IV. 21. Upon what principle could this Epicurean as- CHAP. cribe filth to the womb of a virgin? Must it not have been from the debauched state of his own carnal mind, which could conceive nothing clean, where the unclean and brutal passions of human nature might be gratified? 22. And why does he call in question the beauty of the mother of Jesus? Is it to prove that God can have nothing to do with a woman? or is it not rather to cast contempt upon that particular woman, who was chosen for a higher purpose than to gratify the carnal desires of man? Admitting that she was not beautiful, but even ugly, in the eyes of an Epicurean; this could be no reasonable objection to the gospel, which came not to promote either the lust of the flesh, or the lust of the eye: but doubtless this was the secret cause of his enmity. 23. "Afterwards the Jew in Celsus, addresses Je- Lanner, sus, and says: "What occasion had you, when an "infant, to be carried into Egypt, lest you should be "killed? A God has no reason to be afraid of death. "And now an angel comes from heaven to direct you " and your relations to flee into Egypt, lest you should "be taken up and put to death; as if the great God, "who had already sent two angels, upon your ac"count, could not have preserved you, his own Son, "in safety at home." 24. "In another place Celsus has these words: "But if he [Herod] was afraid, that when you was "come of age, you should reign in his stead; why "did you not reign when you was of age? But so far "from that, the Son of God wanders about, cringing "like a necessitous beggar, or sculking from place "to place, as if he was afraid of being taken up." vol. vifi. P. 21. ibid. p.2. 25. Again: "Celsus says, "That Jesus taking to ibid.p.18. "himself ten or eleven abjects, vile publicans and "sailors, went about with them getting his subsist❝ence in a base and shameful manner." "In anoth'er place the Jew in Celsus says, "Jesus set out with "ten profligate publicans and sailors." 26. Again, concerning the disciples of Jesus, Cel aus has these words: "Some of them say: Do not "examine, but believe: and, thy faith shall save thee : ibil.p.10. CHAP IV. Vol. viii. p. 3. Dia log. of Minutius Felix. publish ed A. D. 210. "and, the wisdom of this world is evil, and folly "good." And again: "These are their institutions: "Let not any man of learning come hither, nor any "wise man, nor any man of prudence; but if any (6 man be unlearned, if he is ignorant, if he is silly, "let him come without fear. Thus acknowledging, "that these are the men who are acceptable to their "God; and thereby manifesting, that they are neither "willing, nor able to gain any but the foolish, the "vulgar, the stupid, slaves, women and children." 27. In such a manner, this learned sophist runs through a great part of the New-Testament, and by such kind of reasoning as would even carry a show of sanctity, he endeavours to show to the world, that Jesus and his followers are unspeakably below them, in meanness, and all manner of low debauchery. 28. The following is also from Lardner: "Cæcil'ius Natalis, a heathen, arguing against the Chris'tians, speaks to this purpose: "As for the feast, it "is a well known thing: every body talks of it. They come together upon an appointed day, with all their "children, their sisters and mothers; persons of each 66 sex, and of every condition. And after feeding "plentifully, when the lights are put out, they prac"tise promiscuously, incest, and all manner of un"cleanness." 29. These and such like, were the reproaches of Christ, of which the learned Catholic fathers had to clear themselves, in order to lay the foundation of their honorable kingdom. But this they could never have effected, had they not first proved to the world, by their practice, and their writings, that they rejected that singular manner of life, which had first given occasion to such false and blasphemous reports. 30. And therefore, while they maintain the innocence of Jesus and his first followers, they unite with the same old spirit of falsehood, in rolling off these reproaches from themselves, and loading the living heretics of their day with the scandal; and under a deceitful mask they try to make it appear, that they, and not the heretics, stand related to the once despised Jesus, and have the only right to the distinguish. ing name of Christians. 31. Justin says, that their accusers themselves 6 scarcely believed the charges brought against them: CHAP 242. IV. and where these had in some measure been credit- Lardner, ed, it arose from the wickedness of the heathens, vol. a. p. 'which disposed them to believe such things of other 'people as they practised themselves." 32. Moreover, "He assures us, that, in the time ' of his heathenism, he thought it impossible that the Christians should suffer with such constancy and p. 241. ' resolution as they did, if they had been man-eaters, and addicted to lewdness. Athenagoras plainly p. 243. says, that the general wickedness of the heathen 'people, was the ground of their charging such base 'practices upon the Christians, who were examplarily virtuous." 33. "It appears from Tertullian, that in his time 'it was not known that any among Christians were 'guilty of such crimes as were imputed to them by 'their adversaries. The only ground of these charges according to him was common fame, and un'certain report, without any proof." P. 244. P. 19. 34. "You tax us (says he) with killing and eating Eccl. Re ❝ children. The charge is absurd and cruel in the searches. "extreme, and we cannot conceive how you came to "invent such a scandalous calumny. We defy you "to prove it. Why do not the magistrates examine "us on this subject? What glory would redound to "any governor who could produce a Christian who "had eaten an hundred infants." 35. "But you hate us, even the bare name by "which we are called, and without giving yourselves "any trouble to examine, you say all manner of evil "of us." These words of Tertullian are quoted by Robinson. What follows is taken from Lardner's History of Heretics. 36. "Trypho the Jew, being asked by Justin wheth'er he believed the common reports concerning the Christians, readily answered, They are incredible; • human nature is not capable of such things. 37. "The same arguments will serve for the heretics, for they are charged by later writers with the same things which were before imputed to the • Primitive Christians. If then they are incredible Lardner, vol. ix. p. 244,245. CHAP with regard to the one, they are so likewise with 6 regard to the other." IV. Lardner, 38. "When all this is considered, (says Lardner,) vol. ix. I cannot help thinking that there is too much jus'tice in Mons. Bayle's satire. "When we read these p. 246. things in the fathers of the church, one can scarce "forbear thinking that the case was the same with "them in respect to Heretics, as with the heathens "in respect to Christianity." 39. "The heathens imputed to Christianity an hun"dred extravagances and abominations that had no "foundation. The first who forged these calumnies "were undoubtedly guilty of the blackest malice; "but the greatest part of those who vented them "abroad, after they had been so maliciously sown, "were only guilty of too much credulity; they be"lieved common fame, and never troubled them"selves to dive into the bottom of it." 40. "Is it not more reasonable to believe that the "fathers did not, with all the patience requisite, "thoroughly inform themselves of the real principles "of a sect, than it is to believe that those very men, "who held that Jesus Christ, by his death, was the "Saviour of mankind, should, at the same time, "hold that the beastliest pleasures are the ready way "to paradise?" So far Mons. Eayle. 41. Then according to this plain and candid statement, let every stone be gathered and united to its own foundation. Let the fathers of the church be known by the church which they fathered, and let the churches own their fathers and grandfathers whose image they bear. But to show, more particularly, the first distinction between the church of the fathers, and that of the heretics, we shall state a few of the most material points, upon which they stood divided: and if Christ is not divided, it must follow that one or the other was Antichrist. 42. The following extracts from Lardner, contain some of the most unfavourable things against Heretics that could be collected from the writings of their adversaries, particularly against the Marcionites. 43. Of all the ancient Heretics the most extraor เ IV. 361,366. dinary was MARCION.* "He flourished about the CHAP. year 130 or very soon after. Marcion had many fol'lowers. Epiphanius says that he deceived multitudes Lardner, of people, and that his heresy still subsisted in his vol.i. p. time at Rome, in Italy, Egypt, Palestine, Arabia, and Syria, in Cyprus, Thebais, Persia, and other 'places." The first character given of this Heretic is that of a deceiver, which must imply that he professed to follow Christ, but did not: and to prove this, his moral character is next impeached. 363,364. 44. Epiphanius has an account of his admitting an affection for a young woman, and of having been guilty of uncle anness with her. "The story (says Lard- ibid. p. ner,) of his deceiving a young woman is held doubtful by many.-Beausobre has a long argument upon this point, taken from the silence of ancient writers, and consisting of many particulars.”—All of which tend to prove Marcion's innocence. 45.EUSEBIUS informs us of many authors who had written against MARCION: Justin Martyr, Di'onysius of Corinth, Theophilus of Antioch, Philip of 'Gortyna, Modestus, Melito, and Apollinaris. He 'had read their writings. Nevertheless he makes no ' mention of this scandalous action of Marcion,-Jerome would not have omitted it, if he had known any thing of it: since he omits not even conjectures and the slightest reports that tend to blacken the ' reputation of a heretic." 46. "Tertullian wrote five books against Marcion. 'He did not neglect any occasion to decry his adver6 sary; nevertheless he says nothing of this scanda'lous adventure. The story of Marcion's fall is not in Philaster, which shews that he never knew it→ which may lead persons a little suspicious, to mistrust that Epiphanius himself is the author of the 'story." So says Lardner. 47. The following is the character of the Marcionites given by Lardner. "The manners of the Mar⚫cionites were virtuous, and they had many martyrs. Marcion was a disciple of Cerdon, whose doctrine he embraced at Rome. The Catholic historians say that Marcion joined himself to the inpostor Cerdon while he was preaching at Rome. Cerddon flourished between the years 125 and 150.-His doctrines are blended with those of Marcion. The faith and manners, therefore, of Cerdon and bis followers, may be considered the same as those under the description of the Marcionites. ibid. p. 385.' |
