the other hand, had they been merely a trifling set of obscure ignoble persons, they would, instead of being combated with so much eagerness and pertinacity, have been spurned at and treated with derision. Upon the whole, the conclusion that seems the least liable to exception is, that the number of the Christians was in this age very considerable in such of the provinces as had

lata templa cæpisse celebrari, et sacra solemnia diu intermissa repeti, passimque venire victimos, quorum adhuc rarissimus emptor inveniebatur. We are reduced to the necessity, then, of either believing that the report made by this circumspect and prudent writer to his imperial master was founded in fiction; or else, admitting that in the Pontic province, even so early as his time, the Heathen worshippers were far outnumbered by the Christians; at least that the greatest part of its inhabitants had manifested a disposition. to abandon the religion of their ancestors. Those who conceive that the Roman empire contained within it but few Christians at this period, think to do away the force of this testimony by saying, that in this letter to Trajan, Pliny assumes more the character of an advocate, than that of an historian, and that therefore what he says is not to be understood altogether in a literal sense. Now to this I will in candour accede, so far as to admit, that Pliny was desirous of inspiring the emperor with sentiments of lenity and pity towards a set of people whom he knew to be of an harmless character and under the influence of no evil principle, and that with this view he was led in some measure to amplify the number of the Christians; but hither surely cannot be referred what he says of the temples having been be. fore nearly deserted, the sacred rites intermitted, and the sacrifices neglected. For Trajan could have drawn no other conclusion from this than that Christianity was on the decline. In every other respect, too, we find the orator quite laid aside, and things represented in plain and simple terms without the least artificial colouring. The testimony of Pliny is confirmed by Lucian, to whom it is impossible to impute any thing like a similarity of design. Lucian, in an account which he has transmitted to posterity of the life and nefarious practices of Alexander, represents this infamous impostor as complaining Αθέων ἐμπεπλησθαι καὶ χριστιανῶν τὸν Πόντον, οἱ περὶ αυτά τολμῶσι τὰ κάκισα βλασφημεῖν: plenam esse Pontum Atheis et Christianis, qui audeant pessima de se maledicta spargere. In Pseudomant § 25. p. 232. tom. ii. opp. edit. Gesner. This Alexander appears to have dreaded the perspicacity of the Chris. tians, by whom he was surrounded, in no less a degree than that of the Epicureans, a set of men by no means of an insignificant or frivolous character, but on the contrary intelligent and shrewd. By a particular injunction, therefore, he prohibited both the one and the other from being admitted to the secret mysterious rites which he instituted Ει τις 'Αθιος, ἢ χριστιανός, ἢ Σπικάρειος, ἤχει κατάσκοπος τῶν ὀργίων, φεύγετο. l. c. § 38. p. 244. These words the illustrious

been early brought to a knowledge of the truth, and continued still to cultivate and cherish it; but that nothing beyond a few small and inconsiderable assemblies of them, was to be found in those districts where the light of the gospel had been but recently made known, or, if communicated at an early period, had been suffered to languish and fall into neglect.'

In tracing the causes of the wide and rapid spread of the Christian religion in this age, it was impossible not to advert to the former controversy to which Dr. Middleton's "Free Inquiry," gave rise, and which excited much interest in this country about half a century ago. The insidious design of the sceptical theologian, which alarmed the English Clergy, is very properly exposed; while his profession that he meant

translator of Lucian renders, Si quis Atheus, aut Christianus, aut Epicureus venerit, orgiorum speculator, fugito. To me, however, it appears that we should better meet the sense of the original by rendering them si quis Atheus, sive Christianus sit, sive Epicureus, venerit, fugito. The title of Atheist being, as it strikes me, here used by this impostor generically, to denote those to whom he afterwards specifically takes exception under the two denominations of Christians and Epicureans. That the Christians, as well as the Epicureans, were termed Atheists by their adversaries is well known to every one. It redounds, however, not a little to the credit of the Christians of Pontus, that we find Alexander thus classing them with the Epicureans, a set of men on whom it was not easy to impose, either with respect to their eyes or their ears. In the present day we have many who would willingly persuade us, that the primitive Christians were of such an insignificant and stupid character as not to be capable of distinguishing miracles and prodigies from the tricks of impostors, and from some of the regular though rare operations of nature. To this Alexander, however, this cunning deceiver, who had found means to impose on so many who were deficient neither in perception nor understanding, they appeared to be persons of a very different cast; men, in fact, endowed with a considerable share of caution and prudence, who were well capable of forming a proper estimate of miracles and prodigies, and whom all the craft and cunning of those who made it their study by tricks and deception to impose on the vulgar, could not easily delude. The fear thus manifested by Alexander of the Christians, must certainly be allowed to possess considerable weight in proving how very numerous they were in the provinces of the Roman empire; nor is it open to the same exceptions that are taken to the testimony of Pliny. Alexander cannot be charged with indulging in declamation by way of moving the passions; his complaint is dictated merely by a concern for himself, and his credit with the world.' Vol. II. PP. 17-27.

not to contend that no miracles whatever were wrought in the primitive church subsequent to the time of the Apostles, is justly considered as an extorted acknowledgement of his adversaries' triumph.

Of the account given by Mosheim, of the Latin version of the Scriptures, before the time of Jerome, the following sentence from Michaelis in reference to it, sufliciently evinces the value. "This treatise deserves especially to be read, because the "author has freed the history of this version from several mis"takes, that were generally committed, and from which I was "not exempt."

Our readers will peruse with the same feelings with which it appears to have been written, the following passage on the artifices sometimes employed in the propagation of Christianity. It follows a view of the ordinary causes which contributed to its progress, and is one proof among many others of the impartiality that pervades these Commentaries.

With the greatest grief, we find ourselves compelled to acknowledge, that the upright and laudable exertions thus made by the wise and pious part of the Christian community, were not the only human means which, in this century, were employed in promoting the propagation of the Christian faith. For by some of the weaker brethren, in their anxiety to assist God with all their might, such dishonest artifices were occasionally resorted to, as could not, under any circumstances, admit of excuse; and were utterly unworthy of that sacred cause, which they were unquestionably intended to support. Perceiving, for instance, in what vast repute the poetical effusions of those ancient prophetesses termed Sybils, were held by the Greeks and Romans, some Christian, or rather, perhaps, an association of Christians, in the reign of Antoninus Pius, composed eight books of Sybilline verses, made up of prophecies respecting Christ and his kingdom, with a view to persuade the ignorant and unsuspecting, that even so far back as the time of Noah, a Sybil had foretold the coming of Christ, and the rise and progress of his Church. This artifice succeeded with not a few, nay some even

*The Sybilline verses are treated of very much at large by Io. Al bert Fabricius in the first volume of his Bibliotheca Greca, where the reader will also find a particular account given of those writings, which were sent out into the world under the forged name of Hermes Trismegistus. The last editor of the Sybilline Oracles was Servatius Gallæus, under whose superintendance and care they were reprinted at Amsterdam 1689, in 4to. corrected from ancient manuscripts, and illustrated with the comments of various authors. To this edition the reader will find added the Magian Oracles attributed to Zoroaster and others, collected together by Jo. Opsopæus, amongst which are not a few things of like Christian origin. That the Sybilline verses were forged by some Christian, with a view of pre

of the principal Christian teachers themselves were imposed upon by it; but it eventually brought great scandal on the Christian cause, since the fraud was too palpable to escape the searching penetration of those who gloried in displaying their hostility to the Christian name. By others, who were aware that nothing could be held more sacred than the name and authority of Hermes Trismegistus were by the Egyptians, a work bearing the title of Poemander, and other books replete with Christian principles and maxims, were sent forth into the world, with the name of this most ancient and highly venerated philosopher prefixed to them, so that deceit might, if possible, effect the conversion of those whom reason had failed to convince. Many other deceptions of this sort, to which custom has very improperly given the denomination of Pious frauds, are known to have been practised in this and the succeeding century. The authors of them were, in all probability, actuated by no ill intention, but this is all that can be said in their favour, for their

vailing the more easily on the heathen worshippers to believe in the truth of the Christian religion, has been proved to a demonstration, by (amongst others) David Blondell, in a French work, published at Charenton 1649, in 4to. under the following title, Des Sybilles celebrés tant par l'Antiquité pyenne, que par les saincts Peres. Indeed we may venture to say, that with the exception of a few, who are blinded by a love of antiquity, or whose mental faculties are debilitated by superstition, there is not a single man of erudition, in the present day, who entertains a different opinion. It may be observed, by the way, that Blondell's book was, after two years, re-published, under a different title, namely, Traité de la Creance des Peres touchant l'Etat des Ames après cette vie, et de l'Origine de la Priere pour les Mortes, et du Purgatoire à l'occasion de l'Ecrit attribué aux Sybilles. Charenton 1651, 4to. The fact, no doubt was, that finding purchasers were not to be attracted by the former title, the bookseller deemed it expedient to have recourse to another.'

*From what is said by Origen, contra Celsum, lib. v. p. 272, edit. Spencer. as well as by Lactantius, Institut. Divinar. lib. iv. cap. xv. and by Constantine the great in c. 19. of his Oratio ad Sanctos, which is annexed to Eusebius, it appears that the enemies of the Christians were accustomed indignantly to upbraid them with this fraud.'

That the writings at present extant under the name of Hermes must have been the work of some Christian author was first pointed out by Isaac Casaubon in his Exerc. I. in Baronium, § xviii. p. 54. This has since been confirmed by various writers, vid. Herm. Conringius de Hermetica Ægyptiorum Medicina, cap. iv. p. 46. Beausobre, Histoire de Manichée, tom. ii. p. 201. Cudworth Intellect. System, tom. i. pp. 373, 374. edit. Mosheim. Warburton, Divine Legation of Moses, vol. i. p. 442. It may be observed, however, that certain of the learned dissent, in some degree, from this opinion, conceiving that the writings of Hermes originated with the Platonists: they suspect them, however, to have been interpolated and corrupted by the Christians.'

*

conduct in this respect was certainly most ill advised and unwarrantable. Although the greater part of those who were concerned in these forgeries on the public, undoubtedly belonged to some heretical sect or other, and particularly to that class which arrogated to itself the pompous denomination of Gnostics, yet I cannot take upon me to acquit even the most strictly orthodox from all participation in this species of criminality: for it appears from evidence superior to all exception, that a pernicious maxim, which was current in the schools, not only of the Egyptians, the Platonists, and the Pythagoreans, but also of the Jews, was very early recognised by the Christians, and soon found amongst them numerous patrons, namely; that those who made it their business to deceive with a view of promoting the cause of truth, were deserving rather of commendation than censure.' † Vol. II. pp. 41-45.

The severities and persecutions to which the Christians were exposed in this century, together with the edicts made in their favour, and the artifices by which they were eluded, are detailed at great length by our author: he has not only narrated those afflicting events with much perspicuity and successfully traced them to their proper causes, but has thrown on many of the circumstances connected with them, new and interesting light. He does not fall in with the general notions that Trajan was the author of the third persecution of the Christians, or that the evils which they suffered under the presidency of Pliny, were the beginning of such persecution. It was usual, he says, for the fury of the populace to break out against the Christians, at different times and in different places, in acts of outrage, which Trajan exerted his authority to restrain; and if there is an inconsistency in his prohibiting search to be made after the Christians, and ordering to be punished those who refused to renounce their religion, it is to be ascribed to an ap

* Blondell in lib. ii. de Sybillis, cap. vii. p. 161. from the praises that are continually lavished in the Sybilline verses on the country of Phrygia, is led to conclude that the author of them was by birth, a Phrygian; and since Montanus, a Christian heretic of the second century, is known to have been a native of that region, suspects that the composition of them might be a work of his. The Abbé de Longerue expresses his approbation of this conjecture in his dissertation de Tempore quo nata est Hæresis Montani, which is to be found in Winckler's Sylloge Anecdotorum, p. 255. et seq. That the writings of Hermes and a great part of the forged Gospels, together with various works of a similar nature, the disgraceful productions of this century, are to be attributed to the perfidious machinations of the Gnostics, is clear beyond a question.'

+ See what I have collected in regard to this in my dissertation; de turbata per recentiores Platonicos Ecclesia, 41, et seq.'