XXI.

CHAP. Origen was brought up under Christian parents; but I had almost said, that that great man merited such a reproach on account of the extravagant respect, which he paid to the enemies of Christianity. Porphyry allows him to have been a great proficient in philosophy; and says,-that he was very conversant with Plato, Longinus, and the works of the Pythagoreans and Stoics;-and, that he learnt from these the allegorical method of explaining the Greek mysteries, and by forced interpretations, inconsistent in themselves, and unsuitable to those writings, applied it to the Jewish Scriptures.

FAS EST ET AB HOSTE DOCERI.-The fanciful mode of Origen in interpreting Scripture is here justly condemned by Porphyry: or, which is the same thing, -the Ammonian scheme is allowed by him to be unsuitable to those writings. Origen did much mischief by making such attempts: Let the word of God stand simple and alone; and let philosophers be left to their own inventions:-The enmity of Porphyry was not abated by the complaisance of philosophizing Christians; nor did their concessions make any converts to evangelical truth.

His captious reasonings against the book of Daniel show him to be a bitter, but ineffectual adversary to Christianity: The consideration of these, however, fall not within our design.-The same may be said of various cavils which he made to many passages in the Gospel :--We have seen a sufficient specimen of the same spirit in Celsus.

Ingenuity and malevolence, when united, seldom fail in forming plausible objections, wherever opportunities offer. The censure which St. Paul, in the Epistle to the Galatians, has left upon St. Peter, engaged the attention of Porphyry, and induced him, from an occasional difference between the Apostles, to form an argument against the whole of their religion. I have, already, in the former part of this volume, stated my deliberate judgment on this sub• Lardner's Collections, Chap. xxxvii.

*

ject; and, I may here add,-that the very clear CENT. testimony which St. Peter, toward the conclusion of his second epistle, gives to the inspired character of St. Paul, at the same time that it demonstrates the harmony of the Apostles, remains one of the fairest monuments of St. Peter's humility and candour.→ On examination, then, it appears, that these attacks of enemies are, in fact, so many evidences of the virtues and graces of the Christians. Surely truth, and wisdom, and goodness may well be presumed to be with those, whom their adversaries assault with such frivolous objections.

On account of an epidemical disorder raging in a certain city, Porphyry observes, "Men wonder now that distempers have seized the city so many years they forget that Esculapius and the other gods no longer dwell among thein: for, since Jesus was honoured, no one has received any public benefit from the gods."

What a testimony is this to the great progress of Christianity in his day! Malevolence CONFESSES, at the very time that it impiously and absurdly complains.

46

Matrons and women," says Porphyry, "compose their senate, and rule in the churches; and the priestly order is disposed of according to their good pleasure †."

The falsity of all this is notorious; but the testimony here given, by the mouth of an enemy, to the piety of the female Christians, is perfectly agreeable to the accounts of the New Testament, and to the history of all revivals of godliness in every age;in none of which women had the government; but, in all a great personal concern by their pious exertions. "There is neither male nor feinale, but YE ARE ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS."

"If Christ be the way of salvation, the truth, and the life; and if they only, who believe in him,

CHAP. shall be saved, what became of the men who lived before his coming*?

XXI.

The reader has often heard similar objections made in our days. The Christians preached then the same doctrine of salvation-ONLY BY CHRIST, which is now stigmatized as uncharitable.

"A person asked Apollo how to make his wife relinquish Christianity? It is easier perhaps, replied the oracle, to write on water, or to fly into the air, than to reclaim her. Leave her, in her folly, to hymn in a faint mournful voice the dead God, who publicly suffered death from judges of singular wisdom t.'

This story, told by Porphyry, is a memorable testimony of the constancy of Christians.-It also hence appears, that they were accustomed to worship Jesus as God; and, that they were not ashamed of this, notwithstanding the ignominy of his cross. The attestation, however, here given of the wisdom of Caiaphas and of Pontius Pilate, will not so readily be admitted.

The enemies of vital godliness, in our days, may see from the various cavils and misrepresentations contained in these extracts, that their ancient brethren in infidelity have been beforehand with them in all their most material objections. The doctrine, the spirit, and the conduct of real Christians, appears from these evidences: And the work of the Spirit of God on the hearts of men, in attaching them to Jesus, and in divorcing them from all that the world delights in, is no less manifest than the malignity of our depraved nature in hating and opposing it.

CONNEXION

CHAP. XXII.

BETWEEN THE DOCTRINE AND

PRACTICE OF PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANS.

III.

I AM sensible that many parts of the foregoing CENT. history may appear to several persons defective in point of candour." Why such solicitude to prove men Trinitarians in opinion?-Why so strict an eye kept, all along, on the doctrines commonly called Evangelical by enthusiasts and sectaries ?-Of what importance are opinions, if men's practice be right? -Why is not all the stress of commendation laid on holiness of life, on integrity, and on charity?"

This language is specious, but is chargeable with the following erroneous notion:-It supposes that there is no real connexion between doctrine and practice. Now, a sound Christian cannot admit,however fashionable the sentiment may be,-that all sorts of religious opinions are equally influential, or equally ineffective in the production of virtuous conduct. The Scripture connects, sanctification with belief of the truth*. Our Lord himself prays that his disciples may be "sanctified through the truth :" "The blood of Christ purges the conscience from dead works to serve the living God:" And a right faith in Jesus" overcomes the world."---St. John challenges men to prove that they can overcome the world by any other way : and, in the chapter now alluded to, he is very particular in describing what that faith is. In fine, Christ "gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."-If then this zeal for good works be the EFFECT of HIS redemption,-how is it possible that a person, who disbelieves the important doctrines + 2 Thes. ii. 13. Heb. ix. 14. || Titus, ii. 14.

John, xvii. 19.

§ 1 John, v. 5.

XXII.

[CHAP. essentially concerned in that redemption, should have any true zeal for good works. By the supposition, the man never uses, but has an aversion to, the means, which God has expressly appointed and made necessary for the attainment of this end.-Let this concise argument be well considered.

The peculiar doctrines of the Gospel are,--Original sin,-Justification by the grace of Jesus Christ, -His Godhead and atonement,-the Divinity and the efficacious influences of the Holy Ghost. We appeal to the Scriptures for the proof of this assertion. If it cannot be proved THENCE, it is not to be proved at all. The tradition of the Church, if it were more uniform than it is, can never sufficiently demonstrate it. But still, an authentic history of the character of the first Christians is very instructive, and as such, merits our most serious attention. We have found that the doctrines just stated, were, in the primitive times, constantly held by men allowed to be the most wise and upright. Surely, so remarkable a fact might well induce those, who, in our times, oppose these doctrines with all their power, -to hesitate a little,--to entertain doubts whether their own sentiments be right; and lastly-no longer to call their adversaries zealots in SPECULATIVE religion. One would think, that when the Scripture itself affirms the existence of a connexion between faith and practice, and when the history of Christian antiquity exemplifies that connexion, neither the articles of belief themselves ought to be coldly denominated SPECULATIVE, nor the zeal used in supporting them be reproached with the contemptuous name of ENTHUSIASM.-Such reflections as these, it is hoped, may remove from the mind of the reader any unfavourable idea of the historian's disposition in regard to candour.-True candour consists,-not in endeavouring to render an adversary contemptible by using the hard terms, enthusiast, fanatic, bigot, and such like; but in fairly bringing forward and