fages are well worth the reader's confideration.

He had the fame idea with refpect to the introduction to the gofpel of Matthew. noviffima hora eft. Ex nobis exierunt, fed non erant ex nobis; fi enim fuiffent ex nobis permanfiffent utique nobifcum fed ut manifeftarentur quoniam non funt ex nobis. Cognofcite ergo quoniam omne mendacium extraneum eft, et non eft de veritate. Quis eft mendax, nifi qui negat quoniam Jefus non eft Chriftus; hic eft Antichriftus. Sententia enim eorum homicidialis, Deos quidem plures confingens, et patres multos fimulans, comminuens autem et per multa dividens filium Dei: quos et Dominus nobis cavere prædixit, et difcipulus ejus Johannes in prædicta epiftola fugere eos præcepit, dicens: Multi feductores exierunt in hunc mundum, qui non confitentur Jefum Chriftum in carne veniffe. Hic est seductor et Antichriftus. Videte eos, ne perdatis quod operati eflis. Et rurfus in epiftola ait: Multi pfeudoprophetæ exierunt de feculo. In hoc cognofcite Spiritum Dei. Omnis fpiritus qui confitur Jefum Chriftum in carne veniffe ex Deo eft. Et omnius fpiritus qui folvit Jefum Chriftum, non eft ex Deo, fed ex Antichrifto eft. Hæc autem fimilia funt illi quod in evangelio dictum eft, quoniam verbum caro factum eft. Et habitavit in nobis. Propter quod rurfus in epiftola clamat. Omnis qui credit quia Jefus eft Chriftus, ex Deo natus eft ; unum et eundem fciens Jefum Chriftum cui apertæ funt portæ cœli propter carnalem ejus affumpfionem: qui etiam in eadem carne in quæ paffus eft, veniet, gloriam revelans Patris. Lib. 3. cap. 18. p. 241, 242.

For,

1

1

For, fpeaking of those who faid that Jefus who was born of Mary was not the Christ, "The Holy Spirit foreseeing their perverfenefs, and guarding against their "artifice, faid by Matthew, the generation "of Chrift was in this wife *."

he fays,

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With respect to the apostle John, Clemens Alexandrinus had the fame idea, when he faid, that "They are the antichrist, in"tended by John in his epiftle, who reject marriage, and the procreation of children, being guilty of impiety towards the omnipotent creator, the one God, that they may not be the authors of misery, and fupply food for death +." Ecumenius alfo fays, that by antichrift John meant Cerinthus, and those who were like him ‡.

He also says that, "Peter by those who "follow the flesh, meant the accurfed Ni"colaitans, as the Gnoftics, or Naafenes, "or Cerdonians, for the mifchief goes by 66 many namest."

This, I doubt not, was the truth of the case; and if this apostle expreffed so much indignation against the Gnoftics, and the Gnoftics only (for no hint is given of there being more than one herefy that gave him any disturbance) it is plain that the unitarians, who were always confidered as directly oppofite to the Gnoftics, gave him, none. And yet not only the nature of the thing fhows, that there must have been unitarians in the church at that time, but it was exprefsly allowed by all the Fathers, that the church was full of them, moft of them disbelieving even the miraculous conception. But this will be difcuffed more largely hereafter.

επει το Ιορδανο καλαβανία απ' ερανε, ο τω ψευδει εν περικροίεμενος φησι τελω ελος Αντιχριτος επισ In 1 John 3. Opera, vol. 2.

P. 573.

* Λέγει δε περι των καθαραίων Νικολαίδων, ηλοι Γνωτικών, η Νάαση νων, η Κερδωνιανών . πολυώνυμος γαρ αύλων η κακία. In 2 Pet. Opera vol: 2. 542.

VOL. I.

S

SECT

SECTION II.

Of Herefy before Julin Martyr.

IGNATIUS frequently mentions herefy and heretics, and, like John, with great indignation; but it is evident to every perfon who is at all acquainted with the hiftory, learning, and language of those times, and of the fubfequent ones, that he had no perfons in his eye but the Gnostics only. I defire no other evidence of this, than a careful inspection of the paffages. I shall recite only one of them, from the epistle to the Smyrnæans, fect. 4, 5. in Wake's tranflation, p. 116. Speaking of his own fufferings, he fays," he who was made a perfect "man ftrengthening me. Whom fome, "not knowing, do deny, or rather have been "denied by him, being the advocates of "death, rather than of the truth; whom "neither the prophets, nor the law of "Mofes have perfuaded, nor the gospel

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itself, even to this day, nor the fufferings

"" of

A

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σε of every one of us. For they think "alfo the fame things of us. For what "does a man profit me, if he shall praise “ me, and fhall blafpheme my Lord, not confeffing that he was truly made a man. "Now he that doth not fay this, does in "effect deny him, and is in death. But « for the names of fuch as do this, they

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being unbelievers, I thought it not fitting "to write them unto you. Yea, God for"bid that I should make any mention of « them, till they fhall repent, to a true "belief of Chrift's paffion, which is our "refurrection. Let no man deceive him"felf, &c.*" He afterwards fpeaks of these persons abstaining from the eucharift, and the public offices, "because

they confeffed not the eucharift to be the

* Πανία υπομένω αυλου με ενδυναμενος του τέλειε ανθρωπες γενόμενα. Ον τινες αγνοενίες αρνείται, μαλλον δε ηρνήθησαν υπ' αυτς, ανίες συνήγοροι τε θανατε μαλλον η της αλήθειας, ως εκ έπεισαν αι προφητείαι, εδε ο νόμος μώύσεως, αλλα εδε μεχρι νυν το ευαγγελιον, εδε τα ημέτερα τον καλα ανδρα παθημαία. και γαρ περι ημων το αυτο φρονεσιν . τι γαρ με ωφελει τις, ει εμε επαινει τον δε κύριον με βλασφημεί, μη ομολόγων αυλον σαρκοφοριν· ο δε τελο μη λεγων, τελειως αυτν απηρνήται, ων νεκροφορος . τα δε ονομαία αύλων, αλα απιτα εκ έδοξε μοι είγραψαι. αλλά μηδε γένοιτο μοι αύλων μνημονεύειν, μέχρις τε μετανοησωσιν εις το πάθος, Μηδεις πλανάσθω. p. 36.

ο εσιν ημών ανάτασις,