To the fame, no doubt, he refers in the fixth chapter, where, fpeaking of fome who taught otherwise than he had done, he says, v. 3, If any man teach otherwise, and confent not to wholefome words, even the words of our Lord Jefus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions, and ftrifes of words, whence cometh- -perverfe difputings of men of corrupt minds, and deftitute of the truth, &c. And he concludes the epistle with exhorting him, no doubt with the fame view, in the following words, O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding prophane and vain babblings, and oppofitions of fcience, falfely fo called, which fome profeffing have erred concerning the faith.

In his fecond epiftle to the fame perfon, he very plainly alludes to the fame fyftem, when he fays, ch. ii, 16, But shun prophane and vain babbling, for they will increafe unto more ungodliness, and their word will eat as doth a canker. Of whom is Hymeneus, and Philetus, who concerning the truth have erred, faying that the refurrection is paft already, and overthrow the faith of fome. And as a motive with him to preach the word, and to be inftant in feafon and out of feason, he adds, ch. iv. 3. For the time will come when they will not endure found doctrine, but, after their own lufts, fhall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and be turned unto fables.

In

In his epistle to Titus we find many expreffions very much like thofe in his epistle to Timothy, and therefore they probably allude to the fame things; though he here intimates that they were Jews who were most industrious in propagating these new doctrines, accommodating them to their own law, as the Cabbalifts afterwards are known to have done, Mofheim fays, "That a confiderable number "of the Jews had imbibed the errors of the "Oriental philofophy appears evidently both

from the books of the New Teftament, "and from the ancient history of the chriftian church, and it is alfo certain that many "of the Gnoftic fects were founded by Jews." Ecclef. Hift. vol. i. p. 38. Titus, i. 9, Holding faft the faithful word, as he hath been taught, that he may be able by found doctrine both to exhort and convince the gainfayers. For there are many unruly, and vain talkers, and deceivers, especially they of the circumcifion, whofe mouths must be stopped, who fubvert whole houfes, teaching things, which they ought not, for filthy lucre's fake. Again, v. 14, Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Unto the pure all things are pure, but to them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure, alluding perhaps to the prohibition of marriage, and of certain meats. iii. 9. Avoid foolish questions and genealogies, and contentions, and frivings about the law, for they are unprofitable and

vain.

It is not improbable, also, that the apostle Peter alludes to the fame fyftem, when he fays, i. 16, For we have not followed cunningly-devifed fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift, but were eye witnesses of his majesty.

But the apoftle John, who wrote later than the reft, ufes language that cannot be applied to any thing but the fyftem I have mentioned; and it is moreover evident from the ftrain of his writings, that he knew of no other confiderable herefy in the church in his time, which agrees with what ancient writers fay, that no herefies were known in the times of the apoftles, but that of the Docete, who believed that Chrift did not come in real flesh, which is moft evidently a branch of the fyftem I have defcribed, and that of the Nazarenes, or Ebionites, of which I fhall fay more in its proper place.

To guard against this herefy, which, in fact, fubverted the whole gofpel, this venerable apoftle is very particular in giving a moft circumftantial teftimony to the proper humanity of Chrift. 1 John i. 1. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have feen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life. For the life was manifefted, and we have feen it, and bear witness, and fhew unto you, that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifefted unto us.

That

That which we have feen, and heard, declare we unto you, &c.

It is, moreover, remarkable, that this apoftle exprefsly calls this very doctrine that of Antichrift, and he fays there were many that publifhed it. Ch. ii 18. Little children it is the laft time, and as ye have heard that Antichrift fhall come, even now are there many antichrifts, whereby we know that it is the last time

-V.

22. Who is a lyar, but he that denieth that Jefus (the man Jefus) is the Chrift; the opinion of fome of these fectaries being, that Christ was another perfon than Jefus, and that he came down from heaven, and entered into him. He is antichrift that denieth the Father and the Son. Whofoever denieth the Son, the fame hath not the Father.

Again, iv. 3. Every Spirit that confeffeth that Jefus Chrift is come in the flesh, is of God. From which we may clearly learn, that this was the only herefy that gave any alarm to this good apoftle. And every Spirit that confelleth not that Jefus Chrift is come in the flesh, is not of God. And this is that spirit of Antichrift, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world. It is alfo to the reality of the body of Chrift, that he alludes, when he fays, v. 6. This is he that came by water and blood, even Jefus Christ, not by water only, but by water and blood; for there are three that bear witnefs, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; alluding, : perhaps, to Jefus being declared to be the Son

of

of God at his baptifm, by his miracles, and by his death and refurrection, of which the former was allowed by the Docete, but the latter they denied.

In his fecond epiftle, this apostle ftill dwells upon the fame fubject, v. 7. Many deceivers are entered into the world, who confefs not that Jefus Chrift is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver, and an Antichrift. V. 10. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your houfe, nor bid him God fpeed. It is to this also, probably, that he alludes when, in his third epiftle, he expreffes his joy that Gaius, to whom he writes, walked in the truth. V. 3. I rejoiced greatly when the brethren came, and teftified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkeft in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Who were the Nicolaitans, mentioned in the book of Revelation, is not known with any certainty; but as, antiquity mentions no herefies in the church in those early times, but fome branch of the Oriental fect, and the Nazarenes, who are falfely confidered as heretical, it is probable the Nicolaitans were fome of the more flagitious of the former fort, abufing their tenets to licentious purposes; and perhaps this apoftle naming them fo expressly, and in terms of fuch extreme difapprobation, in an epiftle from Chrift himself, might be a means of extinguishing both the name and the thing.

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