1703. so zealously against them, both from the pulpit and 1694the press they insinuated also, that he intended by the books written against them, to recommend himself to his superiors in the church, and merit a bishopric or a deanery. I have not concealed any part of their charge against this great man, or covered over their suspicions of him, as if his good name were any ways in danger hereby, or as if the cause which he defended could be hurt by such a method as this. No; they are extremely mistaken who think any such thing; and the adversaries themselves do in effect confess as much, while they so violently exclaim against the appearance of it in another; and it is much more probable, that Dr. Bull's labours in vindication of the true apostolical faith must needs have done much good in the world, since these gentlemen were so exasperated against them and their author. stance of Primitive tion, &c. Zuicker Upon the occasion of these extravagant positions The subof Dr. Zuicker, and of others who had copied after Dr. Batl's him, in fiercely opposing the catholic tradition of the and Apostopreexistence and divine nature of our Lord, Dr. Bull ical Tradi drew up the Primitive and Apostolic Tradition, against &c. which we have already mentioned; and I think and others. a clear demonstration will here be found, that Justin Martyr is not, as is pretended, an innovator of the Christian faith, in the article concerning the person of Christ; that he was not deceived herein by the frauds and artifices of the disciples of Simon Magus; that he never learnt from the school of Plato, what he delivered concerning the Logos; and that he was far from any design of intermixing polytheism with Christianity, or for accommodating the Gospel of Christ to the Gentile theology: but that, on the 1694- contrary, it was an apostolical tradition derived from 1703. the first Christian churches, that our Saviour did exist before the world was made; and that the world was made by him; that the doctrine of his Godhead and incarnation could not come forth from the school of that sorcerer Simon, whose sentiments very widely differed from the catholic tradition of that doctrine; and that it was impossible to have been derived either from the Platonic philosophers or any philosophical economy, or condescension to such, whom the Christians had a mind to win over to them. Here is also a particular and most accurate account given of Hegesippus, and of his sentiments concerning Christ's person, against the allegations of some modern writers amongst us, in opposition to the catholic faith: as likewise of the primitive Nazarens, and of the first bishops of Jerusalem, challenged as theirs by Dr. Zuicker's English disciples. The reader will, besides, be here entertained with a good deal of curious and useful learning, about the Sibylline oracles and the verses of Orpheus, which are cited by several of the primitive writers against the heathens. In short, the whole weight of the controversy is here brought into a small compass; the enemies are disarmed of their strongest weapons; and the matter is decided for the catholics, with as much perspicuity and solidity as can be desired. 1703. Dr. Bull's collected LXXI. In the year 1703, Dr. Bull's Latin works, Latin works which had been published by himself at several times, and upon different occasions, as hath been already Jume by Dr. related, were collected together into one volume in Grabe. folio; and printed by Mr. Richard Smith, bookseller into one vo in London. Dr. Bull being now advanced in years, 1703-5. and oppressed with the load of many infirmities, the revising and correcting this impression was voluntarily undertaken by his particular friend, as well as mine, that truly great man, Dr. John Ernest Grabe, who adorned and perfected this new edition with his own many learned annotations, and introduced it into the world with an admirable preface, which did great justice to our excellent author, as well as to his learned and judicious writings. And it will appear by a letter of Dr. Bull's, which the reader will meet with in the following sheets, that he had a very grateful sense of this great favour of Dr. Grabe's, though he was not able to requite it. character. But who can mention Dr. Grabe without a deep Dr. Grabe's and particular concern for the loss of so great a man, in the very prime of his age, when we expected to reap the fruit of his indefatigable studies, which were chiefly conversant about Christian antiquities ; and who by an eminent author is very aptly compared to a great and mighty prince, who dying, "leaves behind him many plans of noble and curious buildings; foundations of others; others erected "above ground; some half, others almost, and others "perfectly finished. Such are the remains left us 66 66 8 [In 1721 Bowyer reprinted Grabe's edition of the Latin works of Bull, with the addition of Breves Animadversiones in Tractatum Gilberti Clerke, which Nelson had published. He is said to have lost 200l. by the speculation. Nichols's Anecdotes, vol. i. p.208-9.] h [In §. LXXXII.] i Dr. Hickes's Discourse concerning Dr. Grabe and his manuscripts, premised to, Some Instances of the Defects and Omissions of Mr. Whiston's Collections, by Dr. Grabe. Printed by H. Clements, 1712. 1703-5."by this great master-builder, as may appear by the catalogue of his manuscripts.” All the learned, who could best judge of his great talents, readily offer him that incense of praise, which is justly due to his profound erudition; whereby he was qualified to enlighten the dark and obscure parts of ecclesiastical history, to trace the original frame and state of the Christian church, and to restore the sacred volumes, the pillars of our faith, to their primitive perfection. He had so great a zeal for promoting the ancient government and discipline of the church, among all those who had separated themselves from the corruptions and superstitions of the church of Rome, that he formed a plan, and made some advances in it, for restoring the episcopal order and office in the territories of the king of Prussia his sovereign; and proposed, moreover, to introduce a Liturgy, much after the model of the English service, into that king's dominions; and recommended likewise the use of the English Liturgy itself, by the means of some of his friends, to a certain neighbouring court. By which means he would have united the two main bodies of protestants, in a more perfect and apostolical reformation, than that upon which either of them did yet stand, and would thereby have fortified the common cause of their protestation against the errors of popery. But yet his learned studies did not so engross his mind, as to prevent his daily attending the hours of public prayer, to which purpose he always chose his lodgings near a church: neither did the applause he received from the greatest men of the age so exalt him, but that he readily condescended to converse with those of the lowest 1703-5. understanding, when he could be any ways serviceable to them in their spiritual concerns. He was justly esteemed one of the greatest divines of the age; yet the great modesty of his temper, and the profound humility of his mind, made him prefer others before himself. He laid the chiefest stress upon the constant practice of the virtues of the Christian life, and was also a strict observer of all the rules of the apostolical times, and of the catholic usages of the first Christians. He bore his last sickness, which deprived the world of so great a treasure, with most exemplary patience, and submission to the will of God; and exercised all those acts of devotion, which the best of men are zealously intent upon in their last labours for immortality. He was very severe upon himself, even for those common human frailties which are apt to cleave to those of the greatest eminence for their sanctity, and, with true compunction, bewailed the neglects and omissions of his duty, which from the unseasonable resort of company he sometimes was forced to. And yet he thanked God from the bottom of his heart, that through the assistance of his grace, he had so far overcome those temptations which he had met with in life, that he never prostituted his conscience for the sake of gain, or defiled his body, which he always had kept pure from the mortal sin of uncleanness. He had constantly every day, and frequently several times in the day, the office of the Visitation of the Sick, with some proper collects of his own choosing, used by his bedside, and he commonly desired the imposition of the priest's hands, when the absolution or blessing was pronounced |