Heathen , it was enough to say so much . As for Prudentius , and Paulinus , their conception of the Eternal Altar is not after a gross , but after a refined , and mystical manner : Prudentius saying of the blessed souls , that they shall rest in the g Bosom of the blessed Old man , where Lazarus is , and in Paradise : And Paulinus expressly declaring of Clarus ; Libera corporeo , mens , carcere , gaudet in Astris , Pura probatorum sedem sortita piorum , &c. — Spiritus aethere gaudet , Discipulúmque pari sociat super astra Magistro , &c. Among the Just his Habitation is , Of Body freed , possess'd of Heav'nly Bliss , &c. — His soul to Heav'n is gone , The Scholar to the Master 's equal grown . So that , according to these two Authours , to rest under the Eternal Altar , in the Bosom of Abraham , in Paradise , in Heaven , above the Stars , is one , and the same , thing , as to the effect , and design ( though by divers expressions ) the Beatitude , and Glory of the children of God , as well in general , as in particular . CHAP. XXXIV . The Uniformity of the Sentiment of the Fathers , and of the Protestants . I Add , that most of the Fathers , who lived after Tertullian ( what Expressions soever they may make use of ) were of a Sentiment consonant to what is at the present held by the Protestants , and firmly maintained , that all the Souls of those , of whose Names there was a Commemoration made in the Service of the Church , were , at the very hour of their death , conveyed to the enjoyment of their Rest , and Glory . Hence was it , that St. Cyprian , even in the year 252. resolutely pronounces , a De istis mundi turbinibus extracti , &c. Having escaped the Tempests of this World , we make towards the secure Haven of an eternal Mansion , &c. We are not to put on Mourning-Garments here , when they there have already put on their White Robes , &c. It is not a departure , but a passage , and ( the Temporal journey being at an end ) a transportation towards the things , That are Eternal , &c. Let us embrace the day , which assigns to every one his own Mansion , which restores us , taken away hence , and disingaged from the snares of this World , to Paradise , and the celestial Kingdom , &c. Again ; Lucrum maximum , &c. exemptum pressuris-urgentibus , & venenatis Diaboli faucibus liberatum , ad laetitiam salutis aeternae , Christo vocante , prosicisci , &c. It is an exceeding great advantage , &c. to go ( Christ calling us ) to the Joys of Eternal Salvation ; after we are freed from those pressures , which lie heavy upon us , and delivered from the poisonous jaws of the Devil . To the same effect Origene , b about fifteen years before , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. We hope to be above the Heavens , after the Combats , and Troubles , which we have run through here . St. Basil , c in the following Age , about the year 370. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An eternal Rest is proposed to those , who shall have lawfully maintained the Combat of the Life , which is here . St. Gregory Nazianzene , in his tenth Oration , pronounced about the year 369. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. I am perswaded by the Discourses of Wise men , that every Soul , which is good , and loved of God , after that , being disengaged from the Body , to which she was conjoyned , she is retired hence ; that , which clouded her , being , as it were , purged , or layed down , or I know not how to express it , immediately having a resentment of , and in the contemplation of the happiness she is to be advanced to , is in the possession of an admirable Pleasure , and rejoyceth , and joyfully passeth towards her Lord , shunning , as a loathsom Prison , this present Life . St. Epiphanius , d the most zealous Maintainer of Prayer for the Dead , speaking , about the year 375. of the closure of this Life , and the consequences of it , in relation to the Faithfull ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The time is accomplished , the Combat is at an end , the Lists are cleared , and the Crowns are bestowed . Again ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All is manifestly accomplished after the departure hence . St. Chrysostome , e between the years 390. and 404. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Those , who have carefully spent their Lives in the exercises of Virtue , after they shall have been transported out of the present life , shall truly be , as if they had obtained a dismission after the Combats , and as delivered out of Bonds : for there is for those , who live virtuously , a certain transportation from worse things to better , and from a temporal to a perpetual , and immortal life , and such as shall have no end . Again , f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Faithful depart to go with Christ , and are with the King , face to face . Again , g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 After Death is once come , then is the Wedding , then is the Spouse . Again , h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be of good courage , when thou art cut off ( by death ) for it exempts thee not onely from corruption , and trouble ; but it also sends thee immediately to the Lord. And elsewhere ; i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Consider towards whom the departed Person is gone , and take comfort thence ; there Paul is , there Peter is , there is the whole Quire of the Saints . Again ; k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We give thanks unto God , that he hath moreover crowned him , who is departed hence , that he hath exempted him from all troubles , that , delivering him out of all fear , he keeps him near himself . St. Augustine , giving an account of the common Sentiment of the Churches of Africk , about the year 400. Moritur aliquis ? Dicimus , Bonus homo , fidelis homo ; in pace est cum Domino , &c. Does any one dy ? We say , The Good man , The Faithfull man , is in Peace with the Lord. Which shews , that the Christians of that Time were fully perswaded of what Pope Pelagius the First , about one hundred and fifty years after , caused to be inserted into the Canon of the Mass , viz. that Those , who die in Christ , sleep in Peace . The Questions unjustly attributed to Justine Martyr ; since the Authour was contemporary with St. Augustine : l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Souls of the Saints are conveyed to Paradise , there is the conversation , there the sight of the Angels . St. Cyril of Alexandria about the year , 420. m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. I conceive , it ought ( and that very probably ) to be held for certain , that the Souls of the Saints , leaving their earthly Bodies , are for the most part committed to the indulgence , and Philanthropie of God , as resigned into the hands of a most loving Father , and not ( as some Unbelievers suspect , that they love to walk among dead men's Graves , expecting Sepulchral Libations , much less , that they go ( as those of such , as have loved sin ) to a place of unmeasurable Torment , that is , to Hell. They rather run to be received into the hands of the Father of all , and our Saviour Jesus Christ , who hath also n consecrated this way for us , for he o commended his Soul into the hands of his Father , that we also , taking Example thence , as in it , and by it , may entertain noble hopes , as being in that firm disposition , and belief ; that , having undergone the death of the Flesh , we may be in the hands of God , and in a better condition , then when we were in the Flesh : Whence it also comes , that the wise Paul writes unto us , p that it is far better to be dissolved , and to be with Christ . Prosper , q about the year 450. Post hanc vitam succedit pugnae secura victoria ; ut Milites Christi , laboriosâ jam peregrinatione transactâ , regnent felices in patria , &c. After this life ended , certain Victory is consequent to the Combat ; that the Souldiers of Christ ( their laborious Pilgrimage being over ) might reign happily in their Countrey , &c. Gennadius , r about the year 490. Exeuntes de corpore ad Christum vadunt , &c. The Faithful , dislodging out of the Body , go to Christ . Andrew of Caesarea , s about the year 800. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. The voice from Heaven does not beatifie all the Dead , but those , who die in the Lord , those , who are mortified to the World , and bear in their Bodies the mortification of the Lord Jesus , and who suffer with Christ ; for to those the departure out of the body , is truly a releasment from labours . To conclude , of the same Sentiment was Aretas , about the year 930. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Upon the vanishing away of Labours , shall be introduced the reward of Works . CHAP. XXXV . The Sentiment of the Protestants further proved by the Description , which the Father 's made of Abraham's Bosom . FRom the Harmony of all the precedent Testimonies , it may justly be inferred , that , according to the constant Doctrine of the Christian Church , from the year 250. those , who die in the Lord , are with him , and that to them the time , which follows this life , is a time of joy , and marriage , which , from the moment of their Death , brings them into the company of the Saints , and Angels , in the Paradise of God , where they live , and are in peace , and are crowned , and reign with him . The same thing may be also deduced from the Description , which the Fathers unanimously make of Abraham's Bosom , the place assigned by all Christian Antiquity for the entertainment of the Souls of the Faithful after this Life . For St. Gregory Nazianzene a places it in Heaven ; saying to his Brother Caesarius , who had dyed not long before , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Mayst thou go to Heaven , &c. and rest in the Bosom of Abraham . In like manner St. Chrysostome , b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He named Bosom of Abraham for the Kingdom . St. Ambrose tells us , c that , Sinus Patriarcharum recessus quidam est requietis aeternae , &c. The Bosom of the Patriarchs is a certain retirement of Eternal Rest . St. Augustine , d Sinus Abrahae requies est Beatorum , &c. The Bosom of Abraham is the rest of the Blessed Again , e Non utique sinus ille Abrahae , id est , secreta cujusdam quietis habitatio , aliqua pars Inferorum esse credenda est &c. satis apparet non esse quandam partem , & quasi membrum Inferorum , tantae illius felicitatis sinum , &c. Certainly , the Bosom of Abraham , that is to say , the secret habitation of a certain rest , is not to be thought any part of Hell , &c. It is sufficiently manifest , that the Bosom of so great a felicity is not any certain part , or , as it were , Quarter of Hell. And elsewhere ; f Post hanc vitam etiam Sinus ille Abrahae Paradisus dici potest ; ubi jam nulla temptatio , ubi tanta requies post dolores omnes vitae hujus , &c. After this Life , that Bosom of Abraham may be also called Paradise ; where there is not any Temptation , and where , after all the afflictions of this life , there is so great rest . Dionysius , the pretended Areopagite ; g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . The Bosom of the Patriarchs are most divine , and most blessed Habitations . Fulgentius ; h Lazarus in aeterna senis Abrahae quiete securus , &c. Lazarus is in safety , in the eternal rest of the Old man Abraham . If therefore the Bosom of Abraham be a Paradise , a Celestial habitation , an eternal Rest , a most divine , and most blessed portion , and all those , who die in the Lord , go into it , when they die ; it is impossible , but they should , from that very minute , be in actual possession of an incomparable felicity , and of a rest so much the more certain , the more free it is from temptation . CHAP. XXXVI . The same Sentiment confirmed by the Pomp and Ceremonies of the Antient Interments . THe same Consequence may also be drawn from the great Solemnities of the Antient Funerals , and the demeanours of Christians preparing themselves for them : which were not indeed without regret for the absence of the Departed Person ; but with joy also , and thanksgiving to God for the Felicity , whereto he had advanced him to all Eternity . For as St. Cyprian remonstrated to the Faithfull of his Time , that they should not put on black Garments , to express their Mourning for those , who had already put on their White Robes of Glory ; so the Fathers , that came after , maintained , that men should rejoyce , and not be disconsolate for the retirement of those , whom God was pleased to call out of the Bosom of his Church , to be gathered into his own . Thus St. Chrysostome , a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 &c. There are now-a-days , in the Funeral Obsequies of deceased Persons , singing of Hymns , Prayers , and Psalms ; all which declare , that there is pleasure in it : for Psalms are a sign of mirth ; Is any one among you merry ( saith b Saint James ) Let him sing Psalms . Because we are full of Gladness ; for that reason we sing over the Dead such Psalms , as may excite us to take comfort for their departure ; for ( saith David c to us ) Return unto thy rest , O my Soul ; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee . Again ; d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 &c. The singing of Psalms , and Prayers , and the assembling of the Fathers , and the meeting of a great multitude of Brethren , are not to the end , that thou shouldest weep , and lament , and be disconsolate ; but that thou mightest give thanks to him , who hath taken the departed Person to himself . And elsewhere ; e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. What mean these joyfull Torches at the Obsequies of the Dead ? Do we not convoy them , as Champions , that have gone through the Combat ? And what mean the Hymns ? Do we not thereby glorifie God , and give him thanks , for that he is , at length , pleased to crown him , who is departed , that he hath exempted him from labours , and , having delivered him out of all fear , taken him to himself ? Are not the Hymns appointed to signifie so much ? Is not the singing of Pslams for the same end ? All these things are done by persons , that rejoyce , for ( saith f Saint James ) Is any one merry ? let him sing Psalms , &c. Consider what thou singest at that time ; g Return unto thy rest , O my Soul ; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee : and again , h Thou art my refuge against the tribulation , that encompasseth me : and again , i I will not fear any evil ; because thou art with me : and again , k Thou art my hiding-place , thou shalt preserve me from trouble : consider what is the meaning of these Psalms . Nay , after so many fair Remonstrances , this Great man threatens with Excommunication those , who being disconsolate , and thereby shewing , that they call in Question the crowning , and blessed State of their Brethren , whom God had called hence , do a signal injury , as well to their Memory in particular , as to the whole Church in general , which hath so ordered the Solemnities of Funeral Obsequies , that she would not have any thing therein , which shou'd not in some manner express joy , and gladness . The rest of the Fathers maintain his Sentiment with so much the greater earnestness , the more they think the confirmation of it derivable from the common Practice of the Church . Thus St. Gregory Nazianzene , speaking of the Funeral Obsequies of his Brother Caesarius , after he had observed , that his Mother carried a great Wax-candle thereat , adds , that he was , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , l carried away with Hymns upon Hymns , &c. the singing of Psalms drowning the noise of the ●amentations ; whereas , in the Funeral Solemnitie of Saint Basil , the Resentment which the Church of Caesarea had conceived of its own loss , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , made that m the singing of Psalms was smothered by the Lamentations . The same thing is observed by Saint Gregory of Nyssa to have happened at the Interment of the Empress Flaccilla , and her Grand-daughter Pulcheria , who had been attended with publick mourning , yet so , as that it came not into any one's Imagination , that their Condition deserved to be deplored , and lamented . The Same St. Gregory , to comfort the People of Antioch , deprived of the presence of their beloved Pastour , the Great Meletius , speaks to those who accompanied his Corps into Syria , to give them an accompt of the Solemnity of his transportation thither , whereat the concourse of the Populace , and of the Court , the singing of Psalms , and the light of Torches , had , as it were , given an assurance of his Beatitutde ; saying to them , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Speak to the People , which is there ( viz. at Antioch ) relate unto them good News , tell them a Miracle beyond Belief , how that an infinite number of people , crowded together , like the Sea , seemed , as it were , by reason of the Throng , to make but one , and the same , Body , like Water , floating about the Tabernacle ( of the departed Person ; ) how that there reached , as far as Eye could possibly perceive , Chanels of Fire , gliding on each side , by reason of the uninterrupted course of the almost contiguous Torches ; tell them of the readiness of all the people , and of the Association ( of Meletius ) with the Apostles in the same Tabernacle ; how the Napkins , that were about his face , were snatched away to serve for Preservatives to the Faithfull ; that the King , putting on a sad Countenance , by reason of the affliction , and rising from his Throne , be added to the Relation , and that the whole City met together at the Obsequies of the Saint . n Wherefore comfort one another with these Words , &c. Saint Hierome represents something of the like Nature at the Interment of Paula ; saying , o Exhinc non uluatus , &c. Assoon as she had given up the Ghost , there was no more Bewailing , nor Lamentation heard , as is wont among the men of this World ; but the noise of swarms of Psalms resounding in several Languages : and being transported by the Hands of Bishops ; and some among the Priests putting their Shoulders to the Bier ; whilest others carried Torches , and Wax-Candles before ; and others brought up the Quires of those , that sung Psalms , she was carried into the midst of the Church ( called ) the Grot of our Saviour , a multitude of people , out of the Cities of Palaestina , meeting at her Funeral Obsequies . He says as much of those of Fabiola , dead three years before ; writing to Oceanus , Nec dum spiritum , &c. She had not yet given up the Ghost , and recommended to Christ the spirit , she ought him ; but Fame , the flying Messenger , publishing beforehand the great Lamentation there should be , brought together all the People of the City to her Funeral ; the Psalms resounded , and the cry of Halleluiah , Ecchoing , smote the gilt Roofs of the Temples , &c. Nor is it any wonder , that men should rejoyce for her salvation , for whose conversion the Angels were p rejoycing in Heaven . Eusebius assures us , q that threescore and four years before , the same Honour had been done to Constantine the Great ; saying of those of his Court , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lighting Lamps , all about , in Vessels of Gold , they presented an admirable spectacle to the Beholders . And this is enough to justifie , that the Antient Church exercised , in respect of all those , who died in the faith , the same Offices , whereby she celebrated the Memory of the greatest Martyrs , and Confessours . For what a strange Solemnity was that of the Transportation of the Reliques of the Prophet Samuel from Palaestine to Constantinople ? r Omnes Episcopi , &c. All the Bishops ( saith St. Hierome ) carried them in Silk , and in a Vessel of Gold , &c. the People of all Churches met them , and ( as if they had seen the Prophet present , and alive received them with so great joy , that swarms of people joyned together from Palestine even to Chalcedon , and with one voice celebrated the praises of Christ , &c. Nay , though there be no Reliques of Martyrs , yet when the Gospel is to be read , the Luminaries are lighted through all the Churches of the East , even though the Sun be up : which certainly is not done to chase away the Darkness ; but for a sign , and demonstration of Joy. Whence it also came , that when the Body of St. Chrysostome was to be brought , from Comana , to Constantinople , it was received with the same Solemnity ; People going in Multitudes to meet it , with lighted Torches in the day-time . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. The Assembly of the Faithfull ( says s Theodoret ) making use of the Sea , ( by the convenience of Boats ) as they would have done of the Continent , covered with Lights the entrance of the Bosporus towards Propontis . Thus have we seen there were Assemblies of the Clergie , and of the People , the singing of Halleluiahs , and Psalms , and Lights employed at the Interments of all the Faithfull , without exception ; so as that there could not be observed at the Funerals of the less considerable , and less eminent for Piety , and those of the most celebrious Martyrs , and Confessours , any other difference , then that of more , and less , which never were able to change the nature of the thing in it self , nor hinder , but that it remained in such manner common among all , that the Offices exercised in those Solemnities have been ( all together as well , as some one in particular ) so many Discoveries of the joy of the surviving ; First , for the Victory , obtained by the Departed over sin , and the world ; Secondly , for the Happiness , whereto the Church thought them actually advanced . And thence also it follows ; That , in the Office of the dead , she sung , not the Libera , as is done at this day , but Psalms of Instruction , and Thanksgiving to God , as for instance , the three and twentieth , and the two and thirtieth , and the one hundred and sixteenth , according to the Hebrews , particularly alleged by St. Chrysostome ; or haply such other , as the Friends of the Deceased made choice of for their consolation , as the one hundred and first , which Euodius appointed to be sung at the departure of St. Monica , the Mother of St. Augustine , as that Holy man relates in his Confessions ; saying , t Cohibito à fletu illo puero , Psalterium aperuit Euodius , &c. The Body being quieted , Euodius opened the Psalter , and began to recite this Psalm , u I will sing unto thee , O LORD , Mercy , and Judgment : to which all the House answered . And when the people heard what had happened , many Friers , and Religious Women came thither to us ; and particularly they , whose Office it was , taking care for the Burial . I , the whilest , when conveniently I could , did entertain those ( who thought it not fit to leave me ) with something pertinent to the occasion . CHAP. XXXVII . A particular consideration of the Sentiment of St. Augustine , and his Prayers for his Mother . THe particular Relation of all these proceedings concerning departed persons , and their Interments irrefutably proves ; That neither St. Augustine , nor his Company , nor those of Ostia , who came to visit him in the time of his Affliction , were any way doubtfull of her felicity , who was then newly departed this life ; since that , instead of imagining her detained in any place of Torment , and , upon that accompt , of standing in need of their Tears , and the assistance of their Prayers , necessary ( according to the presuppositions at present ) for her deliverance , they had their thoughts unanimously inclined to Exercises , which presupposed no such thing ; as the singing of the one hundred and first Psalm , whence there cannot be any thing inferred , relating to the state of the dead , in as much as it contains onely a Protestation to glorifie God in living well ; and , afterwards , to familiar Discourse , such as was suitable to the time , and occasion . Besides , St. Augustine , in the precedent Words , had given an equally-evident Testimony of his intention ; when , after he had made a description of the grief , which had lain so heavy on him , during the Agony of his Mother , he had added , a Tum , ubi efflavit extremum spiritum , puer Adeodatus exclamavit in planctum , atque ab omnibus nobis coërcitus tacuit , &c. At the Instant of her giving up the Ghost , the Boy Adeodatus brake forth into a loud lamentation ; but , reprehended by us all , he held his peace . I will not argue , whether St. Monica was reduced to the suffering of some Torment , but onely , if her Beatitude was ( in any manner conceiveable ) delayed , what could be more just , then the Lamentation of little Adeodatus , or more unjust , and inhumane , then the check given by all the company , to make him forbear lamenting what was truly to be lamented ? And what less could be expected of a Son , who was , and would be thought good-natured , then to be guilty of such a flintiness , as not to afford so much as a Tear for so good a Mother ; a Mother so much the more deserving his compassion , the further she was ( if the Maintainers of Purgatory may be believed ) from the attainment of her happiness ? I will not deny , but St. Augustine was overcome with an excessive Grief upon her Departure ; but I maintain , from his own Testimony , that his affliction was for himself , and not properly for her . For , after he had said , that the silenced his Son Adeodatus , who broke forth into Lamentations , he expresses what his own dispositions were in these Terms : b Hoc modo meum quiddam puerile , &c. Nay , there did also slip from my self some shew of childishness that way ; but I repressed it by the discretion of a man , and held my peace . Nor did we think fit to solemnize that Funeral with weeping , and howling Complaints ; because such demonstrations of sorrow are wont to deplore the misfortune , or , as it were , utter destruction of those , who dy miserably : whereas she neither died miserably , nor indeed died at all , as we were assured , both by her true faith , and exemplar Life , and by other certain Reasons . What was then the cause , why inwardly this Green Wound did so extremely grieve me ; but onely the sudden breaking off of that Custom , which I had to live in her most sweet , and most dear conversation , & c ? Because therefore I was deprived of so great a comfort , my Soul was wounded , and my life was , as it were , torn in pieces , which , till then , had consisted of mine , and hers , &c. And , because I was very much troubled , that these humane respects had such power over me ; which yet cannot but sometime happen , according to the course of nature , and our condition , I bewailed my former Grief , and was afflicted with a double sorrow , &c. He resented then , it seems ( by his own confession ) two different Afflictions : one , the Principal , occasioned by the regret of his loss ; the other accessary , arising from the regret he conceived to see himself subject to that humane Infirmity of bewailing a dead person ; and all the day ( as he says ) he could think of nothing else , though he endeavoured , as much as lay in his power , to conceal it . After the Solemnity was over , he went to the Bath ; hoping to rid himself of his Grief by diversion : but he returned also thence as much afflicted , as before ; the smart of his Wound admitting no remission , till he had slept . And then , having with a greater settledness of Spirit , called to minde the whole Life of his Mother , and being exposed to the sight of none , but God onely , he gave way to those Tears , which he had all day , with much violence to himself , kept in ; saying , Libuit flere in conspectu tuo de illa , & pro illa ; de me , & pro me : & dimisi lachrymas , quas continebam , ut effluerent quantum vellent , &c. I took pleasure to weep in thy sight concerning her , and for her ; and concerning my self , and for my self : and to those Tears , which I had formerly repressed , I gave the liberty to run their full Carriere , &c. It seems , with some Pretense conclusible from the foregoing words , that he was troubled about the Condition his Mother might be in ; but there are Two things oblige us to believe the contrary . The First is , That , if he had been instructed in the Belief of Purgatory , taught by the Church of Rome , he could not , without a kinde of injury to Piety , and Charity , have delayed , till he had slept , the contribution of his Lamentations , and Tears , for the ease , and relief of a Person so dear ; and spent the whole Day in Discourses , and Divertisements , which he thought might have disburthened him of his Grief , but proved ineffectual . The Second , That , considering with himself , that his action might be thought ridiculous , and unreasonable , he accuses it , upon that very accompt , that he thinks himself obliged to excuse it ; saying , Legat , qui volet , &c. Let him read it , who will , and interpret it , as pleaseth him ; and , if he think it a sin in me , to have bewailed my Mother for a small part of an hour ( that Mother , I say , who was dead to my eyes , and had wept for me so many years , that before thine eyes I might live ) let him not deride me , but rather ( if he be full of Charity ) let him weep for my Sins to Thee , who art the Father of all the Brethren of thy Christ our Lord , &c. If the Opinion of Purgatory had been , at that Time , crept into the Church ; who could , with any Justice , either have accused him of having done amiss in deploring , with unfeigned sorrow , and tears , the hard Condition of his Mother , confined ( whether for a short , or a long time , it matters not ) in a place of Torments ? or excuse him , that he had not , First , Bethought him , assoon as ever the Breath was out of her Body , to assist her with his Suffrages , and quitted all other kinde of Discourse . Secondly , That ( when it came into his minde to discharge that sad Duty ) he had bestowed but a small part of an hour in the Exercise of an Office , then which there could not be any of greater Concernment to her , to whom he ought his Life , and ( under God ) his Conversion ? Would the Church of Rome , which approves of the Reitoration of the Service of the Dead for hundreds of years for the same Person , think it rational at the present , that any one of her children should promise himself the deliverance of his Friends in the turning of a man's Hand , and at so easie a rate , as a short Prayer , or the weeping of a quarter of an hour amounts to ? Thirdly , That he had not been able to forbear spending some part of that little time , which he had designed for his Tears , in fruitless bewailings of his own loss ; expressing the resentment he had conceived thereof by these words , I took a pleasure to weep concerning my self , and for my self ; as if it had been seasonable , even at the very Time , that he was ( as is pretended ) to represent to himself the extraordinaty Exigences of his Mother , to look another way , and make any reflection on his own concernments ? Fourthly , That he did not ( for ought appears to us ) engage himself , to any kinde of continuance , of either his Devotions , or his Tears , which he had kept in from the beginning , with a certain violence ; as conceiving an indignation , that the frailty of Nature tempted him to shed them ? Is it suitable to the Maxims of the Church of Rome , and the Practice of those of her Communion for some Ages past ; that a Childe , not without some trouble induced , either to bewail the misery of his Father , or to beg his deliverance out of it , shunning the performance of his Duty , assoon as he were obliged , should forbear applying any remedy thereto ? Yet is this the manner of proceeding , which , it seems , may be objected to St. Augustine . He had stay'd till the Night after his Mother's Death , e're he beset himself , either to do his Devotions , or Weep on her behalf ; he spent in that Exercise but a small part of an hour , and never ( that we could hear of ) offered to reiterate it that Night , or the next Day , or the days ensuing , but absolutely gave over , as if he had , with one word speaking , discharged all his Duty . And to represent his Action more truly , and naturally , I have used several Expressions , attributing to him , either Vows , or Devotions , or Tears ; in as much as these words , I took a pleasure to weep concerning her , and for her , do not necessarily signifie , I took a pleasure to pray for her ; but may bear this sence , I have wept for her sake , and deplored for her : not onely that she is Dead , but that she was forced to submit to the necessity of Dying , e're she had come near Old Age , viz. in her fifty sixth year : Secondly , That she died out of her Country ; and , Thirdly , Without any hope of being disposed into the Sepulchre she had prepared for her self at Tagaste . For , as all these Accidents were prejudicial to him , so might they well occasion Tears , yet he , that shed them , not be engaged to pray for her ; and , according to the Rule of Contraries , I see no more Reason to conclude , He wept for his Mother , therefore , He prayed for her , then that , when we read , that St. Chrysostome advises in several places to mourn for the Catechumens , who died in their Ignorance , any one should thence think to conclude , that he ( contrary to the intention of the Church ) ordered , that men should expiate their Crimes by Tears , and Prayers , that is to say , vainly attempt what is impossible . 'T is true , that most Divines , as well Antient , as Modern , acknowledg that David wept for his Son Absalon , and that so much the more bitterly , in as much as his affliction was ( in his judgment , at least ) beyond all consolation ; since that unhappy Parricide , pursued by the Wrath of God , and taken away by a violent Death , suitable to his Crime , was not capable of any assistance , either by his Prayers , or otherwise . But in regard St. Augustine c affirms of himself , that , at the hour of his Mother's Burial , the accustomed Service of the Church of his Time was celebrated , and , that he prayed to God , I am willing to grant , that he renewed his Supplications the Night following ; and that , when he says , He had wept for her , his meaning was to have it understood , that he had prayed for her weeping . So that , without debating the matter of Fact , and presupposing it such , as it may be pretended , it shall be my Business to observe ; First , That he neither thought , there should be any great accompt made of that kinde of Office , since he conceived he had discharged his Duty in the performance thereof ; though he had spent in it but a small part of an hour ; nor that there was any great necessity of it , since he continued it not ; nor that it was well-grounded , since he conceived there might be Sin in it , in as much as ( according to the true Belief of the Church of Rome ) he engaged himself to demand a thing already done ; praying for her , whom he esteemed ( as advanced to Glory ) not to stand in need thereof . To give this last Consideration its full Weight , and to raise it to an higher Pitch of Evidence , I am onely to produce what he adds immediately after , fastening his Discourse to the Time , when he Writ his Confessions . d Ego autem , &c. But ( now my heart being recovered of that Wound , for which it might be blamed of a carnal affection ) I pour out to thee , O our God , in the behalf of that thy Servant , a kinde of Tears far different ; which flow from a contrite Spirit , out of a consideration of the danger of every soul , that dies in Adam . Where I intreat the Reader to note , that he attributes to an Heart wounded with carnal affection , and such , as was worthy blame , the Tears he had shed for his Mother , the night after her Decease ; and that , making it his Business to give us a Relation of it , he was obliged to change his former Disposition , and all this no less , then nine years after that Accident ; in as much as his Mother died at Ostia on the fourth of May , 389. and was interred the same Day . Secondly , That the Night between the Fourth , and the Fifth , he wept concerning her , and for her . Thirdly , That in the year 389. ( according to the Observation we have of his own , in his Retractations ) he writ his Confessions , which he there acknowledges composed after his Questions dedicated to Simplicianus , already Arch-Bishop of Milan ; and who , ( according to the Antient Order of Ordinations ) could not , before Sunday , April the twelfth , the day of Quasi-modo , have taken the place of St. Ambrose ; who departed this World on Easter-Eve , April the fourth , 397. And whereas , after he had dried up his first Tears ; and recovered of the Wound of his Heart , whereof he had been his own accuser , in the beginning of the tenth year after his Mother's Death , he thought good to open another Source of Tears ; proposing to himself , with a compassionate Spirit , his deceased Mother exposed to some danger ; and withall , that it were neither just , nor becoming the respect we ow his Blessed Memory , uncircumspectly to impute to him what the Poet said of Persons in Love , that sibi somnia fingunt ; as if this Great Man , merely to exercise his Wit , coud have taken pleasure in imagining Accidents without any occasion , and feigning ( especially speaking to God ) what was not ; Let us see how far his Discourse may agree with his own Principles , and forbearing to interpose our Judgment in what concerns his manner of proceeding ) be content to receive it from himself , and absolutely to submit to his own Rules . In the first place , it is manifest , he admitted but two Receptacles for the Souls , that had left their Bodies ; for thus he determines , in the tenth Treatise upon the First Epistle according to St. John ; Ille , qui vixit , & morticus est , rapitur ad alia loca anima ipsius ; corpus ipsius ponitur in terra : an fian ▪ illa verba , an non fiant , non ad eam pertinet ; tamen aliud agit , aliud patitur ; aut in sinu Abrahae gaudet , aut in igne aeterno aquae modicum desiderat , &c. He , who hath been alive , is also dead , his Soul is carried away into other places , his Body is put into the Earth ; whether those words ( which he recommended , expiring ) come , or come not , to pass , does not concern him at all ; yet he does , or endures something , he either rejoyceth in Abraham's Bosom , or he begs a drop of Water in everlasting Fire . Now , as , according to this Doctrine , the two Conditions of eternal misery , and Abraham's Bosom , and everlasting Fire , are immediately opposite ; so is it necessary , that whoever departs this life , must immediately enter either into the Joy , which is unspeakable , and glorious , which shall never be taken away from him , or into a Misery incapable of Comfort , and such , as shall never end . Secondly , It is no less certain from the Testimony of St. Augustine formerly alledged , that Abraham's Bosom is the rest of the Blessed , where there is no place for Temptation . Thirdly , It is not possible , he should have thought his Mother , after her Departure , any where , but in Abraham's Bosom ; since he thought it not fit to celebrate her Funeral with Tears ; that he was of this Opinion , that she could not die miserably , or , rather , that she could not die at all ; that he acknowledged , that e being quickened , and renewed in Christ , she had so lived , as that the Name of God had been praised both in her Belief , and Life ; that he thought himself obliged to give God Thanks with Joy for her good actions ; that he numbered her among the Children of God , and Inhabitants of the Heavenly Jerusalem , who have the privilege to answer the Accuser , that their Debts are discharged , and who have done works of Mercy , and have freely from their hearts forgiven their Debtours . All this ( which cannot any way be contradicted ) presupposed , I ask , what Consideration of danger could prevail upon the Spirit of Saint Augustine to make him shed Tears for a Mother , whom he thought so dead in Adam , as that she rested in the Lord ; since that , if he conceived he ought to say , she was dead in Adam , in regard of the dissolution of her Body , he was withall as much obliged to confess , that she was also dead in the Lord , in as much , as she had ended her Life in the Faith of his Name ; and that the dissolution of her Body ( in some manner , changing its Nature ) was become to her an happy passage to the true Life of her Spirit , which he acknowledged had been before quickened in Christ , and by him discharged of all Sins ? For , what danger can there be for those , who , dying in the Lord , do ( according to the saying of the Holy Spirit ) thenceforth f rest from their labours ; Are not g the Gifts , and Calling of God without repentance ? And , as it is not possible h to separate from the love of God those , whom he hath loved in Jesus Christ ; so is it also true , that i None can pluck them out of his hand , nor lay any thing to their charge , nor condemn them ; and consequently ; that There is no condemnation for tham , that k They shall not see death ; and that l They are already passed from Death to Life . Saint Augustine confesses it , and proclaims it , saying , in the fourty eighth Treatise upon St. John , Quid potest Lupus ? &c. What can the Wolf do ? What can the Thief , and Robber , do ? They destroy onely those , that are predestinated to Death , &c. Of those Sheep ( such as was , according to his own description , his good Mother , St. Monica ) neither shall they be the prey of the Wolf , nor shall the Thief take them away , nor the Robber kill any of them ; he , who knows what they cost him , is secure as to their Number . I most willingly acknowledg , that the ensuing Considerations of St. Augustine are most just , and well-grounded ; Non audeo dicere , &c. I dare not affirm ; that from the time , that thou didst regenerate her by Baptism , there issued no word out of her mouth against thy Commandment ; and it is said by thy Son , who is Truth it self , that , If any one call his Brother Fool , he shall be guilty of Hell-fire ; nay , wo be even to those , who lead commendable lives , if thou examine them without Mercy . For , since St. John protests of himself , and all the Faithfull , m If we say , that we have no sin , we deceive our selves , and the truth is not in us , and we make God a Lyar ; since the Prophet ( to whose Oracle St. Augustine expresly refers himself ) cryes out , n Enter not into Judgment with thy Servant ; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified ; since Job , a man ( according to the judgment of God himself ) upright , and just , fearing God , and shunning evil , since Job , I say , being come to himself , found himself obliged to make this humble Confession o I have uttered that I understood not , &c. wherefore I abhor my self , that I spoke in that manner , and repent in Dust , and Ashes ; who would be so far out of himself as to deny , either of St. Monica , or any other of the Blessed Saints , that he ever sinned in speaking against the Commandment of God , since his Baptism , or imagine , that his Life in the profession of Christianity hath been so perfect , as might stand to the disquisition of a judgment without mercy ? But , allowing all the pious , and necessary Considerations made by St. Augustine upon the course of his Mother's Life , I am still to seek , and cannot finde the reason of the Consequence , he would have drawn thence , to think himself obliged , as one shaken by the fear of some imminent danger , to pray for her , who ( by his own confession ) had obtained a discharge for all her sins , and ( as St. Cyprian said of all the Faithfull ) delivered out of the Tempests of this world , had reached the Haven of eternal safety . Nay , what sin soever she might be supposed to have committed after her Baptism , having seriously repented of it , and deplored her condition with a faithfull recourse to the p good Ointment of Christ , q whose Blood ( as St. John declares ) cleanseth us from all Sin , her r Conscience being purged by that precious Blood , and fully purified from dead Works , is so absolutely discharged in the sight of God , as St. Augustine himself , expounding the Words of St. John , acknowledges ; saying , s Magnam securitatem dedit Deus , &c. God hath given us a great assurance , with good reason is it , that we celebrate the Pasch ; since the Blood of our Lord , whereby we are cleansed from all sin hath been shed ( for us ) let us fear nothing : The Devil kept the Writing of Slavery against us ; but it hath been cancelled by the Blood of Christ , &c. If , through the infirmity of Life , sin hath crept unawares upon thee , discover it immediately , be offended at it immediately , condemn it immediately , and , when thou shalt have condemned it , thou wilt come confidently before the Judg : there thou hast an Advocate , be not afraid to lose the Cause of thy Confession . Since then St. Monica expired , t recommending her Soul to her faithfull Creatour , and imploring his Mercy through the eternal Merit of that blessed Blood , the v pure Oblation whereof had already washed off her Original Sin , and consecrated her for ever , nothing could hinder her from going with a joyfull Heart , and certainty of Faith , towards the Holy Places , into which that truly-divine blood had purchased her the Privilege to enter . Nor indeed could St. Augustine , who had not ( when she dislodged out of the Body , to be with Christ ) any just cause of fear , conceive ( nine years after her admittance to the fruition of her happiness ) any necessity of requiring on her Behalf ; that God would forgive her Sins , that he would not enter into Judgment with her , that he would glorify his Mercy above his Judgment , and , in a word , do what was already done . And indeed he immediately acknowledges as much ; ingenuously saying , Et , credo , jam feceris , quod te rogo ; sed voluntaria oris mei approba , Domine , &c. And I believe , thou hast already done what I intreat thee to do ; but yet approve , O Lord , this Prayer , which so willingly I make . Thus we see ( by his own Confession ) what Office St. Augustine undertook to render his Mother ; amounting to no more , then a demand , purely arbitrary of what had been accomplished before , and which , for that reason , was not to be demanded . But what moved him , after so long time , to make such earnest , and particular requests for his Mother , who had always , from her Infancy , been an Example of a rare , and constant Virtue ; and who had been enflamed with so great Zeal for Piety , that she had gained to the Lord her whole House ; not to say ought of his Father , who had been a man of a turbulent Humour , and so little inclined to Godliness , that he could not be won to embrace Christianity , till towards his last days ? Not to make any mention of him , I say ; but onely occasionally , and by the way , with this little Expression , which shews , that he thought him in Happiness , May she be in peace with her Husband ; was Patricius more assured in the Possession of Peace , and did he stand less in need of the Suffrages of his Son ; then Monica , who had ever excelled him in good Endowments , and had been the Instrument of his Conversion to God ? I answer , that St. Augustine , who hath given such a particular accompt of the different Dispositions of his Parents , could not have fallen into so great an Errour , as to imagine his Prayers more necessary for his Mother , then for his Father ; who , having been less recommendable , should seem to stand in greatest need thereof ; and that he was induced to make particular Addresses for his Mother , was not ( as might be imagined ) out of any compliance with the general Custom of the Church of his Time , which being of equal Obligation towards all ) would as well have obliged him to speak of his Father , as to make mention of his Mother ; but in obedience to the command , which his Mother had , expiring , lay'd upon him , and the desire he had to submit to her last Will , whereof he would rather be an Executour , then a Censour . This desire , I say , prevailing with him , above all other Considerations , he not onely thought it a kinde of pleasure to weep for her , the night after her Departure , but nine years after , engaging himself to Write the History thereof , and to give an accompt of her last Words . Which the more fully to satisfy , he gave way to a tenderness so great , as if he represented her to himself in some danger , that he might accordingly address to God the same Supplications , as might be made for those , who were still engaged in the Combats of this Life ; though he confessed withall , they had already been accomplished . Then calling to minde the last Command he had received from her , that was long before dead ( not questioning , whether it were then seasonable to do what he did ) he conformed himself thereto , as before , and at last required his Readers to undertake ( in what time , or place soever ) the execution thereof . With a design therefore to give an accompt of his Prayer , viz. that the Lord would vouchsafe to accept the voluntary Words , or Offerings , of his mouth ; he adds , Namque illa , imminente die , &c. For she , whom the day of her Death drew near , desired not , that her Body might be sumptuously adorned , or enbalmed with Spices , and Odours ; nor desired she any curious , or choice Monument , or cared she to be conveyed into her Native Countrey . These things she recommended not to us ; but onely desired to be remembred at thy Altar , &c. Let nothing separate her from thy Protection ; Let not the Lion , and Dragon , either by force , or fraud interpose himself between thee , and her . For she will not answer , that she hath no Sin , lest she be convinced , and overcome by that crafty Accuser ; but she will answer , that her sins are forgiven by him , to whom no Creature can repay what he lai'd out for us , whilest himself owed nothing . Let her therefore rest in pe●cewith her Husband , &c. And inspire , O Lord , my God , inspire thy servants , my Brethren ; thy Children , my Lords ( whom with Heart and Tongue , and Pen I serve ) that whosoever reads these Confessions , may , at thy Altar , remember thy servant Monica , with Patricius her Husband , through whom thou broughtest me into the world , though in what sort I know not . Let them with a Pious Affection remember those , who were my Parents in this transitory life , and who were my Brethren in respect of thee , who art our common Father in the Catholick Church our Mother , and who are to be my Fellow-Citizens in the eternal Jerusalem ; for which the Pilgrimage of thy People doth groan from their Birth unto her Death ; that what she made her last desire to me , may be more abundantly performed to her , through the Prayers of many , as well by means of these my Confessions , as particular Prayers . I have hitherto alledged the Words of St. Augustine , which justify , in the first Place , That the onely Motive , which had in the year 398. prevailed with him to make Prayers for his Mother , Dead nine years before , and from that time ( according to his own Presuppositions ) in Happiness , was onely the Injunction she had , at her Death , lai'd upon him to remember her . Secondly , That these Prayers ( by his own Confession ) neither were , nor could be of any necessity , or benefit to her ; for whom they were , or might be made : since she had reason to answer the Accuser , That her Debts were discharged , and accordingly she had nothing to fear , as to the Consequences thereof . For , who can be separated from the Protection of God , but by Sin , which alone ( according to the Saying of the Prophet Esay ) does properly make a separation between man , and his God ; causing him to hide his face , and not to hear , that he might protect ? But can Sin ( which hath no longer being , assoon as it is once expiated , and discharged ) any way prejudice him , who hath been once delivered from it ? Or , is any man able to conceive , that what is not , is , or may be cause of any thing : since that to be Cause does not onely imply Being ; but , in some manner , both Being , and Activity ? Who is so much liable to the interposition of the Lion , and Dragon , to endure the open Ravage of his Violences , and the secret mischief of his Ambushes , as he , who ( like an undischarged Debtour ) is dragged before the dreadfull Tribunal of God's avenging Justice ? Can Debts ( of what nature soever they are ) be Legally exacted of those , who are ( by the Acquittance of the Creditour ) absolutely discharged ? Are they , in fine , to fear any Unhappiness , whose x Sins our Lord bore in his own Body upon the Tree , and y blotted out the Hand-writing that was against them ? Thirdly , That the Church of Rome ( in whose Communion there is not any one , that prays for St. Monica , whom the said Church hath taken out of their Rank , for whose benefit she designs her Suffrages , to raise her into the Sphear of z Glorious Spirits , whose Intercession she begs ; however she may make a great stir about the Example of St. Augustine ) does not onely not satisfy the Intreaty of that Great man any more , then the Protestants , whom she accuses , as desertours of the antient Tradition : but conceives it neither just , nor rational , to satisfy it . And , as she does not think her self guilty of any breach of Duty in forbearing to pray for St. Monica ; because she accompts her to be in Bliss , and ( as such ) not in a capacity to receive the assistance of the Living in their Prayers ; nor that they should ( according to the desire of St. Augustine ) expect inspirations from God , such as might incline them to demand things already done , and undertake what she conceives neither rational , nor feasable : so the Protestants ( who in this particular are the more willing to follow his Sentiment , the more consonant they finde it to the Word of God , and to Reason ) cannot ( whatever the Church of Rome may say to insinuate the contrary ) be perswaded , they err in not-acknowledging any Object of Religious Adoration ( however it may be conceived ) other then a God alone , Father , Son , and Holy Ghost , blessed for ever , according as the Church of Rome , her self , expresses it in the first of her Commandments , b One onely God shalt thou adore ; nor any Advocate properly so called , other then him , who is proposed to all Christians by St. John , as a c propitiation for the sins of all the World. For , as they have learn'd of St. Paul , that d there is one Mediatour between God and men , the Man Christ Jesus , who gave himself a ransom for all ; whence Avitus , Arch-Bishop of Vienna inferred , e That if our Saviour was not , according to his Humane Nature , taken into the Unity of Person , Father's Hand-writing against us . They religiously stand to the Protestation made by the Primitive Christians concerning their Martyrs , viz. f We adore him , who is the Son of God , but we love ( according as it is required of us ) the Martyrs , as Disciples , and Imitatours of our Lord , and Saviour : and to that of St. Augustine , g We honour the Martyrs by a Worship of Dilection , and Society ; by which the Holy men of God are in this life also honoured . Whence they conclude , That ( according to the common Sentiment of the purest part of Antiquity ) there cannot be done to the Citizens of the Jerusalem , that is on high , any Honour , but what may be called a civil Honour , or of Society , Whether they are actually received into that blessed Habitation , or are in their way thereto ; that they have been , and ever shall be , entertained there , immediately upon their departure out of this World , and that the honourable Solemnities , which accompany their Bodies , when they are deposited in the Earth , never had any Ceremony , which served not to demonstrate the assurance , and joy , which the surviving had conceived of their happy Condition . CHAP. XXXVIII . The Sentiment of the Protestants confirmed by the Eloges antiently bestowed on the Faithfull departed . THe same thing may be said of the Eloges , wherewith the worthy Persons of Antiquity have honoured the Memory of those , for whom the Custom would have Prayers made . Eusebius , a speaking of the Death of Helene , who died on the eighteenth of August , about the year 330. saith , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. She was called to a better Lot , &c. So that those , who had a right Sentiment , justly conceived , that that thrice-happy ( Lady ) should not die ; ( but to say the Truth ) expect the Exchange , and Translation of a Terrestrial life into a Celestial . Her Soul therefore returned to the Principle thereof , being received into an incorruptible , and Angelical Essence near her Saviour . And of Constantine , who ( preparing himself for Death ) protested of himself , that b he was making haste , and that he would no longer delay his departure towards his God , he affirms , that on Sunday , May 22.th 337. being Whit sunday , c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. He was gathered to God , leaving to Mortals what was of the same Nature with them ; and , as for himself , uniting to God whatever his Soul had , that was Intellectual , and beloved of God. Then , representing the common Belief of all the Subjects of the Empire concerning his Beatitude , he adds , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Having framed a figure of Heaven , in a draught , in colours , they painted him above the Celestial Vaults resting in an heavenly Mansion , &c. d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. They graved his Effigies upon Medals , having on one side the Pourtraiture of the Blessed ( Emperour ) with his ●…ead veiled , and on the Reverse , the same , mounted on a Chariot , drawn by four Horses , as if he drove it , raised into the Seat by an hand reached forth to him from heaven on the right side : which Description might as well relate to the carrying up of Elias , rather then to the Apotheoses of the Heathens ; which Constantine , upon his embracing of Christian Religion , had absolutely renounced . Saint Athanasius , who observes , that St. Anthony had seen the Monk Ammonius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , raised from the Earth , and the great joy of those , that came to meet him ; affirms ; that on the seventeenth of January 358. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As having seen friends coming towards him , and filled with joy because of them , he fainted . The same St. Athanasius ( making a Relation of the wicked attempt of Magnentius upon the Life of Constans , who was murthered on the eighteenth of January , 350. and numbring that Prince among the Martyrs ) hath these remarkable Words , e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , That to the Blessed ( Man ) proved the occasion of his Martyrdom . St. Gregory Nazianzene represents in Celestial Glory Constantius ; who , after he had , through misapprehension , persecuted the Orthodox , died on the third of November , 361. f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. I know , that he is above our Reprehension ; having obtained a place with God , and possession of the Inheritance of the Glory , which is there , and transported to such a distance from us , as the Translation from one Kingdom to another amounts unto . The same St. Gregory saies of his Brother , Caesarius , who died on the 25.th of February , about the year 369. g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. He receives the Rewards of his new-created Soul , which the Spirit had reformed by Water . And of his Sister , Gorgonia , who died not long after , viz. on the ninth of December , 372. h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. The things , which are now present to thee , are much more precious , then those , which are seen ; The noise of those , which make a Feast , the Quires of the Angels , the Order of Heaven , the contemplation of Glory , and , more then all this , the Irradiation of the Trinity , which is above all things , and of all things the most pure , and most perfect . And ●f St. Athanasius , who died May the second , 371. i That thou wouldest he pleased to look on us from on high . Of Gregory , his Father , who died the year following , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Make known unto us in what place of Glory thou art , and the light , which encompasseth thee . Of his dear Friend , St. Basil , who died January the first , 378. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , He is now in Heaven . St. Gregory Nyssenus , of St. Ephraim , who died on the 28th of the same Moneth of January , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. He expired in the quiet Haven of the Eternal Kingdom , and is kindly received into it : But where otherwise may it be conjectured , that his Soul hath been deposited , if not ( as indeed it is manifest ) in the Celestial Tabernacles , where are the Batallions of Angels , a Populace of Patriarchs , Quires of Prophets , the Thrones of the Apostles , the Joy of the Martyrs , the Exultation of Saints , the Splendour of the Doctours , the Assembly of the First-born , the perfect Noise of those , that are a Feasting ? To those good things , in which the Angels desire to rest themselves , that they may see them , into that sacred place , the most blessed in all kinds , and most holy soul of our Blessed , and worthy-to-be-celebrated Father is passed . Of the great Meletius , Arch-Bishop of Antioch , who died on the twelfth of February , 381. before he could have enjoyed the Communion of Rome ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. No longer , as through a Glass , and obscurely ; but face to face , he prays to God. Of Pulcheria , Daughter to the Emperour THEODOSIUS ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 She was transferred from one Kingdom to another . Of Flavilla , first - Wife to the same Prince , who died in the year 385. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Her conversation is in the Royal Palaces of Heaven . St. Ambrose , of his Brother , Satyrus ; who dyed September the seventeenth , 383. De istius Beatitudine dubitare nequaquam debemus , &c. We ought not to doubt of his Beatitude . Of the Emperour VALENTINIAN the Second , two Moneths after his Assàssination , which happened on Saturday , Whitsun-Eve , May the fifteenth , 382. before that Prince had received Baptism ; Ille etiam talis , ut ei nihil timeatis , &c. He is now in such a condition , that you need not fear what may happen to him , as before , &c. I ask , whether there be any Sentiment after death , or not ? If there be , he lives ; or rather , because he lives , he is already in possession of Eternal Life , &c. That he was so soon snatched from us , we are to grieve ; that he is passed into a better Estate , it should be our comfort , &c. Thou lookest on us , Holy Soul , from an high place , as casting thy sight on things , that are below , &c. Now , borrowing light from the Sun of Righteousness , thou enjoyest a clear day , &c. His going hence was most noble , as a Flight into Heaven , &c. What thou hast sown upon Earth , reap it there , &c. The stain of Sin being done off , he , whom his Faith washed , his Prayer consecrated , is gone up cleansed into Heaven , &c. joyned with his Brother ( Gratian ) he enjoyes the pleasures of eternal Life , &c. Of the Emperour THEODOSIUS , who dyed January the seventeenth , 395. Regnum non deposuit , sed mutavit , &c. He hath not layd by , but exchanged the Royal Dignity : being admitted , by the Prerogative of Piety , into the Tabernacles of Christ , into that Jerusalem , which is above ; where being now placed , he saith , k As we have heard , so have we seen in the City of the LORD of Hosts , &c. Having gone through a doubtfull combat , Theodosius , of famous Memory , does now enjoy perpetual Light , and a Tranquility of long continuance , and hath the self-satisfaction of what he did in his ●…ly , in the Fruits of divine remuneration , &c. He hath deserved admittance into the Society of the Saints , &c. His abode is in light , &c. He is over-joyed to be in the Assemblies of the Saints , &c. There he now embraces Gratian , &c. Who enjoyes the rest of his Soul , &c. Being pious , he hath passed from the obscurity of this World to eternal Light , &c. Now does he know , that he reigns ; since that he is in the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus , and considers his Temple , &c. Constantinople , thou art evidently happy , who receivest a Guest of Paradise , and shalt entertain in the narrow Inn of a Sepulchre , an Inhabitant of that City , which is on high , &c. And of Ascholius , Arch-Bishop of Thessalonica , who dyed about the year 385. Est Superorum incola , possessor civitatis aeternae , illius Hierusalem , quae in caelo est , videt illis facie ad faciem , &c. He is an Inhabitant of the places which are above , a Possessour of the Eternal City , of that Jerusalem , which is in Heaven , there he sees face to face . St. Hierome , of Blaesilla , who died in the year 382. l Postquam , sarcinâ carnis abjectâ , &c. Having layd down its burthen of Flesh , the Soul is fled back to her Authour ; after a long Pilgrimage , she is ascended into her antient possession , &c. Me-thought , then ( when her Coffin was making ready ) she cryed from Heaven , I know not those Garments , that Covering is not mine , &c. Blaesilla now followeth Jesus , she is now in the society of the holy Angels , &c. She is passed from Darkness to Light , &c. She lives with Christ in the Heavens , &c. Of Lea , who died March the two and twentieth , 384. m Universorum gaudiis prosequenda , &c. She is to be attended with the joy of all , who , having trod Satan under foot , hath received the Crown of Security , &c. For a short trouble , she now enjoyes eternal Beatitude ; she is received into the Quires of Angels , she is cherished in the Bosom of Abraham , &c. she follows Christ , and saith , n All the things , which we have heard of , the same we have also seen in the City of our God , &c. Of Nepotianus , a Priest of Altinum , who died in the year 397. o Scimus Nepotianum nostrum esse cum Christo , & Sanctorum mixtum Choris , &c. Corpus terra suscepit , anima Christo reddita est , &c. We know that our ( Friend ) Nepotianus is with Christ , and among the Quires of the Saints , &c. The Earth received his Body , his Soul was restored to Christ , &c. And of Paulina , the Wife of Pammachius , departed this life in the year 393. p Illa ( Blaesilla ) cum sorore Paulina dulci somno fruitur ; tu , duarum medius , leviùs ad Christum subvolabis , &c. Blaesilla , with her Sister Paulina , rests in a quiet sleep ; thou , being between both , shalt have a more easie flight to Christ , &c. Of Paula , the Mother of Blaesilla , and Paulina , departed in Beth-lehem , on the twenty eighth of January , 404. q Fides , & opera tua , Christo te sociant ; praesens quod postulas , facilius impetrabis , &c. Thy Faith , and Works associate thee to Christ ; being present ( O Paula ) thou shalt more easily obtain what thou desirest , &c. Aspices angustum praecisâ rupe Sepulchrum ? Hospitium Paulae coelestia regna tenentis , &c. Seest thou a Rock t' a narrow Coffin hewn ? 'T is Paula's Mansion , who to Heav'n is flown . Of Lucinus , departed about the year 410. r Obsecro te , &c. I beseech thee , Theodorus , that thou wouldest bewail thy Lucinius as a Brother ; yet so , as to rejoyce withall , that he reigns with Christ , &c. Confident , and Conquerour , he looks from on high , &c. Of Fabiola , departed in the year 401. s Depositâ tandem sarcinâ , levior volavit ad Caelum , &c. Having lay'd down her burthen , she is fled with more ease towards heaven . Saint Chrysostome of Berenice , and Prosdoce , who were drowned during the Persecution ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Moreover , these were with the Souldiers of Christ , the heavenly Angels . Of Pelagia , who had cast her self down Headlong ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. She ran , not towards the top of a mountain , but towards the highest heaven , &c. The threatning of the Judg , &c. pressed her to flie with greater haste towards heaven , &c. She went out of her Chamber , out of the Woman's Closet , into another Chamber , that is to say , heaven , &c. Which is as much , as he could have said , and what he had said in substance , of the greatest Martyrs , St. Ignatius of Antioch , St. Romanus , St. Julian , St. Juventinus , St. Maximus , and others , whose Elogies he writ . The same St. Chrysostome says also of Philogonius , Arch-Bishop of Antioch , deceased the twentieth of December , about the year 322. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Ascending into heaven , he hath no need of the Praises of men ; since he is gone to a greater , and more happy portion , &c. He is transferred to the Society of Angels , &c. Of Eustathius , who had held the same See , and died about the year 359. upon the sixteenth of July , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Transferred to heaven , he is gone towards Jesus , whom he had desired ; and almost in the same Terms of Meletius , his Ordinary , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is gone towards Jesus , whom he had desired . St. Augustine , of Verecundus , who had entertained him , and all his Company , at his Countrey-House , t Retribues illi , Domine , in resurrectione Justorum ; quia jam ipsam sortem retribuisti ei , &c. O Lord , thou shalt reward him in the Resurrection of the Just ; because thou hast already cast that Lot upon him And of Nebridius , who was come out of Africk into Italy , to live with him ; Nunc ille vivit in sinu Abrahae , &c. Now he lives in Abraham ' s Bosom ( whatsoever it be , that is understood by that Bosom , ) There my Nobridius lives , that dear Friend of mine , and thy adopted Son , O Lord , who had once been a Bond-slave , but was after freed . There he liveth ; for what other place can be fit for such a Soul ? In that place he liveth , whereof he was wont to ask me , miserable , and unexperienced man , so many Questions . Now he no longer laies his Ear to my Mouth ; but applies his spiritual mouth to thy Spring , and drinks Wisdom after the rate of his greedy Thirst , happy to all Eternity . Paulinus , of Rusina , the Wife of Alethius ; Habes jam in Christo magnum tui pignus , &c. Thou hast already in Christ a great pledge of thy self , an earnest Suffr age , thy . Wife , who prepares as much favour for thee in the Heavenly Places , as thou furnishest her with abundance from those upon Earth , &c. She abounds , by the supplies of thy Wealth , being clad in a Golden Vesture , and cloathed all over with variety , viz. precious light , &c. Paulinus , the African , of St. Ambrose ; Ubi corpus Domini accepit , &c. After be had received the u Body of our Lord , he gave up the Ghost , taking along with him a good provision , that his Soul , being more refreshed by the strength of that Viand , should be now rejoycing in the Society of Angels , and Elias , whose Life he lived here . Sulpicius Severus , of St. Martin , who died on Sunday , November the eleventh , 400. Spiritum coelo reddidit , &c. He resigned his Spirit to Heaven , &c. There was an holy rejoycing at his Glory , &c. The Heavenly Company , singing Hymns , accompanies the Body of the Blessed man to the place of his Enterment , &c. Martin hath the Acclamations of divine Psalms ; Martin is honoured with Ecclesiastical Hymns , &c. Martin is entertained with joy in Abraham ' s Bosom ; Martin , who had been here poor ; and beggarly , enters Rich into Heaven , &c. And , it is to be noted , by the way , that that Great Man , a little before he gave up the Ghost , had answered those , who would have had him to lie on his side , Sinite me , Fratres , coelum potius respicere , quàm terram , ut suo jam itinere , iturus ad Dominum , Spiritus dirigatur . Suffer me , Brethren , rather to look up towards Heaven , then down upon the ground ; that my Spirit , which is now taking its journey to God , may be directed in its way . Palladius writes of St. Chrysostome , who dyed November the seventh , 407. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , Passing hence to Christ , &c. Ennodius , Bishop of Pavia , of Epiphanius , his Praedecessour , deceased January the twenty first , 496. Cùm beatissimus cerneret Pontifex , &c. The blessed Prelate , seeing , &c. that he was ready to fly to the pure brightness of Heaven , &c. assured of his perfection , he added , My heart is confirmed in the Lord , &c. So , as that heavenly Soul , resounding with Hymns , and Songs , even at the point of Death , returned to her Lord , &c. He , whose departure we bewail upon Earth , is in possession of the high places with God , &c. And of Anthony , the Hermit of Valtelina , afterwards a Monk in the Monastery of Lerina , deceased December the twenty eighth , 488. Mundi istius sarcinam deponens , &c. Laying down the burthen of this World , and having overcome the Ambushes laid by the craft of the old Serpent , he hath exchanged our day , and the light of this present World , for that , which is perpetual . If the Harmony of all these Testimonies , which have been produced , suffice not to satisfie , and perswade the most-prepossessed Spirits , that the most eminent , and best-informed Antiquity ( reforming the Opinion , which the Sibylline Writing , falsly so called , had introduced among Christians , hath unanimously embraced , and constantly taught the Protestants the Sentiment , which they , with one accord , follow , concerning the State of the Faithfull departed in Jesus Christ ; it were no hard matter for them to make a more ample Production of Instances ; since that , in a manner , all we have left , of the Lives of Persons , who have made profession of Piety , assures us , that all , without any distinction ; Martyrs , Confessours , Prelates , Religious Persons , Laicks , &c. even to the Catechumens , whom an invincible necessity deprived of the Baptism , they had earnestly desired , were , upon their dissolution translated to Heaven , where they have been , and still are in Rest , Happiness , and Glory , expecting the Resurrection of the Bodies , they have deposited in Earth . And as we might justly rely on the grave Remonstrance , which Saint Hierome made above one thousand , two hundred , and seventy years ago , even in Rome it self , to Paula , excessively lamenting the death of her Daughter Blaesilla ; speaking of himself , and of all Christians in general ; x Nos , quorum exitum Angelorum turba comitatur , quibus obviam Christus occurrit , gravamur magis , si diutiùs in isto mortis Tabernaculo habitamus , &c. In Jesu mortem gaudia prosequuntur , &c. We , whose Departure the Assemblies of Angels accompany , whom Christ comes to meet , are more grieved , that we dwell any longer in this Tabernacle of Death , &c. Joys attend the death , which is in Jesus , &c. So might we , with good reason , summon those , who hold the contrary , to let us know , what they have of greater Consequence , then the unanimous Consent of Eusebius's , Athanasius's , Gregory's , Ambrose's , Hierome's , Chrysostome's , &c. and might induce them not to embrace it , and force us to change our Opinion . CHAP. XXXIX . The same Sentiment further confirmed from Sepulchral Inscriptions . BUt though we should be willing ( out of a Design to gratify our Adversaries ) not to bring into any accompt at all the Depositions of all these Great Persons , and make a voluntary loss of their Writings , and Judgments , yet would the Epigrams , and Inscriptions of antient Monuments , which Rome , and her Correspondents , preserve for us , be enough to keep us from falling into so great a weakness , as the renouncing of our present Opinion , concerning the State of the Faithfull departed . Nay , though all the Doctours of the Church were silent , and their Testimonies cast out of all respect , the Stones ( as long as they shall remain ) will not cease publishing , and that very loudly , the truth of the perswasion maintained by us . Let us then consult those half consumed Epitaphs , a which the Providence of God hath made to triumph over so many ruins , and make our advantage of the hardness of Marbles , which have hitherto stood out against the injury of Times , to confound the insensibility of those , who seem desirous injuriously to smother a most evident Truth . Let us propose it to their own Consciences , whether it be not a very strong presumption against them , that not any one of those Antient Inscriptions , whereof they are the Preservers , and Admirers , can , without violence , be applied to their Sentiment , and that all of them presuppose ours , which yet they charge ( I know not upon what accompt ) with Novelty . Which to make so much the more manifest , I shall begin with the most simple , which I shall reduce into Classes , alledging of every one some Instance ; then conclude with those , which , being of greater length , make a clearer discovery of the Design of their Authours . The Book , entituled Roma Subterranea , in as much as it contains a Description of the Vaults , and Cemiteries , digged under ground in , and about , that City , furnishes us with about ninety Examples of Epitaphs , which say simply , In Pace , &c. In Peace , as that of Proclus , Interred under the eighth Consulship of Honorius , that is to say , in the year 409. that of Hilara , deceased under the Consulship of Opilio , that is to say , in the year 453. those of Crescentina , Honoraius , Pelagia , Ulpius Festus , Quartina , &c. Others had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a Place of Rest . As that of Ammonius , and of Eutyches ; Locus GerontI Presbyteri , &c. The Place of Gerontius the Priest , deceased the seventeenth of June , under the Consulship of Avitus ; that is to say , in the year 456. Hîc habet sedem Leo Presbyter , &c. The Priest Leo hath his Seat here . Others , which in some sort savour of the Style of the Heavens . As Domus aeterna Ex. & Tyres in Pace , &c. The eternal house of Ex. and Tyre in peace : and that of Valeriana in like manner . Others had onely this word Quiescit , &c. He rests . As that of Victoria , that of Pancratius the Bishop , deceased in the year 493. and that of Alix , the Daughter of Pipin , Interred at St. Arnoul-de-Mets . Or Requiescit , which signifies the same thing . As that of Gordianus , Interred the ninth of September , under the Consulship of Symmachus ; that is to say , in the year 485. That of Aemiliana , Interred the eleventh of October , under the Consulship of Probinus , viz , in the year 489. That of Pelagius the First , deceased the fourth of March , 558. That of Augustine , Arch-Bishop of Canterbury , deceased the twenty fifth of May , 604. That of Boniface the Fourth , deceased the eighth of May , 614. That of Theodore , who died in the year 619. That of Theobald , Bishop of Ostia . That of Roderick last King of the West-Goths , in Spain , who died on Sunday the eleventh of November , 714. That of Alcuin , deceased the nineteenth of May 804. That of b Bernard King of Italy , deceased April the 17 th . 871. and Interred at Milan , that of the Abbot Vintila , deceased at Leon , the three and twentieth of December , in the year 928. Others , Quievit , &c. He is at rest . As that of Susanna deceased the seven and twentieth of July , under the Consulship of Caesarius , and Atticus , in the year 397. Or Requievit : as that of Leo the Neop●yte , deceased the four and twentieth of June , under the Consulship of Philippus , and Sallea , in the year 348. and that of Leontius , the Spanyard , deceased the four and twentieth of June , 510. Others , Depositus , &c. He is left as a Pledge , &c. As those of Macedonia , and Fortunula . Others , Quiescet in pace , &c. He shall rest in Peace . As that of Marinus , deceased the thirtieth of November , under the Consulship of Arbaethio , and Lollianus , in the year 355. Others , Requiescet in pace ; which signifies the same thing : as that of Felix . Others , Requievit in pace , &c. He is at rest in peace : as that of Litorius , deceased at Talabriga , or Talavera della Reina , the four and twentieth of June , in the year of the Aera 548 , or 510 of Christ . That of Primus , deceased at Evora , the thirteenth of March , according to the Aera 582. or 544 of Christ . That of Paulina , deceased the eighteenth of November , under the Consulship of Datianus , and Cerealis , in the year 318. That of Andrew of Cajeta , deceased the nineteenth of October , 585. That of Ermengarda , deceased the twentieth of March , 852. Others , Quiescit in pace , &c. He rests in peace . As those of Donatus , Principalis , Januarius , Gabinia , Cutinus , Jobinus ; and that of Celerinus , deceased under the seventh Consulship of Valentinian with Avienus , in the year 450. That of Paulus , deceased the twelfth of March , in the year of the Aera 582. which comes to the year of our Saviour 544. The Acrostick of the Epitaph of Florentinus , Abbot of Sainte Croix d'Arles , deceased the twelfth of April , 553. Others , Requiescit in pace ; which is the same : as that of Tarreses , under the fourth Consulship of Theodosius , in the year 411. That of Praetextatus , the eleventh of October , under the Consulship of Festus , in the year 472. That of Paula , under the Consulship of Venantius , in the year 508. That of Processus , the twenty fifth of May , under the Consulship of Probus , in the year 513. That of Petronius , under the Consulship of Probinus , in the year 489. That of Sabinus , under the Consulship of Symmachus , and Boëthius , in the year 522. That of Romulus , the twelfth of September , under the Consulship of Lampadius , and Orestes , in the year 530. That of Thaumasta , December the twelfth , Indict . 11. two years after , viz. 532. That of Dausdet , the seventeenth of April , after the Consulship of Paulinus , in the year 535. That of Fausta , Wife of Cassius , Bishop of Narni , deceased the thirtieth of June , 558. That of Concordia , deceased the thirteenth of September , Indiction 4. in the fourth year of Mauricius ; that is to say , in the year 586. Others , Depositus in pace : He is deposited , or , Left as a Pledge in peace . As that of Susanna , under the Consulship of Bassus , and Philippus , in the year 408. That of Albina , deceased the thirteenth of October , under the Consulship of Taurus , and Felix , in the year 428. That of Timothea , the first of November , under the Consulship of Avitus , in the year 456. That of Petronia , October the fifth , under the Consulship of Festus , in the year 472. That of Exuperantia , under the Consulate of Festus the Younger , in the year 490. That of Boëtius , October 25 th . 557. Those of Simplicius , Venerianus , Paulus , Innocentius , Viventius , Honorius , Quintianus , Alypia , Abundantius , &c. Others , Positus in pace ; Lay'd in peace : as that of Bonifacius . Others , Defunctus in pace , &c. He is deceased in peace : as those of ●lara , and Antiochianus . Others , Decessit in pace , &c. He is departed in peace : as those of Doxius , and Victorius . Others , Dormit in pace , &c. He sleepeth in peace : as that of Felicitas , and her Son ; those of Sabbatius , Heraclius , Respectus . Others , Requiescit in somno pacis , &c. Heresteth in the sleep of Peace : as that of Mala , deceased June the tenth , under the Consulship of Aetius , in the year 432. Others , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jacet in pace , &c. He is layed in peace : as that of Matrona , deceased May the fourteenth , under the Consulship of Herculanus , in the year 452. That of Hygeia , &c. Others , Requiescit in Domino , &c. He resteth in the Lord : as that of Gerontius the Priest , deceased under the Consulship of Avitus , and cited by Cardinal Baronius , under the year 456. § . 1. Others , Recessit in pace , &c. He is retired in peace : as that of Alexandria , deceased the twenty third of December , in the year of the Aera 503. concurrent with the year of our Lord 465. That of Paula , deceased January the seventeenth , in the year of the Aera 582. concurrent with the year of our Lord 544. and that of Gregory , deceased the fourth of February following . That of Julian , Bishop of Euora , deceased the first of December , in the year of the Aera 604. or the 566 of our Saviour . Others , Requievit in pace Domini , &c. He is at rest in the peace of the Lord : as that of Severus the Priest of Badajox , deceased October the twenty second , in the year of the Aera 622. or 584 of Christ . And that of a certain Inhabitant of Elvas , deceased February the eighteenth , in the year of the Aera 582. or of Christ 544. Others , Quietem accepit in Deo Patre nostro , & Christo ejus , &c. He hath taken his rest in God our Father , and his Christ : as that of Florentinus , cited by ●asius upon the Dialogues of Severus Sulpicius . Others , Requiescit , deposita in pace , &c. She rests , laid up as a pledge in peace : as that of Dativa , and Basilia . Others , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He goes before in peace : as that of Receptus . Others , Bene requiescit in pace , &c. He rests well in peace : as that of Pelagius , and another Anonymous one , to the same sence , Bene requiescit . Come we now to others , expressing somewhat of a more particular form , and humour ; as , Locus Sallii Pontii Jovini in Christo , &c. The place of Sallius Pontius Jovinus in Christ . Hîc pax quiescit Caucaridis , &c. Here resteth the peace of Caucaris . And this other , Expect at refrigeria , He looks for refreshments , &c. Again , Spiritus in bono : The spirit is in the enjoyment of good . Redempta Polyxene : Polyxena redeemed . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leo victorious in peace . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here lieth Paulina , in the place of the Blessed , &c. Deo semper unite Luci cum pace : Lucius , who art ever united to God with peace . There are some also , which contain Wishes : as , for instance , Optatus in pace requiescat ; May Optatus rest in peace . Refrigerii tibi donum potitus , &c. May the favour of refreshment be communicated to thee , &c. Regina , vivas in Domino Jesu , &c. Regina , mayest thou live in the Lord Jesus . Nay there were some contained Imprecations . Among others this , Malè pereat , insepultus jaceat , non resurgat , cum Juda partem habeat ; si quis sepulchrum hoc violaverit , &c. May he come to an ill-end , may be lie unburied , may he never rise again , may he have his portion with Judas ; whoever shall violate this Sepulchre . But , from these Wishes , cannot rationally be inferred either the delay , or total privation of their Felicity , on whose behalf they were conceived ; and the refreshment , in expectation whereof the Antients thought them to be , did not signifie their consolation in , or after the Pains of Purgatory , which the present Church of Rome imagines ; as if he , who said of his Friend , Expectat refrigeria , &c. He expects refreshments , had meant , that he was in hopes to obtain some diminution , or , haply , the absolute cessation of the Torments he endured , with some allusion to those , who , feeling the excessive Heat of Fire , wish , and hope for the respirations of a cooling , and temperate Air. On the contrary , ( according to the Romane Liturgy , which indefinitely , and without any exception , demands , for the Faithfull departed , locum refrigerii , &c. a place of refreshment ; expressly alluding to the Words of St. Peter , who called the Last day , c The times of refreshing , and of the restitution of all things : ) on the contrary , I say , the Person , so wishing , considered his Frien● , as aspiring to the plenary enjoyment of that happy State , whereof he expected the absolute accomplishment on the day of the general Resurrection , at the end of the World ; though he were already , by way of advance , possessed of the Earnest thereof , according to the Saying of the Authour of the Book of Wisdom , who affirms , that , d Though the righteous be prevented with death , yet shall he be in rest : where the Latine Version hath it , in refrigerio , &c. in a place of refreshment . Which shews , that the Interpreter had found in his Copy , not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( as the Text hath it ) but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so that , in the Discourses of the Antients , the begging of refreshments for their departed Friends could not signifie any other thing , then what is expressed in the Liturgy attributed to Saint James , in these words , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Do thou cause them to rest there , e in the Land of the living , in f thy Kingdom , in the g Delights of Paradise , in the h Bosoms of Abraham , Isaac , and Jacob , our Holy Fathers , i where trouble , and sorrow , and Lamentation have no place . Which indeed is no more , then is required in the Liturgy , which goes under the name of Saint Mark , and more at large in that , which is attributed to Saint Clement , and those of Saint Basil , and Saint Chrysostome ; all which concur in the demand of the Celestial Beatitude , which they design by the several Expressions used in the Scripture to represent it , and suppose , that God hath communicated it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , even there , where the departed Person , whose Memory is celebrated , hath been already placed . And in this sence is it confirmed by Tertullian , the most antient of the Latines ; who , speaking of Prayer for the dead , does , in the fourth Chapter De testimonio animae , call eternal Beatitude a refreshment ; and saith , Affirmamus expectare diem judicii , proque meritis , aut crucia●ui destinari , aut refrigerio , utrique sempiterno , &c. We affirm , that the Soul expects the day of Judgement , and that , according to her Works , she is destined either to Torment , or to Refreshment ; both which are eternal . Which had made so deep an Impression upon some mens spirits ; that , about the year 960. Hildegarius , Bishop of Limoges , Founder of the Abbey of St. Peter , protested , that the Motive of his Founding it was , Ut pius , & clementissimus Deus , in Die Judicii , refrigerium praestare dignetur , &c. That God , out of his compassion , and clemency , would be pleased to give ( to his own Soul , and those of his Friends ) refreshment , at the day of Judgment . Some conceive , that the Epitaphs , which run thus , In pace , &c. Quiescit in pace , &c. Depositus in pace , &c. Dormit in pace , &c. do not signifie , that the Departed Person is in absolute possession of that sovereign Peace , which is that of God ; but simply , that he departed in the Peace of the Church . For my part , I am willing to believe ; that those , who gave order for such Inscriptions , intended thereby to comprehend the Peace of the Church , remembring , that , as to be grafted into the Body of the visible Church is naturally an external mark of the Believer's admission into the society of the Saints , whose Names are written in Heaven ; so the participation of her Peace is many times a Pledge of the Peace of God. But it is impossible , it should be the intention of the Authours of those an●ient Epitaphs , to speak of the Peace of the Church ; and to insinuate , that the Faithfull departed were not ( when God called them out of this world ) excommunicated . And that for these reasons : First , These very Forms are indifferently used upon the Tombs of Martyrs , little Children , and Persons newly-baptized : who , every one knows , could not have deserved the Censures of the Church ; but were , without dispute , passed from the troubles of this life into the rest of Heaven , which onely may be denoted by the name of Peace , inscribed upon their Monuments . Secondly , It may be said , that neither being possessed of the Peace of the Church is an infallible assurance of the participation of that of God , out of which are excluded Hypocrites , whom the Church must of necessity entertain in her Communion , as not knowing their interiour ; nor does the privation of the Church's peace necessarily infer the denyal of that of God ; it being possible , that many good people ( through Errour in matter of Fact ) may be treated in the society of the Faithfull otherwise , then they should ; as , for Example , a Meletius , whom the Church of Rome never honoured with her Communion , though now she acknowledges , by the Celebration she annually makes of his Memory , that he was most worthy of it , and a Person precious in the sight of God. Whence it follows ; that the Faithfull departed should not carry hence with them a truly perswasive Testimony of the Piety , in which they ended their dayes ; if the surviving , saying onely They died in Peace , thought it enough to attribute to them an advantage , many times common to those , who have , through their own fault , been deprived of the Grace of God to their Dying-day . Thirdly , Because the Antients have , by several Forms , expressed their Sentiment , and declared , that , when they assigned Peace to their deceased Brethren , they specifically limited themselves to the peace of God ; which onely is able to make them happy . Thus ( not to mention the Inscription of the Tombs of Severus of Badajox , and the Inhabitant of Elvas , which hath expresly Pacem Domini , The peace of the Lord ) the Epitaph of Junius Bassus , cited by Cardinal Baronius , says , that Neophytus îit ad Deum VIII . Calend. Septemb. Eusebio & Hypatio Coss . &c. Being newly-converted to the Faith , he went to God on the eighth of the Calends of September , Eusebius and Hypatius being Consuls : that is to say , August the twenty fifth , 359. That of Eusebia , Copied by Father Sirmond , in his Notes upon Sidonius , runs thus , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Here lieth Eusebia , who is in peace , &c. under the eighth Consulship of Honorius , and the first of Constantine , in the year 409. That of Gaudentia , thus ; Gabina Gaudentia , &c. perpetuâ quiescit in pace , &c. Gabina Gaudentia resteth in perpetual peace . That of Timothea , thus ; Timothea in pace D. Kal. Nov. Cons . D. N. Aviti , &c. Timothea hath been deposited in the peace of the Lord , Nov. 1. Avitus our Lord being Consul , in the year 456. That of Marius , thus ; Satis vixit ; dum vitam pro Christo cum signo consumpsit , in pace tandem quievit , &c. He hath lived long enough ; since he hath spent his life for Christ , with the Sign ( of Faith ) and is at length deposed in peace . That of Placidus , thus ; Tandem in Caelo quiescit : He is at length rested in Heaven . To the same sense was that of Alexander the Martyr , burnt at Rome on the tenth of July , for the Testimony of Christ . Alexander mortuus non est ; sed vivit super Astra , & corpus in hoc Tumulo quiescit . Vitam explevit cum Antonino Imp. quiubi multum beneficii antevenire praevideret , pro gratia o'dium reddit ; genua enim flectens , vero Deo sacrificaturus , ad supplicia ducitur . O témpora infausta , quibus inter sacra , & vota , nè in cavernis quidem salvari possimus ▪ Quid miserius vita ; sed quid miserius in Morte , cùm ab Amicis , & Parentibus , sepeliri nequeamus . Tandem in Coelo corruscat ; parùm vixit , iv . x. tem ........ Alexander is not dead ; but lives above the Stars , and his Body rests in this Tomb. He ended his life with the Emperour Antoninus ; who , foreseeing that much good was to happen to him , returns him Hatred instead of Favour . For , when he had bent his Knees , to sacrifice to the true God , he is led to punishment . O unhappy times , wherein , among sacred Exercises , and Devotions , we cannot be safe , not even in Caverns ! What more miserable , then Life ? but is there any thing more miserable in Death , then that we cannot be buried by our Friends , and Kindred ? At length he shines in heaven ; he hath lived but a short time , &c. That of Mala ; Requiescit in somno pacis , &c. accepta apud Deum , &c. She rests in a sleep of peace , &c. received near God. That of Marius Innocentius ; In pace Deidormit , &c. He sleeps in the Peace of the Lord. That of Paulina ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 She lies in the place of the Blessed . That of Florentius ; Requiem accepit in Deo Patre nostro , & Christo ejus , &c. He is at rest in God our Father , and his Christ . That of Lucius ; Deo Sancto unite cum pace , &c. Thou united to the Holy God with peace . That of Leo ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is Victoriour . That of Receptus ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He goes before in peace . That of Jovinus ; Locus Sallii Pontii Jovini in Christo , &c. The place of Sallius Pontius Jovinus in Christ . Having thus heard the Judgment of Pious Antiquity concerning the State of the Faithfull departed , and learn'd of it , that they go to God , that they are , and go before , in peace ; that they are , and sleep , in the peace of the Lord ; that they are received to the Lord , and united to him with peace ; that they are in the place of the Blessed ; that they rest in eternal peace , and in heaven , as Conquerours ; which is confirmed by the Figures of Crowns , Palms , and the Dove bringing to Noë the Olive-branch , the Symbol of the peace of God , graved upon most of the antient Tombs ; who can , without renouncing common sence , and opposing the Testimony of his own eys , which read these words , and see these Symbolical Pourtraitures upon the Monuments , where words are wanting , imagine , that the Epitaphs , whereby the Deceased are said to be in peace , &c. in peace , signifie onely , that they died not under Excommunication ; and not , that they are ( as Combatants retired out of the Field ) happy , and triumphant in Celestical Glory ? CHAP. XL. The same deduced from larger Epitaphs . WE have not any Epitaph in Verse of more Antient Date , then the Papacy of Damasus , by whose Hand , the first we have were written ; but we may confidently affirm , that even those , and almost all , that have been composed from the year 384. in which that Prelate ended his Life , to the year 900. constantly presuppose the Beatitude , and Glory of those , to whose Memory they were Dedicated . Thus that of Irene , Sister to the said Pope ; " Quum sibi eam raperet melior tunc Regia Coeli , " Non timui mortem , Coelos quòd libera adiret ; " Sed dolui ( fateor ) consortia perdere vitae , &c. Now , that 〈◊〉 a better place she 's snatch'd , her death I grieve not , since to heav'n she 's freely gone ; But that I 've lost her conversation , Is my regret . — That of Projecta , deceased the thirtieth of December , under the Consulship of Merobaudes , and Saturninus , in the year 383. — " Ex oculis Flori Genitoris abivit , " Aetheream cupiens Coeli conscendere lucem , &c. — S●● vanish'd from her Father's sight , Greedy to go to heav'ns aethereal Light. That of Tigris , Deacon of the Romane Church ; — " Quaeris Plebs sancta redemptum " Levitam ? subitò rapuit sibi Regia Coeli , &c. " Nunc Paradisus habet , sumpsit qui ex hoste Trophaea , &c. — Do you the redeemed Levite seek ? Heav'n's Court hath snatch'd him hence . — Who Tropheys from the Enemy did wrest , Of heav'n is now possest . A manner of speaking used by Pope Damasus in the Epitaph of his sister Irene , and of the Saints , Martyrs ; of whom he says , " Sublimes animas rapuit sibi Regia Coeli , &c. " To heav'n's Court high souls are carried hence . And the conclusion of the whole Epigram is , He , who took Tropheys from the Enemy , In Paradise enjoyes felicity . That of Tigris , the Priest : " Sedibus in propriis mens pura , & membra , quiescunt : " Ista jacent Tumulo ; gaudet at illa Polo , &c. " Promeruit superas laetior ire domos , &c. His Minde , and Members , sev'ral seats contain : In Heaven that ; these in the Grave remain . That of Marcellina , Sister of St. Ambrose : — " Te pia Virgo , supernum " Accipit Imperium , placidaeque ad munera vitae , " Aeternum Christus pretium tibi destinat Aulae , &c. — " Te , Virgo , tuus transvexit ad aethera Sponsus , &c. To blessed Life , and a Superual Throne , The just reward of thy Devotion , Does Christ receive thee , Virgin , &c. Virgin , to Heaven thy Spouse does thee transport . That of Probus , Praefect of the Praetorium ; " Eximii resolutus in aetheris aequore , tutum " Curris iter , — &c. " Nunc propior Christo , Sanctorum sede potitus , " Luce nova frueris , Lux tibi Christus adest , &c. — " Renovatus habes perpetuam requiem , " Candida fuscatus nullâ velamina culpâ , " Et novus insuetis incola luminibus , &c. " Vivit in aeternum Paradisi sede Beatus , " Qui nova decedens muneris aetherii " Vestimenta tulit ; quo demigrante , Belial " Cessit , & ingemuit hic nihil esse suum , &c. " Dilectae gremio raptus in astra Probae , &c. " Vivit , & astra tenet , — &c. Dissolv'd thou safely runst , th' etherial Plain . Near Christ thou of a blessed Seat possest ; Christ being thy light , thou a new light enjoy'st , &c. Thou now renew'd perpetuall rest dost gain , Thy snowy Robes of guilt admit no stain , And of an unaocustom'd place thou art A new Inhabitant — &c. He ever-happy lives in Paradise , Who carries hence Robes first , had from the Skies : At his departure Belial complies , And grieves to find in him there 's nothing his , &c. In his lov'd Proba's Bosom hee 's receiv'd , &c. Possest of Heaven he lives . — That of Pope SIRICIUS , deceased the 22th . of February , in the year 398. " Nunc requiem sentit , coelestia regna potitus , &c. " Now , got to Heav'n , he does his rest enjoy . That of Celsus , a young Lad , a Spaniard , deceased about the year 394. and celebrated by Paulinus , since Bishop of Nola : " Laetor obîsse brevi functum mortalia saec'lo , " Ut citò divinas perfrueretur opes , &c. " Placidam Deus aethere Christus " Arcessens merito sumpsit honore animam , &c. " Spiritus Angelico vectus abit gremio , &c. — " Superno in lumine Celsum " Credite vivorum lacte , favisque , frui , &c. Glad , that he 's soon discharged hence , I am , That sooner he Riches divine might claim , &c. Christ hath his peacefull Soul to Heav'n receiv'd , With its deserved honour . — To Angels Bosoms his spirit is convey'd , &c. Celsus in light above , doubt not ( though dead ) With living Milk , and Honey-combs , is fed . That of Clarus , deceased the 8th of November , about the year 402. " Libera corporeo mens carcere gauder in astris , " Pura , probatorum sedem sortita piorum , &c. — " Spiritus aethere gaudet , " Discipulúmque pari sociat super astra Magistro , &c. " Emeritus superis Spiritus involitas : " Sive Patrum sinibus recubas , Dominive sub ara " Conderis , aut sacro pasceris in nemore ; " Qualibet in regione Poli si●●s , aut Paradisi , " Clare , sub aeterna pace quietus agis , &c. Among the Just his Habitation is , Of Body free'd , possess'd of Heav'nly bliss , &c. — His Soul to Heav'n is flown , The Scholar to the Master equal grown , &c. Thou a discharged Spirit to Heav'n fly'st , And whether thou i th' Patriarch ' s Bosom ly'st : Or under the Lord ' s Altar art detain'd , Or an aboad i th' Sacred Grove hast gain'd ; What part , or place of Paradise thou 'st got , Eternal Peace , and Rest , is Clarus lot . That of Paula , deceased in the year 404. " Aspicis angustum praecisa rupe Sepulchrum , " Hospitium Paulae , coelestia regna tenentis , &c. Seest thou a Rock into a Coffin hewn , 'T is Paula ' s Mansion , who to Heav'n is flown . That of Concordius of Arles , deceased about the same time . " Integer , ●tque que pius , vitáque , & corpore purus , " Aeterno , hîc positus , vivit Concordius aevo , &c. " Hunc citò , sideream raptum Omnipotentis in Aulam , " Et Mater bland 〈◊〉 & Fratres in funere quaerunt , &c. Here , Pious , Good , of Life , and Body pure , Co●…dius of Eternity lies sure , &c. Him , snatch'd to the Almighty's starry Hall , A Mother kind , and Brethren , do bewail . That of Pope BONIFACE the First , deceased the 25th of October , 423. — " Membráque clausit , " Certus , in adventu glorificanda Dei , &c. " Quis te , Sancte Parens , cum Christo nesciat esse ? &c. — His Members he did lay , Assur'd of Glory on the last great day , &c. Who doubts thy being with Christ , Great Man ? — That of Pope CELESTINE , gathered to the rest of the LORD , April the 6th , 432. — " Vitam migravit in illam , " Debita quae Sanctis aeternos reddit honores , &c. — " Mens , nescia mortis , " Vivit , & aspectu fruitur bene conscia Christi , &c. — He to that life is gone , Where blessed Saints eternal Honours crown , &c. — The Mind , immortal , lives And , guiltless , Christ contemplates — That of St. Hilary of Arles , departed this world to a better Life , May the 5th , 449. " Hîc carnis spolium liquit , ad astra volans , &c. — " Nec mirum post mortem tua limina , Christe , " Angelicásque domos intravit , & aurea regna , " Divitias , Paradise , tuas , fragrantia semper " Gramina , nitentes divinis floribus hortos , " Subjectásque videt nubes , & sidera coeli , &c. To Heav'n flown , his Fleshy Robe lies here , &c. — Nor is it much , if , after Death , To Angels Mansions he , admittance hath , And of the Golden Kingdoms is possest , And with thy Wealth , O Paradise , is blest , Where ever-fragrant Verdures he may tread , And Gardens with divinest Flow'rs or'espread , And Clouds , and Stars beneath him , &c. — That of the Abbot ABRAHAM , deceased the 15th of June , about the year 480. in Auvergne : " Jam te circumstant Paradisi millia sacri ; " Abraham jam te , comperegrinus , habet ; " Jam patriam ingrederis , sede , qua decidit Adam ; " Jam potes ad fontem fluminis ire tui , &c. Thousands of Paradise now round thee are ; With Abraham , thy Fellow-traveller , Thou art , possessed of that , whence Adam fell ; Thou mayst of thine own Streams go to the Well . That , which Ennodius the Deacon , and afterwards Bishop of Pavia , made in Honour of Bonus : " Exemplum terris linquens , ad sidera raptus , &c. — The World he leaves , Taught by 's Example ; him the Sky receives . That of Abundantius , composed by the same Ennodius : — " Non sentit damna Sepulchri , &c. — " Feels not the Losses of the Grave . That of Rustica , writ by the same Hand : " Purior aethereas graderis sine carne per arces , &c. Disrob'd of flesh , thou walk'st th' ethereal Tow'rs . That of Melissa , due to the same Authour : " De vita ad vitam transitus iste placet , &c. From life to life to pass is my delight . That , whereby he celebrated the Memory of Victor , Bishop of Novara : " Spiritus aetherea congaudet lucidus arce , &c. His lightsom Soul sports in the Starry Vault . That , which he hath left in Honour of Euphemia : — " Mens niveis quàm bene juncta choris ? &c. How well her minde suits with the snowy Quires Of Blessed Spirits ? — That of Atolus of Rheims , Contemporary with Saint Remy : " Proprium censum coelum transvexit in altum , " In quo suscepit , quod miserendo dedit , &c. — " Praerutilum detinet ipse Polum . Heav'ns Treasure he to Heav'n ha's reassign'd , Where what he here in pity gave does finde , &c. — Of Heaven he 's possest . That of the Consul BOETHIUS , Beheaded in the year 524. by the command of Thierry , King of the Ostrogoths : — " Probitas me vexit ad auras , &c. " Ecce ! Boethus adest in coelo magnus — &c. — My piety to Heaven me brought , &c. Behold , in Heav'n the great Boethius is , &c. That of Petronius : " Corpus humo , animam Christo , Petroni , dedisti : " Nam justae mentes foventur luce celesti , " Sidereásque colunt sedes , mundóque fruuntur , &c. — Thy Body earth does finde , Thy Soul , Petronius , th' hast to Christ assign'd : Just minds celestial Light surrounds , the Sky Their Seat ; they , onely , what is pure , enjoy . That of Liberius , Praefect of that Part of the Gauls now called Languedoc , under Theodorick , King of the Ostrogoths : — " Cùm membra recedunt , " Nescit fama mori , lucida vita manet , &c. — Thy Limbs may rot , Thy Fame remains , a brighter Life's thy lot . That of Pope FELIX the Fourth , deceased February the 29th 528. " Certa fides justis coelestia regna patere , " Antistes Felix quae modo laetus habet , &c. Felix in Heaven hath felicity ; Whose Courts unto the Just ev'r openly . That of Florentinus , Abbot of Saint Croix d'Arles , deceased April the 25th , Indict . 1. in the 12th year after the Consulship of Basilius ; that is to say in the year 553. " Fulgida regna petens , coelesti sorte vocatus , " Lucis & aeternae penetrans fastigia laetus , " Optimus , atque pius , nunc Florentinus in isto " Resplendot Tumulo , &c. — " Hinc celsa Poli capiens jam praemia felix , " Sanctorum socius fruitur cum laude coronam , &c. Good Florentinus , fam'd for Piety , Call'd hence by a celestial Lot , does hy , Joyfull , to th' Palace of eternal Light , Shining ev'n in his Tomb — Heav'n's high rewards he , happy , does obtain , And with the Saints an equal Crown does gain . That of Pope PELAGIUS the First , deceased March the 2d , 559. " Vivit in arce Poli , coelesti luce beatus , &c. — In th' Starry Tow'rs , Blest with celestial light , he spends his hours . That of St. Germain of Paris , deceased the 28th of March , 576. " Carne tenet Tumulum , mentis honore Polum , &c. " Jure triumphali considet arce Poli , &c. The Tomb with Flesh he fills , the Heav'n his Mind Adorns , &c. He sits in Heav'n by a Triumphal right . That of Chlodobert , the Son of King Chilperïcus , and Fredegonda : " Non fleat ullus amor , quem modo cingit honor , &c. " Perpetui regni se favet arce frui , &c. Whom Honour now surrounds , no Love bewail , &c. He Joyes , possess'd of the eternal Throne . That of Dagobert , Brother of Chlodobert : " Rapte Polis , &c. Lux tenet alta Throno , &c. To Heav'n snatch'd , &c. an Heav'nly light detains Him on the Throne . — That of Andrew of Caieta , deceased in the year 585. " Pande tuas , Paradise , fores , sedémque beatam , " Andreae meritum suscipe Pontificis , &c. " Quae meditata fides , & credita semper , inhaesit ; " Haec te usque ad coelos , & super astra , tulit , &c. For Andrew's Merit open'd Heav'n prepare A blessed Seat — The constant Faith , which ever was in thee , Hath rais'd thee above Heav'n's sublimity . That of Gregory , Bishop of Langres , deceased January the 4th , about the year 540. — " Post Tumulos implet honore Polos , &c. " Nunc super Astra manet , &c. Death once o'recome , he fills the Heav'n with praise , &c. His Mansion is above the Stars . — That of Tetricus , Son and Successour of Gregory , deceased about the year 570. — " Dignus in Astris " Mentis honore nites . — — Thou , by an exc'llent mind . Among the Stars to shine a place dost finde . That of Evemerus , Bishop of Nantes , deceased about the year 550. " Aeternum locum , missus ad Astra , tenet , &c. " Felix ille abîit , &c. Sent to the Skies , his everlasting Seat , &c. Blest man , he 's gone — That of the two Ruricius's , Bishops of Limoges , Grand-father , & Grand-childe ; the former deceased about the year 500 ; the later , about the year 550. " Inter Apostolicos credimus esse Choros , &c. Among th' Apostles we believe they are . That of Chronopius , Bishops of Perigueux , deceased about the year 540. — " Tua Coelis stat sine labe domus , &c. " Nunc tibi , pro meritis , est sine fine dies , &c. Thy House in Heaven stands , &c. For thy good Works an endless day 's thy lot . That of Chalacterius , or Cales , Bishop of Chartres , deceased the eighth of October , about the year 570. " Abreptus terris , justus ad Astra redis , &c. " Ad Paradisiacas Epulas te cive reducto , " Unde gemit mundus , gaudet honore Polus , &c. Snatch'd from the Earth , thou dost to Heav'n retire , &c. While thou at heav'nly Feasts art entertain'd , The Earth bewails what Heaven hence ha's gain'd . Where , by what makes the Farth bewail , must needs be understood the Translation of that Prelate into Glory . That of Esocius , Bishop of Limoges , deceased about the year 580. " Non decet hunc igitur vacuis deflere lamentis ; " Post tenebras mundi , quem tenet aula Poli , &c. Who this world darkness left to heav'n's Court 's gone , Needs not our fruitless Lamentation . That of Victorinus , Abbot of Agaunum , or St. Maurice de Chablais , Contemporary with Esocius : " Nunc fruitur vultu , quem cupiebat amor , &c. The Face , which was the Object of his Love , H 'as now the Bliss to see — That of Hilarius the Priest , " Corpore qui terras , & tenet Astra Fide , &c. Whose Body Earth , whose Faith the Skie contains . That of Servilio : — " Coelis gaudia vera tenet , &c. " Raptus ab Orbe quidem , laetus ad Astra redit , &c. He 's fill'd in Heav'n with certain Joys — Snatch'd hence , he , joyfull , to the Stars returns . That of Praesidius : " Inter Angelicos fulget honore Choros , &c. Mong Quires of Angels he in honour shines , &c. That of Aegidius : " Nulli flendus erit , quem Paradisus habet , &c. Whom Heav'n enjoys , no man needs lament , &c. That of Basilius : " Patriam Coeli , dulcis Amice , tenes , &c. Of heav'n thy Countrey , Friend , thou art possess'd . That of Avolus : " Gaudia Lucis habet . — " Felix , post Tumulos , possidet ille Polos , &c. " Luce perenè fruéns , felix cui mortua mors est , &c. H enjoys the Joys of Light. — To Heav'n after death he , blessed , is transferr'd , &c. — How happy he , Who , blest with light , o're Death hath Victory . That of Euphrasia , the Wife of Namatius , Bishop of Vienna , deceased the seventeenth of November , about the year 560. " Inclyta Sydereo radias Euphrasia regno ; " Nec mihi flenda manes , nec tibi laeta places : " Terrae terra dedit ; sed Spiritus Astra recepit : " Pars jacet haec Tumulo ; pars tenet illa Polum , &c. Thou now , Euphrasia , shin'st in Heaven bright ; My grief no longer , nor thy own delight : Earth went to Earth ; the Stars her spirit have : This part 's in Heav'n ; th' other in the Grave . That of Vilithura , the Wife of Dagulph : — " Quae larga dedit haec , modò plena metit , &c. What freely given was she fully reaps . That of Queen Theodechilda , the Daughter of Thierry , King of Mets , Son to the Great Clodoveus : " Felix , cui meritis stat sine fine , dies , &c. Happy , whose Works eternal day attends . That of Gelesventha , second Wife of King Chilpericus the First : " Non hunc flere decet , quam Paradisus habet , &c. T were ill the Blest in heaven to lament , &c. That of Eoladius of Nevers , deceased about the year 570. " Adventum gaudens sustinet hic Domini , &c. He , glad , expects the coming of the Lord. That of Pope Gregory the First , deceased the 4th of March , 604. " Spiritus Astra petit , &c. — " Mercedem operum jam sine fine tenes , &c. His spirit to Heaven flies , &c. Thou of thy Works hast now thy endless Meed . That of Vincent , Abbot , of Leon , deceased the eleventh of March , according to the Julian Period 668. or 630 after Christ , " Sua sacratenet anima coeleste ; His sacred Soul is in an heavenly Mansion , &c. " Raptus ad aetherias subitò pervenit ad a auras , &c. Snatch'd hence , thou soon t' th' heav'nly parts art fled . That of Pope Boniface the Fifth , deceased the 25 th . of October , 625. " Ad magni culmen honoris abit , &c. He 's gone of honour to th' accomplishment . — That of Pope Honorius , deceased the twelfth of October , 638. " Aeternae luis , ( Christo dignante ) perennes , " Cum Patribus sanctis , posside , jámque domos . Thou , who to ' th' holy Sires hast ta'ne thy flight , Enjoy ( through Christ ) th' eternal Seats of Light. That of Pope Benedict II. deceased the seventh of May , 685. " Percipe salvati praemia celsa gregis &c. The high rewards of those are sav'd receive . That of Ceadwalla , King of the West-Saxons , deceased the twentieth of April , 689. Indict . 2. — " Mente superna tenet . " Commutâsse magis sceptrorum Insignia credas , " Quem regnum Chrsti promeruisse vides , &c. — His spirit in heaven soars . Who to Christ's Throne is raised , may be said , But an exchange of Scepters to have made . That of Theodore of Canterbury , deceased the 19 th . of September , 690. " Alma novae scandens felix consortia vitae , " Civibus Angelicis junctus in arce Poli , &c , Advanc'd to a society of Bliss . With Angel-Citizens h'in heaven is . That of Wilfrid , Arch-Bishop of York , deceased October the 12 th . 709. — " Gaudens coelestia regna petivit , &c. Rejoycing he to heav'n's gone . — That of Bede , rsinamed Venerable , deceased May 26th . being Ascension-Day ; which argues his death to have happened in the year 735. " Juni septenis viduatus carne Kalendis , " Angligena Angelicam commeruit Patriam , &c. May's twenty sixth , of flesh uncloathed , Bede Mongst Angels went to have a heav'nly meed . That of Richard , King of England , deceased February the 7 th . 750. — " Regnum tenet ipse Polorum , &c. Of heav'n's Kingdom he 's possess'd . — That of Fulrad , Abbot of St. Denys , deceased in the year , 784. " Credimus idcirco Coelo societur ut illis , &c. — In heav'n we Believe him blest with b their society . That of Meginarius , his Successour : " Post mortem meliùs vivit in arce Poli , &c. Death past , he lives in heav'n a better life . That of Arichis , Duke of Beneventum , deceased the six and twentieth of August , 787. — " Te pro meritis nunc Paradisus habet , &c. For thy good Works heaven is thy reward . That of Tilpin , Arch-Bishop of Rheims , deceased the second of September , 789. " Mortua quando fuit , mors sibi vita maner , &c. When Death is dead , Life his Portion is . That of Pope Adrian the First deceased , the 26th of December , 795. — " Mors janua vitae , " Sed melioris , erat — Death was the entrance of a better Life . That of Peter , Bishop of Pavia , deceased about the same time ; " Admistus gaudet caetibus Angelicis , &c. — " Retinent te gaudia Coeli , &c. Rejoycing among Angels , he — Heav'n's joys thy entertainment are . That of Hildegard , first Wife of Charle-maign , deceased in the year 783. April the thirtieth . " Pro dignis factis sacra regna tenes — Thy worthy acts the sacred Kingdom gain'd . That of Fastrada , second Wife of the same Prince , deceased in the year 794. " Modò Coelesti nobilior Thalamo , &c. A heav'nly bed makes her more Noble . — That of Count Gerald , deceased in the year 799. " Sideribus animam dedit — He rendred his Soul to heaven — That of Hildegard , Daughter by his first Wife : " Tu nimium felix , gaudia longa petis , &c. Thou , ever-happy , to long Joys dost go . That of Charle-maign himself , deceased on Saturday , the eighth of January , 814. — " Meruit fervida saec'li " Aetherei , &c. — Aequora transire , & placidum conscendere portum , &c. That of Adelbard , Abbot of St. Peter of Corbie , deceased the second of January , 822. — " Paradisi jure colonis , &c. Inhabitant of Pardise — That of Ermengard , Wife to the Emperour Lotharius , deceased the twentieth of March , being Good-Friday , in the year 852. " Linquens regna soli , penetravit regna Polorum , " Cum Christo , & sanctis , gaudia vera tenens , &c. Leaving Earth's Crowns , to those of Heav'n she 's gone , With Christ , and 's Saints in exultation . That of Lewis the Debonnaire , who died on Sunday , the twentieth of June , 840. " In pacis metas colligit hunc pietas , &c. Him Piety brings into the land of Peace . That of Dreux , Bishop of Mets , deceased the eighth of November , 857. " Spiritus in requie , laetus , ovat Abrahae , &c. The joyfull spirit exults in Abra'm's Rest . That of the Emperour Lewis [ the Second , deceased the thirteenth of August , 875. — " Gaudet " Spiritus in Coelis , Corporis extat honos , &c. — The Body's honour is Apparent , but the spirit 's in heave'nly bliss . That of the Emperour Carolus Calvus , deceased the sixth of October , 877. — " Spiritum reddidit ille Deo , &c. — He to God his Spirit return'd . That of Ansegisus , Arch-Bishop of Sens , deceased the twenty fifth of November , 883. — " Spiritus Astra tenet , &c. — Of heav'n his Spirit 's possest . That of John Scotus , dead the same year : — " Christi conscendere regnum " Quo meruit , sancti regnat per saecula cuncti , &c. He to ascend Christ's Kingdom did obtain . Where all the Saints eternally do reign . That of Pope John the Eighth , deceased the fifteenth of December , the year before : " Et nunc coelicolas cernit super Astra Phalanges , &c. — Above the Skies Now he the heav'nly Batallions spyes . That of Ermengard , Daughter of Lewis , King of Germany , deceased the three and twentieth of December , about the same time : " Bis denos octo vitae compleverat annos , " Migrans ad sponsum Virgo beata suum , &c. Twice eighteen years this Maid had liv'd compleat , When happy she went hence her Spouse to meet . That of Bruno , Arch-Bishop of Cullen , deceased the eleventh of October , 969. " Iam frueris Domino — Thou now enjoy'st the Lord. That of Notger , Abbot of St. Gal , deceased the sixth of April , 981. " Idibus octonis hic carne solutus Aprilis , " Coelis invehitur , — &c. Having laid down his fleshy burthen , on The sixth of April , he to heav'n is gone . That of Gonzales , cited by Prudentio de Sandoval , Bishop of Pampeluna , to the year of the Julian Period 1030. or of Christ 992. " A qui reposa y en la gloria goza , &c. Here rests , and glorious happiness enjoys . That of Donna Sancia : " Dio fin glorioso a esta vida , " Par a gozar de la aeterna , &c. That she might gain eternal life in Bliss , She gave a glorious Period unto this . That of Sancia , Countess of Castile : " Bis vinctum Comitem è carcere adduxit , " Coelicas sedes , beata , quae possidet , &c. She out of Prison twice her Count reliev'd , To heav'nly Seats who , happy , now 's receiv'd . That of Count Fernand , of Gonzalva : " Belliger invictus ductus ad Astra fuit , &c. To heav'n th' undaunted Souldier was convey'd . And Sebastian of Salamanca , speaking of Ordonio the First , places him in Heaven ; saying , Felix stat in Coelo , &c. Laetatur cum sanctis Angelis in Coelestibus regnis , &c. He is happy in heaven , &c. He rejoyces with the Angels in the Kingdom of heaven . I acknowledg , that the Opinion of Purgatory crept in among the Latines , about the end of the sixth Age , having , by little and little , gained credit , many were easily induced to compose Epitaphs containing certain Wishes , and Prayers , for the Dead . Yet did not their scrupulous manner of proceeding hinder any , that would , from attributing to them the possession of Celestial glory , immediately upon their departure out of this life . Thus the Epitaph of Pope Stephen the Sixth , deceased the one and twentieth of May , 891. hath these express Terms ; " Aethera scandit spiritus almus ovans , &c. His milde Spirit ascends heaven triumphing . That of the Kings , Conrade the First , Otho the First and Second , and Zuentibold , of Adalberon Bishop of Mets , of Count Hugh , and his Wife , of the Countess Eve and her Sons , of Arnoul , and Rembal , of Oudri Arch-Bishop of Rheims , of Beatrix , and Warin , Abbot of Saint Arnoul de Mets , express that their Souls — " In Coelis aeternâ pace fruuntur , &c. — In heaven enjoy eternal Peace . That of Reynold , Abbot of S. Cyprian in Poictiers , deceas'd in the year 1100. — " Rainaldi pars promptior Astra petivit , &c. Reynold's more willing part to heav'n is gone . That of the Nun Benedicta : — " Spiritus Astra tenet , &c. — Of heav'n her Spirit 's possest . That of Ranulphus the Priest , her Contemporary : " Protinus ad Superos , carne solutus , abis , &c. " Spiritus , ecce ! tuus gaudens fuper Astra perennat , &c. Flesh once lay'd by , to heav'n thou streight dost go , &c. Thy Spirit above eternal Joy attends . Again ; " Dans animam Coelo , reddidit ossa solo , &c. To heav'n thy soul , to earth thy bones return . That of King Philip the First , deceased in the year 1108. " Augusti ternis conscendit in aeth'ra Kalendis , &c. He on the a third of the Calends Of August , unto heav'n ascends . That of Reynold de Martigni , Arch-Bishop of Rheims , deceased in the year 1137. " Hunc duodena dies Februi praeeu●do Kalendas , " Destituit mundo , substituitque Polo , &c. On b January's one and twentieth day , He left the world , and went to heav'n to stay . That of Gerald , first Abbot of Selue-Majour in Bourdelois , deceased in the year 1094. the sixth of April . " En ! felix anima Coeli laetatur in Aula , &c. " Coelorum civis dormîit in Domino , &c. — " Liber Coelos spiritus obtinuit , &c. " Spiritus Abbatis vindicat Astra sibi , &c. — " Spiritus alta tenet , &c. His blissfull soul in Heav'n rejoycing is , &c. Heav'n's Citizen rests in the Lord , &c. His unconfin'd spirit in Heav'n is fix'd , &c. The Abbot's soul does challenge heav'n , — &c. — His spirit is on high . That of Berenger , Arch-Deacon of St. Maurice's of Anger 's , deceased the sixth of January , 1088. " In Jano patuit tibi Janua vitae , &c. In Janus Moneth , Life's Gate receiv'd thee . And again ; — " Coelos animâ , corpore ditat humum , &c. His Body Earth , his Soul does Heav'n enrich . That of the Empress Agnes , deceased the 14th of December , 1077. Die XIV . Mensis Decembris , animam , bonis operibus foecundam , Lateranis , Salvatori suo , atque omnium bonorum Authori reddidit : & hic , quintâ die Mensis Januarii , expectans spem Beatae Resurrectionis , & adventum Magni Dei , membra carnis commendavit in pace , Amen . Vpon the fourteenth of December , at Lateran , she returned to her Saviour , and God the Authour of all good things , her soul , fruitfull in good Works : and , on the fifth of January , she recommended to this place her fleshly Members , expecting the hope of a blessed Resurrection , and the coming of the Great God , Amen . That of Bruno , first General of the Carthusians , deceased the sixth of October , 1101. " Ossa manent Tumulo , Spiritus Astra petit , &c. Earth hath his bones , to heav'n his spirit flies . That of Geoffrey , Bishop of Amiens , deceased the eighth of November , 1118. — " Hic jacet . Astra petens , &c. Here , going to Heav'n , he lies . That of Peter of Placentia , Cardinal ; " Terra suum Corpus , Animámque recepit Olympus . The Earth his body , Heav'n his soul receiv'd . That of Burohard , Arch-Bishop of Vienna , deceased about the year 1035. August the twenty ninth : " Cum quo perpetuò pace viget placidâ , &c. — " Sanctus Spiritus Astra petit , &c. " Curribus ignicomis ad Superos gereris , — &c. With c him he lives in undisturbed peace , &c. His Holy Spirit to Heav'n flies , — &c. In fiery Chariots to Heav'n thou' rt convey'd . That of Alberic , Arch-bishop of Bourges , deceased in the year , 1140. — " Modò major in arce Polorum , &c. — In Heav'n he greater is . That of Peter Leo , in the year 1144. " Junius in Mundo fulgebat , Sole secundo , " Separat hunc nobis cùm Polus , atque Lapis , &c. June's second day shone bright , when joyless we Lost him between Earth , and Felicity . That of Peter , Bishop of Poictiers , deceased in the year 1115. unjustly reduced by Cardinal Baronius , to the year 1130. " Nunc dives , liber , stabilis , sua praemia , Christum , " Astra , petit , sequitur , possidet , iste Petrus , &c. " Promovit , privavit eum , profugúmque recepit , " Papa , Comes , Christus , ordine , sede , Polo , &c. This Peter , rich , freed , firm , rewards , Christ , Heav'n , Now seeks , pursues , possesses , freely giv'n , &c. A Pope , Count , Christ , him rais'd , depriv'd , with love Receiv'd , to Prelacy , of 's See , above . That of Thomas , Arch-bishop of Canterbury , Assassinated the nine and twentieth of July , 1170. — " Ab Orbe " Pellitur , & fructus incipit esse Poli , &c. Forc'd hence , in Heav'n he begins to grow . That of Stephen , Bishop of Meaux , deceased the 12th of January , 1187. — " Liber vivit , terrâ divisus , & Astris ; " Quae dederat Coelum , Terráque , solvit eis , &c. He freely lives , 'tween Heav'n , and Earth , bestow'd ; And pay'd what unto Heaven , and Earth , he ow'd . That of Robert , Arch-bishop of Vienna , deceased in the year 1195. June the seven and twentieth . " Junius aethereis mensis te reddidit oris , &c. Thee to thy Heav'nly Countrey June hath brought . That of Mauricius , Bishop of Paris , deceased the eleventh of September , 1196. " Migrat Parisii Pater ad patriam Paradisi , " Mauricius , &c. Father of Paris , Mauricius , is hence To Paradise transferr'd — That of Humbert , Arch-bishop of Vienna , deceased the twentieth of November , 1125. — " Spiritus aeth'ra " Praesulis Umberti petit , &c. The Prelat Umbert's Soul to Heav'n is gone . That of Raoul , Bishop of Arras , deceased in the year 1220. — " Coeli Civis , meritorum pondere vivis , &c. The weight of thy Good Works do thee sustain , Thou Citizen of Heav'n . — That of Peter of Doway , Arch-bishop of Sens , deceased the twelfth of June , 1222. " Qui Spei certae suberat , modò cernit apertè , &c. Who , what he surely hop'd , now clearly sees . That of Hervey , Bishop of Troyes , deceased July the second , 1223. — " Reddo Polo Spiritum , & ossa Solo , &c. My soul to heav'n , my bones to earth I leave . That of Bernard of Suilli , Bishop of Auxerre , deceased the sixth of January , 1246. — " Meruit Christo se reddere Mundum , &c. He , undefil'd , returns to Christ . — That of Philip , Arch-bishop of Bourges , deceased the sixth of January , 1260. — " Sacratâ sede sedentis " Philippi Bituris ossa beata jacent , &c. Of Philip , Prelate of the sacred See , The blessed Bones at rest in Bourges be . That of Reinold of Corbeil , Bishop of Paris , deceased the seventh of June , 1268. " Fatali ad Superos sorte vocatus , obit , &c. Call'd by the fatal Lot to heav'n , he goes . That of Guermond de la Boissiere , Bishop of Noyon , deceased in the year 1272. — " Cum Christo scandit in Astra , &c. — With Christ he heav'n ascends . That of William de Chanac , Bishop of Paris , deceased the third of May , 1348. — " Transivit ad atria lucis , &c. He to the Courts of Light is gone . — That of William de Boisratier , Arch-bishop of Bourges , deceased the nineteenth of July , 1421. " Carne subactus , homo sidera mente rapit , &c. Who , weak in Flesh , in Spirit the Stars transcends . That of John Des Charliers , sirnamed Gerson , Chancellour of the University of Paris , deceased the twelfth of July , 1424. — " Petit Superos — &c. He goes to them above . — That of Peter de Fontenay , Bishop of Nevers , deceased the third of June , 1499. — " Pius aethereo spiritus axe viget , &c. His pious Soul lives in the Skies . — That of Peter Carre , deceased after the year 1509. January the fifth : " Mens fruitur Coelis — &c. His minde does heav'n enjoy . It would have been no hard matter to have produced many Epitaphs more to the same Effect ; but the precedent may suffice , to force the most prepossessed with their own Apprehensions , to acknowledg , that even those , who lived since the Opinion of Purgatory became more common , have , upon occasions , by their using the Expression of the more Antient , discovered , that they followed their Sentiment , and were fully perswaded , that as to those , who died in the Profession of Christianity , and had not lead a wicked Life without Repentance , their Glory , and Felicity , was not any way retarded ; but that , immediately upon their departure , they are ascended to heaven , above the Stars , above the Skies , in the Courts of Light and Glory , in Abraham's Bosom , in Eternal Peace , in Paradise , &c. which is as much , as could be said of the Patriarchs , Prophets , Apostles , Evangelists , Martyrs , and the most eminent Confessours . So that , as to this particular , there is no Distinction to be made of either Ecclesiasticks , or Laicks ; Males , or Females ; Kings , Princes , Lords , or private Persons . Which Consideration should , me thinks , have some influence on their spirits , who , prepossessed with the contrary Sentiment , and carried away with the Torrent of the common Errour , imagine , that an immediate admission to Beatitude is to be restrained onely to those Persons , whose Names ( by reason of the great reputation of their Sanctity ) are put into the Martyrologies of the Church of Rome , and whose Spirits are by those of her Communion invocated , as Patrons of the Living . For the Epitaphs ! of the Prefect Probus , of the Consul Boëthius , of Queen Gelesventha , of the Kings Ceadwalla , Zuentibold , Conrad , Otho , Father and Son , and Philip the First , who never passed in their time for Saints , and such as were Exemplary for Mortification , and extraordinary Piety , justifie , that the conceptions , according to which , some at present would have Christian People directed , either were not then framed , or seemed not such , as deserved great credit . Upon which accompt it is , I should wish , that the maintainers of the Opinion now in vogue would vouchsafe to take the business earnestly into their thoughts , and afford us but one Example , sufficient to satisfie us , that , during the first six Centuries of Christianity , any one had embraced it with so much resolution , as that he durst express his perswasion in the Inscription of the Tombs of his deceased Friends . For though we are not to live by Examples , but by Laws ; nor obliged absolutely to depend on the Authority , and Actions , of any man whatsoever : yet had we such , as were Antient , we neither might , nor would refuse to entertain them with the esteem due thereto ; though it were onely to divert us from speaking so disadvantageously in respect of those , who follow them , that we equally deny them both Truth , and Antiquity : not seeing any reason inducing us to grant , that the first Ages were imbued with a Belief , whereof there appears not any Track in the Monuments they have left us ; as also supposing ( as there seems reason to do ) that it is impossible , to perswade men , guided by common sense , that the Christians of Antiquity should conspire in the same imaginations with those , who live in the Communion of the Modern Church of Rome , and not any one among them ( upon any occasion whatsoever ) vouchsafe to make the least discovery of what he thought . CHAP. XLI . Of the Prayers contained in the Epitaphs of the Faithfull , whom the Surviving presupposed already received into Glory . ALthough the Prayer , which is dayly made at the Celebration of the Mass for the Faithfull departed , cannot any way be accommodated to the Opinion of Purgatory , which the present Church of Rome numbers among the Articles of her Faith ; Though there be not any ground to attribute to the State of the Souls , which they pretend confined in a place of extreme Torment , the Name of Sleep ; much less to attribute to the conflict of those Souls , condemned by the absolute rigour of Heaven's Justice , to the incomprehensible sufferance of that Torment , which is inflicted on them by way of Punishment for the sins they have committed , meriting , and incurring by those Transgressions the displeasure of the God of Glory , the Title of Sleeping a Sleep of Peace ; Though the dolefull resenting so great Pain , as that of an Infernal Fire , cannot , in those , that are to endure it , consist with any kinde of Sleeping , nor suffer them to be in Peace , while they are overwhelmed by the wrath of the Living God , and by the weight of his Hand , into which , St. Paul tells us , a it is a fearfull thing to fall ; In a word , though from all what hath been hitherto represented , it necessarily results ; that ( according to the constant Belief of Antiquity for six Ages ) the eternal Glory , and Felicity , of the Faithfull b dying in the Lord , is not at all deferred after the moment of their departure : Yet , since the Christians , who now live in the Communion of the Church of Rome , might think , that the Prayers , which are found in certain Epitaphs , express something not dissonant from the Sentiment she maintains , it lyes upon us , in order to their undeceiving , First , To make a report of the said Epitaphs ; Secondly , To make it appear , that there neither follows , nor can follow any thing from them ; in as much as those very Epitaphs expresly presupposed the admission of those , to whose Memory they were dedicated , into Life , and celestical Glory . And Thirdly , To make enquiry into the Motives , which might have induced the Authours of those Epitaphs to insert into them Prayers for their departed Friends , and to place their Tombs near those of the Martyrs , who had sealed with their Blood the Truth of Christianity . The most antient Epitaph we finde , containing a mixture of Wishes , and Prayers , is that , which St. Gregory Nazianzene writ in Honour of St. Basil , deceased the twelfth of January , in the year 378. where we read these Words , concerning that Great Prelate gathered to his Fathers , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God give him Happiness : as if he had not been in the actual possession thereof ; and as if St. Gregory had not expresly required of him before , that he would appear for the World , and offer gifts to God , and that in consequence of his being in Heaven , as he had desired . Again ; That he had quitted his Episcopal See , as Christ would have it , that he might become one among the Inhabitants of Heaven . It seems then he believed him in Heaven , and possessed of the Glory , and Happiness of Heaven , as soon as he had , at his departure out of this World , quitted his Episcopal See ; and yet he desires , that God would give him Happiness ; meaning , that he would confirm , and improve the gift he had already made him : which hath nothing common with the Hypotheses , maintained at this day by the Church of Rome . In the year 395. deceased the Prefect PROBUS , and his Epitaph , which loudly published , that he was in the Plains of Heaven , seated among the Saints , possessed of perpetual Rest , that he lived crowned with bliss in the Everlasting Mansions of Paradise , concludes with this Prayer , " Hunc tu , Christe , Choris jungas Coelestibus , oro ; " Te canat , & placidum jugiter aspiciat : " Quique tuo semper dilectus pendet ab ore , " Auxilium soboli , conjugióque , ferat . Joyn'd with Celestial Quires , O Christ , may he Thy praises sing , thy constant favour see : Whō , ever-lov'd , did ev'r on thee depend , May he to 's Race , and Widow , some help lend . Shall we say he was in Heaven , and yet not joyned with the Celestical Quires ? That he was in any danger to see his Saviour incensed , and that he could be possessed of Paradise without Happiness ? If not , it must needs be , that the Authour of his Epitaph prayed , that he might enjoy it without any diminution , and be eternally in the Favour , and Peace of his Saviour , in the Society of the rest of the Blessed Saints ; which hath nothing common with what is now desired by the Church of Rome . We have such another Desire made in the Epitaph of Pope BENEDICT . " Hic Benedictus adest meritò sub rupe Sepulchri ; " Quem tenet Angelicus Chorus in arce Poli : " Aurea saec'la cui pateant sine fine per aevum , " Sorte beatificâ scandat ut aetheria , &c. Here Benedict , justly , beneath this Stone Is plac'd ; whom Angels in the Heav'ns enthrone : To whom be golden Ages without end , That he the Skies may , ever-bless'd , ascend . For , who sees not , that he , who is enthroned by Angels in Heaven , must , of necessity , be there ; and stood not in need of ascending thither ; nor that any golden Ages should be desired for him ? But in as much , as he was to ascend thither in his Body after the general Resurrection , the Authour of the Epitaph makes a Wish to that purpose , and requires , that the Happiness , which he was then possessed of , as to his Spirit , might be ever continued to him , that he might be eternally filled with Joy , as well in body , as soul : thereby discovering , that he reflected not , in the least , on the Purgatery held by the Church of Rome ; which none of her Followers ever yet placed in Heaven ; or any way thought on the delay of Benedict's Felicity , whom he esteemed already received into the Society of the Angels . The same accompt is to be given of the Epitaph of Marinian , Arch-Bishop of Ravenna , deceased in the year 601. where we finde these words : " Ipsius in locis sit tibi certa quies , &c. Mayst thou with God assured rest obtain . As also of that of Venerable Bede , deceased in the year 735. " Dona , Christe , animam in Coelis gaudere per aevum , &c. " Dáque illum Sophiae inebriari fonte . — Christ , grant his soul in heav'n eternal joy , &c. And him inebriate with Wisdom's spring : For it does not thence follow , either that he was , at the hour of his death deprived of the Joy of Heaven ; or that Wisdom had not filled him with the Effects of her Virtue ; or , lastly , that those , who are once entred into the Joy of Heaven , could ever forfeit it , or be deprived of the communication of eternal Wisdom ; but that the Surviving thought they might rationally demand for their deceased Friends the perpetuity of their Happiness , though they certainly knew it could never be taken from them . That of Pope ADRIAN the First , writ either by Charle-maign , or , in his Name , by Alcuin , notwithstanding he had presupposed , that his Death was the entrance of a better Life , yet forbore not to make these Wishes for him ; " Cum Christo teneas regna beata Poli , &c. " Quique legis Versus devoto pectore supplex , " Amborum mitis dic miserere Deus : " Haec tua nunc requies teneat , charissime , membra ; " Cum sanctis Anima gaudeat alma Dei. " Ultima quippe tuas donec Tuba clamet in aures , Principe cum Petro Surge videre Deum ; " Auditurus eris vocem ( scio ) Judicis almam , Intra nunc Domini gaudia magna tui . " Tum memor esto tui Nati — &c. Mayst thou with Christ a blessed Seat obtain , &c. Who humbly readst this Verse with pious heart , May God his mercy , say , to c both impart : May here the precious body finde it's Rest ; May the fair soul rejoyce among the blest . Since , when the latest Trump shall summon thee , God , and the great Saint Peter for to see ; I know thou 'lt hear the Judge's gentle voyce , Of thy Lord enter into the great Joys . Remember then thy Son. — Now , as the demand he made for Adrian , that he might obtain a blessed seat with Christ in Heaven , did not signify , that he was not yet admitted into the Possession of that better Life , whereof his death was the entrance : so the Invitation to implore for him the Mercy of God was no argument , that he had not obtained it ; since that even then he exhorted his Soul to rejoyce with the Saints of God , and shewed , that he thought it not tormented in a Fire , such as were likely to deprive it of all Joy ; but that it was in Bliss , reigning in the Company of the Saints , of the Apostle St. Peter , and our Saviour ; a felicity , whereto nothing could be added by desire , but the perpetuity of it : which yet is so much the more certain , in as much , as it is grounded on the unchangeable counsel of d God , whose Gifts , and Calling , are without repentance . That of Charle-maign , of whom the Authour , viz. Agobard , Arch-Bishop of Lions , said ; That he had been admitted to the aetherial Plains ; and consequently , that he was entred into Glory : yet recommends it to the Reader 's Devotion to pray for him ; using these Words , " Astriferam CAROLI teneat , dic , spiritus Arcem , &c. — Wish , that Charles ' s Soul May be possessed of the Starry Pole. That of Pope Sergius II. deceased April the 12th , 847. — " Pro tanto tundamus pectora pugnis , " Pastore amisso , vivat ut axe Poli , &c. So great a Pastour lost , We are to grieve With beaten Breasts , that he in Heav'n may live . That of Ermengard , Wife to the Emperour Lotharius , deceased on Friday , March the 20th , 852. and immediately introduced ( as the Authour of it observes ) into the Kingdom of Heaven ; where she was abundantly filled with the Joy of Christ , &c. " Hanc , rogo te , Lector , commenda ritè Tonanti , " Assiduis precibus , Christus eam ut habeat : " Cum quo congaudens vivat feliciter ipsa , " Angelicis semper mista beata Choris , &c. Reader , employ thy daily Pray'rs , I crave , That Christ with him may Ermengarda have : With whom in lasting Joys she may remain , A Saint to live amongst the Heav'nly Train . Whereupon the Authour , to give us a more particular Accompt of his intention , adds ; " Has ego Rabanus confeci Versibus Odas , " Ex obitu maestus , ex requie & gratulans , &c. I , Rabanus , this into Verse have drest , Griev'd at her Loss , but glad she is at Rest . Whence it follows ; that all he intreated the Reader to desire , was , not properly the happiness ; but the continuance , and eternity of the happiness of that Princess , already glorified with Christ in Heaven . Whereto may be added ; that , as Reason requires , that the Gratulations , whereby we express the good Wishes we have for our Friends , be grounded , not on the imagination of their future-good ; but on the advantage they have to be in actual possession of it : so the Authour of this Epitaph had had no great reason to congratulate the Rest of the Empress Ermengard , if she had not been admitted into it . To the same Predicament may be reduced that of the Emperour CHARLES the Bald , which , after the Authour had observed , that he returned his Soul to God , that is to say , died so piously , that Pope JOHN the Eighth said , he was in Paradise with the Angels , concludes in these Terms ; " Deus excelsus dignetur jungere Turmis , " Sanctorúmque choris consociare piis , &c. May the high God to the Saints holy Quires Joyn him — That of Pope STEPHEN the Sixth , whom the Authour had represented as Triumphantly ascending to Heaven , inviting all , that should read it , to desire pardon for him ; saying , — Dicite , Fratres , Arbiter Omnipotens da veniam Stephano , &c. Th' Almighty Judge's grace , Brethren , implore For Stephen — And that of Benedict the Fourth , deceased in the year 907. following the same Track , hath these words , which denote the excessive Charity of the deceased : Mercatus coelum cuncta sua tribuit , &c. To purchase Heaven all he had he gave : And adds immediately this Advertisement , " Inspector Tumuli compuncto dicito corde , " Cum Christo regnes ( O Benedicte ) Deo , &c. Who seest this Tomb , say with a contrite Heart , " May'st thou , O Benedict , with Christ have part . Which Words proceeded not from the Authour , out of any design he had to insinuate , that Benedict ( when he uttered them ) had not yet obtained his part , or reigned with God ; for what can be imagined more absur'd , then that God should refuse to crown Charity , the greatest of his Gifts , and suspend the Effect of his Promises towards those , who have ( as is supposed of Pope Benedict ) most conscientiously exercised it : But his intention was to discover , that he thought it , not onely lawfull , but necessary ; that the Faithfull surviving should continually desire of God the ratification of the Gifts he had already bestowed on those he had taken to himself . According to this Principle , which seems to have been common to all Antiquity , may be understood in a good sense the Inscription of Amatus's Tomb ; which runs thus , Pro animâ Amati poenitentis hîc sepulti Domini misericordiam deprecari digneris , &c. Vouchsafe to implore the Mercy of the Lord for the Soul of penitent Amatus here buried . But when the Opinion of Purgatory ( by the Monks management of the Business ) had a little more prepossessed the minds of People , the use of Prayers in Epitaphs became much more frequent , then it had been before . And , as it were easie to produce Centuries of Instances to that purpose ; ( as of John , Bishop of Nepete , deceased October the 31th , in the year 770. of Paul , Arch-Deacon of Pavia , deceased in the year 774. of Alcuin , deceased May the 19th , 804. of Hincmar , Arch-Bishop of Rheims , deceased December the 21st , 882. of Boson , King of Provence , deceased January the 11th , 887. of Fulk , Arch-Bishop of Rheims , deceased June the 17th , 899. of Pope John IX . deceased September the 23d , the same year ; of Pope Anastasius , 111. deceased in the year 912. of Pope John XIII . deceased September the 6th , 972. of Pope Benedict VII . deceased July the 10th , 984. of Pope John XV. deceased May the 7th , 996. of Gebhard , Bishop of Constantia , deceased August the 27th , the same year ; of Pope Sylvester II. deceased May the 12th , 1003. of John , surnamed Capanarius , deceased October the 12th , 1004. of Pope John XIX . deceased August the 31. 1009. of Pope Sergius IV. deceased May the 13th , 1013. of Pope John XX. deceased November the 8th , 1033. of Teresa , Sister of Alphonsus v. King of Leow , deceased June the 9th , 1047. of Geffrey , Count of Arles , deceased about the year 1052. of Stephen Cardinal , deceased in the year 1061. of Peter Damiani , Bishop of Ostia , deceased February the 23d , 1072. of Adam , a Monk of St. Victor's , deceased in the year 1153 : ) So some might conceive themselves obliged to believe , that all the Prayers we read in such Epitaphs were intended onely to this end , viz. to deliver the Souls of the departed out of the pretended Purgatory ; and I am ready to acknowledg , that the intention of the Authours many times was , or might be such : most having , especially from the year 900. either embraced , or countenanced that new Tenet ; some , upon account of the profit accrewing thereby ; some , upon account of the profit accrewing thereby ; some , because it seemed likely to keep mens Consciences in aw , and divert Sinners from their wicked course of Life : but this cannot be either said , or imagined of all . For , with what countenance could they have numbred among the Malefactours racked upon the infernal Engines of Purgatory for their Sins , either Gebhard , whom the Authour of his Life observes to have been conveyed to Heaven by the Hands of Angels , and , at the time of his Enterment , to have wrought Miracles , which demonstrated his being glorified by God in Heaven ? Or Peter Damiani , whom in like manner the Authour of his Life affirms to have died on the 23d of February , being the Festival day of St. Peter at Antioch , to the end , that the celestical Court might receive into the Mansions of the Blessed the Disciple of Peter the same day , on which Peter had deserved to be placed in the Pastoral See ? And , indeed , we find , that the former was Canonized by the Church of Rome : and the latter is one of the most eminent among her Saints , to whom she addresses her Prayers , and thinks it were injurious to them to pray for them . After the same manner is to be understood the Epitaph of Peter Leo , which sayes , that Heaven , and Earth , divided him at his death : whence it follows that his Spirit reigned in Glory , as his Body rested in the Grave ; which notwithstanding , the Authour of the Epitaph forbore not to cry out for him , — " Dei gratia parcat ei . May God him Pardon grant . We have abundance of such Passages in the Poems of Baldric , who , after he had been some time Abbot of Bourgueil , was advanced to the Episcopal See of Dol , in Britany , and co●…ued in it from the 25th of December , 1107. to the 21st of January , 1131. about which time the Belief of Purgatory seems to have been received over all the West . Yet is it hard to conceive , that he made any great account of it himself ; since that , numbring among the Patrones , who were to be invocated , many of those , for whom he put up his Prayers according to the antient Custom , which excepted neither Patriarchs , nor Prophets , nor Apostles , nor Martyrs , he shews , that his meaning was , to desire of God , not the cessation of their Pains , but the confirmation of their Glory : which the Church of Rome cannot deny , but she practised a long time ; the acknowledgment made of it by e Hincmare , and f Innocent the Third , assuring us on her behalf , that in the antient Missals was this Prayer for one of the greatest , and most eminent Popes , viz. LEO the First , deceased April the 11th , 461. Annue ( quaesumus ) Domine , ut animae Beati Leonis haec prosit oblatio . Grant , O Lord , we beseech thee , that this Oblation may benefit the Soul of Blessed LEO. From which Prayer three things necessarily follow , all which are extreamly contrary to what the said Church teaches at this day . The First , That she prayed , and presented Oblations for him , whom she acknowledged to be in Bliss , and accordingly glorified for all Eternity with God. The Second , That the Oblation she then made ; and does still dayly make , in the Mass , neither is , nor can be a Propitiatory Sacrifice , properly so called ; but a simple Sacrifice of Praise , as it is expresly qualifyed by the Words of the Canon , by which she consecrates , and presents it to God. The Third , That neither her Prayer , nor her Oblation , could ( according to her own Sentiment ) be of any benefit to Pope Leo , in order to his delivery out of Pain ; since she acknowledged him exempted from it , and in Happiness ; but to obtain for him what he was most assured of , viz. the Ratification , and Confirmation of his Glory to its full accomplishment g at the Resurrection of the Just . But moved , as it should seem , at the apprehension of these three Consequences , which might have forced those of her Communion , not onely to confess ( with St. h Fulgentius ) that the Eucharist is no more , then a Sacrifice of Bread and Wine , consecrated to serve as a Memorial of the Body , and Blood , of Jesus Christ , our i true Sacrifice , offered up ( according to the particular Observation of the Apostle ) ONCE upon the Cross ; but also to stop up the Mine of her most certain Revenue , by renouncing the Imagination of her Purgatory ; the Church of Rome hath raced that antient Prayer out of her Missal ; and yet , as if she had been ashamed wholly to take it way , she hath put in another Prayer instead of it , which discovers some remainder of her former Sentiment . The Words of it are these ; Sancti Leonis Confessoris tui , atque Pontificis , annua solennitas nos tibi reddat acceptos ; ut , per haec Piae placationis Officia , illum beata retributio comitetur , & nobis gratiae tuae dona conciliet : that is to say , May the annual Solennity of Leo thy Confessour , and Pope , render us acceptable to thee ; that , by these Offices of pious pacification , a blessed reward may attend him , and confer the Gifts of thy Grace upon us . Where we finde , First , That St. Leo ; for whom 〈◊〉 antient . Prayer was before made , is , in the new , constituted an Intercessour for those , who celebrate his Memory . Secondly , That the Solennity , and Service of his Festival are called Offices of pious pacification , not onely to shew , that they are acceptable to God , looking on them with a propitious Eye ; but also to insinuate a pretense of offering therein a Propitiatory Sacrifice to God : and yet where in the same Prayer , the Church of Rome desires for Leo , that a blessed reward may attend him , she in some sort expresses the sence of her precedent Prayer , and shews to what end Antiquity was induced to Pray for the Faithfull departed in the Lord , viz. to desire the perpetual continuance of their Bliss ; and not to obtain their entrance thereinto , and much less to deliver them out of any Torments , as is at this day imagined . But however the Case stand , Baldric , praying even for those of his Friends , whom he believed to be in Happiness , discovers , that he was of the same Opinion with the Church of Rome , when she prayed for Pope LEO the Great . As for instance in the Epitaph of Natalis , Abbot of Saint Nicholas of Angiers , deceased about the year 1097. after he had addressed this Discourse to St. Nicholas , — " Tuum Deus accersivit alumnum , " Cui dedit aeternum solenni funere somnum , &c. — Thy Disciple hence The Lord hath called to Eternal rest . And in another Epitaph ; — " Defunctus sacris k hanc ossibus ornat , &c. This Church his sacred bones adorn : Signifying , that he believed Natalis glorified in Heaven : He concludes his Epitaphs with these Words ; " Hic modò Natalis pro carne jacet cineratus , " Cui noceat nullus pro carnis sorde reatus : Natalis here , dissolv'd to Ashes , lyes , Gainst whom no guilt , or stain of flesh arise . In like manner , in the following Epitaph , recommending him to the Protection of Saint Nicholas , he says to him ; — " Servi nunc memor esto tui , " Christo commenda , quem Mundo Christus ademit . " Húncque Patrocinii jure tuere tui : — Now mindfull of thy servant be , Whom Christ took hence , to Christ him recommend , And him with thy Protection still attend : Presupposing , not that he was in any danger , but that he stood in need of Saint Nicholas , to be made fully assured of the perpetual enjoyment of his Felicity . A Conception false indeed in it self , but yet was passed from hand to hand for many Ages before , and might have been confirmed by millions of Examples . In those of Reynold , Arch-Bishop of Rheims , deceased the one and twentieth of January , 1137. after he had ranked him among the Souls Salvandae , that were to be saved , and made this Wish ; " Dispenset veniam cunctipotens animae , &c. Pardon thy Soul he , whom all things obey ; he takes him for an Intercessour , as he in requital Prays for him ; saying , " Oramus pro te ; pro nobis , quaesumus , ora , &c. We pray for thee , thou us thy Pray'rs afford . And elsewhere he lays it down as certain , that the one and twentieth of January , the day of his Decease , " Destituit Mundo , substituitque Polo , Snatch'd him from hence , to place him in the Skie ; which cannot stand without his being received into Heaven . In those of Howel , Bishop of Mans , deceased in the year 1129. and of the Abbot Joel , having said , — " Morte pari modicò Deus attigit ambos , " Ut sint translati , Sidera magna Poli , &c. In equal death God did them both conjoyn , Translated hence in Heav'n , great Stars , to shine : A Discourse representing them already possessed of Celestial Glory ; and and particularly of the former ; — " Coram Sancto Vota vovent Tumulo , &c. Before his Tomb their Vows l they pour : Whence it follows , that they took him for their Patron , and must of necessity think him in Happiness : Yet does he , nevertheless , pray for him ; saying , " Praesulis obtineat Spiritus Astra Poli , &c. May Heav'n the Prelate's Soul obtain : — as if ( contrary to his precedent Protestations ) he had thought him at a great distance from it . In those of Audebert , Abbot of Bourg-dieux , and Arch-Bishop of Bourges , deceased in the year 1098. he is very liberal of his Wishes ; as , " Communem Patrem communi tangite voto , " Ut det Pastori sedem super aethera vestro : Again ; " Audeberte , vale , sit pax tibi , lúxque perennis : Again ; " In Domino requiem Spiritus inveniat , &c. " Omnipotens animam Pontificis foveat , &c. To th' common Father your joynt Vows address , That he your Pastour bring to happiness , &c. Audebert , be well , Eternal peace , and light , Thy Portion be — May's Soul in God finde rest . — Kindely may God the Prelate's soul receive . Who , hearing him talk after this rate , would not say , that he were out of Heaven , deprived of light , peace , and rest ? But look upon the Reverse of the Medal , and you shall finde , he looks on him , as his Patron , already possessed of Heaven , saying , " Tu Pater à Superis saepe revise tuos , &c. " Vadis , te Christo per idonea signa vocante , " Et velut emerito tibi praemia digna parante : " Omni momento , nostrî , Patrone , memento , " Et succurre gregi , mortali morte redempto . Again ; " Nunc quoque cum Christo nos saepè revisat ab alto . Thou , Father , from on high revisit thine , &c. — By Christ hence , As a discharged Champion , thou art Of great rewards call'd to receive thy Part ; O Patron , ever-mindfull of us be , And those relieve , whom mortal death set free . With Christ from Heav'n often revisit us . What could he have said more to St. Peter , or St. Paul , according to the Theologie of that Time ? In that of William , Bishop of Engoulesm , having invited those of his Diocess to worship his Body , he advises them to pray for him ; — " Artus venerare Paternos , " Dic quoque , Transcendat Gulielmi Spiritus Astra . Thy Father's body having worship'd , pray , That William's soul to Heav'n may finde the way . What could have been more ridiculous , then to have perswaded People to the Veneration of a Body , whose Spirit should , at the same time , have been in a place of Pain , and deprived of Glory ? In that of Gerald of Orleans , he says ; — " Datur hîc sua portio Terrae , " Spiritus in tenues vivens elabitur auras , " Cui tamen è rebus lutulentis si quid inhaesit , " Expediat totum clemens miseratio Christi , " His Precibus Lector ( Amen adjiciendo ) faveto . — Here Earth hath had her share , The Spirit lives dissolv'd to subtile Air , Which yet , if stain'd with ought terrestrial , May Christ , in his great Mercy , pardon all , T advance these Prayers , Reader , Amen let fall . Since then he conceived , that , at the fall of the Body , when it became the portion of the Earth , the Spirit lived , and was escaped , who sees not , that he believed it to be in some other place , then that of a grievous punishment , and that the Prayer , he afterward makes , tends rather to assure the Expiation of his Offences , then to implore it for him , in as much as the Mercy of God is not communicated after death , but to those , who obtained it , while they lived ? In that of Durand , Bishop of Cler-mont , deceased the nineteenth of November , 1095. during the time of the Councel , or Croisado for the Conquest of the Holy Sepulchre was published , he exhorts the People of Auvergn to worship him , and thereby declares him to be in Happiness ; saying , " Arvernus sanctos cineres reverenter habeto , " Atque Patrocinio tutior esto suo . Worship his sacred ashes , Cler-mont , and Thou shalt in his protection safer stand . In those of Gerald , Abbot of Selue Majour , in Bourdelois , he is yet more excessive , as hath been observed in the precedent Chapter . And though the Prayers he makes in the Epitaphs of his other Friends ; as Reynold , Clere , Guy , Raoul , Clerembant , William of Mont-soreau , Berenger , Arch-Deacon of Anger 's , Froden of Anger 's , Peter , Dean of Dol , Reinould , Canon of Poictiers , Geoffrey of Rheims , Alexander of Tours , Eriland , Peter Prior , Eudes , Abbot of St. John d'Angely , Raoul , Arch-Deacon of Poictiers , Chevalier Bouchard , Chevalier Rahier , the Countess Osanna , Guy Tourangeau , William , Abbot of Bourgueil , and Herard of Loudun ; though , I say , those Prayers might presuppose the Belief of Purgatory , yet , since they are consistent with the other Presuppositions , and that Baldric made the like for Persons , whom he believed crowned with Glory in Heaven ; it cannot be safely concluded , that he ever intended to apply any one of them to the common Opinion current in his Time , and which the Church of Rome maintains at this day . The same is to be said of those , who , after him , and , to this present , have declared , and do declare ( according to the Custom of the Church of Rome , and even in her Communion ) that the Persons , whose Memory they have celebrated by their Verses , and Sepulchral Inscriptions , are in Happiness , and possessed of celestial Glory . For though they do not openly impugn the Opinion of Purgatory , as the Protestants do , and though they use such Expressions , as might seem to maintain it , yet do they not oblige themselves to maintain it in Effect : and ( without any injury done them ) it may be taken for certain , that they believed no more of it , then the Reverend Peter Chastellain , Bishop of Mascon , who , having on the three and twentieth of May , 1547. advanced into Glory the great King Francis , and scandalized the College of Sorbonne , which looked on his Discourse , as a Piece of Lutheranism , flatly contradicting the common Opinion of Purgatory , and demanded of him either the formal Retractation , or Explication of it , thought it satisfaction enough , to give the Complainers ( and that in the presence of King Henry the Second , and all his Court ) a Jest , instead of an Apologie for his Funeral-Oration , and , to stop their Mouths , tell them , that he denied not , he had been there , but that it was onely k to take a Glass of Wine , as he passed by , which Discourse was to them an absolute Put-off , and caused them to be laughed at whereever they came . CHAP. XLII . Of the true Motives , which the Antients had to Pray for the Blessed Saints in Heaven . BUt not further to mention Baldric , or the Bishop of Mascon , it will be demanded , what Motive enclined those , who , since the year 500. are found to have made Prayers for the Dead , to do so . And here I am willing to acknowleg , that there was no more noise of the Opinion , which had so much distracted the Spirits of Christians of the Second , and Third Age , deceived by the Pretended Sibylline Writing , and presupposing that all Souls , without exception , descended to Hell , were there confined , till the Resurrection of their Bodies , and exposed not onely to the temptations , but also to the violences of Evil Spirits ; which to prove , Justine Martyr alledged , to Trypho the Jew , the pretended raising of Samuel by the Witch of En-dor . For , though the most antient Prayers ( as , for Instance , those , which St. Augustine made for his Mother ) seem to have been drawn up by that Precedent ; and that the Libera , if it be applied to the Departed , rather then to the Faithfull in Agonies , and preparing themselves for death , requires we should think they were ; yet had they , even from the Time of Tertullian , seventy years , or thereabouts , after the first coming abroad of the Sibylline Writing so called , begun to exempt the Martyrs from the necessity of descending into Hell ; and so , by little and little , the minds of the Christians strugling with , and overcoming the Imposture , that first Hypothesis was cast out of doors , yet so , as that it was done without a rejection of the Forms , which those , who maintained it , had introduced into the Publick Service of the Church . And thence comes it , that St. Ambrose prays for his Brother Satyrus ; saying , Tibi nunc , omnipotens Deus , innoxiam commendo animam , &c. Now , O Almighty God , I recommend unto thee his innocent soul . And for Valentinian the Second , and Gratian , in these words , Hîc adhuc intercessionem , &c. Should I still make Intercession here for him , to whom I dare promise a reward ? Put into my hands the sacred Mysteries ; let us with a devout affection demand rest for him ; give me the celestial Sacraments ; let us attend his religious soul with our Oblations . a Lift up your hands with me in the Sanctuary , O ye People ; to the end , at least , that by this Present we may recompense his merits , &c. No night shall go over my head ; but that I will make you some present of my prayers ; in all my Visitations I shall remember you , &c. And for the Great Theodosius ; Praesumo de Domino &c. I so far presume of the Lord , that he will b hear the voyce of my cry , wherewith I attend thy pious soul , &c. c Grant perfect rest unto thy servant Theodosius , even that rest , which thou hast prepared for thy Saints . May his soul return thither , whence it descended , where he cannot feel the d sting of death , where he may be satisfied , that this death is the end not of Nature , but of sin , &c. From which Prayers it is to be observed , by the way , First , That this Holy Prelate , expressing that he considered not his prayers for Valentinian , who died a Catechumen , but a Person very Religious , and truly inclined to Piety , as an Office , whereof he stood in need ; but as a simple Effect of his good Wishes , manifestly discovers , that not any one of the Faithfull , departed in the Lord , stands in any necessity of the suffrages of the surviving ; and accordingly , that the Protestants , who believe , that , in matter of Religion , nothing should be attempted without the express order of God himself , speaking in his Word , cannot be accompted criminals for their declining an act , which is not ( even in their Judgment , who practised it ) of any necessity , or any way beneficial to those , for whom the voluntary devotion , or Will-worship of men designs it . Secondly , That St. Ambrose , who calls the Eucharist , celebrated in memory of Valentinian , and , upon his occasion , a Present , which he makes his Friend , and by which he requites him , could not have believed it to be either the Body of the Son of God , or the Offering-up of that Body , or , in general , a Propitiatory Sacrifice properly so called . For who could ( without an impious Absurdity ) imagine , that the real Body of our Saviour should be so much at our disposal , as that we might make Presents of it to our Friends ? &c. that the Proper Oblation of the same Body , being infinitely more precious , then we , or any thing , that can proceed from us , is , or could be a supplement , which we adjoyn to our Prayers for our Friends ; and that this kind of Present is as the meanest kindness we can do them , so as that we might say , with St. Ambrose , that , at least , by that Present we requite them ? It seems then he pretended not to do what the Church of Rome thinks to do at this day in the Masses of Requiem . For she professes to present the Oblation she makes therein , whatever it may be , not to the deceased , for whom she prays ; but onely to God , for , or on the behalf of the deceased . She conceives also , that her Host , which she believes to be properly , and really the Body of the Son of God , surpasses in value , not onely our Prayers ; but what ever is most excellent , either in Earth , or in Heaven , among the Angels , and Spirits of the glorified Saints . And though she , who cannot endure the Protestants , because they are unwilling to submit their Consciences to any other Rule , then that of Faith , contained in the Sacred Scriptures , hath born in her Bosom , and suffered unreproved those inconsiderate Children , who have had the boldness to write that the solemn Sacrifice might be offered to Creatures ; As when the Authour of the great Chronicle of the Low-Countries thrust in this into his History , that , on the 27th of October , 1467. Charles , last Duke of Burgundy , who conquered the People about Liege , Ecclesiae Lovaniensis universo Clero commisit , omnipotenti Deo , suaeque sanctae Genitrici offerre suo nomine sacrificium , &c. gave express Order to all the Clergy of the Church of Lovain , to offer unto Almighty God , and to his most Holy Mother , the solemn Sacrifice in his name ; never considering , either that the Oblation of the solemn Sacrifice is ( by the confession of all ) the act of Latria , and sovereign adoration , due to God alone , as being the most proper Object , and most worthy of it ; nor that the most Holy Mother of our Lord , though blessed ( according to the saying of the Angel ) among Women , never ceased being a Creature , and that she is such now in Heaven as much , as she was before she was crowned with Glory ; or that to address to her , either separately , or joyntly with God Almighty , the solemn Sacrifice , is to serve her with the service of Latria , and to transfer to the Creature the Glory of the Creatour : Or when Jovianus Pontanus , ( a Great Person otherwise ) Councellour , and Secretary of State to Ferdinand of Arragon King of Naples , feigned , e that St. Michael , the Archangel , appearing to Laurence , Bishop of Sipontum in Apulia , had entertained him with this horrid , and necessarily-false Discourse , concerning the Grot of the Mountain Garganus , now called Mont di S. Angelo ; Michael ego sum , qui , hoc excavato saxo , hac antro , hoc habitaculo , his assidue manantibus stillis abluturus sum , ac deleturus meam ad aram confugientium mortalium errata , &c. I am Michael , who , having hollowed this Rock , this Cave , this Habitation , shall , by these perpetually falling drops , wash away , and take off the sins of those , who have recourse to my Altar : as , if ever any one of the blessed Angels of Light , of whom St. Augustine sometime said to the Heathens , f Utinam & vos illos colere velletis , facilè enim ab ipsis disceretis non illos colere , &c. I wish you would also attempt to serve them , ( as sometime did St. g John ) for you might learn of them not to serve them ; as if , I say , it had been a thing becoming any of the Angels to importune men for Temples , and Altars , or , at least , to erect them to themselves ; or , lastly , to attribute to themselves the honour of washing away , and blotting out the sins of men ; or , as if any other , then the Son of God h had purged our sins , and that i by the sacrifice of himself appearing now once for to put away sin , k sanctifying those , who are his , through the offering of his Body once for all , having offered one Sacrifice for sins for ever , and by that offering for ever perfected them , that are sanctified : Upon which accompt St. John says , that he is the Propitiation for our sins , and that his blood cleanseth us from all ●n ; yet this very Church of Rome , I say , who hath , in those of her Communion , forborn to take any notice of the wicked , and scandalous Expressions we have even now refuted , made no difficulty , after St. Augustine , to declare those guilty of sacrilege , who should presume to sacrifice to any of the Saints ; nor , in imitation of him , to affirm , that it is a less sin to return drunk from the Memorials ( or , Sepulchres ) of the Martyrs , then to sacrifice to them fasting . But considering , with the whole antient Church in her Liturgies , the things distributed in the Eucharist no otherwise , then as gifts , and presents , which God gives us , and which he creates , and dayly leaves to our disposal , though by their consecration we hold , with the Holy Fathers , that they become Religious Sacraments , Figures , Images , Signs , and Similitudes of the Body and Blood of Christ , nay , that very Body , and Blood in a Sacramental way , no man ought to think they absolutely cease to be what they were ( according to the condition of their nature ) before the Consecration , viz. aliments of refection , created for our use , and left to our discretion , to be communicated to those , who are with us , whether effectually , or in outward appearance , in the Communion of the Church . Upon this accompt St. Ambrose might say , that he made a Present of it to Valentinian , a Catechumen indeed , as to outward appearance , but in effect one of the Faithfull , in as much , as he had made a Vow to receive Baptism ; much after the same manner , as at this day the Church of Rome , in the distribution of the Bread , which she calls Holy , reserves ( even for the absent , that are in Communion with her , whom the Persons , that offer it , are willing to honour ) their portion , as a kinde of Honourary Present . Thirdly , I intreat the Reader to observe , that St. Ambrose , who had said of the Great Theodosius , that he had attained salvation through his humility , in imitation of David , that his soul was returned into her rest , &c. that she had made haste to enter into the City of Jerusalem , into true glory , in the Kingdom of the blessed , in the enjoyment of perpetual light , rejoycing in the fruits of the reward for the things he had done in his body , does not , when he concludes his Discourse with this Wish , Grant thy servant perfect rest , that rest , which thou hast prepared for thy Saints , any way insinuate ( to the prejudice of what he had said before ) that the Soul of that Prince was then ( when he spoke ) in expectation of her rest ; for he adds immediately after , that he remains in light , and is glorified in the Assemblies of the Saints , in the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus , enjoying the society of Gratian his Brother-in-law , of Flaccilla his Daughter , and of the great Constantine : but he desires , on his behalf , not absolutely rest , since he was possessed of it , as to his Soul , but the perfect rest , the possession whereof he could not arrive to in Body , and Soul , till after the Resurrection , and in comparison to which , what he was then possessed of could not be accompted other , then imperfect , and , as it were , half ; since he enjoyed it , but in one of the parts of his Person , the other being to remain under the power of Death , till the Last day , at which time it was to be rejoyned to the other , that they might be joyntly received into Glory . Into this Doctrine , which , in the main , presupposes the Hypothesis of the Protestants , concerning the Beatitude of the Faithfull , as to their souls , from the Moment of their Body's dissolution , we finde a little rubbish shuffled ; which the Protestants do not conceive any one should force them to take upon their accompt . In the first place , according to the then Custom , but without any Command , or Promise of God , and without the Example of the Apostolique Church , ( the onely means able to Authorise his Action ) St. Ambrose prays for him , whom he acknowledged in Bliss , in the Kingdom of God ; a kinde of Office , which he himself , in his Funeral Oration for Valentinian ; had declared purely Arbitrary , and proceeding from the Will-worship , whereof St. Paul had , about three hundred and thirty years before , expresly advertized the Colossians , and by them the whole Church through all Ages , to beware : And secondly , where he prays , that the Soul of Theodosius might return into the rest , whence it had descended , he not onely makes a superfluous Wish , and consequently ill-grounded , according to his own confession ; since that Soul was already gotten into the place , where he wished it : But he shews further , that he had a little Tincture of Origene's Venom , whose Imagination it was , that the souls , having sinned in Heaven , and being forced to depart thence , were descended , guilty of Crimes , and , as such , had been disposed into Bodies . An Opinion , which was condemned in the year 399. by the unanimous consent of the whole Church ; which constantly maintains , even to this day , and that every where , that all Souls are produced by God , at the very instant of their infusion into the Bodies they are to animate ; and that , for as much as they were not at all , before they were united to their Bodies , they could not either be , or sin , in Heaven , or , consequently , descend thence ; as St. Ambrose presupposed : that , which is not absolutely , neither having ( before it is ) any Being , nor pre-existing , nor capable of either Action , or Motion from one place to another , or of any Passion any way conceivable by us . But as to the main point , it is manifest , that St. Ambrose , and all the Church of his Time , had absolutely rejected the first Hypothesis , derived from the pretended Sibylline Writing , maintaining , that all Souls , without exception , descend into Hell , after their departure out of the Bodies , wherewith they ( every one , as to its own particular ) constituted humane Persons ; and that that other Branch of Errour , which had prepossessed the Spirit of Justine Martyr , and his Contemporaries , whereby they imagined , that the Souls of the greatest Saints , during their pretended detention in Hell , were , in some sort , subject to the power of Evil Spirits , and upon that accompt , stood in need of being relieved by the Prayers of the Living , imploring on their behalf the Protection of God , and his good Angels , was no longer held , it being the perswasion even of those , who continued to make the same Prayers , as they , who had been of that Belief , that the true Christians , departing out of the Body , were with the Lord , in an eternal rest , and absolute safety . In so much , that these , who recommended the Dead to God , grounded not their so doing on either of these two Motives , St. Ambrose telling us plainly concerning Valentinian the Second . Requiescamus ( inquit l anima pia ) in Castellis , ostendens illic esse quietem tutiorem , quae septo Coelestis refugii munita , atque vallata , non exagitatur soecularium incursibus Bestiarum , &c. Let us rest ( says the Faithfull soul ) in Towers , shewing that there ( where she is received ) there is a more assured Repose , which being encompassed , and fortified with the Enclosure of celestial refuge , is not disturbed by the Incursions of the Beasts of this World ; that is to say , Evil Spirits , and Wicked Men. And concerning Theodosius ; Lapsum sentire non poterit , in illa requie constitutits , &c. Being seated in that Rest , he cannot be subject to fall from it . And Paulinus , not long before the Death of St. Ambrose , to Pammachius , concerning his Wife Paulina , deceased in the year 396. Satis docuit Rex Propheta , &c. The Royal Prophet hath sufficiently m taught us how far we should be troubled at the departure of our Friends , and Kinred , to wit , so , as rather to think of our Journey after them , then of that , which they are already come to the end of . It is indeed an Expression of Piety to be cast down at the taking away hence of Just men ; but it is also an Holy thing , to be raised up into Gladness upon the n Hope , and Faith of God's Promises , and to say to him , that it is in trouble , o Why art thou sad ? Be it so , that Piety bewail for a time , yet is it necessary , that Faith should always be joyfull . Upon this Ground was it , that all those , who , for the space of six hundred years , made it their Business to write the Lives of the Faithfull , accompted them among the Blessed ; not admitting any adjournment of their Peace , and Felicity , after their death . In so much as Gregory , Arch-Bishop of Tours , deceased the seventeenth of November , 592. about which time Pope GREGORY , first of that Name , was designing the first-draught of Purgatory , should not have spoken of those Virtuous Persons , whose memory he celebrated , in other Terms , then those , who had preceeded him : saying of Gregory , Bishop of Langres ; of Nicetius , Bishop of Lyons ; of Porcianus , Ursus , and Caluppa , Religious Men ; Migravit ad Dominum , &c. He is gone hence to the Lord : of Gullus , Bishop of Cler-mont ; of Nicetius , Bishop of Trier ; and of Lupicinus ; Spiritum , coelo intentum , proemisit ad Dominum , &c. He sent before ( his Body ) to the Lord his Soul , imployed in Thoughts of Heaven : of Friard ; Christus animam suscepit in Coelo , &c. Christ hath received his soul into Heaven : of Martius , Ad Coronam commigravit , &c. He is gone hence to receive a Crown : of Venantius ; Vitam percepturus aeternam , emicuit saeculo , &c. He is hurried hence to receive eternal Life : of Leobord ; Manifestum est , eum ab Angelis susceptum , &c. It is manifest , he hath been entertained by Angels . In a word , the great number of those , who admire the Novelties , that have crept into the Opinion of Purgatory , hath been no hindrance , but that the Authours of Lives , who have written since the year 600. have spoken , and believed of their Dead consonantly to what had been done by the most Antient. If therefore , even in the Time of St. Ambrose , the Opinion of the Millenaries was so lost to credit , that St. Hierome , who , out of respect towards the Great Persons , that had followed it , forbore to express his Thoughts thereof , and to number it among Heresies , thought it a great Tenderness towards it , to assign it a place among the dreaming Imaginations of mis-informed Spirits ; it is not to be conceived , that after the year 500. descending still , it should have regained any Partizans , and that there should have been any man , whose Prayers for his deceased Friends proceeded from that Motive , so , as that he thought himself obliged to wish them their part in the First Resurrection , which no man then understood in the sense , wherein Tertullian , and those of his Time , had conceived it . But indeed , many , even till after the year 600. relying on that Hypothesis , partly extracted out of the pretended Oracles of the Counterfeit Sibyl , that All Souls should pass through the last Conflagration of the World , demanded , on the Behalf of their departed Friends two things . One , that they might pass through that great Conflagration , as through a Purgative Fire , not to be prejudiced thereby , no more , then the Gold melted in the Crucible . Another , that they might have their part with all the Saints in the Resurrection to Glory . Upon this perswasion , Kindasvind , King of the West-Goths , in Spain , who reigned between the year 642. and 649. had caused these Verses to be written on the Tomb of his Wife Reciberga ; — Ego te ( Conjux ) quia vincere fata nequivi , Funere perfunctam , Sanctis commendo tuendam ; Ut , cùm Flamma vorax veniet comburere Terras , Coetibus ipsorum meritò sociata resurgas . Since death , on my desires , would not thee spare , Of thee departed may the Saints take care ; That thou , with them , mayst rise again that day , When of the Fire the Earth shall be the prey . The First of these Demands hath lost much of that Consideration with those , who have embraced the New Opinion of Purgatory , which seemed to require the Example of the most Antient , and the Exercise of the same Prayers , as they had made use of . For , though they make mention of the Last day's Fire , and are absolutely silent concerning Purgatory , yet do not those in the Western-Church , who pray for the Dead , hardly fasten their thought on any thing , but their deliverance out of the pretended place of Pain , and their disposal into rest ; and I am to learn , whether there be any , who think of the Resurrection , to which alone relate , even to this day , both the Texts , and Prayers usually read in the Office of the Dead . Besides , it be thought shamefull , to pray ( as in the Times of St. Chrysostome , Prudentius , and St. Augustine ) for the Damned ; not out of any hope to attain their absolute deliverance , but onely some alleviation of the Pai●s they suffer in Hell. And the Legends of Fa●tonilla , and Trajan , rescued out of eternal Damnation by the Prayers of St. Thecla , and Gregory the Great , are somewhat offensive to the Learned even of the Roman Communion , who are not a little troubled to excuse p John Damascene , as to that particular . To be short , not one of the Doctours before the year 590. proposed to himself any such thing , as either the confinement of the Dead in Purgatory , or Prayer for their deliverance out of it . CHAP. XLIII . The Obscurity , and Uncertainty of the Opinion of Purgatory . GREGORY the Great , the first of all those , of whom we have remaining among us any Monuments to this purpose , having in the year 593. begun to fasten together , in his a Dialogues , and Sermons , the Discourses he had heard , and which he recommends to us , with this notable Observation , that they were Novelties , not heard of before , since he brings in Peter , his Deacon , putting this Question to him , Quid hoc est , quaeso te , quod , in his extremis temporibus , tammulta de animabus clarescunt , quae antè latuerunt , &c. What means it , I beseech you , that in these Last Times , there are discovered , concerning souls , so many things which were hidden before ? The Leaven so spread it self since , that in the Time of b Beda , viz. one hundred and twenty years after St. Gregory , some numbred cold and temperate Purgatories , as well , as hot ones ; which was further heightned by Visions , and Prodigious Relations , as if the confidence of Feigning should , as it grew Elder , grow also stronger . But , though there were no other reason to quarrel at this Opinion , then the Novelty of it , as such , as had not appeared , in the West , before the end of the sixth Age , and could never obtain Naturalization in the East , and South , where it is yet unknown to the Vulgar , and discarded by the Learned ; and the irresolution , wherewith its Principal , and first Promoter , Pope Gregory , spoke , whether of the place of Hell , or the activity of Infernal Fire upon the Spirits , which ( according to his Imagination ) are tormented therein : yet they clearly justifie , that he Treated not the Question of the State of the dead ; but as it were , by conjecture , and upon the Imaginations of Persons so apt to be mis-informed , as that there needed onely some common Report , and the affirmation of a confident Dreamer , to perswade them to any thing . I know well enough , that Cardinal Bellarmine , to derive the Business somewhat higher , cites St. Augustine ; who , being in some difficulty about the Explication of those Words of Saint Paul , c He shall be saved , yet so , as by Fire , had , about the year 410. made use of these Words , which manifestly discover how far he was unresolved in the Case : d Sive in hac vita tantùm ista homines patiuntur , sive etiam post hanc vitam talia quaedam Judicia subsequuntur , non abhorret ( quantum arbitror ) à ratione veritatis iste intellectus hujus Sententiae : veruntamen etiamsi est alius , qui mihi non occurrit , eligendus , non cogimur dicere injustis , &c. Salvi eritis , &c. Whether it be in this Life onely , that men suffer such things ( that is to say , dolefull Regrets for the things of this World , which they have carnally loved ) or , that , after this Life , some such Judgments follow , this way of understanding the place of the Apostle , is not ( in my Judgment ) repugnant to the reason of Truth : yet , if we must pitch upon another sense , which is not obvious to me , we are not forced to say to the unjust , &c. You shall be saved . Continuing still in the same posture , about the year 419. he writ to his Friend Laurence , e Tale aliquid , &c. That some such thing may happen , even after this Life , is not incredible ; and whether it be really so , may be questioned , and it may be either found true , or remain concealed ; to wit , whether some of the Faithfull , according as they have more , or less , loved perishable Goods , may be sooner , or later saved , through a Purgatory Fire . And note , that having not any thing more certain to answer , he kept to the same Terms in resolving the first Question proposed to him by Dulcitius . Nay , in the year 424. which was the seventh before his death , publishing his Books Of the City of God , he harped on the same Doctrine , saying , f Post istius sanè corporis mortem , &c. But as for the time between the bodily death , and Last Judgment , if any one say , that the Spirits of the Dead are , all that while , tried in such a Fire , as they do not any way feel , who were not subject to the same Inclinations , and Affections in this Life , that their Wood , Straw , and Stubble might be consumed ; but that others , who carry hence such Buildings , do onely here , or both here and there , or here so , as not there , pass through the purging Fire of a Transitory Tribulation , which burns the things of this World , though Venial in respect of Damnation , I reprove him not ; for that it is possible , he is in the right . But the Proceeding of the present Church of Rome , who triumphs so much upon these Passages , whereby she pretends to draw St. Augustine to her side , is so much the more unjust towards him ; the more she presumes on the Testimony of a Witness , who does not onely not say any thing as to what she would have him , but absolutely destroys it , in as much , as he speaks of a Fire , which some feel even in this Life , and others after it . Whence it follows , that his Imagination reached no further , then a Metaphorical , and Intentional Fire , which may be felt , even during the Life of this Body ; whereas the Romane Church supposes a real , and material one , which burns not the living , but torments the spirits of the Departed . Secondly , That he is not confident of his having found out the true sense of St. Paul's Words : but , ingenuously , confesses ; that they may be understood in some other , to him absolutely unknown . Thirdly , That , treading , as it were , upon Thorns , he is not over-ready to give us any thing for certain ; but entertains us with a simple Conjecture ; which might be brought to Question , whether it were so , or not : which also he but slightly advances ; as finding it not contributary to ought Impious , yet without imposing any necessity to admit it , and which , in fine , he lets pass under a Whether , an It may be , a Peradventure : so that , not presuming himself to approve it , all the kindness he hath for it , is expressed in his telling us , that he does not disallow it . Fourthly , That the very thing , which he proposes so doubtfully , may be adjusted to the Opinion , which the most Antient had had of the general Conflagration of the Universe at the end of the World : whose Imagination it was , that it should serve as a general Lustration , through which the Spirits of the Saints , even that of the Blessed Virgin , were to pass , and who reflected on nothing less , then the Purgatory , proposed to us at this day . Fifthly , That , though he should assure us , that that certain Fire of Grief , whereof he speaks , shall be a material Fire , that it shall burn the Spirits of men , and that the Torment , which they shall endure thereby , shall afflict them from their departure out of the Bodies , they had cast off : yet should not his assurance be of greater weight to the Protestants , then to the Church of Rome , which submits not to his Authority ; but onely in what she finds consistent with her own Opinions , land confidently rejects what she quarrels at . For , if she think it just to dissent from him , when he teaches g that In the Deity there are three Substances , that h The Angels are corporeal , that i The sins of the Fathers make the Children liable to punishment , that The souls ( of all the Departed ) are ( between the day of their departure out of this World , and that of the Last Judgment ) k shut up in secret Receptacles , that the Prayers made for them are beneficial to them , to the end , that either the Remission may be full , or that their Damnation be more tolerable , and that those Prayers , made on the behalf of the Damned , are a kinde of consolation to the ●iving ; all which things the said Holy Prelate positively affirms : why should she take it ill , that ( after her Example ) we should refuse absolutely to depend on his Authority . especially in a subject , wherein he does not pretend any , in as much , as it is his own acknowledgment , that he was not resolved , what he should should hold ? What greater Necessity is there , that we should determine for the Affirmative , when he , himself , makes it a Question , Whether there be after this life a Purgatory for the Spirits of the Deceased ; then , when he doubts , Whether the Sun , Moon , and Stars belong to the society of the blessed Spirits in Heaven ? Though we had read no other Lecture of Modesly , then the reservedness , which prevailed with him to forbear resolving ought upon these two Questions , do we not deserve commendation for having ( in imitation of him ) kept the Scales in our Hands , rather , then Blame , which we must never expect to avoid , if , without pregnant Proof , we affirmed what he proposed onely Problematically , and without any decision . If it may , with any colour , be pretended , that the Bent of his inclination was the Affirmative of a Purgatory of some kinde , or other , and that it should be a Pattern for us to do the like , why should not his confidence in denying the l Antipodes force us by a like Negative , to dispute against our own Experience , whose Testimony , for these 150. years , assures us he was mistaken ? Were it not much better , that those , who would make use of his Name , in a Cause he never maintained , should behave themselves according to his Moderation , and protest with him , m I would , if it might be ; or , rather I will , if it may be , be overcome by the Truth , which is not openly repugnant to the sacred Scriptures , in as much as that , which is repugnant to them , cannot in any sort , be either called , or accompted Truth . I therefore intreat them , in the fear of God , to take it into their serious Consideration , First , Whether it be possible , their Belief , such as they propose it to us , can be the same with that of St. Augustine , who , never ( for ought we could ever learn ) determined in the Affirmative of any Purgatory ; much less of that , which the Monastical Revelations have furnish'd us with , in despight of the most Venerable Antiquity ; but hath expresly declared , by his Sermons , that he acquiesced in the common Sentiment of the Church of his Time , which held , that those , whom God calls to himself , are Translated , at their Death , either into the actual enjoyment of their Felicity , or confined in the Place of their eternal Punishment . To this Effect does he express himself to his Church , upon the eleventh Chapter of St. John. n Receptus est Pauper , receptus est Dives : sed ille in sinu Abrahae ; ille , &c. The Poor man was received , the Rich man was received : but the former into Abraham ' s Bosom ; the later where he should be thirsty , and not finde a drop of Water : the souls of all men therefore ( that I may hence take occasion to instruct your Charity ) all souls have , after their departure out of this World , their several Retreats : the Good are in Bliss , the Wicked in Torments , &c. The rest , which is given immediately after Death , whoever is worthy of it , receives it immediately , when he Dies . And upon the First of St. John , o Ille , qui vixit , & mortuus est , &c. He , who hath lived , is also dead , his Soul is transported into other places , his Body is disposed into the Ground ; whether those words , ( viz. those of his Last Will ) be put in execution , or not , it does not concern him ; he does , he endures quite another thing , he either rejoyces in Abraham ' s Bosom , or in eternal Fire prays for a little Water . I know Cardinal Bellarmine either thought , or pretended to think , that all could be deduced from those Words , was , that the Souls of the Faithfull are , immediately after their Departure out of this World , gathered into rest , in as much as assured of their eternal Salvation , and that thence they derive great Joy ; but that to some it is not given without the admixture of Temporal Pains . But I maintain , that his Commentary is a formal corruption of the Text , to which he applies it ; in as much as S. Augustine gives us to observe therein , as things immediately opposite , the Good , and the Wicked , the Joy of the former in Abraham's Bosom , and the Torments of the later in eternal Fire : so that , as the Torment of these is an absolute Privation of Joy , and Rest ; so the Joy , and Rest of the other is necessarily an absolute exemption from Torment . Besides , I do not see how long any can number among those , who rejoyce , and are in Bliss , the Spirits of such , as are supposed to suffer more , then could be suffered in this Life ; and much less , how the Believer , dead in the Lord , receives ( when he dies ) his Rest , and Joy , if he be then confined to Places of Punishment ; and upon that very accompt is not in his Rest . To salve then so strange a Conception , we must say , that to Be in rest signifies , not to be in rest , and to rejoyce may be taken in the same sense , as to be tormented . But whom will they perswade to this , unless those , who have suffered such a dislocation of Understanding , as hath made them uncapable of either discerning , or disallowing any distorsion of words ? Secondly , I earnestly intreat those , who are in Communion with the Church of Rome , to tell me conscientiously , whether they think it possible , that St. Augustine held their Purgatory for an Article of Faith , when he is so far from making a certain acknowledgment of any , that he leaves it to every one ( after his Example ) to put it to the Question , Whether there be any , or no. Will they say , he was so weakly instructed , that he was ignorant , that Tenent ( if so be it were such , as they would have it ) made , or ought to make part of the Catholique Doctrine , or that the Catholique Doctrine is duly professed , when those , who are called to teach it , openly declare they doubt thereof ? It must then needs follow , that Purgatory was not known to the Christians of that Age , and therefore much less to those , who had been Disciples of the Apostles . CHAP. XLIV . That the Proofs , produced by Cardinal Bellarmine for Purgatory , are Weak , and Defective . CArdinal Bellarmine , who hath undertaken to prove the contrary , cannot acquit himself , without being forced to shamefull shifts , and calling to his Assistance such Witnesses , as depose onely on the behalf of Prayer for the Dead ; as if that Prayer , which St. Epiphanius assures us to have been made , in his Time , for all the Saints , without exception , never either had , or could have had any other Ground , then the Purgatory held by the Church of Rome . He cites , to this purpose , Councels , almost all Latine , viz. the Third of Carthage , Assembled the first of September , 397. and the Fourth , held the sixth of November , 398. the Third of Orleans , celebrated the three and twentieth of June , 533. the First of Braga , convocated the first of May , 563. the Collection , compiled , at the same Time , by Martin , Bishop of Dumium , and afterwards Arch-Bishop of Braga ; the First Councel of Chaalons upon the Saone , Assembled in the year 650. and that , which the Greeks held in the Trullum of Constantinople , in the year 691. Nay , he makes accompt to put us off also with some Councels , Assembled by the Popes , for the maintaing of Abuses as well in Doctrine , as Discipline ; as that of Lateran , under Innocent the Third , in the year 1215. that of Florence , under Eugenius the Fourth , in the year 1439. and that of Trent ; under Pius the Fourth : as if the Authority of these last should have any other Effect , then to provoke the just disgust of the Protestants . Besides , to strengthen the Dose , he makes no small Stir with two Counterfeit Pieces , advanced by shameless Impostours , under the Names of the Sixth Councel of Rome , under Symmachus ; and of that of VVorms , held , I know not when , nor by whom . Nay , to give us an Essay of his own Abilities , in such a Case , after he had cited the sixty ninth Canon of the Collection made by Martin of Braga , instead of the sixty eighth , he falsely pretends , that he took it out of the Synods of the Greeks ; never considering , that in that Collection we have nine Canons of the First Councel of Toledo , and two out of the third and fourth of Carthage , with thirteen others , which are not to be found in any of the Councels now extant , either Greek , or Latine , and that the sixty eighth , which he places in the sixty ninth rank , is of that Number . Next he cites the Liturgies , which go under the Names of St. James , St. Basil , St. Chrysostome , St. Ambrose , &c. and furnish us ( as do also the Councels ) onely with Prayer for the dead , which not onely hath nothing common with the Purgatory held by the Church of Rome ; but presupposes what is directly contrary ; as assuring us , that those , for whom it is made , are not in Torment , but in Rest , and Peace . Thence he passes to the Greek Fathers , and , upon the first start , alleges unto us ( as taking it from St. Clemens Romanus , St. Denys the Areopagite , and St. Athanasius of Alexandria ) the Constitutions , forged under the Name of the said St. Clement , about two hundred years after his Martyrdom ; the Hierarchy , composed above four hundred years after the death of the said St. Denys ; and the Answers to the Questions of Antiochus , written by Athanasius of Antioch , who was later , then him of Alexandria , by four hundred years . Then he produces St. Gregory Nazianzene , St. Cyril of Hierusalem , St. Chrysostome , and Theophylact , Arch-Bishop of Bulgaria , who lived after the year 1000. and , following the steps of those , who had preceded him , tells us onely of Prayer for the dead . As for the Latines , he produces Tertullian , St. Cyprian , St. Ambrose , St. Hierome , St. Paulinus of Nola , St. Augustine , Gregory the Great , Isidore of Sevil , Victor , Bishop , not of Utica ( as many conceive ) but of Ucetia , and Bernard ; not one of whom Treats of any thing , but Prayer . Which I observe , not to deny , that St. Gregory , and those of the Latines , who lived after him , might take the Opinion of Purgatory , whereof St. Gregory may be called the Father , or God-Father , for a Motive of their Prayers for the dead ; but to advertise , that no such thing can be said of such , as were more antient , who founded their Prayers on other Motives ; to wit , those , which have been represented already ; whereof there is not any one compatible with Purgatory ; such as it is at this day imagined to be . CHAP. XLV . That the Testimonies , produced by Jodocus Coccius for the Opinion of Purgatory , are also defective . THere is somewhat , much of the same Nature , to be observed in that great Collection , which Jodocus Coccius , Canon of Juliers , ( rather out of a scrupulous , then judicious diligence ) makes of all manner of Pieces , good and bad . For he cites us ( among the Liturgies , named by Cardinal Bellarmine ) those , which are attributed to St. Peter , St. Mark , and St. Matthew , those of Milan , of the Mozarabes , Goths , and Armenians ; as also the Councels of Arles , Vaison , and Valentia , which speak onely of Praying , and Offering for the dead ; and for that very Reason say nothing , as to the Business of Purgatory , which is not necessarily deduced thence . Coming to the Greek Fathers , he produces , out of a notoriously-counterfeit Piece of St. Clemens Romanus , certain Words , extracted out of the Rule of St. Benedict , which was written four hundred and fifty years after the blessed Death of St. Clement , and , after all , amounting to nothing , in as much as they mention onely Prayer for the dead . He cites Hermas , an Apocryphal Authour , one , who expresly telling us , that he speaks of Persons , that are in a Condition of repenting , or remaining Impenitent , clearly shews , that he says nothing competible to the Souls , which the Church of Rome pretends to be so confined in her Purgatory ; that they cannot merit there , much less be converted to God. He takes for good the Testimony of Origene , who believed not any Pains eternal , and that of St. Gregory Nyssenus , who was lightly led away into that Errour . He summons in also Ephraim , Deacon of E●…a , Diadochus , Bishop or Photice , Maximus , and Oecumenius , who speak of no other Fire , then that of the last Conflagration ; Synesius , Bishop of Ptolemais in Cyrenaica , who Treats of the Pains inflicted by Devils , and consequently of those of the damned ; Procopius of Gaza , who proposing to us a Purgative Fire , which the Seraphim brings from Heaven to Earth , to sanctifie as well the Ministers of the Church , as the sinners , for whom they pray , clearly discovers , he never thought on the Romish Purgatory , which does not sanctifie any one , and which cannot be in Heaven , for this very Reason , that it is placed in Hell. Germanus , Patriarch of Constantinople , who speaks of the Efficacy of our Saviour's Passion to deliver out of Limbus those , whom Antiquity believed to have been there confined in expectation of his coming , as also of the Purgatory of those , who die daily , says nothing to his purpose . He makes great ostentation of a Fragment unjustly attributed to Theodoret , which is not to be found any where in his Works ; of Gennadius Scholarius , drawn into the Church of Rome's Party by the Caresses , and kindnesses of Pope Eugenius the Fourth ; and of Zagazabo , an Abyssine Bishop , whom the Portuguez , deceitfull Interpreters of his Sentiments , made to say what they pleased , directly contrary to the common Belief of his Countrey-men . He further brings in the Depositions of that Impostour , who had in the year 1595. taken upon him the Name of Gabriel Patriarch of the Cofti , and who hath been since acknowledged by the Doctours of the Church of Rome to be what he was ; as also those of Hypatius , Arch-Bishop of the Black-Russians , who ( to comply with the King of Poland , Father of the last-deceased ) had submitted to the Church of Rome , and in consequence thereof had made such a profession of Faith , as she desired he should . In a word , he shuffles together all he met with , of one , I know not what , Eusebius of Alexandria , unknown to Antiquity , of Eusebius of Caesarea , of the Arabian Canons , of Timothy of Alexandria , of St. Epiphanius , of Palladius , of John sirnamed Cassian , of Justine , Justinian , and Leo the Wise , Emperours , of John sirnamed Climacus , of Gregory the Priest , of Leontius , of Sophronius , of Damascene , of Anastasius , of Simeon Metaphrastes , of Constantine sirnamed Manasses , of Nicetas , of Nicholas Cabasilas , of Athanasius of Constantinople , of Nicephorus Gregoras , of the Greeks deputed to the Councel of Basil , of those , who reside at Venice , and of Jeremy , Patriarch of Constantinople ; not omitting any of the Authours alleged by Cardinal Bellarmine , and never minding , whether from any one of the Testimonies , he draws from this long Catalogue of Witnesses , any thing more can be gathered , then Prayer for the dead . Then turning to the Latine Fathers , and bringing in all those , whom Cardinal Bellarmine had cited , he produces , over and above , Arnobius , who simply says , that the Church prays for all , both living , and dead ; and Zeno of Verona , blaming the VVidows , who , by their lamentations , interrupt the prayers , whereby the Souls of their deceased Husbands are recommended to God ; and shews even in that , that he thought they no way deserved those lamentations , which yet were but the just , and necessary Effects of the compassion of the living , if they presupposed , with any certainty , of their departed Friends , that they burn in an Infernal Fire . Besides all this , he shuffles in the Depositions of Lactantius , of Hilarius the Deacon , of Eucherius of Lyons , of Caesarius of Arles , and of Boethius , who speaks of the Conflagration of the World at the Last day ; of Prudentius , who speaks of the Hell of the damned ; of Philip the Priest , who Treats Of the Absolution , and Remission of Sins , which shall be solemnly given to every Believer at the Last day ; of St. Hilary of Poictiers , who discourses Of the Tribulations of this Life ; of Bacchiarius , who , to confute those , who made any difficulty to allow the peace of the Church to their Brethren , that were fallen , alledges the care which Saul's Concuhine , had taken of the bodies of his children , hanged upon occasion of the Gibeonites ; and that of Judas Maccabaeus for those of his Army , who , after their Death , had been found seized of the prey , taken in the Temple of Jamnia ; of Primasius , and Faustus , Religious Men of the Monastery of St. Maurus , who are pleased to approve Prayers and Offerings for the dead : and , to give us good measure , when we are to be cheated , he cites us a Writing lately Fathered on Pope Sixtus the Third ; an Homily of the Lord's Supper , stuffed with passages out of St. Hilary , St. Hierome , St. Augustine , St. Prosper , Isidore of Sevil , Bede , and Alcuin , and consequently unjustly attributed to Saint Eloy , deceased the first of December , 663. before the birth of Bede , who was more antient by Fifty years , then Alcuin ; the Commentary , which Sedulius , not ( as he thinks ) the antient , who writ the Opus Paschale , but another , of the same Nation , dressed up since the year 700. out of the Writings , and abundance of other Authours of later date , whom I forbear to bring into the Accompt , out of a consideration , that , in regard they lived since St. Gregory , and have had a great Veneration for the Writings , and Authority of that Renowned Prelate , it may be they might have some Thoughts of the Purgatory , whereof he was the first Founder , when they writ what is alledged out of them , though they contain not any formal mention thereof . So that , to make good the Protestant Cause against the Church of Rome , it is sufficient , if I maintain , First , That she hath nothing expresly affirmed on the behalf of her Purgatory among the Latines , before Gregory the First . Secondly , That that onely reflection may give the more simple , light enough to comprehend , that that Point of Doctrine , being so new , that it was not known for the space of six Ages together even among the Doctours of the Western Church , who have not , neither any one of them in particular , nor all together , anything determinate , to induce the reception of it , and justifie that they had received it , can by no means be an Article of Faith. Thirdly , That such , as alledge unto us the Greeks , who never believed , nor can to this day believe , what is proposed to them , concerning it , by the Church of Rome , deal very unhandsomly , and are more worthy reproach , then refutation , which their Supposition doth not deserve : And lastly , That Coccius , who hath made no difficulty to bring in , as Witnesses , the Greeks sojourning at Venice , and Jeremy , Patriarch of Constantinople ; who , in those very Places , which he cites , deny what he pretends to prove , did not any way consider , what he ought , either his own Cause , or the sincerity of a good Conscience , which in the Business of Religion cannot advance any thing either false , or superfluous , much less ought , that is repugnant to what it hath undertaken to prove . CHAP. XLVI . Of the Reasons , which might have moved the Antients to Interr their departed Friends in the Churches , consecrated to the Memory of the Saints . ALl this thus presupposed , as it may well be , in as much as the necessary result from it is , that that ▪ Part of Antiquity , which prayed for the dead , had not any thought of either the Purgatory , where the Church of Rome teaches , that they burn , or their deliverance out of that grievous Pain ; but intended onely to desire of God , that he would be pleased to pardon their Sins at the day of his Son 's Last coming , deliver them from the general Conflagration of the World , and give their Bodies a glorious Resurrection ; it remains to discover , what may have been their intention , who have ordered their Friends to be Buried near the Martyrs , or , at least , in the places , and Edifices dedicated , since the peace of the Church , to their Memory . To proceed in a more certain order , and take things at their proper Sources , I observe , First , That the Christians ( no more , then the Jews ) had not , at the beginning , any common Cemiteries , or Church-yards , but that every one made choice of such place for his Sepulchre , as he thought fit , and , that it was thus , the most antient Monuments yet remaining among us give sufficient Testimony . Secondly , That according to the Politicks of the Jews , and Romans , Sepulchres were not within Cities , a but onely near , and about them . Thirdly , That as among the Jews , and Heathens , there were certain particular Places of Sepulture for those of the same Family ; so the resentments of Christian Fraternity , whereby all the Saints make up b the Family of God , and are c Members one of another , prevailed so far upon the Spirits of the Faithfull , that they begat in them ( as far as the Extremities of those Times permitted ) a desire , that their Bodies might be deposited near those of their Brethren , who had before d fought the good Fight of Faith , and e held fast the confidence , and the rejoycing of the hope firm unto the end . Fourthly , That the Church , during the rigour of the Persecutions , having been forced to Assemble to serve God before day , and to seek the safety of her Children in the silence of the Night , and the Solitudes of Cemiteries , Places not onely of no great shew , but such as were ( if the Scituation permitted it ) for the most part , under Ground , as the Catatumbs about Rome , and could not ( upon that accompt ) give any Jealousie to the Pagans , the Faithfull , who were there daily animated to Constancy by the Instruction of their Pastours , and the sight of the Tombs , which they considered as so many Trophies of their Brethren ; seeing the Mystical Table purposely placed towards that part , where their bodies rested , as it were , to make unto them a literal Application of the Words of St. John , who affirms , that f he saw under the Altar the Souls of them , that were slain for the Word of God , and for the Testimony , which they held , derived from all these Considerations that noble desire of remaining conjoyned with the Saints of God in Life , and Death , and , when the time should come , depose their own Bodies , as it were , into the Bosom of those Friends ; whose Examples they had followed , in all the course of their Lives . Fifthy , That after the Conquest of Paganism , under the Reign of Constantine the Great , Constantius , his Son , who , at the time he was most violent against the Orthodox , bethought him of making the first Transportations of Saints bodies , in as much , as upon the first of June , 356. he transferred to Constantinople the body of St. Timothy , which he had taken out of Ephesus , and the third of March following caused to be brought . from Patras , the bodies of St. Andrew , and St. Luke ; Constantius , I say , raised in all those , that came after him , such a desire to attempt the like Translations , that there can hardly be named any one of the antient Martyrs , and Confessours , whose body hath not been digged out of the Earth , and torn in Pieces , to be distributed into many several places . In imitation of Princes , private Persons began to exercise that Piece of Will-worship : those , who wanted Authority to countenance their Actions , taking the liberty to make use of Violence , and commit Robberies ( not to speak of the Adulterations , and Impostures , which , in less , then thirty years were come to that Excess , that on the six and twentieth of February , 386. it was thought necessary to repress it by an Express Law , to this Effect , g Humanum corpus nemo ad alterum locum transferat ; nemo Martyrem distrahat ; nemo mercetur , &c. Let no man translate any man's body from one place to another ; let no man sell ; no man set to a Price any Martyr . But , since that time , the Disease growing too violent for the Remedy , what had been accompted an h Execrable attempt became an Act of Religion , and there wanted not an Emulation among those , that practised it , who should be most criminal ; and whereas , at the beginning , People thought it enough to consider the Monuments of Martyrs , and Confessours , onely as the glorious marks of their Christian Profession , with such a respect , as admitted not the violation of their bodies , they came in time to exercise that rudeness upon them , as is done on a Prey , exposed to the covetousness of the first , that lays hands on it ; every one endeavoured to keep his share , their very bones were cut to Pieces , and , instead of honouring their Memory , and celebrating their Virtues by a pious imitation thereof , they turned their Veneration towards the Repositories , into which they were disposed . If , on the one side , Antiquity , reduced to those Extremities , as to keep its Assemblies in Cemeteries , thought it a glory to place the Eucharistical Table under their Tombs , to teach every one of her children , that they belonged , both living , and dead , to that Great Saviour , who hath commanded us to shew forth his death till his coming again : Posterity , on the other , which had the opportunity to build as many Temples , as they pleased , and where they pleased , hath suffered their Liberty to degenerate into Superstition ; imagining , that no Altar was to be erected , but it must be made a Repository of Reliques , and the disorder ( as it were by an universal Deluge ) spread it self so suddenly over all , that the General Councel of all Africa , Assembled at Carthage on the thirteenth of September , 401. was forced to make Provision against it by this remarkable Decree : Placuit , ut Altaria , quae passim , &c. It hath been thought fit , that the Altars , which are erected up and down the Fields , and High-ways , as Memorials of the Martyrs , wherein there are not any Body , or Reliques of the Martyrs interred , be ( if possible ) demolished by the Bishops , under whose Jurisdictions those Places are . But if , by reason of popular Tumults , it be not in their power to do so , yet let the People be admonished , not to frequent such Places ; so as that those , who understand things aright , be not out of any Superstition obliged thereto : that , by no means , there be not any Memory of the Martyrs accepted with appearance of approbation ; but onely there , where , by an unquestioned Origine , it is found there are some Body , or Reliques , or the beginning of some Habitation , or Possession , or Passion ; and that the Altars , which are any where erected upon the Dreams , and vain , as it were , Revelations of any men whatsoever , be wholly disallowed . Christian Religion had not been Authorised yet an hundred years by the Laws of the Emperours ; but Dreams , and Resveries , falsly called Revelations , had taken such Root therein , that the Fields , and High-ways were the shamefull Witnesses of it , and the Bishops , justly filled with indignation to see their People in the Fetters of Superstition , and not daring to promise themselves the success to overcome it , opposed it but faintly , with an If possible , as well imagining , that the Spirits of men , once Infatuated with its Prejudications , become easily Furious , and maintain , by Tumult , and Violence , what cannot be coloured with any Reason , nor give satisfaction to understanding Persons . They therefore thought it much to have admonished the Faithfull of the Imposture , and protested against it , referring the event to the Providence of God , who by a just Judgment hath delivered the Perverse to be Infatuated by their own Councels . In Effect , the Evil was incomparably much stronger then the Remedies , and it is not to be thought strange , if , even to this day , in all those Places , where the antient Custom hath kept its Credit , men pray , by the Merits of the Saint , whose Reliques are under the Altar , and desire , ever to be assisted by the Merits of those , whose Reliques they there with a pious love Emb race . Sixthly , That the Children of those first Christians , who ( during the Tempests of Persecution ) had had their Nocturnal-Assemblies in the Cemeteries , where the Exigency of the Season forced them to make use of Lights , when the Peace of the Church , then beginning to Triumph over the Fury of Paganism , put them into a Condition to build Temples , and to transferr into them the Bodies of Martyrs , were desirous , not as their Predecessours , to have their bodies deposited in the Cemeteries , common as well to Martyrs , as the rest of the Faithfull , in Testimony of the Profession they had continued , even to the last Gasp ; but that they might be placed near those of the Martyrs , as if ( contrary to the Custom of the Primitive Church , which meddled not in the least with the bodies of the Saints once Interred ( after they had committed a new kinde of Violence on their Reliques , the glory of accompanying them in their last Repository , and taking place near them , should have so possessed any one , as to beget in his minde , out of a carnal Affectation , sinister Designs , and Jealousie , or , as if those , who were Interred in the Fabricks , particularly Consecrated to their Memory , had had a nearer communion with them , then other Christians , who had had their Burial in the common Cemeteries whence their bodies had been taken up . This ridiculously-ambitious kinde of Superstition , becoming , immediately upon its first Eruption , importunate , the Emperours , who thought it Scandalous , and likely to beget Trouble , and Disturbance , had conceived it might have been banished the Church by their Law of the nine and twentieth of July , 381. expressing as much in Terminis . Nè alicujus fallax , & arguta solertia , ab hujus se praecepti intentione subducat , atque Apostolorum , vel Martyrum sedem humandis corporibus aestimat esse concessam , ab his quoque it à , ut à reliquo civitatis , noverint , sè atque intelligant esse submotos , &c. To the end that the deceitfulness , and unfeigned subtilty of any one may not decline the intention of his command , and as imagining that the aboad of the Apostles , or Martyrs , is allowed for the Interment of bodies ; let them know , and understand , that they are debarred thence in like manner , as from the rest of the City . Hence it appears , that the meaning of those Christian Princes was , that no Body should be Interred , either in Constantinople , or in the Churches of the Apostles , and Martyrs . But their Regulation , though rational in it self , proving ineffectual , through the joynt Designs of the Prelates , and the People , who made it their Business , to the utmost to oppose it , rather heightned , then abated their Passion : so that , as since that time , under pretence of Religion , People lighted a great number of Wax-Candles , even while the Sun shined , and maintained they had reason so to do , in as much as they lighted them , not ( as sometime under Persecution ) to chase away darkness , but to express signs of Joy ; every one , as much as in his power lay , concerning himself , in that magnificence , and , according to his Ability , contributing thereto : so every one took an Humour to slight the common Cemeteries , and to dispute who should have the nearest places to the Martyrs in their own Churches , purchasing ( according to the present Expression , even at this day ) the entrance of the Holy Land with Sums of Money . But , though the common Rate of People was easily drawn into this Design , and promoted it with extraordinary earnestness , yet the more modest declined it , and , demeaning themselves according to the Example , and Practice of their Ancestours , contained themselves , through a commendable reservedness , within the Terms of the Pristine simplicity . Among these is Pope Damasus , of whom we have certain Verses , concluding an Inscription , which he had put on the Frontispiece of Saint Laurence's Church called , upon this occasion , In Damaso , to distinguish it from another Church , dedicated to the Memory of the same Saint , and and called , In Lucina , because of Lucina , a Roman Lady , who had first taken upon her the Care of gathering together , and burying the remainders of the Body of that Glorious Martyr ; He says thus , i Hic volui ( fateor ) Damasus , mea condere Membra , Sed cineres timui Sanctos vexare Piorum . — I must confess , I here would fai● my Body lay in Dust , Were 't not t' offend the Ashes of the Just . And these Figurative Words deserve to be so much the more particularly considered , in as much as any one may judg , that so great a Person could not be Ignorant , that the Reliques of Saint Laurence could be no less destitute of Sentiment then of Life ; but Poëtically borrowing the Metaphorical Expressions , as well of the Heathen , who were wont to make the same Wish for their deceased Friends , May the earth ly light upon thee , May thy Bones gently rest ; as of the Prophets , as Esay , who introduces k Hell moved from beneath , because of the King of Babylon , to meet him at his coming , and to stir up the Dead for him , and to raise up from their Thrones all the Kings of Nations , to insult at his Misery , he considered his Reliques , as if they had been animated with the same Spirit , as had made use of them to the glory of God , during the course of his life , and intended onely to signifie thus much ; that , if they had been capable of Resentment , they might have suffered , through the nearness of his Body to them , the shame , and dissatisfaction , which happen to generous Persons , who , being unequally matched , desire , and endeavour to free themselves out of the slavery of an importunate and dishonourable Society . CHAP. XLVII . The Sentiments of Saint Ambrose , and Paulinus , concerning the Burial of the Faithfull in Churches , Examined . BUt all the rest of the Prelates were not so scrupulous [ as Pope Damasius ] on the contrary , Saint Ambrose , carried away the rest by Custom , as by the violence of an impetuous Torrent , had not onely caused his Brother Satyrus , deceased the seventeenth of September , 383. to be buried near St. Victor , Martyr , but made his Tomb famous with this Epitaph , Uranio Satyro , Supremum frater honorem , Martyris ad laevam detulit Ambrosius ; Haec meriti merces , ut sacri sanguinis humor Finitimus penetràns adluat exuvias . Here , on the Martyr's left , Ambrose bestows Here , on the Martyr's left , Ambrose bestows Last Honours on his Brother Satyrus ; That 's sacred Blood ( merit's reward it is ) May piercing drench the neighbouring Carkases . In like manner , commendation is given to his Sister Marcellina , deceased the seventeenth of July , about the year 398. or 99. for that she had chosen the place of her Burial near her Brethren in sacred Ground ; for her Epitaph runs thus ; Marcellina , tuos cùm vita resolveret artus , Sprevisti Patriis corpus sociare Sepulchris . Cùm pia fraterni superas consortia somni , Sanctorúmque cupis charâ requiescere terrâ , &c. Nor would'st thou be , when death thy Limbs disjoyn'd , To thy forefather's Sepulchres confin'd , Out of a hope t' injoy thy Brother's rest , And to remain'ith Region of the Blest . Saint Paulinus , then indeed onely a Priest , but afterwards Bishop of Nola , shewing , that he had conceived an Imagination suitable to that of St. Ambrose , writ concerning Celsus , a young man , deceased at Complutum , or Alcada de Henarez , in Spain , about the year 393. — Complutensi mandavimus urbe propinquis Conjunctum tumuli foedere Martyribus , Ut de vicino Sanctorum sanguine ducat , Quo nostras illo purget in igne animas , &c. — In Complutum he 's dispos'd Among the Martyrs , in a Tomb inclos'd , That from th' adjacent blood o' th' Saints he may Derive what can our Souls purge in that day . viz. that of the Conflagration of the Universe . Of these Epitaphs the result is , that , as the Prophet a Elizeus was heretofore so assisted by the Almighty power of the God of Glory , that a dead Carkase , cast by those that carried it into his Grave , without any other Design , then that to rid themselves of a trouble , which might have retarded their Flight , recovered Life , as soon as it had touched his bones ; so , according to the Opinion , as well of St. Ambrose , as Paulinus , the Bodies of Martyrs were endued with a certain Virtue , such as Sanctified , and Purged the Things , that were placed near them . We cannot at this day affirm , whether St. Ambrose did , or did not change his Opinion ; but we are obliged to observe by the way what there is in it , that is inconvenient , nay indeed unmaintainable , since that it presupposed , that from the body of St. Victor , beheaded at Milan , the eighth of May , 303. under Maximian , and from that time , shut up in a Tomb , the Blood should , eighty years after , issue out in such quantity , as to penetrate the Ground all about , and moisten the body of Satyrus , though enclosed also in his Grave , and communicate its Virtue to him . But , if beheaded Bodies must necessarily be Bloodless , and , if that Blood be naturally fixed into a consistency , as soon as it is issued out of the Veins , what possibility was there in the Supposition , which St. Ambrose made of that , which Saint Victor had spilt eighty years before , representing it onely liquid , but streaming in such quantity , as might penetrate the adjacent Ground ? And , if it be pretended , he grounded it on the Conception of some Miracle , whence did he derive it , unless from his own voluntary Devotion , or Will-worship , which inclined him to believe , as actually existent , what he thought possible to the power of God ? Besides this inconvenience , whereto the Opinion of St. Paulinus , writing the Epitaph of Celsus , lies open , and that the more expresly , the more likely it is , he conceived , or pretended to conceive , that , from the Bodies of Justus , and Pastor , who had their Throats cut , and consequently lost all their Blood , at Complutum , on the sixth of August , 303. that is to say , ninety years at least , before the Death of Celsus , the Body of that young man should derive Blood , that purges souls ; as if , of any other blood , then that of the b Lamb of God , c who of God hath been made unto us Sanctification , and Redemption , and hath d himself purged our Sins , it could be truly , and in good sence , said , that it taketh away the Sin of the World , and e cleanseth us from Sin ; those Imaginations , which , taken rigorously , would be found Diametrically opposite to the Doctrine of Faith , do stand so much in need of a candid Reader , who must do his Judgment some violence , to draw them into a good sense , that without the Byas , which a forced Interpretation may give them , it were impossible to deducc thence , I will not say , any thing good , but any thing excusable . About nine years after , the same Paulinus , writing the Epitaph of Clarus , Disciple of St. Martin , and a Priest of Tours , deceased the eighth of November , 401. in as much as his Body was to be Interred at the foot of the Altar , takes a new Fancy , and says . Sancta sub aeternis Altaribus ossa quiescunt , Ut , dum nostra Pio referuntur munera Christo , Divinae è sacris animae jungantur odores , &c. His sacred Bones now undisturbed lie , Under Eternal Altars , that , when we To Christ our Presents offer , his Soul may Be joyn'd to th'odours Sacred things convey . He pretended ( as you see ) that the placing of the Body of the Faithfull Person departed , near the Altar , would be of such advantage to the Soul , that some increase of Grace might accrue to her thereby : and all this , with much sincerity , and good meaning , which is wont to open a spacious Gap to those , that consult it . But upon what grounded ? What place of Holy Scripture can be produced to Authorise the Advice thereof ? Accordingly , the same Paulinus , to let us know that he found not himself any way satisfied with either of those two Presuppositions , with much confidence , and asseveration , acknowledged , that he was yet to be advised therein in the year 419. wherein two fresh Accidents , to wit , the Interrment of Flora's Son , and that of Cynegius , a young man , who had , at his Death , required , that his Body might be Buried in the Church of Saint Felix of Nola , had reduced him to confess his Perplexity . For , though he had commended the Affection as well of the deceased , as of their Mothers , yet , as it were , acknowledging he knew not why , and that he was not very well assured of what he did ; he desires to be informed by St. Augustine , asking him ; Utrùm profit cuiquam post mortem , quòd corpus ejus apud Sancti alicujus memoriam sepeliatur , &c. Whether it be beneficial to any one after Death , that his Body be buried in the Memorial of some Saint ? which signifies no less , in Effect , then to be reduced to the same Predicament , as St. Cyril of Hierusalem , Denys the pretended Areopagite , and Athanasius of Antioch , who before , and after Paulinus , made this Question , Of what benefit to the Dead were the Prayers made by the surviving for them ? CHAP. XLVIII . The Sentiment of St. Augustine , concerning the Burial of the Faithfull in Churches enquired into . SAint Augustine , in his Treatise , De cura pro mortuis , to give greater satisfaction to his a Brother , lays down , that the Care , which is taken of the dead Body , the manner of Sepulture , and the Funeral Solemnities , are rather Alleviations of the grief of the Living , then of b any assistance , or benefit to the Dead . Secondly , That the c care taken of the Funeral , and the choice of the place for Burial , are Effects of the Piety of the surviving towards the Dead . Thirdly , That the d advantage , which may be drawn from the Interrment of the deceased Person in the Church of some Saint , can be no other , then that of recommending him more commodiously , and affectionately to the Saint , as to a kinde of Patron ; that that Office might be done to the deceased Party , though his Body were not present in the same place , and that the Sepulture of it in the same place , is to no other end , then to excite a desire , and affection to pray for him . Fourthly , That e what is said of the Visions of Souls is to be understood in the same manner , as we do the Dreams we have of those , who are yet alive , and think not in the least of what the Imagination of the such as are asleep attribute to them , f as when Evodius , afterwards Bishop of Uzalis , dreamed , that St. Augustine shewed him the sence of a Passage in Cicero's Rhetorick ; and when g Curmas Curialis dreamed of the death of Curmas the Lock-Smith , and imagined , that he saw St. Augustine , and the Priests of his City , exhorting him to receive Baptism . Fifthly , That the h Souls of the Departed neither know , nor concern themselves about what is done here ; that if they did , St. Monica , his Mother , would often discourse with him , and God himself would not have said of his children , whom he calleth hence , before he exercises his Judgments on those which remain , that he calls them , Lest they might see Evil. Sixthly , That the i Souls Departed may know somewhat that concerns the Living , either from the report of such as Die , or from that of Angels , or by Revelation from God. Seventhly , That the perswasion , which we have of the assistance given by the Martyrs to those , who implore it , may be taken in the same sence , as that , which the Living have of assisting the Dead by their Prayers , though they know not any thing in particular of their Condition , and onely desire of God for them , and on their behalf , Grace , and Rest : Or that of the assistances , which the Living think they receive from them , there may be made the same Judgment , as of the Opinion , which the People of Nola had of the Apparition of St. Felix , during the time they were besieged by the Barbarians , or k of the Promise , which John the Monk made , to shew himself the Night following to a certain Woman , who thought she really saw him , though he stirred not from the place , where he was . Eightly , That we must not be overy-ready , upon the clamours of Evil Spirits , complaining , that they are tormented by the Martyrs , to infer , that the Martyrs have in Effect tormented them , since that in the Church of the Saints , Gervasius , and Protasius , they said as much of St. Ambrose then living , who yet never attributed to himself any thing of what they imputed to him . Ninthly , That in fine , l what may be thought of the Sepulture bestowed on the Departed , is , that it is an Office of Humanity towards them , and not any assistance , and that Prayers , and Oblations may be beneficial to them , if by the Life they led before , they were in a capacity of receiving the benefit thereof . From this Abridgment of the afore-said Treatise of St. Augustine it is manifest , that that Great Man , who had been Disciple to St. Ambrose , and continued even to his Death , an intimate Friend to St. Paulinus , held nothing of the Hypotheses , which those two famous Prelates had advanced , with a kinde of Emulation , and which the later had afterwards tacitely disacknowledged , as such , as whereof he himself was not satisfied . But , though his Conceptions are much more Rational , and less Subject to Contradiction , yet does it not hinder , but they have this palpable Default , that he lays down as a thing confessed , what he might justly have disputed , and what would be at this day actually denied him by the Protestants ; to wit , That he was assured , that there accrues a benefit to the Dead from the Prayers , and Offerings , made for them by the Living ; and that the Living , have a sufficient ground to dedicate to the Dead those two Offices , and to suppose ( upon Authority of the Custom , which hath introduced the Exercise thereof into the Church ) that they effectually relieve them . Julian , Arch-Bishop of Toledo , who , in the Preface of his Prognostick to Idalius , Bishop of Barcelona , ingenuously m confesses , that neither of them thought himself able to resolve the Difficulties arising from the consideration of the State of the Dead , chose rather to follow the Track of St. Augustine , then of his Master St. Ambrose , and that not without reason . CHAP. XLIX . The Sentiment of Maximus Tyrius , concerning the Interment of the Faithfull Departed , in Churches , Considered . BUt , notwithstanding the Authority of that great Luminary of Africk , which was not received every where , Maximus , who held the See of 〈◊〉 , in the year 465. and on the eighteenth of November , the same 〈◊〉 , was present at the Councel of Rome , under Pope Hilarus , discovers 〈◊〉 Presupposition beyond that of St. Ambrose , and Paulinus , writing ; Ideo à Majoribus provisum est , ut Sanctorum corporibus nostra corpora sociemus ; ut , dum illos Tartarus metuit , nos poena non tangat , dum illos Christus illuminat , nobis tenebrarum caligo diffugiat : cùm sanctis ergo Martyribus quiescentes evadimus Inferni tenebras , eorum propriis meritis , attamen consocii sanctitate , &c. For this Reason have our Ancestours made provision , that we should joyn our Bodies to those of the Saints ; to the end , that while Hell stands in fear of them , no Pain might come near us ; that while Christ illuminates them , the obscurity of darkness may flie away from us : resting therefore with the Holy Martyrs , we escape the darkness of Hell , through their Merits indeed , yet as their companions in Sanctity . From which words it is manifest ; First , That maintaining , as Tertullian did , the first Hypothesis of the pretended Sibylline Writing , he conceived , that all the Souls of the Faithfull , those onely of Martyrs excepted , descended into Hell , where , by the Merit of the Saints , with whom their Bodies were Interred , they remain without any Torment till the day of Resurrection . Secondly , That ( according to the Sentiment of St. Ambrose , and Paulinus ) he thought , that , from the Bodies of Saints , there issues a certain Virtue , which preserves , and exempts from Torment the Faithfull Interred near them . Which Prejudications we are so much the more strictly obliged to oppose , in as much as even those , who have followed them ( as Paulinus ) were ashamed thereof , confessing , that , in effect , they were never satisfied thereof . Besides , the Church of Rome her self , Teaching at this day , that a our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ , by his Passion upon the Cross hath merited justification for us , and , on our behalf , satisfied God the Father , who , for his sake , forgives , with the Guilt , the eternal Pains of Hell , to lay down , after Maximus , that , by the Merit of the Saints , we escape the darkness of ●ell , which stands in fear of them , were to lay down the Contradictory Affirmative of the Negative , which God himself writ with the Hand of St. Peter , saying , b There is no salvation in any other ; for there is no other Name under Heaven given among men , whereby we must be saved , and on the contrary , to maintain , There is salvation in some other ; f●● there are other names under Heaven , whereby we must be saved , to wit , those of the Martyrs . CHAP. L. A Reflection on certain Followers of the Sentiment of the foresaid Maximus . I Am willing to Believe , that Maximus was so desirous to comply with the Custom of his Predecessours , that he took not the Leisure to consider what might be the consequence thereof . Others have Imitated him in that Particular , relying on the Example of their Ancestours , without examining the just weight of its Authority , as Theodimus , a Spanish Sub-Deacon , upon whose Tomb are to be read these Words , addressed to St. Andrew , Tuis adjutus auxiliis , disruptis vinculis Inferni , hinc resurgere caro misera possit , & in die examinationis , calcatis facinorosis peccatis , gaudia divina percipiat , te interprecante , Martyr Andrea , &c. O Martyr Andrew , assisted by thy help , having broken in pieces the Chains of Hell , may his wretched body be raised hence , and 〈◊〉 the day of Examination , his deadly sins being trod under foot , may he take possession of divine glory , through the intermediation of thy Prayers . And Kindasvind , King of the West-Goths , in the Epitaph of his Wife Reciverga . — Ego te ( conjux ) quia vincere fata nequivi , Funere perfunctam Sanctis commendo tuendam ; Ut cùm flamma vorax veniet comburere terras , Coetibus ipsorum merito sociata , resurgas , &c. Since death on my desires would not thee spare , Of thee departed may the Saints take care ; That thou with them mayst rise again that day , When of the fire the earth shall be the prey . And Paul the Deacon , in the Epitaph of Arichis , Duke of Beneventum , Profit huic sacro membra dedisse lari , &c. May 't be to 's good his body to have laid Within this sacred place . And Dungalus , who in the year 826. objected to Claudius , Bishop of Turin , the before-mentioned Epitaph of Satyrus , acquiescing in the Sentiment , which St. Ambrose seems to have been of , concerning the sanctification of his Brother's body , by its nearness to that of the Martyr Victor , and the affluence of his blood , and clearly justifying , that that Hypothesis ( though inconvenient , and unmaintainable in it self , and notwithstanding that it had been disavowed 36. years after by Paulinus , and refuted by St. Augustine ) had not yet lost its credit 540. years after ; the name and memory of St. Ambrose acquiring it such Sectatours , as took it from his good meaning without any examination , and by a kind of implicit submission , which ought not at this day be any hinderance , but that the Lovers of Truth should open their eyes to her light , to follow her with their hearts , and confess with their mouths , that it sometimes happens even to the greatest men , to speak with less caution , then was consistent with their reputation , whether they were transported by heat of dispute , or that their spirits were charmed by their partiality to the matter they treated , as it should seem St. Ambrose was prepossessed in this particular , and St. Gregory Nazianzene in his first Invective against Julian , when he says , That the Souls of Martyrs , and their bodies considered severally , and every drop of their blood , and the least Signs of their passion chace away evil spirits , and heal diseased persons ; and St. Basil , cited by Pope Adrian in his Treatise for Images , when upon the 115. Psalm he maintains , that whoever touches the bones of a Martyr derives some participation of sanctity , by the grace residing in the body of the said Martyr ; and St. Chrysostome , when in the 26th Homily on the second Epistle to the Corinthians , he says , that the bones of Saints allay , and torment evil Spirits , and unbind those , that are bound in those unhappy fetters ; and St. Hierome , when he maintains to Vigilantius , that , if the Lamb be every where , they therefore ( the Saints ) who are with the Lamb , are to be believed to be also every where ; and St. Gregory of Rome , chap. 21st . of the third Book of his Dialogues , that the dead bones of the Saints live in the many miracles wrought by them ; and chap. 14th . of the twelfth of his Morals upon Job , That it is not to be believed , that those , who , within them , see the clearness of Almighty God , should be ignorant of any thing without them ; and chap. 33d. of the fourth of his Dialogues , that there is nothing , which they know not , who know him , that knows all things . For there is not any one of these kinds of speaking but is chargeable with inconvenience and falsity , if understood according to its literal sense , and without acknowledging what there may be in them of abuse and hyperbole . For , 1. The vertue of Sanctifying and healing Diseases , without any application of Remedies operating naturally , as also that of driving away , and tormenting evil Spirits , does not properly , and of it self , belong to any but to God alone , and is not a quality , that any nature , in it self corporeal , can be affected with . 2. It is absolutely impossible , the Spirit of any Saint can be every where , as St. Hierome seems to affirm , whose discourse therefore is to be explicated with the help of the same moderation , as is used by him , when he speaks of evil spirits , who wandering all over the World , and that with an extraordinary swiftness , are present every where , to insinuate , that some as well as others are every where , not in the same moment , but in passing successively from one place to another , and in different moments : which yet ( according to the judgment of St. Augustine in his Book , De cur â pro mortuis , chap. 16th . ) cannot be absolutely affirmed ; the Miracles attributed to the Saints ( it being granted they are true ) being haply done either by Angels , or by the immediate operation of God's power , so as that there is no necessity to suppose , that the Spirits , which God hath taken to himself , actually leaving their heavenly mansions , should walk up and down on earth . 3. What St. Gregory of Rome said , that the bones of Martyrs live , taken litterally , would imply a palpable contradiction , which we should endeavour to take away , saying , that ( according to the sense of that great Pope ) the virtue , which he thought produced its effects in the presence of the Saints bones , and when they are touched by men , though it be not in them , but in God alone , is to them , instead of a kind of life . 4. What he says , that those , who know God , who knows all things , do also know all things , and that having his light within them , they are not ignorant of any thing without , does so much the more stand in need of moderation , that , without it , it is absolutely false , in the judgment even of the a Doctours of the Church of Rome , who make it their business , to refute their conceipt , who think the Essence of God a Mirrour , wherein all things are seen . It must therefore be , that all expressions of this nature are to be born with , upon the accompt of their intention , who have used them , rather then rigorously examined , or taken as the natural signification of the Terms , whereof they consist , might seem to require , and that we should be content to say of any such what St. b Augustine conceived ought to be said of the expression of St. Ambrose , affirming that Zacharias , and Elizabeth , either had been , or might have been without sin ; either that was said according to some probable manner , but such as had not passed examination , or if the Authour meant it so , he hath retracted his Sentiment by bringing it to a more rigorous tryal . But however , whether we are , or are not inclined to this candor , we shall be still obliged to confess , how hard it is to warrant those imaginations and discourses , which , being destitute of the authority of God speaking in his word , have no other ground , then the probabilities , which by the beauty of their outward appearance have dazled the greatest Wits , of which number , not any one but hath made it appear , how slightly he was informed of the state of the Faithfull departed in the Lord , since they have all of them expressed themselves with so much inconvenience , both in their ratiocinations , and words , that to reconcile them to a sound sense , they must be half-●estroyed . CHAP. LI. Of the Lessons of Scripture contained in the Missal , and Breviary , in what regards the Office of the Dead . IF ever Antiquity had been either imbued with the belief of Purgatory , which the Church of Rome accompts at this day among the Articles of her Faith , or had found any track of it in the holy Scriptures , there would have been some remark to insinuate as much , First , In the Publick Service , especially in the Office of the second day of November , devoted 650. years after to the commemoration of the d●…rted . Secondly , In the Mass of the Dead ; Thirdly , In the Office of the Dead , which is said by all , that are in communion with the Church of Rome , on the first day , not being a Festival , of every month , the time of Easter onely excepted , and on every Munday , not appointed otherwise , of the Advent , and Lent , except Munday in the Passion-week . Let us then cast our eye on all the Lessons extracted out of the holy Scriptures , and , in the fear of his Name , who is the Authour of them , consider , whether there be any thing therein , that may , in the least , countenance so strange an Opinion . Upon the second of November , after the singing of the second and third Verses of the sixty fifth Psalm , according to the Hebrews , or sixty four , according to the Greeks , where there is not a word concerning either the Dead , or their state , or the custom of praying for them , or the need , it is pretended , they stand in to get out of their pains ; there is read the twelfth Chapter of the second of Maccabees , from the forty third verse to the end , a title which the antient Church never considered , and which a amounts to nothing at all in order to the proof , as well of the first Hypotheses , upon which the Christians of the second Age grounded the custom of praying for the Dead , as of Purgatory , which came into credit four hundred years after . Then is sung the fourth Verse of the b twenty third Psalm , where the Prophet , relying on the paternal care of God , his Shepheard , rejoices in the assurance of his Protection ; and the second , third , and fourth Verses of the XLII . Psalm , c where he makes protestation of his Zeal , & the desire he had to be highly sensible of the consolations of his God , which no way induces , either that the Dead do ever stand in need of the Prayers of the Living , or that those Prayers are any way beneficial to them . From thence they pass to the twenty fifth , twenty sixth , twenty seventh , twenty eighth , and twenty ninth Verses of the fifth Chapter of St. John , at the head whereof some Body , I know not who , hath , I know not how , nor when , thrust in , of his own head , these words , d Then Jesus said to his Disciples ; where it is to be noted , that that place of the Gospel , teaching onely , that the Son of God hath been appointed Judge of men , and that he will raise them all up again by his power , does not any way prove , that those , who Die , in any manner whatsoever , are ever to hope for any benefit from the Prayers of the surviving ; s●●ce it does not follow , The dead shall be called out of their Graves by the voice of the Son of God , to rise again , and receive their Judgment ; Therefore , They are in a place of Torments , we must pray for them after their death , and the Prayers made for them will contribute to their deliverance out of Pain . In the Mass for the Dead there are recited , in the first place , the words of the second Book of Maccabees , which make so much the less for their Design , who read them , by how much they contain a corrupt Interpretation of the Fact of Judas ●…accabaeus , and suppose Hypotheses , which they themselves grant not at this day . Secondly , There is read , from the thirteenth Verse of the fourth Chapter of the First Epistle to the Thessalonians , to the end of the Chapter ; where the Apostle , forbidding Lamentations for the Dead , Treats , as well of the Certainty , as Order , of their Resurrection ; the Presupposition whereof does not in ●…e , either that the Faithfull depart this Life , to go into a place of Torments , or , that there is any necessity of Bewailing them , or Praying for them after their Death ; the consequence being not good , He shall rise up in Glory , therefore , He is in a place of Pains , and must be delivered thence by Prayers . Thirdly , e There is read the thirteenth Verse of the fourteenth Chapter of the Apocalyps , where the Spirit of God , advertising St. John by a voyce from Heaven , that , from henceforth those , who die in the Lord , are blessed , and rest from their Labours , demolishes the very Foundation , as well of Prayer for the Faithfull departed , as of Purgatory , where it is pretended they suffer the temporal Punishment due to their Sins . For , if they are Blessed , and , upon that accompt , in possession of what might be desired on their behalf , they stand in no further need , that any thing should be desired for them ; And again , if they are Blessed , and rest from their Labours from henceforth , they are from henceforth exempted from Pain ; it being impossible , that , to be Blessed , and to rest , should signifie to be Tormented , and on the contrary , that to endure the burning of an infernal Fire , should be to rest from one's labour , and enjoy the Bliss consequent thereto . Fourthly , There is read from the one and fiftieth Verse of the fifteenth Chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians , to the fifty seventh , inclusively , expressing the Assurance , which the Apostle gives the Church , of her Blessed Resurrection , whereby Death shall be swallowed up in Victory , and every Believer cloathed with Immortality ; and every one knows , that , from this Proposition , he shall rise again in Incorruption , the Law of Ratiocination will never suffer this Inference to be drawn ; Therefore he is tormented , and stands in need of being prayed for , before he rises again . Fifthly , There is read the fourth Verse of the three and twentieth Psalm , and the second , third , and fourth of the Two and fourtieth , which onely represent the State of the Faithfull Person , during the course of this Life , and not , that which is to follow , upon his departure hence . Sixthly , There is read out of the eleventh Chapter of St. John , from the one and twentieth Verse , to the seven & twentieth inclusively ; where the Son of God , calling himself the Resurrection , and the Life , testifies , that he , who believes in him , shall live , and shall never die ; which to a Person , that hath but the least use of Reason , will never give any ground to Inferr , that he , who shall live , and shall never die , shall for a certain time , after the dissolution of his Body , be confined to a place of Torment , where he shall stand extremely in need of the Prayers of the surviving . Seventhly , There is read out of the 6th Chapter of f St. John , the three and fiftieth , and four and fiftieth Verses , where the Son of God , recommending the Eating of his Flesh , and the Drinking of his Blood , promises him , who shall eat , and drink thereof , that he shall have eternal Life , and shall be raised up again at the Last day . Eighthly , Immediately after , there are read , the second time , as well the same Words , as the precedent , beginning from the one and fiftieth Verse , which hath , I know not how , made shift to gather this Preface ; In illo tempore dixit Jesus Discipulis suis , & turbis Judaeorum , &c. Then Jesus said to his Disoiples , and to the multitude of the Jews ; upon which I have further to observe , that there is not the least necessity of concluding , from the Promise made by the Son of God , that those , who participate of his Flesh , and of his Blood , should , after Death , be destined to endure the Punishment of a Subterranean Fire , and , therein tormented , expect to be relieved by the Prayers of their surviving Brethren . Ninethly , There are read , with the same Preface , which yet is not to be found in any Part of the Chapter , the 21 , 22 , 23 , and 24th Verses of the fifth Chapter of St. John , where our Saviour , in as much as he affirms ( by Virtue of the power of Judging , which he received of his Father ) that he , who believes in him , hath eternal life , and shall not come into Judgment , but shall pass , or rather ( as the Greek , the Syriaok , and the Latine Version , recommended by the Councel of Trent , have it ) is passed from Death to Life , in as much , I say , as our Saviour obliges the Believer , to be certainly perswaded , that he shall not , after this Life , be liable to any Pains whatsoever for his Sins , since they are things absolutely incompatible , that , being passed from Death , he should have eternal Life ( as the inviolable Promise of his Saviour expresses ) and , that he should be to endure , for ever so short a space of time , the Torments of Death and Hell , as the present Church of Rome supposes : that he shall not come into Judgment , as the Gospel expresly declares ; and that he shall come to Judgment , to be therein condemned for a time , according to what the Church of Rome teaches those of her Communion . Tenthly , and Lastly , With a g Preface , taken up , I know not whence , there are read the thirty seventh , the thirty eighth , the thirty ninth , and the fourtieth Verses of the sixth Chapter of St. John , where our Saviour , promising to raise up , at the Last day , those , who believe in him , gives them such comfort , by the assurance of their final felicity , as might raise them out of all fear , that between the Moment of their Death , and the day of Judgment , they should suffer any Punishment , and be sensible of any need they should stand in , of the Suffrages of the Living . In fine , there are read ( as on the second of November , and with the same Preface ) the twenty fifth , the twenty sixth , the twenty seventh , the twenty eighth , and the twenty ninth Verses of the fifth Chapter of Saint John , which we have already observed , to make nothing to the Business , either of Purgatory , or Prayer for the Dead . On the Contrary , from all these Lessons , it is necessarily manifest ; First , That the Church of Rome , who at the present make use of them , as inducements to the Living , to take care of the Dead , hath not haply any thing more Answerable to her Intentions , and makes a silent Confession , that her Service for the Departed , and the Belief of her Purgatory , have not any Foundation in the Word of God , are the voluntary Devotions of men , intruding into those things , which they have not seen ; and for that Reason , branded with the Censure of the Holy Spirit , speaking by the mouth of St. Paul , 2 Coloss . xviii . 22 , 23. Secondly , That the Primitive Church , who had introduced into her Liturgie the Commemoration of the Faithfull Departed , many Ages before any of her children had conceived the least thought of Purgatory , which is at this day maintained by Superstition , and Interest , had no other Design in it , then , by all these Lessons , which Treat of the general ●ejurrection of the Saints , to comfort the Faithfull cast down at the death of their Brethren , setting before their eyes so many Certificates of the future Resurrection of him , whose Memory they celebrated , and inclining every one of them , by the Meditation of so many celestial Documents , to the expectation of that last deliverance , wherein their Lord , making them to triumph over Death , shall cloath them with incorruption , and crown their heads with eternal Glory . If then the set Form of the Mass for the Dead cannot afford us any Text of Holy Scripture , which may serve , either for the confirmation of the Doctrine of Purgatory , or the insinuation of the Custom of praving for the dead , we are not to promise our selves , that the Office of the Dead , contained in the Breviary , should furnish us with any thing more express . In this later , we meet with several Lessons out of the Book of ●ob ; the First taken out of the seventh Chapter , from the sixteenth Verse , to the end ; the Second , out of the tenth Chapter , from the first Verse , to the seventh ; inclusively ; the Third , out of the same Chapter , from the eighth Verse to the twelfth ; the Fourth , out of the thirteenth Chapter , from the twenty second Verse , to the twenty eighth ; the Fifth , out of the fourteenth Chapter , from the first Verse to the sixth ; the Sixth Lesson , out of the same Chapter , from the thirteenth Verse , to the eighteenth ; the Seventh , out of the seventeenth Chapter , from the first Verse to the third , and from the eleventh , to the fifteenth Verse ; the Eighth , out of the nineteenth Chapter , from the twentieth Verse , to the twenty seventh ; and the Ninth , out of the tenth Chapter , from the eighteenth Verse to the two and twentieth . We finde there also the seventh , and eighth Verses of the seventh Chapter ; and every where we have certain bewailings of that great Example of Patience , groaning under the Scourge of God , and forced to Lamentations under the greatness of his Chastisements ; but who , from the cries and complaints of a man alive , forcing their way from the Bottom of his Heart , through the violence of his Anguish , and the Dread he was in of the Judgment of God , will conclude , either that there is Purgatory , or any necessity of Prayer for the dead ? Must the Expressions , used by afflicted Persons reduced to bemoan themselves in this Life , serve for a Precedent to the separated Souls , which are supposed not simply to pass through , but to be melted again , after a certain manner , in the Fire appointed to purge them ? Were it granted , that some Blessed Soul , crushed , after its departure out of the Body , under the Hand of the great Judge , might make to her self some certain Application of the grievances of Job , shall the Church of Rome take upon her , without falling into the inconvenience of making her self ridiculous , to attribute unto it the Lessons she hath extracted out of his Discourses , which cannot suit , but with the Condition of a man languishing in this World ? For example , what he says in the First , i My days are vanity , &c. k How long wilt thou not let me alone , till I swallow down my spittle ? &c. l Now shall I sleep in the dust , &c. In the Second , m My Soul is weary of my life , &c. In the Third , n Thou hast made me as Clay , and wilt thou bring me into dust again ? o Thou hast cloathed me with skin , and flesh , &c. In the Fourth , p I am to be consumed as a thing , that is rotten , and as a Garment , that is Moth-eaten . In the Fifth , q Man , that is born of a woman , is of few days . In the Sixth , r If a man die , shall he live again ? In the Seventh , s My days are extinct , the Graves are ready for me ; In the Eighth , t My bone cleaveth to my skin , and to my flesh ; hardly am I escaped with the skin of my Teeth . And in the Ninth , u Are not my days few ? cease then , &c. These complaints proceed not from a Spirit destitute of Body , but may well fall from a diseased Person , suffering , as well in Body , as Spirit , who makes accompt to die without any respite , and who considers with horrour , that his languishing life is , as it were , swallowed up in a Gulf of misery . It is to be considered also , that there are some Passages , which discover so much disorder , that Job , being come to himself , after he had been reproved , not onely by x Elihu , but by God himself , condemned them , acknowledging , that y he spoke what he knew not , abhorred himself , and repented in dust and ashes . For who could endure , in the second Lesson , the bitter reproaches against God , z Is it good unto thee , that thou shouldest oppress me , that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands , and shine upon the counsel of the wicked ? And in the Seventh , a I have not sinned , and my eye is fastened on bitterness . To speak sincerely , could the Church of Rome , who holds as a thing b decided by the Scripture , and the Fathers , that the Souls of the Faithfull are Impeccable from the moment of their departure out of the Bodies they animated , without extravagance , mold her Devotions on those slips of Discourse , which God himself hath charged with Sin ? She hath therefore made an Extract of these Nine Lessons , taken out of the Book of Job , not to serve for a Draught of the dolefull state of the Souls , which she pretends condemned into her Purgatory , but to instruct every one of those , whom she exhorts to relieve them with their Suffrages , that , to be well disposed to render them that office , he should view himself in the example of Job , religiously imitate his Virtues , and Faith , and be always carefull to avoid his miscarriages . Upon the same accompt hath she inserted into the Office of the Dead abundance of Psalms , containing not onely Lessons of Penance , as the 6. 32 , 38 , 51 , 102 , 130 , and 143. called upon that occasion the seven Penitential Psalms ; but also of Prayer , as the 5 , 7 , 25 , 42 , 67 , 120 , 123. of Praise , as the 65 , 121 , 126 , 127 , 128 , 131 , 132 , 133 , 134 , 135 , 146 , 148 , 149 , 150. of Thanksgiving , as the 23 , 27 , 40 , 63 , 116 , 124 , 129 , 136. the Canticles of Ezechias , and Zacharies of Blessing , and Exhortations , as the 41 , 122 , 125 , 131. the first verse of the 95th Psalm , and the 8th Verse of the 113th . For who could ever be perswaded , that the Protestations , which we make in the presence of God , of our mortification , and the Prayers , whereby we beg his Protection and Favour towards our selves , and the Praises , whereby we celebrate the glory of his sacred Majesty , and the Thanks we give him for the benefits , which he daily communicates to us , and the Benedictions , which we pour out with joy , being to publish the welfare as well of the whole State of his Church , as of the Members , whereof it consists , and the Exhortations , whereby we encourage them to well doing , should rationally be looked on as Suffrages , whereby we relieve our departed Brethren , and afford them our assistance to deliver them out of the pretended Purgatory ? And yet these are in a m●●ner all the materials , which have been shuffled into the composure of all that piece of Worship , which goes under the name of The Office of the Dead , though they have not any relation to their state , and do no more induce a necessity of praying for them , or believing a Purgatory , that should purifie them , as is pretended , then they do that of making boast of our own praises , a vanity ( even though we were tempted thereto ) Christian moderation would not suffer us to be guilty of . Nor can it be said with any more reason , that the words of the Psalms , which are recited in the said Office , are to be considered as Prosopopoeias , whereby the Faithfull deceased are represented speaking of their condition after death : I. In as much , as the whole Contexture of every Psalm requires , that the words of it be applyed to those , who live in the flesh , so as that it were a manifest abuse to wrest them to any other sence . II. For that it was never allowed any one to cast into the divine Worship Fictions , whereby men of quick Imaginations might presume to become the mouths of their Brethren departed , not having , to that end , either order from them , or calling from God. And lastly , for that , though it were left to any man's discretion , to make , after his own fancy , representations of those , whom God hath called to himself , yet should not any one take the liberty to do it , e're he were well informed , and satisfied whether they might pass for true and certain , especially seeing that when they should be urged out of a design to infer thence the necessity of praying for them , they would prove so much the more unmaintainable , for as much as in the same Office , where it is pretended they are employed , to that end there are those Texts alledged , which absolutely destroy the use thereof . For instance , that of the 14th Chapter of the Apocalyps , Verse 13. where the holy Spirit declares , Blessed are those , that die in the Lord ; for what rational inducement is there , either to desire bliss absolutely for those , who are already possessed thereof , or the cessation of torments for those , who do not onely not suffer any , but are not subject to suffer any , in as much as from henceforth they are blessed , and in rest ? That of the sixth Chapter of St. John , and the thirty seventh Verse , where the Son of God attests , that he will in no wise cast out him , that cometh to him ; and that of the eleventh Chapter , and the five and twentieth , and six and twentieth Verses , where , calling himself the Resurrection and the Life , he promises life , and exemption from eternal death , to whosoever believes in him . For if he does not cast out any of the Faithfull ; if , on the contrary , he saves them all from death , and puts them into possession of life ; the surviving believers , who ( to express their belief of his words ) insert them into their publick Form of Service , do thereby confess , that they are obliged to give him thanks for them , and not to make Requests , which presuppose , that they enjoy not the effect of his promise . Thus is there not any Lesson in the Service of the Church of Rome , which effectually induces , or hath so much as the appearance of inducing , any thing of what those of her Communion at this day pretend to . CHAP. LII . Of the Prayers contained in the Missal , and Breviary used by the Church of Rome ; and that Purgatory cannot be necessarily inferred from any one of them . FOr as much as in the Book , intituled Ordo Romanus , there is not any mention made of the Dead ; that in the Canon of the Mass , which is inserted into it , the Memento is not to be found ; and that in the other Ritual Books of the Latines , there is not any Lesson , obliging to the belief of Purgatory , screwed up , since the year 1439. by the Councels of Florence , and Trent , into an Article of Faith : the Church of Rome , who hath at this day , in favour of Prayer for the Dead , but one onely Lesson , to wit that of the second of Maccabees , a Book held by her self to be Apocryphal , till after the year 590. the Church of Rome , I say , is forced to confess , that it must have been inserted so much the later into her Missals , and Breviaries , though upon no other accompt then this , that the Greeks use it not in their Office even to this day , and that from her whole service it necessarily results , that she met not , in the holy Scriptures , with any foundation of the opinion either of Purgatory , which she maintains , or of the custom , which she practises in praying for the Dead , upon Motives unknown to Primitive Antiquity . It remains therefore , that we see what can be gathered , of any consequence , from the Prayers , which we read in the publick Forms of Service , of her prescription . We have , in the first place , such as desire of God , that the sins of the a deceased Person may be pardoned : as , for instance , this , Fidelium Deus omnium conditor , & Redemptor , animabus famulorum famularúmque tuarum remissionem cunctorum tribue peccatorum , ut indulgentiam , quam semper optaverunt , piis supplicationibus consequantur , &c. O God , Creatour and Redeemer of all the Faithfull , grant unto the Souls of thy Servants of the one and the other Sex , the remission of all their sins , that by pious Supplications they may obtain the indulgence they have ever desired . And this , We beseech thee , O Lord , that this Supplication of ours may be beneficial to the Souls of thy Servants of both Sexes , intreating thee , that thou wouldest cleanse them of all their sins , and make them partakers of thy Redemption . And this , We beseech thee , O Almighty God , that the Soul of thy Servant , purged by these Sacrifices , may obtain admission to indulgence , and eternal remedy . And this , Vouchsafe , O Lord , we beseech thee , that the Soul of thy Servant , and the Souls of thy Servants of both Sexes , the Anniversarie-day of whose Interment we now commemorate , being purged by these Sacrifices , may be received as well into indulgence , as eternal rest . And this , O God , who hast commanded that we should honour our Father and Mother , be pleased out of thy mercy , to have compassion on the Souls of my Father and Mother , and pardon their sins , and make me to live with them in the joy of eternal light . And this , We beseech thee , O Lord , be mercifull unto the Soul of thy Servant , and being freed from the contagion of Mortality , restore her to the portion of eternal salvation . And this , We beseech thee , O Lord , that by these Sacrifices , without which no man is guiltless , the Soul of thy Servant may be cleansed from all sins , that by these offices of pious placation , she may obtain eternal mercy . And this , O God , in whose mercy the Souls of the faithfull are at rest , be graciously pleased to pardon the sins of thy Servants of both Sexes , whereever resting in Christ , that , being freed from all their sins , they may rejoyce with thee world without end . And this , O mercifull God , receive this Hoast offered for the Souls of thy Servants of both Sexes , whereever resting in Christ , that , delivered by this super-excellent Sacrifice out of the Chains of dreadfull death , they may obtain eternal life . And this , O God , whose property it is ever to have mercy , and to forgive , be favourable unto the Souls of thy Servants of both Sexes , and pardon all their sins , that , being loosed from the Chains of Death , they may obtain passage into life . And this , Free , O Lord , we beseech thee , the Souls of thy Servants of both Sexes from all the bands of sin , that , being raised up among thy Saints and Elect , they may live again in the glory of the Resurrection . And this , O Almighty and everlasting God , who rulest as well over the living as the dead , and shewest mercy unto all those , whom thy fore-knowledge seeth will be thine in faith and good works , we humbly beseech thee , that those , for whom we have appointed to pour out our Prayers , and whom either this world does still detain in the flesh , or the next hath already received uncloathed of the body , may through the greatness of thy clemency be made worthy to obtain the forgiveness of all their sins , and joy everlasting . And this , O Almighty and most mercifull God , we humbly beseech thee , that the Sacraments , which we have received , may purifie us , and grant , that this thy Sacrament be not unto us an obligation to punishment , but a comfortable intercession for pardon ; that it be the cleansing of crimes ; that it be the strength of the fainting ; that it be a Bulwark against the dangers of the World ; that it be the remission of all the sins of the faithfull living , and dead , through Jesus Christ . It might seem , at the first sight , that all these Prayers in general , and every one in particular , upon this very accompt , that they speak of the forgiveness of sins for those , who are departed this life , do presuppose , if not a Purgatory , such as the Church of Rome hath imagined , and described it some Ages since , at least , a certain necessity incumbent on the deceased , to make satisfaction to the justice of God after their death . But we must necessarily infer the contrary . For ( not to take notice that to punish an evil doer is not to purge him ) if , according to the tenour of the Prayers contained in the Mass of the Dead , God forgives the sin of the deceased , he does not require he should be punished for it ▪ if he loose the Chains , he suffers him not to be still bound thereby ; if he exercises towards him his mercy through Jesus Christ , he does not execute against him the rigour of his Justice , such , as it is conceived , is felt by the Souls , which they pretend are to pass through the fire of Purgatory . Whence it follows , that the design of those prayers , which desire of God the effect of his mercy in the remission of their sins , whom he hath called hence , never was , nor could be to procure their deliverance out of the torment , which they are imagined at this day to suffer ; and whoever would finde the true meaning thereof , is to reflect on the perswasions of those , who were the first Authours thereof ; for they held , that all those , of whom they made a Commemoration , were ( in as much as they were b dead in the Lord ) gathered by him into c Abraham's Bosom , where they rested in a sleep of peace , as it is expresly set down in the Memento . So that no man well-informed prayed for them , as for wretched Criminals , and such as are deprived of the felicity , which God hath prepared for his Saints , but as for Champions already triumphant and glorious . And yet ( out of a consideration , that the perpetuity of the bliss , into which every one presupposed them introduced , proceeded from the continuation of the mercy , according to which God had at first bestowed it , and that it comprehended in it self the ratification of the pardon once granted to the deceased , in pursuance whereof they were entred into , and continued in the possession of celestial peace and joy ) the surviving thought fit to desire on their behalf mercy , and remission of sins , not absolutely , as if they were still under the weight of God's wrath ; but upon a certain accompt , to wit , in as much as it is necessary , that even in Heaven the mercy of God should be perpetually communicated to those , whom it had already visited , incessantly assuring them of the free gift he had made them , first of his grace , and afterwards , of his glory , as believing that those , who enjoy so great a happiness , are nevertheless , to expect a more solemn sentence of Remission , and Absolution , in that great Day , whereof we are all obliged , both for our selves , and on the behalf of our Brethren living upon Earth , and reigning in Heaven , to desire the blessed coming . In this sence , indeed , the Antients never made any difficulty , to desire , on the behalf of the Blessed in Heaven , the Pardon they had already obtained , in as much as they were to obtain it again , after a more glorious manner at the Day of Judgment ; whereto are particularly referred many of their Prayers : As for instance , that which we have already cited , wherein they desire , that their Souls , d freed from all the Bands of sin , may be raised up again among the Saints in the Glory of the Resurrection . And again , thus ; Non intres , &c. e Enter not into Judgment with tthy servant , O Lord , for in thy sight , shal no man be justified , unless thou grantest him the remission of all his sins . We beseech therefore , that the Sentence of thy Judgment may not lie heavy on him , whom the sincere supplication of Christian Faith recommends , but grant , that he , who , while he lived , was signed with the Sign of the blessed Trinity , may , by the assistance of thy Grace , avoid the Judgment of Vengeance . Again , Oremus , Fratres charissimi , &c. Let us pray , dear Brethren , for the spirit of our Brother , whom the Lord God hath been pleased to deliver out of the snares of this world , whose body is this day put into the Ground , that the Lord would , out of his goodness , vouchsafe to place him in the Bosom of Abraham , Isaac , and Jacob , that , when the day of Judgment comes , he may be placed among the Saints and Elect , raised up again on the right hand . And this , taken out of the Ceremonial , Deus , cui omnia vivunt , &c. O God , to whom all things live ; and to whom our bodies , though they die , perish not , but are changed for the better , we humbly beseech thee , that thou command , that the soul of thy servant N. be carried into the bosom of the Patriarch Abraham , by the hands of thy holy Angels , to be raised up again , the last day of the great Judgment , that what imperfections soever it hath , through the deceit of the Devil , contracted , thou out of thy goodness and compassion mayst mercifully wash away . To the same end are referred also the following Prosopopoeias , wherein the Soul of every deceased Person is represented with motions of fear suitable to such , as it might have had , during the couse of this Life : As , for instance , Libera me , Domine , &c. O Lord , deliver me from eternal death , in that dreadfull day , when f the heavens , and the earth shall be shaken , when thou shalt come to Judge the World by Fire ; I am become trembling , and fear , till the discussion , and wrath to come shall be over . That day is a day of wrath , calamity , and misery , a great day , and very bitter , when thou shalt come . Again , this ; Domine , quando veneris , &c. O Lord , where shall I hide my self from the countenance of thy wrath , when thou comest to Judge the Earth ? For I have sinned extremely , during my life ; I am frightened at the things I have committed , and blush before thee ; when thou comest to Judge , do not condemn me . And this , Memento mei , Deus , &c. O God , have me in remembrance , because g my life is but wind , let the eye of him that hath seen me , see me no more , h Out of the depths have I cried unto thee , O Lord ; i Hear , O Lord , when I cry with my voice . And this , Hei mihi ! &c. Wo unto me , O Lord , for I have sinned overmuch in my life ! What shall I do , Wretch that I am ? Whither shall I flie , if not unto my God ? Have compassion on me , when thou shalt come at the Last day ; k My soul is sore vexed , but do thou , Lord , deliver it , be mercifull , &c. And this , Legem pone , &c. l Teach me , O Lord , the way of thy Commandments , m and lead me in a plain path , because of mine enemies ; n Deliver me not into the will of mine enemies , for false Witnesses are risen up against me , and iniquity hath belyed it self , yet I believe to see the goodness of the Lord , in the land of the living . And this , Peccantem me quotidie , &c. Sinnning daily , and not repenting , the fear of death distracts me , in regard o There is no redemption in Hell , p O God , be mercifull unto me , and save me ; q O God , save me , for thy Name sake , and deliver me in thy Power . And this other , Domine , secundùm actum meum noli me judicare , &c. O Lord , Judge me not according to what I have done , I have done nothing in thy presence worthy it ; I therefore beseech thy Majesty , to do away mine iniquity ; r O Lord , wash me from my injustice more , and more , and cleanse me from my sin . And this other , Sitivit anima mea , &c. s My soul thirsteth for God , when shall I come , and appear before the Lord ? t Deliver not the soul of thy Turtle-dove unto the multitude , forget not the Congregation of thy poor for ever . Our Father , &c. And Lastly this , Libera me , Domine , &c. O Lord , u who hast broken the Gates of Brass , and visited Hell , and given light , that they might see thee , to those , who were in the Torments of darkness , crying , and saying , Thou ar● come , O our Redeemer , deliver me out of the ways of Hell. For there is not any Body so weakly instructed , as not easily to comprehend , that the Authours of these Complaints , and Lamentations , meant them rather for the advantage , and edification of the living , by putting them in minde of the fear , and trembling , wherein they should be in the presence of their Lord , then to represent the State of the Dead , which they have been forced to express after their Fancy as such as had some resemblance with that of poor Wayfaring-men , who yet walk in the Flesh , because they had not any manifest knowledg thereof , but onely Conjectures , and presumptions , and those many times , not very conformable to the Rule of Faith , and the Sentiments of the purest Antiquity : Since it is absolutely impossible , that he , who makes a Prayer for his Soul , should be any other thing , then that Soul , for which he Prays , and that the Wish he makes , that God would teach him the way of his Statutes , ( which is onely in this Life ) and the Confession of sinning daily , and the Prayer , to be delivered out of the ways of Hell , should suit with any but Travellers , who walk yet in the Flesh , struggling , as they go , with their own imperfections , and the Infernal Powers , and by continued endeavours tending to their rest , whereof the separated Souls of the Faithfull departed , who have finished their course in Faith , and Hope , must necessarily be possessed , from the very moment of their separation . The same moderation is required , to finde out the true sense of the Prayers , which seem to presuppose a certain deliverance out of Infernal pains , wherein the deceased are ready to be tormented , as when we read in the Missal ; Domine Jesu Christe , &c. O Lord Jesus Christ , King of Glory , deliver the Souls of all the Faithfull departed out of the power of Hell , and out of the bottomless Lake ; deliver them out of the mouth of the Lyon ; Let not Hell swallow them up ; let them not fall into the obscure places of darkness ; but let the Standard-bearer , St. Michael , bring them into that holy light , which thou didst sometime promise to Abraham , and to his Seed . We offer unto thee , O Lord , ●…oasts and Prayers for them , receive the same for those Souls , whom we this day commemorate , grant them , O Lord , to pass from Death to an holy life . And in the Office of the Dead , A portâ inferni erus , Domine , animas eorum , requiescant in pace , Amen , &c. O Lord , deliver their Souls from the Gate of Hell , may they rest in peace , Amen . For though , upon the first glance , these words seem to revive the Hypothesis , which Justin Martyr had drawn up out of the Quagmire of the counterfeit Sibyl , imagining , that the Soul of the greatest Saints were , afer their departure out of the body , sent to Hell , and were subject to the power of evil Spirits ; yet must they necessarily have another signification , and onely induce , that God alone preserves those , whom he calls , so as that they fall not into the power of Hell , but are , by the Ministery of his holy Angels , introduced into celestial light , and that they are delivered , not as escaping out of some Torment , which they had for some time indured , but as avoiding the necessity of enduring it . And whereas it is said , that the Hoasts , mentioned in those Prayers , are offered to Jesus Christ , it necessarily induces , that they neither are , nor can be Jesus Christ himself , as the Church of Rome imagines at this day , but Gifts presented to God by his people , as an expression of their gratitude . And since , what is said , without any exception , viz. That they are offered for the Souls of all the departed , whose commemoration is celebrated , it demonstratively proves , that they are , and were ( according to the intention of the Antients ) offered for the blessed then sleeping a sleep of Peace , in as much as the Commemoration made in the Church comprehends all . Which is further confirmed in that St. x Cyprian expresly observes , that that of his time always offered Sacrifices for the Martyrs , of whose glory she neither made , nor could make any question ; that St. y Augustine both offered , and caused to be offered the like for his Mother , of whose bliss he thought himself so confident , that he said to God , I believe , that thou hast already done it ; and that Saint Ambrose , comforting Faustinus , afflicted at the death of his Sister , gave him this advice , z Non tam deplorandam , &c. I think she ought not to be so much lamented , as attended with Prayers ; I conceive we ought not to condole at thy Tears , but rather by Oblations recommend her soul to the Lord , &c. What should oblige us to sigh for the dead , when the reconciliation of the World hath been already made with God the Father by the Lord Jesus ? For from all this , and particularly from Faustinus's affirmation , that he was a confident of the Works and Faith of his Sister , for whom St. Ambrose exhorted him to make Prayers , and Oblations , it necessarily results , that those Oblations were not properly Propitiations , but Thanksgivings for , and Acknowledgments of the Propitiation made by Jesus Christ on the Cross , and , as the Forms used by the Church of Rome express it , b Sacrifices of Praise . So that , if they were sometimes called Hostiae placationis , Hoasts of appeasment , and if it be said , that the Souls are per hujus virtutem Sacramenti à peccatis omnibus expiatae , expiated from all sin by the virtue of this Sacrament , which it is desired should be to him , who participates thereof , ablutio scelerum , &c. the washing away of his offences , presupposing that it is celebrated by the Faithfull pro redemptione animarum suarum , &c. for the redemption of their souls ; this is to be understood rationally , and in the same sense , as when St. Peter teaches us concerning Baptism , that it saves us , and Antiquity sayes , that it washes away sins , in as much as it is the sacred Sign , and the Pledge of the washing away , which was made thereof once by the onely blood of Jesus Christ spilt on the Cross . For , according to the Sentiment of the primitive Christians , the Sacraments received by the Faithfull crimina omnia detergunt , &c. do away all offences , in as much as they are Memorials of the blood of Christ , by the aspersion whereof mens c Consciences are purged from dead works to serve the living God , and are said to be d offered for their salvation , not to be purchased , but already purchased by the price of the same blood , and for the Redemption of their Souls already accomplished in the death of the Son of God , but whereof the Application is continually made in the preaching of the Gospel , and Administration of the Sacraments , to all those , who embrace it through Faith. There are also other e Prayers , wherein is desired , for the Faithfull departed , the felicity , which they have hoped , and wished for , during the course of their life , as appears by these following Forms ; Vitam aeternam habere mereantur in coelis , &c. In tuae redemptionis parte numerentur , &c. May they obtain eternal life in Heaven , &c. May they be numbred in the part of thy Redemption , &c. O Lord give them eternal rest , and let everlasting light shine upon them , &c. P●●●●im in the Region of Peace , and Light , and grant him the Fellowship of thy Saints , &c. Grant him admittance into the society of eternal bliss , &c. To those , on whom thou didst bestow the Merit , or Honour , of Christian Faith , give also the Reward , &c. that , through thy Compassion , they may receive the bliss of eternal light , &c. Make them partakers of thy Redemption , let them be added to the number of thy Saints , &c. Let them have their reward in the Life to come , &c. Let them be conveyed into the Habitations , which thou hast prepared for the Blessed : let them have the perpetual enjoyment of their Society , &c. Command , that they have eternal joys in the Region of the Living , &c. Grant them the Habitation of refreshment , blessed rest , and the clearest light , &c. Vouchsafe to associate them to thy Saints , &c. May they receive eternal rest , &c. Grant them eternal joy in the Region of the living , &c. May he obtain eternal rest , and light , &c. Restore them to the Portion of eternal salvation , &c. We beseech thee , O Lord , that be may come into the Fellowship of Eternal light , &c. That they may rejoyce with thee , World without end , &c. May they obtain passage into life , &c. That they may obtain eternal joys . Though it might seem , that those , for whom these Prayers are made , were considered , as deprived of Peace , Light , Joy , Bliss , Rest , the Society of the Saints in Glory , and the Eternal Reward promised their good Works , and that , to facilitate their entrance into the possession of future happiness , some had conceived , and inserted the foregoing Prayers into the Service of the Churches ; yet that it never was the intention of those , who drew the first draught thereof , to insinuate , that the dead were actually excluded the things demanded for them , is manifest , in as much , as the Memento was made onely in favour of those , who rest in a sleep of Peace , and , consequently , are already in Peace and Joy with the Lord. For the surviving Believers thought it became them to speak of the Beatitude of their Brethren deceased before them with a kind of hesitation , as if it were delayed , and that not without some colour , for as much the good things , prepared by the Lord for those , who love him , consist in things , which f Eye hath not seen , nor Ear heard , neither have entred into the heart of Man , and that they had not any evident knowledg thereof , and could not frame to themselves any Idea suitable to the state , whereto those are advanced , who enjoy them , they represented it after their manner , with some conformity , and proportion to that , wherein they had left this World ; and as they have been for the most part forced thereto by the Imaginations , wherewith the counterfeit Sibyl had dazled their minds , so from the same hand is it also come , that among those , who , some time after , took the courage to disclaim them , some did it not so resolutely , as they should have done , but thought it enough to compare their departed Brethren , translated into the rest of God , to g Travellers , who want somewhat of compleating their Journey . Others , considering , that the enjoyment of the good things , which follow this life , and the exemption from the evils , which sinners are to expect , are for all eternity , and that the continuance of that enjoyment to those , who are once entred thereinto , does so far depend on the goodness and favour of God ever faithful in his promises , and whose h Gifts are without Repentance ; that in this very regard , that he continually conserves them , he seems to make a new distrib●…on thereof every moment , and by the perpetual influence of his benediction on those , whom he hath received into glory , to assure them more and more of their possession thereof : others , I say , out of such , or the like Considerations , were perswaded , that there was no inconvenience in demanding , for the departed , what they already had , their own reason telling them , that the Authour of so good a gift ceases not to give it , in continuing , and conserving it to those , whom he had once made partakers thereof . For as those , on whom he here below bestows abundance of temporal goods , are not less obliged to beg of him every day their i daily Bread , then if ( as he sometime did to the Israelites in the Desert ) he dealt them onely one day's Provision at a time ; the plenty , which they had so liberally received from his hand , though such as might suffice for their whole life , and that with so much certainty in appearance , as nothing could reduce them to want , no way hindring , but that they should acknowledg their indigence , and natural insufficiency , and have a constant recourse to his Grace , to desire ( as the most unworthy ) that he would give them their Bread , for as much as though they have enough lying by them , yet is it their evident concernment , that he , who hath given them , should every day renew his Donation , in conserving them , and sanctifying them to their use : So the Saints , who in the other life are possessed of Celestial goods , are ( by the necessity of the same reason ) obliged to make perpetual acknowledgments , notwithstanding that the immutability of the Counsel , according to which he bestows them for ever , and the nature of those very goods , not subject to perish , and decay , seems not any way to hinder , but that they should , every one for himself , and the surviving upon Earth for them all , desire the conservation and continuance of them , though that be so much the more certain , and infallible , in as much as it is grounded on the unchangeable Decree of k the Father of Lights , with whom is no variableness , neither shadow of turning . In this sense it might be thought , that l Jesus , the Head and finisher of our Faith , who was yesterday , is to day , and shall be the same for ever , though he were confident of the issue of his combats , and was so much the more certain , that nothing could prevail against him , that he m sustained himself by his own Power yet forbore not to recommend himself to his Father , and to desire of him the n glory he was possessed of , and had had with him before the World was : and consequently , that the antient Church neither made , nor ought to have made any difficulty to pray for all the blessed , whose State she knew to be unchangeable , and whose Felicity unalterable ; and accordingly is it , that , as she does in general make a Commemoration of all those , who sleep the Sleep of Peace ; so hath she particularly comprehended in her Prayers the Patriarchs , Prophets , Apostles , Martyrs , without any regard to the inconvenience , which some have alledged since , that o to pray for a Martyr , is to be injurious to him . Nay , the Church of Rome her self , to shew that she could not recede from the Sentiment of Primitive Antiquity , as we have above represented it , hath not ceased , nor does , to this day , cease to make this Prayer , contained in her Missal ; Deus , cui soli cognitus est numerus Electorum in superna felicitate locandus , tribue , quaesumus , ut univer sorum , quos Oratione p commendatos suscepimus , & omnium fidelium vivorum , atque mortuorum nomina beatae praedestinationis liber adscripta retineat , per Dominum , &c. O God , to whom alone is known the number of the Elect , who are to be placed above in Felicity , we beseech thee to grant , that the Book of blessed Predestination may retain written the name of all those , whom we have taken upon us to recommend in our Prayers , as also those of all the Faithfull , both dead , and living , through our Lord , &c. I seriously ask , whether it be possible any thing should be q blotted out of the Book of Life , which is God himself , r whose Counsel shall stand eternally ? And since there is no danger should make us fear , that s God will deny himself , and that the Book of his Predestination should not retain the Names , which his Hand hath written in it , to desire of him , that it might retain them , is it not to pray him to do what it is absolutely impossible but he should , and ( after the Example of the Antient Christians ) to make a Prayer for the Blessed , that they might be blessed , not indeed , as if they were to pass from misery to the possession of Bliss ; but in persisting ( as it must of necessity be ) in the enjoyment of the Bliss , which hath been once for all communicated to them ? Lastly , The Antients , considering that the Felicity , which the Faithfull enjoy from the instant of their departure , is not that absolute Fulness of Glory , wherewith they expect to be Crowned at t the Resurrection of the Just , and that they might justly desire of God the accomplishment of what is expected ( according to the Word of his Grace ) as well for themselves , as for others , since it is a signification of the u coming of his Kingdom ; that we are all taught by the Lord himself , earnestly to desire , and hasten it , as much as may be , by our Wishes . Secondly , That the Motion x of all the Creation , groaning , and travelling till such time , as it is delivered from the bondage of Corruption , into the glorious liberty of the Children of God , is expressed to us by St. Paul , as a great and violent desire inclining the Creatures to expect the manifestation of the Sons of God , and incites us so much the more , by how much we , who have the first fruits of the Spirit , are all together waiting for the Redemption of our Body . Thirdly , That in that Noble desire is shewn the principal Effect of the Sympathy , which ought to be beween all the Saints , Members of the same mystical Body , and Members one of another ( for if the Holy Spirit , to rejoyce the spirits of the Just in Glory , and y crying with a loud voyce , that the Lord would judge , and revenge their Blood on them , that dwell on the Earth , proposes to them , as the principal Subject of their Joy , the approaching accomplishment of their Fellow-servants , and Brethren , yet engaged against the Militia of Satan , & the world , here below , why should not these Champions , who are still sweating , and out of breath in the Field , where they are all covered with Blood , and Dust , have their courage heigthned , by reflecting on their advantages , who had gone before them ; that , as they aspire to those White Robes of Glory , wherein their Brethren are for a little Season to rest above , and further consider , as the highest point of their pretension , that admirable perfection , which the first shall not attain without the last , one and the same day ( to wit , that of the General Resurrection , and the Last Judgment ) being appointed to make an eternal assurance of the full Perfection of their Glory ? The Antients , I say , upon these Considerations , might , and , after their Example , the Faithfull still may , and do , continually desire , and beg it , as well for themselves , as for all those , who before them , z had served their generations by the will of God , and happily a finished their course in this life . Fourthly , It may be observed , that , in this kinde of Prayer , they seem to follow the Example of the Apostle , praying for Onesiphorus , b that the Lord would grant , that he might finde mercy with the Lord in that day , in which c he shall come to be glorified in his Saints , and to be admired in all them , that believe . For whatever may be presupposed concerning the State of Onesiphorus , and whether it be said , that that good Person was , or was not discharged , as to the necessities of this life , when the Wish , set down in the Second Epistle to Timothy , was made for him , it will make no difference in the main , and it will still be certain , that the good , expressed by St. Paul's Prayer , hath not been hitherto accomplished in any one ; that it is of no less importance at this day to Onesiphorus , then when St. Paul prayed for him ; that St. Paul , and Onesiphorus , and all the Saints , who are with God , wait for , as much as we do , who d are saved by Hope onely , the Day of the Lord , and the Mercy , which Onesiphorus , and all the rest of the Elect shall finde , when that day comes ; and that he , who prays his Friend may obtain what cannot be conferred on him , till many Ages after his Introduction into celestial Beatitude , seems necessarily to pray for one , that is Blessed , if not effectually , when he conceived his Prayer , at least , for one considered , as such , when he shall see the Effect thereof : so that whensover a man undertakes to pray for him , whether while he is alive , or after his death , or both before , and after his death , he still makes the same Prayer for him , which not onely does not , but canot change its nature in the revolution of Ages , since that its foundation still unchangeably subsists , and that it is impossible it shall have its Effect in any , but a Person , that hath been already a long time in Glory with God , and who stands in need , not of Beatitude , in it self , which he is already possessed of , but the last Perfection of it , and , as it may be expressed in vulgar Terms , the Over-weight , which is necessarily to be added thereunto . Thus the Fathers ( not without some Ground ) conceived they had pertinent Reasons to pray for those . whom they thought gathered into the eternal Rest of God ; nay , some ( out of a Motive of extraordinary compassion ) took the liberty to pray , and advised others to make Prayers , and give Alms for the Damned ; yet so , as that , ( for ought we know ) it hath not happened , that , for the space of six hundred years together , any one of them laid it down as a Tenent of Catholique Faith , That the Souls of those , who ended their Lives in the Profession of that Faith , were reduced , immediately upon their departure , to endure any temporal Punishment for their sins , and to make full satisfaction to the Justice of God , before they took possession of their Bliss . The Antient Liturgies are so far from teaching any such thing , that they have formally expressed the contrary , and , even to this day , the Form of Prayer for the Recommendation of Persons in Agony , expresly presupposes , that their Souls , at their departure out of the Bodies , are to be carried by the Angels into Abraham's Bosom , a Mansion of Rest , and Felicity , and not of Torment . For after the Litanies , whereby the Mercy of God is implored , they say to the sick Person ; Proficiscere , anima Christiana , de hoc Mundo , &c. Depart out of this World , O Christian Soul , in the Name of God , the Father Almighty , who hath created thee ; in the Name of Jesus Christ , the Son of God , who hath suffered for thee ; in the Name of the Holy Ghost , which is shed into thee , &c. May thy place be this day in Peace , and thy habitation in Holy Sion , through the same Christ our Lord. Amen . To this Wish there is added a Prayer , which demands for the sick Person the Remission of his sins , the Renewing of whatever there was corrupt in him , and his reconciliation with God : and then this Discourse is addressed to him , Commendo te , &c. I recommend thee , most dear Brother , to God Almighty , and cōmit thee to him ; whose creature thou art , that when , by the interposition of death , thou shalt have cancelled the Obligation of humanity , thou mayst return to thy Authour , who hath formed thee out of the slime of the Earth . May therefore a bright Assembly of Angels meet thy soul at its departure out of the body , &c. May the embraces of the Patriarchs confine thee to the Bosom of a blissfull rest , &c. Mayest thou be delivered from e Torment by Christ , who was crucified for thee ; mayst thou be delivered from eternal death by Christ , who vouchsafed to die for the ; May Christ the Son of the living God place thee in the ever-pleasant verdures of his Paradise , and may that true Shepheard own thee among his Sheep ; May he forgive thee all thy sins , and place thee in the portion of his Elect on his right hand ; Mayst thou , face to face , see thy Redeemer , and being ever present behold with thy blessed eyes the most manifest truth . Being then placed among the Quires of the blessed ; mayst thou enjoy the sweetness of divine contemplation , world without end . Amen . After such a Discourse , there is made this Prayer ; Suscipe , Domine , servum tuum , &c. O Lord , Receive thy servant into the place , where he is to hope salvation from thy mercy , Amen . O Lord , deliver the soul of thy servant from all dangers of Hell , and from the snares of Torments , and from all Tribulations . Amen . Then , having made a recital of the Deliverances of Enoch , and Elias , of Noë , Abraham , Joab , Isaac , Lot , Moses , Daniel , and his three Companions , David , Saint Peter , and Saint Paul , they conclude with these words : And , as thou hast delivered from three most grievous Torments the most blessed Virgin , and Martyr , Thecla ; in like manner , mayest thou be pleased to deliver the soul of this this thy servant , and grant , that he may rejoyce with thee in the enjoyment of celestial goods . Amen . At last , follow two Prayers ; whereof the former begins with these words : Commendamus animam Famuli tui , &c. O Lord , we recommend unto thee the soul of thy servant , and we humbly beseech thee , O Jesus Christ , Saviour of the World , that thou wouldest not refuse to place in the bosoms of thy Patriarchs her , for whose sake thou mercifully didst descend upon Earth . In the later it is said , Be mindfull of him , O Lord , in the glory of thy brightness ; let the Heavens be open to him ; let the Angels rejoyce with him . Lord , receive thy Servant into thy Kingdom ; Let St. Michael , the Arch-angel of God , and General of the Celestial Militia , entertain him ; let the holy Angels of God meet him , and carry him into the Heavenly Jerusalem , &c. Loosed from the Chains of flesh , may he be received into the glory of the celestial Kingdom , &c. If , after all these Prayers , the Agony continue , there are at several times read the one hundred and sixth , and one hundred and eighteenth Psalms , according to the Greeks , and Latines , that is , the one hundred and seventh , and one hundred and nineteenth , according to the Hebrews , who are therein followed by the Protestants ; and , when the Soul is departed , they say , Afford your assistance , O ye Saints of God , meet him , O ye Angels of the Lord , receiving his Soul , and presenting it to the most high . May Christ , who hath called thee , entertain thee , and may the Angels conduct thee into the Bosom of Abraham , &c. O Lord , give him eternal rest , and let everlasting light shine upon him ; Lord , deliver his Soul from the Gate of Hell , let him rest in peace . In the Mass for the sick , who are in Agony , besides two Lessons out of the Scripture , whereof the former comprehends from the sixth Verse of the five and fiftieth Chapter of Isaiah , to the twelfth , with these words fastened in the beginning by I know not whom , In diebus illis locutus est Esaias Propheta dicens , and at the end , Ait Dominus omnipotens ; and the later consists of the twentieth , twenty first , and twenty second Verses of the sixteenth Chapter of St. John , with these words added at the beginning , In illo tempore dixit Jesus Discipulis suis . We have several Texts alledged , containing Thanksgiving to God for his deliverances , as the second , sixth , and seventh Verses of the eighteenth Psalm , according to the Hebrews , the fourth of the fifty seventh , with Confessions of sins , and Implorations of his mercy , and assistance , as the second Verse of the fifty seventh Psalm , the first and second of the one hundred and thirtieth , the eighth and ninth of the seventy ninth , the first of the fifty first , and the two and twentieth of the five and twentieth , and , in conclusion , three Prayers , in the first whereof we read these words , Grant him , O Lord , thy grace , that his Soul , at the hour of its departure out of the body , may be represented without the blemish of any sin , by the hands of the holy Angels , to thee , who art the proper bestower thereof , through our Lord , &c. The second is closed with this conclusion , not much unlike the former , That , received by the Angels , he may arrive at the Kingdom of thy glory , through our Lord. And the third is laid down in these Terms , O Lord , we give thee thanks for thy manifold kindnesses , wherewith thou art wont to satisfie the Souls of those , who put their trust in thee ; we , now confident of thy compassion , do humbly beseech thee , that thou wouldest vouchsafe to shew mercy on thy Servant , lest , at the hour of his departure out of the body , the enemy , prevail against him , but that he may be thought worthy to pass to life , through our Lord. If the Latine Church had from the beginning been imbued with this Sentiment , that the Souls of the Faithfull are , for the most part , at their departure out of the Body , confined to a place of Torment , where they perfect the expiation of their sins , through what misfortune is it come to pass , that she so far forgot her self , as not to have expressed any such thing in all their Service , and that her Encouragements , and Remonstrances to those , that lie at the point of death , who are ( as it is at this day presupposed ) in so great a necessity to prepare themselves for it , and the Wishes , and Prayers , which she makes , and appoints to be made , as well for them , as for the Dead , whom a Superstitious perswasion imagines already set upon , and invaded by Infernal flames in Purgatory , do not onely not contain any remark thereof , but formally teach the contrary ? And that they do so , we are onely to instance out of what hath been newly alledged , what they say of all without exception , viz. that , after death , they have their place in Holy Sion , that the Angels come to meet them ; that they convey them into the Kingdom of Glory , into the bosom of a blessed Rest , into the bosom of Abraham , into the pleasant Verdures of Paradise , that they might with the Quires of the Blessed contemplate Truth with their blessed eyes , and enjoy the sweetness of divine contemplation eternally ; that the Lord places them in the Portion of the Elect , in the place where they hoped for salvation , opens the heavens to them , gives them an eternal Rest , and makes them pass into life ; which Expressions are such , as that the Protestants could not ( according to the Hypotheses of their Belief ) either say , or think any thing beyond them . Shall we imagine her unfortunately seised by a Vertigo so extraordinary , as that she would be guilty of such an Extravagance in favour of the Adversaries of her Sentiment , so far as to furnish them with all the Expressions capable to ruine it , and that she should be so unnatural , and cruel towards those of her children , whom death snatched away daily from her , as not to vouchsafe to let them know , by the last word , that she had a Resentment of their Trouble , or that it was her desire to procure their Deliverance out of it by her Prayers , and to fortifie others , whom she saw to fall into the like , by communicating to them her Advertisements , and Remonstrances , and representing to them on the one side the necessity , which the Justice of God imposed on them , as is pretended , to pass through the Fire , and , on the other , the Hope , which his Promise gave them to be preserved therein by his care till such time , as his Goodness should grant them a glorious deliverance out of it ? Nay , though we should be inclined to excuse in her so shamefull a want of compassion , and memory , could we free her from Prevarication , charging her , that , instead of stirring up in her children the care of preparing themselves for Death , and the temporal Pains , which ( according to the Opinion of Purgatory ) were to follow upon it , she hath treacherously permitted , that ( to be rid of it with more ease ) they should run into erroneous perswasions , and presume to promise themselves , upon the very start out of this Life , a passage into Abraham's Bosom , and the Paradise of God ; or rather , that she was resolved to lay them asleep her self , by deceitfull Expressions , in the Bosom of a prejudicial Security , which smothers the apprehension they should have conceived of the Severity of that great Judg , who intends to examine them with all rigour ? And though we should endeavour to reconcile these kinds of Expressions , which mutually destroy one the other , would it be in our power to perswade any , that those , who , after they have said of the Dead , that they are , immediately upon their departure , carried by the Angels into the Bosom of the Patriarchs , hold withall , that they are before-hand sent into a place of Torments , speak more rationally , then those , who durst affirm , that the King lodges near himself in his Palace , the Malefactours , whom he keeps in restraint , in the most loathsom Dungeons , and holes of his Prisons ? And that no man may imagine that this Wish , May Christ , who was crucified for thee , deliver thee out of Torment , hath any relation to the Torment of the pretended Purgatory , we need onely to observe , that it is made for a sick Person , overwhelmed with the Torment of the last Agony , immediately preceding his Death . To which may be added , that , though it were understood of the Torments , which wicked Spirits are to expect after Death , Reason would force us to avow , that the Believer , recommended to the Grace of God , is exempted from them after Death , in the same manner , as he is delivered from eternal Death , from the dangers of Hell , and from the snares of his Torments , which he never felt , nor ever shall feel , for as much as Christ , crucified , and dead for him , preserves , and frees him from them . And as to the Prayers , which the Church of Rome makes , and appoints to be made , for the Dead , desiring , that God would pardon their Sins , deliver them from the Gates of Hell , and from the Last Judgment , and put them into the possession of eternal Bliss , they cannot ( according to the intention of Antiquity ) be taken in any other sence , then what we have already alledged ; nay , this very Circumstance , that the Modern Greeks , and others , who deny Purgatory no less , then the Protestants , do daily make those Prayers , irrefutably proves , that Purgatory cannot necessarily be inferred from them . CHAP. LIII . The Sentiment of the Modern Greeks , concerning the State of the Dead . FOr as much as the Church of Rome , and those of her Communion , are not any way satisfied with the Sentiment of the Greeks at this day , who so joyn with her in the Custom of Praying for the Dead , that they joyn with the Protestants against her , in denying Purgatory ; and that , upon that accompt , she censures them , as Desertours of the Faith delivered by the Holy Fathers , whom she pretends to be of her side , and reproaches them with a shamefull breach of the Promise they had made on Friday , the sixth of July , 1274. at the Councel of Lions , and on Munday , the sixth of July , 1439. at that of Florence , to embrace her Belief ; we are to consider these two things distinctly : First , What Ground she may have to complain of their inconstancy ; and , Secondly , In what Opinion they have continued to the present . The Latines , who had taken Constantinople by assault , on Munday the twelfth of April , 1204. having been driven thence by Michael Palaeologus , on Wednesday the twelfth of July , 1261. This Prince , to settle himself in his Possession , against the attempts , as well of the Turks , as the Emperour Baldwin de Courtenay , ( who was then in League with Charles of Anjou , King of the two Sicilies , the Republique of Venice , and Theobald , King of Navarr , and Count of Champagne , to whom he had promised the fourth part of the lost State , in case he might recover it ) took ( what according to the advice of his despair seemed best ) a resolution to cast himself into the arms of Pope Gregory the Tenth , and to grant him any thing he should desire . For perceiving that Baldwin , his Competitour , had in the year 1267. affianced ; and in the year 1273. Married his onely Son Philip to Beatrix , the Daughter of Charles ; that Charles , not thinking it enough that his Son-in-Law had taken the Imperial Crown , had also raised a powerfull Army to carry on his Design ; and that the Councel of Lions , Convocated by Pope Gregory , to meet on the first of May , 1274. threatned him with no less , then absolute ruin ; he hastened to conjure , and lay it by the onely means he had left him , sending to him , in whose hands it lay , to prevent the Storm . The Pope , flattered by a great Confidence of establishing his Power in the East , immediately dispatched thither Hierome d' Ascoli , Reimond Beranger , Bonagratia of Saint John's in Perficeto , and Bonaventure de Mugello , Franciscan Friers , who entred into conference with the Greek Emperour , got from him what they desired , and caused him to write concerning the State of the Dead in these Terms ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. If those , who are truly penitent , depart hence in Charity , before they have , by Works worthy Repentance , made satisfaction for that , wherein they have sinned , and failed ; the souls of such are , after death , purged by the Pains of Purgatory , according to what Brother a John hath declared unto us . And to mitigate those Pains , the Congregation of the Faithfull surviving is beneficial , I mean , the sacred Celebration of Services , Prayers , and Alms , and other works of Piety , which are ordinarily performed by the Faithfull for others of the Faithfull , according to the Ordinance of the Church . These Letters , which tended onely to gain the Affection of the Pope , and traverse the Designs of the King of Sicily , had struck the Patriarch Joseph so to the Heart , that , after he had boldly protested against them , he withdrew , choosing rather , to continue the rest of his days a private Person , then to enjoy the Prelacy , with the remorse , and shame of having countenanced , by his consent , an Agreement , which he thought concluded by Counsels , carried on by worldly Designs , and Interests ; and indeed , the greatest part of the East , conspiring in the same Sentiment , had such a detestation for the Peace with Rome , that there was a necessity of employing force , to smother the dissatisfactions of those , who were scandalized thereat . John , sirnamed Bec , High Chancellour of the Empire , had been imprisoned , and roughly dealt with upon that Occasion ; but not long after , either weary of suffering , or Cajolled , and drawn in by a Promise of the Patriarchate , joyning with his Prince , he came , with some other Greek Prelates , to the Councel of Lions , where he made his first entrance on the 24th of June , and while the Emperour lived , helped him to keep in his Country-men , extremely exasperated , to see themselves forced to a Profession , which they approved not of . Michael , dying towards the end of the year 1285. after he had eluded all the Storms of the King of Sicily , Andronicus his Son , and Successour , who had , with much impatience , born with the violence done to the common Sentiment of his Nation , not onely restored it to its former Liberty , as soon as he was gotten into the Throne , but re-established the Patriarch Joseph , put Bec , who had taken his Place , into such a Fright , that he was forced to withdraw secretly , fearing he should be torn in Pieces by the People , and proceeded with so much the more confidence in all this change , in as much as the Sicilian Vespers , advised by his Father , and sung by the tumultuous People on Easter-Day , the twenty ninth of March , 1282. had set Sicily , and Arragon against the Pope , and France . Besides , Philip de Courtenay , and Baldwin his Father , being come near the End of their unfortunate Lives , had no further thoughts of revenge against him ; that Charles the First , King of Sicily , dying of Grief , the seventh of January , 1285. left Charles the Second his Son , a Prisoner to the Sicilians , and Arragonois , who kept him from the two and twentieth of June , 1284. to the twenty ninth of October , 1288. So as that he had not , during that time , any means , either to help himself , or prejudice others ; and that none , that had Relation to the Latines , was in any capacity to disturb the East . Michael thought to have done much for himself , by his submission to , and taking from the Church of Rome the Model of his Belief , and ( by his Compliance with her ) disarming the Princes combined against his Dignity ; but from that Counsel , suggested by the Prudence of this World , he reaped onely shame , and misfortune , as well during his Life , as after his Death . For both his Ecclesiastical , and Secular Subjects conspired together to put the affront upon him , frustrate his Intentions , and confidently to subvert the Design of his Treaty by a formal Opposition , and so unanimous a Rejection of the Expedient which he had taken to settle his Peace , that his Cruelty against the most resolute , and the setting up of a new Patriarch , who took the Catechism of his Belief from the Court , prevailed nothing upon spirits , so much the more exasperated , the more sensible they were of the violence done them . Pope Martin the Fourth , taking it heinously that he was fallen off , in as much as he bore with some of his Subjects , who were contrary to his Opinion , a in the first year of his sitting in the Chair , upon the day of the Dedication of Saint Peter's Church , falling on the eighteenth of November , 1281. pronounced him , in Orvieto , Excommunicated , as a favourer of the Antient Schism , and Heresie of the Greeks . And after his Death , which happened at the beginning of the fourteenth Indiction , 1285. near Selybria , the publick Aversion was so violent against his Memory , that his own Son was forced to leave it exposed to a kinde of Infamy , b Nicephorus Gregoras having left us his remarkable Accompt of him ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. The Emperour Andronicus , his Son , who was present , not onely honoured not his Father with the Sepulture ordinarily bestowed on Kings , but vouchsafed him not that , which was fit for Smiths , and Pioners : He onely ordered , that a small number of men , having carried him away in the Night , some distance from the Camp , should cast a quantity of Earth upon him , out of a fear , lest the Royal Body might be torn in pieces by the wilde Beasts . Thus have we a great Prince , for having forced the Consciences of his People , reduced to the burial of a Dog , and finde the Church of Rome , who would have made her advantage of his Despair , to spread her Authority into the East , become , through this kinde of proceeding , so odious , that the Ostentation of her Power did onely stir up the contradiction of those minds , which she was in hope to enslave , and animated them in a resolution , not to receed in the least from their former Sentiment . About 150. years after , the Empire of the East falling under the Power of the Turks , who had taken away from it , on the one side , all Natolia , except Trebisonda , where there was kept up a little Empire apart ; and , on the other , such a part of Thrace , that Constantinople was , as it were , blocked up between both , Johannes Palaeologus , descended from Michael , was ( though much against his Humour ) forced to call to minde the Advertisement of his Father Manuel , who had not left him any other Hope of recovery in the Land , then what was to be procured by the Assistances of the Latines ; Which to obtain ( contrary to the Advice of Sultan Amurath , who knew , that in the Concord of the Christians consisted the onely means to oppose his Tyranny ) he took a resolution in the year 1430. to make his Addresses to the West , and ( after the Example of his Father , who had in Person sollicited Italy , France , England , and other Kingdoms ) sent several Embassies to Martin , and Eugenius the Fourth , to desire the calling of a Councel , to consist of the Prelates of both the Greek , and Latine Churches , and , by means of the Councel , to engage the Latine Church in the defence of the Greek . We do not finde how far Martin bestirred himself to do any thing in that Cause ; but God having taken him out of this World the one and twentieth of February , 1431. and Eugenius the Fourth being chosen in his stead , on the third of March following , the Jealousie he took at the Councel , which had been appointed to meet at Basil , by that of Sienna , in the year 1424. and began on Thursday , the nineteenth of July , 1431. and the high , and violent Procedures of it towards the Greeks in Florence ruined the success of what ever he had undertaken . He had ever since the twelfth of March appointed Julian , Cardinal of St. Angelo , to preside at the Councel of Basil ; eight Moneths after , seised with an apprehension , that that Assembly would offer to diminish his Power , he repealed the Commission of his Legat , and ( under pretence of gratifying the Greeks ) appointed the eighteenth of December , for the Prelates to separate , and summoned another Councel at Boulogne la Grass , for the year 1433. Now , that of Basil , thinking the affront indigestible , and to be revenged , resolving to question him , put him into such a fright , that he thought himself obliged to grant what it would have , to issue out his Bull of the fifteenth of December 1433. to repeal three others , contrary thereto , given the twenty seventh of July , and the thirteenth of September before , and to joyn with the Cardinal of St. Angelo , four other Legats , to wit , Nicholas , Cardinal of Saint Croix , John , Arch-Bishop of Tarentum , Peter , Bishop of Padua , and Lewis , Abbot of Saint Justina of Padua , who were admitted the six and twentieth of April , 1434. From the fifteenth of October , and the eleventh of November , 1433. the Greeks , answering to the Summons of the Councel , who had Deputed to them Anthony , Bishop of Tuy in Galicia , and B. Albert de Crespes , Master in Theologie , had sent on their behalf Demetrius Palaeologus , Proto-vestiary , Isidore , Abbot of St. Demetrius , and Johannes Lascaris , sirnamed Disypatus , to Treat of the Conditions of the Interview of both Parties ; and the Pope , for his Part , had , towards the end of the same year , offered by Christopher Garathon , one of his Secretaries , to send his Legats into the East , to prosecute the affair of the Re-union . But , when he saw him returned , and understood that the Councel , who was not of his Opinion , and had reduced him to quit it , and by a second Deputation , sent Brother John de Raguse , a Domiuican , afterwards Bishop of Argos , Henry Menger , Canon of Constance , and Simon Freron , Canon of Orleans , who , as to his particular , had Order to pass through Rome , to aquaint the Court with the occasion of his Message , instead of being satisfied with this submission , which seemed absolutely to secure his Interest , he conceived a greater jealousie thereof , and taking it very ill , that ( as he thought ) the Councel should think to get the glory of the Reconciliation with the Greeks , he so far prevailed with them by his sollicitations , and the sums of Money he paid them out of his own Purse , which was better furnished , then that of the Councel , that they broke their Word with the Deputies , suffered the House , where John de Raguse , the chiefest among them , was lodged , to be set upon by a Party of Cross-bowsiers , who attempted to force it , and openly took their resolution to go to Ferrara , where the Pope was in Person , and was drawing together all his Partisans . It were impossible to avoid being importunate to the Reader , if we should trouble our selves to give a particular Relation of all the complaints reciprocally made by the Pope , and Cauncel . It shall therefore suffice to observe , that the Councel , defeated of their Hope , saw another convened , as it were , in defiance of it , at Ferrara , where the Greeks , to the number of about twenty Metropolitanes , and a dozen others of their Clergie , made their appearance , with their Emperour , at the Pope's Charges , upon the fourth , and eighth of March , 1438. sojourned there , without any thing done , till Wednesday the fourth of June , at which time were begun some private Conferences , upon the Questions of Purgatory , and the State of Souls after their departure out of the Body , yet so , as that on the Part of the Greeks , till Thursday the seventeenth of July , there passed no other decision , save that the Souls of the Saints enjoy , immediately after Death , the perfect felicity competent to them , though they expect , upon the compleating of their Persons , a more full perfection . After two Moneths delay , laying aside that kinde of Dispute , when the General Sessions of the new Councel began , they were taken up in debating concerning the Addition made by the Latines to the Creed , and the manner of the Procession of the Holy Ghost , which they pretend to be , not from the Father , and the Son , but from the Father by the Son. About this , there passed at Ferrara , from that time , to the eighth of January , 1439. sixteen Sessions , and the Plague having made the place not onely incommodious , but also dangerous , the Pope resolved to leave it , transferred the Assembly to Florence , on the eleventh , defrayed the charges of the Greeks , by paying nineteen thousand Florens for the Garison of Constantinople ; and , on the nineteenth following , departed with the Greeks , who made their entrance into Florence on Friday the fourteenth , and Sunday the sixteenth of February , began their Sessions on Thursday the twenty sixth of the same Moneth , and continued them to no purpose , till the seventeenth of March. Two days after , the Emperour , weary of Disputing , and seised with an apprehension of his own danger , pressed his People to capitulate with the Latines , addressing himself to them in these pitifull Terms ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Time is spent to no purpose , and we have done nothing , as to the furtherance of our Affair ; remember our House , what hazard it runs amongst the wicked . If any thing happen , alass ! how heavy will it fall upon us ? I hold the Persecution will be more intolerable , then that of Diocletian , and Maximian ; wherefore let us lay aside Discourses , and Debates , and finde out some Mean , so to pass into the same Sentiment . Mark , and Anthony , Arch-Bishops of Ephesus , and Heraclea , notwithstanding those Deplorations , making some difficulty to comply , were by him forbidden to come into the two following Congregations ; and , the rest yielding , the Pope was not awanting to take his advantage , and to extort from those poor People a forced Acquiescence ; the Patriarch Joseph having , upon the thirtieth of March , being Munday , in the Passion-Week , given them this sad accompt of the Pope's Pleasure ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That we should resolve to do of two things one , either finde out by Easter ( falling that year on the fifth of April ) the means of an Union ( with him ) or take some course to return into our Countrey . And notwithstanding , that Isidore , and Bessarion , Arch-Bishops of Russia , and Nicaea , who had engaged in the Party of the Latines , and given their Hands , saying ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . It is more expedient for us to unite in body , and soul , then to go hence without having done any thing ; for it is no hard matter to be gone , but how we should go , or to what place , or when , I know not : Dositheus , Bishop of Monembasia , cried out immediately , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . What would you ? that our departure hence may be defrayed by the Pope , would you have us betray our Doctrine ? I will die rather , then ever Latinize . The Arch-bishop of Heraclea added , that the Antient Fathers were for his Opinion ; that of Ephesus , that the c Latines were not onely Schismaticks , but also Hereticks . And the Nobility , who had an Aversion for the Agreement , so exasperated those of their Party , that being met the first of April at the Patriarch's Lodgings , who was then so indisposed , that , on the Saturday following , they were forced to administer the Extreme Unction to him , as soon as the poor Patient had opened his Mouth , to ask what they had to say , made him this short answer , by the Arch-bishop of Heraclea , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. There are four things demanded of you ; First , Whether you are satisfied with the most clear and solid Demonstration , according to which , we have shewn you by the Scriptures , that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father , and by the Son ; if you are , so be it : if not , tell us what you doubt of , and why you are not satisfied , that we may finde out some remedy , and way , clearly , and purely establish , that , in very truth , the same Procession is also from the Son. Secondly , If you have any d Proofs from the Holy Scriptures , maintaining the contrary to what we affirm , Produce them . Thirdly , If you have any strong places out of the Scriptures , proving that what you hold is better , and more holy , then our Doctrine . Fourthly , If you will not stand to these things , let us meet together in an Assembly ; Let the Hierarch celebrate the Divine Service ; Let us all , as well Latines , as Greeks , take an Oath ; Let the Truth be boldly discovered by the Oath , and what shall appear most clear to the e Major part , be embraced by both sides : For among Christians an Oath is not violated . After this Overture , all that remained , was to press those poor People by bitter Reproaches , and to make those , who had complied , instrumental to draw in those , who were unwilling to do it . Accordingly , upon the fourteenth of April , Bessarion made a long Speech in favour of the Sentiment of the Latines , and George , sirnamed Scholarius , afterwards Patriarch , presented no less then three Orations upon the same Subject . The Emperour , who , on Whitsunday , the twenty fourth of May , was gone to the Pope , upon a Message he had received from him to that purpose , when he heard him say , that the great Charges he had been at came to f nothing , that he squandered away his Money , and done all he thought convenient , vindicating himself the best he could , replied , I am not the Master of the Synod , and I will not be so Tyrannical , as to force my Synod to say any thing . And , on the Wednesday following , the Greeks , being admitted to Audience , understood that they were reduced to an impossibility , the Pope making this Discourse to them ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Which way soever I look , I see division before mine eys , and much wonder how division can be advantageous to you . If it be so , how will the Western Princes take it ? And what sadness shall we conceive thereat ? Besides , how will you return into your Countrey ? As if he had said , You must either come to our Opinion , and , upon that Condition , obtain the conveniences of returning into your Countrey , or quit all hope of ever getting thither , as being a thing not to be attempted , but with our Leave , and upon our Charge . Whereupon all , Mark Arch-bishop of Ephesus onely excepted , being at an absolute loss of all courage , bethought themselves how they might be dis-engaged upon the best Terms they could ; and the Emperour , having , on Tuesday the second of June , sent to the Pope by the Arch-bishop of Russia , to know what assistance he would afford him , had this Answer brought him by three Cardinals ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. First , as to the present , the most Holy Father makes accompt to furnish you with what shall sufficiently defray your Charges , as also to finde you Galleys , that all your People , and the Church of the East , may return to Constantinople . Secondly , To maintain constantly , at his own Charge , three hundred Souldiers , for the safety of the City . Thirdly , To have upon his accompt two Galleys , as a Guard unto it , and to keep a Watch near it . Fourthly , To procure that the Devotion of Jerusalem be exercised at Constantinople , and that the Galeasses , which go for the Veneration of the enlivening Sepulchre come to Constantinople . Fifthly , To finde ( when the Emperour should stand in need of Galleys for his assistance ) twenty Galleys , armed upon his own accompt , for the space of six Moneths , and , in case there should be need onely of ten , for a year . Sixthly , To endeavour , as in the presence of Christ ; that the Nations of Christendom may come in to his relief , when he should be necessitated to have an Army by Land. Thus the extream necessity of that conjuncture having destroyed the concernments of Religion by those of Policy , which seemed to smother , if not the disagreements , at least the Disputes , that were between them , the Union of the Latines and Greeks is concluded . And , as the Pope discovered what accompt he made of the Pilgrimage to Jerusalem , and the visitation and adoration of the holy Sepulchre , when he spoke of discrediting them in favour of Constantinople , and to transfer thither the most celebrious Devotions of the Latines , together with the advantages accrewing to the places where they are exercised , depriving Palaestina of the profits she had derived from them for the space of 350. years together , and condemning , as fruitless , the Expeditions , which had raised them to the greatest heighth : So the Greeks made it appear , that the fear of loosing their temporall good , was able to perswade them to sell the liberty of their Consciences , and that the onely Argument , which induced them to comply with the Sentiment of the Latines , was taken from Earth , and not from Heaven . So , that if the Poet had reason to say of Daws , Pies , and Parrats , when brought to the pronunciation of what words they heard , that the Belly had been their Master , and had given them the ingenuity to imitate the words which nature had denyed them , the Church of Rome might well acknowledge , that the Greeks were overcome , not by the force of her proofs , but by the sound of her fair promises , and that her purse and credit had been the true bait , whereby they had been caught , and that they had not been instructed in the Latine Opinions , but under the direction of Fear and Despair , the most wretched Masters that ever were . The Patriarch Joseph , who , during all these Intrigues , grew weaker and weaker , had on Tuesday , June the ninth , the Eve of his departure out of this World , signed the Profession , which he was desirous to make for the advantage of the Church of Rome , and all remained to be done , was , that the Prelates , who had accompanied him , should do the like . But the Pope , not willing to come to any capitulation with them , but at discretion , gave them , on the sixteenth following , a Paper , which might have startled the Emperour , if Julianus Caesarinus , Cardinal of St. Angelo , had not appeased him by these words , Send your g Commander and us Letters , that the Galleys may be provided , but we desire you to stay , and the Commander with you , till it shall have pleased God to bring the business to some issue , that then he may return along with you with much glory : We shall bear all your charges as far as Venice , and guard you to the City [ of Constantinople ] let not your Majesty be troubled as to that particular . After which , they trifled away the time , till the two and twentieth of the moneth , and then the Pope sent by three Cardinals this Message , That he would have all the priviledges of his Church , and the prerogative of Appeals , and would direct , and feed the whole Church of Christ , as the Shepherd of the Sheep ; and withall , the right and power to call a general Councel , when there should be any necessity , and that all the Patriarchs should submit to his will , which put the Emperour h out of all hope , and surprized him , so as that he made onely this answer , i Give order for your departure , if you think good . Yet to prevent an absolute rupture , the Pope entred into further conference with him , and entertained both him , and his , upon Friday the six and twentieth following , with a Collation of Sweet-meats and Wine , after which , and his retirement out of the place , those , whom he had brought with him , unanimously writ these words , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. We acknowledge , concerning the dignity of the Pope , that he is High-Priest , and Bishop , and Lieutenant , and Vicar of Christ , Pastor and Teacher of all Christians , and that he directs and governs the Church of God , the priviledges , and rights of the Patriarchs of the East , being observed ; that the Patriarch of Constantinople is the second next the Pope ; then he of Alexandria ; after him that of Antioch , then that of Jerusalem . They had resolved not to acknowledge any thing further , and to break off rather , then be brought to it ; but the Pope delivered them out of all fear as to that , accepting ( at least in appearance ) what they had written , though granting him onely a primacy of Order over the other Patriarchs , and absolutely quashing the dispute of his Predecessor Leo the First against Anatolius , raised by the Councel of Chalcedon ( seconding in that the first of Constantinople ) to the second place . This acceptation passed , there seemed to be nothing to do , but to sign and publish the Concordate ( or Agreement ) between both parties ; but there arises yet new difficulties . For the Pope would have the Instrument drawn up in his own name onely , but was therein formally opposed by the Greeks , who after these words , Eugenius Bishop , Servant of the Servants of God , required , on Munday the nine and twentieth of June , there should be added , with the consent of the most serene Emperour , of the Patriarch of Constantinople , and the other Patriarchs . He seemed also desirous to get inserted into it this Clause , That he would have his priviledges , according as the Holy Scripture defines , and the expressions of the Saints ; which the Emperour withstood , saying , If any one of the Saints honour the Pope in a Letter , he might write to him , shall he take that for a priviledge ? Yet the next day it was granted him , that he should have his priviledges , according to the Canons , the expressions of the Saints , the holy Scripture , and the Acts of Synods ; the Greeks , on the other side , having got into the same Decree , that all the priviledges of their Patriarchs should be inviolably observed , the Latines made no small difficulty on the second of July , to let pass the word All , which two days after they admitted . Upon the fifth of the Moneth aforesaid , the Concordate was signed by k the Pope , nine Cardinals , two Titulary Patriarchs , nine Arch-bishops , forty nine Bishops , and forty six Abbots on the one part ; and the l Emperour , seventeen Metropolitanes , five Deacons , one Arch-Priest , and six Abbots and Religious Persons , on the other . On the sixth , it was publickly read . Eight days after , the Pope , having desired the Greeks to proceed to the Election of a Patriarch , that might come into the place of the Patriarch Joseph , deceased twenty six days before , and that he , whom they should choose , might receive the Imposition of his hands , was denyed , as to both particulars , and forced to suffer the Greeks to depart , forsaken by Bessarion , and Isidore , Arch-bishops of Nicea , and Russia , and not long after Cardinals . The rest , heightned by the Example , and Encouragements of Mark of Ephesus , who would not by any means be drawn to subscribe , or consent to the Concordate ; and withall troubled in Conscience , that they had prostituted their Sentiment in the business of Religion for Bread , prevented the disacknowledgment of the Body of their Countrey-men , as soon as they were got to Constantinople ; declaring null all they had done , and re-assuming their former Opinions with so much the greater readiness , by how much they had onely quitted them in outward shew , and to the regret of their whole Nation , which would have treated them very harshly , for having been so persidious to them . From which proceedings it necessarily follows ; First , That , if the Church of Rome hath any reproach of Inconstancy , wherewith to charge those among the Greeks , who ( having received money from the Latines , to acknowledg what they desired ) have since broken the Promises they had made them , and disclaimed what they had done ; She hath nothing to say against Mark , Arch-Bishop of Ephesus , who never approved the management of that Affair ; nor yet against the others , who had stay'd in the East , without whose knowledg , and contrary to whose intention , the Concordate of Florence was drawn up ; as also that the said Church hath given them all great occasion to alienate themselves from Her , inasmuch as , instead of proving to them that they were in an errour , Her design was to circumvent , and surprise them , and had so little regard , I will not say , to the glory of God , to the Interest of his Truth , and to that of Sincerity , and publick Edification , but even to her own Reputation a●● theirs , that she thought it a business of greater concernment , to be defray'd the charges she had been at with them ; and , in requital of that little Temporal Assistance , which she offered them , to draw them to an abjuration of the Belief , which they had professed from Father to Son , before they were convinced in Conscience . Will it ever be thought just , by the profusion of the things of this World , to purchase Souls , called by the Gospel to the hope of a Celestial Inheritance ? And , if they prove more hard to be drawn in , then was imagined , will it be thought a rational kind of proceeding , to frighten them by violences yet more inhumane ; and , by the fears and tryals of those disgraces , which may occasion the loss of the Body , and its advantages , boldly to thrust them upon the Precipices of Damnation , as if it were ever left to our choice to force Religion by Religion , to imprint the Sentiments thereof in the minds of men with Iron Bars , and to promise our selves , that we may bring men to Salvation by the shipwrack of good Conscience ? In the second place it is apparent , that neither the Greeks , nor Latines , assembled at Florence , have , by their proceedings there , discovered , that they were very confident of what they should believe concerning the state of Souls after Death ; the former having as to that point , quitted it without any Dispute , and expressed their Union , with the others , in uncertain , and indeterminate Terms , as we have shewn m before ; and the Latter , who made account to bring over to them such , as were of the contrary Opinion , contenting themselves with what they were pleased to say , though well examined , it were such , as could not give them any just satisfaction ; and that the Formulary of their Concurrence consisted onely in three words of a double meaning . Lastly , that the Church of Rome , who had first set afoot the Conferences , out of a consideration of the Question of Purgatory , brought by her first upon the Stage , hath made it appear by the event , that her own perswasion of it was not very great ; forasmuch , as immediatly after she , in a manner , shook off all further thoughts of it ; and , towards the end of the Assembly , thought it concerned her more to dispute the Privileges of her Pope ; thereby clearly discovering , that it took up her thoughts more to plead for his Dignity , then for the Salvation of the Greeks , and that her endeavour was to enslave them to her self rather , then to convert them to God. However it be , after their return into the East , there was no difficulty made of taking the Concordate of Florence for a Tablature of their Sentiment : The n Oration , which Bessarion had made on their behalf at Ferrara , on Saturday , june xiv . One Thousand Four Hundred Thirty Eight , is ( as to what concerns them ) still in force ; and though they prayed , even at that time , for their Dead , and ( presupposing , as the Church of Rome would have it , that some sins were venial , and some Souls in the midst between Virtue and Vice ) made it a question , whether God , granting them the remission of their sins after this life , makes use of any punishment ; or , out of his Clemency , gives absolution to men , as inclined to mercy by the Prayers of the Church : and whether ( in case he does make use of punishment ) it consists in Purgation by Fire , and not rather in restraint , obscurity , and grief ; yet did they sufficiently determine themselves in these words , We say that it stands more with the goodness of God not to despise a small good , then to account worthy punishment a small sin , leaving it to be inferred , that he freely pardoned it . Immediately after , Mark of Ephesus , in his Manifesto , addressed To all Christians , as well of the Continent , as the Islands , having made his complaint , that some endeavours had been used to reduce his Countrey-men into a base Captivity , o and to bring them down to the Babylon of the Customs , and Opinions of the Latines , proposes their Sentiment , concerning the Dead in these Terms ; We affirm , that neither the Saints obtain the Kingdom prepared for them , and the ineffable good things , neither do Sinners fall into Hell , but both expect , their own Lot ; and that belongs to the time to come after the Resurrection , and last Judgment . But Gregorius Proto-Syncellus , who was for the Concordate , charges the said Mark with contradicting , in that , not onely the Fathers , as St. Chrysostome , St. Gregory Nazianzene , Gregory of Rome , Damascene , and Maximus , but even himself ; for as much , as in one of his Sermons , in honour of Elias the Prophet , he had maintained , that he enjoyed the clear Vision of God , and was in the presence of his Majesty in the Heavens , with the Angels , and Saints , who have put off the garment of the body . And , indeed , it is possible , that Mark , either to discover the greater alienation from the Opinions of the Latines , or to shew himself to be of their number , among those of his Nation , who ( as is expressed in the Acts of Florence ) hold , that the Saints departed are in , and enjoy bliss , in their proper place , expecting the perfect Crown , which hath been promised them , may have said it ; and that the more common Opinion of the Greeks may have been from that time such , as the same Acts represent it , saying , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. The Greeks conceive , that there may be a fire , and partial punishment of Souls , and that the Souls of Sinners go to an obscure place , a place of grief , and that they are afflicted , and punished in part , being deprived of Divine Light ; and that by Prayers , and the Services of the Priests , and Alms , they are purged , or rather delivered out of that dark Place , and Tribulation , and that they are freed ; And the Greeks ( contrary to the Italians confess , that they are purged , not by fire , or the action of fire ; but that onely Prayer , and Supplication , and Alms , have that effect . Accordingly the Greeks living in Venice , in the year , 1560. declared their Sentiment in Terms , much to that purpose , when they made answer to the Tenth of the Cardinal of Guise's Questions , as hath been already p observed . And it is likely enough , that whoever ( as they did ) imagines to himself Souls , which are neither good , nor bad , runs into a necessity of feigning some such thing concerning the Treatment they are to receive , after their departure out of the Body . But there is not any thing can give us a more certain accompt of their Opinion , then the q Forms of Service daily used by them at the Enterment of their Dead ; for we have in them ( as in those of the Latines ) Lessons out of the Scripture ; as for instance , the first Verse of the fifty first Psalm , all the ninety first ; the first part of the hundred and nineteenth , the twelfth , seventy second , and seventy third Verses , to the hundred thirty third ; and the hundred seventy fifth , and hundred seventy sixth ; the fourty second of the twenty third Chapter of St. Luke ; out of the fifth of St. Matthew , from the third Verse , to the tenth inclusively ; out of the fourth of the first to the Thessalonians , from the thirteenth Verse , to the seventeenth inclusively ; the twenty fourth , and thirtieth Verses of the fifth of S. John ; the sixth Verse of the hundred and twenty sixth Psalm ; the seventh of the hundred and sixteenth ; the fifteenth of the hundred and third ; the whole twenty third Psalm ; the fifth Verse of the sixty fifth ; the twelfth and seventeenth Verses of the fifth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romanes ; the seventeenth of the fifth of St. John ; the first of the twenty fourth Psalm ; out of the fifteenth of the first Epistle to the Corinthians , from the beginning , to the eleventh Verse ; the thirty fifth of the sixth of S. John ; the first Verse of Psalm the eighty fourth ; the thirteenth of the twenty fifth ; the seventh Verse of the sixth to the Romanes ; the thirty ninth of the sixth of St. John ; the sixth of the fourteenth to the Romanes : which contain either Lessons of Piety , and Humility , for the Living ; as the places of the hundred and third , and hundred and nineteenth Psalms , and of the fifth of St. Matthew : or Descriptions of the Goodness of God towards those , that fear Him ; as the twenty third , and ninety first Psalm : or Implorations of His Mercy for the last Day ; as the forty second of the twenty fourth of St. Luke , and the first Verse of the fifty first Psalm : or Assurances of the Beatitude , Immortality , and Glorious Resurrection of the Faithful ; as all the other places : among which , there is nothing alledged out of the second Book of Maccabees , which the Church of Rome takes at this day for one of its principal Grounds ; nor yet out of any other of the Apocryphal Books . Whence it evidently results , that those , who compiled the Office of the Greeks , and put into it those Texts of Scripture , had not in that any apprehension , contrary to the Sentiment of the Protestants . There are also in the said Forms abundance of Prayers , stuffed with Invocations to the Blessed Virgin , and to Martyrs , all which are irrefragable marks of the alteration of the antient Service , and insoluble Arguments of the adulteration of belief among the Greeks , whose first Liturgies contained Prayers for all the Saints , without any exception ; and the Fathers held as a Principle of Religion , that God alone was to be invocated , r that the worship of Persons departed is not to be accounted by us for Religion ; for as much as , if they lived piously , they are not for that to be so looked on , as if they sought such Honours , but will , that he should be served by us , by whom we being illuminated , they rejoyce that we are made partakers of their Dignity ; that they are to be honoured by way of imitation , and not adored upon any religious accompt . In a word , that neither the Blessed Virgin , Mother of our Saviour , nor any of the Saints of either Sex can pretend to any part of that religious homage , Saint Epiphanius , one of the most earnest maintainers of Prayer for the Dead , hath left to them , and the whole Church of these last times , these remarkable Precepts ; s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Indeed the Body of Mary was holy , but it was not God ; the Virgin was indeed a Virgin , and honoured , but she was not given us to be adored ; on the contrary , she adored him , who was begotten of her , as to the flesh , &c. If God will not have the Angels to be adored , how much rather will he not , that she , who was born of Ann should be ? &c. God came from Heaven , and the Word was clad in flesh taken from the holy Virgin , but the Virgin is not adored , &c. Let Mary be honoured , but let the Father , Son , and Holy Spirit be adored ; Let no man adore Mary ; though Mary be excellent , and holy , and honoured , it is not that she should be adored , &c. Let Mary be honoured , but let the Lord be adored . But not to press any further this notorious defect , which we finde at present in the Service of the Greeks , we are to observe , that among them the Office of the Dead is full of Prayers , whereby is desired ( as in the Latine Service ) the mercy of God , the remission of the sins of the deceased , his absolution , his blessed resurrection , his introduction into rest , into Abraham ' s Bosom , into the Mansion of the blessed , into refreshment , into Paradise , into the Tabernacle of God , into his Kingdom , glory , light , to the right hand of the great Judge , into the Society of the Saints and Angels ; all which Expressions ( according to the Hypotheses of Antiquity ) may be applied to the Spirits already received into glory ? Which is so much the more evident , for that the particular Office , which concerns the Obsequies of Children , is full of these Prayers , that God would number the deceased among the Children , to whom he hath promised his Kingdom , that he would place him among the just , who are acceptable in his sight , that he would make him partaker of the good , things , which are above this World , that he would let him enter into the joys of the Saints , that in his holy Mountain he would gratifie him with celestial goods , that he would write his name in the Book of those , who shall be saved , that he would make his face to shine upon him , that he would lodge him in Abraham ' s Bosom , that he would grant him the enjoyment of his Kingdom , &c. Yet were not these Desires made without a presupposition of his Beatitude : as , First , when it is said to him , He , who hath taken thee from the Earth , and gives thee place among his Saints , shew● that thou ( O truly blessed Childe ) art a Citizen of Paradise . The Sword of Death falling on thee hath cut thee off as a tender Branch , ( O blessed art thou , who hast made no tryal of worldly pleasures ) but behold Christ opening the Gates of Heaven to thee ; numbring thee● out of his great goodness , among the Elect● Secondly , When he is brought in making this Discourse , Why do you bewail me , a Childe translated out of the World ? for I am not a Subject to be bewailed . The joy of all the just is required for those Children , who have not done works worthy Tears . Thirdly , When he acknowledges , that Death is a freedom to Children , that they are thereby exempted from the miseries of life , and that they are gone to rest , that they rejoyce in Abraham ' s Bosom , in the divine Quires ! of Blessed Children , and assuredly dance , because their departure hence was a deliverance from the corruption , which loves sin . If then the Ritual of the Creeks be full of Prayers for the Children , whom they unanimously acknowledge to be among the Blessed , what inconvenience can there be to attribute to them , that they had the same apprehension for persons of age , of whose felicity they no way doubted ? But though reason should not lead us to think so , yet does their formal confession obliges us to believe as much : for there is not any deceased person , for whom they say not to God , t Mercifully receive the faithfull person departed , who hath holily quitted this life , and is ( O Lord ) passed towards thee ; and whose Funeral Solemnities they do not conclude , saying to him three several times , u Our Brother , worthy to be ever blessed , and always remembred , thy memory is eternal . To every Monk , without any exception , they address these words , w Brother , thè way thou art in is that of bliss , for that a place of rest is prepared for thee : adding to that purpose the sixteenth Verse of the one hundred and sixteenth Psalm , Return unto thy rest , O my Soul , for the Lord hath dealt kindly with thee ; and a little after , x He , who is taken hence , hath passed through the ever-troubled Sea of Life , and by Faith is arrived at his Port : conduct him , O Christ , with the Saints into thy tranquillity , and ever-living pleasures . In like manner to every Priest , y Thou hast piously signalized thy self in Faith , Charity , Hope , Gentleness , Purity of life , and in the Sacerdotal dignity ; and therefore ( O Brother of eternal memory ) God , who is before all Ages , whom thou hast served , will himself dispose thy Spirit into a place full of light , and pleasure , where the just are in rest , and will make thee obtain of Christ , at the day of Judgment , pardon , and great mercy . And the deceased Person is introduced , using these words , z I am now at rest , and have found great favour , for that I have been transferred from the corruption of life , glory be to thee , O Lord , &c. a Thy divine Servant , Deified in his Transportation , by thy now-enlivening Mystery is come towards thee . To every Woman departed , Detain not any longer , O malicious Hell , the Souls of the Elect , in the condemnation of the Transgression ; for all , being now made assuredly conformable to Christ , instead of Death , receive divine life . In a word , she is made to say the same words , as had been attributed to the Priest , I am now at rest , &c. All these Confessions , grounded on the Lessons of Scripture , which , for the most part , contain assurances of the Love of God towards those , who serve him , and promises of their future Beatitude , and glorious Resurrection , demonstratively prove , that the first Compilers of the Greek Office , agreeing , in what is most substantial , with the Protestants , believed , that whoever dies in the Faith of the Lord does , from the moment of his Death , enjoy rest , and glory in him , and with him . But , for as much , as from time to time , the purity of belief , and worship , receiving adulteration among them , there rose up a sort of people , apt to feign any thing , and to affirm for true all they had feigned , and that from that source are derived abundance of things inconvenient , and contradictory , which are , at this day , as so many Black-Patches in the face of their Service , reason calls upon us , to direct our hand to the most remarkable , and discover the Scars , and Imperfections , which lie under them . For as much then as the Greek Fathers , taught by St. Paul , even in that very place , which is copied in the Ritual , advertised the Christian People committed to their charge , not to be sad for their Brethren departed , after the manner of the Heathens , who are without hope ; and St. Chrysostome threatned to excommunicate , as impious , those , who took a glory in grieving upon such occasions : it is impossible those should have been well informed in their duty , and the Sentiments of their fore-Fathers , who , ( making a Virtue of a Vice , and stuffing the publick Forms of Service with their Deplorations ) have had the boldness to introduce the Faithfull deceased , pressing those , whom they left behind them , to lamentations at their misfortune , that is to say , at what ( according to the Scriptures ) neither is , nor can be . As for instance , when they inserted , at the end of the common Formulary , this extravagant , half-Heathenish Discourse , absolutely contradictory to the Exhortation of St. Paul to the Thessalonians ; b Brethren and Friends , Kinred and Acquaintance , now that you see me laid without Voice , and without Breath , lament all over me ; for yesterday I spoke with you , and suddenly the dreadfull hour of Death surprized me . But come ye all , who are desirous of my Company , and kiss me with the last kiss : for I shall have no further conversation with you , nor ever speak to you again . I am going to the Judg , with whom there is no respect of persons , since the Servant and the Master , the King and the common Souldier , the rich man and the begger , are to appear before him in an equal condition , and every one shall be either glorified , or made ashamed by his works . But I intreat and conjure you all without ceasing , to pray for me to Christ God , &c. And in the Office of the Priest , c My Brethren , Children , and Friends , I remember you before the Lord , forget me not , when you pray , learn ( I conjure , beseech , and require you ) these things , that they may serve you for a memorial , and bewail me night and day . Again , In great compassion weep for me ( O ye Lovers of Christ ) and earnestly petition the God of all , that he would grant me to rest with the Saints . And in that of the Woman , Come Fathers , and behold how Beauty fades ; come Mothers , and see how the Flesh moulders away , and cry with Tears , Lord , grant , that , by thy Command , she may rest , whom thou hast taken hence . But as those carnal sallies of Spirit are palpably contrary to the advice of the Apostle , and upon that accompt not to be endured ; so the absurdity thereof is so evident , that the Authour of the Ritual could not forbear expressing the dislike it might occasion , saying in the Office of the Priest , d O men , why do you so earnestly bewail me ? Why do you give your selves this vain trouble ? He , who is transferred from Life , saith to all , Death is become a Rest to all . Nor do I think it strange , the Formulary should swell with the e descriptions of the Miseries , and Vanity of this Life ; for since the Prophet hath vouchsafed to give us a Draught thereof to the end , that , f Learning to number our days , we might apply our hearts to Wisdom , we cannot be too often touched with the sting of so necessary an Advertisement ; yet is it not expected from us , that to shew our selves smitten , and humbled before God , we should presume to act the Disconsolate , contrary to the Instruction of St. Paul , and make such Discourses , as these , notoriously false , in respect of any one of the Faithfull . g Alass ! What a combat is the Soul , separated from the Body , engaged in ? Alass ! How does she then lament , and there is not any Body hath pity on her ? Turning her eyes to the Angels , she beseeches to no purpose ; and reaching forth her hands to men , no body relieves her . For , if there be any Combat in the Soul , before its separation , as soon , as that is over , she is passed from the Combat to the Triumph , since that ( according to the Instruction of the Spirit ) her being with the Lord is upon this accompt , that she h absent from the body . Secondly , There is not , from thence forward , any Tears to be shed for her , in as much as she is in i fulness of joy , and pleasures ; and that his Goodness promises , to wipe away all Tears from the eyes of those , who stand before his Throne . Thirdly , There is no further necessity , she should call upon either Angels , or Men , in regard she is in the blessed Society of Millions of k Angels , and in the Congregation , and Assembly of the First-born , who are written in Heaven . And , should she stand in any need of Relief , she would remember , that her l Help was , even during this Life , in the Name of the Lord , who made Heaven , and Earth ; that he alone is our Refuge , Glory , and the Rock of our Srength ; that we are at all times to put our Trust in him ; and that , if all the men in the World should be put together into a balance ? they would be found lighter , then Vanity it self . But ( to excuse the frequent Prosopopoeias , which , in these Forms of Service , represent separated Souls , as seised with horrour , and reduced to deplorations , and desires of Relief ) it may be pretended , that these Descriptions made at discretion are Instructions to the Living , as to what lies upon them to do . To answer that , and whatever else may be alledged to extenuate their Offence , who have shuffled those things into the Greek Service , it need onely be said , that we are to take for Lessons of our Duty , not Imaginations of what never , either was , or will be ; but the pure Will of God , our onely Rule in Life , and Death : and if it were lawfull for us to use Fiction , it were but requisite we had the Judgment , not to advance any thing absurd , and contrary to our Principles , shewing our selves in that more Prudent , then the Modern Greeks , who ( transported by I know not what Stupidity ) do almost every where run against their own Hypotheses . But to make it clear , by certain Examples . Their common Principle is ; That good Souls pass , at the very Instant of their separation , into the possession of their Rest , the bad are immediately confined to Hell ; of those in a middle Condition , onely the Salvation is deferred . Let us now hear , what pretty Discourses they attribute to them : I beseech you all , and conjure you , that , without ceasing , you pray for me unto Christ , God , to the end , that I may not ( according to my sins ) be confined to place of Torment , but that he would place me where is light of Life . The middle-conditioned Souls are they , ever ( according to them ) at such a point , as , immediately after their departure out of the Body , to be at the self-same time exempted from the Pains of Restraint , Obscurity , or Grief ( through which it is affirmed they are to pass ) and deprived of the Rest , which , after the Pains , they are to obtain , so as that they are ( for the least space of time imaginable ) in a Neutral State , which admits not the qualification of either Good or Bad , of either Light or Darkness , Rest or Torment , and consequently , of either Joy or Grief , if not by accident ? And in Case that by the Place of Torment , where it is feigned , they fear being confined , some may understand the Hell of the Damned ; is it possible they should ever be exposed thereto , since it is presupposed they are of a middle Conditition , and upon that very accompt ( as being chargeable onely with Venial Sins ) neither do , nor can , deserve Eternal damnation ? Be this therefore one unmaintainable , and unimaginable Absurdity , which must needs press hard upon our Forgers of Descriptions , according to the Dictates of their own Fancies . They make the deceased Priest further say m Why , O man , dost thou trouble thy self thus unseasonably ? There is one onely hour , and all passes away ; for in Hell there is no Repentance . There is no Releasment in that place ; there is the Worm , which never sleeps ; there is the darksom land , and the obscure matter , to which I am to be condemned , &c. Is this Discourse attributible to a Faithfull Person , that had had here in this World the least taste of the Promise made by the Son of God , assuring us , that whoever believes in him is in such manner , passed from death to life , as that , though he be dead , yet shall he live through him ; that he shall not come into Condemnation ; and that there is not indeed any for those , that are in him ? Are the Souls , imagined to be in a middle Condition , subject to the stingings of the Worm , which never dies , and liable to Damnation ? Which if it be supposed they neither are , nor can , why should they be feigned to say so , and necessarily Lie in saying so ? This must then be a second Impertinence , and a new Piece of Forgery , committed by the Corrupters of the Ritual , not onely against the Word of God , but also against their Sentiment , who ( in the same Ritual ) inserted this Confession , which is both most true , and Diametrically contrary to the Discourse before confuted ; Lament not all you , who are departed in the Faith , for as much as Christ hath suffered the Cross , and was buried for us in the Flesh , and hath made all those , who call upon him , children of Immortality . For this once lay'd down , does it signifie less , then a total Eclipse of understanding , and circumspection , to make the children of Immortality ( for whom the Saviour of the World died , and who consequently cannot perish ) say , that they shall be Damned . Nay , the Prayers of the Living for their departed Brethren would be still chargeable with inconvenience , even though they were taken literally : For instance , this , n O Lord , as thou saidst unto Martha , o I am the Resurrection , by the Effect accomplishing thy Word , and calling Lazarus out of Hell ; so also mercifully raise this thy servant out of Hell. For besides that , it is a little too freely supposed , that our Lord's Friend was confined in Hell from the moment of the Death of his Body , to that of his Resurrection ; it is also false , that our Saviour raises out of Hell ( whence the Ritual confesses , that p none is delivered ) any of his Servants . Whoever once enters there , never comes out again , nor is there any raising up to be expected by him . But these words may be maintained , if they meet with a favourable Interpretation , which might admit Hell to signifie , not the place of the Damned , in which sence it is ordinarily taken , but the Grave , whence our Saviour , who called forth Lazarus , will ; at the Last day , raise up the Bodies of all his Servants . With the help of the same favourable way of Interpreting , it were possible , to finde a sence conformable to the apprehension of Antiquity , in those Prayers whereby the Greeks do at this day , Beg the Remission of Sins for their Dead , taking care to make them to relate to the Absolution which shall be solemnly pronounced by the Great Judg at the last day , as may be deduced from this , that most of them expresly mention it ; among others , this , q Vouchsafe , O Redeemer , that , when thou shalt come with ineffable glory in the Clouds , after a dreadfull manner , to Judge the whole World , that thy Faithfull Servant , whom thou hast taken from the Earth , may joyfully meet thee ; which words are Grounded on 1 Thess . Chap. iv . Verse 17. In like manner this , r Vouchsafe , O God , to be mindfull of our Father , who is now at rest , and be pleased to deliver him from the corruption of sin at the day of Judgment , through the good odour of thy goodness , mercy , and love towards men . Again , O Lord , from whom the Spirits of those , who serve thee , do come , and to whom they return , we beseech thee , to cause to rest in a place of light , in the Region of the Just , the Spirit of N. thy Servant , now lying in his Grave , and raise him up at thy second , and dreadfull coming , not to be condemned after the Resurrection , but to be Absolved , for no man living , shall be justified in thy sight . Again , s Let not thy Servant , O Lord , be confounded at thy coming . t When thou shalt discover all things that are hidden , and shalt ( O Christ ) reprove our sins , spare him whom thou hast taken hence , being mindfull of his Preaching . Again , u Forgive , O Saviour , the sins of him , who hath been translated hence in Faith , and vouchsafe to admit him to thy Kingdom ; there , shall not any escape the dreadfull Tribunal of thy judgment ; Kings , and Potentates , and the Hireling , all shall appear together , and the dreadfull Voice of the Judge shall call the People that have sinned , to the condemnation of Hell , from which , O Christ , deliver thy servant . Again , x Out of thy mercy , O Christ , exempt from the Fire of Hell , and the dreadfull Sentence , thy Servant , whom thou hast now taken hence in Faith ; and let thy Domestick praise thee , as God the mercifull Redeemer , &c. Brethren , how dreadfull is the hour which sinners are to expect ! O what fear is there ! Then the Fire of Hell devours , and the ravenous Serpent swallows ; wherefore ( mercifull Lord Christ ) deliver him from the day of dreadfull Gehenna . O how great shall be the Joy of the Just , which they shall be possessed of , when the Judge comes ! for the Nuptial room is prepared , and Paradise , and the whole Kingdom of Christ , into which ( O Christ ) receive thy Domesticks to rejoyce with thy Saints eternally . Who ( O Christ ) shall bear the dreadfull threatning of thy coming ? Then shall Heaven be rolled up together , as a Book , after a dreadfull manner , and the Stars will fall , the whole Creation shall be shaken with fear , and then shall the light be changed . O Word , spare him who is translated hence . Again , y I beseech you all , who were of my acquaintance , and who love me , be mindful of me at the Day of Judgment , that I may finde mercy before the Dreadful Tribunal . Again , y Let us cry to the Immortal King , when thou shalt come to make inquisition into the secret things of men , spare thy Servant , whom thou hast taken to thy self , O Mankind-loving God. Again , I am dead , after that I have passed away my life with security , and I lye without voice in the Grave , and now I expect the last Trumpet to awake me , cries he , who is dead ; but ( my Friends , ) pray unto Christ , that he would number me among the Sheep on his right hand , &c. I have consumed my life in great negligence , and being translated from it , I expect the dreadfull Tribunal , before which , O Jesu , preserve me free from condemnation , cries thy Servant . Again , z O Lord , who art the onely King , entertain into the Celestial Kingdom thy Faithfull Servant , whom thou hast now transferred hence , and , we beseech thee , preserve him free from condemnation , at the hour , when all mortal men , being to be judged , shall make their appearance before the Judge , &c. Disacknowledged by my Brethren , and sequestred from my Friends , I cry in spirit , from the noisomness of the Grave . Examine not my failings at the day of Judgment ; despise not my Tears , thou , who art the joy of Angels ; but grant me rest , O Lord , even me , whom , out of thy great mercy , thou hast taken to thy self , &c. Stuck fast in the Myriness of sin , and devested of good actions , I , who am a prey to Worms , cry to thee in Spirit , cast me not behind thee , wretch that I am , place me not at thy left hand , thou , who hast framed me with thy Hands ; but , out of thy great mercy , grant him rest , whom thou hast taken to thy self , by thy Ordinance . Having now quitted my Kinred , and Countrey , I am come into a strange way , and am as stinking rottenness in the Grave : Alass ! none shall afford me any assistance in that hour ; but , O Lord , because of thy great mercy , grant him rest , whom thou hast taken to thy self by thy Ordinance . Again , * O what an inquisition , and judgment are we to expect ! what fear , and trembling , in which ( Brethren ) the Elements themselves shall be moved , and the creation shake ! come now , and let us cast our selves at the feet of Christ , that he may save the Soul he hath transferred . An intolerable sire , and external obscurity , and the Worm which never dies , is prepared for us sinners , in the day of inevitable necessity ; then spare thy Servant , whom thou hast transferred . For as much then , as the Prayers for the remission of sins , made by the Greeks under the names as well of the Surviving , praying for the Dead , as of the Dead , putting up their Requests for themselves , are , for the most part , restrained to the day of Judgement , we are so far from having any thing , that might oblige us to take them in such a sence , as that they should insinuate , that the Faithfull , between the moment of their death , and that of the Last Judgment , were reduced to the suffering of any pains , that the Hypotheses of Antiquity seem clearly to exact the contrary . And the result thence is , that the Modern Greeks ( though great opposers of the Purgatory maintained by the Church of Rome ) have not kept within the Terms prescribed them by their Fore-fathers ; but have changed their Sentiments by the Introduction of Novelties , which none of them would ever have imagined . It will be demanded , whence they derived the perswasion that there were Souls of a middle condition , which being , properly , neither good , nor bad , could not , after their separation from the Body , enter into the possession of Paradise , without having , for a certain time , lain drooping in I know not what place of Sequestration , where they were to endure grief , terrour , and the incommodity of darkness , which , as is pretended , covered them ; when nothing of all this , either hath , or could have any ground in Scripture , which does every where make as immediate an opposition between Paradise and Hell , the good and the bad , the Faithfull and the Reprobate , the Children of God ( redeemed a and consecrated for ever by one onely Oblation , and that once made with the blood of the Covenant ) and the children of the Devil , who have held as prophane that precious blood , as between life and death , light and darkness , the right hand and the left of the great Judge ; teaching us expresly , that all the faithfull b dying in the Lord , are blessed , rest from thenceforth , c come not into condemnation , are passed from death to life , are , at their departure out of the body , d with the Lord ; and that all the rest , without any exception , dying in Adam , and e having not believed , are already condemned . 2. That Antiquity , having happily shaken of the strange imagination , which the Fathers of the Second Age had swallowed out of the pretended Sibylline Writing , insinuating to them , that the Spirits of all men , as well good , as bad , necessarily descended into Hell , and were to be there detained under the power of Devils , till the Resurrection of the Bodies they had animated , it thereupon formally maintained , that , immediately f upon the Death of the Faithfull , are the Nuptials of the Spouse ; that it remains onely for the surviving , g to give thanks to God , that he hath crowned him , who is departed from them , and , having delivered him out of all fear , receives him to himself ; that to all the good h Death is an assured Port , i a deliverance from the combat and bonds , a Transporation to better things ; and that , as soon as it happens k the Cabinets are sealed , and the time accomplished , and the combat at an end , and the race run , and the Crowns bestowed , and all is manifestly brought to perfection . 3. That the Ritual it self , as it were endeavouring to bring into discredit , as well the distinction of the middle-conditioned Souls , as their pretended banishment for a time into a dark place , indifferently affirms of all those , who die in the Faith of Christ , men , and women , Ecclesiasticks , those of Religious Professions , and Laicks , that they are gone to the Lord , that they rest , that Hell detains them not , that they exchange Death for the divine life , and are made the Children of immortality ; absolutely denying all , that the vulgar Opinion , temerariously , and without any reason shewn , affirms of some , and wholly destroying it by so formal a contradiction . But we are not to imagine our selves reduced to a necessity of being over-Critical in discovering the Origine of this errour , since the falsificatour as well of the Ritual , as of the Sentiment of those of his Nation , hath done it so palpably to our hands , that he hath not made any scruple to publish his own ignorance , even in things evident , and such as the word of God , the best Antiquity , and Reason , assisted by both , teach so clearly , that there can be onely those , who are unwilling to learn of them , that are not informed thereof . Take the draught he gives us of it with his own hand , introducing the Priest , whose Funeral Obsequies are celebrated , making at his death this Discourse , strange indeed , and more suitable with the Principles of a Pagan without hope , then to those of a Christian illuminated by Faith. l Brethren , I am banished from my Brethren , I leave all my Friends , and go my ways : yet I know not whither I am going , and am ignorant what condition I shall be in there ; God onely , who calls me , knows : but make a commemoration of me with the Antients . Hallelujah . Whither do Souls now go ? And after what manner do they now converse together in that place ? I would gladly understand that Secret , but there is no body able to declare it to me , &c. None of those , that are there , ever returned to life again , to give us an accompt in what manner they behave themselves , who were sometime our Brethren , and Nephews , who are gone before us to the Lord , &c. It is a bad way , that I go in , and I never went it before , and that Region , where no body knows me , I have not any account , or knowledge of . It is a horrour to see those , who are carried away , and he , who calls me , is worthy to be dreaded , he , who is Lord of Life and Death , and who calls us away , when he pleases . Hallelujah . Removing out of one Region into another , we stand in need of some Guids : what shall we do where we go in a Region , in which we have no acquaintance ? Of the same strain are the Discourses in the Office of the Soul in Agony , for she is made to speak , as one in the depth of despair , begging assistance of the Blessed Virgin , of Angels , and of Men , and complaining , that she is forsaken of all , that m estranged from the Glory of God , she served unclean Devils , who , holding the Schedules of her sins , and crying with vehemence , would impudently have her ; that she is n alienated from God , and her Brethren ; that a Cloud of Devils come pouring upon her , and that the darkness of her own unclean actions cover her , commands her Body to be cast into a Common-Sewer , that ( as she is o dragged into the places of dreadful punishments ) the Dogs may eat her heart ; declares , that p she is delivered up to the Devils , who carry her away by violence to the bottom of Hell ; that she knows all have forgotten her ; that she shall remember God no more , since that in Hell there is no memory of the Lord ; that , overwhelmed with darkness , she expects the Resurrection ; that , examined by all men , she shall be cast into the fire ; that neither God , nor his Angels , nor his Saints shall think of her ; for which reason she calls upon the Virgin , Angels , and Men , Earth , nay Hell it self , to which she is delivered to be bitterly punished , to bewail her Misery . What greater Impurity could the rage of a despairing Judas disgorge ? shall we say there could be any thing of Christianity , in the apprehensions of a sinner , who ( without any recourse to the Mercy of God , and the Merit , and Intercession of his Saviour ) numbers himself among the damned , not vouchsafing to consider the assurances , which the Scripture gives all men , testifying unto them , that Christ is q our peace , and r redemption ; that his blood cleanseth us from all sin ; that , s if we confess our sins , he is faithful , and just to forgive us our sins , and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness ; Further , that t he is still living to make intercession for us ; and , since he vouchsafes to receive us among his Sheep , u no man shall pluck us out of his hand , and w the wicked one shall not touch us ? When the same Divinely-inspired Scripture hath loudly published , that all the righteous , that is to say , those , who walk before God , x are taken away from the evil to come , that , being y absent from the body , they are present with him ; that , even here upon Earth , z they are of the Houshold of God , and fellow-Citizens with the Saints ; that they a ought to go boldly to the Throne of Grace , where he himself gives them b access by the Spirit of his Son ; and that the Angels are now c ministring Spirits , to minister to their Salvation : should we ever imagine so brutish a stupidity , and so prophane an excoecation in any of those , who have any way contributed to the Greek Ritual , affirming ( according to the Scripture ) that the Christian , who dies , does by death arrive at the Port , goes to the Lord , rests , is translated from the corruption of life , exchanges death for divine life , and is at his death in the way to bliss ; as that he should presume to say , that way is bad , and that he knows not whether he is going , knows no body there , nor is known to any ? Can the way to bliss be a bad way ? Is he , who knows he is going to God , in a condition to complain truly , that he knows not whether he goes ? Since he is retiring to his Father , and those of the same Houshold with him , hath he any cause to say , that he knows not any of those , to whom he is retiring , and that they know not him ? Being called , how can he imagine , that he , who calls him , should be so far mistaken , as to take his Childe for a Stranger ? And since he gives him access to himself by his own Spirit , is there any reason it should be supposed , not onely that he stands in need of a Guid , but that he neither hath , nor can finde any ? What occasion have either the living , or the dying , to bemoan themselves , that not any one returns from the Dead , to inform them of the state of the World to come ; since the Son of God himself gave us this advertisement , that it is of greater advantage to us , to have d Moses , and the Prophets , that is to say , the holy Scriptures , then if one rose from the Dead , to give us an accompt of their condition ? It were not haply much besides our Purpose , to desire those , who entertain us with Stories of dark Prisons for those Souls , which they pretend to be of a Middle-condition , to tell us , whether they hope to revive that ruined Party among the Antients , who , believing that Angels , and separated Souls , were clad with a body subject ( as ours ) to be incommodated by Darkness , discovered , that they apprehended not any distinction between immortal Substances , and corporeal ? As also whether ( allowing them separated from all matter , and assigning them for Torment , Obscurity , and Darkness , taken in their Proper , and Primitive Signification ) , they think themselves better grounded in Reason , then those , who are perswaded , that material Fire , whose activity can onely exercise it self on Bodies , is , and eternally shall be , the Instrument of Torment , as well for Devils , as impious Souls ? Turn which side they will , they shall not free themselves from inconvenience . But , not to insist further hereupon , and under pretense of putting them to yet a further loss , how to make good their Tenet , to digress from our Principal Subject , we will keep close to it ; concluding from what hath been deduced , that the common Opinion of the Modern Greeks must necessarily be New , unknown to their Fore-fathers , who lived in the Third , Fourth , Fifth , and Sixth Ages ; contrary to the Word of God , and to Reason ; full of Inconveniences , and Suppositions , contradictory one to another ; and consequently , that it is with good Reason rejected , as well by those of the Roman Communion , as by the Protestants , who can onely , in this Particular , allow them to have been circumspect , and well-advised , that they forbear telling us determinately , where they think fit to place the Prison , to which they condemn the Souls , which they call the Middle-conditioned ; for what is not at all , can neither be be defined , nor found any where . CHAP. LIV. The Conclusion of the whole Treatise . WHereas then the Opinion of the Greeks is new , and inconsistent ; whereas that of the Church of Rome ( upon this very Score , that it goes beyond the other ) is subject to more Inconveniences ; and whereas all the Christians in the East , and Southern Parts of the World agree with the Protestants , in the rejection of it , as particular , new , and opposed by Scripture , Reason , the Antiquity of the first Six Ages , and by the Formularies of the Latine Service , which ( through an extraordinary Happiness ) hath been more favourably Treated , then the Greek , which is horridly disfigured by those busie Spirits , who have filled it with their bold alterations ; it were no better , then to elude the Evidence of Truth , and wittingly to renounce common sence , to endeavour to make that , which is particular , and impure ( notwithstanding so many defaults ) pass for Catholick . The Patrons of Purgatory out-vie one another in their attempts to prove it by Texts of Scripture : as for Instance , these ; Genesis iii. 24. xv . 17. 1 Samuel ii . 6 , 7 , 8. Job ix . 26. and xiv . 13. Psalms vi . 1. xlix . 16. lxvi . 12. lxxxvi . 123. Ecclesiastes xii . 16. Esay iv . 4. ix . 17. Daniel vii . 10. Micah vii . 9. Zachary ix . 11. Malachy iii. 3. Matthew iii. 12. v. 22 , 25 , 26. xii . 32. Luke xii . 5 , 48. xxiv . 42. Acts ii . 24. 1 Corinthians iii. 12 , 13 , 14 , 15. xv . 29. 2 Corinthians v. 10. Philippians ii . 10. Hebrews iv . 4. xii . 7. 1 Peter iv . 17. Apocalyps v. 3 , 13. But one single Answer ( pertinent even in the judgement of the Church of Rome her self , who of any makes the greatest ostentation of the Anquity , and Universality of her Faith ) suffices to pull down all this Pile ; to wit , this ; That the Application , which they make of these Texts , is so new , that it hath no Example in all the Tradition of the Fathers ; and so singular , that , not agreeing among themselves , the more Ingenuous ( as John Fisher , Bishop of Rochester , one of her Cardinals , nay , of her Martyrs ) acknowledge , that a Purgatory had for a long time been unknown : and Franciscus Sonnius , first Bishop of Bosleduc , afterwards of Antwerp , grants , that the places out of the New Testament , and Saint Paul , about which the Church of Rome makes the greatest stir , b do not demonstrate it of themselves , and are by some of the Fathers otherwise Interpreted . The same thing may be said of what the same Church produces , or causes to be produced , in defence of Prayer for the Dead , which is not found , either in the Instructions , and Actions of the Saints under the Old Testament , or the Institution of the Son of God , giving his Apostles , and , by them , the Church , the perfect Form , and Model of Prayer , or yet in the Practice of the Apostolical Church under the Gospel . For , if some , at this day ( as with much earnestness it is done ) alledge these Texts ; Genesis xxiv . 63. xlvii . 30. Leviticus v. 20. Ruth i. 8. 1 Samuel xxxi . 13. 2 Samuel i. 12. iii. 31. Esay viii . 16. Luke xvi . 19. Romans xii . 13. 1 Corinthians xv . 19. 1 Timothy ii . 1. 2 Timothy i. 18. Hebrews v. 7. xiii . 16. 1 John v. 16. Not omitting those taken out of Apocryphal Writers , as Tobit iv . 18. Ecclesiasticus vii . 34. 2 Maccabees xii . 43 , &c. It may be Answered , That Antiquity , which , as we have shewn , grounded its Customs onely on the not-written Tradition , hath , by its Procedure , declared , that it had not ( no more then the Protestants at this , day ) eyes to perceive , in those Texts , the Doctrine , which some pretend to derive from them ; it being onely Interest , which is vigilant upon all occasions , ready to make advantage of all things , confident in feigning what is not , and ingenious in the dressing-up of fond Imaginations , that hath hitherto been capable of these fine Discoveries . The same Church of Rome prides it not a little , in that the same Antiquity hath ( no less , then the Modern Greeks ) even from the first Ages practised , and recommended Prayers for the Dead ; but she discovers not , that while she condemns all the Hypotheses of that Antiquity , and admits not any one of the Motives , which inclined it to that Devotion , she is , in Effect , retreated further from its Belief , then the Protestants , who so forbear doing what the Antients did , as that they do all lies in their power , to excuse it , and to shew , that , as their Intention , and Worship have been free from the Venome , which the Ignorant malice of later Ages hath since scattered all over the West ; so the end they aim at is , not either to dishonour them , because of the Weaknesses they have been subject to , or to make an odious discovery of their shame , but onely take the remarks of their Discircumspections , as so many Advertisements to Posterity , never to forget it self through too much security , and a blindly-excessive respect for the great Names , that have preceded it . After Notice taken of the success , which attended the Impious presumption of those Impostours , who ( in the Second Age of Christianity , even while the Blood of the Apostles was yet boyling , and the Memory of their Instructions , and Examples more lively ) carried on their wicked Designs upon the simplicity , and sincerity of Apostolical-men ; as also how charming those Delusions proved , which incredibly dazzled many of those , whom the Mercy of God honoured with the Crown of Martyrdom , and whose precedent conversation had been looked on in the Church , as a singular pattern of Piety , and Sanctity : after notice , I say , taken of these things , it is an Obligation lies on every Christian at this day , to bow down the head in humility , to implore , by continual addresses to Heaven , the assistance of the Spirit of Grace , that , efficaciously insinuating it self into their hearts , he may not onely divert them from the like Tryals , but fill them with light , assurance , and joy , and , instead of arming themselves ( like Furies ) with the Thunder-bolts , and Whirl-winds of a false Zeal , which ever inspires them with malice , and the utter ruine of those they think in an errour , that they would suffer themselves ( as Children of Peace , Domesticks of the c Prince of Peace ) to be won into thoughts of Compassion , and love for the Salvation of those who perish , and not be afraid ( after the Example of our Saviour , who came from Heaven , and d descended into the lower parts of the Earth , to seek for the Children of wrath ) to e become ( as his Apostle ) all things to all men , that by all means he might save some . When such a noble desire , shall once possess mens Spirits , inclining them , not to endeavour the Conquest of their own glory , but to procure ( as far as lies in them ) the Victory and Triumph of Truth , for the glory of God , it will be impossible , but that cruel and murthering animosities ( the ordinary , but ever-fatall Consequences of Debates concerning Religion , which is thereby ruined ) must vanish , as so many infernal shades , chaced away by the amiable raies of the f Sun of Righteousness , who brings life , and healing in his Wings : Nor ought we ( whatever some Earthly Souls may conceive of their own carnal , and violent Counsels ) hopeless , then that , in the extraordinary confusion of the last times , some change for the better may happen . Heretofore the Church , soon after the departure of the Apostles , had the misfortune , that Hermas , Papias , Justin Martyr , Athenagoras , Theophilus of Antioch , St. Irenaeus , Clemens Alexandrinus , Tertullian , ( in a word , all the most excellent Persons , of whom we have ought left ) led away by the extravagances and fantastick Imaginations of the counterfeit Sibyll , believed themselves , and perswaded others , that the Souls of all men were , from the departure out of the Body , detained in Hell , till the Resurrection ; that the just , rising again before the others , should reign with Jesus Christ upon Earth , and live a thousand years in Jerusalem , made glorious , and flowing with corporeal enjoyments , or at least , in the Terrestrial Paradise ; and that the Bodies of the greatest Saints , should pass through the last conflagration of the World , as through a Refiner's Furnace . The Fathers of the following Ages , happily shook off these unmaintainable conceits ; but finding Prayer for the Dead , in the publick Service of the Church , they extended it as well to the blessed , as the damned . The Church of Rome , who approves not of praying for either of those two States , hath at last brought into credit her Purgatory , a thing not known before : why may we not hope it from the goodness of God , that he will dispel this last Imagination , as he hath done the precedent , and every where establish his Truth in its full lustre ? Let therefore those , who at the present , quarrel at the simplicity of the Protestants , who neither maintain the Hypotheses of the Fathers , which the Opinion of Purgatory hath discredited , nor hold Purgatory , which is made up of the rubbish of the precedent suppositions , for their discharge , consider , that they have , on the one side , learnt from the instructions , as well of Scripture , as of the Fathers , and all the antient Liturgies , even that of the Church of Rome , that her Purgatory hath no sound foundation ; and , on the other , that the Church of Rome her self , hath ( by her example ) given them the boldness to recede from the practise of the Fathers , which she first relinquished . And as I have made it my business ( as much as lay in my power ) to give an accompt of their demeanour , searching into the true causes of the differences , that have appeared in the Perswasions and Customs of the Christians , who have passed through so long a revolution of Ages , and shewing those who now live , how deeply it concerns them to build on the firm and unmoveable foundation of the Scriptures , and avoid the quick-Sands of humane apprehensions ; so shall I be the first to censure my self , if ( contrary to my intention ) I may have chanced to be mistaken , and so far from being displeased with those who shall charitably advertise me thereof , that I shall highly celebrate their good Offices , and acknowledg upon all occasions , that , as g we can , all of us , do nothing against the truth , so I shall never , as to my own particular , presume to attempt any thing to its prejudice ; but hold , with St. h Cyprian , that we must not erre always , because we have sometimes erred , and make it my chiefest address , to the i Father of Lights , from whom every good gift , and every perfect gift cometh down , that he would k lift up the light of his countenance upon all his Children ; give them the grace to l understand their errours , and cleanse them from those which are yet secret , and make the words of their mouth and meditations of their hearts acceptable in his sight , and advantageo●is to their own , and their Neighbours salvation . Amen . A TABLE Of the Chapters . BOOK I. CHAP. I. THat the most earnest Pursuers of Truth are ( as others ) subject to Mistakes . Page 1 II. Instances of certain Misapprehensions of Justine Martyr . 2 III. The Writings , pretended to be Sibylline discovered , in several particulars , to be Spurious , and Supposititious . 4 IV. The Judgment of Antoninus Possevinus concerning the Writings , pretended to be Sibylline , taken into Examination . 6 V. The Recommendation of the Sibylline Writings , attributed by Clemens Alexandrinus to Saint Paul , brought to the Test . 9 VI. An accompt of several instances of Dis-circumspection in Clemens Alexandrinus . 12 VII . Reflections on several Suppositious Pieces , whereby many of the antient Christians have been imposed upon , and abused . 14 VIII . The different Opinions of the Antients concerning the Sibyls . 19 IX . The precautions of Rome , while yet in Paganism , to prevent the reading of the Books , which she believed really Sibylline . 23 X. The Motives , which he might have gone upon , who was the first Projector of the Eight Books , which at this day go under the Name of the Sibylline . 27 XI . A Discovery of the mistakes of the Emperour Constantine the Great , concerning the Sibyl , and her Writings . 29 XII . The Sentiment of Cicero , concerning the Acrostick attributed to the Sibyl , further cleared up . 32 XIII . The Sentiment of Virgil , in his fourth Eclogue , examined , and cleared up ; and that it hath no relation to the Writings pretendedly Sibylline , ( which were composed a long time after ) made apparent . 34 XIV . Remarks on some less considerable mistakes of the Emperour Constantine , in the Explication of Virgil's fourth Eclogue . 40 XV. That it cannot be said that Virgil , in his fourth Eclogue , disguised his own Sentiment . 45 XVI . That Apollodorus had no knowledg of the Eight Books , which go under the name of the Sibylline . ibid. XVII . That Pausanias hath not writ any thing , which may give credit to the Book , unjustly called the Sibylline . 47 XVIII . That the Prohibition , made to read the Books , called the Sibylline , and that of Hystasphes , adds no Authority thereto . 48 XIX . That the Letter , written by L. Domitius Aurelianus , to the Senate , gives no credit to the Sibylline Writings . 50 XX. Other Discoveries , shewing the Supposititiousness of the Sibylline VVriting so called . 51 XXI . That it cannot , with any likelihood of Truth , be maintained , that the Books , called the Sibylline , were written by Divine inspiration . 55 XXII . The Sentiment of Aristotle , concerning Enthusiasts , taken into consideration . 57 XXIII . That it was unadvisedly done by the Authour of the Sibylline VVriting , to put himself into the number of Enthusiasts . 59 XXIV . That the Fathers , who were surprized by the pretended Sibylline VVritings , supposed the Authour to have been an Enthusiast . 60 XXV . The common Sentiment of the Fathers , concerning Enthusiasts . 62 XXVI . Consequences following upon the common Sentiment of the Fathers , concerning Enthusiasm . 70 XXVII . Certain Dis-circumspections of the Fathers , concerning the VVriting , unjustly named the Sibylline , considered . 72 XXVIII . That the conjecture of Cardinal Baronius , concerning the correspondence between Virgil and Herod , is not maintainable . 73 XXIX . That the Opinion of Antonius Possevinus , concerning the Sibyls , and their pretended VVritings , is not more rational , then that of Cardinal Baronius . 75 BOOK II. CHAP. I. AN Enquiry about the time , when St. John writ his Revelation . 79 II. The Sentiment of St. Epiphanius , concerning the time of the Apocalyps , refuted . 82 III. The Sentiment of the late Grotius , concerning the time of the Apocalyps , refuted . 87 IV. A refutation of the Sentiment of Johannes Hentenius of Macchlin , concerning the time of the Apocalyps . 89 V. A refutation of Possevinus , concerning the time when the Sibylline Writing came first abroad . 93 VI. Of the time , when the Sibylline Books were written . 96 VII . A Conjecture concerning the Authour of the Sibylline Writings . 97 VIII . Divers Extravagances remarkable in the Sibylline Writings . 98 IX . The first principal Tenet of the Sibylline Writing , concerning the pretended Descent into , and detention of all Mens Souls in Hell , till the time of the Resurrection of their Bodies . 99 X. The second Capital Tenet of the Sibylline VVriting so called , concerning the Conflagration of the World at the last Day , which , the Authour of it pretends , is to serve for a Purgatory to the Souls , and Bodies of the Saints . 104 XI . The third main Tenet proposed by the Sibylline VVriting , concerning the re-attainment of a Terrestrial Paradise , which he imagines should be the place of retirement , for some of the Saints after their Resurrection . 108 XII . The fourth Capital Tenet proposed by the Sibylline VVriting , concerning the Temporal Reign , which the Authour thereof supposes must be established by our Saviour in Jerusalem , during the space of a thousand years before the last Judgment . 111 XIII Inducements to pray for the Dead , arising from the Hypotheses proposed in the pretended Sibylline Writing . 115 XIV . The Motives proposed by Justin Martyr disallowed , and those , which St. Epiphanius had , to pray for the Dead , taken into consideration . 117 XV. Of the Prayers made , and the Alms given heretofore , by the Christians , for the damned , even those , whom they acknowledged to be in that state . 118 XVI . The third and fourth Motives of St. Epiphanius , taken into consideration . 122 XVII . St. Epiphanius's fifth Motive considered . 123 XVIII . The sixth Motive of the same Epiphanius considered . 124 XIX . The seventh Motive of the same Epiphanius , considered . 126 XX. The Motive upon which Dionysius , the pretended Areopagite , prayed for the Dead , taken into consideration . 128 XXI . The Motives , which Tertullian had to pray for the Dead , considered . 129 XXII . An enquiry made into the Sentiment of Saint Ambrose . 130 XXIII . The time , when Prayers for the Dead were first introduced into the Service of the Church . 132 XXIV . Whether the Prayers , made by Christians for the Dead , be really grounded on the place in the second Book of the Maccabees , and the Examples of the Jews , alledged to that purpose . 136 XXV . Whether it may be with any reason affirmed , that the Prayers , made by Christians for the Dead , are justly grounded on the second Book of the Maccabees . 144 XXVI . That divers of the Fathers have expressed more respect to the Book attributed to the Sibyll ; then to the Apocalyps . 148 XXVII . That the third Hypothesis , of the Sibylline Writing , so called , is ; at this day , abandoned by all Christians . 150 XXVIII . That the second Hypothesis , of the Sibylline Writing , so called , made way for the late Opinion of Purgatory . 151 XXIX . Proofs of the novelty of the precedent Opinion of Purgatory . 155 XXX . That the first Hypothesis , of the Sibylline Writing , so called , concerning the detention of Souls in Hell , till the Resurrection , is generally disclaimed by all Christians . 158 XXXI . That the passage of the twelfth Chapter of the second Book of the Maccabees , hath no relation , either to the Opinion of Purgatory , or Service of the Churches . 161 XXXII . That the Primitive sence of the Prayers , whereby the remission of sins was desired for the Dead , is not embraced by any . 163 XXXIII . The Censures pronounced by the Doctours of the Church of Rome , against the Fathers , taken into examination . 165 XXXIV . The Uniformity of the Sentiment of the Fathers , and that of the Protestants , concerning the State of the faithfull departed in the Lord. 168 XXXV . The Sentiment of the Protestants , further proved by the description which the Fathers have made of Abraham's bosom . 170 XXXVI . The same Sentiment further confirmed , by the Pomp and Solemnities of antient Enterments . 171 XXXVII . A particular confideration of the Sentiment of St. Augustine , and his Prayers for his Mother . 174 XXXVIII . The Sentiment of the Protestants further confirmed , by the Eloges antiently bestowed on the faithful departed . 184 XXXIX . The same Sentiment further confirmed from Sepulchral Inscriptions . 189 XL. The same deduced from larger Epitaphs . 196 XLI . Of the Prayers contained in the Epitaphs of the faithfull , whom the surviving presupposed already received into glory . 212 XLII . Of the true Motives which the Antients had to pray for those whom they believed to be in bliss . 222 XLIII . The Obscurity and uncertainty of the Opinion of Purgatory . 229 XLIV . That the proofs produced by Cardinal Bellarmine , for Purgatory , are weak and defective . 233 XLV . That the Testimonies produced by Jodocus Coccius , for the opinion of Purgatory , are also defective . 234 XLVI . Of the Reasons , which might have moved the Antients , to inter their departed friends in the Churches , consecrated to the memory of the Saints . 237 XLVII . The Sentiment of St. Ambrose , and Paulinus , concerning the buriall of the faithful in Churches , examined . 241 XLVIII . Enquiry made into the Sentiment of St. Augustine , concerning the Burial of the faithful departed , in Churches . 244 XLIX . Enquiry made into the Sentiment of Maximus Tyrius , concerning the Burial of the faithful in Churches . 245 L. A reflection on certain followers of the Sentiment of the said Maximus . 146 LI. Of the Lessons of holy Scripture , contained in the Missal and Breviary , as to what relates to the Office of the Dead . 249 LII . Of the Prayers contained in the Missal and Breviary , used by the Church of Rome ; and that Purgatory cannot be necessarily inferred from any one of them . 255 LIII . An accompt of the Sentiment of the Modern Greeks , concerning the State of the Dead 268 LIV. The conclusion of the whole Treatise . 290 FINIS . Notes, typically marginal, from the original text Notes for div A28402-e900 Adver . Valentin . 1 Cor. 13. 7. 13. Rom. 8. 20. Matth. 10. 16. Tertul. loco ci●to . Ibid. Matth. 3. 16. Luke 1. 78. Tertul. loc . citat . Semo Sangus . Simon Magus . Lib. 3. c. 26. Catech. 4. De Civit Dei , l. 18. c. 42. In Ezech. l. 10. c. 33. Epist . 104. Lib. 5 advers . Cels. * Tatian sayes , that he dedicates his three books of the Chaldaick History to Antiochus Soter , who began hisreign in the year of Rome , 472. or the 472. after the death of Cyrus . Ph●cai . lib. 10. Of the same opinion is Plutarch , De Pythiae Orac. i Lib. 1. ad finem . Lib. 3. ad finem . Lib. 2. Lib. 7. ad finem . Lib. 1. p. 7. * ΑΔΑΜ . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . l. 2. p. 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Lib. 1. p. 8. The Hebrew letters . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 produce but 41. Lib. 1. p. 12. Lib. 2. p. 58. Lib. 1. p. 10. Lib. 1. p 9. 11. 7. p. 53. Lib. 1. p. 11. Lib. 2. p. 14. 17. 18. 3. p. 34. 49. Lib. 3. p. 22. Lib. 3. p. 26. Ibid. Lib. 5. p. 41 , 43 , 44. 49. Lib. 8. p. 57. Lib. 2. p. 15. Lib. 5. p. 41. Lib. 5. p. 46. Lib. 5. p. 41. Lib. 8. p. 57. Lib. 8. p. 57. Lib. 8. p. 59. Lib. 8. p. 66. Appar . Sacr. verbo Sibyllarum . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Apoc. 18. 8 21 Lib. 2. Annal. 15. Marcus was born in the year 121. and Lucius in the year 128. Lib. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ga'en . de praecogn . post . c. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Strom. lib. 6. p. 136. Baron . Appar . 19. Sixt. Sen. Bibl lib. 2. Possevin . Appar . & Bib. Sel. lib. 2. c. 71. Lib. 17. c 20. Psal . 147. 19 , 20. Joh. 4. 22. Acts 14. 16. Acts 17. 30. Rom. 3. 1 , 2. Rom. 9 4. Rom. 10. 19. Isai . 44. 28. and 45. 1. Paedag l. 1 c. 2. p. 80. Strom l 7. 695. 702. 3. Lib. 3. c 2. Str● ▪ l. 3 p. 450 & lib 4 p 550 Padag l. 3 c. 3. Ibid c 11 Strom. lib 1. p 280. 309. 18 , 19 lib 6 ▪ 636 , 63● 48 Strom lib 1. p 304. 5 p. 548. Lib. 1. p. 307. P 310 P 311. Lib 5 p 615. Lib 6 p 662 Lib 1. p 324. P 325. p. 326. P. 327 P. 328. P. 332. P. ●43 . ●ib . 〈◊〉 p. 428. P 349. lib 4 p 529 Lib. 4 p. 488. Lib. 5. p. 564. Lib. 6. p 637. 638 , 639. P. 649. P. 650. 51 , 54. Lib. 7. p. 706. 47. Lib. 6. p. 667. P. 669. Lib. 7. p. 730. P. 748. P. 676. Paedag. l. 1. c. 5. Strom. l. 5. 549. * Pag 688. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Pag. 690 91. Pag. 692. P. 695. P. 696. P. 647. Can. 53. P. 698. P. 696. P. 678. * In this placeis inserted a Discourse of 20. lines concerning St. John , his Baptisme , death , and the defeat of Herod . Advers . Cels. lib. 1. Euseb . Hist . lib 2. c. 23. Hieron . Catal. Antiq lib. 20. cap. 2. Oros . lib. 7. c. 6. Phil. 1. 13. 3. 8. 4. 22. De Civit. Dei lib. 6. c. 11. Tacit. Annal . 15. Jo. 8. 44. Lib. 4. Aeneid . 10. Baeotic . lib. 4. Lib. 1. cap. 6. Lib. 1. 4. 6. & 10. Lib. 13. 17. Lib. 7. c. 33. 13. cap. 13. Antiq. l. 1. c. 5. Apol. & Legal . Exhort . ad Autolyc . lib. 2. Apud . Orig l. 7. In Peregrino & Pseudomanti . Lib. 34. c. 5. Cap. 7. De Var ●●ist . l. 12 c. 35. Strom. 1. Lib. 2. 1. 6. Tivoli . T●veron . Orig l. 8. c. 8. Constantine the Great , in his Oration to the Assembly of the Saints , follows Pausanias , in that he maintains , that the Erythraean Sibyl was at Delphi ; but he leaves him again , when with Diodorus Siculus , he calls her Daph●● Saint Cyril in his first book against Julian , places the Erythraean Sibyl under the 9 Olympiad , and distinguishes her from Herophila , whom he makes to flourish in the 17. Olympiad . Strom 1. p. 304. 323. * Noct. Attick . lib 1 c 14. * Servius in Aeneid lib 6. Suidas , verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , tres libros à Sibylla Erythraea Romam allatos , ait , sive sub Tarquinio , sive sub Consulibus , itaque sibi non constat . Lib. 4. Dionys . l. 4. Val. Max. l. 1. c. 1. Lactant. lib. 2. cap. 6. ex Fenestella . Lib. 4. Lib. 23. Lib. 2. Quamvis sedecies denis & mille peractis , Annus praetere jam libi nonus eat . August . de Civit . Dei lib. 18. cap. 53. Cap. 54. Idem Epist . 201 , 2. 53 , 54 , 67. De promis . l. 3. c. 38. Cod. Theod. lib. 16. tit . 10. c. 15. 16 , 17 , 18. Dion . lib. 46. Sueton. in Caesare Plutar. in Caesare . Cicer. de Divin . lib. 2. Dio. lib. 54. In Octavio . cap. 13. Dio. lib. 57. Tatit. Annal. 6. Sam 2. Annal. 15 Dio. lib. 6. Suet. in No●…on . See in Lucian the supposititious Oracles advanced in favour of Alexander Abonotichites , and Peregrinus , notorious cheats . Epiph. haeres . 26. calls her Barthenos . Colos . 1. 20. Philo Biblianus from Sanchomathon , a Reritian called de Saturno , Euseb praep . l. 1. c. 20. Bibl. De Civit. Dei , l. 8. c. 23 , 24 , 26. De Promiss . l. 3 c. 38. Orat. ad Sanct. coet . c. 18. Lib. 1. p. 8. Ibid. p. ●1 . Ibid. De civit . Dei. ● . 18. c. 23. De promis . l. 3. c. 6. 14. From the ●7 . of Novem. in the year 711. to the 29. of August , in the year of Rome , 767. De Divin . l. 2. c. 110. Cap. 111. Cap. 112. C. 12. Aiqui in Sibyllinis ex primo versu cujusque sententiae primis literis illius sententiae carmen omne praeiexitur . The same thing may be said of the verses , which Zosimus attributes to the Sibyls , and for the same reason . Tertul. de Bapt. c. 1. Optat. l. 3. August . de civ . Dei , l. 18. c. 23. Tit. 3. 5. Psal . 36. 9. * Servius upon the ninth Eclogue , sayes , that the Inhabitants of Cremona having entertain'd the forces of Brutus , Cassius , and Anthony , Augustus , overcoming Anthony , gave away their lands ; but he is mistaken , since that donacton had been made ten years before the war against Ant●ony . Ecl 9. Georg. l. 2. Ecl. 1. * For that Augustus , born in Sept. 23. 691. was then in the 22 year of his age . Donatus in Virgils life , writes , that Cicero had seen his Bucolicks ; but it is more likely , he took ( from the recovery of his estate ) occasion to write them two years after Cicero's death . As when he says , in the 6. of the Aeneid●… Longa ●tas , meaning a thousand years . J. O. * To keep close to Virgil , it should have been rendred , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * Virgil had indeed said Our crime , out of a reflection , that he , and all those who had preceeded the Consulship of Pollio , had been under the Iron-Age , and participated of the crime thereof . * Saturn lib. 1. cap. 17. * Marcellus , whose Death is bewayl'd by Anchises , in the sixth Book of the Aeneids , died in the year of Rome 731. Ec. 4. Aen. 6. Gal. 4. 4. Metam . l. 1. v. 2. Satyr . 2. a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b 1 King. 11. 5. c Jer. 7. 18. 44. 17 25. d Lib 9. e De Ling. Lat. lib. 4. f P Victor in descript . Regionis 12. De praep . lib. 1. cap. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . h Apol c. 23. i De Civit. Dei. l. 2. c. 4. k Lib 9. l De Dea Syria . m Saturn . lib. 1. cap. 23. a Metam . 1. * Sandys . b Psal . 72. 16. c Isa . 11. 6 , 7 8 , 9. and 65. 25. J. O. a Josh . 5. 14. b Heb. 1. 3. Luke 19. 12. c Jo. 3. 17. 12. 47. d 2 Cor. 5. 19. Ephes . 2. 13. Colos . 1. 20. J. O. a Lib. 1. c. 7. b Lib. 3. pag. 28. c Helene . d Homer . e Ilium & ulysses , in the Iliads and the Odysseis . f Twenty seven years before our Saviour , and nine years before the Death of Virgil. a Corinthior . lib. 2. pag. 47. b Lib. 4. pag. 38. & lib. 8. pag. 54. c Dio , lib. 55. Patere . lib. 2. d See lib. 3. pag. 27. & lib. 4 pag. 38. & lib. 8. pag. 59. And these fine allusions : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . a Apol. 2. pag. 82. b Rom. 3. 8. a Vopiscus , in Aureliano . b Appar . Sect. 20. c Doct Temp. lib. 13. ad A. D. 271. d Can. ult . e A. D. 272. Sect. 20. f Josephus , in the first of his Antiquities chap. 5●… cites the words of a Pagan Sibyl ; who says , That the Gods having sent Winds , overthrew the Tower , and gave to every one his own Language ; and thence it happened , that the City was named Babylon : which the Counterfeit Sibyl hath expressed in part , ( lib. 3. pag. 21. ) borrowing from Josephus . a Lib. 2. cap. 4 , 7. b Lib. De Civitate Dei. c De Divinat . lib. 1 , & 2. Epist . 7. lib. 1. Famil . d In the places before-cited . f In Julio . g Cap. 8. h In the places before-cited , and in Theseo , Demosthene , Cicerone ; and the Book , De Pythiae Orac. i Lib. 2. p. 97. Achaic lib. 7. pag. 41 2. Phocaic . lib. 10. pag. 626. k In Caesare , Tiberio , & Nerone . l Lib. 13. m In Peregrino , & Pseudomanti . n Lib. 2. Ad Autolyc . o Lib. 7. cap. 19. p Lib. 7. cap. 24. q Orat. ad sanctorum coetum . cap. 20. r Apud Origenem , lib. 7. contra Celsum . s Ad Sanctorum coetum . t Lib. 7. contra Celsum . u De Civit. Dei , lib. 18. cap. 46. x Augustin . ibid. cap. 47. y Resp . ad Quaest . 74. a 2 Cor. 〈◊〉 6. 16. b Lib. 1. cap. 26. c Numb . 22. 28. d Opposit : inchoatae , in Ep. ad Rom. e Rom. 1. 2. f 1 Cor. 2. 12. apud Ambrosium . a Problem . Sect. 30. q. 1. b De Pyth. Orac. J. O. c Castal . edit . pag. 193. d Pag. 214. e Pag. 238. f Pag. 282. g 2 Cor. 13. h Acts 9. 15. i 2 Cor. 12. 4. k 1 Cor. 2. 2. a Exhort . ad Graec. b Praef. in libros Sibyllinos . c These words are transcribed out of Suidas , and unjustly attributed to Lactantius , who says no such thing . a Aeneid . 6. b Satyr . 8. c And , about the year 1520. one John Wolf , an Inhabitant of Zuikaw , in Woitland , with like sincerity , produced the Epitaph of the Sibyl Suanichilda , Daughter of Ulba and Cygneus , descended fron● Cygnus , the Son of Hercules : wherein Langius , who made a great noise about it , was deceived . a 1 Sam. 18. 10. b 1 Sam. 19. 23. c Verse 24. d Hos . 9. 7. e 〈◊〉 Kings 9. 11. f Jer. 29. 26. g In Psal . 39. h Insaniae . i In excess● mentis positi . k Acts 20. 24. l Andr. du Val , a Doctour of Sorbon , in the Life of Sister Mary of the Incarnation , a Carmelite Nun. m Tertullian . lib. De Anima , cap. 9. n At Carthage ; where Prisca , and Maximilla ( who never were out of Phrygia ) never were . o Cap. 11. p Cap. 45. q Cap. 27. r Cap. 45. s Advers . Marcion . t Luke 9. 33. u Irratione ? w Lib. 5. Advers . Marcion cap. 8. x Advers . Prax. cap. 15. y De Scriptoribus Eccles . verbo Apollonius . z Tertullian . a Epiphan . Haeres . 48. cap. 4. b Ibid. c. 13. c Euseb . lib. 5. cap. 16. ( d ) Ibid. c. 17. e Lib. 1. c. 9. f Strom. 1. g In Ezek. Hom. 6. h 1 Cor. 14. 30. i In Isai . Serm. 1. Praef. k Haeres . 48. cap. 3. l Heb. 3. 2 , 5. m Isa . 1. 1. n Chap. 6. verse 1. o Ezek. 4. 9. p Verse 12. q Verse 14. r It is in the Greek , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; but it is likely it should be , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . s Dan. 1. 4. t Montanus , and his Followers . u In Psal . 45. 1. x In 1 Cor. 12. Homil. 29. y Homil. 36. z Praef. in Nahum . a Praef. in Haba● . b 1 Cor. 14 ▪ 30. c Verse 33. d Praef. in Isai . 33. e 1 Tim. 1. 7. f Prov. 16. 23. g Acts 7. 22. h Ezec. 28. 3. i Psalm . k 1 Cor. 14. 32. l Ibid. 29 , 30. m Zach. 1. 9. n Gal. 4. 6. o Psalm . p In Isai . lib. 1. cap. 1. q Apud Ambrosium . r 1 Cor. 12. 8. s 1 Cor. 14. 4. t 1 Cor. 14. u In 1 Cor. 14. w 1 Cor. 2. 15. x In 1 Cor. 14. 32. y See him also upon the 2d Epistle of St. Peter , chap. 1. verse 20 , 21. a Annal. part . 2. b I. ib. De Sibyllis . c Haeres . 48. cap. 4. d Catech. 5. e In Isai . lib. 17. cap. 64. f Epist . 7. g Aeneid . lib. 2. h Apol. ad Pammach . pro libris Advers . Jovin . i Lib. 2. cap. 36. a Epist . 155. b Exposit . inchoat . Epist . ad Roman . c De Civitat . Dei , lib. 10. cap. 27. d Orig. lib. 9. cap. 11. e Aeneid . lib. 8. f Praef. in lib. 2. Comment . in Epist . ad Galat. g Lib. 5. h Lib. 7. a Appar . Sect. 23. b Antiq. lib. 15. cap. 15. c Lib. 36. cap. 5. d Lib. 9. cap. 23 , 53. e Jer. 10. 7. f Luke 1. 78. a Biblioth . lib. 2. cap. 71. b De Honesta Disciplina , lib. 7. cap. 1. c De Divin . lib. 1 , & 2. d Hierom. lib. 1. contr● Jovin . Euseb . lib. 5. Hist Eccles. Lactant. lib. 1. Divin . Instit . August . lib. 〈◊〉 . cap. 23. De Civ . Dei. Just . Martyr , lib. 4. Advers . Gentes . e Cod. lib. 1. Tit. 18. cap. 9. A. D. 305. Decemb. 8. Notes for div A28402-e47970 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . b Euseb . ex Clemente , lib. 3. cap. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . f Quam Irenaeus interpretatur . g Quarto decimo igitur anno secundam post Neronem Persecutionem movente Domitiano , &c. h A. D. 92. Sect. 3. i Decimo quarto post obitum Neronis anno . k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . l Decimo quarto anno , secundam Persecntionem movente , post Neronem , Domitiano . m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . n Apolog. cap. 5. Orosius also , lib. 7. cap. 10. says , that as soon as Domitian began the Persecution , he was ( continuò ) soon after killed . o This man was Abbot of Rome , as is acknowledged by the Greek Menologie ; so that many , without any ground , not onely confound him with that Priest of Tyrus , who suffered Martyrdom under Julian the Apostate , on the fifth of June , 362. but also give him the Title of Arch-Bishop ; not considering , that no Prelate of that Name took the Government of the Church of Tyrus , before that Dorotheus substituted about the year 457. in the place of Photius , who had been present at the Councel of Chalcedon , in the year 451. p Advers . Jovin . lib. 1. cap. 14. Adhuc Adolescens , ac penc Puer , &c. ut sciamus Joannem tnnc fuisse Puerum . a Haeres . 51. cap. 12. b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . c Cap 33. d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . e Uxorem tuam Jezabel . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . f Mulierem Jezabel : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . g De Corona . cap. 11. h De Monogamia . i De Iejun . k De fuga in persecutione . l De Iejun . cap. 1. m De Monog . cap. 1. n De Iejun . cap. 1. o De ●…lic . cap. 16 p De ●●●●●og cap ? q Jo. 16. 22. r Hieron . advers . Jovin . cap. 14. s In Mat. 20. a Stat. felix Ecclesia . cui totam Doctrinam Apostoli cum sanguine suo profuderunt ; ubi Petrus Passioni Dominicae adaequatur ; ubi Paulus Johannis exitu coronatur ; ubi Apostolus Johannes , posteaquam in Oleum igneum demersus , nihil passus est , in Insulam relegatur . b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . e Lib. 2. De Vitae Constan in . cap. 24 , 44 , 45. lib. 4. cap. 34 , 35 , 36. f Lib. 5. g Lib. 8. a — Cui germine Frater Angel. cus Pastor — . a Lib. 4. cap. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . b Lib 3. pag. 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . c Antiq. lib. 4. cap. 4. d De praepar . lib. 9. In the third Book of Theophilus to Autolycus , it is said ; That the Reliques of the Ark were to be seen in the Mountains of Arabia . a Lib. 1. p. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . b 2 Kings 2. 11. c Luke 23. 43. d 2 Cor. 5. 7 , 8. e Phil. i. 23. f Thus St. Gregory Nazianzene interprets St. Paul ; affirming of him , that he says , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that Our departure ought to be ●ith the Lord. ●at . 10. h Lib. 3. cap. 24. i Lib. 4. cap. 39. k In the places before-cited and lib 4 cap. 56 , 66. and lib. 5. cap. 31. l 1 Cor. 2. 9. m Matth. 10. 24. n Ephes . 4. 9. o Psal . 23 , 4. 44 , 19. 88 , 7. p Receptaculis abditis , secretis . a Mal. iv . 1. b 1 Pet. i. 19. c 1 Cor. v. 8. d Exod. xiv . 22. e Ibid. 31. f Exod. xiii . 21. g Luke ii . 35. h 〈◊〉 John i. 8. a Lib. 2. a Chap. 21. 2 b Verse 18 , 19. c Verse 23. d Chap. 22. verse 2. e Pascentem Epulis omnibus . f John xiv . 2. g John : xxi . 2. h Lib. 7. cap. 23 , 24. i In Catalago Scriptorum Ecclesiastie corum : k In Eliz. lib. 11. cap. 36. l Apoc , xxi . 2. 18 , 19. m Lib. 7. 24 , n In Esai . lib. 8. praefat . o Euseb . lib : 7. cap. 13. p Cap. 18. q Homil. 17. r Cap. 15. Gennad . s In Ezek. lib. 11. cap. 36. t In Hierem. lib. 4. cap. 20. a Psal . xxii . 21. b Luke xxiiii . 46. c May the fourth , in the year of Christ 389. d Lib. 9. cap. 13. a Ruente Mundo . b Psal . lxxvii . 9. c Joh. iii , 36. d Psal . lxxvii . 9. e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . a 2 Cor. v. 1. b 2 Cor. v. 8. c 2 Cor. v. 8. Phil. 1. 23. d Rom. viii . 33. e Heb. viii . 12. and x. 17. Jer. xxxi . 33. * See also lib 2● Sect , 2. capp . 24 , 25 , 26 , 34 , 35. a De verbis Apost . Serm. 27. a Hierarch . Eccles. cap. 3. b Sap. v. 16. Jo. v. 14. c 2 Tim. ii . 19. d Psal . cxvi . 19. e Isai . xxxv . 10. a Luke xii . 37. b Apoc. xx . 6. ( c ) De Monog : cap. 10. Et De Anima , cap. 58. novissimum Quadrantem modicum quodque delictum , more resurrectionis illic luendum , interpretamur . a Eccles . xliii . 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . b 1 Cor. xv . 52. c Verse 2. d Verse 5. e Verse 6. f 1 Cor. xv . 52. a De Corona , cap. 3. b De Monogamia , cap. 10. c De exhortatione Castitatis , cap. 11. d De Pallio , cap. 2. e Epist . 28. f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Papias in the words , which Eusebins cites of him , acknowledges he had not seen any of the Apostles . g 1 Thes . v. 21. h Psal . cxviii . 8. a Jer. xvi . 7. b Verse 34. c In his Books De anima , & De cura pro mortuis . d De praedict . & promiss . par . 2. cap. 40. e De Civitate Dei , lib. 18. cap. 36. f Hist . del Concilio , lib. 2. pagg. 148 , 149 , 150. g Quibus potissimum Testimoniis , ac . praesidiis in confirmandis dogmatibus , & instaurandis in Ecclesia moribus usura sit . h Prov. i. 8. a Macc. xii . ●8 , &c. b Josh . 7. 11 , 12. c 2 Sam. 21. 1. d 2 Sam. 24. 15. e 2 Sam. 24. 17. f Levit. 4. 13 , &c. g Deut. 21. 1. &c. h The Latine Version says , 12000. amounting to 250. Marks , a vast Sum , in respect of the Time , and the Abilities of the People , reduced to Beggery by the War. i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . k Pro●… . page 50. a Lib. 2. cap. 25. b Hierom. in Catalogo . c Euseh . lib. 3. cap. 28. d S. John says expressly , that the Angel of God shewed him the mystical Jerusalem ; Apoc. xxi . 10. Apoc. xxi . 1. Apoc. xxii . 1. e Apoc. xx . 4. f Apoc. xix . 7 , 9. g Haeres . 10. h Concil . Laodic . ca. i Nazianz. carm . 33. k Amphilo● carm . ad Seleucum . l Epist . 129. Nec Graecorum Ecclesiae Apocalypsim Joannis eadem libertate suscipiunt . a Rom v. 14. b Hebr. ix . 12. c Gal. iii. 13. d 2 Cor. iii. 7. a Crateres . b Gregor . Dial. lib. 4. cap. 30 Et ex eo Frec●…phus , & Armonius . c Cap. 35. d Tormentorum Ollae patuerunt . e Concil . Gall. Tom. 3. p. 122. f Hist . Sancti Dionys. a. I. Doublet scripta , pag 696. g Tom. 2. Concil . Gall. p. 630. h Chron. August . i Rodolph of Su●wbe ; Herman of Salmes in Arduenna . k Greg. Dial. lib. 4. c. 40. l In Vita Dagoberti . m Cap. 32. n St. James , beheaded at Jerusalem , and afterwards ( as the Spaniards pretend ) carried into Galicia . o Chron. Hincmar . Epist : 50. and Flodoard , lib. 3. c. 18. say , that a certain Native of Rheims , named Bernold , saw Charles the Bald , gnawn by worms , and wallowing in putrefaction : and William of Malmsbury , lib. 2. supposes , that Charles the Fat saw Lewis the Debonnaire in a Tun of seething water ; which that Manuscript Chronicle of Monsieur De Thou affirms , had been shewn to Charles the Bald , Uncle to the said Charles the Fat. Aeneid . 6. T. W. p Canto 5. of Hell. q Canto 34. of Orlando . a Dial. l. 4. c. 40. b Of the antient House of Meroeur . c Concil . Florent . Sess . 25. d Advers . Haeret. cap. 3. e De Purgator . lib. 1. ea 9. a In Notis ad Canones Concilii Eliberitani . b Hieron . Adversus Vigilantium , cap. 2. c August . in Joann . Tract . 124. Illic terra sensim scatere , & quasi ebullire , perhibetur . d Cedamus opinioni , quam cerus documentis refellere non valemas . e Haeres . 26. f Wisd . iii. 1. g Esa . lvii . 1. h Can Mi●… . i Apoc. xiv . 13 k Note , that those , who have written the R●●ane Order , ass●… , that Pope Pelig us the Fi●st , advanced to the Chair on Sunday , Aug 23. 554. inserred the M●…nto into the 〈◊〉 which 〈◊〉 that , by th●●r own 〈◊〉 ession , that part of the Service which concerns the Departed , is new . a 2 Cor. v. 10. b Apoc. xx . 13. c Dan. xii . 2. Matth. xxv . 34 , &c. Joan. v. 29. a Rom. viii . b Joan. x. 28. c Esa . lvii . 1. d Phil. i. 23. e Jer. l. 20. f Apoc. xiv . 13. g Esa . lix . 2. h De Mort●litate . i Catech. 18. k De bono Mortis . l In Eccles. cap. xi . m De Lazaro , Hom. 2. n Epist . 80. o In Psalm . xxxvi . p In Eccles . xi . a Defensio Auctorit . Ecclesiast . lib. 1 , 2. b Bibl. lib. 6. Not. 345. c De bono mortis , cap. 10. d Homil. 28. upon the Epistle to the Hebrews . e In Psal . 36. De Civit. Dei , lib. 12 cap. 9. Enchirid. cap. 108. f Epist . ad Severum . g Gremio senis abdita Sancti Recubabit , ubi e●● Eleazar . &c. Pates , ecce ! fidelibus ampla Via lucida jam Paradisi . a De Mortalitate . b Advorsus Celsum , lib. 6. c In Psal . cxiv . d Haeres . 59. 10. e In Gen. Hom. 36. f De deplor . peccati . g In Matth. Hom. 70. h In 2 Corinth . Hom. 16. i Hom. in 1 Thes . 4. 13. k In Hebr. Hom. 4. l Quest . m In Joann . lib. 11. pag. 1067. n Hebr. x. 20. o Luke xxiii . 46. p Phil. i. 23. q De vita contempl . lib. 1. cap. 1. r De Eccl. dogm . cap. 79. s In Apoc. xiv . 13. a Orat. 10. b In Matth. Hom. 17. c Orat. fun . Valentin . d Quaest . Evang . lib. 2. qu. 38. e Epist . 99. f De Gen. ad Litteram , lib. 2. cap. 13. g Hierarch . Eccles . cap. 2. h Epist . ad Venant . a Homil De Sancta Berenice . b Jam. v. 13. c Psal . cxvi . 7. d In Thess . Homil. 13. e In Hebr. Homil. 4. f James v. 13. g Psal . cxvi . 7. h Psal . i Psal . k Psal . xxxii . 7. l Orat. 10. m Orat. 20. n 1 Thess . iv . 18. o Epist . 27. p Luke xv . 7. q De Vita constantini , lib. 4. cap. 66. r Advers . Vigilant . s Lib. 5. cap. 36. t Confess . lib. 9. cap. 12. u Psal . ci . a Confess . lib. 9. cap. 12. b Ibid. c Nec in t is precibus , quas tibi fudimus , cum offerretur pro ea sacrificium precii nostri , jam juxta sepulchrum posito cadavere , priusquam deponeretur , sicut illic fieri solet , nec in aliis precibus ego flevi . d Aug. Confess . lib. 9. cap. 13. e Illa in Christo vivisicata , &c. Sic vixit , ut laudetur nomen Tuum in side , moribúsque ejus , &c. Sepositis ejus bonis actibus , pro quibus tibi , gaudens , gratias ago , &c. Scio misericorditer operatam , & ex corde dimisisse debita debitoribus suis , &c. f Apoc , xiv . 13. g Rom. xi . 29. h Rom. viii . 32 , 33 , 38 , 39. i John x. 28. k Joh. viii . 5. l John v. 24. m 1 Joh. 1. 8 , 10. n Psal . cxliii . 2. o Job xlii . 3 , 6. p Cant. i. 3. q 1 Jo. i. 7. r Hebr. ix . 14. s In Joan. Tract . 1. t 1 Pet. iv . 19. v Hebr. x. 14 , 19 , 20. x 1 Pet. ii . 24. y Colos . ii . 14. z See the Martyrologies of May 4. a Rom. ix . 6. b Deut. vi . 13. Mat. iv . 10. c 1 Joh. ii . 2. d 1 Tim. ii . 5 , 6. e Epist . 2. f Apud Eusebium , lib. 4. cap. 15. g Advers . Faust . lib. 2. cap. 21. a De vita , lib. 3. cap. 45. b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . c Cap. 64. d Cap. 73. e Apol. ad Constant . f Orat. 3. g Orat. 10. h Orat. 11. i Orat. 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . k Psal . xlviii . 8. l Epist. 25. m Epist . 24. n Psal . xlviii . 8. o Epist . 3. p Epist . 26. q Epist . 27. r Epist . 29. s Epist . 30. t Confess . lib. 9. cap. 3. u The Sacrament of his Body . x Epist . 25. a See the Book , entituled Roma Subterranea . b Baronius ad . ann . D. 817. Paragr . 8. c Act. iii. 19 , 21. d Sap. iv . 7. e Psa cxvi . 9. f Luc. xxiii . 42. g Ezek. xxviii . 13. h Luc. xvi . 22 , 23. i Is . xxxv . li. 11. a Leg. oras . b The Fathers . a That is , on the thirtieth day of July . b That is the same with the twelfth day before the Kalends of February . c The Lord. a Heb. x. 31. b Apoc. xiv . 13. c Adrian , and Charles . d Rom. xi . 29. e De praedest . cap. 34. f Extra . de Missarum celebr . c. cum Martha . g Luc. xiv . 14. h De fide , ad Petrum , cap. 16. i Hebr. ix . 26 , 28. & x. 10. k Ecclesiam . l The People of Mans. k See Thuanus , Hist . lib. 3. a Psa . cxxxiv. 2. b Psal . v. 2. c Psal . cxvi . 7. d 2 Cor. xv . 55. e Hist . Neap. lib. 2. pag. 581. f In Psal . xcvi . g Apoc. xix . 10. & xxii . 8. h Hebr. i. 3. i Heb. ix . 26. k Hebr. x. 10. xii . 14. l Cant. vil . 11. m 2 Sam. xii . 13. n Rom. xii . 12. o Psal . xliii . 1 , 5. p Orat. de his , qui in Fide dormierunt . a Dial. lib. 4. cap. 40. b Hist . Angl. lib. 5. cap. 13. c 1 Cor. v. 15. d De Fide , & Operibus , cap. 16. e Enchirid. cap. 69. f Lib. 21. cap. 26. See also , to the same purpose , cap. 26 , and 24. in Psal . 37. de Genesi , adv . Manich. lib. 2. cap. 20. g De Trin. lib. 1. cap. 8. h Lib. 3. cap. 8 & lib. 4. cap. 1. i Enchirid. 46. k Ibid. cap. 109 ad Qu. 2. Dulcitii . l De Civit. Dei , lib. 16. cap. 9. m Ad Qu. 2. Dulcitii . n In Joann . Tract . 49. o Tract . 10. a Paul. Sent : lib. 2. Tit. 22. Cod. Theod. lib. 9. Tit. 17. cap. 6. b Ephes . ii . 19. c Rom. xii . 5. d 2 Tim. iv . 7. e Hebr. iii. 6. f Apoc. vi . 9. g Cod. Theod. lib. 9. Tit. 57. cap. 7. h In the year 398. St. Augustine , in his Book of the Work of Monks , ( ca. 28. ) complains of certain Wandering Persons , who boasted , that they had in their possession Martyrs , either Entire , or in Pieces . In the year 440. Theodoret , ( De curandis Graecorum affectibus , lib. 9. ) makes it his boast , that every one strived to have some part thereof . And , in the year 587. Gregory of Tours ( lib. 9. cap. 6. ) speaks of the notorious Impostour , who bragged , that he had a whole Bag-full of Reliques . i Append. Inscript Antiq. pag. 1172. n. 11. & apud Baron . A. D. 384 Sect. 35. k Esa . xiv . 9. a 2 Kings xiii . 21. b Jo. i. 29. c 1 Cor. i. 30. d Hebr. i. 3. e 1 Jo. i. 7. a Paulinus , mentioned in the precedent Chapter . b Cap. 2. ex lib. 1. De Civit. Dei , cap. 12. c Cap. 3. d Cap. 4 , 5. e Cap. 10. f Cap. 11. g Cap. 12. h Cap. 13. i Cap. 15. k Cap. 18. l Cap. 18. m De his optimā solutionem , vel definitionē , sensus brevitate , non valentes attingere . a Conc. Trid. Sess . 6. cap. 13 , & 14. b Acts iv . 12. a Vasquez , disp . 50. capp . 4 , 5. b De Gratia Christi , c. 49. a See chapp . 24 , 25 , 31. b Or twenty second , according to the Greeks and Latines . c Or XLI . according to the Greeks . d In illo tempore dixit Jesus Discipulis . e There is read the Text of Saint John with the addition of these three words , In diebus illis , which are not in his Text. f At the beginning of the fifty third Verse , these words , though not of the Text , are put in , In illo tempore dixit Jesus , Discipulis suis . g In illo tempore dixit Jesus Discipulis suis . i Job , Chap. vii . 16. k Verse 19. l Verse 21. m Cap x. 1. n Verse 9. o Verse 11. p Cap. xiii . 28. q Cap. xiv . 1. r Verse . 14. s Cap. xvii . 1. t Cap. xix● 20. u Cap. x. 20. x Job 33 , 34 , 35 , 38. y xlii . 3 , 6. z Job 8. 3. Numquid bonum tibi videtur , si calu●… is m● , & opprimas me , opus manuum tuarum , ●…consilium impiorum adjuves ? a Non peccavi & amaritudinibus moratur oculus ●eus b Bellarm. De Pargat . lib. 2. cap. 2. a Prayers for Remission of the sins of the Deceased . b Apoc. xiv . 13. c Luc. xvi . 22. d Prayers for the Absolution of the departed at the day of Judgment . e Psal . cxliii . 2. f Joel iii. 16. g Job vii . 7 , 8. h Psal . cxxx . 〈◊〉 . i Psal . xxvii . 7. k Psal . vi . 3. l Psal . cxix . 33. m Psal . xxvii . 11. n Psal . xxvii . 12 , 13. o Eccl. xli . 7. p Psal . q Psal . r Psal . li. 1 , 2. s Psal . xlii . 2. t Psal . lxxiv. 19. u Psal . cvii. 16. x Epist . xxxiv . xxxvii . y Confes . lib. ix . c. 13. z Lib. 2. Epist . 8. a Verum forte asseras certum te de meritis ejus , de fide . b In Canone , Qui●ibi afferunt hoc Sacrificium Laudis , &c. placatus accipias , &c. Praestae , ut hoc Sacrificium Laudis , quod oculis Majestatis tuae indignus obtuli , &c. pro anima famuli tui , pro qua offerimus hoc Sacrificium Laudis , &c. pro quibus tibi offerimus hoc Sacrificium Laudis . c Heb. ix . 14. d Pet. iii. 21. e Prayers desiring the Deceased may be received into Bliss . f 1 Cor. ii . 9. g Epiphan . h Rom. xi . 29. i Matth. vi . 11. k Jam. i. 17. l Heb. xiii . 8. m Isa . lix . 16. n Joh. xvii . 5. o Augustine . p I think it should be commendandos . q Apoc. xxi . 27. r Isa . xlvi . 10. s 2 Tim. ii . 13. t Luc. xiv . 14. u Matth. vi . 10. x Rom. viii . 19 , &c. y Apoc. vi . 10. z Acts xiii . 36. a 2 Tim. iv . 7. b 2 Tim. i. 18. c 2 Thess . i. 10. d Rom. viii . 24. e Viz. that of the Agony . a Brother John of Constantinople , a Franciscan , Poenitentiary to Gregory the Tenth . a Eberardi Ratisbonensis Chron. b Lib. 5. c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . d Note , that the Pope directly contrary to what is practised at this day , draws the Greeks to the Tribunal of the Scriptures . e The Latines were the greater number , by three to one . f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . k The Latines were in number 116. l The Greeks 30. m Chap. 29. n It was printed at Heidelberg , under the name of Nilus , in the year , 1608. o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. p Chap. 19. q In the Euchologie printed at Paris , in the year 1647. whereof there are six ; to wit , the common Form , from pag. 126. to p. 539. That of Monks , from p. 544. to p. 547. That of Priests , p. 561. That of Seculars , p. 583. That of women , p. 588. That of Children , p. 592. r August . De vera Religione , cap. 55. s Haeres . 79. Sect. 4● &c. t Eucholog . Pag. 531. u Pag. 538. w Pag. 554. x Pag. 555. y Pag. 563● z Pag. 573. a Pag. 574. b Euchol . Pag. 537. c Pag. 570. d Pag. 565. e Pag. 535 , 536 , 537 , 575. f Psal . xc . 12. g Pag 575. h 2 Cor. v. 8. i Psal . xvi . 11. k Hebr. xii . 22 , 23. l Psal . cxxiv . 8. m Page 570. n Euchol . page 573. o Page 556. p Jo. 11. 25. q Pag. 573. r Pag. 530. s Pag. 539. t Pag. 558. u Pag. 567. x Pag. 568. y Pag. 571. y Pag. 575. z Pag. 584. * Pag. 586. a Hebr. x. 14 , 29. b Apoc. xiv . 13. c Joh. v. 24. d 2 Cor v. 8. e Joh. iii. 18. f Chrysost . in Matth. Homil. 70. g Ad Hebr. Hom. 4. h In Matth. Hom. 33. i In Gen. Hom. 36. k Epiph. Haer. 59. l Pag. 569. m Pag. 737. n Pag. 738. o Pag. 739. p Pag. 740. q Ephes . ii . 14. r 1 Cor. i. 30. s 1 Joh. i. 7 , 9. t Heb. vii . 25. u Joh. x. 28. w 1 Joh. v. 8. x Esa . lvii . 1. y 2 Cor. v. 8. Phil. i. 23. z Ephes . ii . 19. a Heb. iv . 16. b Ephes . ii . 18. c Heb. i. 14. d Luc. xvi . 29 , 31. a Ad Art. 37. Aliquandiu Purgatorium incognitum . b Demonst . ●●r se quidem non demonstrāt , &c. aliam apud nonnullos Patres accipiunt interpretationem . c Esa . 9. 5. d Ephes . 4. 9. e 1 Cor. 9. 22. f Malac. 4. 2. g 2 Cor : 13. 8. h Epist . 73. i Jam. 1. 17. k Psal . 4. 6. l Psal . 19. 12 , 14.