that worship and adoration were to be given only to God." In these controversies, the Britons, Germans, and French, took a middle ground. They held that images should be retained in the churches; but that religious worship could not be offered to them, without dishonouring the Supreme Being Charlemagne, therefore, in the year 794, assembled a council of three hundred bishops, at Frankfort on the Maine. This council forbade the worship of images. The western bishops, with their emperor, had not yet learned to yield implicit submission to the Roman pontiff.

Another subject of contention arose in this century, viz: respecting the procession of the Holy Spirit. This was still more warmly agitated in the following century, and accelerated the separa. tion of the eastern and western churches.

The ancient sects, the Arians, Manichæans, Marcionites, Nestorians, Monophysites, and Monothelites, still existed, and even revived, in many parts of the East. Considerable disturbance was produced in the West, near the close of this century, by Felix, bishop of Urgel in Spain. He held that Christ, as God, was by nature, and truly, the Son of God; but as man, he was the Son of God, only in name, and by adoption. This was thought to savour of the Nestorian error, of two natures in Christ; he was required to revoke his opinions, which he ostensibly did. His followers were call. ed Adoptionists

CENTURY IX.

1. The Church still extended in the West.-2. Saracens and Normans.-3. Ignorance and corrupt lives of the clergy.4. Pope Joanna.-5. Power and profligacy of the Pontiffs.6. Monkery.-7. Relics.-8. Learning and theology.-9. Con. troversies.-10. Grace and Predestination.-11. Contests be tween the pontiffs of Rome and Constantinople—12. Rites and ceremonies.-13. Ancient sects.

I. IN the ninth century, Christianity continued to spread among the nations of Europe. Charlemagne, until his death, A. D. 814, omitted no means which he deemed requisite, to propagate and establish Christianity among the Huns, Saxons, Frieslanders, and others. The means employed, however, it is to be regretted, were not always justifiable. Rewards and promises, and sometimes force, were employed. Some presbyters sent into Carinthia, in lower Pannonia, adopted the following expedient, which was very successful. They allowed Christian slaves to sit at table with them, while their pagan masters had to eat their bread and meat without the doors, and had to drink out of black cups, whereas the servants drank from gilded cups. For the presbyters told the masters" You unbaptized persons are not worthy to eat with those that are baptized." Lewis the Meek, the son and successor of Charlemagne, was not less zealous in propagating Christianity, than his father. By him missionaries were sent into Denmark a 'd Sweden,

who laboured with much success. Missionaries were also sent from Constantinople, by the empress Theodora, who taught the Mosians, Bulgarians, and Gazari, and afterwards the Bohemians and Moravians, to renounce their false gods, and embrace Christ. The Greek emperor Basil, mfluenced the warlike Russians, by presents and other means, when he had made a peace with them, to admit Christian teachers, and an archbishop among them, which was the commencement of Christianity in that country. The missionaries that went among the heathen in this age, are said to have been men of more piety and virtue, for the most part, than those who undertook the conversion of the pagans in the preceding century. Yet the religion which they inculcated, was far from that simple rule of truth and holiness, which the apostles taught, and was adulterated by many human additions. Among the nations which they converted, too many relics of the old superstitions were suffered to remain. This, as we have seen, had been the principal source of the corruption of Christianity, down from the apostles' times; and in this way, indeed, it came finally, in its external rites and forms, and too often in its spirit also, to resemble much more those systems of paganism, to which it succeeded, than that pure, simple system of faith and worship, inculcated by Christ and his apostles.

II. In Asia, Africa, Spain, and even Italy, the Christians suffered much in this century from the Saracens. Many renounced Christianity and embraced the religion of their conquerors, for the sake of peace; and they who did not, sunk into very great ignorance and indifference, retaining almost nothing of Christianity, except the name,

and few religious rites. The Normans, a fierce and barbarous people, inhabiting the shores of the Baltic, in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, had long practised piracy along the coasts of the German and Gallic oceans. But in this century, they became much more bold, and made frequent incursions into Germany, Britain, Friesland, and especially France, plundering and devastating with fire and sword wherever they came. These inroads they extended sometimes as far as Spain, and even Italy. They destroyed and plundered many churches and monasteries in all these countries. For in these places were deposited large treasures, partly belonging to the establishments, and partly deposited there for safe keeping.

III. There is a general complaint by the historians of this age, of the ignorance and ungodly lives of the clergy and monks. Such was the ignorance of the clergy in many places, that few of them were able to read or write, or to express their thoughts with accuracy and precision. In the council of Pavia, A. D. 850, bishops were forbidden to keep hounds and horses for hunting; or to have superfluous trains of horses and mules, and gaudy dresses, for vain display. The council of Aix-la-Chapelle, A. D. 836, forbade bishops getting drunk. They complain that some neglected their charges, and travelled here and there, not from necessity, but to gratify their avarice or love of pleasure. Of the presbyters, and inferior clergy, they complain that they kept women in their houses, to the scandal of the ministry, notwithstanding the attempts of former councils and princes to remove the evil. Also, that presbyters turn bailiffs, frequent taverns, pursue filthy lucre, practise usury, conduct shamefully and lewdly in the

houses the visit, and do not blush to indulge in revelry and drunkenness. They say of the nunneries, that in some places, they seemed to be rather brothels than monasteries. The council of Mentz, A. D. 888, decreed that the clergy be wholly for. bidden to have females resident in their houses.

Various causes operated to produce this ignorart and degraded state of the clergy; among others, such as the following-the calamities of the times, occasioned by the incursions and depredations of the plundering Normans, and the perpetual wars between Lewis the Meek, and his sons and posterity; the gross ignorance of the nobility, and the vast wealth possessed by the churches and monasteries. If the son of a high nobleman wanted energy and talent necessary to qualify him for other employments, an elevated place was sought for him among the dignitaries of the church. The patrons of churches, not wishing to have their own vices reproved and exposed, gave the prefer. ence to weak, ignorant, and inefficient men, for parish ministers, and guardians of the souls of men. The bishops and heads of the monasteries, held much real or landed estate, by feudal tenure; and therefore, whenever a war broke out, they were summoned to the field with the quota of soldiers which they were bound to furnish to their sove. reigns.

IV. Between Leo IV. who died, A. D. 855, and Benedict III., a woman, it is said, who concealed her sex, and assumed the name of John, made good her way to the pontifical throne by her learn ing and genius, and governed the church for more than two years, with reputation. The truth of this story has been much disputed; and both sides of the question have had many and able advocates,