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.

JULIANUS POMERIUS.

JUlianus Pomerius, a Native of Mauritania, and Ordained a Priest in France, lived about the end of the fifth Age. He composed a Treatise by way of Dialogue between Julian a Bi∣shop, * 1.1 and Verus a Priest, * 1.2 about the Nature and Qualities of the Soul, divided into eight Books. In the first he tells us, what the Soul is, and in what sense it is said to be made in the Image of God. In the second he examines whether it be Corporeal, or Incorporeal. In the third, he enquires how the Soul of the first Man was made. In the fourth, he discusses this Question, Whether the Soul, which is about to be infused into the Body, be created anew, and without Sin, or whether it be generated by the Soul of the Parent? And whether being so de∣rived by Propagation from the Soul of the first Man, it draws Original Sin from him? The fifth contains a short repetition of the Matters treated on in the fourth, with some Questions and Distinctions, such as this, Whether the Faculty, or Power of the Soul depends only on the Will? The sixth, inquires, From whence proceeds the Opposition between the Flesh and the Spirit, spo∣ken of by St. Paul. The seventh is about the difference between the Life, and Death, and Re∣surrection of the Flesh and Soul. The eighth, explains the Prophesies concerning such things as shall happen at the end of the World, and contains an Explication of some Questions proposed about the Resurrection. This Treatise is very Logical and Metaphysical, it teaches us, as Ter∣tullian had done before, That the Soul is Corporeal.

This Author hath written another Treatise, dedicated to a Person named Principius, about the contempt of Worldly Things; as also a Book of Instructions for Virgins: Three Books * 1.3 of the contemplative, and active Life; and another Treatise of Virtues and Vices. This is all that is spoken of this Author by Gennadius and Isidore in their Catalogues of Ecclesiastical Writers.

We have none of these Works but his three Books of the Contemplative Life, which have been † 1.4 printed among S. Prosper's Works, under whose Name they have been commonly quoted for above 800. Years, but the disagreement of Style proves that they are not his, and the Testimo∣nies of the two Catalogues above-mentioned oblige us to attribute them to Julianus Pomerius, un∣der whose Name they are found in several MSS. We have long since cited an ancient MS. of M. De Montchal Archbishop of Toulouse.

F. Quesnel hath added another MS. in the Abby of Trappe; and we have heard, that there is a very ancient one in the Library of the Chapter-House of Beauvais; where these three Books of a Contemplative Life bear the Name of Julian Pomerius, the true Author of them. In the first Book, having described the Happiness of the Saints, who enjoy the full Contemplation of the Godhead in Heaven, which the most Holy Men never have had in this Life, and shewed the difference between a Contemplative and Active Life, he exhorts the Bishops and Priests to betake themselves to a Contemplative Life, sequestring themselves from the Affairs, and Business of the World, and applying themselves wholly to the Study of Holy Scripture. This gives him an Oc∣casion to write against those Bishops,

whose greatest care it was to increase their Estates and Dig∣nities; Who placed their only Felicity in the enjoyment of Worldly Pleasurés; Who seek their own Glory more than Jesus Christs; Who have greater care of their Honour, than Conscience; and who place nothing of their Happiness in the hopes of the good things of another Life.

He ex∣cuses himself here, that he undertakes to publish the Irregularities of his Superiours, but still goes on speaking smartly against ignorant and vicious Bishops,

who neglēcted the Care of their Flock; Who are not at all troubled at the Crimes which they see committed by Sinners, nor pleased with the good Actions done in their Diocess; Who are very little affected with the sense of good or evil; Who are filled with the love of the World, living in Pleasures and Debauche∣ries, transported with Ambition, full of Injustice; dare not preach up contempt of the World, Temperance, a solitary Life, Meekness, Charity, Justice, nor other Christian Virtues, which they themselves do not practise. In the next place he shews, That it is not allowable for a Bi∣shop to leave his Church to acquire his own Ease, or to live at Liberty; that he ought to reform his Life, and become an Example to his Flock, instructing them as well by his Manners as his Words; that he is obliged to reprove Sinners severely. Lastly, he gives a Description of a good and wicked Bishop and Preacher.

He describes a wicked Bishop in this manner:

He is One that seeks after Honours, Prefer∣ments, and Riches, not that he may put them to a good use, but that he may live more at his Ease, be more honoured, feared and respected; Who chiefly aims to gratifie his Passions, con∣firm his Authority, enrich himself, and enjoy his Pleasures; Who avoids the laborious and de∣spisable parts of his Office, but is rejoyced at the pleasant and honourable; Who tolerates Vice, and Honours Sinners with his Friendship; yea, applauds their Crimes for fear of offending them.

To these Bishops he applies the words of the Prophet Ezekiel, Chap. 34. Wo to the Shepherds of Israel, &c. He directs, I say, these terrible words of the Prophet to these Bishops,

who have no care of their Flock; who think upon nothing but how to get the Milk, and the Wool; that is to

say, the Oblations and Tythes, with which they enrich themselves; Who do not cure the Sick, nor strengthen the Weak, nor bring back the stray Sheep into the Ways of Salvation; Who seek not those that are lost, as good Shepherds ought to do, nor comfort those that despair of the Pardon of their Sins; Who never shew their Authority unless it be in domine••r••••g tyranni∣cally over their People, &c.

On the contrary, he draws the Character of such good Bishops, as the Doctrine of the Apostles requires them to be, thus;

They are such as convert Sinners to God by their Preaching and Example; Are very humble, and free from Pride and Imperiousness; Who treat alliche Mem∣bers of their Flock with the same Love and Kindness; Who heal the Wounds of their sick People with mild, but effectual Remedies; Who bear with the Incurable patiently; Who in their Preaching seek not their own Glory, but the Glory of Jesus Christ; Who employ not their Dis∣courses and Actions to obtain Favour, or Thanks of Men, but who give God all the Honour that they bestow on them, because it is he that lives, and preaches in the Bishops; Who avoid Praises and Commendations; Who comfort the Afflicted, nourish the Poor, cloathe the Naked, redeem Captives, lodge Strangers; Who bring those that err into the way of Truth; Promise Salvation to those that despair; Quicken the Zeal of those who are going in the right way; Hasten those that linger; And who, lastly, discharge well all the Functions of their Ministry. These are the true Successors of the Apostles, the true Ministers of Jesus Christ and his Church, the Oracles of the Holy Spirit; Such Pastors as these appease the Anger of God against his Peo∣ple, and instruct the People in the Knowledge of God. They defend the Faith of the Church by their Writings, and are ready to seal it with their Blood. Lastly, They hold themselves fast to God only, in whom alone they put their trust.

The difference between a good and a bad Preacher he thus lays down:

The Life of a Preacher of Jesus Christ ought to be answerable to his Doctrine; He ought to Preach as well by his Man∣ners as Words; He ought not to raise his own Esteem by an Affectation of Eloquence, or pla∣cing his chiefest care in the Elegancy of his Expressions. He must not seek ••o please the People, nor gain himself Applauses from them, but his main aim is to affect them, and convert them, He must weep himself if he will make his Auditors to weep. A plain, grave, and easie Dis∣course will work better effect than the most studied and curious pieces of Eloquence. There is a great deal of difference between a Declaimer and a Preacher: A Declaimer useth the utmost strength of his Eloquence to gain Reputation; The Preacher seeks the Glory of Jesus Christ by explaining his Doctrine in a familiar Discourse. The Declaimer handles trifling Matters with choice and curious Words; The Preacher on the contrary elevates the plainness of his Discourse by the Nobleness and Grandeur of the Sense. The Declaimer endeavours to hide the Deformity of his Invention by the Fineness of his Discourse; but the Preacher mollifies and sweetens the harshness of his Words by the Beauty of his Notions: The one places all his Honour in the ap∣plause of the People, and the other in their Virtue. The Declaimer speaks plausibly, but his Speech is fruitless: The Preacher makes use of an ordinary Discourse, but he instructs those that will attend to it, because he corrupts not his Reason with the affectation of seeming Elo∣quence.

The second Book is about the Duties of an Active Life. The Author therein explains, how we must reprove, and bear with Sinners. He affirms that the most Holy Bishops are sometimes forced to tolerate Sinners, either because they foresee that Reproofs and Chastisements will but harden them, or because their Sins are hid. As to those, who come to confess their Sins to your Pastors, as Sick-Men come to shew their Wounds to the Physicians, they should labour to cure them immediately, and apply fit Remedies to them without flattering them, or assuring them that they are cured, when they are not. As to those whose Crimes are manifest before Confession, if we cannot heal them by gentle Medicines, we must apply to them the Fire of Reproof; and if that effect nothing, but they continue in their irregular Lives, they must be separated by the Sword of Excommunication as putrified Members, lest they corrupt others by theia evil example: But as to those, whose Sins are altogether secret, being neither discovered by the Confession of the Sinners themselves, nor the Testimony of others, if they do not amend, as they have God for a Witness, so also they shall have God for their Avenger. For though they may escape the Judg∣ment of Men, yet since they continue in their Sin, they shall be condemned to Eternal Torments, at least if they do not judge themselves, and revenge their Sin upon themselves by a very severe Punishment, for so they may change Eternal into Temporal Punishments, and by the Tears which flow from a wounded Heart, extinguish the burning of Eternal Flames. Lastly, As to those who are in the Ecclesiastick State, they are mistaken, if they imagine, that they may remain in the Communion of the Church, and in their Ministry, because they deceive Men by concealing their Sins, because unless they be such small Sins as we cannot avoid, and for which we daily beg of God in the Lords Prayer, That he would forgive us our Debts, they ought to be free from all such Crimes as being committed render Men obnoxious to Civil Justice: That as to those that have committed them, but dare not confess them for fear of being Excommunicated, they are guilty of a great fault in Communicating, because they feign themselves innocent before Men, and through an intolerable contempt of the Judgments of God, are ashamed to withdraw themselves from the Altar. On the contrary, they, who not being convicted of Sin, do acknowledge and confess it, or at least, not discovering it to any Man, keep themselves from the Sacrament, and withdraw themselves

from the Altar, at which they Ministred, not out of Courage, but Duty, bewailing their Sin in Secret, they may reconcile themselves to God by Repentance, appease his Anger, and render them∣selves worthy of the Heavenly City, and of Eternal Happiness.

In the next place, the Author goes on to shew how loose Bishops ought to be from the desires of Worldly Riches. He maintains, that those that enter into the Clergy, ought to renounce their Estates, fell all, and give to the Poor, contenting themselves with the Revenues of the Church, which they ought not to possess as their own, being only properly the Managers of them; That they ought to think the Revenues of the Church to be the Vows of the Faithful, the atonement for Sins, and the Patrimony of the Poor. So that they ought not to appropriate them to themselves, as properly belonging to them, but to distribute them to the Poor, as a Trust belonging to them; That the Ministers of the Church have no right to them, but under the title of Poverty, and if they are Rich otherwise, and yet live of the Revenues of the Church, they rob the Poor; That they, who suppose, that these Revenues of the Church are a reward for their Service, deceive themselves by expecting Temporal Rewards for that, which deserves Eternal; That those, who have an Estate, ought to be so far from living at the Charge of the Church, that they ought to impart their Incomes to the Church, without being in the least proud of it.

These Precepts, saith our Author, may appear hard. And I own it, but 'tis to them that have no mind to observe them, for to those that are willing to keep them, nothing is more easie, for practise will soon make them so: for what difficulty is there in contenting themselves with the Revenues of the Church, when they have enough to maintain them, or to forsake their own Estates, when the Church allows them a sufficient maintenance?

These are indeed good Rules, but very rarely put in practise. Julian Pomerius confirms them, by shewing how all Christians, but principally Clergy-men, ought to despise Riches.

The last part of this Book is concerning the Abstinence and Temperance of the Clergy. He shews how necessary this Virtue is, and how dangerous the contrary Vice. He makes Tempe∣rance to consist in two things, viz. in neither Eating, nor Drinking more than is necessary, and in not seeking out exquisite Dainties and Liquors. He tells us at the end, that we must break our Fast for our Hosts sake.

The last Book treats of Virtues and Vices in particular. He therein discovers the pernicious effects of Pride, Covetousness, Envy, and Boasting. He speaks very largely of Charity, of the four Cardinal Virtues, Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude, and Justice. This Book is full of de∣finitions, and divisions of Virtues and Vices, Natural descriptions of them, and very profitable Maxims.

The Discourse of this Author is not excellent for the Elegancy of the Expressions, but for the acuteness and neatness of the Notions.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Julianus Pomerius.
• * 1.2

  Dr. Cave takes them for an A∣bridgment of Neme∣sius's 8 Books Dé Animâ.
• * 1.3

  De vitâ contem∣plativâ, si∣ve de fu∣turae Vi∣tae con∣templa∣tione, Vel, de actuali conver∣satione. Dr. Cave.
• † 1.4

  They were also printed alone un∣der Pro∣sper's Name at Colen in 1536. 8••. and be∣fore in 1487.