A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

PREFACE.

SINCE the Publication of the former Volumes of this Bibliotheca in our Lan∣guage, we have had an account, That the Author was censured for it at Paris: It was reasonable enough to expect, that some notice would be taken of that great freedom, with which he so industriously asserts the Privileges of Na∣tional Churches, against the Pretensions of the Court of Rome; especially if ever the French King should command those of his Clergy, who assisted in the General As∣sembly in 1682. to make such Submissions as the Court of Rome would accept of. The great care which M. Du Pin has taken to get full Approbations from several Doctors of the Sorbonne, to every Volume, seem'd sufficient to secure him from any ignominious Censures which he might have been in danger of at home; but when a Man meets with Enemies upon other Accounts, they will fall upon him for those things which at any other time would not have been regarded.

It is commonly said, That the first beginning of M. Du Pin's Misfortune, pro∣ceeded from a private Quarrel of the Bishop of Meaux's, who was angry with him for publishing a Translation of the Psalms, when himself had publish'd another not long before This was interpreted to be a Trial of Skill in an inferior Presbyter, who presumed to contest with so great a Bishop, that had so long been famous for his skill in Writing: It touch'd M. de Meaux the more sensibly, because M. Du Pin is said to have corrected several Things in his Translation, wherein the Bishop was mistaken. Therefore, since he could take no hold of that, without exposing himself, which he would not run the hazard of, he collected several bold Expressions in M. Du Pin's Bibliotheca, and exhibited an Accusation of Heresie against him to the Arch-bishop of Paris, who accordingly proceeded upon it.

This Accusation was seconded by the Pope's Nuncio, who concerned himself so far in this Matter, that M. Du Pin thought it necessary to yield to his Diocesan, who oblig'd him to retract several Propositions, and to mollifie others that were thought too hard, and to submit his Book entirely to the Arch-Bishop's Mercy. How great that was, appears by the Arch-bishop's Condemnation and Censure of M. Du Pin's Bibliotheca, printed at Paris, with M. Du Pin's Retractation annex'd to it. I have not been able to procure the Condemnation it self, but the Author of the Histoire des Ouvrages des Scavans, has printed an Extract out of it in his last Volume, which says, That the printed Censure condemns M. Du Pin's Bibliotheca, because it contains,

Several Propositions that are false, rash, scandalous, capable of giving offence to pious Ears, tending to weaken the Arguments that are brought from Tra∣dition for the Authority of the Canonical Books, and of several Articles of Faith, injurious to General Councils and the Apostolick See, erroneous and leading to Heresie; and, therefore, it forbids all Persons to read it, or to keep it by them.

This Ordonnance of the Arch-bishop of Paris was seconded by an Order of the Parliament of Paris, bearing date April 25. 1693. which says,

That the Gens de Roy acquainted the Court, that they thought it was their Duty to inform them, That the Arch-bishop of Paris had lately condemned a Book, Entituled, A new Bibliotheca of Ecclesiastical Authors, written by M. Ellies Du Pin, Doctor in Divinity of the Faculty of Paris, because it contain'd Propositions contrary to sound Do∣ctrine:

That the cognizance of every thing that relates to the Faith belonging to the Church, and the decision of those Matters to the Bishops within their re∣spective Dioceses, the suppression of the Books which they condemn, and the afflictive Punishment of those who persist in Opinions which have been censured by the Bishops, belong to the Kings Officers, and principally to the Court, the De∣positary of Sovereign Justice: That they have nothing to object against the Au∣thor of this Book, because he has submitted himself to the Judgment of his Bishop, and because it appears by a Writing, which he has published, That he has retra∣cted some of those Propositions which he had advanced, and explain'd the rest in such a manner as frees them from all suspicion of Error: That they are willing to believe, That the Faults which M. Ellies Du Pin fell into, and which deserv'd the Censure pronounced against him, proceeded rather from the Greatness of the Work that he undertook, than from any formed Design of introducing new Opi∣nions; and, besides, that there is a great deal of Learning in his Books: That they were oblig'd to take notice to the Court, upon this occasion, of the Care, the Application and Vigilance, which the Arch-bishop of Paris shews to preserve sound Doctrine in his Diocess, and to stifle every thing, in the beginning, which may disturb the Peace and Tranquillity of the Church. And, therefore, they omitted nothing in those Stations in which they had the Honour to be placed, that could second such good Designs; and this it was that obliged them to demand of the Court, That those Books that the Arch-bishop had condemned, might be suppres∣sed; and that all Booksellers should be forbidden to sell them, till they should be corrected according to the Writing of the said Du Pin, annex'd to the Arch-bi∣shop's Censure, and that the Corrections should be approved by him the said Arch-bishop. The Gens de Roy withdrawing, the Court took the Matter into Deliberation, and it was Resolved, That all Booksellers and others, should be com∣manded not to sell or keep by them any Copies of the said Books, which have hitherto been printed; and it was Ordered, That they should be brought forth∣with into the Greffe of the said Court there to be suppressed; with very express Prohibitions to all persons to Reprint that Book in any manner whatsoever for the time to come, without the Advice and Consent of the Arch-bishop of Paris.

So far the printed Extract out of the Register of the Parliament of Paris.

If we may judge of all those things which M. Du Pin has retracted or mollified by that Specimen in the Histoire des Ouvrages des Scavans, the Proceedings against him have been spiteful and malicious, rather to satisfie those particular Persons who are concerned to see his Credit lessened, than because he really deserv'd so rough a Treat∣ment. He acknowleges, for instance, That the Title of Mother of God, given to the blessed Virgin, is not only an innocent Expression, but was always consecrated to her, and ought to be used; That when he said, That there are no positive Authori∣ties for Purgatory in the Writings of the Fathers of the 3 first Centuries, he expres∣sed himself too generally; That when he says, That S. Cyprian was the first that spoke very clearly of the necessity of the Grace of Jesus Christ, he did not pretend to say, That the Fathers did not speak clearly concerning it, before him; That when he said, That General Councils called about Matters of Faith, have seldom given Peace to the Church, he did not mean, That Councils do not bring Peace, or that they ever take the wrong side: These are all the Doctrinal Retractations which the Author of the above-mentioned Extract has taken notice of; and then adds, That his Explications are often very much forced.

It is evident enough, from this short Specimen, That his Accusers had no Inclination to spare him, but would make him smart for all that Liberty with which he made his Abridgments, and passed his Censures upon the Writings of the ancientest Fathers of the Church. In Justice, they ought also to have proceeded against those Doctors of the Sorbonne who gave the Approbations, that are prefixed to the several Vo∣lumes, wherein they commend the Faithfulness and Judiciousness of his Extracts, and propose his Work as extreamly useful to all sorts of Men: These Doctors certainly knew very well what they did; they knew what use Protestants would make of this Work and of their Approbations; yet this did not, it seems, de∣ter

them from giving such Characters as no Man could give who was not himself in earnest, or at least would have others believe him to be so: Accordingly the first Vo∣lume, against which there has been the greatest Clamour, was not animadverted upon for near six Years.

It appears by the Order of the Parliament, That that Court acted only ex Officio, and that that Illustrious Body has a great value for M. Du Pin. Otherwise the Gens de Roy would not have made such Excuses for a Man, upon whose Writings they are then passing Censure; but the Pope's Nuncio is at present too great a Man to be deny'd satisfaction, when he may be gratified with so small a Sacrifice; and it is pro∣bable, That the Arch-bishop of Paris, who went along with his Master in the great∣est Oppositions which he made to Pope Innocent XI. was willing to embrace this Op∣portunity to shew the Pope how zealously he is concerned for the Interests of the See of Rome; especially, when he can gratifie a private Revenge at the same time.

In the Second Edition of the First Volume of M. Du Pin's Bibliotheca, when he gives an Account of the Condemnation of Paulus Samosatenus by the Council of Antioch, he has this Expression,

Enfin apres l'avoir accuse de tous les Vices Ordinaires aux Eveques des grands Sieges, ils disent qu'ils l'ont condamne principalement a Paris qu'il renouvelloit l' Erreur d' Artemas.

In short, after they have accused him of all those Vices that are ordinary in Bishops of great Sees, they say they condemned him, princi∣pally at Paris, because he revived the Error of Artemas. These Words, at Paris, make the latter part of the Period non-sense; and could signify nothing to the Author's Purpose if they had been Sense: it should be read, principalement parce qu'il renouvelloit; principally because he revived: And so it is in the English (edit. 1. p. 193. edit. 2. p. 173.) This unfortunate Erratum coming just after a very severe Character of Paulus Samosatenus, out of Eusebius, put every body upon making a Parallel between this Ancient Bishop of Antioch and the present Archbishop of Paris: And if the Reports that are spread against this Archbishop are true, the Comparison was too just to be over-looked; and it is said at Paris, That this Sentence, thus faultily printed in the se∣cond Edition, did M. Du Pin a great deal of Mischief.

A Censure thus carried on, will be so little to our Author's Disadvantage, that few Persons will think the worse of this Book upon that account; it is his Misfortune that he lives in a Country where he had no other way to save his Liberty, and per∣haps his Life, but by yielding to the Storm: And, according to the Principles of his Religion, he was bound to submit to his Diocesan. But this will lessen the Au∣thority of any Books that M. du Pin may hereafter print upon Ecclesiastical Matters, because Fear of giving Offence will make him extreamly cautious, and he will dread a severe Inquisition that may set upon every thing which he shall write.

Those who are unacquainted with Antiquity will be hereby further confirmed in their Opinion, of the Impartiality of our Author, in his Abridgment of the Writ∣ings of these Ancient Doctors of the Church, when they see how severely he has been dealt withal upon that account: Otherwise it is very probable that some might think him too favourable in his Accounts of Monkery, Invocation of Saints and some other Superstitions which arose very early, and which were a means of introducing, in a course of Ages, such enormous Abuses into the Church; but tho' some Errors have a more ancient Original than is commonly believed, yet that ought not to be wondred at by any Man, who believes that the Church was never Infallible since the Apostle's Days. Still, as we read downwards, we shall see how that Primitive Simplicity, which adorn'd the Profession of the first Christians, who were almost always under Fear of Persecution, lessened and wore away. Those who were sensible of the decay of the Primitive Zeal, sought to retrieve it by placing great Merit in the practice of monastical Austerities, whereby they hoped to obtain that Reward which was believ'd to be peculiarly reserved for those who laid down their Lives for the Name of Christ: This put them upon all those Opinions that tended to mortify, not only forbidden Lusts, but also the allowed Appetites of Human Nature, which the Christian Religion intended to regulate, and not to remove. And when those who could not be Martyrs, saw what Honours were paid to those who had formerly suffered for the Truth, it

raised in them an Emulation to do something for the sake of Jesus Christ, that should be more disagreeable to Flesh and Blood than Death itself. This, I believe, is the most probable Reason of that great Ardour wherewith so very many Persons bound themselves under Vows to embrace a Monastical Life, in the fourth and fifth Ages of the Church. The first Monks were some Aegyptians, who in the tenth Persecution fled into the Deserts of Thebais; there they accustomed themselves to Retirement, and Use taught them to relish the Satisfactions of a Contemplative state: When the Storm was over, they returned home, and easily perswaded others, who had then, as they thought, no other way of shewing their Zeal for Jesus Christ, to embrace this austere Course of Life. In such warm Climates this was not so extraordinarily difficult: Those Esstern People could live upon a very little, better than other Men; so that the terrible Mortifications, mentioned in the oldest Asce∣tical Books, were not so impracticable, as we, at this Distance of Place and Time may be apt to think them. The Monk in Sulpicius Severus, who heard Posthumianus give an account of the Abstinences of the Eastern Monks, cries out, Edacitas in Graecis Gula est, in Gallis natura. Excessive Eating is Luxury in a Greek, it is Nature in a Gaule: And though one can hardly believe all that Posthumianus there relates, of the Abstinence of the Monks of Nitria and Cyrene, yet it is most certain that they put a mighty Force upon Nature, such a one as nothing but the modern Practices of some of the Mahometan Dervises could make us believe to be possible.

But though the Honours paid to Martyrs, which gave Rise to an Opinion, That they could intercede for us in Heaven, or at least hear our Prayers, together with the Love which most Men then shewed for a single and a retired Life, may seem too excessive, yet the Opinions and Practices of these Ages were, generally speaking, very venerable. One sees a great and a serious concern for the Truths of the Gospel in almost all their Writings; one sees a sincere Respect paid by Men of all Parties, to the Censures of the Church, and to the Persons of those with whom they were entrusted. They always distinguished between the Faults of Men and their Cha∣racter and Employment, and when they punished the one, they took care not to cast a Disrespect upon the other; by which means they preserved a real Venera∣tion for Holy Things in their Minds, though their Divisions run as high, and were as eagerly managed as ever they have been since. This is not the only Age wherein Men have met with Temptations, and have shewn their Frailty, by being too weak to withstand them; so that an Acquaintance with the Opinions and Practices of these earlier Ages, before a general Corruption had infected the Church, will be of great Use to such as value Religion and Godliness for their own sakes, when it suggests such Thoughts as can only be effectual to restore that Sense of Piety and Cha∣rity which is so generally lost among us.

July 25. 1693.

W. W.