IX. Come

3^ The Introduction.
IX.
Come we now to the Doclrine of our Egyptian. And This in general I iliall venture to Pronounce Sound and Good. . They had a general Name in the a Eaft for Retaining the Doctrine that was Sound) and the Decrees of the Council of Nice. Egypt fhar'd in the Reputation, and more parti- cularly the whole Body of the Monks, and among the reft both the Macarij.
z. That our Egyptian Adher'd to the Nicene Decifion, with reference to the Arian Controver- sy, is very manifeft from thefe Homilies : Info- much that Dr. Forbes e particularly cites him as a Stanch Voucher of the Homooufian Faith.
3 . In the Church of Rome f is he reckoned up- on, as one whofe Teftimony is a Support to Tran- fubftantiation. But the Proteftants % have taken care to Undeceive the World, Refcuing our Good Egyptian from the Papal Ufurpation, and Difco- vering him to Patronize nothing more than the Real Pre fence i as maintained in the Greek and Englijh Churches.
4. So Strenuoufly does he Affert the Old-faftii- on'd Doctrine about Original Sin^ and the Necef fity of Divine Grace9 that among the Authorities of the Ant ient Fathers Appeal'd to by Fofius in his Hiftoria Pelagiana^ thofe of our Egyptian make no Small Figure, as Dr. Pritius (in Prafat. Gen.) has Obferv'd before me.
f. In a Word : There is vifibly to be Diftin- guifh'd in our Author a Rich, Sublime and No- ble Vein of Piety, but that perfectly Serious, So-
d Nicepb.CalliJlus Ecclef. Hift*. Lib. ix. Cap. 14. e Inftruclioncs Hiftor. Theol. Lib. ij. Cap.^. * Albert'mus dc Euch.
e Dr. Whitakcr, Bp. Morton, Bp. Cojins, and the worthy Mr* yohnfon*
i ber,
The Introduction. 33
ber, and Unaffected -, Natural and Lively, but Sedate and Deep withal. Whatever he Infills upon is ErTential, is Durable, is Neceflary. What he continually Labours to Cultivate in Himfelf and Others is, the Real Life of God in the Heart and Soul, that Kingdom of God, v/hich confifts in Right eoufnefs, and Peace, and Joy in the Holy Gho ft. He is ever Quickening and Stirring up his Audi- ence, endeavouring to Kindle in them a Steady Zeal, an Earneft Defire, and Inflam'd Ambition, to Recover that Divine Image we were made in -y to be made Conformable to Chrift our Head -y to be daily fenfible more and more of "our Living Union with Him as luch -> And difcovering it, as occafion requires, in all the Genuine Fruits of an Holy Life and Converfation, in fuch a Victo- rious Faith as Overcomes the World, and Working by Love, is Ever Fulfilling the whole Law of God. He feems in fhort, Never to be Eafie, but either in the Height, or Breadth, or Length of Divine Love, or at leafl in the Depths of Humility.
6. But yet fo far is He from Soaring by an In- judicious Piety, as if he meant to be Privileg'd above the Common Level, that whatever Abufes may poflibly have been made at the fecond or third hand by our Enthufiafis of later Days, in fome Exprefjions, which however they came by them, they in reality never underflood themfelves, He himfelf never once Pretends to Slight or Neglec~t the Sacraments or Publick Service of the Church 5 much lefs to be above the Ufe of the Scriptures in general, the Pfalms of David in particular, or even Forms of Prayer. The very Imperfect and Broken Accounts we have ftill Preferv'd of his Life, Inform us of Particulars directly contrary in all refpects.
7. The Manner in which he Delivers the mofr, Important Truths, Bringing them down as he
D does
34 The Introduction.
does to the meaneft Capacity, is very Peculiar. It
Pf.lxxviij. was very common with the Earlem Sages to Open
v. i. ffojjr Mouths in Parables. Nor was it void of
Precedent, or Below the Dignity of a True Pro-
Hof. xij. phet, to Ufe Similitudes. Our Bleflcd Lord is Him-
v. i o. Jelf an Initance beyond Exception of this Conde-
fcending Method of Inftruction. I need not ob-
ferve how much the Great and Wife Socrates
gave into it Long Before. It is however more
material perhaps to obferve, that among All the
Primitive Fathers, I can think of none who feems
to have convey'd his Thoughts in this Simple,
Eafy, and Familiar Way, befides our Author. In
This he Hands Alone, and either Decides the
Greateft Difficulties, or Prevents them.
8. His Difcourfes are altogether Practical. We may now and then perhaps meet here and there with fomething Speculative. But then it is but Incidental, nor even then Introduced, but either to IUu (Irate, or Enforce fomething Praclical.
o. When difcourfing upon the Virtues or the Vices of Humane Nature, he feems not fo much concern' d about Lopping offany Single Branch or Twig, as to Strike at the Root, and to Fell the Corrupt Tree Whole. His Eye is Always Fix'd upon the Principles of Action. And the Corrupt or Regenerate Nature is ever uppermoft in his Thoughts. The One we are to Die to, or Put off > and the Other are we to Put on, or to be Cloatlfd with. But yet neither is the One, or the Other to be Perform'd in. our own Strength. Our Duty, our Author thinks, isFirft to look up to God in Prayer, as Senfible of our own Infuffici- ency > but then to Force our felves upon Action as effectually, as if we knew our Prayers were Heard, and* the Difficulty were perfectly in our own Power. Nor yet does he think it fufficient to Call upon God at times, as occafion may Re- quire j
The Introduction. 3J
quire ; nor yet to be Urgent and Warm in our AddrefTes > unlefs we alfo Pcrfevere in Prayer, giving the Almighty no manner of Reft till Sin ihall be Subdued, and the Victory of Faith Com- pleted in us.
10. However, after all I can't but own, that our Author is every now and then not veryeafily Under flood, not even by the Learned. This I fhall take particular Notice of by and by, and as it comes in my way Account for the Obfcurity, and, to the Reft of my Ability, Propoie a Con- jecture now and then towards Clearing up the Senfe.
n. At prefent fuffer me to Prepare the way a little, by Obferving in general, that the Philofophy which was in vogue with the Monks of Egypt, was that of Plato. Ariftotle they were rather Strangers to. Nor were they perfectly Mafters even of Plato's Sentiments. That our Egyptian was in this refpect zPlatonift, is, I think, pretty- plain from the Homilies that Follow. For in- ilancc, the very Moralizing, or Allegorical 'Expla- nation of the Prophet EzekiePs Virion, which is ProfefTedly Done in the Firil Homily, and in.part Repeated orReferr'd to in the Fifteenth and elfe- where, Savours to my Appreheniion very ftrong- ly of the Phoedrus of the Divine Philofopher. And who but a Platonic Father could be expect- ed to call the Devil, the Evil or the Wicked Word, as our Author evidently does in the Eleventh Ho- mily? Intimating that Opposition and Defiance he ftands in to the Sovereign Word, or Acy©>, who Made, Preferves, and has Redeem'd the World. It is the utmoft of his Ambition to Un- make, to Deftroy, and to Cancel or Defeat that very Redemption. But not to Dilate upon this, or any other Inftance \ I don't think it can Admit of a Difpute, Whether in this very Eleventh Ho-
D z mily.
36 The Introduction.
mily, our Author has not Imitated the Celebrated Sympofium of his Philofophical Matter. Let any one but Compare for himfelf that Afcent of the Soul^ which the Heathen there Defcribes, from the Beauty of the Body up to that Intellectual Ocean or Fountain of All Perfeclion, with that Ladder of Chriftian Perfection which our Author Recommends , and then let him think otherwife if he pleafes.
1 2. How the Platonic Principles came to be the Prevailing Sett, both with our Egyptian Monks, and the more Antient Fathers, is befides my pre- fentPurpofe to Enquire. I mall take leave to Say, That it is pretty Eafy to Conceive, that the Sub- lime Ideas of Plato may even Contribute in their Meafure and Proportion to Render the Difcourfe of him fomething Obfcure or Intricate, who per- haps has neither Digefted his Notions, or any other part of Humane Learning thoroughly.
X.
The Way being thus Prepared, I mall now proceed to Examine a little fome of thofe Objec- tions^ which have been made againil our Author. For if we will take the Popular Complaints upon Truft, thefe very Homilies are faid to Abound with moil. Enormous Errors : Not merely thofe of Origen^ and the Stoicks^ but even thofe too of the Pelagians. He is Charg'd with Ambiguity and Inaccuracy in his very Language and Expref- fion -, and, if I miftake not, with almoft every Imperfeblion that is apt to Excite Averfion rather than the lead Refpecl. I Depend upon the Can- dour and the Patience of the Reader, while I lay before him fome Remarks concerning thofe very Objections*, which fome way or other I hope may Entertain him, and Mitigate at leail the Severity of fuch an Overbearing Charge.
2. The
The Introduction. 37
2. The firffc AJfertion then which \ find has
fiven Offence is, That Angels are h Corporeal : leaning, not they are altogether fo, or Abfolute- ly fpeaking (For that he as Roundly Denies, call- ing them elfewhere as exprefly ■ Incorporeal alfo :) But only that they have "Thin and Subtil Vehicles or Bodies. k Du Pin^ it is true, fays, This is an Error very Common among the Antient Monks. Dr. 1 Pritius gives it up for a N he pleads with a great deal of Good Nature, that our Egyptian ought to be Excused -y Humane Na- ture being liable to Mi flakes^ 6cc. And-withal, be- caufe the more m Antient Fathers, St. Bafil, E- phraem Syr us ^ St. Cyril of Alexandria^ St. Auflin^ St. Hilary , Fulgent ius^ Arnobius^ Caf- fian^ and feveral others, have been as Guilty of the fame in this Particular as our Author.
3. But for my own part, thtfugh I like the Doctor's Good Nature exceedingly, and Allow the Reafons which he offers j yet can I by no means Allow, what feems on all hands to be taken for Granted, that it is an Error. I own the Pri- mitive Fathers are Divided in their Sentiments. And if that can Add any Real Weight to the Au- thority of the Father s^ fo are the Schoolmen. But what does All this Prove ? What Tolerable Grounds or Foundation can the one fide have in the prefent Cafe to Impeach the other? A mutual Forbearance might even have been Contended for with Modefty. But for one fide to Attack the
b Horn. iv. Vide Marg. Le Bigne Biblioth. PP. xiv. Tomi?. Tom. 2. p. fo. Item Macarii Opufc. apud Pritium, p. 1 14. ToJfiniTheC. Afcet. Prolegom. §. 7. Item Acta Lipjiaca, 1684, 1698.
1 Horn, xviij. uc-Jjuotlm.
k Bibl. PP. p. 5-6. ad Horn, \\\
1 Praf. Gen. §. xvii.
m See alfo Dr. Cave's Life of Juflm Martyr y Peta%(u Dogmata deAagelis, Hnetii Prolegom. inOriginem, &c.'
D } other
38 The Introduction.
other Thus with a fupcrcilious Warmth, and I hadalmoir. faidlnfolence, as is ufuallydone in Dis- puting upon this very Queftion, is to my Appre- henfion an Abfurdity in point of Conduct, that/ Hands in need, I grant, of Pardon fufficicntly, without Deferving any.
4. The Notion it felf ok Angels having Thin Ve- hicles or Subtil Bodies, feems at firfr. fight to an Unprejudic'd Reader to fuit Beit with thofe Re- presentations of Atfgelic Apparitions which we find in Scripture. And if the Fathers of the Church Borrow'd their Notions as to this particular from the Elded and Bed Philofophy,whofe Original is evidently from the Antient Jews : No Novel Pretentions to Authority (For the contrary Opi- nion is comparatively Modern) can be Allow'd to Countenance a Competition. To which let me only Add, that the greater!: Matters n of feverc Speculation having Detcrmin'd in Favour of our Author's Sentiments : I cannot help Sufpecting for my own part, that his Notion is in it felf the mod Rational as well as the mod Antient.
f . Hence then I Conclude, that however the Notion may have Contradicted the Decrees of St.0 Thomas 's School : (For there it is that the Shoe pinches) Or rather, to fpeak more properly, how- ever it may be Contradicted by them, which I conceive in our Church is of no great Confe- quence, yet dare I be bold to Affirm, that it is far from being an Heretical Tenet.
6". But Mohtanus, it feems, held the Notion. And what if he did? Was it for this Opinion that he was Branded as an Heretic ? I never yet could learn that. Here then, in the Name of our Egyptian, will I Affirm, that Nothing has hitherto
n Dr. Henry More. Jtm, The Author of the Letter of Refolu- t'wn concerning Origen, &c. 0 Bibl. Max. PP. per Marg. Le Eigne. Tom. 4, p.j-o. G.
been
The Introduction. 3p
been Offer'd againft this Opinion, not even by the Jefuits of Cologne^ which upon Examination can prove it Criminal. And alter all, the moft Impartial Reafon mull Allow, that the Opinion is certainly in it felf Indifferent and Harmlefs. So much for the Firft Objection.