PART II. controversies equally prejudicial to the peace of the CENT. V. church, and the interests of true Christianity. In the course of this dispute, Augustin had delivered his opinion, concerning the necessity of divine grace in order to our salvation, and the decrees of God with respect to the future conditions of men, without being always consistent with himself, or intelligible to others. Hence certain monks of Adrume tum, and others, were led into a notion, "that God not only predestinated the wicked to eternal punishment, but also to the guilt and transgression for which they are punished; and that thus both the good and bad actions of all men were deter. mined from eternity by a divine decree, and fixed by an invincible necessity." Those who embraced this opinion, were called predestinarians. Augustin used his utmost influence and authority to prevent the spreading of this doctrine, and explained his true sentiments with more perspicuity, that it might not be attributed to him. His efforts were seconded by the councils of Arles and Lyons, in which the doctrine in question was publicly rejected and condemned. But we must not omit observing, that the existence of this predestinarian sect has been denied by many learned men, and looked upon as an invention of the semipelagians, designed to decry the followers of Augustin, by attributing to them unjustly this dangerous and pernicious error.g f See Jac. Sirmondi Historia Prædestinatiana, tom. iv. opp. p. 271. Basnage Histoire de l'Eglise, tom. i. livr. xii. cap. ii. p. 698. Dion. Petavius, Dogmat. Theol. tom. vi. p. 168, 174, &c. * See Gilb, Mauguini Fubula Prædestinatiana confutata, which he subjoined to the second tome of his learned work, entitled, Collectio variorum Scriptorum qui Sæc. ix. de Prædestinatione et Gratia scripserunt. Fred. Spanhemius, Introd. ad Historiam Eccles. tom. i. opp. p. 993. Jac. Basnag. Adnot. ad Prosperi Chronicon et Præf. ad Faustum Regiensem, tom. i. Lection. Antiqu. Hen. Canisii, p. 315, 348. Granet, who wrote the life of Launoy, observes, that Sirmond had solicited Launoy VOL. II. 12 CENT. V. PART II. gians. XXVI. A new and different modification was given to the doctrine of Augustin by the monk CasSemipela sian, who came from the east into France, and erected a monastery near Marseilles. Nor was he the only one who attempted to fix upon a certain temperature between the errors of Pelagius and the opinions of the African oracle; several persons embarked in this undertaking about the year 430, and hence arose a new sect, which were called, by their adversaries, semipelagians. The opinions of this sect have been misrepresented by its enemies upon several occasions; such is generally the fate of all parties in religious controversies. Their doctrine, as it has been generally explained by the learned, amounted to this; "that inward preventing grace was not necessary to form in the soul the first beginnings of true repentance and amendment; that every one was capable of producing these by the mere power of their natural faculties, as also of exercising faith in Christ, and forming the purposes of a holy and sincere obedience." But they acknowledged at the same time, "that none could persevere or advance in that holy and virtuous course, which they had the power of beginning, without the perpetual support, and the powerful assistance of the divine grace." h The disciples of Augustin in to write against Mauguin, who denied the existence of the predestinarian sect; but that the former, having examined the matter with care and application, adopted the sentiment of Mauguin. The whole dispute about the existence of this sect will, when closely looked into, appear to be little more perhaps than a dispute about words. It may be very true, that about this time, nay, from the time of St. Paul, certain persons embraced the predestinarian opinions here mentioned. But there is no solid proof, that the abettors of these opinions ever formed themselves into a sect. See Basnage Hist. de l'Eglise, tom. i. p. 700. The leading principles of the semipelagians were the five following; 1. That God did not dispense his grace to one more than another, in consequence of predestination, i. e. an eternal and absolute decree, PART IT. Gaul, attacked the semipelagians with the utmost CENT. V. vehemence, without being able to extirpate or overcome them. The doctrine of this sect was so suited to the capacities of the generality of men, so conformable to the way of thinking that prevailed among the monastic orders, so well received among the gravest and most learned Grecian doctors, that neither the zeal nor industry of its adversaries could stop its rapid and extensive progress. Add to its other advantages, that neither Augustin, nor his followers, had ventured to condemn it in all its parts, nor to brand it as an impious and per. nicious heresy. troversies con XXVII. This was the commencement of those un. Various conhappy contests, those subtile and perplexing dis. cerning grace. putes concerning grace, or the nature and opera tion of that divine power, which is essentially re. quired in order to salvation, that rent the church into the most deplorable divisions through the whole course of the succeeding age, and which, to the deep sorrow and regret of every true and gen. erous christian, have been continued down to the present time. The doctrine of Augustin, who was of opinion, that in the work of conversion and sanctification, all was to be attributed to a divine energy, and nothing to human agency, had many followers in all ages of the church; though his but was willing to save all men, if they complied with the terms of his gospel. 2. That Christ died for all men. 3. That the grace purchased by Christ, and necessary to salvation, was offered to all men. 4. That man, before he received grace, was capable of faith and holy desires. 5. That man born free, was consequently capable of resisting the influ ences of grace, or complying with its suggestions. See Basnage, Histoire de l'Eglise, tom. i. livr. xii. cap. i. p. 696, &c. i Jac. Basnage, Hist. de l'Eglise, tom, i. livr. xii. cap. i. Hist. Litteraire de la France, têm. ii. Præf. p. 9. Vossii Histor. Pelagiana, lib. v. p. 538. Scipio Maffei, under the fictitious name of Ireneus Veronensis, De Hæresi Pelagiana in tome xxix, Opuscul. Scientif. Angeli Calogera, p. 399. PART 11. CENT. V. disciples have never been entirely agreed about the manner of explaining what he taught upon that head. The followers of Cassian were however, much more numerous; and his doctrine, though variously explained, was received in the greatest part of the monastic schools in Gaul, from whence it spread itself far and wide through the European provinces. As to the Greeks and other eastern christians, they had embraced the semipelagian doctrine before Cassian, and still adhere firmly to it. The generality of christians looked upon the opinions of Pelagius as daring and presumptuous; and even to those who adopted them in secret, they appeared too free and too far removed from the notions commonly received, to render the public profession of them advisable and prudent. Certain however it is, that in all ages of the church, there have been several persons, who, in conformity with the doctrine attributed to this heretic, have believed mankind endowed with a natural power of paying to the divine laws a perfect obedience. It is well known that the jansenists and jesuits both plead the au thority of St. Augustin, in behalf of their opposite systems with respect to predestination and grace. This knotty doctrine has exercised severely the pretended infallibility of the popes, and exposed it to the laughter of the wise upon many occasions; and the famous Bull Unigenitus, which of late years has made such noise, set Clement XI. in direct opposition with several of the most celebrated Roman pontiffs. Which are we to believe? THE SIXTH CENTURY. PART I EXTERNAL HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. CHAPTER I. CONCERNING THE PROSPEROUS EVENTS WHICH HAPPENED TO THE of the christ the east. THE zeal of the bishops of Constantinople, CENT. VI. seconded by the protection and influence of the PART 1. Grecian emperors, increased the number of christ- The progres ians in the east, and contributed to the conversion of ian religion in some barbarous nations, of those particularly, who lived upon the borders of the Euxine sea, as appears by the most authentic records of Grecian history. Among these nations were the Abasgi, who inhabited the country lying between the coasts of the Euxine sea, and mount Caucasus, and who embraced Christianity under the reign of Justinian; the Heruli, who dwelt beyond the Danube, and who were converted under the same reign;Þ as also the Alans, Lazi, and Zani, with other uncivilized countries, whose situation at this time, is only known by vague and imperfect conjectures. These conversions indeed, however pompously they may sound, were extremely superficial and imperfect, as we learn from the most credible ac • Procopius, De bello Gothico, lib. iv. cap. iii. Le Quien, Oriens Christianus, tom. i. p. 1351. b Procopius, 1. c. lib. ii. cap. xiv. |