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.

The Fourth Classe.

THE Last Classe of St. Augustin's Epistles, containeth those whose Date is not well known.

The First of these is the 232d. Letter, in answer to the Inhabitants of Madaura, whereof the greater Part were yet Idolaters. He exhorts them to embrace the Christian Religion; and to enduce them to it, he mentions the dreadfulness of the Last Judgment, which he proves shall infallibly come, because the other Prophecies are fulfilled: He also saith something con∣cerning the Mystery of the Trinity, and that of the Incarnation. This Letter was proba∣bly written some time after the Edict Published by Honorius in the Year 399. against the Tem∣ples.

The 233d. Letter, is a Challenge from St. Augustin to a Philosopher, one Longinianus, to oblige him to give an Account in Writing after what manner he believed, that God was to be Worshipped; and what he thought of Jesus Christ.

Longinianus answers St. Augustin in the 234th. Letter; and saith, according to Plato's Princi∣ples, That the way to come to God, is to live Well, and to get the Favour of the inferior Gods by Propitiatory Sacrifices, that we may come to the Supreme Creatour. As for Jesus Christ, he answereth, That he can say nothing of him, because he knew him not.

St. Augustin desireth Longinianus to explain himself about what he had said, That the Way to come to God was to live Well, and to purifie our Selves by Expiations and Sacrifices; he asketh him, Whether it be the same Thing, or Two different Things. This is in the 235th Letter.

By the 236th. he gives Deuterius notice, That he had degraded, and expelled a Deacon, one Victorinus, convicted of being a Manichee, though he was but a Hearer among them, and not one of those they call Elect. He speaks of the difference which they made betwixt those Two sorts of Persons; and he speaks of their principal Errours.

In the 237th. Letter, he opposes the Dreams of the Manichees, and Priscillianists, concern∣ing the Apocryphal Books; and ridicules the phantastical Interpretations, which they made of the Canonical Books.

The 238th. is a Relation of a Conference that St. Augustin had about the Mystery of the Trinity, with an Arian, called Pascentius. The Three following Letters directed to this Arian, carry on the same Dispute.

The 242d. is also written to Elpidius, an Arian, to whom he showeth, That the Son of God is equal to his Father.

In the 243d. St. Augustin exhorts Laetus, who having quitted the World, was tempted to return to it: He exhorts him, I say, to persevere in his former Resolution; and not to suffer his tenderness for his Relations, to weaken his Courage. He shews, in this Letter, That the renouncing of all Things to follow Christ, ought to proceed so far, as to leave Father and Mother, to serve God.

The 244th. is a Letter of Consolation to Chrysinus, for a Loss which he had su∣stained.

In the 245th. to Possidius, St. Augustin speaks, with great moderation, of Women's Dresses: He thinks, That fine Cloaths ought not to be forbidden to Married Women, who are obliged to please their Husbands; but he would not have them Paint, or Wash, to make them appear fairer, or fresher, because it is not probable, that their Husbands should desire to be thus de∣ceived; for the true Ornament of Christians, of both Sexes, is neither deceitful Painting, nor Gold, nor precious Stuffs, but Purity of Manners. Lastly, he prohibits those Superstitious Dres∣sings, which they used to render a kind of Homage to Daemons. He tells Possidius, That he would not advise him to ordain a Man that had been Baptized among the Donatists.

The 246th. Letter to Lampadius, is against those who accuse Fate for the Faults which they commit themselves.

By the 247th. Letter, St. Augustin reproves one Romulus, a Rich Man, that would make his Debtors to pay twice; pretending, That they had pay'd his Receiver in his Wrong.

The 248th. to Sebastianus, is concerning that Sorrow which affects the Righteous, because of the impiety of the Wicked.

In the 249th. St. Augustin Comforteth Restitutus the Deacon, who could hardly bear with the Disorders of ill Christians; and instructs him to keep Peace with the Wicked.

The 250th. Letter is very considerable. There St. Augustin resolveth a very nice Question: Whether a whole Family, or Community, may be Excommunicated for the Sin of one Mem∣ber. It is directed to a young Bishop, called Auxilius, who had Excommunicated one Classi∣cianus, with his whole Family, because he came to the Church to demand certain Persons who had taken Sanctuary there, after he had, by a false Oath, profaned the Sanctity of the Go∣spel. He asks that Bishop, VVhat Reason he could have for so doing; and how the Son can be Excommunicated for the Father's Sin, the VVife for her Husband's, and the Servant for

his Master's, yea the Children that are yet unborn: Excommunication being not a Punish∣ment which falls upon the Body, but an Effect of the Power given to Christ's Ministers, to bind and to loose, which properly concerns the Soul. St. Augustin confesses, That this Bishop might ground his Proceeding upon the Example of some great Bishops, who had Anathema∣tized whole Families for one particular Person's Sin. But he affirms, That they could hardly justifie their Action, and that he never durst do it himself. Yet he addeth, rather in Jest, than Earnest, that he is ready to hear his Reasons,

Your Youth (saith he) and the shortness of the time that you have been Bishop, will not hinder me from hearing your Reasons. I am ready to learn of you, how young soever you be; though the Grey Heirs that I wear, and all the Experience I may have got by those many Years that I have been Bishop, give me some small Authority over you.

After that, he Aggravates the Injustice of that Pretence which might prove the Loss of a Soul for want of Baptism, through the Impossibility to which the Sentence of Excommunication reduced those that were Excommunicated, from having recourse to the Sacraments. Wherefore he exhorteth Auxilius to revoke a Sentence, wherein Anger had a greater share than Justice; and so much the rather, because he, against whom it was pronoun∣ced, had no ways deserved it.

In the next Letter, St. Augustin sendeth Word to Classicianus, That he will propose that Question in a Council; that he was much concerned at Auxilius his Behaviour, especially because it might happen, that some might die without Baptism; that he will also cause to be examined there, if need be, this Question; Whether those ought not to be Excommunicated who deal unfaithfully with their Securities; and that, if it should be requisite, he would write to the See of Rome about it, that so what was to be done in such Occasions, might be settled with general Consent. But he sticks not to affirm,

That an unjust Excommunication is of great∣er Prejudice to him that pronounces it, than to him against whom it is pronounced; for∣asmuch as the Holy Ghost, who dwelleth in the Saints, never puts any to Pain who deserves it not: For if Charity is neither rash, nor hasty, What shall we say of him that diffuseth it into our Hearts?

The 251st. Letter was written by St. Augustin to Pancarius, concerning one Secundinus a Priest, that was accused before him. He tells Pancarius, That he will receive the Accusa∣tions of Catholicks, but not of Hereticks; and prays him not to suffer any Disorder to be committed in that Priest's House.

The Four following Letters were written about a Virgin that was an Orphan, who was com∣mitted to the Church's Trust. St. Augustin declares, in these Letters, That he takes all the Care of her that may be; and that he will not marry her, without her consent, to a Catholick; and that he was looking out for an advantageous Match for her.

The 256th. is an Answer of St. Augustin's to Christinus, who desired, That he would write to him, to exhort him to give himself to God.

The 257th. is a Letter of Complement to Orontius.

In the 258th. he Congratulates Martianus for being a Catechumen, exhorting him speedily to receive Baptism.

The 259th. was written to reclaim a very lewd Man, one Cornelius, from his evil Way; and adviseth him to imitate his Wife, who lately deceased; upon whom St. Augustin promiseth to write a Panegyrick, if he will follow her Vertue.

By the next, Audax desireth St. Augustin to write longer than he used to do, and concludes with Four Verses in his Commendation. St. Augustin excuseth himself for his great Business, advising him to read his Works, and to come and see him. That's the Subject of the 261st. Letter.

In the 262d. St. Augustin reproves one Ecdicia, a Lady, severely; who (unknown to her Husband, whom she had brought to consent to live in Continence with her) had distributed his whole Estate to the Poor, and put on a Widow's Habit. He enjoyns her to make her Hus∣band Satisfaction; who, out of Anger for his Wife's Behaviour, lived disorderly. This Let∣ter is full of excellent Instructions for married Wives, teaching them not to give their Husbands any occasion of Discontent, by indiscreet Devotion.

The 263d. is a Letter of Consolation to Sapida; who having wrought a Garment for her Brother Timothy, and he dying, desired, for her Comfort, that St. Augustin would wear it. St. Augustin thanks her; but wishes her to seek in the Scripture some more solid Conso∣lations.

In the 264th. he comforteth a Lady called Maxima, who beheld with Grief, and Disturbance, her Country infected with Errors.

The 265th. to Seleuciana, is a Refutation of the Enthusiastical Notions of a certain Novati∣an, concerning Baptism, and St. Peter's Repentance. He affirmeth, in the First place, That St. Peter was Baptized as well as the other Apostles: That it is an Errour to say, That he had not received the Baptism of Water before his Sin, though he had not yet received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost; yea, he thinks it probable, That the Apostles were Baptized by Christ him∣self. He saith, Secondly, That when it is said, that St. Peter did Penance, we are not to think that he did as they do in the Church, who are properly called Penitents. Thirdly, he distin∣guishes Two sorts of Penance, that which goeth before Baptism, and that which cometh after; when after Baptism Men have committed any of those Sins, for which they ought to be Excom∣municated,

and cut off from the Altar, after which they are reconciled if they deserve it: And this sort is the Penance of those to whom is properly given in the Church the Name of Peni∣tents. Besides these two sorts, They admit also a daily Penance of those very Faithful, that live in Piety and Humility; whereby they Petition, and obtain the forgiveness of light, but Customary Sins, which Humane Frailty makes us fall into; and which, saith he, we ought to expiate continually, l••st we be over-whelmed with their Number.

In the 266th. Letter, St. Augustin offers to Florentina, a Virgin, to explain all the Difficulties which she should desire to have cleared.

The 267th. is a Pious Letter to Fabiola; wherein he rejoyceth, because she bore the Exile of this Life with difficulty.

St. Augustin having borrowed a Sum of Money to pay the Debt of one Fascius, who retired into the Church, being pursued by his Creditors; intreateth his People in the 268th. Letter, to make a Gathering, that he might repay that Summ.

By the 269th. St. Augustin intreateth Bishop Nobilius to excuse him, because he could not be present at the Consecration of a new Church, to which that Bishop had invited him.

The last, is a Letter directed to St. Augustin, but the Author of it is not known. By it, he that wrote it, complaineth to St. Augustin, That he had not met him with Bishop Severus in the City of Leges, where he hoped to find him.

To these Letters, we ought to add the Fragment of a Letter of St. Augustin to Maximus, which the Benedictines have taken out of Primasius his Commentary upon the Revelations, and placed at the latter end of the Second Tome in their Edition. This Fragment contains several Rules concerning the degrees of Christian Perfection.

It is manifest by these Extracts from St. Augustin's Letters, That they are an inexhaustible Spring of Principles, Rules, Precepts and Maxims upon the Articles of our Faith, and the Disci∣pline of the Church upon Christian Morals, and the Government of Life: For which Reason, I insisted the longer upon them, and drew the Extracts at large, there being hardly one that deserves not particular Attention, and where there is not some fine stroke to be taken notice of. I intend to discourse more briefly of the rest of this Father's Works.

The Addition of Spurious Pieces annexed to this Volume, is not very large.

There are at first Thirteen Letters or Notes under the Names of St. Augustin to Boniface, and of Boniface to St. Augustin; containing several Passages taken out of St. Augustin's Genuine Let∣ters, and several things may be observed, which do not agree with the History of that time: They are composed by one who had a mind to exercise his Pen with that Fiction.

We need not speak here of Pelagius his Letter to Demetrias, which is after these to Boniface.

The two next, whereof the one is entituled, St. Cyril of Jerusalem's Letter to St. Augustin concerning the Vertues of St. Jerom: And the other, St. Augustin's Answer to St. Cyril about St. Jerom's Miracles; discover their Imposture by their very Title; as is observed, in another place; since St. Cyril of Jerusalem died long before St. Jerom.

Lastly, St. Augustin's Dispute with Pascentius, that was formerly placed among the Letters, Number 178. is very rightly placed by the Benedictines among the Spurious Books. It is certain by the 238th. Letter, That St. Augustin had a Conference with Pascentius; but nothing like that which is mentioned in this Letter. For he observes, 1. That he could not obtain, that what was said on both sides, should be committed to Writing, but every thing is written in this Confe∣rence and inserted into the Publick Acts. In the former, no body Presided; in this, there is a Judge called Laurentius. That whereof St. Augustin speaks, was held at Carthage; This is supposed to have been at Hippo. Both Possidius and St. Augustin mention one Conference with Pascentius; but this supposeth that they had had a Dispute before. The Character of both the Persons introduced speaking in this, is nothing like either St. Augustin's or Pascentius's. This is but a cold Dispute, and there is little said to the purpose. The Answers made for St. Augustin are weak, and the Objections attributed to Pascentius, have nothing of that Fire and Rage which Possidius taxeth him with. The Stile of those Answers, supposed to be St. Augustin's, comes not near that of this Saint, either in his Letters or in his Conferences. There are terms and man∣ners of Expression, which he never used, and which do not belong to that time. In a word, This Treatise is found in no Manuscripts annexed to St. Augustin's Works or Letters. These Rea∣sons sufficiently prove, That this Work is not a Conference which St. Augustin really had with Pascentius, but a Dialogue composed by some other Author. Now we know none to whom it may be more properly ascribed, than to Vigilius Tapsensis, who composed several Dialogues of that sort under the Names of several great Men.