Conftantine, who, for his gallant acts, was furnamed the Great, was the firft emperor that declared himself a Chriftian, A. D. 312, and conftituted the cross his banner he reftored peace and tranquillity to the Chriftians, he built many noble churches and oratories, wherein he fuffered no Gentile altars or images to be placed, nor any heathenifh feftivals to be folemnized §. He alfo wrote a large pathetic epiftle to the provincial governors of the eaft; where, with great wifdom and piety, he exhorts all his fubjects to embrace Christianity but, when he had ufed many gentle methods to reclaim the Gentile world, he proceeded by more fevere methods to quell the pagan idolatry; uncovered their temples, and expofed their idols; and at the fame time took great care, that bishops or paftors were fettled every where in the Chriftian churches. Though this great prince was not baptifed till a little before his death, which was May 22, A. D. 338.' But when the church, under Conftantine and his fucceffors, enjoyed the protection of the civil powers, the Chriftians compared their prefent with their paft condition, and called to mind the fufferings of their predeceffors, and the patience and fortitude which they had exerted, particularly in the laft and feverest perfecution. Thefe confiderations raised in them an high, and indeed, in fome measure, a juft veneration for the martyrs. But it did not ftop here, it ran into excefs, and produced bad effects. Every rumour concerning the behaviour of thofe faints was received without examination, and reprefented as meritorious, infomuch that certain monks found their account in going about, under the pretence of felling their bones and reliques. The fathers of thofe times, as Athanafius, Gregory, Nazianzen, but particularly Chryfoftom, with his popular eloquence, contributed to the utmost of their power to encourage the fuperftitious veneration and 5 See Spanhemius and the Theodofian Codex. D 4 invocation invocation of faints, the love of monkery, and the belief of miracles, wrought by monks and reliques, Some of thofe fathers, particularly Gregory, were in other refpects valuable men: but this was the diftem per of thofe times, and they were not free from it †. Thence arofe religious addreffes to the martyrs, who were confidered as patrons and interceffors, which tended to leffen the reliance and gratitude due to Chrift, and to fubftitute new expedients in the room of rational piety and ftrict morality, Some inftances during Conftantine's reign are an undeniable proof where the government of the church was vefted, and how the bishops of Rome were efteemed as to their authority in thofe days. When Donatus ftood condemned as a heretic by the churches of Afric, Conftantine left him not to be judged by the bishop of Rome, at that time Miltiades, but appointed the bifhops of Colen, Anthun, and Arles, to hear his caufe; who not agreeing, he joined with them the faid Miltiades; and after that, upon an appeal from their order, the emperor heard and determined it himself, pronouncing the bishop of Carthage innocent, and his adverfaries deferving cenfure in The fentiments of Arius, commonly called the Arian herefy, (which we have before explained) began to prevail. Alexander, bishop of Alexandria, opposed himself against him, and fent epiftles to all the churches, and among the reft to Rome; but, without waiting for advice from them, excommunicated Arius. This kindling a great fire, Conftantine was applied to, and the famous council of Nice was affembled by the immediate command or precept of Conftantine; and by this and other inftances it appears by whofe authority councils were convened, at that time, and for fome hundreds of years afterwards, but, if you afk Bellarmine, he fays only by the pope, See Chryfoftom, 1. i. Orat. xl. p. 485. not ་ not by the emperor, unless his holiness first approve of it §. And when this council were convened, obferve their ftile, viz. We, here affembled by the grace of God and favour of Conftantine our prince, beloved of God". When this council was called by the fole order of Conftantine, he alfo fat amongst them as prefident; the bishop of Rome was not there, but fent two deputies, ftiled prefbyters. But fo far was he, by his deputies, chief there, that the firft bishop, who opened the matter and gave his opinion, was Euftathius bishop of Antioch; and in the fixth canon of that council for ranking and ordering of bifhops in their places, no mention is made of the pre-eminence of Rome to any other city, but this general phrafe ufed, That every church fhall retain her due bonour +. The number of bifhops in this council were 318, befides vaft numbers of prefbyters, deacons, acolothifts, &c. Eufebius tells us, that fome came to the council with worldly views of gain; and Theodoret, that others were fubtle and crafty, and of a quarrelfome, malicious temper, which appeared immediately upon the opening of the council; for, notwithstanding the emperor was prefent, who admonished them to lay afide all their differences, and to enter into measures of union and peace, they fell to grofs reflections on each other, and raised great disturbances, infomuch that he was obliged to interpofe his authority, and with much perfuafion filenced them. 1 When the emperor had brought them to fome temper, they fell in good earneft to creed-making, and drew up and fubfcribed that which, from the place where they were affembled, was called the Nicene ||. § Lib. i. de Conc. c. xii. See Hift. of Popery, vol, I, p. 25. * Vid. A&t, Concil. Nic. vol. i. + Theodoret, lib. i. 7. By This creed was compofed at this firft general council of Nice, A. D. 325, but it received many additions and alterations at the fecond general council, at Conftantinople, A. D. 381, and therefere might be more properly filed the Conftantinopolitan creed : and By the accounts of the tranfactions in this affembly, given by Athanafius himself in his letter to the African bishops, it appears, that they were determined to infert in the creed fuch words as were moft obnoxious to the Arians, and thus to force them to a public feparation from the church and when thofe of the Arian party propofed in writing to the fynod the form of faith they had drawn up, the bishops of the orthodox fide no fooner read it than they gravely tore it in pieces, and called it a spurious and falfe confeffion, and after they had filled the place with noife and confufion, univerfally accused them of betraying the doctrine according to godlinefs; and when the Arians would have confented to forms of expreffion that were general and leaft exceptionable, the orthodox party would admit of no other phrafes than, That the Son was confubftantial and of the fame fubftance with the Father; and notwithftanding the Arians urged, that this expreffion was unfcriptural, the orthodox would not admit of any alteration; and all the council fubfcribed the creed, (except five bishops, who, befide other objections, were dif pleased with the word Confubftantial;) and the orthodox even proceeded fo far as to cut off from communion all who would not agree to, and fubfcribe this creed. In this public manner did the bishops affert a dominion over the faith and confciences of others, and affumed a power not only to dictate to them what they should believe, but even to anathematize and expel from the Christian church all who refused to submit to their decifions, and own their authority; for after they had and as the Arian or orthodox party prevailed, this creed was cenfured or confirmed in fome of the fucceeding councils for several centuries, The third council of Toledo, which was held in the feventh century, held this creed in great veneration, as more largely condemning all herefies than the apoftles, and ordered that it fhould be always recited by the people before the facrament, to fhew that they are free from herefy, and in strict union with the Catholic church. This creed has been usually read at the beginning of all the general councils Since (a). *Theod. E. H. 1. I. c. viii. (a) Broughton's Article, Nicene creed. carried carried their creed, they proceeded to excommunicate Arius, and his followers, and banished Arius from Alexandria. They alfo condemned his book, called Thalia, which contained his explication of his own doctrine. After this they fent letters to Alexandria, and to the brethren in Egypt, Lybia, and Pentapolis, to acquaint them with their decrees; and to inform them, that the holy fynod had condemned the opinions of Arius, and exhort them to rejoice for the good deeds they had done, in cutting off all manner of heresy. Constantine, after this, difmiffed the council, (not without fome donations to gratify their avarice) recommended to them peace and harmony, and to avoid animofity against fuch as might excel, or be inferior to them he likewife wrote to feveral churches, recommending and enjoining an univerfal conformity to the council's decrees, both in doctrine and ceremonies, ufing this, among other arguments, that what they had decreed was the will of God, and that the agreement of fo great a number of bifhops was by infpiration of the Holy Ghoft. But it is very natural to remark, after the anathemas and depofitions agreed on by this council, which were the beginning of all the perfecutions that afterwards raged, with how little propriety the dignity of infpiration was applied to them. Many unhappy confequences very foon took place; for when the Emperor's recommending to the churches a fubmiffion to their decrees was not effectual, more violent measures were made ufe of; for out of his great zeal to extinguish herefy, he put forth public edicts against the authors and maintainers of it; against the Novatians, Valentinians, Marcionites, and others; ordained that the books written by any of them fhould be burnt; and if any kept them in their poffeffion, or ens deavoured to counteract his edict, they should, on conviction thereof, fuffer death. Thus the orthodox first brought in the punishment of herefy with death, and perfuaded the emperor to deftroy those whom they could not easily convert. The scriptures 2 |