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which only his Oration against the Gentiles is extant. In this he represents that such souls as have not the truth, or knowledge of God, die with the body, and with it rise to judgment, at the end of the world; when they are to undergo "a death in immortality"," by which he perhaps means annihilation. To the sinful demons he assigns the same final doom". It is sufficiently evident that Tatian was, at this time, like his master, a follower of the Platonic philosophy; but towards the end of his life, he ran into heresy, by prohibiting marriage, wine, and divers sorts of meat, and by advocating certain Gnostic notions.

A. D. 173.

VII. In order to embrace every thing that

relates to our subject, we must not overlook a small fragment from an Ecclesiastical History by Hegesippus, an author whose works are lost, but who is suspected of having been a weak and credulous writer. He relates that when some of our Saviour's kindred were called before the emperor Domitian, and questioned on the nature of the kingdom they attributed to Christ, they answered that it was merely celestial, and would take place "at the consummation of the world, "when he should come in his glory, judge the quick "and the dead, and reward every man according to his "works." This is evidence of the opinion of Hegesippus; but no historian would probably consider it as authority for the sentiments of the persons he mentions.

u Tatiani Assyr. Contra Græc. Orat. § 6 and 13. inter Justini Martyr. Opp. Edit. Paris. 1742. This Oration is placed by Lardner between A. D. 165, and 172. v Ditto. § 14. w Eusebii Hist. Eccl. Lib. iii. cap. 20. Lardner dates Hegesippus's History at the year

173.

The whole story, indeed, is now suspected as fabulous.

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VIII. The Epistle of the Churches of A. D. 177. Lyons and Vienna, generally supposed to have been written by the celebrated Irenæus, claims but a moment's attention. It gives an affecting, though perhaps exaggerated, account of the terrible persecution and martyrdom of the christians in those two cities, during the reign of the philosophical emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Of one Byblias, who through weakness had at first recanted her profession, it is said, "that in the midst of her torments she return"ed to herself, waking as it were out of a deep slum"ber; and calling to recollection the everlasting pun“ishment in hell, she, against all men's expectations, "reproved her tormentors *.”

A. D. 178, to 180.

X

IX. The next, in order, is Athenagoras, an Athenian philosopher, and probably, for a while, master of that distinguished christian seminary, the Catechetical School at Alexandria in Egypt. He addressed to the emperor Marcus Aurelius and to his son Commodus, an Apology for the christians; and wrote a Treatise on the Resurrection, to remove the objections of the heathens, and to convince them, by philosophical reasonings, of the truth of that doctrine. Though a learned and polite writer, little notice was paid him or his works, by the early fathers.

* Eusebii Hist. Eccl. Lib. v. cap. 1. Lardner assigns this Epistle to the year 177. y His Apology is placed by Lardner at A. D. 178. His Treatise on the Resurrection was probably written soon afterwards.

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He asserts it as a manifest fact, "that the righteous are not properly rewarded, nor the evil punished in "this life;" and contends that there is no ground on which we can vindicate the ways of providence and maintain the justice of God, but by admitting a resurrection to a state of retribution. At the future judgment, says he, "rewards and punishments will be dis"tributed to all mankind, as they shall have conducted "well or illz;" but of the duration of suffering, he has left us no intimation. He treats it as a conjecture not at all unreasonable, that the brutes may be raised from the dead, and afterwards remain in subjection to mana.. As to the mode of governing the universe, he says that God has distributed the angels into different ranks and orders, and assigned to them the care of the elements, the heavens and the earth. But the angel presiding over matter, together with some others, swerving from their allegiance, fell in love with women, and begat giants; and those rebellious spirits now wander up and down the earth, opposing God, exciting lust, and upholding idolatry, that they may refresh themselves with the blood and steam of sacrifices".

A. D. 181.

X. Of Theophilus, bishop of the church at Antioch, we have only one work remaining a Treatise in defence of christianity, addressed to Autolychus, a learned heathen. There are sufficient proofs that our author was a man of at least a moderate degree of learning; but like his cotemporaries in general, he was unhappily an ad

z Athenagor. De Resurrec. passim. particularly the latter part, a Ditto. near the beginning. b Athenagoræ Legat. passim.

mirer of the Greek philosophy, and a believer in the vulgar superstitions of the heathens. His views of future punishment may be discovered from his exhortation to Autolychus: "Do you also studiously read the "prophetic scriptures, and you will have their safer "light to enable you to shun everlasting torments." Soon afterwards he says, of the unbelieving and abominable," to them there will be wrath and indignation, "tribulation and anguish; and at length everlasting fire “shall be their portion ©

A. D. 180,

190.

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XI. We arrive at last to the writings of that distinguished father, Irenæus. Born and brought up in Asia Minor, he attended in his youth, the discourses both of the venerable Polycarp, and of the weak, injudicious Papias; and perhaps enjoyed some acquaintance with such as had personally conversed with the apostles. At a later period, he travelled into France, where his piety, his zeal and devotedness to the christian cause, together with his acquirements, rendered him conspicuous, and at length elevated him to the bishopric of the church at Lyons. But notwithstanding his advantages, there are some things in his principal remaining work, that Against Heresies, which show that he yielded to the whimsical and credulous turn of the age, if, indeed, that were not also his own character. Miracles, he says, even from the raising of the dead, down to the casting out of de

e Theophili Ad Autolychum, Lib. i. cap. 14. inter Justini Martyr. Opp. Edit. Paris. 1742. Lardner places this work at a. D. 181.

This is a large, and in many respects a valuable work. Lardner thinks it to have been published not long after A. D. 178; Tille mont, near 190.

1

mons, were, in his time, frequently performed by christians; so that it was "impossible to reckon up all the "mighty works which the church performed, every day, "for the benefit of the nations." With the Greek philosophy he was not so thoroughly imbued as Justin Martyr; but like his master Papias, he was an assiduous collector of apostolic traditions, and upon their authority advanced some very ridiculous notions: In the Millennium, says he, "there shall grow vineyards, having "each ten thousand vine-stocks; each stock ten thous"and branches; each branch ten thousand twigs; each "twig ten thousand bunches; each bunch ten thousand "grapes; and each grape when pressed, shall yield "twenty-five measures of wine. And when any of the "saints shall go to pluck a bunch, another bunch will cry out, I am better, take me, and bless the Lord through In like manner, a grain of wheat sown; shall "bear ten thousand stalks; each stalk ten thousand "grains; and each grain ten thousand pounds of the "finest flour," &c. Some of his allegorical interpretations of scripture, too, will almost vie in contemptible absurdity with those of Barnabas. We remark, once for all, that the principal writers mentioned in this chapter agreed in attributing to the scriptures a double meaning, a hidden and mysterious, as well as the obvi

66

"me.

ous one.

With regard to the future state, Irenæus supposes that souls are, after death, reserved in some invisible

e Iren. Adv. Hæres. Lib. ii. cap. 57. f Ditto. Lib. v. cap. 32, 8 Ditto. Lib. iv. cap. 42, and Lib. v. cap. 8.

33, &c.

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