αὐτό, ἀλλὰ ἢ ἰδίαν φυσίν διαφυλάττει, το βορβόρα μηδὲν ἀξι· κῆσαι * χρυσὸν, ὅτω ἢ καὶ αὐτοὶ λέγεσιν καν ἐν ὁποίαις ὑλι καις πράξεσι καταλύων, μηδὲν αὐτός ωραβλάπτεις, μὴ ἢ ἀποβάλλων ἢ πνάματικώς υπόςασιν, διὸ δὴ καὶ τὰ ἀπειρήμερα πάντα ἀλεῶς οἱ τελειότατοι προτεσιν αυτω, πεὶ ὧν αἱ γρα φαί διαβεβαιών) του ποιόντας αὐτὰ βασιλείαν Θεῖ μὴ κληρο νομήσει, καὶ εἰδωλόθυτα διαφόρως ἐπίεσι, μὴ ἢ μολιύεπς ὑπ' αυτη η δεμένοι σc. Iren. adverf. Haref. lib. 1. c. 1. p. 20. fpiritual Nature, though defiled with never To many Enormites, fould never fee Corruption ; for as a piece of Gold, which is buried in the Dirt and Mire, lofes not his Beauty, but retains its Na ture that cannot be injured thereby, fo in the like manner they affirmed, that they could not be harmed by any impious Practices whatsoever, or lofe the fpiri• Οὐ γδ προ tual Seed thereby ; from whence the mot ξες εις πλή seua eioze, perfect amongst them fearlefly perpetra. άλλα το απές ted thore Sins of which the Scriptures μα, όταν ἢ teftify, that they which do them fhall me μα αν ειωθή, ver enter into the Kingdom of God, eate For Aging indifferently things offered to Idols, μαθ' * μηλέ εν αυτω με not holding themselves to be defiled there Jactivar Toby, committing without any Scruple or horμεσότηση rour all manner of moft execrable Impie. κι ἐντὸς πλη- ties, Incepts and Vilanies, moft impu. gardently dently avouching, That "they were not παν το απέρ τόπο λέγεσι, Τὰς Τ λαβὼν - νύμφιον αὐτῆς σωτῆρα, * ἐκ πάντων γεγονότα, τοῦ ἢ πνευματικές, ἀκρατήτως καὶ ἀοράτως εντός πληρώματα εἰσελθόν τας, νύμφας Σποδοθήσεως τοῖς πεὶ σωτῆρα ἀγγέλοις. δικαίων ψυχάς, ἐν τῷ τῆς μεσότη τόπῳ, τέτων ἢ γλυομθύων ὅπως τὸ ἐμφολεῖον τῷ κόσμῳ πᾶς ἐκλάμψαν καὶ ἐξαφθέν, καὶ καλο Τασαμθυον πᾶς ἔλω συναντιωθήσεως αὐτῇ, καὶ εἰς τὸ μήκει το χωρίσαν διδάσκεσι. 14. Ibid. p. 22 1 Saved Saved by good Works, but by their fpiritual Seed; which spiritual Seed being all perfected, their Mother Achamoth ball leave the middle Place wherein he hath hitherto lived, between the Seventh Heaven and the Plenitude, wherein the Eons dwell, and enter into the Plenitude it felf, and be joined or copulated with the Saviour, who was made by all the Eons; after which the Spiritual ball in an incomprehenfible and invifible manner, enter within the Plenitude alfo, to be given for Spouses to the Angels that are about the Saviour; and thefe of the Animal who did well, shall go into the middle Space: Which things being once transacted, a Fire which now lies hid in the World, fhall kindle and break out, and with its felf confume all that is material, fo that it shall be no more. But as the Valentinians, fo the Bafilidians alfo, who were another Sect of the Gnofticks, embraced in a great measure the very fame Opinions, introducing 。 a precedent natural necef nära fity to all Mens Actions, whether of Faith & wisiws x or Unbelief, affirming, That? Faith waS OTNS, -we απισίας ἰδε ἔχεσαν ἐκ τὰ τὰ πάντα δωατα φυσικων ἀνάγκη θρομβώων Clem. Alexand. Stromat. lib. 2. p. 264. • Φυσικών ή γεν * πίειν οἱ ἀμφὶ ἢ Βασιλείδίω, · φύσε ως πλεονέκτημα. Id. lbid, a natural q Contemnere autem & ido a natural Gift, or, the prerogative of Nature; to which they were forcibly predetermined or premoved,and should be thereby fived, although their Lives were never so irregular and debauch'd: Upon which account, it is no wonder that in a conformity to thefe Principles, they openly indulged themselves in all manner of Wickednefs, eating without any fear or fcruple things offered to Idols, and freely committing all other Acts of Villany and Uncleanness, efteeming all Actions to be indifferent; that no good work could advantage, or bad work prejudice them, feeing they r were by nature Believers and elected, and had a liberty to be wicked by reafon of their perfecti on; and although they did fin, yet they should necefarily be faved by virtue of their natural Election. lothyta & nihil arbitari, fed fine aliqua trepidatione uti eis. Hationum ufum indifferentem & univerfæ libidinis. Iren. lib. 1. 6. 23. p. 78. bere autem & reliquarum opera εΤινὸς φύσε τις καὶ ἐκλεκTO OUT, as Barinadins voὄντω Βασιλείδης pil. Clem. Alexand. Storm. lib. 5. p. 398. ως ς Βασιλειδιανών, Basaray, as To χόντων εξεσίαν Xorlar Hexciar xy to awpler διὰ νὰ τειότητα, ή πάντως ye owenooulier quos, nav μάρξωσι διὰ ἢ ἔμφυλον όκλος ylu. Idem. Ibid. lib. 3. p. 312. ~ Not much unlike whereto were the horrid Tenets of the Carpocra tians, another fubdivifion of the Gofticks, who blafphemously imagined only tonly Faith and Charity to be neceffary to Sal vation; that all other things were indifferent; that according to the opinion of Men, fome things were called good, Per fidem & charitatem falvari, reliqua vero indifferentia cum fint, fecundum opinionem hominum quædam quidem bona, quædam autem mala vocári, cum 1. c. 24. p. 81. nihil natura malum fit. Iren. lib. 3. p. 314. and others bad, when in reality there is by Nature nothing evil: From whence, together with the former Hereticks, they plunged themselves in all Licen tiousness and Debauchery; it being related concerning them by u Clemens Storm. lib. Alexandrinus, That after their natural Inclinations to Luft, were excited through the delicacy and abundance of Meats at their Suppers or Love Feafts, they extinguished their Lights, and both Men and Women promifcuously joined and perpetrated the moft filthy and obfceneft Villanies. But what need I mention any more of the particular Ses of thefe monftrous Gnofticks, feeing, though each Divifion was fignalized by fome peculiar Notion, yet they generally combined in the forementioned Herefies and Abominations, taking the firft occafion thereof from their grand Patriarch and Master Simon Magus, who affirmed, x Quippe quem adferit talem hominum manibus ipfam fuis X affirmed, That God fo created the Nature of Man, as that by its proper Motion and necessary Impulfe, it neither could nor would do any thing that those elfe bat fin; y who believed in him, and in his Whore Selene, might live as they lift, feeing Salvation was to be obtained according to his Grace, and not according to good Works. y Hi qui in eum & in Selenen ejus fpem habeant, & ut liberos agere quæ velint, fecundum enim ipfius gratiam falvari homines, fed non fecundum operas juftas. Iren, lib. I. c. 20. p. 76. So that the whole fwarm of GnoSticks, or at leaft the greatest part of them, united in those two dangerous Tenets, That Man was fatally necef fitated and predetermined to all his Actions whether good or bad, and that he fhould not be judged at the laft Day according to his Works, but be disposed of according to his fpiritual Seed, Election, or folitary Faith, which was naturally conferred upon him, and was not attainable by any endeavour or industry of his own. Now, what more monftrous and abo minable can be expreffed or imagined? By the first of thefe Opinions, God is made the Author of Sin, reprefented as an unkind, cruel, and an unjust |