t

Valentinus, who taught his heretical doctrines about A. D. 140. ' and might be born at the end of the first or the beginning of the fecond century, fays; Εἷς δέ ἐσιν ἀγαθὸς· ὅ παρρησίᾳ ἡ Δια να με φανέρωσις· ἢ δι ̓ αὐτό μόνο διώαιτο ἂν ἡ καρ δια καθαρά λυέαζε πανός πονηρό πνεύματα έξωθε μένα η καρδίας· πολλὰ ἢ ἐνοικένα αὐτῇ πνεύματα κ ἐὰ καθαρεύειν· ἕκαστον ἢ αὐτῶν, τὰ ἴδια ἐκελεῖ ἔργα, πολλαχώς ενυβριζόντων ἐπιθυμίαις 8 προσηκέσαις· καί μοι δοκεῖ ὁμοιόν τι πάχειν τῷ πανδοχείῳ ἡ καρδία· καὶ τ ἐκεῖνο καλατι]ραταί τε καὶ ὀρύεται, καὶ πολλάκις κόπρου πίμπλα]αι, ἀνθρώπων ἀσελγῶς ἐμμενόνων, ἢ μηδεμίαν πρόνοιαν ποιουμένων τα χωρίς, καθάπερ ἀλλοτρία καθε ςῶτω. τὸν τρόπον τᾶτον καὶ ἡ καρδία, μέχρι μὴ προνοίας τυ[χάνει, ακάρθατα ἔσα, πολλῶν ὅσα δαιμόνων οἰκη τήριον· ἐπειδὰν ἢ ἐπισκέψηται αὐτί ὁ μόνῷ ἀγαθὸς Πατὴρ, ἡγίασαι, καὶ φωτὶ Διαλαμπει· καὶ ἔτω μακαρίζεται ὁ ἔχων τα τοιαύτίω καρδίαν, ὅτι ἔψεται τὸν Θεόν. Εβ autem unus Bonus, cujus fiduciâ eft ea quæ fit per Filium manifeftatio, et per eum folum poteft cor fieri mundum, ejecto ex corde omni maligno fpiritu. Multi enim in eo habitantes fpiritus, id mundum effe non finunt. Unufquifque autem eorum propria efficit opera, fæpe non convenientibus infultans cupiditatibus. Ac mihi quidem videtur cor non effe abfimile diverforio: illud enim perforatur et effoditur, et ftercore fæpe repletur, cum bomines fe petulanter gerant, et locum nihil omnino curent, ut qui fit alienus. Eodem modo cor quoque : cum, quamdiu nulla ejus providentia geritur, fit immundum et multorum Dæmonum ha

See Maffuet's Differtation concerning him in Irenæus, in which he places him fomewhat earlier.

bitaculum :

bitaculum: poftquam autem id inviferit, qui folus eft bonus Pater, fantificatum eft, et luce refplen det, et hic qui tali eft corde praditus, beatur, quoniam Deum videbit.

This fragment is preferved by Clemens Alexandrinus Strom. ii. p. 489. where he ftands up for human liberty against the Valentinians, who were a fort of Fatalifts, or Predeftinarians, and thought themfelves to be the only Elect. Ob ferve that Valentinus bears witnefs to the au thority of the New Teftament, for he takes paffages or expreffions from it to infinuate and recommend his own doctrines, as i φανέρωσις· δαιμόνων οικητήριον-πισκέψλαιμόν@· ἀγαθὸς Πα τὴρ φωτὶ Δαλάμπα-μακαρίζεται etc. —ὄψεται · Θεόν. See 1 Tim. iii. 16. Rev. xviii. 2. Luke vii. 16. Mat. xix. 17. Luke xi. 36. Mat. v. 8.

·

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He also seems upon the whole to imitate Barnabas, who fays, Πρὸ τὸ ἡμᾶς πιςεῦσαι τῷ Θεῷ, ἦν ἡμῶν τὸ οἰκητήριον τ' καρδίας φθαρτὸν καὶ ἀσθενὲς — ὅτι ἦν πλήρης μὲ εἰδωλολα]ρείας, ε ἦν οἶκο δαιμόνων— Διὸ ἐν τῷ κατοικητηρίῳ ἡμῶν ἀληθῶς ὁ Θεός· κατοικεῖ ἐν ἡμῖν· πῶς; ὁ λόγο αυτό η πίςεως - Antequam nos Deo crederemus, erat noftrum cordis habitaculum interitui obnoxium et imbecillum quia erat quidem plenum cultu idolorum, et erat domus Damonum, Quare in domicilio noftro vere Deus exiftit: habitat in nobis. Quomodo ? Verbum ejus fidei

CLEMENS ROMANUS is an author on whom I made fome remarks, Difc. vi. p. 223. 3' edit. I have only this to add: Clemens

τα

Εpift. i. 4. fays, Διὰ ζῆλον ὁ πατὴς ἩΜΩΝ Ἰακὼβ ἀπέδρα anidea-Propter æmulationem pater nofter Jacobus aufugit - whence, I find, fome perfons have lately difcovered and concluded that Clemens was a Jew. I think the paffage will not prove it. Theophilus ad Autol. iii. 23.-Ta γράμματα το θείου νόμου, το 21ο Μωσέως ἡμῖν δεδομένου. The Law was given to us, fays Theophilus; and yet he had been converted from Paganism to Chriftianity. Therefore when any ancient Christian writers ufe fuch expreffions, it is not to be inferred thence, with any kind.of certainty, that they were of Jewish extraction, or even that they had been profelytes to Judaifm. Indeed nothing is more natural than for Chriftians to speak as if they were Abraham's children; as if the Law, and the Prophets and the Patriarchs belonged to them as well as to the Jews. In the fame book § 24. Theophilus fays, ̓Αβραὰμ ὁ πατριάρχης ἡμῶν. 94. Δαυὶδ ὁ πρόγεν@ ἡμῶν. 27. Αβραὰμ το προπάτορ@· ἡμῶν.

HERMAS is cited by Irenæus, who was born about A. D. 120. He is alfo obferved to have made no mention of miracles; but he had nothing to lead him to it, and his book is taken up with visions and revelations. I offered a conjecture concerning it, that it was a parable. Difc. vI on the Chrift. Rel.

He mentions a vifion of a formidable beast threatning to devour him, from which he was preserved, and he interprets this of a great tribulation which was to come upon the Chrifti

ans,

ans, and which fome have applied to Domitian's perfecution. L. i. Vif. ii. § 2, 3. p. 77. Vif. iv. p. 82.

POLYCARP, of whofe Epiftle I have taken notice, p. 45, fuffered martyrdom under Marcus Aurelius with exemplary courage and conftancy. His death is faid to have been honoured with fome miracles, which are of fuch a kind, and attended with fuch circumstances, that there is some reason to paufe, and to doubt of them. But this fhall perhaps be confidered in its proper place.

THE Recognitions and the Homilies of CLEMENS, written, as it is thought, in the fecond century, contain as much truth as Lucian's True History, Arifteas, Gulliver's Travels, the Lives of feveral Monks, of Lazarillo, of David Simple, and of Gill Blas. It would not be a reasonable requeft to defire any man to confute this work. It is fufficient to refer the Reader to the judgment of Cotelerius, p. 607.

I fhall only produce one paffage, and none of the worst, for a fpecimen. Peter is introduced faying, Quod cum vidiffet Gamaliel princeps populi, qui latenter frater nofter erat in fide, Sed confilio noftro inter eos erat i. 65.

Here this knave of a forger makes Peter, or Lord Peter, as he commonly calls him, and the rest of the Apoftles mere politicians, who perfuade Gamaliel to diffemble his religion, and to act the part of a spy and a hypocrite.

In the Recognitions, ii. 13. Simon Magus is introduced speaking thus: Pueri incorrupti et violenter necati animam adjuramentis ineffabilibus evocatam adfiftere mihi feci, et per ipfam fit omne quod jubeo. Dr. Middleton thus tranflates it: Simon Magus confeffed to one of his companions, that he wrought all his amazing works, by the help of the foul of an healthy young boy, who had been violently put to death for that purpose, and then called up from the dead, by ineffable adjurations, and compelled to be his affiftant. Inquiry into the Miraculous Powers, etc. p. 67.

Pueri incorrupti animam. In the Greek it was, I fuppofe, Handès adiaplógy fuxk. Justin Martyr calls fuch children αδιαφθόρες, and Socrates the hiftorian αφθόρους παῖδας. Juftin Apol. i. p. 27. Νεκυομανεται με δ, και αἱ ἀδιαφθόρων waider ETonlεútes - Necyomantiæ enim, et incorruptorum puerorum inspectiones Socrates iii. 13. Καὶ τελετάς τινας ζωίςασαν, ὡς καὶ οπλαρχ νοσκοπέμψοι παῖδας καλαθύειν ἀφθόρους - which Va lefius tranflates, Quin etiam nefanda quædam my→ fteria ab illis excogitata funt; ita ut pueros impuberes immolarent, extaque eorum infpicerent

I once told Dr. Middleton, that I was inclined to think that in this place incorruptus meant impubis rather than fanus. 'Adialog, aplog, incorruptus, mean properly impollutus, expers veneris; and they are used for impubis, because children are usually impolluti. waida or nógnv 21xPleigen is ftuprare. "AQlog, impubes, impollutus, incorruptus, imberbis ; fay the Lexica. aplog wais, puer imberbis. Diofc. ii. c. 102. VOL. I.

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