thoughts on the unity of the Church to the best of CENT. my feeble judgment."

There was a bishop of some note, named Antonius, who seemed disposed to embrace the Novatian schism. To him Cyprian in a long letter explains with much force and clearness the whole of his ideas on the subject. A short abridgment of it may merit perusal, because of the charity and good sense which run through it †.

He clears himself from the charge of inconsistency, by showing, in both cases, the views on which he acted under very different circumstances, formerly with strictness, now with lenity;--he informs him what had been determined both at Rome and Carthage concerning the lapsed;-he enlarges on the virtues of Cornelius, who had ventured his life in a time of severe trial under Decius;-he defends him against the unjust aspersions of the Novatians, and demonstrates, that very different rules and methods should be used, according to the circumstances of offenders; and that Novatian's stoicism, by which all sins are equal, was absolutely repugnant to the genius of Christianity. He supports his ideas of mercy by striking and apposite passages of Scripture. For instance: "The whole need not a physician, but the sick." What sort of a physician is he, who says, "I cure only the sound?"" Nor ought we to think all those whom we see wounded by a degree of apostasy, during the deadly persecution, to be absolutely dead; but rather to lie half dead only, and to be capable of being recovered by sound faith and penitence, so as yet to display in future the true characters of confessors and martyrs."

He shows that the censures of the church ought not to anticipate the judgment of the Lord. His quotations of Scripture, in behalf of receiving peniHe means his treatises on the Lapsed, and on the Unity of the Church.

III,

X.

CHAP. tents again into the Church, may well be spared :The Novatian uncharitableness will, in our days, scarcely find a defender.

He beautifully insists on the propriety and wholesomeness of mercy, gentleness, and charity, and exposes the unreasonableness of the present dissent, from this circumstance,--that formerly, in Africa, some bishops excluded adulterers from a return into the Church, but they did not form a schism on that account. And yet an adulterer appears to him to deserve a greater degree of severity than a man who lapses through fear of torment.-He exposes the absurdity of the Novatians in exhorting men to repent, while they rob them of all those comforts and hopes which should encourage repentance. It is observable that he alleges nothing particular against the personal character of Novatian:-but he blames Schism with an excess of severity not to be defended.

Remark, from another circumstance, the strictness of discipline which then prevailed in the purest Churches.-Several persons, who stood firm for a time in persecution and afterwards fell through extremity of torment, were kept three years in a state of exclusion from the Church; and yet they lived all that time with every mark of true repentance.— Cyprian being consulted*, decided that they ought to be re-admitted to communion.

The appearance of a new persecution from Gallus now threatening the Church, Cyprian, with the African synod, wrote to Cornelius on the subject of hastening the reception of penitents, that they might be armed for the approaching storm t.

In the mean-time Felicissimus finding, after his condemnation, no security to his reputation in Africa, crossed the sea to Rome, raised a party against Cornelius, and, by menaces, threw him into great fear, Cyprian's spirit seems more disturbed on this occa+ Epis, 54,

* Epis. 53.

sion than I have seen reason to observe in any of his epistles. He supports the dignity of the episcopal character in a style of great magnificence; but it is evident, that continued ill treatment from seditious characters had led him into some degree of impatience: The language he uses concerning the authority of bishops, would sound strange to our ears, though it by no means contains any definite ideas contrary to the Scriptures. The whole epistle is calculated to rouse the dejected spirit of Cornelius; and shows much of the hero,-less of the Christian. He confesses--that he speaks grieved and irritated, by a series of unmerited ill usage. He takes notice that, at the very time of writing this, he was again demanded by the people to be exposed to the lions. He speaks of the ordination of Fortunatus and also of Maximus, by the schismatics, in a contemptuous manner. It is very evident, that, on the whole, he triumphed in Carthage among his own people. His great virtues and unquestionable sincerity secured him their affections; but they seem not to have been sufficiently patient and discreet in the re-admission of offenders: He complains that, in some cases, they were violent and resentful;-and in others, precipitately easy and favourable. The eloquence, and even the genuine charity of this great man, appears throughout this fifty-fifth epistle; but it is deficient in the meekness and the moderation, which shine in his other performances.

CENT.

III.

CHAP. XI.

THE EFFECTS OF THE PERSECUTION OF DECIUS
IN THE EASTERN CHURCH.

THE castern and western Churches were, in those
times, divided from each other by the Greek and
Ronan language, though cemented by the common
bond-of the Roman government, and much more

of the common Salvation. It will often be found convenient to consider their history distinctly. The gentile Church of Jerusalem still maintained its respectability under Alexander its bishop, who has been mentioned above. He was again called on to confess Christ before the tribunal of the president at Cæsarea; and, in this second trial of his faith, having acquitted himself with his usual fidelity, he was cast into prison: His venerable locks procured him neither pity nor respect; and he finally breathed out his soul under confinement*.

At Antioch, Babylas after his confession dying in bonds, Fabius was chosen his successor. In this persecution the renowned Origen was called to suffer extremely. Bonds, torments, a dungeon, the pressure of an iron chair, the distension of his feet for many days, the threats of burning, and other evils were inflicted by his enemies, all which he manfully endured: and his life was still preserved; for the judge was solicitously careful that his tortures should not kill him. "What words he uttered on these occasions and how useful to those who need consolation, many of his epistles," says Eusebius, "declare with no less truth than accuracy!"-If the words here alluded to were now extant, more light, I apprehend, might be thrown on the internal character of Origen, in respect to experimental godliness, than by all his works which remain. These

Euseb. B. 6. from C. 39 to the end.

show the scholar, the philosopher, and the critic:Those would have displayed the Christian. This great man died in his seventieth year, about the same time as the emperor Decius.

By and by I shall find occasion to insert an estimate of his character.

CENT.

III.

Dionysius,

Dionysius was at this time bishop of Alexandria, Account of a person of great and deserved renown in the bishop of Church. We are obliged to Eusebius for a few frag- Alexandria. ments of his writings, some of which being historical, must be here inserted. In an epistle to Germanus he writes thus:-"Sabinus, the Roman governor, sent an officer to seek me, during the persecution of Decius, and I remained four days at home, expecting his coming: he made the most accurate search in the roads, the rivers, and the fields where he suspected I might be hid. A confusion seems to have seized him, that he could not find my house; for he had no idea that a man, in my circumstances, should stay at home. At length, after four days, God ordered me to remove *; and, having opened ine a way contrary to all expectation, I and my servants and many of the brethren went together. The event showed that the whole was the work of Divine Providence. About sun-set, I was seized, together with my whole company, by the soldiers, and was led to Taposiris. But my friend Timotheus, by the providence of God, was not present, nor was he seized. He came afterwards to my house, and found it forsaken and guarded; and he then learned that we were taken captive. How wonderful was the dispensation! but it shall be related precisely as it happened.-A countryman met Timotheus as he was flying in confusion, and asked the cause of his hurry: he told him the truth: the peasant heard the story and went away to a nuptial feast, at which it was the custom to watch all night. He informed the guests of what he had heard. At once, they By a vision or some other Divine manifestation, I suppose.