Thus far of the firft of the Gregories; it will not be faying enough in his praise, though it be a truth, that it would have been to the advantage of the reputation of the Roman Church, if he had been the last of that name.

С НА Р.

CHA P. IX.

WRITERS OF THIS CENTURY.

ULGENTIUS adorned the beginning, and Gregory the close of this century, which produced no other authors of equal merit. And the decay in learning and knowledge was fo great, that I shall detain the reader a very little time on this

FULGENTIUS adorned

article.

Ennodius, bishop of Pavia, wrote against thofe who affirmed, that man could only chufe evil. With grofs ignorance of the connection and scope of St. Paul's argument, he quotes his words in the Epiftle to the Romans, C. vii. as favourable to his views. "For to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not;❞ thus afcribing to man as fuch, what the apostle evidently speaks of as defcriptive of the regenerate. He maintains that man by nature has power to turn himself to God, and deduces from the contrary doctrine the confequences which the advocates for the doctrine of free-will in all ages have done from the days of Cicero, who, it is remarkable, reafons exactly in the fame manner.

On the other hand, John Maxentius, a Scythian monk, in company with a number of monks, his brethren, ftrenuously defended the doctrines of grace. In a confeffion of their faith is this fentence: "that free-will, fince the entrance of fin, has of itfelf no other power but that of choofing some carnal good and pleafure*, and that it can neither

* Du Pin. Cent. 6th,

defire

defire nor will, nor do any thing for eternal life, but by the operation of the Holy Spirit."

So remarkable a confeffion would feem to fhew fome diftinct knowledge of the depravity of the heart. Maxentius and his brethren were ill treated by Hormifdas, bishop of Rome, a bold and dexterous politician, of whofe theological knowledge and practical piety I find no proofs. He accufed them of turbulence and felf-conceit, and after a year's attendance at Rome they were expelled thence by his order. I cannot find that Hormifdas gave any decided opinion on the fubject himfelf; probably he had never ftudied it; but he acted imperiously and decifively. Maxentius wrote with vigour in defence of the doctrines of grace, and I wish I could gratify the reader with a larger account of a man, who was counted worthy to fuffer fhame for the faith of Chrift. The controverfy between the defenders of grace and of human powers was ftill alive, and the Western Church continued ftill divided upon it.

Facundus, bishop of Hermiana in Africa, will deferve to be mentioned for the fake of one sentence. "The faithful, in receiving the Sacrament of the body and blood of Jefus Chrift, receive his body and his blood; not that the bread is properly his body, and the cup his blood; but because they contain in them the mystery of the body and blood of Jefus Chrift*.” Though it makes no part of our fyftem to confute the particular points of popery, I could not omit fo clear a teftimony against tranfubftantiation.

The Western Church is indebted for historical information to Gregory of Tours, the Eastern to Evagrius. It must be confeffed that they are inelegant and injudicious writers: they had the literary tafte of this century.

*Du Pin Facundus.

The

:

The truly evangélical fecond council of Orange has been already reviewed. The fecond council of A.D. Mafcon held in 585 will deferve to be mentioned. 585. They were very zealous for the obfervation of Sunday. Let none follow any business on this day, fay they let none yoke oxen, or profecute fuits of law; but let all the world apply themselves to fing the praises of God. They decree penalties against fabbath-breakers. An advocate, who was guilty of the crime, was to be driven from the bar; a peasant or a flave to receive fome ftripes. They exhort Christians also to spend the evening of Sunday in prayers. They forbid bishops to keep birds and dogs for game. They ordain the celebration of a Synod every three years in a place appointed by the bishop of Lyons and king Gontranus. A proof may be drawn from hence that fome fpirit of genuine religion was ftill preserved in France,

CENTURY

CENTURY VII.

CHAP. I.

THE ENGLISH CHURCH.

THE

'HE diverfity of circumftances in different ages of the Church constantly admonishes an hiftorian, who loves method and perfpicuity, to vary the arrangement of his materials. No abftract rules, but the circumstances of each period should direct him in this matter. In the century before us, barren and unpromifing as it is for the moft part, Great Britain fhone with diftinguished luftre. -As fhe was a world within herself, her ecclefiaftical affairs were little connected with those of the continent. Hence the propriety of reviewing them by themselves. In this fubject I fhall closely follow A.D. the venerable Bede, whofe narration extends to the 731. year 731.-Though much of his history be fabulous

and fuperftitious, it is ftill of the greatest value, because it is the only light which we have concerning the progrefs of the Gospel in our own country for feveral generations: and fome rays of truth, piety, and good fenfe now and then break out in the hiftorian amidst the clouds of legendary

romance.

After the death of Auguftine, the firft archbishop of Canterbury, Laurentius, whom he had ordained, fueceeded to that See. He trode* in the fteps of his predeceffor, and laboured to promote the best interefts

* Bede, B. II. C. 4.