CENT. IV. epistles, are those of his productions which seem the most proper to be read with profit ". The fame of Augustin, bishop of Hippo in Africa, filled the whole Christian world; and not without reason, as a variety of great and shining qualities were united in the character of that illustrious man. A sublime genius, an uninterrupted and zealous pursuit of truth, an indefatigable application, an invincible patience, a sincere piety, and a subtile and lively wit, conspired to establish his fame upon the most lasting foundations. It is, however, certain, that the accuracy and solidity of his judgement were, by no means, proportionable to the eminent talents now mentioned; and that, on many occasions, he was more guided by the violent impulse of a warm imagination, than by the cool dictates of reason and prudence. Hence arose that ambiguity which appears in his writings, and which has sometimes rendered the most attentive readers uncertain with respect to his real sentiments; and hence also the just complaints which many have made of the contradictions that are so frequent in his works, and of the levity and precipitation with which he set himself to write upon a variety of subjects, before he had examined them with a sufficient degree of attention and diligence'. Optatus, bishop of Milevi in Numidia, acquired no k The defects of Jerome are exposed by Le Clerc, in his Quæst. Hieronym. published at Amsterdam in 1700. The Benedictine monks have given an edition of the works of this father in five volumes, republished at Verona by Vallarsius with considerable additions. 1 An accurate and splendid edition of the works of St. Augustin, has been given by the Benedictines, since that of the divines of Louvain. This elegant edition bears the title of Antwerp, where it was published, with some augmentations, by Le Clerc, under the fictitious name of Jo. Phereponus. The Jesuits, however, pretend to have found many defects in this edition. small degree of reputation, by a work which he CENT. IV. wrote against the schism of the Donatists TM. m Paulinus, bishop of Nola, wrote some poems and epistles, which are still extant. They are not remarkable either for their excellence or their meanness". Rufinus, presbyter of Aquileia, is famous on account of his Latin translations of Origen and other Greek writers, his commentaries on several books of the holy scriptures, and his bitter contest with Jerome. He would have obtained a very honorable place among the Latin writers of this century, had it not been his misfortune to have the powerful and foul-mouthed Jerome for his adversary o. As to Philastrius, Damasus, Juvencus, and other writers of that obscure class, we refer the reader, for an account of them, to those authors whose principal object is to give an exact enumeration of the Christian writers. We shall add, nevertheless, to the list already given, Sulpitius Severus, by birth a Gaul, and the most eminent historical writer of this century ; as also Prudentius, a Spaniard, a poet of a happy and elegant genius. in Since the edition of Optatus, published by Albaspinæus, another has appeared, which we owe to the care and industry of M. Du-Pin, doctor of the Sorbonne. n The best edition of Paulinus is that which was published at Paris, in 1685, by Le Brun. Rufinus and Jerome had lived for many years in the most intimate and tender friendship, which ended in a violent rupture, on occasion of a translation which the former made of some of the works of Origen, particularly his Book of Principles. For an account of Rufinus, see Rich. Simon, Critique de la Bibliotheque des Auteurs Eccles. par M. Du-Pin, tom. i. An ample account of the same writer is given by Justus Fontaninus, Hist. Literar. Aquileiens. lib. v. P See Histoire Literaire de la France, tom. ii.; and consult also Hieron. a Prato, who has written, with great accuracy, the life of this historian. CENT. IV. religion. CHAPTER III. Concerning the Doctrine of the Christian Church in this Century. I. THE fundamental principles of the Christian doctrine were preserved hitherto incorrupt and entire The state of in most churches, though it must be confessed, that they were often explained and defended in a manner that discovered the greatest ignorance, and an utter confusion of ideas. The disputes carried on in the council of Nice, concerning the three persons in the Godhead, afford a remarkable example of this, particularly in the language and explanations of those who approved the decisions of that council. So little light, precision, and order, reigned in their discourses, that they appeared to substitute three gods in the place of one. The increase tion. . Nor did the evil end here; for those vain fictions, II. An enormous train of different superstitions of supersti- were gradually substituted for true religion and genuine piety. This odious revolution proceeded from a variety of causes. A ridiculous precipitation in receiving new opinions, a preposterous desire of imitating the pagan rites, and of blending them with CENT. IV. the Christian worship, and that idle propensity, which the generality of mankind have toward a gaudy and ostentatious religion, all contributed to establish the reign of superstition upon the ruins of Christianity. Accordingly, frequent pilgrimages were undertaken to Palestine, and to the tombs of the martyrs, as if there alone the sacred principles of virtue and the certain hope of salvation, were to be acquired 9. The reins being once let loose to superstition, which knows no bounds, absurd notions and idle ceremonies multiplied almost every day. Quantities of dust and earth brought from Palestine, and other places remarkable for their supposed sanctity, were handed about as the most powerful remedies against the violence of wicked spirits, and were sold and bought every where at enormous prices. The public processions and supplications, by which the Pagans endeavoured to appease their gods, were now adopted into the Christian worship, and celebrated in many places with great pomp and magnificence. The virtues which had formerly been ascribed to the heathen temples, to their lustrations, to the statues of their gods and heroes, were now attributed to Christian churches, to water consecrated by certain forms of prayer, and to the images of holy men. And the same privileges, that the former enjoyed under the darkness of Paganism, were conferred upon the latter under the light of the Gospel, or, rather, under that cloud of superstition which was obscuring its glory. It is true, that, as yet, images were not very common; nor were there any statues at all. But it is, at the same time, as See Gregor. Nysseni Orat. ad eos qui Hierosolymam adeunt, tom. iii. op. Hieronym. Epist. xiii. ad Paulinum de instituto Monachi, tom. i.-Jac. Godofred. ad Codicem Theodosian. tom. vi.-Petri Wesselingii Dissertat. de causis Peregrinat. Hierosolymit. quam Itinerario Burdigalensi præmisit, inter vetera Romanor. Itineraria, p. 537. r Augustinus, de Civitate Dei, lib. xxii. cap. viii. sect. 6. CENT. IV. undoubtedly certain, as it is extravagant and mon strous, that the worship of the martyrs was modeled, by degrees, according to the religious services that were paid to the gods before the coming of Christ. Hence pious frauds. From these facts, which are but small specimens of the state of Christianity at this time, the discern. ing reader will easily perceive what detriment the church received from the peace and prosperity pro cured by Constantine, and from the imprudent methods employed to allure the different nations to embrace the Gospel. The brevity we have proposed to observe in this history, prevents our entering into an ample detail of the dismal effects that arose from the progress and the baneful influence of superstition, which had now become universal. III. This, indeed, among other unhappy effects, opened a wide door to the endless frauds of those odious impostors, who were so far destitute of all principle, as to enrich themselves by the ignorance and errors of the people. Rumors were artfully spread abroad of prodigies and miracles to be seen in certain places (a trick often practised by the heathen priests); and the design of these reports was to draw the populace, in multitudes, to these places, and to impose upon their credulity. These stra tagems were generally successful; for the ignorance and slowness of apprehension of the people, to whom every thing that is new and singular appears miraculous, rendered them easily the dupes of this abominable artifice'. Nor was this all; certain tombs were falsely given out for the sepulchres of saints " and confessors; the list of the saints was augmented with fictitious names, and even robbers were converted into martyrs". Some buried the bones of dead men s For a full account of this matter, see Beausobre, Hist. du Manicheisme, tom. ii. t Henry Dodwell, Dissert. ii. in Irenæum, sect. 56. Le Clerc, in his Appendix Augustinian. p. 492, 550, 575. |