Cap. XVIII - A Letter Fathered on Cornelius
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 July 2022
Summary
A Letter fathered on Cornelius Bishop of Rome in the year 254. concerning the Removal of the Apostles Bones: giving Evidence to the Antiquity of many Popish Doctrines, but is it self a Forgery.
The forgery made in the Name of Pius, is fitted to the year 158. You shall now see one made in the Name of Cornelius Bishop of Rome in the year 254. 100. years after the former excepting four. Not as if there were no forgeries between this and that, there is scarce a year upon which they have not fastned some thing, but should we trace them all, through the weary length of so many Ages, our Travail would be Endless. We have chosen one, or two, as Exemplars of the residue.
THE FIRST EPISTLE Of Cornelius the Pope
Concerning the Translations of the Bo–dies of Peter and Paul, &c.
Cornelius the Bishop to his Dear and most Beloved Brethren, the Sons of the Holy Church of God, and to all them that Serve our Lord in the right Faith.
‘Considering the Benevolence of your Charity, because ye are Lovers of the Apostles and hold their Faith and Doctrine, I determined to write unto you, (the Lord being the Author) some of those things which are at this time necessary to be Known, and which the Lord assisting, by the Merits of the Apostles, were lately done among us in the Church of Rome, or are now in Doing. Because Charity patronizing, I believe with fatherly Grace, ye willingly receive the Writings of the Apostolical See, and preform the Commandments of the same, and rejoyce in the Increases thereof. Because whosoever engraffes himself in the root of Charity, neither failes of Greatness, (nec a fructibus inanescit) nor waxes vain from fruit, neither does he by Love lose the Efficacious Work of fruitfulness. For Charity it self does exercise the Hearts of the faithful, corroborates their Senses, that nothing seemeth Grievous, nothing difficult, but all is easy which is done; while its property is to nourish Concord, to keep the Commandments, to joyn things dissevered, to correct Evil things, and to consolidate all other vertues by the Bulwark of its perfection.
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- The Works of Thomas Traherne VII<i>Christian Ethicks</i> and <i>Roman Forgeries</i>, pp. 440 - 443Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2022