leaft diftruft, as they would any the most acknowleged fact in the scriptures, though nothing more than this good man's fanciful comment upon

them.

SECTION XVIII.

Of Irenæus's copying of Juftin's error concerning Christ.

And IRENEUS fhall lead the van; one, who when a boy, had known Polycarp; that had converfed with thofe who had feen Chrift himself. This venerable writer was well acquainted with Juftin's works, and held him in great reverence, as appears from his manner of quoting him (d).

In

(α) Και καλως Ιυτινός, εν τω προς Μαρκιωνα συλαγμαίι, φησι· οτι αύτω τω Κυρίω εδ' αν επείσθην, αλλον θεον καταγγελλοντι παρα τον δημιο pyor.-i. e. Well does Justin declare in his treatise against Marcion; "I fhould not have believed the Lord himself, "if he had taught any other to be God than the creator."

Irenæi Op. Ed. Maffnet. p. 233.

Marcion was a learned man, cotemporary with Juftin, who fell into very extravagant errors. He was one of thofe early chriftians, pointed at above, p. 132, who, through ignorance, and wrong views of the fyftem of nature, and of the imperfections of the jewish difpenfation, maintained, that it was fome inferior God, who was the creator, and giver of the law; and that Jefus was not the Son of the creator, but came from the fupreme Father, when Pontius Pilate was · procurator

In his curious and learned work against herefies, he fays; God (e) hath always with him the word ⚫ and wisdom, the Son and Spirit, by whom he made all things freely, and of his own accord; and to whom he fpeaks,' Gen. i. 25. faying, let us make man after our image and likeness. He had faid the fame a little before (f); only there he ftiles the Son and Spirit, God's hands. This is all a fine straight ftory. But who told Irenæus, or Juftin, that God had two fuch affiftants in the creation? Not Mofes : nor Chrift, or his apoftles. And again,' proceeds he (g), in the overthrow of Sodom, the fcripture faith; The Lord

rained

procurator of Judea, under Tiberius Cefar; and that he was • manifefted to the jews in a human form, to diffolve the law

and the prophets, and to correct the works of the god who • made the world:' Jefum autem ab eo Patre, qui eft fuper mundi fabricatorem deum, venientem in Judeam, temporibus Pontii Pilati præfidis, qui fuit procurator Tiberii Cefaris, in hominis forma manifeftatum his qui in Judea erant, diffolventem prophetas et legem, et omnia opera ejus dei, qui mundum fecit. Idem ibidem, p. 106. (e) Adeft enim Deo femper, verbum et Sapientia, filius et fpiritus, per quos, et in quibus, omnia libere et fponte fecit; ad quos et loquitur; dicens, faciamus hominem ad imaginem et fimilitudinem noftram, p. 253.

(f) Homo autem,-qui fecundum fimilitudinem Dei formatus eft, et per manus ejus plafmatus eft, hoc eft, per filium et fpiritum; quibus et dixit, Gen. i. 26. faciamus bominem, p. 228.

(g) Et iterum in everfione Sodomitarum Scriptura ait, Et pluit Dominus fuper Sodomam et Gomorrbam, ignem et fulfur

a Domino

• rained upon Sodom and Gomorrka brimstone and

،

fire from the Lord out of heaven. The Son is < here intended,' continues Irenæus, p. 190. who is the perfon that converfed with Abraham, and who received power from the Father to punish the Sodomites for their wickednefs.' Irenæus here copies Juftin's mistake in grammar, in bringing in the Son; and making two perfons concerned, where Mofes intended only one.

P. 236. On this account (b), fays he, the jews fell away from God, by not receiving the Word, but thinking to know the Father without the Word, i. e. without the Son, in not acknowleging him for God, who spoke in a human form to Abraham, Gen. xviii. and again to Mofes, faying, I have furely feen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and am come down to

them, Exod. iii. 7. 8. For in these things the

Son was manifefted.' Irenæus would have found

no

a Domino de cœlo. Filium enim hic fignificat, qui et Abrahæ colloquutus fit, a patre accepiffe poteftatem ad judicandum Sodomitas, propter iniquitatem eorum. p, 180.

(b) Propter hoc judæi excefferunt a Deo, Verbum ejus non recipientes, fed putantes per feipfum Patrem fine Verbo, id eft, fine filio, poffe cognofcere; Deum nefcientes eum qui in figura loquutus eft humana ad Abraham, et iterum ad Moyfem, dicentem, videns vidi vexationem populi mei in Egypto, et defcendi liberare eos. Hæc enim filius, qui eft bum Dei ab initio præftroebat. p. 236.

verg

no other God here but Jehovah, the Father, if he had not brought another God, the Son, along with him to the reading of the books of Mofes. And you cannot but obferve here, how he cites and mifapplies, Matth. xi. 27. in his allufion to it, of knowing the Father without the Son; as Juftin had done before him.

SECTION XIX.

Of Clemens Alexandrinus's copying of Juftin's error concerning Chrift.

CLEMENT of Alexandria in Egypt, a most learned man, and ingenious, animated writer; fuppofed to have been originally a heathen; lived at the latter end of the fecond century; we find him often celebrated as prefident of the famous fchool in that city; where many eminent perfons, Origen and others, were bred up under him. He was a man of deep piety and virtue; and a preacher of the gofpel in dangerous times. One of his works, intitled the Pædagogue, i. e. the Schoolmafter, is written purpofely to form the minds of youth to goodness, to make them not only fcholars, but better men; βελτίωσαι, ο διδάξαι. It is full of excellent things; but would have been read with more pleasure and profit if it had not been diffigured and obfcured, with bringing in Chrift con-

tinually,

tinually, in imitation of Juftin; where the fcriptures take no notice of any fuch imaginary perfonage, and God himself alone is intended. You will fee his manner, in the following extracts, and quotations from this fingle work.

(i) Our (pædagogue) mafter, the holy god Jefus, the Word, the guide of all mankind, he, 'the benevolent god, is our master. And the holy fpirit fays of him in one fong; Deut. xxxii. 10. 11. 12.

6

place, in the

He Supported his people in a defart land, and in the wafte bowling wilderness: he led him about, he inftructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle protecteth her neft, fluttereth over her young, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: So the • Lord alone did lead him; there was no ftrange god with him. Here I think the scripture evi< dently fhews our mafter, and the care he takes.

At another time, he owns himself the mafter, • when speaking in his own perfon, he fays, Exod. xx. 2. I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt.'

The fame appeared to Abraham, Gen. xxvii. 1. and faid, I am thy God: do that which is well

pleafing before me. But he goes on still more like

a good schoolmafter, to inftruct his child: and

• be thou perfect. And I will put my covenant be

tween me and thee, and thy feed.

• But

(i) Clem. Alex. Op. Ed. Potter. p. 131. 132.