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ST. AMBROSE AND JUSTINA.

UXENTIUS, the Arian bishop of the see of Milan, died A. D., 374, upon which the bishops of the province wrote to the then emperor, Valentinian the first, who was in Gaul, requesting him to name the person who was to succeed him. This was a prudent step on their part, Arianism having introduced such matter for discord and faction among the Milanese, that it was dangerous to submit the election to the people at large, though the majority of them were orthodox. Valentinian, however, declined to avail himself of the permission thus given him; the choice was thrown upon the voices of the people; and the cathedral, which was the place of assembling, was soon a scene of disgraceful uproar; as the bishops had anticipated. Ambrose was at that time civil governor of the province of which Milan was the capital: and, the tumult increasing, he was obliged to interfere in person, with a view of preventing its ending in open sedition. He was a man of grave character; and had been in youth brought up with a sister who had devoted herself to the service of God in a single life; but as yet he was only a catechumen, though above thirty years of age. Arrived at the scene of tumult, he addressed the assembled crowds, exhorting them to peace and order. While he was speaking, a child's voice, as is reported, was heard in the midst of the crowd to say, "Ambrose is bishop;" the populace took up the cry, and both parties in the church, Catholic and Arian, whether influenced by a sudden enthusiasm, or willing to take a man who was unconnected with party, voted unanimously for the election of Ambrose. It is not wonderful that the subject of this sudden decision should have been unwilling to quit his civil office for a station of such high responsibility; for many days he fought against the popular voice, and that by the most extravagant expedients. He absconded, and was not re

covered till the emperor, confirming the act of the people of Milan, published an edict against all who should conceal him. Under these strange circumstances, Ambrose was at length consecrated bishop. His ordination was canonical only on the supposition that it came under those rare exceptions, for which the rules of the Church allow when they speak of election "by divine grace," by the immediate suggestion of God; and if ever a bishop's character and works might be appealed to as evidence of the divine purpose, surely Ambrose was the subject of that singular and extraordinary favor. From the time of his call, he devoted his life and abilities to the service of Christ. He bestowed his personal property on the poor: his lands on the Church; making his sister tenant for life. Next he gave himself up to the peculiar studies necessary for the due execution of his high duties, till he gained that deep insight into Catholic truth, which is evidenced in his works; and in no common measure in relation to Arianism, which had been the dominant creed in Milan for twenty years preceding his elevation.

Basil of Cæsarea was at this time the main pillar of Catholic truth in the east, having succeeded Athanasius of Alexandria, who died about the time that both Basil and Ambrose were advanced to their respective sees. He addresses the new bishop in these words, in an extant epistle :

"Proceed in thy work, thou man of God; and since thou hast not received the gospel of Christ of men, neither wast taught it, but the Lord himself translated thee from among the world's judges to the chair of the apostles, fight the good fight, set right the infirmities of the people, wherever the Arian madness has affected them; renew the old foot-prints of the fathers, and by frequent correspondence build up thy love towards us, of which thou hast already laid the foundation.”— Ep. 197.

Ambrose had presided in his see about eleven years, at the time when the events took place which are here to be related. Valentinian was dead, as well as his eldest son Gratian. His second son, who bore his own name, was emperor of the west, under the tutelage of Justina, who had been his second wife.

Justina was an Arian; and brought up her son in her own heretical views. This was about the time when heresy was finally subdued in the eastern Churches; the council of Constantinople had lately been held, many Arian bishops had conformed, and laws had been passed by Theodosius against those who held out. It was natural under such circumstances thata number of the latter should flock to the court of Milan for protection and patronage. The Gothic officers of the palace were Arians also, as might be supposed, after the creed of their nation. At length they obtained a bishop of their persuasion from the east; and having now the form of an ecclesiastical body, they used the influence of Valentinian, or rather his mother, to extort from Ambrose one of the churches of Milan for worship.

The bishop was summoned to the palace before the assembled court, and was formally asked to relinquish St. Victor's church, then called the Portian Basilica, which was without the walls, for the Arian worship. His duty was plain; the churches were the property of Christ; he was the representative of Christ, and was therefore bound not to cede what was committed to him in trust. This is the account of the matter given by himself:

"Do not," he says, "O emperor, embarrass yourself with the thought that you have an emperor's right over sacred things. Exalt not yourself, but, as you would enjoy a continuance of power, be God's subject. It is written, God's to God, and Cæsar's to Cæsar. The palace is the emperor's, the churches are the bishop's."-Ep. 20.

This argument which is true at all times, was much more convincing in an age like the primitive, before men had begun to deny that Christ had left a visible representative of himself in his Church. If there was a body to whom the concerns of religion were

intrusted, there could be no doubt it was that over which Ambrose presided. It had been there planted ever since Milan became Christian, its ministers were descended from the apostles, and it was the legitimate trustee of the sacred property. Ambrose rested his resistance on grounds which the people understood at once, and recognized as irrefragable. They felt that he was only refusing to surrender a trust. They rose in a body, and thronged the palace gates. A company of soldiers was sent to disperse them; and a riot was on the point of ensuing, when the ministers of the court became alarmed, and despatched Ambrose to appease the tumult, with the pledge that no further attempt should be made on the possessions of the Church.

Justina failing to intimidate, made various underhand attempts to remove the champion of orthodoxy. She endeavored to raise the people against him. Failing in this object, next, by the promise of offices and places of dignity, she set on foot various projects to seize him in church, and carry him off into banishment. One man went so far as to take lodgings near the church, and had a carriage in readiness, in order to avail himself of any opportunity which offered to convey him away. But none of these attempts succeeded.

This was the month of March; as Easter drew on, more vigorous steps were taken by the court. On April 4th, the Friday before Palm Sunday, the demand for a church for the Arians was renewed; the pledges which the government had given, that no further steps should be taken in the matter, being perhaps evaded by changing the church which was demanded. Ambrose was now asked for the New or Roman Basilica, which was within the walls and larger than the Portian. It was dedicated to the apostles, and (I may add, for the sake of the antiquarian,) was built in the form of a cross. When the bishop refused in the same language as before, the imperial minister returned to the demand of the Portian church; but, the people interfering, and being clamorous against the proposal, he was obliged to retire to the palace to report how matters stood.

On Palm Sunday, after the lessons and sermon had been read in the Basilica, in which he officiated, Ambrose was engaged in teaching the creed to the candidates for baptism, who, as was customary, had been catechised during Lent; and were to be admitted into the church on the night before Easter day. News was brought him that the officers of the court had taken possession of the Portian church, and were arranging the imperial hangings in token of its being confiscated to the emperor; on the other hand that the people wère flocking thither. Ambrose continued the service of the day; but when he was in the midst of the celebration of the eucharistical rite, a second message came that one of the Arian priests was in the hands of the populace.

"On this news, (he says, writing to his sister,) I could not keep from shedding many bitter tears, and while I made oblation, I prayed God's protection that no blood might be shed in the Church's quarrel: or if so, that it might be mine; and that, not for my people only, but for the ungodly."Ep. 20. At the same time he despatched a number of his clergy to the spot, who had influence enough to rescue the unfortunate man from the mob.

Though Ambrose so far seems to have been supported by popular movement, yet the proceedings of the following week showed that he had the great mass of respectable citizens on his side. The imprudent measures of the court, in punishing those whom it considered its enemies, disclosed to the world their number and importance. The tradesmen were fined two hundred pounds of gold, and many were thrown into prison. All the officers, moreover, and dependants of the courts of justice, were ordered to keep in doors during the continuance of the disorders; and men of higher rank were menaced with severe consequences, unless the Basilica were surrendered.

Such were the acts by which the imperial court solemnized Passion week. At length a fresh interview was sought with Ambrose, which shall be described in a few words:

"I had a meeting with the counts and tribunes, who urged me to give up the Basilica without delay, on the grounds that the

emperor was but acting on his undoubted rights, as possessing sovereign power over all things. I made answer, that if he asked me for what was my own-for instance, my estates, my money, or the like-I would make no opposition: though, to tell the truth, all that was mine was the property of the poor; my person, here I am. Would you take to prison or to death? I go with pleasure. Far be it from me to entrench myself within the circle of a multitude, or to clasp the altar in supplication for my life; rather I will be a sacrifice for altar's sake.

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In good truth, when I heard that soldiers were sent to take possession of Basilica, I was horrified at the prospect of bloodshed, which might issue in ruin to the whole city, I prayed God that I might not survive the ruin which might ensue of such a place, nay, of Italy itself. I shrunk from the odium of having occasioned slaughter, and would sooner have given my own throat to the knife. . . . . Presently they bade me calm the people. I replied, that all I could do was not to inflame them; but God alone could appease them. For myself, if I appeared to have instigated them, it was the duty of the government to proceed against me, or banish me. Upon this they left me."

....

Ambrose spent the rest of Palm Sunday in the same Basilica in which he had been officiating in the morning: at night he went to his own house, that the civil power might have an opportunity of arresting him if it was thought advisable.

The attempt to gain the Portian seems now to have been dropped; but on Wednesday troops were marched before day-break to take possession of the new church, which was within the walls. Ambrose, upon the news of this fresh movement, used the weapons of an apostle. He did not seek to disturb them in their possession; but, attending service at his own church, he was content to threaten the soldiers with a sentence of excommunication. Meanwhile, the new church, where the soldiers were posted, began to fill with a larger congregation than it ever contained before the persecution. Ambrose was requested to go thither; but, desirous of drawing the people away from the scene of imperial tyranny, lest a riot

should ensue, he remained in the Portian, and began to comment on the lesson of the day, which was from the book of Job. First he commended for Christian patience and resignation with which they had hitherto borne their trial, which indeed was, on the whole, surprising, considering the usual. inflammable nature of a multitude. "We petition your majesty," they said to the emperor; "we use no force, we feel no fear, but we petition." It is common in the leader of a multitude to profess peaceableness, but very unusual for the multitude to persevere in doing so. Ambrose went on to observe, that both they and he had in their way been tempted, as Job was, by the powers of evil. For himself, his peculiar trial had lain in the reflection that the extraordinary measures of the government, the movements of the Gothic guards, the fines of the tradesmen, the various sufferings of the saints, all arose from what might be considered his obstinacy in not yielding to what seemed an overwhelming necessity, and giving the Basilica to the Arians. Yet, he felt that to do so would be to peril his soul; so that the request was but the voice of the tempter as he spoke in Job's wife, to make him " say a word against God, and die," to betray his trust, and incur the sentence of spiritual death.

Before this time the soldiers who had been sent to the new church, from dread of the threat of excommunication, had declared against the sacrilege, and joined his congregation at the Portian; and now the news came that the royal hangings had

been taken down. Soon after, as he was continuing his address to the people, a fresh message came to him from the court, to ask him, whether he had intention of domineering over his sovereign? Ambrose, in answer, showed the pains he had taken to observe a passive obedience to the emperor's will, and to hinder disturbance: then he added

"Priests have by old right bestowed sovereignty, never assumed it, and it is a common saying, that sovereigns have coveted the priesthood more than priests the sovereignty. Christ hid himself, lest he should be made a king. Yes! we have a dominion of our own. The dominion of the priest lies in his helplessness, as it is said, 'when I am weak, then am I strong."

And so ended the dispute for a time. On Good Friday the court gave way; the guards were ordered from the Basilica, and the fines were remitted. I end for the present with the view which Ambrose took of the prospect before him.

"Thus the matter rests; I wish I could say, has ended: but the emperor's words are of that angry sort which shows that a more severe contest is in store. He calls me a tyrant, or what is still worse. He implied this when his ministry were entreating him, on the petition of the soldiery to attend church. Should Ambrose bid you,' he made answer, 'doubtless you would give me to him in chains.' I leave you to judge what these words promise. Persons present were all shocked at hearing them; but there are parties who exasperate him."

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they fancy that when they have gone through the churches, museums, palaces, public galleries, and antiquities of the place, they have gleaned all the information they can desire to possess. They attend at some of the solemn functions of the church, their conduct at which shows, and their publications (when they do publish) abundantly prove, that they believe our holy religion to be a mere exhibition of pageantry and idolatry, got up to captivate the senses of the ignorant, and to keep them benighted in the lowest abysses of superstition and credulity. They behold in the streets, at all hours of the day, great numbers of the clergy moving about in all directions; they know not that these men are either returning from, or proceeding to, churches, hospitals, colleges, schools, where they have all their appointed duties to perform, or that they have just been beside the bed of disease, administering spiritual consolation to the suffering patient, or soothing his dying agonies with the last rites of the Church. Ignorant of all this, our hasty travellers set down these crowds of our clergy as so many drones and idlers, a mere mass of hypocrites, sunk in the depths of every species of corruption.

What can be said of Lady Morgan and other still more ignorant and superficial travellers, when even Sir John Hobhouse, a writer of no ordinary research and genius, deliberately accused of idolatry a number of devout men and women whom he found assembled in the Pantheon at Rome, reciting the rosary before an image of the Madonna? One of the latest libellers of our religion, as she saw it practised in Rome, Mrs. Jameson, could scarcely think of any thing while she was in the Sistine chapel at high mass, than the unfolding of the trains of the cardinals as they came in, a description of which Lady Morgan has wrought into a gross caricature? It is thus that the same authoress (Mrs. Jameson) speaks of the celebration of one of the most splendid ceremonies of our Church, on the anniversary of St. Peter's entrance into Rome, and of his taking possession of the papal chair: "To see the high priest of an ancient and wide-spread superstition publicly officiate in

his sacred character, in the grandest temple in the universe, and surrounded by all the trappings of his spiritual and temporal authority, was an exhibition to make sad a reflecting mind!"

How often have we heard from such authorities as these of the state of imbecility, vice, and degradation into which the Roman nobility have fallen-how little they do for their country-how depressed they are in the scale of aristocracy-how selfish they are-how irreligious-how mean and contemptible in every respect! The very writers who have defiled their pages with these calumnies forget that in the palaces of those princes to which they have been most hospitably admitted, they have found materials for many a page of their publications, in the countless and often incomparable works of art which they have seen in the galleries of those "selfish," "mean," and "contemptible" men! How deplorably ignorant they must be of the real characters and habits of those noblemen! Why, there is not-we believe we may speak literallynot one of those noblemen-nay, not even a man of any respectability in the city of Rome-who is not enrolled in some confraternity, for the purpose of performing practical works of piety and charity. There is scarcely an hour in the day in which members of these admirable associations may not be seen moving in companies through the streets of Rome, their faces closely masqued, and their persons enveloped in a coarse garment, which saves them from being known. They are either going to bury the dead, or to attend the sick in the hospitals, or returning from those deeds of corporeal mercy! Most, if not all the members of the highest orders in Rome, male and female, belong to associations for the perpetual adoration of the most holy sacra

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