the most atrocious crimes against the adverse party."

It does not appear, however, that the Donatist bishops, especially the better sort of them, excited or approved the violent and irregular proceedings, which brought great reproach upon their cause. The sect was greatly weakened toward the end of the century, as well by a great schism that arose among themselves, as by the activity and zeal of Augustine against them. The Donatists were in the main orthodox, but held no communion with any not of their party. They re-ordained and re-baptized such as came over to them.

XI. "Not long after the commencement of the Donatist controversy, or in the year 317, another storm arose in Egypt, more pernicious, and of greater consequence, which spread its ravages over the Christian world. The ground of this contest was the doctrine of three persons in the Godhead; a doctrine which, during the three preceding centuries, had not been in all respects, defined." This was called the Arian heresy, from Arius, its principal supporter. "He maintained that the Son is totally and essentially distinct from the Father; that he was only the first and noblest of those created beings whom God the Father formed out of nothing, and the instrument which the Father used in creating this material universe; and therefore, that he was inferior to the Father both in nature and in dignity." Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, distinguished himself as the opposer of the doctrines of Arius; and perhaps was the means, under God, of saving the church from the ruin of that overspreading heresy. A general council was called by order of the emperor Conston ie which met a: Nice, in Bithynia

in the year 325, in order to settle this great controversy. This council, reckoned the first general council, consisted of more than three hundred bishops, with the emperor at their head, who seems to have presided. "In this council, after various altercations and conflicts of the bishops, the doctrine of Arius was condemned, Christ was pronounced to be of the same essence with the Father, Arius was sent into exile in Illyricum, and his followers were compelled to assent to a creed or confession of faith, composed by the council." Some years after, however, through the influence of Constantia, the emperor's sister, and an Arian presbyter whom she recommended to him at her death, Constantine was led to believe that Arius had been wrongfully condemned, through personal enmity, and he recalled him from his banishment. This was like to produce great disturbances, when Arius was taken off by a very sudden and unaccountable death, which was ascribed by his enemies to the judgment of God.His party, however, continued long after his death, and was greatly revived and strengthened under Constantius, one of the three sons and successors of Constantine the Great. The Arians were much weakened by divisions and dissensions among themselves. These divisions were numerous, but the principal of them may be reduced to three. First, the genuine Arians, who rejected all new modes of expression, and taught explicitly that the Son was not begotten by the Father, but created out of nothing. From these deviated on one side, the Semi-Arians, who held that the Son was of like essence with the Father; and on the other side, the Eunomians, who contended that Christ was dissimilar, both in essence, and in

other respects from the Father. Near the end of this century, Theodosius the Great enacted laws against the Arians, and caused the decisions of the Nicene Council to triumph every where Many other heresies of less note arose in this cen tury which I forbear to mention.

CENTURY V.

1. General interests of Christianity.-2. Learning.-3. Form and government of the Church.-4. Degeneracy of the clergy.-5. Monkery.-6. Writers.-7. Theology.-8. Superstitious and human inventions.-9. Mystics.--10. Vigilantius.-11. The Donatists.-12. Arians.-13. Nestorians.14. Eutychians.-15. Pelagians.

I. At the beginning of the fifth century, the Roman Empire was divided into two parts, one of which embraced the eastern, the other the western provinces. Arcadius, the emperor of the East, resided at Constantinople. Honorius, who governed the West, lived at Ravenna, in Italy.

The

The

Empire, thus divided and weakened, and frequently disturbed by jealousies and dissensions between the two rival emperors, was subject to the continual inroads and depredations of the northern barbariars. The Goths laid waste Italy several times, and undered Rome in a miserable manner. fierce and warlike people of Germany overran the fair provinces of the south, Italy, Gaul, and Spain, and set up new kingdoms in them. Horde after horde came down from the prolific north, which has been called the birth place of nations; and at

last, in the year 476, the western empire, under Augustulus, was finally overturned by Odoacer, the chief of the Heruli. These invaders were afterwards, in their turn, vanquished by Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, at the instance of the emperor of the East. This new kingdom of the Ostrogoths, was therefore established in Italy, and under various fortunes, continued for more than half a century, owning some allegiance to the Emperor of the East, but in fact, independent. Amidst these wars, and incursions of the barbarians, Christianity suffered much. There was not

much direct persecution; for the object of these incursions was not religion, but plunder, and to obtain a milder climate and more genial soil. Yet the worshippers of idols, who were still numerous, ceased not to use every means in their power to inflame the barbarians against the Christians; and in Gaul and elsewhere, the Goths and Vandals are said to have put multitudes to death.

The ancient Britons, no longer sustained by the Roman power, were miserably harassed by the Picts and Scots. To assist them against these troublesome neighbours, they called over the Anglo-Saxons from Germany to their aid, A. D. 449. But the remedy they soon found to be worse than .he disease. These foreign auxiliaries undertook to subdue the people whom they had come to assist. This produced obstinate and bloody wars between them, which lasted with various successes, for one hundred and thirty years, when the Britons were compelled finally to yield up their country to the Anglo-Saxons, and retreat to Batavia and Cambria, the modern Holland and Wales. During these conflicts, the British church was in a deplorable condition. The Anglo-Sax.

ons, who as yet worshipped their own gods, although they did not directly persecute the Christians, yet showed them no mercy, and put multitudes of them to death.

"In Persia, the Christians suffered grievously in consequence of the rash zeal of Abdas, bishop of Suza, who demolished the Pyræum, a temple dedicated to fire. For being commanded by the king to rebuild it, he refused to comply: for which he was put to death in the year 414, and the churches of the Christians were levelled to the ground." Afterwards, in a war between the Persians and Romans, vast multitudes of Christians were put to death with cruel tortures, under pretence that they were friendly to the Romans, and wished to betray their country. The Jews, also, many of whom were possessed of wealth and influence, in various parts of the East, harassed and oppressed the Christians, by all means in their power.

Christianity, however, continued to spread and gain influence. In the East, it was strongly protected by law. The emperors continued their ef forts to extirpate what still remained of idolatry. Especially Theodosius the younger, who reigned from A. D. 408 to 450, enacted various laws requiring the idolatrous temples to be utterly destroy. ed, or to be dedicated to Christ and the saints; abrogating the pagan ceremonies and rites; and excluding the adherents to paganism from all public offices. The inhabitants of the mountains of Libanus and Antilibanus, being greatly annoyed by wild beasts, applied to the famous saint, Simeon Stylites. He told them that the only remedy was to forsake their old religion, and embrace Christianity. These mountaineers obeyed his counsel