PART II. philosophers, there were none, whose sentiments CENT. II. and discipline were so well received by the ancient christians as those of the platonics and pythagoreans, who prescribed in their lessons two rules of conduct; one for the sages, who aspired to the sublimest heights of virtue; and another for the people, involved in the cares and hurry of an active life. The law of moral conduct, which the platonics prescribed to the philosophers, was as follows; "the soul of the wise man ought to be removed to the greatest possible distance from the contagious influence of the body. And as the depressing weight of the body, the force of its appetites, and its connections with a corrupt world, are in direct opposition to this sacred obligation; therefore all sensual pleasures are to be carefully avoided; the body is to be supported, or rather extenuated, by a slender diet; solitude is to be sought as the true mansion of virtue; and contemplation to be employed as the means of raising the soul, as far as is possible, to a sublime freedom from all corporeal ties, and to a noble elevation above all terrestrial things. The person who lives in this manner, shall enjoy, even in the present state, a certain degree of communion with the Deity; and when the corporeal mass is dissolved, shall immediately ascend to the sublime regions of felicity and perfection, without passing through that state of purification and trial, that awaits the f • These famous sects made an important distinction between living according to nature, Znv nata quow, and living above nature, Zav væ Que. The former was the rule prescribed to the vulgar; the latter, that which was to direct the conduct of the philosophers, who aimed at superior degrees of virtue. See Eneas Gazeus in Theophrast. p. 29, edit. Barthii. The reader will find the principles of this fanatical discipline, iņ Porphyry's book we años, i. e. concerning abstinence. That cel ebrated platonist has explained at large the respective duties that belong to active and contemplative life, book i. § 27, and 41. PART II. ale ala INTERNAL HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. CENT. II. generality of mankind." It is easy to perceive, that this rigorous discipline was a natural consequence of the peculiar opinions which these philosophers, and some others that resembled them, entertained, concerning the nature of the soul, the influence of matter, the operations of invisible beings or demons, and the formation of the world. And as these opinions were adopted by the more learned among the christians, it was but natural that they should embrace also the moral discipline which flowed from them. The progress of this discipline. Xw. There is a particular consideration that will enable us to render a natural account of the origin of those religious severities, of which we have been now speaking, and that is drawn from the genius and temper of the people by whom they were first practised. It was in Egypt that this morose discipline had its rise; and it is observable, that that country has, in all times, as it were by an immutable law, or disposition of nature, abounded with persons of a melancholy complexion, and produced, in proportion to its extent, more gloomy spirits than any other part of the world. It was here that the Essenes and the Therapeutæ, those dismal and gloomy sects, dwelt principally, long before the coming of Christ; as also many others of the Ascetic tribe, who, led by a certain melancholy turn of mind, and a delusive notion of rendering themselves more acceptable to the Deity by their austerities, withdrew themselves from human society, and from all the innocent pleasures and comforts of life. From Egypt this sour and unsociable discipline passed into Syria, and the neighbouring countries, which also abounded with persons 8 See Maillet. Description de l'Egypte, tom. ii. p. 57, edit. in 4to. de Paris. Herodot. Histor. lib. ii. p. 104, edit. Gronov. Epiphanius, Exposit fidei, § 11, tom. ii. opp. p. 1092. Tertullian, De exhortatione castitat. cap. xiii. p. 524, edit. Priorii. Athanasius, in vita Antonii, tom. ii. opp.p. 453. PART II. pious frauds mong christ ians. of the same dismal constitution with that of the CENT. II. Egyptians; and from thence, in process of time, its infection reached to the European nations. Hence that train of austere and superstitious vows and rites, that yet, in many places, cast a veil over the beauty and simplicity of the christian religion. Hence the celibacy of the priestly order, the rigour of unprofitable penances and mortifications, the innumerable swarms of monks that refused their talents and labours to society, and this in the senseless pursuit of a visionary sort of perfection. Hence also that distinction between the theoretical and mystical life, and many other fancies of a like nature, which we shall have occasion to mention in the course of this history. xv. It is generally true, that delusions travel in The rise of a train, and that one mistake produces many. The christians, who adopted the austere system, which has been already mentioned, had certainly made a very false step, and done much injury to their excellent and most reasonable religion. But they did not stop here; another erroneous practice was adopted by them, which, though it was not so universal as the other, was yet extremely pernicious, and proved a source of numberless evils to the christian church. The platonists and pythagoreans held it as a maxim, that it was not only lawful, but even praiseworthy, to deceive, and even to use the expedient of a lie, in order to advance the cause of truth and piety. The Jews, who lived in Egypt, had learned and received this maxim from them before the coming of Christ, as appears incontestably from a multitude of ancient records; and the christians were infected from both these sources with the same pernicious error, as appears from the number of books attributed falsely to great and venerable names, from the Sibylline iJo. Chardin Voyages en Perse, tom. iv. p. 197, edit. Amsterd. 1735, 4to. CENT. II. verses, and several supposititious productions, PART 11. which were spread abroad in this and the following christians. century. It does not, indeed, seem probable, that all these pious frauds were chargeable upon the professors of real Christianity, upon those who entertained just and rational sentiments of the religion of Jesus. The greatest part of these fictitious writings, undoubtedly, flowed from the fertile invention of the gnostic sects, though it cannot be affirmed that even true christians were entirely innocent and irreproachable in this matter. Of the lives of XVI. As the boundaries of the church were enlarged, the number of vicious and irregular persons, who entered into it were proportionably increased, as appears from the many complaints and censures that we find in the writers of this century. Several methods were made use of to stem the torrent cation. Excommuni of iniquity. Excommunication was peculiarly employed to prevent or punish the most heinous and enormous crimes; and the crimes, esteemed such, were murder, idolatry, and adultery, which terms, however, we must here understand in their more full and extensive sense. In some places, the commission of any of these sins cut off irrevocably the criminal from all hopes of restoration to the privileges of church communion; in others, after a long, laborious, and painful course of probation and discipline, they were readmitted into the bosom of the church. Penitential discipline among the k XVII. It is here to be attentively observed, that the form used in the exclusion of heinous offenders delled imper- from the society of christians was, at first, extremely cording to that simple. A small number of plain, yet judicious christians mo ceptibly ac of the heathen mysteries. By this distinction, we may easily reconcile the different opinions of the learned concerning the effects of excommunication. See Morinus, De disciplina Pænitent. lib. ix. cap. xix. p. 670. Sirmond, Historia Pænitentiæ publicæ, cap. i. p. 323, tom. iv. opp. As also Joseph. Augustin. Orsi, Dissert. de criminum capitalium per tria priora sæcula absolutione, published at Milan, 1730, 4to. PARI II. rules, made up the whole of this solemn institution, CENT. II. which, however, was imperceptibly altered, enlarged by an addition of a vast multitude of rites, and new modelled according to the discipline used in the heathen mysteries.' Those who have any acquaintance with the singular reasons that obliged the christians of those ancient times to be careful in restraining the progress of vice, wil! readily grant, that it was incumbent upon the rulers of the church to perfect their discipline, and to render the restraints upon iniquity more severe. They will justify the rulers of the primitive church in their refusing to restore excommunicated members to their forfeited privileges, before they had given incontestable marks of the sincerity of their repentance. Yet still it remains to be examined, whether it was expedient to borrow from the enemies of the truth the rules of this salutary discipline, and thus to sanctify, in some measure, a part of the heathen superstition. But, however delicate such a question may be, when determined with a view to all the indirect or immediate consequences of the matter in debate, the equitable and candid judge will consider principally the good intention of those from whom these ceremonies and institutions proceed, and will overlook the rest from a charitable condescension and indulgence to human weakness. 'See Fabricius's Bibliograph. Antiquar. p. 397, and Morinus, De Panitentia, lib. i. cap. xv. xvi. &e. |