expressed, we may gather what the Apostle's fears were, that in after-ages, through the enmity of Satan, and the corruption of the human heart, attempts would be made to falsify and mutilate the Scriptures, either by taking from them, or by adding to them.

The other Apostles also were not without their fears; for we find St. Paul, in his charge to the elders of the church at Ephesus, which he delivered at Miletus, warning them of such things, where he says, "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock; also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them : therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." In his First Epistle to Timothy, he foreshews the reign of Antichrist, and declares that "in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils (or demons), speaking lies in hypocrisy; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats." St. Peter also, in his Second Epistle, foretells, that as "there were false prophets among the people, so there shall be false teachers in the church of Christ, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them ; and that many should follow their pernicious

ways, by reason of whom the way of truth should be evil spoken of. It is of these false teachers Jude also seems to speak, where he says, in the fourth verse immediately following our text, "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." It is for this reason he gives the exhortation in the

text.

The event proved that the fears of the Apostles were not without foundation, and that their warnings and exhortations were not only seasonable, but absolutely necessary. Some of the Epistles prove, that the canon of Scripture was not completed, before heresies were attempted to be brought into the church by false brethren and false teachers. Such characters were more dangerous to the cause of truth, than the professed infidel or pagan: they are described as gliding in like a serpent, and lying in wait to deceive. Against such our Lord had particularly warned his disciples: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves: ye shall know them by their fruits." Against these early heresies, one of the Gospels appears partly to have been, and some of the Epistles were evidently, written. But before we proceed to examine these and

subsequent heresies which prevailed in the church of Christ, I would remark that the introduction of heresy is the work of the enemy of truth; while the teachers of it are but instruments in his hands. As, when it pleased God to instruct his church by the ministration of prophets, Satan raised up false prophets, to deceive those who would not give heed to the prophets of the Lord; so, when he appointed "evangelists, and pastors, and teachers, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ," the enemy raised up false teachers, who should appear among the professing ministers of Christ Jesus. And we have reason to suppose that this same arch-enemy, acting on the carnal mind which is enmity against God and against his truth, "will not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord,” until he shall be finally overcome by that "sharp sword" which proceedeth out of the mouth of Him who is called "the Word of God." I would also remark, that while we take a view of these heresies, we shall perceive that the seed or root of every one of them, which has appeared in the church of Christ, was laid either in the Apostles' times or in the primitive ages of the church; so that if we examine those of later date, and even such as exist in our own times, we shall find them the very same, or modifications of, or branches springing from the same heresies, which long since were refuted and condemned by those who

in every age have "contended earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints;" on account of which they have not improperly been compared to spots on the sun, which have vanished and disappeared from time to time, though revived again in different forms and circumstances. (See Milner's Church History, Vol. I. p. 225.)

The chief heresies of the first century appear to have been those of the Docetæ, the Cerinthians, and the Ebionites. The former of these denied the humanity of Christ, and taught that his death upon the cross was only in appearance. The Cerinthians considered Jesus as a mere man, born of Joseph and Mary, but supposed that Christ, who was a being inferior to God, descended from heaven, and united himself to the man Jesus, at his baptism, but forsook him befor his passion and death. The Ebionites, in considering Christ only as a man, but of most excellent character, and denying his divinity altogether, differed not much from the Cerinthians. How very contrary these heretical opinions concerning the nature of Christ and his atoning sacrifice, were to "the faith once delivered to the saints," the writings of the Apostles abundantly testify. Against such heresies St. John appears to have earnestly contended in the first chapter of his Gospel, and in all his Epistles. St. Paul also contended against them in his Epistle to the Hebrews (for it is generally attri

buted to his pen), where he strongly asserts and proves the divinity of our Blessed Lord, in conjunction with his human nature. We may easily perceive, that such errors arose from men departing from the simple truth of Scripture, following the light, or rather darkness of their own understanding, refusing to receive "the great mystery of godliness," "God manifest in the flesh;" and desiring to explain by reason, the modes of things which we are required to believe on the Divine testimony alone.

Another fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith was early attacked, and has in every succeeding age of the church been either strongly opposed, or licentiously abused: I mean the doctrine of "justification by faith only." Note (a). That this would be the case, the Apostle Paul appears to have been fully aware, and therefore in his Epistles he most clearly proves and strongly supports this doctrine. And though an attempt has been made in different ages of the church, to prove that St. James maintained a different doctrine, in opposition to St. Paul, and taught "that a man was justified by works, and not by faith only;" yet it may be clearly seen by every unprejudiced mind, that the Apostles are not at variance in this matter: that St. Paul is evidently speaking of the faith which justifies in the sight of God, and that St. James speaks of works, as giving evidence of the reality of that