she had other children by Joseph, after the birth of the Saviour, and is not therefore still a virg.n.3. They did not celebrate the Lord's supper; that is, they did not use the superstitious additions to it then observed.-4. They loaded the cross with contumely; that is, they refused to worship the wood of the cross.-5. They rejected, as did nearly all the Gnostics, the books composing the Old Testament.-6. They excluded presbyters from the administrations of the church. They who are acquainted with the spirit of controversy, especially among the dominant party, in an intolerant age, can judge how little such charges are to be depended on, when the accused party are not heard.

CENTURY X.

1. External state of Christianity.-2. Literature.-3. Wretched morals of the clergy.-4. Doctrinal perversions and extravagances.-5. Ceremonies.-6. Paulicians.

I. It is agreed on all hands, that the state of Christianity in the tenth century, was most wretched. Ignorance and superstition abounded; the state of morals, both amongst the clergy and laity, was extremely low; priestcraft was the order of the day; and vital godliness was scarcely to be found. Yet the church continued to extend her borders. "The Nestorians, living in Chaldea, introduced Christianity into Tartary proper, beyond mount Imaus, where the people lived entirely uncultivated and uncivilized. Near the end of the century, the same sect spread the knowledge of

the gospel among that powerful horde of Tartars or Turks, which was called Karit and which bordered on Cathay or the northern part of China." It seems that a considerable part of Tartary, or Asiatic Scythia, from this time, lived under bishops sent among them by the pontiff of the Nestorians. Poland and Russia received Christianity in this century. The Christian worship was established in Hungary, near the close of this century, by Stephen, one of their chieftains, whose zeal and activity in the cause, procured him the honour and title of Saint. Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Orkney islands, Iceland, and Greenland, received Christianity during this century; also several of the provinces of Germany, where paganism had still existed. Toward the close of this century the kings and princes of Europe, began to think of the project of a holy war, to be waged against the Mohammedans, for the purpose of wresting out of their hands, the Holy Land. Christians were still harassed by the Saracens, and the nations that were still pagan. Some of these, as Denmark, until subdued by Otto the Great, the Prussians, Slavonians, and Bohemians, aboured with great violence to root out Christianity; and frequently laid waste with fire and sword, in the most distressing manner, the neighbouring provinces, in which it had been received. Their own peace and safety was a strong motive to Christian princes to use all means in their power for the conversion of those nations that were still pagan.

II. The tenth century, with regard to literature, may with propriety be called the iron age. Leo the Wise, and his son Constantine, emperors of the Fast, ultivated learning themselves, and were so

citous to revive literature and the arts But there were few of the Greeks who copied their example. In Egypt, though groaning under oppression, there were some learned men, particularly Eutychius, bishop of Alexandria. Among the Latins, schools existed in the monasteries, and in the cities in which the bishops resided; but little else was taught in them, than such learning as was thought to be of importance in matters of religion. Near the end of the century, the cause of learning was promoted in Europe, by Gerbert, a Frenchman; known among the Roman pontiffs as bearing the name of Sylvester II. He was a man of great genius, and pursued successfully all branches of learning, Gerbert went into Spain, as was common in this age, to enjoy the instructions of the Arabian doctors. For the knowledge of medicine, philosophy, astronomy, and mathematics that existed from the tenth century onwards, Europe is chiefly indebted to the Saracens, or Arabs of Spain.

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III. The profligacy and wickedness of the clergy of this age were truly wonderful. Nothing is more incontrovertible," says Mosheim, "than that the clergy, both in the East and in the West, were composed principally of men who were illiterate, stupid, ignorant of every thing pertaining to religion, libidinous, superstitious, and flagitious. Nor can any one doubt, that those who wished to be regarded as the fathers and guardians of the universal church, were the principal cause of these evils. Nothing certainly can be conceived of, so filthy, or so criminal and wicked, that these supreme bishops of the church would deem incompatible with their characters; nor was any government ever so loaded with vices o every kind, as

was tha which bore the appellation of the most holy." Theophylact, metropolitan of Constantinople, made traffic of every thing sacred, and cared for nothing but his hounds and horses. It is said that he kept two thousand horses, which he fed on nuts and fruits, steeped in odorous wine! The following is the language of Baronius, a distinguished Roman Catholic writer, in regard to this period. "It is usual to denominate it the iron age, on account of its barbarism, and barrenness of all good; also the leaden age, on account of abounding wickedness, by which it was deformed; and the dark age, on account of the scarcity of writers. One can scarcely believe, nay absolutely cannot credit, without ocular demonstration, what unworthy conduct, what base and enormous deeds, what execrable and abominable transactions, disgraced the holy catholic see, which is the pivot on which the whole catholic church revolves; when temporal princes, who, though called Christian, were most cruel tyrants, arrogated to themselves the election of the Roman pontiffs. Alas, the shame! Alas, the mischief! What monsters, horrible to behold, were then raised to the holy see, which angels revere ! What evils did they perpetrate; what horrible tragedies ensued! With what pollutions was this see, though itself without spot or wrinkle, then stained; what corruptions infested it; what filthiness defiled it, and hence what marks of perpetual infamy are visible upon it!" Pope John XII. was deposed by a council at Rome, A. D. 963, under charge of many atrocious crimes. Notwithstanding their profligacy and crimes, the Roman pontiffs, by one means and another, continued to gain authority and influence. They began in this age to be styled bishops of the

world, instead of bishops of Rome; and some, even among the French clergy, conceded what had never been heard before, that bishops receive indeed all their power from God, but only through St. Peter. The writers of this century are few, and of little worth.

IV. In this age, the most important doctrines of Christianity were greatly perverted and obscured by human inventions and additions. The essence of religion was supposed to consist in the worship of images, in honouring departed saints, in searching for and preserving sacred relics, and in heaping riches upon the priests and monks. The fires of purgatory, which are to burn out the stains remaining upon human souls after death, were an object of intense dread to all; nay, were more feared than even the punishments of hell. For the latter, it was supposed, might be easily escaped, if they only died rich in the prayers and merits of the priests, or had some saint to intercede for them; but not so the former. This dread of purgatory, which the priests found so convenient to turn to their own account, they endeavoured continually, by their discourses, by fables, and fictitious miracles, to increase as much as possible. Controversy in this leaden age, seems almost to have slept from the mere want of knowledge and ability to carry it on. The doctrine of transubstantiation, was not yet universally adopted, but the Latin doctors held different opinions upon the subject. That it was at that time unknown to the English, has been shown by their public homilies. "Among the opinions which dishonoured and disquieted the Latin churches, in this century, none produced more excitement than the belief that the day of final consumma on was at hand. This be