III. PART II.

to succeed FABIANUS in the see of Rome, NoVA-C E N T. TIAN opposed the election of CORNELIUS with the greatest activity and bitterness. His opposition, however, was in vain, for CORNELIUS was chosen to that eminent office of which his distinguished merit rendered him so highly worthy.. NOVATIAN, upon this, separated himself from the jurisdiction of CORNELIUS, who, in his turn, called a council at Rome, in the year 251, and cut off NOVATIAN and his partisans from the communion of the church. This turbulent man, being thus excommunicated, erected a new society, of which he was the first bishop; and which, on account of the severity of its discipline, was followed by many, and flourished, until the fifth century, in the greatest part of those provinces which had received the gospel. The chief person who assisted NOVATIAN in this enterprize, was NOVATUS, a Carthaginian presbyter, a man of no principles, who, during the heat of this controversy, had come from Carthage to Rome, to escape the resentment and excommunication of Cyprian, his bishop, with whom he was highly at variance.

Novatians

XVIII. There was no difference, in point of The severi doctrine, between the Novatians and otherty of the Christians. What peculiarly distinguished them against the was, their refusing to re-admit to the communion lapsed. of the church, those who, after baptism, had fallen into the commission of heinous crimes, though they did not pretend, that even such were excluded from all possibility or hopes of salvation. They considered the Christian church as a society where virtue and innocence reigned universally, and none of whose members, from their entrance into it, had defiled themselves with any enormous crime; and, of consequence, they looked upon every society, which re-admitted heinous offenders to its communion, as unworthy of the title

X 3

of

PART II.

CEN T. of a true Christian church. It was from hence, III. also, that they assumed the title of Cathari, i. e. the pure; and what shewed still a more extravagant degree of vanity and arrogance, they obliged such as came over to them from the general body of Christians, to submit to be baptized a second time, as a necessary preparation for entering into their society. For such deep root had their favourite opinion concerning the irrevocable rejection of heinous offenders taken in their minds, and so great was its influence upon the sentiments they entertained of other Christian societies, that they considered the baptism administered in those churches which received the lapsed to their communion, even after the most sincere and undoubted repentance, as absolutely divested of the power of imparting the remission of sins [7].

[7] EUSEBIUS, Hist. Eccles. lib. vi. cap. xliii. p. 242. CYPRIANUS variis Epistolis, xlix. lii. &c. ALBASPINEUS, Observat. Eccles. lib. ii. cap. xx, xxi. Jos. Aug. Orsi, De criminum capital. inter veteres Christianos absolutione, p. 254. KNECKEL, De bæresi Novatiana.

AN

ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.

BOOK THE SECOND,

CONTAINING THE

STATE OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

FROM THE TIME OF

CONSTANTINE THE GREAT

ΤΟ

CHARLEMAGNE.

THE

FOURTH CENTURY,

PART I.

The EXTERNAL HISTORY of the CHURCH.

CHAPTER I.

Concerning the prosperous and calamitous events which happened to the church during this century.

I. THA

IV.

I

HAT I may not separate facts, which C E N T. are intimately connected with each O-PART L ther, I have judged it expedient to combine, in the same chapter, the prosperous and calamitous events that happened to the church during this century, instead of treating them separately, as I have hitherto done. This combination, which presents things in their natural relations, as causes or effects, is, undoubtedly, the principal circumstance that renders history truly interesting. In following, however, this plan, the order of time shall also be observed with as much accuracy as this interesting combination of events will admit of.

enjoys peace

In the beginning of this century, the Roman The church empire was under the dominion of four chiefs, at the enof whom two, DIOCLETIAN and MAXIMIAN trance of HERCULEUS, were of superior dignity, distinguished each by the title of

and were AUGUSTUS;

while

this centu ry.