REMARKS ΟΝ Α STORY told by the ANCIENTS, etc. T HE ftory, which I am going to examine, is told by Ireneus in the following manner; "That there were fome, "who had heard Polycarp relate, how St. John, "the difciple of our Lord, going one day to "the public bath in Ephefus, and finding the "Heretic Cerinthus in it, started back instantly "without bathing, crying out; Let us run away, " left the bath fhould fall upon us, while Cerin"thus, the enemy of truth, is in it [1]." This story is applied by Dr. Berriman, in one of his Sermons, to inforce the duty of hunning Infidels and Heretics: and by Dr. Waterland, to recommend a practice, which he warmly preffes upon all Christians, of rejecting from their fociety and communion, all the impugners of fundamentals [2]: And it is fure to be thrown in our way, either from the pulpit or the press, by all learned men, that the Apostles acquired their Greek knowledge chiefly in their later years, feems, on the whole, to be the moft probable, and most agreeable alfo, to what the ancient writers have delivered concerning them. There were but two of the whole number, who wrote any Gospels, Matthew and John: of whom Matthew, as it is faid above, wrote his Gofpel in Hebrew, as having but little or no knowledge of the Greek; and John did not write his Greek Gospel till he was extremely old, and had lived many years in Afia. The other two Evangelifts, Mark and Luke, are declared by all, to have been the companions and interpreters of the Apostles, Peter and Paul; and were not therefore, so properly, the authors, as the Scribes onely of thofe Gofpels which pass under their names [1]. [1] Μάρκο, ο μαθητής κα Ερμηνευτής Πέτρε, καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ drò Пárgy unguosómeva sylfa φως ἡμῖν παραδέδωκε. Ka Λεκᾶς δὲ ὁ ἀκόλεθα Παύλε, τὸ in ixeive unquosóμevor valyt200v ev Bibniw zalí00. Iren. Adv. Hæref. 1. iii. c. 1. We are told alfo by fome of the Ancients, that when St. Paul, in his Epiftles, fpeaks of my Gospel, and our Gofpel, [2 Tim. ii. 8. 2 Thef. ii. 14.] he means the Gospel of his Secretary and Interpreter, St. Luke. God bearing them witnefs with figns and wonders, according to his own. will. Heb. ii. 4. Oftenditur Galatas-dona habuiffe virtutum & tamen poft tanta (quia forfitan gratiam difcernendorum Spirituum non habebant) a falfis Doctoribus irretiti funt. Obfervandum etiam quod operari virtutes dicantur in his, qui non tenent Evangelii veritatem, &c. Hier. in Galat. c. iii. Op. T. iv. Semel duntaxat legimus Apoftolos novis linguis loquentes-quanquam vero propius eft Apoftolos id temporis unica lingua fuiffe locutos, ac virtute divina factum, ut ab omnibus æque intelligerentur. Erafm. in Act. x. 38. SOME SOME SHORT REMARKS ON A STORY told by the ANTIENTS, CONCERNING ST. JOHN the EVANGELIST, AND CERINTHUS the HERETIC; AND On the use, which is made of it by the Moderns, to enforce the Duty of fhunning Heretics. REMARKS ON A STORY told by the ANCIENTS, etc. T HE ftory, which I am going to examine, is told by Irenæus in the following manner; "That there were fome, "who had heard Polycarp relate, how St. John, "the difciple of our Lord, going one day to "the public bath in Ephefus, and finding the "Heretic Cerinthus in it, started back inftantly without bathing, crying out; Let us run away, " left the bath should fall upon us, while Cerin"thus, the enemy of truth, is in it [1]." This story is applied by Dr. Berriman, in one of his Sermons, to inforce the duty of hunning Infidels and Heretics: and by Dr. Waterland, to recommend a practice, which he warmly preffes upon all Christians, of rejecting from their fociety and communion, all the impugners of fundamentals [2]: And it is fure to be thrown in our way, either from the pulpit or the press, by all [1] Kai holv å åxnxoótes ávlỡ, öti Iaáving, &c. Iren. port. of the Doctr. of the Trin. p. 105, 127. it. Berrim. On fhunning Heret. 1. iii. c. 3. angry |