remains of the pride, covetoufnefs, and tyrannical The first period, viz. from the first appearance of CHAP. II. THE INTRODUCTION, IN TWO PARTS. PART I. Of the Faith of the primitive Chriftians, and the Apoftacy from it, traced in fome of its fucceffive steps, until that part of the world called Christendom was almoft totally overfpread with a midnight of darkness and Superftition. W HEN I confider the efficacy of faith as recorded in the Holy Scriptures, whether among the elders who had not yet received the promises, but feen them afar off as defcribed in the eleventh of the Hebrews; or among those who believed in Christ actually come in the flesh, as recorded in the New Teftament, in the following (among many other) places, John i. 12. "To as many as received him gave he power to become the fons of God, even to them that believe on his name." Mark ix. 23. "All things are poffible to him that believeth." Acts xv. 9. and xxvi. 18. "The hearts of both Jews and Gentiles were purified by faith ;" and John v. 4. "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." James ii. 18. "I will fhew thee my faith by my works." Eph. vi. "The shield of faith, wherewith they were able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked:-I fay when I confider this Scripture account of faith, I fee clearly that it was a lively operative one, and such as VOL. III. 16. profeffed Chriftians of ungodly lives have no claim to; for a dead faith may be reckoned either no faith at all, or (in fome refpect) to fall fhort of that of devils mentioned by the above-cited apoftle James, of whom he fays, that they not only believe but tremble, a difpofition which many profeffing faith in Chrift, are ftrangers to. Now in my small reading I find also the accounts given of the early Chriftians, not only during the lives of the apoftles, but for fome time afterwards, to be fuch as imply that their faith alfo was of the fame lively operative kind as that above described from the New Teftament, and fuperior in efficacy to the dictates of mere reafon. There appears,' fays Stillingfleet, 1. 2. c. 9. of his Origines facra, to have been a divine efficacy in the first preaching of the gofpel, far beyond that of the mere dictates of philofophy, which was not fuited to all capacities, but to the few only, and even where it was suited to the capacities of men, did indeed render them more knowing, but rarely more good whereas the gospel did not only change men's opinions and way of worship, but fhewed its fuperior power, in turning them from their lufts, fenfualities, and habitual fins.' 'We do indeed,' continues he, 'read of one Phædon and one Polemon brought off from their debaucheries by Socrates and Xenocrates; but what are these to the multitudes which by the mean and contemptible language of the apostles were converted from intemperance to fobriety, from injuftice to fair dealing: from cowardice to the highest conftancy; yea fo great as to lay down their lives for the fake of virtue? and this is what Origen, in his books against Celfus, triumphs in, as the moft fignal evidence of a divine power in the doctrine of Chrift.' Agreeably to this, I find that, tians placed their religion, not in talking finely, but the Primitive Chrif in living well, nor did they esteem any Christians that merely profeffed, but fuch as lived as Chrift commanded; and Tertullian openly declares that when men depart from the difcipline of the gospel, they so far ceafe amongst us to be accounted Chriftians."* But alas, how was the face of things changed, in procefs of time, and that faith which was once delivered to the faints caft off in the sense of the apostle, 1 Tim. v. 12? In fhort, an apoftacy from the primi-, tive purity and fimplicity did creep in, and from fmall beginnings prevail at length fo far as to render many. parts of the Christian world as corrupt, and in fome cafes more fo than the heathen. Of fuch an apoftacy befalling the Christian churches it hath feemed fit to the divine wifdom to forewarn us in the Revelation of John the divine, and several other places of the New Testament, of which it shall fuffice at present to mention but two, viz. 1 John iv. "Many falfe prophets are gone out into the world, that spirit of Antichrift whereof you have heard that it fhould come, and even now already is it in the world," and 2 Theff. i1. 1, 2, 3, 4. "We befeech you, that ye be not foon fhaken in mind, or troubled, neither by fpirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Chrift is at hand: let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of fin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; fo that he as God fitteth in the temple of God, fhewing himself that he is God. Accordingly when we come to confider by whose means it chiefly happened that the primitive beauty, purity and fimplicity above hinted at, came to fuffer an eclipfe, we fhall find that it was not by aliens and open adverfaries, but by profeffed brethren: that the * Cave's Primitive Christianity. greatest enemies of the church were thofe of her own houfe, even as was faid of Judas, John xiii. 18. "He that eateth bread with me hath lift up his heel against me," who kiffed, and at the fame time betrayed his Lord and Mafter: for indeed when we come to trace the origin and progress of the apoftacy, we fhall find that the great corrupters of Chriftianity have been the pretended difciples, apoftles, and vicars of Chrift Jefus, who by their conduct have brought infamy upon the Christian name and profeffion, and expofed it to that contempt with which it hath fometimes been treated. Now in order that this may appear, I fhall fhew that the practices of thofe men have been the most barefaced contradictions to the precepts of their Lord; that from the humility, meeknefs, and love by him exemplified and recommended, they have degenerated into the most enormous degree of pride and cruelty, from a heavenly difpofition of mind and contempt of worldly riches, into the most fordid and moft oppreffive covetoufnefs; and that, as corruption of manners is commonly accompanied by that of judgment also, they have egregiously corrupted the primitive doctrine as well as difcipline. The true origin of this woeful apoftacy feems to have been pretty deeply feated, viz. in the corruption of human nature: we are told that pride found admittance even among the angels, and degraded them from their heavenly ftations. It alfo, through the infinuation of the ferpent, found entrance into Paradife, and appears to have been one principal caufe of the fall of our firft parents. See Gen. iii. 5, 6. And if the wife man's maxim, Prov. xiii. 10. viz. Only by pride cometh contention," be of univerfal extent, it feems to have poffeffed fome of the Chriftians even of the early ages, and even fo far as to have introduced among them the perfecution, one of another for what was it elfe that caufed Victor, |