by the establishment of Christianity, under Constantine, than "the Man of Sin"-"the Son of perdition," began to be manifest. Men were now found, professing themselves the disciples of the meek and lowly Jesus, yet walking after the course of this world, "lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers,-traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God""having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." And, as this state of things continued to increase in progressive enormity, until it ultimately brought forth that monstrous system of iniquity, denominated "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH"described by the prophetic pen, as "the habitation of devils,-the hold of every foul spirit, the cage of every unclean and hateful bird,"† we may rest fully assured that the sheep of Christ,-those who heard his voice and followed his will, would see it their indispensable duty to separate themselves from such an impure communion, in obedience to the reiterated commands of God.§ It may be proper to remark, that long before the times of which we now treat, some Christians had seen it their duty to withdraw from the communion of the church of Rome. The first instance of this that we find on record, if we except that of Tertullian, is the case of NOVATIAN, who in the year 251, was ordained the pastor of a church in the city of Rome, which maintained no fellowship with the catholic party. It is a difficult matter at this very remote period to ascertain the real grounds of difference between Novatian and his opponents. Those who are in any tolerable degree conversant with theological controversy, will scarcely need to be apprised how much caution is necessary to guard against being misled by the false representations which different parties give of each other's principles † Rev. xvii. 5. and xviii. 2. * 2 Tim. iii. 3-5. + John x. 27. 2 Tim. iii. 5. Rev. xviii. 4. and conduct. Novatian is said to have refused to receive into the communion of the church any of those persons who, in the time of persecution, had been induced through fear of sufferings or death, to apostatize from their profession, and offer sacrifice to the heathen deities; a principle which he founded upon a mistaken view of Heb. vi. 4—6. We may readily conceive how interesting and difficult a subject this must have been to all the churches of Christ in those distressing times, and the danger that must have arisen from laying down any fixed rule of conduct that should apply to all cases that would come before them; or even verging toward an extreme on either side of this question. The following is the account given of Novatian by the late Mr. Robert Robinson in his Ecclesiastical Researches, p. 126; and I the more readily submit it to the reader, because none who knew Mr. Robinson, can, for a moment, suspect him of having any undue predilection for the principles of Novatian. "He was," says he, "an elder in the church of Rome, a man of extensive learning, holding the same doctrine as the church did, and published several treatises in defence of what he believed. His address was eloquent and insinuating, and his morals irreproachable. He saw with extreme pain the intolerable depravity of the church. Christians within the space of a very few years were caressed by one emperor, and persecuted by another. In seasons of prosperity many persons rushed into the church for base purposes. In times of adversity, they denied the faith, and reverted again to idolatry. When the squall was over, away they came again to the church, with all their vices, to deprave others by their examples. The bishops, fond of proselytes, encouraged all this; and transferred the attention of Christians from the old confederacy for virtue, to vain shows at Easter, and other Jewish ceremonies adulterated too with paganism. On the death of bishop Fabian, Cornelius, a brother elder, and a violent partisan for taking in the multitude, was put in nomination. Novatian opposed him; but as Cornelius carried his election, and he saw no prospect of reformation, but on the contrary a tide of immorality pouring into the church, he withdrew and a great many with him. Cornelius, irritated by Cyprian, who was just in the same condition, through the remonstrances of virtuous men at Carthage, and who was exasperated beyond measure with one of his own elders, named Novatus, who had quitted Carthage, and gone to Rome to espouse the cause of Novatian, called a council and got a sentence of excommunication passed against Novatian. In the end Novatian formed a church, and was elected bishop. Great numbers followed his example, and all over the empire Puritan churches were constituted and flourished through the succeeding two hundred years. Afterwards, when penal laws obliged them to lurk in corners, and worship God in private, they were distinguished by a variety of names, and a succession of them continued till the Reformation."* *The same author, afterwards adverting to the vile calumnies with which the catholic writers have in all ages delighted to asperse the cha racter of Novatian, thus proceeds to vindicate him : "They say Novatian was the first Antipope: and yet there was at that time no pope, in the modern sense of the word. They call Novatian the author of the heresy of puritanism; and yet they know that Tertullian had quitted the church near fifty years before, for the same reason, and Privatus, who was an old man in the time of Novatian, had, with several more, repeatedly remonstrated against the alterations taking place; and, as they could get no redress, had dissented and formed separate congregations. They tax Novatian with being the parent of an innumerable multitude of congregations of Puritans all over the empire; and yet he had no other influence over any, than what his good example gave him. People every where saw the same cause of complaint, and groaned for relief; and when one man made a stand for virtue, the crisis had arrived; people saw the propriety of the cure, and applied the same means to their own relief. They blame this man, and all these churches, for the severity of their discipline:-yet this severe discipline was the only coercion of the primitive churches, and it was the exercise of this that rendered civil coercion unnecessary. Some exclaimed, it is a barbarous discipline to refuse to readmit pecple into Christian communion, because they have lapsed into idolatry or vice. Others, finding the inconvenience of such a lax discipline, required a repentance of five, ten, or fifteen years; but the Novatians The doctrinal sentiments of the Novatians appear to have been very scriptural, and the discipline of their churches rigid. They were the first class of Christians who obtained the name of (Cathari) Puritans, an appellation which doth not appear to have been chosen by themselves, but applied to them by their adversaries; from which we may reasonably conclude that their manners were simple and irreproachable. They are said to have disapproved of second marriages, regarding them as sinful; but in this they erred in common with Tertullian and many other eminent perA third charge against them was, that they did not pay due reverence to the martyrs, nor allow that there was any virtue in their relics!-A plain proof of their good sons. sense. Novatian appears to have been possessed of considerable talents-Mosheim terms him, " A man of uncommon learning and eloquence;"-and he wrote several works, two only of which are now extant. One of them is upon the subject of the Trinity. It is divided into thirty-one sections: the first eight relate to the FATHER, and treat of his nature, power, goodness, justice, &c., with the worship due to him. The following twenty sections relate to CHRIST― the Old Testament prophecies concerning him-their actual accomplishment-his nature-how the scriptures prove his divinity-confutes the Sabellians-shows that it was Christ who appeared to the patriarchs, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, &c. The twenty-ninth section treats of the HOLY said, you may be admitted among us by baptism-or, if any Catholic has baptized you before, by rebaptism; but if you fall into idolatry, we shall separate you from our communion, and on no account readmit you. God forbid we should injure either your person, your property, or your character, or even judge of the truth of your repentance or your future state; but you can never be readmitted to our community, without our giving up the last and only coercive guardian we have of the purity of our [fellowship.] Whether these persons reasoned justly or not, as virtue was their object, they challenge respect, and he must be a weak man indeed, who is frighted out of it because Cyprian is pleased to say, they are the children of the devil." SPIRIT-how promised-given by Christ-his offices, and operations on the souls of men and in the church. The last two sections recapitulate the arguments before adduced. The work appears to have been written in the year 257: six years after his separation from the Catholic church. The other tract is upon the subject of "Jewish Meats," addressed in the form of a letter to his church, and written either during his banishment, or retreat in the time of persecution. It opens up the typical nature of the law of Moses, and while he proves its abolition, is careful to guard his Christian brethren against supposing that they were therefore at liberty to eat things sacrificed to idols.* We are informed by Mosheim, that the schism which thus originated at Rome, soon extended to other places. “It was followed by many," says he, " and their societies flourished, until the fifth century, in the greatest part of those provinces which had received the gospel."+ One cannot but lament the scantiness of our information concerning this class of Christians, who appear to have had the truth among them, and to have walked in obedience to the commands of God. We shall, however, have occasion to speak of them again. Constantius, whose death has been already mentioned, was succeeded in the administration of affairs in the year 361 by his nephew Julian. This prince, during his infancy, had been intrusted to the care of Eusebius, bishop of Nicomedia, to whom he was related on his mother's side. But although considerable pains had been taken to instruct * Dr. A. Clarke's Succession of Sacred Literature, vol. i. pp、 209-212. Eccles. Hist. vol. i. p. 309. I cannot forbear remarking, that both Mosheim and Milner (but more especially the latter) have treated the character of Novatian with unmerited severity, and for no other reason that I can perceive, than because he dissented from a church which was growing continually more and more corrupt. This is a point on which these two writers chime in wonderfully-but it is in a way that appears to me in direct opposition to what the scriptures enjoin. |