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Arabia, Syria, and elsewhere.

The sect of the

Monophysites, (that is, they who held to the one nature in Christ, and who veered to the opposite extreme from the Nestorians,) were also numerous in the East. About the middle of the century, this sect was greatly revived and strengthened, by the most indefatigable labour and perseverance of one Jacobus, an indigent monk, who travelled over all the East for this purpose. From him, as the sec. ond father of the sect, all the Monophysites in the East are called Jacobites. There were a number of mooted points, about which the Monophysites disagreed and disputed among themselves. Some Isaid that the Divine nature had so insinuated itself into the body of Christ, from the very moment of his conception, that his body became changed in its nature so as to be incorruptible. Others held that the body of Christ was corruptible, but owing to the influence of the Divine nature, was never in fact corrupted. They disputed also whether the body of Christ was created or uncreated. Another discussion related to the degree of knowledge that pertained to the human nature of Christ—or rather, to Christ, as partaking of human nature. From the controversies with the Monophysites, arose the sect called Tritheists; because they held that there were in God, three numerically distinct natures or substances, all perfectly alike, and con

Protestants; but in celebrating it, they use salt and oil. At the time of baptism, they anoint the body of the infant with oil. These two ceremonies, with that of the consecration of priests. are the only sacraments which they acknowledge. Their priests are distinguished by the tonsure, and are allowed to marry. Their churches contain, except the cross, no symbols nor pictures. They are in number about eighty thousand, and are unde: the British government, free from any ecclesiastical restraint.

nected by no common chain or vinculum. In matters of this sort, there has, in every age, been a strong propensity in man, to be wise above what is written; and this is the source of more than half the disputes, that in former, as well as in modern times, have rent and deformed the church.

CENTURY VII

1. Extension of Christianity.-2. Mohammedism.-3. Litera ture.-4. The Roman church receives the title of head of all the churches.-5. State of religion.-6. Sects.—7. Mon、 othelites.

I. IN the seventh century, Christianity continued to extend its influences, both in the East and in the West. The Nestorians in Persia, Syria, and India, laboured with great industry, to propagate Christianity among the barbarous and savage nations, inhabiting the deserts, and remotest shores of Asia. There is abundant evidence, that in this century there were many Christians in China, over whom, for several subsequent centuries, a metropolitan presided, sent out by the Nestorian patriarch. "It is the constant tradition of the Syrian Christians, that St. Thomas the apostle, made an excursion to China; and the Christians of Malabar celebrate the event in their ordinary worship; and their primate styled himself metropolitan of Hindostan and China, when the Portuguese first knew them."

In England, Ethelbert, king of Kent, had been converted to Christianity near the close of the last

centu. y. In the course of this century, the other six kings, forming the Saxon Hepta chy, came over, one after another, and Britain became entirey Christian. The conversion of these Saxon kings, seems to have been effected very much, by the influence of their Christian wives. Paulinus, in the year 627, is said to have baptized twelve thousand Northumbrians in one day, in the river Swale, near Richmond. “A great dispute arose about the tonsure of priests, (whether only a considerable spot, or the whole head, except a circular margin, should be shaved,) and about the time of holding Easter-those north of the Thames following the Irish or Gaelic ritual, and those south of it the Roman-a conference was held on these subjects, at Whitby, in the year 664. Here Osway, king of Northumberland, learning from the Romish party, that St. Peter had the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and that the other party could not deny that fact, declared he would not offend St. Peter, lest when he arrived at the gates of heaven, he should find that the door-keeper would not open to him. This wise thought decided the question with the majority." Columbanus, St. Ġall, St. Kilian, and other zealous missionaries, extended Christianity among the tribes of Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, &c. that were still pagans. The Jews in many places, were cruelly treated, and often reluctantly compelled to receive baptism, and to make an outward profession of their belief in Christ.

II. Christianity did not suffer much persecution in this century; but a new and most powerful enemy started up in Arabia, A. D. 612, in the person of Mohammed. He professed to be the prophet of God, sent to overthrow all polytheism; and also to

purge and reform, first, the religion of the Arabs, and next, those of the Jews and Christians. Mohammed at first treated Christians with mildness, but afterwards with great cruelty. This extraordinary delusion was propagated with great rapidity, and to great extent; and exists down to the present day, over an extent of country, perhaps not less than Christendom itself. "The causes of the rapid propagation of this new religion among so many nations, are not difficult to be discovered. In the first place, the terror of arms, which Mohammed and his successors carried with great success into different countries, compelled vast multitudes to receive his law. In the next place, his law itself was admirably adapted to the natural dispositions of men, and especially to the manners the opinions, and the vices prevalent among the people of the East; for it was extremely simple, proposing very few things to be believed; nor did it enjoin inany and difficult duties to be performed, or such as laid severe restraints on the propensities of men. Moreover, the consummate ignorance, which characterized, for the most part, the Arabians, the Syrians, the Persians, and other nations of the East, gave a bold and eloquent man ready access to the minds of immense multitudes. We may add, that the virulent contests among the Christians, Greeks, Nestorians, Eutychians, and Monc physi.es, which filled a large part of the East with carnage and horrible crimes, rendered their religion odious in the eyes of many. And the Monophysites and Nestorians, whom the Greeks oppressed most grievously, rendered assistance to the Arabians, and thus facilitated their conquest of some provinces. Other causes will suggest themselves to those who consider attentively the state

or the word, and the character of the Mohammedan religion."

III. Learning, in this age, was at a very low ebb, and philosophy almost extinct; especially in the West. What little learning still existed, was confined chiefly to the cloisters of the monks. The laws forbade any one to be made an abbot, unless he had some learning; and the monks were required to devote some portion of every day to reading. It was rare to find any one among the bishops, who was capable of composing his own discourses. They contented themselves for the most part, with garbled extracts from Augustine, Gregory, and others. One exception there was, in Theodorus, a Cilician, who, in 668, was made bishop of Canterbury. He was a man of learning, and gave an impulse to the cause of letters among the Anglo-Saxon clergy. He introduced a fine library of Latin and Greek works into England. The writers of this century are of very inferior character, and need not be mentioned. Few undertook to interpret Scripture; and they, with very little success. Books on practical religion were chiefly filled up with legends of saints, calculated only to cherish superstition.

IV. The contest for pre-eminence between the prelates of Rome and Constantinople, was still kept up. The pontiff of Rome, Boniface III. obtained a decree from the tyrant Phocas, who had seized upon the imperial crown, after the murder of the emperor Mauritius, "that the Romish church, the apostolic seat of the blessed apostle Peter, should be the head of all the churches." The Roman pontiffs struggled hard, by every means in their power, to increase and extend their authority; but as yet it was far from being universally acknow

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