CHAP. its first stages of authority, and who they were that X. formed it, and gave it the awful sanction.

i. p. 350,

Eccl. His- 5. Ephraim the Syrian, acquired an immortal name tory, vol. by the multitude of his writings, in which he com351,552. bated the sectaries. Hilary, bishop of Poictiers, is immortalized by his twelve books concerning the TRINITY, which he wrote against the Arians.

Ibid. vol. ii. p.

6. Rufinus, presbyter of Aquileia, was famous for his commentaries on several passages of the holy scriptures, and his bitter contest with St. Jerome. "He would (says Mosheim,) have obtained a very 'honourable place among the Latin writers of this century, had it not been his misfortune to have the powerful and foul-mouthed Jerome for his adversary."

4

7. But the glory of these, and almost all the other writers of this age, was eclipsed by St. Augustin, (Mɔshim says,) "The fame of Augustin, bishop of

Hippo, in Africa, filled the whole Christian world." He gained much honour by his contest with Pelagius, suppressing the Pelagian heresy almost in its very beginning, and establishing the Catholic doctrines of

The imputation of original sin-Election and re87, 89. probation, and of salvation by mere grace, without any foresight of faith, or regard to good works, which have darkened the earth even to the present day.

ibid.

p. 86.

Eccl. Rc

p. 101.

8. The African bishops, with Augustin at their head, maintained the Catholic faith, even against the Bishop of Rome, who estemed Pelagius sound in the faith, and by their exhortations, letters and writings, gained over the Roman pontiff to their side. Pelagius and his doctrines are condemned with the utmost severity at Rome. Likewise in the famous council at Ephesus, A. D. 431. "In short, (says Mosheim,) 'the Gauls, Britons, and Africans by their councils, and the emperors by their edicts and penal laws, de'molished this sect in its infancy."

9. But this was not all; Robinson says, "While searches. Genseric was defending the [Arian] faith at the 'head of eighty thousand men, Augustin who had 'now no command over the sword, was inflaming his hearers with violent passions, by urging them to hate one another for their speculations."

10. In a part of one of his sermons the following

X.

is worthy of notice. The discourse is about the strait CHAP. gate; and this according to the Catholic faith, cannot be good works, or obedience to the law of Christ; but the wounded side of Jesus. "By this strait gate "of the side of Christ, (says St. Augustin,) the con"verted thief entered, the penitent Jew, every con"verted Pagan, but the wicked heretic Arian turns "his back on him and goes out. He is one of those "of whom St. John says, they went out from us→ "O you Arian heretic !"

p. 102.

11. "Several Catholic historians, (says Robinson,) Eccl. Re6 observe, for the glory of God, for the honour of searches, 'his providence, and for the benefit of the church, 'that the very day on which Pelagius was born in 'Britain to shed darkness over the empire, Saint Monico lay in with ST. AUGUSTIN in Africa, to dis'pel the darkness, and throw light and sunshine and midday_splendor over the minds of all mankind."

12. "Just so, say they, when heretics appeared in 'the western world, did God by his spirit excite 'pope INNOCENT to erect the most holy office of the Inquisition. From [Augustin] this bitter and bloody 'fanatic of Africa, proceeded two hundred and thirtytwo pamphlets. He understood the ten commandments in a spiritual sense, and, Thou shalt not kill, 'signified, thou shalt not kill an orthodox believer. 'The command did not protect the life of a heretic."

เ

13. "This Saint Augustin had as fine a scent for 'this sort of game as ever saint had. He reckoned ' up no less than eighty-eight sorts of these poor be'ings, whom he and other such holy men doomed 'to utter destruction." He had a little parish in his own diocese infested with heresy, which is briefly described in his own words, as follows.

ibid,

P. 103.

ibid.

14. "There is a certain rustic heresy in our dis"trict, of Hippo-in one small village, we may call Note [2] "them Abelites.-They are not mixed with wives,

yet, according to the decree of the sect, it is not al"lowed them to live separate from wives. There"fore males and females dwelling together, under a "profession of continence, they adopted to them"selves a boy and a girl, as their future heirs in the cov"enant of the same conjunction: each and every

CHAP.
X.

"one going before by death, others are sought out "to fill their place."

15. Moreover, provided that either parent being "dead, one remaining, the children served until "their departure also, after whose death, they (the suc"cessors) adopted boy and girl in like manner: nor "was there ever any lack from whence they might "adopt, their neighbours generating on all sides, "and freely giving up their needy children upon the hope of heirship to the property of strangers."

16. "This (says Robinson,) afflicted the chaste 'bishop so greatly, that he corrected them till they 'became Catholics." Most likely this great saint cleared his diocese of such kind of heretics; however, he could neither expel them from the earth, nor reduce them to a conformity to his hypocritical life and manners. But as long as orthodoxy was the established virtue of the Catholics, heresy, which must of course be the established vice, remained as the principal object of their hatred and persecution.

17. The very constitution of the Catholic Church, from the period of the Nicene council, inspired the priesthood with a growing ambition to clear the empire of every object that would expose their hypocrisy, or weaken their lordly influence over a benighted world. Heretics stood principally in their way; therefore the greatest champion in detecting and rooting out heretics, however contrary to the precepts of the gospel the means he used, stood highest on the list of Catholic heroes, or canonized saints.

18. It is easy to see that there could be no room, either for truth or virtue, where the continual strife was, who should be the greatest. And the source of revenue, which flowed from the head of influence to these ministers of darkness, prompted them to still higher degrees of ambition, by which the rustics, as they are called, or common people, were trampled under foot, or at best considered as necessary tools for promoting their opulence and grandeur, and supporting them in luxury and idleness.

19. To show that this was the true genius of this eclis imperious hierarchy, the following particulars may 339. suffice. "Many of the privileges, (says Mosheim,) 'which had formerly belonged to the presbyters and

Bory, vol.

P. p.

X.

people, were [under Constantine] usurped by the CHAP. 'bishops. Their first step was an entire exclusion

' of the people from all part in the administration of 'ecclesiastical affairs."

tory, vol.

20. "In the episcopal order, the bishop of Rome Eccl.His 'was the first in rank, and was distinguished by a i. p. 342. 'sort of pre-eminence over all other prelates. Pre'judices, arising from a great variety of causes, con'tributed to establish this superiority; but it was 'chiefly owing to certain circumstances of grandeur ' and opulence, by which mortals, for the most part, 'form their ideas of pre-eminence and dignity."

6

21. "The Bishop of Rome surpassed all his breth'ren in the magnificence and splendor of the church 6 over which he presided; in the riches of his revcnues and possessions; in the number and variety of 'his ministers; in his credit with the people; and in his sumptuous and splendid manner of living. 'These dazzling marks of human power had such a 'mighty influence upon the minds of the multitude, 'that the see of Rome became a most seducing ob'ject of sacerdotal ambition."

22. Hence it happened, that when a new pontiff 'was to be elected by the suffrages of the people, the city of Rome was generally agitated with dissentions, 'tumults, and cabals, whose consequences were of 'ten deplorable and fatal." The intrigues and dis'turbances that prevailed in that city in the year 366, 'when, upon the death of Liberius, another pontiff 'was to be chosen in his place, are a sufficient proof ' of what we have now advanced.”

23. Upon this occasion, one faction elected Damasus to that high dignity, while the opposite party 'chose Ursicinus, a deacon of the vacant church, to 'succeed Liberius. This double election gave rise 'to a dangerous schism, and to a sort of civil war 'within the city of Rome, which was carried on with 'the utmost barbarity and fury, and produced the 'most cruel massacres and desolations. This inhuman contest ended in the victory of Damasus."

24. Such was the degree of lawless power, which those degenerate plants of the vine of Sodom had already attained, and which evidently proceeded from the Antichristian authority which had been reposed

ibirl

p. 343.

i.

318

CHAP. in the emperor, that head of the false church, as will appear from what follows.

X.

P. 346.

Eccl.His- 25. The additions made by the emperors and tory, vol.others to the wealth, honours and advantages of the 'clergy, were followed with a proportionable aug❝mentation of vices and luxury, particularly, among 'those of that sacred order, [or rather according to 'their fruits, that satanic order,] who lived in great ' and opulent cities; and that many such additions were made to that order after the time of Constan'tine, is a matter that admits of no dispute." So says Mosheim.

ibid.

D. 347.

bid.

26. Here then was the source of all their ambition: A sordid thirst for temporal glory! And hence the historian observes,-" The bishops, on the one

hand, contended with each other, in the most scan'dalous manner, concerning the extent of their respective jurisdictions; while on the other, they 'trampled upon the rights of the people, violated 'the privileges of the inferior ministers, and imita'ted, in their conduct and in their manner of living, 'the arrogance, voluptuousness, and luxury of mag'istrates and princes."

27. "This pernicious example was soon followed p. 339. by the several ecclesiastical orders.-The bishops by degrees, divested the presbyters of their ancient 'privileges, and their primitive authority, that they 'might have no importunate protesters to control ' their ambition, or oppose their proceedings; and ' principally, that they might either engross to them'selves, or distribute, as they thought proper, the " possessions and revenues of the church."

28. "Hence it came to pass, that, at the conclusion of this [iv.] century, there remained no more than a mere shadow of the ancient government of the church." Admitting that there did remain a mere shadow, there must be an essential difference between that and the substance.

29. But it must appear evident that there did not remain the most distant resemblance of the Primitive Church, if we compare the arrogance, voluptuousness and luxury of the clergy, and the barbarity, fury, inhuman contests and cabals of their subjects with what Jesus taught his true disciples.