A Letter of Resolution Concerning Origen and the Chief of His Opinions 9780231877091

Citation preview

T H E

F A C S I M I L E

SERIES I I I :

T E X T

PHILOSOPHY

VOLUME A

S O C I E T Y

L E T T E R OF R E S O L U T I O N

3

CONCERNING O R I G E N

T H E C H I E F OF H I S

OPINIONS

BY GEORGE

RUST

AND

A L E T T E R OF R E S O L U T I O N CONCERNING ORIGEN AND T H E C H I E F OF HIS OPINIONS BY

G E O R G E RUST

Reproduced from the Edition of 1661 WITH

A

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL

NOTE

BY

MARJORIE HOPE NICOLSON

PUBLISHED

FOR

T H E FACSIMILE T E X T

SOCIETY

BY

COLUMBIA NEW Y O R K

UNIVERSITY :

PRESS

M · CM · X X X I I I

Printed in the United States of America by T h e National Process Company, New Y o r k

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE A Letter of Resolution concerning Origen and the Chief of His Opinions, one of the most significant of the group of seventeenth-century tracts on that subject, appeared anonymously in 1661. The author proved to be George Rust, Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, later Bishop of Dromore, who, in the year of its publication, had been called to Ireland by Jeremy Taylor to fill the vacancy in the Deanery of Connor. The date of the publication of the Letter can be fixed within a week. Dr. John Worthington wrote to Samuel Hartlib on May 20, 1661 (Diary and Correspondence of Dr. John Worthington, edited James Crossley, Chetham Society, 1847, Ι · 3 Ι 2 ) : "That little Tract which I wrote to you was going to the press, was not a philosophical piece, but (as I am since better informed) relates to theology: and it is designed for a defence of some opinions for which Origen was blamed. I do not know the author, nor what the performance is: but he engageth to consider such arguments as are paradoxal according to common esteem and apprehension. When the book is finish'd I shall, according to your desire, give you notice of it." On June 24, 1661, Worthington wrote again, in the same letter in which he mentions Rust's departure to Ireland with Lord Conway (1.339-40) : "The Letter about Origen was extant last week ; but I have not read it." Rust preserved the secret of his authorship of the treatise even from Henry More, his tutor at Christ's, and the link between Rust, Conway, and Taylor. More mentions the

new tract in a letter to Lady Conway on September 1 4 , 1 6 6 1 (Conway betters: The Correspondence of Anne, Viscountess Conway, Henry More, and Their Friends, edited Marjorie Hofe Nicolson, 1930, p. 192,j cf. p. 194) adding: " I can not imagine who should be the Authour of it." On November 16 he mentioned having sent a copy of it to Lady Conway, who, in spite of her close association with its author in Ireland, was evidently still in ignorance of its authorship (ibid., pp. 194-7). More surmises shrewdly one of the chief reasons for its anonymity in reporting to Lady Conway on October 26 the reception of the pamphlet at Cambridge {ibid., p. 194). The better of Resolution was reprinted in The Phenix: or, a revival of scarce and valuable pieces. . . Being a collection of manuscripts and printed tracts, nowhere to be found but in the closets of the curious. By a gentleman who has made it his business to search after such pieces for twenty years past. 2 vol. London, 1 7 0 7 , 1 . 1 - 8 5. Another edition of this collection, with some additional matter, appeared later as A collection of choice, scarce, and valuable tracts, being taken from manuscripts and printed books, very uncommon, and not to be found but in the libraries of the curious. By a Gentleman who has searched after them for above twenty years. 2 vol. London, 1 7 2 1 . The present facsimile is reproduced from the copy in the McAlpin Collection in the Union Theological Seminary, New York City. M.H.N.

A

L E T T E R O F

R E SO L U T I O N Concerning

ORIGEN and the chief of his Opinions. Written to the Learned and mofl Ingenious C . L : Efquire · and by him publiflyed.

LONDON; Printed in the year M D C L X I .

T o the R E ADER. Ν conformity to cufióme which [ends ft* books into the world, be they never fo mean^ without fome fair be (peaking of the Reader, or giving him an Account of the Author or his work, it wat thought convenient that fome little thing in that kinde fhould be prefix d to thefe few peets, and that Ijhould doe it,who way rea fonably beprefumedto have a greater knowledge and tntere β in this Affair then any other. Know therefore ¡Re Λder, that fomewhile agoey upon Λ certain oecafton which would be to no purpofe here to mention, there WAS begot in me a cunefity to know the Opinions of that pious Father of the Church the learned Origen; and being neither by natural temper nor the way of my ftudies nor condition of life either fo punctually informedwhat wot ingenerai efieem accounted Orthodoxer much awed by the word, I fuferedthat curiofity to grow fo great in me, that I Wits even affli ¿fed till it was (atisfied. But having neither time enough to ß>are from my own fecular emploiment s, nor philofophy enough to pierce into thofe recondite myßeries, I quickly perceived I could not by m) own indußry and meditation come to the end of my de fires. I therefore wrote unto A Fri;nd cf mine competently we li Α ι enabled

T o the Reader. enabled with thofe advantages ofleifure and metaphy Ileal knowledge, conjuring him by cur long acquaintance andfriendfiip, to give hi mfelf the trouble of fending me an account of fome Quaeres 1 there j ut to himi tending to my contentment and (at is faction in this particular. He by good hap having jnfl before finijhed a Treatije, which may one day fee the light to the benefit of the Church, and having nothing new in the Forge, pitied my anxiety,and premi fed to doe fomet hing for the eafe of my miiede·, and accordingly fiortly after did me the honour to fend jne the following papers. Thou maiefi eafily imagine I received fo obliging a prefent with all Jue resentment, and entertained the fair conceptions in it with extraordinary emotion of fpirit. For really feveral things before Uyfocrofs and fcurvily in my Soul, that I took r,o pleafureto look into it, nay I was fenfibly pained and prick d when 1 had the hardinefs fo to doe. But I quickly felt all thofe unevennefses begin to wear away, and every thing to range it felf in its right place and order , principles and concluions fairly accorded, and a laßing peace and calm ( for fo I boldly prefaged ) poffcjfed me throughout. Having received fo great a benefit my felf\ and conjeBuring that in t h ti inquifitive Age, the minds of other men as well as mine might need, and would J eyfully receive Relief by the fame means which minifired to my tranquillity, and having by trial aloof off upon fome capable perJons found that my conjecture was re al,I thought I fhould be envious if I did not endeavour to obtain leave of my Friend to make his papers publick. Whereupon after fome time I refolved to give him a vi fit at his Hermitage (as he is wont to call the place of his retirement)for the effefting of my purpofe. where amongfl

To the Reader. Am ρ rig (I man) learned and pie afant Entertainsjhe dear iv/tnejfes of a benigne nature, an innocent Confcience and falisfied underfianding, I moved my defign unto him. He tvith an amazed look ask'd me what I meant. 1 plainly told him th.it I meant to doe whnt tvas in me, that others might receive that eafe and benefit which I my (elf had felt by his labour ; for ethers there were in the world, I doubted not, in the fame condition I was then in when I reqtteßed his aßt β ance: and m exchange for his qneftion I asked him, why he flwuld be fo unwilling to it as his looks fhewed him to be. To which after fome little recollection,The que (lions difeuded in i hofe ine onßderable Papers you talk of (replied he) are great and boldt and you miflake the world if you imagine they will finde an equal hearing, but are certainly much out in your account if you think men will be convinced tf their truth by fo mean an handling as mine is. For though I thought that would be enough to entertain your ciriofity alitile titì the fit was over, and to offer (ome hints to your mere deliberate meditations^ yet I did not then while I was fcribling of them, much lefs now in my cooler thoughts, conceive them conviftive to any who were not in a very forward preparation to the belief of them already. For neither are the foundations of my r earnings lay d low enough, nor firmly fetled, (being I was to follow Origen rather then my own invention) nor is the order of my conceptions upon any of the Opinions fuch as it ought to be : for I remember very well upon my reading the papers over after I had finiß'd them, I dtfctrndfome things in the entrance of a qwßion or an argument which by the riçht laws of d:fourfe ought to haz 'e come hehinde ; and others I faw wae cafi into the A 3 clofe

T o the Reader. e Iof e of it which would have done bitter fervtce more fer tv ardij placed. Τo tell you the truth, I did not fcrupu1ouflyfet my felf any method, but took a H thoughts that came, and as they came ( if homogeneous to the whole ) and there upon the fpot fetter à them in words, le β they might not have been at hand when I needed them, nor / been able to recall fuch fugitive things when their turn came. My Anfwers to objeffions have the fame c&relefnefs in them, no applying this or that to fuch or fuch a propofition, hut a dtffufe (peaking to the whole, being loth, tU it fhoitld feemitolofe any good words that came in my minds which mufl needs render my anfwer weak and obfeure to ßriil logical readers. Many of my interpretations of Scripture are rather extravagant or p leaf ant then the fer/ous confirmations of a weighty caufet and which affé ft to make the holy pen-men of Sacred writ (peak Notions where in all likelihood they never meant it, I am aljo much too fiort in moft of the points debated. Which faults though they be pardonable in a private letter to A familiar friend,will be fottifh and ridiculous in a pubhflid piece. Do you then impartially judge whether fo port a difcourfefuä offo many andfuch monflro.'u defetts, pretending the defence of high and rais'd myßeries againß ßrong inveterate prejudices, be not Λ thing rather to be laughi atjhen received as ufeful to any better purpofe.To this I fmilingly repliedjhat he might be a* bold as he pleafed with his own\ yet if he would that I Jhould be of his minde for the prefent and acknowledge with him the fe F au It s ( as he call a them) I was content,, upon condition that he would take his papers back and mend them in all the particulars he was pleafed to fay they were defective in¡ ana ¡hengive me that leave which

To the Reader. •pvhich I then came to begge. This 1 ρ r e f d him to with all e a r n e f t n e f p o j f i b l e , hoping that either he would do it, andJo I might receive his fécond and (as the proverb f a y s ) better cogitations} whofe firβ pleafed me fo much : or e l f e that he would be forced out of civility to grant me my f r ß r c q u e f l j f h e was refolved to deny the fécond.And tt fell out according to my hope $ for being ob β mat e l y fct againß aüReview, partly becaufe he war now more feri' oußy employed,partly becaufe that would look like an Approbation of Origen'J opinions, he at laß unwillingly permitted me to aoe what I would with that I had.which I here oferto thy candid accept ance,being confident thou wilt net be offended with any thing in it i f thou beeß of my humour fto think no Opinion formidable which does honour to God, renders him moß amiable to men, and Λ fure objetf of our Faith and Hope, which j u f l i f t e s the waies of his Frovidence^and reconciles them with his moß precious Attributes ¡Equity and Benignity,Farewell.

C. L.

A

LETTER O F

R E S O L U T I O N Concerning

ORIGEN and the chief of his Opinions. siQL, F the partial judgement which your Friendship makes of me and the heat of your commendable curiofity would fuffer you equally and coolly to confíder the Undertaker and his W o r k ; you would out of pity to me, and honour to the great Perfonage you enquire of,exfpe& no otherLetter from me at this time then one of humble thanks for releafing me from

Β

the

2

An Account o f O R I G E N . , the burthen your commands had laid upon me. F o r verily I much need your pity and relief, who am combated with two mighty contrary paifions; the one an infinite defire to doe the Father right, the other as great a defpair of doing it, írom the moft certain confcioufnefs of my own inability. And though by my undertaking of it I fliall reap this fruit of having given you an evidence of what Authority your commands are with me, and how ready I am in the greateft difadvantages to obey them : yet I ihill neither fatisfie'you nor my felf in the performance * and poflibly be injurious to his Venerable name,in adding more Envy to his Opinions through my unskilful reprefentation of them. But to be bold with you upon the warrant of our Friendíhip, I think you are not at prefent capable of any equitable confi deration as to this particular 5 and therefore I do refolve to bear the Neceifity as well as I may, hoping it will prove a benefit to me and fecurity for the future : for certainly you will not be very forward to impofe a fécond T a s k of this nature upon me, who have fo ill acquitted my felf in the firft. And to fliew you how little power I have over my own Inclinations and A&ions where you are pleafed to direct t h e m , I (hall, even contrary to my own judgement, omit nothing of the Method you have fet me ·, but give you an Account, fuch as it will be, of all the particulars you defire to know, and according to the Order they are in in your Letter ·, though otherwife being left free I ihould certainly havewáv'd the firft of them, and poifibly t h e fécond. Five things then yoo enquire of. ι. What

and his cHefefl Opinions» ι . W h a t opinion the Ancients had o f the W o r t h , Spirit and temper oí his Perfon. 2. W h a t they thought of his D o & r i n e . 3. W h a t his vogmAtA are. 4 . By what Arguments he afferted them. 5. By what his Adverfaries endeavoured to confute them,and h o w l imagine an Origtnifi would anfwer to their Objections. TN anfwer to the firft be pleafed to receive this A d * vertifement in the firft place, which may ferve to arm you againft the entertainment o f a too-forward prejudice againft him. T h o f e that are skill'd and well-read in the Ancient Writers of the C h u r c h tell us that there are very few Records left of him, but fuch as muft be had out o f thofe writings which were on purpofe compofed to refute his Opinions ·, or at leail out o f fuch as colleét and amafie together his Opinions without their C o n f u t a t i o n , with dei-gne to bid men beware of them and deteft them. W h e r e fore it is not t o be wondred at, if the heat o f difputation or zeal for what they were perfwaded was the Truth make them fometimes in fo pardonable a paflion fpeak fomething more harihly and tartly o f his perfon and opinions, whom they imagined the adverfary and fubverter o f it. But to the bufinefs, ' T i s laid to his charge that he was carried away with too curious an endeavour of letting no part of holy Scriptures how hard foever g o e unexplained, which proved his ruine ; T h a t he w i s very temerarious, and in his Interpretations (aid any thing a r e l c f l y what Β 2 he

3

An Account of O R I G E N , he pleafed·, T h a t he was xopmvins g £ow>ισeakefl no parable. For the opinion of Praexßßence, but in a fpecial manner of tlie Soul of the Meßiah, was thecommon do&rine of their Nation·, and that key eafily unlock'd our Saviour's meaning. Let this minde be inyou which was in Chrifi tfefus^ who being in the form of God did not, like Lucifer, think equality with God a prey or fpotl to be invaded by him, in thatfenfe that Cicero faies of Verres, lib. J . omnium bona pradam [nam dnxit 5 but was fo farre from afluming that which was not his own, that on the contrary he made himfelf lefs then indeed he w a s , and emptied himfelf by taking the form of a fervant, which coniifted in his being made in the likenefs of man, or of one of the Sons of Adam; and being found in fafbion as aman, he humbled himfelf yet further, becoming obedient even to death. If this place* be to be underftood of the humanity o f Chrift, nothing can be more plain then that his Soul prœexfifted: forotherwife to be born though butin the likenefs o f a terreftrial man, wonld have been a gain to him, not a diminution ^ fince there is no good at all in not beings fave to thofe who are extremely miferable. And that it is fo to be underflood will be very probable if we but take notice of the importance of thephrafes here ufed, and compare them with others in holy Scripture. Ένμρρφγ ®¡¡oiS wa/^r, is as much as if he had faid, Seófypf©*, or, after the more Attick purity, 3·«οψ£«ί, or Srtoáneh©. ¿ v , or νεταρχ«»- · even as St. Mark> in the ftory of the woman which had the IiTue of blood,faies after the ^ e w t ß way, «β» ov ¡>υσ4 α/'/^τ©«, but St. Matthew more elegantly »¡/Jifpfíüm, St. $ohn, after the Seventy, ftSkG

An Account of O R I G E N , but St. Paul Qeoillaxttt - a very ufual Η tirai [me in thefe holy W r i t e r s . T h e thing flgnified by t h e p h r a f e in hand i s C h r i f t ' s Angelick purity both in body and Spirit. T h i s is that image of God according t o which we were all at firft m a d e , and which C h r i f t had not loft as the reft of his degenerate brethren had ·, and this is the divine nature we flnll again be made partakers of when we ihall have efcaped the corruption that is in this world : for the Sons of the Refurreítion are truely the Sons of God and like unto G o d . But though the humanity of Chrift was fo truely deiform, yet he emptied himfelf of this fulnefs of life and glory by taking the form of a fervant, wpflw ¿¿λν. W h a t this means the Apoftle tells us in another place, The creature, i. e. man in the J e w i ill language, jhall he manumitted from the fervi· tude of corruption^ and aiTerted into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God\ i. e. Angels, or Angelick Souls, by the redemption of his body. So that μρρφτι «Κλου is a mortal corruptible body, which the Soul of C h i i f t voluntarily took upon her, by which he became like unto us mQrtal men, as he immediately addes, cv ¿μ^ιώμ^· ni άν^&Ινκν * which he otherwhere calls όμ^Ιωμ^. *apnt)i cLjxfptlaA) and « ' ^ α τ» ppiitS. And being by this his Servile Schema made lower then the Angels, he was put in a capacity of being obedient even unto death, and of tafting death for every man 5 and was thereby made p e r f e d l y like unto his brethren, partak i n g of pfhandblood as they did, that h e m i g h t ' b y death deftroy him w h o had the power of death, as the Apoftle t o the Hebrews fpeaks. For without this exinanition of himfelf and defcent from his Athmal or Ansehcal

and his chiefefl Opinions. Angelical condition it was not poffible for him to dy. I might further adde for the juftifying of this interpretation, that it is not conceivable how the eternal λβwho is what he is by an unchangeable and undiminiihable neceifity of Nature,can be fai J to empty himfelf : efpecially fince the fcveral parts and degrees of the humiliation here defcribed are fpoken of the fame perfon ; but certainly he that is Life it felf cannot be faid to dyetor become obedient to the death of the C r o f s , Neither is it proper nor ufual in Scripture to propound the Deity t o us as an example of humility? though nothing is fo frequent there nor m o r e congruous then to exhort us t o be cóformable to him in love, goodnefs and purity. I ihall fay no more upon this place but t h i s , that if being in the form $f God be t o be expounded of the Soul o f C h r i i l a s i n phyficai union with the divine λ ο y e t ftill our argument for t h e p r t e x f i f t e n c c of hisSoul will be every whit as good; as is plain at firft fight. I have been fomething long upon this Text, but will make amends for i t i n o n e l y pointing t o the reft which countenance this Opinion of pr¿exfiftence¿s all thofe many Texts moft naturally do which fay C h r i f t came down from Heaven. For every other interpretation of this phrafe Coming down from heave^viiW either be S oc iman as to the Notion^ and a mere violence as t o the words, or elfe will make t h e AoV©» alone to be t h e Chrift, and him that fills ag things t o quita place. A n d certainly fomething in favour of this Opmion may b e made of that queftion of the Difciples t o our Saviour concerning the man that was born blind -y for either he approved of the common opinion as true, G st or

An

Account

of

ORIGEN.

or at leaft thought it very harmlefs if falfe, fince having fo fair an occafion o f r e f t i f y i n g the common belief, he yet faid nothing againft it. 1 know indeed t h a t the Silence of Scripture and the A r g u m e n t s from thence, which they call Negative, are efteemed of little force in deputation unlefs in fome certain cafes. But he that (hall feriouily confider how great a change does neceiikrily follow in the whole Frame of Ghriftian Religion from the beginning t o the end of it, by the taking in or leaving out this opinion of prxexftftence, may poifibly be induced to think that our Saviour's faying nothing in fo apt an occafion is one of thofe Cafes wherein Silence is almoft as argumentative as a pofitive Approbation. Parables likewife will not be taken for Arguments : which is no ill Ruit if underftood of the minute circumftancesof them,and of fuch parts as the decorum of an apologue requires 5 but certainly t h e whole will argue as well as inftruft. But I lay no ftrefs upon t h e m , becaufe they may have other true and fober interpretations ; yet I thought good to caft them in for variety fake, that you may fee how congruoufly they may be applied to the do&rine we are upon. T h e Prodigal Son's leaving his Father you know is deicribed by bis going into a far Countrey, and there wafting his fubftance with riotous living ; and in his return his Father fays of him, T h i s my Son was dead, but is alive ¿gv«», was loft, but is found. The Son of man is come [trom H e a v e n ] to fave that which was lofi. If a man have an hundred jheep, and one of them go aßraj, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountain/, and fccketh that which is gone tßray?

and his cbiefefi Opinions.. aßray? For ye were AS jheep going aßray, but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bißop of your Souls. I am the good Shepherd, not an hireling whofe o w n the jhtep are not. Y o u may confider thefe places alio, though they do not all belong to r Iiis head of Parables· J am not fent,but ¿Í τα -ο^ρβα.TO -TO >5τολ«λο'ΐαand faies, that as by one man (in entred into the world, and by fin death and mortality ^ [o alfodid this death and mortality go through aH men, hecaufe or fo fane as ail have finned ; or in his o w n w o r d s m o r e elegantly, «W«/> ¿ ì é m οίν%Γγ we exjpeft there ßaü be nerv heavens and nerv earth, or heavens and earth again, tvhofe inhabitants Jhall be better and more righteous then thoft of the decaying and corrupted world are. And the vi~ Hon of a new heaven and new e Arth in S. tfohn does fo

immediately fucceed the univerfal judgement, and the cafting of death and Hades into the lake of fire, that it would almoft perfwade a man that it is to fucceed it alfo in order of Time, fince there is fo great a congruiry in the thing for it fo to do.For fuppofe thisOpinion true,and to have been a part of the Apocalyptical vi fions, what fitter and more natural place could you afllgne it amongft them then that it now hath according to our prefent interpretation < I will trouble you but with one Argument more, though confifting of more texts then one,but all in the fame Epiftle of S. Peter. And /pared not the old world, but preserved

" Ο Γ Δ Ο Ο Ν NfìTE Δ 1 Κ Α Ι Ο Σ T N Η £ Κ Η -

Ρ Τ Κ A jhaving brought the flood upo» the world of the ungodly, This they are willingly ignorant of that there were of old heavens and earth confifting of and placed amidfi the waters by the word of Cod, By which confutation of things the world that then WAS being overflowed with water perijhed. But the heavens and earth which now are by the fame word are kept in fiore, refervedfor pre at the day of judgement & perdition of ungodly men.

T o thefe texts adde that which we cited before, But

we look for new heavens and Λ new earth $ and then

compare the feveral pailàges in them one with another :

and his chiefeft Opinioni. ther : for example, t h t f h y f i c a l ftateand conftitution of things before the Flood is called the old or original world, the then world, the heavens and earth which were of old ·Ί that after the Flood is called the heavens and earth which now are, and in r e f p e f t o f t h e former might as properly be called the new world, as that is called the old world in refpeft of it ·, that which is to fucceed the burning of this is (as we have conjeftured) termed new heavens and a new earth in refpeft of the fécond. T h e firβ of thefe three worlds is faid to perifh or be deilroyed by water for the puniíhment of the ungodly, yet fo as Noah was preserved t o be a preacher of righteoufnefs, as fome Interpreters expound it. The fécond is faid to be referved to the deftruftion of fire for the perdition of ungodly men, that fo the third may be the habitation of righteoufnefs. N o w fincetney are fo diftin&ly defcnbed as feveral worlds, and ilnce the changes happening to them are called deftrutfions a l i k e , and their ends are the fame,to wit,the puniibment of the ungod]y:why fliould we imagine fo vaft a difference,that the deftruftion of the fir fi fliould be followed with a new plantation of mankinde-by Noah and his Sons, of animals by the pairs of each kinde referved in the A r k e , and of all kinde of plants by their own fruitful feminalities, but nothing follow upon the deftruftion of the fécond but a perfeft irrecoverable excifion of all things í when yet the way that this is to be deftroyed by does as naturally lead to a re-produftion as that of the o t h e r , but after a farre longer time. T h e r e is one thing m o r e l am to put you in minde of, which I had from a very good hand,concerning one of Ν 2 the

9ï

A/i Account

of

ORIGEN,

the texts above cited, to w i t , about that odde difturbed order of words in this fentence, SM' oyfoov Ntrho forms in him the spirit of man, not the Spirit of man which is in him. This would have been pretty had he firft proved by fubftantial arguments taken from the Nature of the Seul or Providence, that the Souls of men could not exfift before they inform'd a terreftrial body ^ but having not done that, nor fcarce endeavoured it,his argutenefs is ridiculous. For who can doubt but that the Prophet meant the fame with that .more compleat and exprefs form of fpeech in S· Paul, W h o knows the things of a man, « μ* tS ¿» mmS s Iflíhould fay of that elegant Watch you did me the honour to give me, that your own neat and curious hand wrought oaâformd all the Springs and Wheels in it, no man would be fo mad as to think I meant that yoo wrought them within the Cafe % or if I ihould tell you (which I may with truth) that I have been lo oft at Alney-thorpe that I know all the inhabitants in it, I hope you would not think that the Image of your noble Perfon was fo feldome in my Fancy, or that I was of fo fantaftick a memory, that 1 Ρ ζ knew

An Account of

ORIGEN,

knew you and the reft of your neighbours onely when I was there, but ihould not know you at my own Hermitage or any where elfe. Thefe are all the Obje&ions they have (fo farre as I remember) againft thefe two Opinions of Ori^en^ the Pry