CHA P. IV. THE PROGRESS OF THE ARIAN CONTROVERSY DURING THE REIGN OF CONSTANTIUS. THE HE fubject before us is more fpeculative and more fecular than I could wifh. I fhall condenfe it as much as poffible into a narrow compafs, keeping more particularly in view the one great end of this hiftory. The great Conftantine was fucceeded by three fons, Conftantine, Conftantius, and Conftans. The first ruled in Spain and Gaul, the fecond in the East, the third in Italy and Africa. The other relations of the late emperor were put to death by the foldiers. Two fons alone of Julius his brother furvived, Gallus and Julian. Thefe were fpared, privately educated, placed among the clergy, and appointed readers in the church. The latter was born at Conftantinople, was only eight years old at the time of his uncle's death, and was referved to be a fcourge of degenerate Chriftendom, and a memorable inftrument of divine Providence. Of Conftantine the eldeft we know but little; and that little is laudable. He fent back Athanafius to his church with great refpect, and declared, that his father had intended to do the fame, but was prevented by death. After a banishment of two years and four months, the bishop returned from Treves to his diocefe, where he was received with general acclamations. Afclepas of Gaza and Marcellus of Ancyra, who had been depofed by Arians, with others likewife, were reftored; but Conftantine himself was flain by the troops of his brother Conftans. He was undoubtedly fteady in his adherance to the Nicene faith, but our information concerning him is too fmall, to enable us to form any proper eftimate of his character. His next brother Conftantius furnishes but too many materials, to illuftrate his difpofition. One Eufebius an eunuch, his chamberlain, had great influence over him; and was himself the convert of the Arian prieft, whom Conftantia had recommended to her brother, and to whom alfo the dying emperor had intrufted his will. The emprefs herself, the wife of Conftantius, was infected with the herefy. By degrees at least the emperor, a man of a weak understanding, corrupted with the pride of power, and ill informed in any thing that belonged to real Chriftianity, was confirmed in the fashionable herefy. There was then during this whole reign, which reached from the year 337, to the year 361, a controverfy car- A.D. ried on between the church and the heretics by 337. arms and resources fuited to the genius of the parties; thofe of the former were prayers, treatises, and preaching; of the latter, policy, intrigue, perfecution, and the friendship of the great. The moft zealous fupporters of anti-fcriptural fentiments feem far more difpofed to cultivate the favour of men of rank, than to labour in the work of the ministry among the bulk of mankind. A.D. In the year 340 died the famous Eufebius of Cæfarea. He was the moft learned of all the Chrif- 340. tians. After viewing him with fome attention, I can put no other interpretation on his fpeculations than that which has been mentioned already. He talks of a neceffity, that there was in God to produce a middle power between himself and the angels, to leffen the infinite difproportion between him and the creature. Of the Holy Ghost he fpeaks ftill more explicitly, and reprefents him, as one of the things made by the Son. IV. Demonftr. Evang. I. c. 6. See Fleury, B. XII. c. 6. F Son. Nevertheless one might be difpofed to put favourable conftruction on various expreffions of this great man, were it not that his practice is a strong comment on his opinions. He frequented the court, he affociated with Arius, he joined in the condemnation of Athanafians. It really gives pain to part on fuch terms with the hiftorian, whofe prefervation of fo many valuable monuments of antiquity has been fo ferviceable to us; but truth. must be fpoken, and his cafe is one of the many, which fhew that learning and philosophy, unless duly fubordinate to the revealed will of God, are no friends to Chriftian fimplicity: however the loud noife which in our times has been made concerning the doctrine of the Trinity being derived from Platonifm fhould be filenced in the minds of thofe, who know that it was by admiration of Plato and Origen, that Eufebius himself was perverted. At the fame time died Alexander of Conftantinople aged ninety-eight years, who had been bifhop twenty-three years. His clergy asked him in his dying moments, whom he would recommend as his fucceffor. If you feek a man of exemplary life, and able to inftruct you, fays he, you have Paul: if you defire a man of fecular fkill, and one who knows how to maintain an intereft among the great, and to preferve an appearance of religion, Macedonius is preferable. The event fhewed in what ftrength of difcernment the aged prelate was ftil preferved, and how careful to his laft breath he was of the propagation of Evangelical purity. Thefe two men were juft fuch as he had defcribed them. Paul, though young, was at once pious and difcreet; Macedonius was far advanced in life, but yet was only a deacon. The Arian party during the lifetime of the venerable champion was unable to predominate in the metropolis. After his death, they endeavoured to prefer Macedonius; but the primi tive ideas were too prevalent as yet among the po. pulace, and Paul was elected. Conftantius arriving afterwards was provoked at the election, encouraged an Arian council, directed its refolves, and Eufebius of Nicomedia was tranflated to the metropolitical See, which from this time continued under Arian government for forty years. Thus the antient ufages in choofing bifhops were altered, and a precedent was fet, of fixing in the hands of princes the government of the church in capital cities. A council of an hundred bishops of Egypt with Atha-. nafius at their head protested against these proceedings to the whole Chriftian world. A council was now convened at Antioch, fup-. ported by the prefence of the emperor and by the maneuvres of Eufebius. Here they undertook to depofe Athanafius, and ordain Gregory, a Cappadocian, in his room; prevailing on Conftantius to direct Philagrius, the prefect of Egypt, to fupport their proceedings with an armed force. For the integrity and probity of Athanafius had gained him fo ftrong an afcendant in Egypt, that while the primitive modes of church government remained, it would have been impoffible to expel him. Violence was found neceffary to fupport iniquity, and an Arian prince was obliged to tread in the fteps of his pagan predeceffors, to fupport what he called the Church. His views were promoted with vigour. Virgins and monks were cruelly treated at Alexandria: Jews and pagans were encouraged to murder Chriftians. Gregory himfelf entered the church with the governor and certain pagans, and caufed a number of the friends of Athanafius to be fcourged and imprisoned. The perfecuted prelate himself, who wanted not courage and capacity to refift, * Apolog. Athan. 2. Fleury, B. II. 14. acted acted however a much more Chriftian part. He fled from the ftorm, and made his escape to Rome. A.D. This happened in the year 342. It was a memo342. rable feafon for the church of God, which now found her livery to be that of perfecution, even when pagans had ceafed to reign. Gregory would not even fuffer the Athanafians to pray in their own houses, who in great numbers ftill refufed to own the Arian domination. He vifited Egypt in company with Philagrius. The greateft feverities were inflicted on those bishops who had been zealous for the Nicene faith, though the decrees of the council had never been reversed, and the Arians as yet contented themselves with ambiguous confeffions and the omiffion of the term consubstantial, Bifhops were fcourged and put in irons. Potamo, whom we have before celebrated, was beaten on the neck, till he was thought to have expired; he recovered in a small degree, but died fome time after. His crime in the eyes of the Arians was doubtless an unvaried attachment to the Nicene faith. L While Gregory dealt in violence, his competitor used only the more Chriftian arms of argument. He published an epiftle to the Christian world *, exhorting all the bifhops to unite on the occafion. "The faith is not now begun, fays he, it came to us by the Lord from his difciples. Left what has been been preferved in the churches until now perish in our days, and we be called to an account for our ftewardship, exert yourselves, my brethren, as stewards of the myfteries of God, and as beholding your rights taken away by ftrangers." He goes on to inform them of the proceedings of the Arians, ob. ferving that the like had not happened in the church fince the afcenfion of our Saviour." If there were any complaint against me, the people fhould have * Athan. VI. p. 943. been |