This

tures and extacies of contemplative life. gave rife to a particular fect, distinguished by the name of Mystics. Thefe multiplied exceedingly, particularly in Syria, Egypt, and other eastern provinces, and from thence they travelled into Europe. The double doctrine, as it was called, which cer tain moralists now introduced, did very much contribute to establish the mystical notions, and to produce the tribe of Afcetics. Our Saviour established one rule of faith and manners for all his followers. But a diftinction was now found out, an ordinary and an extraordinary rule: the one, it was faid, was intended for men engaged in the active fcenes of life; the other, for more elevated minds, fond of folitude, and enamoured with celeftial objects. . Upon this, incredible numbers bid an abfolute farewell to the world, retreated into cells and folitary places, renounced alliance with mankind, and all the natural connections of fociety, became inflated with enthusiastical notions, the characteristic of the Mystics; whilft thofe of the Afcetic order, denied themselves all the comforts of life, macerated their bodies by watching and fafting, prohibited matrimony, trade, and commerce, and all ufe of wine or flesh, and wrapt themselves up in filence and folitude. Thus they imagined they would afcend in fublimer contemplations to Deity, hold more intimate communion with Heaven, invite fupernatural illapses of the fpirit, while they held in contempt all terrestrial scenes, and difregarded the feelings and obligations of focial life. This was fomething fimilar to the notions of the Pythagoreans and Platonics. This refembled the doctrine and practice of the Effenes among the Jews, and the Christian church has been ftrongly infected with it. Hence monks have multiplied to fuch a degree, of many various orders and denominations; hence number

lefs

lefs rites and inftitutions of superstition have been fubftituted in the room of virtue and real religion; hence the celibacy of the priestly order has been established in the church of Rome, with many ufages and ceremonies and penances, which tend to nourish gloom and melahcholy, and to give countenance to vifionary ideas and feelings, very remote from the genuine fpirit of the gofpel, and inconfiftent with our station and character in human life.

There were various other heretical fects which infested the Chriftian world, particularly the Valentinians, the Marcionites and Montanists, which may be confidered as fo many branches of the great Gnoftic fect, whilft each fuperadded peculiarities of their own, repugnant both to reafon and found Christianity.

In procefs of time a new kind of fect appeared, called Manichæans. This title they derived from Manes, or Manichæus their founder. He was a Perfian by birth, educated among the Magi, and afterwards became himself one of their number. He was deeply skilled in all the Perfian philofophy, but embraced the gofpel, though with referves of a very pernicious nature. His genius was fublime and penetrating, but prone to fanaticifm. He formed the adventurous defign of combining the doctrine of the Magi with the fyftem of Christianity. He impiously pretended to be the Paraclete fent by God, in order to compleat that falvation which, he faid, Chrift had left unfinished. He himfelf was put to death by Varanes I. King of Perfia, but he had a number of followers who were unfortunately deceived by this grand impoftor. He maintained the existence of two principles, the one good, the other evil. The first he called light, the other darkness. These two Beings were the Creators of

all

all things, fome good, others bad, according to their own respective natures, whilft they themselves were fubject to a fuperintending power, whom he called God. When the Manichæan fect affembled together, they elected a President to reprefent Jefus Chrift, twelve rulers as reprefentatives of the twelve Apostles, and feventy bishops to stand as symbols of the feventy difciples. But to give a full account of their tenets and proceedings would greatly exceed the plan I propose

Noetus of Smyrna started hazardous controverfies concerning the Holy Trinity. He affirmed that the Father was only God, and that not the Son but the Father united himself to the perfon of Christ. In the middle of the third century, Sabellius arofe, and engaged warmly in thofe theological fpeculations. He was an African bishop, and taught his followers to believe that there were indeed three perfons in the Godhead; but then, he denied they were distinct or really subsisting, and confidered them only as fo many mere names, intended to represent the different attributes, energies or operations of the divine nature. His opinions were embraced with fome variation by fome, who affected to be leaders of new fects, particularly, by Beryllus an Arabian bishop in Bozrah, and by Paul of Samofata, bishop of Antioch.

The Novatians occafioned much disturbance in the Church by their ill-directed zeal and feverity. This fect was founded by Novatian, a prefbyter of the church of Rome. He was poffeffed of a confiderable fhare of learning and eloquence, but extremely rigid and uncharitable to all who had once been excommunicated by the Church. Whatever penance

F

* Vid. A work titled-Commentarii de rebus Chriftianorum ante Conftantinum Magnum.

penance fuch had fubmitted to, and whatever proofs of penitence they had given, the door of admittance was ftill kept fhut. Though they did not deny the poffibility of falvation to them, and allowed that they might find an entrance into heaven, yet if they had fallen into any heinous finst after baptifm, they refused fuch all access to the communion of their church. With fingular vanity and arrogance they affumed the boafted title of cathari, as if purified from all the dregs of corruption, and would not receive into their fociety any perfons whatever from the general body of Chrif tians, except they would submit to be re-baptifed.

We must not be surprised to find fects and herefies fpringing up, even in the early periods of the Church. All the new converts to Chriftianity, were at first composed of those who were originally either Jews or Gentiles. Each were tinctured with the prejudices of their education, and of their native peculiar profeffion. The generality did upon their converfion adopt the Christian religion, in its genuine purity and fimplicity. But there were not a few who affected innovation, who retained a fond attachment to fome of their ancient notions and ufages; and men of genius and ambition, of a fuperftitious or enthusiastical turn, made bold efforts to blend fome of their old philofophy and of their former religion with Chriftianity. In every fociety there are fome men who may be mifled by mistake, or of a defigning temper, fome warm and factious fpirits, to whom the ordinary ftream of life runs too fmooth, and fuch will always be fond to distinguish themselves by peculiar novelties.

Even in these early times councils were fometimes folemnly convened, particularly in the third century, at Rome, at Carthage, in Palestine, and

in various other places both in Afia and Africa. Thefe were employed not only in regulating the affairs of religion in general, but also in a special manner to check the progrefs of fchifm and herefy.

Eminent men likewife appeared, the fathers of the church, who entered the lift, and combated the falfe opinions of heretical teachers. They endeavoured to rescue the pure gospel of Chrift out of the hands of fuch as would mingle or mifreprefent it, and to guard and vindicate its facred doctrines.

In this important work they were preceded by the Apostles themselves, particularly, Paul and John. These perceived and detected feveral herefies beginning to make head, and foretold the coming of Antichrift in ftill greater power and fplendor," with all deceivablenefs of unrighteouf"nefs." We find the apostle Paul, on a variety of occafions, cautioning Chriftian converts against the feducing arts of defigning and mistaken men *.

Beware, (fays he), left any man fpoil you through "philofophy, and vain deceit, after the tradition "of men, after the rudiments of the world, and "not after Chrift."" Let no man judge you in "meat or in drink, or in refpect of an holy-day, "or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath.'

"Let no man beguile you of your reward, in a "voluntary humility, and worshipping of angels, "intruding into those things, which he hath not "feen, vainly puft up by his fleshly mind.""Why are ye fubject to ordinances after the com"mandments and doctrines of men ?"-" Which "things have indeed a fhew of wifdom in will. "worship, and humility, and neglecting of the

* Col. ii, 8. 16, 18, 20. 22, 23,

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body,"