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ness, the sense must be, that the disease left the men, and was transferred to the beasts; and this must have been performed by the immediate act and power of Christ; but if it were a dæmoniacal case, the destruction of the beasts was only by his permission, and by the act and power of the evil spirits. It deserves therefore to be considered, whether a bare permission of our Lord, in this case, be not more consistent with the general character of his mighty works, which were of the merciful, and not of the severe kind, and also with the words of the three evangelists, which represent him, not as acting,' but only as not hin dering.'

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As to the dæmoniacs in the following ages, it may be left as a dubious point: dubious, I say; for it is possible that, after the apostolical age, evil spirits might be permitted or commanded by the Supreme Governor, to afflict men, and might be obliged to depart at the command of Christians, and at the name of Jesus. It is possible that such interpositions of dæmons might be permitted in one century and in one region, and not in another. The invisible, and spiritual, and angelical world may undergo many variations, and be subject to different restraints and regulations in different ages, so as to interfere more, or less, or not at all, in human affairs. Thus much in behalf, not of belief,' but of academical hesitation.'

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LE CLERC, in his Historia Ecclesiastica, hath inserted the Christian Creed' as it stood in the days of Irenæus;

Ecclesia, inquit Irenæus, tametsi per totum orbem, usque ad extremos terræ fines, sparsa, ab apostolis eorum que discipulis fidem accepit, quæ est, 1. in unum Deum Patrem Omnipotentem, qui fecit cœlum et terram et mare et omnia quæ in eis sunt, 2. et in unum Jesum Christum, Filium Dei, nostræ salutis caussâ, incarnatum; 3. et in Spiritum Sanctum, qui, per prophetas, œconomias et adventus (Christi) prædicavit, et generationem e Virgine, et perpessionem et resurrectionem e mortuis, et cum carne in cœlos adsumptionem dilecti Jesu Christi Domini nostri, et e cœlo adventum ejus, in gloriâ Patris, ad colligenda omnia, et ad excitandam omnem totius humani generis carnem; 4. ut Christo Jesu Domino nostro et Servatori et

Regi, secundum Patris inconspicui voluntatem, flectatur omne genu cœlestium, terrestrium, et inferorum, et omnis lingua ei confiteatur, utque ipse justum judicium in omnibus ferat, spiritualia quidem nequitia et angelos transgres sores, quique in defectione fuerunt, impiosque item homines et injustos et flagitiosos et blasphemos in ignem æternum mittat: justis vero et sanctis, qui præcepta ejus servaverint, et in amore permanserint, seu ab initio, seu post pœnitentiam, vitam gratificatus, immortalitate eos donet, et gloriâ æternâ circumdet.'

"Hanc confirmat in sequentibus Irenæus fidem per totum terrarum orbem a Christianis unanimi consensu et una voce doceri. Hinc intelligere est eadem esse omnibus summa fidei capita, nec doctos pluribus indigere ad consequendam salutem, quam minus eruditos, neque ad plura admittenda adigi posse. Revelationi, nimirum, ut detrahi nihil potest, sic nec quidquam addere fas est. Ideoque semel constituta fidei capita neque augeri, sine nova revelatione, neque minui possunt. Quod ad animum revocasse oportuisset eos, qui nova fidei capita sequentibus sæculis, sine novis ullis a Deo mandatis acceptis, condiderunt.-Ex hac, aliisve id genus priscis confessionibus, conflatum postea est, quod vocatur symbolum apostolorum, ut viri docti ostenderunt,' p. 651.

Let us add to this, the creed which is delivered to us by Tertullian :

Unicum quidem Deum credimus, sub hac tamen dispositione, quam economiam dicimus, ut unici Dei sit et Filius, Sermo ipsius, qui ex ipso processerit, per quem omnia facta sunt, et sine quo factum est nihil; hunc missum a Patre in Virginem, et ex ea natum hominem et Deum, filium hominis et filium Dei, et cognominatum Jesum Christum; hunc passum, hunc mortuum et sepultum, secundum Scripturas, et resuscitatum a Patre, et in cœlos résumtum sedere ad dexteram Patris, venturum judicare vivos et mortuos; qui exinde miserit, secundum promissionem suam, a Patre Spiritum Sanctum Paracletum, sanctificatorem fidei eorum qui credunt in Patrem et Filium et Spiritum Sanctum.' Adv. Praxeam, 2.

These are perhaps the two most antient creeds that are extant, and not at all the worse for their antiquity.

TOWARDS the end of the second century, Pantænus, a philosopher and a learned man, went to India to preach the gospel. He is not said to have wrought any miracles there; but it is related that he found Christians in those countries. Eusebius v. 10.

NARCISSUS was made bishop of Jerusalem about A. D. 180. The Christians of that country, in the time of Eusebius, preserved the memory of some wonderful works wrought by him, and in his favour, which Eusebius relates, vi. 9, 10, 11. It may seem the more probable that he should have been enabled to perform miracles, because he is not only represented as a very good man, but he was in some manner a disciple or successor of the apostles, and an apostolical father; for he was born about A. D. 96. before the death of St. John, was made bishop when he was eighty-four years old, and lived to an uncommon age, to a hundred and sixteen at least. But as his miracles stand upon traditionary report in Eusebius, every one may judge of them as he thinks fit.

Narcissus is said to have turned water into oil; but the change of water into oil, to supply the church lamps, has the air of a miracle performed upon an occasion rather too slender. Let us therefore leave it in ambiguo.'

This miracle calls to mind a story related by Dio xlviii. Orosius vi. and Eusebius in his Chronicon, that in the time of Augustus, a fountain of oil burst out at Rome, and flowed for a whole day. In natural history there are accounts of greasy and bituminous springs, where something like oil has floated on the water. Pliny xxxi. p. 549. and Harduin, in his Notes, mention many such fountains, ‘qui explent olei vicem,' and, 'quorum aqua lucernæ ardeant.' So that this report of Dio, &c. should not rashly be ranked with the appearance of Castor and Pollux,' the man with the red beard,' and other prodigies of the like na

ture.

AN anonymous writer of the second century says, that Natalis, a confessor, having accepted of a bishoprick amongst the heretics, was severely scourged all night by angels, and the next morning repented and returned to the church.

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Apud Euseb. v. 28. The testimony of this unknown writer cannot be of great authority; but the story seems to have given the hint to Jerom, to feign that he also underwent the same discipline for studying profane authors, Cicero, Virgil, &c. Upon which one of the Italian Ciceronians' hath observed, that if Jerom was whipped for being a Ciceronian,' that is, for writing altogether in the style and manner of Cicero, he suffered what he did not deserve, and might have pleaded 'Not guilty.'

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Of all the Latin fathers, Lactantius would have been entitled to the most stripes, as being by far the purest and politest writer: but he escaped this punishment: he was not whipped;' he was only starved.' Lactantius, vir

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omnium suo tempore eruditissimus, sed adeo pauper, ut plerumque etiam necessariis indiguerit.' Hieronymus Chron. I mention not this as any thing extraordinary or wonderful; not as one of the miracles of the fourth century: for 'poverty' is a disease which rages as much and as frequently in the Republic of Letters, as the plague' in Constantinople.' The motto' of the republic was

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• Modo liceat vivere; est spes. Quæ Nos esurituros satis.'

FROM the death of Severus, A. D. 211, to Decius, A. D. 249, the Christians enjoyed a calm with little interruption; but prosperity is often a greater trial than adversity: a relaxation of discipline, and a corruption of manners ensued. Cyprian, De Lapsis, complains of it heavily, and describes it in very strong terms, which yet may perhaps require some abatement, though other writers concur in a great measure with him. His vehement temper, his indignation against vice, and his African eloquence, might induce him to make free with a figure called Exaggeration.' But the number of Christians who fell from the faith in the Decian persecution shows that there had been a preceding degeneracy. As the Christians and the Pagans had dwelt quietly together in civil society, they learned something of each other, and

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Yet he was a very good writer, for the time in which he lived.

the former grew too compliant to worldly fashions, and suffered from the contagion of bad example. In the time of Tertullian, if not before, there were some Christian soldiers; and it is hard to conceive how they could maintain their innocence in that station, and avoid such dissimulation, and such practices, as were scarcely allowable. It is to be supposed that the Christians kept out of the army as much as they could; which they might the more easily do, because the Roman service was attended with many profits, advantages, and privileges; and so the army was supplied and recruited with the less difficulty, and the officers were usually cautious in accepting those who offered themselves, and required testimonials of their being duly and legally qualified; but to be sure it must have happened sometimes that Christians were not left to their option, that a refusal would have been criminal, and that they must have listed, or have offended against the civil laws. In such cases they might think it permitted to them to enter into the service, though hardly as volunteers: but in this point, from the time of Tertullian, they grew less and less scrupulous.

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Eusebius highly commends the behaviour of the Christian soldiers, who in the reign of Diocletian suffered themselves to be turned out, rather than renounce their religion, and at the same time represents their station as very honourable and very profitable, and producing τιμὴν, δόξαν, εὐπραγίαν. viii. 4. Martin was ordered by his father, who had served in the army, to list himself (as the laws required) about A. D. 356. cum edictum esset a regibus ut veteranorum filii ad militiam scriberentur.' Sulpit. Sever. Vit. Mart. c. 2. The army was chiefly composed of citizens, who had some fortunes, more or less, and whose names were in the public registers; nor did the Romans usually admit aliens, or beggars, or bankrupts, or slaves, or freed-men, into the land service, though in choosing marines they were not nice and scrupulous. They who refused to serve, when they were summoned, unless they had an exemption or a lawful excuse, were severely punished. But the stipends, the re

b Religio tota castrensis signa veneratur, signa jurat, signa omnibus Diis præponit.' Tertullian, Apol. Afterwards the Christian soldiers worshipped their Labarum,'

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