To strong powers of

that has adorned the Christian Church. mind and a lively imagination Chrysostom added fine powers of oratory, and commanded immense audiences. He was an able commentator on Paul's epistles. In opposition to Origen, he adhered to the literal sense of scripture, maintaining it to be the He was a firm supporter of the doctrines of grace, and a bold reprover of vice, and fell a victim to the persecution of his foes. He was banished from the See of Constantinople and died at Pityus on the Euxine sea 407, aged 53.

true.

In the west, was Ambrose, bishop of Milan, a man of eminent piety and learning; and Jerome, a monk of Palestine, whose writings are very voluminous. He translated the Bible into Latin. His translation was called the Latin Vulgate, and was afterwards exclusively adopted by the Roman Church. But it contained many errors. By his own writings he contributed much to the growth of superstition. Still, he was the most able commentator of all the Latin Fathers. Hilary of Poictiers, a man of singular attachment to the Gospel in its simplicity, and a firm defender of the doctrine of the Trinity; and Lactantius, who, in his divine institutions, exposed the absurdity of the pagan rites, lived about the same period. Ulpilas also deserves notice. He was zealous in civilizing and converting the Goths. He translated the four Gospels into their language.

But by far the most distinguished and valuable man of this second age of the church, was Augustine, bishop of Hippo in Africa, who flourished in the latter part of the fourth and beginning of the fifth century. He was born in Numidia and converted about the year 380, when near thirty years of age, in an evident outpouring of the spirit upon the churches, by which, vital godliness was much revived from its low state, especially in the east. His confessions, in which he gives an account of his conversion, may be read with profit by Christians in every age. He was early raised to the bishopric of Hippo, and by his humble piety and powerful defence of the fundamental truths of the Gospel, soon became the admiration of the Christian world. His best commentary was on the Psalms. He died in the year 430, at the age of seventy-six. He was a star of the first magnitude, and was a guide for centuries after to Christians, who, amid the darkness of Popery, would walk in the truth.

But the theological writers of that age are not to be compared with modern divines. Their folios will not repay the trouble of a perusal.

Augustine was raised up to defend the doctrines of grace. These doctrines had remained fundamental from the apostolic

age, though they had been much corrupted by Justin, Origen and others, who were led astray by a deceitful philosophy. But when in the days of Constantine, the world came into the church, they were a dead letter. All were viewed as Christians, who professed Christianity, though they knew not, in their own experience, that there was an Holy Ghost. A great part of the Christian world therefore, were ready to subscribe to a system which rejected the necessity of the grace of God; should a man arise with the talent and boldness to promulge one.

Such a man was Pelagius. He was born in Britain; but made Rome his residence. There, in company with Cælestius an Irish monk, he avowed about the year 410, a denial of the total corruption of human nature, and of the necessity of the enlightening, renewing and sanctifying operations of the Holy Spirit. Cælestius was at first the most open. At Carthage, he laboured much to propagate his sentiments. He was pressed with the custom of the church in baptizing infants, as a proof of her belief in all ages that infants were depraved; but he persisted in his sentiments and was condemned as an heretic, in the year 412.

Pelagius went to Jerusalem, where he found patronage and formed disciples. His opinions were warmly opposed by Augustine; who firmly maintained entire depravity; the necessity of divine grace; that there is an eternal purpose of God or predestination with regard to those who shall be saved, and that they, and only they, will finally obtain it. The Christian world was distracted. Council after council was held, and decree after decree was passed, condemning or approving the opposite parties; but, in 420, the secular arm was raised, and Pelagianism was suppressed throughout the empire. A new sect, however, soon arose, favoured by Cassian a monk at Marseilles, called the Semi-Pelagians, who allowed the necessity of divine grace to persevere in holiness, though not to commence it, and who were long engaged, especially in France, in controversy with the followers of Augustine.

In the remainder of the fifth and whole of the sixth century, the reader of ecclesiastical history finds but little that engages kis attention. The Church washed, sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the spirit of God, is scarcely visible. Immense changes took place in the civil world which could not fail to affect the visible kingdom of the Redeemer.

In the year 476, an end was put to the western part of the Roman empire by the incursions of a fierce and warlike people from the northern part of Europe, who had for more

than half a century, been overspreading Italy, Gaul and Spain, and erecting new kingdoms in these beautiful countries. This great event was depicted in the vision of Daniel, ages before, in which he beheld a beast, dreadful and terrible, which had ten horns. This beast was the Roman empire, and these horns were ten kingdoms, into which it was now divided by the barbarous nations. How wonderful the providence of God! "He seeth the end from the beginning."

These barbarians, the Goths, Huns, Franks, Herulians and Vandals, were idolaters and strangers to Christianity; but they concerned themselves but little about religion of any description being chiefly intent upon wealth and power, and were, for the most part, induced to renounce their idolatry and become nominal, but wretched Christians. Some, however, of the old Pagans, who remained in the empire, hoped to revive their ancient worship, and, in a few instances, instigated the heathen to acts of cruelty and oppression towards those who would not bow to their idols.

Had these idolaters been of the character of the old opposers of Christianity, they might, in this degenerate age of the church, have easily exterminated it from the earth. But they came down from the cold regions of the north for comfort and, improvement; and finding Christianity in all respects, a better religion than their own, they embraced it; and it had in time the happiest effects in softéning their manners and refining their morals. They adopted the Arian system, and the Nicene believers received from them the bitterest persecutions.

One of the ten kingdoms was that of the Franks. Clovis, their king, had married Clotilda, niece of Gondebaud, king of the Burgundians. Her own nation had already embraced Christianity, because they thought the god of the Romans most able to protect them against their enemies. Such low ideas.

had these barbarians of the Gospel of Christ. But they, as well as the Vandals, Suevi and Goths had sided with the Arian party. Clotilda, however, was attached to the Nicene faith. She laboured much for the conversion of her husband to the Christian faith ; but he was obstinate, and when her child, which had been baptized, died, he attributed its death to its baptism. At length, fearing destruction in a battle with the Alenmans, he prayed to Jesus Christ for victory; promising that if he would grant it, he would become a Christian. Victory ensued, and he was baptized at Rheims and received into the general church, A. D. 496; but he was never an honor to any religion. Three thousand of his army were baptized with him. This was an important event. All the other rulers of the world were either

bowing to Pagan deities or infested with the Arian opinions. Clovis and his people embraced and revived the faith of the primitive churches.

In this century also, the Irish were led to renounce idolatry, and embrace Christianity; partly by the exertions of Palladius, but chiefly, through the zeal of Patrick, a Scot, who has usually been styled, the Apostle of the Irish. He died A. D. 413, at the great age of one hundred and twenty.

The ancient Britons were idolaters. Their priests, the druids, had some notions of a supreme divinity and of immortality, but they worshipped subordinate deities, as Taranis, the thunderer, Hesus, the god of battles, Andrasse, the goddess of victory; and their immortality was little more than the Indian notion of the transmigration of souls. They built great temples, of massy stone, in which they performed bloody rites. One of these, STONEHENGE, is still, in part, remaining. They secured a great revenue by compelling all the inhabitants to extinguish their fires on a certain day in the winter, and come and kindle them again from the sacred fire of the Druids.-This they withheld from such as had not paid their revenues.

They held sacred the Misseltoe. They were notorious, above all other heathen priests, for the practice of pretended magic. When a chief was afflicted with sickness, they sacrificed a human victim. Naked women assisted at the bloody rite. Such were the abominations of the ancient inhabitants of England.

When and by whom the knowledge of Christianity was first introduced there, is unknown. It is certain there were Christians there soon after the days of the Apostles, and they probably came from Rome. They were persecuted; and Christianity as well as the druidical religion was exterminated by the Saxons, Angles and other tribes who conquered the country. These, practised their idolatries for about an hundred and fifty years. They worshipped the Sun, Moon, Thuth, Odin, Thor, Frigga and Surtur. From these are derived the English names of the seven days of the week. They had idols in wood, stone and metals, temples and a regular priesthood. Their rites were bloody.

One day in the sixth century, Gregory, an eminent man at Rome, was walking in the market place, and beholding a number of fine youth with clear skins, flaxen hair and beautiful countenances for sale; he enquired from whence they came and whether they were Christians. On being told that they were Pagans from Britain, his compassion was excited. On asking further by what name they were called, he was told they were

Angli, "Well," said he, " may they be so called, for they have angelic countenances, and ought to be made co-heirs with the Angels in heaven." And when farther informed that they came from the province of Deira, now Durham,-he exclaimed, "De Dei ira! from the wrath of God they must be delivered." And it being added that Ella was their king, he replied, "Hallelujah ought to be sung in his dominions." Gregory soon offered his services as a missionary to England, but they were not accepted. When, however, in a few years, he was raised to the popedom, he sent forty monks under Augustine, to convert the English nation. They entered Britain in 597, and were kindly received by Bertha, a pious descendant of Clovis who had married Ethelbert, king of Kent; permitted to preach the Gospel, and had a residence assigned them in the city of Canterbury. The king soon declared himself a convert, and his subjects followed his example. Other kings in the Saxon heptarchy, were soon persuaded with their people to renounce idolatry, and, in a short period, the whole island became nominally Christian.

Of the religion of the English converted to Christianity, we have very imperfect accounts. One fact speaks highly in its praise. Missionaries issued forth, who spread the light of truth through Bavaria, Friesland, Cimbria and Denmark, delivering the North and West of Europe from pagan darkness and idolatry. The venerable Bede, who died in 735 was an ornament to the age in which he lived. He translated the Psalter and the Gospels into the Anglo Saxon, and wrote a valuable Church history. Alcuinus, one of his pupils, and who became the instructor of Charlemagne, deserves mention for his learning and piety. But a great and general degeneracy soon took place. The Danes broke up every thing good in the nation. When Alfred came to the throne in the ninth century, there was scarce a priest who understood latin enough to construe his daily prayers. His efforts to restore learning and religion were princely. The whole Bible was translated by his order. He began to translate the Psalms himself. But when he had passed away monachism reared its head, and the light which had been permitted to shine in Britain was extinguished, and gross darkness brooded over the land. As the papacy arose, the monarchs found that a convenient engine in the despotic exercise of civil power, and soon the whole country was subjected to its tremendous dominion.

In the East, some Indians on the Malabar coast were converted to Christianity, by the Syrian Mar Thomas, as early as the fifth century. Their Churches still remain. The principal propagators of Christianity, subsequent to this, were the Nes