it. Of the additional observations some are transcribed from the accurate Lardner: and of the notes the greater part are taken from a writer, in whose commendation it is not easy to speak sufficiently high; I mean from Dr. Jortin, who, by introducing, in his Life of Erasmus, and in his Remarks on Ecclesiastical History, quotations from various authors, often running to a considerable length, and scattered with great profusion, has annexed the stamp of kis approbation to this mode of conducting a work.

It may be asked, why, in an account of the corruptions of the fourth century, is not an apppeal directly made to ancient instead of modern authorities? why are not passages translated and transcribed from such well known historians, as Socrates, Sozomen, and Eusebius? I answer, that all the writers of that time were tinctured with prejudices; that they were far from having such enlarged views of things as a judicious and industrious modern is capable of acquiring; and that I know no writers of antiquity in whose statements the public could justly place so strong a confidence, as in those of Jortin, Lardner, and Mosheim. The reader wil! readily discern, where I have given only the sentiments, and where the words, of Mosheim; as in the former case I have omitted the use of inverted commas.

The first step of the bishops, in changing the ancient government of the church, says Mosheim in his account of the Fourth Century, was an entire exclusion of the people from all part in the administration of ecclesiastical affairs; and afterwards they, by degrees, divested even the presbyters of their ancient privileges and their primitive authority, that they might have no importunate protesters to control their ambition, or oppose their proceedings; and, principally, that they might either engross to themselves, or distribute as they thought proper, the possessions and revenues of the church29. Hence it came to pass, that

29 Constantius, besides endowing many churches with great revenues, exempted the bishops from every kind of tax. Anc. Univ. Hist. vol. XVI. p, 230.

at the conclusion of this century, there remained no more than A MERE SHADOW OF THE ANCIENT GOVERNMENT OF THE CHURCH.' And whilst, on the one hand, they trampled upon the rights of the people,' and 'violated the privileges of the inferior ministers :' on the other they imitated in their conduct and manner of living, the arrogance, voluptuousness, and luxury of magistrates and princes,' and contended with each other, in the most scandalous manner, concerning the extent of their respective jurisdic⚫tions 30 The external administration of the church, the emperor assumed to himself".

30 Sometimes also their manner of contending for the episcopal dignity was highly scandalous. Le Clerc, as translated by Jortin, says, that as soon as Ursinus had been elected bishop of Rome by a number of the brethren, deacons and presbyters, Damasus, who had always been making interest for the bishopric,-with the perjured crew that followed him, and with a band of gladiators, to whom he had given large sums of money, seized the Lateran church, and was there ordained. Then having bribed two magistrates of the city, he caused Ursinus, a venerable man, who had been first made bishop, to be sent into banishment.-The Roman people assembled together, and would have hindered Damasus from taking possession of the pontificate; but he cleared his way through them by blows and bastinadoes; and some died of the wounds which they had received. He also attempted to drive out of the city seven presbyters, who were put into prison by the magistrates; but the faithful people rescued them, and carried them into the church of Liberius. Then Damasus, with the ecclesiastics of his faction, joined to gladiators charioteers, and rustics, armed with hatchets, swords, and clubs, besieged the church, and began a furious battle, setting fire to the doors, and bursting them open, whilst others of his partizans had clambered up, and were pelting their adversaries with titles from the top of the edifice. Thus the Damasians forced their way in, and slew 160 persons, men and women.-The strangest part of the story is that, notwithstanding all these things, Damasus was a great saint, and miracles were wrought in his favor after his death.' The contest happened in the year 366. I have not given the whole detail of it. Had not a large part of the Christians of Rome, at this period, been extremely corrupt, it could not have been conducted in the manner in which it was; it could not have had a termination so favorable to Damasus. See Jortin, vol. IV. p. 60.

31 Upon Constantine's conversion there appeared a new form of government in the church. It was the emperor that summoned the General Councils at his pleasure. He often presided himself in them, and managed

The greatest part, both of the bishops and presbyters, were men entirely destitute of all learning and education.' And that'savage and illiterate party, who looked upon all sorts of erudition, particularly that of a philosophical kind, as pernicious and even destructive to true piety and religion, increased both in number and authority"—The truth of doctrines was now proved by the number of martyrs that had professed them, by miracles, by the confession of demons, i. e. of persons possessed with evil spirits.Those vain fictions, which an attachment to the Platonic philosophy, and to popular opinions, had engaged the greatest part of the Christian doctors to adopt before the time of Constantine, were now confirmed, enlarged, and embellished in various ways.'

'It would seem as if all possible means had been industriously used, to give an air of folly and extravagance to the Christian assemblies. For the people were permitted, nay, even exhorted by the preacher himself, to crown his talents with clapping of hands and loud acclamations of applause.'

the disputes there.-Those that were the judges of the assembly in his absence were delegated from him; his will was consulted on all occasions; the definition of faith, that the council subscribed to, was many times proposed by him; and it was called the Emperor's Definition of Faith.' Agreeably to this, we find the title of ‘Universal Bishop of the church, in respect of the external government of it, assumed by Constantine;' and we likewise see what effect the fear of the imperial authority had upon the councils themselves. For all the councils, assembled under Arian emperors, were of the same mind with the emperor that called them.' Cressener on the Prot. Appl. of the Apoc. p. 258. 32 In the reign of Constantine, and in the fourth century, as religious and metaphysical quarrels ran high, and monkery grew and prospered, and miracles' abounded, so liberal arts and sciences and polite literature fell into a declining condition.' Jortin's Rem. on Eccl. Hist. 1767, vol. II. p. 228. Basnage, speaking of this century and of Jerom, says, St. Austin, who did not love him, yet admired him as a prodigy, because he understood three languages.' Hist des Juifs, b. vi. ch. 14. 'Let not a bishop peruse the books of heathen writers,' is a part of the 16th canon of the 4th council of Carthage, which was assembled near the termination of this century.

'An enormous train of different superstitions were gradually substituted in the place of true religion and genuine piety. This odious Revolution was owing to a variety of causes. A ridiculous precipitation in receiving new opinions, a preposterous desire of imitating the pagan rites, and of blending them with the Christian worship, and that idle propensity which the generality of mankind have towards a gaudy and ostentatious religion, all contributed to establish the reign of superstition upon the ruins of Christianity33. Superstition was NOW BECOME UNIVERSAL.

33 In the 9th canon of the council, which met at Neocæsarea about the year 314, it is observed of sins in general, that they may be pardoned by the imposition of hands. Those Christians who were conscious of their own defects began to pay immoderate honors to the martyrs, that by their interest they might obtain remission of sins. These practices suited the half-converts and nominal Christians, who came over for the loaves, under Christian emperors.' Jortin, vol. II. p. 156. Ambrose of Milan, Augustine of Hippo, and Chrysostom of Constantinople, all enjoyed the episcopal dignity in the fourth century, and towards the close of it. • Chrysostom magnifies the sacerdotal office upon a double account, because the priests have power to remit sins both when they regenerate us, and afterwards: that is, both by baptism and penance.' And the same is asserted in the works of Ambrose and Augustine. Bingham's Antiq. of the Chr. Ch. b. xix. ch. i. This learned writer, like a faithful son of the English church, readily admits the legitimacy of this lofty claim of these ancient prelates; and declares, in a visitation sermon preached in 1716, that 'IT IS EVIDENT BEYOND DISPUTE, THAT CHRIST LEFT A POWER IN THE HANDS OF HIS MINISTERS TO RETAIN, OR TO FORGIVE MEN'S SINS.' Bingham's work's, vol. II. p. 258.

The mischief produced by the superstitious ideas relative to baptism, it is not possible to calculate. The statement which follows is from Mr. Gibbon. It is, I believe, perfectly correct. The sacrament of baptism was supposed to contain a full and absolute expiation of sin; and the soul was instantly restored to its original purity, and entitled to the promise of eternal salvation. Among the prosélytes of Christianity, there were many who judged it imprudent to precipitate a salutary rite, which could not be repeated; to throw away an inestimable privilege, which could never be recovered.--The fathers, who censured this criminal delay, could not deny the certain and victorious efficacy, even of a death-bed baptism.' It was in his last illness, that Constantine received the sacrament of baptism.’ Eusebius supposes the salvation of Constantine with the most perfect confidence.' His example and reputation seemed to countenance the

This, among other unhappy effects, opened a wide door to the endless frauds of those odious impostors, who were so far destitute of all principle, as to enrich themselves by the ignorance and errors of the people. Rumors were artfully spread abroad of prodigies and miracles to be seen in certain places (a trick often practised by the heathen priests); and the design of these reports was to draw the populace, in multitudes, to these places, and to impose upon their credulity. These stratagems were generally successful.-A whole volume would be requisite to contain an enumeration of the various frauds, which artful knaves practised, with success, to delude the ignorant, when true religion was almost entirely superseded by horrid superstition.'

delay of baptism. Future tyrants were encouraged to believe, that the innocent blood which they might shed in a long reign would instantly be washed away in the waters of regeneration; and the abuse of religion dangerously undermined the foundation of moral virtue.' Vol. III, p. 237. Mention has been made of penance. Very prolix and ceremonious was the performance of it, in the 4th century. It is thus described by Basil, who was bp. of Cæsarea, and died about the year 379. Penitents, the 1st year, are to weep before the gate of the church; the 2d year, to be admitted to hearing; the third year, to genuflexion, or repentence properly so called; and the 4th year, to stand with the faithful at prayers without partaking the oblation.' They wore sackcloth, says Bingham, through all the stages of this business. Antiq. of the Chr. Ch. b. xviii. ch. i. ii. Various were the expedients, which the prelates and clergy of the 4th century adopted, in order to infuse into the people a mysterious reverence for themselves. The 20th canon of the council of Laodicea, held about the year 363, forbids a deacon from sitting down in the presence of a priest, without his express permission: and ordains, that an inferior minister shall shew the same mark of submissive respect to the deacon.

34 In the art of enriching themselves, ecclesiastics in general became great adepts during this century. To such an height indeed did this evil rise, that Valentinian found it necessary to make a law against pious donations to the clergy and to the monks, who preyed upon stupid bigots, and devoured widow's houses;' and even Fleury, though a Romish ecclesiastic, declares, that the law was 'shameful to the clergy, but yet necesary.' Jortin, vol. IV. p. 52.