CHAP. XII. THE CHURCH UNDER VALENTINIAN-THE L ET us turn our eyes to a more cheerful profpect in the weft; in the east the only comfortable circumstance has been, that God left not himfelf without witness, but marked his real church by a number of faithful fufferers. Valentinian, the elder brother of Valens, made a law in the beginning of his reign, that no man should be compelled in religion. He restrained, however, this general licence foon after, partly by feizing the revenues of the heathen temples, which the emperors annexed to their own patrimony, and partly by the prohibition of divinations and enchantments. On a reprefentation of the governor of Greece, Achaia was allowed ftill to practice her heathenith follies. Other laws in favour of Chriftians followed. One of the fuppofed oracles of Greece had declarA. D. ed, that Chriftianity fhould laft only 365 years in 365. the world. This period was now expired, and the event had falfified the prediction. In other inftances this emperor was very indulgent to the Pagans, who might fee themselves, both in the east and weft, treated with far more lenity and favour than the church of Chrift was in the eaft during the whole reign of the two brothers. Themiftius, the Pagan philofopher, was ftruck with the cruelty of Valens, and while he infinuated, that perhaps God was delighted with the diverfity of fentiments in the * world Though the laws of Valentinian run both in his name and that of his brother, I fpeak of them as his laws exclufiveiy, because it may fairly be prefumed, that he was the principal agent. f See Cave's Introduction, Sect. IV. world concerning him, he intreated the emperor not to perfecute any longer. This is one inftance of the illegitimate charity now fo common in the world, which founds the principles of moderation on fcepticism, instead of that divine love, which is the glory of the Christian religion. Auxentius, the Arian bishop of Milan, being opposed by Eufebius of Vercellæ and by Hilary of Poitiers*, impofed on Valentinian by a dextrous ufe of those ambiguities of fpeech, in which the Arians all along excelled. Nor is it to be wondered at, that Valentinian fhould be deceived, fince even to this day the patrons of Arianifm, by largely dwelling on the perfections of the fon of God, with a cautious omiffion of the term confubftantial, in a fimilar way frequently prevail on many, who do not or will not understand the true grounds of the controverfy, to fuppofe that the difference of opinion is merely verbal. Hilary contended, that if this were really the cafe, the Arians could have no reason to avoid an explicit acknowledgment of the whole truth. To this it may justly be added, that their conftant fupport of thofe who were undoubted oppofers of the divinity of Jefus, and their conftant enmity against its explicit defenders, evince the difference to be real, not imaginary; and fo it will be felt by every one, who feels the worth of his foul, and is forced to fee the difference between committing its falvation to the Creator and the creature. With equal justice Hilary complained of the Arian method of fupporting their creed by military and imperial power: but he complained in vain; the duplicity of Auxentius prevailed, and he was fuffered to continue at Milan in * I purpofely avoid entering into details of the acts of this great man, as well as of fome others, because their lives deferve to be confidered as diftinct articles. in the practice of undermining the faith, without openly attacking it: the conftant method of herefy in all ages. Whereas divine truth speaks directly and plainly, and muft do fo, whatever be the confequence. And in this fincerity the church must continue to the end, fupported not by political A.D. arts, but by divine influence. In the year 366, 366. died Liberius of Rome; how far he really recovered from his fall under Conftantius, is not very appa rent. He was fucceeded by Damafus, who however was not established in his See without a conteft with Urfinus, which coft a number of lives. So much were Christian bishops degenerated. But it should be observed, that there was a material difference in thefe times between paftors of great cities and those of smaller. What I mean, is well illuftrated by Ammianus*. "When I confider, fays he, the magnificence and grandeur of Rome, I do not deny, but that those who are ambitious of this dignity, ought to use all their endeavours to arrive at it; fince they by this means procure a certain fettlement, where they are enriched by the offerings of the ladies; they ride in chariots, richly clothed; and feaft fo fplendidly, that their tables furpass even thofe of kings. They might be truly happy, if contemning the fplendour of Rome, they lived like fome bishops of the provinces, who by the plainnefs of their diet, their mean apparel, and the modefty of their looks, which are turned towards the ground, make themselves acceptable to the eternal God and his true worshippers. Thus far this fenfible and candid Pagan, who by the concluding part of the paffage appears to have imbibed fome Chriftian notions, and to fupport that mongrel character, which I have elfewhere attributed to him. While we lament how full history is of thefe fplendid and opulent bishops, and how fcanty our materials are concerning the humble and obfcure ones, it behoves us to be on our guard against the malice of profane hiftorians, who repre fent the church in thefe times, as altogether corrupt. It was very much fo at Rome, at Antioch, at Conftantinople, and other large cities, especially among the great and the rich. In the ftory of these we fee continually, what an enemy riches are to the divine life. But among the lower orders and in obfcure places, by the confeffion of Ammianus, upright and exemplary paftors were not wanting, and if we had an hiftorical view of their labours and fuccefs, I doubt not but the church of Chrift, even in the fourth century, would be feen with other eyes than it is by many. I am endeavouring to catch the features of the church, wherever I can find her in this obfcure region. I have diftinquifhed formerly three fpecies of Diffenters the Novatians, the Meletians, and the Donatifts. The first are by far the moft refpectable of the second little is known, and that little is not to their credit: the third are flagitious by the confeffion of all writers. A fourth appears, the Luciferians, who, if they imbibed the spirit of Lucifer, must have been firm and fincere in the love of the truth. In the year 374, the emperor A.D. ordered all who held unlawful affemblies to be ba- 374. nifhed an hundred miles from Rome. In profecution of this edict Damafus feems to have caufed a Luciferian presbyter to be apprehended, who held a congregation by night in a private house; and he and fome of the fame clafs were banished, Notwithstanding this severity Damafus could not prevent thefe Diffenters from having a bishop of their own at Rome called Aurelius, who was fucceeded by Ephefius, who alfo kept his ftation at Rome, notwithstanding the endeavours of Damasus to remove him. Gregory of Elvira in Spain was another of their bishops, a man whofe firmness was extolled by Eufebius of Vercellæ. The Donatifts had likewise a bishop at Rome, and another in Spain but violence and ferocity still mark this people *. I have reprefented as fairly as I could the lights of history. The reader may judge for himfelf; but, in the general church, we feem to behold the first and most dignified rulers degenerated. Damafus, orthodox and violent in the fupport of orthodoxy, without humility and piety, is as ftrong a contrast to the primitive bifhops, as Sharp archbishop of St. Andrews in the time of Charles II. is to our first reformers. The perfecuted Luciferians may feem to resemble the Puritans of the fame period, while fuch men as Eufebius of Vercellæ and Hilary of Poitiers may be likened to archbishop Leighton. But though the fpirit of the Gofpel probably prevailed moft among the Luciferians, yet as I have ready obferved, this fpirit was still in a degree preserved among the inferior and obfcure paftors of the general church. But a new ftar is going to appear in the western world, and it behoves us to attend to its luftre. Ambrofe fucceeded the Arian Auxentius at MiA.D. lan, who died in the year 374. He was born 374. about the year 333, while his father was the empe ror's lieutenant in France. He was the youngest of three children, Marcellina and Satyrus being born before him. After his father's decease, his mother with the family returned to Rome, where he made himself mafter of all the learning that Greece Fleury, B. XVI. 37. + See Paulinus' Life of Ambrofe, prefixed to the works of that Saint. Cave; Fleury. |