of our Lives is the least of our Concern, because we know our Murtherers can cut us short but a few Days, for all must dye.

XII. I must tell you likewife, that of all Men living we are the greatest Promoters of Peace, and bring you in the most powerful Auxiliaries to establish it in your Dominions, by teaching that 'tis impoffible for any Worker of Iniquity, any covetous or infidious Perfon, any one, either Vitious or Virtuous, to hide himself from God; and that every one is stepping forward into everlasting Mifery or Happiness according to his Works; and if all Men were once fully poffeft with a Notion of these things, who wou'd make the bold Adventure to embrace the Pleasures of Sin for a Season, with his Eye upon Eternal Fire at the end of the Enjoyment? who wou'd not strive all he cou'd to check himself upon the brink of Ruin, and to adorn his Mind with fuch Virtues as might give him Admiffion to the good things of God, and fecure him from everlasting Vengeance? But as to the Penalties of your Laws, Offenders are not so careful about lying hid from them, because they know you to be but Men, and therefore poffible to be put upon, and upon the score of that Poffibility are encourag'd to fin on; but were they fully perfuaded of the Impoffibility of concealing any thing from God, not only the Works of their Hands, but even the Motions of their Minds, the direful Storm of Wrath they see juft dropping upon their Heads,

wou'd

1

wou'd needs make 'em prepare with all speed for a better Courfe of Life, as you your felves will grant.

XIII. But you seem to be afraid, that fuch a Notion of God's Omniscience fhou'd force every one to be good, and fo quite and clean fpoil the Trade of Punishing; Executioners perhaps may be afraid of this, but pious Princes furely never can; but fuch Fears, I am verily perfuaded, are the Suggestions of evil Spirits, who get their Sacrifices and Worship by exacting upon the Follies of wicked Men; but you who fet up for Pious and Philofophers will not, we fuppofe, be drawn into the fame unreasonable Practices; but if you, like other weak People, will be born down with the Iniquity of the Times, and make Truth give place to Custom, do your worst (but fuch wicked Princes as have no Regard for Truth, can do no more than Robbers in a Defart) for the Logos has declar'd you shall not thrive long in your idolatrous Course ; that Logos, who next to God his Father, we know to be the Supreme and Juftest of Kings, and above all the Principalities and Powers in Nature. For as all Men are shy of taking up with Poverty, Suffering, or Disgrace, meerly for the fake of Cuftom; fo is ev'ry Perfon of Senfe equally unwilling to do, what Reafon declares is not to be done, notwithStanding it has the Plea of Custom for its Pra

&ice.

c

XIV. Our Master Jefus Chrift, from whom we take the Name of Christians, the Son and Apostle of that God, who is the Supreme Lord and Maker of the Univerfe, has foretold our Sufferings; which to us is a manifest Confirmation of the Truth of all his other Doctrines, because we see these things fulfill'd according to his Prediction; for this or nothing is the Work of God, To declare a thing fhall come to be, long before it is in Being, and then to bring about that Thing to pass according to the fame Decla

ration.

XV. And now I might fpare my self the Trouble of saying a word more, confidering the Truth and Juftice of our Proposals; but because I am fenfible how difficult a Task it is for Men bowed down with aged Ignorance, to be set straight in a Moment; and for a farther Satisfaction to the Lovers of Truth, I shall inlarge in its Defence, knowing it not impoffible, to get the better of Ignorance by fetting Matters in a fuller Light,

XVI. In the first place then, 'tis certain we cannot justly be branded for Atheists; we who worship the Creator of the Universe, not with Blood, Libations, and Incense, (which we are fufficiently taught He stands in no need of) but we exalt Him to the best of

'Agroso.] Chrift is called the Apoftle of God from his being fent by him into the World, and is fo ftiled, Heb. 3. 1. Confider the Apoftle and High-Priest of our Profeffion, Christ Jesus.

d

our Power with the rational Service of Prayers and Praises, in all the Oblations we make unto Him; believing this to be the only Honour worthy of Him, not to consume the Creatures which He has given us for our Ufe and the Comfort of thofe that want, in the Fire by Sacrifice; but to approve our felves thankful to Him, and to exprefs this Gratitude in the rational Pomp of the most folemn Hymns at the Altar in Acknowledg

e

ment

4 Λόγῳ ἐυχῆς καὶ ευχαριςίας.] What the Latin Tranflator means by his Oratione Precum ac gratiarum a&tionis, I cannot well tell; but I think he can by no means be right in the Tranflation of these words, the Sacrifices of old, both of Jew and Gentile, were offer'd in a corporeal way, by Slaughter, Fire and Incenfe, but the Sacrifice of Chriftians is offer'd only aów cuxus ỳ cuxausias, by way of Prayer and Thanksgiving, as Mr. Mede tranflates these words, p. 358. So that according to this learned Perfon, these words are to be understood of the Manner of Offering; the Bread and Wine the Matter of the Chriftian Sacrifice, are offer'd λofins fpiritually; which the Fathers in the firft Council of Nice call 0úzs ve, to be facrificed without facrificing Rites: And this Sense is farther confirm'd by what follows, where Juftin argues against the grofs way of the Gentiles facrificing, by confuming in Fire what God made for our Nourishment. "Oon Swiaμis] which I tranflate, to the best of our Power, I take notice of only by the by in this place, becaufe I fhall have occafion to explain it more fully hereafter; only I believe the impartial Reader will hardly conceive this Paffage to be a good Proof for extemporary Prayer.

e

• Πομπὼς καὶ ὕμνος.] Dr. Grabe obferves that the word Πομπή often fignifies that publick Pomp and Pageantry which was exhibited at the Heathen Sports; and from hence concludes that 'tis tranflated hither to fignifie thofe Prayers which are recited with more than ordinary Solemnity at the Čelebration of the Eucharift, The mention of Hymns in this Place, and not one word of 'em in that, where Juftin is giving an Account of their way of publick Worfhip, is a plain Argument that he did not defign to acquaint them with every Particular they did at their religious Affemblies, for there is no doubt but finging of Pfalms was a part of Divine Service, and as a main Part too mention'd by Pliny in his Letter

ment of our Creation, Prefervation, and all the Bleffings of Variety in Things and Seafons; and also for the hopes of a Resurrection to a Life incorruptible, which we are fure to have for asking, provided we ask in Faith. Who that knows any thing of us, will not confefs this to be our way of worshipping? And who can stigmatize fuch Worshippers for Atheifts? The Mafter who inftructed us in this Kind of Worship, and who was born for this very purpose, and crucify'd under Pontius Pi late, Procurator of Judea, in the Reign of Tiberius Cafar, is Jefus Chrift, whom we know to be the Son of the true God, and therefore hold him the second in order, and the f Prophetick Spirit the third, and that we have good Reafon for worshipping in this Subordination, I shall fhew hereafter. For here they look upon it as downright Madness, to affign to a Crucify'd Man the next Place to the

to Trajan,-Secum invicem canere-They fang Pfalms together, or alternately, or by Turns; for fo perhaps the Words may fignifie: Thefe Pfalms were partly David's, partly extemporary Raptures while Infpiration lafted, or fet Compofitions taken out of the Holy Scriptures, or of their own compofing, as you'll find in Tertul. Apol. cap. 39. and this continu'd till the Council of Laodicea order'd that no Pfalms compos'd by private Perfons fhou'd be recited in the Church. Can. 59.

Here again you fee the Sacred Trinity of Divine Perfons mention'd in their Order, and the Prophetick Spirit in the third Place; which evidently fhews that the Interpofition of Angels Sect. 6 must be looked upon only as in a Parenthefis, and that St. Ju ftin no more intended thofe Miniftring Spirits for the Objects of Christian Worthip, than he intended they thou'd take Place of the Holy Ghost in the Order of Worship.