CHAP. III. The Faith of Gallia Aquitanica, and Narbo∣nensis, in the Fourth Century.

ST. Hilary Bishop of Poictiers, a famous Confessor in the Persecution which the Arians stirr'd up against the Ortho∣dox, can afford us much Light concerning the State and Faith of these Diocesses: This great Man was married, as he who published his Works at Paris owns, after the famous Baptista Mantuanus, observing that the Law for the Celibacy of the Clergy was not yet introduced, and that before that time, as St. Jerom expresseth it, they rather made choice of married Persons, than unmarried, because the former were judged more proper for the Functions of the Holy Ministry.

But this is not the only Article wherein he differ'd from Po∣pery, as well as the Church of Aquitain.

1. He counts the Canonical Books as we do, and plain∣ly holds them for Apocryphal, which we reject, as we find in the Preface to his Commentary upon the Book of Psalms.

2. He lays it down for an Error and piece of Impiety to look upon the Scripture as imperfect, in Psalm 118. Lit. Vau.

3. He asserts that Ignorance is not capable of excusing Men, seeing the Scripture is proposed to us as the Rule of our Faith and Manners: Non habet veniam ignoratio voluntatis; quia sub scientiae facultate nescire, repudiatae magis, quam non repertae scien∣tiae est reatus: Ob id enim longe à Peccatoribus salus, quia non exqui∣sierint Justificationes Dei: Nam utique non ob aliud consignatae literis manent, quam ut ad universorum scientiam, notionemque defluerent.

4. He affirms that we are to be ignorant of whatsoever the Scripture doth not teach us: and after having asserted, that it is the Character of Hereticks to conceal the Holy Scripture, fol. 204. he maintains that it is another Mark of Heresy to believe beyond what the Gospel teacheth us. Tu qui ultra E∣vangelium sapis, necesse est ut aliis alibi arcanorum doctrinis, cogniti∣onem Paterni nominis adeptus sis.

5. He asserts, that it was the Will of God, that the Scripture should be plain and clear. Quantae enim potuit Domi∣nus, verborum simplicitate evangelicam fidem locutus est, & in tantum ad intelligentiam nostram sermones aptavit, in quantum naturae nostrae ferret infirmitas, non tamen ut quicquam minus dignum naturae suae majestate loqueretur.

6. He there also confirms the Fulness of Scripture after a most Authentick manner: Lib. 8. de Trin. Non est humano aut seculi sensu in Dei rebus loquendum;

7. He owns no other Foundation of the Church, besides the Confession of the Divinity of our Saviour, made by St. Pe∣ter, instead of referring it to the Person of St. Peter, or to the Functions of his Apostleship; lib. 2. Ʋnum igitur hoc est immobile fundamentum, una haec est foelix fidei Petra, Petri ore confessa, Tu es filius Dei vivi.

9. He overthrows all the Exceptions of the Church of Rome in favour of the Adoration of Angels, by maintaining that the Angel who appeared to Abraham was Jesus Christ; de Trin. lib. 4. & lib. de Synodis contra Arianos.

10. He was so little of the Belief, that the Faith of the Peo∣ple depends upon that of their Pastors, that he asserts and proves in his Book against the Arians or Auxentius, that the People may continue Orthodox under Heretical Pastors.

11. He overthrows all Worshipping of Creatures, which is practised by the Church of Rome, by maintaining, that if any should worship Jesus Christ, believing him to be a Creature, he would be accursed. Lib. 12. de Trinit.

12. He dream'd so little of the Infallibility of the Pope, which a great part of the Church of Rome owns as the greatest Article, into which the Faith of all Christians must be resolved, that he pronounces many Anathema's against Liberius, because he had subscribed to an Arian Confession of Faith; as may be seen in the Fragments of St. Hilary, published by Pithaeus.

Page  1713. He lays it down for a Maxim, that Jesus Christ alone was without Sin, in his Discourse upon Psalm 58, and 138.

14. He owns God only to have the Power of forgiving Sins, Can. 8. in Matth. so far was he from attributing this Pow∣er to Ministers, as the Church of Rome doth at this day.

15. He formally asserts that the good Works of one Man are of no avail to deliver another from Punishment, which overthrows the great Foundation of Satisfactions and Purgato∣ry, after the manner that the Church of Rome makes use of them, Can. 27. in Matth. The wise Virgins tell the foolish, that they cannot give to them of their Oil; Quia non sit forte quod omnibus satis sit, alienis scilicet operibus & meritis neminem adjuvandum, quia unicuique lampadi suae emere oleum sit necesse.

16. He was so far from believing the Merit of Works, as the Church of Rome at present doth, that he discourseth thus upon Psal. 118. lit. Coph. In operibus quidem Bonitatis totus per∣fectus est, sed satis esse hoc sibi non putat ad salutem, nisi secundum miserationem Dei & judicia, miserationem consequatur.

17. We cannot deny but that St. Hilary believed a Purgato∣ry, but yet in that Point he differed much from the Church of Rome: He owns a Baptism of Fire after this Life, but such a Baptism as was to be conferred at the last Day, viz. the Day of Judgment, Matth. Can. 2. And that which must needs greatly scandalize the Papists, is, that St. Hilary maintains that all Be∣lievers, without excepting so much as the Blessed Virgin, must endure the Fire, which he expresly affirms on Psal. 118.

18. If we have a Mind to know whether he allowed the Notion of the Church of Rome, which believes that we can Page  18 perfectly fulfil the Law of God; we may easily be resolved by his manner of treating the young Man, who boasted him∣self before Jesus Christ, as if he had done it: He accuses him of Insolence in several places of his Works, for pretending to be justified by his Works. De Trinit. lib. 9. Can. 19. in Matth. & Lib. de Patris & Filii unitate.

19. He overturns the common Notion of the Church of Rome, which is, that when Jesus Christ entred in to his Dis∣ciples, the Doors being shut, he had not lost the Solidity of his Body, and consequently that there was a Penetration of Dimensions: St. Hilary rejects this Notion as absurd, account∣ing this Penetration of Dimensions impossible, lib. 3. de. Trinit.

20. He asserts that the Eucharist is celebrated in breaking of Bread, and that the Disciples of Jesus Christ did drink of the Fruit of the Vine at the Lord's Supper, and mentions not so much as one Word of Transubstantiation, in a place where he particularly explains the Institution of the Eucharist, Can. 30. in Matth. To speak the Truth, how could he have any other Thoughts, who maintains that Jesus Christ is no longer on the Earth, in respect of his Body, because it is impossible for a Body to be in more places than one? Adest enim & cum fideliter invocatur per naturam suam praesens est; spiritus enim est omnia pe∣netrans & continens; non enim secundum nos corporalis est, ut cum ali∣cubi adsit, absit aliunde, sed virtute praesenti, & se quâcunque est, porrigenti, cum replente omniae ejus spiritu in omnibus sit, tamen ei, qui in eum credat adsistit.

21. He was so far from approving the Romish Inquisition, that he calls the Emperor Constantius Antichrist, for persecuting those that were not of his Opinion, lib. in Constant. August. Yea he judg'd all Force to be so contrary to the Spirit of the Christi∣an Religion, that he maintains that there can be no Religion where Force is made use of.

Page  19Lastly; He was so far from believing that the Antichrist, whereof St. John speaks, was already come; that he main∣tains that he would be revealed in the Churches that were then possessed by the Arians, and that the Faith being thus attack'd, the true Believers would be forced to look out for Shelter a∣mongst the Mountains in Woods and Caves, leaving the Anti∣christ Master of the publick Places consecrated to the Worship of God.

This is the Sum of what may be gathered from the Writings of St. Hilary. I make no mention of some Errors of this great Man, because Claudianus Mamertus having confuted them about the end of the fifth Century, has made it appear that they were only some particular Opinions of this great Con∣fessor, and that we cannot look upon them as the common Faith of the Diocess where he was setled. But the same can∣not be said of the Articles I have noted; Claudianus is so far from blaming them, that he approves them by his Silence, and shews that his Doctrine in this Respect, was the Doctrine of the Church of Gaul.

We have nothing left us of the Works of Rhodanius Bishop of Tholouse, who was contemporary with St. Hilary: But it ap∣pears clear to us, that this Holy Confessor having been sent in∣to Banishment with St. Hilary, after the Council of Beziers, by the Cabal of Saturninus Bishop of Arles, Favourer of the Arians; we are to consider Rhodanius as a Defender of the same Faith, and an illustrious Witness of the Belief of his Diocess: And we ought to make the same Judgment of Phaebadius Bishop of Agen, who was so much engaged in the same Quarrel, and who acquired so great a Name by the vigorous Opposition he made against the Errors of Arius: But Providence has pre∣served us none of his Works.

In effect, this great Man, who wrote in the Year 357. as ap∣pears by his Book against the Arians, gives us sufficiently to un∣derstand what his Faith was in divers Articles, and what was the Doctrine of the Diocess.

1. He maintains that the Catholick Faith is found with those who speak according to the Holy Scripture, and not amongst those who only make use of Prejudices. After having quoted Page  20 several places of Scripture, to prove against the Arians the Eter∣nity of the Son, he concludes in this manner, B. Patr. T. 4. p. 174. Volentes igitur à Patre Filium scindere, & infra Deum po∣nere, de Evangelio praescribunt:

2. He makes it appear that the Name of Catholick was not sufficient to be a true Christian, when he represents that Arianism had so far seized the Minds of all the World, that it was necessary to espouse the Arian Heresy, to procure the Name of being Catholicks, ib. p. 169. Sed quia aut Haeresis suscipienda est ut Catholici dicamur, aut verè Catholici non futuri; si Haeresin non repudiamus, ad hanc tractatûs conditionem, necessitate descendimus.

3. He asserts that the Revelation of Holy Scripture is so perfect, with respect to the Divinity of our Saviour, that Anathemas are to be pronounced against all those that advance any other Doctrine. This appears from the great number of Passages which he quotes from thence, p. 173, & 178. to which he joins the Anathema, whereof I have already spoke before.

Page  214. He observes expresly that the same Honours rendred to Jesus Christ in the Liturgy, as to God, do demonstrate his E∣quality with God, p. 174. Quod si ita est, saith he, quotidie blasphemamus in gratiarum actionibus & oblationibus sacrificiorum, communia haec Patri & filio confitentes, &c.

Thus doth he implicitly overthrow the first Principles of the Church of Rome, viz. the Imperfection of the Holy Scrip∣ture in Matters of Faith, the Authority and Necessity of Tra∣ditions, which are the compleating of it, and other such like Doctrines. We should now proceed to examine what the State of these Diocesses was in the following Century, but that the Bishop of Meaux stops us, to reflect upon the History and Doctrine of Vigilantius, whose Name is too famous, and his Memory too unworthily torn by that Bishop, not to afford him that Defence which his Zeal against Superstition doth justly deserve.