The history of these Epistles like the story of the Sibylline books, 413 The three Curetonian Letters as objectionable as those formerly published, 414 The style suspicious, challenged by Ussher, 415 The Word of God strangely ignored in these letters, ib. Their chronological blunders betray their forgery, 417 Various words in them have a meaning which they did not acquire until after the time of Ignatius, 419 Their puerilities, vapouring, and mysticism betray their spuriousness, 422 The anxiety for martyrdom displayed in them attests their forgery, 423 The internal evidence confirms the view already taken of the date of their fabrication, 425 Strange attachment of Episcopalians to these letters, 426 The sagacity of Calvin, 427 CHAPTER IV. THE GNOSTICS, THE MONTANISTS, AND THE MANICHAEANS. The early heresies numerous, 429 The systems with which Christianity had to struggle, 430 The leading peculiarities of Gnosticism, ib. The Aeons, the Demiurge, and the Saviour, 431 Saturninus, Basilides, and Valentine, 433 Marcion and Carpocrates, ib. Causes of the popularity of Gnosticism, and its defects, 434 Montanus and his system, 436 His success and condemnation, 437 Mani and his doctrine of the Two Principles, 438 The Elect and Hearers of the Manichaeans, 439 Martyrdom of Mani, 440 Peculiarities of the heretics gradually adopted by the Catholic Church, 441 Doctrine of Venial and Mortal Sins, ib. Doctrine of Purgatory, 442 Celibacy and Asceticism, 443 CHAPTER V. THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH