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LETTER V.

Subject continued-Testimony drawn from the Heresies of the first four centuries-Remarks on that testimony.

CHRISTIAN Brethren,

THE series of extracts from the writings of the early Fathers, which I laid before you in the preceding Letter, have, I trust, convinced you, that the doctrines of a Trinity of Persons in the Godhead, and of the real and proper Divinity of the Son, were universally maintained in the primitive Church, and deemed of fundamental importance. But, for the purpose of illustrating this fact still further, I design, in the present Letter, to inquire what those opinions were on these subjects, which, during the first three or four centuries, were pronounced HERESIES, and of which the abettors were cast out of the church, as unworthy of a place among those who bore the christian name.

If it be a fact, as I suggested in my first Letter, that Orthodoxy, both in its opinions and spirit, is by no means congenial with depraved human nature, and that the leading features of Unitarianism have ever been most pleasing to a worldly taste; then we might naturally expect to find some of these features early beginning to disclose themselves. Accordingly, various forms of heresy respecting the Person and work of the blessed Redeemer, began to make their appearance very soon after the christian church was established; and have scarcely ceased, from that time to the present, to tarnish her lustre, and to disturb her peace. Some of the most remarkable of these will be cursorily noticed, and a brief account given of the estimation in which they were held, and the manner in which they were treated, by the great body of believers.

The first class of hereticks that I shall mention, is the Cerinthians. They were so called from Cerinthus, who is alledged to have been a disciple of Simon Magus, and who lived in the apostolick age. Without entering into detail concerning the opinions of this man, on other

subjects, it is sufficient to state, that he denied the Divinity of Jesus Christ; believing that Jesus was a mere man, born of Joseph and Mary; that a superangelick being, or influence, was united to this man, at his baptism, and thereby constituted him the Christ or Messiah; that this union, however, was not so complete as to make one person; and that it was the mere man who suffered on the cross,-the superangelick being having abandoned him, before he suffered. What kind of reception these opinions met with from the christians of that day, the following testimonies will be sufficient to shew. Irenæus expressly declares, that the Evangelist "John designed by his Gos"pel to remove the error which was sown among "men by Cerinthus." Jerome, quite as directly and strongly, bears witness to the same fact. "Last of all," says he, "at the request of the "bishops of Asia, John wrote his Gospel against "Cerinthus and other HERETICKS, and espe"cially against the doetrine of the Ebionites, "then beginning to appear, who say that Christ "did not exist before Mary." Irenæus also relates, that the Apostle John, while he resided at * Catalog. Script. Eccles. in Joann.

Ephesus, once going to bathe, and perceiving that Cerinthus was in the bath, came out again, hastily, saying, "Let us flee, lest the bath "should fall, while Cerinthus, an ENEMY OF "THE TRUTH, is within."*

The Cerinthians were soon succeeded by the Ebionites, who appeared early in the second century, and took their name from Ebion, a disciple of Cerinthus, who seems to have adopted all his leading opinions. At any rate, he taught that Jesus Christ was a mere man. Dr. Priestley has laboured much to shew, that the great body of the early Jewish christians were Unitarians; and that they were called Ebionites, not from Ebion, their alledged leader, but from their poverty; being generally a poor and mean people. Hence he would make us believe, that they were by no means considered as hereticks; but that they formed the mass of the Jewish converts to christianity, during the apostolick age, and for some time afterwards. To those who have any disposition to adopt this opinion, I would recommend the perusal of the Revd. Dr. Jamieson's Vindication of the Doctrine of Scripture, and of the Primitive Faith, concerning the

* Contra Hereses. Lib. III. § 4.

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Deity of Christ; and also Bishop Horsley's Tracts in controversy with Dr. Priestley. In these works, if I do not mistake, they will find the most ample evidence that Dr. Priestley's allegation is totally unfounded; and that all antiquity testifies, that the Ebionites were a mere HERETICAL SECT, and not acknowledged as christians at all by the Orthodox church of their day. Irenæus, speaking of this sect, expresses himself thus: "They who say that he "was merely a man engendered of Joseph, DIE; "continuing in the bondage of the former diso"bedience; having to the last no conjunction "with the Word of God the Father, nor receiv"ing freedom through the Son, according to that saying of his own, If the Son, therefore, "make you free, ye shall be free indeed. But "not knowing Him who is the Immanuel of the "Virgin, they are DEPRIVED OF HIS GIFT, "WHICH IS ETERNAL LIFE."* Again he says,

The truly spiritual disciple will judge the "Jews, will judge the Marcionites, will judge "the Valentinians, (both of whom are acknow"ledged to have been hereticks) will judge the "Ebionites. How can they be SAVED, unless * Lib. III. cap. 21.

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