of them, and poffibly the fecond. Five Things then you enquire of: " 1. What Opinion the Antients had of the Worth, Spirit and Temper of his Perfon. 2. What they thought of his Doctrine. 3. What his Dogmata are. 4. By what Arguments he afferted them. 5. By what his Adverfaries endeavour'd to confute them, and how I imagine an Origenist would answer to their Objec tions. IN anfwer to the firft, be pleas'd to receive this Advertifement in the firft place, which may ferve to arm you againft the Entertainment of a too forward Prejudice againft him. Those that are skill'd and well-read in the antient Wri ters of the Church, tell us, that there are very few Records left of him, but fuch as muft be had out of thofe Writings which were on purpofe compos'd to refute his Opinions; or at leaft out of fuch as collect and amafs together his Opinions without their Confutation, with defign to bid Men beware of them and deteft them. Wherefore it is not to be wondred at, if the Heat of Difputation, or Zeal for what they were perfuaded was the Truth, make them fometimes, in fo pardonable a Paffion, fpeak fomething more harfhly and tartly of his Perfon and Opinions, whom they imagin'd the Adversary and Subverter of it, But to the bufinefs: 'Tis laid to his Charge that he was carry'd away with too curious an Endeavour of letting no part of Holy Scriptures, how hard foever, go unexplain'd, which prov'd his Ruin: That he was very temerarious, and in his Interpretations faid any thing carelefly what he pleas'd; that he was κομπώδες και δοκήσει σοφός, ο Searcher of Things unfearchable, εκβιβασης των επερανίων, who fill'd all the World with his Toys and Nugacity, a Fanatick, exóoop, a Caviller and Jeerer at the Simplicity of true Believers, one who thro his carnal Mind and Reasonings could not receive the Grace of the Spirit, an Unbeliever, and the greateft of Unbelievers, a pitiful vain-glorious Man, perverted by his great Skill in the Greek Learning. The Unpleafantnefs of the Argument tires me already, and my Reverence to the Cenfurers makes me abftain from their Names: But I fhall recreate your Mind with his more advantageous Picture, which they drew for him in a direct View of him, without fo oblique a Caft upon his Opinions. And here they represent him as one who, both in his Youth and afterwards, willingly and courageoufly fuffer'd many Perfecutions and much barbarous Ufage for the Name of Chrift, and the Holy B 3 Doctrine Doctrine of Faith, being many times drag'd thro the Streets of the City, reproachfully us'd and revil'd, enduring Tortures unfufferable, envy'd and hated by thofe in Power for his eximious Piety and Learning, who overthrew and confuted all the Herefies that were in the Church in his time': very well skill'd in the Natures and Properties of Animals and other natural things; who liv'd an Afcetick Life, and thro his exceffive Strictnefs, fpare Diet, and Abftinence from Animals, 'tis reported, Sasang duro Ter/wnivas: whom none but the Ignorant and Unskilful can deny to have been the Master of the Churches after the Apoftles, fo well vers'd in the Holy Scriptures, that he had them all without book; and his Knowledg in them was fo great, that even his Adverfaries wifh'd to have had it, tho with the Envy of his Name; whofe continual Study Night and Day was to underftand them, and to explain them to others; and innumerable Treatifes of that kind he publish'd for the good of all Men, befides a multitude of other Writings, to the number of 6000 Volumes in all; who writ more than other Men can read and all this Divine Knowledg he had in conjunction with the perfect understanding of the profoundeft Myfteries of the beft and nobleft Sects of Philofophy, before whom Plotinus himself was afham'd to continue his Lecture, fo much did he revere this holy and learned Father. And to be fhort, I refer you to the Encomium given him by Vincentius Lirinenfis. This is a Draught of him from those who otherwise were not apt to favour him. And you in taking a view of it, cannot but clearly difcover thefe two things, the Ingenuity and Integrity of thofe who were Enemies to his Doctrine, in that they did not, like the Difputers of After-ages, make all Men ignorant and impious who were not of their Mind and the ftupendious worth of Origen, which drew fuch fair Teftimonies of his perfonal Perfections even from them, who thro their Dislike of his Opinions, could not poffibly be his profefs'd Encomiafts. And if I fhould add what Intimations I find of the Efteem had of him by fuch as did not difapprove his Dogmata, you would then fay that he was little lefs than an Apoftle; but because the witnefs of Friendship is fo apt to be partial, and fo lefs credible, I will wave it, and here make an end of the firft Query. HE fecond is, What they thought of his Doctrines? 'eminent Chriffians, and fuch as profefs'd a Monaftick and Anchorerick Life and Poverty, yet was it πασῶν 7 παλαιῶν μοχθηρο Tég That his Dogmata concerning Faith and matters of higher higher Speculation, are the moft abfurd of any that ever were before or after him, thofe only Opinions of other Sects excepted, which countenanc'd impure and filthy Practices: That his Doctrine of the Refurrection, befide the Nugacity of it, was indeed mere Unbelief; a deceitful Opinion, not maintain'd by Faith, but Syllogifms and Ratiocinations, fubverting the Confeffion of our Faith, yaTH QUOT nur auμßaróvtor Madness, and Ignorance, and Blafphemy; a putative Refurrection, and only in Appearance, for he did only in Words confefs that Article, but in Deed and in his Mind deny'd and fubverted it. His Opinion concerning Pre-existence, and the happier State of the Soul before the was thruft down into these inferior parts of the World, they fay, is τερετισμὸς καὶ τραγικολογία, without Senfe or Underftanding, the Conceit of bad Men, Blafphemy and Stolidity: That the Author of it did imitate the Craft and Deceitfulness of the Devil, that old Serpent, who of old deceiv'd Eve, and ftill does the Minds of the Simple: That his Doctrine in general is abfurd and pernicious, a Serpentine deadly Poifon, which he vomited into the World to his own Deftruction, and theirs who adhere to him. His Doctrine of the Holy Trinity, they fay, is manifeft Blafphemy, and he by it was the Father of Arianifm, and the Root whence all other like Herefies fprang; fo nearly fymbolizing not only with Arius, but with Eunomius and Manichaus alfo, that they who haye written against them have with the fame Labour anfwer'd to his Impieties; An Enemy of God and the Church for his moft hateful Opinions; and one profeffes, in the Word and Faith of a Chriftian, that his Dogmata are poisonous and contrary to Scripture. His. Opinion concerning the happy Reftitution of all Things, and the Liberation of the Puni!h'd, whether Men or Dæmons, is fuch, that they cannot tell whether they fhou'd be griev'd or laugh at it, What hath been produc'd upon this fecond Inquiry, I think is fufficient, to let you fee what Opinion fome pious and learned Perfons of the Church had of Origen's Doctrines. I cannot here, as in the former Query, oppose to this feverer Cenfure one more favourable in his behalf, because the more antient Authors, I make use of in this whole matter, were profefs'd Enemies to his Dogmata, and I have heard of no other extant which befriend them. Yet fomething you may gather from the firft Teftimony produc'd in this Particular, and add to it, that he hath not wanted fuch as have apologiz'd for him, and defended the Catholickness of his Doctrine; Men very eminent in the Church for Place and Dignity, and alfo for their learned Writings, fonie where ef are till extant, and in great esteem in the World, One of them is by his Adverfaries themselves confefs'd to be Catholick in the grand Herefy of all, to wit, that of the Holy Trinity: A fecond was fo good a Chriftian, as to confirm the Truth of his Faith by Martyrdor. That I may not add that fome later Writers, but very learned Men, have defended him too: for I know with fome Men it will be exception enough againft their Authority to fay they are Modern; with others againft their Reafon to fay, This Man was a Philofopher, that a Papift, a third a Jefuit, the worft of Papifts; for the Holy Father hath found Defenders amongst all these forts of Men. But inftead of fuch Teftimonies of antient Writers, which do as much cry up the Truth and Nobleness of his Dogmata, as thofe others I have produc'd do reprove their Falfenefs and Contrariety to the Faith of the Gofpel: What if I fhould give you a fhort Hiftory of their Quarrel againft him and his Opinions? May not this poffibly fomewhat leffen the Credit of their harder Cenfure? I will be very brief in it, because I know you would rather hear what his Opinions are, than fee the Contentions among the venerable Fathers of the Chriftian Church. Origen, according to the Philofophicalness of his excellent Spirit, had afferted God to be purely incorporeal and immenfe, and that it was an impious derogation to his moft perfect Effence to be limited by any form whatever, and therefore not by human Shape; however the Scripture does afcribe to him the feveral Parts of human Bodies. And this he did with fome Zeal and Earneftnefs, because fome unlearned Monks of Egypt had advanc'd the contrary Opinion, for which they were call'd by him Anthropomorphites. Now as it commonly happens, and as we fee in the Roman Church, that the fame Orders conftantly tranfmit the fame Opinions to all their Succeffors; fo was it amongst thefe ignorant Monks, for the fame falfe Conceit was preferv'd and ftrenuoully maintain'd amongft them almoft two hundred years after. At which time Epiphanius, one of that Profeffion, had imbib'd the Error, or at leaft was not much averse from it; for tho he was without doubt a very pious Man, yet it is apparent enough that he had not much Learning, and therefore was very obnoxious to that dull Hallucination: for his Piety would make him very much revere the plain Declarations of Scripture which countenance it, and his little Learning could not refcue him from the Fallacy. But as tenacioully as the Monks of his time kept their old Mumpfimus which their Predeceffors had taught them; fo with no lefs care did other more earned Chriftians retain the true and more reasonable Doctrine of Origen. And it is no won der der if there was much Contention amongst them,and many hard Words given, to the mutual provoking and inflaming one another. It happen'd about this time that Theophilus Bishop of Antioch, an Origenift, and one who had in publick Writings call'd Epiphanius an Herefiarch, had ordain'd one Diofcorus, an Origenist too, Bishop of Hermopolis, and committed to two of his Brothers the whole management of the Affairs of his own Church but they being as pious as learned, did much dif like the Temper and Practices of Theophilus, who was a proud, revengeful, covetous, crafty and turbulent Man; and out of this difguft left him, and retir'd to their Monafteries again, from whence he had call'd them. He fmelling out' what it was that difpleas'd them, inftead of mending his Manners, was refolv'd to be reveng'd of them; and therefore befides his fending feveral Monkifli Anthropomorphites into thofe Parts whereto they had retir'd, to kindle that Controverfy afresh, to bring Diofcorus and his Brothers into what' Danger and Envy he could, as holding the blafphemous Opinion of Origen (for fo he impiously and against his Confcience call'd it) he alfo perfecuted them by the arm'd force of Soldiers; fo that they poor Men were conftrain'd to fave themfelves by flying to Conftantinople, where St. Chryfoftom was Bihop. And tho this holy and wife Prelate would not communicate with them till the whole Caufe was heard and judg'd according to Ecclefiaftical Form; yet the proud Theophilus having nothing in his Eye but Violence and Revenge, was refolv'd to be reveng'd on him too for giving fhelter to his Enemies. And therefore, thro his malicious Craft, he abus'd the fimple and unwary Zeal of Epiphanius, and inftigated him to call a Synod in his See for condemning the Books of Origen; fignifying to him withal, that tho he had formerly been of another Mind, yet now he had renounc'd that pernicious Doctrine, and was wholly come over to his Opinion. By this Device he knew he fhould be even with all his Enemies together, who all admir'd and reverenc'd the Name and Works of that learned Father. And by the fame great Craft of his, it is thought he drew in St. Jerom alfo into the fame Confederacy: Which he might not difficultly do, he being naturally of a very hot and eager Difpofition, and tho a very learned Man, yet fcarce beyond the bounds of Philology. The Synod was call'd, and the Books condemn'd, according to Theophilus's Project, who did the fame in his own See too, and made Epiphanius write to Chryfoftom to follow their Example. But as it feems this Holy Father was not fo forward in the Bufinefs, and therefore the reftlefs Spirit of Theophilus inftigated Epiphanius to go to Conftantinople, car rying |