NOTE: — 26 —

[... there ar]ose certain such innovators in religion, deceitful in word and deed, giving a new name to their newly-invented religions, and proclaiming their newly-fashioned doctrines [to be] the worship of angels; whose doctrine was to acknowledge only superficially all the saving graces of Christ our Savior; whereby they became no small occasion of stumbling unto the simple-minded people of the church of the Colossians. Wherefore the holy Apostle hastened to send unto their church written teachings warning [them] against such deceivers: "Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the Head, [Christ,] from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances . . . Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh" (Col. ii. 18–23).

DISCOURSE III.

They make manifest the astonishing babble of their words by this indifferent writing (in Art. 1): "We confess the holy Council of K‘aghkedon [to be] in agreement with the three previous holy-assembled Councils, that is to say, of Nikia, Ep‘esos, and Kostandnupolits‘." Here I deem it proper to recall the great philosopher Anton Kovgin, who writeth concerning such things: "For this very reason there are those waverings in matters of faith, agitations of insolent questions, [and] vain scrutinizing inquiries" (Logic, Tract. 3). Here these innovators in religion err, first, in that they say "We confess," instead of saying "We know and acknowledge"; because