was, Samaritan.-Thou art à Samaritan and bast a devil! It is remarkable, that the amiable and benevolent fon of Sirach, whofe head and heart appear to have been animated with fuch diftinguifhed goodness, hath this expreffion in his writings: Two nations my foul bateth, the Samaritans and the Pbiliftines-a fignal and affecting proof, how far the wifeft and best of men among the Jews were carried away with the national prejudices. Nor did the Samaritans yield to the Jews in virulence and invective reproaching them for erecting their temple on a fituation which was not authorized by the divine command, and afferting, that Gerizim was the fole, genuine, individual feat, which God had originally confecrated and chofen to fix his name and worship there. How fanguine the attachment of the Samaritans was to their temple and worship, appears from their refufing our Saviour the rites of hofpitality, which in those early ages were hardly ever refufed, because his face was fet towards Jerufalem, and it appeared that he intended only to pafs tranfiently through their territories, without visiting their temple. They acknowledged only the five books of Mofes, which they have preferved in the old original Hebrew character. The other books of the Old Teftament they rejected, as deftitute of divine authority.

* See Ecclefiaftic. Chap. 1. 26. and Arnald in loc.

SECT.

TH

SECT. VII.

Of the STOICS.

HE Stoics, mentioned Atts xvii. 18. werë a fect of heathen Philofophers, of which Zeno, who flourished about 350 years before Christ, was the original founder. They received their denomination from the place in which Zeno delivered his lectures, which was a Portico at Athens *. Their distinguishing tenets were: The eternity of matter, the corporeity of God, the conflagration and renovation of the world. They were moft rigid Neceffarians, and believed all things were fubjected to an irresistible and irreverfible fatality. They ftrenuously afferted, that man was felf-fufficient to his own virtue and happiness, and stood in no need of divine affiftances-that virtue was its own fufficient reward, and vice its own fufficient punishment. The grand end and aim of their fevere philofophy, was to diveft human nature of all paffions and affections and they made the higheft attainment and perfection of virtue confift in a total apathy and infenfibility of human evils. Their Wife man was equal, if not fuperior, to Jupiter himself, and

* Ανακάμπτων δε [Ζηνων] εν τη ποικιλη sou-διεθετο τους λόγους και δια τουτο Στωικοι εκα λουντο. Diogenes Laertius. Zeno. lib. 7. vol. 1. p. 369. edit. Meibom. Etiam a locis conventiculorum et ftationum fuarum, Stoici, Academici. Tertullian. p. 5. Rigalt.

had no fuch things as wants and imperfections about him. They affected great austerity in their manners, a proud fingularity of drefs and habit, and were distinguished, above all the other fects of Philofophy, for their fuperior haughtiness and fupercilious arrogance.

TH

SECT. VIII.

Of the EPICUREANS.

HE Epicurcans, mentioned in the fame chapter, were the followers of Epicurus, who flourished about 300 years before Chrift. They maintained, that fenfual pleasure was man's fupreme felicity.-That the beautiful fabric of the world was formed by a fortuitous concourfe of atoms. That the government of the world was bufinefs very unworthy the majefty of the Godsand that the immortal powers were perpetually reclining on the clouds, in foft inactive ease and indolence, regaling on nectar and ambrofia, and gratifying every wandering libidinous defire. They derided the doctrine of a providence-afferted, that future rewards and punishments were all a ridiculous and romantic chimera-that the prefent life was the whole of human existence, and that the foul, at death, fuffered one common extinction with the body.

SECT.

TH

SECT. IX.

Of the NICOLAITANS.

HE fect of the Nicolaitans, mentioned Revelation ii, 6. derived their name and origin from one Nicolas, who was appointed by the Apostles one of the feven deacons in the church of Antioch. They maintained the lawfulness of promifcuous concubinage, and like Plato, in his republic, were for establishing in the chriftian church a community of women. They made no fcruple of eating things that had been offered to idols. Clemens Alexandrinus, however, gives an honourable teftimony to the character of this deacon, and fays, that in his writings he inculcated abstinence and self-denial, and the virtuous fubjection of our fenfual defires, but that his words were perverted +. Upon carefully expending the different teftimonies of the antients, the following account may be collected. The wife of this deacon

R 2

* Nicolaitæ autem magiftrum quidem habent Nicolaum unum ex vii. qui primi ad diaconium ab Apoftolis ordinati funt: qui indifcretè vivunt. Pleniffimè autem per Joannis Apocalypfin manifeftantur qui fint, nullam differentiam effe docentes in mechando et idolothyton edere. Irenæus, lib. 1. cap. 27. p. 103. Grabe.

† Τοιουτοι δε και οἱ φασκοντες εαυτους Νικολαῳ ἐπεσθαι, απομνημονευμα το ανδρος φέροντες εκ παρατροπης, το δειν παραχρήθαι τη σαρκι. αλλ' ὁ μεν γενναι ο κολούειν δειν εδήλου τας τε ήδονας, τας τε επιθυμίας, και τη ασκησει ταυτη καταμαραίνειν τας της σαρκὸς ὁρμας τε και έπιθεσεις. Cl. Alexandrini Stromata. lib. 2. p. 411. Paris 1629.

[Chap. VI. deacon was a woman of diftinguished beauty.

Nicolas was accused to the apostles of being jealous of her. It feems he could not bear that kifs of charity, which, in the primitive age, was ufual among Chriftians of both fexes. Being reprehended by the apoftles for this criminal fufpicion and jealoufy, he plunged into the contrary extreme, publickly brought out his wife, permitted her to marry whom the pleased, from that time lived himself in inviolable chastity, but, like the Spartans, allowed others the promiscuous use of women. This door being once opened in the Christian church, fo contrary to the evangelic purity, no wonder that a torrent of debauchery and licentioufnefs rufhed into the fanctuary.

CHA P.