in this place, was not the Author himself annex'd to thefe Apologies, whither I refer the Reader. But tho' Lactantius confeffes him a Master in the Commonwealth of Learning, yet withal he cenfures him, as an uncouth, rugged, and very dark Writer, in eloquendo parum facilis, & minus comptus, & multum obfcurus fuit, de juft. lib. 5. p. 237. Cambr. ed. And I dare promife, that whoever reads him, will find this of Lactantius to be true to his Coft. However, an African, and one too, who by moftly converfing with Greek Writers had the Idioms and Particles of that Language sticking to him, is very pardonable, if he does not exprefs himself with all the Eafe and Graces of a Native of Rome. But tho' his meaning is not eafily understood, yet he that breaks the Shell, will not repent his Pains for the Kernel for his Wit perpetually fparkles with noble Sense, it never lightens but at every Flash difcovers fome unpolish'd Jewel, fomething to admire amidst his barbarous Obfcurity: Which is prettily defcribed in a Letter of Balfac to Rigaltius upon his publishing his Edition of Tertullian; I have had a Value (Lays be) "for this Author a long time, and as harth and crabbed as he is, yet is he not at all un pleafant to me; I have found in his Writings that "black Light, mention'd in one of the ancient Po

'

;

ets; and I look upon his Obfcurity with the fame "Pleasure, as upon Ebony which is very bright and "curioufly wrought: This has always been my Opi"nion; for as the Beauties of Afric are not lefs a: "miable, tho' they are not like ours; and as Sopho "nisba has eclips'd feveral Italian Ladies, fo the "Wits of that Country are not lefs pleafing with "this outlandish Sort of Eloquence. I fhall prefer "him before a great many affected Imitators of

Cicero, and tho' we fhou'd grant to the niceft "Criticks, that his Stile is of Iron, yet they must likewife own, that out of this Iron he has forged "moft excellent Weapons for the Defence of Chri

"stianity,

"stianity, that he has quite routed the Valentinians, and ftruck Marcion to the very Heart.

I fhall name but one Authority more, but that is a great one; it is the bleffed Cyprian, who was converted and made a Bishop foon after the Death of Tertullian, whom† Lactantius affirms to be a Writer of fuch Depth and Clearness, one who expreffes him. felf with that Force, and yet with that eafie and flowing Sweetness, that 'tis hard to fay, whether he was more perfpicuous or perfuafive. This Master of Eloquence, I fay, found fuch hidden Stores under the dark and formidable Language of Tertullian, that he is reported never to have pafs'd a Day without reading him, and when he call'd for his Book, he did it with this Acknowledgement, Give me my Mafter. And here I wish I could ftop, and draw a Veil over the lamentable Imperfections of this great Man; but Truth is a greater Friend than Tertullian, and fuch Monuments of Frailty are to be fet up like Beacons, to warn others in their Voyage from fplitting upon the like Errors; and to teach great Men not to truft too much to their Parts and Learning, nor too rafhly to embrace fingular Opinions in Religion, in which they are often in the wrong; but more efpecially, not peremptorily to affert thein, nor induftrioufly to propagate them, let them be never fo famous, against the received Doctrines of the Primitive Church: Let him that thinketh be ftandeth take heed left he fall. galtius has fhewn fome charitable Attempts in his Preface to the Works of this Author, but nothing will excufe him; as we are not to expofe our Father's Nakedness with Pleafure, fo neither to juftifie his Shame with Obftinacy. In this complicated Inftance of Learning and Frailty we are farther to read the Neceffity of our Dependence upon the Grace of God,

Ri

Lact. de Juft. lib. 5. p. 237. Erat enim ingenio facili, copiofo, Suavi, & qua Sermonis maxima eft Virtus) aperto, ut difcernere nequeas, utrumne ornatior in eloquendo, an facilior in eaplicando, an potentior in perfuadendo fuerit.

L 2

the

the Danger of climbing after extraordinary Heights and Aufterities without an humble Spirit, of leaving the Communion of the Church to go to Heaven by our felves, and of wandering after new Lights and new Prophets, when we have the Word of God to be a Lantborn to our Feet, and a Light unto our Paths.

Never Man prescribed better against Hereticks than our Tertullian, and yet went over to the Hereticks he prefcrib'd againft; for being of a Temper much like his Style, extremely hard and fevere, and hearing of Montanus, at the beft Hand from Proclus of the fame Party, that he was no holder forth of ftrange DoEtrines, but only of ftrange Strictnefs and Severity in Difcipline, a Man of Mortification, and of a most fanctify'd Spirit, that he out-fafted and out-prayed the carnal Catholicks by many Degrees, that he was a moft powerful Teacher, and gifted with the Paraclete, with the Spirit of Prophecy, with amazing Vifions and Ecftafies, and God knows what more fpiritual Provifions for the perfecting the Saints, and advancing the Purity of the Gofpel, even beyond the Standard of Chrift and his Apoftles. Such a Character hit Tertullian's Temper to a Hair, and fmarting at the fame time (as St. Ferom tells us) under fome Refentment from the Roman Clergy, the honeft but morofe Man was impos'd upon, partly by his prefent Paffion, by his Native Auiterity, and by the glittering falfe Character of Montanus, and fo feparated from the Church, and clos'd with a Difcipline after his own Heart.

It must be confefs'd, that this Scene of Herefie was deep laid, and gilt over with the most inviting Colours imaginable, for the Arch-Heretick disclaim'd all Innovations in the grand Articles of Faith, and fupported the Character of a moft holy, mortify'd, and extraordinary Perfon for a confiderable time; the World rung with the Vifions and Prophecies of him,

and his two Damfels Prifca and Maximilla; and the Face of Severity and Saintship confecrated their Reveries, and made real Poffeffion pafs for Inspiration. Several good Men immediately embrac'd the Delufion, the Churches of Phrygia, and afterwards other Churches, divided upon the Account of thefe new Revelations; and even the very Bishop of Rome himself for fome time efpous'd the Vanity, and made much of the Im pofture. Now great Allowances may be made our Author for being carry'd off by fo ftrong a Delufion, viz. That in his Book against Praxeus, he fays, that he always believ'd in one only God, and in three Perfons, and that he ftill believes it more firmly, fince he has been inftructed by the Paraclete or Comforter: And in his Book de virginibus velandis, he fays, That excepting the Rule of Faith which is immoveable, all other Matters relating to Difcipline may be reform'd and alter'd, and that it is this which the Paraclete has done by the Miniftry of Montanus. But after all, nothing will excufe him, for he not only fays that the Law and the Prophets were to be look'd upon as the Infancy, and the Gospel as it were the Youth, but that there was no complete Perfection to be found but in the Inftructions of the Holy Ghoft, who fpake by Montanus; for Tertullian and the first Montanifts never believ'd that Montanus himself was the Paraclete. He not only maintain'd feveral Opinions exprefsly againft Scripture, as the unlawfulness of fecond Marriages, and of flying in times of Perfecuti

on, but abus'd the Catholicks under the Title of Pychici or animal Perfons, and arrogantly affum'd to himself and his Party the Name of Spiritualifts. At length he was excommunicated, then fet up feparate Meetings at Carthage, and for ought any thing we know, was never reconciled to the Church to his dying Day. For which Reafon the good St. Cyprian, tho' fuch an Admirer of Tertullian, never quotes his Authority, not even upon the inviting Opportunity in a Difpute concerning the Baptifm of Hereticks,

L 3

wherein

wherein they both agreed; and St. Jerome, no less his Difciple than St. Cyprian, abfolutely rejects his Teftimony, as a Man not of the Church.

c

But now, why this excellent Apology fhould fuffer, and those other Pieces he wrote whilft he continu'd in Communion, and a moft zealous Defender of the Catholick Faith and Unity, why these should be the worfe thought of, and lofe their Authority and juft Veneration for the fake of after Errors, I cannot tell, I can fee no reason for it, tho' St. Hilary fays it, unless it is a good Reafon to reject all that a wife Man has written in his right Senfes, because afterwards he had the Misfortune to run mad. Sure I am, that a wifer and a greater Man by much than ever Tertul lian was, fell into groffer Sins than Montanifm, and yet notwithstanding this Fall, we believe and reverence thofe Books which the Holy Ghoft wrote by Solomon, when it fill'd his Heart, and conducted his Spirit as well as Hand. And I need not go about to prove that this Apologetick was compos'd whilft the Author was in the Unity of the Catholick Church, fince the most judicious Criticks call it not in Question. However,

fhall juft mention two Arguments, which feem to have had little or no notice taken of them, and which to me are of moment: The one is, The juft and fearful Apprehenfions of Excommunication this Author expreffes in the 39th Chapter of this Apology, where he ftyles it, The Anticipation of the future Fudgment: But after he commenc'd Montanift, we find him proud and arrogant, and not at all concern'd about it, but at perfect defyance with the Cenfure and Difcipline of the Catholicks. The other Argument is, That in the first Chapter of the Apology he gives us reafon to believe that he did not fet his Name to it, a confiderable Inftance of his Humility at that time, and that he held it lawful to confult for our Safety in the times of Perfecution; but upon his Fall he loft his HumiHil. can. 5. P 145:

Hierom. v. ill. c. 53. P. 284.