XXI. the orthodox faints had contributed more effica- CHA P. ciously than by their prayers, to deliver the church from the most formidable of her enemies 83. The three principal leaders of the Catholics, Athanafius of Alexandria, Euftathius of Antioch, and Paul of Conftantinople, were deposed on various accufations, by the fentence of numerous councils; and were afterwards banished into diftant provinces by the first of the Chriftian emperors, who, in the last moments of his life, received the rites. of baptifm from the Arian bishop of Nicomedia. The ecclefiaftical government of Conftantine cannot be juftified from the reproach of levity and weakness. But the credulous monarch, unfkilled in the ftratagems of theological warfare, might be deceived by the modest and specious profeffions of the heretics, whofe fentiments he never perfectly understood; and while he protected Arius, and perfecuted Athanafius, he fill confidered the council of Nice as the bulwark of the Chriftian faith and the peculiar glory of his own reign 84. 83 We derive the original ftory from Athanafius (tom. i. p. 670.). who expreffes fome reluctance to ftigmatize the memory of the dead. He might exaggerate, but the perpetual commerce of Alexandria and Conftantinople would have rendered it dangerous to invent. Those who prefs the literal narrative of the death of Arius (his bowels fuddenly hurit out in a privy) must make their option be tween poison and miracle. $4 The change in the fentiments, or at least in the conduct, of Constantine, may be traced in Eufebius (in Vit. Constant, I. iii. c. 23. 1. iv. c. 41.), Socrates (1. i. c. 23-39.), Sozomen (1. ii. c. 16—34.), Theodoret (1. i. c. 14—34.), and Philoftorgius (1. ii. c. 1-17.) But the first of these writers was too near the scene of action, and the others were too remote from it, It is fingular enough, that the important task of continuing the hiftory of the church, should have been left for two layinen and a heretic. The CHAP. XXI. Conftantius fa yours the Arians, 337-361. The fons of Conftantine muft have been admitted from their childhood into the rank of catechumens, but they imitated, in the delay of their baptifm, the example of their father. Like him, they prefumed to pronounce their judgment on A. D. myfteries into which they had never been regularly initiated 85 and the fate of the Trinitarian controverfy depended, in a great meafure, on the fentiments of Conftantius; who inherited the provinces of the Eaft, and acquired the poffeffion of the whole empire. The Arian prefbyter or bifhop, who had fecreted for his ufe the teftament of the deceafed emperor, improved the fortunate occafion which had introduced him to the familiarity of a prince, whofe public counfels were always fwayed by his domeftic favourites. The eunuchs and flaves diffufed the fpiritual poifon through the palace, and the dangerous infection was communicated by the female attendants to the guards, and by the emprefs to her unfufpicious hufband 6. The partiality which Conftantius always expreffed towards the Eufebian faction, was infenfibly fortified by the dexterous management of their leaders; and his victory over the tyrant Magnentius increafed his inclination, as well as ability, to employ the arms of power in the caufe of Arianifm. While the two armies were engaged in the plains 85 Quia etiam tum catechumenus facramentum fidei merito vide. retur potuiffe nefcire. Sulp. Sever. Hift. Sacra, I. ii. p. 410. 86 Socrates, l. ii. c. 2. Sozomen, 1. iii. c. 18. Athanaf. tom. i. p. 813. 834. He obferves that the eunuchs are the natural enemies of the Son. Compare Dr. Jortin's Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiltory. vol. iv. p. 3. with a certain genealogy in Candide (ch. iv.), which ends with one of the firft companions of Chriftopher Columbus. of of Murfa, and the fate of the two rivals depended. CHA P. on the chance of war, the son of Conftantine paffed XXI. the anxious moments in a church of the martyrs, under the walls of the city. His fpiritual comforter, Valens, the Arian bishop of the diocese, employed the moft artful precautions to obtain fuch early intelligence as might fecure either his favour or his escape. A fecret chain of swift and trufty meffengers informed him of the viciffitudes, of the battle; and while the courtiers fstood trembling round their affrighted mafter, Valens affured him that the Gallic legions gave way; and infinuated with fome presence of mind, that the glorious event had been revealed to him by an angel. The grateful emperor afcribed his fuccefs to the merits and interceffion of the bifhop of Murfa, whofe faith had deferved the public and miraculous approbation of Heaven $7. The Arians, who confidered as their own the victory of Conftantius, preferred his glory to that of his Father Cyril, bishop of Jerufalem, immediately composed the description of a celeftial crofs, encircled with a fplendid rainbow; which during the festival of. Pentecoft, about the third hour of the day, had 87 Sulpicius Severus, in Hift. Sacra, l. ii. p. 405, 406. 88 38 Cyril (apud Baron. A.D. 353. No 25.) exprefsly obfervės, that in the reign of Conftantine the crofs had been found in the bowels of the earth; but that it had appeared in the reign of Conftantius, in the midst of the heavens. This oppofition evidently proves, that Cyril was ignorant of the ftupendous miracle to which the converfion of Conftantine is attributed; and this ignorance is the more furprifing, fince it was no more than twelve years after his death that Cyril was confecrated bishop of Jerufalem, by the immediate fucceffor of Eufebius of Cæfarea. See Tillemont, Mem. Ecclef. tom. viii. p. 715. appeared 3 XXI. 89 CHA P. appeared over the Mount of Olives, to the edification of the devout pilgrims, and the people of the holy city 99. The fize of the meteor was gradually magnified; and the Arian hiftorian has ventured to affirm, that it was confpicuous to the two armies in the plains of Pannonia; and that the tyrant, who is purpofely represented as an idolater, fled before the aufpicious fign of orthodox Christianity" Arian 1 90 The fentiments of a judicious ftranger, who councils. has impartially confidered the progrefs of civil or ecclefiaftical difcord, are always entitled to our notice and a fhort paffage of Ammianus, who ferved in the armies, and ftudied the character, of Conftantius, is perhaps of more value than many pages of theological invectives." "The Chriftian "religion, which, in itfelf," fays that moderate historian," is plain and fimple, he confounded by the dotage of fuperftition. Instead of re"conciling the parties by the weight of his autho"rity, he cherished and propagated, by verbal difputes, the differences which his vain curiosity "had excited. The highways were covered with te troops of bishops, galloping from every fide to "the affemblies, which they call fynods; and "while they laboured to reduce the whole fect to "their own particular opinions, the public eftab 89 It is not eafy to determine how far the ingenuity of Cyril might be affisted by some natural appearances of a solar halo. 90 Philoftorgius, I. iii. c. 26. the Alexandrian Chronicle, by Gothofred. Differt. p. 188.). even from the hand of an enemy. He is followed by the author of Cedrenus, and by Nicephorus (fee They could not refuse a miracle, "lishment S XXI "lishment of the posts was almost ruined by their c H A P, 91 So curious a passage well deferves to be tranfcribed. Chriftianam religionem abfolutam et fimplicem, anili superstitione confundens; in quâ fcrutandâ perplexius, quam componenda gravius excitaret dif:idia plurima; quæ progreffa fufius aluit concertatione verborum, ut catervis antiftitum jumentis publicis ultro citroque difcurrentibus, per fynodos (quas appellant) dum ritum omnem ad fuum trahere conantur (Valius reads conatur) rei vehiculariæ concideret nervos. Ammianus, xxi. 16. |