Sainct Austines religion collected from his owne writinges & from the confessio[n]s of the learned Protestants, whereby is sufficiently proued and made knowen the like answearable doctrine of the other more auncient fathers of the primitiue church / written by Iohn Brereley.

(h)S. Austin teacheth that Christ suf∣fered not according to his diuine na∣ture; nor according to the same was Preist, or offered sacrifice, or was mediator: and that from his natiuity he was free from ignorance, and; after his death descen∣ded into hel: and that his body by Gods om∣nipotency may be without circum∣scription. SECTION. 3.

SVinglius,(a) and Hospinian, do confesse of Luther, &(b) Beza, of Musculus, and Islebius, that they al of them teach that, Christ suffered according to his diuine nature: But S. Austin condemneth this blasphemous opinion for heresie saying,(c) there is an heresy that saith Christes diuinty

to haue suffered when his flesh was fast∣ned vpon the Crosse.

M. Iewel, and M. Fulke, with others houlding that,(d) Christ ac∣cording to his diuinity, was his Fathers Preist, and offered sacrifice. S. Austin opposeth him selfe to the contrary teaching that(e) according to that he is God, he is not a Preist, but a Preist for his flesh assumpted; In so much as he withal further teacheth against our aduersaries, as the Centuristes say of him,(f) Austin seemeth to attribute to Christ the office of mediator onely according to his humane nature, for so he saith, in as much as he is man he is mediator, but in as much as he is the word, he is not mediator, because he is equal to God▪ & the like(g) sayings are frequent in him in sundry other places.

In like manner whereas Prote∣stantes(h) teach that Christ was not from his natiuity free from ig∣norance, but receiued dayly increase

of knowledge by education. D. Sutliue hereupon vrging that(i) If Christ as man by the vnion (with the Godhead) be omniscient, why is he not also omnipotent and present in al places? S. Austin to the contrary saith(k) which ignorance I can by no meanes be∣leeue to haue beene in that Infant in which the word is made flesh &c. nei∣ther can I imagin that infirmity of the minde to haue beene in Christ a child which we see to be in Children &c. A saying so pregnat that(l) Danaeus answearing thereto confesseth that, Austin. l. 2. c. 29. de pec. mer. et remis. denyeth Christ to haue taken childrens infirmities and ignorance: which to be false (with leaue of so great a man) I haue showed before, saith he. But yet with S. Austin agreeth S.(m) Gregory, who condemneth this opinion as nouel in the Heretickes who were thereupon tearmed Agno∣itae. And with both S. Austin, and S. Gregory, agree also(n) Eusebius, S.(o) Ambrose, and S. (p) Hierome.

Concerning Christes descending into

hel after his death,(p) denyed by D.(q) Willet, D. Fulke, M.(r) Car∣••il, and many others. S. Austin to the contrary expresly teacheth that Christ was(s) in hel according to his soule, but in the graue according to his flesh. And further demaundeth(t) who but an infidel wil deny Christ to haue beene in hel. To which purpose and sense he is so vnderstood and alled∣ged by D.(u) Bilson and other Pro∣testant writers.

Concerning the possibility of our Sauiours body to be without circum∣scriptiō, Protestants in their transla∣tions of his bookes(x) de ciuitate Dei, (directly against the Caluinistes(y) opinion) do alledge S. Austin as reprouing those that wil not be∣leeue that Iesus Christ was borne with∣out interruption of the virginal partes, nor passed into his Apostles when the doares were shut. Of which last point him selfe affirmeth that(z) Christ brought his body through the doares

that were shut: Saying further also hereof, If reason here be expected, it were not miraculous, if example, it were not si••gular. In so much that wher∣as Iouinian then obiected this scruple of our B. Ladies virginity (as our aduersaries do now obiect the scruple of like incircumscription in the sacrament) to be against the truth of his humane and natural bo∣dy, S. Austin for him selfe and vs, answeareth and confuteth Iouinian herein, saying,(a) This also did Ioui∣nian in the name and sinne of the Mani∣chees, denying the virginity of holy Ma∣ry, which was while she conceiued, to haue remained when she brought forth, as though we beleeued with the Ma∣nichees Christ to be a phantasie, if we affirmed him to be borne, his mothers virginity not corrupted, but &c. The Catholickes haue despised this sharpest argument which Iouinian produced, and they neither beleeue holy Mary by brin∣ging forth to haue bene corrupted, nor our Lord to haue bene a phantasy, but that she remained a virgin after the birth,

and of her notwithstanding the true body of Christ to haue bene borne. And that Iouinians denyal of our Ladies virgi∣nity consisted in this very point, it is confessed by(b) Danaeus. yea this doctrine is so clearely S. Au∣stines, that the Protestant Rungius acknowledgeth the same in these wordes,(c) as Austin concerning the entrance of Christ through the doares shut, with reuerence said, let vs graunt that God can do some thing, which we confesse we cannot finde out; Let waight and manner cease for a time &c.

Notes

• (h)

  l. 1. ep. p. 290.
• (a)

  Tom. 2. in resp. ad confes. Lutheri. fol. 458. Hosp. hist. sacram. part. 2. fol. 57. et 76.
• (b)

  In epist. theol. ep. 60. p. 185.
• (c)

  Tom. 6. de Haeresi. ad quod vult De∣um. Haer. 73. initio. And see Tom. 3. dea∣gone Christia∣no. c. 23. et tom. 2. ep. 102. ad Euo∣ditum et tom. ••0. de tempo. ••••. serm. 191.
• (d)

  Fulks retentiue p. 89. and his confut. of the Papistes quar∣rels, p. 64. 65. And against the Rhem. Test. in Heb. 5. v. 6. sec. 4. fol. 399.
• (e)

  Tom. 8. in Psal. 109. v. 4. multo post med.
• (f)

  Cent. 5. col. 496. et Aug. Tom. 1. l. 10. confes. c. 43. prope initium.
• (g)

  Tom. 2. ep. 59. ad Pauli∣num. circa med. Tom 3. l. 1. de Trinit. c. 7. ante med. Tom. 6. l. 16. cont. Faust. c. 15. et tom. 9. in Iohn. tract. 82. prope fin.
• (h)

  Wil∣let in Synop∣fis. p. 599. et 600.
• (i)

  Examination of Kellisons Suruey. p. 55.
• (k)

  Tom. 7. l. 2. de pec. mer. et remis. c. 29.
• (l)

  Resp. ad Bel∣lar. ad 2. con∣trouers. c. 1. p. 145. & sec. p. 249.
• (m)

  Lib. 8. ep. 42.
• (n)

  Lib. 10. de∣monst. Euang. c. vlt.
• (o)

  Lib. 5. de fi∣de, c, 8.
• (p)

  In c. 11. Isaiae.
• (q)

  In his limb••. mastix. & Fulke in Wil∣lets sinopsis p. 605. 606.
• (r)

  In his booke, that Christ descen∣ded not into hel.
• (s)

  Tom. 2. ep. 57. ad Darda∣num. solut. 1. quaest. post. init.
• (t)

  Tom. 2. epist. 99. ad Euodi∣um. post init. & tom. 10. serm. 137. de tempore.
• (u)

  Suruey of Christs suffe∣rings. p. 626. 598. 599. A∣retius, loc. com. p. 53.
• (x)

  l. 22. c. 8. p. 888.
• (y)

  Fulke against the Rhemish Test. in Ioan. 20. 19. sec. 2.
• (z)

  Tom. 2. ep. 3. ad vo∣lus. paulo ante med.
• (a)

  Tom. 7. con∣tra Iul. Pelag. l. 1. c. 2. post med.
• (b)

  De Haeresibus. c. 82. fol. 233. and see the Centurists. cent. 4. c. 5. col. 381.
• (c)

  In disput. 11. ex ep. ad Cor. 2. fol. 83. & Thes. 30.