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of Conftantius, was more than usually violent in compelling men to fubfcribe to the creed of the court. To enable him to effect this defign, the civil and military powers were directed to obey his commands;' and the facraments of the church,' fays Mr. Gibbon", were administered to the reluctant victims, who denied the ' vocation, and abhorred the principles, of Macedonius. The rites of baptism were conferred on women and children, who, for that purpose, had been torn from 'the arms of their friends and parents; the mouths of 'the communicants were held open by a wooden engine, ' while the confecrated bread was forced down their 'throats; the breasts of tender virgins were either burnt 'with red-hot egg-fhells, or inhumanly compressed between sharp and heavy boards.-The principal affiftants of Macedonius, in the work of persecution, were "the two bishops of Nicomedia and Cyzicus.'

Every honeft man is accustomed to express his indig. nation at the barbarous policy adopted by the court of Rome, when its emiffaries defolated the towns of the Albigenfes, and endeavoured to extirpate hèrefy by the torch and the fword. But their conduct was by no means unprecedented. Of those who styled themselves the followers of Jefus in the fourth century, fome blushed not to be the authors of fimilar outrages. Macedonius", being informed that a large district of Paphla

7 Vol. III. p. 396.

79 The manner in which he obtained power correfponded to the manner in which he used it. As the claims and the principles of Macedonius were odious to the citizens of Constantinople, he was surrounded with troops of guards with drawn fwords, as he paffed through the streets of that capital in order to be confecrated. The military proceffion ad⚫vanced towards the cathedral; the Arians and the Catholics eagerly 'rushed to occupy that important post; and 3150 persons lost their lives in the confusion of the tumult. Macedonius, who was supported by a

regular force, obtained a decifive victory.' Gibbon, vol. III. p. 394.

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gonia was almost entirely inhabited by the Novatians, who refused to profefs his peculiar tenets, ' refolved ' either to convert or to extirpate them; and as he dis'trufted, on this occafion, the efficacy of an ecclefiaftical miffion, he commanded a body of four thousand 'legionaries to march against the rebels, and to reduce the territory of Mantinium under his spiritual dominion. The Novatian peafants, animated by defpair and religious fury, boldly encountered the invaders of their country; and though many of the Paphlagonians were 'flain, the Roman legions were vanquished by an irre'gular multitude, armed only with scythes and axes; and, except a few who escaped by an ignominious flight, four thousand foldiers were left dead on the field of battle. The fucceffor of Conftantius has expreffed, ⚫ in a concife but lively manner, fome of the theological calamities which afflicted the empire, and more espe! cially the East, in the reign of a prince who was the 'flave of his own paffions, and of those of his eunuchs. "Many were imprisoned, and perfecuted, and driven "into exile. Whole troops of those who are called "heretics were maffacred, particularly at Cyzicus, and "at Samofata. In Paphlagonia, Bithynia, Galatia, and "in many other provinces, towns and villages were laid wafte, and utterly destroyed."

66

When all that has been stated is confidered; and it is moreover recollected, that fuperftition, and profligacy, and spiritual tyranny, continued to gain ground, and to become yet more firmly established, during the 5th, the 6th, and the 7th centuries; the impartial and difpaffionate inquirer cannot I think but be of opinion, that bp. Newton, when he infinuated that the man of fin

was

to Julian. Epiftol. LII. p. 436. edit. Spanheim.

• Himself an advocate and enforcer of perfecution, bp. Newton was

not

was not fully manifefted before the 8th century, has given fanation to an error, which admits of the cleareft confutation. That a prelate, of fuch fagacity and hiftoric research, fhould have countenanced à statement fo palpably erroneous, needs not however awaken furprize; for he plainly perceived, that the admiffion of the contrary opinion would draw after it confequences, which prudence would recommend to be kept out of fight, as being unwelcome and inconvenient to every advocate of every hierarchy. If the prophecy of the man of fin be once admitted to be of general application; if it can be fatisfactorily proved from ecclesiastical history, that the terms of this prophecy correfpond not only to the Roman pontiffs, but that it was also exactly fulfilled, prior to the acknowledgment of their fupremacy*, in many different places, and by many different perfons; there will certainly be ftrong reafons for fufpecting, that neither can thofe churches be unconcerned in the fulfilment of the apostolic prediction, which, in later times, have not only afferted the fame impious claims over the confcience and the thoughts, as the churches of Rome and Antioch and Conftantinople have done, but have likewife imitated in their established conftitution the former of those apoftate churches, and derived from her their articles and creeds, their difcipline and ceremonies.

I shall conclude the appendix with some admirable

not likely to be much shocked by the intolerant practices of the 4th, the ath, the 6th, and the 7th centuries. In proof of the charge which I here bring forward against the prelate, I appeal to his own Works (fee his Life, p. 88), and to the conclufion of ch. xiv.

"In the fourth century,' fays Dr. Apthorp,' the bishop of Rome had ⚫ only the rank of a metropolitan over his own province within the limits of 100 miles from Rome: he derived his rank from the imperial city, • but was not fuperior to other metropolitans, was not the patriarch of all 'the western churches, much lefs the monarch of the Chriftian world.' Serm, vol. II. p. 193.

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obfervations of one of the most fair, candid, and unprejudiced writers that ever lived. When fuperadded to the facts already stated, they are, I think, fufficient to decide the question before proposed: Did that much applauded prince, Constantine the great, upon the whole render fervice to the caufe of Chriftianity?

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If," fays Dr. Lardner,' you make use of any methods, befides 'those of rational arguments, to induce men to profess ' and act as you defire, you do what lies in your power ⚫ to make them lie and prevaricate. So did' the council of Nice.' This council introduced authority and 'force in the church, and the affairs of religion. Or, if authority had been introduced before, they now openly ⚫ countenanced it, and gave it a farther fanction. This 'way of acting may be fuppofed to have been the chief 'cause of the ruin of the Chriftian intereft in the East.

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This and the like determinations of fpeculative doctrines, and the violent methods, by which they were ' enforced, may be reckoned to have paved the way for Mahometanism, more than any thing else. By these 'means ignorance, and hypocrify, and tedious rituals, came to take place of honefty, true piety, and undifsembled, spiritual and reasonable worship and devotion. • In about 300 years after the afcension of Jesus, without 'the aids of fecular power, or church-authority, the 'Chriftian religion spread over a large part of Afia, Europe, and Africa: and at the acceffion of Conftantine, and convening the council of Nice, it was almost every where, throughout thofe countries, in a flourishing con'dition. In the space of another goo years, or a little more, the beauty of the Chriftian religion was greatly corrupted in a large part of that extent, its glory de'faced, and its light almost extinguifhed. What can this 'be so much owing to, as to the determinations and tranfactions of the council of Nice, and the meafures

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then fet on foot, and followed in fucceeding times? These impofitions poifon the waters of the fanctuary at the very fountain. They require the minifters of Chrift, the officers of his church, to subscribe certain ⚫ articles upon pain of heavy forfeitures: and a subscription to these articles, whether believed or not, gives a right to preferment. If any subscribe what they are not fatisfied about, and fo enter into the service of the church (which is very likely to happen), they gain and hold their offices by the tenor of hypocrify. How can religion flourish in this way? Will the perfons, who ⚫ have so subscribed (without conviction or against it), be 'fincere and upright ever afterwards? Will they, upon ⚫ all other occafions, speak the truth without fear or favour, who have once folemnly and deliberately preva'ricated? And can others entirely confide in them; or can they heartily reverence them, as upright and difin• terefted men 83?'

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ON THE SYMBOLIC BABYLON.

THE prophecies, which relate to the fymbolic Babylon, conftitute far too extenfive a portion of the apocalypfe to be completely and minutely confidered in the present work. To fome of them, I am, however, induced to direct the attention of the reader, not only on account of their connexion with the subject of the last chapter, but because I am perfuaded, that attentively to examine all this clafs of St. John's predictions is to be

come

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