Prophet, or a Dreamer of Dreams, that is, a Teacher in the Church, and fuch a one too as in the Opinion of his Disciples and Followers teaches

of any created Beings whatever, and to be effected by the immediate Power of God only. Of the first fort of Miracles, or fupernatural Effes, this in the Text I take to be one; for I cannot fuppofe that God himself would lend out his own immediate Ompiporence to evil Spirits to enable a falje Prophet to work Miracles on purpose to feduce his People into Idolatry; but only, that he would not forcibly interpofe to hinder fuch Spirits from doing what was within their Sphere or natural Efficiency; because he had before given his People fuch fevere and exprefs Laws againft the Worship of frange Gods, upon the Account of any Miracles whatever; and permitted fulfe Prophets to work Signs and Wonders as a Trial only of their Fidelity to him; and if the Jews could have certainly, and at firft fight, diftinguifh'd between the Operations of Demons, and the Effects of pure Omnipotence, this had been no Temptation, nor any proper Trial of their Obedience. I conclude therefore, that fupernatural Effects, at least of the first Kind (and it is extreme difficult, if not impoffible in. fome Cafes to diftinguilh thefe from the Miracles of the second Kind) are not in themTelves a fufficient Proof of a true Prophet. For should a Man do never fo many Signs and Wonders to tempt the Jews to Idolatry, he was forthwith to be condemned to Death for a false Prophet. We are told likewife in the Gospel, that falfe Prophets and falle Chrifls fhould arise and shew great Signs and Wonders, infomach, that if it were poffible they should deceive the very Ele; and that the Coming of the Man of Sin fhould be after the working of Satan with all Power and Signs, n Tregor Ys not with lying Wonders, Fictitious or Counterfeit Miracles, as our Tranflation feems to intimate; but true real fupernatural Wonders, wrought in Confirmati on of a Lie. For if they were Tricks, and Appearances only, how could the Coming of Antichrift be faid to be according to the working of Satan ev don Suwaps, with all Power. But as Mofes did of old, fo does Chrift give his Difciples a Rule to go by, and to try the Spirits, and forearm'd them against the powerful Temptation; See to it, left any Man deceive you, Matth. 24. 4. So again, Mar. 13.23. See to it, behold I have foretold you all things. Should therefore a Popish Priest by addreffing to an Image, or by the help of a Relick, do any real supernatural Signs and Wonders to tempt me to the Worship of Images or Relicks, I am to reject him as a false Prophet, or Dreamer of Dreams, because I have a Command before, which faith, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only falt thou ferve. But now the Miracles of Carift were as much out of

the

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teaches by the Spirit; what then? And this S able Teacher giveth thee a Sign or a Wonder, and S the Sign or the Wonder come to pass whereof he Spake. Mofes molt certainly is here giving us an Idea of a very powerful Preacher, fuch a gifted Man as may pass among his Flock, for one that not only knows all that Man can know, but also foreknows fuch Things as pass all human Understanding; exactly fuch a Character as the feveral Difciples commonly bestow upon their Masters, i Valentinus, Donatus,

the Power of created Spirits, as we can poffibly imagin any things to be, yet had they been fupernatural Effects of the arft Kind only, our Saviour coming in the Name of God, and doing fuch a number of Miracles in his Name, and for the Confirmation of a Doctrine exactly agreeable to the pofitive Revelations of God, and the best Reason of Mankind; our Saviour, I fay, ought to have been receiv'd by the Jews for a true Prophet according to Mofes, who in the 13 and 18 Chapters of Deuteronomy plainly fuppofeth, that God would not permit a falfe Prophet to work Signs and Wonders, buc in the Cafe of Idolatry, or fuch Particulars as were evidently against the Light of Nature, because then they would have been an invincible Temptation in the way of good Men. So that unless a Prophet fhall come in the Name of God, and do Miracles in his Name, and for the Confirmation of Doctrines every way fuitable to the Nature of God and right Reason, such Miracles are no Proof of a divine Miffion.

Valentinum.] The Heretick Valentinus liv'd in the Days of Polycarp, came to Rome in the Pontificat of Hyginus, flourish'd in the Reign of Antoninus Pius, and continu'd to the time of Anicetus. Vid. Eufeb. Hift. Ecclef. l. 4. c. 11. As to his Doctrines, befides his unintelligible Jargon about the monftrous Generation of his ons, he maintain'd, that Chrift took not upon him our Flesh, but brought with him a certain spiritual Body from Heaven, and pafs'd thro' the Virgin, as Water thro' a Pipe, without the leaft Participation of her Subftance; and that the Soter, or Saviour flew down upon him at his Baptifm in the Shape of a Dove. Vid. Tertul. de Prafcr. cap. 49. & lib. adv. Valent. c. 27. He maintain'd likewife that the World was made by the Offspring of the Devil, and therefore made all the Wickedness in it owing to the Make of the World,

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Donatus, Photinus, Apollinaris, and the rest of that Stamp. Well, and what then? And if this Prophet ball fay unto thee, let us go after other Gods which thou hast not known, and let us Serve them. But what, I pray, are these other Gods, but frange Errors? which thon haft not known, that is, new and unheard of; and let us ferve them, that is, let us believe and follow them. Well, and what's the Conclufion? Why, Thou shalt not hearken unto the Words of that Prophet, or that Dreamer of Dreams. But why then, I beseech you, does God permit the Preaching of that, which he will not have follow'd? Because, fays Mofes, the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your Heart and with all your Soul. Here then you clearly fee for what Reafon the divine Providence fometimes permits fome celebrated Doctors of the Church to preach up frange Doctrines; it is, faith Mofes, that the Lord your God may prove you. And a great and powerful Proof without doubt it is, when he, whom you look upon as a Prophet, or a Difciple of Prophets, or a Doctor, and zealous Stickler for the Truth; when he,

World, and not to the Will of Man. He deny'd the Resurrection of the Flesh, and affirm'd the Soul and Spirit only to be faved by Chrift. Vid. Ang Haref. 11. The Valentinians, fays Irenæus, call themfelves, the Spiritual; and the Orthodox, Pfychicos, the animal Men; that these Animals know not the Truth, and for that reafon must be beholden to Faith and good Works for their Salvation, but for themselves, they ftand in need of no fuch Things, because they are naturally Spiritual, and cannot lofe their Spiritu ality, and therefore tho' Sin may damn the Churchmen, yet it cannot hurt the Saints. Iren. lib. 1. adv. Valent.

I fay, whom you exceedingly revere and love, privily drops his baneful Errors, and fo flily mixes 'em with Truth, that whilft you are blinded with the Authority of the Deceiver, you cannot presently perceive the Deceit; and 'tis very hard to condemn the Doctrine, when you admire the Doctor.

CHA P. XVI.

This Rule of Mofes exemplify'd from Some very confiderable Tempters in the Church of Chrift.

BUT

UT here perhaps fome may be defirous of feeing these words of holy Mofes confirm'd and illuftrated with some Inftances from Ecclefiafticks; the Defire is not unreasonable, and therefore shall not stay long without Satisfaction. And to avoid all obfcure and farfetch'd Examples, I fhall begin with that glaring Inftance of Temptation Neftorius; for when that unhappy Perfon, changing of a fudden from

k

Sheep

* Cum infelix ille Neftorius, &c.] To illuftrate the foregoing Rule of Mofes, our Author has fingled out three eminent Tempta tions of the like kind; the firft of which is Neftorius, who was an infamous Heretick, ftigmatiz'd by all the Writers of that Age, condeinn'd by a General Council, abandon'd by his best Friends, depos'd and banish'd from place to place, and then was never recall'd, but dy'd a harden'd, unpitied Heretick; and if Evagrius is to be credited, had his Tongue eaten up with Worms, as a Punishment of the Blafphemies it uttered. However, the unhappy Neftorius,

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the

Sheep to Wolf, began to worry the Flock of Christ, the Temptation was almost invincible, because the greatest Part even of those that

were

The Scandal of Christendom in his own Age, has been happier in this, and has met with fome Pity and Moderation in thefe Times of Mercy. For it feems to be infinuated by a very learned Prelate, That the making of Two Perfons in Chrift was only fastened on him as a Confequence, and that Neftorius was misunderstood and hardly ufed. It has indeed been thought from fome unwary Expreffions and Similitudes common to both, that his Lordship had no Aversion to Neftorianifm; but far be any fuch Thought from me, because he has afferted the contrary in exprefs Terms; it would be as hard to charge him with Confequences, as he feems to think it in the Cafe of Neftorius. But it is to be wifh'd, that his Lordship had dropt fome Reafons with his gentle Infinuation, as if Neftorius bad been misunderstood and hardly used. For tho' I will not prefume to cenfure his Tendernefs for this reputed Heretick, or any one elfe, yet his Lordship's Integrity and Learning are fo well known, that they are enough almoft to endanger the Credit of a General Council, and of all the Hiflorians of that Age. But I am still to have fome Charity for the Wisdom and Honefty of the Reprefentatives of the Universal Church, and to think that Neftorius was neither misunderstood nor hardly used, till I fee fome Reasons for the Infinuation. The Character of the Man, his Herefie, and Condempation, are all fet forth by Vincentius; and he writing but three Years after the Ephefine Council that condemn'd him, may be look'd upon as a very credible Writer. His Character is the thing I am chiefly concern'd in at prefent; and becaufe Socrates, a grave and judicious Hiflorian of the fame Age, has defcrib'd him likewife with all the Proteftations of Impartiality imaginable, I fhall fer down his Difcription in fhort as the beft Comment upon our Aushor. Upon the Death of Sifinnius, Archbishop of Conftantinople, Philip and Proclus, two Presbyters of that City, made two powerful Factions to fucceed him, but the Emperor Theodofius Jun. to give a Check to fuch ambitious Practices, refolv'd that none of the Clergy of that City fhould have the Government of that Church, and fo fent for the Stranger Neftorius from Antioch, and invested him in the See of Conftantinople three Months after the Vacancy. He was a Perfon much cry'd up, and by very many, for his Temperance; but as to his other Qualities, he gave early Symptoms of a diftemper'd Mind, and the wifer Phyficians foon felt his Pulfe, and forefaw what was to be expected from a Man, who in his firft Sermon could addrefs the Emperor on this wife, O King, give me bus a Land purg'd from Hereticks, and I in return will give you