Section 226
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 195 with him. These, also, drawing away many of the church, se duced them into their opinions, each one endeavouring separately to introduce his own innovations respecting the truth. CHAPTER XVI. The affairs of Montanus, and his false prophets. AGAINST the ahovementioned heresy of the Cataphrygians, that power which is the defender of the truth, raised up a pow erful weapon and antagonist in Apollinaris of Hierapolis, whom we mentioned before, and many other eloquent men with him there. Of whom, also, most abundant matter has been left us for our history. A certain one of them, in the very beginning of his work against them (the Cataphrygians.) first intimates that he would meet and refute them by open argument. For thus he commences his work : " As for a long and very con siderable time, O beloved Avircius Marcellus, I have been urged by thee to write a discourse against the heresy which is called after Miltiades, I have been somehow too much in doubt until now, not indeed, for want of argument to refute the false doctrine, or to bear witness to the truth, but fearing and apprehensive, lest, perhaps, I should appear to any to give any new injunctions, or to superadd any thing to the doctrine of the New Testament, to which it is impossible that any thing should be added or diminished, by one who has resolved to live accord;ng to the gospel. Lately, however, having been at Ancyra, a :ity of Galatia, and having understood that the church in Pontus vvas very much agitated by this new prophecy, as they call it, nit which, as shall be shown, with divine assistance, deserves •ather the name of false prophesy, I discoursed many days in he church, both respecting these matters and others that were >roposed by them. So that the church, indeed, rejoiced and vas strengthened in the truth ; but the adversaries were put to light, and the opponents were cast down. But as the presbyters f the place requested that we should leave some comment of 19*