The works of Nathaniel Lardner - The Christian Researcher - Home

112 Credibility of the Gospel History.
a mun of a most cruel disposition, and has been said to charge
God himself with cruelty. Nevertheless, in his book of the
Trinity he appears to have had honourable sentiments of the
Deity, saying-^ that God excels all other beings in benevolence,
goodness, justice, and mercy. Nor did he deny the
power or Avill of God to pardon great sins after baptism ;
though he would not allow such a power in the church, or
to be lodged with the ordinary ministers of the gospel.
1 would add, that he may be thought to have one advantage,
in that all his litigious and controversial writings,
if there were any such, are lost : for, next to the happiness
of escaping disputes and controversies, may be reckoned the
having- them buried in oblivion : but though this may be
esteemed an advantage to him, I cannot tell whether it be
so to VIS. It is not unlikely that, if more of his Avorks were
in being, we, as well as- Jerom, should be willing to read
them. Since he is upon record, as author of a sect that subsisted
for several ages, it might be desirable to know from
himself the grounds he went upon. The writings of catholic
authors, it is to be hoped, would afford a sufficient preserva-
tive against infection : and, together with the venom of his
erroneous doctrine, there might have been conveyed to us
somewhat healing' and nourishing.
1 have given above the true reason why I decline drawing-
the character of Novatus. As Du Pin saw no occasion to
be so scrupulous, it is by no means iit my readers should
be deprived of the commendation he has given the founder
of the Novatian sect. ' This author,' says" he, ' had abund-
' ance of wit, learning, and eloquence : his style is pure, neat,
' and polite : his expressions are chosen, his thoughts natural,
' and his reasonings just: he is full of citations of texts of
' scripture, that are much to the purpose: moreover, there
' is a great deal of method and order in those treatises of his
' Avhich we have : and he always expresseth himself with
' mildness and moderation.' What greater character could
be desired by a catholic m riter !
VII. Though the pieces of Novatus, and especially the
treatise of the Trinity or the Rule of faith, abound with texts
of the Old and New Testament, there are not many books of
either cited expressly and by name.
1. A great number of passages are quoted out of St.
mallet mortem morlentis quam ut revertaturet vivat ? Vincent. Lir. Comm. p.
355. Paris. 1669. ^ et omnibus divitiis ditior, omni prudentia
piTidentior, et onmi benignitate benignior, omni bonitate melior, omni justitia
justior, omni dementia clementior. De Reg. Fid, cap. 2. p. 24. Jackson.
' Sed before, note % p. 110. " Biblioth. p. 182.