was the first bishop of that fee, who difturbed them. -Celeftine, one of his fucceffors, imitated his injuftice, and deprived the Novatians of the remainder of their churches, and not content with depriving them of their churches, prevented their private affembling, and even plundered them of all their fubftance.-Neftorius, bishop of Conftantinople, fhewed himself a violent perfecutor foon after his election: addreffing himself to the emperor before the whole congregation, he faid, Purge me, O emperor, the earth from heretics, and I will give thee the kingdom of heaven; conquer with me the heretics, and I will conquer with thee the Perfians; and agreeable to his declaration, in five days after his confecration, attempted to fet fire to the church of the Arians when they were affembled in it for prayer. Few of the bifhops were free from this wicked fpirit. Socrates, indeed, excepts Atticus, bifhop of Conftantinople, who behaved much more mildly and gently; and Proclus alfo, who was brought up under Atticus, who was gentle towards all men, from a perfuafion, that this was a much more proper method than violence to reduce heretics to the true faith: and in this he imitated Theodofius the emperor, fometimes called Theodofius II. who was not at all displeased that any fhould differ from him in fentiments. But under the reign of this emperor the Arians alfo, in their turn, used the orthodox with no greater moderation, burnt churches, put orthodox bishops to death, feized their books, and committed a variety of outrages for fuppreffion of the orthodox faith t

During thefe tranfactions, Neftorius the perfecuted bishop of Conftantinople, though tolerably found in the doctrine of the real Deity of the Logos, yet excepted against the Virgin Mary being called the Mother of God. This occafioned a council to be convened at Ephefus, A. D. 434, of which Cyril was prefident,

bas wat a * Abftra&t from Dr. Chandler's Hift. of Perfecution, p. 44. † Socrates, ch. ii. p. 41.

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and,

and, as he hated Neftorius, he perfuaded the bishops of his party to decree, that the Virgin was, and fhould be the Mother, and to anathematize all who should not confefs her in this character.

Marcian, the fucceffor of Theodofius in the empire, embraced the orthodox party and opinions, and was very defirous to bring about an entire uniformity in the worship of God. Agreeably to this his to this his temper, Eufebius, bishop of Nicomedia, addreffed him, foon after his promotion, in these words; God hath justly given you the empire that you should govern all for the univerfal welfare, and for the peace of his holy church. The legates of Leo, bishop of Rome, prefented him their accufations against Diofcorus, as did alfo Eufebius, befeeching the emperor that what he had advanced might be judged of, and determined by a fynod. Marcian confented, and ordered the bishops to meet first at Nice, and afterwards at Chalcedon. This was the fourth general council, A. D, 454, confifting of near 600 prelates: the principal caufe of their affembling was the Eutychian herefy, viz. That Jefus Christ confifted of two natures before his incarnation, but that after this be bad one nature only be alfo denied that the body of Chrift was of the fame fubftance with ours. This council condemned his opinions as heretical, and expelled him from the bishopric of Alexandria, and proceeded to fettle the faith according to the Nicene creed, the opinions of the fathers, and the doctrine of Athanafius, Cyril, Celeftine, Hilarius, Bafil, Gregory, and Leo; and decreed that Chrift was truly God and truly man, confubftantial to the Father as to his deity, and confubftantial to us as to his humanity, and that it fhould not be lawful for any perfons to utter or write, or compofe, or think, or teach, any other faith whatfoever.

Leo fucceeded Marcian, and zealously endeavoured to promote the orthodox faith. But, under Zeno, the fon-in-law and fucceffor to Leo, notwithstanding his uniting and pacifying edict, great differences arofe, and perfecutions were commenced against the orthodox.

E 4

Anaftafius,

Anaftafius, who fucceeded Zeno, was himfelf a great lover of peace, and endeavoured to promote it both amongst the clergy and laity, and therefore ordered that there should be no innovation in the church whatfoever. But this moderation was by no means pleafing to the monks and bifhops: fome of them were great fticklers for the council of Chalcedon, and would not allow a fingle word of their decrees to be altered, nor communicate with those who did not receive them: others were fo far from fubmitting to this fynod, that they anathematized it; whilft others adhered to the pacific edict, and maintained peace with one another, even though they were of different judgement concerning the nature of Chrift, Hence the church was divided into factions, fo that the bishops would not communicate with each other: not only the Eastern bishops fe-. parated from the Western, but those of the fame province had fchifms among themfelves. The emperor, to prevent as much as poffible thefe quarrels, banished those who were most remarkably troublesome from their fees but the monks and bishops fruftrated all his attempts for peace, by forcing one another to make new confeffions and fubfcriptions, and by anathematizing all who differed from them, as heretics: they alfo treated the emperor himself with great infolence, and excommunicated him as an enemy to the fynod of Chalcedon *.

་༄་།་༥༥༥

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The Athanafian creed, as it is called, we fall juft mention in this place, as the confubftantial doctrine, that is to fay, that the fubftance or effence of the Son and Spirit were the fame in kind, or rather fpecies, with that of God the Father, fo generaly prevailed about this time; though the creed now called Athanafian had not then acquired that name, but was fimply filed the Catholic faith, and did not confift of the fame articles as at prefent t.

Under

An abftract from Dr. Chandler's Hift. of Perfecution, p. 51. + Voffius and other learned writers have fufficiently proved that it was none of his ;-that it was originally a Latin compofition,

and

Under the emperor Anaftafius, Symmachus, bishop of Rome, expelled the Manichees from the city, and ordered their books to be publicly burnt before the doors of the church; and other perfecutions were practifed against them.

The Pelagian herefy (as it was called) fprung up in this century, and made no fmall progrefs; it confifted principally in afferting the abfolute freedom of the human will; which occafioned a council to be held at Carthage in 412 and 417, and at Mileva and at Rome in 416.

Platina tells us, that amongst many other ceremonies introduced by pope Sixtus III. in this century, they beautified and adorned the churches, and placed upon the altar of St. Peter a golden image of our Saviour, enriched with jewels.

The prohibiting priests to marry, was inftituted by. pope Innocent, A. D. 410.

and by a Latin author ;-that it cannot be carried higher than the very clofe of the fixth century. Many writers of credit, especially Pafcafius Quefnel, an eminent French divine, afcribe it to Virgilius Tapfenfis in this century, who was famous for his forging many books under the names of the fathers. Dupin favours this fuppofition, and fays all the world knows it was not Athanafius's (a). Bishop Burnet, in his Expofition of the Thirty-nine Articles, p. 107, fays, as it was none of his, fo it was never established by any general council till 1123 Dr. Scott fays, fome part of it is inconfiftent with the moft genuine writings of Athanafius. Dr. Cudworth fays, as this creed afferts the three perfons not fpecifically, but numerically the fame, it seems not to be owned by any public authority, fave that of the Lateran council in 1123. Dr. Waterland, in his Critical Hiftory of this creed, attributes the compofing of it to Hillary, bishop of Arles; and that before A. D. 670, the name of Athanafius was not given to it. As to the reception of this creed, it was received in France in the time of Hincmar, A. D. 850,-at Spain about A. D. 950, and in Germany much about the fame time-in England likewife in the tenth century-at Verona, in Italy, 1014; and as to the Greek and Oriental churches, it is not certain that any of them ever received it (b).

The hiftory of Czar Peter the Great mentions, it was introduced into fome of the churches of Ruffia the laft century, as a novelty picked up in his travels to France.

And the baptizing with fureties, or godfathers and godmothers, became a cuftom in this century.

The fign of the crofs in baptifm was likewife introduced into the church of Rome, the beginning of this century.

Giving the eucharift to children, introduced at the clofe of the laft, was a matter of difpute all this century: it occafioned the first council at Toledo, 438, who left the matter undetermined: the fecond council, held in 675, determined in favour of it, and attempted to explain what had been before ambiguously delivered concerning it +.

Christianity was propagated in Scotland the latter end of this century, by the direction of pope Celestine 415 §.

CENTURY THE SIXTH.

In the fixth century, the church never confidered the pope as head of all the churches in the world: he was a patriarch, and had the chief place among his brethren, because he refided at Rome, and hitherto they feemed to defire no more; and though he arrogated to himself that pre-eminence, he was ingenuous enough to acknow-` ledge, that the privilege was of human origin and they were not wanting to preserve this authority among the people by a pomp and fplendor, as indecent as the arogant ftyle, which fome of them affected ||.

The infallibility of the pope of Rome was unknown as yet, amidst the enormities, errors, and contradictions, of feveral of them: it would, indeed, have been a ridiculous inconfiftency, to give oracular authority to the fentences of fuch men.

The fuperiority of councils to the pope was therefore a point hitherto not difputed: the popes themfelves de

Madg. cent. 5, ch. iv. p. 656, quoted by Delaune.

† Pierce's, Effay, p. 9.

§ Camden.

St. Jerom records a memorable faying of Pretextatus, a pagan, at this time: Make me a bishop of Rome, and I will immediately become a Chriftian."

fired