CHAPTER III. CHRISTIANITY IN BRITAIN FROM THE ARRIVAL OF THE SAXONS TO THE MISSION OF AUGUSTIN, A. D. 597. Seminaries in Britain - Ravages of the Saxons - Religion in Wales - Brittany Origin of Monachism - Bangor Dubricius -Iltutus- David St. Malo Cardoc-Asaph - Gildas-Sampson Patern-Petroc- Review. CHRISTIANITY has generally been favoured by the advancement of learning; and doubtless it was in a measure promoted, in Britain, by means of those seminaries which were established under the influence of the French bishop, Germanus. From these colleges arose many eminent men, who are represented as famous in their generation, as lights in the British churches: but whether the interests of religion were better preserved or furthered by the alteration in the forms of public worship, in conformity with the rites and ceremonies observed in Gaul, we have no evidence. The scanty records of our country do not give us the information which we desire, concerning that period of British history. Ecclesiastics, who were the only writers of that age, seem to have had but little ability or inclination to compose annals of their times; or, if they did record the passing events in the church of God, those memorials perished in the national calamities arising from the Saxon conquest. Exposed to the murderous sword of the Saxons, those who escaped fled to the more remote parts of the country. We have not had even the names of the British pastors preserved, except those of Theon and Thadiock, who are dignified with the title of archbishops of London and York; and these were obliged to flee for refuge into Wales. Our records of British Christianity, therefore, relate only to a few pastors in Wales, Scotland, and the sister island. Modern writers have censured the Britons for allowing their conquerors to remain in the darkness of heathen idolatry for a century and a half, not seeking to diffuse among them the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ. Probably they were criminal in their neglect, allowing opportunities to pass unimproved for promoting their spiritual interests: but some apology may be made for the Britons. Surely none will imagine that all possessed vital godliness; and only those who feel its divine influence are capable of estimating the importance of the gospel of salvation. Still, in a great degree, "the reproach is unjust and groundless. Could the natives, oppressed with all imaginable cruelties from the Saxons, have been fit instruments to instruct or convert their persecutors? Had they undertaken a work of that kind, what success could have been expected? But what were their opportunities, and how were they to engage the attention of men who drove them like sheep to the slaughter, or into the woods and mountains *?" Cornwall, and especially Wales, appear to have been more highly distinguished for genuine godliness than any other parts of the country. According to Fuller, "the entire body of the church was at this time in Wales; where Banchor on the north, and Caerleon on Usk, in Monmouthshire, in the south, were the two eyes thereof for learning and religion. The latter had in it the court of King Arthur, the see of an archbishop, a college of two hundred philosophers who therein studied astronomy, and was a populous place of great extent +." Bangor, near Chester, was probably of equal eminence with Caerleon for men of learning and piety; and its celebrated monastery included many zealous men, who were devoted to their studies preparatory to the work of the Christian ministry. Armorica, a province in France, which had long been a flourishing colony, with its own bishops ‡, became an asylum for the persecuted British Christians; and hence it was called Brittany, and Bretagne. With them the faith of the gospel was preserved; and several of their pastors, men of note, are mentioned in connection with our country. "The monks of Bangor" being famous in British history, their origin and form of policy require to be noticed in this place. Monachism is no part of Christianity: this system originated in Egypt, in the third century, from "Paul the Warner's Ecclesiastical History of England, book ii, p. 39. Hermit." This man was driven into the desert by the baseness of his covetous sister, who, with her husband, threatened to inform against him as a Christian, and thus obtained possession of his estates in the time of the Decian persecution. He remained in his solitude for ninety years, and died at the age of one hundred and thirteen, having acquired extraordinary reputation for piety, and engaging many to follow his example. Anthony, at the close of the fourth century, is, however, regarded as the father of Monachism: he formed the solitaries into a regular society, and prescribed rules for the direction of their conduct. His disciples, St. Pachomius and Hilarion, promoted similar fraternities in Palestine and Syria; and Aones or Eugenius, aided by Gaddanas and Azyzas in the same age, established such in the east of Europe, through many parts of which they spread, generally superseding scriptural religion by various forms of superstition. Monachism being famous in all the east, was soon introduced into Britain, and accounts the most extravagant are told concerning the " Monastery of Bangor." Two thousand one hundred monks are said to have constituted this fraternity, divided into seven courses, each consisting of three hundred. Much exaggeration doubtless marks these traditions; but still there is abundant reason to believe that there existed at Bangor a flourishing community of Christian professors. Sloth and luxury distinguished the monks of the middle ages, when they were ignorant and superstitious to a proverb, while nobles and kings, by mistaken charity, loaded them with wealth. But this could not have been the case with the Welsh monks of the fifth century: they seem to have supported themselves in a frugal manner by the labour of their own hands, while certain of them, in regular rotation, were performing the appointed offices of religion. Dubricius is mentioned as a devoted pastor at Llandaff, and afterwards at Caerleon; of which he was honoured in afterages with the title of Archbishop, that city being the metropolis of Wales. Two schools are said to have been established by this zealous minister, one at Hensland, the other at Mock rost, and himself laboured as the teacher of his pupils. At Hensland he is said to have had a thousand pupils *. Dubricius held a synod at Brevi, in Cardiganshire, on the subject of the doctrines of Pelagius: they were condemned as erroneous; from which we would hope, that the assembled ministers gave due honour to the testimony of the Scrip tures. Iltutus was a colleague of Dubricius, famed as the teacher of many of the British clergy and nobles: he was appointed by his superior, the archbishop, to a station called Llantuit, near Boverton in Glamorganshire. David, the successor of Dubricius, was son of a British prince, and famed for pious austerity. He held a synod at Vittoria, in which the orthodox decisions of Brevi were ratified. David is honoured with the title of Saint, and from him Menevia is now called St. David's. Various miracles are attributed to this David, who died A. D. 529, aged, it is said, one hundred and forty-six years. St. Malo was a Briton, educated at an Irish monastery, and an ecclesiastic of eminent sanctity. Being chosen bishop of Gui-Castel, and the people wishing to compel him to accept that dignity, he withdrew to Brittany, peopled chiefly by Britons, and placed himself under the direction of Aaron, a holy anchoret, near Aletha. He was chosen bishop of that city A. D. 541, and died A. D. 565; and from him St. Malo derives its name. Cardoc died A. D. 570, leaving a great fame as the abbot of Lancarvan, and as having expended his whole income in the support of three hundred priests. May we not hope that some of these were useful in bringing souls to Christ? Asaph presided over a monastery in Wales. This establishment of monks had been founded by Kentigern, abbot of Glasgow, who had been a missionary into this country. Asaph wrote the life of his patron, and died A. D. 590, leaving his name to the Welsh city of St. Asaph. Gildas of Badon, or Bath, surnamed the Wise, was a monk *Collier, vol. i, p. 48. of Bangor. He was born at Dumbarton, and is believed to have preached the pure gospel of Christ in Scotland and in Ireland. He has left two discourses on "The Ruin of Britain;" and from him chiefly we learn the condition of the Britons in his time, being the only British author of the sixth century. From the discourses of Gildas, we conclude that he was an awakening preacher, and have reason to hope his ministry was useful to the souls of men. He died about A.D. 570. Sampson is the name of two ecclesiastics who were greatly famed in their day. Sampson the Elder is said to have withdrawn from Wales into Brittany, whence he was sent for by Ambrosius, and made archbishop of York. Sampson the Younger, of royal extraction, is said to have been made archbishop, and sent from Brittany in search of an archiepiscopal see; but, unable to establish himself among the Saxons, he returned home, and became archbishop of Dol. Several memoirs, carried by him from England, but now lost, are said to have contained valuable records of the British churches. He died about A. D. 565. Patern, the son of a nobleman in Brittany, after twenty years' study in Ireland, came as a minister of peace among the Welsh princes. He settled at Cardigan, but died in his native country, venerated for exemplary holiness of life. Petroc of Cornwall was famed for piety: from him the town of Padstow, or Petroc-stow, is named. He is said to have died at Bodmin. From a review of the British churches, and the character of the most famous ecclesiastics of this period, we are led to hope, that there was a considerable measure of evangelical truth disseminated among the people. Still Christianity was then but imperfectly understood: the Scriptures were scarcely known to the mass of those who professed the name of Christ; and the ministers were less devoted to the study of the word of God, than to the ceremonies of monastic institutions. Besides, it is manifest from historic records of that period, which are filled with fabulous statements, that even in Britain the ambition of the ecclesiastics strongly indicated the advancing progress of the spirit of popery. F |