Remarks on ecclesiastical history

J

REMARKS

o tf

ECCLESIASTICAL

HISTORY.

LONDON,

Printed for C. DA vi s in Holloum*
R. MANBY and H.SHUTE Cox on Ludgate-bitt*
and J, W H i s T o N in Fleet-Jtreet.
MDCCLJ.

5R

T O T HE
RIGHT HONOURABLE

RICHARD

Earl of Burlington,
Trufteefor the LECTURE

APPOINTED BY

Hon. Robert Boyle Efq.
Thefe REMARKS

Are Infcribed by

His L O R D S H I P's

Moft obliged humble Servant,

JOHN JORTIN,

a a

PREFACE.

WHAT is here offered to the
Public is not a regular Trea~
tife, but only a collection of
detached Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi-*
ftory and ancient Writers, in which the
order of time is neither ftriftly obferved,
nor greatly negle&ed, and no anxious
accuracy is beftowed upon the dates of
years. This is a neceffary premonition
to the Reader, who elfe would feek what
he will not find,

Yet was it defigned, flight and imper-
as it is> for the fervice of frutb, by
a 3 one

vi PREFACE,

one who would be glad to .Attend and
grace her triumphs j as her foldieiy ^ ^9
has had the honour to ferve fuccefsfully
under her banner ; or as a captive tied to
her chariot-wheels, if he has, though
undefignedly, committed any offence a-
gainft her.

Greater undertakings on thefe fubjefts
are a talk fit for thofe who are bleffed
with conveniencies, fpirits, and abilities,
and a tafk fiifficiqnl to exercife all their
talents ; for Ecclefiaftical Hiftory is a fort
of enchanted Land, where it is hard
to diftinguifh Truth from falfe Appear-
ances, and a Maze which requires more
than Ariadne's Clue,

Whilft exalted Geniufes difcern with
a kind of intuitive knowledge, they who
have lefs penetration may be pern.itted,
now and then, where Reafon and Reli-
gion are not injured by it, to paufe and
doubt. Not that doubting is defireable
and pleafant ; but it is rather better than
affirming ftrongly upon flender proofs, or
taking opinions upon truft.

PREFACE. vii

And yet there are inftances, in Eccle-
fiaftical Antiquities, of fpurious Authors,
forged Records, and frivolous Reports,
where hesitation at this time of day
would be improper, and where a man is
not to remain for ever in fufpenfe, and to
hear what every Patron has to fay, who
ftarts up, and pleads the exploded caufe
of his ragged Clients.

The intention of this work is to pro-
duce fuch evidence as may fupport and
confirm the truth of Chriftianity^ and {hew
that the Providence of God has appeared
in its eftablifhment and in its preferva-
tion 5 to avoid peremptory decifions on,
fome lately controverted queftions, and
feek out a way between the extremes ;
not to pronounce thofe things falfe
which may perhaps be true, nor thofe
things certain which are only probable,
nor thofe things probable, which are am-
biguous ; and to try the experiment whe-
ther by this method a Reader may not be
gently led to grant all that is required of
him, and rather more than lefs ; to fet

a 4 beforq

viii PREFACE,

before men fome of the virtues, as well
as failings, of the ancient ChrifHans,
whence they may draw practical infer-
ences 3 to excite in their hearts a love for
Chriftianity, that beft gift of Heaven to
mankind, and a refpe<3, though not a fu-
perftitious veneration, for thofe good men,
who, if they could not difpute for it alto-
gether fo well as the prefent generation,
yet, which is more, could die for it j to
reject thofe trifles which perfons of great-
er zeal than difcernment would obtrude
upon the world as golden reliques of Pri-
mitive Chriftianity ; and to add feveral
things of a mifcellaneous and philological
kind, which will ferve, at leaft, to diver-
fify the fubjeft. Such is the intention of
the Work : may it attone for its defefts !

There is fome comfort arifing from a
candid obfervation of the younger Pliny ;
Hiftoria quoquo modo fcripta deleffat. A
homely collection of remarkable tranfad:-
ions and revolutions has ever fomething
to recommend it to favour : and if this be
true of Hiffory, it is likewife true of

thoughts

PREFACE. ix

thoughts and obfervations on Hiftory, if
they be not quiteumpertinent. They who
reprefent it as a perfect lofs of time to
perufe fuch authors as the Hijloria Au-
guft<z Scriptores (though they are illuftra-
ted by excellent Commentators) and the
Byzantine Writers, have a tafte too po-
lite and failidious ; fince, where better
Hiftorians are not to be had, thofe of an
inferior clafs muft fupply their place, and
become neceflary and valuable on many
accounts. A French writer is on our
fide, who fays, Tout livre eft bon, Every
book is good : for thus he tranflates the
Latin title of a Treatife of philo Judasus,
Omnis bonus liber ejiy Every good man is a
free man. It was well for him that he
did not live within the reach of the InquK
fition, which might have taken this as a
reflection on the Index Expurgatorius.

The Author would willingly efcape the
diflike of feme of thofe perfons with whom
perhaps he will be found not entirely to
agree. He and they are engaged in the
fame common caufe, and he hopes that,

for

x PREFACE.

for the fake of many remarks contained
in this work, they will excufe the reft ;
as on his fide, a diverfity of fentiments, in
forne points, leflens not the regard and
value which he has for them, and which
they fo juflly deferve. In one refped: he
pretends to be extremely like Jofeph
Mede. / have a conceit , fays that excel-
lent perfon, that fome opinions are infome
fort fatal to fome men, and therefore I can
with much patience endure a man to be
contrary-minded, and have no inclination
to contend with him. — 'There is more goes
tbperfuajion than reafons and demonftrati-
ons, and that is not in my power. — 'There
are few men living who are lefs troubled to
fee others differ from them in opinion than
I am -y whether it be a virtue or a vice^ J
know not.

One of the nobleft ufes which can be
made of Chriftian Antiquities would be
to learn wifdom, and union, and mode-
ration, from the faults, indifcretions, and
follies, and from the prudence, charity,
and piety of our predeceffors ; to obferve

care*

PREFACE. xi

carefully what , was good, and what was
blameable in .remoter ages, and thence to
improve, ourfelves, as we are a Chriftian
nation, by removing the blemifhes and
defeats, from which perhaps we are not
free, and by adopting every thing com-
mendable which we may have neglected,

A Chriftian fociety, formed upon fuch
a plan, would not altogether anfwer the
fair and bright idea which the Imagina-
tion reprefents, becaufe Perfection dwells
not here below, and fbme bad materials
muft of neceffity enter into the ftrudure 5
but it would be more than a faint copy
and image of that Church, which the
beloved Difciple had the pleafure to fee
coming down from God out of heaven, pre-
pared as a bride adorned for her hujband,
who had no need of the fun, neither of the
moon to fnine in it y for the glory of God did
lighten it, and the Lamb was the light
thereof. Rev. xxi.

For this excellent end and purpofe the
divine Providence feems to have preferved
Ecclefiaftical Records, and has command-,

cd

xii PREFACE.

ed devouring Time to refped: them, thai
Poftcrity might receive inflrudion frorn
tho;b venerable and iilent Monitors, and
not want examples to £hun and to fol-
low.

Chriftianity, reduced to its principles,
is more plain and firnple than is com-?
monly imagined, and is calculated for
general utility.

When the firft teachers of the Gofpel,
the Apoftl^s of Jefus, died, their autho-^
rity, in a great meafure, died with them,
and devolved not upon their difciples —
but it ftill lives in their writings.

Chriftianity, though fo much of it e~
ver fubfifted as to diflinguifh it advanta-
geouily from Paganifm, Judaifm, Mo^
hammedifm, Deifm, varied confiderably,
and adopted feveral difagreeing Non-ef-?
fentials, according to the times and the
people who entertained it.

A clear and unpolluted Fountain, fed
by fecret chanels with the dew of hea-
ven, when it grows a large river, and

takes

VJfl

PREFACE.

fakes a long and winding courfe, receives
a tin&ure from the various foils through
which it pafles.

When Chriftianity became a bulky
iyftem, one may trace in it the genius of
the loquacious and ever- wrangling Greeks ;
of the enthufiaflic Africans, whofe imagi-
nation was fublimed by the heat of the
fun; of the fuperftitious ^Egyptians, whole
fertile foil and warm climate produced
Monks and Hermits fwarming like ani-
mals fprung from the impregnated mud
of the Nile ; and of the ambitious and po-
litical Romans, who were refolved to rule
over the world in one fhape or other. To
this we may add the Jewifh zeal for tri-
fles, arifing from a contracted illiberal
mind ; the learned fubtilty of the Gentile
philofophers j and the pomp and cere-
mony of Paganifm.

As foon as Chriftian focieties began,
debates began, and as foon as Chriftianity
was by law eftablifhed, debates grew
more violent. It is not in the wit or in
the power of man? or rather, it is an im-

poffibility

xiv PREFACE.

poffibility to prevent diverfity of opinions,;
fince this is the unavoidable refult of hu-
man imperfeftion and human liberty, and
is not to be removed, unlefs we had more
light, or lefs agency.

It is related of a grave Roman Magi-
ftrate, that, when he came to Greece as
Proconful, he aflembled together the Phi-
loibph^rs at Athens, the head-quarters of
wit and logic, and told them that he was
much concerned at their diffenfions, and
advifed them to agree at laft in their opi-
nions, and offered them his authority and
afllftance to reunite and reconcile them >
upon which they all agreed, in laughing
at him for his pains. Cicero De Leg.
i. 20.

Councils after Councils convened to fet*
tle the differences amongft Chriftians ;
and fometimes they met fo frequently,
that they might be called Quarter-feffiom
as well as Councils. But Gregory .Nazi-
anzen, a man of learning, a Chriftian, a
Bifhop, and a Father of the Church, has

told us, that, for his part, he chofe to a-

. ,
void

PREFACE. xv

void all fuch affemblies, becaufe he ne-
ver faw any that had good fuccefs, and
that did not rather increafe than leflen
diffenfions and quarrels. Epift. Iv. and in
many other places, where he repeats the
fame complaints in verfe and in profe.

The Chriftians had never agreed con-
cerning the time of keeping Eafter; but
when Vidtor was Bifhop of Rome, about
A. D. 196, the conteft grew warm, and
Vidtor excommunicated, or attempted to
excommunicate the Afiatic Churches
which would not comply with his Infal-
libility, for which Irenaeus reproved him
as he well deferved. Thus the domineer-
ing fpirit began to exert itfelf betimes.
The Council of Nice afterwards fettled
the affair, and then the few Quartodeci-
mans who flood out were called heretics, -
according to the cuftom of calling every
thing herefy that offends the majorityrr
But they muft have been a ftubborn and.
refradtory fet of people, to wrangle onu
about fuch a trifle, and not to yield to the
far greater number in a thing of no con-

fequence

xvi PREFACE,

fequence to faith or morals. They iliould
have agreed to break the egg at the fame
end with their neighbours. If the upper
iide has been fometimes imperious and
over-ruling, the lower has been as per-
verfe and unperfuafible.

When the Fathers aflembled at Ephe-
fus, and, headed by Cyril of Alexandria,
had decreed that Neftorius fhould be de-
pofed, and that the Virgin-Mother of our
Saviour iliould be called Mother of God,
the people of Ephefus, who had been in
miferable fears and anxieties, with tranf-
ports of joy embraced the knees, and kiff-
ed the hands of the Bifliops ; a people,
as we may fuppofe, warm, and fprightly,
and very much in earned. Their Pagan
Anceftors had fignalized themfelves by
their zeal for Diana.

If General Councils have dogmatically
decreed itrange things, Little, National,
Proteftant Synods have often afted in a
manner full as arbitrary. One that was
held in France A. D. 1612. offended at
fomething that Ptfcator had taught con-
cerning

PREFACE. xvii

terning Juftificntion, compelled all vvlxi
fhould go into Orders to take this oath ;
/ receive and approve all that is contained
in the ConfeJJion of faith of the Reformed
Churches of this nation, and promife to per-
fever e therein to my life's end., and never to
believe or teach any thing not conformable
to it : and becaufe fome have contejled about
thefenfe of the eighteenth article, which is
concerning purification, I declare and pro-
teft before God, that I under/land it accord^
ing to the fenfe received in our Churches,
approved by National Synods, and conform-
able to the kvord of God, which is, 'that our
Saviour was obedient to the Moral and Ce-
remonial Law, not only for our good, but
in ourjlead, that all the obedience which he
paid to the Law is imputed to us, and that
cur Jujtification conjijls, not only in the re-
mijjion offim, but alfo in the imputation of
his affive right eoufnefs. —- And I promife
never to depart from the doErrine received
in our Churches, and to fubmit to the Re-
gulations of National Synods on this fubj 'e£i !.-
Synodes Nationaux, etc. par Aymon.
Thefc men would no more have parted
b with

xviii PREFACE.

with an inch of their Theological Syftertt,
than the Mufcovites once would with an
inch of their beards.

Here follows another Decree, made
in France A. D. 1620.

Ifwear and promife before God and this
holy Aflembly, that I receive , approve, and
embrace all the dotfrine taught and decided
by the National Synod of Dort — Ifwear
and promife that I will perf ever e in it all my
lifelong, and defend it with all my power,
and never depart from it in my Sermons,
College-Le&ures, Writings, orConverfation
or in any other manner, public, or private*
I declare alfo and proteji that I rejetf and
condemn the do5trine of the Ar mini am, be-
caufe etc. — So help me God, as Ifwear
all this without equivocation or mental re-
fervation.

They (hould have thus prefaced the
Ordinance ; It feemed good to the Holy Ghoft
and to us to lay upon you no greater burden
than thefe necejfary things which Jollow,
etc.

To

PREFACE. xix

To compel any one to fwear that he
will never alter his opinions about Con-
troverfial Divinity, is a grievous impofi*
tion. It might have made fome unftable
men go over to Popery out of refentment,
and lay, If I miijl Jurrender body, foul,
fenfe, and under ft anding, the Church of
Rome foall have them, and not you.

Thus,
Iliacos intra muros peccatur et extra :

whilft Chriftianity blufhes and grieves
that ihe can fay fo little in behalf of her
children.

I pafs over the Synod of Dort, in which
the prevailing Party oppreffed, as they
often do, the Wife and the Learned, and
entailed an irrational and uncharitable Sy-
ftem on their Pofterity.

It is faid that Pope Innocent, the tenth,
(I think) when the Janfenian controverfy
was fo warmly agitated, told his learned
Librarian Lucas Holftenius, that he was
very uneafy about it, and unwilling to de-
cide it, becaufe it was a point which he

b 2 under-

xx PREFACE.

understood not, and had never ftudiecL
Holftenius replied, that it feemed not ne-
ceflary for his Holiriefs, at that time of
life, to begin to ftudy it, and much lefs
to decide it, fince it was an intricate fub-
je<ft, which had divided not only the
Chriftian world, but the greateft philofo-
phers of antiquity ; that if the contend-
ing parties were left to themfelves, after
they had reafoned, and railed, and wran-
gled, and declaimed, and preached, and
written againft one another, and eafed
themfelves that way, they would at laft
lit down and be quiet for very wearinefs,
or for want of hearers and readers : which
advice feemed not at all amifs to the
Pope, and was favourably received, but
not followed.

Poftellus was a Scholar and a Fanatic,
two things that are feldom found together.
Latin and Greek helped to damage his
head, and Hebrew quite overfet him. He
gave into Cabbaliftic interpretations of the
Old Teftament, and believed in the reve-
lations of fome Sibyl, fome daughter of

Efdras3

PREFACE. xxi

Efdras, who prophefied in his days, and
was one of thofe who want to let in new
light upon the Church, whilft they want
more to have the light fhut out, and the
flaws and crevifes patched and flopped in
the Osregfifoy, in the upper chamber ^t
home. The poor man was accufed of
herefy j upon which, he entered boldly
into the Lion's Den, furrendered himfelf
a prifoner to the Inquifitors at Venice^
offering to take his trial, anc} to, de-
monftrate his innocence $ and thus gave
an additional proof of his diforder, whilft,
with the adventurous Lover in the Fa-
ble,

T*anarias etiam fauces, alta oflia Ditis,
Et caligantem nigraformidine lucum
Ingreffus, Manefque adiit, Regemque tre-

Nefciaque Immanis precibus manfuefcere
corda.

Poftellus, like Orpheus, found favour
in the fight of the Infernal Powers : They
behaved themfelves, who would believe
it ! as Philofophers and Chriflians upon

b 3 the

xxii PREFACE.
the occafion, and did him juftice $ for af-
ter a fair hearing, they paffed fentence on
him, declaring that he was not a Heretic,
but only Mad ; Poftellum non effe hareti-
cum, Jed tanium amentem. Lettres de Si-
mon, i. 23. If the Inquifitors would aft
thus, it would be better for their prifon-
ers in this world, and for themfelves in
the next. It will then be found a poor
excufe for their cruelty, that it help-
ed to fill the Church with Nominal Ca-
tholics, and to keep up an unity of exo-
teric faith in the bond of ignorance, fear,
and hypocrify.

Men will compell others, not, to think
with them, for that is impoffible ; but to
fay they do, upon which they obtain full
leave, not to think or reafon at all, and
this is called Unity 5 which is fomewhat
like the behaviour of the Romans, as it
is defcribed by a brave country-man of
ours in Tacitus, — Ubi folitudinem fad-
ynt^ pacem appellant.

Difputing enflames firey zeal, and men
beftow blows upon their antagonifts, ei-

pecially

PREFACE. xxiii

pecially when arguments fall fhort. Inva-
lidum Urjis caput, vis maxima in brachiis
et in lumbiSy fays Solinus. If their hands
are tied, they beftow a plentiful effufion
of curfes, and denounce divine judg-
ments ; but if they are at full liberty,
they beftow both : and then Cruelty is
called Charity, Charity to the foul, and
this lame Charity, as it is of a fruitful and
diffufive nature, produces Anathemas,
Informations, Calumnies, Banifhments,
Imprifonments, Confiscations, Inquifiti-
ons, and fo forth.

Tillemont, fpeaking of the fcandalous
perfecution in the reign of Conftantius,
when the Arians opprelTed the Confubftan-
tialz/h, and warmed with his fubject,
breaks out into thefe reflections, — Con-
viffiion and perfuafion cannot be brought a-
bout by the imperious menaces of princes ;
nor is there any room left for the exercife
of re af on, 'when a refufal to fubmit brings
on banijhment and death. — Such doctrines
proceed from the invention of men > not from
the Spirit of God, who forces and compelh

b 4 no

PREFACE.

no one againft his 'will. His obfervations
arejuft: you can no more fubdue the
Underftanding with blows, than beat
down a caftle with fyllogifms. A lucid
ray {hot through the foul of this fuperfti-
tious, though elfe valuable Writer, as 3-
flafh of lightning in a dark night. There
is indeed between the human Underftand-
ing and Truth a natural and eternal alli-
ance, which is fufpended and difordered by
Ignorance, Paflion, Bigotry, Prejudice and
Selfifhnefs, but can never be totally broken.
When a man fuffers, and fees his friends
fuffer for confcience fake, he perceives
the beauty of the facred Rule, Whatfoever
ye would that others Jfjould do unto you, do
ye eiynfo unto them : but when the Or-
thodox perfecute the Heterodox, this pi-
ous Author wTinks hard, and can fee no
great harm in it. No more could AuT
guftin, when, upon fecpnd thoughts, but
not the wifeft, he contended for the do-
£trine of perfecution, in fome Letters,
which Eayle has taken to pieces very
Jiandibmely in his Philofophical Commen-
tary >

PREFACE. xxv

fary ; happy, if he had always fo exer-,
eifed his abilities, and had left his Mani-.
chteans to fhift for themfelves ! Sarah,
fays Auguftin, and Hagar are types of the
Catholic Church and of the Heretics.
When Hagar offends her miftrefs, this is
downright rebellion : when Sarah beats
Hagar, this is due correction. So is it
with the Spiritual and the Ungodly ; they
are always at variance, always buffeting
and bruifing each other, but the baftina-
does of the Righteous are fandified by
the good intention, and by the falutary
effeds,

Socrates the hiflorian, like an honeft
man, cenfures Theodolius, an orthodox
Bifhop, for perfecuting the Macedonians,
vii. 3. upon which Valefius thus delivers
his opinion : Celebris quaftio eft, etc. It
is a celebrated and much controverted que-
tlion^ whether it be lawful for Catholics^
and particularly for Bijbops, to perfecute
heretics. I think it is necejjary to have
recourfe to a DISTINCTION. It is cer-
tainty unlawful to vex them, as T'heodojius

did,

xxvi PREFACE.

did, for the fake of extorting money ; and
alfo to profecute them as criminals, and to-
thirjl after their blood, as Idatius and fame
other Blfiops cf Spain affied towards the
Prifcillianijis. But it is and ever 'was
permitted to the Catholics to implore the aid
of Princes and Magiftrates againft Here-
ticsy that they may be retrained, and kept
in order, and that they may not infolently
exalt themf elves above the Catholics, or in-
fuli and deride the Catholic Religion. Au-
guflin indeed confejjes that he had formerly
been of opinion, that Heretics Jhould not be
barajjed ly Catholics, but rather allured
by all kind cf gentle methods. TCet after-
wards he changed his opinion, having learn-
ed by experience that the Laws made by the
'Emperors againft Heretics had proved the
happy occafion of their converfion - and he
cbferves that the converted Donatifts had
acknowledged that they never Jlmild have
returned 1o the Church, but have lived and
died in their errors, if they had not been^
in a manner, incited and attracted by the
punifoments and mulcts of the Imperial
Laws. This pa/age of Augujlin> which

is

PREFACE.

'is very elegant^ is in the xlviii//6 Epiflle
to VincentiuS) to which may be added what
he has f aid in the xxiiiJ ch. ofthejirft book
againjl Gaudentius.

In fome places which Valefius knew,
and in fome places which he knew not,
the Odium T^heologicum^ like a poifonous
Tree, has reared its head and fpread its
arms, and the neighbouring plants, in-
ftead of receiving flielter and protection,
have fickened and withered beneath its
baleful influence -> yet was it a friendly-
covering to weeds and nettles, and the
fox lodged fafely at its root, and birds
of ill omen fcreamed in its branches.

The groundlefs furmifes of a Booby,
pr of a Bigot, have hurt many a man of
fenfe, and qualified him to be regifter'd
in an Appendix to fierius de Infelicitate
Literatorum. Where arbitrary power has
prevailed, nothing has proved more pro-
fitable than either obfequious dulnefs,
or a political palfy in the head, nodding
and affenting to all,

Omnia

xxviii PREFACE,

Omnia omnibus annuem \
as Catullus fays of old age.

Opinions ftart up, and flourifh, and
fall into difgrace, and feem to die $ but
like Alpheus and Arethufa, they only
difappear for a time, and rife into light,
and into favour again.

What men call Herefy, is often a heal
and zfecular crime ; for what is Herefy
in one century, and in one country, is
found doftrine in another : and in fome
difputes, as in the Neftorian and the Pe^
lagian controversies, to mention none be-^
fides, it is a nice thing to fettle the boun-
daries between Orthodoxy and Hetero-
doxy, and the only way to be fafe is to
have recourfe to implicit faith, and to
imitate the prudent Monk, who when Sa-
tan would have drawn him into herefy,
by afking him what he believed of a cer-
tain point, anfwered, Id credo quod credit
Ecclefa. But, $uid credit Ecclefa? faid
Satan. Id quod ego credo, replied the o-

ther;

PREFACE. xxix

ther : and Neftorius, if he would havs
flept in his own bed, fhould have faid,
Id credo quod credit SanSlijJimus Cyrillus*
Neftorius perhaps fuffered no more than
he deferved, becaufe he had been a per-
fecutor himfelf ; but fuch violent pro-
ceedings about fuch points, in different
times and places* have inclined many per-
fons to fufpecft that in thofe afTemblies,
fome were talkative, quarrelfome, difin-
genuous, and overbearing, whilft others
were paffive Dolts, wh&pedarii Senator es.
Every age has continued to produce wran-
glers of this kind, who now have the
reft which they would not give other peo-
ple ; and whofe works follow them, and
are at reft alfo.

Theodolius, the firft, made fevere laws
againft Heretics, about A. D. 380, and
required of all his fubjeds that they fliould
follow the faith of Pope Damafus, and of
Peter of Alexandria-^ for which and fuch
like holy and wholefome ordinances, to
be found in the Theodofian Code, he is
extolled by Tillemont and many others,

as

PREFACE;

as a Man of God. The beft thing that
can be faid for him is, that he was npt^
on thefe occafions, as bad as his word,
but threatened more than he performed*
As to Damafus, whatfoever his faith was*
it had been better for him to have lived
and died a Prefbyter, and one cannot fay
of him that he fought a goodfgbf, when
he fought for his Bifhopric, His Braves
flew many of the oppofite party, and great
Was the fury of the religious Ruffians on
both fides, in this holy war. Pious
times, and much to be honoured, or
envied !

What is to be done then with one
who is, or who is accounted or whifper-
ed to be erroneous ? Why, Dtftinguendum
eft : you muft not fhed his blood, nor en-
rich yourfelf with his fpoils ; but you may
contrive other ways to bring him to a
right mind, or to beggary : Ways, which
referable the method of Italian Affaffins,
to beat a man with fatchells of fand : no
blood is fhed, and no bones are broken,
4 but

PREFACE. xxxi

but the patient dies by the operation.

A Gentleman and a Scholar, as Vale-
fius was, fhould have nothing to do with
fuch dtftinffiions : he ought rather to di-
jiinguijh himfelf from the vulgar by a
larger mind, by detefling perfecution in
every fhape, were it only for this reafon,
that it is the bane of letters ; by account^
ing all the Learned and Ingenious>where-*
foever difperfed,orhowfoeverdiftrefled, as
brethren, and by loving and ferving them,
unlefs they be rude and infolent, vitious
and immoral. Would Valefius have had
fuch countrymen of his as Jofeph Scali-
ger, Ifaac Cafaubon, Salmafms, Bochart,
plondel, Daille, fent.to inhabit the Ba-
ftille, or the Gallies ? would he have had
them directed, corrected, and infulted
by a King's Confeffor, and by perlbns
who knew nothing befides their Bre-
viary, if perad venture they knew that?
This is not laid to infinuate that the
Gallican Church had not in his time, and
in all times, many e :&cellent men : no-
thing can be farther from the Author's

thoughts f

xxxii PREFACE;
thoughts ; but the fomenters of opprefirott
and perfection have been ufually ei-
ther void of letters, or learned Dunces
at the beft3 and have accounted it an
infufferable impudence in any man;
to be wifer, and more knowing than
themfelves. How could Valeflus even
fiame Augujlin> who, ingenious as he
certainly was, and refpeftable as he may
be on other accounts, yet by the weak
things which zeal^ not ill-nature, trged
him to fay on this fubje£t:, tarnimed in
fome degree his own reputation, and ef-
poufed a Caufe full of abfurdities which
all the wit of man cannot defend, and of
fpots which all the water of the Ocean
cannot warn off ?

In this World, in this great Infirmary;
among other diftempers with which poor
mortals are afflicted, is an intemperate
zeal, or a fpirit of party, which, when
it arifes to a certain pitch, is not to be re-
ftrained by the gentle bands of Reafon :
they are broken afunder, as a thread
touched with fire. The Imagination then

plays

PREFACE. xxxiii

plays her part, and raifes an ugly Phan-
tom, and the man fpends his rage upon
it, and fometimes by miftake ftrikes at
his Friend,

et Jit pugil, et Medicum urget.

Whilft the inconveniencies are no great-
er than this, we fhould patiently bear with
the defedts and diforders of fuch men, as
with the frowardnefs of thofe who are in
pain, and, as Seneca fays, more optimorum
farentum, qui maledittis fuorum infan~
tlum arrident ; like tender parents, who
fmile at the little perverfities of their
children; for there are old as well as
young children, and perhaps more indul-
gence is due to the former than to the lat-
ter, fince they cannot be fpoiled by it, be-
ing paft curing.

And here the civil Magiftrate is of ex-
cellent ufe, to keep the peace among his
fraftious fubjeds, or at leaft to keep them
from doing one another a bodily mifchief.
Forbear to draw your fword upon your
adverfary, %s Minerva to Achilles; abufe
him as muclh and as long as you will :

xxxSv P * E P A C E,

, „ , - „, „ t

'AAA' «Sy6 A?y tttfK| f"^e £$$ gAf ° 2W
'AAAJ

But worfe than Fanatical Fervour Is
the fedate Spirit of religious tyranny, ari-
lino- from the luft of dominion, from for-
did felf-intereft, and from atheiftical po-
litics, taking its meafures, and purfuing its
ends deliberately, void of all regard to
truth, and of every tender fentiment of
pity and humanity.

Thus Chriftianity degenerated, and
Things went on from bad to worfe, from
folly to corruption, from weaknefs to
w'ickednefs ; and then the Reformation
made confiderable amendments.

cm sd

THE ChriflianWorld is now divide4
into the Reformed and Unreformed, or
rather, into thofe who are not, and thofs
who are members of the Church of Rome.
The latter, as they deal lead in reafon,
trre the moft difpofed to ufe the illuminat-
.ing arguments above-mentioned, which
icrve as zfiiccedaneum in the place of rea-
fon. They would willingly force upon

PREFACE, xxxv

bs a mode of Chriftianity which neither
we nor our fathers were able to bear. Our
religious eftablifhment is far better and
highly valuable, and we fhould be un-
grateful if we did not efteem it ; but the
more fimple and unexceptionable a re-
ligion is, the dearer will it be to thofe
who underftand it, and know what it
is to enjoy it. In fuch a religion Charity
Would be a gainer, and Faith would
be no lofer, and it would be an eafier
talk to fatisfy doubters, to bring over infi-
dels, and to re-unite believers. Before the
Jews (hall be converted^ and the Gentiles
flow into the Church, it is reafonable to
fuppofe, that in the Chriftian world there
will be more harmony, more mutual com-
pliance and forbearance, than at prefent
is to be found i

As the oppofers of the Gofpel have
frequently had recourfe to arguments ad
hominem, and have taken advantage . from
modern fyftems, and from the writings
.of Divines of this or that perfualion ; ib
the defenders of ''Revelation have often
found themfelves under a neccfllty of re-

c 2 ducing

D A i a /'

xxxvi PREFACE.
ducing things to the venerable Chriftia-:
nity of the New Teftament, and of ad-
venturing no farther; and of declining the
reft -as not efTential to the caufe, and to
the eontroverfy.

The removal even of fmall defeats, and
improvement from good to better ihould
always be the object of every man's warm
wifhes, and modeft and peaceable endea-*
vours. Modeft and peaceable they ought
certainly to be ; for there is a reverence
due to the Public, to Civil Society, to
Rulers and Magiftrates, and to the Majo-
rity $ and decency and prudence are nei^
ther marks of the Beaft, nor that worldly
wifdom which ftands condemned in the
Gofpel. In all fuch endeavours great
care and difcretion are requifite. Diffi-
culties of various forts prefent themfelves,
and difficulties not to be flighted, fome of
which fhall be pafled over in filence, be-
caufe they might poffibly rather tend to
irritate than to appeafe, and give an of-
fence which (hould be induftrioufly avoid-
ed. There is a fear of confequences, ari-
fing in cautious and diffident minds, a fear

of

PREFACE, xxxvii

of lofing what is valuable by feeking what
is defireablej there is a wide-fpread indiffe-
rence towards every thing of aferious kind,
and it is fadly encreafed by that thought-
lefs diffipation, and thofe expenfive follies
which are fo prevalent ; there is alfo a let-
tied diflike of the Gofpel among too ma-
ny, who are fo ignorant, and fo prejudiced,
as to account Chriftianity itfelf to be of
no ufe and importance.

. fwaf- *

.

Thefe confiderations may incline me-
lancholy perfons to imagine, that it is vain
to expert amendments of a more refined
nature, which feem to depend on a fa-
vourable concurrence of circumftances
feldom united, and that we have not a
foundation which can bear the fuperftru-
£ture.

It is much to be wifhed, that more ef^
fedlual methods could be contrived to fup-
prefs vice, and to affift the willing, and
to compel the unwilling to earn their
bread honeftly in the days of their youth
and ftrength, and thereby to fecure the
peace of civil fociety, and to fave from
ruin fo many poor creatures, of whom it
ffi$b»a,

xxxviii PREFACE,
is hard to decide, whether they be more,
wicked, or more miferable, and whofe
crimes it would be far better to prevent,
than to punifli, If we could do any thing
to remove, or to diminifli thefe dreadful
evils, moral and natural, the love of God
and of Man would be our reward. But
thefe are things, which perhaps are refer-
ved for another generation :

— :. manet noftrosfelix ea cura nepotes.

LET us in the mean time be thankful
for what we have 5 for our religion and
liberties j for a difpofition which may be
called national, to ads of charity public
or private, and for that portion of learn-
ing, and that fkill in liberal arts and fci-r
ences, which we poflefs, fufficient to fe-
cure us from the contempt of our Neigh-
bours, though not to give us any claim
to precedency. What we poffefs of eru-
dition, muft in a great meafure be afcrib-
ed to the prevailing force of education,
emulation, and cuftom -y for fo it is, the
love of letters, begun at School, and
continued at the Univerfity, will ufually

accom-

P.R E F AC E. xxxix
accompany a man through all the chang-
ing fcenes of this life, improving his
pleafures, and foothing his forrows. Hap-
py is it, that the pious and judicious libe-
rality of our Anceftors founded and en-
dowed thofe two noble Seminaries, which
have been our beft fecurity againft Igno-
rance, Superftition, and Infidelity.

ESTOTE PERPETU^E!

An agreeable remembrance of former davs
prefents itfelf,

— nee me meminijje pigebit Alumncz,
Dum memor ipfe mei> dumfpiritus bos regit
artus.

But let us alib do juftice to theTheological
merits and ufeful labours of perfons of an-
other denomination in this country, of
whom §>ui tales flint, uti?iam effent ncfiri.

POLITE LEARNING, or Humanity
" • • yn£
helps to open and enlarge the mind, and

to give it a generous and liberal way of
thinking, not what is vulgarly termed
Free-thinking^ and belongs' to vulgar Un-
derftandings. Learning\\^ a lovely- child,
Called Moderation ^ and Mtd/raiion is not
c -afraid

xl PREFACE-

afraid or afhamed to fhew her face in the
Theological World ; the number of her
friends is encreafed, and, whilft our civil
Conftitution fubfifts, they are in no dan^
ger of being fewed up in a bag with a
Monkey, a Viper, a Wit, and a Free-
thinker, and flung into the next river.
That Liberty of Prophefying may prevail,
and that profane Licentioufhefs may be
reftrained, are wifhes which fhould al-
ways be joined together,

.iy{ls

AND now, if men willfaylperfuade to

Jndifferency, Imujl bear it as well as lean,
I am not yet without remedy, as they are ;
for patience will help me, andreafon cannot
cure them. The words are borrowed from
a pious, ingenious, learned, charitable,
and fweet-tempered Bifhop, who, with a
noble candour and generous opennefs,
pleads the caufe of Liberty of prophefying^
and who never was cenfured for it by any
man worth the mentioning, though pro-
bably he was reviled by thofe who called
T'illotfon an Atheift. If thefe two excek
lent Prelate^ and Erafmus and Chilling-
) and John Hales, and Locke, and

Eft-*

PREFACE, xli

Epifcopiusy and Grotius, and many who
{hall not be be named, had been contem-
poraries, and had met together FREELY
to determine the important queftion, What
wakes a man a Chriftian, and what profef*
fan of faith foould be deemed fujjicient^ they
would probably have agreed, notwith-
ftanding the diverfity of opinions which
they might all have had on fome Theo-
logical points. There have been others
indeed, who on fuch an occafion would
have given us an ample catalogue of Ne-
cej/ariesy the inference from which would
have been, that it muft needs be a very
learned, and a very fubtle, and a very in-
genious thing to be a good Chriftian : for
fome of thefe Neceflaries are of fo refined
a nature, that the Underftanding can
hardly lay hold of them, or the Memory
retain them :

rferfrujlra comprenfa, manus effuglt imago,
Par levibus ventis, yohtcrique fimillima
fomno.

Some of the beft defenders of Chriftia-
nity, down from Origen, no Saint, it

feems,

slli PREFACE.

feems, but worth a hundred and fifty
Saints who might be mentioned, have
been unkindly ufed and traduced by inju-*
dicious Chriftians, for a harder epithet fhall
not be given to them. Sirs, ye are bre-
thren ; why do ye wrong one to another ?
Even civil war has ceafed, when the com-
mon Enemy has been at the door, and
mad Factions have joined to repel him,
and to crown the deferving with laurel gar-
lands ; but Chriftians, when befleged by
powerful and formidable Infidels, have
found leifure and ftomach to contend,
' whether the light which fhone about
Chrift at his transfiguration was created
or uncreated.

^ri~ .q0

Jb

WHAT has been here fuggefted
was with a view, not to dictate, no not
even to advife, but only to moderate a
prejudice which lies deep in the heart of
an Englifhman and a Churchman, tfcat
as his own vales, hills, rivers, and ci-
ties furpafs in beauty and convenience
tiny thing that the world affords 5 fo his

P R E F A C E. xliii

own religious confutation is free even from
all appearance of def^ft, and fhadow of
imperfection. This may be called, amare
Focosy et Lares : the firft we eafily ex-
cufe, as an amiable weaknefs in the En^
glifhman > let us ihew the fame favour to
the other in the Churchman : but a little
more candour, and a little lefs partiality
would do us no harm. The Autjipr aims
at nothing beyond this, and therefore

ENTERS INTO NO PARTICULARS. If

the general intimation be proper, from
whom cap. it come more properly than
from one whofe name or addrefs can
give no fandlion to it, and raife no pre-*
judices in its behalf -, fo that it muft rely
upon its own reafonablenefs, and ftand^
deftitute of all other recommendation ?

As to particulars, his opinion would
never be aiked in fuch cafes, and, if it were
afked, he would perhaps, like Simonides,
defire a day to cdniider, and then another,
pot thro' an affedation of humility, nor,
if he may be credited, thro' hope of pleaf-
ing, or fear of difpleafing, but through a
real diffidence, and a confcioufnefs of the

difference

xliv PREFACE.
difference between difcerning what may
be fpeculatively right, and judging what
is practicable. An application to Moral
and Theological Studies will lead a per-
fon to fome fkill in the firft, if he has a
mind open to convidlion ; but the latter
requires a genius and a knowledge of a
different fort. JB£J

Befides all this, the middle courfe be-
tween too low and too high, between the
Serpent and the Altar ^ is fomewhat hard
to keep:

vrjifflfld

Neu te dexter lor tortumdeclinet /#Anguem,
NevejinifleriorpreJJamrota ducat ad Aram,

Ovid. Met. ii. 138.

It may therefore be more advifeable
for him to examine himfelf in ferious fi-
lence, and to confider what paffes with-
in9 and in his own little circle, where the
circumference almoft touches the centre 5

'O,r\t oi cv pvydgoiri XCMWT' dyct6ov re TGTVK?)*

which fingle line, according to the wife
Socrates, contains a complete fyftem of
philofophy.

I F

,,3 0 A ^ 3. » 1
PREFACE.

I P he defires that others would receive
Xvith Chriftian candour thefe fuggeftions,
which, whatfoever they be, proceed from
a good intention, and are not the lan-
guage of felf-intereft, he defires no more
than he is very willing to return. But
be that as it will, he is not at all dif-
pofed to contend about them.

Err are pot eft : litigiofus eje non vult.

Such contentions beget, or keep, up
enmity $ and he had rather glide through
the world, like a fhadow, obfcurely and
quietly, and meet with few cenfurers; for
to have none, is a bleffing which never
was defigned for a writer on Ecclefiaftical
fubjedls.

For this, and for other good reafons,
Authors fhould avoid, as much as they
can, replies and rejoinders, the ufual
confequences of which are, lofs of time,
and lofs of temper. Happy is he who is
engaged in controverfy with his own paf-
fions, and comes off fuperior j who makes
it his endeavour that his follies and weak-

nefles

xM P R E F A C E-

nefles may die before him, and who daily
meditates on mortality and immortality.

.

v t
LET us hear a wife man, who thus

fpeaks to himfelf, and to us : May my lajl
hours jind me occupied in amending and im-
proving my heart ! that I may be able to fay
to God, Have I violated thy commands?
have I ever accufed thee> and complained of
thy government ? I have been Jick and in-
frm> becaufe it 'was thy appointment -, and
fo have others, but I 'willingly. I have been
poor, according to thy good pleafure, but
contented. I have had no dignities -y thou
haft withheld them, and I have not thought
them even 'worthy of a wijh. Didft thou
fee me fad and dejected on thefe accounts ?
jbid I not appear before thee with aferene
countenance, and cheerfully complying with
thy f acred orders ? Deal with me, and dif-
pofe of me as thou wilt -y thy will is mine:
and if any onejhall fay that thou haft been
unkind to me, I will defend and maintain
thy caufe againft him. Wilt ihou that I
depart hence ? I go ; and I return thee my
5 Jincereft

PREFACE. xlvii '•:•

Jincereft thanks that thou haft vouchfafed to
call me hither to this great ajjembly and en-
tertainment, and haft permitted me to con-
template thy works, to admire and adore thy
providence, and to comprehend the ivifdom
of thy conduct. May death feize me writ-

ing and meditating fuch things !

zv\\
It is needlefs to fay whence thefe reflec-

tions are taken $ the Owner is fo well
known : but they can never be too often
cited, and if the Stoical felf-fufficiency.
which breathes in fome parts of them
were corrected by Chriftian humility, they
would be to many of us a proper LeJ/bnfor
the day, and remind us of the refignation
that is due to an all- wife and all-gracious
Providence.

WbT^ \(J*

fev

- ^

[ xlk ]

CONTENTS.

Page

Clrcumftances of the Roman
Empire favourable to the
beginnings and increafe of
Chrijiianity I to 8

Whether tfiberius propofed to dei-
fy Chrift z

Conjecture on a pajfage in Ju-
venal 9—- 13

Cafe of the Demoniacs who are
mentioned in the New Tejta-
ment 14-— 19

Of the Demoniacs after the

Apoftolic age 242 — 244

*The gift of tongues 15 — 20

a

;* ^ t/T -IT • T M n "1

i C ONT E NTS.

Page

tfxprtjiffions of Chrift concern-
ing the deftruttion ofjerufa-
lem accomplijhed. Shewed to

been 'extant before the
event 20—

e writings of Jofephus 3 5— 4 l

Books of the New tylament au-
thentic \ and proved to be fo
by internal charatten 41 — 50

Cited, or alluded to, byApofto-

lical Fathers 52— 61

By ancient Heretics 68 — 70

333-335

Shorter Epijlles of Ignatius pre-
ferred to the larger 6 1 — 67

355—361

r

-

rr • es» r

ConjeSlure on a pa/age in Jofe-
phus 79
Eufebius and Herodotus explained 88 — 93

Remarks on prophecy in general

and on its ufes 90 — 1 64

The Damon of Socrates, etc. 94, 95

Atheifts fuperfitious 103

Divination in the Pagan 'world

confidered 107 — 164

The

CONTENTS B

Page

fbe hiflory of *fobit 1 1 2

A prophetic dream of Socrates 117
Modern accounts of prophecies

and prophetic dreams 1 1 8-— j 2 1

377—387

Pagan oracles i % i --- 1 2 6

143™ 164
189 — 191

Eufetius. his account of them 143 — 145
Idolatry whether ivorfe than

Atheifm : and JSayle's fenti-

ments conjidered 1 27 — $41

Oracles ridiculed by jlriftophanes

and Lucian 1 46— j 49

Oracles at Hierapolis mentioned

by Lucian De Dea Syria ;

and fome remarks on that
j

book 149 — 1 60

e opinions of Herodotus, and
of Van Dale concerning ora-
cles 161 — 164
*fhe prophecies relating to our

Saviour 164-— 228

prophecies in the Old Teftament
cannot be fuppofed t$
d 2

liJ CONTENTS.

Page

haw been forged after the event 1 73 — 1 79
Accommodations 1 8 1

Direft prophecies 182

types J83 —

226^?

Prophecies of double fenfes 1 8 8

Omens *9Z

J'he prediction of Mofes that a
Prophet Jhould arife like unto
him, and the refemblance be-
tween Mofes and Chrift ex-
amined 196—226

ConjeSlure on a Pa/age in He-
rodotus 212

The prohibition of eating blood 215

Bacchus and Hercules refemble
Mofes 223

*fhe Apojlolical Conftitutions con-
Jidered 228—278

Some remarks on the Compiler

of them 233—236

Their account of the Charif-

mata 230

Of Epif copal authority 223

Allude to Solomon's Song 236 — 242

What

CON T E NTS, liii

Page

What they fay of Damoniacsz^z
Ofbaptifm 244

Of adultery ', etc, 247

tfhe Helleniflic language 248
ffle Pharijees, Sadducees and
Effenes 259

^pajfage in Porphyry concern-
ing the Effenes explained 269
And in Jofephus 271

Simon' $ fabulous combat with St
Peter 255

^ forged Sibylline oracle cited
in the Conftitutions 274

An emendation of a fault in it 277

Apoftolical Canons confi-
dered 278 — 283

*fbe Sibylline Grades examined,
and rejeSted as forgeries and
impojlures 283 — 328

Homer's prophecy concerning

JEneas and his pojlerity 2 8 6 — 2 89

Virgits fourth Eclogue conji-

dered 294 — 299

fabricius, his account of the Si-
bylline oracles 289

Orphic

liv CON T E N T S*

Orphic verfes> and fragments of

Greek poets, etc. 'which are

cited by the Father s> examin-

ed and corrected 300 — 328

Eufebius not to he charged with

defending the Sibylline Ora-

cles 3J5

Juftin Martyr not the forger of

them 320 :.HW

Sibylline Oracles 'which 'were

made by Pagans 3 2 -5-^-3 28

Barnabas. *fbe antiquity and

the dubious authority of the

Epiflle afiribed to him 3 2 9 — 3 3 6
Some remarks on Clemens Ro-

manus 3 36

On Her mas and Poly carp 338
tfhe Recognitions of Clemens

a wretched romance. Apaf-

fage in them explained 336—342

*the Epiftle to Diognetus the

work of an uncertain and in-

confiderable writer 3 42 — 3 48

tfillemont. Obfervations on his

fentiments and writings. 3 48— ^.3 5 1

CO N T E NTS. Iv

Page
Juftin M. and Clemens Alex.

had favourable opinions of

the future condition of the

virtuous Pagans 3 5 1 — 3 54

Clemens Alex, explained and

correfled 354

Ignatius. Remarks on his Epiflles

and his martyrdom 355 — 3 72

A reading in one of his Epiftles

defended 3 5 6™ 3 6 r

Remarks on a Tax in/lit uted by

Augujius 372—376

Y

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REMARKS

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REMARKS

O N

Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.

T has been often obferved that
Chriftianity made its appear-
j| ance in the moft proper time,
and under a favourable concur-
rence of circumftances. Something has
been faid on this head in my fourth Difc. on
the Chriflian Religion : what is now offered
to the Reader is partly a continuation of the
fame fubjeft, and thefe Remarks are in-
tended, in fome meafure, as a fupplement
to thofe Difcourfes.

B ChriftU

2 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory.

Christianity began to gain ground in
Judaea and its neighbourhood in the reign
of Tiberius, a very wicked prince, but
who was fo occupied with his lufts and
with his cruelty towards confiderable per-
fons whom he hated, envied, or feared,
and was alfo naturally fo flow and indolent,
that either lie heard little of this remote
and rifing fed:, or thought it beneath his
notice, and fo did it no harm.

It is probable that Pilate, who had no
enmity towards Chrift, and accounted
him a man unjuftly accufed, and an ex-
traordinary perfon, might be moved by
the wonderful circumflances attending and
following his death to hold him in vene-
ration, and perhaps to think him a Hero,
and the fon of fome Deity. It is poffible
that he might fend a narrative, fuch as he
thought moft convenient, of thefe tranf-
adtions to Tiberius; but it is not at all
likely 3 that Tiberius propofed to the Se-
nate that Chrift fhould be deified, and
that the Senate rejected it, and that Tibe-
rius continued favourably difpofed towards

* See Le Cltrc Hift. Eccl. p. 324.

Chrift,

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. 3

Chrift, and that he threatened to punifli
thole who fhould molefl and accufe the
Chriftians. This report refts principally
upon the authority of Tertullian, who
was very capable of being deceived, and
Eufebius had it from him, EccL Hijl.
ii. 2. The ancient Chriftians might have
been mifinformed in this, as in fome other
points. Tiberius was of an irreligious dif-
pofition and a fatalift, and little difpofed
to encreafe the number of the Gods and
the burden of Atlas, fa Circa deos ac reli-
giones negtigeniior : quippe addiffius mathe-
matics -y perfuafionifqtte plenus ciinffafato
agi. He hated foreign iuperftitions, ^E-
gyptian and Jewifh rites, £ Externas ccere-
moniaSy SfLgyptios Judaicofque ritus compef-
cult. He d and the Senate had expelled
the Jews from Rome, and about the time
of Chrifl's crucifixion he had deftroyed
an illuftrious family, for this, amongft
other reafons, that divine honours had
been paid to oneTheophanes an anceftor of
theirs : e Datum erai crimini quod T'heopha-

b Sueton. Tiber. 69. c Sueton. Tiber. 36.
d Tacitus, Suetonius, Jofephus, « Tacitus Ann.
Ti. iS.

B 2 hem

4 Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hijlory.

nem Mitylenteum proavum eorum Cn. Mag-
nus inter intimos habuijjet : quodque defunfto
Tbeopbani cczleftes bcnores Grteca adulatio
tribuerat. Augufhis commended Caius for
not worfhipping at Jerufalem : f Caium
nepotem^ quod Judceam prcete rvebens, apud
Hierofolymam non fitpplicaffet^ collaudairit :
and Tiberius made it a rule, omnia faffia
diffiaque ejus vice legis obfervare, as he fays
of himfelf in Tacitus Ann. iv. 37. Ob-
ferve alfo that the Jews perfecuted the
Apoflles and flew Stephen, and that Saul
made havock of the Church, entering into
every houfe, and haling men and women,
committed them to prifon, and that Pi-
late connived at all this violence, and
was not afraid of the refentment of Ti-
berius on that account.

The cuftom which the Romans had
to deify and adore their emperors, moil of
them after their deceafe, and fome of them
during their lives, even though they were
the vileft of mankind, the apotheofis of
Antinous, Adrian's favourite, the con-
tempt which many emperors, as Tiberius,

f Sueton. Aug. 93.

and

Remarks upon Ecclefiaftical Hijlory. 5

and Caius, and s Nero fhcwed towards
their Gods, the endeavour of h Helioga-
balus to fupprefs the worlliip of the an-
cient deities, and to introduce a ridiculous
God of his own, the ftrange ^Egyptian dei-
ties which had crept into Italy, and were
there adored by forne and detefied by
others, the liberty which ! many learned
perfons had taken with the popular reli-
gion, thefe things had a tendency to wean
the Pagans by flow degrees from their at-
tachment to idolatry, and to facilitate the
worfhip of one God and Father of all,
who by his Son, or his Word, reconciled to
himfelf and inftruded mankind, and by
his Spirit affifted virtuous minds in their

s Religionum ufquequaque contemtor, prater
unius Deae Syriae. Hanc mox ita fprevit, ut urina
contaminaret. Suet. Ner. 56.

h Hcliogabalum in Palatino monte juxta axles im-
peratorias confecravit, eique templum fecit, fludens
et Matris typum, et Veftae ignem, et Palladium, et
aricilia, et omnia Romanis veneranda in illud trans-
ferre templum, et id agens, ne quis Romac deus nil!
Heliogabalus coleretur. &c. Lampridius 3.

1 It is related fomewhere of Diogenes the Cynic,
that, to {hew his contempt of facrifices, he took a
Icufe, and crack'd it upon the altar of Diana.

B 3 progrefs

6 Retnarks on Ecclefiajlical Hi/lory.

progrefs to wifdom and happinefs, as q.
religion more fimple, and noble, and phi-
lofophical, and reafonable than Paganifm,

The Senate, fays Dio, ordered the tem-
ples of Ifis and Serapis to be pulled down,
and afterwards would not fuffer any to be
eredted intra pcmcerium. Txs vd%g> vt
ring e7r£7rc;V]o, KctO&w T*J Bxty tSc%tV
&} rovg Sm cvopurav, *& GTS ye KJ tfal~

XL. p. 142.

A little after the civil war between Cas-
far and Pompey, the Harufpices ordered
the temples of thefe deities to be demo-
lifhed. Dio XLII. p. 196.

How much the goddefs Ifis and her fa-
cred rites were defpifed may be feen in
Propertius ii. 24. Lucan vin. 831. ix.
158. Juvenal vi. 489. 526. ix. 22. not
to mention feveral others. The apotheo^
fis of the Roman Emperors is made the
fubjeft of the utmoft contempt and ridi-
cule by Seneca in his A7roxoho%iujTu<ri$.

The Romans knew not much of Chri-
ilianity, and in a great meafure overlook^

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. 7

cd it, till its profeffors were fo confider-
ably increafed, that they could not eafily
be destroyed.

Chriftianity at firft was more likely
to profper under bad than under good
Emperors, if thefe were tenacious of their
religious rites and ceremonies. The bad
Emperors had ufually other crimes and
other mifchief in view, and no leifure to
plague fuch a little fed:, little when com-
pared to Paganifm.

And accordingly from the death of
Chrift to Vefpafian, for about the fpace
of thirty feven years, the Romans did not
much mind the progrefs of the Gofpel.
They were ruled by weak, or frantic,
and vitious Emperors, the Magiftrates and
Senators, and every worthy man of any
note flood in continual fear for their own
lives. Under Galba, Otho, and Vitellius
the empire was a fcene of confulion, de-
folation, and mifery.

Nero indeed deftroyed feveral Chrifti-
ans at Rome, but it was for a fuppofed
crime of which all the world knew them

B 4 to

8 Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hijlory.
to be innocent ; fo that this cruel treat-
ment raifed compaffion, and rather did
fervice than harm to the Chriftian caufe?
and the perfecution was foon over.

If Claudius and the Senate in his time
had known the nature of the Gofpel in
this point, that it was diredlly oppofite to
the national religion, and that, if it pro-
fpered, Paganifm mu# decline and come
to nothing, and that every Chriftian
thought himfelf bound to fpread his opi-
nions by all arts and means which were
pot immoral, they would have endeavour-
ed to fupprefs it effectually ; but it lay
fcreened then under Judaifm, and the Jews
had leave to worfhip God in their own
way.

The Chriftians who fuffered under
Nero are called malefici by Suetonius c. 16.
that is, forcerers, magicians. Probably
the Pagans had heard of their miracles,
pnd afcribed them to magic arts, which
yet was a kind of indirect acknowledg-

ent of them.

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. g

Juvenal iii. 41.

Quid Romtffaciam ? mentiri nefclo — " mot us
AJlrorum ignoro : funus pr omit t ere patrh
&c.

where the old Scholiaft fays : motus ajlro-
rum : Maleficus non fum. But here I
doubt it fhould be, Mathematicus non fum,
which is a more literal interpretation.

Nemo matbematicus genium indemnatus ha-

kbit. —

Confulit iftericcz lento defunere matris,
Ante tamen de te &c. vj. 562,

With the Reader's leave, I will flep out
of my way to cprredt a paffage in this
Poet, xin. 64.

Egregium fanftumque <virum Jl cerno, bi-

membri

Hoc monftrum puero, ^^/mirandis^^ aratro
Pifcibus inventis, etfceta comparo mulce,
Sollicitys, tanquam lapides effuderit imbery
Examenque apium longa confident uva
Culmine delubri^ tanquam in mare fluxerit

amnis
Gurgitibus miris, et latfis mortice torrens.

Henni-

I o Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hijlory.
Henninius has given in the text miran-
dis. Lubin fays we muft read mirantis,
not miranti. Gataker conjedtures liranti.
Thefe honeft men were all difpofed to
feed upon acorns, whilft other copies had
miranti, which was very well explained
by Britannicus, fub aratro miranti^ ut rel
inanima dederit fenfum. Miranti aratro
is juft fuch an expreffion as irato Jiftro,
xin. 93. efuriem ramus oliva, xm. 99.
&c. &c.

I need not obferve how flat and un-
meaning and unpoetical is the expreffion,
Gurgitibus miris, and how ill it comes in
after miranti. The Poet intended to fpeak
of a prodigy, of a river running bloody,
which together with {bowers of blood has
been often mentioned amongft prodigies.
See Cicero De Divin. 1.43. The word
which he ufed was fomewhat uncommon,
and therefore loft, and ill fupplied. He
wrote, I believe,

Gbrgitibus miniis, et laftis mortice torrem.

miniis-) that isfanguineis, rubris injiar mi-
nii. The adjective minim or mineus, from

minium^

Remarks on Ecckfiaflical Hiftory. 1 1

minium, red lead, vermilion, is twice ufed
by Apuleius, Fulgentium rofarum minlus,
color, and, Cervicula pjittaci circulo mineo.
Faber's Thefaurus. If there were no ex-
ample extant of the adjective minim, that
would not be a fuftkient reafon to rejeft
the emendation, fince the Greek and La-
tin poets frequently turn fubftantives into
adjectives. So Juvenal himfelf xi. 94.
according to the beft copies ;

§ualis in Oceano fludtu tejludo nataret,

JI3-

Litore ab Oceano Gallis venientibus —

Catullus, LXIII. according to Scaliger's
emendation,

NimirumQcQ3.no fe ojlendit Nottifer imbrc.
And hence Milton, i .

hugeft thatfwim tK Gceanjlrcam,

Minium in Greek is ^/Xr©*,- and the Si-
bylline Oracles fpeak thus of a bloody
iliower ;

' cvgyvov, ctd TI'

The

1 2 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.

The old Scholiaft fays, Gurgitibus wi-
ns'] Aut latfeis, aut fanguineis. But you
have nothing in Juvenal that anfwers to
fanguinefk unlefs you change miris into
miniisy which is alfo a very flight altera-
tion. The Poet might have fo contrived
it as to have ukdfanguis or cruor^ or their
adjeftives, but Gurgitibus miniis pleafed
him better, as it had a more ludicrous caft,
and he chofe rather to ftain his river with
red oker than with blood, It threw a
contempt upon portents and prodigies,
things which he was not much difpofed
to believe. Lucian, or whofoever he be
who wrote the treatife De Dea Syria, fays
that the river Adonis was flained with
blood every year, J 3 $rol#fAoe i%d<?x ereos cu-

TO

t — Hind fumen Jingulis amis cruenta*
tur, fucque amijjb color e in mare effundi-
tury et magnam marts partem inficit. 8.
He adds that an inhabitant of Byblus ex-
plained the phsenomenon thus : J V

Remarks on Ecclejlaflical Hiftory. 1 3

T<ri

* y 3 Y*\ pw cupuSea TtQqn*
Adonis fumen, o hofpesy venit per Libanum.
At Libanus multum rubicund^ terra ha-
fat. Venti ergo vehementes^ quijiatos illis
diebus flatus habent^ terram flumini infe-
runt minio valde fimilem. H<zc illud ter-
ra reddit fanguineum.

This account has been fince confirmed
by Maundrel in his Voyages.

Sanguinem pluijfi, fays Cicero, fenatul

nuntiatum eft, Atratum etiam flu'viumflu-

xiffe f anguine . — Std et decolor atio quczdam

ex ahqua contagione terrena poteji fanguini

Jimilis ejfe. De Div. ii. 27.

Some may think that we ought to read
Gurgitibus miniisy aut laStis mortice torrens>
inftead of et. But, unlefs the beft Ma-
nufcripts deceive us, et is often ufed in a
disjunftive fenfe, and implies much the
fame as aut ; and likewife que9 where <ve
might feem more proper. Of this I gave
fome examples in the Mifcell. Obferv.
Vol. ii, p. 255,

AMONGST

14 Remarks en Ecclefwjlical Hi [lory.

AMONGST the miracles recorded
in the Afts of the ApofHes is the carting
out of evil Spirits. In the New Tefta-
ment, where any circumftances are added
concerning the Demoniacs, they are ge-
nerally fuch as fliew that there was fome-
thing preternatural in the diftemper ; for
thefe difordered perfons agreed in one fto-
ry, and paid homage to Chrift and to his
Apoftles, which is not to be expelled
from madmen, of whom fome would
have worfhipped, and others would have
reviled Chrift, according to the various
humour and behaviour obfervable in fuch
perfons.

One reafon for which the divine Pro-
vidence ftiould fuffer evil Spirits to exert
their malignant powers fo much at that
time, might be to give a check to Saddu-
ceifm amongft the Jews, and to Epicurean
atheifm amongft the Gentiles, and to re-
move in fome meafure thefe two great
impediments to the reception of the Go-
fpel.

THE

Remarks en Ecchfiaftical Hiftory. 1 5

THE firft miracle after the afcenfion
of Chrift, namely the gift of tongues, was
of fingular and extraordinary fervice to
Chriftianity. It increaied the number of
believers at Jerufalem, and engaged the
admiration and favour of the people fo
much, that the enemies of Chrift could
not accomplifli their defigns againft the
difciples, and it ferved to convey the Go-
fpel to diftant regions.

It has been faid that the gift of tongues
continued for a confiderable time to be
abfolutely neceflary for the fpreading of
Chriftianity : but it is to be obferved that
the Scriptures never fay fo. We may
therefore judge for ourfelves how far it
was needful.

Now at the time of Pentecoft there was
a great refort of Jews and Profelytes from
various and remote countries-. The gift
of tongues conferred upon the difciples
ferved to convince and convert many of
thefe perfons, and thefe perfons ferved to
carry Chriftianity with them to their fe-

veral
I

j 6 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.
veral homes. Afterwards the ./Ethiopian
eunuch, Cornelius the Roman Centurion,
Sergius Paulus the Proconful, Dionyfius
the Areopagite, and many others were
converted. By thefe perfons, and by the
travels of fome of the Apoftles and of their
difciples, Chriftianity was fpread in the
Roman empire and in the Eaft ; and then
the Greek language, together with human
induftry in learning other tongues, might
be fufficient to convey the Gofpel as far
and as foon as Providence intended.

Apollonius Tyaneus, as k Philoftratus
relates, pretended to underftand all lan-
guages without having learned them. If
Philoftratus may be credited in this, it is
probable that Apollonius, knowing that
the Chriftians claimed this gift, took the
fame honour to himfelf. He flourished
in the times of Nero and of Domitian,
and it is to be fuppofed that he could fpeak
a little of feveral tongues, for he was a
man of parts and a ftrolling vagabond.

k Vit. Apoll. p. 25. ed, Par, or Eufeb. Contn
Hier. p.* 517.

i Philo-

Remark} on EccJefiafticaJ Hijtory. 17

Philoftratus alfo allures us, that, when
the mother of Apollonius was in labour,
the fwans came to attend and affiit her ;
for which he produces no voucher, fays
Eufebius in Hierocl. p. 517. Now Philo-
ftratus, or whofoever was the author of
this pretty ftory, ftole the thought from
Callimachus :

. ot
Mywiov

'EGSoftaxig <zs£t A?Aoy* fc7r^«cray ot
Mxaroiuv o^videg, aoiScr^Qi Brlfovay.

Hymn, in Delum, 249. where thefe po-
etical birds perform the fame office to
Latona.

Clemens Alexandrinus cites Plato as
faying that the Gods or Daemons had the
ufe of language, and that it appeared from
the difcourfes of Demoniacs, lince in thofe
poffeffions it was not the man himfelf,
but the Daemon in him who fpake by the
man's voice. 'O U*MTCW Si

rav

&.7TQ ruv Saipovuflw, ol Tiji
C

i8 Remarks on Eccle/iaflical Hi/lory*

oatpcvuv. Strom. I. p. 4°5'
on. Edit. I may have overlooked it, but
I never could find this place in Plato.
There is fomething a little like it in Por-
phyry, where Apollo fays of hirnfelf,

Jucundam expirat mortali e gutture vocem.
On which the Philofopher obferves,

TO

Spiritus

enim e loco fuperiore delapfus, illaque adeo
particula^ quce ccelejli virtute in corpus fuis
inftrutfumfacultatibus animatumque deflux-
ity animum veluti bafim aliquamfortita, vo-
cem per corpus ^eluti per quoddam injlru-
mentum edit. Apud Eufeb. Prcep. Ev. v.
8. Thefe Aaw/wfeS^r, of whom the Philo-
fophers fpeak, were perfons infpired, or
fuppofed to be infpired by Apollo, Cybele,
or other Daemons. In later times the

Quvlu) may be tranflated fuam vccem. irtx.-
' forf. tVf^voiiwJo) vel, eTS^u^Valo, vel,

fpeaking

Remarks on TLcclefiajlical Hi/lory. 1 9

fpeaking of new languages has been rec-
koned one of the proofs of being pof-
fefied with a daemon. See Bayle's Did:.
Grandier^ and Michael Pfellus de Operat.
Damonum, and fome inftances collected
by Cudworth, Intel/. Syft. p. 704, 5. That
from Fernelius is mentioned by Le Clerc, '
in his extracts from Cudworth, Bibl. Choif.
v. p. 109. He has made a fmall miftake
when he fays, Un Melancholique qite lesMe'-
deems avoient traite en vain, et qui nefavoii
ni Gra*, ni Latin ,fe mit aparler ces deux
langues. Fernelius only fays that the young
gentleman did not underftand Greek.

To learn a foreign language fo far as
to underftand it when we read or hear it,
is a fkill which is not to be acquired with-
out much time and pains. To fpeak it
readily and pronounce it rightly, is ftill
more difficult : it is what many perfons
can never accomplifh, though they have
all the proper helps, as we may fee every
day j nor can any ftudy and application
acquire this habit, unlefs there be an op-
portunity of converling frequently with
thofe whofe tongue it is.

C 2 If

2o Remarks on Ecclefiafljcal Hi/lory.

If the Apoflles on the day of Pentecoft
had exprefled themfelves improperly, or
with a bad accent, as moft people do,
when they fpeak a living language which
is not natural to them, the hearers, who
at that time were not converted to Chrif-
tianity, would have fufpedted fome fraud,
would have taken notice of fuch * faults,
and cenfured them ; which fince they did
not, it is to be fuppofed that they had no-
thing of that kind to objedt.

WITHIN forty years after there-
fui redion of Chrift came on the deftruc-
tion of Jerufalem, a mofl important event,
upon which the credit and the fate of
Chriftianity depended. Chrift had fore-
told it fo exprefly, that, if he had failed,
his religion could not have fupported it-
felf. But his predictions were exadly ac-
complifhed, and proved him to be a true
prophet.

* As the Jews did to Peter, when they (aid to
him, Thou art a Galilcean^ and thy fpeccb bcwrayetb
fhfi.

Chrift

Remarks on.TLcdefiaflical Hijtory. 2 \

Chrifl fixed the time alfo, faying that
the days were at hand, and would come
before that generation fhould pafs away,
and whilft the daughters of Jerufalem, or
their children, fhould be living.

The completion of Chrift's predictions
has been fully fhewed by many writers,
particularly by Whitby. To him I refer
the reader, on Matt. xxiv. and {hall here
infert in the notes fome * remarks on this

* Our Saviour foretelling the definition
of Jerufalem, applies to the Jews in a pro-
phetic fenfe this proverbial faying, Wherefoevtr
the car cafe is, there will the eagles be gathered
together. Mat. xxiv. 28.

The Jewifh writers had this maxim among
them, that wicked men while they live are to
be reckoned amongft the dead. See Druiius
on Mat. iv. 4. and viii. 22. See alfoLuke xv.
32. Ephef. ii. i. Tim. i. v. 6. But wicked
men are fpoken of in Scripture under this fi-
gure with ilill greater propriety, if for their
crimes they were devoted to death, and con-
demned to it by a divine or human fentence.
C 3 part

22 Remarks on Ecckjiaftical Hi/lory.
part of the fubjedl, which Dr. Pearce the
Bifhop of Bangor was fo kind as to. com-

Gen. xx. 3. By the word car cafe r Chrift means
the Jewilh nation, which was morally and ju-
dicially dead, and whofe definition was pro-
nounced in the decrees of heaven.

In EufebiusE. H. iii. 23. TsOygxE is explain-
ed by 0ew

X TO x£<p#A««ov

Iv roTs oivu vgx^orj. AriuOph,

Ran. Aft. i. Sc. 7. in choro.

See- L. Capell. and Grotius on. Mat. viii. 22.
who fays, N«cgcJ vocantur homines a vera dif-
ciplina, quae anirni vita eft, alieni. ^o ^ iv T»?
(ait Clemens Alex. Strom. v.)/
TS)? 6>c7re<rov7a? r

cc(,otv<x$ rov vxv re zs
fit quoque hjec, ut alia, ab Orientis philofophia
Pythagoras, T«? TWV 'l^#/wv Ja|ot? JWIJM^SV^, ut
de eo Ibribit Hermippus : fiquidem ^ ar^o? TS?J
"E^flt/»ff acpt'xgTo, ut de eo ex Diogene fcribit
Malchus •, unde mos ortus ut his qui coetu
fythagoreorum eflent ejeftia cenotaphia ftru-

municate ;

Remarks on Ecclefiafiical Hi/lory. 2 3

municate ; obferving only that Chrift fore-
told,

erentur, quod Hipparcho cuidam faftum le-
gimus, &c.

Under the metaphor of eagles which fly
fwiftly and feize upon their prey violently,
conquerors with their armies are frequently
fpoken of in Scripture. Jeremiah Lament, iv,
19. fays, Our p erf ecu tors are fwifter than ea-
gles ; and Hofea viii. i. fays of the king of
Affyria, He /hall come as an eagle againft the
houfe of the Lord, becaufe they have tranfgreffed
his covenant. Ezekiel xvii. 3. pronounces a
parable under the fame figure ; Thus faith the
Lord? A great eagle ^ with great wings full of
feathers^came unto Lebanon, and took the highejt
branch of the cedar ; which the prophet thus
explains ver. 12. Behold the king of Babylon is
come to Jerufalem, and hath taken- the king there-

'/•

Nor muft it be forgotten, that when Mofes
Deut. xxviii. 49, &c. threatens the Jews with
the deflruclion of their nation, if they would
not hearken unto the words of the Lord, the
defcription of the calamities, with which he
C 4 J. The

24 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hljlory.

1. The total deftruftion of the city.

2. Of the temple.

threatens them, anfwers fo exactly in the moft
material parts to the final deftru&ion of that
people by the Romans, that this feems to have
been chiefly and principally in the intention
of the prophet ; and there the deftroying ar-
my is fpoken of under this very emblem of
an eagle ; ^he Lord jh all bring a nation againft
thee from far, from the end of the earth^ as
fwift as the eagle flieth \ a nation whofe lan-
guage thou jhalt not underftand.

The fenfe of the proverb then is this ;
wherefoever the wicked Jews are, there will
the Roman eagles, the deftroying armies, fol-
low them ; and whitherfoever they fly, ruin and
defolation will overtake them.

Chrift had been foretelling to his difciples
the deftruftion of the Jewifh nation, and the
vengeance which he was to take upon them for
their obftinate refufal of him and his doctrine.
This he exprefled by the coming of the Son
of man \ arid he told them many particu-
lars of what was to happen before and at that
great day of vifitation. Among others he ac-

3- The

Remarks on Ecclefa/lical Hiftory. 2 5
3. The coming of falfe Chrifts and
falfe prophets, magicians and forcerers,
leading the people to the defarts.

quainted them that there would be fome im-
poftors who ihould fet up themfelves for the
Chrift or Mefliah of the Jews : Wherefore,
fays he, // they Jhall fay unto you. Behold he is
in the defart, go not forth : behold he is in the
fecret chambers, believe it not. i. e. none but
falfe Chrifts will be found there. The true
coming of Chrift will be of another nature ;
not with observation, Luke xvii. 20. not with
a difplay of his perfon, but of his power in
the vengeance which he is to take upon the
Jews; not reftrained to the defert or the
chambers, not confined to holes and corners,
nor to any one part of Judasa, but extend-
ed through every province of it ; for as the
lightning, fays he, cometh out of the eaji
and Jhineth even unto the weft, fo Jhall alfo
the coming of the fon of man be, i. e. as ex-
tenfive and univerfal over the land, as the
lightning ihines ; the comparifon being
brought in to fhew not fo much its fwift-
nefs, as its wide extent and compafs : for
the car cafe &c. In St. Luke

4, Fa-

26 Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hi/lory.

4. Famines.

5. Peftilences,

when our Lord had been defcribing this ca-
lamity which was to befall the Jews, his dif-
ciples allied him, Where Lord? where fhall
this happen ? to which he replied, Wberefo-
ever the body zV, thither will the eagles be gather-
ed together. If then his words contain any di-
rect anfwer to the queftion, they muft be un-
derftood as pointing cut the place and ex-
tent of the calamity.

This prophecy was pronounced by our Sa-
viour near forty years, and recorded by St. Mat-
thew near thirty years before the event was
to take place. And, for the literal accom-
plifhmeht of it, we have the authority of
Jofephus. He was a General on the fide of
the jews in the beginning of that war, and
a prifoner at large in the Roman army during
the reft of it : he was a party concerned in
much of the calamity of his country-men,-
and an eye-witnefs to almoft all of it. And
befides this it is to be confidered, that if he
ever had heard of this prophecy, which it is
probable he had not, yet as he was a Jew
by religion, and a Jewim Prieft too, he is

6. Earth-

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. 27

6. Earthquakes.

7. Fearful fights and great figns from
heaven.

therefore a witnefs not to be fufpe&ed of par-
tiality in this cafe, and was every way qualifi-
ed to give us an exact hiftory of thofe times ;
which he has accordingly done, by defcribing
very punctually all the particulars of that ter-
rible deftruction.

From his account it may be obfervedj that
the Roman army entered into Judasa on the
eaft fide of it, and carried on their conquefts
weftward, as if not only the extenfivenefs of
the ruin, but the very route, which the army
would take, was intended in the comparifon
of the lightning coming out of the eaft and
Jhining even unto the weft.

In the courfe of his hiftory he gives us a
very particular account of the prodigious num-
bers of fuch as were (lain in Judaea properly
fo called, in Samaria, the two Galilees, and the
region beyond Jordan : and he confirms the
prophecy of Chrift by making a remarkable
obfervation to this purpofe, that there was not
the haft part ofjitdtfa, which did not par-

8. The

2 8 Remarks on Ecclefiaftlcal Hi/lory.

8. The perfecution of the Apoftjes.

9. The apoftafy of fome Chriftians.

take of the calamities of the capital city. B. J.
v. 3. There, at Jerufalem, the lafl and finiih-
ing ftroke was given to the ruin of the church
and ftate ; for after a long and lharp fiege, in
which famine killed as many as the fword, in
which the judgments of heaven appeared as
vifibly as the fury of man, in which inteftine
factions helped on the defolation which the fo-
reign armies completed, Jerufalem w^s at laft
taken, not then a city, but a confufed mafs of
ruins, affording a fadder fcene of calamity than
the world had ever feen, and exactly fulfilling
the words of Chrift, Ma/, xxiv. 21. ^[henjhall
'be great tribulation, fuch as was not Jince the
beginning of the world unto this timey no nor e-
ver Jhall be. To which Jofephus bears ex-
prefs teftimony, and fays that the calamities
of all nations from the beginning of the world
were exceeded by thofe which befell his conntry-
men on this occafion. B. J. i. i .

Chrift foretold, that Jerufalem mould be en-
compared with armies, Luke xxi. 20. and ac-
cordingly it was befieged and taken by the

10. A pre~

Refriafks on Ecclefiaftlcal Etijlory. 29

10. A prefervation of the faithful.

1 1 . The fpreadingof the Gofpel through
the Roman world.

Romans : a circumftance which had no neceffa-
ry connexion with the revolt and conqueft of
Judaea. For at the time when Chrift fpake
this, the Roman governor refided in that ci-
ty, and had troops there fufficient to keep it
in obedience ; whence it was more probable,
that Jerufalem would have continued in a qui -
et fubje&ion to the Romans, whatever trou-
bles might be raifed in other parts of the Jew-
iih dominions.

He foretold, that the Roman enfigns, called
the abomination of defolation ver. 15. fhould be
feen ftanding in the holy place or temple:
an event not to be forefeen by human fkill,
becaufe very unlikely to happen. The great
care, which the Jews took at other times not
to defile that holy place, and the fmall ftrength
which it had to defend them long from the
Roman arms, as they had twice experienced
in the memory of man, were both circumftan-
ces, which in all human appearance would have
kept them from the raih experiment. And

1 2. The

3 o Remarks on Ecdefiaftical Hiflorf.

12. The Roman ftandards defiling the
holy place.

yet, againfl all probability, they fled to the tem-
ple, and there made a faft and defperate refifl-
ance. Having thus defiled it with their own
arms, they made it neceffary for the Romans
to follow them into the fanctuary ; fo that
they took it by ftorm, and of confequence cauf-
ed their military enfigns to be feen ftanding
there.

Chrift foretold Matt.xxiv. 2. that when the
temple fliould be taken, there Jhould not be left
there one ftone upon another that floould not be
thrown down. And yet the building was fo ma-
gnificent,that it was efleemed for coft, for art,
and beauty one of the wonders of the world ;
whence it was natural to expect, that the Ro-
mans, according to their ufual cuftom amidft
their conquefts, would endeavour to preferve
it fafe and entire. And Jofephus B. J. vi. 2.
4. tells us, that Titus laboured with all his
power to fave it, but that his foldiers, as if
moved ^amcvfy o^jf, by a divine impulfe,
would not hearken to his pofitive and repeat-
ed orders, but fet fire to every part of it, till

13. The

Remarks on Ecclefwftical Hiftory. 3 1

13. The city encompafled with armies,
walls, and trenches.

it was entirely confumed : and then the ruins
were removed, and the foil on which it flood
was ploughed up, and not one Hone left up-
on another. See Drufius and Calmet on Mat.
xxiv. 2. and Lightfoot's Hor# Hebr. on the
fame text, where he quotes for proof of this
the faanitb of Maimonides, c. 4. Jofephus in-
deed in B. J. vii. i. fpeaking of the temple,
fays only that it was demolished, without ex-
prefly telling us that the foundations of it
were digged up. And yet it feems probable
that fome parts at leafl of thofe foundations
were digged up, from what he fays there in
the following chapter concerning one Simon.
He lived in Jerufalem, in the upper part of it,
near to the temple : and, v/hen the city was
taken, he endeavour'd to efcape by letting
himfelf down with fome of hte companions in-
to a cavern •, where when they had digged but
a little way for themfelves, he crept out from
underground in that very place where the
temple had before flood. Therefore either
he crept out in that hollow where the foun-
dation had flood -, or, if it was in any other

1 4. The

3 2 Remarks on Ecclefiajltcal Hiftory,

14. The retiring of the Chriftians to the
mountains.

part of the temple, the foundations muft have
been removed there at leaft where he work'd
his way through the ground from the outfidc
to the infide of the temple.

To theie circumilances we may add the
time. 'This generation /hall not pafs away^ till
nil thefe things be fulfilled^ ver. 34. and again
Mat. xvi. 28. There be feme ftanding here*
who Jh all not tafte of death ^ till they fee the
Son of man coming in his kingdom ; pointing
out to his hearers, that this train of calami-
ties was not to come upon the Jews immedi-
ately, nor yet fo late but that fome then liv-
ing fhould fee the accomplifhment of his pro-
phecies. The fixing of this circumflance had
no connexion with any thing which might
ferve for the foundation of human conjecture.

He alfo foretold, that the Gofpel of his
kingdom Jhould be f reached in all the world for
a witnefs unto all nations, ver. 14. before this
end of the Jewim flate fhould come •, than
which no circumftance was lefs likely in all
human appearance to happen, if we confider

1 5. The

Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hijlory. 3 3

15. The greateft tribulation that ever
was known.

1 6. The time when thefe things fhould
happen.

17. The comparative happinefs of the
barren women, when a mother killed and
eat her own child.

1 8. Wars and rumours of wars, nation
rifing againft nation, and kingdom againfi
kingdom.

19. The fea and the waves roaring.

t

the time when this prophecy was delivered -,
for we find that within two days afterwards,
as himfelf foretold, Mat. xxvi. 2, and 31, all,
his difciple? forfook him and fled upon his being
apprehended. It could not be expected that
they who had deferted his perfon when alive,
would adhere to his caufe after his death, and
with fo much fteddinefs and courage, as to
preach a crucified Jefus in fpite of all oppofi-
tion through all the nations of the then known
earth. And yet this they did with great fuc-
cefs, fo that St. Paul could fay to the Colof-
fians with truth, that the Gofpel was come un-
to them, as it was in all the world, i. 6.

D 20. The

34 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hijlory.

20. The difperfion of the captive Jews
through all nations.

21. The continuance of the defolation.

22. A fhortning of the days of venge-
ance, for the fake of the Eledt

All which things came to pafs.

To bring about this great event, and to
certify pofterity of its truth, God raifed up
an illuftrious and worthy Prince to ac-
complifh it, and an illuftrious Hiftorian to
record it, to record the things of which he
was an eye-witnefs, and in which he had
born a confiderable lhare.

Vefpafian was lifted up from obfcurity
to the empire, he was ftrangely fpared and
promoted and employed by Nero who
hated him. If he had not put an end to
the civil wars, and to the great calamities
of the empire, Jerufalem would not have
been deftroyed at the time foretold by
Chrift. Lucem caliganti reddidit mundo,
fays QjCurtius, fpeaking Hioft probably
of Vefpafian, x. 9.

Jofephus

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. 3 5

Jofephus affured Vefpafian that he and
his fon Titus fhould be emperors, after
Nero, and fome others, whp fhould reign
only a fliort time. B.J. iii. 8. Unus ex no-
bilibus captivis Jofephus, cum conjiceretur
in vincula, conftantijjlme 'qffeveravit fore ut
ab eodem bre<vi fofoeretur, verumjam impe-
raiore. Sueton. 'fit. 5. When Jofephus
made this declaration there was no ap-
pearance of fuch an event. He fays that
he had received the knowledge of thefe
tilings in a dream, which was accounted
by thejews to be a lower degree of prophe-
cy, and to have been fometimes granted to
them, after the prophetic afflatus had ceaf-
ed at the death of Malachi. Jofephus
fays that Hyrcanus had been favoured
with fuch kind of revelations. Ant. xiu.
12. Bell. Jud. i. 2. He records a prophe-
tic dream of his own, in his Life § 42 , He
mentions alfo ftrange deliverances vouch-
fafed to himfelf from feemingly unavoid-
able deftrucSion, B.J. iii. 8. He had taken
fhelter in a cave with forty defperate per-
fpns, who were determined to perilth rather
D 2 than

3*6 Remarks on Ecclejia/lical Hi/lory.

than to yield, and who propofed to pay
him the compliment of killing him firft,
as the mofl honourable man in the com-
pany. When he could not divert them
from their frantic refolution of dying, he
had no other refuge than to engage them
to draw lots who mould be killed, the one
after the other, and at laft only he and an-
other remained, whom he perfuaded to
furrender to the Romans. I would not
willingly be impofed upon, or impofe up-
on the reader ; but I leave it to be confi-
dered whether in all this there might not
be fomething extraordinary, as both Vef-
pafian and Jofephus were defigned and re-
ferved for extraordinary purpofes, to affift
in fulfilling and juftifying the prophecies
of Daniel and of our Lord. The fame
Providence which raifed up and conduct-
ed Cyrus, and preferved the b rafh Mace-
donian conqueror from perifhing, till he
had overthrown the Perfian empire, that
the prophecies might be accomplimed,

b I call him rafh., becaufe he expofed his own per-
fon too much ; for his enterprife, though very bold,
was perhaps neither rafh, nor rafhly conducted.

might

Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hiftory. 37
might take the Roman emperor and the
Jewijh writer under a lingular protection
for reafons of no lefs importance. The
Hiftorian was on all accounts a proper per-
fon to deliver thefe things to pofterity, and
one to whom the Pagans, the Jews, and
the Chriftians could have no reafonable
objedion ; he was of a noble family, he
had enjoyed the advantage of a good edu-
cation, he had afted in the war as a Ge-
neral, he had much learning, fingular a-
bilities, a fair charadfer, and a great love
for his own country. The fervice which
he has done to Chriftianity was on his fide
plainly undefigned, he never gives even
the remoteil hint that the Jews fuffered for
rejecting the Meffias. His book had the
c approbation of Vefpafian, and Titus, He-
rod, and Agrippa, and of feveral perfons of
diftin&ion, and he wanted not adverfaries
who would have expofed him if he had
advanced untruths ; fo that though in
fome other points he might have been ca-
pable of deceiving and of being deceived,
yet as to the tranfa&ions of his own times

' Contr. Apion. i. 9.

D 7 he

38 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.
he muft pafs, in general, for a candid, im-r
partial, accurate writer, and has paffed for
fuch in the opinion of the moft competent
judges.

though we are indebted to him
for feveral particulars, which furprifingly
agree with the predictions of Chrift, yet
the deftruftion of the Jewifh ftate refts
not upon his fingle authority, but upon
ancient hiftory and general confent, and k
a fad: which never was queflioned.

What Jofephus fays concerning the
outrageous wickednefs and ftrange infatu-
ation of many of the Jews, muft be true ;
the facfts related by him fufficiently {hew
it : but the reafon for which he dwelt fo
much on a fubjed: fo difagreeable to one
who loved his nation, feems to have been
this -, he knew not how to account other-
wife for God's giving up his own people
to fuch calamities, and feeming to fight
againft them himfelf, and he was afraid of,
confequences which Pagans and Chriftians
would draw from it againft the Jewifh re-
ligion. Cicero, becaufe it ferved his pur-

pofe,

Remarks on Ecckjtaftical Uiflory. 3 9

pofe, had inferred from the calamities
which in his days befell the Jews, that
they were a nation not acceptable to the
Deity. Stantibus Hierofolymis, pacatifque
Judtfis, tamen iftorum religio facrorum a
fplendore hujus imperil ', gravitate nominis
no/in, majorum inftitutis, abhorrebat : nunc
<uero hoc magis, quod ilia gens, quid de im-
perio no/lro fentiret, ojiendit armis : quam
car a diis immortalibus ejfef, docuit, quod eft
'vifta^ quod elocata^ quod fervata. Pro Flac-
coy 28. Some would read ferva. Dr.
Thirlby conjectured fervit : and I find it
fo cited by Hammond in his notes on Re~
•vel. xiii. 5.

In his Antiquities he takes too great li-
berties with facred hiftory, and accommo-
dates it too much to the tafte of the Gen-
tiles, which yet probably he did to recom-
mend his opprefled and unhappy nation
to the favour of the Greeks and Romans.
There are few of his fuppreffions, or alter-
ations, or embellifhments, for which a
prudential reafon might not be afligned.
Jn his Hiftory he fliews an inftance of his
D 4 art,

40 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory.
art, in complimenting Titus without fay-
ing an untruth : he relates that Titus en-
gaged with the Jews, who had made a
fally and fought defperately, and that Ti-
tus himfelf flew twelve of their braveft
men, who headed the reft. He fays not
how he flew them ; but Suetonius tells us
that Titus, at the fiege of Jerufalem, fhot
twelve of the foremoft of the enemies with
fo many arrows. The circumstances give
great reafon to fuppofe that both relate the
fame ftory.

pv avrcc TOV
// ipfe quidem Jlernit duodecim adruerji ag-
minis propugnatores. B. J. v. vi. 6.

Nwiffima Hierofolymorum oppugnatloney
Juodecim propugnatores totidem fagittarum
confecit iffiibus. Sueton. fit. 5.

The hiftory of the Jewifh war by Jofe-
phus feems to be a commentary upon the
prophecies of Chrift. Jofephus, amongft
other particulars, gives a diftincft account
of t\\e fearful fights and great figns from
beaten, which preceded the deftru&ion of
ferufalem, and Tacitus has confirmed the

narration

Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hiftoty. 41
narration of Jofephus. If Chrift had not
exprefly foretold this, many, who give little
heed to portents, and who know that hi-
ftorians have been too credulous in that
point, would have fufpefted that Jofephus
exaggerated, and that Tacitus was mifin-
formed 3 but as the teftimonies of Jofe-
phus and Tacitus confirm the predictions
of Chrift, fo the predictions of Chrift con-
firm the wonders recorded by thefe hifto-
rians.

Let us proceed to fhew that the predic-
tions of Chrift were extant before the de-
ftrudion of Jerufalem, before A. D. 70.
for this is the important point.

The books and epiftles of the New
Teftament were written by difciples of
Chrift, or their companions.

We cannnot fuppofe that any perfons,
jof vvhatfoever abilities, could have forged
them after the deceafe of the Apoftles,

Thefe d writings contain various and nu-

* Difc, vi. on the Chrift, Rel.

merous

42 Remarks on Eccle/iaftical Htftory.
merous incidents of time, place, perfons,
names, and things ; occafional difcourfes,
differences of ftyle, epiftles in anfwer to e-
piflles, and paffages cited from thofe which
they anfwer, directions and obfervations
fuited to the ftate of feveral Churches,
seeming contradictions, and real difficul-
ties which might have eafily been avoided,
things mentioned which worldly confide-
rations would have fuppreffed, and things
omitted which invention and imagination
might have fupplied; a character of Chrift,
arifing from his words and adions, of a
moft lingular kind, left to its intrinfic me-
rit, and aided by no art ; and in the wri-
tings of St. Paul, fentiments warm, pathe-
tic, and coming from the heart -, particu-
larities in each Gofpel fuitable to the cha-
radter, knowledge, fituation, and circum-
ftances of each Evangelift. &c. &c.

The forgers of thefe things, if they
were fuch, muft have equalled Father

* Harduin's crazinefs confifted in rejecting what all
the world received ; the oppofite folly to which is the
receiving what all the world rejects.

Har-

Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hlflory. 43

Harduin's atheiftical Monks of the thir-
teenth century, who, according to his fan-
taftical account, in an age of ignorance
and barbarity furpafled in abilities all the
ancients and moderns, forged the Latin
and Greek authors whom we call Claffi-
cal, and were not only great poets, ora-
tors, grammarians, linguifts, and knaves,
but great mathematicians, chronologers,
aftronomers, geographers, and critics, and
capable of infer ting, in their proper places,
names and accounts of men, rivers, cities,
and regions, eclipfes of the fun and moon,
Athenian Archoris, Attic months, Roman
Confuls, and Olympiads, all which happy
inventions have been fince confirmed by
aftronomical calculations and tables, voy-
ages, infcriptions, Fafti Capitolipi, frag-
ments, manufcripts, and a diligent com-
paring of authors with each other.

There is not one page in the New Tefta-
ment, which affords not internal charaders
.of being compofed by men who lived at the
time when the things happened which are
there related. This is as evident, as it is
that the noble Englilh hiftorian, who
i wrote

44 Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hiftory.
wrote an account of the troubles in the
time of Charles the firft, was himfelf con-
cerned in thofe tranfaftions. The difcour-
fes of Chrift, as I have obferved elfewhere,
are always occafional, and full of allufions
to particular incidents. The hiftorical
parts of the New Teftament, and the tra-
vels of Chrift and of his Apoftles corre-
fpond with the accounts and defcriptions
which may be collected from other au-
thors. In the judgment which f Pilate
paffed upon Chrift, the rules of the Ro-
man Law were obferved. What is acci-
dentally mentioned concerning the beha-

f Mr. Huber remarque fort bien, qu'il paroit, par
toutes les circonftances du jugement de Pilate, que
toutes les regies du Droit Remain y furent exa£te-
meflt obfervees 5 et que cela peut nous convaincre de
la verite de cette hiftoire. Des gens du petit peuple
parmi les Juifs, tels qu'etoient les Evangeliftes, ne
pouvoient pas etre fi bien inftruits de cela j et s'ils ne
Pavoient apprife de temoins oculaires, ils n'auroient
jamais pu la raconter, comme ils ont fait, fans dire
quelque chofe qui fe trouveroit contraire a Tufage des
Grouverneurs, dans les provinces Romaines. Le Clerc9
Bibl. anc. et mod. T. xiii. p. i oo. See alfo Huber
DiiTert.

viour

Remarks on Eeclefiaftical Hijiory. 45
viour of Felix and Gallic, and forne others,
agrees with the character which Roman
writers have given of them. There are
endlefs particularities of this kind which
might be produced. A man of very or-
dinary abilities, who relates various things
of which he has been an ear and an eye-
witnefs, is under no difficulty or pain : but
a forger, if he had the abilities of an An-
gel, whofe imagination muft fupply him
with materials, can never write in fuch a
manner, and if he has tolerable fenfe, will
avoid entering into fuch a minute detail,
in which he muft perpetually expofe his
ignorance and his difhonefly.

Chrift began to preach when he was
about thirty years of age, and the gjews
from his countenance judged him to be
more advanced in life. He chofe Apoftles,
fome of whom were married, one was
employed in a public office, and moft
were probably as old as himfelf, if not
older. If they had not been cut off by
martyrdom, yet few of them, in the courfe

e John vii i. 5 7.

of

4 6 Remarks on Ecdefiaftica
of nature, would have furvived the de-
ftrudion of Jerufalem A. D. 70. which
was about 74 years after the birth of
Chrift. Ecclefiaftical hiftory aflures us
that St. Peter and St. Paul died before
that time; and Chrift had told Peter
that he fhould be put to death in his
old age.

Hiftory alfo informs us that St. John
lived long after the deftruftion of Jeru-
falem, and Chrift had given an intima-
tion that he fhould fee that event, for
he faid once to his Difciples, There be
fame Jlanding here 'who jhall not tafte of
death till they fee the Son of man coming
in hh kingdom -, and afterwards, when
Peter was defirous to know what fhould
befall John, Chrift replied, If I mil
that he tarry till I come, 'what is that to
thee?

St. John had feen the three Gofpels,
for he wrote his own as a fupplement
to them, which appears plainly in the
Harmony of the Evangelifts. He omits
thefe predictions of Chrift, though he

was

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. 47

was prefent at that difcourfe, of which
omiffion the moft probable reafon is,
that the other three had mentioned them.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke relate
that when the Jews came to feize Chrift,
a difciple drew his fword, and wounded
one of them. John alone names him,
and fays that it was Simon Peter. The
caufe of their filence is obvious ; Peter
was living when they wrote, and they
fupprefled his name for feveral reafons,
but, when John wrote, Peter was dead.

The three firft Evangelifts make no
mention of the refurredtion of Lazarus,
perhaps left the Jews, who had confult-
ed to put him to death, fhould aflaffi-
nate him. When St. John wrote, it is
probable that he was dead, and therefore
he gave a particular account of that re-
furre&ion.

There is reafon to think that St. John
alfo might compofe a part at leaft of
his Gofpel a little before the deftruc-

tion

48 Remarks on Ecclefiajhcal Hiftory,
tion of Jerufalem, fince he hfpeaks of
the porches of Bethefda as ftanding, v.
2. though this amounts not to a full and
conclufive proof, and may be a fmall in-
accuracy of ftyle, or, it may be, thofe
porches remained undemolifhed.

St. Luke ends his hiftory of the Apoftles
with St. Paul's dwelling at Rome for two
years, A. D. 65. He mentions nothing far-
ther, and therefore probably wrote theA&s
before the death of that Apoftle ; and
he refers us to his own Gofpel, as to
a book which he had publiflied before.

Ecclefiaftical { hiftory informs us that
Mark's Gofpel had the approbation of
Peter, and that Mark was inftrudted by
him, which opinion feems fomewhat fa-
voured by the narration of Peter's fall and
repentance. Matthew and Luke fay that
he wept bitterly, Mark fays only, he *wept>
but reprefents his crime in ftronger terms

h*E*iJS — xoXup&j'Sg*. ^Hvcte, which is in
ibme few copies, is probably the emendation of a cri-
tic.

' Eufcb. il 15.

than

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. 49

than Luke. Matthew relates at large the
commendation and the commiffion which
Chrift gave to Peter : Ble/ed art thou, &'*
mon Bar-jona : forjJeJh and blodd hath not
revealed it unto thee, but my Father 'which
is in heaven. And I fay alfo unto theey
that thou art Peter , and upon this rock I
will build my church, and the gates of hell
Jhall not prevail againft it. And 1 will
give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of hea-
ven ; andwhatfoever thoufoalt bind on earth,
Jhall be bound in heaven ; and whatfoever thou
Jhalt loofe on earth, Jhall be loofed in heaven.
xvi. 17, Mark omits it, viii. 29.

St. Peter, who died before A. D. LXX.
mentioned the approaching ruin of Jeru-
falem, in the Ads of the Apoftlesk, and
in his own EpifUes *, as the beft commen-

k And 1 will flew wonders in heaven above, and figns
in the earth beneath^ blood, and fire<> and pillan of
fmoke. The fun Jhall be turned into darknefs^ and the
moon into blood, before that great and terrible day of the
Lord come. And it Jhall come to pafs, thatwhofoever
JJ)all call upon the Name of the Lord, Jhall bt faved.
A<Sts ii. 19.

} But the snd of all things is at hand. — The time is

E tators

50 Remarks en Ecdefiajllcal Hiflory.

tators agree > and fo does St. James m, and
St. Paul n, and the ° Author of the Epiftle
to the Hebrews.

Papias converfed with the difciples of
the Apoftles about the beginning of the
fecond century. He p fpeaks of the Go-
fpels of Matthew and Mark as extant, and
written by them.

come, that judgment mufl legin at tin bwfe of God.
And if it fir ft begin with us, what will be the end of
them that obey not the Gofpel of God? And if the righte-
ous fcarcely be faved, where Jhall the ungodly and the
finner appear ? I Pet, iv. 7.

m Go to now> ye rich Men^ weep and howl for the
miferies thatfoall come upon you* — Be patient , there-
for ey brethren, unto the coming of our Lord. — Far the
coming of the Lord draweth nigh. — The Judge Jtandetb
btf ore the door. James v. I.

n The Lord is at band. Phil. iv. 5. To fi 11 up their
Jins always ; for wrath is come upon them to the utter-
mojl. i ThefT. xi. 16. The day of the Lord cometbas
a thief in the night. &c. I ThefT. v. 2. The fame
event is alfo perhaps alluded to, 2. ThefT. i.. 6> &c»
and 2 ThelT. ii. 2, &c.

0 Te have need of patience that — ye might receive
the projnife. For yet a little while y and he that ftall
come ', will come^ &c. Heb. x, 3^.

p Eufeb. Eccl. Hill, ill. 39, fub frum,

Jufiin

on T&clefiaftical Hijiory. $ t

Juftin Martyr, A. D. CL, mentions the
Gofpels as univerfally received and read in
the congregations, in his time. He muft
have converfed with Chriftians who were
old men, and from them have learned that
the Gofpels were extant when they were
young. Ot'Airfootoi (fays he) c*wr$y§-

VTT* CWTUV

Evafythta, xrug ttrugiSaxav — And
again, Ta dTropvyipovdUfJictla T 'ATTOS-QXUY
avayivuc-Kt^). Apol. i. And his citations
from the four Gofpels, from the Epiftles
of St. Paul, and from the Revelation^
fhew to a demonftration that he had
them as we now have them, in the main.

In the interval between A.lX LXX. and
Juftin, are the authors called Apoflolical,
as Clemens, Hennas, Barnabas, Ignatius.
Thefe authors make ufe of fome of the
Gofpels and Epiftles, and allude to them >
which makes them highly valuable, and
ferviceable to the Chriftian caufe. We
cannot fuppofe that they had the inclina-
tion, we may pofitively affirm that they
had not the capacity to forge thpm. Their
own writings prove it.

E 2 Barnabas

52 Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hiftory.

Barnabas, in his Epiftle, makes ufe of
Matthew, Luke, John, and the Epiftle to
the Romans*

Clemens, in his^r/? Epiftle, makes men-
tion of St. Pauls Epiftle to the Corinthians,
and takes paflages from Matthew, Mark*
Luke, AEls, Romans, i and 2 Cor. Philip.
i Tiheff. Ephef. i and 2 of Peter, i 7V/0.
i and 3 of John, Revel, and particular-
ly from the Epiftle to the Hebrews. He
alfo fpeaks of the Martyrdom of Peter
and Paul.

In his fecond Epiftle, if it be his, there
are paflages from Matthew, Luke, i Cor.
and Hebr.

Her mas fays, i. 2. Juravit Domimts
per Filium fuum : §>ui denegaverit Jilium
& fe — & ipfi denegaturi funt ilium — from
Mat. x. 33.

I. 6. Cum ergo roenerit tribulatio, fro-
pter divitias fuas & negotiations, abnegant
Dominum • — from Mat. xiii. 21.

i. 9. n-

Remarks on Eccleftaftical Hiftory. 53

I. 9. Videte ergo vos qui gloriammi in
divitiisy ne forte ingemifcant ii qui egent>
& gcmitus eorum afcendat ad Dominum -IT
from James v. 4.

Ib. Qui amatis prims confejjus j from
Mat. xxiii. 6. Melius erat illis non nafci.
from Mat. xxvi. 24.

II. Mand. v. Spfritusfagffas, qui in te

eft> angujiiabitur ; from Ephef. iv. 30.

Si rejiftis Diabolo, fugiet a te $ from
James iy. 7.

II. Mand. vi.^aG^jJ/* rKJoy r

QOOQ-CIA ^ ct7rohi<rat' from James iv. 12.

Such references fhould have been mark-
ed in the editions of the Apoftolical Fa-
thers.

In the Apoflolical Conftitutions alfo, and
in the Recognitions and the Homilies of
Pfeudo-Clemem there are many paflages
taken from the New Teftament ; but as
thefe books are not fo ancient as they pre-
tend to be, I paf$ them by for the pre-

E 3 lent,

54 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.
fent, and fhall pay my refpeds to them in
another place.

- The numerous and large citations from
the LXX, and the New Teftament, in the
Conftitutiom, are however fo far ufeful,
that they help to {hew how thofe places
ftood in the copies of the fourth century,
and perhaps fomewhat earlier.

Jgnatmsy who in his old age fuffered
under Trajan, about A. D. cvu, and who
was contemporary with the Apoftles, in
his genuine Epiftles alludes to theGofpels
of Matthew \ of Luke, and of John, Paul's

firji Epiftle to the Corinthians, thofe $o the
Cob/pans, Galatians, Philippians, and Ephe-

Jians, the/r/? Epiftle of Peter, &c.

Befides the places which are referred to
in the margin of the Patres Apoftoliti, |
have obferved feveral, upon a curfory
ufal, to whicha I am fcnfible,
might be added.

Ignatius ad Ephef. p^^< cv?^ 0e^. from

Remarks on Ecclefiajiical Hi/lory. 55

Ib. cvaipaliQtS. perhaps from Afts xx.
28.

Ib. TV v7T££ yp£v tav\ov aVsyg/fccfTi^ Bey
va-fMo-tpoyiv it) 9v<riav. from Epbef. v. 2.

Ib. ii. ivaipw vp£v. from Philem. 20.

Ib. iv. pitei "ov&s TX r/2 otirtf, from Eph.
v. 30.

Ib. V. « ^ ivog KJ Jd6rg^ -arf o<r<*G%>; Tutrat;-
T)jy i^Jp g^i perhaps from James v. 16. or
xviii. 19, 20.

Ib. ix. — hiQoi vctS Hallos — «V e*xc
y]v — from £//;^/; ii. 20.

Ib. xiii. TgA©* 5 aV^/7rJ?' from I T7/#. %
5-

Ib. xiv. HIA&VOV \sw QtyTrav £ «i/^,

xaXcV TO SiSdrxetv, \oiv o Xt
. from Mat. v. 19. vii. 21.

Ib. xv. £$iv XavBdvi r Kv^/ov — perhaps
from Heb. iv. 12, 13. or Revel, ii. 23. or
from other places.

E 4 Ib.

56 Remarks on Ecckfiajlical Hijtory.

Ib. xvii. rS cigxtovfj@* rS cuuv(&>
from John xiv. 30. and Ephef. ii. 2.

Ib. jit)} Gu%[A,cthulio-y vpa$. from Rom. vii,
23-

Jb. xix. pvwe/ct, — -sr^ &v e<paygga5g —
from i Ti'w. iii. 16.

Ib. xx. e^ a/w fcAanfo. from i C^?r. x,

Ib. xxi. ^a?(^ ^J' ? ^« Tfft^v. from
. xv. 9. or M?/. xx. 26, 27.

Ib. xii. Ignatius takes notice of St.
Paul's Epljtte to the Ephefians, and of his
martyrdom : and as he was writing to the
fame Church, he often alludes, as you fee,
to the Apoftle's letter.

from i Cor. xiii. 13.

Ib. iii. — ¥U^€f/K^9 Tufctv — perhaps from
. iv. 12.

Ib. vf «V r r&w TVITQV. from ^^j i. 25.

Ibo

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiflory. 57

Ib. i$w x<*&xly&. perhaps from Rev.
xiii. 17.

Ib. vii. — 5$ vv$, pia eATrij — from
EptxJ.iv. 3, 4, 5, 6.

Ib. viii. « Kct]a vopov ££^> o[
&£/v ^ &\Y$ivu4. from Galat. v. 4.

Ib. x. ^Veg0go9'6 T^V x«x^
/. from i Cbr. y. 7.

Ib. xiii. • 9utl6o$u6iiTt. <&o§S<dgt a Verb
ufed in the New Teftament.

Ad. Trail vii. py <pv<r&i3joi{* a word
often ufed by St. Paul.

Ib. viii. pijSeis [ri] xal» rS wtycrb \%i-
ru. from Mat. v. 23.

Ib. x. — aozrcg TVt^ — Aiy«a*< — tyu T/
SiStfAOt; rl $*xppcu $ti£/Q[4ta%rlQ'£>ui &C. from
I Cor. xv. 15, 32.

Ib. xi. cy?t ciriy (p$u» II«7^V. from
xv. 1,

58 Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hiftory.

Ib. xii. 'hot- py *$otif£& ivpOS. from
I Cor. ix. 27.

Ad Roman, ii. — T£
from 2 Tim. iv. 6.

Ib. iii. TO? $ (ftcatifte a4$L' r

fAT} jGXSTTO^C'Ci- CUMlift. ftOm 2 COT \ Iv. 1 8.

Ib. vi. T/ ^ toQttencu — &c. from Afo
xvi. 26. But perhaps this is an interpola
tion. It is not in the old verfion.

Ib. vii. o tpos egw tfehjfif) — ii jo>£ 5 C^y
K& A^A^y c* gjtto; — from Galat. vi. 14.
iv. 14.

Ib. ix. tKl&a. from i Ccr. xv. 8.

Ad Philadelph.vi. — on iGol^trd nvct
from 2 Cor. xii. 16.

Ib. ix. aJrog uv Su^p. from ^A/z x. 7

Ib. x. €?r; TC WTO •fytffypif* from I

Xi. 20.

AdSmyrn. iii, Qujuityxfy ^ Qwj'tTmv. from
. 41.

Ib.

Remarks on Ecckftaftical Hiftory. 59

Ib. iv. — ^ Gf&Siw<8£ — from John
Epift. ii. 10.

Ib. x. rci &*•/** px -— cm
read ecue. from 2 Tim. i. 16.

Ib. i?Je Jjw<2^ ETT^^ity^Vg^) X^/^oV. from
viii. 38. or Luke ix. 26.

The Efiftle to Poly carp, which is the
laft, is alfo inferior to the reft : there is
fome reafon to fufpeft that it is not ge-
nuine.

. Confugiens ad Evangeli-
wn tanquam ad carnem Jefu, et adApoftolpt
velut ad Eccleficz Prejbyteriumy &c.

videntur

ftolicis fcriptis intdligenda\ itauthocvelit
Ignatius , cognofcendcz divinte voluntatis cau-
sd.feconfugere ddEyangeliat quibus crederct
nonfecus acfi Chrijlus ipfe in carne, hoc eft,
In eo jlatu quo fitit in terris, confpiciius et
apud homines wvw, eos fermoncs^

60 Remarks on Ecclefiajltcal Hiftory.
qui in Evangeliis leguntur, ore fuo profer-
ret -y turn etiam adfcripta Apojlolorumy quo$
babebat quafi totius Cbriftiance Ecclefiae
Prefbyterium,y^ Chrifto omnium Epifcopo,
quod ccetm Cbrijiianos omnes, quid creden-
dumfit^ doceret. Unde quantifarent Libri
facri Novz T'eftamentiy hifce temporibu^ fa~
tis liquet. Addit : Sed et Prophetas ama-
mus, qaia ipfi nunciarunt, quas pertinent
ad Evangelium, id fperarunt, atque ex-
peclarunt. 0%u<z refpiciunt Vetus fefta-
mentum, prout fcriptum exjlat^ nam aliun-
de Prophet a Ignatio innotefcere non potu-
erant. Nee leviter prcetermittendum^ ab
eo> primo quidem locoNovi T'eftamenti fcri-
pta, per qua Chrifliani fumusy memorari,
qua/i perfugium fuum ; fecundo verb Veteris
Libros, quia ex Us Novum confirmari potejt,
Clericus, Hift. EccL p. 567.

In the fame Epiftle, viii. Ignatius in-
troduces a Jew, faying, kxv py cv rig ^>-

^56f'o;j £y^w, cv Tft) £i!a/ygA/w ^' •zzr<9d6'o>. Niji
invenero in antiquis (vaticiniis) Evangelio
non credo. Where fee Le Clerc.

Ad

Remarks on Ecclejia/lical Hiflory> 61

Ad Smyrn. v. Sg era tTretirctv cu
m, xo o vop@» Muirt&)$t *^1\* x^t
73 gJa/2/eAw. Quibus nee prophetic? perfua-
fere, nee Mo/is lex, fed nee Evangelium*
He fpeaks of heretics, who denied that
Chrift had a body, and that he really fuf-
fered. How were fuch people to be con-
verted or confuted ? By the teftimony of
the Apoftles, recorded in the New Tefta-
ment 5 of men, who, as Ignatius fays,
did eat and drink with the Lord, both
before and after his refurreftion : confe-
quently Eua/yeA/w in this place means the
Gofpels, the books of the New Tefla-
ment.

Ib. vii. -arf ocrfc%«v 5 -nig

v £ TO

Attendere autem prc-
phetis, prcecipue autem Evangelic, in quo
paffio nobis ojlenfa^ et refurreflio perjefta

$.

Thus the farter Epiftles of Ignatius
allude to the writings of the Apoftles ; but
in the larger Epiflles, which are generally

fuppoicd

6 2 Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hiftory.

fuppofed to be interpolated, the paflages of
the Old and New Teftament are more nu-
merous, and cited more accurately and di-
redlly, and fometimes impertinently, as in
the Con/tit ut ions, and introduced with,
Thus faith our Lord, Thus fays Paul, and
Peter, and Luke, and, Thus fay the Scri-
ptures. The Apoftolical Fathers rather
allude than cite ; and therefore' the hand
of the Forger difcovers itfelf in thefe larger
EpiJIles.

Ignatius wrote his Letters when he was
condemned) and chained, and guarded,
and conducted by foldiers, who were mere
brutes, and ufed him ill -, ci <£ w^TerSf^i
ytvov7)' c» 3 73^ d $kKqfjict(riv cwruv pa A*
cu. Qui et beneficio affefti)
pejores fiunt : at ego eorum injuriis magis
erudiory tx^Chrifti difcipulusjio. Ad Rom.v.
We may juftly fuppofe, and the word
fuffj^^ai implies it, that the Chriftians.
who attended this moft venerable Bifhop
and Martyr, and reforted to him on his
journey toRome, gave money to his guards,
that they might be permitted to converfe

with

Remarks on JLcclefuifiical Hiflory. 63
with him, and to minifter to him, and that
he might have leave to write and fend his
Letters: and this fmall indulgence was
granted by thofe ruffians with an ill grace,
and in an infolent manner. Therefore it
is more probable that the Jhorter Epiftles
fhould be genuine than the larger \ with
their pomp and parade of pafiages from
the Old and New Teftament, which

— feceffum fcribentis et otia qu&runt.

In the interpolated Epiftles of Ignatius,
Ad Ephef. v.

*£££%• o vfjttov dxxcov, kpx (X,K%<{. The
fays to the Prie/is, He that heareth
bearePh me, &c. From Luke x. 16. A
very fufpicious phrafe : why does this
writer call the Difciples Priefts ?

Ib. xii. \u> fcAefr'

. Ego minimus Ignatius —
minimus a fanguine Abelis jujli iifqite ad
Ignatii fanguinem.

In this application of Scripture there is

a vanity, under a feigned modefty, which

4 ill

64 ' Remarks on EccJefiaJlical Hiftory.
ill fuits with this humble and pious Mar
tyr, who as yet had not fhed his blood.

Ad Magnef. iii.

Daniel enim ilk fapiens, quum duodecim ef-
fet annorum, fpiritu divino afflatus eft. A
childifh romance j and what follows is no
better.

Ad Philad. iv. ol a{%ci//S£ wetOagxcircae'eUf
T« Koto-ayi, ol <ryfliuTcu -ntq a,g%xcriv* Prin-
cipes obediant Gafari, milites principibus*

This fmells of interpolation : Ignatius
addreffes himfelf, not to Pagans, but to
Chriftians ; and it may be queftioned
whether in his time there were Chriftian
officers and foldiers in the Roman army.
See Moyle's Letters concerning the thun-
dering Legion, whofe arguments in behalf
of the negative are very flrong.

Ad Smyrn. v. fpeaking of heretics, he
fays, ra j ovof^cfjA CWTMV, of] A £67Tt<rct9 vwj

pt CWT&V

Nomina
<vcro

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. 65

<vero eorum, cum fint infidelia, non vifum
eft nuhi \nunc\ fcribere : et vero abfit a me
ut eorum mentionem faciam^ donee pceniten*
tid ducantur*

And accordingly, the genuine Ignatius
mentions not, I think, the name of any
Heretic. But how doth this agree with
the catalogue of Heretics in the interpo-
lated Epiftle ad Trallianos, where he names
Simon, Menander, Bafilides, the Nico-
la'itae, Theodotus, Cleobulus ? The In-
terpolator feems to have been aware of
it, and therefore he has flyly inferted a
viw • vwj GSK l^cfy, at this time I will not
name them. In \htjhorter Epiftle we have
csTc e^|s without the vwj. Obferve that
the nunc is not in the Latin tranflation
joined to the interpolated Epiftles 5 but it
is omitted or dropped by fome accident,
for it is in the ancient Latin verfion of the
interpolated Epiftles, — non eji mill nunc
vifum fcribere.

Ib. ix. T/U^ (rw vk

r

r

r Qeov,

66 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory.

honour God and the King : but I fay
unto you, Honour God, as the Author and
the Lord of all, and the Bijhop, as the bigh-
prieft, who bears the image of God, of God y
as he is a Ruler, and of Chrift, as he is a
prieji. And after him, honour the King
alfo.

The author of this commandment,
in all probability, was a Bifliop, but
not fuch a Bifhop as Ignatius. *fbe
Scripture fays — But I fay — 7 who
am <wifer and greater than Solomon. A
very modeft fpeech truly, and much in
character, and becoming the meek Igna-
tius !

Here the Bifliop is equalled, or rather,
is preferred to Jefus CJhrift ; for Chrift is
not fuppofed to be «J%AV, a Ruler,
though he be King of Kings y and Lord of
Lords.

After this homage is paid to the Bifliop,
leave is given to the Chriftians to honour

Casfar.

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hijlory. 67
Caefar. How condefcending and graci-
ous, and how well contrived to make the
Roman Emperors very fond of their
Chriflian fubjeds ! But this is altogether
in the ftyle of the Apojlolical Conjlitutiom.

Ib. He fays to thofe who had (hewed
him kindnefs, o riftuv Sstrptov 'lycrS X^/Tof,
fMglvguv toityty pi£rw. $ui honorat vinStum
Jefu Cbrijli, Martyrum acciplet mercedem.

Ignatius would not haye fpoken thus
of himfelf.

There are in thefe Epiftles a multi-
tude of places which agree with the Con-
jlitutiom ; the one certainly tranfcribes
the other, and both are of the fame ftamp,
ejufdemfarincz q.

Polycarp, in his Epiftle to the Pbilip-
pians, fuppofed to be written about A. D.

s The Reader is defired to obferve, that thefe larger
Epiftles have been examined, and condemned, as in~
terpolatedy by Ufher, Pearfon, Hammond, Cotelerius,
If. Voflius, Le Clerc, and many others, to whofe
objections and arguments I have endeavoured here to
add a few more, and mall add fomething further5
when I come to fpeak of Ignatius.

F 2 CVII,

\

68 Remarks on Ecckjiaftical Hijlory.

cvn. has paffages and expreffions from
Matthew, Luke, the Atts, St. Paul's
Epiftles to the PhiUppians, Ephejians, Ga-
latians, Corinthians, Romans, T'hejfaloni-
ans, ColoJJians, i Timothy, i Ep. of John,
and i of Peter, and makes particular
mention of St. Paul's Epiftle to the Epbe-
fians. Indeed his whole Epiftle confift^
of phrafes r.nd fentiments taken from the
New Teftament. To the references in
the margin might be added,

iii. rt-rtg t<?\ ^r^ urdtfw vpuv. from
Galat. iv. 26.

vi. n«i/7« ypuv QtoTrci'&i, (or

CWTBV x$lv, Kit

Tt T KgvjfJM 'f Kugotuq. This is
manifeftly taken from Heb. iv. 12, 13-

The Heretics alfo, who were contem-
poraries with the Apoftles and Apoftolical
Fathers, bear their teftimony to the exift-
ence of the New Teftament, and moft
of them had their forged or interpolated
Gofpels and Epiftles, as knowing that
without fomething of this kind they could

not

Remarks on Ecckfiaftical Hiftory. 69
not hope to get and retain any fol-
lowers.

Simon the magician, and his difciples,
are faid to have compofed books for the
propagation of their fiupid dodtrines, and
to have afcribed thofe books to Chrifl and
to the Apoftles, that they might impofe
them upon filly people. If fo, this was
done in oppofition to the books of the
NewTeftament, and in imitation of them.

The Chriftians afterwards were even
with this Reprobate, for they related ma-
ny an idle ftory about bimy and alfo made
him a more confiderable Impoftor than
probably he ever was, though he feduced
feveral poor wretches.

The Gnoflics admitted fome, and re-
jected other parts of the New Tefta-
ment.

The Cerinthians received part of St.
Matthew's Gofpel •> and reje&ed every
thing elfe, particularly the Epiftles of Sf.
Paul, whom they had in great abomina-
tion.

The

70 Remarks on EcclefiCiflical Hi/lory.

The Ebionites and Nazarenes had a
Gofpel according to the Hebrews, or a
Hebrew Gofpel of St. Matthew corrupted
and interpdlated ; they had alfo other
forged books bearing the names of Apo-
ftles.

The Bafilidians admitted the New Te-
ftament, but with fuch alterations as they
judged proper : and fo did the Valenti-
nians.

The Carpocratians made ufe of the Go-
fpel of St. Matthew.

See Tillemont Hift. Eccl. ii. p. 41,

S1? 59> I09> 220> 225> 2^i- Quarto
Edit, to which I ihall always refer.

Thefe old Heretics went about in queft
of fools, whom they had the art to turn
into madmen :

»•—£/£ homines prorfum exjlultis infanosfacit.

an art, which is not to be reckoned amongft
deperdita.

Before

Remarks on T^cclefiajlical Hiftory. 7 1

Before the end of the firft century, the
world was peftered with the difciples of Si-
mon, Menander, Saturninus, and Bafilides,
concerning whom fee Le Clerc, Hiji. Eccl.

TheBafilidians made three hundred and
fixty five heavens, and were better caftle-
builders than thofe who give us fchemes
of the /even heavens, which is a poor in-
confiderable number. Bafilides required of
his followers five years filence, which was a
proper method^ as Le Clere obferves, to
make an experiment of their folly ; and in-
deed he might be fure that the fcholar was
mad in good earneft, who with a profound
jubmijjion andfilence had paid fo long an at-
tendance on a Knave that taught and did
a thoufand abfurdities.

Bafilides, in all probability, only re-
quired this filence from his difciples, when
they were in his company, and was fo
great a talker, that he fuffered no body
elfe to put in a word. His Lectures up-
on the three hundred and fixty five hea-
vens could not take up lefs time than a
F 4 year,

72 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.

year, and he would never have ended them,
if he had been interrupted, and obliged to
anfwer doubters and cavillers.

The predictions of Chrift concerning
the calamities of the Jews could not have
been inferted as interpolations after the
event :

Becaufe they are incidentally placed
up and down r in the Gofpels, by way of

? For example :

Matt. v. 5. BleJ/ed are the meek : for they Jhall in-
herit the earth.

This was literally fulfilled, when the believing Jews
returned to their own country, after the deftruclion
of Jerufalem.

x. 23. Te Jhall not have gone over the cities of If-
rael) till the Son of Man be come.

xv. 13. Every Plant which my heavenly Father hath
Hot planted, Jhall be rooted up*

xvi. 28. There be fomeftanding here> who Jhall not
tafte of death^ till &c.

xxi. 19. prefently the fg-tree withered away.

xxi. 41. He will miferably deflroy thofe wicked men ^
end will let out his vineyard to other hujbandmen^ &c.

xxi. 44. On whomfoever it Jhall Jall^ it will grind
him to powder.

xxii. 7. he fent forth his armies , and deftroyed thofc
murderer^ and burnt up their city.

parable,

Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hiftory. 73

parable, or in anfwer to queftions, or on
account of fome circumftance of time
and place bringing on the difcourfe :

xxiii. 36. all tbefe things Jhall come upon this gene-
ration.

Luke xi. 50. That the blood of the prophets — may
be required of this generation.

xiii. 5 . except ye repent, ye Jhall all likewife perijh.

xiii. 9. If it bear fruit, welly and if not, then
after that, thou Jhalt cut it down.

xvii. 24. As the lightning — fo Jhall the Son of man
ke in his day.

xix. 27. Tksfe mine enemies which would not that I
Jhould reign over them, bring hither, and flay them be-
fore me.

xix. 42. If thou hadft known, even thou, &c.

xxiii. 28. Daughters of Jerufalem, weep not for
me, &c.

John v. 21. The hour cometh when ye Jhall neither
in this mountain, nor yet at Jerufalem worjhip the
Father.

xxi. 22. If I will that he tarry till I come, &c.

To thefe muft be added the parallel places from
the other Gofpels, and the prophecy of John the
Baptift, Matt. iii. 10. And now alfo the axe is laid
to the root of the tree ; therefore every tree which bring-
eth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and caft
into the fre, &c.

I Becaufc

74 Remarks on TLcckfiaJlical Hijiory.

Becaufe the books of the New Tefta-
ment were received by Chriftians, and
copied, and widely difperfed, and perhaps
tranflated, from their firft appearance :

Becaufe thefe predictions in the Gofpels
are alluded to, or the fame thing is taught,
in other parts of the New Teftament ;

Becaufe no Jews or Pagans ever re-
proached the Chriftians with inferting
them, not rfrypho, not Celfus s, not For-
pyhry, not Julian. The objections of
T'rypho * are to be found in Ju/Kn Mar-

8 Whom fome people call a Jew : they might as well
call him a Quaker, or a Muggletonian. The man
was not even a Profelyte of the Gate, but a mere
Epicurean Philofopher, who, if proper pains had been
taken with him, might pofiibly have become a Sad-
ducee.

T Trypbo had perufed the Gofpels, and fays to Juftin,

x, T* of TW As^o/

ptydiha, cfirsotfAou eivou^ us

Sed & veftra Ula in
f09 quod vocatis^ Evangelio prsecepta it a mirabilia et
magna ejfe fcio^ ut fufpicio fit nemlnem ea poffe ferva-
r£ • mihi enim cures fuit, ut ea legerem. Dial, cum
Tryph.

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. 75
tyr> thofe of Celfus in Origen, thofe of
Porphyry in Holftenius Vit. Porph, ch. xi.
and Julian's in his own works and in
Cyril :

Becaufe there is in them a mixture of
obfcurity, and needlefs difficulty, needlefs
if they were forged. Chrift foretold the
detraction of the city and temple, and
the calamities of the Jews, fully and clear-
ly : but being afked when this fhould be,
he gave an anfwer in a fublime and pro-
phetic ftyle, faying that the fun fhould
be darkened, and the moon fhould not
give her light, and the ftars fhould fall
from heaven, &c. which would not be
eafily underftood, if learned and judicious
commentators had not cleared it up ; and
this he might poffibly do to perplex the
unbelieving perfecuting Jews, if his dif-
courfes fhould ever fall into their hands,
that they might not learn to avoid the
impending evil. The believing Jews them-
felves, notwithftanding this prediction,
flood in need of a fecond admonition, and
were divinely warned to fly from Jerufa-

lem,

76 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.
km, fay Eufebius and Epiphanius v. See
Eufeb. iii. 5. and the notes. So loath are
people to leave their own houfe and
home, even when they fee Deftru&ion
at the door :

Becaufe Chrift not only foretold the de-
ftrudion of Jerufalem, but the continu-
ance of that defolation. Jerufalem, fays
he, ft all be trodden down of the Gentiles till
the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Take
what interpretation you will, fo it be not
abfurd, and add to it a matter of fad,
namely, the ftate of the Jews ever fince,
and it muft be owned that a confiderable
length of time is implied :

T O/ y£
X woMif ci ej 'ixJauuv ftf awiiv

TOTS i$wjr$w&v. Ipft dpo/loli ac difci-
puli Salvatoris nojlrl^ ft ornnes, qui ex Judais ad ip-
fum credcntes accefferant, cum prccul ab Judaa terra
abcflent) et rdiquis ijfent immixti gentibus, omnem tt-
rumy qui civitatem incolebant, perditionem atque inter-
itum effugcre per illud tempus facile potuerunt. Eufeb.
Dtm.Evang. vi. 287.

Becaufe

Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hi/lory. 77

Becaufe Chrift declared that thefe evils
fhould befal them for not knowing the
time of their vifitation, and for rejecting
him ; whence it followed, that as long as
their rebellion and difobedience continued>
the fentence againft them would not be
reverfed.

If it fhould be faid that Chrift, as a
wife and fagacious man, might forefee the
ftorm,

OT cut •arc/

this would be a difingenuous flbift to evade
a plain truth. Chriit would not have adted
fuitably to his charafter and ufaal con-
dud:, and to common prudence, if he had
flaked his reputation on conjectures ; and
in the reign of Tiberius there was no ap-
pearance of fuch an event, and much left
of the various circumftances attending it,
which he foretold. The Romans had
no intereft to deftroy and depopulate a
country which was fubjedt to them, and
whence they reaped many advantages, and

w Tin day will come, ivken f acred Troy /ball fall :

the

7 8 Remarks on EccJefiaftical Hiftory.
the Jews had not ftrength to hope for fuc-
cefs in a war againft them.

If it fhould be faid that Chrift took his
prophecies from Daniel, his juft interpre-
tation of Daniel {hews him to be the Mef-
fias mentioned by Daniel, fince none be-
fides himfelf at that time had even a to-
lerable claim to that character. Daniel
foretold, that in feventy weeks of years,
or four hundred and ninety years, a moft
holy perfon fhould be anointed -y that this
Meffias fhould be cut off; that a prince
fhould come with an army, and caufe the
facrifices to ceafe, and plant abominable
idols in the holy place, and deftroy the
city and temple, and make the land ut-
terly defolate, and put an end to the Jewilli
polity, ch. ix. But Chrift is more expli-
cit and circumftantial than Daniel, and in
many refpefts his prediction was new and
altogether his own.

Jofephus fays that the Zealots trampled
under foot all laws divine and human, and
made a jeft of their own facred books, and
derided the writings of the prophets.

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. 79
ctT0 'j ras Seta, ^ r#V r V(Q(f^SSv Serpxs
Q dyvSacdf hoyoTroiias e%Ad6'a^?i/ — <//-
vina autem quceque deridebantur, et prophe-
tarum oracula ut prafiigiatorum commen-
ta jubfannabant — \\v fi Ay ng 'srahcuos Ac-

-

(T^ got!/ xaotarxviyy, ^«f^ QIK&GU

TO 5*06^ Tff^®*' o;^ 'OTK ci7ri<?q<ravT£$ ol

virorum Jermo quidem erat, turn urbem ca-
ptum iri, et loca fanffia conflagraturajure
belli) ubl feditio invaferit, et indigenarum
manus polluerint facratum Deo locum. *%ui-
bus licet Jidem NON detraherent Zeht<zy ta-
men ipfi fe ear urn rerum minijiros prcebu-
erunt. B. J. iv. 6. This feems to have
been a traditionary interpretation of Da-
niel, a Ae'y©^ a report, and not a written
prophecy. But here is a negative which
feems to contradict what was faid before.
It fhould perhaps be c^ aV^VaiJfo — or
fomething to the fame effedt, and the
meaning may be, that the impious Zealots
caufed thofe prophecies to be fulfilled in
the definition of themfelves and their na-

tion,

go Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hi/lory.
tion, which they had ridiculed and dilbe*
lieved.

Many of the firft Chriftians, who were
Jews dwelling in Judaea, fold their lands
and poffefiions. The Gentiles did it not
when the Gofpel came to them, and none
of St. Paul's Epiftles contain any fuch pre-
cept, or intimate any fuch practice. The
Jews a£ted thus, though not by the com-
mand, yet doubtlefs with the approbation
of the Apoftles, and the moft probable
reafon for it was this ; They knew that
Chrift had foretold the deftruflion of their
country, which fhould come upon it be-
fore that generation were pafled away,
and therefore they thought it proper, whilft
there was opportunity, to improve to the
beft ufe their eftates, which they fhould
not long enjoy, by relieving their poorer
brethren, and by enabling the firft teachers
to purfue their travels from place to place*
Therefore alfo when the Gofpel was
fpread amongft the Gentiks, the Apoftles
were careful to make colle&ions in their
churches for the relief of the poor faints

at

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. 8 1

at jerufalem, fince it was juft that a pro-
vifion fhould be made for thofe who had
given up all for the common good, and
at whofe charges the Gofpel was at firfl
preached amongft fome of the Gentiles*
See Jof. Mede Difc. on Prov. xxxvii. 7.

We read in the Ads of the Apoftles
that the Jews fuborned and fet up falfe
witnefles againft Stephen, who faid, We
have hear d him fay y that this Jefus of Na-
zareth Jhall dejiroy this holy place, and fh all
change the cuftoms which Mofes delivered us.
Now though thefe were calumniators, yet
probably fomething had been faid^ which
gave occafion to the accufation, and St.
Stephen had been heard to mention the
approaching deflrudion of Jerufalem, and
the inferiority of the ceremonial to the
moral Law. See Grotius.

This is one reafon why the unbelieving
Jews hated the diiciples of Chrift fo im-
placably, becaufe they did not prophefy gocd
concerning the nation, but evil.

75

G The

82 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Ht/lory.

The Author of the Recognitions of Cle-
mens introduces St. Peter telling the Jews
that the temple would be deftroyed, and
adds, well enough, that upon this all the
priefts were highly enraged, i. 64.

The deftruction of the Jewifli nation
is not mentioned by Jefus Chrift, as a
threatned calamity which might be averted
by repentance, but as a decree which was
fixed and unalterable. If thou hadjl known
&c. but now they are hid from thine eyes.
— Heaven and earth fi all pafs away, but
my words fhall not pafs away : that is,
fooner mall heaven and earth pafs away,
than my predictions pafs away unfulfil-
led. The beft and the moft probable
method, by which a Jew might fecure
himfelf from being involved in this na-
tional evil, was to embrace Chriftianity :
for which, amongft other reafons, St.
Paul fays to the Jews ; Beware therefore
left that come upon you which is fpoken of
in the Prophets : Behold, ye defpijers, and
wonder ', and perifo, for I work a work in
your days, a work which yefoall in no wife

believe^

Remarks on Ecclefiajiical Hi/lory. 83

believe, though a man declare it to you,
Ails xiii. 40. which words of St. Paul,
and of the Prophets, as they are applied
by him, feem plainly to intimate the ap-
proaching ruin of that people, Apud
Lucam Paulus optime hcec verba aptat ad
excidium Jimile eventurum per Romanes.
Grotius zAHabac. i. 5. Patet proprie de
Cbaldais agi, Habak. i. 5, 6. Paulus,
tamen hoc opus paradoxum confideram tan-
quam coh&rens cum aliis graviffimis Dei
judiciis, procejfii temporis vulgandis in ean-
dem gentem^ — id adjudicia et mala, qu<z
yudtfos fui temporis manebant, tranjlulif.
Vitringa ad Jefai. x. 12. See himalfo on
Ifai. xxviii. 2 1 . and Hammond on Afts
xiii. 40.

Thefe things amount to an evidence
which cannot reafonably be refifted :

— ita res accendunt lumina rebus.

The ancient Chriftians faw it plainly, and
iniifted upon it ftrongly x, as upon a fa ;

T

G 2 tisfadtory

84 Remarks on Ecclefiajllcal Hiflory*

tisfadtory proof of the truth of Chriftia-
nity ; and the proof is as evident now as
it was then. It highly deferves the fe-
rious confideration of thofe who doubt or
difbelieve. Whofoever is of a ftudious
and inquifitive difpofition, and not of a
fanguine complexion, has probably known
what it is to doubt ; and has perhaps been
offended at certain writers, who are in-
capable of owning or of feeling a difficul-
ty, and who convince none, except thofe
that ftand in no need of conviction, and
to fome of whom it might be faid, Ur~
bem proditis, dum cajlella defenditis : but
here is a prophecy, and here is a com-
pletion, to which if we can make no
reafonable objection, we ought to ad-

lu)

rs

quis Servatorh noftri verba cum Us compare*, qius ab
eodcm fcriptore ds univerfo belio commemorata funty
Jferi non potejl qtdn admiretur prtefcientiam ac pr&dic-
tionem Servatcris noftri, eamque vere divinam-& fupra
mcdum ftupendam ejfi fateatur. Eufeb. ////?. Red.
iii, 7.

mit

Remarks on Ecclejiajlical Hiftory. 85

mit the Gofpel of Jefus Chrift, and to
endeavour to know and to do his facred
will, accounting this to be the heft foun-
dation of our prefent hopes, and of our
future happinefs.

If the illuftrious and moft important
prophecy which I have confidered, and
fome others which fhall be mentioned,
have been evidently delivered, and evi-
dently accomplished ; and if the miracles
of Chrift and of his Apoftles may be
proved, as I fhall endeavour to fhew $ it
is a fair confequence, that Chriftianity is
a true religion, and that it cannot be
made falfe, or ambiguous, by any argu-
ments drawn from the notions or from
the behaviour of believers after the times
of the Apoftles.

Much may be faid, and fomething
fhall be offered in behalf of the Fathers
and Chriftians of the three firft centuries,
who fuffered fo greatly for fo good a
caufe, and whofe abilities, if they are
overvalued by fome, are as much depre-
ciated by others. No Chriftian would
G 3 willingly

86 Remarks on Eccleftajlical Hiftory.
willingly give them up in any point,
where there is room to defend them :
but the imperfections and miftakes from
which they were not free, (and who is
free ? ) and their credulity in fome things,
and in ages which were not Critical, and
a kind of credulity, to which an honeft
man, as fuch, is more liable than a craf-
ty impoftor, can never invalidate the
proofs internal and external of the truth
of Chriftianity.

The confirming and fettling thefe
great points, upon which our faith is
founded, without a view to any particular
fyftems and controverfies, as it is the
moft agreeable employment to an ingenu-
ous mind, fo is it ufually the moft difm-
terefted of all occupations. Whofoever
is refolved to employ his hours and his
labour in this manner, fhould confider
himfelf as one who lays out his fortunes
in mending the high-ways : Many are
benefited, and few are obliged. If he
efcapes obloquy, it is very well :

^friumpbOyfi licet me latere tefto abfcedere.

I have
4

Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hiftory. 87

I have only this to add concerning the
prefent fubjeft, that Chrift having faid of
the city and temple, one Jlone flail not be
left upon another ', learned men have taken
pains to fhew that this was exactly and li-
terally fulfilled, either under Vefpafian,
or under Adrian, or in the time of ^Julian.

If any one ihould be of opinion that
they have not proved this point, I defire
he would obierve that the words are
proverbial and figurative, and only denote
utter ruin and defolation, and would have
been truly accomplifhed, though every
fingle ftone had not been overturned ; as
a houfe or city is faidiu$#a^<£>ijm<a when
it is deftroyed, though its foundations be
not digged up.

Malachi, foretelling the deftrudtion of
Jerufalem, fays, The day cometh that flail
burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea and
all that do wickedly flail be Jlubble : and the
day that cometh flail burn them up, faith
the Lord of Hq/ls, that it flail leave them
neither root nor branch, iv. i.

G 4 This

83 Remarks on Ecckfiajlical Hi/lory,

This was truly accomplished, though
every unconverted Jew did not perifh irt
that general calamity. Proverbial fayings
are not mathematical axioms.

Eufebius, mentioning the prophecy of
Micah, Zionjball be plowed as a field, iii,
12. fays, El y£v n

, rlw

&$ turn yt (pq<ri TO

Sinlw ^TTiiA^^Sefl©^, cv 7faf\t\H xa^
typia. Quod Ji quidquam noftra
qucque hiftoria valet, no/iris ipforum tem~
foribusy illam antiquitus celebratam Sion
junSlis bubus a Romanis vtris arari, no/Iris
oculis infpeximus, et ipfam Hierufale^n^
quemadmodum ipfum hoc ait oraculum, in-*
jlar pomcntm aijloditf defertce^ ad extremam
redaffiam folitudinem. Dem. Evang. v.

273-

Eufebius was Bifhop of Caefarea, and
Jived near enough to have frequent op-

portunities

Remarks on Ecclefiajllcal Hiflory. 89
portunities of viewing the ruins of Jeru-
falem, and in them the completion of
ChrinYs predictions.

The words jj yfimyi I<rc&a mean, the
knowledge and the tejlimony of what <we
havefeen ourfehes -, and the Latin tongue
has no fingle word, which exadly an-
fwers to this fenfe of i

Herodotus begins his Book thus, 'H
T* e AA/>caf v^or?©^ *V0£/V ^TTS^IS y$t. which
James Gronovius tranflates ; Herodoti
Halicarnajfinjis cure? demonftratio haec eft.
But this interpretation ftands in need of
another. Kufter thus explains the place ;
Notandum eft w&lw nonfolum denotare hi-
jloriam, five rerum ge ft arum narrationem*
'Del defcriptionem ;fed etiamy et quidem pro-
prie, cognitionem rerum quas <uel oculis ipjl
JuftravimuS) vel ex aliis fcifcitando didici-
mus ; vel jludium res varias, eo quo dixi-*
nms, modo cognofcendi. Et quoniam primi
et antiquiffimi Hiftorici nix alias res memo-
rice prodere pot er ant, quam quas vel ipji vi~

J]ent> ve! ex altisfcifcitati e/ent, hinc re-

8*

90 Remarks on Ecclefiajtical Hiflory.
Be et propriofenfu dicebantur Iroytxd. Po/t-
ea vero latius, ut fieri folet, extensd vocis
ejus fignificatione, etiam quicumque alii re-
rum gejlarum fcriptores eodem nomine Jim-
pliciter appellari cceperunt. Procemium
Hifloria Herodotece Latine fie verterim :
Rerum ab Herodoto Halicarnailenfi curi-
ofe obfervatarum fpecimen hoc eft. Vel
per longlorem periphrafen : Curiofitatis,
quam Herodotus adhibuit, in rebus, quas
narrat, vel luftrandis, vel fcifcitandis, fpe-
cimen, vel argumentum, hoc eft.

Le Clerc thinks that *Vcg«^5 Jhrttifyt may

be rendered : Qyod in hiftorid praftitif.
But, however, the obfervations of Kufter
upon the word ww are juft and true.
See Le Clerc, Bibl. A. & M. V. 385.

Herodotus res a fe obfervatas et invejliga-
tas edidit, ut neque &c.

I N O W proceed to make fome re-
marks on prophecy in general, and then
on the prophecies of the Old Teftament
relating to our Saviour.

That

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiflory. 9 1

That God foreknows even all the fu-
ture aftions of men, is what the holy
Scriptures moft evidently fuppofe and
prove, and what the bulk of mankind in
all ages have believed.

This opinion arofe probably, not fo
much from arguments drawn from the
Divine perfections, as from experience,
tradition, and revelation.

It appears in facred hiftory, that God
almighty from the moft ancient times re-
vealed himfelf to men by foretelling fu-
ture events, which is prophecy.

The ufes of prophecy, befides gradu-
ally opening and unfolding the things re-
lating to the Meffias, and the bleilings
which by him fhould be conferred upon
mankind, are many, and great, and ma-
nifeft.

i . It ferved to fecure the belief of a
God and of a providence.

As God is invifible and fpiritual,
there was caufe to fear that in the firfl
and ruder ages of the world, when men

were

g2 Remarks on Ecclejlajltcal Hi/lory.
were bufier in cultivating the earth than
in cultivating arts and fciences, and
in feeking the neceffaries of life, than in
the ftudy of morality, they might forget
their creator and governor ; and therefore
God maintained amongft them the great
article of faith in him, by manifeftations
of himfelf ; by fending angels to declare
his will ; by miracles, and by prophecies.
Thefe were barriers againft Atheifm.

2. It was intended to give men the
profoundeft veneration for that amazing
knowledge from which nothing was con-
cealed, not even the future aftions of
creatures, and the things which as yet
were not. How could a man hope to
hide any counfel, any defign, or thought
from fuch a being ?

3. It contributed to keep up devotion
and true religion, the religion of the
heart, which confifts partly in entertain-
ing juft and honourable notions of God
and of his perfections, and which is a
more rational and a more acceptable fer-
vice than rites and ceremonies.

. It

Remarks on TLcclefiaftical Hi/lory. 93

4. It excited men to rely upon God,
and to love him, who condefcended to
hold this mutual intercourfe with his
creatures, and to permit them to con-
fult him, as one friend aflcs advice of an-
other.

5. It was intended to keep the people,
to whom God revealed himfelf, from ido-
latry, a fin to which the Jews would be
inclined, both from the difpofition to it
which they had acquired in ./Egypt, and
from the contagion of bad example.

The people of Ifrael were ftridlly forbid-
den to confult the diviners, and the Gods
of other nations, and to ufe any enchant-
ments and wicked arts -, and that they
might have no temptation to it, God per-
mitted them to apply to him and to his
prophets, even upon fmall occafions ; and
he raifed up amongft them a fucceffion of
prophets, to whom they might have re-
fort for advice and direction. Thefe pro-
phets were reverenced abroad, as well as
at home, and confulted by foreign Princes,

and

94 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.
and in the times of the captivity they were
honoured by great K:ngs, and advanced
to high ftations.

Man has a ftrong defire to look for-
ward, and to know things to come. This
deiire, if it be difcretely governed, is na-
tural and innocent, and there are feveral
things which it would be of great tempo-
ral benefit and advantage to forefee. For
example :

Man would be glad to know how he
may ihun a future evil.

Thus, Noah was warned to build an
ark, in which he and his family fhould
be faved from the flood : thus Lot was
commanded to fly from Sodom, with his
wife and daughters : thus David was told
to efcape from a ftrong hold where he
dwelt, and afterwards from Keilah : thus
in the Pagan world, Socrates, as his dif-
ciples Plato and Xenophon affirm, had a
Daemon, or good Genius, who never ex-
horted him to any thing, but diffuaded
him from iuch things as would prove

hurtful,

Remarks on Ecclefiafticd Hiftory. 95
hurtful, by which fecret warning he is
faid often to have preferved himfelf and
his friends, and to have given them ad-
vice, which if they followed not, they
conftantly found caufe to repent.

See a Differtation of Olearius in Stan-
ley's Hiftoria Philofopbi<z, and Le Clerc
BibL Choif. xxii. p. 426. xxiii. p. 226.
and Sih. Pbilol. c. iii. Olearius and Le
Clerc believed that Socrates had fuch a
Daemon, and I confeis myfelf fo far a
fanatic, as to incline to the fame opinion,
but without blaming thofe who are of an-
other mind. When Socrates, juft be-
fore he expired, ordered his friend to of-
fer up a cock to ^Efculapius, it is poffible
that he was delirious, through the poifon
which he had taken, as a learned and in-
genious phyfician obierved to me.

Scribonius Largus fays, Cicutam ergo
potam caligoy mentifque alienatio^ & artu-
um gelatio infequitur ; ultimoque prafocan-
tur, quieamfumfcrunt) nihilque fentiunt.
Compof. 179.

To

§6 Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hi/lory.

To this head belong fundry prophecies
containing a double fate, if you will per-
mit the expreffion, which fhould be ac-
complifhed according as men would aft.
Thus Jeremiah told the kings and the peo-
ple of Judah, that if they would repent, they
Ihould be profperous ; if not, they fhould
be deftroyed : and to Zedekiah he private-
ly declared ; ^f bus faith the Lord of hofts,
If thou wilt affuredly go forth to the king of
Babylon s princes, then thy foul /hall live,
and this city Jhall not be burnt with fire,
and. thou jh alt live^ and thy houfe. But if
thou wilt not go forth to the king of Baby-
Ions princesy then Jhall this city be given
into the hand of the Chaldeansy and they
Jhall burn it with fire^ and thou Jhalt not
efcape out of their hand. Obey, I befeech
theey the voice of the Lord which I fpeak
unto thee: foJJ:all it be well with thee, and
thy foul J}:all live.

Thus Achilles in Homer is reprefent-
ed a:s having a twofold conditional event
declared to him ; if he returned home,
he was to prolofig his days, but to live

and

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hijlory. 97

and die in obfturity \ if he continued in
the army, he was to be cut off in the
flower of his youth, but to obtain ever-
lafting honour ; upon which he preferred
glory to length of life.

re

E< ffi x cwSt pivuv Tguav vrohiv dft$i/tci%to
"X1X6T0 fttv pot vo<r©*> drci(> xA
El Si MV o'tKaS' 'iwttt (Klw \g

//. I. 410.

The fame poet tells us that Poly i'dus, a
diviner, allured his fon Euchenor, that, if
he flayed at home, he fhould fall lick and
die, and if he went to Troy, he fhould
be flain in battle : upon which the youth
chofe the latter fate*

oi Tig Eu%jf^, IIo At/* &

« » •? > ^ N ~ » U f > * ^

p EU eidtog xqg oAo/o/, gTT;
x; yag o* C^TTI yi^uv ciyaOog

11 N. 663.
H Thus

98 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical tiiftory.

Thus the Pagans had the fame notion
with that which is mentioned in Scripture,
of a double deftiny depending upon hu-
man choice.

Again. Man would be gkd to know
that he fhall obtain a future good.

Hope is one of the greateft comforts
that poor mortals have in this world ; but
a certain forefight of profperity produces
a more folid joy, and a firmer fupport.

God made fome favourable predictions
to Noah.

He promiled a multitude of bleffings
to Abraham, relating to him, to his family,
and to his pofterity.

When Hagar was driven from her
home, {he and her fon, and caft out into
the wide world, an Angel comforted her*
and affured her that her fon fhould be
the father of a great nation.

God repeated the fame promifes to
Ifaac which he had made to Abraham.

He

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical ttiflory. 99

He revealed himfelf to Jacob, when
he was forced to fly from his father's
houfe, and gave him affufances of fup-
port and protection.

He foretold to Mofes, that by him he
would deliver the people of Ifrael, and to
Jofliua, that he fhould be victorious in
all his wars, and to David that he ftiould
be king of Ifrael, and that the kingdom
mould continue in his family*

Jeremiah comforted Baruch in his a£»
flidlion with this prophecy, rfhus faith the
Lord, I mil bring evil on allfejh, but thy
life will I give thee for a prey in all places
whither thou goeji. xlv; 5.

Pie himfelf, who was a mart of for*
rows, and lived in calamitous times, re-
ceived this confolation from God, / am
with thee, tofave thee and to deliver thee.

He alib received an order from God to

fay to Ebedmelech the ./Ethiopian, / will

bring evil upon this city, but I will deliver

thee in that dayy faith the Lord, and thou

H 2 Jhalt

ico Remarks on Ecclejiajtlcal Hi/lory.

fhalt not be given into the hand of the men of

Ivhom thou art afraid : for I 'will furely

deliver thee, and thou Jhalt not fall by the

fwordy but thy life fiall be for a prey unto

thee^ becaufe thou haft put thy truft in me,

faith the Lord.

tn the New Teftament we find that
St. Paul, on fome occafions, had a pro-
mife of deliverance out of the hands of his
enemies. Our Saviour prophefied evil,
that is, temporal evil, to all his dif-
ciples, and told them that they fhould be
exercifed with fufferings and afflictions ;
but to compenfate this, he promifed them
in the prefent world peace of mind, and
joy in the holy Spirit, and the Divine af-
liftance, and in the world to come eternal
happiriefs.

It mult have been a great fatisfadion
to the illuftrious perfons whom we have
mentioned, and to others recorded in fa-
cred Hiftory, that they were fecure of the
Divine favour and protection. This miift
have given them courage and cohftancy
under all the difficulties of life, and have
5 enabled

Remarks on Ecckjtajlical Hi/lory, i q i
enabled them to look danger and diftrefs
$n the face. The Greek poet defcribing
Ulyfles as an example of -prudence, pa-
tience, refolution, and prefence of mind
under a variety of trials, fuppofes that he
had not only the affiftance of Pallas, but
a prediction from Tirefias, that he fhould
at laft return home, and fubfiue his do-
meftic enemies, and reign happy over his
happy fubjefts, and come to a good old
age. Odyff. A, 90.

To receive predictions of future un-
avoidable evils would be a curfe rather
than a bleffing, and in the Scriptures when
fuch predictions are delivered, it is by
way of punifhment. Thus God foretold
to Eli all the evil which he would bring
upon his family, and the Prophets de-
nounced upon fome occafions the cala-
mities which fhould befal fome wigked
people, and the untimely death which
they fhould not efcape.

To know future bleffings of which we
jliall partake, and to, receive an admoni-
tion how we may avoid an impending evil,
H 3 are

102 Remarks on Ecclefiajllcal Hiftory.
are favours which men would often bo
glad to receive > and thefe favours were
granted to the people of God in ancient
times and ruder ages, for feveral reafons
which we have enumerated ; but when
by his Son he had introduced a purer and
fublimer religion, he no longer continued,
under the Evangelical difpenfation, to in-
form men of fuch temporal events. It is
enough for a Chriftian to know that he
may fecure to himfelf everlafting happi-
nefs by his obedience. As the great things
relating to the next ftate were more clear-
ly revealed, the fmaller things relating to
this world, and to its frivolous concerns,
were fhut up in obfcurity.

The knowledge of the things which
will befal us, and our parents, and chil-
dren, and friends, }iow long we and they
fhall live, and when and how wre fhall die,
are fecrets which God has concealed from
us, and which in vvifdom and kindnefs he
has concealed from us. Sometimes pro-
fperous events come moil agreeable when
they are le^il expected,, and it would be

afa4

Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hiflory. 1 03
a fad thing to anticipate all our griefs, and
to be miferable before hand.

And yet fuch has been the difpofition
of men in almoft all ages, that many have
had an intemperate defire of this know-
ledge, which gave rife and encourage-
ment to wicked arts and to vile impoftures.
Hiflory both ancient and modern informs
us of this, and affords us feveral examples
of Princes, Statefmen, Politicians, who
have had little or no religion, who have
been mere Atheifts both in principles and
in practice, as Tiberius, the Cardinals
Richelieu and Mazarin, and others, who
yet were very credulous in this way, with
all their free-thinking, and gave great heed
to divination, and to predictions made by
pretenders to thofe arts ; fo that ^reli-
gion and fuperftition are not at all incon-
fiftent, and he who believes no God, may
believe in evil Spirits, or unknown powers,
or fatal influences off the heavenly bodies.
Pliny the elder, who had atheiftical no-
tions, yet fays of earthquakes, that the
mifchief which they portend is as great as

li 4 that

1 04 Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hi/lory*
that which they caufe, if not greater, and
that the city of Rome was never fhaken
with one, which did not forebode future
evil. Nee vero Jimplex malum, aut in ipfo
tantum motu periculum ejl ; Jed par aut
majus cjlento. Nunquam urbs Roma tre-
muit, ut nonfuturi event us alicujus id prce-
nuncium efjet. L. II. Ixxxvi. p. 113.

// riy a rien de Ji commun, que de <voir
fas Incredules entetcz de tjtftrologic Judi-
ciaire, et perfuadez que les Magi dens font
des chofes qui font au dejfus de fordre.de la
nature. Par exempky on accufe deux
grands Miniftres dEtat^ dont les actions ne
nous laiffent pas croire que la foi en Dieu
fut ime de leurs plus grandes vertus^ d 'avoir
cru tous deux les predictions des Aj<
ct tun d'eux, de setre perfuade qiiun
qui votnijbit diverfes liqueurs, le faifoitt
par le rnoyen de la Magie. c{ Le Cardinal de
" Richelieu" dit Fittorio Siri, Mem,Rec.
T*. viii. ^.669. <c confultoit outre fjAftro-
" logie^ t 'cute forte de divinations, jufqua
<£ desfemelettes ; dont lafciewct conjijie en
" des wpeurs de Mere, qui kurfont

u

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiflory. 105
^ dire par hazard quelque tenement for*
tuit. II etoit Ji credule quil attribuoit
<c a I operation du Demon tart dejetterpaf
" la bouche t elites fortes de liqueurs, aprh
<c avoir bu de feauy comme le faifoit un
" Charlatan It alien. Mazarin net ant pa^
encore Cardinal^ ay ant edatte de rire a
un difccurs Ji Jimple, penfa perdre fa
faveur par la , et le Cardinal irrite de
cet eclat de rire> par lequel il jugea que
Mazarin fe moquoit de luiy lui dit iro-
niquement, quil n etoit pas Monfieur Ma-
zarin qui avoit une profonde etude et une
<c exaffe connoijjance de tout. Mazarin
<c repliqua tout foumis^ quen donnant cin-
<c quant e piftolesy que le Charlatan deman-
'.c doit pour enfeignerfonfecrety onverroit
" Ji I' operation du Demon sen meloit. Ma-
" zarin re gar doit toutes les divinations^
5* comme des fottifes, except e t Ajlrologie^
*c dont il etoit fort entete^ quoiquilfeignit
fe le contraire. Lorfque Madame Manci-

c< &'£*£$¥?• Mourut-> et enfuite la Ducheffe
u de Mercaur fa Niece y comme II eut <vu
14 par-la ac compile la prediStlon^ quun
f* dftrobgut en ar^it faite a Rome par

" ecrit

I o 6 Remarks on Eccleflaftical Hi/lory.
" ecrlt long ferns auparavant^ il en devinf
" extraordinairement trifle et melancho-*
<c lique ; non par tendrejje pour fes parent,
cc mais parceque ce mcme Aftrologue avoit
" fix^ k terns de fa mort a un terme qui
" sapprochoit. II en perdit Fappetit, et
" demeura plufieurs nuitsfans dcrmir.

On fait aitffi que PEmpereur Julien, qui

riavoit pu ajouterfoi aux prophejies de t An-

cien et du Nouveau (?ejiamenty etoit excef-

fivement addonne aux augur es, et aux pre-

fages que Ion tiroit des entr allies des vi-

Slimes^ et les Payens memes fen ont repris.

Voiez Ammien Marcellin. L. xxv. c. 5.

ye pofe en fait que ces fortes de chofes font
aujji difficiles a croire^ fi on les confidere en
elles-memes, que les ntyjleres et les miracles
de la Religion Chretienne. Mais les Incre-r-
dules y ajoutent foi, pendant quih refufent
4e croire a I'Evangile ; farce que ces fortes
d1 opinions nont aucun rapport avec la con-
duite de la rcie^ et ne font nullement incom~
patibks, comme la Morale Chretienne^ avec
leurs mairoaifes habitudes. Le Clerc De
L'lncrcdulite. Part. I. ch.\. p. 32.

It

Remarks on Ecckjiaftical Hiftory. 107

It is a queftion of importance, whether
there has ever been in the Pagan world
fuch a thing as Divination, or a fore-
knowledge of things. The ftrongefl ar-
gument againft it is contained in Ifaiah (ch.
xli.) where almighty God foretelling ma-
ny great events, particularly the raifing up
of Cyrus to deftroy the Babylonian Mon-
archy, and to deliver the Jews from capti-
vity, declares that he alone can difcover
fuch things, and appeals to thefe predic-
tions, as to proofs of his divinity, and evi-
dent arguments that there is no God be-
fides him. Produce your caufe, faith the
Lord, bring forth your ftrong reafons, faith
the King of Jacob. Let them bring them
forth,, and Jhew us what Jhall happen : let
them Jhew the former things what they be,
that we may confider them, and know the lat-
ter end of them ; or declare us things for to
come. Shew the things that are to come
hereafter, that we may know that ye are
Gods : yea, do good, or do evil, that we
may be difmayed and behold it together.
Behold ye are of nothing &c. And again :

I haw

io8 Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hi/lory.
I have declared the former things from th&
beginning ; and they went forth out of my
mouth, and IJhewed them, I did themfud-
denlyy and they came to pafs. Becaufe I
knew that thou art obftinate, and thy neck
is an Iron Jinew, and thy brow brafs ; I
fyave even from the beginning declared it to
thee : before it came to pafs I Jhewed it
thee , left thou Jkouldft fay. Mine idol hath
done themy and my graven image, and my
molten image hath commanded them> &c.
xlvii. And more to the fame Jmrpofe.

Hence it has been concluded that there
never was fuch a thing as fore-kiiowledge
in the Pagan world, a conclufion too. large
and abfolute to be inferred from the pre-
mifles.

Hinc pojfunt egregie confut$riy qui pu->
tant frequentt/Jime apudEthnicos futura a
Cacodtfmonibus prtenunciata , quod hie a
nemine, ni/i a fe> fieri poffe Jlatuat JD^J,
Pleraque omma ilia oracula, qua leguntur.
apitd vctcres Gr<zcos> aut numquam funt
editdy . aut ab hominibus pronunciata^ ut
viri do5li fctis oftenderunt^ et prczfertim

vir

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi (lory. 109

vir eruditus Antonius Van Dale. Scepius
bic repetitur provocatio Dei, ne leviter res
prtetereai, fed altim in animum defcendat^
prafertim idololatrarum Judczorum. — Imo
<veroy dixiffent Grteci, mult a habemus ora~
cula — SedPropheta repofuiffet merasfrau*
desfuijje hominum> qui mit ambiguis refpon-
Jis confultores eludebant^ vel conjeSlura de
rebus futuris temere judicabant, quam poft-
ca arguebat eventus. Si certe credidijjet:
Cacodcemones ipfos fudijje oracula, aliter
-plane locutus ej/et, cum fciret homines ab
ejufmodi malisfpiritibits non difficult er potu-
iffefalliy nee plebeculam eorum refponfa a
refponfis ipfius Dei fatis poffe fecernere. —
Non it a loquerentur qui jidem habent hifto-
riis Ethnicorum de oftentis et prodigiisy
qute potent id Cacodczmonum vere contigijfe
vohmt ; ex eorum enim fententid magna et
memorabilia fuiffent mahrumfpirituum per
totum terrarum orbem opera. Sed Prophets
longe malumus credere, quam ejufmodi ho~
minibus.— Clericus ad Ifaiam. To whofe
remarks we might add, that the Scriptures,
though they feem in many places to allow
that evil Spirits may work miracles, yet

no

1 1 o Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftor$.
no where fuppofe or intimate that they can
predidt the future adtions of men, except
perhaps in A5ts xvi. 16. and there it is not
necefTary that fuch prophecy fhould be
meant. In Deut. xiii. it isfaid: If there
arife amongjl you \ a prophet \ and givetb
thee a fign or a wonder ^ — • faying^ Let us
go after other Gods, — that prophet fhall
be put to death. But this feems not fo
much intended to declare that fuch falfe
prophets fhould be able to fhew figns and
work miracles, as to fecure the people
againft idolatry ; and therefore God fays*
If a man endeavours to feduce you to ido-
latry, put him to death, even though he
fhould give you figns and wonders. Be-
fides, the fign, whether real or pretended,
might be rather of the miraculous than of
the prophetic kind, and it could not be
the prediction of a remote event, becaufe
that would not ferve an Importer's pur-^
pofe. The fame remark may be applied
to the falfe Prophets in Matt. xxiv. pci-
yoh and yovHeg> who fhould fhew figns and
wonders, but whofe predictions and pro-
mifes fhould be confuted by the event.

Prophecies*

Remarks on Ecchfiajlical Hiftory. 1 1 1

Prophecies, in one refpedl, feem to
carry with them furer marks of proceed-
ing from God than miracles : for fpirits,
good or evil, may by their own natural
ftrength, and without God's immediate
afliftance, perform things furpaffing hu-
man abilities (which to men are miracles)
unlefs God reftrain them; but it feems al-
together beyond the power of a created,
finite, limited being to look into futurity,
and to forefee the adtions and behaviour of
free agents, who as yet are unborn ; this
is an adl, which probably implies a power
equal to creation atid prefer vat ion, and to
upholding the univerfal fyftem, and there-
fore prophecy muft be the gift of God 5
and an Angel or an evil Dsemon, if he
foretells fuch remote events, muft be in-
fpired himfelf, or muft get his knowledge
from divine prophecies ; or elfe what he
delivers muft be by a conjectural fkill, in
which he may perhaps fometimes, in fome
general things, aim right, and be able to
form a better guefs and judgment than'
mortal men, having larger views and

longer

T 1 2 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi (tor f.

longer experience. If he fhould have fkill
to foretell inclement feafons, droughts,
tempefts, inundations, peftilences, earth-
quakes, famines, fertility of the earth,
plentiful harvefts, &c. yet to know what
good and evil fhall befall the unborn grand-
children of Caius and ^fitlu^ how they
fhall behave themfelves, and how they
fhall fpend their days, lies in all probabi-
lity far beyond the fagacity of any crea-
ture.

In the book of T03/V, the Angel Ra-
phael fays to Tobias, Fear not, for foe
[Sarah] is appointed iftito thee from the
beginning y and thou Jhalt preferve her, and
Jhe Jhall go with thee : moreover /fuppofe
thatjhe Jhall bear thee children, vi. 17,
Here is an Angel's conjecture, which was
fulfilled, as the writer takes care to inform
us, xiv, 12.

Whofoever he was who wrote the Hi-
ftory of Tobit, his defign feems to have
been to draw the character of a pious and
worthy man, who on account of his piety
fell into great diftrefs, and who after hav-
ing

Remarks on Ecckfiaftical Hiftory. 1 1 3

ing borne many calamities with refigna-
tion and conftancy, was reftored to prof-
perity, and led a long and happy life.
He had a wife, pious and virtuous like
himfelf, but once or twice a little too
querulous, and a fon> who was an
amiable youth, and a dutiful child to his
parents. Angels a good and evil are in-
troduced, with a fufficient quantity of
the b marvellous. The name itfelf of
Tobit feems to be feigned, forT0<£ in He-
brew means bonus. There are alfo other
feigned names in this Drama, concerning
which fee Grotius. Laftly, both the he-
roes of the ftory are very long-lived ; the
father lived 158, and thefon 127 years.
All this has the air of a pious fidlion, and

a The Jews believed feven principal Angels. Zecb.
iv. 10. Revel. \. 4. v. 6. viii. 2. One may fup-
pofe, from the number, that they were thought to
prefide over the Planets. Tobit. xii. 15.

b Les Juifs ont debite un fi grand nombre de fa*
bles, que leur hiftoire, depuisle terns des derniers des
Hiftoriens facrez, n'eft guere plus raifonable que les
plus fabuleufes hiftoires du Paganifme. Au moins
il eft certain qu'etant mieux inftruits que les Payens,
ils font beaucoup plus blamables d'avoir invents
unt de menfonges. Le Clerc. Bibl. Choif. iii. 166.

I the

1 14 Remarks on Ecclefiafllcal Hijlory.
the Author fecms to have propofed to
himfelf to imitate the book of Job.

Virgil makes the Harpy fay, /En. iii.
251.

QU& Phcebo Pater omnipotens, mihi

Ph&bus Apollo
Pradixit) *vobis Furiarum ego maxima

pando.

Where Servius remarks, Notandum A-
pollinem, qua dlcit^ ab Jove cognofcere.
JEfchylus 'Igj.

et Ao^ia

- -hczc namque pater
Jupiter immittit Apollini oracula.

And:

Apollo patris Jovis eft prophet a.

Apollo, fays Suulas, is Jupiter's prophet>
and delivers to men the oracles which he
receives from him. c '

70

In

Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hi/lory. 1 15

In the Hymn to Apollo^ the god fays
concerning himfelf, 132.

Oraculoque edam hominibus j&i&s we*
rum con/ilium.

And in our learned Poet, the Al-
mighty is introduced faying to the Arch-
angel Michael,

-reveal

tfoAdam what Jhall come in future daysT

As IJhall thee enlighten.

To prophecy is to be adjoined a know-
ledge of the fecret intentions of men. It
feems to be beyond the abilities of any
created being to know the thoughts of a
man, particularly of a man who is agitated
by no paffion, and gives no indications of
his mind by any outward fign. This is
afcribed to God, as his peculiar perfection,
in many places of Scripture, and it is faid,
that he is a difierner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart, and underftandetk all
the imaginations of the thoughts, &c. This
knowledge God often imparted to the
Prophets.

1 2 Cicero

1 1 6 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiflory.

Cicero has treated the fubjedt
nation in two Books : in the firfl he al-
ledges all that can be faid for it, and in
the fecond he argues againfl it. Whofo-
ever will examine his reafons on both
fides, may fee, I think, that he has not
overfet all the proofs which he has offered
for it. He obferves, that all nations, ci-
Vil and barbarous, always agreed in this,
that there was fuch a thing as divination, or
a foreknowledge of events, to be obtained
by various indications, as by the ftars, by
portents and prodigies, by the entrails of
vidtims, by omens, by lots, by forebod-
ings, by confulting the dead, by oracles,
by infpired perfons^ by dreams, &c.

If there is fuch a thing as divination,
faid the Pagans, there muft be a Deity
from whom it proceeds, becaufe man by
his own natural powers cannot difcover
things to come ; and if there be a Deity,
there is probably divination, fince it is not
a conduct unworthy of the Deity to take
notice of mortal men, and of their affairs,
and on fome occafions to advife and in-

ftrud:

Remarks on Ecckfiajlical HiJIory. i 17
ftrudt them. Thus the Pagans argued,
and accordingly, for the moft part, they
who believed a God and a providence, be-
lieved divination, they who were atheifts
denied it, and they who were fceptics de-
cided nothing about it.

Divination was a matter of fadt, and to
be proved like other fafts, by evidence,
teftimony, and experience : and fome phi-
lofophers rejecting all other kinds of divi-
nation, as dubious and fallacious, admit-
ted two forts, that by infpired perfons,
and that by dreams. In favour of the
latter we have the authorities of Socrates,
Plato, Xenophon, and Ariftotle. Cicero
de Divin. i. 25.

Atque dormienthim animl maxime decla-
rant divinitatemfuam. Mult a enim^ cum
remijfi et liberi funt, futura profpiciunty
&c. Cicero de Seneff. 22. which is taken
from Xenophon.

When Socrates was in prifon, Crito

went to pay him an early vifit, and told

him, he was informed by perfons come

I 3 from

j 1 8 Remarks on Ecdefiajlical Hiftory.
from fea, that the fhip from Delos
would return to Athens that day, the con-
fequence of which was, that Socrates
would be put to death on the morrow,
Be it fo, faid Socrates, if it pleafe the
Gods : yet I think the fhip will not be
here to day, but to morrow. Why fo,
dear friend? Becaufe this night a woman
of a beautiful and majeftic form, cloathed
Jn a white robe, appeared to me in a
dream, and calling me by my name, faid,

i KSV

third day Jhall land thee fafe at
fruitful Phthia.

They are the words of Achilles in Ho-
mer, when he propofed to return home.
Socrates took it for a prediction of his
death, becaufe he judged that to die was
to go home to his own country. And
his dream was accomplifhed. Plato's
Crito.

See Le Clerc on Gen. xii. 7. concerning
revelations by dreams. Jofephus has re-
corded a remarkable dream of Glaphyra,

Antiq,

Remarks on Eccleflaftical Hiftory. 119

Antiq. xvii. 12. and Bell. Jud. ii. 7. But
Noris, in his Cenotaph. Pif. and Le Clerc
BibL Choif. iv. 60. obferve that it cannot be
true, that Archelaus married the widow of
Juba ; whence it follows, that this dream
of Glaphyra, fuppoied to be widow of
Juba, and wife of Archelaus, is either
entirely, or partly falfe.

He who would fee fome modern ac-
counts of dreams and prophecies, may
confult Grotius, Epift. 405. Part ii.
or Le Clerc BibL Univ. T. i. p. 152. and
La Mothe le Vayer, Problemes Sceptiques
xxviii. and the life of Ufher by Parr, and
the vifions of a ftrange fellow called Rice
Evans, and Bayle's Dift. Majus, not. [D.]
Mdtdonaty not. [G,] where he fays of pro-
phetic dreams, De teh faits, dont tuni-
<vers eft tout plein, embarrajjent plus les Ef-
prits forts qu'ils ne le temoignent.

As the Reader may not have the books
to which I have referred, it may fave
him fome trouble, and give him fome fa-'
tisfadtion, or amulement, to perufe what
follows :

I 4 Quidam

j 2 o Remarks on Ecdefiaftical Hi/lory.

Quidam ad Landrejium, in operibits,
proxime oppidum Cubans, fomnio monitus
ut cuniculum h oft is ca*ueret^ fur r exit.
Vix egrejjiis erat, prorumpit <vis teffia,
locumque disjicit. At Salmafium Ji wi-
dens, hiftoriam tibi referet^ patre fuo
auffiore. Ad eum venit quidam Grcecte
lingua plane ignarus. Js in fomnio vo-
tes Gracas has audierat ; avidf ohc oV-
<p&tvy r $» d$v%iav ; experre&ufque Gal-
lids literis fonum earum wocum perfcripfe-
rat. Cum ejus nthil intelligeret^ rogatus
Senator Salmajius ei verba interpretatur,
eft enim Jilii doffiiffimi doftm pater. Mi-
grat homo ex tzdibus. Ea noffe fequente
corruunt. Hoc his adjice qua Cicero, T'er-
tullianus, aliique ex omnium gentium hifto-
riisdefommh colleger e. £ ^ r'cWj g^A<oV es-<v,
inter dum^ contra quam cenfent Peripateti-
ci. Grotius, p. 870.

Le Clerc, where he gives an account
of this paflage, tells us, that Salmafms
the father was Confeiller au Parkment de

u

Remarks on Ecclejiaflical Hiftory. 121

La Mothe le Vayer feems to relate the
fame ftory that Grotius had from Salma-
fius, but with fome difference. Un Con-
feiller du Parlement de Dijon nommi
Carre, otiit en dormant qiion lui difoit
ces mots Grecs, qu'il nentendoit nullement^
aTriQt, cbc cu&dvy T!LU £ocf flirts/ay* Us
luy furent interpretez, abi, non fentis in-
fortunium tuumj et comme la maifon quil
habit ot t menafoit de ruine, il la quittafort
a proposy pour eviter fa cheute qui arriva.
aujp-tot apres. La Mothe probably took
his account from common rumour, when
the ftory had undergone fome alteration
in paffing from one to another. 'A.rv%ia,v
would be a more eligible word than ^4>u-
^/av, if we were at liberty to chufe -y but
we muft take it as Salmafius gives it,
and not alter the language of Monjieitr Le
Songe.

As to the oracles which were uttered
in Pagan temples, if we confider how
many motives both of private gain and of
national politics might have contributed to
fupport them, and what many of the Pa-
gans

122 Remarks on Ecckjiaftical Hiftory.
gans have faid againft them, and what
oblcure and fhuffling anfwers they com-
monly contained, and into what fcorn
and negleft they fell at laft, we mufl
needs have a contemptible opinion of
them in general ; we cannot fix upon any
oracles on which we can depend, as up-
on prophecies which were pronounced
and fulfilled; and if there were any fuch,
which on the other hand we cannot ab-
folutely deny and difprove, they are irre-
trievably loft and buried under the rub-
bifh of the falfe, ambiguous, and trifling
Refponfes, which Hiftory has preferved ;
and thofe which have a plaufible ap-
pearance, lie under the fufpicion of
having been compofed after the event.
Some of them were in fuch doggrel verfe,
that they caft a grievous reproach upon
the God of poetry, from whom they were
fuppofed to proceed, and betrayed the
poor capacity of the laureate poet.

In the clafs of knaves and lyars muft
be placed the generality of foothfayers,
magicians, and they who made a craft

and

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. 123
and a livelihood of predicting, and
drew up the art into a fyftem.

Setting afide thefe forts of divination,
as extremely fufpicious, there remain
predictions by dreams, and by iudden im«-
pulfes upon perfons who were not of the
fraternity of importers ; thefe were allow-
ed to be fometimes preternatural by many
of the learned Pagans, and cannot, I think,
be difproved, and ihould nqt be totally
rejefted.

If it be afked whether thefe dreams
and impulfes were caufed by the imme-
diate infpiration of God, or by the medi-
ation of good or of evil fpirits, we mufl
confefs our own ignorance and incapacity
to refolve the queflion.

There is a hiftory in the ACts of the
Apoftles which feems to determine the
point in favour of divination. Acer-
tain damfel, fays St. Luke, poffeffed 'with
a fpirit of divination, met us, 'which
brought her mafters much gain by foothf ay-
ing : the fame followed Paul and us, -and
, faying, Thefe men are the ferwnts

of

124 Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hi/lory,
of the moft high God, which Jhew unto us
the way of fahation. And this Jhe did
many days ; but Paul being grieved, turn-
ed and faid to thefpirit, I command thee
in the name of Jefus Chrift to come out of
her. And he came out the fame hour.

Thus the divine Providence fo ordered
it that this occurrence fhould turn greatly
to the honour and advancement of Chri-
ftianity. But this prophetefs might be in
repute for difcovering loft or ftolen
goods3 or for revealing what happened in
diftant places, or for predicting changes
of weather, or for many things of a like
nature, and might not be able to foretell
the future actions of men.

As to Ifaias, we may infer, with Vi-
tringa, from his words, that God was
determined fo to conduct the great revo-
lutions which were to be brought about
in the world, and fo to order the things
relating to the victories of Cyrus, and to
the fall of Babylon, that his predications
fhould be accomplished, and that the
Chaldaeans and other Pagan prophets
I fhould

Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hiftory. 125
Ihould be filled with the fpirit of error
and of ignorance. / am the Lord — that
frujlrateth the tokens of liars, and maketh
diviners mad. And again he declares that
the idols of Babylon fhould be deftroyed,
and their falie Gods not able to defend
themfelves. So that the declarations in
Ifaiah may be fuppofed to relate to the
predictions made by Ifaiah, and by other
prophets, in which their fuperiority over
the diviners mould manifeftly appear, to
the confufion of their Pagan neighbours.
This, I fay, follows, but not that, where
there was no competition between the God.
oflfrael, and the Pagan Deities, no fuch
thing as divination mould ever be found
in any age, and in any part of the Gentile
world.

It may be faid that, in all probabi-
lity, God will not endue bad Angels with
the fpirit of prophecy, or permit them
to reveal things to come. It is pro-
bable indeed he will never do it, where
there is a competition between true reli-
gion and idolatry, and when it would

make

1 2 6 Remarks on Ecckfiaftical Hiftory.

make men worfe than they would elfe be.
But it appears from the Scriptures, that
the prophetic afflatus has fometimes in-
fpired bad men $ and we cannot be cer-
tain that God may not bring about fome
of the defigns of providence even by evil
fpirits, by unworthy creatures, and im-
moral agents : much lefs can we be cer-
tain that good Angels were never employ-
ed, as miniftring Spirits, among the Pa-
gans.

Milton treats this fubjeft in his Para-
dife Regained, i. 446, and makes Chrift
fay to Satan ;

— Whence ba/i thou then thy truth,
But from him [God] or his Angels Prejident
In every province, who themfehes difdaining
*f 'approach thy temples, give thee in command
What to thefmallejl tittle thou Jloalt fay
*fo thy adorers ?

It may be faid alfo that Divination
among the Pagans helped, indirectly at
leaft, to fupport Idolatry and Paganifm.
Socrates, and Plato, and Xenophon, and
other worthy men believed divination by

dreams

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. 1 27

dreams and impulfes ; and this opinion had
a tendency to confirm them in their reli-
gion, that is, in the belief of a fupreme
God, and of inferior Gods, and good Dae-
mons. It may be fo ; but the Divine Provi-
dence feems hitherto never to have intend-
ed that Judaifm, or afterwards Chi iftianity,
fhould be the religion of all mankind,
Jince neither of thefe religions were ever
fairly propofed to all mankind. Divina-
tion, or the opinion of it, contributed to
keep up Paganifm in Pagan nations ; it
contributed alfo to keep out Atheifmj
and there is a fort of Paganifm which,
fuch as it is, is far better than Atheifm,
with Bayle's leave be it faid, who was
pleafed to affirm the contrary, and who,
whatfoever was his defign, has highly ob-
liged all Atheifts and Infidels by many
arguments and remarks fcattered up and
down in his writings. Bayle was not the
inventor of this hypothefis, though he
adorned and improved it. Lucretius and
other Efprits Forts had maintained it :

Vixere fortes ante Agamemnona.

Lucretius

128 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiflory.

Lucretius i. 81.

Illud In his rebus vereor> ne forte rear is
Impia te rationis inire element a y viamque
Endogredifceleris : quod contra feepius olim
Relligiopeperitfcelerofa atque impiafatfa.

There may have been modes of Idolatry
which were worfe than Atheifm, and
which indeed, ftridlly fpeajdng, were a
kind of Atheifm, as Bayle and others have
truly obferved -, there may have been
Atheifts in the Pagan world who were
better citizens and honefter people than
many of their fuperflitious country-men ;
and fome Epicureans, as to perfonal qua-
lities, might be preferable to fome Peri-
patetics and Stoics ; Atheifm in idolatrous
nations and in former ages was not alto-
gether fo great a depravity as it is now,
fince natural Religion has received fo
much friendly aid from natural Philofo-
phy, and from the excellent Newtonian
Syftem, and has been fo well illuftrated
and confirmed by many fkilful Writers -,
Deifm likewife is not fo bad in places
where Chriftianity is clouded and defaced

by

Remarks on Eeclefiaflical Hi/lory. 129

by Superftition, as it is in countries where
Revealed Religion is free from fuch grofs
errors and defects. There have been fe-
veral Idolaters, Jews, Mahometans, and
Chriftians, feveral Reverend Inquifitors,
Compellers to come in, Propagators of the
Faith by fword, halter, and faggot, who
have been viler perfons than feveral
Atheifts ; and religion may be corrupted
to fuch a degree, as to be worfe than un-
belief : but if a man will needs draw the
companion between Atheifm and Idola-
try, it is not fair to take the worft kind of
fuperftition, and the moft ignorant, fla-
gitious and infamous Pagans who were in-
fected with it, and oppofe to them the bet-
ter fort of Atheifts, ancient and modern,
who lived reputably, and tell us that Epi-
curus, and Caffius, and Atticus, and Pliny,
and Spinoza were more to be efteemed than
many believing Pagans, or perhaps Chri-
ilians.

We muft confider Paganifm in the
whole, as it has been from the time when
it began, to this day, in all ages, and in

K all

130 Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hiftory.
all places ; and the queftion is whether if
all thefe Pagans had been Atheifts, it had
been better for civil fcciety in general, or
no. On this queftion moft of thofe who
are not Atheifts, I prefume, will* chufe
the negative • and of the Atheifts, all
will not take the affirmative, for there
have been Atheifts, who have thought
that infidelity was only fit for polite gen-
tlemen, and that religion was of ufe
amongft the vulgar, and a good ftate-
engine. The remark therefore of this
Author is rather lively than pertinent,
that 'he is not a greater madman who pays
' adoration to no being, than he 'who fhould
devoutly <ivorfoip his dog, his hat, or his
breeches.

Homer has defcribed to us a Republic,
if we may call it fo, of a fort of Atheifts,
or defpifers of the Gods. Polyphemus
fays to Ulyffes*, Stranger, thou art a fool,
or than corned from a far country, to talk
to me of the Gods : ive arefuperior to them,

2 Nflon©" «sy w £<r7v5, >}
"Oj jug &2i?j Kite at f,

and

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. 131

and value them not. The Cyclopes, fays
Homer, have no religion, no rnagift rates,
no affemblies, no. laws, no induftry, no
arts, and fciences, no civility, no refpedl
for one another 5 but each Cyclops, in his
den, rules over his wife and children as
he thinks fit, and eats all the ftragglers
that fall into his hands. An excellent
image of Atheiftical polity ! Odyff. I. 273.

Bayle had confirmed himfelf in an opi-
nion that the Pagans worfhipped a rabble
of coequal, imperfect, vitious Gods ; not
confidering how much the dodtrine of one
fupreme and of many inferior Gods pre-
vailed j and for this reafon he is the more
excufable when he prefers Atheifm to
fuch Idolatry.

As to the grace of God, fays Bayle,
the Pagans and the Atheifts are equally
deftitute of it ; and none have it befides
the Regenerate, who cannot lofe it, and
who are predeftinated to life eternal Who
taught him all this ? Not the b Scriptures,

b Sec the imperfett promulgation of toe Gofpel con-
fidered in a very good Sermon by Bifhbp Bradford.

K 2 from

13 2 Remarks on Ecckfiaflical Hi/lory.

from which he could not prove it ; not
the ancient Fathers, who were generally
of a contrary opinion, and entertained fa-
vourable fentiments of the wifer Pagans ;
not human Reafon, which, according to
him, was only a Jack-a-lanthcrn leading
thofe who followed it into bogs and
ditches ; not the Synod of Dort, and
fome modern Supralapfarians, whom he
defpifed in his heart. He only threw out
this as an Argumentum ad hominem ; and
he ufes the fame fort of argument, when
he tells us with a ferious face that Epi-
phanius, Jerom, and other Doftors of Di-
vinity, ancient and modern, have decla-
red berefy to be worfe than atheifm. As
if there were any abfurdity, that fome
Doctor, as well as fome Philofopher,
has not maintained ! Jerom's learn-
ing and abilities deferve to be honoured,
but his impetuous temper is no fecret to
thofe who have looked into his writings.
When he was warmed with difputing, he
would call

Hunc Furian^ hunc almdj jujjit quodfplen-

dlda bills.

There

Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hiftory. 1 3 3

There have been Pagans, who have
believed in one God, great and good, and
in inferior Deities deriving their powers'
and perfections from the Father of Gods
and men, themfelves good and beneficent,
and guilty of none of thofe vices and fol-
lies which poetical and fabulous hiftory
afcribed to them ; they have alfo perhaps
believed that there were malevolent Dae-
mons, who were fometimes permitted to
do mifchief, but who were fubjeft to the
power and control of the Deity ; and cer-
tainly fuch a religion (though accompa-
nied with fome degree of fuperftition)
together with a belief of the honeftum
and the turpey and with a tolerable fyftem
of morality, and with fome conjectural
hopes of a life after this, is far prefer-
able to Atheifm, to the doCtrine that a
God, and a providence, and another ftate,
are

Rumor es vacui, verbaque inania^
Et parfollicito fabula fomnio.

I pretend not to deny that fome Atheifls

of old had notions of the honeftum and the

K 3 turpey

j 34 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hijtory.
turpe, and might a6t fuitably to them :
yet furely they had not fo many motives
to virtue, as the Pagans of whom I am
now fpeaking.

But, fays Bayle, if you had examined
thefe Pagans, and reafoned with them
concerning the fupreme God, you would
have found that they entertained fome no-
tions, the confequences of which were
abfurd, and would have deflroyed the fair
idea. And is not that the cafe of fome
Jews and Chriflians ? Men muft not
be charged with all the confequences,
which may perhaps regularly follow from
their notions, whilft they neither draw
them, nor perceive them, nor own them.

Which fyftem is heft, that of Socra*
fes, or that of Epicurus ? that of the
Platonics, or Stoics, or that of Hobbes5
of Spinoza c, and perhaps of Bayk, who

c Spinoza has endeavoured to fhew that there can
be no fuch thing as liberty, and that there is no Gcd.
But how? by a fyftem of jargon, adorned at proper
diftances with Q^ E. D. Great is the force of initial
Utters ! Yet has this abfurd and cloudy Philofopher

too

Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hi/lory. 135

too often made a bad ufe of his great
abilities, and who taught that a man could
not believe that God was good and wife,
and that Chriftianity was true, without
facrificing Reafon to Faith, or, in plain
Englifli, without renouncing common
fenfe ?

This ingenious and unaccountable Au-
thor had frequent 'quarrels with Reafon,
which at laft ran fo high, that he gave
her a Bill of Divorce, and turned her
out of doors, with, Res tuas tibi habeto*

found admirers and difciples, who have followed him,
as they fay the Tiger follows the Rhinoceros^ to eat his
excrements. Spinoza held a plenum^ which was ne-
ceflary for his purpofe. If there be a vacuum, Spinoza's
God, or the material world, is a" limited, imperfect
fubftance3 and depends on fome caufe. Abfo'ute Per-
feftion neither requires nor admits a caufe, or an an-
tecedent reafon : but of limitation and imperfection
trrere muft be fome caufe. Spinoza would have owned
this confequence from the admiflion of a vacuum*
for he fays, that what is necefTarily exifting, muft
be infinite. He fhould therefore have proved the
exiftence of a plenum : Quod Erat Demonftrandutn..
The doctrine of a vacuum is the fpunge of all Athe-
iilical fyftems.

K 4 And

136 Remarks on Ecclefaftical Hi/lory ,
And yet, when he had difcarded her, he
Would reafon againft her. That is,

Nee tecum foffum vivere, nee Jim te :

An abfurdity, which fticks, like the fhirt
of Hercules, to all thofe, of all denomi-
nations, who argue againft Reafofy as
againft a falfe and fallacious guide. To
rail at her, and call her n^mes, though it
be net fo genteel, yet is rather lefs ridi-
culous, for fhe will never furniih arms
againft herfelf. But thefe perfons are
ufually as fond of their notions, as Job
was of his integrity ; they hold them f aft y
{indium not let them go : and who would
difpute with thofe, who, upon their own
principles,, muft neither give nor take a
reafon ?

Mr. Bayle a pretendu prouder quil va-
hit mieux etre Athee quldoldtre > c'ejl a
dire en fcautres termes^ quil eft mains dan-
gereitx de ri avoir point de tout de religion,
one d'en avoir une mau'vaife. —

Dire que la Religion rieft pas un motif
nty farce quelle ne reprime pas

Remarks on Ecclepaftical Hi/lory. 137

toujours, c'eft dire que les Loix civile* ne
font pas < un motif reprlmant non plus.
Ceft mal raifonner centre la Religion de
raflembler dans un grand Outrage une
longue enumeration des maux quelle a pro-
dults, Ji Ion ne fait de meme celle des hi ens
quelle a fait s. Si je voulois raconter tous
les maux qiiont proditit dans le monde les
Loix civiles, la Monarchic, le Gouverne-
mentRepubiicain, je dircis des chofes ejfroy-
ables. §>uand II feroit inutile que les fu-
jets eufjent une religion, II ne le feroit pas
que les Princes en euffent, et qiiils blanchif-
fent d'ecume le feul freln, que ceux qui ne
cralgnent pas les Loix humaines, puijjent
avoir. — »

La queftion rieft pas de fyavoir, sll
vaudroit mieux quun certain homme ou
quun certain peuple rieut point de religion,
que d'abufer de celle quil a, mais de ff avoir
quel eft le moindre mal, que Ton abufe quelque-
fois d? la religion, ou qull riy en ait point
die-tout parmi les hvmmes.

Pour diminuer fhorreur de t Atheifme
on charge trop I'ldolatrle. —

II

1 3 8 ; Remarks on Rcckjiaftical Hi/lory.

II convient que (dans k gouvernement
Defpotique) il y ait quelque Livrefacre qui
ferve de regie. — Le Code Religieux flip-*
plee au Code Civil, etjixe farbitraire.

LeRoi de Perfe eft k Chefde la Religion,
mats I' Alcoran regie la Religion : fEmpe-
reur de la Chine eft le Souverain Pontife,
mais il v a des Livres qui font entre les
mains de' tout le monde, auxqueh il y doit
lui-meme fe conformer. En vain un
Emfereur vculut-il les abolir ; Us triom-
pberent de la tyrannic. L'Eiprit dcs Loix.
L xxiv. ch. 2. 1. xii. ch. 29, L xxv. ch,
8,

ye ne fuis pas du fentiment (de Mr.
Bayle) que I" AtM fine foit preferable a tldo-*
latrie Payenney en tout fens. Pour repon-*
dre a la queftion, ilfaudroit, ce mefembky
premieremmt diftinguer des focietez, les
opinions conjiderees dune maniere abftraite,
et. falre dun cote la description de r&he-
ifme, et de fautre celle de fldolatrie. L'on
trouyeroit p.eut-etre quil y a teHe Idola-
iric, qui feroit preferable a rAtheifme, et
* telk

Remarks on Ecclefiajllcal Hiflory. \ 3 9
idle mitre qui feroit pire. Ainfi, je ne
fills repcndre nl out, ni non, a la qucjlwn
gencralle de Mr. Bayk. En fccond lieu,
qiwnd il sagiroit de conjidercr, mn les opi-
nions en general^ nmis les Societez en elks
memes, qni feroient profejjion de ridolatrie
Payenne, cu de I Atheijme ; ilfaudrcit en-
core falre de grander dijlinftiom^ & dif-
fer la quejiion en plufaurs propofitions, felon
les differ em cas que Von poferoit, et aux-
queh on repondroit negatiroement> on ajjir-
wativement, fuivant leur diverfite. Je
rial ni le loifir, ni la volonte de mappli-
qiter a cette forte de recherche, et je rien
aurois meme rien dit, Jl Mr. Bayk ne ma-
voitfait I'hcnneur, de me citer, entre ceux,
qui I croit etre de fon fentiment \ dans T Ar-
ticle IxxviL de la Continuation des pen-
fees diverfes fur les Cometes. Le Clerc>
Bibl. Choif. V. 302.

Si ce quon nous dit des opinions, des lotx,
& des mceurs des fujets des Tncas, eft vrai,
il n y a point eu rf Empire Idolatre dans les
autres parties du monde, fans en excepter
ceux des nations les plus polies et les plus ja-

140 Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hiftory.
vantes, ou il y ait eu de fi bonnes loix, et
ou elles aient ete fi bien obfervees. La re-
ligion^ qui confijtoit principalewent a ad-
orer et a facrijier au Soleil — non des vic-
times humaines — mais des betes et d'autres
cbofes, a ete la moins gdtee, qu'il y ait eu
parmi les Idolatres. Outre le Soleil, Us di-
jbient quil y avoit une autre Divinite. —
Us parloient de ce Dieu, con:w dun etre
invifible, dont la nature leur etoit inconnue,
et qui avoit cree le Soleil meme et les etoiles.
Us croyoient auj/i timmortalite de fame> et
avoient mxne une idee confufe de la refur-
reSlion, a cc que dit Garcilaffo de la Vc a.

Suppofe que ce quil dit foit veritable,

en peut dire qu'une Sod ete Idolatre ccmme
celle-la, etoit incomparablement meilleure
que ne le feroit une feuiete d'Atbees. — Ceux
qui nont fas encore lu cette hittoire feront
charmez de f excellent e police desPeruviensy
<jie la charite quils avoient pour les pauvres>
les veuves & les orphdins, et de f innocence
de leurs mceurs^ a les confiderer cowne des
peupks dcftituez des lumieres de la Revela-
tion. II y aura meme bien des gens, qui
jzront. plus edifez des Vertus Morales des

Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hijlory. 14 1
Awericains, deftituez des lumieres du Ciel,
que JwVertus Theologiques des Efpagnols,
qui font, comme Us le croyent, les meilleurs
Chretiens du monde. — Le Clerc. EtbL
Cboif. V. p. 380.

Bayle, after having fhewed us the
worft fide of Paganifm, proceeds to in-
fult Chriftianity, and to tell us that a na-
tion confifting of true Chriftians muft
foon perifh, and could not maintain itfelf
againft its irreligious neighbours, which
dodrine is alfo retailed in that flagitious
and deteftable book called T^be Fable of the
Bees* And how does this appear ? Is it
becaufe Chriftianity makes a man a pol-
troon ? He does not pretend to fay that :
but becaufe, according to the Gofpel,
felf-defenfe is unlawful, ftratagems in war
are crimes, merchandizing is wickednefs,
and riches and honours are prohibited.
They who talk thus fhew that they iin-
derftand not, or will not underftand ei-
ther the ftrong and figurative ftyle of the
Scriptures, or the rational methods of in-
terpreting them, or the true nature of
virtues and vices.

1 42 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi '/lory.

If this Author propofcd to himfelf to
acquire the applaufe of Free-thinkers, he
had his reward : but when Phocion had
made a fpeech which was applauded by
the populace, he afked, Have I not faid
fome foolifh. thing ?

To return to Divination, it appears
from the Scriptures that fome good and
great men, when they were taking leave
of the world, and bleffing their children,
or their nation, were enlightened with
a prophetic fpirit. Homer makes his he-
roes, as Patroclus, and Hedtor, prophe-
iy at the time of their death -, and Cicero
introduces his brother thus arguing in be-
half of divination : Epicurum ergo antepo-
•nes Platoni & Socrati ? qui ut rationem
wu redder -ent, auftoritate tamen bos minu-
tos philofophos vincerent. Jubet igitur
Plato, Jlc ad fomnum profcifci corporlbm
affeftis, ut nihil Jity quod errcrem animis
ferturbationemque afferat. — Quum ergo
eft fomno fevocatus animus afocietate^ et a
contagwne cor ports > turn meminit prceteri-
torum> frczfentia cerriit, futitra prtevidet :

jacet

Remarks on Ecclefialiical Hiftory. 143

jacet enim corpus — viget animus : quod
tmdto magis faciet poji mortem — itaquc
appropinquante morte multo eft divinicr.—
Divinare autem morientes, etiam illo ex-
emplo confirmat Pojidonius — Idque faci-
lius eveniet appropinquante morte, ut animi
futura augurentur. Ex quo et illud eft Ca-
laniy de quo ante dixiy et Homer ici Heffio-
m, qui moriens propinquam Achilli mortem
denuntiat. De Divin. i, 30,

The Pagans had alfo an opinion that
the good wifhes and the imprecations of
parents were often fulfilled, and had in
them a kind of divination. Read the
flory of Phoenix in Homer, //. I. 445,
&c. And Plato fays that every wife per-
fon revered and efteemed the prayers of
his parents, knowing that they were very
frequently accompli fhed. riaj &J vow

De Leg. xi.
p. 93 1. Confult the place and compare
it with the cafe of Efau, in Gen. xxvii.

Eufebius has treated the fubjedl, of
-Oracles is> his Praparatio Efvangelica.

L.iv.

144 Remar&s on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory.
L. iv. v. vi. He produces fuch argu-
ments as tend to {hew that it was all hu-
man fraud, and amongft other things, he
informs us that many Pagan priefts and
prophets, who (under Conftantine, I fup-
pofe) had been taken up and tried, and
tortured, had confefled that the Oracles
were impoftures, and had laid open the
whole contrivance, and that their confef-
fions flood upon record, and that thefe
were not obfcure wretches, but Philofo-
phers and Magiftrates, who had enriched
themfelves by perfecuting and plundering
the Chriftians. So Theodoret tells us that
in demolifhing the temples at Alexandria,
the Chriftians found hollow ftatues fixed
to the walls, into which the priefts ufed
to enter, and thence deliver oracles, v.
22,. Eufebius adds, that the Peripatetics,
Cynics, and Epicureans were of opinion
that fuch predictions were all artifice and
knavery. He then produces the argu-
ments of Diogenianus againft Divination.
But Eufebius, as alfo all the ancient Chri-
ftians, was of opinion that with theie
human frauds there might have been fome-

times

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, 145
times a mixture of Demoniacal tricks.
Pr. Ev. vii. 16. He then argues againjl
the oracles from the conceflions and the
writings of Pagans. He Ihews from Por-
phyry, that, according to that philofopher's
own principles, and according to the rea-
fonings of other Pagans, the gods who
delivered oracles muft have been evil Dse-
mons. He proves the fame thing from
human facrifkes, and produces Porphy-
ry's teftimony and opinion that the Pagans
worfhipped evil Daemons, the chief of
whom were Sarapis and Hecate. He
proves the fame from Plutarch, and he
gives a collection made by Oenomaus
of wicked, falfe, trifling, ambiguous
oracles.

The old Oracles often begin with
'AAA' oTctVy But when, which is an odd
fetting out. Thus in Herodotus,

orotv ov* — .

cray cv £<p?« — , 57.
AAX' oVay y ^Aeia — vi. 77.

'AAA' O

— v. 77.

146 Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hijlory*
In the Oracula Vetera>

'AAA' 0!

'AAAa

'AAA'oV

'AAA' 2?

'AAA' oTrirav Tidcgdje ——

•AAA'" ' '

In imitation of which ftyle, we find in
the Sibylline Oracles, and in the begin-
ning of a fentence,

'AAA'

And fo in many places of that Collec-
tion, which I lhall not tranfcribe.

Hence Ariftophanes, in banter, I fup*
pofe, of the prediftions in Herodotus,
makes a pompous and ridiculous Oracle,
and ufes the fame foolifh introduction, to
perfuade a Saufage-monger to fet up for
a demagogue and a ruler. The Oracle is
in Heroic verfe, and runs thus : Equit.
197.

'AAA* OTTOTCW

Remarks on Ecclejia/lical Hiftory. 147

?f cop6+

Atxtv pq "ZtTtiXw facivctg jtcthXov

But when the Tanher'-Eagk with a crooked

beak Jhall feize the fiupid blood-drink-

ing Dragon,, then the Papblagonian pickle

foall perifh) and the Deity Jhall advance

the fauf age-mongers to the highejl honours,

if they will but leave off their trade ^ and

fell no mors fuddings,

Liician alfo, De Morte PefegHni, gives
iis two Oracles made upon the death of
that Knave, who burnt himfelf publicly.;
the one by a feeming friend, the other
by a foe.

The firfi was afcribed to' the Sibyl*
who was the Mother Shiptcn of the An-
cients :

AXA

1x6$ g<;

o

148 Remarks on Ecckjiajlical Hijlory.
ltirohov Tipeiv KtXopcu "Hf
'Htpcu^a ii 'HgpKXq

But 'when Proteus, the chief of the Cynic sy
leaping into the flames, near the temple of
Jupiter, Jhall afcend up to Olympus, then
let all mortals with one confent adore the
notturnal Hero, and rank him 'with Vulcan
and Hercules.

The fecond was fathered upon Baas,
the Nojlradamus of his times :

*AAA* cVarov KawgcV •aroAu^vo©^ \g

A?; TBTt rxg aXhxs KwahuTrtKoig, di ol

At>(f/o.
'Of Se KI

TOHI r^a, tzxrvTct,$

Xgvcra C&%Q>$p@* Wygttdj pdha aroAAci Jit*

But when the Cynic, who has more names
than one, incited by the Furies , #W ^ /^
vain-glory, Jkalljumf into the

fames,

Remarks on Ecclefiajiical Hijlory. 149

fames, then let all the Dog-foxes, his trujty
difciples, follow the example of the departed
Wolf. And if any one of them jhr ink, and
be afraid of the fire, let all the Greeks pelt
him withftones, that he may no more Jhe<w
his courage only by prating, and put gold
into his fatchel, and lend it out to interejt,
and add to the fifteen talents which he has
hoarded up at Pair a.

It is probable that Lucian made both
thefe Oracles, to divert himfelf and his
readers, not forgetting the eflential'AAA1 QT&V.
But Lucian's raillery could not put a flop
to the fuperftition of the world ; for this
Peregrinus, or Proteus, was deified, and
had, at Parium, a ftatue ere&ed, to which
religious honours were paid, and which
delivered oracles. See Athenagoras Legat.

The comedy of Ariftophanes, cited
above, abounds with ridicule upon the
Oracles, and fliews the liberty which
the Wits in his days took to deride them,
and to bring them into contempt.

If the writer deDea Syria be in earnefl,
fincere in his narration, as he feems
L 3 to

150 Remarks on Eccteftaftical Hi/lory.
to be, there were few Pagan Temples and
Oracles more remarkable than that of
Hierapolis in Syria, and from his account:
it may be inferred that the Prieits of that
temple had carried the arts of impofturc
fo great perfection, and iurpaffed their
ancient inftrudlors the Egyptians, like th$
Thief who ftole a ftatue of Mercury, and
told the god,

The ^Egyptians, fays this author, were
the firft who had knowledge of the Gods,
and built them temples, &c. and frorn
them the Aflyrians learned thefe things.
Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus fay the
fame. Lucian. de Dea Syr. § 2.

o

0 ^cAAa^/f \ykvv? cv

Sunt autem — prcefentes valde Us Dii.

Sudani enim apud illos jimulacra^ et moev'en~>

titr, atque editnt oracula. Clamor etiani

pe in &de multis exaudientibus ortus cum

cfaufwn effef templum,

liiey

Remarks on Ecdefiajiical Hi/lory, i j i

They had a ftatue of Apollo, differing
from the Grecian images of that God in
two things, he was reprefented with a
beard, and he was cloathed $ and he de-f
livered his oracles thus :

Al^vTrJioiyt. roi 3 cv ry A/SJjj, ;

cv Tis Acr/ -zsroXAct g^/

.m. r\f >«./l/' r Tk r^ ^> A » /

•ztrgo(pij/£wv tyveyiovj. oot ^ CWTS

ci/ TJI e^ji •aralra x^gi). o; Jg

deigxcri. v\v ^ f^ ct«^(r;, o

' ' v x T\ T > A ..\ «

££ ^CECTCV gTi KintJ. £VT Cty j

ciyet

piv rttwl/, r STTOJ/

dvjtdtrag, intjiQcu piv

' p 3 ^ T; jUj; Sety 7zro;ggc, oV/c
0. ^ Se n iofflWff «V« ^

yvtoyiav

?

te rBra<ri&v, @
OXOTB cx soi/. Agy« e ?6 rS

twl/
L 4

152 Remarks on Ecclefiafiical Hiftory.
e (c #AAo TO gjWgu waftsdvl©* e?r

t/ ' ' O ".A « V> v

igesg aetgovfa ttytgov, o dt rxg
hiTTt, uvTig ^e cv TW rjeg/
. Oracula apud Gracos multay multa
apud JEgyptios. Verum etiam in Libya et
in Afia multa funt. Sed alia non fine fa-
. cerdotibus vel prophetis refpondent : at hie
rnovetur ipfey et divinationem adfinem ufque
joins perducit. Modus hie eft. Cum vulf red"
dere oraculum^ in fede primum fua move fur.
Sacer 'dotes vero ipfum ccntinuo tcllunt . Si<ve-
ro non tollant, illefudat, et <uerfus medium
adbuc moveiur. Cum vero fubeuntes onus ip-
fum ferunt, agit illos ufque quaque in orbem,
et in alium ex alio tranfilit. tandem obfijlem
facer dotum princeps interrogat ilium de re*
bus omnibus. Ifqueji nolit fieri ^ retrocedit ;
fi 'vero probet, antrcrfum agit fuos bajulosy
tanquam babenis atiriga. Ita colligunt ora-
cula^ & neque rem facram ullam neque pri-
*vatamfine -hoc faciunt. Prcedicit etiam de
anno omnibufque illius tempejlatibus^ et
quando non futura fmt : item prcedicit de
SfgKOy quando eam^ quam dicebam modo^
profeffionem fufcipiat. Narrabo etiam
) quod me prcefente egii\ Sacer dotes

fublatum

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hlftory.
fublatum ferebant \ At ipfe illos bumi re-
liquit) fublimis ipfe folus ferebatur. Ib. §

36, 37-

This author fays here that he faw the
Image fufpended and moving along in the
air, upon which La Croze and Guietus
obferve that he is a liar d. They did not
confider that feats as furprifing as this
have been performed by machinery affift-?
ed with legerdemain, and that Chriilian
Monks, as well as Pagan Priefts, have
been eminent in fuch arts. We are ob-
liged to the Writer for not omitting a re-*
markable circumftance, that the image
was adorned with a fine robe ; the cloke
was not put on for nothing, and ferved in
all probability to conceal fome knavery.

The tricks of the Egyptian priefts were
not to be compared to this : their little

4 Cicero mentions the old ftory of the wooden //-
tuus of Romulus, which was not confumed in a fire,
and treats it as a fable, De Divin. ii. 38. and yet it
might poffibly be true • for jncombuftible wood has
been di (covered.

gods,

1 54 Remarks m Ecckfiajlical Hiftory,
gods, when they were carried in procefc
fion, did not fweat, like thefe ftatues, but
only made the Porters fweat :

r— Jic numina Memphis
In vulgusproferrefokt : penetralibus exit
Effigies ; brews ilia quidem ; fed plurimus

infra

Liniger impojito fufpirat veffe facerdos,
^feftatus fudore Deum.

Claudian iv. Conf. Hon. 569,

Obferve that this ftatue did not fpeak,
and that when the Writer fays Aey« erg©*
or££/, he only means that it indicated or
declared. From his account we may col-
left that when any queftion was put to it,
if it retired and drew back, that was as
much as to fay, No : if it advanced, the
meaning was, Tes.

We have accounts very like this, from
other Authors, of other ftatues and oracles.
Diodorus Sic. xvii. fays of Jupiter Am-
mon : To SI 5 BiS foavov — r

\jZ3~o

Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hiftory. 155

r S'eoV
-zsrcV av atci 73 $ ®eS vwa r

Simulacrum Dei — peculiar i novoque plane
vaticinandi genere oracula edit. In au-
rea enim navi a facer dotibus oSlogtnta cir-
cumfertur *, qui humeris Deum geft antes eo
tendunt^ quo Jorte fortuna Dei nutus eos
agit. Compare with this ^Curtim iv. 7.
Macrobius, i. 23. fays, Hujus [Heliopoli-
tani\ templi religio etiam divinatione prce-
pollety qucz ad Apollinis pot eft at em refertur,
qui idem atque Sol eft. Vehitur enimfimu-
lacrum Dei Htliopolitani ferculo^ — etfub-
cunt plerumqu? provinciaproceres, rafo ca-
pite, longi temporis cajiimonia puri ;ferun-
turque dimno fpiritu^ nonfuo arbitrio, fed
quo Deus propellit vehentes : ut videmus
apud Antium promoter i fimulacra Fortuna^
rum ad danda refponfa. Strabo fays from
Callifthenes, that Ammon delivered his
anfwers, ^ £[& hoyuv, ctAAa vdjpcm £ Qv^
GdXoig TV 'zrXiov. nonverbtSy fed ut plurimum
nutu etjignis. SeeVan Dale De Orac. p. 2 1 o.
who produces thefe pafTages of Diodorus,
Macrobius, and Strabo, and adds fome
from other authors.

The

156 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.

The writer de Dea Syria tells us that
the beafts which were kept in this fa-
cred place loft their natural fiercenefs.

^ » Cf v. \'/n N <v ' <H

<c ag/o;, J c&>c/o;, A£CI>/££,

$. In aulafoluti pafcun^i,'
l^ et equi^ et aquil<zy et urjl^ et ~sy
qui nequaquam nocent homlnibus^ Jh, jacri
omnesfunt, et manfueti. §41.

The city and teuipie alib, as ne informs
us, fwarmed with Galli, or caftrated priejlsy
who perhaps performed the fame opera-
tion upon thefe wild beafts, which they
had performed upon themfelves -, and this,
together with due correction adminiftered
from time to time, and a good education,
and feeing much company, and proper
food, and a full belly, and three meals a
day, would make thefe lions and bears as
tame as lambs. The t*zydhoi @ot$ were
probably cxen, who grow to a much larger
fize than bulls ; and a bull is a furly ani-
mal, with whom it is hard to cultivate any
friendship,

Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hi/lory. 157

Van Dale obferves from Theophraftus,
that cedar, and thofe forts of wood which
contain an oily moifture, will have a dew
%upon them in damp weather, and that
ftatues made of them will fweat, which
pafl~ed for a prodigy with filly people. He
mentions this, as illuftrating what is faid
in the book De Dea Syria concerning
fweating images : but I rather think that
the Priefts there had fome furer contriv-
ance to bring about this miracle, and
could make their images fweat when they
thought it proper.

The Book de Dea Syria is very enter-
taining, and compofed elegantly, and in
the Ionic dialed: : the Author feems to
have been a Pagan who gave credit to
prodigies, oracles, -and the power of the
Gods, which was not Lucian's cafe. If
Lucian wrote it, to whom it is afcribed,
one might fufped: that as he propofed to
follow Herodotus in ftyle and manner, fo
he affefted to imitate him in gravely re-
lating marvellous and ftrange things. But

if

i $ 8 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Uiftory.

if this were his defign, it was of tod
refined a nature, and by the ferioufnefi
which runs through the whole cbmpofi-
tion, the jeft has been hitherto loft.
Lucian, Ver. Hift* ii. 31. banters Hero-
dotus as a liar, tho unjuftly, I think * for
in this charming Hrftorian there are fome
marks of credulity, but none of difhotiefty.
Whofoever made the book, and with what-
foever intent, his narration feems to be hi-
ftorically true, and much of it is confirm-
ed by other writers. We are informed by
Fabricius BibL Gr. iii. 501. that Jurieu, in
his Hiftory of the JewiJhRites andDoStrineSy
has concluded that Lucian was not the au-
thor of this Treatife, becaufe it is written
in the Ionic Dialed:. The argument proves
nothing, for Lucian was an ingenious
monkey, who could imitate what he
would, and throw himfelf into all (hapes;
and he might affedt this fweetly-flowing
ftyle, Tor feveral reafons, or out of mere
fancy; andArrian, as Fabricius obferves^
wrote his Indica in this dialed:, though he
Compofed his other works in the Attic
didtion. I have not Jurieu's bock to con-

fuW,

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Htftory. 150!
fult, and perhaps it is not worth the feek-
ing. Jurieu made a figure in his time*
and had more zeal than difcretion. He
wrote fome Trads of Devotion, and he
was remarkable for two things, firft
for mifinterpreting the Apocalypfe, and
thence foretelling what never came to pafs,
fecondly for publifhing idle ftories againft
Grotius, and other learned men, in a book
called L'Efprit de Monfieur Arnauld. The
book at firft had a run, for Cenfure is of
a healthy complexion, and thrives better
than Panegyric ; and as it has been faid
of a Hog c, that his foul is given him
inftead of fait, to keep him from ftinking,
fo what is called Secret Hi/iory will pre-
ferve even a ilovenly performance from
decaying, longer than one would imagine :
but now this work would be little kriown,
if Bayle and Le Clerc and others had not
chaftifed it, in which perhaps they did it
too much honour. Jurieu by treating
Grotius as an Infidel, went to work like
a bungler, for, Eft ars etiam maledicendi\
as Jofeph Scaliger faid upon a like occa-
9 Cicero De Nat. Desr. ii. 64.

lion,

160 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory,
fion, and it requires fomething of a hand
to throw dirt. Bofluet, though he did
not fight with fuch weapons as Jurieu,
yet attacked Grotius, as a dangerous au-
thor and a Socinian, and made remarks
upon him which are mere declamation
and verbiage. It is one thing to be Bi-
jhop of Meaux, and another thing to be
Hugo Grctius :

O J

cv

Calmetj if I remember right, has alfo
treated Grotius in the fame manner. Gro-
tius was inclined to think and to judge
rather too favourably, than too hardly of
the Church of Rome ; for which fome of
the Ecclefiaftics of that communion have
repaid him with the gratitude that was to
be expeded, and have taught by-ftanders,
that he who endeavours to ftroke a tiger
into good humour, will at leaft have his
fingers bitten off* in the experiment.

f Non enim in medio jacent
Ardua dona Mufarum
Aquolibet auferenda. Herodotus

Remarks on Ecckfiaftical Hijiory. 1 6 1

Herodotus is of opinion that Divination
and Oracles had their rife in -/Egypt, and
thence came into Afric and Greece, and
that the Oracle at Dodona was the moft
ancient in Greece. L. ii. The opinion
is very probable, for ^Egypt was the nur-
fery of idolatry and fuperftition. Homer
mentions the temple of Jupiter at Do-
dona, and that of Apollo at Pytho, or
Delphi, as being illuftrious in the time of
the Trojan war, and reprefents the latter
as immenfely rich. II. n. 233. 1.404.

Herodotus ftiews us the great authority
of oracles, from ancient times down to his
own, by which kingdoms were difpofed
of, and war and peace were made. He
relates that the Heraclidae, who, before
Gyges, reigned in Lydia, at Sardes, ob-
tained the kingdom by an oracle, and that
Gyges, who flew his matter Candaules,
had the kingdom adjudged to him by
the Delphic Oracle, which favour he re-
warded by fending thither large gifts.
Herodotus every where fpeaks of oracles,
divination, and prodigies, as one who
M firmly

162 Remarks on JLcclefiaftical Jlijlory.

firmly believed in them, and who was
difpleafed with thofe that flighted them.
See viii. 77. He gives us there an Oracle
of Bacis, in which there is a remarkable
expreffion, and in the jftyle of the Scri-
ptures,

Compefcet juvenem meritiflima pcena fuper-
bum.

as Pfalm Ixxxix. 22. — nor the fon of
wickednefs affliffi him. 2 Sam. vii. 10.
neither foall the children ^"wickednefs af-
jli£l them. Judas is called the fon of perdi-
tion, Johnxvii. 12. where fee Grotius.

Herodotus alfo relates prophetic dreams
which were faid to have been accom-
-plifhed, as the dream of Croefus, ofAf-
tyages, and of others. Having travelled,
fays Prideaux, through JEgypt, Syria, and
feveral other countries, in order to the
'writing of his hiftory, he did, as travellers
ufed to do, he put down relations upon truft,
as he met with them, and no doubt was im-
pofed upon in many of them.

Van

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiflory. 1 63

Van Dale, in his book De Oracults, ob-
ferves that the Oracular temples were ufu-
ally fituated in mountainous places, which
abounded with caverns fitted for frauds :

That the oracles were delivered only
at ftated times :

That at Delphi, the prieftefs had priefts,
prophets, and poets, to take down and
explain and mend her gibberifh ; which
ferved to juftify Apollo from the imputa-
tion of making bad verfes, for if they
were defeftive, the fault was laid upon
the Amanuenfis :

That the confulters fometimes wrote
their requefts, and received anfwers in
writing :

That the priefts had the art of opening
letters and clofing them again, without
breaking the feal :

That the adyta, whence the oracles
were delivered,were (haded with branches,
and clouded with inceafe, to. help the
fraud :

M 2 That

,164 Remarks on Ecclefidjtical Hi/lory*

That in the temples fweet fmells were
fuddenly difFufed, to fhew that the God
was in good humour :

That there are drugs, herbs, and fu-
migations which will make a man foam
at the mouth, and be delirious, and that
the prieftefs might ufe fuch methods :

That it might alfo fometimes be gri-
mace and artifice :

That the God fometimes gave anfwers
himfelf, by a voice, or by the motion of
his ftatue, etc.

THIS is what I had to offer concern-
ing Divination, and prophecy in general,
the Sibylline Oracles excepted, which
ihall be examined apart.

THE PROPHECIES relating to
our Saviour, and to Chriftianity , have fome
of them a mixture of obfcurity, and the
interpretations which have been given of

meht

Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hi/lory. 1 65

them are various : but this ought to be
matter neither of wonder, nor of offence,
becaufe in the nature of things it cannot
be otherwife.

It were indeed to be wondered, if obfcu-
rity Jhould not lie upon fome of the prophe-
cies, the lateji whereof was written at the
dijlance of above two thouf and years ago.

Prophetic writings, bejides what is com-
mon to them with other writings, to grow
dark with age, have fomething peculiar in
their nature to render them lefs intelligible.
Prophecies, remote from the time of their
accompli foment, and whofe completion de-*
pends on the concurrence of free agents, are
not wont to be delivered very diftinStly at

The obfcurity becomes greater, from the
language wherein they are written. Tihe
Hebrew, as other Ea/iern languages, is en-
tirely different from the European, Many
things are there left to be fupplied by the
quicknefs of the reader s apprehenfion, which
are with us exprejfed by proper words and
M 3 repeti-

1 6 6 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory.
repetitions. Particles disjunctive and ad-
verfative, Jignificative marks of connection
and oftranfitionfrom one fubjeCt to another
are often omitted here. Dialogues are car-
ried on, objections anfwered, comparifons
made, 'without notice in the difcourfe -, and
through frequent change of perfons, tenfes^
and numbers, we are left to guefs 'who are
the perfons ffoken of, which gave no difficul-
ty to them whofe living language it was.

*f he prophetic Jlyle is of all other the mojl
copious this way. It feems to be a fort of
language by iff elf. It ties iff elf to no order
or method, but pajjesfrom one fubjeCt to an-
other infenfibly, and fuddenly refumes it
again, and oft en f allies out to the main thing
that was intended in the prophet's thoughts.
The prophets ufed to aCt part of what they
were to foretell, fhofe actions fupplying
the place of words, and being not exprejfed
in the writing, a fort of chafm isfometimes
to be difcernedin them > as at other times ;
different difcourfes, or addrejjes, diftinguijh-
able in the fpeaking, by proper Jigns and
motions, feem now to be connected, though
they have no relation to each other. — u»

Remarks on Eccleftajlical Hiftory. 1 67

What increafes the difficulty, is the little
or no order that the Collectors have placed
the prophecies in, according to the ufage of
the ancients, who joined together writings
upon different occafions, of the fame authors,
andfometimes of different authors, as if they
made but one continued difcourfe. —

The miftake might have been in feme
meafure prevented, had the books written by
the Jews, after their return from the Ba-
bylonian captivity, remained to our days — -
But thefe helps fail us, and not one book
writ in the Hebrew tongue, fince prophecy
ceafed, hath efcaped the general calamity
that hath befallen the Jewijh writings. Bp.
Chandler Introd. to Defenfe ofChriftian.

Oratio Jefaitffc eft conftrutJa, ut de il-

Hus arte, elegantia, cvso&.cx,, ponder e, ni-

hil tarn magnijicum cogitari ac did pojjit^

quinjit infra ejus meritum. — Sed id ipfum

eft, quod interpret em mult is in loch impedit,

ejufque, ftudioft etiam et bonis fubjidiis in-

ftruffii, diligent i am ac judicium valde exer-

cet. Imo vero cenfeo, nullius mortalis, //-

M 4 cet

i <}8 Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hi/lory.
cet in Hebrceis literis do5le verfati, tantum
effe acumen, peritiam, perfpicaciam, ut
Propheta no/fro longe pluribus locis redder e
potuerit genuinum fuum fenfum, nifi Lettio
ant i qua Synagogica per traditionem in Scho-
lis Jlebrceorum fuijjet confervata, ut earn
nunc Maforetharum punffulis exprejfam ha-
bemus. Vitringa, Prafat. ad Jefaiam.

II y a dans lesProphetes beaucoup de mots

tres-obfcurs, qui pouwnent etre clairs au-

trefois, que la langue Hebraique etoit fcrif-

fante. II y a encore plus de pajfages, oit la

conjlruffiion et la liaifon du difccurs ne font

pas facile s a develop er^ et ou I' on ne voif

pas bien ce que les Prophetes ont voulu dire.

Les allufons frequent '~es a des chofes^ qui nous

font inconnues, foit a legard des "juifs^ foit

a legard de la plupart des peuples voifins,

dont il ne nous rejle aucuns monument, nc

fervent pas peu a embarr 'offer les inter pretes*

LeClerc, BibL Choif. xxvii. 381.

No s fane fuas elegant i as effe Hebrczorum
jLinguce, quemadmodum ceteris omnibus,
non negamus; fed cum cult is et ccpiofis Lin-
guis conferendam ejje non putamus. Mo-

nendm

Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hi/lory. 169
nendus tamen eft Left or earn a nobis fpetta-
ri, non qualis olim dum florebat fortajje fu-
it, fed qualis fupereft in Libris Sacris,
quibus omnes ejus reliquice contlnentur.
Multo quidem plura vocabula, plurefque
phrafes in ufu fuifle, quam qua in modico
volumine leguntur, non tegrefatemur. Sed
quoad pot eft ex ejus reliquiis judiciumferrij
inopem earn, ambiguam, et parum cult am
fuijje exiftimamus, quod jam oftendere ag-
grediemur.

Linguarum omnium laudes in tribus po-
tijflmum rebus face funt, in copia vocabulo-
rum et phrafum, in perfpicuitate orationis,
ejufque elegantia, cujus a Rhetoribus Cano-
nes defcribuntur ; quibus rebus multo He-
braicd fuperiores funt multcz Lingute, et
Gr^ca quidem pr<z ceteris; nee quqfi pul-
cherrimamjaffiari Hebraic am pojje, mani-
fejlum eft, etc. etc. Le Clerc, Proleg. ad
F. r. Dijf. i.

Such are the difficulties which attend
the interpretation of the prophecies, and
which I chofe to reprefent in the words
of competent judges.

And

1 70 Remarks on Ecckjiaftical Hi/lory.

And yet that Jefus was theMeffias fore-
told by the Prophets, appears thus :

The prophets fpeak of a new and fe-
cond covenant, which God would make
with his people. They mention, not once
or twice, but very often, the converfion
of the Gentiles from fuperftition and ido-
latry to the worihip of the true God j they
fpeak of four fucceffive empires, the laft
of which was the Roman empire, and un-
der this laft empire they fay that a new
and everlafting kingdom fhould be efta-
blifhed by one to whom God fhould give
abfolute power and dominion. A great
perfon was to come, who fhould be Em-
manuel, or, God with us, the Son of God,
and the Son of man, of the feed of Abra-
ham, of Ifaac, and of David ; born of a
virgin, poor and obfcure, and yet one
whom David calls his Lord ; the Lord to
whom the temple belonged, the mighty
God, a great king, an everlafting prieft,
though not of the tribe of Levi ; born at
Bethlehem, a prophet like unto Mofes,
but greater than Mofes -, a prophet who
4 fhould

Remarks on Ecckfiaftical Hiftory. 17 1
{hould preach to the poor and meek, and
proclaim liberty to the captives, and com-
fort the mourners, and heal the broken-
hearted ; who (hould proclaim his Gofpel
firft and principally in the land of Zebu-
Ion andNaphthali, in Galilee of the Gen-
tiles ; who {hould have a forerunner in the
fpirit of Elias, crying in the wildernefs,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord ; who
fhould inftruft in a mild and peaceable
manner, without wrath and contention,
before the deflrudion of the temple, in.
which temple he fhould be feen and
heard ; who fhould enter into Jerufalem
meek and humble, and riding on an ais >
who fhould work miracles more than Mo-
fes and all the prophets, and miracles of
the merciful and beneficent kind, open
the eyes of the blind, and the ears of the
deaf, and make the dumb to praife God,
and the lame to leap like an hart ; who,
notwithstanding all his power and good-
nefs, fhould be rejected by the greater
part of the nation, to whom he fhould be
a flumbling block, who fhould be defpif-
£d and afflicted, a man of forrow, and

cut

172 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiflory.
cut off from the land of the living ; who
fhould have enemies numerous, powerful,
crafty, and wicked, who fliould be accuf-
ed by falfe witnefles, betrayed by an inti-
mate and particular friend, fold for thirty
pieces of filver, and the money given for a
potter's field, when it had been flung away
by the traitor who fhould not live long after
his crime, and whofe office fhould be filled
up by another ; that his enemies fliould
ufe him contumelioufly, buffet him, and
fpit upon him, whilft he fhould be led
like a lamb to the daughter, not opening
his mouth, and uttering nothing, except
interceffions for the tranfgreffors $ that his
enemies fhould ftrip him of his raiment,
divide it amongft themfelves, and caft lots
upon it, furround him, pierce his hands
and his feet, mock him, and fhake their
heads at him, give him gall to eat, and
vinegar to drink ; that he fhould be re-
duced to fo weak and languifhing a con-
dition that his bones might all be counted,
nis heart fhould melt within him, and his
tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth ;
that he fhould be brought to the duft of

deathj

Remarks on EcclefiafKcal Hi/lory. 1 73

death, that he fhould be pierced, and yet
not one of his bones be broken, that he
fhould be laid in the fepulchre of a rich
and honourable man, none of his enemies
hindering it ; that he fhould rife again be-
fore he had feen corruption, and fubdue
his enemies, and afcend into heaven, and
lit at God's right hand, and be crowned
with honour and glory, and fee his feed
and profper, and juftify many, and be
adored by kings and princes; that then
Jerufalem fhould be made defolate, and
the Jews difperfed in all lands, and the
Gentiles fhould be converted and flow &M
to the church. Thefe things were faicJ
concerning fome perfon; and they are all
applicable to Chrift.

God foretold by his prophets in a clear
and exacft manner many great changes and
revolutions, many things relating to the
fates and fortunes of the Jews, and of the
neighbouring nations with whom they
were concerned. The only poffible ob-
jection which can be made to thefe pre-
didions, is that perhaps they were writ-
ten

1 74 Remarks on Ecchjiaftical Hiftorj.
ten after the event. I {hall therefore men-
tion a few, out of feveral, which cannot
be fufpedted of fuch a forgery.

g Ezechiel thus prophefies concerning
JEgypt. Mgypt Jhall be the bafeft of the
kingdoms, neither Jhall it exalt itfelf any
more above the nations : for I will diminijh
them, that they Jhall no more rule over the
nations, xxix. 15.

./Egypt was attacked and opprefled by
the Perfians, by Cambyfes, by Xerxes,
byDarius Nothus, and conquered by Ochus
three hundred and fifty years before Chrift,
and from that time to this day, the ./Egy-
ptians never had an ^Egyptian king, but
have been under the government of the
Perfians, Macedonians, Romans, Sara-
cens, and Turks. Eufebius was miflaken
in dating the fubjedion of ^Egypt to a fo-
reign power from the victory of Auguftus
at Adtium, and the death of Antony and
Cleopatra. Dem. Evang. vi. p. 299.

8 Ifaiah prophefied more than 700, Jeremiah more
than 600, and Ezechiel almoft 600 years before
Chrift.

Concerning

Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hijlory.

Concerning Babylon it was foretold;
The <wtld beafts of the defer t — Jhall dwell
there, and the owls Jhall dwell therein : and it
Jhall be no more inhabited for ever: neither
Jhall it be dwelt in from generation to genera-
tion. As God overthrew Sodom and Gomor-
rah, and the neighbour cities thereof — fo no
man Jhall dwell there > neither Jhall any fon
of man dwell therein. — *fhey Jhall not take of
thee a Jlone for a corner > nor a Jlone for
foundations -, but thou Jhalt be defolate for
ever, faith the Lord. — Babylon Jhall be-
come heaps, a dwelling place for dragons^
an ajlonijlment and an hijjing without an
inhabitant. — When thou haft made an end
of reading this book, thou Jhalt bind a ftom
to //, and cajl it into the midji of Euphra-
tes. Andthcufialt fay, Thus Jhatt Baby-
Ion Jink> and Jhall not rife from the evil
that I will bring upon her. — Babylon the
glory of kingdoms — Jhall be as when God
overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It Jfiall
never be inhabited, neither Jl; all it be dwelt
in from generation to generation : neither
Jhall the Arabian pitch tent there > neither

Jhall

176 Remarks on Ecclejia/lica! Hi /lor f.

jhall the Jhepherds make their fold there.
But wild beafts of the defert Jhall lie there,
and their houfes Jhall be full of doleful crea-
tures, and owls Jhall dwell there, — and
dragons in their pleafant places. Jer. 1.
39. li. 26. 37. 64. Ifai. xiii. 19.

Seleucus built Seleucia, before Chrift
293, which completed the ruin and defo-
lation of Babylon, a defolation that con-
tinues to this day. Prideaux Conned:.
P. I. B. viii. p. 448. fol. Ed. and r/-
tringa on Ifai. xiii.

Concerning Tyre it was prophefied ; I
will make thee like the top of a rock; T%ou
jhalt be a place to fpread nets upon *, thou
Jhalt be built no more ; — thou Jhalt be a
terror, and never Jhalt be any more. Ezech.
xxvi. 14. 21. xxvii. 36. xxviii. 19.

Old Tyre, and new Tyre are no more,
and only exift in hiftory. Tyrus infularis

tandem pervenit ad eiimjlatum, quo ho-

die deprehenditur, ut in ipfa tyro quoque
Itinerator fyrum qiuzrat et non agnofcat :

pcrinde

Remarks on Ecckfiaftical Hiflory. 177
perinde ut res fe habuit cum Eabylonc. Qui
articuli imminutionis Tyri, et <uaria ejus
fata a me ex Hiftoria demonftrari pojfent,
Ji vere cum Marjhamo aliifque mihi non
perfuaderem, vaticinium hoc Ezechielis in-
telligendum effe de Tyro vetere, urbe olim
multo major e et potentiore, quamfuit Tyrus
nova infularis, licet ea ipji accenfitafuerity
qua *fyrus infularis poji hoc tempusfola cul-
ta eft) et gloriam T'yri veteris fuftinuit : —
dum alt era pars ejus, hoc ejl, Tyrus vetus,
plane fubverteretur, numquam reaedificanda,
ab Alexandro dein plane diruta, qui rude-
ribus lapidibufque ejus ufus eft in Tyro infu-
lari oppugnanda ; ut adeo hodieque ejus
Palastyri nihil amplius fuperftt ^ nee locus niji
adjigna Veterum Geograpborum, eaque non
fatis certa, demonftrari pojfit. Vitringa ad
Ifai. xxiii. p. 703. See allb Prideaux
Conneft.

The city of Tyre, ftanding in the fea

upon a peninfula, prQmifes at a diftance

jomething very magnificent. But when you

come to it, you find no fimilitude of that

N glory

1 78 Remarks on Ecckfiajlical Hijlorf.

glory for which it was fo renowned in an-
cient times. On the northjide it has an old
furktj/j ungarrifoned cajlle ; befides which
you .fee nothing here, but a mere Babel of
broken walls, pillars, vaults, etc, there be-
ing notfo much as one entire houfe left. Its
prejent inhabitants are only a few poor
wretches, harbouring themfelves in the vaults,
and fubfijling chiefly upon fifoing -y who fee m
to be preferred in this place by Divine
Providence, as a vijible argument how God
has fulfilled bis word concerning Tyre, T'hat
it ftould be as the top of a rock, a place
for fifhers to dry their nets on. Maundrefs
Journey, p. 48.

In Genejis xvi. The Angel faid to Ha-
gar — T'houfialt bear afon, andfoalt call
his name Ifomael; — And he will be a wild
man [as favage as a wild Afs] his hand
will be againjl every man, and every man's
hand againjl him : and he fiall dwell in
the presence of all his brethren.

Ifhmael was the father of the Arabs,
who are, and ever have been, fuch as

Ifhmael

K

Remarks on Ecclefiajllcal Hiftory. 179
Ifhmael is here defcribed, robbers, free-
booters, and independent vagabonds.

In the fame book, ch. xxvii, Ifaac fays to
his fon Efau, by thy fword Jhalt thou live.
Efau was the father of the Idumasans, who
were always a warlike people, ravaging
their neighbours, and of a reftlefs difpofi-
tion. Such they were in the days of Jo-
fephus, who gives them this chara&er ;

$ j£ ciraxjov
ret, Kivqpcfla, Xj

Si YsX&K&cw T oeo{$fiuvt roi off fat x;-
? tofllw, eig Tcig Gr^&lci^eig
TurbarUm aviday et incondita
gens, femperque ad motus fufpenfa, muta-
tionibus gaudens^ minimis pet tritium blandi-
tiis arma movens, et in prcelia fetlinam^
quafiadfeftum. B. J. iv. 4,

The moft extraordinary perfbn who
ever appeared amongft the Jews was
Chrift, who without human means, and
with a few poor difciples, brought about
a greater change, and accomplifhed a
greater undertaking, than any Jew ever
conceived and attempted.

N 2 Jf

l8o Remarks on Ecckfiaftical Hijlory<

If he was the Meffias, it is reafonable
to fuppofe that the Prophets, who fo ac-
curately and undeniably foretold the things
relating to Babylon, Tyre, etc, would
give fome indications of this facred perfon,
which was of more importance to the Jews
and to mankind ; and confequently it is
reafonable to think that we rightly under-
ftand in general the prophecies which are
applied to him. If he falfely aflumed the
character which he took, yet fince he had
the art and the fuccefs to make many of
the Jews, and a great part of the Gentile
World believe in him, it was to be exped:-
ed that fome caution would have been
given in the prophetic writings to the
Jews, that they might not be milled by
him, nor expedt any prophet after Ma-
lachi.

PaiTages in the Old Teftament which
have been applied to him, are of four
forts.

I. Accommodations:

II. Direft prophecies :

III. Types;

Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Htfiory. 1 8 1

III. Types:

IV. Prophecies of double fenfes.

I. Accommodations are paflages of the
Old Teftament, which are adapted by the
writers of the New to fomething that hap-
pened in their time, becaufe of fome corr
refpondence and limilitude. Thefe are
no prophecies, though they be faid fome-
times to be fulfilled > for any thing may
be faid to bz fulfilled, when it can be per-
tinently applied. For example, St. Mat-
thew fays ; All thefe things fpake Jefus un-
to the multitude in parables^ that it might
be fulfilled which was fpoken by the prophet ,
faying, I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things which have been kept fe-
cret from the foundation of the world. The
meaning is apparently no more than this,
that what the Pialmift faid of his way of
teaching, might juftly be laid of thofe
difcourfes of Chrift.

Thus the Apoftles frequently allude to
the facred books -y and thus Pagan writer^
often cite paflages from their old poets,

N3 to

1 8 2 Remarks on Ecdefct filed Htjlory.
to defcribe things h of which thofe poets
never thought ; and this is no fault, but
rather a beauty in writing , and a paflage
applied juftly, and in a new fenfe, is ever
pleafing to an ingenious reader, who loves
to be agreeably furprifed, and to fee a like-
nefs and pertinency where he expected
none. He has that furprife which the
Latin Poet fo poetically gives to the tree ;

Miraturque novas frondes et non fua poma.

II. Direct prophecies are thofe which
relate to Chrift and the Gofpel, and to
them alone, and which cannot be taken
in any other fenfe. Upon thefe we ought
principally to infift, when we would prove
the truth of our religion from the predic-
tions of the Old Teftament; and of thefe
there is a considerable number. Such
are thofe which mention the calling of the
Gentiles, the everlailing kingdom of the
Son of man, to be erected during the time
of the Roman empire, and the fecond co-

h Diogenes the Cynic was remarkable for this fort
of wit, and many of his applications, or parodies of
Homer are very happy and ingenious.

venant.

Remarks on Ecdefurftical Hiftwy. j 83
venant. Such is the cxth Pfalm-- The
Lord faid unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right
hank until I make tby enemies thy foot-
JlooL etc. This is as plain as a prophetie
defcription ought to be ; it is applicable
to Chrift alone, and it fets forth his exal-
tation, his royal dignity, his prieftly of-
fice, the propagation of his Gofpel, the
obedience of his fubjefts, the deftruftion
of his enemies, and of the Roman Em-
perors who perfecuted his Church. But
of this prophecy fomething more fhall be
faid, when we come to the reign of Coa-
flantine.

III. A type is a rough draught, a lefs
accurate pattern or model, from which --a
more perfeft image or work is made.
Types, or typical prophecies, are things
which happened and were done in an-
cient time, and are recorded in the Old
Teftament, and which are found after-
wards to defcribe or reprefent fomething
which befel our Lord, and which relates
to him and to his Gofpel. For example:
Under the Law, a lamb was offered for. a
N4 -fin-

X 84 Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hijlory.
fin-offering, and thus an attonement was
made for tranfgreffions. John the Baptift
calls Chrift the lamb of God who taketh
away the Jim of the world, and St. Peter
tells Chriftians that they are redeemed by
the blood of Chrift, as of a lamb. Hence
we infer and conclude that the lamb was
a type of Chrift ; and upon confidering
it, we find that it has all that can be re-
quired to conftitute a type ; for it is in
many refpefts a very juft and lively re-
prefentation of Chrift. The lamb died
for no offence of his own, but for the
fins of others ; fo did Chrift : the lamb
could not commit fin by his nature, nor
Chrift by his perfection : the lamb was
without bodily fpot or blemifh ; Chrift
was holy and undefiled : a lamb is meek
and patient ; fuch was the afflifted and
much injured Son of God.

Thefe types are ufeful to perfons who
have already received Chriftianity upon
other and ftronger evidence, as they fhew
the beautiful harmony and.correfpondence
between the Old and New Teftament ;
4 but

Remarks on Ecclefiajllcal Hi/lory. 185
but they feem not proper proofs to fatisfy
and convince doubters, who will fay per-
haps, with the fchool-men, Tbcologiafym-
bolica non eft argumentativa.

Unlefs we have the authority of the
Scriptures of the New Teftament for it,
we cannot conclude with certainty that
this or that perfon, or this or that thing
.mentioned in the Old Teftament is a type
of Chrift, on account of the refemblance
which we may perceive between them :
but we may admit it as probable.

Jofeph 'was a Nazarene^ as the word
may denote afeparate perfon. And though
he 'were not under a Nazarite's vow, yet as
he 'Was feparate from his brethren, he if
called J Nazir, a Nazarite, in the more ge~
neral and lax Jrgnification of theivord. And
there is a 'very fmgular correfpondence be-
tween him and Jefus. Jofeph 'was the
beloved fon of his father-, and fo is Jefus too.
But as he was hated by his brethren; foje-
fits came to his own, and his own received
him not. If the fun > moon, and Jiars
did, in a figure^ obeifance to Jofeph -, they
[ Gen. xlix. '*6, did

1 8 6 Remarks on Ecclefiajllcal Hiftory.
did it to Jefus without a trope. Come let
let us kill him, 'was the language of the bre-
thren both of Jofeph and of Jefus. — T*hey
were both fold for pieces of money \ both be-
came fervants. tfhe bloody coat of yofeph
anfwers to the blood of Jefus. T^hey were
both forced down into JEgypt \ both were
numbered with tranfgreffors. Jofeph is
imprifoned with Pharaos Butler and Baker ;
one of them is faved,. the other dejlroyed :
Jefus fuffers with two Thieves ; and one of
them isfaved alfo. Jofeph fold corny and
faves his people ; fo does Jefus, the multi-
plier of 'loaves , and the Bread of life. If
Jofeph exhort his brethren to peace, fo did
Jefus. If they bowed the knee to Jofeph,
every knee muft bow to Jefus. If Jofeph
were highly exalted upon his fuff'erings, Jo
was Jefus. They were both men of for-
row, both fruitful branches, both lifted up
from a low and forrowful condition.

Sampfon was a Nazarite, in thejlricJeft
fenfe, and a perpetual one, and a type of
the Mejfias too, as the Jews intimate in their
two Tzrgums upon Gen. xlix. 18. A 'very

Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hiftory. i 8 /
Jit type he was of Jefus Chrift. He <wasfo
in his very birth : he was the fen of a bar-
ren woman ; Jefus of a Virgin. The tidings
of the birth of Sampfon were brought to his
mother by an Angel ; as was that of the
birth of Jefus. He iliall be a Nazarite,
fays the Angel, of Sampfon •> and of Jefus
it is f aid that he dwelt in Nazareth, that it
might be fulfilled which was f aid by the Pro-
phets, he flail be called a Nazarene. Of
Sampfon the Angel foretells that he Jhould
deliver Ifrael; and the Angel tells of Jefus,
that he floutd fave his people. An Angel
was fent to fatisfy both Manoah, and Jo-
feph. If the Spirit of God be f aid to move
Sampfon ; that Spirit defcended upon Jefus,
and led him into the ivilderrtefs. If Samp-
fon marries a Philijline woman, Jefus
efpoufed the Gentiles. Sampfon killed the
Lion, deftroyed the Philiftines, removed the
Gates of the city, and at his death gave the
greateji blow to bis enemies : but it is Je-
fus Chrift that overcame the Devil, and the
the World, and got the conqueft of Death and
Hell, that deftroyed the Devil by his Death -,
and that raifed himfelf up from death to

life.

1 83 Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hiftory,
life. Kidder's Demonftr. of the Me/fiat*
ch. iii.

IV. There are prophecies of double
fenfes, which admit no more than two
fenfes, which are nearly of the fame kind
with typical prophecies, and many of
which might perhaps be cleared up by ob-
ferving that the prophet meant one thing,
and the Spirit of God, who fpake by him,
meant another thing ; for the holy Spirit
fo over-ruled the prophets as to make
them ufe words which ftri&ly and rigidly
interpreted could not mean what them-
felves intended.

Somewhat of this kind is the prophecy
of the high prieft Caiaphas ; for the Spi-
rit of God has fometimes fpoken by bad
men. When the chief priefts and Phari-
fees confulted what they fhould do with
Jems, the high prieft faid, Te know no-
thing at ally nor conjider that it is expedi-
ent for us that one man JJoould die for tke
people, and that the whole nation perijh not.
His meaning was plainly this, that it mat-
tered not whether Chrift were guilty or

innocent,

Remark* en Ecclefiaffical Hiftory. 1 89

innocent, becaufe the public fafety abfo-
lutely required his death. And this fpake
he, .fays St. John, not of himfelf; but^ be-
ing high prieft that year, he prophefied that
Jefusjhculd die for that nation, that is, be
a facrifice and attonement for their fins..
He prophefied then, and knew it not; for
he had himfelf another intent and meaning.

As Daniel, xii. 8, 9. fays that he knew
not the meaning of the prediction which
he delivered, fo the Gentiles, if we may
be permitted to introduce them upon this
occafion, have remarked concerning their
prophets, that they knew not the import
of their own prophecies, or rather that
they were merely paffive, and knew not
even that they were fpeaking.

fays Socrates, in Plato's ApoL and in Menon.
p, 99. Ed. Steph. The Sibyl alfo fays,
or is made to fay, concerning herfelf,
L.ii.

Xeyu, xsAe^) j^e Qeog [jt*g] e

which is very like the words cited from

Plato.

1 90 Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hijlory.

Plato. Tacitus, Annal. ii. 54. Tune [fa-
cerdos] haujld font is arcani aqud> ignarus

flerumquc liter arum et carmmum^ edit re-

fponfa verjibus, etc.

When the Prophets of God fpake in
his name, they talked and adted like men
who knew that they were prophefying.
In fome of the Pagan Oracles, the God
is fuppofed to ufe the organs of the man,
and the man is fuppofed to know nothing
of the difcourfe. This appears to have
been the cafe of fome Demoniacs in the
New Teftament, in whom the evil Spirit
was the fpeaker. The Pagan prophets
therefore either were, or pretended to be
out of their fenfes ; and by this argument
fome fly or credulous people impofed up-
on Juftin Martyr (if he wrote the Cohorta-
tio) and made an excufe for the nonfenfe
and the faults againft metre in the Sibyl-
line Oracles. The Sibyl, faid they, ut-
tered verfes when me was infpired j when
the infpiration ceafed, fhe remembered
nothing that fhe had faid. They who
attended her and wrote down her pro-

pheciess

Remarks on Ecclefiajiical Hi/lory. 1 9 1
prophecies, being often unilcilful and illi-
terate people, made frequent miitakes,
and gave us lame verfes and falfe quanti-
ties. Cohort, ad Grczc. 38. See what is
faid above, p. 18. See alfo Smith on Pro-
phecyy who has collected paffages from
Plato and others, to {hew that the Pagan
prophets were in a fort of phrenfy and
delirium, ch. iv.

This is the very fame excufe which the
Pagans made for the bad ftyle and other
defefts of their Oracles. Van Dale De
Qrac. p. 162.

\
Since no prophecy of the Scripture is of

any private interpretation, that is, the
meaning of prophecies is not what perhaps
the prophet himfelf might imagine in his
private judgment of the Jlate of things
then prefent, but holy men fpake as they
were moved by the Holy Ghoft ; there
may therefore very pojflbly, and very rcafon-
My befuppofid to be many prophecies, which y
though they may have a prior and immediate
reference to feme nearer event \ yet by the
Spirit of God (whom thofe prophecies which

are

192 Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hi/lory.

are exprefs, Jhew to have had a further
•view) may have been directed to be uttered
in fuch words, as may even more properly
and morejuftly be applied to the great event
*which Providence had in view, than to the
intermediate event which God dejigned only
as a pledge or earnefl of the other, etc.
Clarke's Evid. of Nat. and Rev. ReL

Of omens, to which Pagan fuperftition
paid great regard from the time of Ho-
mer, there were feveral, where the words
of the omen had one fenfe, and the event,
as they fay, verified it in another fenfe.
Here is a remarkable inftance : Cecilia
Metelli, dum fororis jilice, adulta atatis
virgini, more prifco, no5te concubia, nu-
ftialia petit, omen ipfa fecit. Nam cum
in facello qucdam, ejus rei gratia aliquam-
diu perfedijjet, nee ulla vox propojito con-
gruens ejjet audit a -y feffa longajlandi mora
fuella rogavit mater ter am, utfibi paulifper
locum refidendi accomjnodaret •> cui ilia, Ego
vero, inquit, tibi mea fede cedo. H$uod
diffum ab indulgentia profeffum, ad certi
ominis frocejjit eventum : quoniam Metellus

non

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. 193
non ita multo poft, mortua Ctecilia, virgi-
nem de qua loquor, in matrimonium duxit.
Val. Maximus, i. v. 4. The fame ftory
is related by Cicero, de Divin. i. 46.
Plutarch, in the life of Alexander, fays :

fg sA' Xj -rvxw

CV GUg GV VtVOJMfGU

T

i$ r vopcv,

g fyia ^xrocg T vacV dAxey cuj-ctw.

tscu. Tuft tcxrag Atfvp^, C37t n

cv

htlo •&&£ cwTyjg fflyrpw. Delpbos ad Deum
de hello confulendum profe£lusy quod forte
dies nefa/ii effent, quibus non erat folenne
cracula ederey primo mijit certos^ qui <va-
tem orarent ut veniret. Recufante ilia,
et legem caiijfante^ afcendit ipfe, et <vi tra-
xit earn ad templum. Qiitz illius contentione
expugnata ait^ Invidtus es, fili. Id au-
diem Alexander, negavit fe alias fortes
qutzrere, fed jam habere quod petierat ab
ea oraculum.

O If

1 94 Remarks on Ecckfiajlical Hi/lory.

If the words of Caiaphas will admit two
fenfes, it follows not that they will admit
ten, or as many as the teeming imagina-
tion of a fanatic can fuggeft ; and pro-
phecies of double fenfes, if fuch prophe-
cies there be, may have meanings as de-
terminate and fixed, as if they had only
one fenfe. The fame is true of allegori-
cal writings. Horace Carm. I. xiv. fays,

O navis, referent in mare te novi, etc.

The Commentators on this poem are
divided ; one part contend for the literal
fenfe, and the other for the allegorical :
but the ode has a double fenfe. The Poet
addreffes himfelf to a real £hip, and yet
intended, under that image or emblem,
to diffuade the Romans from expofmg
themfelves again to a civil war. This
will remove fome difficulties raifed by
writers on both fides of the queftion.

Mr. Warburton made the fame remark,

and to him I refign it, as unto the firft

occupier, unlefs he will let me claim a

part of it upon the privilege of friendfhip,

4 and

Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hiflory. 19 £
and as ^W ra r <p/A&w. Indeed the inter-
pretation is fo unforced and obvious, that
I wonder it came not into the mind of
many perfons.

Mofes faid of the Pafchal lamb, Nei-
ther Jhall ye break a bone thereof. St. John
fays that this was fulfilled in Chrift $
whence it has been not unreafonably in-
ferred, that thofe words had, with the
moft obvious fenfe, a prophetical, that is,
a double fenfe.

David feems to fpeak concerning him-
felf when he fays, fboufialt not leave my
foul in hell, norfuffer thy holy one to fee cor-
ruption. He intended perhaps no moi'e
than this, Thou ihalt not fuffer me to
come to an untimely end, to be killed by
mine enemies and caft into the grave :
but then the divine impulfe which was
upon him, made him ufe words which
fliould fuit exactly to Chrift, and to him-
felfonlyina loofe and figurative fenfe.
Of this the prophet himfelf might be fen-
fible, and might know that his words had
another import, and that they fhould be ful-
O 2 filled

I §6 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical tUft
filled twice} both in the fenfe which he
intended, and in the fublimer fenfe of the
holy Spirit. By thefe means a fhade was
caft over the prophecy, and the fenfe of
the Spirit was concealed till the event
unfolded it and made it confpicuous ;
which obfcurity feems to have been
fometimes neceflary, that the i perfons
concerned in bringing about the accom-
plimment might not know what was pre-
dided concerning them and their adtions.

In Deuteronomy xviii. 18, 19. itisfaid;

7 will raife them up a Prophet from among

their brethren^ like unto tbee, and I 'will

put my words in bis mouth, and he flail

fpeak unto them all that 1 flail com-

1 It is proper that men fhould be treated as free
agents : and men are free ; at leaft, they think fo,
and few of them will give up this perfuafion, and fuf-
fcr themfelves to be quibbled out of their fenfes and
experience. Truth and general utility will be found
always to coincide ; and one would be glad to know
what ufeful purpofes can be ferved from the doctrine
of fatalifm. The fatalift will fay 5 It will make a
man humble. It is as likely to make him a mathe-
matician, or a poet.

mand

Remarks on Ecdefiajllcal Hi/lory. 1 97

mand him. And it flail come to pafs, tbat
forcer will not hearken unto my words
which be /ball /peak in my name^ I will re-
quire it of him. And #15. The Lord thy
God will raife up unto thee a Prophet in fix
widji of tbee, of thy brethren, like unto me ;
unto bim ye flail hearken.

1. The intention of Mofes feems to
have been to adminifter fome confolation
to the people who would foon be depriv-
ed of him, and in him, of die beft friend
and ruler, that any nation ever enjoyed.
Therefore he took occaiion to allure them
that they fhould not be deititute of a pro-
phet, and that God would, in companion
and kininefs to them, fupply the lofs
which they would iuftain by the death of
their deliverer and conductor.

2. When the Law was delivered with
dreadful pomp, and the voice of God was
heard, and his majeily appeared in for-
midable fplendor, the people were ex-
tremely terrified ; for it was an opinion
common both amongft Jews and Pagans
that no man could iafely approach the

O 3 Deity,

•198 Remarks on Ecdejiaflical Hi/lory.
Deity, and that death, or fome great evil,
was the confequence of beholding him*
See LeClerc on Gen. xvi. 13. Therefore
they befought Mofes to intreat for them
that they might no more be brought into
fuch danger. For this reafon, and to
calm their fears, Mofes affured them that
for the time to come God would fpeak to
them not in perfon, but by a Mediator,
by a prophet, by a man like themfelves.
*The Lord thy God, fays he, will raife up
unto thee a Prophet — according to all that
thou dejiredft of the Lord thy God in Horeb,
in the day of the ajfembly, faying, Let me
not hear again the 'voice of the Lord my God>
neither let me fee this great fre any more,
that I die not. And the Lord f aid unto me,
rfhey have well fpoken that which they ha<ve
fpoken : I will raife them up a prophet.

3. The Pagan nations had their Gods,
their Oracles, their foothfayers and magi-
cians, and there was great danger left the
people of Ifrael fhould go and confult
them, and fo fall into idolatry 5 and in
faft all thefe iniquities enfued in following

times.

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory, 199
times. That nothing might be wanting"
to guard againft this corruption, and that
the tranfgreffors might be inexcufable,
God pofitively forbad them to go after the
gods, the priefts, and the prophets of
other nations, and promifed them that
they fhould never want a prophet of their
own. Thus after the death of Mofes,
they had Jofhua, and Samuel, and Eli-
jah, andElifha, and other illuftrious men,
befides the high prieft by whom they ufed
•to confult God upon all important occa-
lions. This interpretation is favoured by
the context, ^fherejhall not be found among
you one that ufetb divination, or an obfer'ver
of 'times , or an enchanter, or a charmer, or
a confidter with familiar fpir its, or a 'wi-
zard, or a necromancer — For thefe nations
which thoufoalt poffefs, hearkened unto ob-
fervers of times, and unto diviners : but
as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not Buf-
fered thee to dofo. T'he Lord thy God will
raife up unto thee a prophet from the midft
of thee i of thy brethren, like unto me ; un-
to him yefiall hearken. — I will raife them
up a Prophet from among their brethren, like
O 4 unto

2oo Remarks on Ecclejiajlical Hi/lory.
unto tbee, and will put my words in his mouth,
and he Jhallfpeak unto them all that I Jhalt
command him. And it Jhall come to pafs
that whofoever will not hearken unto my
words which he Jhall fpeak in my name, f
will require it of him.

Some underftand this of a fucceffion of
prophets in general, and more particularly
of the Meffias, who of ajl the prophets
refembled Mofes the moft.

Others think that the Meffias alone is
here foretold, lince the words in a ftrift
and accurate fenfe reprefent him alone.

Each of thefe interpretations has had
learned defenders 5

magno fe judice qu^que tuetur.
But I obferve

I. Both thefe interpretations agree in
this, thatChrifl is here promiied and fore^
told, nor indeed is the firft very difcordant
from the fecond 5 for if Mofes meant in
general every prophet, and any prophet
who fhould fucceed him, the Meffias can-
not

Remarks on Ecclefajlical Hi ft or y. 201
not be excluded, and if the Meflias re-
femblesMofes in a particular manner, the
prophecy points him out above all the
reft.

2. St. Stephen and St. Peter fay that
Jefus Chrift is the prophet foretold by
Mofes, and Chrift himfelf had probably
this paffage in view, when he laid, If ye
bad believed Mofes , ye 'would have believed
me, for be wrote of me.

3 . Though Mofes might perhaps mean
a fucceffion of prophets, yet the Spirit of
God,who was then upon him, guided him
to ufe words which mould defcribe the
Meffias much better than any other pro-
phet. The other prophets were only fo
far like unto Mofes that they were pro-
phets, but in many refpefts they were not
like him. In the laft chapter of Deutero-
nomy, there is an addition which was
made to the Books of Mofes, long after
his death, by fome prophet probably, who
inferts the following remark ; And there
arofe not a prophet Jince in Ifrael like unto
Mofes : which has a manifeft reference to

the

202 Remarks on Ecclejlaftical Hi/lory.
the prophecy of which we are treating,
and may be thus underftood ; Although
Mofes faid that the Lord would raife up
one like unto him, yet this prophecy has
not yet been accomplished in a ftridl and
full fenfe : there has not yet arifen one like
unto him ; but this great prophet is ftill to
come.

This laft chapter of Deuteronomy feems
to have been compofed by two authors,
and at two different times ; the firft part
down to the ninth verfe foon after the
death of Mofes, the three laft verfes long
afterwards.

Add to this, that the refcmblance be-
tween Mofes and Chrift is fo very great
and ftriking, that it is impoffible tg con-
fider it fairly and carefully, without fee-
ing and acknowledging that he muft be
foretold where he is fo well defcribed.

Ammonius wrote a book commended
by Eufebitis and Jerom, nt& f Maw-wg
<c 'Jty<r* QjpQwiag, De confenfu Mqfis ac
Jefu, which is not extant. Eufeb. E. H.

vi.

Remarks on Ecclefiaftlcal Hiftory. 203
vi. 19. Whether this treatife was defign-
ed to fhew the refemblance and agreement
between the perfons, or between their
doctrines, we cannot fay : perhaps it was
the latter.

Eufebius has treated the fubje<£t, on
which I am entering, in his Demonjlratio
Evangelica, L. iii. p. 90, etc. Ed. Paris.
1628. but as he was haftening to other
points, he has not difcufied this fo fully
as to difcourage thofe who fhould be in-
clined to attempt the fame thing. I (hall
therefore endeavour to make feveral im-
provements upon his remarks, and addi-
tions to them.

I . Firft, and which is the principal of
all, Mofes was a lawgiver, and the me-
diator of a covenant between God and
man : fo was Chrift. Here the refem-
blance is the more confiderable, becaufe
no other prophet beiides them executed
this high office.

The other prophets were only inter-
preters and enforcers of the Law, and in

this

204 Remarks on TLccleJiajllcal Hiflory.
this were greatly inferior to Mofes. The
Meffias could not be like unto Mofes in a
ftrift fenfe, unlefs he were a legiflatork.
He mufl give a law to men, and confe-
quently a more excellent law, and a bet-
ter covenant than the firft ; for if the firft
had been perfeft, as the author of the
Epiftle to the Hebrews argues, there
could have been no room for a fecond.

2. Other prophets had revelations in
dreams and vitions, but Mofes talked with
God, with the Aiy©*, face to face: fo
Chrift fpake that which he had feen with
the Father.

If there be a prophet among you, fays
God to Aaron and Miriam, / the Lord
'will make myfelf known unto him in a <vi-
fion, and ivilL fpeak unto him in a dream.
My fervant Mofes is not fo, who is fait h-

k By this prediction Mofes guarded the people
againft the prejudice which his own authority was like
to create againil a new Lawgiver ; telling them be-
forehand, that, when the great Prophet came, their
obedience ought to be transferred to him. Bp. Sber-
lock* Difc. ii.

Remarks on Ecclefia/iical Hi/lory. 205

ful in all my houfe -, with him I fpeak
mouth to moutl^ even apparently \ and not
in dark fpeeches, and the fimilitude of the
Lordjhall he behold. Num. xii.

All the prophets of the Old Teftament
faw vifions and dreamed dreams, all the
prophets of the New 'were in the fame Jl ate.
St. Peter had a vifwn, St. John faw <ui-
fwns, St. Paul had infions and dreams.
But Chrift neither faw vifions, nor dreamed
a dream, but had an intimate and immedi-
ate communication with the Father, he was
in the Father s bofom, and he, and no man
elfe hadfecn the Father. — Mofes andChriJl
are the only two in all the facred hijlory,
who had this communication with God. Bp.
Sherlock Difc. vi.

3. Mofes in his infancy was wonder-
fully preferred from the cruelty of a ty-
rant, and from the deftruction of all the
male children : fo was Chrift.

4. Mofes fled from his country to ef-
cape the hands of the king : fo did Chrift,
when his parents carried him into ./Egypt.

5. Mofes

206 Remarks on JLeclcJiaJlical Wjlory.

5. Mofes refufed to be called the fon
of Pharaoh's daughter, chufing rather to
fuffer affliction : Chrift had the kingdoms
of the world offered him by Satan, and
rejeded them, and when the people would
have made him a king, he hid himfelf,
chufing rather to fuffer affliction.

6. Mofes, fays St. Stephen, was learn-
ed^ fettft^fiftft in all the wifdom of the
^Egyptians, and 'was mighty in 'words and in
deeds ; and Jofephus, Ant. Jud. ii. 9. fays
that he was a very forward and accom-
plifhed youth, and had wifdom and know-
ledge beyond his years, which is taken
from Jewifh tradition, and which of it~
felf is highly probable : St. Luke obferves
of Chrift, that be increased (betimes) in
wifdom and Jlature^ and in favour 'with
God and man, and his difcourfes in the
temple with the Doctors, when he was
twelve years old, were a proof of it. The
difference was that Mofes acquired his ear-
ly knowledge by human inftruction, and
Chrift by a divine afflatus. To both of
them might be applied what Callima-
chus elegantly feigns of Jupiter :

Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hiftory. 207

Swiff was thy growth > and early was thy

bloom^
But earlier wifdom crown d thy infant days.

7. Mofes delivered his people from
cruel oppreffion and a heavy bondage : fo
did Chrift from the worfe tyranny of fin
and Satan.

8. Mofes contended with the Magi-
cians, and had the advantage over them
fo manifeftly, that they could no longer
withftand him, but were forced to ac-
knowledge the divine power by which he
was aflifted : Chrift ejeded evil Spirits,
and received the fame acknowledgments
from them.

9. Mofes affured the people whom he
conducted, that if they would be obedi-
ent, they fhould enter into the happy
land of promife, which land was ufually
underftood by the wifer Jews to be an
emblem and a figure of that eternal and

celeftial

2o8 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory.

celeftial kingdom to which Chrifl opened
an entrance.

10. Mofes reformed the nation cor-
rupted with ./Egyptian fuperftition and
idolatry : Chrift reftored true religion.

1 1 . Mofes wrought a great variety of
miracles : fo did Chrift ; and in this the
parallel is remarkable, fince befides Chrift
there arofe not a prophet in Ifrael like un-
to Mofes > whom the Lord knew face to face V
in all the figns and the wonders which the
Lordfent him to do.

12. Mofes was not only a law-giver,
a prophet, and a worker of miracles, but
a king and a prieft. He is called a king,
Deut. xxxiii. 5. and he had indeed, tho'
not the pomp, and the crown and fceptre,
yet the authority of a king, and was the
fuprerne magiftrate; and the office of
prieft he often exercifed : in all thefe of-
fices the refemblance between Mofes and
Chrift was iingular. In the interpreta-
ti6n of Deut. xxxiii. 5. I prefer the fenfe
of Grotius and Selden to Le Gere's. The

parallel

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Biflory. 209
parallel between Mofes and Chrift requires
it, and no objection can be made to it.
The Apoftolical Confutations alfo, if their
judgment be of any weight, call Mofes
high prieft and king> ^ ^wsgia £ fianfaa*
vi. 3.

13. Mofes, fays Theodoret, married
an Ethiopian woman, at which his rela-
tions were much offended, and in this he
was a type of Chrift, who efpoufed the
Church of the Gentiles, whom the Jews
were very unwilling to admit to the fame
favours and privileges with themfelves*
But I fhould not chufe to lay a great ftrefs
upon this typical fimilitude, though it is
ingenious*

14. Mofes farted in the defert forty
days and nights before he gave the Law:
fo did Elias, the reftorer of the Law 5 and
fo did Chrift before he entered into his
miniftry.

15. Mofes fed the people miraculoufly
in the wildernefs : fo did Chrift, with
bread, and with dodrine ; and the manna
which defcended from heaven, - and the

P loaves

2 1 o Remarks on Ecclejiajlical Hiftory.
loaves which Chrift multiplied, were pro-
per images of the fpiritual food which the
Saviour of the world bellowed upon his
difciples.

Our fathers, faid the Jews, did eat
manna in the defert forty years, as it
is 'written, He gave them bread from hea-
ven to eat. Jefusfaid unto them, My Fa-
ther ( now ) giveth you the true bread
from heaven. For the bread of God is
he that cometh dowi2 from heaven, and
giveth life to the world. I am the bread
of life-, he that cometh to me Jhall never
hunger, and he that believeth in me Jhall
never tbirjl. John vi.

The metaphors of hungring and thirft-
ing after virtue and knowledge, and of
eating and drinking them, and the repre-
fentation of benefits of any kind under the
expreffions of food and drink, have been
common in all writers facred and pro-
fane.

St. Paul fays to the Corinthians — All
cur fathers were under the cloud, and all

pa/ed

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hijlory. 2 1 1

paffed through the fea, and did all eat the
fame fpiritnal meat, and did all drink the
fame fpiritual drink -yfor they drank of that
fpiritual rock that followed them> and that
rock was Chriji.

Whether the pafiage of the Ifraelites
through the fea, and under the cloud,
the water iffuing from the rock which
Mofes fmote, and the manna which de-
fcended from heaven, were types intend-
ed to be fulfilled in Chrift and in the be-
nefits and privileges of Chriftianity, or
whether the Apoftle referred to thefe
things by way of allufion, fimilitude, and
accommodation, I determine not.

1 6* Mofes led the people through the
fea : Chrift walked upon it, and enabled
Peter to do fo.

17. Mofes commanded the fea to retire
and give way : Chrift commanded the
winds and the waves to be ftill.

1 8. Mofes brought darknefs over the
land : the fun withdrew his light at Chrift's
crucifixion. And as the darknefs which

P 2 was

212 Remarks on TLcclefiaftical WJlorj*

was fpread over ^Egypt was followed by
the deftru&ion of J their firft born, and of
Pharaoh and his hoft^ fo the darknefs at
Chrift's death was the forerunner of the
deftru&ion of the Jews, when, in the
metaphorical and prophetic ftyle> and ac-
cording to Chrift's exprefs prediction,,

1 Mr. WafTe had a conjecture, that the untimely
death of Pharaoh's firft-born fon, who was, perhaps,
better beloved than his father, gave occafion to the
Song, which the Greeks called Linus^ and which they
had from the ./Egyptians : eyi 3 AiyvTrlts-l Q Aft©-
Mavgjwj- . ttycta-av ^ piv AiyviiliQi rccT

\}zsj Aiyvnlicov TipY^rivou. j^ dufiy'v Tg

> jtj pxvlw (^(p/<n foz££. Vccatur autem Li-
nus Mgyptlace Maneros : quern JEgyptii tradiderunt,
quum films unions extitijjet primi JEgypti regis, pr&-
Tnaturaque morte decejjiffet^ his lamentls ab JEgyptiis
finffe decoratum : et cantilenam bane primam eamque
folam ipfos habuijfe. Herodotus ii. yg.

It may be obferved, though it is a trifle, thatGro-
novius gives us A7v& circumflexed, but the firft fyl-
lable is fhort in the beft writers, and Mofchus fays
Epitaph. Bion*

AIA1NA po< foy^^TS va7r
Sophocles Ajas, 632. A'/A^ov,

the

Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hiflory. 2 1 3

the fun was darkened and the moon withdrew
her light, and the ftars fell from heaven,
the Ecclefiaftical and Civil State of the
Jews was overturned, and the rulers of
both were deftroyed.

1 9. The face of Mofes fhone, when he
.defcended from the mountain: the fame
happened unto Chrift at his transfiguration
on the mountain. Mofes and Elias appear*
aed then with him, to fhew that the Law
and the Prophets bare witnefs to him;
and the Divine Voice faid, This is my be-
loved Son, hear ye him, alluding moft evi-
dently to the prediction of Mofes, ---untQ
him Jh all ye hearken.

20. Mofes cleanfed one leper : Chrift
many.

2 1 . Mofes foretold the calamities which
would befall the nation for their difobe-
dience: fo did Chrift.

22. Mofes chofe and appointed feventy
ciders to be over the people : Chrift chofe
fuch a number of difciples.

? 3 23. The

2 14 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.

23. The Spirit which was in Mofes
was conferred in fome degree upon the fe-
venty elders, and they prophefied : Chrift
conferred miraculous powers upon his fe-
venty difciples.

24 Mofes fent twelve men to fpy out
the land which was to be conquered:
Chrift fent his Apoftles into the world to
fubdue it by a more glorious and mira-
culous conqueft.

25. Mofes was victorious over power-
ful kings, and great nations : fo was Chrift,
by the effects of his religion, and by the
fall of thofe who perfecuted his Church.

26. Mofes conquered Amalec by lifting
and holding up both his hands all the
day : Chrift overcame his and our ene-
mies when his hands were faftened to the
crofs. This refemblance has been obferv-
ed by fome of the ancient Chriftians, and
ridiculed by fome of the moderns, but
without fufficient reafon, I think.

27. Mofes interceded for tranfgreffors
and caufed an attonement to be made for

them,

Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hi/lory. 215
them, and flopped the wrath of God: fo
didChrift.

28. Mofes ratified a covenant between
God and the people, by fprinkling them
with blood: Chrift with his own blood.

29. Mofes defired to die for the people,
and prayed that God wrould forgive them,
or blot him out of his book : Chrift did
more, he died for finners.

30. Mofes inftituted the Paffover, when
a lamb was facrificed, none of whofe bones
were to be broken, and whofe blood m

m lyevit. xvii. ii. The life of the flefo is in the
blood, and I have given it to you upcn the altar ^ to
make an attonement for your fouls \ for it is the blood
that inafath an attonement for the fcul. Therefore
I fald unto the Children of Ifrael, No foul of you
Jhall eat blood, etc.

Here appears the reafon of this flri£l and often re-
peated prohibition : blood was appointed as the attone-
ment for fin, it was fct apart and fundified for that pur-
pofe ; and confequently, when the ufe of the altar, and
facrifices ceafed, at the death of Chrifr, the prohibition
of eating blood fhculd ceafe alfo, and the precept
concerning it in the Ads of the Apoftles feems to
have been prudential and temporary.

P 4

2 1 6 Remarks on Ecdefiajlical Hijiory.
protected the people from deftrudtion:
Chrift was that pafchal lamb.

31. Mofes lifted up the ferpent, that
they who looked upon him might be
healed of their mortal wounds: Chrift
was that ferpent. As Mofes lifted up
the ferpent in the wildernefs, even fo mujt
tie Son of man be lifted up ; that ivbofoever
believeth in himjhould not perifh, but have
eternal life.

The ferpent being an emblem of Satan,
may be thought an unfit image to repre-
fent Chrift : but the ferpents which bit the
people of Ifrael are called fery ferpents,
•Seraphim. Num.xxi. 6. Now, Sunt bo-
ni Angeli Seraphim, funt mali Angeli Se-
raphim, quos null a jigura melius quam pre-

Of clean animals, the blood was to be fhed and
thrown away : of unclean, no part was to be eaten :
of clean fifties, the blood feems to be no where ex-
prefly forbidden, perhaps 'becaufe their blood was ne-
ver offered up in facrifice.

The eating of a clean animal, that died of itfelf,
is not forbidden with the fame rigour ; perhaps be-
caufe the blood was coagulated, and not in a condi-
tion to be offered up to God, See Levit* xvii. 15,- and
xiv, 2 1 ,

Sere

Remarks on Eccleji a/lie al Hi ft or y. 2 1 j
ftere exprimas. Et tali ufumprimum ku-
mani generis feduStorem put at Bachai. Gro~
tius. Therefore Chrift, as he was the
great and good Angel, the Angel of God's
prefence, the Angel x*f *%&«*'• might be
reprefented as a kind Seraph, a benefi-
cent healing Serpent, who Should abolifh
the evil introduced by the feducing lying
Serpent, and who like the ferpent <pf Mo-
fes fliould deftroy the ferpents of the Ma-
gicians; as one of thofe gentle ferpents,
who are friends to mankind :

Nunc quoque nee fughtnt hominem, nee <vul-

nere Iczdunt,
Quidque prius fuerint, placidi meminere

dracones.

Ovid. Met am. iv. 60 1.

£/Vi 3

Herodotus ii. 74.

Poffemus bine, fays Le Clerc, incipere
ojlendere Jimilitudinem Serpentis cenei, et
Chrift i ipjius ; nam ut nemo credidijfet falu-
tiferum futurum ejje Ijraelitis ab cherjydrh
demorfis, cCnfpeffum tenei ferpentis : it a
' nee

24 8 Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hifiory.
nee quijqttam poterat, eo tempore quo res
contiglt^fperare homlnis crucifixi cognltlo-
nem unlearn fore viam, qua homines ad fi-
dem Deo babendam, parendumque Evange-
lioy ex omnibus gentlbus brevl adducendi
ejjent. Verum hoc aliaque id genus *fbeoKgh
latius dlducenda atque lllujiranda rellnqiil-
mus. Fide eos ad Joan. iii. 14.

In Ifaias vi. 2. etc. the Seraphim are
reprefented as praifing God. Origen had
a notion that thefe Seraphim were two,
and that they were the Son and the Spirit
of God, a paradox, which, though fcarce-
ly to be maintained, yet deferved not the
fevere cenfures which Jerom in his wrath
was pleafed to beftow upon it. See Vi-
tringa. Eufebius fays fomething very like
it, Prtzp. Evang. vii. 15. where the notes
of Vigerus may be confulted.

^Efculapius, the God of phylic, and
of all the Pagan Deities fuppoled to be the
moft beneficent, appeared, according to
Pagan Tradition, in the form of a ferpent,
and a ferpent was facred to him, and is
defcribed twifting round his rod.

3a

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi /lory. 219

32. All the affedtion which Mofes
(hewed towards the people, all the cares
and toils which he underwent on their ac-
count, were repaid by them with ingra-
titude, murmuring, and rebellion, and
fometimes they threatened to ftone him :
the fame returns the Jews made to Chrift
for all his benefits.

33. Mofes was ill ufed by his own fa-
mily 5 his brother and lifter rebelled againft
him : there was a time when Chrift's own
brethren believed not in him.

34. Mofes had a very wicked and per-
verfe generation committed to his care and
condudt, and to enable him to rule them,
miraculous powers were given to him,
and he ufed his utmoft endeavour to make
the people obedient to God, and to fave
them from ruin ; but in vain; in the fpace
of forty years they all fell in the wilder-
nefs, except two: Chrift alfo was given
to a generation not lefs wicked and per-
verfe, his inftruftions and his miracles
were loft upon them, and in about the

fame

Remark on Ecckjiaftical Hifory.
fame fpace of time, after they had reject-
ed him, they were deftroyed.

35. Mofes was very meek above all
the men that were on the face of the
earth : fo was Chrift.

36. The people could not enter into the
land of promife till Mofes was dead : by
the death of Chrift the kingdom of hea-
ven was open to believ

37. In the death of Mofes and Chrift
there is alfo a refemblance of fome cir-
cumftances. Mofes died, in one fenfe,
for the iniquities of the people ; it was
their rebellion which was the occafion
of it, which drew down the difpka-
fure of God upon them aod upon him.

Lord, iays Mofes to them, was angry
me for your fakes, faying, Thou Jhalt
not go in tbitber, but thou {halt die. Deut.
i. 37. Mofes therefore went up, in the
fight of the people, to the top of mount
bo, and there he died, when he was in
perfect vigour, when bis eye was not dim%
nor bis natural force abated. Chrift fuf-

fered

Remarks on Eccltfiaftical Hifhry. 221

ftred for the fins of men, and was led
up, in the prefence of the people, to
mount Calvary, where he died in the
flower of his age, and when he was in
his full natural ftrength. Neither Moles
nor Chrift, as far as we may colleft from
facred hiftory, were ever lick, or felt any
bodily decay or infirmity, which would
have rendered them unfit for the toils they
underwent: their iiiifcrings were of an-
otlur kind.

38. Mo/,- v -.is b'.v/'ed, and no man
knew where his body lay: nor could the
Jews find the body of Chrift.

.

39. Laftly, as Moles a little before his

death promifed the people that GoJweulJ
ralfc them up t> preset i:kc unto blm ; K>
Chrift, taking leave of his afflicted dif-
ciples, told them, / it'/// not \m

comfortlej}) I .

-cT.

Is this fimilitude and correfpondence
in fo many things between Moles and
Chrift the eftedt of mere chance ? Let

us

222 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.
us fearch all the records of univerfal hi-
ftory, and fee if we can find a man who
was fo like to Mofes as Chrift was, and
fo like to Chrift as Mofes was. If we
cannot find fuch an one, then have we
found him of whom Mofes in the law, and
the prophets did write, Jefus of Nazareth,
the Son of God.

But this is not all, for Mofes adds ;
And it jhall come to pafs that wbofoever
will not hearken unto my words which he
(hall fpeak in my name., I will require it
of him. The Jews rejected Chrift, and
God rejeded them, and gave them up to
deftrudlion ; and as their offence againft
the Meflias, and their behaviour after his
death, was wicked beyond meafure and
beyond example ; fo God fulfilled the
prophecies of Mofes concerning them,
that he would require it of them, and that
he would make their plagues wonderful,
would bring upon them calamities beyond
meafure and beyond example.

It may be obferved that a perfon can be
produced, who was very like to Mofes,

namely,

Remarks on EC clefiaftical Hiftory. 223
namely, Bacchus, who was an ^Egyptian
God. Huetius, in his n Demonftratio Evan-
gelica, has with much accuracy and learn-
ing drawn up the comparifon, and the re-
fembiance is fo great, in fo many parti-
culars, that it cannot be fuppofed acci-
dental : but then, firft, Bacchus is a poeti-
cal deity, and the accounts of him are
taken from fabulous hiftory ; fecondly,
many of the aftions of the Jewifli Legif-
lator were in all probability afcribed to
him, and he is ° Mofes in difguife : fo the
parallel ceafes.

n A book, which has its ufe and value, but is more
remarkable for erudition than for reafoning ; which
made a French writer fay of it, in the words of Te-
rence,

— ut te, cum tua
Monftratione, magnus ptrdat Jupiter !

0 The Egyptians, as Herodotus tells us ii. 42.
had a flory concerning their God Hercules*,

vroivlug /^o5j T A /as, ^ % C57t

TC* WoitStaU TS T

^ ctoiwra. TO vax©0, XTW o< iwuiiv
Quod Jupiter, quum ab Hercuk eum cerntre

The

± 24 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical tit/lory.

The Oeconomy of the Jewifh and of
the Chriftian Church is fimilar, in many
refpefe, and upon the whole, though in
fmaller occurrences the refemblance ought
not to be too much urged -, for fo any
thing may be made of any thing.

The parallel between Mofes and Chrift
has been examined, in which we are au-
thorifed to feek and to expedt a ftrong
refemblance, both from the Old Tefta-
ment, which declares that a prophet fliould
arife like unto Mofes, and from the New,
which declares that Chrift was that pro-
phet. It deferves confideration, whether
this confequence may be deduced, that,
if Mofes was a type of Chrift, the people
whom he delivered and conducted may
be a type of the people to whom Chrift

terni nollet^ tandem^ quia orando inftabat Hercules,
hoc commentus Jit, ut9 amputate arieth capite^ pdleque
villofa, quam ilii detr axerat i Induta fibi^ ita fefe Her-
culi oftenderit.

This Hemules feeras to have been Mofes, who
faid to God, / befeech thee. foew me thy glory. And
be fa'tily Thou canjl mi fa my face — etc. Exod.
xxxiii.

was

on Ecckfiaftical Hiftory. 225
was fent, and of the church which he
eftablifhed.

If this fhould be admitted as a proba-
bility (and it fliould not be offered as any
thing more than conjectural) we may fay
that the generation which fell in the wild-
ernefs reprefents the Jews who rejected
Chrift, and perifhed for their difobedience.

The land of promife and of reft was a
fymbol of the church of Chrift.

The idolatry and iniquities of thejewifh
nation are too exaftly paralleled by the cor-
ruption which overfpread the Chriftian
Church.

Many other refembhnces might be
pointed out which ihall be omitted, fince
we cannot make it fufficiently evident that
they were not accidental.

The definition of jerufalem, arid that
fecond coming of the Son of man to take
vengeance of his Toes, may perhaps pre-*-
figure the deftrudtion of Antichriitian ty-
ranny, .and the manifeftation of Chrift,
that is, of his power and fpirit; and then
may commence a better and happier /Era,
and fuch a renovation as may be called,

226 Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hiflory.
New heavens and a new earth wherein
dwelleth righteoufnefs.

The correfpondencies of types and anti-
types, though they are not themfelves proper
proofs of the truth of a dottrine^ yet they
may be 'very reasonable confirmations of the
foreknowledge of God , of the uniform 'view
of Providence under different difpenfations •>
of the analogy \ harmony, and agreement be-
tween the Old T^ejlament and the New. T^he
•words in the Law concerning one particular
kind of death ; He that is hanged, is ac-
curfed of God, can hardly be conceived to
have been put in upon any other account,
than with a view and forejight of the ap-
plication made of it by St. Paul. ?ke ana-
logies between the Pafchal lamb, and tb*
Lamb of God flain from the foundation
of the world; between the ^Egyptian bond-
age, and the tyranny of Sin j between the
'baptifm of the Israelites in the fea and in
the cloud, and the baptifm of Chriftians ;
between the paflage through the wildernefs,
and through the prefent world; between Je-
fus [Jofhua] bringing the people into the
promifed land, and Jefus Chrift being the

Captain

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hijlory. 227
Captain of -Salvation to believers; between
the Sabbath of reft promifed to the people
of God in the earthly Canaan, and the eter-
nal reft promifed in the heavenly Canaan $
between the liberty granted from the time
of the death of the High prieft, to him that
had fled into a city of refuge, and the re-
demption pur chafed by the death of Chrift ;
between the high prieft entering into the
holy place every year with the blood of
others, and ChriJFs once entering with his
bwn blood into heaven itfelf, to appear
in the prefence of God for us : thefe, 1
fay, and innumerable other analogies , be-
tween the fhadows of things to come, of
good things to come, the fhadows of hea~
Venly things, the figures for the time theri
prefentj patterns of things in the heavens,
and the heavenly things themfelves ; can-
not ^ without the force of Jlrong prejudice^
be co?weieved to have happened by mere
chance •, without any forejlght or defign.
There are no fuch analogies , much lefsfuck
feries of analogies found in the books of ?nere
enthujiaftic writers living in fuch remote
ages from each ether. It is much more

credible

228 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.

credible, and reasonable to fitppofe, what
St. Paul affirm^ that thefe things were
our ex'amples \ and that in the uniform
cwtrfe cf God's government of the world, all
th'efe things happened unto them of old
for examples, ahd they are written for
our admonition, upon whom the ends of
the world are come. And hence arifes
that 'aptnefs ofjimilitude, in the application
of fever al legal performances to the m'oralify
of the G of pel, that it can very hardly be
fuppofed not to have been originally intend-
ed. Clarke's Evid. of Nat. and Rev. Relig.
via.

. THE REMAINING part of this
book fhall contain remarks on the Apo-
liolical Conftitutions and Canons, the Si^
bylline Oracles, and fome paffages from
ancient poets cited by the Fathers, the
works of Barnabas, and of Hermas, the
Recognitions of Clemens, the Epiftle to
Diognetus, theEpiflles of .Ignatius, etc*
.

AMONGST the ancient Chriftiari
books which claim our attention are the

Apojlolical

Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hiftory. 229

'Apojlolical ConftitutionS) which, if they are
genuine, are a facred treatife, and of
equal authority with the New Teftament ;
and if they are not genuine, are an in-
famous impofture, for which the Forger
well deferved the punifhment inflicted by
the Roman Laws on the Falfarii. Digeft.
1. xlviii. T//. x. i.

The authors of them are, it is pretend-
ed, the twelve Apoftles and St, Paul ga-
thered together, with Clemens their ama~
men/is.

If their authority fhould appear only
ambiguous, it would be our duty to re-
j£ft them, left we fhould adopt as divine

dodrines the commandments of men : for
. «/

fmce each Gofpel contains the main
parts of Chriftianity, and might be fuffi-
cient to make men wife unto fafaation,
there is lefs danger in diminifiiing than in
enlarging the number of Canonical books,
and lefs evil would have enfued from the
lofs of one of the four Gofpel$, than from
-the addition of a fifth and fpurious one.

3 But

230 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory.

But the Conftitutions are a medley of
old treatifes jumbled together, enlarged,
and adulterated without much wit or
judgment by fome Compiler after the days
p.f Conftantine.

And yet they have their value, and
may be ufeful on many accounts, and
contain feveral things of antiquity relating
to the doctrine and difcipline of theChurch,
and extracts from old Liturgies, though
the whole be fo blended with infertions
of a later date, that it is now beyond hu-
man fkill to make the feparation with
any certainty.

I offered fome remarks upon them in
jDifc.vi.'on the thrift. RcL andlflifclj
here add a few more.

They have a Chapter rice/
in which they obferve that the word
X«e/^<* means either the gift of working
miracles, or the gift of fpiritual. and
Chriftian graces ; that the firft is con-
ferred on fome, the fecond on all true
Chjriftians ; and that miraculous powers
3 are

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. 23 1
are not fo much for the ufe of Chriftians,
as for the fake and for the corivic-
tion of unbelievers, viii. i. Baptifm al-
fo and the Lord's Supper are fometimes
called Xayrpctla. Ignatius faw Polycarp
at Smyrna — ^ zryd6f£«?ut&>y ftffJ KMtMrfarctg
%ctvLrp*Tw — et quum eitm jpiritualiuyt
chart fmatum participem Jeciffet — Martyr.
Ignat. § iii. flv^fid^M %#g/ff4*la videntur
hie fignificare jymbola eucharijlica. Certe
baptijma non raro afiud vetercs iwcatur
. Clericus.

In the form for the ordination of Prc-
fby ters, they pray that the Prefoyter may ,
have the gift of healing conferred upon
him — oirus <ZcrA^o&'«V cv^^f^ctruv ictfiKtev, j^
hoyx wwftiK'S) cv vrgaoTqlt <maM)djy Q& r Aaov.
— lit repleim opi ration! bus ^im fanandi
habentibm^ ac fcrmone ad docevdiim apto^
erudiat cum mavjiieiudine popvlum tuum>
viii. 1 6. Taken, I fuppole, from i Cor.
xii. 9. aAX&j jj %ayi(rpnla utf4»T&Vi

They introduce the Apoftles, one or
all, fometimes fpeaking and commanding
in their own names, and fometimes citing
"die New Tcftament as we now cite it.

This

232 Remarks w I'.cclcfxiflinil Ui/lory.
This finglc obfcrvation r, fulli< lent tonvcr-
k-i ilv Hook. Jdiis C 'lirill, (iiy they,
l>c;>;:m to Jo heforr lie hei-an to tcncb^
AxxW ' Llv y$wp o 'ly<rHs vroi-
t$ei<nt.t.tv. V/'/.c /.v mintin£ in MIC of

. i.'\'- i-r clric, aiH&frtms&Jtobe

k ait />y fine Critic, "^bo thwwht
if wrong to introduce lb< /7/v;///r.v i:iting tl>c
ti'lliwoHy of Luke. IIul it lirjiificil nothing
to llril.<- out our n:ill!i;.'.c, wliilll five luin-
dud ol'ilic (lime kiml were It it. iKlidcs,
it \v.i.;ill in vain, kcmfr ihoiij-Ji tin- ci-
t.ition line were tal.cn away, tlicalluiion
to it would ren\;iin, ii. 6.

Tliey repent it over and over, K il
Chrilli.nis ilioiild chance to lonn-t if, that
:» liiniop is a Ci'od, a ( iod upon earth, and ,
a Kin;.--, and infinitely funeiior to a I.'
and rulin!'; o\cr rulers and kin- They
conifiinnd ( 'lirill ians to jdve him Irilnitc

to a kin;;, and to reverence him a-;
ft (wod, and to p.iy him tithe:; and lirll-
linitr., jiu-(.nlin;s (ay tiKV, to Cod's
command; and tliey ilric'lly torlmU'hii-
^li,. ;Miike any em|ui;y, and to l.i! e

any

Rcniarh on I'.ccL'fnijlical Hi/lory. .- ^ <
any notice, whelhei he dilpo'e-, of their
revenue, \vrll or ill, ii. 11.26.35. rf
ffr//iw : whu :1» lean1, to have hren drawn
up at a time when thcie were ( 'In illian
Kmperop . I lere is fhan;'/- kftgUWgC in-
dr»-d! even far beyuiul all I'.ininau /M and
J Jo// //<•//<->.

] ,e C 'lerc had a fiifpit ion tha» Leontin-;f
an Aiian Hi/hop ol the loinlli century,
w;r> (lie iriventOf, Or tl polator of

the C'onllifnli'.ir,. Le ( HcfC fa\ "ivecl lli •
hint fi-oni 7//V/AV/, V.nni',, v. ho was a
learned and in^-nioir, man, and n Canon

of Windfor in me flayi ol ( l.aih-:, 11. 'i

learned Kaae Vollin:;, who allo wa:, Cinon
<y( Win(lior, Dedicated to him hi:, I><
fit' »V//»y/////n O/V//////L lirnno ( onjfVluml
lhal la onlnr, tnlgbl !>«• (he ( '',i!'V|f,r o|

KvUr pail of the j4/>f>/lotif.//l (
., and lay:, many thin;';, in lavour c^i"
I a-ontiir . Shaking f>i lh- K Ti.'ioii . ( on-
lr(jv( ill* •, in the time. of Conflant iij',,v/hii h
were not veiy ediiyin'/, he lay,-, /',/ i.crlf
]>?,<'! <T uhiini ////W///////7/// mtn or//jo</OXOS,
> tiu.n inter sltitinos, iw ulloi r</>< -.

234 Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hi/lory.
rias homines quadrates, dittisy fatfis, for-
mulis fats Fidel Jiantes -y fed potius verfi-
pelles^ chamakonteS) nunc in hanc, nunc
in illam partem paratos, prout ferebat ani-
mus r <z$£y,§wua$<&ov\uv apud Imperatorem;
qui *vel eunuchos Imperatorios opt bus
et nummiSy vel mulierculas en
fermonum lenociniis et blanditiis pelliciebant
in part e s fuas, omntaque pro libitufuo age-
bant y ferebant^ cateris major e ex partey
wore pecudum^ non qua eundum crat^ fed
qua ibatur^ profpicientibus, etc. Juctic. de
Canon, in the fccond Vol. of the Patres

It is certain that Leontifcs carried his
head high enough. He reprimanded the
Emperor Conftantius for meddling in Ec-
clefiaftical affairs, and fent word to the
Emprefs Eufebia, who is faid to have been
haughlv, that he would not comply with
her requeft, and pay her a viiit, unlefs
fhe would promife to bow down before
him and receive his blcffing, and then to
ftand up , whil-ft he fat, till he fliould
give her leave to fit down ; which put

the

Remarks on Ecclefiafticat Hifiory. 235-
the Lady into a violent rage. See Tille-
mont Hi/I, des Emp. iii. 3 8 1 . or Le Clerc
Di/ert. de Cwjlit. in the Pair. Apoft.

I know not whether Leontius learned
from the Jews to take this ftate upon him.
Their Rabbins fay that the High-prieft
never went to court, but when he had a
mind, and that then he fat before the
King, and the King flood up in his pre-r
fence. See Bafnage Hi/I, des Jttifs, i. 4.

It is, I believe, labour loft to en-
quire who the Compiler was : we can
only fay of this pretended Clemens, that
he was long-lived; and if any one fliould
ever compile a book de Macrobih^ or
de IncredibilibuS) like thofe of Phlegon
and PgfopbafuSj he ought to take notice
of our Author, for he flourished in
the firft, fecond, third, and fourth cen-
turies. It is no wonder therefore if
his memory failed him fometimes, and if
he fell into fome fmall miflakes. But there
have been two men, iince the Chriftian
/Era, who in length of days greatly fur-
paiTed him ; Jofefhus Ben Gorton, who,

according

236 Remarks on Ecclefajlical Hijlory.
according to his own chronology, lived
to be a thouiand years old, and the Wan-*
dcring jfa*;, who was ieen by an Arme-
nian Bifhop five hundred years ago, and
is fuppofed to be ftill alive, and purfuing
his travels.

The Confutations confirm many fri-
volous precepts by texts of Scripture which
in thefe critical days would be thought in-
conclufive. For example; A Vintner's
money muft not be accepted by the Bi-
fhop. Why? Becaufe Ifaias, i. 22. ac-
cording to the LXX, fays, Thy vintners
mix wine with water, iv. 6. But it would
be endlcfs to produce their miiinterpreted
and mifapplied citations of Scripture,
both Canonical, and Apocryphal.

The antiquity of Solomon 's Song is fuf-
ficiently eftabliihed by the Hebrew origi-
nal, and by the verfion of the LXX, and
it is mentioned in the Lxxvir:1 Apoftoli-
cal Canon. It has been obferved that it
is never cited in the New Teflament. It
is mentioned as a book of the old Tefla-
by Melito, in Eufebius E. H. iv.

26,

on Ecckfw/lirallltftofy. ,237

26. and Hippolytus and Origen wrote
commentaries upon it: whether anyChri-
ftian before them has cited it, I know not.
A Writer, whom I need not mention, is
for uncanonizing it, but there is nothing
new under the fun ; Theodorus Mopfue-
ftenus was of the fame mind, who lived
in the fourth and fifth centuries, and was
a learned Bilhop, a bold critic, and. an
enemy to allegorical interpretations. Le-
ontius of Jeruialem finds great fault with
him, and fays, — Imo et fantforum fane-
tifjitfium Canticum canticorum ab omnibus
droinarnm rerwn perith et ab omnibus Ec-
clefiis cunffii of bis notum^ el a Judcsis ini-
ffliris criicls Chrifti in admiratione haiitum,
Hbidinofe pro fuA et mente et lingua mere-
tricia interpretrans, fua fupra modiim in-
crcdibili audacia ex libris facris abfcidit.
It feems, Theodorus took the Spouje in that
book to be one of Solomon's queens. See

Fabricius BibL Gr. ix. 159.

•

This Theodorus, and Origen, are looked

upon as the fathers of ado.dtrine, which in

the fifth century was called Pelagianifm, or

4 Semi-

238 Remarks on Eccjefiaftical Hiftory.
Semi-Pelagianifm. Cardinal Noris charged
them with it in $\stfftft$riaPeIagiaxaj
and I verily believe that he does them no
great wrong, and that they had notions
entirely different from thofe of Auguflin,
and of Janfenius, about predeftination,
and that the arguments of the Bifhop of
Hippo, or of the Bifhop of Ypres, would
have converted neither the one nor the
other.

The Anti-Janfenifts of the Church of
Rome condemn the predeftinarian doc-
trines of Luther, and Calvin, and Janfe-
nius, but excufe Auguflin, and pretend to
agree with this Latin Father, whilft they
plainly rejeft his notions. They are not
fo ingenuous as the Monk, who being
prefied with an argument taken from St.
Paul, replied, that St. Paul might as well
have refrained from faying fome things
'which J melt of the fagot.

Chardin tells us that the fublimeft and
befl efteemed poetry among the Perfians
is that which lets out religious fubjefts in
the phrafe of libertines. Whether this be

applicable

Retnarks on Ecckjiafticat ttiftor) . 239
applicable to Solomon's Song, I will not
take upon me to determine. There are
alfo many paflfages in the Old, and fome
in the New Teftament, where things fpi-
ritual are couched under phrafes, which
the referved modefty of modern language
will hardly perrtiit us to illuftratt.

The Conftitutions however twice al-
lude to Solomon's Song, and they feeiti
to have borrowed the allufions from the
larger Epiftles of Ignatius.

Heretics, fay they, are

vulpium partcsy et vinearum humiliorum
<v aft at ores, vi. 13.

And again ; r &%x}tfcrlav ©sccf S^&tyQdgQv-

clejiam Del devaftant^ jicut parvce snipes
*uinearn. vi. 18.

Ignatius, Epift. Inter poL ad Phi lad. iii.
eft' snipes corruptrix vinea Cbrijli.

Gantic.

240 Remark* on Eulefiaftical Hi/tory.

Cantic. ii. 15. nittrd]e rjpw dhartucotf ^i*

. Take us the

little Joxes that f foil the vines.

So, according to the Conftitutions, and
the interpolated Ignatius, - the Heretics arc
the little foxes who fpoil the vineyards.
I blame not the allufion; it is pretty
enough, and better than the remark of a
Commentator, whom I will not name,
who explaining i Kings x. 22. Once in
three years came the navy of ^harftnjh^
bringing gold andfilver, ivory, apesy and
peacocks > fays that by the Apes we are to
underftand P Heretics. He bears fome-
\vhat hard upon the poor ape, who is an
occafional conformiit, and an imitator of
his betters. What will they fay to this
allufion, who rejedt Solomon's Song, and
yet receive the Constitutions, and the larger
Epiftles of Ignatius ?

p Ke might as well have laid, fmce he would alle-
gorize, that the dpes are Informers, and Back-biters;
for the bite of an Ape is reckoned dangerous, an.i fo
is the bite of a Sycophant. APfujfr Qti/tfytLil* is men-
tioned as incurable by AriftophaneSj Plut. 886.

But

Remarks on Ecclefiaftkal Hiflory. 2,4.1
j But it would not be fair to conceal a
paflage in Theocritus, i. 48.

— dii Si jiiv Sv aXto

— - quern circum diuz wipes : alt era

ordines vitium
Incedity ladens maturas uvas*

And v. 112.

Mtria rocg Sct(rv}t,i@-> dhuTrBKag, cu rd M/«

Odi denficaudes <viilpes, qua wites Miconis
Semper frequentantes, vefperi ex illis uvas

comedunti,

for here alfo are foxes [polling the vine-*
yards; and who knows but fomebody may
take it into his head to fay that the Gonfti-
tutionS and Ignatius borrowed the hint
from the Poet ?

This interpolated Ignatius cites the Can-
tides as a facred book, Ad Ephef. xvii*

a* Ungueritum enim,
R inquk,

240 Remark* on Ezdefiaftical Hi/lory.

Cantic. ii. 15. TIiot<rct]e Y\^UV dhtoTTtxas pi~
K(>vg £$>&{£<$&$ d[jL7r&ct)vcig. Take US the
little foxes thatfpoil the vines.

So, according to the Conftitutions, and
the interpolated Ignatius, - the Heretics arc
the little foxes 'who fpoil the vineyards.
I blame not the allufion; it is pretty
enough, and better than the remark of a
Commentator, whom I will not name,
who explaining i Kings x. 22. Once in
three years came the navy of ^harfbijh^
bringing gold andfJver, ivory, apesy and
peacocks, fays that by the Apes we are to
underftand P Heretics. He bears fome-
what hard upon the poor ape, who is an
occafional conformiit, and an imitator of
his betters. What will they fay to this
allufion, who rcjedt Solomon's Song, and
yet receive the Conftitutions, and the larger
Epiftles of Ignatius ?

p Ke might as well have find, fmce he would alle-
gorize, that the dpes are Informers^ and Back-biters;
for the bite of an Ape is reckoned dangerous, ard fo
is the bite of a Sycophant. A? fa* QntytLil* is men-
tioned as incurable by Ariftophanes, Plut. 886.

But

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftoryt 241
But it would not be fair to conceal a
paflage in Theocritus, i. 48.

v ^ * '** i •

6t ttv dv aXtoirsKS' ex,

— - quern cifcum duce wipes : altera per

or dines vitium
incedit, Icedens maturas uvas.

And v. ii2.

Muria rug $curvx,t(>K@* dhtaTrtKug, cu rd M<*

Odi denficaudes wipes, quce vites Miconh
Semper frequentantes, vefperi ex illis uvas

comedunt.

for here alfo are foxes fpoiting the vine-
yards •> and who knows but fomebody may
take it into his head to fay that the Gonfti-
tutionS and Ignatius borrowed the hint
from the Poet ?

This Interpolated ^ Ignatius cites the Can-
ticles as a facred book, Ad Ephef. xviL

Qn SgytfAXfAtyct* Unguentuni enimy
R inquk,

242 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory.
inquit, effufum eft nomen tuum : propterea
adolefcentultz dilexerunt tey traxerunt te,
poft te in odorem ungucntorum tuorum cur-
remus. From Cant. i. 3,4.

It feems to appear from the Conftitu-
tions, that the curing of Demoniacs was
a work of time, and that the attempt did
not always fucceed : for the Congregation
is made to conlift of the Clergy, the Ca-
techumens, the Energumens or Demo-
niacs, the ®u)t£o(j8poi or thofe who were
preparing to receive baptifm, the Peni-
tents, and the Faithful ; there is a form of
prayer for the Energumens, that God
would deliver them, viii. .7, anditisfaid
that a Demoniac may be inftrudled in the
faith, but fhall not be received to Chri-
fiian communion before he be cleanfed,
unlefs he be in danger of dying, viii. 32.
In a prayer for all mankind, there is a pe-
tition for the Daemoniacs — Oare^ r

ox. £ cvtfoiut; rS vsrovygx — pro ih qui ab Ad-
verfario jattantur — ut eos mundes a vex-
atione Mali, viii, 12. 'EaV ng

Remarks on Rcdejiaftical Hijtory. 243

idv $ &%i©** ywecS'&Ji Si quis Dtemonem
babeat, nejiat Clericus, fed nee una cum fa
delibus oret: cumautempurgatusfuerit>re~
cipiatur, efy fi dignus extiterit> Clericus
jfiaf. Canon LXX.

Is it not probable that the ancient Chri-
ftians accounted mad, and melancholy,
and epileptic people to be poifefled, at
leaft, for the moft part? which would
greatly increaie the number of Demo-
niacs. The Jews feem to have received
fome additional notions concerning evil
Spirits and their operations, from the
Chaldaeans, and, after their return from
the captivity, to have afcribed many dif-*
eafes and diforders to thefeinvifible agents,
befides thofe which were not to be ac-
counted for by natural caufes; and in this
the ancient Chriftians followed them.

Lightfoot fays, Judais ujltatijfimum erat

morbos quofdam graviores, eos prezfertim>

quibus dijiortum erat corpus^ <uel mem tur~

bata et agitata phreneji, malis fpiritibus

R 2 attri-

244 Rtttwrfo cn EccJefiaJKcal Hijlorf.
attribuere. Hor. Hebr. Henee thofe-
fwarms of Energumens and Exoreifts
mentioned in Eccleliaftical Hiftory.

The Constitutions perhaps command,
but moft certainly permit infant-baptifm.
3 vp&v € rci vyTrta, qgj c^e^g
c9 Ttratfiaa KJ vxQstria ®t$. but baptize
even (or alfo) your infants,, and bring
them up in the nurture and admonition of
God-y which fhews that infant-baptifm
was pfaftifed when this book was written.
There is no eluding this teftimonyj it
fignifies nothing to fay that VWMV is a word
which may be extended beyond infancy,
to thirteen or fifteen years 5 for firft, Chri-
ftian education and inftrudtion is men-
tioned asfubfequenttobaptifm ; fecondly,
in general precepts the obvious and ufual
fignification of the words is to be fuppofed
the intention of the lawgiver; thirdly, it
is plain to the laft degree that the word
w}ar<©", or vfanw) will not exclude infants
of a day old,

Ut contra ji quisfentiat, nihil fentiat \
fourthly, the fentence is partly borrowed

from

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. 245
from Epbef. vi. 4. — ^ w^ooyi^ls rd

v&deria, Ki/£/#, but inflead of T\
is ufed, as denoting a more tender age. In the
Prayer for the Faithful, a petition is offer^
ed up for Chriftian Infants — 5

cwTci cv r® <po£& cun£ tif pitgov q*

dydfy. Infantium Ecclefitf recorde-
mury uti Dominus eos in timore fui red-
dat perfeffios, et ad menfuram at at is per-
ducat, viii. 10. T# vwict aS'^wov. infantes
ad maturam cet'atemperduc. viii. 15. Will
any man be fo unreafonable as to contend
that vyiriot here does not include babes, and
that infants before they could walk and
fpeak, were excluded from the benefit

and intention of thefe prayers ?

f J
Thus infant-baptifm may be proved by

the Constitutions ; but at the fame time
the filence of the Scriptures upon this fub-
jeft, compared with the clear declarations
of the Conftitutions, (hews that thefe were
drawn up after the Appftolical age.vi. 15,

It is obfervable, however, that viii. 32.

where diredlions are given who fhall be

R 3 admitted

246 Remarks on ILcdejiaflkal Hi/lory.
admitted to baptifm, no mention is mada
of infants.

The Confutations make the validity of
baptifm to depend upon a certain form of
invocation, and they feem to make it de^-
pend alfo upon the piety of the prieft,
which is a hard cafe.

In the ceremonial of baptifm, when
the perfon is anointed, there i^ a form of
prayer to be ufed ; for, fay they, w py &<•

?ig> us iJ&yg povov

fVTTOV TX tofAct"y T fVTTOV < Vq. Nt-

Ji in unumquodque eorum tails quapiam in-
vocatio a piofacerdote adhibeatur^ qul ba-
ptizatur in aquam tantum defcendit^ ut Ju-
d&i, et cor ports tantum for des^ non autem
anima deponit. Where Cotelerius fays ;
Loquiturde b apt if mate or dinar io adult or urn ^
quod nijifedulo ac ritejuxta tot am ccerimo-
niam tradatur a pio facer dote ^ et fufcipia*
tur a pio catechumeno, animce fordes non
depellity nee fuum obtinet effeftum.

lo

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. 247

In the middle of the third century,
great difputes arofe concerning rebaptizing
thofe, who had been baptized by Here-
tics. The Conftitutions and Canons de-
termine that the baptifm adminiftered by
Heretics is invalid and null, vi. 15. which
was the dodtrine of Cyprian. In this
controverfy, no appeal was made to the
Conftitutions. vii. 44.

The Conftitutions reprefent adultery as
a crime which was puniftied with death,

icwjov

eag (<t>oi%c$,

an air&? '« — Si quis fe fratrem effe
Diaboli fraude maleficium commi*
conviffiufque dd mortem damnatus
it^ tanquam adulter^ aut homicida> di~
gredimini ab illo. v. 2.

Conftantine made a law to punifh adul-
tery with death ; and before his time it
had not been a capital crime, in that
fenfe, in the Roman Empire. The LCK
Julia de Adulterih coercendis is difcufled

R 4 in

248 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory.
in Digejt. L. xlviii. 7/V. 5. but we are
not clearly informed there what was the
punifhment. It feems to have been rele-
gatioy a kind of banifhment. See Tacir
tus Ann. ii. 50, and the Notes viVertra-
nius, and Lipfius ; Ann. iv. 42, and the
Excurfus of Lipfrasy and Novell, cxxxiv,
jo, and a Treatife of Gerard Noodt,
called, Dwcletlanm et Maximianus, /we
de tranfattiom et pattione criminum.

In fome cafes however, the father and
the hufband had a right to kill the guilty
perfon, furprifed in the crime.

I mention not this as an unanfwerable
pbjeftion to the Constitutions, fince death
might have been the punifhment of adul-
tery in fome places long before the law of
Conftantine, and fince the adulterous Chri-
flian might be no Roman citizen.

The beft parts of the Conftitutions are
fome of the prayers, taken probably from
old Liturgies.

The Helleniftic language, as it is cal-
led, has been mentioned as a confirmation

of

Remarks on Ecclefiafiical Hi/lory. 249
of the Conftitutions. Now this Hellen-
iftic ftyle is nothing more than the ftyle
of one who tranflates a Hebrew book ver-
bally into Greek, or who thinks in He-
brew and writes in Greek. Suppofe any
perfon at any time, whofe native language
is Greek, who is a Chriftian, who reads
few or no profane authors, who never
ftudied his own tongue, who has fre-
quently perufed the Septuagint aqd the
New Teftament, and has them almoft by
heart, who writes upon a religious fub-
jedt, who is perpetually citing the Scri-
ptures; this perfon will write in the HeJ-
leniftic manner, more or lefs, and will
have Hebrew idioms, even though he
fhould not underftand one word of the
language, efpecially if he has a mind to
affed: that ftyle, which is very eafily imi-
tated.

My friend Mr. Waile, if I remember
right, ufed to fay that the ftyle of the
Conftitutions was Helleniftic. Be this as
it will, there are in them abundance of
words and phrafes never ufed by the

writers

250 Remarks on EcclefafticalHifory.
' writers of the New Teftament, though,
they afterwards appear in Ecclefiaftical
authors, and fome which are not at all in
the old Chriftian ftyle, as for example,
c .&«©- Mao-fc which feems polite and
Pagan, rather than Apoftolical. vi. 25.
The Scribler who is called Dionyjius
the Areopagite, has the fame expreffion,
J?a'^ $ % ° •&«©* ^IyvcLri@^. De DtVi
Nomin. And fo the Clementina Epitome,

fays Clemens Alex, fpeaking of St. Paul,
I. p. 287, 602. but he is a learned writer,
and borrows a thoufand phrafes from Pa-
gans.

The Conftitutions fay that the Jews
crucified malefactors, ii. 48. which is
not true. See Le Clerc's Hammond on
John xviii. 31. and Grotius on Galat. iii.

They fay that Herod ordered Chrift
to be crucified, which is a miftake. v.

19-

They

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. 251

They fay that Mofes forbad the Jews
to read the Law out of the borders of
their own country, which prohibition is
not to be found, vi. 25.

They order widows to ftay at home, to
be grave, etc. and then they cenfure thofe
who ramble about, and are bufy bodies,
and idle talkers, and call them pj%»f^
dfaa •ary&s, not widows, but beggars wal-
lets, tTai[Ax$ i\$ TO AajwCavfli/, ever ready t$
receive. But the beauty of the original
is loft in the tranflation, becaufe the words
are nearly alike in found, and different in
fenfe : fo that the jingle cannot be pre-
ferved. It is as if we fhould fay in Eng-
lifh ; fuch Svidows behave themfelves not

godly but odly. iii. 6.

'

They fay that a rich covetous man is
like a dragon guarding a treafure, which
emblem is borrowed from thofe profane
authors whom they forbid Chriftians ' to
read. iv. 4.

Vulpis cubile fodiens^ dum terram emit, — ?
fervent? ad draconis fpeluncam ultimata,

Cujlodlcbat

252 Remarks en Ecclefiaftical Hijlory.
Cujiodiebat qul thefauros abditos.

Phaedrus iv. 19.

Laf gifts nihil, incubafque gazcz,
Ut magnus draco^ quern canunt poetce
Cujlodem Sythici fuijje luci.

Martial, xii. 53,

They teach the refurredlion of the fame
numerical body, a dodtrine concerning
which the Scriptures are certainly filent,
V. 7.

They are Heretics, fay they, who make
the Father, Son, and holy Spirit to be
one and the fame perfon, and Jefus to be
r \TT\ vrdvjuv &IQV. This is fuppofed to be
levelled againft Simon Magus, but it is
much more probable that it is againft the
Sabellians. vi. 26.

Having ordered Chriftians to honour the
martyrs, they caution them not to honour
falfe martyrs. If by ty&dopdQvpg they
only meant perfons who perjured them-
felves and bare falfe witnefs, as their cita-
tions may feem to imply, the caution was
extremely ridiculous: but it is more pro-
i bable

Remarks m Ecclefiaftical Hi/tory. 253

bable that they meant either fchifmatics,
or unfortunate men, miftaken in fome
points of faith, whom they would not
allow to be martyrs, though they died for
the name of Chrift:, and though they
might have lived, if they would have re-
nounced him ; fuch, for example, as the
Novatians. v, 9.

They make St. John fay, / got up,
cimsoiq \yuy and leaning upon Chrijl's breajl
I afked him, etc. As they reclined on
couches before the table, St. John was
feated the next below his Matter, fo that
the back of his head was againft the breaft
of Chrifti He had therefore no occafion
to get up, but only to raife himfelf and
turn his head a little when he fpake to
Chrift. v. 14.

They make St. John affirm that $ sl-
7r&$> tbou haftfaid, is not the fame as yes.
v. 14.

They take much from the Epi/tle of
Barnabas, for it is improbable that Bar-
nabas fhould plunder them, and never

own

254 RsmarhonEcclefiaJlicaHJiJIory.
own or hint the obligation. Now Barna*
bas wrote after the deftrudtion of Jeru*
falem.

They fay at the end of a prayer—*
Gather m Into thy Kingdom. AVTIJ paytvM.
i. e. Hac venit Dominus, which is little
to the purpofe : confult the Notes there.
In the fame prayer they fay, o

which looks as if it were taken from
Polycarp's prayer — o *$><&$$ £ aXi^ou?
Gfi0;. p. 201, Ed. Cler. vii. 26.

The Invocation after the Communion
begins thus, Afozro^t o ©eoV — o w r Qa-
7Ttav]av S7n<?ci$jJ©* rag &]<&%&$ — Dormne
Deus — cognitor precum etiam eorum qui
tacent. The expreflion is elegant and
noble, but it feems to be taken from an
old Delphic Oracle, in Herodotus, i. 47*

Kcu KutyS Qiwinpi* Xj i <puvsvfl@* dnxu.
Mutum percipio,fanth nihil audio vocein,

viii. 15.

They

Remarks on Ecclefiafllcal Hiftory. 255

They infert in a prayer, fhe holy Angels

fay to thee, &$ ayi©» 7<? 4>eA^oi/g/. It is

taken from Daniel viii. 13. K

TV 'hccteflf 'iw vrors, etc.

As it is introduced in the Conftitutions,
it is neither better nor worfe than gibber i(h,
and he who put it in did not undcriland it,
vii. 35.

They fay that the Golden Calf was the
Egyptian Apis% and fo fays the Author
of the Recognitions , i. 35. which, if true,
was yet more than they could certainly
know, unlefs we fhould grant them to
have had it by infpiration. i. 6. vi. 20.

They relate Peter's combat with Simon,
in which he {hot the Magician flying, and
brought him down to the ground. The
falfe Hegejippus, and one Abdias, in his
Hiftoria Apojiolica, confirm it likewife.
So we have no leis than three witnelTes
for it ; but they are,

Sardi vcnales, aLus alio nequlcr.

The

256 Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hiftorf.

The firft author, fit to be named, who
fpeaks of it, is Arnobius, and he comes
too late. Gotelerius in his notes on the
Conftitutions, very honeftly declares him-^
felf to be a doubter, and gives the reader
leave to rejed: the ftory : but Tillemont
Is not fo indulgent, and comes upon us
with a formidable lift of vouchers : <%uand
II feroit *uray que cette hifloire feroit une
Jiffiony nous aimeriom mieux, tant quon
n aura point depreme claire et comaincante
defafaujjett) nous tromper en ce point avec
Arnobe^ S. Cyrilk de Jerufalem, les legate
du Pape Liber -e, S. Ambroife, S. Auguftin^
S. Iftdore de Pelufe, S. Theodoret, et flu-
Jieurs autres, que d'eftre oblige* daccufer
dune credulite indifcrete un grand nombre
des plus illuftres maitres de tEglife Latine
et Greque. Hift. Eccl. i. p. 178.

He who will believe all that he finds
related by the writers of the fourth and
fifth centuries, fhould be provided with
a double portion of credulity, and have
the ftomach of an oftrich to digeft
fables. But, the Fathers here mentioned

wer©

Remarks on Ecclefiaftlcal Hi/lory. 257
xvere not the inventors of this combat :, they
ftand clear of fuch a charge, and are only
to be blamed for paying too much regard
to traditionary reports, or to fome fabulous
author. One would think that the filence
of the Fathers before Arnobius were alone
a fufficient reafon to rejeft this ftory, and
particularly the filence of Eufebius, who
wrote after Arnobius; and their filence
fhews at the fame time that they knew no-
thing, or believed nothing of the Conftitu-
tions.

Let it be obferved, to the honour of Eu-
febius, that of all the ancient Ecclefiaftical
Hiftorians, he has obtruded the leaft trafh
upon his readers, and that he has alfo
(hut out from the Scriptures of the New
Teftament all fpurious, dubious, and
Apocryphal authors, all Apoftles faliely
fo called, whom he ferved as Jupiter did
Vulcan,

ii. 14. v. 9.

4 Hurl'd headlong tumbling from ifrcihsrial fky*

S The

258 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory.

The Conftitutions call the name of
Chrift, TV 'ivopos, 73 xcuvov— from Ifaiah Ixii.
2. which yet looks alfo like an allufion to
Revel, ii. 17. ovopu KVUVOV. iii. 12. — TO ovb-
fjici px TV KCUVCV. and they fay that the Church
of Chrift is vvptpy Ktx.ahXcoTno'fyuy Ku£/'# T&>
0^, perhaps from Revel, xxi. 2.
l%qv cag vvptpqv xtwtrfAyfyuyv rS dv
And yet the fev7enty-fixth Apofiolical Ca-
non mentions not the Revelation amongft
the books of the New Teftament. ii. 15.
25. The fame Canon afcribes to St.

Paul the Epiftle to the Hebrews.

.

They fay that titles are due to the
Clergy, becaufe '!&&, which ftands for
ten, is the firft letter of the name of Jefus,
Many of the Clergy would be in a poor
condition, if they had no better claim to
to them. ii. 25.

They give an interpretation of the pro-
per name Ifrael, concerning which fee the
notes, vii. 36.

They abound with citations of the Scri-
ptures, and are remarkable for an ex-
uberant

Remarks on Eccleflafllcal Hi/lory. 259
uberant profufion of words, and a moft
tirefome repetition of the fame things,
which ihews that in all probability they
are not one man's invention, but a medley.

They not only heap paffages of Scripture

one upon another, but where the thing

might have been alluded to in three words,

they tranfcribe whole pages : — aliter non

Jit liber.

After having cenfured all the other
Jewifh fedts, they give the EfTenes a good
character, ol rxruv ttdv^&v tcw]xg

Qui <vero ab Us cmnibus fepararunt fe, ac
patrios ritusfertva?2t, Efftfi flint, vi. 6.

When the Jews were returned from
Babylon, and before the coming of Chrift,
three feds arofe amongft them, the Sad-
ducees, the Pharifees, and the EfTenes,
of which, though none were good, the
Sadducees were the worft, the Pharifees the
belt, and the ElTenes fuperftitious fanatics.

The Sadducees were of opinion that
they neither wanted nor received any di-

S 2 vine

a 66 Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hiftor).

vine affiftancefor the performance of their
duty, that the rewards and the punifh-
ments which God had denounced, were
only temporal; that there were neither
Angels, nor fpirits, nor refurredtion, nor
future ftate, but that the whole man pe-
rifhed at death. It has been fuppofed,
but not fufficiently proved, that they re-
jeded not only the traditions of the Elders,
but the writings of the r Prophets, and all
the facred Books, except the Law : fo
thought Jerom, and many of the Fathers.

Our Saviour proved a future ilate to
the Sadducees from a Text in the books
of Mofes, where God is called the God
of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, after they
were dead. Hence it has been inferred,
that the Sadducees rejected the Prophets ;
elfe, fay they, Chrift would have appeal-
ed to the prophets, who teach this do-

* When Jofephus fays that the Sadducees observed
nothing befides the laws, he feems to oppofe the
written laws to the traditions only, not to the pro-
phets. See Antiq. xui. x. 6. xvm. i, 4. Edit. Ha*

dtrine

Remarks on Ecclejiajlical Hiftory. 261

<5trine more fully. But why fo ? From
the words of Mofes cited by our Saviour
the doctrine of a future ilate may as clear,*
ly be deduced, as from any one fingle
text which can be produced out of any
one of the Prophets. The Sadducees might
pay a greater regard to Mofes than to the
other Prophets, and yet not reject them
neither. Befides, as the Sadducees, in
their difcourfe with Chrift, raifed an ob-
jection to another ftate from a paflage in
Mofes/ Chrift chofe to anfwer them from
the fame author. Hoc fundament o nji
funt Sadduccei, Nidlum articulum fidei ad-
mittendum ejfc, qui non ext libris Mofaicis
probari pojfct. Reliquos autem Scripturce
libros ipfi legebant, et it a interpret abantury
ut fundamento fuo contradicere non videren-
tur. Pearfon Vindic. Ignat. c, vii. Baf-
Eage is of the fame opinion, Hi ft. desjuifs,
ii. 6. *fota religio conjiftit in libris Mo/is :
in ctzteris nullum fidei feu Legis dogma Jla-
tuitury fays Orobius, who yet was no
Sadducee, but rather, like moft of his
brethren, a follower of the Pharifees.

S 3 The

262 Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hijlory.

The greateft Seft of the Jews was that
of the Pharifees, and in many refpedls it
feems to have been the beft alfo. The
Conftitutions charge them with Fatalifm,
and fo doth Epiphanius, and fome other An-
cients, a charge which perhaps they could
not have made good. They ought rather to
have afcribed this notion to the Eflenes ;
for the Effenes were ftridl Predeftinarians,
but the Pharifees, like the Semi-Pelagians,
thought that divine affiftance and human
liberty cooperated and were reconcileable.
So fays s Jofephus, who was better acquaint-
ed with them than the obfcure Author of
the Conjlitutiom* The principal fault,
in point of doctrine, belonging to the
Pharifees was a zeal for the traditions of
theElders \ and though this unwritten Law
was, as we may well fuppofe, a heap of
lies, nonfenfe, and fuperftition, they paid
more regard to it, than to the word of God.

But if we confider the ignorance and
corruption which then prevailed amongft

8 B, J. II. viii. 14. Antlq. xiii. v. 9. xviii.i. 3.

The Phatifees, fays Prideaux, held a free-will in con-
junction with predeflination,

the

Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hiftory. 263
the Jews, we muft acknowledge that the
Pharifees and their difciples were by no
means the worft part of the nation.

St. Paul bears them this teftimony :
According to the ftr ait eft (the exatteft) feft
of our religion^ fays he. Hived aPharifee.

Our Saviour declares concerning them :

1 f/je Scribes and Pharifees Jit in Mofes*

feat : all therefore whatfoever they bid you ob-

ferve and do, that obferve and do •, but do not

ye after their works , for they fay and do not.

In many places of Scripture, where it
is faid, Do this, but do not that, or, This
{hall be, but that fhall not be, the words
are to be underftood, not abfolutely, but
comparatively : fo that the meaning
here may be ; Of the two, it is better
and fafer to do what the u Scribes and Pha-
rifees teach, than what they do j for their

* Matt, xxiii. 2.

v The Scribes and Pharifees: that is, fays a learned
Friend of mine, the Scribes, who were fo by their
profeffion, and were Pbarifees by their feel:. The
PharifeeS) as Pharifces, did not fit in the feat of
Moles : the Scribes did, whether Pharifees or not.

dodlrine

266 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiflory.

butthewSadducees were a feet which de-
clined and came to nothing, or to very
little, after the deftruction of Jerufalem.
Moft of the Sadducees who efcaped that
calamity, probably became apoftates and
Pagans, a change for which they were too
well prepared j and moft of the Jews at
this time are of the feel: of the Pharifees.

The bad character, which is given in
the Scriptures of the Pharifees, ought not
to be extended to all who were of that
party. It is enough if the majority of
them, if the moft eminent in authority
were very wicked. There were without
queftion feveral among them, miftaken
in many things, and carried into faults by
the prevailing notions of the feel:, yet men
of fincerity, and of virtuous difpofitions.

Notre Seigneur a temoigne plus de me'pris
contre les Pharijiens, que contre les Saddu-
ceens. Geft aux Pharifans, quil en veuf
en tout et par tout, c'eji contre eux qu'il

Juflin indeed mentions the Sadducees in his Dial.
See Bafn age Rift, des Juifs, ii. 7.

lance

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. 267
lance fes plus feveres cenfures, c'efteux quil
tdche de decrier. Pourquoi cela? Cejl
qu encore qu'ils gfuffent plus crtbodoxes,
Us avoient le cceur plus gate d'hypocrijie
ct d'crgueil, ce qui les rendoit plus in cap able s
de fe converter a tEvangile. Bayle Pen-
fees diverfes § 186. 1 think the reafons
which I have affigned are more probable
than thefe.

As to the Eflenes, who are faid in the
Conftitutions to have adhered to the reli-
gious rites and cuftoms of their anceftors.
and who are never mentioned by the fa-
cred writers, it is well known that they
negledted fome ceremonial laws, and that
they obferved many foolifh aufterities, ma-
ny fantaftical and fuperftitious inftitutions
of their own. Thus, for example, they
accounted it a heinous crime to eafe nature
on the Sabbath-day, as Jofephus teftifies,
who fhould alfo have informed us what
they did in cafes of urgent neceffity, which
will fometimes happen. As the Sabbatic
River, mentioned by Jofephus, B. J. vii.
5, was dry for fix days, and flowed plen-
tifully

2 6 8 Remarks on Ecclefiajtical Hijlory.
tifully on the feventh, fo, on the contra-*
ry, the Eflenes were open for fix days,
and fhut on the feventh. But fome of
the Learned think that this marvellous and
moft religious River flowed at other times,
and refted on the Sabbath, and that there
is a fault in the text of Jofephus : fee the
notes there. If fo, the parallel is better
between the Fluvius Sabbaticus, and the
Podex Sabbaticus.

The Effenes, fays Jofephus, on the

Sabbath-day £(>\ Qttws TI pQcMivipaA Qap'px-
<rw, i!$l.'&n'7rQL]ew. neguevas ullum loco move-
re audent, nee ahum exonerare. B, J. ii.8.

Porphyry fays of them, Toe-fury S\ g^;y

U$ CV Tj 0{A<4 [A & KWtotTl&S) tV T1?£-

«?v swJficd^v elg vpvxs ra 0£«, ^ tig dvctTrcwnv.
Et quidem tanta ipforum eft in viftu jru-
galitas, . aique parcimoma> ut ne feptimcma
quidem Integra egerendi Jit idla neceffitas :
quamfibi abjlinentice legem dixere^ partim
ut ad hymnos Deo conchiendos apt lores Jinty
partim ut faciliori utantur fomno. A pud
Eufeb. Prtep. Ev. ix. 3.

Vigerus,

Remarks m Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. 269

Vigerus* the tranflator, though he was
a learned man, fell into an abfence of mind,
which will fometimes happen to us all,
and did not perceive that i£$ofA*s here means,
not a week, but the Sabbath-day, by which
miftake he was led from one error into
another to the end of the fentence, and
made the Efienes wonderful people in-
deed, and like Milton's Angels, who void
what they eat by infenfible perfpiration.
The fenfe is ; The Eflenes ufedfo plain and
jpare a diet, that they had no cccajio?i to dif-
burden on the Sabbath y a day which they kept
as a day of reft, and which they fpent in
Jinging religious hymns.

The Eflenes and Pharifees agreed in
one refpeft very well, in being fuperfti-
tious obfervers of trifles, and the Author
of theConftitutzo?2s feems to have had -feme
portion of the fame Spirit. La nation J:t-
daique a tie lircrte a un tel efprit depuMles,
et dt chimeriques cbfervances, que Imrs plus
graves Doffieurs ont etendu le Ritueljufques
aux affiions les plus machinates, comme eft
celle dialler au privt. Malheur a qui ne

fait

276 Remarks on TLcckJiajlical Hi/lory,
fyait pas bien s orient er ; car les quatre points
cardinaux de I'horifon ne font pas egalement
favorables. Je ne puts dire qu'en Latin le
rejie de leurs ridicules fuperftitions. Dixit
R. Akiba, ingreffus fum aliquando poft
Rabbi Jofuam in fedis fecretae locum, et
tria ab eo didici. Didici i, quod non
verfus orientem et occidentem, fed verfus
feptentrionem et auftrum convertere nos
debeamus. Didici 2, quod non in pedes
ereftum, fed jam confidentem, fe retege*
re liceat. Didici 3, quod podex non dex-
tra fed finiftra manu abftergendus fit. Ad
haec objecit ibi Ben Hafas 5 Ufque adeo
vere perfricuifti frontem erga magiftrum
tuum ut cacantem obfervares ? Refpondit
ille, Legis haec arcana funt ad qux difcen-
da id neceflario mihi agendum fuit. Ex
Barajetha, etc. Voila tin merveilleux Do-
ff eur, quij me me fur fa chaife perceey ex~
pliquoitfans dire mot les myfteres de'laLoi*
Bayle, Difl. AKIBA.

Hammond, in his notes on i Cor. v. 5,
fpeaking of the difeafes and torments,
which in the Apoftolical times feized thofe

perfons

Remarks on Ecckfiaflical Hi/lory. 271
perfons who were excommunicated, and
delivered up to Satan, fays, Jofephusjimi-
le quidpiam inter EJJenos fuijje dicity his
•uerbis, etc. Upon which Le Clerc re-
marks ; Quod Jofephus de Ejjenis refert
id pot eft ita intelligi^ ut excommunicatus ex
mcerore interiijje dicatur^ non miraculofa
*vi excommunicationis-, quod tamenfi credi-
dijjet Jofephns, non ejfct nefas eifidem ab~
rogare.

It happens well for Jofephus, that he
has not affirmed fo foolim a thing. He
only fays, T&V 5 \TT d

o

70?$

TGI$

Xi{A,(*> TV

> -^-N

YJ isroXX
s dve\a£ovy tKavlu) STK 7*1

Deprebenfos vero in peccatis gravioribus ex
ordine fuo ejiciunt, ifque cui contigit e cce-
tu ejici, non raro. mortem obit miferrimam.
Namjurameniis ct ritibiu obligatus ne ali-
I orum

Remarks on Ecclefiafiical Hi /lory.

trum quidem efcis uti pot eft ; fed dum her-
has comedit, corpus fame tabefcit, atque ita
interit. Quam ob rem etiam ipji plurimos
miferatiy extremum jam agentes fpintum
receperunt -, pro peccatis fatis p&narum,
quod ad mortem ufque fuerint cntdati^ de-
d($e exiftimantes. B. J» II. viii. 8.

We fee here that the excommunicated
EfTenes died, neither of any miraculous dif-
temper, nor yet of grief, but were ftarved
to death, becaufe they dared not to eat
with other people, being bound by the
oaths which they had taken, oaths which
were fuperftitious, ftupid, and unlawful.

One branch of the EfTenes had a moft
uncharitable opinion of the female fex,
and thought that a woman could fcarcely
be found, who was faithful to her huf-
band; and therefore they would not
marry. How could they obferve the
Commandment which fays, Honour thy
father and thy mother, who entertained
fuch hard fentiments of their mothers?

It is a conjecture of Van Dale, which,

whether it be true or not, is ingenious

4 and

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiflory. 27 j
and plaufible, that Sadduceifm owed its
birth to the traditionary dodlrines of tfye
Jews. Thefe traditions were fo exceflive-
ly impertinent; fuch quintessential, treble-
refined folly, and yet fo dogmatically en-
forced by haughty Pharifees and prating
Doctors, as Importances, that fome of
the nation who could not endure to be
treated at this overbearing rate, rebelled^
and became Free-thinkers, and flew out
as far into the oppofite extreme, and re-
je£ted the foul's immortality, as a dodtrine
not clearly delivered in the Scriptures, fup-
ported by Tradition, and proceeding from
that muddy fountain of everiaffing non-
fenfe. Miferable fpirit of contradiction!
Becaufe a man would deprive me of com-
mon fehfe, I muft, in refentment, throw
away my religion ! This is fulfilling in a4
very bad way the precept, If any man will
take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak
alfo.

The Conftitutions forbid Chriftians
to wear a gold ring, and to fhave
their beards, which muft have difgufted

T the

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory,
the Roman knights, and the Roman bar-
bers. The true reafon of the latter pro-
hibition is this ; It isfaid in Leviticus xix.
27. Neither fhalt thou mar the corners of
thy beard. It is a wonder that they did
not command Chriftians to keep the back
door fhut on Sundays, according to the
laudable cuftom of the EfTenes.

The Constitutions, from the beginning
to the end, turn Chriftianity into a mere
Ceremonial Law. 1.3*

They prove the refur redion by the pret-
ty amufingftory of the x phtznix • though
indeed they warrant not the the truth of
it, ;but introduce the phoenix with an
ug ouu-ni (ftecn, and they cite the Sibylline
Oracles as prophecies, and ten verfes from
them, which clearly foretel the refurrec*
tion of the dead, the conflagration of the
world, and the judgment at the lad day,

* And yet even honeft Herodotus, who was in-
clined enough to give into the marvellous, reje&ed
the ftory of the Phcenix : — e/uo/ «$J » yr^# Aeycvlgf*
«c; ii. 73.

and

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory.
and which are manifeftly the manufacture
of a Chriftian :

ftt)79(

o car eg

<*l » * \

(yorovT cvi

\ /

^fit:
> /o/ •• 'O ' />>/» i\e «^ ^

Otnnia fed poficjuam in cineres collapfaja*-

cebunty
JEterhumque-Deusfuccenfum extinxerit /g>

Jnque homimm I)eus ipfe iteriim formaverit

ojja,

E,t cineres, mortaiihiiS) utfuerant^ renovatis :
Judicium tune certo erit, in quo jus feret

•aqitiim
Ipfe' Deus, niLndi judex : ac qid impietate

\nt^ iterum inje&a iellurc tegentur:
T 2 Contra

276 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hijiorj,
Contra iterum in mundo vivent pietatls

amid,
Sanflis dante Deo <vi tarn, flat urn, atquefa-

vorem.
Se tune agnofcent omnes, fefeque <videbunt.

Ke/W Kofr^cv — is Ecclefiaftical Greek, v.
7-

It is remarkable that the Author of the
Confutations, who thus cites the Sibyl,
as a prophetefs of good authority, at leaft
as one fit to convince the Pagans, yet
treats her with contempt (according to
fome copies) and calls her, not Z^J^e*, but
'ASuAXa, or crazy fool, which reading Cc-
telerius has admitted into the text. If
the old Woman had been alive, fhe might
have replied to Pfeudo-Clemens,

Parents ifta, Pater, tamen objicienda me-
mento.

It would not be fuitable to good man-
ners to reproach a Lady for pronouncing
or fpelling a word wrong, and therefore
I am almoft afraid to obferve that in the
fecond line the Prophetefs has made a falfe

quantity

Remarks on EC cleft aft ical Hiftory. 277
quantity, for the penultima in xoipia-y is
•fliort. Perhaps the place was corrupted
by the Librarian, with whom we make
free, and call him a blunderer. He fhould
have written xojpfo-fl, or xQiptos-q. In Ho-
mer Odyjf. M. 372, fome Editions give
us

H pi pd'h sl$ Hrluu xotfAiffctlt v^xit vvrva

But there it has been changed into
ftdi^c.

Menander alfo Fragm. p. 2. has

which Bentley changed into
Le Clerc endeavoured in vain to defend
the common reading againft him by the
paffage in Homer cited above. Le Clerc
has committed fome faults in his Edition
of Menander and Philemon, becaufe he
had not fufficiently confidered the laws of
profody : but they who made thofe laws
their ftudy, and reproached him for
his ignorance of them, were not able to
keep themfelves free from fuch faults, as

T 3 might

/

278 Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hi/lory.
might eafily be {hewed. The fmall and
trifling blemifhes of this kind in Le Clerc
are covered and amply compeniated by
other productions, for which he deferves,
and will receive praife and honour :

Deflate which Wits inherit after death.

It were eafy to make many more ob-
jedtions to the Conftitutions, but ? others
have done it fufficiently, and perhaps it is
not right to wage war with the dead :

Nulhim cum viStls cert amen et tether e cajfis.
'

THE APOSTOLICAL CANONS,

though fome -of them may be ancient,
and cbrftpofed in the fecond and third cen-
turies, are not Apoftolical, in the ftridl
fenfe of the word, and are interpolated in
feveral places, as Beveridge himfelf con-
fefles, who undertook their defence, and
made the moil be could of them. See
his Cod. Can. Vindic. L. I. cap. x. 4.
.

y See Turner's plfcourfe en the Conftitutions.

- . - ' . ' . -

Canon

Remarks on EccleJiaflicaJ Uiftory. 279
Canon I. 'ET/J-KCTT^ \jzri

« ^6/o9-« <5u0 A ' <£jT
' (fitiiJ

Quinque doSlores et prophet as AntiocLite
congregates ejjetraditur. A<5. xiii. i. U^r-
nabam, Symeonem Nigrum, Lucium> Ma-
, ^ Saulum. — Dice bat Spiritusfan-

'A(po^/Va7g $q [tot TDV Tt ftctpct&xv ^ r

— £/ protinus fubjungitiir^ 'TVTZ vi[-

Ol (£ SiU^vl^ T#C ^6?-

E quinque igitur hie
congregatis duo, Barnabas et Saulus, ordi-
nati funt : reliqui fitnt ergo tres foil qui or-
dinarunt. Chryfoftcmus autem in locum ait,

, ac fi Symeon ordinationi non
intercjjet. Sed inter cr at hand dubie > quod
etiam exinde conjlat, quod non in duali fed
plurali, numcro dicitur, vr^^jc-av^^ -zrgor<£-*
%#$uoi, ofa&wles, «deo ut tres tune tempo-
ris, non plures, nee pauciore^ or dines con-
fer eb ant. Beveridge,

To all thefe arguments I chufe to fay
nothing : I only make a fmall grammati-
cal remark, that in Greek, a verb in the
plural is frequently joined to two riomina-

T 4

280 Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hi/lory.
tive cafes fingular, and a participle plural
with twofubitantives fingular, and that the
Dual number is not once ufed in all the
New Teftament, which Beveridge had
forgotten, *or had not obferved.

What fort of opinion Beveridge had,
concerning the authority of thefe Canons,
and whether he thought that Chriftians
were obliged to obferve them, is not very
material to know : he feems to have en^
tertained a great veneration for them. He
fays that by eftablifn ing the antiquity of the
Canons, bcc etiam boni commodique et nobis
et allh quibufcunque^fe pnmitivorum Chri-
fnanorum moribus confer me s gerere cupien-
tihiis, emerget ; qucd pr<z oculis habcamus^
qua raticne vitam nofiram ad eorum exem-
plarinfiituamus — ?. 76.

The primitive Chriftians deferve to be
honoured on many accounts, and imitated
in many things, and the fame ought to be
laid of this learned and pious Bifhop, but,
after all that can be faid, the authors of
thefe Canons were fallible men; and it
wpuld. be better for a Chriftian to take

the

Remarks on Eeclefiafiical Hi/lory. 281
the precepts of Chrift and the undoubted
writings of the Apoftles for the rule of his
faith and practice, and to conform to pri-
mitive Chriftianity juft as far as primitive
Chriftianity is conformable to Scripture and
to Reafon, and not to afcribe a facred and
Apoftolical authority to a fet of unknown
Canon and Conftitution-makers.

Beveridge afcribes a kind of Apoftoli-
cal authority to the L. Canon, which re-
quires of the Biftiops and Prefbyters that
they mould make ufe of a threefold im-
merfion in baptifm, under pain of being
depofed, Aliquo tamen modo, fays he,
id ab Apoftolis traditum negare non aujl
fumus ; utpote quod a fantth Patribus nee
feme! affertum legimus. The Teftimony
of the Fathers, in matters of tradition, is
not always to be depended upon. But
did our author himfelf ufe to conform to
this canon ?

The LXIX. Canon ftriftly requires the
obfervation of the Quadragefimal Faft un-
der fpiritual pains and penalties : and this,
together with other ftated Fails, Bever-
idge

28'2- Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hiftory.
idge takes to have been of Apoftolical in-
ftitution. It is not probable that the
Apoftles enjoined fuch things, as abfo-
lutely neceffary ; things of that kind are
more properly fubjefts for counfels than
for precepts. To be temperate, and to
keep the paiTions and appetites in due fub-
jeftion, is the duty of all men : abftinence
from food is fo far good as It is found to
conduce to this end ; but what fuits one
climate^ and one confritution, and one age*

of life, fuits not another.

dliw
The legiilative fpirit began to operate

betimes., and when the Church made laws,r
relating to doftrines and opinions^ which
were not to be found in the New Tefta-

o IV K ' -A- T

ment, the Codex became very bulky, and
there was no end of law-making : How

fhould there ?

-•wuH
Somebody once allied a Scholar, what

was the meaning of if, which ftands for.
tl^e Digejis :or PandeEis, and was told that
it -^e.ant Farrago Farraginum. The .an- -
f<ivd>'vr w^s not in earneil : nor -am- I. — — •
but ^-acit.us lays fome where : Comiptijfi-
7 ma *

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. 283

tna Republics plurimce leges. And fo
much for this fubjeft.

THE SIBYLLINE ORACLES were
compofed ai; different times, by different
perfons, firft by Pagans, and then perhaps
by Jews, and certainly by Chriftians.
See the collections concerning them made
by Fabricius BibL Gr. i. p. 167. an Au-
thor, whofe memory all the learned world
ought to blefs, and to whom they fhould
wifh

— tenuem et fne ponder e t err am,

Spirantefqite crocos, et in urna perpetuum
r ;>iri <uerm

:M 3flt ni fanr/oi t>d ot Jon tm
Juflin Martyr, Cohort, ad Graces 38,

mentions the Sibyl as clearly foretelling

the coming and the adions of Chrift.

His <verbisy fays the laft Editor, Sibyllini,

quales bodie extant^ libri indicantur, in

quibus tarn aperta eft rerum a Chrifto ge~

rendarumprteditfiOy nt earn ex eventisJiS'tfjm

fuijje vix ciiifquam hcdte non fateatur.

Praef. p. LXX. and in the Notes, Nihil

fanefufpicatus eft ytffifft$, qtiamiiis omnes

'

284 Remarks on Ecclefiafttcal Hiflory.
horum librorum pagina fraudem clamiteni.
Thus the Benediclin, compelled by hard
neceffity, who would have defended both
the Sibylline Oracles, and his friend Ju-
ftin who cited them, if he had been able.
It ought however to be obferved that
fome perfons, of at leaft as much learn-
ing and as much judgment as he, have
fufpedted the genuinenefs of the Cohor-
tatlo.

The Sibylline Oracles feem to have i
been all, from firft to laft, and without
any one exception, mere impoftures.

We have a collection of them in eight
books, which abound with phrafes, words,
fafts, and paflages taken from the LXX.
and the New Teftament, and are a re-
markable fpecimen of aftonifliing impu-
dence, and miferable poetry.

It was a pleafant conceit of Poflevin,
in }\\^ Apparatus facer ^ that a choice ought
to be made of paflages from thefe Oracles,
with proper notes, which might be ufed
in fchools. It would greatly perplex any

man

Remarks on Ecckjiaftical Hi/lory,

man of learning to make a choice where
all is fo bad; he would be like Buridaris
Afs between two bundles of miifty hay.

If. Voffius, the Patron of Sibylline
Oracles, forged, as he pretended, by di-
vinely infpired Jews, would yet have giv-
en them up as bad compofitions, and
void of all elegance. Siquis, fays he,
Graces qui fuperfunt Jud&orum confulat
verfus, prorfus illos Jimiles fuijje internet \
ac fuere veterwn Chriftianorum carmina,
qnce, Ji unum et alterum excipias, iftiufmo-
difun&i ut Scaligerfibi in fterquilinio ver-
fari videretur^ quotiefcunqiie ad ea kgenda
fe conferred De Sibyll. c. 9, This is
true enough. Nor does he attempt to de-
fend the prefent collection, t^ute olim
a Patribus Chrijlianis Ie5lafnere^ et etiam-
num fuperfunt et leguntur oracula, longe a
me abejl ut omnia ea ejufdem generis et au-
tforitatis ejje exiftimem^ ac fuere ea de qui-
bus hatfenus fumus locuti. In his quippe
qua Chrifti nathitatempracejfere Sibyllinis,
eafolum continebantur^ qua ex Prophet arum
fcriptis depromta ejjent iwticwia. At ve-
rt

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory.
rb in illis, qua vulgo leguntur^ ea quoque
occurrunt, qu<z non ab aliis, quam ab its,
potuerunt confcribi, out centum et viginti
demum annis Chrijlofuere pofteriores. And
he concludes that the old Oracles were
enlarged and interpolated by Chriftians*
c, 8.

Mention is made by various Writers of
a Sibyl, who prophelied before the Tro-
jan war, and from whom Homer took
many lines, and particularly this prophe^

1. A J J ft(li,4

cy, H. T. 307.

3 Sy Aivttuo @h TQMC&IV dvcifch

Which Virgil thus imitates, and accom-
modates to his own plan :

TT- j TF «• j • ?• - ->nob

Hie domus /hne<$ cunctis dominabitur ons,

£t nati natorum^ et qui nafcentur ab illis.

Others have faid that Homer himfelf
was endued with a prophetic fpirit when
he wrote thofe lines. Others have obferv-
ed a great affinity of flyle between Ho-
mer and the Sibylline verfes, and thence

have

Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hi /lory. 287
have concluded that the poet was a z pla-
giary. Strange! that men of letters could
talk at this idle rate. Of all the ancient
poets, Homer, who has a great fimplicity^
is perhaps the moft eafy to be imitated in
point of bare diftipn and verification, and
many perfons are capable of clofely copy-
ing him, or fome other poet, as to flyle
and numbers, who have no bright genius
or invention, and are incapable of com-
poling an elegant poem: but after all, the
Sibylline Oracles are juft as like Homer,
as the Epiftola Qbfcurorum Virorum are
like Cicero 's Epiftles to Atticus.

ofW$T S'fiwTW^AA ^ • • i i t

"Homer s prophecy is indeed remark-
able, and might afford ibme obfervations
not quite fo childim as thole above-men-
tioned. We may conjecture,

i. That the Poet went to Troy, i. Cv
to 'die region fo called, and carefully fur-
veyed the place, and the country about it;

" \W 317)-

-^sfkT-; ,1 T • u TT • ,_• T

z Clemens Aicxandnnus charges Homer with tak-
ing Verf s from Orpheus and Mufaeus, inft'ead of fuf-'
pectin-.: that thcfc were iater writers, under folio nair^y
who pillaged Homer. Strom, vi. p. 738. 751.

and

288 Remarks on Ecclefiajlical Hi/lory.

and indeed in his Hi as he paints and de-
fcribesa, as one who knew every fpot of
ground ;

2. That the refidue of the Trojans, af-
ter the departure of the Greeks, affembled
together and fettled in their own country,
under ./Eneas j

3. That when Homer came to Troy,
a prince reigned there who was defcended
from jEneas, and might be his grand-

fon;

.

4. That this Prince treated Homer

kindly, and gave him fome memoirs and
informations concerning the Trojan chiefs,
anil particularly concerning his own an-
ceftor;

5. That therefore Homer frequently
celebrates VEneaSj as the Son of a God-
defs, a warrior of great bravery, and of
an amiable character, and one much fa-
voured and beloved by the Gods 5 he al-

7/.B. 811.

fo

on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. 28 g
fo mentions fome particularities concern-
ing him, as that Priamus b did not love and
honour him according to his deferts $

6. That Hdmer lived at leaft ninety
years after the Trojan war.

The moft ancient writer who fpeaks of
the Sibyl is Heraclitus, about 500 years
before Chrirt, after which fhe and her
predictions WQ mentioned by Ariftopha-
nes, Plato, Ariftotle, and who not.

The fum of the judgment which Fa-
bricius, after a diligent examination, form-
ed upon this fubjed:, is as follows :

I. Nothing is more uncertain than what
is related of the number of the Sibyls, 'whe-
ther there was one or more.

II. Concerning the Sibyls, fomc think
that they <were infpired of God$ others that
they were pojfejjed by e<vil Spirits, others
that they were ajjijled by- ajlrong imagina-
tion and enthujiafmy and a kind of natural

— — aiei ^ Tlytafjita l-

aivJ^V/v, Sri f /

II. N. 460
U

290 Remarks on Ecclefaftical Hiftorf.
divination, to 'which muft be added a fourth
opinion, that thefe oracles were all fraud and
human impojlure, and that if any of them
were ever fulfilled, it was by hazard.

III. Itfeems an ajjertion too confident, to
afcribe all the prophecies of the Sibyl and of
other Pagans to knavery or chance, and
it is more reafcnable to fuppofe that fome-
times there might be fomething preternatu-
ral in the cafe.

IV. In the time of Cicero there were fome
Sibylline Oracles which were Acroftichs, and
which, as Cicero obfer<ues, were the labour
of a plodding impojlor, and not the prophecy
of an infpired perfon.

V. fbe Romans had Sibylline Oracles in
the time cf their Kings, which were kept
with great care in the Capitol, and confulted
afterwards upon important occafons. They
were burnt with the Capitol, A. U. C. 670.
and the Romans got a new collefficn from
various places.

VI. *Tbis fecond collection was burnt by
Stilido in the time of Honor his,

VIL Be/Mes

Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hijlory. 29 r

VII. Befides.thefe Collections, there were
ether Sibylline Oracles made and handed a-
bout from time to time.

VIII. In Virgil' s fourth Eclogue $
Ultima Cumaei venit jam carrninis aetas :

Carmen Cumaeum/n?^/v means Hejiod's
poem, as Probus thinks^ and ultima setas
is the fame as prima, and means the Satur-
nian times, and the golden age : Or, ul-
tima aetas means the laft, the iron age -y and
then venit is fuit, praeteriit, is pa fled and
gone. Virgil took nothing here from the
Sibylline Oracles.

IX. Our prefent collection contains not
the books which were offered to Tarquin ;

X. Nor thefecond fet of Oracles which
were brought to Rome $

XL Nor thofe Oracles which were re-
ceived by the Pagans.

XII. Nothing contained in it ought to be
admitted as made before the birth cfCbrift,
zmlefs we canfndas ancient vouchers for it.
U 2 XIII. There

292 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hijlorf*

XIII. 'there are in this collection fome lines
which the author took from old Pagan Ora-
cles, from Homer, Orpheus y and other poets :

XIV. But much is taken from the Old
and New fe/lamenf*

XV. It contains not all the Sibylline'
Oracles of which the Fathers made ufe> but
it has the greater part of them.

XVI. Tkefe Oracles were forged in the
y fecondi and third centuries, not by

Pagans,, or Jews, but by Heretics or ortho-
dox Chriftians -, not by the Father s> but by
feme unknown ferfons.

XVII. fbere was no law which made it a
capital crime to readthefe Sibylline Oracles.

Such is the fentiment of Fabricius,
who would have granted that there is not
extant one Sibylline Oracle, upon which
we can depend as upon a prophecy fairly
uttered before the event, and plainly ac-
complifhed. I fee not why we fhould
have a more favourable opinion of thole
which are loft.

The

Remarks on Ecclejlaftical Hiftory. 293

The great difference of words and ver-
fes which appears even in the fame paf-
fages of the Sibylline Oracles, as they
are cited by different Fathers, fhews that
the Colle&ions of thefe poems varied
much, and that every Librarian thruft in
what he thought proper, and what he had
picked up here and there from any dung-
hill

Amongft the defenders of the Sibylline
Oracles was Ifaac Voflius, who wrote a
book on that fubjeft, a learned book, for
he could write no other : but as to judg-
ment, you muft not feek it there. Credi-
musy fays he, omnes iflos libros (Apocry-
phos) a Judtzis fuljje compofitos, DEO

IMPELLENTE IPSORUM MENTES ad

Jignificandum gentibus Chrifti adventum.
Infinita itaque illi edidere volumina fiar-*
tim fub Patriarcharum et Prophet arum

Jiwrum notninibus, quales fuere tibri qui
dim leEli fuere fub nominibus Adami^
Enochi, Abrahami, Moyfis, Elite, Q-

fai(Z> et JeremitZy partim vero fub no-

minibus illorumy quorum nwgna apud

U ^ gentiles

$94 Rwwks on Ecckftaftical Hiftory.

gentiles effet exiftimatio, ^eluti Hyftafphy
Mercurii Trifmegiftiy Zoroajlris^ Sibylla*
rum, Orphei, Phocylidte, et complurium
aliorum. De Sibyl. Or. c. 7. It muft be
owned to have been a generous proceed-
ing inVoffius, to take the weaker fide on
feveral occafions, and to be an advocate
for thofe who flood moft in need of affift-
ance, in which charitable behaviour he
has been, and will be imitated ; for this
fort of charity alfo never faikth : but for
inventing and maintaining paradoxes, he
never had an equal, except Father Har-
duin.

Virgil's fourth Eclogue was written, as
Bifhop Chandler and Mr. Maffon have ob-
ferved, when Pollio was Conful, and the
defign of it was to compliment Auguftus,
or Caefar Odavianus, as he was then call-
ed, and to foretel the birth of a fon whom
his wife Scribonia fhoulci bear, who was
then with-chi!d : but it proved a daugh-
ter, and the infamous Julia. See Chand-
ler's Def. of Chrift. and Findicat. and at
the end, a Differtation of Maffon.

Ultima

Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hiftory.

Ultima Cumczi venit jam car minis cetas.

Ultima means here poftrema, and prima,
the fifth and loft in order, and the firfty
that is, the returning golden age.

— ifque parentem

cTe) Saturne, refert; tufanguim'sultlmus
auftor. JSLn. vii. 48.

Venit means is come : it is contrary to the
genius of the Latin tongue to interpret it
abiit, Collins follows Fabricius in giving
this latter fenfe to the verb: it is pity he
did not follow him in many other points,
where he would have found him a good
guide. Venit in the prefent tenfe is, it is
coming ; lienit in the praeterperfeit, it is
come, unlefs when it ftands for an aorift, for
r^ty and means, it came. Fuit indeed
often denotes what was, and is not. Fui-
tnus Troes, fait Ilium : for, to avoid fay-
ing that a man was dead, the Romans faid
Fuity by an euphemifmus.

Cum<zum carmen, cannot be the poem
of Hefiod, for Virgil calls him Afcrawn

U 4

296 Remarks en Ecdejiajtical Hiftory.
fenem, and his poems Afcr&um carmen^
It muft be, as Servius interprets it, Car-
men Sibyllinum.

Hence we may fuppofe that in Virgil's
time there werefaid to be SibyllineOracles,
which mentioned the return of the golden
age, and a renovation of happy days : but
whether thefe Oracles were forged by a
Jew, or by a Pagan, or whether the fub-
ftance of them were ftollen from the holy
Scriptures, or whether Virgil borrowed
any of his ideas and expreflions from thefe
Oracles, is a matter of doubt and uncer-
tai^ty. It cannot be denied that there is
a great refemblance between Virgil's Ec-
. logue and the facred prophecies. See Bp.
Chandler's Def. p. 10, etc .

Virgil's fourth Eclogue is a continued
prophecy, and he muft be fuppofed, for
. the fake of the decorum :, to have acquired
this forefight one way or other, elfe the
poem would appear ridiculous. He gives
po intimation that he was himfelf infpir-
ed, I fpeak of prophetic, not of poetic in-
" -aticn > and father Hefiod was no pre-

Remarks on Ecclejlajiical Hiftory. 297
didler of future events, fo that from him
he could not pretend to learn it. Whence
then could he feign to have it, but from
old Oracles, from the Cumceum carmen?
Jf he had fet up on this occafion for a pro-
phet, he would have fpoiled his compli-
ment ; it was better to reprefent himfelf
as only an interpreter of ancient prophe-
cies, which he adorned with the graces of
Latin poefy : this gave the Eclogue an air
of importance and authority.

He pronounces that the Golden Age
fhould commence under Auguftus, and
at the birth of his fon, and fhould be
brought to perfection when the young
hero fhould arrive to manhood, and when
his father (as the Reader was left to fup-
pofe) yyas returned to heaven, and become
one of the celeftial Gods.

Virgil has touched upon the fame fub-
jed: in other places : let us compare them
together.

He declares, Georg. i. 24. that Augufl>
us, \yhen he fhould leave the earth, would

become

298 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiflory.

become a God, one of the Di{ majority

gentium.

*fuque adeo, quern mox qucz fint habitura

deorum
Concilia, incertum eft •> etc.

And 503.

Jampridem nobis cali te regia, C^far^
Invidet.

He intimates, $ 500, that Auguftus
Ihould reftore peace and happinefs, and
that he was intended

— - everfo fuccitrrere faclo.

Again in the vi. Mneisy the Sibyl, the
Cumtean Virgin and prophetefs, leads ^Ene-
as to Elyfium, where he learns that Au-
guftus 'fhould arife and bring with him
the Golden Age. 792.

Hie wr, hie eft, tibi quern promittifapfus

audis :

Augujlus Cafar, Divi genus : aurea condet
Sczcula qui rurfus Latio.

4 promitti

Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hiftory. 299

promitti, that \ssforefold by the Gods and
their prophets.

And again, 799.

Hujus in adventumjam nunc et Cafpia regna
Refponfis horrent diviim —

My inference from thefe things is that
Virgil by Cumceum Carmen meant a Sibyl-
line Oracle, but I fay not that he took any
thing thence, befides a renovation and a
golden Age.

Virgil certainly paid no fincere regard-
to the Sibyl, and to her predictions. The
Epicurean philofophy, in his days, had
debauched the Wits and the polite world,
and he, as well as his friend Horace, was
infected with it : but Virgil faw plainly
that the Atheiftical Syftem would make
a poor figure in heroic poetry, and there-
fore has introduced it fparingly and ob-
liquely. They who deny his Epicureifm
are perfons with whom it would bs a fol-
ly to difpute.

Not only the Sibylline Oracles are to
be rejected, but there is reafon to fufpcdl

the

300 Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hi/lory.
the Orphic verfes, and alfo fome few of the
Fragments of ancient Poets produced by
the Fathers, to have been forged or inter-
polated by Jews or Chriftians. Such are
the Orphic verfes cited by Juftin. Cohort,
§ 1 5> and by others ;

oig Sriig \$i — etc.

Cudworth declared hi$ doubts concerning
them, Intel/. Syft. p, 300, See alfo Le
Clerc Hift* EccL p. 692. Les Peres, au
moins Clement Alexandrin, favoient bien
que fon avoit attyibue plufieurs chofes a Or-
phee, qui nen etoient point > et ton afujet
de doubter quih cruffent bien ajjurement
que le faffage de £ unite de Dieufut de lui.
Us ont pu le citer, contre ceux qui pouvoienf
croire quil en etoit effeElivement, par un
raifonnement, dont les Philofophes meme fe
fervent, faute de plus propres a perfuader
ceux, a qui Us ont a faire, et dont Us di-
fent\ valeat quantum poterit valere. Le
Clerc, Bibl. Choif. xxvii. 438.

In Eufebius Prap. Evang. xiii. 12,
thefe Orphic verfes are to be found, as
they were produced by Ariftobulus,

An

Remarks on Ecclefa fatal Hiftory. 301

An Oracle of Apollo cited by Juftin,
Cohort. § xi. and by Porphyry , in Eufebius
Pr&p.Evang.ix. 10. fays;

MSvoi

Cbaldceo Ilebrteoque unis fapientia 'cejjlt,
*$ui cajlo (Zterrium verier antur Numen honor e.

Here the Pagans and Porphyry were the
dupes, Who took this for a facred oracle.
Juftiri £ftd Eufebius feerh to ufe it as arl
tfrgumerituin ad hominem. Juflin reads

V 5«^ B^W\si

Some have fufpedted, but without fuf-
ficient reafon, this book of Porphyry to
be forged. See a Differtation in Le Cierc,
BibL Choif. xiii. 178. v^hich well deferves
to be perufed. The author, whom I take
to have been Le Clerc himfelf, afts the
part of a Moderator between Fontenelle,
or Van Dale, and their Antagonift, and
upon the whole is moft inclined to fide
with the former, though not in every
thing. He blames the latter for ufins;

figure*

302 Remarks on TLcclefiaftical Hiftofj.

figures of rhetoric inftead of reafons, treat*
ing Van Dale and Fontenelle as Socinians,
fetting the Mob at them, and fuch fort of
fauvretez-. But as great guns are the Ra-
tio ultima Regum, fo thefe are the Ratio
ultima Difputatorum> and fupply the want
of ammunition : and yet it is not altoge-
ther fair and honourable war ; it is fhoot-
ing chewed bullets and glafs bottles,

C<zterumy fays Le Clerc, notatu dignif-

fimum eft hoc Oraculum, quod neque a Ju-

dceo, neque a Chriftiano, neque etiam ab

Ethnico e vulgo fingi potuit . Oper. Phil*

torn. ii. in Indice, HEBR^EI.

Yet it might be made by fome fantafti-
cal Pagan, who entertained a favourable
opinion of the Chaldeans and of the Jews ;
or rather by fome Jew, who was not ve-
ry fcrupulous, and who might join the
Chaldeans to the Jews, thinking it would
remove the fufpicion that the Oracle was
framed by a Jew : he might alfo give this
honour to the Chaldasans for the fake of
his father Abraham, who was a Chalde-
an. Or it might be the work of fome

old

Remarks on Ecckjiaftical Hi /lory. 303
old Heretic, or of fome foolifh Chriftian.
It feems to have been forged in the fame
fhop where the Orphic verfes before-men-
tioned were fabricated: No one knew
God, fays this Orpheus,

El ] xvojyg n$

Aft aliquis tantitm Chaldceo a f anguine ere f us.

By whom, fays Clemens, he means Abra-
ham, or hisfon, Strom, v. p. 723. Cle-
mens obferves that Orpheus borrowed his
thoughts and expreffions from the Scrip-
tures, and fo far he is certainly in the
right.

An Oracle of Apollo in Ladtantius de
Falf. ReL i. 7. fays,

Qvvt>fM& fju
Txft <&to?
Nomen ne verbo quidem capiendum> in igne

habitans,
HocDeus ejl: modi c a autem Dei portioAn-

geli nos.

Made by a Jew, or a Chriftian.

There

3 04 Remarks on Ecclefiafticdl Hi/lory.

There are more of the fame ftanip in
Ladtantius, and alfo Sibylline Oracles
bearing the moft manifeft marks of im-
pofture.

Juftin Cohort. § 16, and others after
him, give us thefe Sibylline verfes, which
teach the unity of God, and condemn
idolatry, and facrifices, and exhort to the
love of God, and are altogether in the
language of the Scriptures, and carry
their own confutation along with them:

o

Unus Deus, qui folus eft^ ter maximus, i

creatus,

Omnipotent, invifebiliS) ipfe widens omnia.
Ipfe autem a nulla videtur carne mortal*.

Nos

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hijlory. 305
Nos autem ab immortalis viis aberraveramus^
Ac opera manufaffia colebamusftulta mente
Simulacra etjlatuas cpereuntium hominum*

civS^Trct nSvot K£* ycuav

v (payiav 'zrtietv TS,

r\^ >-c\'/ rr »

U; vyxg p. a,Trav(&$ a

v, $Aei|;#cn $' t

Felices homines fuper terram erunt^
Quicumque diligent magnum Deum,

dicentes
Antequam comedant et bibant> conjidentes,

pietate :

Qui omnia quidem templa abnegabuntvidendb,
Et alt aria y inane s lapidumfedesfurdorum,
Cruoribus animalium contaminata et vittimis
Quadrupedum •> et r efficient ad tmius Dei

magnum decus.

In the fqurth line, inftead of ?j/6*f , One
might read aQavdmo TJ *£^, with W under-

c Rather 'dcfunftorum. But I leave the Latin Ver-
iions ufually as I find them, though- fometimes they
want emendation.

X flood i

306 Remarks on Ecc lefiaftical Hijlory .
flood; which may be tranflated, We have
erred from the everlafting path:, but I ra-
ther think that cWwaiuo tfiGv means the
path of God; W $ Tf/e* ? 'Aflrtwtw.

pg o%V £0?£. Pfalm. XV. II,
oJS Ifai. Ixiii.

Jerem. vi. 16. And the
Prophetefs fays in another place,

Juftin in his Dialogue takes no notice of
the Sibyl ^ in his Apology he mentions her
as foretelling the conflagration at the laft
day, and faying many good things j and
complains that it was forbidden to read
her. The Cobortatio is thought to furpafs
his other works in elegance of di<ftion ;
but that alone will hardly be a fufficient
reafon to pronounce it fpurious, though
it may juftify a fufpicion and an hefitation
about it. The Benediftin Editor p. 604.
fays, Cumfcriberet Cobortationem ad Gra-

ces

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiflory. 307

tos JuftinuSy credebat Septuaginta illos Vi-
ros, dumprofe quifquefeparatiminchifila-
borabant^ magno miraculo in omnibus verbis
et fententiis inter fe confenjijje* Sed bane
fabulam, nee in prima Apologia^ ubi agit
de Septuaginta Interpretibus, commemcrat,
nee in TJialogo illius credendcz onus imponit
yudteis : in quo quidem non levzs conjeffiura
eft earn Jiifttnum aut mijfam fecijje, ant
faltem fufpeffiam habere ccepiffe. Some will
rather conjecture from this, that Juftin
was not the author of the Cobortatio -, and
1 could name a friend, well known to the
learned world, and a very good* judge,
who thinks that nothing of Juftin is cer-
tainly genuine, befides the Dialogue^ &&&
the Apologies. The Bcnedictin endeavours
to prove that the Cohortatio is to be afcribed
to him, and contends with Caiirnire Gu-
din, who held the contrary opinion,
Prof, p.lxviii. . :

The Sibyl in the Prooem fays,

«"«./">N>'^/T\v\* ' ^

ft l&Qc, owvaj T I7r%£j]/Wiov Kj

o o/ «.^
%%ieva\>ltoy v^

X 2

308 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hfflr)\

Corporeis oculis etenim quis cernere verufti
JEternumque Deum poffit, c&lumque colen-

tern %

Cum neque fplendentis radiant I a lumlna foils
Sitftineant homines mortaks cernere contra.

Socrates inXenophon has the fame fen-
timent, and fays that the Deity is incon-
fpicuous, and that a man cannot look up-
on the fun without being dazzled. Memor.
iv. 3 . Theophilus, Minucius Felix, Theo-
doret, and others have faid the fame thing.
Clemens Alexafidrinus fancied thatXeno-
phon borrowed it from the Sibyl, Cohort, p.
61. and Strom, v. 714. But even admitting
the antiquity of thefe verfes, and fuppof-
ing that they were written in Noah's Ark,
it will not follow from the parity of
thought, that Socrates or Xenophon had
feen them, fince all men, except thofe
who are blind, know, without an in-
ftrudtor, that it is impoffible to look up-
on the fun when he fhines out in full
ftrength. One thing is very plain, that
the two firft verfes, and the word Qtg,

"for

Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hi/lory. 309

for mortal man, are taken from the Scri-
ptures.

Juftin Cohort. 18. has cited a very fin-
gular paflage from Sophocles ;

Tg

-ztroAAo/

Try par uv
/ciAto' ^ httav re v

re

rof eft o e/l, unus eft tantum Deus,
Call f clique machinam qui condidit^
Vadumque ponti ccerulum, et vimfpiritus.
At duEta c<zco err ore gens mortalium
Comment a cladis in fuce folatium eft
Formas Deorum faxeas aut areas y
Aurove duflasfujili, aut eburneas.
His viEiimarum fanguinem, hisfeflos dies,
Cum dedicamusy ejje nos remur pios.

In the feventh verfe, fhould it be,

X3 ^H

3 ro Remarks on JLcclefiajlical Hi/lory.

Or ^— — rt

Thefe verfes are to be found in
mens Alexandrinus and in other Fathers,
and with fome variety of readings. See
Eufebius P. Ei). xiii. 13. p. 680. and the
notes of Vigerus. though this be fuchy
fays Cud worth, as might <well become a
Chriftian, and be no where now to be found
in thofe extant, Tragedies of this Poet, many
whereof have been loft^ yet the Jincerity
thereof cannot reafonably be at all fufpcffed
by us, it having been xited by fo many of
the ancient Fathers in their writings againjt ^
the Pagans, as particularly Jujtin Mar-
tyr., Athenagoras, Clemens Ale$andrinusy
Eitfebius, Cyril, and Theodoret, of which
number Clemens tells us} that it <was attejl^-
ed likewife by that ancient Pagan Hiftorio-
gr cipher Hecatatus. Intell. Syft. p. 363.

Hecatseus, whom Jofephus commends,
Contr. Apion. i. 22. is faid to have lived
in the time of Alexander the Great, and
to have converfed much with the Jews,

and

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiflory. 31;
and he might have been a kind of profe-
Jyte, or half- Jew. Le Clerc fufpeds that
this book of Hecataeus might have been
forged by the Jews. Bibl. Cboif. viii. 392.
Athenagoras only cites the two firft verfes
of this fragment : it is ftrange that he
fhould not have produced the reft, if he
ever faw it, which made fo much for his
purpofe. Some may think it improbable
that Sophocles fhould venture to attack
the Gods and the religious ceremonies of
his own country in fo open a manner :
but thefe verfes are not, like thofe of the
Sibyl, in the ftyle of the Scriptures, and
it is certain that in the Greek Comedies
and Tragedies there are many bold ftrokes
againft the fabulous and popular religions ;
and Clemens Alexandrinus, Strom, v. p.
691, produces paflages out of Euripides,
Plato, and Zeno, which are very remote
from the vulgar notions concerning the
Gods. The Fathers have taken great
pains to colled: fuch teftimonies, for which
we are much obliged to them,

X 4 Jufl'n

3 1 2 Remarks on Eccleflajlical Hijtory.

Juftin, Cohort. 38. cites an Oracle,
which feems to be a Jewifh or a Chriftian
trifle, in which it is {aid that God

/Jt, o£ x#-
/ primum mortalem effinxit^ Adamque

Juftin, in the book de Monarchta, if it
be his, produces a paflage from Philemon,
which others afcribe to Menander, where-
in are thefe lines :

r avSgyt

yuuuouKcg,

izculig re
, @o£v TV QwJoXov, vj xlqvtov. ri % ; ]

Probum effe nawque oportet omnino vi
Non inferentemjlupra nuptce aut virgini,
JLufrive caufafurta vel c cedes , neque

[AHena

Remarks on Ecclefiafiical Hiflory. 3 1 3

[Aliena fpe&anfem ac deinde conjugis
Male appetentemy aut fuperbarum tedium
Aut prcediorum, <uel puelltf, aut vernulte,
Pecorifue taurumve aut equum. i%uo hcec

pertinent ? ]
Acum vel unam baud concupifcas, PampUle.

The verfes which I have inclofed in
brackets are not in Clemens Alexandrinus
Strom, v. 720. nor in Eufebius Prtep.
Evang. xiii. 13. nor in the colledions of
Grotius, or of Le Clerc. They are, I think,
the handy- work of fome Jew, or Chrifti-
an, and a forry imitation of the tenth
commandment ; and, it may be, an in-
terpolation in Juftin : Ovx cfinSvpyretg r
§*" *®Xy<riov Qx* cm, rJ^nSv^o'et^ r oixiav

Qx, xSt r dyqov txin^^ £$\ r
r 'srouSic'Klw cwrou, »TJ r£ /2co

$ Xtt* cw-

or a, ra ^X^iov Qx t?t' Exed. xx» 17.

is not a verfe, nor worth the mending.
One might read,

314 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiflory*

T#AA07f ta @teirovl'9 y cBnQvfAXffyuov —

He alfo cites fome verfes from

i r

vcu. — etc,

Deum amoveto longius mortalibus,

Nee tibi par em effe, carne amiftum, Jinx*

ens. —
Namque omnia pot eft : laus Dei eft altiffimi.

This paflage is alfo to be found with
fome various readings ia Clemens Strom.
v. 727.

The laft line has an air of forgery ; it
is unharmonious, and profaic, and feems
to be taken from the Scriptures. In the
fecond line, inftead of ''Opotov QwjS it (hould
perhaps be "o/Mtet Qw]S — for the fecond
foot will not regularly admit a fpondee.

Eufebius, unlefs my memory deceives
me, has made no diredl ufe of the Sibyl,
whence it may be conjectured that he had

no

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. 3 15
no great efteem for her. Dr. Middleton
has charged him with approving and juf-
tifying a very filly Acroftich of the Ery-
thraean Sibyl. Eufebius has preferred an
Acroftich. — Tie tells us however that many
people rejefted it — but the truth, adds he,
is manifejl -— for it is agreed by all that
Cicero had read this poem. — Now thefole
ground of this confident ajfertion is etc. In-
quiry, p. 36.

The Father of Ecclefiaftical Hiftory de-
ferves not this cenfure, and the Doftor
has inadvertently afcribed to Eufebius fen-
timents contained in an Oration, publifh-
ed indeed by Eufebius, but compofed by
the Emperor Conftantine. As to the
Emperor's judgment, Defend it who will,
for I will not : but why Ihould Eufebius
be refponfible for the miftakes of Con-
ftantine ? See Conftantini Or at. apud Eu-
febium, p. 700. Edit. Cant, and Valefius
there, and Eufeb. Vft. Conft. iv. 32.

Eufebius cites the Sibyl, Pr#p. Evang.
xiii. 13. but in the words of Clemens Alex-
andrinus, whom he tranfcribes.

IX.

3 1 6 Remarks on Ecclefaflical Hiftory.

IX. 15. He produces a paflage from
her concerning the tower of Babel, but
he took it, as he informs us, from Jofe-
phus Ant. 5. 4. who fays, riee/ 0 rS

yx TXTX KJ T? dfaotyavias r dvQgaTrcw
Xj £/68&« heyxcrct, xrag, Hctv\cov Q^^dvuv ov-
TVV r #i>0g&V#i>,?«ru£/oi/ ax9$o[jt,tj<rc{v nveg i5^/ij*
Aorojoi/, W ff)n r x^vov dvcx&^ofJ^oi Si? au-
T^* el 5 3-goi dv'epxs ffkiTri^c^v]^ dvitgnfyoiv r
•srvghv, itj iSictv ixdfu tywlw tStMctv, *$ 2^
£uA&ii/flt Qwi&y KhffitVcu r sroA^, Z)^
/ autem hac, deque linguh hominum
-mutatis meminit etiam Sibylla, ad bunc mo-
dum dicens : Cum univerfi homines uno elo-
quio uterentur^ turrim cedificarunt quidam
exce!fi//imamy qua/I ad c&lum per earn afcen-
furi. Dii veropr ocelli s emijjis turrim ever-
terunt, et fuam cuique lingua m dederunt.
Qua caufa fuity ut urbs ea Babylonis no-
men acciperet.

The verfes relating to this fubjedt are
preferved by Tbeopbilus ad Autolycum ii.

31-

jSgo/o%, ore wvgfw

Remarks on EcclefiafKcal Hi/lory. 3 17

fl at 'AaS"U£/#« opotywot $' ytrctv a

&g xywc
mxa $* ddoivc*!©* ptydhlw tTTt

'iirci}' ccv^ot ptyciv

''

T £7rt<rtv> yh&os-cu T dv-

Elg

Sed quando magni Dei perficiuntur minte,
£>uas aliquando comminatus eft mortalibus>

quando turrim fabricarunt
In terra AJJjria. Erant autem omnes unius

linguce,

Et iioluerunt fcandere ctzlumfteltigerum.
Statim autem Immortally magnam impofuit

neceffitatem
Ventis. Venti autem magnam et altom

turrim
Ubi dejecerunt, etiam inter mortaks dif-

cordiam excitarunt.
Ritrfus ubi turris cecidit, ac lingua bomi-

num
Mortalium in wultas divifejunt diak£tc$y

T^erra

3 1 8 Remarks on 'Ecclefiajiical Hi/lory,

*?erra mortallbus impletafuit fub variis re~
gibus.

In the laft line perhaps for Qatribqw it
fhould be Qaorih&uv, The earth was reple-
nifhed with men, and divided into various
kingdoms.

Hence it may be concluded that a Si-
bylline Oracle concerning the tower of
Babel was extant in the days of Jofephus,
and hence Beveridge makes fome infer-
ences in favour of the Sibylline verfes cited
by the ancient Fathers, which are by no
means conclufive and fatisfa<ftory. Cod.
Can. Illuftr.i. 14.

Was the Oracle mentioned by Jofephus
in profe or in verfe ? We cannot certain-
ly tell, but it is moft probable that it was
in verfe, and that Jofephus gave us the
fenfe and fubftance of it in profe. Had
Jofephus thofe verfes before him which
are preferved by Theophilus ? Beveridge
fays he had, and fo thinks Ifaac Voffius ;
and it may be fo. But then the verfes
feem to have undergone fome alteration af~
i terwards.

Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hi /lory. 3 19
terwards, for the Sibyl in Jofephus fays that
from the confufion of languages the place
was calledBabylon ; the Sibyl inTheophilus
fays it not : the Sibyl in Jofephus fays that
ci Ogoi, the Gods, overthrew the edifice;
but in the verfes it is 'AtaWr©*, God, which
may feeni better to agree with ^yd\m &ex
that went before.

One might conjecture that at firft it
was thus :

Aim** A0ANATOI ptybui EHE0H-
KAN civdynlu/

cwroif* wrwr avtpot ptycw

By this change, 'Addvcnn may be the
nominative cafe to #gow, inftead of aygjttoi,
and it feems more reafonable that the Gods
than the winds fhould fet the men at vari-
ance. It is in a Pagan ftyle, and yet a Jewifh
Forger might write it, and take the bold
liberty to fay 'A0aWiw, meaning God and
his Angels, or the Angels. Angels are
fometimes called Gods, and in Gene/is xi. 7.

whence

320 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftorf.
whence this account is taken, the Lord
faidj Let us go down, and there confound
their language^ in which words, accord-
ing to many of the Rabbins, God fpeaks
to his Angels. Jofephus himfelf now and
then ufes expreffions bordering upon Pa-
ganifm.

It is not fafe to truft ones memory in
things of this kind ; but I think that pro-
fane authors, though they fometimes fay
'AOebvant, for the Gods, and make it a fub-
flantive, yet never fay JA9dval&> fimply,
for God, or fazfupreme God. The Sibyl-
line Oracles more than once ufe this word
in this manner, and fhew by it that they
are not the work of a Pagan.

Thefuppofition which fome have made,
that Juftin Martyr was guilty of forging
the Sibylline Oracles, is groundlefs and
perverfe. Juftin has written his own
character in every page of his works,
and fhews himfelf pious, warm, fpright-
ly, fearlefs, open, hafty, honeft, inqui-
fitive, fmcere, and as void of diflimulation
and hypocriiy as a child. Add to this,

that

Remarks on ILccleJiaftlcal Hiftory. 321

that he writes like a man who had no
turn for fuch things, and was not only no
poet, but not a verfe-maker. But though
he was incapable of forgery, he was de-
luded by thefe forged oracles, and perhaps
by his authority led the Fathers who lived
after him into the fame error.

*fatian makes no ufe of the Sibylline
Oracles, and only juft mentions the Sibyl
amongft the writers who were before Ho-
mer, and after Mofes. Orat. contr. Graec.

§4r-

Atbenagoras, to fhew that the Gods of
the Gentiles were men, produces fix
verfes from the Sibyl. Legat. § 30.

'fheophilus gives us no Icfs than eighty-
four Sibylline verfes, ad Autol. ii, the fame
which ftand in the beginning of the Editi-
ons of thefe Oracles, and which are mere
patch- work of Scripture-phrafe. When the
Greek poets laid things confonant to the
holy Scriptures, Theophilus obferves that
they ftole their knowledge from the Law
and the Prophets, ^i-l/avi^ rcwra OK vc^y (£

y ?

322 Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hiftory.
r TrgotpviTav, It is ftrange that he did not fuf*
pedt the fame thing of the Sibyl, whofe
thefts are fo open and glaring, ii. 37.

The Sibylline verfes cited by the Fa-
thers, and thofe which are preferved in
our prefent collection, are often the fame,
and always of the fame ftamp and value,
and liable to the fame objections. It is
a vain thing to receive the one, and rejed:
the other : it is better to defend them all
heroically in the lump, and not to do the
work by halves, nor make a diftin&ion
where there is no difference.

Clemens Alexandrinus was learned, and
willing to fliew his learning, and to let the
world fee that he had perufed all forts of
authors -, and therefore could not poffibly
omit the Sibyl.

He produces thefe verfes (from the Si-
byl, though he names her not) in praife of
the Hebrews, Cohort. 60.

Ttves oi agfttrgfi Mvcug,

Remarks on Ecckfiafticd Hi /lory. 323

wasting rg
ft atgycriv -sr^c? xppvov utevag

9 \

cuet

[Aovcv r a«

^ui nufquam vanis erroribus indii3iy ho-

minum opera
Ex chore argentoque^ ex auro denique et

E faxis lignoque hominum fimulacra per-

emptorum,
Horrent, et qutecumque alii, tomijima tur-

ba.

At contra pur as tollunt ad fidera palmas,
Mane ubi membra levant jlrato, qua <vir-

gine lympha
Perfundunt : unumque colunt, qui cunfia

gubernat,
Ufqite immortalem.

I give this verfion, as I find it in the
Oxford Edition, and {hall not trouble my-
felf to mend it. The fifth verfe feems to
be taken from St. Paul — g^r^ofe oVw
. i Tim. ii. 8. Perhaps, -&fa y »-

Y 2

324 Remarks on Ecdefiajtical Hijtory.
Zpvwy for the fake of metre, and alfo
vets ayvxs, from uhtw ; for the laft fyllable
of axivotg from «Aej^ is long. In the laft
verfe for 'A6dva]cv, Sylburgius would read
'Adavdrw, I know not why. This paflage
may be found in the SibylL Or. L. iii.

Amongft the Sibylline Verfes cited by
tfheophilus and Clemens, are thefe :

E*?6fe0V Wi
irtiv

: Ti

Unus Deus e/t> imbres, ventos, terra mo-

tus immittens,

Fulguray fames , fejiesy et luffius trifles,
Et nivesy et glaciem. Et quid Jmgula

conimenwrp ?

This is taken from the Pfalms. Tocf A-

— cxlvii. cxlviii.

Minucius Felix mentions not the Sibyl,
though he was invited to it by his fub-

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. 325
jedl, where he defends the Chriftians for
teaching the dodrine of a conflagration
and a future judgment, and appeals to the
Poets and Philofophers who had faid the
fame thing, c. xxxiv. etc. I am glad of
it, for the fake of that ingenious and agree-
able Author.

The Phrygian Sibyl is faid to have
been called Diana, "Adepts, and to have
uttered thefe verfes at Delphi :

tQ AeA^c/ BegpTrovlte iwq&ohx '

voov

O Delphi, Phcebi ferienth qui c minus eft is
Servi, veni ad vos Jovis expofitura potent is
Mentem, germanojiicccnfcmplurimaPhcebo.

Thus Clemens Strom, i. p. 384. and
Paufanias alfo fays that the Sibyl calls
herfelf Herophile, and Diana, and the
filter, andfometimes the wife, and fome-
times the daughter of Apollo. See the
notes.

We have here, I think, the fragment
of a true old Sibylline Oracle made by a

Y 3 Pagan.

326 Remarks on Ecclejiajlical Hiftory.
Pagan. It looks as if it were compofed
by fome Prieft, who had a mind to fet up
an Oracle in oppofition to the Delphic,
and to draw the trade to another {hop.

Paufanias in Phoc. gives us this Sibyl-
line Oracle predicting a defeat of the Athe-
nians, and made, I fuppofe, after the e-
vent;

TIT

Ac turn Cecropidis luftum gemitufque debit
Jupiter altitonans^ rerum cut fumma po-

tejlas.

Navibus exitium, et crudeliafunera hello
Ilk feret^ culpaque ducum dabit omnia pef-

fum.

Dio, or Xiphiline, mentions a verfe,
pretended to be a Sibylline Oracle, con-
cerning Nero, which was handed about
e when Nero had burnt the city of Rome;

c Nero killed his mother, A. D. 59. and burnt
the city A. D, 64.

and

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. 327

and which, to be fure, was compofed af-
ter he had killed his mother ;

!/E^#7©* AlyiuSuv pfywclcv©* r^e^ov^o-^
UltimusJEneadum matrem nee at induperator.

But, fays the Hiftorian, it was really
fulfilled. Indeed ! As if it required divi-
nation, to forefee that fuch a debauched,
miferable, odious wretch as Nero would
in all probability die without heirs, or be
cut off by fome confpiracy, and that
with him the Julian family would be ex-
tinguifhed ! Nero married Sporus, upon
which one of the Wits of thofe days ob-
ferved, that it had been well for man-
kind, Si pater ejus Domitius talem duxijfct
uxorem.

cv,

*5* V> »/ ..\ • **

yoov t<?i TCVTV,

6?

TSIM TlVt TT^oXB^lv, UTS ^ WTI 1JZ5V T* opi-

A^ W^cf ret -wct^ovjcf, $&&&&• Tth&T&tbf fi
r 'ivbiu* T "ten 'Ainu* fyofipw i^ovdo^r^.
Hum <verfumy ut vere Sibyllinum, carter e

Y 4 Ulti*

328 Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hijlory.

Uliimus —

Id quod accidit, Jl<ue <uere pradiSum di~

vino Oraculo, /we affiatu multitudinis ex

jlatu rerum qui turn erat : nam is ulti-

mus ex Julii familia, qua ab JEnea pro-

fefta erat, regnavit. Xiphil. p. 180. ed.

Stefb.

I flhall conclude this poetical Seflion
with an Oracle from the Antbologia^ and
as good an Oracle as the Sibyl ever ut-
tered :

o$ r pdfliv

Tig |t*5AA^ ViK&v CWTCOV TSV dyuiva,

-ng sgos cvt
povcv py Tig erg

'Thus imitated by Aufonius:

DoStus Hylas cczflu, Phegeus catus arte

paltejlra,

• Glarus Olympiads ct Lycus inftadiis>
An pojjent cmnes venturo sincere agone,
"Hawmonem Libya confukre deum.

Zed

Remarks on Ecclefiaftlcal Hi/lory. 329

Sed Deus, utfapiens, Dabitur vitforia vo-
tes

Indubitata quidem, Ji caveatis, ait^
Ne quis Hylam cczftu, ne quis certamine

lutta
Phegea, ne curfu tey Lyce, prater eat.

THERE is an Epiftle afcribed to
BARNABAS : we cannot certainly know by
whom it was written.

The firft who cites it is Clemens Alex-
andrinus, who was born about the middle
of the fecond century, and there is a paf-
fage in it, which fhews that it was writ-
ten after the deftrudtion of Jerufalem.
We may therefore conclude that it was
compofed after A. D. LXX. and before
CLXXX, and probably in the firft cen-
tury.

He fays of the Temple ; A** £> -n -srote-
p&v cwjtug, xaSyotOy \JZPV r ^9joff vuu 5^
aJwi 01 r s%6()&v \zbriigij dvoiwdG^rxcnv (dv-
owSopSnv) «Jw. Nam quia helium gejje-
runt, ab hoftibus deftruttum eft 5 nunc ve~

ro

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory,
ro ipfi hojlhim miniftri illud retedificant.
xvi. He mentions not this deftruftion,
as an event which had juft then come to
pafs, but fays indefinitely xet6yp6ii, as if
fome time at leaft were elapfed fmce that
calamity. There is a great conformity be-
tween the fubjecft of this Epiftle and of
that to the Hebrews ; but a great diffe-
rence between the Epiftles, for that to
the Hebrews is in all refpedts fuperior.

Since the author of this Epiftle, as it
now ftands, difcovers not himfelf, and
gives no internal mark by which we may
find him out, and fince the name of d Bar-
nabas might be common to other perfons,
or affumed on purpofe, one would wil-
lingly take occafion from hence to afcribe
it to fome unknown author, rather than to
the Apoftle Barnabas. If it was really
the work of St. Paul's companion, there
are internal characters in it, which fhould
incline us to judge that he was not at that
time under any particular guidance of the

* Barnabas, or Son of confolation.

Holy

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. 33!
Holy Spirit. The ancient Chriftians
judged fo, and received it not as a Canoni-
cal book, which fhews alfo that they were
not fo very credulous, and fo ready to
adopt every thing, as they are imagined
by fome to have been.

Barnabas is fuppofed by Clemens Al-
exandrinus, Eufebius, and many of the
Ancients, to have been one of the feventy
difciples ; Tillemont. Hift. Bed i. 408.
and when he is firft mentioned in the
A5ts, nothing is faid to intimate that he
was converted after Chrift's afcenfion.

When he preached with Paul, the Pa-
gans of Lyftra took him to be Jupiter, and
Paul to be Mercurius, whence it might be
conjedured that he looked, and that he
was, much older than St. Paul : but I
dare not lay a ftrefs on this argument.
Chryfoftom fays that he was ~&m $ c-^eug
a%ioyr(&rw, that he had an air which com-
manded efteem and refpeft. I fancy
that Chryfoftom had the fame conjednre
in his mind, and thought that the Pagans
were induced to take Barnabas for Ju-
piter,

332 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.
piter, from his amiable afpedt and maje-
ftic countenance, fit for the Father of
Gods and men. Upon the whole, there
may be room to fufped: either that he did
not furvive the deftrudion of Jerufalem,
or that he was then very old, and emeritus,
and not likely to write a long and la-
boured Epiftle.

It has been faid that Barnabas and
Clemens Romanus fpeak not of miracles
as being performed in the Church in their
time. Suppofe it to be true, the fame
thing might be obferved of fome Epiftles
in the New Teftament, particularly of
the Epiftle to the Hebrews, which were
written before the deftru&ion of Jerufa-
lem, when St. Paul and fome other Apo-
flles were living, and preaching the Gof-
pel in various places, the Lord working
'with them, and, as we may juftly fuppofe,
confirming the word with Signs -following*

Barnabas, ch. xii. fays, g^-cr^g $ sr#V-
ra ctfiiv ifewtwi* avrxs. that is : God caujed all
forts of fir pent s to bite the people of Ifrael
in the wilder nef$. I have fometimes

thought

Remarks on Ecclefiajllcal Hi/lory. 333
thought that it fhould be -&voo&]i& c<p/y.
Num.xxi. 6. Mifit Dominus in populum
ferpentes urentes, Seraphim ; ignitos^ as
Jerom renders it. The LXX. indeed has
9ava]5v]x$. We tranflate it fiery 'ferpents. riw-
f otf]a otptv, in the fingular, fa fiery ferpents,
would be an Hebraifm, as $ 7. Ora ut
tollat a nobis ferpentem : but the emenda-
tion is uncertain. Juftin Martyr fpeaking,
of the fame thing, fays — durlwryrw aJwfc
tofcoXa, 3~q(>jia, 'vfciovcurt ^ ciazrtSsG, (c ofauv
izaiv $&>, c t6ava,TX r Ao^y. ApoL i. § 6o»
which favours the received reading in Bar-
nabas. One would almoft think that Juf-
tin took his •3rc&v $@* from Barnabas.
Le Clerc thinks that he has found a re-
mark in Juftin's Apology borrowed from
Barnabas. ElbL Choif. iii. 391. The Be-
nedidin Editor of Juftin is of the fame
ppinion, Addend, p. 603.

Valcntinus, who taught his heretical
dodrines about A. D. 140. and might be
born at the end of the firft or the begin-
ning of the fecond century, fays; EigSi

334 Rwtr&s M Ecclefiaftical Hiftorf.

CMJTIJ '
to* KGHAojW tooftov avravj rd

toftortiiKKi'&g weupto oKitopoiov TI

TB X or )

"^. T^I/ TQCTTOV TOVTOV

wgcvoiag

tir&oow 'j cJJrurxtyyfy CLVTLW o pcv@* dyoc,6o$

o e^^z' Tjjy Tvtainlw KCL^IOLV, on
£/? ^//^^ z/^^i Bonusy cu-
jusfiducid eft ea qu<z jit per Filium mani-
feJiatiOy et per eum folum potejl cor fieri
mundum^ ejeffo ex corde omni mallgno fpi-
ritu. Multi enim in eo habitantesfpirituSy
id mundum ejje non Jinunt. Unufquifque
autem eorum propria efficit opera, fape non
convenientibus infultans cupiditatibus. Ac
imliiquidem videtur cor non ejje abjimik
diverforio : Hind enim perforator et effb-

ditur

Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hi/lory. 335

ditur, etjiercorefape repletur, cum homi-
nes fe petulanter gerant^ et locum nibll om-
nino curent, ut quijit alienus. Eodem mo-
do cor quoque : cum, quamdiu nulla ejus
providentia geritur^ fit immundum tt mul-
torum Dczmonum habit aculum: poftquam
autem id invijerit, qui folus eft bonus Pa-
ter, fanffificatum eft, et luce refplendet, et
fa qui tali eft corde prteditus, beatur^ quo-
niam Deum videbit.

This fragment is preferved by Clemens
Alexandrinus Strom, ii. p. 489. where
he ftands up for human liberty againft
the Valentinians, who were a fort of Fa-
talifts, or Predeftinarians, and thought
themfelves to be the only Eledt. Obferve
that Valentinus bears witnefs to the au-
thority of the New Teftament, for he
takes paffages or expreffions from it to
infinuate and recommend his own doc-
trines, as tjov (puvegtoff-is — ScctfrifMt

etc. —

See i Tim. iii. 16. Rev. xviii. 2.
Luke vii. 16. Mat. xix. 17. Luke xi. 36.

Mat. v. 8.

He

336 Remarks On Ecclejlajlical THiflory.

He alfo feems upon the whole to imi-
tate Barnabas, who fays, figo TX v\

yv OM@* octtpcvuv — Afo cv

ort
octtcvuv —

o ®to$

cv qpw' •&&>$ ; o hiy©* eiurS *£
Antequam nos Deo crederemus, erat nof-
trum cordis habit aculum interitui obnoxium
et imbecillum — quia erat quidem plenum
cultu idolorum, et erat domus Damonum,
— Quare in domicilio noftro vere Deus ex-
iftit : habitat in nobis. ^uomodo ? Verbum
ejusjidei —

CLEMENS ROMANUS is an author on
whom I made ibme remarks, Difc. vi.
p. 207. 2d edit. I have only this to add :
Clemens Epift. i. 4. fays, A/* $AW o vrulfy
'HMX1N 'Iaxa!£ t*m$& — Proffer amula-

tionem pater nofter Jacobus aufugit

whence, I find, fome perfons have lately
difcovered and concluded that Clemens
was a Jew. I think the paffage will not
prove it. Theophilus ad AutoL iii. 23. —

Remarks en Ecdefiaflical Hi/lory. 337

jou. The Law was given to usy
fays-Theophilus ; and yet he had been
converted from. Paganiftn to Chriftianity.
'Therefore when any ancient Chriftian
writers ufe fuch expreffions, it is not
to be inferred thence, with any kind
of certainty, that they were of Jewifli ex-
tradion, or even that they had been pro-
felytes to Judaifm. Indeed nothing is
more natural than for Chriftians to fpeak
as if they were Abraham's children ; as if
the Law, and the Prophets and the Pa-
triarchs belonged to them as well as to the
Jews; In the fame book § 24. Theo-
philus fays, 'AGtpap o ts-cCjfycig
94. AcwtS o wftoyovos ypuv. 27.

HERMAS is cited by Irensus, who
was born about A. D. 120. He is alfo
obferved to have made no mention of mi-
racles j but he had nothing to lead him
to it, and his book is taken up with vi-
fions and revelations. I offered a conje-

338 Remarks on Ecclefiaflical 11 tftory.
Sure concerning it, that it was a parable.
Difc. vi on the Chrifl. Rel.

He mentions a vifion of a formidable
beaft threatning to devour him, from
which he was preferved, and he inter-
prets this of a great tribulation which was
to come upon the CJiriftians, and which
fome have applied to Domitian's perfecu-
tion. L. i. Vif. ii. § 2, 3. p. 77. Vif. iv,
p. 82.

POLYCARP, of \vhofe Epiftle I
.taken notice, p. 67. fuffered martyrdom
under Marcus Aurelius with exemplary
•courage and conftancy. His death is
laid to have been honoured with fome
miracles, which are of fuch a kind, and
attended with fuch circumftances, that
there is feme reafon to paufe, and to
doubt of them. But this fhall perhaps

be confidered in its proper place,

'

THE "Recognitions and the Homilies of
CLEMENS, written, as it is thought, in

the

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. 33^
the fecond century, contain as much
truth as Lucian's True Hiftory, Ari-
fteas, Gulliver's Travels, the Lives of
feveral Monks, of Lazarillo, of David
Simple, and of Gill Blafs. It. would not
be a reafonable requeft to defire any man
to confute this work. It is fufficient to
refer the Reader to the judgment of Co-
telerius, p. 607.

I fliall only produce one pafTage, and
none of the worft, for a fpecimen. Pe-
ter is introduced faying, Quod cum vidtf-
fet Gamaliel princeps p-puli, qui lat enter
f rater nofler erat in fide, fed confilio noftro
inter e'os erat — i. 65.

Here this knave of a forger makes Pe-
ter, or Lord Peter, as he commonly calls
him, and the reft of the Apoftles mere
politicians, who perfuade Gamaliel to
di-flemble his religion, and to act the part
of a fpy and a hypocrite.

In the Recognitions, ii. 13. Simon Ma-
gus is introduced fpeaKing thus: Pueri
incorrupti et violcnter necati animam adju-

2 3 rammti*

340 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hijtorf.-
ramentis ineffabilibus evocatam adjijlere
mihifeci) et per ip jam jit cmne quodjubeo.
Dr. Middleton thus tranflates it : Simon
Magus confeffed to one of his companions,
that he 'wrought all his amazing works, by
the help of the foul of an healthy young boy,
<who had been violently put to death for that
purpofe, and then called up from the dead,
by ineffable adjurations^ and compelled to
be his ajftftant. Inquiry into the Mira-
culous Powers etc. p. 67.

Pueri incorrupti animam. In the Greek
it was, I fuppofe, TIat$o$ dhutpQog
Juftin Martyr calls fuch children d
and Socrates the hiflorian
Juftin ApoL i. p. 27.

-CN^ V ''^y^/l' *^> '

JK Jo, 9£ cu aatcttpuoguv 'zrououv ITTQ-
Necyomantice emm, et incorru-
ptorum puerorum infpeffiiones — Socrates
iii. 13. Kcu rrAc/flfe riv/xg Quuul<?ouTav, &$

— which Valelius tranflates, Quin e~
tiam nefanda qucedam myfteria ab illis ex-
cogitatafunty it a ut pueros impuberes im-
molar ent, extaque eorum infpicerent —

I once

I

Remarks on Ecckfiaftical Hiftory. 341

I once told Dr. Middleton, that I was
inclined to think that in this place incor-
ruptus meant impubis rather than fanus.
9jJi*<pQo$*, «^9cf ©-, iricorruptvs, mean
properly impollutus, expers veneris ; and
they are ufed for impubis, becaufe chil-
dren are ufually impolluti. Tscudoe. or Ko%tu/
2$&(p6ei0eiv is Jiuprare. "A^fiofo^, itnpubes,
impollutus, incorruptus, imberbis; fay the
Lexica. Z^o^og -ar^, puer imberbis Diofc.

ii. C. I O2. Kctl TeToMot TlVtS Kj

KJ t£oo[AV}x,ovJxTct,i, cl ox

Et multifexus utriufque, et fexaginta etfe-

ptuaginta nati annos, qui a puer is difcipli-

nam Chrijli funt afleffiati, incorrupt} per-

manent. Juftin ApoL L 22. ed. Tib. atpQogot,

impolluti) expertes veneris, etiam kgitimce.

<%ui inviolati corporis virginitate perpetua

fruuntur, fays Minucius, c. xxxi.

Concerning fuch magical rites, fee
Broukhufius on Tibullus 1.11.45. and
Fabricius Bibl. Antiqu. p. 417. 419. and
Havercamp's Tertullian, ApoL 23. Si
pueros in eloquium oraculi elidunt. Junius

Z 3 thinks

on JLccltftaftical Hijiory-.

thj'nks that this relates to the facrificing
of children, which kind of divination was
called

AMONGST the Apoftolieal writers
feme have placed the author of the EPI-
STLE to DIOGNETUS, which has been
u ally afcribed to Jyftin Martyr : See
Fabric. Eibl Gr. v. 58. Tillemont (Hi/I.
Eccl. ii. p. 493.) fiift declared that he
was inclined for fome reafons, to think
it more ancient, and written before A.D.
70. He fays alfo that a learned man,
whom he names not, had been of that
opinion. The laft Editor of Juftin thinks
that they are miftaken, as to the antiqui-
ty of this Epiftle, and is in doubt whe-
ther it fhould be afcribed to Juftin, or no.
Prcef. p. Ixxiv. Baratier gives it to Cle-
mens Romanusy and Mr. Whifton to 77-
mothy. In this Epiftle there are many
allufions to the New Teftamer^ which
Mr. Whiftoa has marked in the margin
of his Tranflation, and there is nothing
faid concerning any miraculous powers

Remarks on Ecckfiaftical Hiflory . 343
and gifts amongft Chriftians. It is opus
eximium et prteftantiflimum, fays the Be-
nedidtin Editor, and Baratier and Mr.
Whifton are of the fame opinion. Dio-
gnetus, who is called K^'TW?, was, we
may fuppofe, if he really exifted, a man
of fome rank. His Honour wanted to
be informed of the nature of Chriftianity,
and why this new religion was not made
known fooner, and for what reafons the
Chriftians expofed themfelves to pedlcu-
tion and to death, negledting the things
of this world, and rejecting the religions
of the Greeks and of the Jews. To thefe
queries our Author replies in a Letter, in
which the truth of Chriftianity is, in a,
manner, taken for granted, and nothing
is urged that was proper to convince and
convert an unbeliever ; fo that Diogne-
tus, if he had been morofe and cenfori-
ous, would have concluded, that this wri-
ter had found a new religion, but had loft
fomething elfe. One would think that
the Apologift would have mentioned the
prophecies of the Old Teftament accom-
plifhed in Chrift, the miracles of Chriil

2 4

344 Rtmwk* cn Ecclefiaftical Hijiory,
and of his Apoftles, and other proofs of
the truth and importance of Chriftianity.
Not at all. He begins with fetting forth
the folly of worlhipping images., and
thinking them to be real Gods, and this
he gives as the reafon for which Chrifti-
ans rejected the religion of the Gentiles.

The Jews, fays he, though they wor-
fhip one God, yet offer him facrifices, as
if he flood in need of fuch gifts, and were
to be fed with the fteam of victims ; they
are alfo fuperftitiou.s obfervers of the dif-
ference between food clean and unclean,
of the fabbath, of circumcifion, fafts,
feafls, new moons, etc. Therefore we
Chriflians rejed the Jewifh religion.

What he fays on this head, is not only
too fevere upon the Jews, but incautious^
and injudicious, and, if it proved any
thing, would prove more than he intend-
ed, and was aware of, and bear hard up-
on the Mofaic Law. The fame defeft
may be obferved in fome arguments of
Arnobius upon the fame fubjeft.

Then

Remarks on Ecclejia/lical Hi/lory. 34 *
Then he proceeds to obferve that
Chriftians were examples of all that was
good, and patient under afflictions and ill
ufage ; that God fent his Son to fuffer for
men, to redeem, and to inftrudl them,
who, before he came, knew not God, and
who were grown very wicked -3 all which,
if intended as a fufficient proof of Chri-
ftianity, was little better than begging
the queftion.

He fpeaks of the Jews, as if at that
time they offered up facrifices, whence
fome learned men have concluded that
he wrote before the deftruftion of Jeru-
falem ; but the argument is fcarcely con-
clufive, efpecially, when we confider what
fort of a writer we have to do with. Sa-
crificia quidem, fays the Benedi&in, Ju-
dcei offerre defter unt poft urbis et templi ex-
cidia. Sed tamen cum author epiftoltf quid
inter/it Judteos inter et Cbrijiianos expo-
nat) non immerito in Judteis afpernatur
crucnta ilia animalium facrificia, qu<z et
Judaici cultuspars erantinfignisy etjibi per
erepta Judtei, fi minus ufu, faltcm

anime

346 Remarks on Ecclcfiaftical Hiflory.
animo et voluntate rctincbant. Pluribus
aliis contigit Judteos eodcm modo exagi-
tare. S. Phileas Martyr de Judteis Jic
loquitur -, Aft. Mart. p. 444. tc Solis Ju-
cc dais prteceptumfueratfacrificareDeofoli
<c in Jerofolyma. Nunc antem peccant Jtt-
<c dcei in locis aliisfolemniafua celebrantes^
etc. Praef. p. 75.

I cannot believe that this Epiftle was
written by Juftin Martyr ; for Juftin
would have managed the argument bet-
ter, an4 have omitted neither the pro-
phecies, nor the miracles. The Author
feems to have been fome Gentile convert-
ed to Chriftianity, who had perufed Ju-
itin's Cohortatio ad Graces.

Juftin begins it thus : 'A

w-wcvav

-jwy

Cohortationem apud vos, Gr&ci, injii

'Deum precor, ut mihi quidem apud vos, ul

par eft, dicere ecntingat \ vos autem pri-

5

Remarks mEcckfiafticalHijtory. 347
Jlinam perfinaciam relhquer.tcs, et a majo-
' rum difcedentes errore, qua utilia funt in
frafentia eligatis. This is an imitation
of the exordium in the oration of Demo-
flbenes for Ctefjphon : and as Juftin imi-
tates Demofthenes, fo the writer of the
Epiftle imitates Juilin — t/ty $ ©«*> ?*

«<*• CM/

0q>« W «. -'

quendi et audiendi nobh facultatem fuffe-
ditat, ut ab eo detur, nribi quidem, ,ta ver
bafacere ut in frimis contingat, te, pojt-
auamaudierh, meliorem evadere ; t( **,
ita audire, ut triJHtia non, effiaatur « yn
verbafecerit.

This is faid \vell enough :

amphora ccepit
Infitui; current e rota, cur urccm exit ?

The Epiftle has a few chafms but there
feems to be only a little of it that ,s loft,
^perhaps an Exercife, o, Declama-

Remarks on Ecclefaftical Hiftory.
tion, addreflfed to a great man, with whom
the author had no acquaintance ; as fome
modern Epiftles to the Pope, and to Lewis
the fourteenth, which were never pre-
fented.

A S I have had occafion to mention
Tillemont, and fhall probably often cite
him hereafter, I take this opportunity to
own my -obligations to him for his ufeful
and laborious collections. After this due
refpeft and acknowledgment, I hope it
will be permitted to make a few obfer-
vations which may do others fome good,
and can now do him no harm, nor de-
ftroy the peace which I believe he enjoys
in a better world.

His Hiftory of the Emperors is very
valuable ; but he has filled his other
books with an account of trifling, abfurd,
ridiculous miracles.

He never affirms fads without vouch-
ers, but he often makes ufe of bad ones
in his Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, and builds

upon

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. 349

tipon a fandy foundation, upon the tef-
timony of forgers, fanatics, and of inter-
efted perfons, who write in their own
behalf, and want to difcredit their adver-
faries.

He commonly proceeds upon a fuppo-
iltion that they who have obtained the
honour of Ecclefiaftical knighthood^ and
are called Saints* are all excellent men,
and entirely to be trufted, and that all
they who were, or were accounted hete-
rodox, are to be little regarded^ and held
in bad efteem.

He feems to have been a pious, hum-
ble, meek and mcdeft, as well as a very
learned and accurate man ; and yet he
cannot forbear infulting Proteftant writers
as heretics, even thofe to whom he and
the Chriftian world had great obligations,
as Ufher, Pearfon, etc. He takes all op-
portunities, and fometimes goes out of
his way to feek opportunities of inculca-
ting the horrible doftrine that the very
beft of Pagans, heretics, and fchifmatics
are condemned to fuffer eternal tortures.

Speaking

3 5^ Remarks on EccUJlafncal Hiftory.
Speaking of young Tiberius, who was
murdered by order of the Emperor Caius,
and compelled by the foldiers, as Philo
relates it, to thruft a fword into his own
body, he concludes the melancholy tale
with this reflexion, — Thus by bis own
hand he ended hh miferable life^ to begin
another the mifery of which will never end.
Hift. des Emp. i. p. 142. Obferve that
this unhappy youth was then but nine-
teen years of age, that he had been bred
up at court under Tiberius, in a fort of
genteel prifon, that probably he had ne-
ver heard Chriftianity even mentioned,
and that Hiftory relates no one bad thing
concerning him : So that the Pagan ig-
norance of this poor child was altogether
invincible, and might have been thought
fufficient to qualify him at leaft for Pur-
gatory.

Tantum relligio pctttit fitadere malorum}

It is remarkable that in the little edition
of Tillemont the paflage ftands thus —
he ended his miferable life, what follows
was added afterwards in the Quarto edit.

whence

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Biflory. 351
whence we may learn that the good man,
as he grew older, grew more uncharita-
ble in his religious notions. The apoph-
thegm of Horace is not always true,

Lenit albefcens animos capillus.

The hoary heads of fome perfons are like
mount ^Etna, where the fnow and the
fire dwell together in find: friendihip.

Sedy quamvis nimiofervens exuberet <$Jlu>
Scit nivibus fervare fidem —

Claudian Rapt. Prof. i. 165.

Thefe are fome of the dodrines which
have unhappily helped to propagate A-
theifm or Deifm, and have made many
a man fay to himfeif, If this be Chriftia-
nityy let my foul be with the pbilofophers.

The old Chriftians were more charita-
ble, and had nobler fentiments of the
Divine Benignity. Juftin Martyr, in his
Apology i. 46. fpeaks handfomely of So-
crates and of other worthy men in the
Pagan world, and reprefents them as a
fort of Chriftians, and doubtlefs enter-
tained

3 52 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory*.
tained favourable thoughts of their future
ftate. To

svoct t
cvja,

ctov cv

o* ttftitt cawj — w<rs o

Chriftum

primogenitum Dei efje ac Rationem illam^
cujus omne hominum genus particeps ejty
didicimus, et fupra declaravimus. Et qui
cum ratione vixerunt, Chrifliani funt, eti-
amji athei exiftimati fmt ; y#tf/<^ ^/>^^/
Grtecosfuere Socrates et Her adit us ,> iifque
fimiles — Similiter qui olim abfque ratione
vixen, improbi et Chrijlo inimici fuerey et
eorum qui cum ratione vivebant, homicide.
Qui vero cum ratione vixerunt et evievunty
Chriftiani funt \ atque impavidi atque in-
trepidi. Ed. Parif. 1742. Now turn to
the Preface, pag. xxxii. and fee the Be-
nediftin Editor, fighting for a Theologi-
cal Syftem which has nothing at all to

da

Remarks on Ecckfiajltcal Hi/lory. 353
do with an edition of Juftin, and taking
great pains to clear the good Father from
the fhameful imputation of fuppofing
that a virtuous Pagan might be faved, as
Well as a Monk. What will the Bene-
diftin fay for Clemens Alexandrinus ?
This learned and good-natured Father
was of opinion that Chrift and his Apo-
ftles preached the Gofpel in Hades to the
dead, and that the fouls which repented
and believed were received to favour :

®eS> el$ ofJns-gotyZw ayxrat, ^ rr)/

TCWTCL xavaftUTtgW Siogav

fays Ariftotle. In Xenophon. Occon. terra
i. e. emendatur. See A. Gellius vi. 14.

/lo-/?t xo-

/o^. Clemens iS/r<wz. vii. p. 895. Origcn
was of the fame opinion, and perhaps carried it
fopiewhat farther.

A a

354 Remark on Ecclefiaflical WJlorf.

(tttriv cJ3rwfco/Ki£)» $4& w pttffcsh EH I HP O-
r © E E 0 A I $*jfci'0 . &/»/' £;wV» falutaresy
et qua erudiunt, Dei caftigationes, addu-
cent es ad coKverJzonem, et potius fceniten*
tiam peccatoris eligentes quam mortem :
idquepracipue cumpoffint amniczpuriusper-
jpicere^ quce funt liberte a corporibusy eti-
amji obfcurentur perturb ationibus^ eo quod
nonfe amplius eis opponat. et impediat ca^
runcula.

I think it fliould be, —

/M, obnubilari, from ffhivy^&^u. For
the corrections of God are falutary\ and in*
jlruffive, leading to amendment , and pre-
ferring the repentance to the death of a
Jinner ; and fouls in their feparate jlate^
though obumbrated 'with perturbations, yet
have a clearer difcernment^ than they had
ivhilft they were in the body^ as they are
no longer clouded and encumbered 'with the
fefh. Strom, vi. p. 764. See alfo p. 794.
and the notes.

Remark on Ecclefiaflical Hi/lory. 355

IN the EPISTLES of IGNATIUS there
is a harfhnefs of ftyle, but a lively fpirit,
and a noble enthufiafm, efpecially in that
to the Romans.

He tells the Ephefians that he had a
defign to write them another letter, and
to inftrudl them in fome points, pdhtra,
tdiv o Kv{/o$ poi 2*7n>ttaAJ4>{f, efpeaally if the
"Lord Jhould reveal any thing to me.
Whence it feems not improbable that he
had been favoured with fome revelati-
ons. XX.1

The fame inference may be made
from thefe words to the Philadelph. vii.
When I exhorted you to adhere to your Bi-
Jhop, Prejbyters, and Deacons, fome of you
fufpeffed that I had been informed of
diflentions amongft you, pdflvs Si poi cv $
crt "&TTO QAQMC civQgaTrtvqt; cm lyvW
cwnfwxrtv fayw rdfo X^^/V T£
&v -STOATS. Teftis autem mi hi
is eft, in quo vinffus fum, quod a earns
faimana non co'gnoverim ; fed Spiritus an-
A a 2 nunciavity

356 Remarks on Ecckfafttcal Hijlorf.
nuncicrvit) dicens ifta ; Sim Epifcopo nlhil
facite.

Ad Rom. vii.

o tuog \uq tcwa cne

cv gjwoi, 'ZtTt'^ ^;Aol/Aci/* vocag 5 £avy Xj hcthxv cv
ep?), ecr^yfisv [tot hiyov, $evgo -zjrfcY rov walt^.
Vivens enim fcribo vobis, amore captus mori-
endi. Mem amor crucifixus eft; et non ejt
in me ignis amans materice. Sedaqua <ui-
vens et loquens in me, intus mihi dicit ;
V'eni ad Patrem.

There is in this fomething very fub-
lime and pathetic. The expreffion v$u$
AaAoiJv, refembles the locales undce which
infpired the Poets and Prophets. Statius
Silv. i. ii. 6.

Et de Pieriis vocakm fontibus undam.

Ari Oracle of Apollo Delphicus given
to Julian, and preferved by Cedrenus :

Ot

VC&(3.

Dicite

Remarks on Ecckfiaftical Hi/lory.
Dicite regi, humi cecidit elegans aula.
Non amplius Phcebus habet cafam, non <ua-

ticinatricem laurumy
Non fontem hquentem, extintta eji etlani

garrula aqua,

In thefe verfes, which, to do them juftice,
are elegant, Apollo, to raife Julian's
Compaffion, deplores the filence of his
Oracles and of the fpeaking ft reams. In
the firft line read

Anacreon, xiii.

ActXov

Nee non aquam bibentes
Apollinh loquacem
Ripis Clarij furore
Atti fubinde clamant.

Veins Interpres (fays Cotelerius) Et non
eft in me ignis amans aliquam aquam :
fed vivens et loquens eft in me. Hoc eft
Grace ; Kcu cm sVw cv ejttoi TZTU^ QiXxv TI
iSap %uv 5 ^ AaA2i>, ant A^A^^ov c* epos'.
Jii fnterpolata, KOI cw wv c» ipt
A a 3

3 r 8 Remarks on JLcclefiaJlical Hi/lory,
fav Tf vS&ji 3 £^> aAAo'^cy cti tpoL Et
lion eft in me ignis qui aliquid amet : fed
aqua viva, intra me faliens. Ex antique
Interprete ; Et non eft in me, aqua au-
tem alia viva manet in me. Legebat quippe
aft* et ftyet, loco dfooftyov : et omifit qua
-non intelligebat. Apud Metaphraftem^
quern feqmmtur Greed in Mentzo 5 OJ« I"
ftv cv gjito; •2tTL»j (piXovhoV vdug ^ paXXov ffiv
^ Xafavv cv spot. Et non eft in me ignis
amans materiae : aqua vero potius vivens
et loquens in me. Perplaceret mihi ;
cv ifAQi vrvg ^AcuAci^' v$ug jj
cv spot. Nam (pthovXcy
Jolianus Ignatii interpolati codex retinuit*
dxhoffyov autem confirmatur per illud Jo-
hanmsiv. 14. -& JJ^g p ($ci<r
cv dunS TffqyY] voa]o$ aXXoftyjcu etg
IHOV. Aqua quam ego dabo ei, fiet in eo
fons aquae falientis in vitam seternam.
Grteci conjunttim ; QVK l%t
fyv cv <roi> 'lyvdnz* ZSag 3 £av paXhov
, Sevgo ivfiOG TIV 'Rrdjiyt* vo&g TO
ov, TO CK ^6)%$ &$ fylw pt]o%t}tvov y

Lc

Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hi/lory. 359
Le Clerc fays, Eft in Exemplar i Grte-

co, 2sru£ <p;Ao''J'A0i/. Ignis materialis ej1 <p;Ao-
t/Aof, amans material -, qua nempe alitur.
Sed fpiritualis ignis, quo urebatur Igna-.
tius, materiae, hoc eft, rerum corporearurn>
amans non erat. Quod ejl nonnihil coa^
(turn, lit et fequentia de aqua in eo lo-
quente. Sed fanffii <uiri fermo refertus eft
ejufmodi violentis adlufionibus.

The A^Aouv u^ muft not be altered :
it is fufficiently confirmed by the citati-
ons of Cotelerius in this very note where
he is inclined to rejed: it ; and it is more
elegant and proper than Le Clerc ima-
gined.

Ignatius, who was a Syrian, and Bi-
fhop of Antioch, was well acquainted
with the Oracle of Apollo Dapbneus, and
with the Caftalian fountain, which were
at his door, and which are frequently
mentioned by Ecclefiaftical Writers. So-
zomen in his defcription of Daphne fays,

, <£ vew [Myatotyvag 75

ffi o ®
A a 4

360 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hijtory.

cv

T? K, wQQ(rviyo(>,ot,g
enim illic Apollinis Daphn<%i pulcherrimiint
fimulacrum et templum magnifice atque
ambitiofe conftruffum. — Credebatur etiam
ab illh qui ifta colunt et predicant ^ aquam
illic divinatricem finer e ex fonte Caflalio^
qui idem nomen eandemque efficaciam babe*
quam ilk Delphi cus. v. 19.

Ignatius therefore oppofes to thejpeak-
ing prophetic waters of the Pagans, the
living 'waters mentioned by our Lord in
John iv. 14. which fpeak better and no-
bler things than the fabulous and poetic
fountains. The Interpolator, who could
jiot put himfelf in the place of Ignatius,
and had not the fame thoughts and
images which arofe in the mind of the
Martyr, flung away u7^ haxSv, thejpeak*-
ing water, which he underftood not, and
for which he had no tafte, and put in
v$u(> dxhopSpov to make it a clofer copy
from St. John,

In

Remarks on Ecclefiaflical Hijlory. 361

In the Interpolated Epiftle wcff QiXSvTi
is abfurd ; but <p*AcuA0v -&v% makes good
fenfe. He who in this paffage, which
we have been examining, can prefer the
larger to the Jhorter Epiftle, muft be a
critic, who, of different expreffions, likes
the worft the beft, and fhould be fed
with chaff.

They who contend for the larger Epi-
ftles would do well to weigh one thing,
which they never feem to think of,
namely, that, whilft they want to fup-
port I know not what, they are hurting
the reputation of an Apoftolical Father,
whom they have in great efteem \ for if
the paffages which I have already point-
ed out, and thofe which others have cen-
fured, could be ftiewed to be genuine,
Ignatius would be much lefs valued, than
he is, by men of fenfe and judgment.
But though the fhorter Epiftles are on
many accounts preferable to the larger,
yet I will not affirm that they have un-
jlergone no alteration at all.

IGNA-

362 Remarks on Ecclejiaftical Hi/lory.

I G NAT i u s fuffered under Trajan
about the beginning of the fecond cen^
tury. Here was a good man put to
death by a good emperor -y but the Pa-
gans then began to perceive that Chrifti-
anity, if it prevailed, would prove the
ruin of their religion, and fome of them
probably perfuaded Trajan to aft contrary
to his difpofition, which was mild and
placable. Pliny, in his Epiftle to that
Emperor, fays that in his province the
tenjples had been in a manner deferted,
facrificing left off, and the worfhip of
the Gods neglected. Trajan forbad the
Chriftians to be fought after, and yet or-
dered them to be punifhed if convidted.
O fententiam necejfitate confufam! negat
inquirendos, ut innocent es ; et mandat pu-
niendos, ut nocentes. — Quid temet ipfum
cenfurd circumvents ? Si damnas, cur non
inqtiiris ? ji non inquiris, cur non et abfol-
vis ? Thus Tertullian, in his Apologetic,
inveighs, ingenioufly enough, againft the
inconfiflency and abfurdity of this fen-
tence, and has had the good fortune to

engage

Remarks on Ecchjiaftical Hi ft or y. 363
engage moft of his readers in the fame
way of thinking; and yet, after all, the
Emperor's decree was not quite fo ab-
furd as Tertullian imagined. Trajan had
no hatred towards the men, and pitied
their cafe, but difliked the religion for the
reafon above mentioned ; therefore he
was willing to treat the Chriftians gently,
but would neither repeal the laws to
which they were obnoxious, nor give
them leave to exercife their religion
freely.

. Ignatius exprefled an earned defire to
fuffer for the fake of Chrift, and a great
joy at the expectation of it ; but it ap-
pears not that he rafhly fought or pro-
voked danger. To him might be a ap-
plied thefe lines of Lucan, which fuit
him as if they were made for him :

Project vitam, comites, totufque future
Mortis agorjlimutis. — Agnofcere folis
Pcrmiffum eft> quosjam tangit wciniafati,

'LeClerc, Hift. Eccl. p.

' ViSu-

3 64 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiflory.

Vifturofque Dei celant^ lit vivere dureni-^
x ejje mori,

He fpeaks of himfelf with modefty
and humility ; he exhorts the Chriftians
to live peaceably together, and to pay a
high regard to their bifhops and paftors,
and has gone too far in his expreffions ;
but it is fomething of an excufe for him
that the ftate of the times led him to it.
It was to be feared left the heretics, who
in thofe days were vile perfons, fhould
feduce the unwary ; and mutual quarrels
might have proved fatal to the common
caufe. A houfe ill cemented, and beat-
en with thp ftorms of perfecution, couUt
not have $ood.

In his Epiftle to the Romans he defires
them not to interpofe, and by any ways
endeavour to preferve him from martyr-
dom, and he fays that the wild hearts had
feared and refufed to touch fome b who

b I know not whether Ignatius had in view any
Chriftian Martyrs, or Daniel who was caft into the
den of lions.

had

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi ' fiery. 365-
had been thrown to them, which he
hoped would not happen to him. * FS^'-

£>uas et blanditm • denude ebo, ut citius we
devorent j non ut quofdam veritcz non atti-
gerunt. v. So afterwards, when Blan-
dina was expofed, none of the hearts
would kill her, fays Eufebius, who took
it from an authentic hiflory of the mar-
tyrs of Lions in Gaul. v. i. In Diocle-
tian's perfecution, Eufebius was eye-wit-
nefs to fuch a thing ; and fomewhat of
this kind is related in the Acts of Perpe-
tua. This forbearance of the beads,
though it did not fave the lives of the

c In Ignatius and Eufebius it is Y^OC^Q. Stephanas
reads ?v]/olo, which probahly is right, becaufe —
^n 9-eAy follows. But, as to the rule in our Gram-
mars, Neutra pluralia gandcnt vcrbo ftngnlariy there
are abundance of exceptions to it, particularly in the
Scriptures. See in the LXX, Genef. xlviii. 6. Ifai.
Ixiv. 3. Zach. xiii. 7. and Matth. vi. ?.6. x. 21.
Marc. v. 13. xiii. 12. Luc. xxiv. n. Joh. x. 8.
Revel, xxi. 4. Homer. II. T. 29.

— py TO* TOWTCK, (&$# QfttTl ffffffl MgAj'vlwV.

4. martyrs

3 6 6 Remarks on Ecclefiafitcal Hiflorf.

martyrs, yet it animated .and comforted
the diftreffed Chriftians ; it reproved the
Pagans for their worfe e than brutifh cru-
elty, and it might poffibly be the happy
occafion of converting fome, who might
be inclined to fay at fuch a fight,

— non hacjine numine Divum
Eveniunt.

If the lions had been let loofe upon Ig-»
natius in the amphitheatre, and had re*
tired and left him unhurt, or fawned up-
on him, the fpedators might poffibly
have been moved of themfelves, or in-
cited by his friends, who were prefent,
to beg the life, or at leaft the reprieve,
of a venerable old man, whom the very
brutes had fpared, and who feemed pro-
tected by heaven ; and fuch kind of fa-
vours were feldom refufed to thofe aflem-
blies. Thus Androcles was faved by the
good offices of his old and grateful friend,
the lion, and had his life, and liberty,
and the lion, given to him, at the requelt
of the people. A. Gellius v. 14. Populi

e Mlilus invent, quam te, genus cmneferarum.

Remarks on Ecckfiaftical Hi /lory. 367

?# arena prtzcipuum jusy fays Lipfius, et
ad ejus voluntatem domini plerumque fc
conformabant. Saturn, ii. 22. The Em-
peror, it will be faid, had condemned
him to the lions. But what then ? if the
lions would not kill him, the Magiflrate
might, without offence, if he had been
fo difpofed, have refpited the Martyr's
death, till the Emperor's farther pleafure
fliould be known.

It muft be confefied after all, that fuch
wonders are fomewhat ambiguous, be-
caufe wild beafts are not always in a fight-
ing humour, and might be terrified by
the ftrangenefs of the place and noife of
the populace, and therefore we find that
they fometimes ufed fire, and whips, and
other methods to irritate them ; but even
thefe methods were tried in vain, fays Eu-
febius, fpeaking of what happened, to his
own knowledge.

Jofephus relates that one of the Ptole-
my's expofed the Jews of ^Egypt (in the
Hippodrome) to be killed by his ele-
phants, whom he had intoxicated with

wine

368 Remarks on TLcclefiaftical Uijtoryl

wine, to make them more furious ; but
beafts, inftead of affaulting the poorjews^
turned upon the fpedtators and deftroyed
many of them. This, and fome terrible ap-
pearance, fo frightened the king, that he
acknowledged the Divine interpofition,
and fet them free, and conferred many fa-
vours on them. Jofephus adds, that the
Jews of Alexandria kept a day in comme^
inoration of this deliverance. Contr. Apion*
ii. 5. See alfo Maccab.m. 3, 4, 5. and Pri-
deaux, Conneff. ii. p. 86. Fol. Ed. f

It was not neceflary that the Chriffians
fliould be miraculoufly faved \ the fa-
vours promifed to them by their Mafter
were of another kind : Jefus Chrift would
not fave himfelf from crucifixion3 but he
ftruck thofe to the ground who came to
feize him, and the troubled elements bare
witnefs to his dignity and to his inno-
cence. St. Stephen's martyrdom was
alfo attended with miraculous circum-
flances. It is therefore no infuperable ob-

f To this it will perhaps be faid, that it is no mar-
vel if a drunken leaft turned upon his driver.

jedlion

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hijlory. 369
jeftion to any wonders which are related
to have accompanied the death of the
martyrs, that they did not preferve the
fufferers. If indeed they are not well
attefted, or if they appear to have been
of the trifling ufelefs kind, and void of
all moral import; if milk inftead of blood
flowed from their wounds, and fweet o-
dours ifliied from the faggots, and pi-*
geons flew out of their mouths, the cafe
is altered, and there is fome realbn to
doubt of fuch miracles. So again ; if a
Monk fmelt like a civet-cat when he was
dead, who fmelt like a pole-cat when he
was alive, this can hardly pals for a proper
and fufficient proof of his fandtity.

The repeated with of Ignatius was,
that he might be torn to pieces and eaten
up, that, as he fays, he might give no
one the trouble of paying him fu:
rites.

Votafuos habuere decs —

His wifh was accomplished, and of his
body very little was left undevoured.

B b The

37° Remarks on Ecclefiajtical

The account of his martyrdom, in tfef
Patres Apoftolici vol. ii. p. 157. has the
appearance of being genuine, except the
laft fediion, which contains the dreams of
his friends, and which might poffibly be
added by another hand. See Le Clerc.

They who rejeft all the Epiftles of Ig-
natius as fpurious, rejedl alfo the account
of his martyrdom. It is inconceivable,
fay they, that Trajan fhould have fent an
old man, by land, at a great expenfe, at-
tended with foldiers, from Syria to Rome,-
inftead of cafting him to the lions at An-
tioch : it is alfo improbable that when he
was thus guarded and conducted, he
fhould have been permitted to converfe
With the Chriflians, and to give them in-
ftruflions, and to write Epiftles, in the1
feveral cities through which he paffed.-
The anfwer is obvious:

Trajan fent him by land, on purpofe^
to fhew him about, and to make an ex-
ample of him as of a ring-leader of the
fed;, q^ify}Sw$»9 a°d to deter the
Chriftians from preaching and fpreading

their

Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory. 3 7 r
their religion ; and for the fame reafon
he fent him to be executed at Rome,
where there were many Chriftians, and
which, as it was the capital of the
world, fo was it the head quarters of
all forts of religions. Repreja in pr<z-
fens exitiabilis fuperftitio rurfus erum-
pebat, non modo per Judczam, origincin
ejus mall^ fed per Urbem etiam, quo cunfta
undique ntrocia aut pudenda confluunt, ce-
iebranturque. Tacitus Ann. xv. 44. Dio-
nyfius HalicarnafTenfis obferves that tho*
there were fix hundred nations, which^
in a manner, had taken up their abode
at Rome, each of which had its own fa-
creel rites, yet no foreign religion had
been publicly received by the Romans,
or at leaft not till they had purged and
corrected it, and rendered it conformable
to their own*

In the "time of Trajan, Chriftianity
had made fuch a progrefs, that the Ro-
mans were jealous, and uneafv at it.

The foldiers who had the cuftody of

Ignatius, made a confiderable advantage

B b a of

372 Remarks on Eeckjiaftical Hiftorf.
of him, and, as we obferved before^
took money of the Chrifiians for th&
fmall indulgence which they fhewed
to their prilbner, and would have been
glad that he had written a hundred Epi-
files, if they could have obtained a
prefent for each.

TRAJAN had many excellent quali-
ties, and Pope a Gregory is faid to havd
prayed his foul out of hell, though Til-
lemont feems to give no credit to the
ftory, fince he paffes it by in filence, and
pronounces a fentence of b reprobation up-
on the Emperor. Amongft other com-
mendable things which Trajan did, he
relaxed the tribute called Vicefima* fo as
to make it lefs burdenfome.

a Bayle'sDia. TRAJAN.

b Ses cendres furent receus a Rome en triomphe,
dans un char fur kquel on avoit mis fon image : et
Ton a encore des marques de ce triomphe, fi lugubre
pour tout ie monde, et furtout pour celui qu'onvou-
loit relever par ces honneurs imaginaires, et que le
vray Dieu puniiToit dans les enfers — &c. Htftt des
Emj). tern. ii. p. 205*

Dio

Remarks on Ecckfia/iical Hi/lory. 373
Dio Cafilus fays that Auguftus efta-
blifhed a treafury for the payment of the
army, and upon a deficiency, many ways
being propofed by the Senators, and all
of them rejeded, he fixed upon this ex-
pedient, which feems to have been of
his own contriving, though he fathered
it upon Julius Caefar, that a Twentieth
fhould be paid into the treafury of all in-
heritances, and legacies bequeathed by
will, from which however he exempted
thofe who were near of kin -, he alfo
excepted thofe who were poor, by which
I fuppofe was meant that when the in-
heritance was fmall and under a certain
value, and the inheritor alfo was poor,
nothing was demanded. See Dio, L. Iv,
p. 566.

Auguftus contributed largely to this
fund out of his own income, and as he
had many legacies left him, he muft
have often paid his Twentieth. Howe-
ver the Romans, as Dio tells us after-
wards, were exceffively uneafy at this
tax, till Auguftus by convincing tht

B b 3 that

374 Remarks on Ecclejlajlical Hi/lory.

that a better could not be contrived, and
by putting them in fear of fomething
worfe, perfuaded them to be quiet. L,
Ivi. p. 588.

Thus it continued, and the younger
Pliny, a very competent judge, and a ve-
ry honeft man, mentions it, not without
approbation, as one of thofe neceffary
evils, which was the leaft oppreffive.
fbe twentieth, fays he, is a tap tolerable,
enough , and eafy to the inheritor, if be is
not related to the deceafed, but very hard,
if be is near of kin : and he commends
Nerva and Trajan for mitigating this law
in favour of new made citizens, who, it
feems, had been obliged to pay theTweh-?
tieth, howfoever related to the teftator,
as alfo for moderating it , in fome other
inftances which deferve to be perufed,
Paneg. ch. 37. etc.

When a perfon died inteftate, it is to
be fuppofed that the heir at law was fub~
jed: to the fame tax, if he came not with-
in the degrees of relation which were ex-r

ernpted.

This

Remarks on EC cleft aflical Hijtory.

This tribute muil have amounted to a
prodigious fum ; for the Roman empire
was of a vaft extent, the nobility and
gentry were very rich, and often had no
children to inherit their fortunes, and
the arts of flattering the rich by thofe
who were called Heredipetcz, legacy-hunt-
ers, were much praftifed at Rome, ib
that many legacies were continually left
to friends, to companions in iniquity, to
freed-men and parafites : and this, by the
way, fuggefts one reafon, not obferved
by Dio, why much clamour was made

at Rome againft the tax.
•j j Q r {y/

What made the taxes in general heavy
to the Romans, and to the nations which
were in fubjeftion to them, was that
they were farmed and collected by the
Publicans, a fort of {harpers, who were
troublefome every where, efpecially in
the remoter provinces, fo that the Go-
vernment was forced from time to time
to pare their nails, and to browbeat
them, and to make laws, in fome of

B b 4 which

376 Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hi/lory.

which they are fet out in forry colours,
SeeJD/g"g/?. L. xxxix. 2?/. iv. 12.

Whether this method deferves any no-
tice and confideration, is fubmitted to
thofe whom it concerns,

THE READER will perceive, without
being told it in form, that he has here
only part of a work. The reft may
poffibly make its appearance fome day$
but what is now publifhed is fo far at
leaft complete, as to have little depend-
ance upon any thing that may follow.

AP-

t 377)

APPENDIX.

I REFERRED the Reader, p. 118. to the
vifions of Rice Evans, as containing
fome things not unworthy of notice. Mr.
Warburton has given me the following
remarks on the man, and on his predicti-
ons ; and the a Bifhop of Bangor, and he,
have been willing to appear as my friends,
and, my coadjutors in this work.

a Whofe DifTertation on the deflruclion of Jeru-
falem is inferted above, p. 21 — 33.

IS If

378 APPENDIX.

Jsir et hoc nojlriperfeculafcedus amoris,

Dofforumque inter nomina nomen ero :
Forfan et extinct urn nonfpernetP atria duki$>

Forfitan et dicet, *fu quoque nojler eras.
rfalibus inferiis placabilis Umbra quiefcety

Lenibunt Manes talia dona meos.
Inter ea Labor ipfe levatfaftidia *vitce :

flLterno reSlumfub Duce pergat iter !
Scriptore$fan£li,fahetey et cana Vetujlas ;

Salve, Mufay nimis blanda tenaxque comes:
tfu puero teneris penitus dileffafub (innh -

tfune etiam emerito curafutura viro ?
Ne tamen (jeternum^ m&fta atq. irata, recede (?

Sed raro^fedvixfiepe rogata> <veni.
y For tuna, tun nonfunt obnoxia regm's,

Livor in hcec pot erit juris habere nihil,

!'YOU

APPENDIX.

379

" Y O U defired to have a more parti-
" cular account of a certain prophecy of
" one Rice Evam^ -which you have heard
c fome of your friends fpeak of in terms
" of aftonifhment ; as I have his Book,
fc which is fcarce, I am able to give
?c you that fatisfadtion. But it may
" not be amifs fir ft to let you into the
cc character of the Prophet. Rice Evans
c< lived and flourished in the laft century,
" during the time of our civil confufions,
<c He was a warm Welfhman, and not
<c difpofed to be an idle fpedtator in fo
fc bufy a fcene. So he left his native
*c country for London ; and finding on
<c his arrival there, that Infpiration was all
* c running one way, he projected to make
<c adiverfion of it from the Round-heads
<c to the Cavaliers, and fet up for a Pro-
<c phet of the Royalifts. He did and faid
*' many extraordinary things to the Gran-
*c dees of both parties : and it muft be
^ owned, he had a fpice of what we fcl-
^c dom find wanting in the ingredients of a
fc Aiodern Prophet, I mean Pnvarica-

tc tion.

380 APPENDIX.

tion. Of this he has himfelf given us a
notable example in the 42* page of his
" Trail, called An Eccho from Heaven,
cc &c. which, becaufe it contains an un-
common fetch of wit, I {hall tranfcribe.
*fhere are two confej]ions, fays he, fub-
fcribed by my hand in the city of London,
which if not now, in after-ages will be
conjidered. T'he one was made at the
Spittle, and fubfcribed with the right
hand, in the aforefaid ve/lry, before Sir
" Walter Earl ; and that is a confejfion
<c made by the inner man, or new man. T'he
<c other confejjion is a confejfion of the flefh,
cc called the outward man,, or old man> and
<c the confejjion I made before Green [the Re^
<c corder'] and fubfcribed with the left hand,
<c as the difference in the writ ing , being
<c compared \ will make it appear. I know
cc the Bench and the people thought I re-
cc canted^ but, alas ! they were deceived.

<c Well, but this very man has in the
<c 77 and 78 pages of this Eccho, printed
cc for the Author in- 12° and fold at his
y houfe in Long Alley in Black Friers,

cc

'APPENDIX. 381

. fecond Edition, with additions,
<c a Prophecy which aftonifhes all who
cc carefully confider it. It is in theie
cc words.

cc A Vifion that I had prefently after
" the King's death.

I thought that I was in a great Ha!ly
<c like the Jkire-hall, in the CajHe in Win-
" chefter, and there 'was none there but a
tc Judge that fat upon the Bench, and my-

" felf* an^ as I iurne^ to a window
<c north-iveftivardy and looking into the
" palm of my hand, there appeared to ?nc
" a face, head Andftoulders, like the Lord
" Fairfaxes, and prefently it vanijhcd
<c again-, then arofe the Lord Cromwcl,
<c and he vanifhed likewife ; then arofe a
cc young face, and he had a crown upon
" his head, and he vanified alfo ; and an-
€C other young face arofe with a crown on
" his head, and he vanificd alfo j and an-
<c other young face arofe with a crown up-
cc on his head, and he vanified alfo ; and
cc another young face arofe with a c,-
*c upon his head and vanijhed in like

[ man-

382 APPENDIX.

*c manner : And as I turned the palm of my
<ir hand back again to me, and looked, there
*c did appear no more in it. Then Iturn-
*c ed to the Judge, and f aid to him, There
*c arofe in my hand f even, and five of them
ic had crowns ; but when I turned my hand^
<c the blood turned to its 'veins, and there
*c appeared no more : fo I awoke.

cc The interpretation cf this Vifim isy
«c that after the Lord Cromwell there foall
*c be Kings agdin in England, which thing
" i* J*gnified unt° us fy thofe that arofe
<c after him, who were all crowned, but the
<c generations to come may look for a
6C change of the blood, and cf the name i?i
*c the royal feat after fiveKings reigne once
« paffed. 2 Kings x. 30.

cc [The words referred to in this text
cc are thefe , And the Lordfaid unto Je-
hu > becaufe thou haft done well^ &c. thy
Children of the fourth Generation foall
Jit on the throne of IfraelJ]

<c The reftoration of the Monarchy is
cc here plainly predicted ; together with
u.the crown's pafling from the houfe of

<c Stewart

'APPENDIX.

*< Stewart into another family. But the
u Prophet at firft fight appears to be
cf doubtful about the number of reigns
" before that event. He reckons up in his
" hand only four fucceffions to the Mo- •
" narchy, yet in his fpeech to the Judge
" he calls them fiue : in his interpreta-
" tion he fays the change fhall be after
" the reign of jive Kings • and yet refer-
*c ring, in conclufion, to a text in the
" fecond book of Kings, we are brought
u back again to the number four. But
" it is this very circumftance which
cc makes the prodigious part of this af-
cc fair. A good guefler (who, an anci-
" ent Writer fays, is the befi prophet)
". might reafonably conjecture the Mo-
<c narchy, after the fubverter of it,Crom-
" well, was 'taken off, would be reftor-
<d ed 5 and, if it continued in the fame
<c family for four or Jive generations, that
" was as much as, in the ceafelefs revo-
cc lutions of human affairs, could be ex-
" pefted. But we fhall find there was
" fomething more in this matter. The
" Succeffion of the Houfe of Stewart,

cc during

APPENDIX.

" during the courfe of thefe four
cc rations, was difturbed, and that cir-
" cumftance our Prophet has diftinftly
Cc marked out. The four crowned heads
cc he faw in his hand denote Charles the
" IId, James IId, Queen Mary, and Queen
Anne. They are afterwards called
Jive : and fo they were ; for King Wil-
liam IIId ihared the fovereignty with
Queen Mary, and reigned alone after
<c her. But he being of another family^
<c when the fuccejjion in the houfe of
*c Stewart is reckoned up, he could not
cc be numbered : fo they mufl be there
Cc called four. When the Prophet rec-
" kons the reignsy King William comes
<c in, and then they are called Jive. The
' " key to this explanation is the text he
<c concludes with — Ufa children of the
<c FOURTH generation fiall fit on the
<c throne*

cc A great and extraordinary Genius
<c lately deceafed, ftruck with this won-
<c derful coincidence, hath written with
" his own hand in the margin of the

<c

APPENDIX. 385

: page, thefe words, A manifcjl Prophe-
tc cy> You know who I mean. But
" every one muft judge for himfelf, un-
cc lefs (which I had rather) you would

give us your own fentiments upon

it.

:
"

<c But now my hand is in, as yoii
" have had one of his 'vifwns, you (hall
" have a dream too, as he tells it in the
cc 1 2th page of the firft, and the 8th page
<c of his fecond edition* — My heart was
lc for London, and as one Mr. Oliver Tho~
" mas preached, Cant. ii. 10. Arife up, my
" love, my fair one, and come away, m
ic heart was allured with it, that I thought
" it was a hajtening of me to London -, and
<c at that time in a dream methougbt I was
cc on Iflington-hill by the water-houfe, and
*c London appeared before me as if it had
<c been burnt with fire, and there remained
*' nothing of it but a few jlone walls : but
" I made nothing of this dream.

" Whofoever reflects upon what we
" are told by Burnet in the ttijlory of Us
" own times, vol. i. p. 23 1 . of the condition

C c

386 APPENDIX.

" in which the works were put at the
*' Water-boufe at IJlington, when the fire
*{ of London happened, cannot but think
fe Evans' making this the fcene of his
?< dream a very unaccountable circum-
" fiance. His telling us that be made no-
" thing of this dream adds to the credit of
" h]s relation."

IT is obfervable that in the firft edition
printed in the year 1652, Evans reckons
up^w, not four young faces in his hand,
and he concludes only thus:

4 • '>n.lil!f^)B"tQ 8BV/

All that I apprehend by this vifion is, that
after the Lord Cromwell we jhall have a
king again in England.

My thoughts are the fame with Mr.
Warburton's, that the vifions of Evans
are a curiofity deferving to be known, but
pot a foundation to build any thing upon.
If there be in them any forgery, which
the difference between the firft and fecond
once inclined me to fufped, they

who

APPENDIX. 387
who can detect it will oblige us and many
others by the difcovery.

Evans fays, p. 16. of Edit. 1652.---
being perfectly awake — a 'voice — faid to
me, Go to thy book, 'whereupon — Ifud-
denly fiarted up and to the table I went,
'where my Bible lay of en, immediately faf-
tening "my eyes upon Ephef. v. 14. being
thefe words, Wherefore he faith, Awake
thou that Jleepejt, and arifefrom the dcad>
and Chrift Jhall give thee light, etc. The
fame thing he did at other times. Evans,
who was illiterate, little thought that he
was praftifing a kind of divination in great
requeft arnongft the Pagans, and the an-
cient Jews and Chriftians, who had re-*
courfe to their Sortes Homer ic&, Fir gi lia-
na, Evangelic*?, and Biblica, The fame
caufes produce the fame effects, and no-r
thing is more like one Enthufiaft, Myftic,
Cabbalift, or Qaietift, than another.

rioir

AD-

ADDENDA.

Pag. 205. 1. ult. into Mgypt. Add : Af-
terwards the Lordfaid to Mofes in Midian,
Go, return into JEgypt : for all the meit
are dead 'which fought thy life, Exod. iv.
19. So the Angel of the Lord faid to Jo-
feph, in almoft the fame words, Arife and
take the young child, and go into the land of
Jfrael; for they are dead which fought the
young child's life, Mat. ii. 20. pointing
him out, as it were, for that Prophet who
fliould arife like unto Mofes.

F i N I a.