ples at the right Ear with a Rafor or a hot Iron, that they might be known from other Sects. By this account they must be deemed very honest, and are cleared of any Sufpicion that they endeavoured to impofe upon People; but had the Fact been true, it would have been taken notice of, long before Epipha

nius.

I fhall close this Article with one Observation. Those fcandalous Afperfions from one Sect of Chriftians against another owe their fole Origin to their private Piques and Jealoufies. This melancholy Truth did not escape the artful Celfus (f). The Chriftians, fays he, revile one another with the most opprobrious Language, and would ? by no means yield, or give up the least Thing for the Sake of Peace, as they have the most inveterate Hatred against one another.' This is, I own, the Stile of a bitter Enemy; yet the Charge is but too much justified by Ecclefiaftical History, and is but weakly objected against by Origen; his Answer amounts to no more than this, that the Principles of the Christians are totally averfe to fuch a Behaviour; and that it ill became Celfus to reproach them with their Divifions, fince he knew very ⚫ well that Physicians and Philofophers did not agree better among themselves.

(f) Origen. cont. Celf. lib. v. § 63.

of

of PRODICUS, and the ADAMITES.

PRODICUS is mentioned in the Eccle fiaftical History, as a deteftable Súcceffor and Imitator of Carpocrates (a), and the Head of the Sect called Adamites (b), who on that Account have alfo the Name of Prodicians. They are looked upon as a Branch of the Gnoftics (c), and are faid to have affumed the Name of Adamites (d), because they imagined themselves as innocent as Adam was, and imitated his Nakedness, before the Fall. Clemens of Alexandria (e) affirms, that in their religious Affemblies they used, Men and Women, to ftrip themfelves as naked as they were born, and in that shocking Pofture to offer their Prayers to the Almighty. Epiphanius (f) fays, that they gave the Name of Paradife to the Place where they met, to perform their undecent Ceremonies; both Clemens and Epiphanius accufe them of an infatiable Luft, and of falling to promifcuous Copulation in their Affemblies; and (g) Evagrius fays,

(a) Theodor. lib. i. c. 6. p. 197. lib. vii. p. 722.

ub. fup.

they

(b) Clem. A. Strom. (c) Strom. lib. iii. p. 438. Theodor. (f) P. 459.

(d) Epiph. Hær. lii. c. 1. p. 458. Auguft. (e) Ub. fup.

de Hæref. c. 31.
(g) Hift. Ecc. lib. i. c. 21,

'they renounced all Humanity, and fed like 'Beafts.'

It will be no difficult Matter to fhew, that these are false Imputations. Simon the Magician is looked upon as the Head of the Gnostics, who are faid to have taught, that when we pray to God, we must be naked; and yet the Author of the Recognitions (b) makes him object in the following Manner against Mofes's Account of the Fall of our Parents:

Is it to be conceived, fays he, that the great God would have punished Man for "having eat of a Fruit, which gave him the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and taught him to hide before his Creator what Modefty will not allow fhould be exposed to public View?'It is furprifing, after fuch a plain Declaration, that those who made it should be accused of believing, that our Prayers, in order to be agreeable to the Almighty, must be tendered to him in the Pofture of Adam before his Fall,

Prodicus, fay the Fathers, is the Chief of the Adamites, who ftripped themselves before they went to Prayers; and yet Clemens of Alexandria (i) makes the following Declaration, which fhews what Dependance there is on their Herefiologies:

VOL. III. PART II.

(b) Lib. ii. N° 53. P. 515. Vid, & Origen. Orat. p. 14.

The Difciples

(i) Lib. vii. p.m. 722.

ciples of Prodicus, fays he, teach, that Prayers are of no Service; and they took this Tenet from that Sect of Philofophers called Cyrenaic.' And Epiphanius himfelf clears them in one Place of what he had alledged against them in others (k); for he says, that they made a Profeffion of Continency, led a monaftic Life (1), condemned Matrimony, and expelled from their Affemblies any one who had misbehaved, comparing him to Adam, who had eat of the forbidden Fruit.

The other Principles afcribed to Prodicus and the Adamites are much like what is imputed to their Predeceffors: they opposed Martyrdom (m), believed a Succeffion of Beings endued with a creating Power (n),and were great Magicians (0), &c.

The indecent Herefy of the Adamites was fathered almoft on all the Heretics that appeared fince. If a Man not in Power happened to have a Quarrel with any of the Pillars of the Church, he was immediately proclaimed an Heretic, and what is worse, an Adamite. This was the unhappy Fate of Prifcillian. His Doctrine certainly dif fered

459.

(k) In fynopfi T. i. lib. 2. p. 397. Hær. lii. c. 2. p. () Vid. & Auguftin. ub, fup. (m) Tertul. præfcr. c. 3. p. 636. (n) Tertul, fcor, c. 15. p. 633. (a) Clement, A. Strom. lib. i. p. 304.

fered (a) in nothing material from the Catholic Faith; but two Bifhops, Idacius or Ufacius, and Ithacius, took it in their Heads that it deferved Cenfure, and Prifcillian, for having refused to fubmit to that Cenfure (b), was perfecuted, banished, and at laft put to Death, through the Intrigues of Ithacius at the Court of the Tyrant Maximus. The Crimes alledged against him were (c), that he had renewed the Errors, and practifed the abominable Myfteries of the Gnoftics (d), that he was fo great a Magician, as to be able to call the Devils to his Affiftance whenever he had a mind to debauch a Woman, and that he had formed fecret Conventicles with lewd Women, where they would be naked (e), and in that Condition offer their Prayers to God (f). In the XIth or XIIth Century fome Franciscan Friars, called Beguines, or Beguards, took a Fancy to deny (g) the fupreme Authority and immenfe Power of the Pope, to call John XXII. who had condemned

414.

0 2

(a) Auguftin. Hær, lxx. Vide et Concil. Tom. iii. p. (b) Sulp. Sever. Hift. facr. lib. ii. c. 46 & 48. Profper Aquit. Chron. Canis. Thes. T. i. p. 295. anno 385. (c) Sulp. Sev. ub. fup. c. 50. (d) Jerom wifely fays, that Marcus a Prifcillianift had made his Apprenticeship under Marcus the Head of the Marcofians, (Hieron. Epist. xxix. & T. iii. in Ifai. c. 64.) at that Rate the Prifcillianift Heretic must have lived above 200 Years. (e) Sulp. Sev. ub. fup. See Bibliotheque Germanique, Tom. xxi. Art. vi. p. 119. Tom. xxii. Art. i, (g) Limborch. Hift. Inquific.

P. 202.