I. CHAP. name, without any mixture or false covering; neither could he ever support his dignity, without a revenue from his subjects. Thus we see, at so early a period, not only the distinction, but the division between Christ and Antichrist. Rev. ii. 3. 3-20. chap. iii. 4, 8, 16. 40. For if Diotrephes cast those out of the church, that would receive John and the brethren, what kind of a church must have remained? Must it not, upon the plainest principles of the doctrine of Christ, have been a united body of professed Christians, who would neither receive the Father, nor the Son, nor even hold in. fellowship, any one, who would receive either? 41. So far, then, did the work of Antichrist advance in the first century, that he had a body, in which he could live, and by which he could work, according to his own deceitful plan, for the undermining, and supplanting the true spirit and power of the gospel. 42. And it further appeareth, from the revelation to John, in the isle of Patmos, that, in all the Gentile churches scattered abroad, Antichrist had more or less of his subjects, at this period, who, Diotrephes-like, were striving for the pre-eminence. This will reasonably appear to have been the case, from a view of the situation of the seven churches of Asia. 43. The angel of the church at Ephesus, had to contend with those that said they were apostles, and were not, but were liars; and also with the Nicolaitanes, who held a community of wives. At Smyrna, were similar blasphemers, who said they were Jews, and were not; but in reality, were of the synagogue of Satan. 44. In Pergamos, where Satan had his seat, they had those who held the doctrine of Balaam-who taught to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication; and also those who held the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes. At Thyatira, that lying Jezebel, who called herself a prophetess, was suffered to seduce the professed servants of Christ, to commit fornication, and adultery, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. 45. There were but a few names in Sardis, which had not defiled their garments. Philadelphia had but a little strength; and Laodicea was luke-warm, neither cold nor hot, for which cause, saith Christ, "I will spue thee out of my mouth." Yet amidst all the deceitful workings of lying apostles, filthy, debauched, and luke-warm professors, there remained still a few, who had ears to hear what the Spirit said unto the churches. CHAPTER II. The Work of Antichrist, by Egyptian Philosophers. II. N the beginning, God chose the foolish things of the CHAP. world, to confound the wise, and weak things of the world to confound the mighty; and not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble were called. 2. But in process of time, when false teachers had perverted the truth from its original simplicity, and modified the doctrines of Christ to suit the taste of the wicked; then the gospel, as it was called, in this corrupted state, began to be advocated by many among the wise and prudent of the world; and in proportion as their number and influence increased, the order of things was changed, and the wisdom of man was introduced as the foundation of faith, instead of the power of God. 3. The true order of God required living witnesses, who were united to Christ, by a perfect obedience to his example, and none could stand in that order, as Jesus testified, but such as denied themselves, and took up their cross against every carnal lust, and walked even as he walked. 1 Cor. i. 26. p. 332. 4. But Osterwald well observeth, "Carnal men could Ch. Theos not endure the cross, nor divest themselves of the love of wealth and pleasures, and by these means corrupted the pure doctrine of the gospel." 5. It was impossible for carnal men, who lived in wealth and pleasures, to have the Spirit of Christ, the true power of the gospel, abiding in them. And as their pride and presumption prompted them to stand at the head of affairs, they wickedly contrived means of getting a false power; which was effected by substituting the letter instead of the Spirit, and assuming the authority of expounding the writings of the apostles by the rules of a blind philosophy, which carnal men like themselves had invented. 6. Hence saith Osterwald: "From the time that the tenets and methods of philosophers were blended with P. 331. the christian religion, which is very simple, all things began to degenerate." 7. As early, at least, as the second century, this change in the fundamental principles of the gospel was intro II. P. III. CHAP. duced, that, instead of receiving and treating those that were sent in the order of God, as angels of the Lord, even as Christ Jesus, the whole of the scriptures, both the old and new testaments, so called, were adopted as the basis of truth, and publicly read and expounded by the wicked and wise of the world, as the great rule of faith and manners. See Eccl. Hist. vol. i. p. 182. Ibid. p. 180, 181. Eccl. Researches. p. 51. 8. Those vain men gradually effaced the beautiful simplicity of the gospel, by the laborious efforts of human learning, and the dark subtilties of imaginary science; and the tenets of a chimerical philosophy were incorporated into the Christian system: for, as Mosheim saith," they thought it a very fine accomplishment, to 'be able to express the precepts of Christ, in the lan'guage of philosophers, civilians, and rabbins.” 9. From this it is easy to see what kind of a gospel was established, when the whole of the Jewish scriptures, which the scribes and Pharisees themselves could not understand, together with the writings of the apostles, were explained by carnal men, whose education and manners rendered them as widely different from the apostles, as Belial is different from Christ. Surely such a revolution could effect nothing short of a total ship-wreck of the living faith of the Son of God. 10. This change was gradually introduced; and the means by which it was effected, are particularly wor thy of notice; which according to the history of those times, consisted in substituting human learning in the place of the illuminating influence of the Holy Ghost: and this was done, not by any counsel from the apostles, or any that stood in the order of God; but by the cunning craftiness of men, who were destitute of the truth. 11. "The first, and most fatal of all events to the 'primitive religion, (saith Robinson) was the setting up 'of a christian academy at Alexandria, in Egypt. Chris'tians had been reproached with illiteracy, and this 'seemed a plausible method to get rid of the scandal.” 12. "This school was first kept by Pantaenus, whom Clement first assisted, and then succeeded, as Origen 'did him. Each improved upon his predecessor, and 'all together invented questions about the christian 'religion, sufficient to perplex and puzzle the whole 'world." To this may be added the following account from Mosheim. 13. "Towards the conclusion of this [second] century, 'a new sect of philosophers arose on a sudden, spread 'with amazing rapidity throughout the greatest part of 'the Roman empire, swallowed up almost all other sects, 'and was extremely detrimental to the cause of Chris'tianity." 14. "Alexandria in Egypt, which had been, for a "long time, the seat of learning, and, as it were, the cen'tre of all the liberal arts and sciences, gave birth to 'this new philosophy; which was embraced by such of 'the Alexandrian Christians as were desirous to retain, 'with the profession of the gospel, the title, the digni❝ty, and the habit, of philosophers." 15. Thus, professing themselves to be wise, they be came fools, even vain in their imagination; and as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient. Eccl. Re 16. It is stated by Robinson, that, "From a wild en'thusiastical philosopher of Alexandria, named Ammo- searches. ⚫nius Saccas, these men imbibed a chaos of gross errors p. 51. 'called philosophy. Vain questions about matter and spirit; the whole and the parts, human souls, demons, &c. 'were all applied, by these men, to the christian reli'gion; and the inspired writers put upon the rack, and tortured to give answers, and determine points, of which probably they had never heard the names, and ⚫never entertained a thought." 17. And who were these men, but the highly respected Fathers and founders of that which, for many ages, hath been called the Christian System? In the first place, this new philosophy had the particular approba- Ec. Hist, tion of Athenagoras, Pantaenus, Clemens the Alexan- vol. i. p. drian, and all those who, in this century, were charged with the care of the public school, which the Christians had at Alexandria. 165. 18. "The title and dignity of philosophers delight- Eccl. Re 'ed so much these vain men, that, though they were ad- searches. vanced in the church to the rank of presbyters, they p. 52. 4 would not abandon the philosopher's cloak."" 19. "These sages were of opinion, that true philoso- Eccl. Hisphy, the most salutary gift of God to mortals, was scat- tory, vol. 'tered in various portions through all the different [Pa- 1. p. 166. 'gan] sects; and that it was the duty of every wise man, and more especially of every christian doctor, to gather it from the several corners, where it lay dispersed, CHAP. Eccl. His tory, vol, i. p. 167. Ibid. Note [m.] Ibid. . 163. 'and to employ it, thus re-united, in the defence of reli'gion." From hence they were called Eclectics, [i. e. Selecters.] 20. The former Egyptian Philosophers, from whom' these Alexandrian doctors selected the materials of their system, held, "That in every sect there was a mixture of good and bad, of truth and falsehood, and accor 'dingly they chose and adopted out of each of them, 'such tenets as seemed to them conformable to reason ' and truth, and rejected such as they thought repugnant 'to both." 21. Here then, appeareth the ground-work of what hath long passed in a deceived world, under the honorable name of Christianity, and upon which the Alexan drian doctors began their building. 22. "Ammonius Saccas, (saith Maclaine) was a Chris'tian, who adopted with such dexterity the doctrines of 'the Pagan philosophy, as to appear a Christian to the 'Christians, and a Pagan to the Pagans." And saith Mosheim; "As his genius was vast and comprehensive, 'so were his projects bold and singular. For he at'tempted a reconciliation or coalition of all sects, wheth'er philosophical or religious, and taught a doctrine, 'which he looked upon as proper to unite them all, the 'christians not excepted, in the most perfect harmony." 23. "He maintained, that the great principles of all 'philosophical and religious truth were to be found, equally, in all sects; that they differed from each oth'er, only in their method of expressing them, and in some opinions of little or no importance; and that by 'a proper interpretation of their respective sentiments, 'they might easily be united into one body." 24. "How this vast project was effected by Ammonius, the writings of his disciples and followers, that yet ' remain, abundantly testify.-All the Gentile religions, and even the Christian, were to be explained by the 'principles of this universal philosophy; but that, in or'der to this, the fables of the priests were to be removed 'from Paganism, and the comments and interpretations 'of the disciples of Jesus from Christianity." 25. How evidently doth this deep laid scheme of Antichrist strike at the very foundation of the gospel, by excluding the disciples of Jesus from the liberty of interpreting their own original doctrine! And if the foundation be destroyed, what shall the righteous do? |