plainly says, that the general wickedness of the heathen people, CHAP V. was the ground of their charging such base practices upon the p. 213. Christians, who were exemplary virtuous."

33. "It appears from Tertullian, that in his time it was not p. 244. known that any among Christians were guilty of such crimes as were imputed to them by their adversaries. The only ground of these charges according to him was common fame, and uncertain report, without any proof.

searches, p.

49.

34. You tax us, (says he) with killing and eating children. Eccl. ReThe charge is absurd and cruel in the 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 all manner of evil of us." These words of Tertullian are quoted by Robinson. What follows is taken from Lardner's History of Heretics.

244, 245.

36. " Trypho the Jew, being asked by Justin whether he Lardner, believed the common reports concerning the Christians, readily v P answered, "They are incredible; human nature is not capable of such things."

37. The same arguments will serve for the heretics, for they are charged by later writers with the same things which were before imputed to the primitive Christians. If then they are incredible with regard to the one, they are so likewise with regard to the other.

38. "When all this is considered, (says Lardner,) I cannot help thinking that there is too much justice 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 hundred 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 believed common fame, and never troubled themselves to dive into the bottom of it.

40. 66 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

Lardner, 46.

vol. ix. p.

CHAP. VI. 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 farthered, 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.

CHAPTER VI.

Lardner,

vol. ix. p. 361, 366.

PARTICULAR DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE

CHARACTERS OF

CATHOLICS AND HERETICS, IN THE SECOND AND THIRD
CENTURIES.

THE following extracts from Lardner, contain some of the most unfavorable things against Heretics that could be collected from the writings of their adversaries, particularly against the Mar

cionites.

**

2. Of all the ancient heretics the most extraordinary was MARCION. "He flourished about the year 130 or very soon after. Marcion had many followers. Epiphanius says that he deceived multitudes of people, and that his heresy still subsisted in his 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.

3. Epiphanius has an account of his admitting an affection for a young woman, and of having been guilty of uncleanness with Ibid. p. 363, her. The story (says Lardner,) of his deceiving a young woman is held doubtful by many. Beausobre has a long argu

361.

Marcion was a disciple of Cerdon, whose doctrine he embraced at Rome. The Catholic historians say that Marcion joined himself to the impostor 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 his followers, may be condsidered the same as those under the description of the Marcionites.

ment upon this point, taken from the silence of ancient writers, CHAP. VI. and consisting of many particulars." All of which tend to prove Marcion's innocence.

66

4. 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; Jerome would not have omitted it, if he had known anything of it: since he omits not even conjectures and the slightest reports that tend to blacken the reputation of a heretic."

5. "Tertullian wrote five books against Marcion. He did not neglect any occasion to decry his adversary; nevertheless he says nothing of this scandalous adventure. The story of Marcion's fall is not in Philaster, which shows that he never knew it; which may lead persons a little suspicious, to mistrust that Epiphanius himself is the author of the story." So says Lardner.

6. The following is the character of the Marcionites given by Ibid. vol. ix. Lardner. "The manners of the Marcionites were virtuous, and P. 385. they had many martyrs. They are not charged by their adversaries with being vicious. They had respect to the will of God, and were desirous of obtaining his favor as the greatest good. They did not allow themselves in indulging carnal desires, though their adversaries said that their principles led directly to the gratifying them.

vol. ix. p.

7. "In short, it is evident that these people were in general Lardner, strictly virtuous; that they dreaded sin as the greatest evil, and 356. 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."

6

แ

8. 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 contradicting the arguments of Marcion, and other Encratites [i.e. continent persons] against marriage.

9. "These proud men, (says Clement,) boast of imitating our Ibid. p. 364. Saviour, who never married, and possessed 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 Scriptures 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.

10. "St. Ephrem lived at Edesa.-There were many Mar

CHAP. VI. cionites in that country; which induced him to write against them. He says that "Marcion's apostles were wolves, but they had sheep's clothing: and that the Devil put a cowl upon him, that he might deceive the children of light.'

Ibid.vol. ix. p. 165.

Ibid. p. 357.

Lardner, vol. ix. p.

398.

Ibid. p. 359.

11. 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." 12. " According to St. Jerome, the Marcionites seem to have considered the connubial state, not merely as less perfect, but even as sinful, impure, and odious, in the eyes of their God; whom they call a hater of marriage.'

13. 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 lusts of the flesh; but with all their learned authority, and compound philosophy, it is easy to see their misrepresentations.

14. Clement supposeth them to abstain from marriage, 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."

15. "Another of their institutions was fasting, especially on the Sabbath or seventh day, which had been a day of rest to the Creator, or God of the Jews, whom they despised. This day therefore, they kept as a fast, because they were inclined to do every thing contrary to what would show the least respect for him."

16. 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.

17. It is said, that Marcion rejected the Old Testament. He also objected to the appointment of sacrifices-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.

18. "In the second Epistle to the Corinthians, ch. iv. 4, MarIbid p. 403. cion understood by [ss To avos TXT8,] 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 αιώνος τses to απίζων, and so read it "In whom God hath blinded the eyes of the unbelievers of this world."

19. "To us of the present day," (says Lardner,) "this sense

appears very harsh, and is one instance, among many others, CHAP. VI. how far the heat of controversy will carry men." But harsh as it is, this comment of these orthodox fathers has been retained as a Catholic doctrine down to the present day; that it is the office Ch. v. sec. of God, as a righteous judge, to blind and harden the wicked.*

*Pbn. Confes. Faith,

vi.

20. And yet, after all they have said concerning the heretics, rejecting the Scriptures, the whole of the charge, even according to their own account, is, that they perverted them. As an evidence of this, Lardner produces what was said by one of the bishops of the council of Carthage. "I am of opinion that blasphemous and wicked heretics, who pervert the sacred and adora- vol. iii. p. ble words of the Scriptures, ought to be accursed."

21. That they did not, in every point of view, reject the Scriptures, is manifest from the accounts of their enemies.† The truth is, they rejected the Catholic sense of them. What was said of those early heretics, was probably the same, in substance, that was said of other heretics after them.

Lardner,

176.

90.

22. This general charge against ancient heretics, of rejecting the Scriptures, is judiciously stated, by Robinson, in the following words, which relate to heretics of a later period: The fact Eccl. Reis, they knew the Old Testament economy was dissolved and searches, p. abolished, and therefore they rejected, not as history, but as a rule of faith and practice to Christians, all the books of the Old Testament down to Job. They saw that people, who did not make this distinction, confounded Christianity with Judaism."

23. "The Catholic schools under pretence of expounding Genesis, filled the church with vain disputes about matter and spirit, the origin and duration of the world. They [the heretics] saw the priests set up Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus and Deuteronomy, as the rules of an hierarchy, never intended to take place among Christians. They heard them employ kings to kill and slay for Jesus, on the ground of the books of Samuel, Kings and

Among the many evidences, which Lardner produces, to prove that the heretics did not reject the Scriptures, we notice the following: "Augustin often blames the heretics for perverting the Scripture in favor of their errors; not that they rejected or despised the Scriptures, but that they misunderstood them, and put wrong interpretations upon them. All heretics, he says, endeavor to defend their false opinions by the authority of the divine Scriptures. In like manner St. Jerom saysthat heretics strive to support their doctrines by quotations of Scripture, that they corrupt the truth of the Gospel, by wrong interpretations. Tertullian speaks much to the same purpose. Ambrosiaster's description of heretics is, that, they are men who endeavor to support their opinions by Scripture, attempting to defend their errors by the authority of the sacred writings. Vicentius Lirinensis testifies the same thing, informing us that some in his days, who were called heretics, made great use of Scripture, and continually answered their adversaries and calumniators by quotations from the sacred writings. He indeed says, "It is the devil who puts these arguments into their mouths and speaks by them." From which probably some will conclude, [and perhaps very justly too,] that many of their arguments from Scripture, were such as their adversaries could not answer. It would be endless to enter into particulars; suffice it to mention one instance: They argued against the resurrection of the body from St. Paul's words: 1 Cor. xv. 50."> Lardner, vol. ix. p. 152, 153, 154.