able to the dictates of these sacred laws, and the influence that these sublime doctrines ought to have upon the hearts of men; as also to examine the rules of discipline prescribed by the spiritual governors of the church, in order to correct and restrain the vices and irregularities of its members. ceremonies x. The human laws, that constitute a part of ecclesiastical government, consist in precepts concerning Thirdly, the the external worship of the Deity, and in certain history of its rites, either confirmed by custom, or introduced and worship. by positive and express authority. Rites and ceremonies regard religion either directly or indirectly; by the former, we understand those that are used in the immediate worship of the Supreme Being, whether in public or in private; by the latter, such pious and decent institutions as, beside direct acts of worship, have obtained in the church. This part of sacred history is of vast extent, both on account of the great diversity ofthese ceremonies, and the frequent changes and modifications through which they have passed. This consideration will justify our treating them with brevity, in a work which is only designed as a compendious view of Ecclesiastical History. XI. As bodies politic are sometimes distracted with wars and seditions, so has the Christian church, though Fourthly, the designed to be the mansion of charity and con-history of the cord, been unhappily perplexed by intestine divi- have divided sions, occasioned sometimes by points of doctrine, it. at others by a variety of sentiments about certain rites and ceremonies. The principal authors of these divisions have been stigmatized with the title of heretics, and their peculiar opinions of consequence distinguished by the appellation of heresies." The nature therefore and progress of these intestine divisions or heresies are to be carefully unfolded; and if this be done with judgment and impartiality, it must prove useful and interesting in the highest degree, though at the same time it must be observed, that no branch of Ecclesiastical History is so painful and difficult, on account of the sagacity, candour, and application that it requires, in order to its being treated in a satisfactory manner. The difficulty of arriving at the truth, in researches of this nature, is extreme, on ac b A term innocent in its primitive signification, though become odious by the enormity of some errors, to which it has been applied, and also by the use that has been made of it, to vent the malignity of enthusiasts and bigots. count of the injurious treatment that has been shown to the heads of religious sects, and the unfair representations that have been made of their tenets and opinions; and this difficulty has been considerably augmented by this particular circumstance, that the greatest part of the writings of those who were branded with the name of heretics have not reached our times. It is therefore the duty of a candid historian to avoid attaching to this term the invidious sense in which it is too often used, since it is the invective of all contending parties, and is employed against truth as frequently as against error. The wisest method here is to take the word heretic in its general signification, as denoting a person, who either directly or indirectly, has been the occasion of exciting divisions and dissensions among Christians. Ecclesiastical History, in connexion causes. XII. After thus considering what constitutes the matter of Ecclesiastical History, it will be proper to beIn treating stow a few thoughts on the manner of treating it, events are to as this is a point of too much importance not to be considered deserve a moment's attention. And here we may with their observe, that in order to render both the externaland internal history of the church truly interesting and useful, it is absolutely necessary to trace effects to their causes, and to connect events with the circumstances, views, principles, and instruments that have contributed to their existence. A bare recital of facts can at best but enrich the memory, and furnish a certain degree of amusement; but the historian who enters into the secret springs that direct the course of outward events, and views things in their various relations, connexions, and tendencies, gives thus a proper exercise to the judgment of the reader, and administers on many occasions, the most useful lessons of wisdom and prudence. It is true, a high degree of caution is to be observed here, lest, in disclosing the secret springs of public events, we substitute imaginary causes in the place of real, and attribute the actions of men to principles they never professed. XIII. In order to discover the secret causes of public events, some general succours are to be derived General me- from the history of the times in which they haptigating the pened, and the testimonies of the authors by whom things they are recorded. But beside these, a consider thod of inves secret causes able acquaintance with human nature, founded on long observation and experience, is singularly useful in researches of this kind. The historian, who has acquired a competent knowledge of the views that occupy the generality of men, who has studied a great variety of characters, and atten tively observed the force and violence of human passions, together with the infirmities and contradictions they produce in the conduct of life, will find, in this knowledge, a key to the secret reasons and motives which gave rise to many of the most important events of ancient times. A knowledge also of the manners and opinions of the persons concerned in the events that are related, will contribute much to lead us to the true origin of things. lar rules for knowledge in the external XIV. There are, however, beside these general views, particular considerations, which will assist us still further in tracing up to their true causes the More particu various events of sacred history. We must, for coming to this example, in the external history of the church, is of the attend carefully to two things; first, to the politi-church; cal state of those kingdoms and nations in which the Christian religion has been embraced or rejected; and secondly, to their religious state, i. e. the opinions they have entertained concerning the divine nature, and the worship that is to be addressed to him. For we shall then perceive, with more certainty and less difficulty, the reasons of the different reception Christianity has met with in different nations when we are acquainted with the respective forms of civil government, the political maxims, and the public forms of religion that prevailed in those countries and in those periods of time in which the gospel received encouragement, or met with opposition. xv. With respect to the internal history of the church, nothing is more adapted to lay open to view and in its interthe hidden springs of its various changes, than an nal history. acquaintance with the history of learning and philosophy in the times of old. For it is certain, that human learning and philosophy have, in all times, pretended to modify the doctrines of Christianity; and that these pretensions have extended further than belongs to the province of philosophy on the one hand, or is consistent with the purity and simplicity of the gospel on the other. It may also be observed, that a knowledge of the forms of civil government, and of the superstitious rites and institutions of ancient times, is not only useful, as we remarked above, to illustrate several things in the external history of the church, but also to render a satisfactory account of its internal variations, both in point of doctrine and worship. For the genius of human laws and the maxims of civil rulers have undoubtedly had a great influence in forming the constitution of the church; and even its spiritual leaders have, in too many instances, from an ill-judged prudence, modelled its discipline and worship after the ancient superstitions. from whence Ecclesiastical XVI. We cannot be at any loss to know the sources from whence this important knowledge is to be derived. The sources. The best writers of every age, who make mention History must of ecclesiastical affairs, and particularly those who be derived. were contemporary with the events they relate, are to be carefully consulted; since it is from credible testimonies and respectable authorities that history derives a solid and permanent foundation. Our esteem for those writers who may be considered as the sources of historical knowledge, ought not however to lead us to treat with neglect the historians and annalists, who have already made use of those original records; since it betrays a foolish sort of vanity to reject the advantages that may be derived from the succours and labours of those who have preceded us in their endeavours to cast light upon matters that have been for many ages covered with obscurity.c The essential an Ecclesiastical XVII. From all this we shall easily discern the qualifications that are essential to a good writer of Ecclequalities of siastical History. His knowledge of human afHistory. fairs must be considerable and his learning extensive. He must be endowed with a spirit of observation and sagacity; a habit of reasoning with evidence and facility; a faithful memory; and a judgment matured by experience, and strengthened by exercise. Such are the intellectual endowments that are required in the character of a good historian; and the moral qualities that are necessary to complete it, are, a persevering and inflexible attachment to truth and virtue, a freedom from the servitude of prejudice and passion, and a laborious and patient turn of mind. c The various writers of Ecclesiastical History are enumerated by Sever. Walt. Sluterus, in his Propylæum Historia Christiana, published at Lunenburg in 4to. in the year 1696; and by Casp. Sagittarius, in his Introductio ad Historiam Ecclesias ticam, singulasque ejus partes. A historian must be free times, men, XVIII. Those who undertake to write the history of the Christian church are exposed to receive a bias from three different sources, from times, persons, from a servile and opinions The times, in which we live, have attachment to often so great an influence on our manner of judg- and opinions. ing, as to make us consider the events which happen in our days, as a rule by which we are to estimate the probability or evidence of those that are recorded in the history of past ages. The persons, on whose testimonies we think we have reason to depend, acquire an imperceptible authority over our sentiments, that too frequently seduces us to adopt their errors, especially if these persons have been distinguished by eminent degrees of sanctity and virtue. And an attachment to favourite opinions leads authors sometimes to pervert, or at least to modify, facts in favour of those who have embraced these opinions, or to the disadvantage of such as have opposed them. These kinds of seduction are so much the more dangerous, as those whom they deceive are in innumerable cases, insensible of their delusion, and of the false representations of things to which it leads them. It is not necessary to observe the solemn obligations that bind a historian to guard against these three sources of error with the most delicate circumspection, and the most scrupulous attention. in the church XIX. It is well known nevertheless how far ecclesiastical historians, in all ages, have departed from these The defects rules, and from others of equal evidence and im- that are visi portance. For not to mention those who lay writers of claim to a high rank among the writers of histo. history. ry in consequence of a happy memory, loaded with an ample heap of materials, nor those whose pens are rather guided by sordid views of interest than by a generous love of truth, it is but too evident, how few in number the unprejudiced and impartial historians are, whom neither the influence of the sect to which they belong, nor the venerable and imposing names of antiquity, nor the spirit of the times and the torrent of prevailing opinion, can turn aside from the obstinate pursuit of truth alone. In the present age, more especially, the spirit of the times and the influence of predominant opinions, have gained with many an incredible ascendant. Hence we find frequently in the writings even of learned men such wretched arguments as |