upon it. The phrase of life by nature, undoubtedly imports necessary existence and proper Divinity, as I have observed and proved upon another occasion, and need not here do again. Bishop Bull brings some other passages from Justin of like import with this: but for brevity sake I choose to pass them over, and am content only to refer b.

A. D. 176. IRENEUS.

Irenæus has said much the same thing with Justin, in fuller and stronger words. After observing that the Son of God and Word of the Father became man, that he might give salvation to his own creature, or workmanship, he proceeds as follows: "Therefore, as I said be"fore, he united man to God: for if it were not man that "should overcome the adversary of man, the enemy "would not have been rightly vanquished; and again, if "it were not God to give the salvation, we could not be "firmly possessed of it: besides, if man had not been "united to God, he could never have been partaker of in"corruption. So it was meet that a Mediator between "God and man should bring both together into amity "and concord by his own proximity to both; that so he "might present man to God, and notify God to mend." What we have here to observe is, that if Irenæus believed it necessary for God to become man, in order to work man's salvation, he must of consequence judge the

⚫ Second Defence, vol, iii. p. 248. Compare Third Defence, vol. iv. p. 97. b Bull. Judic. c. vii. s. 5. p. 344, 345.

Bonus vere Filius Dei et patiens, Verbum Dei Patris, Filius hominis factus-Salutem donavit plasmati suo, destruens peccatum: est enim piissimus et misericors Dominus, et amans humanum genus. Iren. lib. iii. c. 18, alias 20.

d Ηνωσιν οὖν, καθὼς προέφαμεν, τὸν ἄνθρωπον τῷ Θεῷ. εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἄνθρωπος ἰείκησεν τὸν ἀντίπαλον τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, οὐκ ἂν δικαίως ἐνικήθη ὁ ἐχθρός· πάλιν τι, εἰ μὴ ὁ Θεὸς ἐδωρήσατο τὴν σωτηρίαν, οὐκ ἂν βεβαίως ἔσχομεν αὐτήν. καὶ εἰ μὴ συνηνώθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῷ Θεῷ, οὐκ ἂν ἠδυνήθη μετασχεῖν ἀφθαρσίας· ἔδει γὰρ τὸν μεσίτην Θεοῦ τε καὶ ἀνθρώπων, διὰ τῆς ἰδίας πρὸς ἑκατέρους, οἰκειότητος, εἰς φιλίαν καὶ ὁμόνοιαν τὰς ἀμφοτέρους συναγαγεῖν, καὶ Θεῷ μὲν παρατῆσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀνθρώποις δὲ γνωρίσαι મે Tiv sóv. Irenæus, ibid.

article of Christ's Divinity (in his high sense of Divinity) an essential of Christian faith, necessary to be believed by all to whom it should be revealed, under pain of forfeiting the benefit of it. Irenæus's constant way of reasoning in other places shows that he always carried that conclusion in his mind: and indeed he goes but one page farther on, before he formally draws it, in these strong and emphatical words: "They who make [Jesus] a mere man begotten of Joseph, remaining under the bondage of the first disobedience, are in a dead state, " inasmuch as they are not yet conjoined with the Word "of God the Father, nor have received freedom by the "Son according to what himself says; If the Son shall “make you free, you shall be free indeed. While they ❝acknowledge not him who of the Virgin is Emmanuel, [God with us,] they forfeit the benefit of it, which is life eternal. While they admit not the Word of incorruption, they continue in mortal flesh, and are bound "over to death, for want of receiving the antidote of life." This excellent writer has a great deal more to the same purpose, in the same chapter: but what I have cited may suffice for a summary view of his sentiments on this head. It is observable, that, according to him, the not receiving the Emmanuel, as Emmanuel, that is, as God incarnate, is in effect throwing up the privileges of it, (viz. life eternal,) and is remaining under the dominion of death and hell. Nothing can be stronger for the importance of the article of Christ's Divinity; especially if this passage be compared with the author's high and just sense of the name Emmanuel, importing that Christ is

Qui nude tantum hominem eum dicunt ex Joseph generatum, perseve. rantes in servitute pristinæ inobedientiæ, moriuntur; nondum commixti Verbo Dei Patris, neque per Filium recipientes libertatem, quemadmodum ipse ait: Si Filius vos manumiserit, vere liberi eritis. Ignorantes autem eum qui ex Virgine est Emmanuel, privantur munere ejus, quod est vita æterna: non recipientes autem Verbum incorruptionis, perseverant in carne mortali; et sunt debitores mortis, antidotum vitæ non accipientes." Iren. lib. iii. c. 19, alias c. 21.

John viii. 36.

1

substantially, or essentially, God in one nature, as he is man in another 5. I know not whether I again need to take notice (having twice before done it h) how Irenæus here mixes the two questions about the birth of a virgin, and about the Lord's Divinity, as amounting to one, upon the foot of the then present controversies. For the point then in question was, whether Christ was conceived in the common way of human generation, or whether the divine Logos coming upon the Virgin, superseded and excluded human means? The question being so stated, the asserting a divine Logos in Christ was of course asserting the birth of a virgin; as the denying the birth of a virgin was of course denying any personal union of the Logos with man. Thus the two questions, at that time, resolved, in a manner, into one: which is the reason, as I hinted before, of their being intermingled together.

A. D. 177. ATHENAGORAS.
A.D.

Athenagoras, in his Apology for the Christian Religion, written at this time i, has more passages than onek, which plainly prove his belief of the truth of the doctrine of the Trinity: but as to the necessity, or the importance of such faith, he had the less occasion to speak particularly, or to press it with any earnestness, since his immediate concern was not with heretics, or with Jews, but with Pagans only. Nevertheless; he occasionally drops some expressions, which intimate his high veneration for that

• Diligenter igitur significavit Spiritus Sanctus per ea quæ dicta sunt, generationem ejus quæ est ex Virgine, et substantiam quoniam Deus (Emmanuel enim nomen hoc significat) et manifestat quoniam homo, in eo quod dicit, &c. Iren. lib. iii. c. 21, alias 26.

Οἱ τὸν ἐκ τῆς παρθένου Ἐμμανουὴλ κηρύττοντες, τὴν ἕνωσιν τοῦ Λόγου τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς τὸ πλάσμα αὐτοῦ ἐδήλουν quoniam Verbum caro erit, et Filius Dei Filius hominis- -et hoc factus quod et nos, Deus fortis est, et inenarrabile habet genus. Iren, lib. iv. c. 33, alias 66.

h See above, p. 217, 220.

See Mosheim. Observat. Sacr. c. iv.

Vid. Bull. Defens. F. N. sect. ii. c. 4. p. 67, alias 71. Dr. Bishop's Sermons, p. 186, &c. Nourrii Apparat. ad Bibl. Max. vol. i. p. 487, &c. My Sermons, vol. ii. p. 181. Second Defence, vol. iii. p. 72-78, 250, &c.

sublime and tremendous doctrine, and show how much it concerned Christians to make it the subject of their most serious thoughts and most devout meditations. Speaking of Christians, he describes them as men that made "small account of the present life, but were intent only upon contemplating Godm, and knowing his Word who "is from him; what union the Son has with the Father, "what communion the Father has with the Son; what "the Spirit is, and what the union and distinction are of "such so united, the Spirit, the Son, and the Father." From hence we may infer how important a doctrine that of the Trinity, as understood by Athenagoras, (the same as we understand at this day,) was conceived to be, that the then Christians made it one principal concern of their lives, to contemplate and adore the three divine Persons. I say, adore: for though that is not expressed in this passage, it is undoubtedly implied, and is the express doctrine of the author in other places". Thus much we may undoubtedly collect from the present passage, that mysteries of faith were not then thought barren speculations, or matters of slight concernment. The reflection of a learned foreigner hereupon is very just and proper, and I shall give it the reader in the margino, as an useful

1 "Ανθρωποι δὲ, τὸν μὲν ἐνταῦθα ὀλίγου καὶ μικροῦ τινος ἄξιον βίον λελογισμένοι, ὑπὸ μόνου δὲ παραπεμπόμενοι τούτου, ὃν ἴσως [forte νοήσασθαι] Θεὸν καὶ τὸν παρ' αὐτοῦ Λόγον εἰδέναι, τίς ἡ τοῦ παιδὸς πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἑνότης, τίς ἡ τοῦ πατρὸς πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν κοινωνία, τί τὸ πνεῦμα, τίς ἡ τῶν τοσούτων ἕνωσις καὶ διαίρεσις ἐνουμένων, τοῦ πνεύματος, τοῦ παιδὸς, τοῦ πατρός. Athenag. Legat. lib. xi. p. 46. edit. Oxon.

Noncaca, for vow, is an emendation of a learned foreigner, Godfr. Olearius, in his Dissertat. Theolog. de Spiritus Sanct. cum Patre et Filio Adoratione, contr. Gul. Whiston, A. D. 1711. p. 2. The emendation has been taken notice of before by Dr. Bishop, Sermons, p. 188.

n Athenag. c. x. p. 40. xxvi. p. 122.

• Quamquam in primis Christianismi temporibus id cum primis gloriæ sibi duxerint fidei nostræ sanctissimæ professores, quod non meditatione verborum, sed demonstratione et institutione operum Christianam rem absolvi profiterentur; non tamen ista Praxis sacra ita fuit a theoria doctrinæ Christianæ separata, ut non mysteria etiam fidei, a quorum recta cognitione divini numinis cultus, tum vitæ de reliquo recte instituendæ ratio penderent, non temere quidem, sed neque tamen perfunctorie scrutarentur-Etenim qui in primis Christianismi initiis, inque ipso adeo wriμ suo, accepissent

comment upon this paragraph of Athenagoras. I proceed to other ecclesiastical writers in their order.

A. D. 209. TERTULLIAN.

Tertullian has some very remarkable expressions relating to the faith of the Church in Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God, as being the sum and substance of the Gospel, the very life and spirit of the Christian religion. I have cited part of the passage before, but shall now give it entire. "It is mere Judaism, to believe one God "in such a sense as not to reckon the Son to him, and "after the Son, the Spirit: for wherein is the great dif"ference between them and us, except it be in this arti"cle? What is it that the Gospel has done, what is the "substance of the New Testament, extending the Law "and the Prophets as far as John, if from thence for"wards Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three Persons, are "not believed to make one God P?" I have taken a little liberty in translating, just enough to keep the English up, and not to alter the sense. Three Persons is barely a literal rendering of tres, in that place, which cannot be otherwise so well expressed in English: besides, the word Persona, for the same thing, is common in Tertullian 9. As to what concerns the importance of the doctrine of the Trinity, it is impossible to invent any thing fuller or stronger, in so few words, than this passage. I am sensible it will be pleaded in bar to his evidence, that he was a Montanist. The fact is true, but there is no argument at

fidem in Patrem, Filium, et Spiritum Sanctum, eaque nomina perpetuo in ore haberent, eos sane oportebat eo contendere, ut crescerent in omni plenitudine scientiæ de mysterio tam augusto tamque venerando. Godfr. Olear. in Dissertat. p. 1, 2.

P Cæterum Judaicæ fidei est res, sic unum Deum credere ut Filium adnumerare ei nolis, et post Filium, Spiritum. Quid enim inter nos et illos, nisi differentia ista? Quod opus Evangelii? Quæ est substantia Novi Testamenti statuens Legem et Prophetas usque ad Johannem, si non exinde Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus, tres crediti, unum Deum sistunt? Tertul, adv. Prax. c. xxxi. p. 102. edit. Welchm.

Tertul. contr. Prax. c. xi. p. 32, 34. xii. 35, 37.