furrection of the dead I fhall receive my body, fays he, from the Saviour incorruptible." He guarded his friends against the Arian herefy, and bad them not be difturbed, though the judicial power, an imaginary fading domination, fhould be against them. "Do you obferve what ye have received from the fathers, and particularly the pious faith in our Lord Jefus Christ, which ye have heard from the scriptures, and of which I have often reminded you. Divide my clothes in this manner. Give one of my fheep-fkins to the bishop Athanafius, together with the garment, which I received from him when new, and now return him when old. And give the other fheep skin to Serapion the bishop. The fackcloth keep for yourselves, fays he to his two attendants. Farewel, children, Anthony is going, and is no more with you." He stretched out his feet, and appearing pleased at the fight of his friends coming to him, he expired with evident marks of cheerfulness on his face. His laft will was punctually executed. Such was the death of this father of monafticism: the account is taken wholly from his life by Athanafius, and is a monument of the genuine piety and deep fuperftition both of the monk and his biographer. Such was the ftate of godliness in those times, living obfcure in hermitages, while abroad in the world the Gospel was almoft buried in faction and ambition; yet probably in ordinary life it thrived the beft in fome inftances, though quite unknown.

By the affiftance of Fleury it would be easy to enlarge the hiftory of men of this fort. There were others of great monaftic renown in the time of Anthony. But their narratives, if true, are neither entertaining, nor inftructive, and a great part of them at least is ftuffed with extravagant fables. Let us turn to other objects. At the time when the bishops

bishops were travelling to the council of Nice, Licinius bishop of Cæfarea in Cappadocia arrived at a fmall town called Nazianzum in Cappadocia in his way thither. There he met with Gregory afterwards bishop of Nazianzum, who applied for baptifm. This man had led a life of great moral ftrictnefs, belonging to a particular fect, who obferved the fabbath and a distinction of meats, like the Jews. His wife Nonna was an exemplary Chriftian, and was very inftrumental in her husband's conversion. There is reafon to hope it was a converfion from felf-righteous pride to the humble faith of Jefus.. Licinius inftructed him: he received baptifm, and some years afterward, was made bishop of the place, and remained in that office forty-five years to an extreme old age. Though late in life, when he applied himself to Chriftian learning, he acquired a just discernment, preferved his flock from the spreading infection of Arianism, and mollified the manners of the barbarous people. Poffibly the memoirs of his paftoral labours, if we had them, would be found more inftructive than most of the subjects which engage our attention in this period. Gregory's A.D. epifcopal character commenced about the year 328. 328. And this tribute feemed due to his memory and to

that of his wife, not only on their own accounts, but also because they were the parents of the famous Gregory of Nazianzum, who in an oration celebrates their piety.

If we look to the fituation of the antient heretics, we find them in a dwindling ftate. The followers of Marcion, Valentinian, and the reft, ftill fubfifted indeed, and an edict of Conftantine forbad their affembling together. Under this Act of Uniformity the Novatians were condemned alfo. Thus the beft of the Diffenters were not permitted to worship in their own way, while the Donatifts, the

worst,

worst, were in a manner tolerated. But in vain do we look either for wisdom or equity in the ecclefiaftical proceedings of Conftantine or any of his family in general. Two fects alone of the perfecuted ones (for neither the Meletians nor the Donatifts were mentioned in the edict, as far as one can judge) fubfifted, and weathered the force of the decree. The old herefies were crufhed, while the enthufiaftic Montanifts maintained their hold in their native Phrygia, and the Novatians remained still numerous, retaining narrow views of Church-difcipline, and with thefe a confiderable ftrictnefs of manners, and it is hoped, the good influence of the Divine Spirit. But we want better materials for the history of this people.

At the very time, when Athanafius was perfecuted at Tyre, and was thought unworthy to live at Alexandria, the bishops were employed also in dedicating the church of the holy fepulchre at Jerufalem. Its magnificence was a monument of the oftentatious fuperftition of Conftantine. It is foreign to our design to defcribe its expenfive pomp. On this occafion Jerufalem, which from the time of Adrian had been called Ælia, recovered its name, became the refort of Chriftian pilgrims, was vainly represented by fome as the new Jerufalem described by the prophets, and was adorned by fermons, acts of liberality, and panegyrics on the emperor. In these things the hiftorian Eufebius was fignally diftinguifhed. Here Arius was received; and thus that Scripture was fulfilled concerning the hypocrify of profeffors in the Chriftian times, "your brethren that hated you, and caft you out for my name's fake, faid, let the Lord be glorified." The enmity against real godlinefs was washed over with a parade of external piety; pomp fupplied the room of fin

Fleury, B. XI. 54. + Ifaiah, C. ult.

cerity,

cerity, and formality ufurped the place of fpiritual understanding.

Not long before his death Conftantine wrote to Anthony the monk, and begged an anfwer. The reflection which he made on the occafion fhewed at once his ignorance of fecular affairs, and his knowledge of divine things. Be not aftonished, says he, if an emperor writes to us. He is but a man; rather be astonished, that God fhould write a book for man, and deliver it to us by his own Son. He anfwered the emperor, defiring him not to efteem pre. fent things, to think of the future judgment, to remember that Jefus Chrift is the true and eternal king; to be merciful, to do justice, and particularly to take care of the poor.

Under Conftantius pains was taken to re-unite the Donatifts to the general church. The con fequence was, that a number were formally recovered to it. The body of them remained, what they always were, an unworthy people, and they had among them a fort of wild licentious perfons called circumcelliones, who were very violent and ferocious in their conduct.

CHAP.

CHAP. VI.

THE EXTENSION OF THE GOSPEL FROM THE BE

GINNING OF THE CENTURY TO THE DEATH OF CONSTANTIUS.

THI Thashaurian, and to HIS fhould be the favourite object of a Chriftian hiftorian, and glad should I be to answer the most fanguine wishes of the Evangelical reader. But the period before us is far more fruitful in ecclefiaftical contentions than remarkable for the extenfion of Christianity itself; and even the account which we have of the trophies of the Redeemer's death and refurrection in the barbarous countries is too mean and defective, to fatisfy the laudable curiofity of those who love the progress of vital religion.

One Meropius a Tyrian philofopher, poffeffed of the spirit of travelling, explored the interior parts of India about the beginning of the century*. He took with him two boys his relations, who underftood the Greek tongue. Arriving at a certain harbour, the natives murdered the whole company, except the two boys, who were prefented to the king, and finding favour in his eyes, were promoted in his court. Upon the king's death, the queen dowager engaged them to fuperintend the affairs of the realin, and the education of the young prince. Their names were Ædefius and Frumentius. But the latter was prime minifter. The man had his eyes, how

* I follow the narrative of Socrates, B. I. C. XIX. But what he calls India feems to have been the kingdom of Abyffinia, which at this day calls itself Chriftian, and glories in the evangelical labours of its first bishop Frumentius, though it appears, from the account of Bruce in his Voyage to discover the fource of the Nile, to have long remained in the deepest ignorance and vice.

+ Bruce would call him the Ras. The whole ftory carries a ftrong air of probability, from the refemblance of the customs in this Indian kingdom to thofe of Abyffinia, which seems to confirm the conjecture, that the India of Socrates was Abyffinia.