There is fomething pleasant in the manner in which the Fathers fometimes fpeak of the devil being deceived by the humanity of Chrift. Cyril of Jerufalem fays, "it "was neceffary that Chrift fhould fuffer for "us, but the devil would not have come "near him, if he had known this; for if they had known, they would not have cruci

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fied the Lord of glory. 1 Cor. ii. 8. The

body, therefore, was the bait of death, "that the dragon, thinking to fwallow it down, might vomit up all that he had "fwallowed *."

Ruffinus alfo reprefents the divinity of Chrift as concealed within his humanity, to catch the devil as with a bait; and to prove this, he adduces many paffages of the Old Teftament, especially that of Ezek. I will draw thee out with my book, &ct.

* Έδει παθειν υπερ ημων τον κύριον, αλλ' εκ αν είόλμησε προσελ δειν ο διάβολος, ει ήδει τείον . ει γαρ εγνωσαν. εκ αν τον κυρίον της δέξης Σταύρωσαν. δέλεαρ τανυν το θάνατο γεγονε το σώμα, ινα ελπίσας καλαπιειν ο δράκων, εξέμεση και τις ήδη καταποθενίας. If. 25. 8. Cat. 12. Opera, p. 155.

Ita et is qui habet mortis imperium rapuit quidem in morte corpus Jefu, non fentiens in eo hamum divinitatis inclufum; fed ubi devoravit, hæfit ipfe continuo, et dirup

Theodoret fays, that Chrift concealed his divinity in his temptation by the devil; and fays, that when the devil heard him fpeak as a man, he was encouraged to proceed with the temptation. He reprefents him as faying, "I heard the voice that came down, "from heaven, calling you the Son of God, "but I shall not believe it till it appear by "facts* ."

Job the monk alfo fays, "it was neceffary that the mystery of the incarnation of "the logos fhould be concealed, both to "make it more acceptable to the hearers, "and alfo to deceive the devil †."

Bafil of Seleucia fays, that, though the "demons called Chrift the Son of God, they did not know that he was God, be

tis inferni clauftris, velut de profundo extractus, trahitur ut efca cæteris fiat. In Symb. Opera, p. 179.

Κρυπίει μεν την θεοτητα εκ απηγόρευσε την νικην ακέσας ως ansport C ein. Της μεν γαρ ανωθεν εκθεσης φωνης ηκέσα, φησί, τέλο σε καλέσεσης, απίσω δε, εως αν λάβω την πειραν διδασκαλον. Opera, vol. 5. p. 46.

† Αναγκαιον δε ην το επισκιάζεσθαι το μυτήριον της τε λόγο σας. δώσεως δια δε το γενεσθαι τοις ακροωμένοις ευπαράδεκτον, και να τη

Photii. Bib. S. 222.

σκοτες του αρχοντα Aam

G 2

2. p. 622.

" caufe

"caufe all very good men are called fons of

God, and Ifrael is called his first born *.” It was objected, that it was wrong in God to conquer the devil by deceiving him, the divinity of Chrift being concealed under his human nature; but Gregory Nyffen replies,

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that it was fair enough to deceive the de"ceiver t."

If it was imagined to be neceffary that the devil, whofe cunning and penetration was never thought very lightly of, should remain ignorant of our Lord's divinity, he muft, no doubt, have concealed it with the greatest care, and have conducted himfelf in the moft cautious manner. If the devil was not able to difcover any thing of the matter, how could men find it out, and especially Jews, whofe moft fanguine expectations from the Meffiah went no farther than to a man, born like other men? Certainly they

Η Γιον μεν θες καλεσι, θεον δε τεως τον υιον εκ επίτανται. υιοι γαρ θες κεκληνται, και οι διαρετης ακρότητα την προς Θεον έχοντες οικειότη τα ο τώ το πρωτοτοκος υιος με Ισραήλ. Οr. 23. p. 128.

+ Η μεν γαρ κατ' αξίαν αντίδοσις, δι ης ο απαλεων αναπαλάλαι το dinov deinvuciv. Or. 2. Opera, vol. 2. p. 515.

who

this

who thought that the devil continued ignorant of the pre-existence and divinity of Chrift till after his death, must have thought that all the Jews, and our Lord's difciples, were ignorant of those doctrines. If, as Chryfoftom fays, it was particularly neceffary to conceal great fecret from our Lord's difciples, left they should have published it through joy, and alfo from his enemies, and the devil, left they should have counteracted the defign of his coming, we may take it for granted, that, in the opinion of the writers who have given us thefe reprefentations, it was no more fufpected at the time of Chrift's death, that he had even preexisted, or that he had had any thing to do in the making or governing the world, than that he was to be fo great a perfonage before he was born.

Let us now see in what manner the apoftles were fuppofed to have conducted themfelves in this respect after our Lord's afcenfion, and after the defcent of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

CHAPTER IV.

Of the Teflimony of Athanafius to the Caution with which the Apofiles divulged the Doctrines of the Pre-existence and Divinity of Chrifti,

As the Teftimony of Athanafius, on account of his known orthodoxy, and of courfe his unwillingness to make any needlefs conceffions to his adverfaries, may be thought to have more weight than any other, I fhall, in the first place, produce it; and as exceptions have been made to it, I fhall fhew that, independent of any concurrent teftimony of others of the Fathers, who have mentioned the fubject, and which I fhall produce hereafter, it clearly proves that, in his idea, the apoftles thought it neceffary to use great caution in divulging to the Jews fo offenfive a doctrine as that of the divinity of Chrift; though, in confequence of their caution on this head, the Jewish chriftians did in their age continue unitarians,