molested in their churches." Celestine appears to more advantage in the part which he took against the Pelagian heresies, where he combats heresy by maintaining the truth.

In 441, he published articles of faith, fully corroborating the system of Divine grace, as taught by Augustin, Prosper, and Hilary. "In these articles it is acknowledged that all men are by nature under the power of sin, by reason of the Fall, from which nothing but grace can deliver any man;”—“ that man is not good of himself, but needs a communication of God to him. from God himself; nor can a man, though renewed, overcome the flesh and the devil, except he receive daily assistance; "that God so worketh upon the hearts of men, that holy thoughts, pious intentions, and the least motion towards a good inclination proceed from God." He uses the same argument with Augustin, from the prayers of the church: "We learn also what we are to believe, from the prayers appointed by the apostles throughout the world, and observed, with uniformity, by the whole church; wherein it is petitioned, that faith may be granted to infidels, idolaters, Jews, and heretics; charity to schismatics; repentance to sinners; and regeneration to catechumens." We see, however, in these articles, how easily a door is open to self-righteousness, and all its consequences, in the scheme of salvation by "inherent righteousness," though acknowledged to be all of special grace; we see, in short, the importance of the clear statement of justification by faith alone, for the merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." "We must confess," continues the bishop, that the grace God prevents the merits of man; that it doth not take free-will, but delivers, enlightens, rectifies, and heals it. God is willing, such is his goodness, that his gifts should be our merits, and grants an eternal reward to them: he works in us to will and to do according to his pleasure; but his gifts are not idle in us; we co-operate with his grace; and if we find remissness proceeding from our weakness, we immediately have recourse to him1."

66

of.

away

But the greatest of the Roman bishops of this age, was Leo, who widely extended the authority of his see. The importance of his character is seen in the success of his deputation from the Western emperor, to divert Attila, the king of the Huns, from his projected invasion of Italy. Two years afterwards,

1 Fleury- Milner.

3

Socrates, lib. vii. cap. 11.

2 A. D. 440.

1A.D. 442.

L

"we find him not altogether an unsuccessful mediator with the terrible Genseric, when the city of Rome was in his hands. Both in the East and in the West, we see Leo the powerful supporter of the ancient faith and ecclesiastical discipline; but with new and more extensive claims of dominion for his see, now called, in an exclusive sense," the Apostolic See."

His letters, read in the council of Chalcedon, speak the language of the purest times of the ancient church, respecting the Redeemer's person sacrificed for us: "It was to pay the ransom of our nature that the godhead was joined with a nature capable of suffering, that one and the same Mediator of God and man, the man Christ Jesus, might die in one nature and not in another, THE HEALING MEDICINE which our wounds and griefs required." But the style assumed by his legates in the council plainly discovers how rapidly the authority of the Roman see was advancing, and what a different construction is now put upon the famous text, "Thou art Peter," &c., from what was understood to be its meaning in the days of Cyprian: "Leo, the most holy archbishop of great and old Rome, by us and this sacred assembly, together with the most blessed apostle St. Peter, who is the rock, the ground of the catholic church, and the foundation of the true faith, &c." Nor does this seem to be altogether a claim disallowed, for we read among the exclamations of the council: "Peter, in the person of Leo, said thus! Thus have the apostles taught, Leo has religiously and truly taught thus!""

In the West, Mr. Milner observes, "he opposed Pelagianism with great zeal; he detected the evasions of its defenders, who made grace the effect of human merits; and he resolved every thing into the grace of God, in so full and clear a manner, that, if his own heart was influenced by the sentiments which he espoused, he must have been a humble, holy Christian." "He took much pains concerning matters of discipline; so far as appears, he supported the cause of truth and uprightness in general, though with a constant attention to the amplification of the Roman see.”

An appellant jurisdiction, over the causes of bishops deposed or censured in provincial synods, had been granted, if we believe the fact, by the canons of a very early council, that of Sardica in 347, so far as to permit the bishop of Rome - or perhaps the bishops of Rome and Italy to order a revision of the process, but not to annul the sentence. Valentinian III., influenced by

Leo, had gone a great deal farther, and established an almost absolute judicial supremacy in the holy see1.

The decrees of Leo shew the state of church government in that age. "Those who have not been chosen by the clergy, nor desired by the people, nor ordained by the bishops of the province, with the consent of the metropolitan, are not to be accounted bishops." "He ought to be chosen bishop, who is chosen by the clergy and people. In case their judgment be divided, the metropolitan should prefer him who is of greatest worth and has most votes. But no man should be appointed bishop whom the people refuse."

In Gaul, now overrun by the Franks and other barbarians, the church was reduced to a low state. The bounty of Sidonius, bishop of Clermont, in Auvergne, is much celebrated, as having mitigated the sufferings of these dreadful times; and also that of his brother-in-law, Ecdicius, who, when the Goths ravaged the country, and produced by their devastations a grievous famine, collected four thousand persons, and lodged and supported them during all the time of the famine. Patiens, bishop of Lyons, is also celebrated for the same charities, made so necessary by the distresses of the times. He converted many of the Burgundians to the truth, and was much respected by their king, who resided at Lyons. In these charities, and in the redeeming of captives, the truly religious of the age, who had it in their power, were distinguished. Epiphanius, bishop of Pavia, and Victor, bishop of Turin, were employed in Gaul on this errand by the Gothic king of Italy, and returned with troops of redeemed captives. We frequently find Christian bishops possessed of sufficient weight, in these sad times, to be successful advocates for mercy and lenity, with the barbarian monarchs, who had begun to erect new states out of the empire...

1A.D. 455. Some bishops belonging to the province of Hilary, metropolitan of Arles, appealed from his sentence to Leo, who not only entertained their appeal, but presumed to depose Hilary. This assumption of power would have had little effect, if it had not been seconded by the emperor, in very unguarded language: "We decree that neither by the bishops of Gaul, nor of the other provinces, any thing should be taken in hand contrary to the ancient custom, without the venerable pope of the eternal city; but whatever the authority of the apostolic see shall sanction, is to be a law to them all." The same emperor enacted, that any bishop who refused to attend the tribunal of the pope, when summoned, should be compelled by the governor of his province.-HALLAM'S History of the Middle Ages, vol. ii. p. 23.

2 A.D. 494.

The Franks, or French, a German nation who dwelt on the lower Rhine, having passed that river, had entered Gaul under Pharamond their king, about A.D. 420. Clodio, Merovæus, Childeric, and Clovis, reigned in succession after him. Clovis ruined the Roman power entirely in Gaul; and, after many bloody contests with other barbarian nations, founded the French monarchy. He had married Clotilda, niece of the Burgundian king, who, though her family were Arian, professed the true faith. She was the means of bringing over her pagan husband and his people to at least the nominal profession of Christianity. The king himself, his sister, and three thousand of his army, were baptised by the bishop of Rheims, having been much influenced, it is to be feared, by the pretended miracles and lying wonders which he seemed in their eyes to perform2.

In the year 487, a council was held at Rome, with Felix, the bishop, at its head, in which were forty bishops of Italy, four of Africa, and seventy-six priests. The rules of penance prescribed in this synod, partook partly of the prevailing superstitions, and partly of the primitive strictness of discipline. Clergymen, who had yielded to be rebaptised by the Arian persecutors, were dcprived, not only of their office, but even of lay communion, till their death. No clergyman was to receive into his city the penitent of another, without a written certificate from the bishop.

Gelasius, bishop of Rome, ordained" that no illiterate person shall be advanced above the office of doorkeeper." He forbids Christians to practise the superstitions of the Lupercalia. "I doubt not," he says, " that my predecessors solicited the emperors to abolish this abuse; they were not heard, and this ruined the empire." He appears to have been a pious man *.

In the Peninsula, the church every where suffered under the triumphant barbarians. The account of a council held at Braga, in Lusitania, throws great light upon its situation and the history of the times. The bishop Pancratian, its president, is represented as thus addressing the council: "Ye see, brethren, the havoc made by the barbarians. Brethren, let our care be

'A.D. 496.

2 Gregory of Tours, after relating a most atrocious story of Clovis, the murder of a prince whom he had previously instigated to parricide, continues the sentence; "for God daily subdued his enemies to his hand, and increased his kingdom because he walked before him in uprightness, and did what was pleasing in his eyes." So wretched a specimen of barbarian conversion is this account of the first royal convert," the eldest son of the Romish church!" Fleury-Milner.

:

3

A.D. 496.

4

for the salvation of souls, fearing lest the miseries of the times should seduce our flocks into the way of sinners; and therefore, let us give them an example of suffering in our own persons, for Jesus Christ, who suffered so much for us; and as some of the barbarians are Arians and others idolaters, let us confess our faith." He then declares, in a few words, the articles of the Christian confession, to which they all assented. Elipand, of Conimbra, observes: "The barbarians are among us! they besiege Lisbon, in a little time they will be upon us! Let every one go to his abode : let him comfort the faithful, decently conceal the bodies of the saints, and send us an account of the caves where they are deposited." All the bishops having approved of the motion, Pancratian added, "Go home in peace, except brother Potamius, because his church is destroyed, and his country ravaged." Potamius answered, "I did not receive the episcopal function to sit at my ease, but to labour; let me comfort my flock, and suffer with them, for Jesus Christ." A little after the council, the bishop of Porto wrote to a friend: "I pity you, my brother-may God look on our misery with the eyes of his mercy. Conimbra is taken- the servants of God are fallen by the edge of the sword-Elipand is carried away captive -Lisbon has redeemed itself with gold-Igædita is besieged-nothing is seen but misery, groaning, and anguish. You have seen what the Suevi have done in Gallicia, judge what the Alani are doing in Lusitania. I send you the decrees of the faith you ask for-I will send you all, if I discover the place where you are hidden. I expect the same fate daily. The Lord have mercy on us1!"

In Britain the pagan Saxons were pursuing their successes against the inhabitants; and wherever they prevailed, the Christians were either reduced to slavery, or compelled to retire to the most inaccessible and remote parts of the island. We have seen that Pelagianism had its rise in this part of the empire, and it scems to have made some impression in Britain. We read of two bishops of Gaul, Germanus, of Auxerre, and Lupus, of Troyes, going on a mission to reclaim the heretics. They preached not only in the churches, but also in the highways, and in the open country; and vast crowds attended their ministry. Pelagianism was checked. Germanus himself led with success the natives against their enemies the Picts, after he had baptised numbers in a church which they had erected of boughs of trees