CHAP. VII. How manie vnder the Names of Fathers, Bellarmine → acknow∣ledgeth to be meerly counterfeyt, and this thorow the first fiue Ages, or Centuries of the Church.
FIrst, Clement's* E∣pistles are such, for so hee sayth of the fift,* It is sure (sayth hee) either that it is not his, or else by some mightilie corrupted.
The like hee sayth of his Recog∣nitions, Lib. 5. de lib. arb. cap. 25. §. ad hunc.
Also of his Constitutions,*Baro∣nius sayth, that by all men they are counted counterfeyt.
Page 126Againe, Iustinus Martyr,* his Que∣stions, are justlie suspect by Bellar∣mine,* to bee counterfeit: seeing in the 82 Question, Origen is made men∣tion of, vvho lived after I•stinus, more than an hundreth yeares and fiftie.
The verie like is cleare of Diony∣sius Areopagita,* that hee is likewise a counterfeit, as their owne Lauren∣tius Valla, by the like reason maketh good: to vvit, because in his booke, De divinis nominib{us}, Clemen• Stro•ateus is cited, who lived two hundreth yeares after Dionysius. And yet this is hee, whom ← Bellarmine → oft tymes citeth, to proue the most points of Poperie, as their Hi•rarchie, Mo∣nasticall lyfe, Purgatorie, and such lyke: but of whome Ierome maketh no mention of in his Booke, De Vi∣ris Illustribus; which hee would not haue omitted, if anie such had bene acknowledged in his tyme,* (whose name especiallie had beene in-rol∣led in Scripture) and had beene a famous Wryter.
Page 127In lyke manner, ← Bellarmine → ac∣knowledgeth Tertullian's * Booke, De Trinitate, not to bee his, because the Sabellians are there refuted, who rose not in his tyme.
For the verie lyke reason also hee declareth, that Cyprian* his Ex∣plicatio Symboli,* is not his, because Arrius, Eunomius, and Pbotinus, who were not borne in Cyprian's tyme, are by name refuted.
Lyke-wyse,* hee declareth, That the Sermons of the Cardinall Ver∣tues of Christ, as also his Sermon of the Supper of the Lord, are not Cyprian's, but counterfeyt.
In lyke manner,* hee suspecteth his Sermon of the Vnction of holy Chrisme; and the other, of the Ab∣lution of Feere, to bee none of Cy∣prian's, but to bee meerelie coun∣terfeyt.
As also, he declareth that Booke, which is given out vnder the name of Ar••bius,* Master to Lactantius, to bee none of his, but a more re∣cent Counterfeyt.
Page 128More-over, ← Bellarmine → declareth, that the Homilies on Leviticus, at∣tributed to S. Cyrill,* are none of his, but a counterfeyt, and of no Au∣thoritie.
Likewise, hee suspecteth the Questions attributed to S. Basill,* to be none of his, but a miere coun∣terfeyt.
The like sayeth Possevin, of the Questions attributed to Athanasius,* that they are mierlie counter∣feyt.
In like manner, the same Posse∣vin, showeth, that manie Treatises attributed to S. Ambrose,* are sure∣lie onlie Counterfeytes, as, De vir∣tutum & vitiorum, conflictu, expositio fidei, libellus de sp. sancto, liber de con∣cord. Mathei & Lucae; liber de poeniten∣tia, ad poenitentiam ex•ortatio, de •rigine & moribus Brachamorum, expositio in Cantica, & Epistola ad Demetriadem, ac opuscula. And as for his Com∣mentaries on Sainct Paul's Epistles, ← Bellarmine → sayeth,* they are surelie none of his, but counterfeyt.
Page 129As concerning Chrysostome,*Bel∣larmine showeth, that those Bookes attributed to him, are counterfeyt: to vvit, his Commentarie on the Psalmes,* and his Homilies on Mat∣thew, called, Opus imperfectum: as al∣so, that his Liturgie is counterfeyt, appeareth heere-by, because Prayer is made there-in for Pope Nicolas, who almost 300 yeares lived after Chrysostome.
Of those workes also that goe vnder the name of Augustine,* those hee discards, as counterfeyt: to wit, 1,* his Exposition of the Apocalypse: 2, his Questions vpon the Olde and New Testament: 3, his Booke, De visitatione infirmorum: 4, his Booke, De Predestinatione & gratia: 5, his Booke, De Ecclesiasticis dogmatibus: 6, his Booke; De vera & falsa poenitentia: 7, his Booke called Hypognosticon, he pronounceth also suspicious: and last, his Booke Contra Donatistas, hee declareth to bee corrupt.
Besides the former also, Possevin declareth, that those Bookes follo∣wing, Page 130 attributed to Augustine, are none of his,*De vita eremitica, Epi∣stola ad Cyrillum, Epistola 16, ad Boni∣facium, Liber de Spiritu & anima, Liber de speculo, Liber de conflictu virtutum & vitiorum, item Liber de Antichr•sto. Also hee showeth, that those are suspect, his Exposition vpon the Gospell, and Epistles of Iohn, his booke De Pastoribus, De Ovibus, De Disciplina Christiana, De Homiliis, & De verbis Apostoli.
Of those works in like manner, which passe vnder S. Ierome's name, *Salmeron declareth, that his Notes and Commentaries on all Paul's E∣pistles, are counterfeyt. Senensis likewise disclaimeth his Commen∣taries on the Proverbes, both for vn∣lyknesse of Style: and that the Au∣thor on the 30 Chapter commen∣ting,* alleadgeth by name S. Ierome, vpon Ieremie.
← Bellarmine → in like manner decla∣reth, that Booke attributed to Euse∣bius Emissenus,* to be a plaine Coun∣terfeyt; vvhich is cleare by this, Page 131 That hee maketh mention there-in of the Pelagian Heresie, vvhich was not broached long after his death.
And for Eusebius Pamphylus* Hi∣storie, as the Councell of Rome de∣fined it to bee an Apocryphall wri∣ting,* so ← Bellarmine likewise affirmeth it to bee corrupt.
Thus of the Fathers, of the first fiue Ages, in the primitiue Church, wee see, howe manie are confessed by our Adversaries, to bee corrupt and counterfeyt: and so, what vn∣sure Warrand Men haue to gather, or ground their Fayth, on such Writs and Workes. Which made their owne Senensis ingenuouslie to confesse,* saying, Incertum est quid de∣finiant Patres, idque propter libros suppo∣sitios, qui falso Patribus ascribuntur, &c. Et propter foedissimas corruptelas quae eis inscribuntur: that is, It is vncertayne, what the Fathers define, and that both for the counterfeyt Bookes, which falselie are ascrybed vnto them, as also for the most filthie Errours that are insert into them. Page 132 More of which Bastardlie Brood, who pleaseth to see, he may behold in the fore-sayde Senensis, and Posse∣vin's apparatus; and especially of late, in Master Cooke, an English Man, an Armie of such discovered, bred most of them in the Brayne-sicke Pates of ydle Monkes, and forged on the Anvill of doting Supersti∣tion, for building vp of Babell, and opposing the Trueth: And lyke that Harlot before Salomon, who would haue Mothered her dead Chylde vpon her, who truelie did owe the living; So haue they Fa∣thered their Bastardlie Brood, vp∣on the LORD'S Worthies, as if they had beene their legittimate seed, and brought them with-in the Sanctuarie, Vt ementitis titulis fidem authoritatém{que} erroribus suis conciliarent, (as sayeth Senensis:) that is, That by their counterfeyt Titles, they might conciliate trust and authori∣tie vnto their owne Errours: and which practise, of bringing vp such deluding Counterfeytes, for Page 133 true Samuels,*Erasmus showes was so ryfe in the tyme of the seventeenth Generall Councell, when Errour began to prevayle, that hee sayeth, Scatebant omnia libris falso celebrium vi∣rorum titulo commendatis: that is, All places were full of Bookes, set foorth vnder the false Title of ex∣cellent Mens Names. The Devill having begun this Practise, even in the Apostles owne tymes, when the Mysterie of Iniquitie began to worke, which made the Apostle Paul to bee therefore so carefull,* to fore-warne the Thessalonians, That they should not bee deceived, ney∣ther by worde, or alleadged Tradi∣tion, nor by Writ, as from him, that is, by counterfeyt Epistles in his name, to belieue the Lord's Day to bee then at hand. And which Pra∣ctise, wee see, continued after the Apostles dayes most perniciouslie: Therefore the Arrians wrote a Let∣ter to Constantine, vnder the name of Athanasius: the Eutychians also a Let∣ter, agaynst Cyrillus Alexandrinus,Page 134 beeing dead, vnder the name of Theodoret: and the Mani•heans, and others, manie Bookes; some Fathe∣red on Adam, some on Enoch,•ome on the Apostles, and Disciples of Christ, and some on Christ Him∣selfe; vvho were rejected, (as Augu∣stine sayeth) Non quod eorum qui Deo placuerunt reprobetur authoritas, sed quod ista non credantur esse ipso•um: that is, Not that the authoritie of such Men,* who haue pleased God, is re∣jected; but because it is believed, that those are not the workes of such Men, but of other men (sayeth Beda) vnder those mens names.* But the last, tho not the least, craftie Counterfeyts, and Corrupters, that ever Satan prevayled by, for erecting his kingdome of Darke∣nesse, and a Throne to the Vicar of his Power, was that Locust brood, which came out of the bottomlesse Pit;* even that numerous and noy∣some swarme * of Monks, & other Popish Clergie: to whome I may say, as Ierome sayde to Ruffinus, for Page 135 preassing to substitute a certayne Arrians Booke, for Theophilus Mar∣tyr, In the Day of Iudgement, con∣sider what they will answere to the Complayntes of such holie Men, Whose Reverend Names they haue so Roguishlie abused, vn∣to most wicked purposes.
