"that raised up Chrift from the dead shall e allo raife us up in like manner *.”

The account that Irenæus gives of Polycarp contains little more than a declaration of the antipathy that he bore to the Gnoftics, and his having taught a doctrine contrary to theirs. Among other things he fays, " that when he met Marcion, who "afked him whether he would own him, " he replied, I own you to be the first-born « of Satan + ;" and that if he had heard of the herefy of which he was treating, which was that of Valentinus, he would have faid, according to his cuftomt, "Good God, to

* Απολιπογίες την κενην ματαιολογίαν, και την των πολλών πλάνην, πιςευσανίες εις τον εγειρανία τον κύριον ημών Ιησεν Χρισον εκ νεκρών ο δε εγειρας αύλον εκ νεκρών και ημας εγερει. Sect. 2. p. 185.

+ Και αυτος δε ο ΠολυκαρπG- Μαρκιων: πότε εις όψιν αυτω ελθον, και φησαντι επιγινώσκεις ημας, απεκρίθη επιγινώσκω τον πραλότοκον τε σαλανα. Lib. 3. cap. 3. p. 204.

* Και δύναμαι διαμαρτυρασθαι εμπροσθεν τ8 Θες, ότι ει τι τοιείον ακηκόει εκείνος ο μακάριος και Αποτολικός πρεσβύτερος, ανακράξας από και εμφραξας τα ώτα αυτς, καὶ καλα το συνηθες ειπων· ω καλε Θεε, εἰς οιες με καιρός τελερηκας, ινα τελων ανεχωμαι· πεφευγοι αν και τον τοπον εν ω καθεζομενος η εσως των τοιείων ακήκοεί λόγων. Hift. lib. 5. cap. 20. p. 239.

Eufebii

"what

"what times haft thou referved me, that I fhould hear fuch things."

The manner in which Polycarp inscribes his epiftle is that of an unitarian *

;

Mercy unto you and peace, from God. "Almighty, and the Lord Jefus Chrift "our Saviour, be multiplied."

́I fhall confider the evidence for Hegefippus being an unitarian more particularly hereafter. But, in this place, to take all the writers in the order of time, or nearly fo, I fhall produce two extracts from his works, preferved by Eufebius, in which a variety of denominations of Gnoftics are mentioned as heretics, and fuch circumftances are added, as, exclufive of the confideration of his omitting the mention of the Ebionites, Nazarenes, or unitarians of any kind, clearly fhews that his idea was fixed to the Gnoftics only.

Hegefippus," Eufebius fays, "wrote the 'hiftory of the preaching of the apostles in "five books. Converfing with many bishops "in his journey to Rome, he found the fame

doctrine with them all.-The church

* Έλεος υμιν, και ειρήνη, παρά θες παντοκράτορος, καὶ κύριο Ιησε Χρισε το σωτηρ ημών, πληθυνθειν. p. 184.

"of

σε

66

"of Corinth continued in the right faith "till their bishop Primus.-Hitherto," i. e. till the time of Simon, bithop of Jerufalem, « the church remained a virgin, for it was « not corrupted with abfurd doctrines. "But first Thebuthis, because he was not " a bifhop, began to corrupt it, being one " of the feven herefies, himfelf being of the laity, of whom were the Simonians from « Simon, Cleobians from Cleobius, Dofi"theans from Dofitheus, Gorthæans from "Gorthæus, and the Mafbothcans. • them came the Menandrians, the Marcio" nites, the Carpocratians, the Valentini6 ans, the Bafilideans, and the Saturnilians; "each of them preaching their different "doctrines. From them came falfe chrifts, "and falfe prophets, who divided the unity "of the church with corrupt doctrines "against God, and against his Chrift *."

From

* Ο μεν εν ΗγησιππG, εν πεντε τοις εις ημας εκθεσιν υπομνη μασι, της ίδιας γνώμης πληρεςαλην μνήμην καταλελοιπεν. Εν οις δηλοι, ως πλείσοις επισκόποις συμίξειεν, αποδημίαν τείλαμενος μέχρι Ρώμης• και ως ဝါး την διδασκαλίαν. πανίων παρείληψε

παρα

Και επέμενεν η εκκλησία η Κορινθίων εν τω ορθώ λόγω, μέχρι Δια τολο εκαλον την εκκλησίαν

Πριμα επισκοπεύονίος εν Κορινθω..

παρθενον· ὅπω γαρ εφθαρίο ακοαις μαλαιαις. αρχεται δε ο Θεόσθις

δια το μη γενεσθαι αυτον επισκοπον, υποφθείρειν, από των επα αιρέσεων,

ων

What could this writer mean by those who divided the unity of the church (which, in his time, the Gnoftics only did, and the unitarians certainly did not) by the falfe Chrifts, and especially the doctrine against God, but the tenets of the Gnoftics only. Corrupt doctrine against Christ is a more ambiguous expreffion; but the false notions of the Gnoftics concerning Chrift were as confpicuous as any of their doctrines, and are most particularly noticed by John.

The other extract from this writer is no

lefs to my purpose. "Till this time," viz. the time of Trajan, " Hegefippus fays, "that the church continued a virgin uncorrupted; thofe who corrupted its doc

trines, if they then exifted, concealing "themfelves. But when the holy choir of "the apostles was dead, and all that gene

ων, και αυτος ην εν τω λαω, αφ' ων Σίμων. οθεν οι Σιμωνιανοι · καὶ Κλεοβίος, εθεν Κλεοβιανοι· καὶ Δοσίθεος, οθεν Δοσιθιανοι· καὶ Γορθαιος, οθεν Γορθεωνοι, καὶ Μασβωθαιοι. οθεν απο τελων Μενανδριανίσαι, και Μαρκιωνιται, καὶ Καρποκραλιανοι· καὶ Ουαλεντινιανοι, καὶ Βασιλειδιανοι. καὶ Σαλορμιλιανοι· εκατος ιδίως και ετέρως ιδίαν δόξαν παρεισήγαγεν, απο τελων ψευδόχρισοι· ψευδοπροφηται· ψευδαποςολοι οι τινες εμέρισαν την ενωσιν της εκκλησίας φθοριμαίοις λόγοις καλα τε Θες και καλα τε Χρισε a. Hift.lib. 4. cap. 24. p. 182, &c.

"ration

"ration who were favoured with their « divine inftru&tions, then the fyftem of atheistical error commenced, through the "deceits of the heterodox; who, when none "of the apoftles were remaining, with open • face undertook to oppofe their knowledge falfely fo called, to the preaching • of the truth *.” What could be meant by atheistical errors and by knowledge falfely To called, but the principles of the Gnoftics? No characters of any fect in ecclefiaftical history are more clearly marked than these. In later times, indeed, almoft every erroneous opinion was called atheistical; but it was not fo in that early age; and knowledge falfely fo called, is as defcriptive of the Gnoftics as if they had been mentioned by name.

+ Επι τέλους ο αυτος ανήρ διηγέμενος τα καλα τις δηλωμένες, επιλέγει ως αρα μεχρι των τότε χρόνων παρθενος καθαρα και αδιάφθορος έμεινεν η εκκλησία εν αδήλω ως σκολει φωλευονίων εισειι τολε, των ει και τινες υπήρχον, παραφθείρειν επιχειρώντων τον υγιη κανονα τη σωτηρίας κηρυγμαίος, ως δ' ο ιερος των Αποτόλων χορος διάφορον ειλήφει τα βιο τέλος, παρεληλυθεί τε η γενεα εκείνη των αύλαις ακόαις της ενθει σοφίας επάκεσαι καληξιωμένων, τηνικαύλα της αθες πλάνης την αρχήν ελαμβανει η συςασις, δια της των εἹεροδιδασκαλων απαίης" οι και αλε μηδενος είτε των Αποτόλων λειπομενε, γυμνη λοιπον ηδη τη κεφαλή, τω της αλη θειας κηρυγματι την ψευδώνυμον γνωσιν ανλικηρύτίειν επεχειρεν. Εufebii Hif, Lib. 3. cap. 32. p. 128.

SEC