nuity. But certainly, whatever the reason was, seeing that they had no intention to use any more care or diligence in the composing of their books, we may very well, and indeed we ought to conclude from hence, that they had never any intention that these books of theirs should be our judges.

These venial faults, these mistakes, these oversights, these inadvertencies, and these sportings of theirs, do sufficiently evidence, that we are to make our references to others; and that they have not so seriously delivered their opinions as if they had sat on the seat of judgment, but rather have spoken as in their chamber, delivering their own private opinions only, and not in the capacity of judges.

These considerations, joined to what has been said in this particular, by some of the chief and most eminent among themselves, as we have formerly shown, make it appear in my judgment evident enough, that their own will and desire is, that we should not embrace their opinions as oracles, or receive them as definitive decisions; but that we should rather examine them by the Scriptures and by reason: as being the opinions of doctors, who were indeed very able and excellent men; but yet, were still men, subject to error, and who were not always able to see what was true and sound: and who peradventure, even in this very case in hand, have not always done what they might, by reason of their employing either less time, or less care and diligence, than they would have done, if they had had any serious purpose of doing their utmost endeavour in this particular.

CHAPTER IV.

REASON IV. That the Fathers have erred in d gion; not only singly, but also many of t

I CONCEIVE that what has been stated ceding chapters is sufficient to make i moderate man, that the authority of matters of religion is not so great as p imagine it to be. Thou therefore, art, if thou be but an indifferent and im mayest omit the reading of this and chapter; both which I must add, though my will, to answer all objections tha made by perverse and obstinate pers prejudice wherewith they are beforeha may hinder them perhaps from seeing of reason, and from hearing the voice o themselves; whose words they perhaps to impute to their modesty, rather tha yield to them no more honour than th require. The pertinacity therefore of th not any need that thou hast of my doing strained me to lay aside some of that r bear towards antiquity; and has obliged to view some errors of the Fathers, which more importance than the former, if by t least I may be able to overcome their For when they shall but see that the I erred in many considerable points, I ho at length confess, that they had very gravely to advise us, not to believe, or trust, any of their opinions, unless we fin are grounded either upon the Scriptures, some other truth.

I confess, I enter upon this inquiry ver

of men.

exposing the infirmities and failings of any men, especially of such as are otherwise worthy of such great esteem and honour: yet there is nothing in the world, however precious or dear it be, that we ought not to disregard, if compared with truth and the edification And I am verily persuaded that even these holy men themselves, were they now alive, would give us thanks for the pains we have taken, in endeavouring to make the world see that they were but men; and would account themselves beholden to us, for having boldly undertaken the business of discovering those imperfections and failings of theirs, which Divine Providence has suffered them to leave behind them in their writings, to the end only that they might serve as so many arguments to us of their humanity. If there be any, notwithstanding, that shall take offence at it, I must entreat them once again to consider that the perverseness only of those men with whom I have to deal, has forced me to this irreverence, (if we are to call it so) together with the desire I have to manifest to the world so important a truth as this is.

If I wished to defend myself by precedents, I could here make use of that of cardinal Perron;* who, to justify the Church of Rome's interdicting the reading of the Bible to any of the laity, except only such as should have express permission, scruples not to expose to the view of the world, not all the faults, for there are none; but all the false appearances of faults that are found in the Bible, writing a whole chapter expressly on the subject. How much more lawfully then may we adventure here to expose to public view some few of the failings of the Fathers, to whom we owe infinitely less respect than to God; if it be only to moderate a little that excessive devotion which

* Du Perron, Repliq. 1. 6, c. 6, p. 949.

the defence of their opinions; and tha may not so easily be induced to rega timony of antiquity?

It was the saying of a great prin the vilest and most shameful necessiti were the things that most clearly con he was a man, and no God, as his flat would needs have made him believe 1 therefore that it behoves us so much t Fathers were but men, let us not be duce here this argument so clear and humanity. Let us boldly enter into den secrets, and let us see whatever humanity they have left us in their w may no longer adore their authority, divine.

Yet I protest here before I begin, take any advantage of the many p human passions which we meet with, own writings, and partly in the historie I wish rather, that all of this kind mi in an eternal oblivion, and that we w them as of persons that were most acc purity and innocence of life, as far, at frail condition of human nature can b only touch upon the errors of their beli things wherein they have failed, not in writing.

The most ancient of them all is Justi man renowned in all ancient histories i knowledge, both in religion and philosop for the fervency of his zeal, which he manifested, by his suffering a glorious for our Saviour Jesus Christ. Yet for many opinions do we meet with in his

་ན་་ཨ པ་

hear how he speaks of the last times immediately preceding the day of judgment and the end of the world:- "As for me (says he) and the rest of us that are true Christians, we know that there shall be a resurrection of the flesh, and that the saints shall spend a thousand years in Jerusalem, which shall be rebuilt, enriched, and enlarged, as the prophets Ezekiel, Isaiah, and others assure us. 'Era de xou ei τινες εἰσιν ὀρθογνωμονες κατα παντα Χριστιανοι, και σαρκος αναστασιν γενήσεσθαι ἐπιστάμεθα και χιλια ἐτὴ ἐν ̔Ιερουσαλημ οικοδομηθείσῃ, και κοσμηθεισῃ και πλατυνθείσῃ, &c.*

In

To this purpose he cites what is written, Isaiah lxv., and besides, that other passage in the Revelation, where it is said, "That those which had believed in Christ, should live and reign with him a thousand years in Jerusalem; and that after this there should be a general and final resurrection and judg ment.” Χιλια ἐτη ποιήσειν ἐν ̔Ιερουσαλημ τους τω ἡμετέρω Χριστω πιστεύσαντας, &c.; και μετα ταυτα, την καθολικήν, και συνελόντι φαναι, αιωνιαν ὁμοθυμαδόν ἅμα παντων ἀναστασιν γενήσεσθαι, και κρισιν. these words you see plainly that he holds with the Millennarians, that the saints shall reign a thousand years in Jerusalem, before the resurrection be perfectly accomplished: which is an opinion that is at this day condemned as erroneous, by the whole Western Church, both on the one side and on the other. He seems, in another place, to have held that the essence of God was finite, and was not present in_all places; where he endeavours to prove against a Jew that it was not the Father who rained fire and brimstone upon Sodom, because that he could not then have been at that time in heaven. Επει ξαν μη οὕτω νοήσωμεν τας γραφας συμβήσεται τον πατέρα και κύριον

* Justin. contr. Tryph. p. 307.

† Id. p. 307.