excommunication were of a temporal, as well as a ritual, nature. The Christian against whom it was pronced was deprived of any part in the oblations of the hful; the ties both of religious and of private friendship re dissolved; he found himself a profane object of abhorce to the persons whom he most esteemed, or by whom had been the most tenderly beloved; and as far as an ulsion from a respectable society could imprint on his acter a mark of disgrace, he was shunned or suspected the generality of mankind. The situation of these unforate exiles was in itself very painful and melancholy; but, usually happens, their apprehensions far exceeded their ferings. The benefits of the Christian communion were se of eternal life, nor could they erase from their minds awful opinion, that to those ecclesiastical governors by om they were condemned, the Deity had committed the of hell and of paradise. The heretics, indeed, who ght be supported by the consciousness of their intentions, by the flattering hope that they alone had discovered true path of salvation, endeavoured to regain, in their parate assemblies, those comforts, temporal as well as ritual, which they no longer derived from the great ciety of Christians. But almost all those who had reluc yielded to the power of vice or idolatry were sensible their fallen condition, and anxiously desirous of being tored to the benefits of the Christian communion. With regard to the treatment of these penitents, two posite opinions, the one of justice, the other of mercy, ided the primitive church. The more rigid and inflexible euists refused them for ever, and without exception, the anest place in the holy community which they had disThraced or deserted; and leaving them to the remorse of a ilty conscience, indulged them only with a faint ray of pe that the contrition of their life and death might posthely be accepted by the Supreme Being. A milder senment was embraced in practice as well as in theory, by the rest and most respectable of the Christian churches.+

See La

this re

rece:4 O WEN

t the s

hich

from

atly

Comte, Mémoires sur la Chine, and the Recherches sur les Chinois les Egyptiens, tom. i, p. 61. *The Montanists and the Novatians, o adhered to this opinion with the greatest rigour and obstinacy, and themselves at last in the number of excommunicated heretica. the learned and copius Mosheim, Sæcul. 2, 3. + Dionysius, ap

64

PENANCE.

[CH The gates of reccaciliation and of heaven were seldom s against the returning penitent; but a severe and sol form of discipline was instituted, which, while it server expiate his crime, might powerfully deter the specta from the imitation of his example. Humbled by a pu confession, emaciated by fasting, and clothed in sackel the penitent lay prostrate at the door of the assembly, ploring with tears the pardon of his offences, and solicit the prayers of the faithful.* If the fault was of a v heinous nature, whole years of penance were esteemed inadequate satisfaction to the divine justice; and it always by slow and painful gradations that the sinner, heretic, or the apostate, was readmitted into the bosom the church. A sentence of perpetual excommunication however, reserved for some crimes of an extraordinary m nitude, and particularly for the inexcusable relapses of th penitents who had already experienced and abused the c mency of their ecclesiastical superiors. According to t circumstances or the number of the guilty, the exercise the Christian discipline was varied by the discretion of t. bishops. The councils of Ancyra and Illiberis were he about the same time, the one in Galatia, the other in Spai but their respective canons, which are still extant, seem breathe a very different spirit. The Galatian, who after 1. baptism had repeatedly sacrificed to idols, might obtain pardon by a penance of seven years; and if he had seduc others to imitate his example, only three years more we added to the term of his exile. But the unhappy Spaniar who had committed the same offence, was deprived of t hope of reconciliation, even in the article of death; an his idolatry was placed at the head of a list of sevente other crimes, against which a sentence no less terrible w pronounced. Among these we may distinguish the ine piable guilt of calumniating a bishop, a presbyter, or even deacon.t

penance.

Euseb. 4. 23. Cyprian, de Lapsis. * Cave's Primitive Christianity part 3. c. 5. The admirers of antiquity regret the loss of this publ + See in Dupin, Bibliothèque Ecclesiastique, tom. p. 304-313, a short but rational exposition of the canons of those councils, which were assembled in the first moments of tranquillity after the persecution of Diocletian. This persecution had been muc less severely felt in Spain than in Galatia; a difference which may, some measure, account for the contrast of their regulations.

A

The well-tempered mixture of liberality and rigour, the cious dispensations of rewards and punishments, accordto the maxims of policy as well as justice, constituted the strength of the church. The bishops, whose paternal extended itself to the government of both worlds, were sible of the importance of these prerogatives; and, covering ir ambition with the fair pretence of the love of order, y were jealous of any rival in the exercise of a discipline so essary to prevent the desertion of those troops which had sted themselves under the banner of the cross, and whose mbers every day became more considerable. From the perious declamations of Cyprian, we should naturally conde, that the doctrines of excommunication and penance med the most essential part of religion; and that it was ch less dangerous for the disciples of Christ to neglect the ervance of the moral duties, than to despise the censures authority of their bishops. Sometimes we might imae that we were listening to the voice of Moses, when he manded the earth to open, and to swallow up, in coning flames, the rebellious race which refused obedience the priesthood of Aaron; and we should sometimes supe that we heard a Roman consul asserting the majesty the republic, and declaring his inflexible resolution to force the rigour of the laws. "If such irregularities are ffered with impunity," it is thus that the bishop of Carsge chides the lenity of his colleague, "if such irregu ties are suffered, there is an end of episcopal vigour ;* end of the sublime and divine power of governing the urch; an end of Christianity itself." Cyprian had reounced those temporal honours which it is probable he ould never have obtained ;t but the acquisition of such Cyprian. Epist. 69. + The birth and talents of Cyprian may stify a very different opinion. Cave (Hist. Lit. tom. i, p. 87) speaks him thus" Thascius Cæcilius Cyprianus, a native of Carthage, da distinguished orator, acquired much glory, wealth, and honour. indulged in plentiful repasts and supper-banquets; was clothed in ch vestments, resplendent with gold and purple; was surrounded crowds of clients, and respectfully followed by a large retinue, aring the insignia and ornaments of office. Such is his descrip on of himself in his letter to Donatus."-GUIZOT. [Cyprian's guage respecting himself was, as Dean Milman admits, rather bellished," by Dr. Cave. Gibbon has been accused of misrepre nting the character of Cyprian. it will come more fully forward in e next chapter. In the mean time it is sufficient to remark, thes

VOL. II.

F

66

STRENGTH OF CHRISTIANITY.

[си.

absolute command over the consciences and understandi of a congregation, however obscure or despised by the wor is more truly grateful to the pride of the human heart, t the possession of the most despotic power, imposed by ar and conquest on a reluctant people.

su

The la

In the course of this important, though perhaps tedio inquiry, I have attempted to display the secondary cau which so efficaciously assisted the truth of the Christi religion. If among these causes we have discovered s artificial ornaments, any accidental circumstances, or a mixture of error and passion, it cannot appear surprisi that mankind should be the most sensibly affected by su motives as were suited to their imperfect nature. It ▾ by the aid of these causes, exclusive zeal, the immedia expectation of another world, the claim of miracles, t practice of rigid virtue, and the constitution of the prin tive church, that Christianity spread itself with so mu success in the Roman empire. To the first of these t Christians were indebted for their invincible valour, whi disdained to capitulate with the enemy whom they we resolved to vanquish. The three succeeding causes plied their valour with the most formidable arms. of these causes united their courage, directed their arm and gave their efforts that irresistible weight which even small band of well-trained and intrepid volunteers has often possessed over an undisciplined multitude, ignorant the subject, and careless of the event of the war. In various religions of Polytheism, some wandering fanatics Egypt and Syria who addressed themselves to the credulou superstition of the populace, were perhaps the only order priests that derived their whole support and credit from their sacerdotal profession, and were very deeply affected b a personal concern for the safety or prosperity of the tutelar deities. The ministers of Polytheism, both in Rom and in the provinces, were, for the most part, men of a noble birth and of an affluent fortune, who received, as an honour able distinction, the care of a celebrated temple, or of public sacrifice; exhibited, very frequently at their own this prelate had formed himself by the writings of Tertullian, who vehemence all moderate Christians lament and disavow.-ED.]

The acts, the manners, and the vices, of the priests of the Syrian goddess, are very humorously described by Apuleius, in the eighth book

IV.]

WEARNESS OF POLYTHEISM.

67

pense, the sacred games ;* and with cold indifference per ormed the ancient rites, according to the laws and fashion their country. As they were engaged in the ordinary ccnpations of life, their zeal and devotion were seldom ani ated by a sense of interest, or by the habits of an eccle astical character. Confined to their respective temples and cities, they remained without any connexion of disci line or government; and whilst they acknowledged the Supreme jurisdiction of the senate of the college of pontiffs, and of the emperor, those civil magistrates contented themith the easy task of maintaining, in peace and dignity, the eneral worship of mankind. We have already seen how rious, how loose, and how uncertain were the religious entiments of Polytheists. They were abandoned, almost without control, to the natural workings of a superstitious ancy. The accidental circumstances of their life and sitution determined the object as well as the degree of their devotion; and as long as their adoration was successively prostituted to a thousand deities, it was scarcely possible that their hearts could be susceptible of a very sincere or ively passion for any of them.

When Christianity appeared in the world, even these faint and imperfect impressions had lost much of their original power. Human reason, which by its unassisted strength is incapable of perceiving the mysteries of faith, had already obtained an easy triumph over the folly of Paganism; and when Tertullian or Lactantius employ their labours in exposing its falsehood and extravagance, they are obliged to transcribe the eloquence of Cicero or the wit of Lucian. The contagion of these sceptical writings had been diffused far beyond the number of their readers. The fashion of incredulity was communicated from the philosopher to the man of pleasure or business; from the noble to the plebeian, and from the master to the menial slave who waited at his table, and who eagerly listened to the freedom of his conver

of his Metamorphosis.

The office of Asiarch was of this nature,

and it is frequently mentioned in Aristides, the Inscriptions, &c. It was annual and elective. None but the vainest citizens could desire the honour; none but the most wealthy could support the expense. See in the Patres Apostol. (tom. ii, p. 200,) with how much indif ference Philip the Asiarch conducted himself in the martyrdom of Polycarp. There were likewise Bithyniarchs, Lyciarchs, &c.