ON PRESCRIPTION AGAINST HERETICS. DE HÆR. [The whole tenor of the "de Præseriptione Hæreticorum" certainly is such, as makes it difficult to think that it could have been written by one, who had himself separated from the Church. The force of this argument can hardly be represented by particular expressions; the colour east over the whole is a yet stronger indication. Besides this general ground, however, there is the distinct declaration that the promise of the Comforter was fulfilled at the day of Pentecost, and so, that no further revelation was to be expected, (c. 22.) which is directly opposed to Montanism. Certainly the language here and in the Monog. c. 2. is very different: here, he says, "The Lord had indeed once said, I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now,' yet when He adds, When He, the Spirit of truth, shall come, He shall lead you into all truth,' He shews that they were ignorant of nothing who He promised should attain all truth through the Spirit of truth, and accordingly He fulfilled the promise, the Acts of the Apostles proving the descent of the Holy Spirit:" there, "Is it admissible that the Paraclete should have taught any thing which can either be accounted new against Catholic tradition, or burthensome against the light load of the Lord? The Lord Himself has pronounced as to both. For when He says, 'I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now; when the Holy Spirit shall come, He shall lead you into all truth,' He sufficiently sets forth that He will guide to things which may both be accounted new, as never before published, and in a degree burthensome, as being on that account not published.-The Paraclete, having many things to teach, which the Lord deferred for Him, as before defined," &c. Tertullian makes out his consistency to himself, in that as a Montanist, he still contended that the "rule of faith" is to be retained, that the Paraclete would teach nothing against it, and that the heretical and "opposed spirit appears from the difference of teaching, first adulterating the rule of faith, and so the order of discipline." But it still remains, that quoting the same two texts, he here, without any restriction, declares them to have been completely fulfilled at the Day of Pentecost, while, as a Montanist, he looks chiefly to a fulfilment after two hundred years, in his own time. 2) Then, he does not argue simply from the priority of Catholic truth, but appeals to it, as embodied in the Church, and adduces the Apostolic succession in proof of it. (c. 20. 26-30. 32. 36. 37.) He would hardly have framed his rule thus, when he had declared against the Church. 3) Then, he so connects revelation with the Incarnation as to require that they who claimed to be instruments of a fresh revelation, should shew that our Lord had again been manifest in the flesh, and had conferred on them power to work the same miracles as Himself; (c. 30.) yet Montanus did not claim to work miracles, only to have ecstatic visions. 4) Again, he here explains the continued office of the Holy Ghost, as "Christi Vicarius," to be to retain the truth which He had taught through the Apostles (c. 28.) in the de Virg. Vel. c. 1. using the same title, he declares it to be, gradually to enlarge the truth so delivered. "Since the Lord therefore sent the Comforter, that inasmuch as human infirmity could not receive all things at once, the discipline might gradually be guided and ordered and brought to perfection by that Vicegerent of the Lord, The Holy Spirit." Seductive power of heresy not to be wondered at. 435 5) It is remarked (Bp. Kaye's Tertullian, p. 51.) that "some mention of the Paraclete would probably have been introduced into the short summary of the faith given, c. 13. as is the case in the de Virg. Vel. c. 1." Whereas the mention here is only of the ordinary guidance of believers, ("He sent the vicarious power of the Holy Spirit, who should lead believers;") there he speaks only of His developing guidance of the Church. 6) It is supposed that S. Augustine refers to the Appendix to this book, (adv. omnes Hæreses, c. 52.) "Tertullian went over to the Phrygians whom he had before overthrown." (de Hær. 86.) This seems to me also probable, and the adv. omnes Hæreses, though an imperfect sketch, bears, I think, here and there, the stamp of Tertullian's vivid way of characterizing principles. In this case, the work itself must, of course, be written before his Montanism, since in the Appendix he condemns it. The only ground, on the other side, of any account, is that in the first book against Marcion, which he certainly wrote as a Montanist, (c. 29.) he is thought to refer to this tract as not yet written. His words (c. 1.) are, "In so far will that which is brought in subsequently be accounted heresy, in as far as what was delivered in times past and from the beginning will be held to be truth. But another brief treatise will maintain this position against heretics, that they may be confuted even without considering their doctrines, as being ruled to be such, through their novelty. Now, so far as any trial of strength is to be admitted, I will, for the time (interdum), lest the uniform calling-in of this compendious argument from prescription should be imputed to want of confidence-first set forth the rule of the opponent, &c." In itself, this language might equally apply to a work written or unwritten; the words "for the time" may mean as well, “waiving this ground for the present." On the other hand, the passage implies that the argument from prescription had been already urged (as some would think) to satiety, and so it seems probable that this book had been already written. He fears lest the continuance of the same line of defence might be misinterpreted, (he makes the same apology here, c. 16.) and so waiving this vantage-ground for the time, he takes the lower ground of entering into the details of the actual heretical system. Then also the obvious meaning of the close of this book is, that this was a general introduction to all the treatises against particular heresies; as indeed they all, probably, (except the adv. Hermogenem, as to which there is no proof either way, but which was subsequent to this,) were written while he was a Montanist.] I. THE state of the present times calleth for this admonition also from us, that we ought not to wonder about these heresies, either that they are, for they were foretold" as about to be, or that they overturn the faith of some, for to this end are they, in order that Faith, by having wherewithal it may be tried, may have also wherewithal it may be proved. 1 Cor. Vainly therefore and without due thought are very many 11, 19. offended by this very thing, namely, that heresies have so much power. How much would they have, if they were not? When a thing hath attained to this, that in any case it is, it hath a final cause, on account of which it is: this obtaineth a power through the means of which it is, so that it is not possible that it should not be. a Matt. 7, 15. 24, 11. 24. Acts 20, 29. 30. 1 Tim. 4, 1 sqq. 2 Pet. 2, 1. PRESCR. HÆR. 436 Heresyto beuvoided,not marvelledat;strong,whenfaithweak ᎠᎬ II. To instance briefly, we do not wonder as touching fever, which, among other deadly and painful ends, is XIV. 2. appointed for the destruction of man, either that it existeth, for it doth exist, or that it destroyeth a man, for to this end it existeth. Wherefore, as touching heresies, which are brought into being for the weakening and destruction of Faith, if we are alarmed because they have this power, we must first be alarmed because they have this being; for in that they have a being, they have a power, and in that they have a power, they have a being. But again a fever, as being, what it is known to be, an evil both as respecteth its final cause, and as respecteth its power, we rather detest than wonder at; and, as much as in us lieth, we guard against it, not having the abolition of it in our power. But as to heresies, which bring upon men eternal death, and the burning of a mightier fire, some would rather wonder that they have this power than avoid their having it, though they have the power of avoiding it. But they would have no force, if men would not wonder that they have so much force. For either in that they wonder, they become subjects for the stumbling-block, or because they stumble they therefore wonder, as though it came from some truth in them, that they have so much force. It is forsooth a wonder that evil hath its proper power! unless it be that heresies are very strong with those who are not strong in Faith. In a contest of boxers and gladiators, a man for the most part conquereth, not because he is strong, or cannot be conquered, but because he, who is conquered, was a man of no strength: and so this very conqueror, being afterwards matched against a right lusty man, is also conquered and retreateth. In like manner heresies derive what strength they have from the weaknesses of certain men; having no strength, if they encounter a faith of right good strength. III. This weaker sort of men indeed are wont to build themselves up unto their fall, by means of certain individuals who have been caught by heresy. How cometh it (say they) that such and such a man, the most faithful, the most prudent, and the most practised in the Church, have gone over to that side? Who, when he sayeth this, doth not himself make answer to himself, that they ought not to be 13, 14. 15. overcomes hollow faith,as does all trial; is not therefore truth.437 accounted prudent, or faithful, or practised men, whom heresies have been able to change? This too is a wonder, I suppose, that one, who hath in time past been approved, should afterwards fall away! Why, Saul, a good man above others, is afterwards subverted by envy. David, a good man after the Lord's heart, is afterwards guilty of murder 1 Sam. and adultery. Solomon, gifted by the Lord with all grace and wisdom, is enticed to idolatry by women. For to the Son of God alone was it reserved to continue to the end without sin. Why then, if a bishop, if a deacon, if a Heb. 4, widow, if a virgin, if a doctor, if even a martyr shall have fallen from the right rule, shall heresies on that account be thought to have truth on their side? Do we test the creed by the persons, or the persons by the creed? None is wise save a believer; none is great save a Christian; but none is a Christian, save he who endureth even to the end. Thou, as a man, knowest each man outwardly: thou thinkest that to be which thou seest: and thou seest, so far as thou hast eyes. But, saith the Scripture, The eyes of the Lord are high. Man looketh on the outward appearance, the Lord 1 Sam. on the heart. And therefore the Lord knoweth them that 2 Tim.2, are His. And the plant, which He hath not planted, He 19. rooteth up; and He sheweth that of the first there are that omitted shall be last; and He carrieth His fan in His hand to purge 13. His threshing-floor. Let the chaff of a light faith flee as Mat. 20, much as it will with every wind of temptation; the more Mat. 3, pure will the mass of wheat be laid up in the garner of the Lord. 12. Eph. 4, Did not some of the disciples, being offended, turn aside from 14. the Lord Himself? and yet the rest did not think on that ac- John 6, count that they also ought to depart from His footsteps: but those who knew that He was the Word of life, and that He had 1 John come forth from God, continued sedfastly in His company John 6, even to the end, after that He had mildly put the question, 68. b Rig. remarks the omission of the Blessed Virgin, as also the language in the de Carne Christi, as different from later Theologians. The rule of faith, the sum of saving faith, the Creed. see bel. c. 13. d Is. 2, 11. "The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that Day." [Tr.] Others suppose T. here to quote 2 Chron. 16, 7. Pater Mat. 15, 16. 66. 1, 1. cf. John16, 30. PRESCR. 67. 438 Warnings against heresy imply that men would thereby fall. DE whether" they also would go away." It is a less matter, if HER. certain, as Phygellus, and Hermogenes, and Philetus, and XIV. 4. Hymenæus left His Apostle also: the betrayer of Christ John 12, was himself of the number of the Apostles. Do we wonder concerning His Churches, if they be forsaken by some, seeing that those things shew us to be Christians, which we 1 John suffer after the example of Christ Himself? They went out from us, saith he, but they were not of us. If they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. 2, 19. 'pronun num 2 IV. But rather let us remember, as well the declarations' ciatio- of the Lord, as the letters of the Apostles, which have both pronun- declared to us that heresies should be, and determined runt, beforehand that they must be avoided: and as we are not restored alarmed at their existence, so let us not wonder that they ciave 15. have power to do that, on account of which they are to be Mat. 7, avoided. The Lord teacheth that many ravening wolves shall come in sheep's clothing. What are these sheep's clothings, but the outward surface of the Christian name? What are these ravening wolves, but those thoughts and deceitful spirits, which lurk within to infest the flock of Christ? Who are false prophets, but false preachers? Who false apostles, but spurious evangelists? Who Antichrists now and ever, but rebels against Christ? At this day there are heresies not less attacking the Church through perversity of doctrines, than Antichrist will in that day pursue her with cruelty of persecutions; save that persecution maketh martyrs 1 Cor. besides, heresy apostates only. And therefore need was that there should be heresies, that all such as were approved might be made manifest, as well those who were stedfast in persecutions, as those who did not fly off unto heresies. For he doth not direct that those should be accounted approved, who change the faith into heresy, as they perversely interpret it in their own favour, because he hath said Thess. in another place, Prove all things; hold fast that which is good; as if it were not possible, after proving all things ill, to fall, through error, upon the choice of some ill. 11, 19. 5, 21. As though the Apostle, when he bid men "prove all things," represented it as indifferent what result people came to, so they were "fully persuaded in their own minds," or as though people were not responsible for their convictions. |