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A.D. 325.

CHAP. Carthage, met as friends and brethren, to debate XX. in their native tongue on the common interest of the Latin or Western church 127. Eleven years afterwards, a more numerous and celebrated affembly was convened at Nice in Bithynia, to extinguish, by their final fentence, the fubtle difputes which had arifen in Egypt on the subject of the Trinity. Three hundred and eighteen bifhops obeyed the fummons of their indulgent mafter; the ecclefiaftics of every rank, and fect, and denomination, have been computed at two thousand and forty-eight perfons 123; the Greeks appeared in perfon; and the confent of the Latins was expreffed by the legates of the Roman pons tiff. The feffion, which lafted about two months, was frequently honoured by the presence of the emperor. Leaving his guards at the door, he feated himself (with the permiffion of the council) on a low ftool in the midft of the hall. Conftantine listened with patience, and fpoke with mo- . defty and while he influenced the debates, he humbly profeffed that he was the minifter, not the judge, of the fucceffors of the apoftles, who had been established as priefts and as gods upon earth 129. Such profound reverence of an abfolute

127 We have only thirty-three or forty-feven epifcopal fubfcrip. tions: but Ado, a writer indeed of fmall account, reckons fix hundred bishops in the council of Arles. Tillemont Mem. Ecclef. tom. vi. p. 422.

128 See Tillemont, tom. vi. p. 915, and Beaufobre Hift. du Manicheifine, tom. i. p. 529. The name of bishop, which is given by Eutychius to the 2048 ecclefiaftics (Annal. tom. i. p. 440. verf. Pocock), must be extended far beyond the limits of an orthodox or even epifcopal ordination.

129 See Eufeb. in Vit. Conftantin. 1. iii, c. 6-21. Tillemont Mem. Ecclefiaftiques, tom. vi. p. 669-759.

monarch

D

XX.

monarch towards a feeble and unarmed affembly of c HAP.
his own fubjects, can only be compared to the re-
fpect with which the senate had been treated by the
Roman princes who adopted the policy of Augustus.
Within the space of fifty years, a philofophic fpec-
tator of the viciffitudes of human affairs, might
have contemplated Tacitus in the fenate of Rome,
and Conftantine in the council of Nice. The fa-
thers of the Capitol and thofe of the church had
alike degenerated from the virtues of their founders;
but as the bishops were more deeply rooted in the
public opinion, they sustained their dignity with
more decent pride, and fometimes oppofed, with a
manly fpirit, the wishes of their fovereign. The
progrefs of time and fuperftition erazed the me-
mory of the weakness, the paffion, the ignorance,
which difgraced these ecclefiaftical fynods; and the
Catholic world has unanimously submitted 130 to the
infallible decrees of the general councils 3.

130 Sancimus igitur vicem legum obtinere, quæ a quatuor Sanctis Conciliis... expofitæ funt aut firmatæ. Prædictarum enim quatuor fynodorum dogmata ficut fanctas Scripturas et regulas ficut leges obfervamus. Juftinian. Novel. cxxxi. Beveridge (ad Pandect. proleg. p. 2.) remarks, that the emperors never made new laws in ecclesiastical matters; and Giannone obferves, in a very different fpirit that they gave a legal fanction to the canons of councils. Iftoria Civile di Napoli, tom. i. p. 136.

131 See the article CONCILE in the Encyclopedie, tom. iii. p. 668. —679, edition de Lucques. The author, M. le docteur Bouchaud, has difcuffed, according to the principles of the Gallican church, the principal queftions which relate to the form and constitution of general, national, and provincial councils. The editors (fee Preface, p. xvi.) have reafon to be proud of this article. Those who confult their immense compilation, seldom depart so well satisfied.

VOL. III.

CHAP.

XXI.

CHAP. XXI.

Perfecution of Herefy. The fchifm of the Donatifts.-
The Arian Controverfy.-Athanafius.-Distracted
State of the Church and Empire under Conftantine
and his Sons.-Toleration of Paganifm.

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THE

HE grateful applaufe of the clergy has confecrated the memory of a prince who indulged their paffions and promoted their intereft. Conftantine gave them fecurity, wealth, honours, and revenge; and the fupport of the orthodox faith was confidered as the most facred and important duty of the civil magiftrate. The edict of Milan, the great charter of toleration, had confirmed to each individual of the Roman world the privilege of chufing and profeffing his own religion. But this ineftimable privilege was foon violated: with the knowledge of truth, the emperor imbibed the maxims of perfecution; and the fects which diffented from the Catholic church, were afflicted and oppreffed by the triumph of Chriftianity. Conftantine eafily believed that the Heretics, who prefumed to difpute his opinions, or to oppofe his commands, were guilty of the moft abfurd and criminal obftinacy; and that a feasonable application of moderate feverities might fave thofe unhappy men from the danger of an everlafting condemnation. Not a moment was loft in excluding the minifters and teachers of the feparated congregations from any fhare of the rewards and immunities which the emperor had

fo

XXI.

fo liberally bestowed on the orthodox clergy. But CH A P. as the fectaries might still exist under the cloud of royal difgrace, the conqueft of the Eaft was immediately followed by an edict which announced their total destruction. After a preamble filled with paffion and reproach, Conftantine abfolutely prohibits the affemblies of the Heretics, and confifcates their public property to the ufe either of the revenue or of the Catholic church. The fects against whom the Imperial feverity was directed, appear to have been the adherents of Paul of Samofata; the Montanifts of Phrygia, who maintained an enthufiaftic fucceffion of prophecy, the Novatians, who sternly rejected the temporal efficacy of repentance; the Marcionites and Valentinians, under whofe leading banners the various Gnoftics of Afia and Egypt had infenfibly rallied; and perhaps the Manichæans, who had recently imported from Perfia a more artful compofition of Oriental and Chriftian theology 2. The defign of extirpating the name, or at least of restraining the progrefs, of thefe odious Heretics, was profecuted with vigour and effect. Some of the penal regulations were copied from the edicts of Diocletian; and this method of converfion was applauded

1 Eufebius in Vit. Conftantin. 1. iii. c. 63, 64, 65, 66.

2 After fome examination of the various opinions of Tillemont, Beaufobre, Lardner, &c. I am convinced that Manes did not propagate this fect, even in Perfia, before the year 270. It is ftrange, that a philofophic and foreign heresy should have penetrated so rapidly into the African provinces; yet I cannot eafily reject the edict of Diocletian against the Manichæans, which may be found in Ba ronius. (Annal. Eccl. A. D. 287.)

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CHAP. by the fame bifhops who had felt the hand of XXI. oppreffion, and had pleaded for the rights of humanity. Two immaterial circumstances may ferve, however, to prove that the mind of Conftantine was not entirely corrupted by the fpirit of zeal and bigotry. Before he condemned the Manichæans and their kindred fects, he refolved to make an accurate inquiry into the nature of their religious principles. As if he diftrufted the impartiality of his ecclefiaftical counfellors, this delicate commiffion was entrusted to a civil magi ftrate; whofe learning and moderation he juftly esteemed; and of whofe venal character he was probably ignorant 3. The emperor was foon convinced, that he had too haftily profcribed the orthodox faith and the exemplary morals of the Novatians, who had diffented from the church in fome articles of difcipline which were not perhaps effential to falvation. By a particular edict, he exempted them from the general penalties of the law; allowed them to build a church at Conftantinople, refpected the miracles of their faints, invited their bifhop Acefius to the council of Nice; and gently ridiculed the narrow tenets of his fect by a familiar jeft; which, from the

3 Conftantinus, enim cum limatius fuperftitionum quæreret fectas, Manichæorum et fimilium, &c. Aminian. xv. 15. Strategius, who from this commiffion obtained the furname of Mufonianus, was a Chriftian of the Arian fect. He acted as one of the counts at the council of Sardica. Libanius praifes his mildnefs and prudence. Valef. ad locum Ammian.

4 Cod. Theod. 1, xvi. tit. v. leg. 2. As the general law is not inferted in the Theodofian code, it is probable, that in the year 438, the fects which it had condemned were already extinct.

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