corruption, helpleffnefs, and mifery of man, and a faithful information concerning the only way of falvation by Jefus Chrift, the great duty of belicving on him, of confeffing him, and of admitting the fanctifying operations of his Spirit,-thefe things a perfectly found preacher would have fhewn to her; and his exhortations would have been entirely founded on these doctrines; nor would he have felt the neceffity of aiding his meffage by the authority of Plato or of any other philofopher.Hiftory informs us of no remarkable effect which attended the miniftry of Origen on this occafion. That he spake what he believed and what he thought moft wife and expedient, is not to be doubted; but we may be allowed to lament, that his own ftate and views were too fimilar to those of Mammæa and of her fon to have permitted him to reprefent Chriftianity to them in the cleareft and the moft ftriking manner. In truth, it is to be feared that a number of Chriftians fo called, at this time, were much of the fame religion with Alexander himself.-He feems to have learnt, in fome measure, the doctrine of the unity of the Godhead; and by the help of the eclectic philofophy to have confolidated all religions into one mafs. But the Scriptural method of teaching things that accompany falvation will not inco porate with this fyftem of doctrines.

The liberality of his friend Ambrofe enabled Origen to profecute his Scriptural ftudies with vast rapidity. Ambrofe himself was a deacon of the Church; and, by his faithfulness under perfecution, he obtained the name of Confeffor.

At this time Noetus of Smyrna propagated the fame herefy in the Eaft, which Praxeas had done in the Weft,—namely, that there was no diftinction among the divine perfons. The pastors of

the

A. D.

230.

the Church of Ephefus, fummoned him before them; and demanded whether he really maintained this opinion. At first he denied it; but afterwards, having formed a party, he became more bold, and publicly taught his herefy. Being again interrogated by the paftors, he said, "What harm have I done? I glorify none but one God; I know none besides him who hath been begotten, who fuffered and died." He evidently, in this way, confounded the perfons of the Father and the Son together; and being obftinate in his views, he was ejected out of the Church with all his difciples. We have here an additional proof of the jealoufy of the primitive Chriftians in fupport of the fundamental articles of Chriftianity: The connexion alfo indiffolubly preferved between heretical pravity and pride of heart appeared in this teacher. He called himself Mofes, and his brother Aaron*.

Origen was now fent for to Athens to affift the Churches, which were there disturbed with feveral herefies. Thence he went to Palestine. At Cæfarea Theoctistus the bifhop, and Alexander bishop of Jerufalem ordained him a prieft at the age of forty-five, about the year two hundred and thirty. Demetrius, his own bishop, was offended; and, at length, divulged what had hitherto been kept very fecret, the indifcreet felf-mutilation before-mentioned, which took place in the youth of Origen. Alexander defended himfelf in what he had done by the encomium which Demetrius had given of Origen in his letter. The latter, on his return to Alexandria, found his bifhop quite incenfed against him for, he procured even his ejection from the Church by a council of paftors on account of fome errors that appeared in his works. What judgment

Fleury. B. 5. Epiphanius and Theodoret.

judgment is to be formed of these errors I fhall have a future occafion to confider. Banished from Egypt, this great man lived now in Palestine with his friends Theoctiftus and Alexander, ftill followed by many difciples, and particularly respected by Firmilian of Cappadocia, who looked upon it as a happiness to enjoy his inftructions. Here alfo the famous Gregory Thaumaturgus attended his theological lectures, which, even in his exile, were delivered in Origen's ufual manner.

Demetrius, bishop of Alexandria, died, after having held that office forty-three years. A long period!-but, our information is too indiftinct and Icanty to enable us to pronounce his real character. If we were fure that he preferved a very upright confcience toward God in things of effential moment, fomething might be advanced to justify his fevere treatment of Origen: but, as we are left on that head to conjectures, it is, perhaps, better to be filent.-Origen's affiftant Heraclas fucceeded

him.

In the year two hundred and thirty-five Alex- A. D. ander was murdered together with his mother; 235. and Maximin the murderer obtained the empire. His malice against the house of Alexander difpofed him to perfecute the Chriftians; and he gave orders to put to death the paftors of the Churches. The perfecution was not confined to them: Others fuffered at the fame time; and, it feems by Firmilian's letter to Cyprian of Carthage, that the flame extended to Cappadocia. Ambrofe, the friend of Origen, and Protoctetus, minister of Cæfarea, fuffered much in the course of it; and to them Origen dedicated his book of martyrs. He himself was obliged to retire. But the tyrant's reign lafted only three years, in which time it must be confeffed that the reft of the world had tafted of

his ferocity as much as the Chriftians had.His perfecution of THEM was local; but his cruelty to mankind in general feemed infatiable.

Pupienus and Balbinus, the fucceffors of MaxiA. D. min, were flain in the year two hundred and 238. thirty-eight: Gordian reigned for fix years, and was then fupplanted by the ufual military turbulence, which made way for his murderer, Philip the Arabian.

Origen, in a letter to his fcholar Gregory Thaumaturgus, exhorts him to apply himself chiefly to the holy Scripture; to read it very attentively; not to fpeak or judge of it lightly, but with unshaken faith and prayer, which, fays he, is absolutely neceffary for the understanding of it.-This exhortation will be noticed by the pious reader, doubtless, with much fatisfaction. It proves that his philosophy had not obliterated his Christianity.

A fresh attempt was now made to pervert the doctrine of the perfon of Chrift.-Beryllus, bishop of Boftra in Arabia, affirmed that our Saviour, before his incarnation, had no proper divinity, but only his Father's divinity dwelling in himself. Thus Eufebius ftates the matter. It is not easy to form clear ideas of these fentiments: they seem, however, to annihilate the divine perfonality of the eternal Word. The man, it seems, was not obftinate: he liftened to found Scriptural argument, and was therefore reclaimed by means of Origen. He even loved his inftructor ever after, and was fincerely thankful to him;—a circumftance, which reflects an amiable light on the character of A. D. Beryllus *.

244.

Philip began to reign in the year two hundred

and

Hieronym. Eccle. Scrip. L. xx.-See Dr. Waterland on the Importance of the Trinity.

and forty-four. Eufebius tells us that he was a Christian; and indeed that he was fo, by PROFESSION, feems well attefted by the concurrent voice of antiquity. He is faid to have fubmitted to certain ecclefiaftical cenfures from a bishop; but the report is void of proper authenticity;and most probably, he ranked at his death only as a Catechumen.-There is, however, no doubt, but in the fourth year of his reign and in the year of Chrift two hundred and forty-feven he allowed A. D. and conducted the fecular games, which were full 247of idolatry: and this is a fact, which clearly proves that he was not difpofed to give up any thing for the fake of Chrift: And, in general, there is not the leaft ground to conclude from hiftory that he was a cordial friend to the Gospel.- Nevertheless the progress of Christianity in the world at this time must have been very great, which could induce fo worldly-minded a perfon as Philip to countenance it without referve or ambiguity.—To this emperor and to his wife Severa, Origen wrote an epiftle, which was extant in Eufebius' time.

It appears from one of the homilies of Origen that the long peace which the Church, with only the fhort interruption of Maximin's perfecution, -had enjoyed, had brought on a great degree of lukewarmness and even of much religious indecorum. Let the reader only notice the difference between the scenes which he here defcribes and the conduct of the Chriftians both in the first and fecond century, and he will be affected with the greatness of the declenfion.

"Several," fays he, "come to Church only on folemn festivals; and then, not fo much for inftruction as diverfion: Some go out again as foon as they have heard the lecture, without conferring

• Fleury.