II. PART II. CENT. to live in his presence for ever. As Ammonius was born and educated among the Christians, he set off and even gave an air of authority to these injunctions, by expressing them partly in terms borrowed from the sacred scriptures, of which we find a vast number of citations also in the writings of his disciples. To this austere discipline, he added the pretended art of so purging and refining that faculty of the mind which receives the images of things, as to render it capable of perceiving the demons, and of performing many marvellous things by their assistance. This art, which the disciples of Ammonius called theurgy, was not, however, communicated to all the schools of this fanatical philosopher, but only to those of the first rank. His opi nions conGod and cerning Christ. XI. The extravagant attempts of Ammonius did not cease here. To reconcile the popular religions of different countries, and particularly the Christian, with this new system, he fell upon the following inventions: 1st, He turned into a mere allegory the whole history of the gods, and maintained, that those beings whom the priests and people dignified with this title were no more than celestial ministers, to whom a certain kind of worship was due; but a worship inferior to that which was to be reserved for the Supreme Deity. 2dly, He acknowledged Christ to be a most excellent man, the friend of God, the admirable theurge; he denied, however, that Jesus designed to abolish entirely the worship of demons, and of the other ministers of divine Providence; and affirmed, on the contrary, that his only intention was to purify the ancient religion, and that his followers had manifestly corrupted the doctrine of their divine Master [n]. [n] What we have here mentioned concerning the doctrines and opinions of Ammonius is gathered from the writings and II. XII. This new species of philosophy, impru- CENT dently adopted by Origen and many other Chris- PART II. tians, was extremely prejudicial to the cause of the gospel, and to the beautiful simplicity of its The perni celestial doctrines. For hence it was, that the cious effects Christian doctors began to introduce their subtle of this philosophy. and obscure erudition into the religion of Jesus, to involve in the darkness of a vain philosophy some of the principal truths of Christianity, that had been revealed with the utmost plainness, and were indeed obvious to the meanest capacity; and to add to the divine precepts of our Lord many of their own, which had no sort of foundation in any part of the sacred writings. From the same source arose that melancholy set of men, who have been distinguished by the name of Mystics, whose system, when separated from the Platonic doctrine concerning the nature and origin of the soul, is but a lifeless mass, without any vigour, form, or consistence. Nor did the evils which sprung from this Ammonian philosophy end here. For, under the specious pretext of the necessity of contemplation, it gave occasion to that slothful and indolent course of life, which continues to be led by myriads of monks retired in cells, and sequestered from society, to which they are neither useful by their instructions, nor by their examples. To this philosophy we may trace, as to their source, a multitude of vain and foolish ceremonies, proper only to cast a veil over truth, and to nourish disputations of his disciples, who are known by the name of the Modern Platonics. This philosopher has left nothing in writing behind him; nay, he imposed a law upon his disciples not to divulge his doctrines among the multitude, which law, however, they made no scruple to neglect and violate. See Porphyr. Vit. Plotini, cap. iii. p. 97. edit. Fabricii, lib. iv. Biblioth. Græca. At the same time, there is no sort of doubt, but, that all these inventions belong properly to Ammonius, whom all the latter Platonics acknowledge as the founder of their sect, and the author of their philosophy. II. CENT. Superstition; and which are, for the most part, religiously observed by many, even in the times in PART II which we live. It would be endless to enumerate The state all the pernicious consequences that may be justly attributed to this new philosophy, or rather to this monstrous attempt to reconcile falsehood with truth, and light with darkness. Some of its most. fatal effects were, its alienating the minds of many, in the following ages, from the Christian religion; and its substituting, in the place of the pure and sublime simplicity of the gospel, an unseemly mixture of Platonism and Christianity. XIII. The number of learned men among the of learning Christians, which was very small in the preceding Christians. century, grew considerably in this. Among these among there were few rhetoricians, sophists, or orators. The most part were philosophers attached to the Eclectic system, though they were not all of the same sentiments concerning the utility of letters and philosophy. Those who were themselves initiated into the depths of philosophy were desirous that others, particularly such as aspired to the offices of bishops or doctors, should apply themselves to the study of human wisdom, in order to their being the better qualified for defending the truth with vigour, and instructing the ignorant with success. Others were of a quite different way of thinking upon this subject, and were for banishing all argumentation and philosophy from. the limits of the church, from a notion that erudition might prove detrimental to the true spirit of religion. Hence the early beginnings of that unhappy contest between faith and reason, religion and philosophy, piety and genius, which increased in the succeeding ages, and is prolonged, even to our times, with a violence that renders it extremely difficult to be brought to a conclusion. Those who maintained that learning and philosophy were rather advantageous than detrimental to the cause II. of religion, gained, by degrees, the ascendant; CENT. and in consequence thereof, laws were enacted, which excluded the ignorant and illiterate from PART II. the office of public teachers. The opposite side of the question was not, however, without defenders; and the defects and vices of learned men and philosophers contributed much to increase their number, as will appear in the progress of this history. CHAPTER II. Concerning the Doctors and Ministers of the govern I. THE form of ecclesiastical government, whose The form commencement we have seen in the last cen- of church tury, was brought in this to a greater degree ment. of stability and consistence. One inspector, or bishop, presided over each Christian assembly, to which office he was elected by the voices of the whole people. In this post he was to be watchful and provident, attentive to the wants of the church, and careful to supply them. To assist him in this laborious province, he formed a council of presbyters, which was not confined to any fixed number, and to each of these he distributed his task, and appointed a station, in which he was to promote the interests of the church. To the bishops and presbyters, the ministers or deacons were subject; and the latter were divided into a variety of classes, as the different exigencies of the church required. vincial II. During a great part of this century, the Association Christian churches were independent of each of the proother; nor were they joined together by associa-churches. tion, confederacy, or any other bonds but those of charity. Each Christian assembly was a little VOL. I. N II. PART II. CENT. state, governed by its own laws, which were either enacted, or, at least, approved by the society. But, in process of time, all the Christian churches of a province were formed into one large ecclesiastical body, which, like confederate states, assembled at certain times, in order to deliberate about the common interests of the whole. This institution had its origin among the Greeks, with whom nothing was more common than this confederacy of independent states, and the regular assemblies which met, in consequence thereof, at fixed times, and were composed of the deputies of each respective state. But these ecclesiastical associations were not long confined to the Greeks; their great utility was no sooner perceived, than they became universal, and were formed in all Origin of places where the gospel had been planted [o]. To these assemblies, in which the deputies or commissioners of several churches consulted together, the name of synods was appropriated by the Greeks, and that of councils by the Latins; and the laws that were enacted in these general meetings were called canons, i. e. rules. councils. The autho bishops by these councils. III. These councils, of which we find not the rity of the smallest trace before the middle of this century, augmented changed the whole face of the church, and gave it a new form; for by them the ancient privileges of the people were considerably diminished, and the power and authority of the bishops greatly augmented. The humility, indeed, and prudence of these pious prelates prevented their assuming all at once the power with which they were afterwards invested. At their first appearance in these general councils, they acknowledged that they were no more than the delegates of their respective churches, and that they acted in the name and by the appointment of their people. But they soon [o] Tertullian, Lib. de Jejuniis, cap. xiii. p. 711. |