IV.

31. "Justin says, that their accusers themselves CHAP ' scarcely believed the charges brought against them: ' and where these had in some measure been credit- Lardner, 'ed, it arose from the wickedness of the heathens, vol. a. P. ' which disposed them to believe such things of other 'people as they practised themselves."

242.

р. 241.

32. Moreover, "He assures us, that, in the time ' of his heathenism, he thought it impossible that the Christians should suffer with such constancy and ' resolution as they did, if they had been man-eaters, 'and addicted to lewdness. Athenagoras plainly p. 243. 'says, that the general wickedness of the heathen 'people, was the ground of their charging such base 'practices upon the Christians, who were exampla'rily virtuous."

33. "It appears from Tertullian, that in his time ' it was not known that any among Christians were 'guilty of such crimes as were imputed to them by ' their adversaries. The only ground of these char'ges according to him was common fame, and un' certain report, without any proof."

р. 244.

p. 49.

34. "You tax us (says he) with killing and eating Eccl. Ro "children. The charge is absurd and cruel in the searches. "extreme, and we cannot conceive how you came to "invent such a scandalous calumny. We defy you "to prove it. Why do not the magistrates examine " us on this subject? What glory would redound to " any governor who could produce a Christian who " had eaten an hundred infants."

35. "But you hate us, even the bare name by " which we are called, and without giving yourselves "any trouble to examine, you say al manner of evil "of us." These words of Tertullian are quoted by Robinson. What follows is taken from Lardner's History of Heretics.

vol. iv. p.

36. "Trypho the Jew, being asked by Justin wheth- Lardner, 'er he believed the common reports concerning the 244,245. 'Christians, readily answered, They are incredible; 'human nature is not capable of such things.

37. "The same arguments will serve for the here'tics, for they are charged by later writers with the 'same things which were before imputed to the Primitive Christians. If then they are incredible

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CHAP. with regard to the one, they are so likewise with ' regard to the other."

Lardner,

P. 246.

38. " When all this is considered, (says Lardner,) vol. it. I cannot help thinking that there is too much jus'tice in Mons. Bayle's satire. "When we read these "things in the fathers of the church, one can scarce " forbear thinking that the case was the same with "them in respect to Heretics, as with the heathens " in respect to Christianity."

39. "The heathens imputed to Christianity an hun"dred extravagances and abominations that had no "foundation. The first who forged these calumnies "were undoubtedly guilty of the blackest malice; "but the greatest part of those who vented them "abroad, after they had been so maliciously sown, " were only guilty of too much credulity; they be"lieved common fame, and never troubled them"selves to dive into the bottom of it."

40. "Is it not more reasonable to believe that the "fathers did not, with all the patience requisite, "thoroughly inform themselves of the real principles " of a sect, than it is to believe that those very men, • "who held that Jesus Christ, by his death, was the "Saviour of mankind, should, at the same time, " hold that the beastliest pleasures are the ready way " to paradise?" So far Mons. Bayle.

41. Then according to this plain and candid statement, let every stone be gathered and united to its own foundation. Let the fathers of the church be known by the church which they fathered, and let the churches own their fathers and grandfathers whose image they bear. But to show, more particularly, the first distinction between the church of the fathers, and that of the heretics, we shall state a few of the most material points, upon which they stood divided : and if Christ is not divided, it must follow that one or the other was Antichrist.

42. The following extracts from Lardner, contain some of the most unfavourable things against Heretics that could be collected from the writings of their adversaries, particularly against the Marcionites.

43. Of all the ancient Heretics the most extraor

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361,366.

dinary was MARCION.* "He flourished about the CHAP. ' year 130 or very soon after. Marcion had many followers. Epiphanius says that he deceived multitudes Lariner, of people, and that his heresy still subsisted in his vol. ic. p. time at Rome, in Italy, Egypt, Palestine, Arabia, and Syria, in Cyprus, Thebais, Persia, and other 'places." The first character given of this Heretic is that of a deceiver, which must imply that he professed to follow Christ, but did not: and to prove this, his moral character is next impeached.

44. Epiphanius has an account of his admitting an affection for a young woman, and of having been guilty of uncleanness with her. "The story (says Lard- ibid. p. ner,) of his deceiving a young woman is held doubt- 363,364

'ful by many. - Beausobre has a long argument upon this point, taken from the silence of ancient writers, ' and consisting of many particulars."-All of which tend to prove Marcion's innocence.

45. "EUSEBIUS informs us of many authors who ' had written against MARCION: Justin Martyr, Dionysius of Corinth, Theophilus of Antioch, Philip of Gortyna, Modestus, Melito, and Apollinaris. He ' had read their writings. Nevertheless he makes no ' mention of this scandalous action of Marcion, - Je'rome would not have omitted it, if he had known 'any thing of it: since he omits not even conjectures ' and the slightest reports that tend to blacken the ' reputation of a heretic."

46. "Tertullian wrote five books against Marcion. 'He did not neglect any occasion to decry his adver'sary; nevertheless he says nothing of this scanda'lous adventure. The story of Marcion's fall is not 'in Philaster, which shews that he never knew it' which may lead persons a little suspicious, to mis'trust that Epiphanius himself is the author of the 'story." So says Lardner.

47. The following is the character of the Marcion- ibid. ites given by Lardner. " The manners of the Mar. p. 385. 'cionites were virtuous, and they had many martyrs.

• Marcion was a disciple of Cerdon, whose doctrine he embraced at Rome. The Catholic historians say that Marcion joined himself to the inpostor Cerdon while he was preaching at Rome. Cerdon flourished between the years 125 and 150.-His doctrines are blended with those of Marcion. The faith and manners, therefore, of Cerdon and bis followers, may be considered the same as those under the description of the Marcionites.

CHAP. They are not charged by their adversaries with being vicious. They had respect to the will of God, ' and were desirous of obtaining his favour as the 'greatest good. They did not allow themselves in indulging carnal desires, though their adversaries 'said that their principles led directly to the gratify'ing them."

Lardner,

p. 386.

48. " In short, it is evident that these people were vol in general strictly virtuous; that they dreaded sin as 'the greatest evil, and had such a real regard for Christ, as to undergo martyrdom rather than offer * incense to idols. They seem indeed to have had a great number of martyrs."

ibid p. 364.

ibid p. 165.

ibid p. 387.

49. We come now to the principal charge of heresy which exposed them to the rage of their persecutors. "They contemned marriage, and highly extolled 'virginity." Clement, in particular, fills up almost all his third book of Stromata, in rehearsing and confuting the arguments of Marcion, and other Encratites [i. e. continent persons] against marriage.

50. " These proud men, (says Clement,) boast of " imitating our Saviour, who never married, and pos"sessed nothing in this world. But they should " know that God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace "to the humble." This is a comment on the scrip-. tures truly worthy the mystic predecessor of Origen. Had he in truth brought out what he couched under the outward veil of the letter, he must have said, that God resisteth the sincere and harmless imitators of Christ, but giveth grace to the aspiring followers of

Saccas.

51. " St. Ephrem lived at Edessa. There were 'many Marcionites in that country; which induced ' him to write against them. He says that " Marci"on's apostles were wolves, but they had sheep's cloth"ing: and that the Devil put a cowl upon him, that " he might deceive the children of light."

52. Unhappily this Saint who covered himself with the outward veil, or cowl of the letter, left out the most important part of the sacred text: By their fruits ye shall know them.

53. " According to St. Jerome the Marcionites 'seem to have considered the connubial state, not

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' merely as less perfect, but even as sinful, impure, CHAP. ' and odious in the eyes of their God; whom they 'call a hater of marriage."

54. Had this canonized father of the Church adopted but one sense to the scriptures, most likely he would have represented the God of the Marcionites as a hater of the lust of the flesh; but with all their learned authority, and compound philosophy, it is easy to see their misrepresentations.

55. "Clement supposeth them to abstain from mar'riage, that they might not people the world of the Creator: which is a reason similar to that which he assigns for their offering themselves voluntarily to 'martyrdom, namely, out of hatred to the Creator." 56. "Another of their institutions was fasting, esLardner, 'pecially on the Sabbath or seventh day, which had vol. ix. been a day of rest to the Creator, or God of the P. 388. 'Jews, whom they despised. This day therefore, 'they kept as a fast, because they were inclined to do ' every thing contrary to what would shew the least ' respect for him."

57. Here then is about the heaviest charge of atheism, and impiety, fixed, by the Catholic fathers, upon the ancient Heretics; which may be more clearly understood by what follows.

ibid

58. It is said, that Marcion rejected the Old Testament. He also objected to the appointment of sac- P. 389. rifices and likewise said that many parts of the New Testament were writings not for Christians, but for Jews. He is also charged with altering many places to suit his own principles, and of putting a wrong sense upon others: one particular point as a specimen, is here inserted from Lardner.

ibil

59. "In the second epistle to the Corinthians, ch. iv. 4. Marcion understood by [Θεὸς το αἰῶνος τετ8, p. 408. the god of this world, the Creator, and considered ' him as here opposed to the good God, or the Father ' of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was the God of the Christians. In opposition to this, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and others, who wrote against the Marcionites, ' were for placing a comma after Θεός, and referring · αἰῶνος τότε to ἀπίσων, and so read it " In whom

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