I. CEN T. visionary writer has taken the liberty to invent PART II. Several dialogues or conversations between God and the angels, in order to insinuate, in a more easy and agreeable manner, the precepts which he thought useful and salutary, into the minds of his readers. But indeed, the discourse, which he puts into the mouths of those celestial beings, is more insipid and senseless than what we commonly hear among the meanest of the multitude [g]. The general character XXII. We may hear remark in general, that of the apos- the apostolic fathers, and the other writers, who, tolic fathers. in the infancy of the church, employed their pens in the cause of Christianity, were neither remarkable for their learning nor their eloquence. On the contrary, they express the most pious and admirable sentiments in the plainest and most illiterate style [b]. This, indeed, is rather a matter of honour than of reproach to the Christian cause; since we see, from the conversion of a great part of mankind to the gospel by the ministry of weak and illiterate men, that the progress of Christianity is not to be attributed to human means, but to a divine power. [g] We are indebted for the best edition of the Shepherd of HERMES, to FABRICIUS, who has added it to the third volume of his Codex Apocryphus N. Testamenti. We find also some account of this writer in the Biblioth. Græca, of the same learned author, book v. chap. ix. sect. ix. p. 7. and also in ITTIGIUS's dissertation, De Patribus Apostolicis, sect. 55. p. 184, &c. [b] All the writers mentioned in this chapter are usually called apostolic fathers. Of these writers, Jo. BAPT. COTELERIUS, and after him LE CLERC, have published a collection in two volumes, accompanied both with their own annotations, and the remarks of other learned men. CHAP. CHAP. III. Concerning the doctrine of the Christian church in this century. TH CENT. PARTIL of the THE whole of the Christian religion is com- The nature prehended in two great points, of which Christian the first regards what we are to believe, and the religion. other relates to our conduct and actions; or, to express the matter more briefly, the gospel presents to us objects of faith, and rules of practice. The former are expressed by the apostles by the term mystery, or the truth; and the latter by that of godliness, or piety [i]. The rule and standard of both are those books which contain the Revelation that God made of his will to persons chosen for that purpose, whether before or after the birth of CHRIST. And these divine books are usually called The Old and New Testament. II. The apostles and their disciples took all Method of interpreting possible care, and that in the earliest times of the the scrip. church, that these sacred books might be in the tures. hands of all Christians, that they might be read and explained in the assemblies of the faithful, and thus contribute, both in private and in public, to excite and nourish in the minds of Christians a fervent zeal for the truth, and a firm attachment to the ways of piety and virtue. Those who performed the office of interpreters, studied above all things plainness and perspicuity. At the same time it must be acknowledged, that, even in this tentury, several Christians adopted that absurd and corrupt custom, used among the Jews, of darkening the plain words of the Holy Scriptures by insipid and forced allegories, and of drawing them violently from their proper and natural signification. I 2 1 Tim. iii. 9. vi. 3. Tit i. 1. I. CEN T.nification, in order to extort from them certain PART II. mysterious and hidden significations. For a proof of this, we need go no further than the Epistle of BARNABAS, which is yet extant. Of teaching religion. The apostles creed. III. The method of teaching the sacred doctrines of religion, was, at this time, most simple, far removed from all the subtile rules of philosophy, and all the precepts of human art. This appears abundantly, not only in the writings of the apostles, but also in all those of the second century, which have survived the ruins of time. Neither did the apostles, or their disciples, ever think of collecting into a regular system the principal doctrines of the Christian religion, or of demonstrating them in a scientific and geometrical order. The beautiful and candid simplicity of these early ages rendered such philosophical niceties unnecessary; and the great study of those who embraced the gospel was rather to express its divine influence in their dispositions and actions, than to examine its doctrines with an excessive curiosity, or to explain them by the rules of human wisdom. IV. There is, indeed, extant, a brief summary of the principal doctrines of Christianity in that form, which bears the name of the Apostles Creed, and which, from the fourth century downwards, was almost generally considered as a production of the apostles. All, however, who have the least knowledge of antiquity, look upon this opinion as entirely false, and destitute of all foundation [k]. There is much more reason and judgment in the opinion of those who think, that this Creed was not all composed at once, but, from small beginnings, was imperceptibly augmented in proportion to the growth [] See BUDEUS's Isagoge ad Theologiam. lib. i. cap. ii. sect. 2. p. 441.; as also WALCHII Introductio in Libros Symbolicos, lib. i. cap. ii. p. 87. I. growth of heresy, and according to the exigencies C EN T. and circumstances of the church, from whence PART II. it was designed to banish the errors that daily arose []. tween cate vers. V. In the earliest times of the church, all who The distinc professed firmly to believe that JESUS was the only tion beRedeemer of the world, and who, in consequence chumens of this profession, promised to live in a manner and belieconformable to the purity of his holy religion, were immediately received among the disciples of CHRIST. This was all the preparation for baptism then required; and a more accurate instruction in the doctrines of Christianity was to be administered to them after their receiving that sacrament. But, when Christianity had acquired more consistence, and churches rose to the true God and his eternal Son, almost in every nation, this custom was changed for the wisest and most solid reasons. Then none were admitted to baptism, but such as had been previously instructed in the principal points of Christianity, and had also given satisfactory proofs of pious dispositions, and upright intentions. Hence arose the distinction between catechumens, who were in a state of probation, and under the instruction of persons appointed for that purpose; and believers, who were consecrated by baptism, and thus initiated into all the mysteries of the Christian faith. chumens VI. The methods of instructing the catechu-The catemens differed according to their various capacities. differently Those, in whom the natural force of reason was instructed. small, were taught no more than the fundamental [/] This opinion is confirmed in the most learned and ingenious manner by Sir PETER KING, in his History of the Apostles Creed. Such, however, as read this valuable work with pleasure, and with a certain degree of prepossession, would do well to consider, that its learned author, upon several occasions, has given us conjectures instead of proofs, and also that his conjectures are not always so happy, as justly to command our assent. PART II. CEN T. principles and truths, which are, as it were, the I. basis of Christianity. Those, on the contrary, whom their instructors judged capable of comprehending, in some measure, the whole system of divine truth, were furnished with superior degrees of knowledge; and nothing was concealed from them, which could have any tendency to render them firm in their profession, and to assist them in arriving at Christian perfection. The care of instructing such was committed to persons who were distinguished by their gravity and wisdom, and also by their learning and judgment. And from hence it comes, that the ancient doctors generally divide their flock into two classes; the one comprehending such as were solidly, and thoroughly instructed; the other, those who were acquainted with little more than the first principles of religion; nor do they deny that the methods of instruction applied to these two sorts of persons were extremely different. The care of the first Christians cation of their youth. VII. The Christians took all possible care to accustom their children to the study of the scripin the edu- tures, and to instruct them in the doctrines of their holy religion; and schools were every where erected for this purpose, even from the very commencement of the Christian church. We must not, however, confound the schools designed only for children, with the gymnasia, or academies of the ancient Christians, erected in several large cities, in which persons of riper years, especially such as aspired to be public teachers, were instructed in the different branches, both of human learning, and of sacred erudition. We may, undoubtedly, attribute to the apostles themselves, and their injunctions to their disciples, the excellent establishments in which the youth, destined to the holy ministry, received an education suitable to the solemn office they were to undertake [m]. St [m] 2 Tim. ii. 2. |
