made enquiries, faid he; he teaches found doctrine." "It is true he speaks well, answered the Arians, but means ill." The emperor replied, "I need no other testimony; if he means ill, he must give account of that to God. We men hear words; God alone knows the heart." "The treasurer, faid a lawyer, a Cynic philofopher, has taken fome houses from me on account of Athanafius." Is Athanafius refponfible for the actions of the treasurer? "I have a charge against Athanafius, faid another lawyer, named Patalas, a Pagan." What business, faid the emperor, has a Pagan like thee to trouble himself about Chriftians? Enraged at the attempts of the Arians to corrupt the eunuchs of his court, he made them to undergo the torture to discover the bottom of the intrigue, and faid he would treat his first domeftics in the fame manner, if they followed fuch measures. He fent Athanafius to his diocese, where he lived ten years longer, and directed the affairs of the church.

The plainess and frank manners of Jovian, mixed with firmness, are evident in this account; fo is the inveterate malignity of the Arians; and every ferious reader will deplore the power which Satan gains over a people once tinged with the fpirit of religious party in oppofition to the truth as it is in Jefus, and will see matter of caution not to depart from the fimplicity of the Gospel.

While Jovian was at Antioch, he was much afperfed by the wits of that city. His perfon, it was faid, was formed, at the expence of his mind. The measure of his ftature is that of his folly. Calumnies were propagated against him, and the fpirit of fatire was indulged with much freedom.

But notwithstanding thefe cenfures, the acknowledgements of pagans themselves in favour of Jovian, his talent of knowing men and employing them ac

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cordingly

cordingly, his attenfion to find out perfons of merit, his care of Chriftian doctrine and piety, his integrity and opennefs, and above all his ftrict confcientioufnefs, the like to which I find nothing in pagan heroes and patriots, announced, though not the fplendid genius, yet the man of found underftanding, and promised to the world a wife and pious government. It is impoffible that Ammianus could have had a mean opinion of him, fince when he fpeaks of his faults, he owns that he might have lived to correct them. He feems to have been a character of the folid, not the shining kind; the wickedness of the times, I fear, was unworthy of him. He was foon removed, and fo very fuddenly, that it was fufpected, he had not died a natural death; though of this no proof was given. The Chriftians fincerely wept, the Pagans in general fpake well of him; the Arians foon endeavoured to take advantage of his deceafe, and the church was once more involved in perfecution.

CHAP.

CHAP. XI.

THE CHURCH UNDER VALENS; THE DEATH,

CHARACTER, AND WRITINGS OF ATHANA

SIUS.

JOVIAN

was fucceeded by two brothers, Valentinian and Valens; the former governed in the Weft, the latter in the Eaft. Valentinian followed the plan of Jovian in the affairs of the church. Valens a man of weak capacity himself, had not been yet baptized, and feemed as little qualified to judge of matters of religion, as of government. Valentinian, whom fraternal affection induced to make him his colleague in the empire, had been in vain advised to chuse another perfon. The Arians, who under Eudoxius bishop of Conftantinople, had ruled the capital in all ecclefiaftical affairs, in the time of Conftantius, rejoiced to find Valens equally fupple and ductile as that emperor. Even the party of Macedonius, a fort of Semi-Arians, who allowed the Son of God to be like the Father, though not of the same substance, and who were likewife enemies to the Divinity of the Holy Ghoft, could not gain the favour of the emperor, but were perfecuted as well as the orthodox; while Eudoxius with the complete Arians, who would not allow the fimilarity of the Son to the Father, engroffed all the churches. The Semi-Arians induced by these circumstances, entered into connections with Liberius bishop of Rome, and re-united themselves with the Orthodox churches of the Weft; yet one can have no great idea of the fincerity of this fect, as they would have probably perfifted in their herefy, if Valens had favoured their notion: many of them, however, might be perverted by the fubtilties of difpu

tation, and be more Orthodox in their hearts than in their expreffions. Valens ordered all the followers of the Nicene faith to be expelled from Conftantinople. In this perfecution were included the Novatians. Their churches were ordered to be fhut up, as well as their perfons to be banished. For the Orthodox of the general church had no places of worship from the days of Conftantius; and Jovian their friend had not lived to come to his capital. One Agelius, the Novatian bifhop was exiled, a man of admirable fanctity and virtue, and remarkable for his perfect contempt of money. Yet was he restored not long after, and he recovered the churches of his communion. He owed this, under Providence, to one Marcian a man of learning and piety, a Novatian prefbyter, who tutored two daughters of the emperor. On this account the Novatians were at length tolerated, while the general church fuffered the rigour of banishment and was filent by compulfion, and while the Arians tyran, nized over all the Chriftian world in the Eaft. Yet the Novatians were ftill infefted by the Arians, because they cherifhed and loved in a tender manner their brethren of the general church.

We must once more fee Athanafius attacked by the

* Soz. C. IX.

+ Hyaw na sever. B. IV. c. 9. Socrates. This hiftorian, having himself a particular acquaintance with the Novatians, we learn fomething from him concerning this people. I with he had given us more information. But their charity and tenderness toward the general church in its diftrefs, while they themfelves were indulged with toleration, and their fuffering fome moleftation from the reigning party, because of their affection for those who endured perfecution for righteousness fake, reflects an amiable luftre on the character of thefe Diffenters. And I wish the leffon it is calculated to teach were well attended to at this day. Let men who love the faith of the Gospel and are content to fuffer for it in the world, adorn it by brotherly love, and leave political contentions and the arts of ambition to the Enemies of the Gofpel.

the enemies of Chriftian piety. About the beginning of the year 367, Valens, at the folicitation A.D. of Eudoxius, ordered the bifhops who had been de- 367. pofed in the reign of Conftantius, and were afterwards reftored, to be expelled from their churches. By virtue of this order Tatian governor of Alexandria attempted to drive Athanafius out of that city. The prelate had the hearts of his people. Long experience of his integrity and virtue, refpect for his talents, and compaffion for his fufferings had fecured him this the moft reasonable and the moft glorious of all empires. The prefect was so fenfible of this, that for fometime he dared not proceed to execute his orders. At length he brake one night with an armed force into his church, where he generally lodged, and fought for his perfon in every place, but in vain. Athanafius, probably warned beforehand of the danger, had retired, and remained for four months concealed in his father's fepulchre. This was the fourth time that he had fled from Alexandria. Valens, however, from the dread he seems to have had of the people, ordered him to be recalled, nor could Lucius, the Arian bishop of Alexandria, prevail on him to give Athanafius any more disturbance. About this time. Valens himself received baptifm from Eudoxius, wha had fuch an afcendant over the weak emperor, as to induce him to fwear, that he would never depart from the Arian creed *.

A council was held at Laodicea in Phrygia about this time a few of its canons fhall be mentioned, as they will throw fome light on the fpirit of religion, One of them prohibits the ordination of men lately baptized; and fo far agrees with the facred rule. The choice of thofe appointed to the priesthood was not to be left to the people, but the bishops were to be chofen

Theod. IV, c. 12. Fleury, B. 16. 8. † 1 Tim. iii. 6.

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