Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

opinion from error." When others object that they have two or three hundred testimonies of the doctors, to prove that the virgin Mary was conceived in sin, Salmeron" the Jesuit steps forth, and answereth them: first, out of "the doctrine of Austin and Thomas, that the argument drawn from authority is weak; then, out of the word of God, In judicio, plurimorum non acquiesces sententiæ, ut a vero devies: in judgment, thou shalt not be led with the sentence of the most, to decline from the truth." And lastly telleth them, "that", when the Donatists gloried in the multitude of authors, St. Augustine did answer them; that it was a sign their cause was destitute of the strength of truth, which was only supported by the authority of many, who were subject to error." And when his adversaries press him, not only with the multitude but also with the antiquity of the doctors alleged; "unto which more honour always hath been given, than unto novelties:" he answereth, that indeed "every age hath always attributed much unto antiquity; and every old man, as the poet saith, is a commender of the time past: but this (saith he) we aver, that, the younger the doctors are, the more sharp-sighted they be." And therefore for his part he yieldeth rather to the judgment of the younger doctors of Paris: among whom "none" is held worthy of the title of a master in divinity, who hath not first bound himself with a religious oath to defend and maintain the

" Primo quidem agunt multitudine doctorum, quos errare in re tanti momenti non est facile admittendum. Respondemus tamen ex Augustini libro 1. de morib. eccles. cap. 2. tum ex B. Thomæ doctrina, locum ab authoritate esse infirmum. Salmer. in epist. ad Rom. lib. 2. disput. 51.

• Exod. chap. 23.

P Cum Donatistæ in autorum multitudine gloriarentur, respondit Augustinus; signum esse causæ a veritatis nervo destitutæ, quæ soli multorum autoritati, qui errare possunt, innititur. Ibid.

4 Tertio, argumenta petunt a doctorum antiquitate; cui semper major honor est habitus, quam novitatibus. Respondetur, quamlibet ætatem antiquitati semper detulisse: et quilibet senex, ut quidam poeta dixit, laudator temporis acti. Sed illud asserimus ; quo juniores, eo perspicaciores esse doctores. Ibid.

Nam in celeberrima Parisiorum academia, nullus magistri in theologia titulo dignus habetur, qui prius etiam jurisjurandi religione non se adstrinxerit ad hoc Virginis privilegium tuendum et propugnandum. Ibid. Vid. et Laur. Sur. commentar. rer. in orbe gestar. ann. 1501.

VOL. III.

D

privilege of the blessed virgin." Only he forgot to tell how they, which take that oath, might dispense with another oath, which the pope requireth them to take, that they "will never understand and interpret the holy Scripture, but according to the uniform consent of the fathers."

Pererius, in his disputations upon the epistle to the Romans, confesseth, that "the Greek fathers, and not a few of the Latin doctors too, have thought, and delivered also in their writings, that the cause of the predestination of men unto everlasting life is the foreknowledge which God had from eternity, either of the good works which they were to do by cooperating with his grace; or of the faith whereby they were to believe the word of God, and to obey his calling." And yet he for his part notwithstanding thinketh that "this" is contrary to the holy Scripture, but especially to the doctrine of St. Paul." If our questionist had been by him, he would have plucked his fellow by the sleeve, and taken him up in this manner: Will you say that these fathers maintained this opinion contrary to the word of God? Why, you know that they were the pillars of Christianity, the champions of Christ his Church, and of the true catholic religion, which they most learnedly defended against divers heresies, and therefore spent all their time in a most serious study of the holy Scripture. He would also perhaps further challenge him, he doth us: Will you say that, although they knew the Scriptures to repugn, yet they brought in the aforesaid opinion

as

Nec eam unquam, nisi juxta unanimem consensum patrum, accipiam et interpretabor. Bulla Pii IV. pag. 478. Bullarii a Petro Matthæo edit. Lugdun. ann. 1588.

Græci patres, nec pauci etiam Latinorum doctorum, arbitrati sunt, idque in scriptis suis prodiderunt; causam prædestinationis hominum ad vitam æternam esse præscientiam, quam Deus ab æterno habuit, vel bonorum operum quæ facturi erant cooperando ipsius gratiæ; vel fidei, qua credituri erant verbo Dei, et obedituri vocationi ejus. Perer. in Rom. 8. sec. 106.

u Sed hoc videtur contrarium divinæ scripturæ, præcipue autem doctrinæ B. Pauli. Id. ibid. sec. 111. At enimvero præscientiam fidei non esse rationem prædestinationis hominum, nullius est negotii multis et apertis Scripturæ testimoniis ostendere. Ibid. sec. 109.

by malice and corrupt intentions. For sure he might have asked this wise question of any of his own fellows, as well as of us, who do allow and esteem so much of these blessed doctors and martyrs of the ancient Church (as he himself in the end of his challenge doth acknowledge): which verily we should have little reason to do, if we did imagine that they brought in opinions, which they knew to be repugnant to the Scriptures, for any malice or corrupt intentions. Indeed men they were, compassed with the common infirmities of our nature, and therefore subject unto error; but godly men, and therefore free from all malicious error.

Howsoever then we yield unto you, that their innocent sanctity freeth us from all mistrust of malicious corruption; yet you must pardon us if we make question, whether their admirable learning may sufficiently cross out all suspicion of error: which may arise either of affection, or want of due consideration, or such ignorance as the very best are subject unto in this life. For it is not admirable learning that is sufficient to cross out that suspicion: but such an immediate guidance of the Holy Ghost, as the prophets and apostles were led by, who were the penners of the canonical Scripture. But this is your old wont, to blind the eyes of the simple with setting forth the sanctity and the learning of the fathers: much after the manner of your grandfather Pelagius; who, in the third of his books which he writ in defence of free will, thought he had struck all dead by his commending of St. Ambrose. "Blessed Ambrose the bishop," saith he "in whose books the Roman faith doth especially appear; who like a beautiful flower shined among the Latin writers, whose faith and most pure understanding in the Scriptures the enemy himself durst not reprehend." Unto whom St. Augustine: "Behold with what

w Beatus Ambrosius episcopus, in cujus præcipue libris Romana elucet fides; qui scriptorum inter Latinos flos quidam speciosus enituit, cujus fidem et purissimum in Scripturis sensum ne inimicus quidem ausus est reprehendere.

x Ecce qualibus et quantis prædicat laudibus, quemlibet sanctum et doctum virum, nequaquam tamen authoritati scripturæ canonica comparandum. Augustin. de gratia Christi, contr. Pelag. lib. 1. cap. 43. op. tom. 10. pag. 249.

and how great praises he extolleth a man, though holy and learned, yet not to be compared unto the authority of the canonical Scripture," And therefore, advance the learning and holiness of these worthy men as much as you list, other answer you are not like to have from us, than that which the same St. Augustine maketh unto St. Hierome. "This reverence and honour have I learned to give to those books of Scripture only, which now are called canonical, that I most firmly believe none of their authors could any whit err in writing. But others I so read that, with how great sanctity and learning soever they do excel, I therefore think not any thing to be true, because they so thought it: but because they were able to persuade me, either by those canonical authors, or by some probable reason, that it did not swerve from truth."

Yet even to this field also do our challengers provoke us; and if the fathers' authority will not suffice, they offer to produce good and certain grounds out of the sacred Scriptures, for confirmation of all the points of their religion which they have mentioned: yea, further, they challenge any protestant to allege any one text out of the said Scripture, which condemneth any of the above written points. At which boldness of theirs we should much wonder, but that we consider that bankrupts commonly do then most brag of their ability, when their estate is at the lowest: perhaps also, that ignorance might be it, that did beget in them this boldness. For if they had been pleased to take the advice of their learned council, their canonists would have told them touching confession, which is one of their points, that "it were better to hold that it was ordained by a certain tradition of the universal church, than by the authority of the New or Old Testa

Solis eis Scripturarum libris, qui jam canonici appellantur, didici hunc timorem honoremque deferre, ut nullum eorum authorem scribendo aliquid errasse firmissime credam, &c. Alios autem ita lego ut, quantalibet sanctitate doctrinaque præpolleant, non ideo verum putem, quia ipsi ita senserunt: sed quia mihi vel per illos authores canonicos, vel probabili ratione, quod a vero non abhorreat, persuadere potuerunt. Augustin. ep. 82. op. tom. 2. pag. 190.

Gloss. in Gratian, de pœnit. dist. 5. cap. 1. In pœnitentia.

ment." Melchior Canus could have put them in mind, that it is no where expressed in Scripture, that "Christ descended into hell, to deliver the souls of Adam, and the rest of the fathers which were detained there." And Dominicus Bannes, "that" the holy Scriptures teach, neither expresse, nor yet impresse et involute, that prayers are to be made unto saints, or that their images are to be worshipped." Or, if the testimony of a Jesuit will more prevail with them, "That images should be worshipped, saints prayed unto, auricular confession frequented, sacrifices celebrated both for the quick and the dead, and other things of this kind," Fr. Coster would have to be reckoned among divine traditions, which be not laid down in the Scriptures.

Howsoever yet the matter standeth, we have no reason but willingly to accept of their challenge; and to require them to bring forth those good and certain grounds out of the sacred Scriptures, for confirmation of all the articles by them propounded; as also to let them see, whether we be able to allege any text of Scripture, which condemneth any of those points: although I must confess it will be a hard matter to make them see any thing, which beforehand have resolved to close their eyes; having their minds so preoccupied with prejudice, that they profess before ever we begin, they hold for certain, that we shall never be able to produce any such text. And why, think you? because, forsooth, we are neither more learned, more pious nor more holy, than the blessed doctors and martyrs of that first Church of Rome: as who should say, we yielded at the first word, that all those blessed doctors and martyrs expounded the Scriptures every where to our disadvantage; or were so well persuaded of the tenderness of a Jesuit's conscience, that, because he hath taken an oath never to interpret the Scripture, but according to

a Can. lib. 3. loc. theolog. cap. 4.

Bann. in. 22. qu. 1. artic. 10. col. 302.

Coster. in compendiosa orthodoxæ fidei demonst. propos. 5. cap. 2. pag. 162. edit. Colon. ann. 1607.

« AnteriorContinua »