A

PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE

TO THE

FIRST APOLOGY

O F

St. JUSTIN.

T

HE Life of Juftin the Philofopher and Martyr, is drawn by fo great a Master, and is in Truth, confidering the Materials, fuch a finish'd Piece, that I may both ask and answer the Queftion in the Preacher's Words, What fhall the Man do that cometh after Him? Even That which hath been already done. But not to afflic the Learned in faying over again, what has been fo well faid by our Excellent Dr. Cave, I fhall take notice of what is too commonly omitted, not to fay unjustly maintain'd by most Writers, to the Prejudice of this great Saint, and the Authority of all his Writings, I fhall likewife touch upon what I judge most edifying and inftructing, and what may conduce to fet the following Apology in the best Light for an English Reader.

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Fuftin was a Native of Neapolis, a noted City of Palestine, within the Province of Samaria, anciently called Sichem, the Son of Prifcus, and Grandfon of Bacchius, a Grecian by Birth and Religion. In the Perfon of this Philofopher, when in his Gentile State, we have the Portraiture of a Man amaz'd and bewilder'd in Philofophy and the Wisdom of the World, and after Searches and Refearches, and tumbling from Sect to Sect, quite tir'd out in the Queft of God and Happinefs, and in the Condition of a benighted Traveller, full of Darkness, full of Anxiety, not knowing how to ftand ftill, nor which way to take, till happily meeting with a venerable Old Man, he was led into the way of Truth, and directed to the Sacred Scriptures, where he found Reft to his Soul. No fooner had he light upon this Wisdom from above, This one Pearl of great Price, but he went and fold all that he had and bought it: All the vain Treasures he had amafs'd together from the Pythagoreans, Peripateticks, Stoicks, and even from his beloved Plato, he difpoffefs'd himself of them all, as a Glorious Incumbrance only upon his Mind, and embrac'd the Foolishness of the Gofpel and a Crucify'd Mafter, at the certain Expence of Life and every worldly Comfort; the best Philofophers he found had enrich'd themselves with the Spoils of Holy Scripture, and

* See Dial. cum Tryph. p. 219.

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6 This Venerable Old Man is conjectur'd by fome to have been an Angel, and if the Dialogue with Trypho be a real Dialogue, the Conjecture is not unreafonable; for that Juftin in this Solitude fhou'd chance to meet with fuch a grave and wife old Man as could let him into the moft myfterious Depths of the Chriftian Philofophy, and when he was conceited that Platonifm wou'd foon lead him into the very Fruition of God, that he fhould be fo eafily convinc'd to lay afide the World and the Wisdom of it, and be fo paffionately in Love with the Gofpel, looks altogether miraculous. Vid. Memoires par le Sieur D. Tillemont. Tom. 2. p. 334.

• Dial, cum Tryph. p. 224. c. 225.

* spol. 1. Se&t. 73.

that

that a poor Chriftian, who could not diftinguifh a Letter, could talk more fenfibly of the Divine Nature than even Plato himfelf; and the Sweetness of their Temper, their univerfal Charity, and unparallell'd Patience, &c. fpoke a thousand times more convincingly, than all the gilded Vapours of Philofophy, which glar'd in the Head only, but feldom reach'd the Heart, and excepting Socrates, never made a Martyr; for as Zeno was wont to fay, he had rather fee one Indian burnt, than hear a hundred fine Reasons for enduring Pain, fo does our good Justin acknowledge that by Dint of Chriftian Paffive Courage he was in a great measure wrought into Conviction..

When I read the manner of his Converfion, and hear the good old Guide faying what little Deference he had for his admir'd Sages, Plato and Pythagoras, ἐδὲν ἐμοὶ μέλι Πλάτων, ἐδὲ Πυθατόρε, Dial. cum Tryph. p. 224. and fending him to the Scriptures on ly for Inftruction; when I fee the Martyr all on Fire with this Divine Philofophy, and his Paffion for earthly Wisdom quite extinguifh'd by this Heavenly Light, and confeffing that the Chriftian was the only Philofopher; when again I hear him complain of the la mentable Reafonings and wretched Inconfiftences of Human Brain, and that nothing is to be depended on but the Divinely infpir'd Writings, Paran, ad Grecs p. 8, 9. when I hear him fay in his fecond Apology p. 152. ὅτι ἐκ ἀλλότρια όξι τὰ Πλάτωνα διδάγματα

Xoss, that the Doctrines of Plato are not alien to thofe of Chrift; and withal affirming in this, that Plato had all his Divinity from Mofes and the Prophets; when I find this Chriftian Philofopher thus emptying himself of all his former Notions, and clear ing his Mind of that Learned Lumber, I cannot but think that the Martyr has hard ufage after all this Selfdenial, to be ftill charg'd for indulging his Fancy, and Platonizing even in the great Articles of the Chriftian Faith. Reafon good indeed, that Daniel Zuicker and B 2

his

his Brethren fhou'd thus charge him, for he has too frequently and too exprefly afferted the Divinity of the Logos and the Prophetick Spirit; and therefore as ever they hope to be credited, they must be fure to blast his Authority, and make him introduce the Trinity not from the Scripture, but the Schools; tho' the notorious Difference between Plato and Fuftin in this very Mystery, is in it felf fufficient to juftifie him from Platonizing in Fundamentals, if his Sincerity is not.

With as good Reafon is St. Juftin thus tax'd by these Hereticks, as St. John was by the Platonift Amelius, who upon reading the first Verses of his Gofpel, cry'd out, Per Jovem Barbarus ifte cum Platone noftro fentit, By Fove this Barbarian has been fhirking from our Mafter Plato. The Author of the Hiftorical Vindication of the Naked Gofpel, lays about him terribly in his Preface againft the Corrupters of the Primitive Purity of the Gofpel with Pagan Philofophy and Pagan Ceremonies, and the Obtruders of the Platonick • Enthufiafm upon the World for Faith, Mystery, and Revelation; he fays, that Platonifm was tranfported 'from Greece into Egypt and Syria, and there imbibed by the Jews in their Difperfion, and fo came to be the current Opinions amongst 'em in the time of our Saviour and his Apoftles, and this perhaps was the Occafion, as Learned Men obferve, that we 'find fuch Platonick Phrafes and Forms of Speech in the New Teftament, and efpecially in the Gofpel ' of St. John. Thus we have St. John himself charg'd with Platonizing, because he has too pofitively afferted the Divinity of Chrift, and confequently the Holy Ghoft that infpir'd him is by the fame Author accus'd of Philofophizing from a Heathen, in an Article that paffes all Understanding; but 'tis the Glory of Juftin

* See Cafaubon feverely animadverted upon by Lanfelius for the fame Charge in his Difputation annex'd to Justin's Works.

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to be traduc'd by fuch Men, as will not stick to traduce an Apostle.

Thus much I thought my felf oblig'd to premife in vindication of the Martyr, from an Imputation too commonly granted by good Writers, but always pleaded by Hereticks in abatement to his Authority in the Doctrine of the Trinity, and which would be a Blot on his Integrity, a Blemish on all his Works, were it not falfe in Fact; and because I verily think that Du Pin and other great Criticks have not done our Author juftice in this point: For certainly a Perfon fo fincere in all his Dealings with God and Man, fo humble and fubmiffive in all his Reafonings, and fo entirely Chriftian in Word and Deed, fhould not eafily be granted to blend Christianity with Platonism, and to play the Philofopher in the most tremendous Mystery of the ever Bleffed Trinity; and when he has fo exprefly renounc'd both the Riches and the Wisdom of the World, we may in my opinion as reasonably tax him with Covetoufnefs, as Platonifm.

This Orthodox and faithful Servant of Jefus Chrift was at Rome, when the Perfecution rais'd under the Reign of Antoninus Pius began to break out, where he compos'd this Excellent Apology in behalf of the Chriftians: It is commonly called the Second, and as fuch plac'd in the Editions of his Works, but is now on all hands agreed to be the Firft; for Eufebius affirms the other not to be prefented till the Reign of Marcus Antoninus the Philofopher, and Succeffor of Antoninus Pius, wherein he foretels his own Death by the malicious Contrivance of one Crefcens a Cynick Philofopher, whom he had convinc'd of Ignorance and Debauchery.

The Defign and Subject of this Apology, is to lay before the Emperor, the Senate, and the People, the Injuftice of their Proceedings against the Chriftian Sect: He tells them that they were hunted after with all the Sagacity of Malice, and when discover'd, moft inhumanly

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