been fo much a Libertin on the other, as to run out into the Exceffes of a Paraphrafe, I have kept a ftrict Eye upon the Original, and been true to the Senfe, Order, and Conftruction of the words, to the beft of my Skill in that Language and my own fo that the meaneft Reader may depend upon the Inte- ̈ grity of the Verfion, and he who defigns to go thro' the Fathers in their Mother Tongue, will find himfelf much eas'd in his Travels, and much fooner at his Journey's End, and in the Study of Divinity not to begin with the Fathers, is not only an abfurd Contempt of the best Men, and the foundest Christians, but is in effect to begin at the wrong end, and to ftudy backwards; I found it unavoidable now and then, not to put in a word or two in order to illuftrate the meaning of the Text, and to continue the Thread and Coherence of the Argument, for his Digreffions are frequent, and his Periods and Parentheses fometimes of great length and obfcurity; for as * Photius long ago obferv'd, This great Man took little care in dreffing his Thoughts, and fetting off the Chriftian Truths with the Imbellishments of Art, and according to the Wisdom of the World; and therefore his Writings, though very learned, are not bright and fparkling, nor have they the Grace and Elegancy of polifh'd Difcourfes. This Character is verify'd throughout all his Works, which are extremely full of Citations both from facred and prophane Writings, without Order, without Ornament; but to me there is a deal of Force and Beauty, if I may fo fpeak, in this very Art of Disorder and Negligence, there is a strange Power in naked Truth, as firangely and as differently moving from that of formal Eloquence, as the preffing Cries of a Man in a Storm are from the Defcriptions of a Poet; the Martyr writes like an honeft Servant who is more concerned about the faithful Delivery of his

* Phot. c. 125. P. 304.

k

Meffage,

Meffage, than about Finery and Flowers of Rhetorick, he knew with St. Paul that the Kingdom of God was not in word, but in Power; I have therefore confider'd his way of Diction, and endeavour'd to make the Greek Father fpeak English worthy of himself, with Authority and Plainess, without any Pomp and Glitter of Expreffion, and to preferve not only the Senfe, but the Spirit of my Author from evaporating in the Transfufion.

In my Annotations I have ftudioufly avoided dry and barren Criticifms, nor have I interrupted and perplex'd my Reader with various Lections, nor cram'd him with the tedious Collections of Langus and Kortholtus, this, I confefs, I fpeak in a kind of Indignation, because both thefe Annotators have ne、 ver help'd me in time of need, and are for ever quoting, where one needs them not; Dr. Grabe lets in more Day upon an obfcure Paffage in four Lines, than is to be found in their whole Mafs of Quotations; his Notes therefore, which are most edifying, I have interwoven with my own, and refer'd to thofe which are purely critical; I have very feldom departed from this judicious Perfon, and where I have, I have given my Reafons for fo doing; I have likewife noted fuch Specialties, as have been excepted against in this Apology, and where I have been longer than ordinary, it has been either to vindicate this faithful Servant and Martyr of Jefus Chrift from the Calumnies of Hereticks, and the Cavils of the Sons of Latitude, or elfe to fet fome Primitive Cuftoms which are but juft hinted at in a fuller Light for the Benefit of the Unskilful.

I have now nothing more to fay, but only to defire the Reader to warm himself by this Fire, to fill his Mind with a juft Idea both of the Form and the Power of Primitive Godliness. What a thing that was, he will have but a faint Notion of from the Writings, and a much fainter, God knows! from

the

the Practices of this degenerate Age; the Firft Chriftians wrote about Matters, their Hearts, as well as Heads were full of; they fpeak with the Paffion and Sincerity of dying Men, and therefore we may reafonably expect more powerful and piercing Perfuafives from a Profeffor in Flames than from one in Eafe and Security.

And if this little Treatife in the Defence of Chriftians, fhall in any wife contribute to revive the ancient Spirit of Christianity amongst us, and bring old Moderation into fashion, which was not a moderate Love or Lukewarmnefs for God and Religion, but a mighty tenderness for the Perfons of Men, with a juft Hatred of their Sin, and a moft fervent Zeal for the great Articles of Faith, and the spiritual unalienable Rights of the Christian Church, if this I fay fhall contribute any thing to make Men live more lovingly, foberly, and godly, I have my end; nor fhall I think my time ill fpent in Tranflation, tho' lefs glorious in Opinion, but perhaps not less perplexing, than original Productions.

THE

14

THE

FIRST APOLOGY

I.

OF

St. JUSTIN

FOR THE

CHRISTIANS

ΤΟ

ANTONINUs Pius.

"T

a

O the Emperour Titus Ælius Adrianus Antoninus Pius Auguftus Cafar 3 and to his Son Veriffimus the Philofopher; and to Lucius the Philofopher, the Natural Son of Cafar, but the

a From this liberal Infcription of Titles, you may fee, that St. Juftin was not of the fame Spirit with our Quakers, in point of Salutation; for the understanding of which Infcription you are to take notice that the Firft named in it, is the Emperour Antoninus Pius, the Adoptive Son of Adrian; the Second called Veriffimus, is Marcus Antoninus the Philofopher, the Adoptive Son of Antoninus Pius; the Third is Lucius Verus the Son of Alius Verus, who had been Cafar, and was the Adoptive Son of Antoninus Pius. The Titles here beftow'd by the Martyr were the most beloved ones; for the Family of the Antonines from Adrian to Commodus affected the Title of Philofophers, as much as that of Fathers of their Country, c

Adopted

Adopted of Pius, the Lover of Learning; and to the Sacred Senate, and to all the People of Rome; in the behalf of Men of all Ranks and Nations unjustly loaded with publick Odium and Oppreffion, I Juftin the Son of Prifcus and Grandfon of Bacchius Natives of Flavia Neapolis of Paleftine Syria, I who am one of this fuffering Multitude, a humbly offer this Apology.

c

II. 'Tis the Voice of Reafon, and ever attended to by Men truly pious and worthy the Name of Philofopher, that Truth alone is the thing to be had in the highest Honour, and to hold the first place in our Affections, and the Ancients to be follow'd not one step farther

ὁ Ἰαςΐνος Πρίσκα το Βακχείο &c. ferome in his Catalogue makes Prifcus Bacchius the Father of Juftin, and herein is followed by Chriftophorfon, and by all the Verfions of Juftin, till That corrected by the Learned Dr. Grabe; but 'tis evident from the Conftruction of the Words, that Prifcus was the Father, and Bacchius the Grandfather; for praxias being of the Plural Number cannot agree with Пelons To Banxes of the Singular, if it was but one Perfon. The Great Du Pin has taken up with this common Miftake, and the Ingenious Author of the Notes upon him has overlook'd it alfo; which I the rather wonder at, because the Excellent Dr. Cave, whom he is pleas'd fometimes to animadvert upon, wou'd have fet him to rights in this matter in his moft accurate Life of this Martyr. Vid. Tom. 1. Spicileg. Patr. Sac.11. p.134. and Valef. Notes upon Eufeb. p. 66.

This Flavia Neapolis anciently went by the Name of Sichem, a noted City of Palestine in the Province of Samaria, and from a Colony fent thither by Flavius Vefpafian called Flavia. Vid. Not. Valef. ad Eufeb. lib. 4. cap. 12.

Ende. Valefius in his Notes upon this Word in Eufebius, p. 66. fays that luxdver is to go and fupplicate the Emperour either by a Petition in Writing or by word of Mouth, and fo προσφώνησιν καὶ ἔνταξιν ποιῦμαι are both included in this Verfion, whether it was deliver'd in Writing, or by word of Mouth, according to Perionius.

than