CHAP.

II.

38. Seeing that besides that vast and extensive body that was ruled by the influence of learned bishops, arch-bishops, patriarchs, and councils; his tory furnishes an account of Marcionites, Valentinians, Basilidians and others, who, so far from meditating a coalition with the general mass of Pagans, Jew and Christian philosophers, that they stood as common objects of hatred to them all.

39. It is difficult at this distance of time, without the writings of those reputed heretics, to ascertain precisely what their faith and practice was in every particular, the most that can be collected is from the writings of their adversaries, who frequently contradict each other.

40. But notwithstanding all the learned labours of Catholic philosophers and historians, in support of their own orthodoxy, and in blackening the characters of those who differed from them, they nevertheless furnish sufficient matter to shew who they were that retained the gospel in the greatest degree of its primitive simplicity and truth.

CHAP. II

CHAP. III.

The first distinction between Catholics and Heretics.

THE

HE title of Catholic which is the same as universal, appears to have been first adopted by those christian fathers who in the second century e.nbraced the philosophy of the Alexandrian school, which distinguishing title answered well to the system of AMMONIUS SACCAS, who proposed to incorporate all sects and denominations of mankind into one body or universal church.

2. Hence the writings of those renowned fathers have been held, through all succeeding ages, as the only key to open the scriptures, according to which the writings of the apostles are to be understood, and the only exposition of the words of God, which exposition has been considered the only test of truth, by which all controversies were to be decided.

3. Consequently those writings have been preserved by their successors, as the most precious fountain of light, without which, the scriptures would be entirely useless. Then it must be from these that the real foundation of the Catholic church is to be ascertained, and the spirit from which it· originated, made manifest.

CHAP.

III.

4. Among the famous foundation pillars of this Ca- Eccl. Histholic building, may be ranked CLEMENS, ORIGEN, tory. vol. JUSTIN, IRENAEUS, THEOPHILUS, and ATHENE- i. p. 178. GORAS. There were also many other learned commentators of less note. CLEMENT the Alexandrian who succeeded PANTAENUS in the care of the christian school, wrote several books which are yet extant. According to Mosheim they shew the extent of his learning and the force of his genius, but this writer, at the same time, has to acknowledge, that his excessive attachment to the reigning philosophy led him into a variety of pernicious errors.

5. ORIGEN succeeded him. "This rash young Eccl. Re"man," (says Robinson) "came quibbling into the searches. "church when he was about eighteen. Old CLEMENT P. 54. "and the pedants emboldened him. He persecuted "the world with an endless number of books, and "wrote twenty tomes to explain the hidden myste"ries of the gospel of John. At length death forced

Q 2

"him

CHAP.
III.

"him to quit his delightful work of disputing and wrangling, in the year two hundred and fifty

"four.

6. To this agree the following observations of Dr. Eccl. His- Mosheim. "This new species of philosophy, imtory. vol. prudently adopted by ORIGEN, and many other iv. p. 171. "christians, was extremely prejudicial to the cause "of the gospel, and to the beautiful simplicity of "its celestial doctrines.

B. 183.

Eccl. Researches. p. 51.52.

Eccl. History. vol.

iv. p. 183.

7. "For hence it was, that the christian doctors began to introduce their subtle and obscure erudi"tion into the religion of Jesus, to involve in the "darkness of a vain philosophy, some of the principal truths of christianity, that had been revealed "with the utmost plainness, and were indeed obvious to the meanest capacity, and to add to the "divine precepts of our Lord, many of their own, "which had no sort of foundation in any part of the "sacred writings."

8.

"PANTAENUS, the head of the Alexandrian school, was probably the first who enriched the "church with a version of the sacred writings. All were unanimous in regarding with veneration the holy scriptures as the great rule of faith and manners. CLEMENT wrote a comment on the canonical epistles [or those epistles which have been selected "for a canonical purpose by his learned master "Pantaenus] he is also said to have explained in a compendious manner, almost all the sacred writings.'

เ

9. Every effect (says Robinson) produced by these causes became itself the cause of another ef'fect:' ORIGEN broaches a new and universal max'im in explaining the scriptures. This was, that

scripture had a double sense, the one obvious and "literal, the other hidden and mystericus, which "lay concealed, as it were, under the veil of the "outward letter."

10. "The former they treated with the utmost "neglect, and turned the whole force of their genius "and applican to unfold the latter; or in other "words, they were more studious to darken the holy scriptures with their idle fictions, than to investigate their true and natural sense.' 11. Some of them also forced the expressions of 'sacred writ out of their obvious meaning, in order to apply them to the support of their philosophical systems: of which dangerous and pernicious at

⚫ tempts,

tempts, Clemens is said to have given the first ex'ample. The Alexandrian version, commonly called the Septuagint, they regarded almost as of • divine authority.'

12. This in conjunction with such of the apostle's writings, as these Electics chose to select, formed the orthodox canon, or law. From Jews and Pagans

they received, and adopted the maxim, that it was Eccl. Hisnot only lawful, but even praise-worthy, to deceive, tory. vol.

' and even to use the expedient of a lie, in order to iv. p. 133. ' advance the cause of truth and piety :' and doubt

less for this practice their double sense of scripture

opened a large field. Such (says Robinson) were Eccl. Rethe benefits which the Alexandrian school, and searches. chiefly Origen, conferred on the Primitive [Catholic] p. 53. Church!'

13. JUSTIN MARTYR (says Mosheim) had fre- Eccl. His'quented all the different sects of philosophy, in an tory. vol. i. 'ardent and impartial pursuit of truth, but finding, p. 177. 'neither in the Pythagorean nor Piatonic schools,

ac- p. 157.

any satisfactory account of the perfections of the Supreme Being, and the nature and destination of the human soul he embraced christianity on ⚫ count of the light which it cast upon these interest'ing subjects.'

14. He wrote in defence of the Christians, and even presented an apology to the Emperor in their behalf, in consequence of which the spirit of persecution was abated; notwithstanding 'he shews him'self an unwary disputer, and betrays a want of See 1 Cor. acqaintance with antient history.' And where is i. 20. the disputer of this world?

15. IRENEUS turned his pen against the internal enemies of the Church, and wrote five books against heresies. Athenagoras wrote a treatise upon the resurrection, and an apology for the Christians.-He was a philosopher of no mean reputation, says Dr. Mosheim, of coure he could not be an apostle, hated of all men and counted as the filth and offscouring of all things.

16. · THEOPHILUS, Bishop of Antioch, wrote three Eccl. Hisbooks in defence of christianity-a commentary on tory vol. i. 'the proverbs-another on the four evangelists. He p. 178. 'also wrote against Marcion and Hermogenes, and Note [q] refuting the errors of these Heretics, he quotes

vol. iv.

• several passages of the revelations. He was the first who made use of the word TRINITY to P. 136.

express

CHAP.

III.

Chronol.
Table.
Cent ii.

Eccl. History. vol. i. p. 149.

Note [1]

Eccl. Researches.

p. 53.

p. 150.

express the distinction of what divines [or rather demoniacs] call Persons in the Godhead.'

17. The Christian church (says Dr. Mosheim) is 6 very little obliged to him for his invention. The ' use of this and other unscriptural terms, to which 'men attach either no ideas, or false ones, has wounded charity and peace, without promoting 'truth and knowledge. It has produced heresies of the very worst kind.'

18. Nothing more injurious can be conceived than the terms of contempt, indignation, and reproach, which the heathens employed in expressing their hatred against the Christians, who were called by them Atheists, because they derided the heathen 'Polytheism' [i. e. plurality of Gods] so says Dr. M.Claine.

19. Then what could ever have induced such indignant despisers to embrace a religion against which they had such indignation? It is unnecessary to say any thing about the miraculcus power of God, for of this the learned doctors professed to stand in no need. It was (says Robinson) an enormous compliment, which these gentlemen paid themselves.' 20. The gospel,' said they, is evidently divine, because nothing but the miraculous power of God 'could support it in the hands of illiterate men.

As

if they and their quirks were to all succeeding ages to supply the place of the miraculous power of God. Doubtless the quirk of Theophilus removed much of the Pagan indignation and contempt.

21. The following remarks of Dr. Mosheim, on this subject, are singularly worthy of notice. The Eccl. His-religious sentiments of the first Christians were tory, vol. i.most unjustly treated and most perfidiously misre'presented to the credulous multitude, who were ' restrained by this only from embracing the gospel.' Here the Doctor seems to have forgotten that the carnal mind is enmity against God, and in love with gods many; but observe what follows.

22. Those therefore, who, by their apologetic writings in favour of the Christians, destroyed the poisonous influence of detraction, rendered, no doubt, signal service to the doctrine of Christ, [it ought to have been said, to the doctrine of Saccas,] by removing the chief impediment that retarded its progress."

23. Nor were the writings of such as combated ⚫ with success the antient Heretics without their use.

. For