A Preface to the Readm illam attigiffe. Addit vero in fundamento hujtu fententie quadeflgratiamdei non pravenire ab ul- lo opere noflro fed contra , ab i11â amnia operanotera preveniri,ua ut nihil omnino bona , rodat- . tinet adfalutem fit in nobss quod non eft nobs exdee, convenire Catholicos omnes; & ibidemcitat CyprianumAmbroium,C 7 azian..enum, Cryfofl Tothe fame purpole with Application to a particular perfon doth that great, and holydottor difcourfe, de doflrin. Chriftiauá lib: 3.cap:3 3:faith he,nonBrat expertise hanc harefin Tjchonisu, qua noftro tempore exorta , multum nos ut gratiam dei quaper dominum noftrum7efuns Chriflum eft. adverftsearndefenderemtuexereuit ,&fecundumidquodaitApoflolua, oporter harefesefe,ut probate manifeflifind in nobis,mult' vigilanttcres,diligentioref, reddidtt,ut adeerteremua in Scri- ptures Santtis,quod iflumTychoniumminsta attentummind fine Mllefolicitum fugit. That alto of Hierome in his fecond.Apologie againíl Rufinm in reference to a molt weighty Article of Chriflian Religion is known to all: f eri poteft ( faith he ) ut vetfimplicitererraverrot,vel olio fenfu lcripferint,vel d librariisimperits eorttmpaulatim /cripta corruptsfinti vol certeantequam in Alexandria quafi Damonium merieEanum Arius nafceretur , innocenter quadam , &mints came locuti font, & qua non poffuntperverforum hominum calumniam declinare. And what he fppáke of the writers before Arius , in reference to the perfonofChrf;we may ofthem before Pelagica in refernce to hisGrace.Hence Pereriud in Rem :t.8.difput.2.2:tells us ( how truly ipfe vident ,I am riot altogether of his mind)that for thofe Authours that livedbefofe eAieltsn s time, that all the Greek Fathers, and a conlderable part oftheLatine , were ofopinion, that thecaufe of°Predeflination, was the forefightwhith God had, either ofman's good works, or of their faith , either ofwhich opinions, he affures us is manifeflly contrary, both to the Au- thority of theScriptures , and particularly to the dottrine of Saint Paul. I am not(as I laid) wholy of his mind, partly upon the account of theobfervations made by his fellowfefnite out of Auftin , before mentioned , partly upon other accounts alto. Upon thefe and the like Confiderations much I prefume to thebuifnefs in hand,willnot be And produced on either the from the Fathers thatwrote before the R,jfeof the PelagianHerefy. any one partiesat this day litigant about the Doctrines ofthe Graceof God, fhouldgive that advife, that Sifinnitu and Agelliud the Novatians fomtimes gave, as Zozomenreports ofthem. (HO. Eeclef. lib.7.cap.I z) to 21(etlariuo by him communicated to the Emperor Theodofitu, to have the quarrel decided by thofe that wrotebefore the Rifeof the Controverfy , as it would be unreafonable in it felfe, foi perfwade my felfe neither party would accept ofthe conditions, neither had the of thofe NavatianohBut their fewobfervations bf premifed,fomething as attended Teflmo nies,may be attended unto. That we may proceed in fome order,not leaving thofe we havenothing to fay to , nor are willing to examine, whileft they are but thinkand omenot in troupes, unfaluted The fiat ai writings that are impofed on us after the Conoet 1criptures , are the eight books of Clement, commonly called the Apoftles conflitutions, being pretended to be written by him at their ap- pointment, with theCanons afcribed tothe fame perfons. Theft we (hall but falote: for be- tidesthatthey are faintly defendedby any of thePapifts , difavowed and difclaimed as Apo- cryphal, by the moft learnedof them,asBellarmine de lcript:Ecclef. in Clem :who approves on- ly of So.Canonttof 85 Battoim An. Dom. 102.14: who adaes 3o more,and Binius with a lit- tle inlargementofCanons , in Tit. Can. T.1. Con. pi. 17 : and have been chroughly difproved and decryedby all Proteftant writers, that have had any occalion todeale with them, their folly and falfty,their impoftures and trifiings,have of late been fo fully manifefted by Dalletu de p(eudepigrapu eA'poftol.that nothing need be added thereunto. Of him may Dottor H. H. learne theTruth of that intimation ofhis, di(fert. de Epifiop.dif. adocap 6. Se1L3. CA.' none aApoflolico fecundt( limper intergenuinos habito:) but ofthe confidence of this Author in his Affections afterwards: This indeed ( infifted on by Dallei m , and the Learned 'When in his notes upon Ignatius ) is childifhly ridiculous in them , thatwhereas it is pretended that thefe conftitutions were made at convention of the Apoflles, as 1. 6. c. 14, they are brought in difcourfing,P o'7i txr hm 0 u'Ti 41,66r0t,Yt6g0a 'Aeifíu: 'lá%0t 't,,d,;vçG'ai I-C,détmo&C. l hey they are made to informe ns lib. z. cap. 57. That theActs written by Luke and read in the Churches are theirs , and the foure books ofthe Gofpel. Whereas the (toryof the deathof lames ( here laidto be together with the Apoflles) is related',AFL. az:and john by thecon- fent ofall,wrote not his Gofpel untill after the diffoluton ofhis Affociates. Alto they make Stephen and Paul to be together, at themakeing of thofe conftitutions Canflaib. 8. cap. 4. ( whereas the Ivlartyrdome of Stephen , wasbefore the conveninon of 'Paul ,) and yet alto mentions the (toning of Stephen:lib.8.46, They tell uswhom they apointed Bifhopsof Hie, falern
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=