be read (for the Jews all hold that name ineffable, and not to be pronounced). Now the efficacy of this name was fuch, that whoever learned the pronunciation of it, became thereby able to work all forts of miracles. But the wife men among them, fearing left an ill ufe fhould be made hereof, appointed brazen dogs to keep the gate, which were formed with fuch exquifite art, that if any fhould learn the name, and be going away with it in his memory, they should be so affrighted with the terrible barkings of the dogs, as to forget it; but that Jefus knowing this, wrote it down in parchment, and fewed it up in a wound which he made in his thigh for that purpose, and so, after he went out of the temple, taking forth the parchment, recovered the name again which he had forgot, and by virtue of it wrought all his miracles.

Such were the despicable objections the Jews and Heathens made against our Saviour; the confutation of which in a very juft and clear manner may be read in the fore-cited places of Origen, Eufebius, Austin, and especially Arnobius; and among the moderns in the celebrated Huetius ; and Dr. Parker's Demonstration of the Divine Authority of the Christian Religion".

• Demonftrat. Evang. Prop. IX. c. 39.

b Sect. 25.

CHAP.

CHA P. XV.

Afpurious Epistle of Christ among the Manichees. A notorious Blunder of Mr. Toland. A Hymn which Chrift taught his Difciples, forged by the Prifcillianifts in the fourth Century. The Occafion of the Forgery. The Spuriousness of the Hymn.

- Numb. XIV. The EPISTLE of CHRIST produced by the MANICHEES.

THE

HE only account which we have of this Letter is in
St. Auftin's Difputation with Fauftus the Manichee*.

Quis eft ergo tam demens, qui hodiè credat effe Epiftolam Chrifti, quam protulerit Manichæus, & non credat facta vel dicta effe Chrifti quæ fcripfit Matthæus ?

Can any one be fo wild, as to believe that to be the Epiftle of Chrift, which Manichæus produces, and not believe the hiftories and doctrines of Chrift, which are related by Matthew?

Mr. Fabritius fuppofes, that this paffage does not fully prove, that the Manichees really had any fuch Epistle under the name of Chrift, but that St. Austin only, for argument's fake, makes such a fuppofition; but the whole series of the Father's reasoning feems to prove the contrary. He is endeavouring to prove the reasonableness of the Manichees submitting to the authority of St. Matthew's Gofpel; and his argument ftands fairly thus: "You boast of an Epiftle, which

you have, written by Chrift: this, if it were really fo, "muft needs have been read and received with the utmost ❝ veneration in the Church, that has a continued fucceffion "of Bishops from the Apostles' time: but it has no such evi"dence of its being genuine, and yet you believe it rather "than Matthew's Gospel, which was always received by the

a Contr. Fauft. Manich. lib. 28. c.4. T. Opp. 6.

Cod. Apoc. N. T. Pars 1. P. 306. in Notis.

VOL. I.

« Church:

"Church. Befides, your pretended Epiftle receives all its "credit from an obscure man of Perfia, who lived two hun"dred years or more after Chrift; and is he likely to give a "better account of what Chrift faid and did than Matthew, "who was one of his Apoftles and companions?"

Thus far he; which reasoning neceffarily fuppofes a real Epiftle under Chrift's name, among the Manichees: what doctrines it contained, I cannot guefs, any farther, than that it is probable they were fuch as peculiarly suited to the opinions of Manes and his followers, of which a fpecimen is given above, Chap. V. It was certainly a fpurious piece, as appears by St. Auftin's reasoning and Prop. IV, V, VI.

I fcarce know whether it be worth while to trouble the reader with the following remark on Mr. Toland's inaccuracy in quotations, unless it may be looked upon as (which I think I may juftly fay it is) a specimen of his constant foul dealing in these matters. In his catalogue of books reported to be written by Christ (Amynt. p. 21.) he refers his reader to this book of St. Austin for an Epistle of Christ to Peter and Paul; and quotes lib. 28. c. 13. Now in all this book there is not one fyllable of any fuch Epiftle; and whereas he cites the thirteenth chapter, there are but five chapters in that book: but this is not all; he produces another book, which he calls, A Book of the Magick of Christ, and for this refers the reader to Auguft. de Consens. Evang. lib. 1. cap. 9, 10. and then adds, If it be not the fame with the Epistle to Peter and Paul, i. e, the Epiftle which he thought had been mentioned in the twenty-eighth book against Fauftus: a learned note indeed! In the first place to guess this the fame with a book which was not mentioned in the place cited, and then to guess it to be the very fame with itself; for had this blunderer but caft his eye upon the place he refers to in St. Auftin de Confenf. he must have seen that the book of the Magick of Chrift was in that very place faid to be wrote in form of an Epistle to Peter and Paul. But it is plain he cited from others, and was glad to say any thing which would found bad against Christianity, though so plainly at the expence of his ingenuity and integrity.

Numb.

Numb. XV. A HYMN which CHRIST taught his DISCIPLES.

R. TOLAND in his fore-mentioned catalogue,

and Mr. Fabritius a have obferved this fpurious piece in an Epistle under St. Auftin's name, infcribed to a Bishop called Ceretius. But as this Epiftle is not in my edition of that Father's works, I am obliged entirely to depend on Mr. Fabritius's quotation out of him, which, that nothing may be wanting here, I fhall transcribe with the addition of a few remarks.

qui me vides-fanua fum tibi, quicunque me pulsas- Qui vides quod ago, tace opera

mea.

I will be bound. I will fave, and I will be faved. I will adorn, and I will be adorned. I am a light to thee, who feeft me. I am a gate to thee, who knockeft at me. Thou who feeft what I do, conceal my works.

From this account we see what gave occafion to this impious forgery, viz. our Saviour's finging a hymn with his ·Apoftles after the pafchal supper, and their going thereupon up to the mount of Olives, Matt. xxvi. 30. The hereticks, who esteemed it, were an impious fort of Christians, in the middle of the fourth century, so called from Prifcillianus, a Spaniard 2, who jumbled together and adopted the filly and ridiculous tenets of the Gnofticks and Montanifts. That this hymn was forged by Prifcillian himself, or some of his followers, seems to me probable, from the laft words of it in the foregoing fragment, Thou, who feeft what I do, conceal my works. For concealing their myfteries and fecrecy of their doctrines was enjoined all the fect; and St. Austin tells us, this was one of their maxims";

Jura; perjura; fecretum prodere noli.

Swear; forfwear; but be careful of your fecrets.

However it may be, as to this conjecture, the hymn was certainly spurious, for the fame reasons as the former pieces falfely afcribed to Chrift, Prop. IV, V, and VI. But befides, the short fragment given us by St. Austin undeniably proves it; for there cannot be any thing more difagreeable to the ftyle of Chrift than it is; in which there are no where fuch jingles and playing with founds, as appear to be in this. Moreover, if I mistake not, the jingle in the two first sentences proves this hymn to be firft written in the Latin tongue; for though indeed it is poffible they may be a translation, yet nothing can be more improbable, than that two

a Vid. Auguft. de Hæref. Num. 70. T. Opp. 6.

De Hæref. ad Quodv. Num. fuch

70. T. Opp. 6.