"foul is not confubftantial with God, as "the wicked Manicheans hold, but was "created out of nothing*."

This doctrine concerning the foul feems to have been peculiar to the Gentile Gnoftics. The Jewish Gnostics do not appear ever to have departed from their proper principles, fo far as to fuppofe that any fouls had a proper divine origin; but either thought that they were created out of nothing, or, if they were so far philofophers as to deny this, they would probably say, with fome others, that they were only the breath of God, and not any proper part of his fubftance. Accordingly, we do not find any allufion to this doctrine, of two kinds of fouls in the apoftolical writings.

Ou rap καλα τον δυσσεβη Μαρκιωνος λογον ομούσιος εσιν η ψυχή τε πεποιηκότος θες, αλλ' εκ μη όνίων εκλήθη. Hær. Fab. lib.5. cap. 5. Opera, vol. 4. p. 264.

SECTION IV.

The Doctrine of the Gnoftics concerning the Maker of the World, and the Author of the Jewish Difpenfation.

ANOTHER article which was probably peculiar to the Gentile Gnoftics, and which makes the greateft figure in their history, is, that the fupreme being, the Father of Jefus Chrift, was not the maker of the world, or the author of the Jewish difpenfation; for that these were derived from fome inferior and malevolent being. This was the diftinguishing tenet of all the celebrated Gnoftics who arofe about the time of Adrian; and as they derived their principles not from Platonism, but from the oriental philofophy, Clemens Alexandrinus, fpeaking of them in general, fays, "The herefies, which are according to a "barbarous philosophy, though they teach

one God, and fing hymns to Christ, do "it in pretence only, and not in truth; "for they have invented another God, and "fhew

he fays,

"fhew another Chrift, than him who is "announced by the prophets *." Again, "Some pretend that the Lord," meaning the God of the Old Teftament, "could not be a good being, on account "of the rod, the threatening, and the "fear," meaning his juftice and severity. And Tertullian fays, they deny that God, meaning the fupreme being, is to be feared +.

According to the Gnoftics, the god of the Jews was fo far from being a good being, or in any respect fubfervient to the defigns of the fupreme being, that he was at open variance with him; fo that the true

* Διοπερ, αι καλα την βαρβαρον φιλοσοφιαν αιρεσεις, καν θεον λεγωσιν ενα, καν χρισον υμνωσι, κατα περίληψιν λέγεσιν, 8 προς αλήθειαν. άλλον τε γαρ θεον παρευρίσκεσι, και τον χρισον εχ ως αι προφητεία Tài of a παραδιδόασιν εκδεχονται . Strom. lib. 6. p. 675.

Porphyry in his life of Plotinus, fpeaking of the chriftians, and the heretics, fays, that the latter were of old philofophy. Γεγονασι δε κατ' αυλον των χρισιανων πολλοι μεν και άλλοι αιρετικοι δε εκ της παλαιας φιλοσοφίας ανηγμένοι.

+ ΕΝΤΑΥΘΑ επιφυονίαι τινές, εκ αγαθον είναι φαμενοι τον Κύριον δια την ραβδον, και την απειλήν, και τον φόβον. Ped. lib. i. cap. 8, p. 113.

‡ Négant deum timendum. De Præfcrip. fect. 43. P. 218.

God was obliged to take measures in order to counteract his defigns. Saturninus fays that "the father of Christ, willing to deσε ftroy the god of the other angels, and of "the Jews, fent Chrift into the world, for "the falvation of those who were to believe " on him*." Bafilides faid that " the God

"of the Jews, willing to reduce all nations "to his power, and oppofing other principa"lities, the Supreme Being seeing this, fent "his firft-born nous, whom he called Chrift, "to fave those who believed on him." ·Valentinus faid that "the true God was "not known till our Saviour announced "him" and Eufebius informs us, that "Cerdon, of the fchool of Simon, coming "to Rome in the time of Hyginus, the

* Τον πατερα φησι το χρισ8, καίαλυσαι βελόμενον μέλα των άλλων αγγελων και τον των Ιεδαίων θεον, αποτείλαι τον Χρισον εις τον κόσμον επι σωτηρια των εις αυλον πιςευονίων ανθρώπων. Theodoret. Hær. Fab. lib. 1. cap. 3. vol. 4. p. 194.

+ Βουληθέντι δε τείω τοις οικείοις απαλλα υπόΐαξαι τα εθνη, της αλλες αρχονίας αντιπράξασθαι, τον δε αγεννητον ταυλα θεωμενον τον πρωτογονον αυτε νεν αποσείλαι, ον και χρισον προσηγόρευσεν, ωςε σώσαι της πίςευσαι προαιρέμενος. Ibid. lib. 1. cap. 4. vol. 4. p.195. † Αγνως ην τοις πασι πριν της τε χρισε παρέσιας, Ire pæus, lib. 1. cap. 16, p.85.

"feventh

"feventh bishop from the time of the "apoftles, taught that the God who was

preached in the law and the prophets "was not the father of our Lord Jefus Chrift; for that the one was known, the "other unknown; the one was juft, the " other good. He was fucceeded by Mar" cion of Pontus, who increafed the fchool, blafpheming without blufhing *. Of Marcion, Juftin Martyr fays, that " he was living in his time, teaching his followers' "that there is a god greater than he that "made the world, who is every where, by « the inftigation of the damon, teaching many blafphemies." It was on ac

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