Magnus, Ruffinus, Petrus Chrysologus, Maximus Taurinensis, and others and sometimes on the contrary, his passion contained his crucifixion, as in a creed of Origen's; and his death comprehended his burial, as in the creed of Ignatius: which variety of expression naturally leads us to this conclusion, that seeing these terms did mutually include or infer each other, and either of them were indifferently mentioned, that therefore they were primarily intended for. one and the same thing; which, as it will be proved, was to declare, that the body of Christ was real, true and material.

The first creed, wherein they are expressed all four together, is a creed of St. Austin's, who mentions them according to our present form, "suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified dead and buried;" from whom, as it is probable the compilers of our creed received it, who judged not one of these particulars to be a superfluous opposition to this heresy, but all of them necessary, since they were each of them particularly impugned and denied, and were most fit and proper to confute and gainsay these sottish and blasphemous heretics,

That this abominable tenet was subversive

of the whole gospel, the primitive writers a gainst those false doctors have abundantly shewn; sufficient whereof may be seen in the remaining works of Irenæus, Tertullian and Epiphanius, wherein it is clearly demonstra ted, that if Christ had been incarnated and suffered only in shew and appearance, he had been the greatest deceiver and liar that ever was in the world; his murderers would have been excused, and freed from that most hor rid and enormous crime; he could not possibly have been the Saviour of mankind, neither should we have been at all obliged to him, but should have been miserably cheated and deluded by him; and it would be our greatest folly to suffer for his sake, who only pretend ed to have so done for ours.

These being then the natural and tremen dous consequences of this horrid and portentous opinion, it seems almost incredible that any should ever have entertained or believed it: but the primitive records contain too numerous spectacles of such unhappy and misguided souls, who even at the dawning and first appearance of the gospel-sun, endeavored to obscure it by these black and sulphurous vapours; the incarnation of our Saviour was no sooner preached, but it was almost as quickly denied, and that not only by Heathens

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and foreigners, but even by those who pretended to be his disciples and followers: un to whom it is probable, St. John refers in his general epistle, where he writes, that there were then in the world certain antichristian spirits, who would not confess that Jesus Christ was come in the flesh :" which ungod ly spirits were without doubt the Gnostics, who, though crumbled amongst themselves in to innumerable sects and divisions, yet uni versally agreed in denying the truth and real. ity of our Saviour's body, affirming it to have been fantastical and imaginary, only in shew and appearance; from whence they were called Docete, and Phantasiaste, the father of all who was Simon Magus, who taught "that he was Christ; and that in the time of Tibe rius he appeared in shew, in the person of the son:" now that which Simon Magus asserted of himself, when he imagined himself to be the son, other succeeding heretics affirmed it of the son himself; as Menander, his immediate follower and disciple, Cerdon, Marcion, with Saturninus, Basilides, and others, who all affirmed, "that Christ had no substantial flesh, but that his body was a mere phantasm and apparition, which was neither really born, nor truly suffered." I might add the names of several other heretics, who embraced this. same unhappy opinion; but to endeavor the

enumeration of them all, would be too tedious and burdensome, seeing from the very first promulgation of the gospel, throughout an uns interrupted series of several generations, there ceased not to be some or others under the names of Simonians, Valentinians, Manichees, and the like, who did blasphemously deny and ridicule this necessary and fundamental point, that Jesus Christ is manifested in real and sub, stantial flesh,

The unconstrained consequences therefore of this heresy being so hideous, and the abettors thereof so numerous, and appearing under such various shapes and divers forms, it is no wonder that the compilers of the creed introduced so many terms in opposition thereunta.

Now that the birth of our Saviour was intended for this end, is evident from the creed of Ignatius, wherein, in contradiction to these fantastical heretics, he expressed this article, not simply by Christ's being born, but by his being "truly born of the Virgin Mary; and in the beginning of his epistle to the Smyrnaans, he "glorifies God for their firmness in the immovable faith, that Christ was truly of the seed of David according to the flesh, and truly born of a Virgin ;" unto which may be sub

joined, that in a creed of Origen's this article is expressed, by our Lord's being “ born in truth and not in appearance."

That our Saviour's passion was likewise introduced for the same design, as having been particularly attacked by the forementioned heretics, is also evident from the forecited creeds of Ignatius and Grigen, in both of which this clause runs, "that he truly and not imaginarily suffered under Pontius Pilate;" and from that other fore-quoted place of Igna tius, wherein he blessed God for the Smyrnæ ans, that they firmly adhered to the im movable faith, "that Christ truly suffered, and not as some unbelievers affirm, that he only suffered reputatively and according to outward appearance; and from the comment of St. Cyril of Jerusalem on this article, which is, "that Jesus suffered truly for all men; for his cross was not in opinion, nor his redemption in opinion, nor his death in opinion." And indeed, the passion of Christ is so convincing an argument of the reality of his inearnation, that it is surprising how any could possibly withstand the force thereof; for to affirm with the Saturnilians, Basilidians, and others," that Christ suffered only in fancy and shew, was a poor and most ridiculous evasion," at which rate, a man may argue a◄