The Doctrine of the Saints' Perseverance

I am not (as I said) wholly of his mind, partly upon the account of the observations made by his fellow Jesuit out of Austin, before mentioned, partly upon other accounts also. Upon these and the like Considerations, much I presume to the business in hand, will not be produced on either side, from the Fathers that wrote before the Rise of the Pelagian Heresy. And if any one of the parties at this day litigant about the Doctrines of the Grace of God, should give that advise, that Sisinniuss and Agellius the Novatians sometimes gave, as Zozomen reports of them. (Hist. Eccles lib. 7. cap. 12) to Nectarius by him communicated to the Emperor Theodosius, to have the quarrel decided by those that wrote before the Rise of the Controversy, as it would be unreasonable in it self, so I persuade my self neither party would accept of the conditions, neither had the Catholics of those days, got any thing, if they had attended to the advise of those Novatians. But these few observations premised, something as to particular Testimonies, may be attended unto.

I am not (as I said) wholy of his mind, partly upon the account of the observations made by his fellow Jesuite out of Austin, before mentioned, partly upon other accounts also. Upon these and the like Considerations, much I presume to the buisness in hand, will not be produced on either side, from the Fathers that wrote before the Rise of the Pelagian Heresy. And if any one of the parties at this day litigant about the Doctrines of the Grace of God, should give that advise, that Sisinniuss and Agellius the Novatians somtimes gave, as Zozomen reports of them. (Hist. Eccles lib. 7. cap. 12) to Nectarius by him communicated to the Emperor Theodosius, to have the quarrel decided by those that wrote before the Rise of the Controversy, as it would be unreasonable in it selfe, so I perswade my selfe neither party would accept of the conditions, neither had the Catholicks of those dayes, got any thing, if they had attended to the advise of those Novatians. But these few observations premised, something as to particular Testimonies, may be attended unto.

That we may proceed in some order, not leaving those we have nothing to say to, nor are willing to examine, whilst they are but thin, and come not in troops, unsaluted; The first writings that are imposed on us after the Comical Scriptures, are the eight books of Clement, commonly called the Apostles constitutions, being pretended to be written by him at their appointment, with the Canons ascribed to the same persons. These we shall but salute: for besides that they are faintly defended by any of the Papists, disavowed and disclaimed as Apocryphal, by the most learned of them, as Bellarmine de script: Eccles. in Clem: who approves only of 50. Canons: of 85 Baronius An. Dm. 102. 14: who adds 30 more, and Binius with a little enlargement of Canons, in Tit. Can. T. 1. Con. pi. 17: and have been throughly disproved and decried by all Protestant writers, that have had any occasion to deal with them, their folly and falsity, their impostures and triflings, have of late been so fully manifested by Dallaeus de pseudepigrapis Apostol. that nothing need be added thereunto. Of him may Doctor H. H. learn the Truth of that Insinuation of his, dissert. de Episcop. dis. 2da cap 6. Sect. 3. Canone Apostolico secundo (semper inter genuinos habito:) but of the confidence of this Author in his Assertions afterwards: This indeed (insisted on by Daellaus, and the Learned Usher in his notes upon Ignatius) is childishly ridiculous in them, that whereas it is pretended that these constitutions were made at a convention of the Apostles, as l. 6. c. 14, they are brought in discoursing, [Greek or Hebrew] &c. They they are made to inform ns lib. 2. cap. 57. That the Acts written by Luke and read in the Churches are theirs, and the four books of the Gospel. Whereas the story of the death of James (here said to be together with the Apostles) is related