CHAP.

IL.

'tive sentiments, they might easily be united into one 'body."

24. "How this vast project was effected by Am'monius, the writings of his disciples and followers, that yet remain, abundantly testify.-All the gentile 6 religions, and even the christian, were to be explained by the principles of this universal philosophy; but that, in order to this, the fables of the priests were to be removed from paganism, and the 'comments and interpretations of the disciples of 'JESUS from christianity."

25. How evidently does this deep laid scheme of Antichrist strike at the very foundation of the gospel, by excluding the disciples of JESUS from the liberty of interpreting their own original doctrine! And if the foundation be destroyed what shall the righteous Ecl. Re- do?" Some christians, (says Robinson,) foresaw

searches.

p. 51.

Eccl. His

tory, vol. i. p. 172.

ibid P. 173.

the mischief that this school would produce, and remonstrated against it; but they soon sunk into 'neglect and contempt."

26. "The number of learned men, (says Mosheim,) among the christians, which was very small in the preceding century, grew considerably in this, [second century.] The most part were philoso'phers attached to the Eclectic system, though they were not all of the same sentiments concerning the utility of letters and philosophy."

27. Hence the early beginnings of that unhappy 'contest between faith and reason, religion and phi losophy, piety and genius, which increased in the ( succeeding ages, and is prolonged, even to our 'times, with a violence that renders it extremely diffi'cult to be brought to a conclusion."

28. "Those who maintained that learning and philosophy were rather advantageous, than detrimen'tal, to the cause of religion, gained, by degrees, the 'ascendant; and in consequence thereof, laws were ' enacted, which excluded the ignorant and illiterate 'from the office of public teachers. The opposite side of the question was not, however, without de'fenders; [Heretics;] and the defects and vices of "learned men and philosophers contributed much to increase their number."

4

II.

29. Doubtless, to remedy this inconvenience, these CHAP, learned Pharisees invented many of those austere and monkish rules of discipline, which neither they nor their followers ever observed; but merely to blind the eyes of the ignorant, and carry the appearance of sanctity to the multitude, they taught the propriety of such rules of discipline, as a necessary part of their system.

Ecel.His

30. "To this monstrous coalition of heterogeneous 'doctrines, (says Mosheim,) its fanatical author ad- tory, vol. 'ded a rule of life and manners, which carried an i. p. 179. ' aspect of high sanctity, and uncommon austerity. 'As Ammonius was born and educated among the 'christians, he set off, and even gave an air of au'thority to his injunctions, by expressing them partly in terms borrowed from the sacred scriptures." 31. But what follows?" He permitted the people to live according to the dictates of nature;" Of what use then, was either this laboured philosophy, or those rules of high sanctity, but merely, through a vain show, to deceive mankind into a belief, that it was the once living revealed religion of CHRIST JEsus, that they were promoting, while their own interest, honour, and pleasure, were at the bottom.

32. Thus the gospel was evidently supplanted, both as to faith and practice; from which time the church assumed entirely a different visible form. The academy became the head of influence, the learned reasoner was respected as the oracle of truth, and the admirers of a vain philosophy, garnished with the words of scripture, constituted the body. Titles of honour were adopted, offices of dignity created, councils called, and the vote of the majority established as the test of truth.

33. This compound of clashing principles, in its very constitution and laws, excluded the disciples of JESUS from any part or interest in it: hence, as Robinson expresses it, "Modest plain people retired Eccl. he and kept at due distance."

34. A general division, both in faith and practice, evidently appears. Historians say, that genuine christianity had almost disappeared, that solid piety, at this time, was scarcely to be found in the church, that little remained but a motley spectacle of superstition.

searches.

p.52&50.

CHAP.

II.

35. And yet, notwithstanding the evident truth of these assertions, this same church, this numerous party, who called themselves the catholic and orthodox church, is distinguished as the legitimate descendant from the apostolic order; while such as followed the precepts and examples of CHRIST, in any degree of simplicity, and kept their proper distance from those subtle deceivers, are known and distinguished by the odious name of Heretics.

36. But who has a right to give names? And who is to be credited in this case? Admitting the principal matters of fact to have been correctly handed down in history, it is little matter what those high sounding professors called either themselves or others. Names cannot alter the nature of things, they may blind and dazzle the eyes for a season; but each party must finally be distinguished by their merits, and named and rewarded according to their works.

37. However, from what has been already stated, it is evident, that, in the second century, there was a vast distinction between those who stiled themselves Catholics, and those who, by this compound body, were treated as Heretics; and the most evident marks of this distinction are worthy of notice at this early period.

38. Besides that vast and extensive body that was ruled by the influence of learned bishops, arch-bishops, patriarchs, and councils, history furnishes an account of Marcionites, Valentinians, Basilidians, and others, who were so far from meditating a coalition with the general mass of Pagans, Jews 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 their faith and practice in every particu lar; 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 show who they were that CHAP. retained the greatest degree of the gospel, according to its primitive simplicity and truth.

CHAPTER III.

The first Distinction between Catholics and Heretics.

THE

HE title of Catholic, which signifies universal, appears to have been first adopted by those christian fathers, so called, who, in the second century, embraced 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 considered, through all succeeding ages, as the only key to open the scriptures; as the only exposition of the words of God, and 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 must be (in their esteem) entirely useless. Then it must be from the writings of these fathers, that the real foundation of the Catholic church is to be ascertained, and the spirit from which it originated, made manifest. 4. Among the famous foundation pillars of this Eeel. Fi Catholic building, may be ranked Justin, Irenaeus, tory, vol Athenagoras, Theophilus, Pantaenus, Clement,* and Origen. 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. Mosheim says, they show the extent of his learning and the force of his genius, but at the same time ac

• His name was Titus Flavius Clemens, usually called St. Clement of Alexan dria, to distinguish him from Clement of Rome, mentioned in Paul's epistle to the Philippians. See Phil. iv. 3,

i p.178.

CHAP. knowledges, that his excessive attachment to the reigning philosophy led him into a variety of pernicious errors.

Ecel. Researches. 1.54

Zeel. His

5. ORIGEN Succeeded him." This rash young man, (says Robinson,) came quibbling into the 'church when he was about eighteen. Old Clement, and the pedants emboldened him.-He persecuted 'the world with an endless number of books, and 'wrote twenty tomes to explain the hidden mysteries of the gospel of John. At length death forced him to quit his delightful work of disputing and wrang'ling, in the year two hundred and fifty-four."

6. To this agree the following observations of Mosheim. "This new species of philosophy, impruory, vol. dently adopted by Origen, and many other christians, i. p. 171. C was extremely prejudicial to the cause of the gospel, and to the beautiful simplicity of its celestial 'doctrines."

Hoid P.

182.

Zeel. Researches. p. 51, 52. See also

7. "For hence it was, that the christian doctors 'began to introduce their subtle and obscure erudition into the religion of JESUS, to involve in the dark'ness 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 unani· mous in regarding with veneration the holy scrip6 tures, as the great rule of faith and manners." Clement wrote a Commentary upon the canonical epis tles, 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.

9. "Every effect, (says Robinson,) produced by these causes, became itself the cause of another efMoshelm, 'fect:" Origen broached a new and universal maxEocl. His im in explaining the scriptures. This was, "that p.183. scripture had a double sense, the one obvious and lit◄

tory, vol.