the Church, and this perhaps may be a Temptation to you to do the like. In fhort, you will find fome ftark naught, and worfe than Heathens, who go by the Name of Chriftians; but let me tell you, that if your coming to be baptiz'd into Chrift's Religion, be with a defign to live like thefe Men, your coming will be to no purpose; for the Name of Chriftian will be of no Service to an unrepenting finner; according to that of our Mafter, not every one that fays unto me, Lord, Lord, Shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doth the will of my Father. Place not your confidence in good Works, nor look upon any thing you can do as Meritorious, for it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. If you fuffer for Chrift, great will be your Reward in Heaven; but from him, who giveth place to the Devil, and mifemploys his Talent, fhall be taken even that he hath. Walk humbly with thy God, that he permit thee not to be tempted above what thou art able; for God refifteth the proud, but giveth grace to the bumble.

After these Instructions, the Catechumen is interrogated, whether he believes the things aforefaid, and heartily defires to obferve 'em; and when he has folemnly profefs'd his Faith and Sincerity, he is to be Baptiz'd, and fign'd with the fign of the Crofs, and then treated as a Member of the Chriftian Church.

This Digreffion from Minucius to St. Austin, is not going much out of my way, because it not only gives the Reader a beautiful Scheme of the Divine Oeconomy in Man's Salvation from the firft to the second Adam, the Lord from Heaven, but in fome measure fupplies the want of the next Day's Catechetical Conference, which from the Taft we have of this Author, we may well judge wou'd have been a very defirable piece of Christian Antiquity; for the Dialogue as we now have it concludes abruptly, and is rather a

Con

Confutation of Heathenifm from Heathen Writers than a Proof and Explanation of the Chriftian Do&trine. But I cannot, with the Learned Du Pin, think this a fault in my Author; for certainly, Cecilius the Heathen was to be convinced of the Folly of his own Religion, before he was particularly to be inftructed in the Myfteries of the Chriftian Faith. Mr. Du Pin's Character of the Treatife before us is this, The Dialogue is Elegant, the Expreffions are well chofen, the Words proper, the Turn agreeable, the Reafons are fet forth to Advantage, and beautify'd with a great deal of Learning: But he does not appear to be very well skill'd in the Mysteries of Religion, and be feems to have believ'd that the Soul Thou'd dye with the Body. Now for my part, with all the Eyes I have, I cannot fee where he does not appear to be very well skill'd in the Myfteries of Religion, for he has hardly faid a word about 'em, this being left for the Subject of the following day's Conference, which is not now extant. And for his Jeeming to have believ'd that the Soul fhou'd dye with the Body, this feems to me to be a mistake both of Du Pin and his Commentator; for he seems to believe no fuch thing, nor can it fairly be deduced from this Expreffion, Nihil effe poft obitum, & ante ortum nibil fuiffe, as I have obferv'd upon the Paffage. For this is no more than Tertullian had faid before him, no more than St. Auftin faid after him in the fummary before us, and in fhort is this. He is Arguing with the Heathen the poffibility of the Refurrection, and therefore, fuppofing with you, that Man after Death is juft fuch a nothing as be was before his Conception, yet you must grant it as eafy for God to raise him again, as to make him at firft. And this is

the Argument the Fathers all make ufe of, for the proof of a Refurrection.

This Dialogue Octavius, pafs'd a great while for the Eighth Book of Arnobius, it being found together with the feven Books of Arnobius, in an ancient Manufcript of the Vatican Library, till the Famous Lawyer Balduinus difcover'd the Error, and in a learned Preface reftor'd it to its true Author, Minucius.

The Edition I have follow'd, is that of Mr. Davies, it being not only the laft, but the Correcteft I think by much, and illuftrated with ingenious Notes, and fome very happy Conjectures; where I have diffented from him, I have given my Reafons for fo doing. In the Tranflation, I have made it my business not only to be True and Juft to the Senfe of my Author, but to his Air and Sweetnefs of Expreffion, and to render him agreably and like himself: But after all, there are fome peculiar Graces in one Language, which in another can hardly be preferv'd in their entire Beauty; and Minucius, I fear, will never be made to speak fo finely in English, as he does in Latin. In my Notes, I have forbore medling much with dry Criticifm, and chiefly observ'd what I thought might be of moft fervice to Religion; and because my Author has borrow'd fo much from Tully's Quiver, and batter'd down the wickedness in high Places, from the very Forts of Philofophy, I have fet down, or referr'd to those beautiful Paffages he has made ufe of in defence of Chriftianity, where the Commentators have been filent. And now I have nothing more to add, but only a wifh, that this Difcourfe which made fo glorious a Convert of Cæcilius the Heathen, may have fome good effect in this Age, as well by convincing our Scepticks and Infidels, as by confirm ing the Faithful.

33

34

THE

OCTAVIUS

OF

Marcus Minucius Felix.

Concerning the

Vanity of Idols.

"W"

HILE I was musing, and my Mind taken all up with the Thoughts of my faithful Comerade, my good Octavius, I was under so sweet a fufpenfe, and fo ravish'd with the pleafing Reflection, that I fancy'd my felf in a manner really got back again into the agreeable Hours I once enjoy'd, and not under the imaginary Poffeffion of Pleasures paft and gone. Thus my Octavius, tho' withdrawn from my Eyes, ftill dwelt in my Breast, and I faw that Absence had but wrapt him the faster about the Strings of my Heart. Nor was it without reason, that this

excellent

excellent and a holy Perfon at his departure 3 out of this World left fuch eager Defires and Longings for him in my Soul; for he always

• Nec immerito difcedens vir eximius & fan&tus.] From these and the words foregoing, I am inclin'd to believe, that Octavius departed this Life fome time after the Converfion of Cecilius; but to go about to distinguish the diftance between the Conference with Cacilius, and the compofing of this Dialogue by Minucius, wou'd be rather to divine than to conjecture. The Lofs of fuch an old and agreeable Companion, of fo good a Friend, and so good a Chriftian, our Author took extremely to Heart; and the way he took to fupply his Abfence, was to make him as prefent to his Mind as he cou'd, by recalling the pleafing Hours he once enjoy'd, and by preferving his excellent Difcourfes alive and warm in his Soul, and by infcribing his Book, O&avius, in honour of his departed Friend. And here I cannot but fay, that as the Primitive Chriftians met at the Martyrs Tombs to celebrate their Memories, to blefs God for their Examples, to reinflame their own Devocions, and wean 'em from the World; fo I think it the Duty of every Chriftian now to thank God frequently in private for their Dead, as well as living Benefactors, to cherish their Memories, to ruminate on their Virtues, and go after them in their Thoughts, and not to leave 'em at the Grave, and take all the Pains we can to forget 'em; for this is not only a Piece of facred Gratitude, but of mighty advantage to our own Souls, tho' of none to the Souls departed; for the Thoughts of a dead, as well as the Sight of a dying Friend, do ftrangely open the Mind, and foften it for heavenly Impreffions. And were it not for going too much abroad from our felves, and wearing off thefe Thoughts among the Liv ing, we fhou'd find our Minds oft'ner upon their Journey to the other World, and in a much better Difpofition to leave this than we generally find they are: And there is an excellent Office to this purpose added to the Reformed Devotions, by Dr. Hickes. The Word Sanctus, or Saint, not only here, but among all the Primitive Writers, and in many places of the New Teftament, is but another word for Chriftian, and ftands oppos'd not to unfound Chriftians, but to Heathens. Thus, 1 Cor. 1. 2. To them that are Sanctified in Chrift Jefus, called to be Saints (or rather called the Saints) with all that in every place call upon the Name of Jefus Chrift our Lord. The Sanctified in Chrift Jefus, and the Saints called, feem to be Words of the fame import, denoting fuch as were called forth, and separated from the World, thro' Faith in Chrift; for 'tis certain, that many Members of the Church of Corinth wanted the inward Sanctification of the Spirit, but Octavius was Vir eximius & fanétus, a Christian in Life, as well as Profeffion.

D 2

burnt