CHA P. III,

THE PELAGIAN CONTROVERSY.

It of an ele tere is the part of an intelligent agent to chuse the fitteft feafon for the execution of arduous enterprizes, or the introduction of important innovations. This rule, we may fafely conclude, is obferved by Satan in all his attempts against the church of Chrift. While the belief and experience of divine influences were ftrong and vigorous in Christian societies, it was in vain for him to attempt to perfuade men, that fuch influences were of no neceffity or value: he could do no more than feduce them to counterfeit, abufe, or mifapply them. Hence the wildness and incoherence of Montanifm. But now that the holy influence of the Spirit of God was generally damped by superstition, or quenched by licentioufnefs, Satan felt himself emboldened to erect a new herefy, which fhould pretend to the height of purity, fupported by MERE HUMAN NATURE, exclufive of the operations of divine grace altogether. This was Pelagianifm*: and as this evil now entered the church for the first time, and in a greater or lefs degree has continued to this day; as it is directly fubverfive of Chriftianity itself, and· as it introduced a controverfy, not trivial and frivolous, like many others, but of unfpeakable importance, it eminently falls within the plan of this hiftory, to ftate the circumstances and confequences with perfpicuity.

Auguftine, of Hippo, had been trained up under the Lord's wholefome difcipline, by an extraordinary converfion,

* In this chapter I purpose to defcribe its rife and progress hiftorically. What I have faid of its precife nature, will be confirmed in the proper place by the authentic lights of antiquity

converfion, as we have feen, during the latter part of the last century. Thus did the all-wife God, who

IS WONDERFUL IN COUNSEL AND EXCELLENT

IN WORK, fecretly STIR UP A SCOURGE for Pelagius against the time that he fhould make his appearance; and his herefy was eventually one grand means of introducing jufter views of Gofpel-grace, than had for a long time obtained in the church, and of reviving Chriflian truth, humility, and piety. The effects of this effufion of the fpirit were folid, though never brilliant, operative during this century, and many centuries afterwards, in the production of much real godlinefs on the minds of many individuals, particularly, of monaftic perfons, to whom, for ages, Auguftine's writings were a great and useful light, indeed, next to the word of God, the greatest means of grace which they had in times extremely unfavourable to improvement. Hence, befides the immediate benefit which the church received in his own time, the utility of this providential difpenfation reached to the time of the reformation itfelf, and even beyond it in Popish countries; though the reader must not expect any great or ftrong difplay of the plantation of new churches, or any fudden and marvellous change in the external appearance of the church. The light we are now to contemplate never broke out into a vivid extenfive flame, but fhone with faint, though steady rays, with a moderate degree of brightness at first, but afterwards glimmered through many ages.

Pelagius was born in Britain, and was in his own time called Brito*. His companion Coeleftius

was

*I make large ufe of Janfenius in this narrative: he has prefixed the history of the herefy to his treatife called Auguftine. The ac counts feemaccurate, and well fupported by authorities cf contemporary writers, particularly Jerom and Auguftine. I have confult ed these two with much care and attention, and I find Janfenius fo VOL. II. exact

Cc

He

was an Irishman, by the teftimony of Jerom. calls him a Scor, and that name in thofe times meant, as is known to the learned, a native of Ireland. They were both laymen; the former, by profeffion, a monk, who, as far as appears, always maintained a character of fair and decent morals. In the heat of contention there were who denied this; but it is admitted by Auguftine, with his ufual candour, and we might have been certain of it, independently of his authority; because otherwife it would have been impoffible for him ever to have become a perfon of lafting reputation in the religious world. He appears to have travelled from monastery to monaftery, through various parts of the Empire. His heretical opinions did not appear till he was far advanced in life; before that time Auguftine owns (though he fpeaks by hearfay) his reputation for ferious piety to have been great in the Christian world; and those who know the difference between holiness and mere morality will not be furprized at this. Auguftine allows the genius and capacity of both thefe men to have been of the firft order and this teftimony from him is decifive with me against that of Jerom, who treats the under ftanding and endowments of both with great contempt; but Jerom was not apt to allow any laudadable qualities to an ADVERSARY.

Ifidore of Pelufium applies to Pelagius that paffage of Hofea; "gray hairs are here and there upon him, and he knoweth it not." This author is understood

exact and well-informed in those things of which we have an opportunity to form an estimate, that it seems reasonable to give him credit for his extracts from the gefta Pelag. of Aug.-a 'work which we have not in the common editions of that father, because it was not discovered till about the time of Jansenius, being found, as he tells us, in an Abby at Fefulæ, in Italy.

Since I wrote this, I have feen the gesta. Pelag. in a more recent edition of Auguftine, and am ftill further confirmed in my "opinion of the accurate induftry of Janfenius.

derstood thence to intimate, that he fell into this herefy in old age. It began to appear about the year 404 or 5. Chryfoftom, writing to his friend, a.d. the deaconnefs Olympias, fays, "I am much grieved 404. for Pelagius the monk; confider what crowns must be referved for those who ftand firm, when men who have lived in fo much mortification and continency, appear to be fo carried away." His firft writings were an Epiftle to Paulinus of Nola, and other little works, in which his erroneous views of grace were fo artfully expreffed, and fo guarded with cautious terms, that Auguftine owns he was almoft deceived by them. But when he faw his other writings of a later date, he difcerned that he might artfully own the word GRACE, and, by retaining the term, break the force of prejudice, and avoid offence, and yet conceal his meaning under a general ambiguity.

For, by a dexterity very common with heretics, Pelagius, while he laid open to his converts the whole mystery of his doctrine, imparted only fo much to others as might be more calculated to enfnare their affections than to inform them of his real opinions. He used to deliver his views under the modeft appearance of queries, ftarted against the doctrines of the church, and thofe as not invented by himself, but by others. The effect of. poisoning the minds of men was, however, perhaps more powerfully produced by this, than it would have been by a more direct and pofitive method. To this he added another artifice; he infinuated himfelf into the favour of women of fome rank, of weak minds, and unacquainted with the fpirit of the gospel, though profeffing religion; and, by their means, he diffufed his tenets with much fuccefs. Cœleftius, more open and daring in fpeech, purfued a method not fo replete with deceit, and was therefore...

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fore expofed to detection more easily than his maf

ter.

Pelagius, having travelled over the nonafteries of Egypt, fettled at length at Rome, where his attempts to undermine the whole doctrine of divine grace, by degrees, notwithstanding all his caution, gave umbrage to the church. Unguarded moments alfo will happen to the most artful, and at times difcover them to the most unwary. A

bishop, who was a collegue of Auguftine, men. tioning to Pelagius thofe words of the Confeffions, "Give what thou commandeft, and command what thou wilt ;" he contradicted with great vehemence, and expreffed much indignation at the fentiment.

Rome being taken by the Goths about the year A.D. 410, numbers fled into Africa, and among the reft 410. the two herefiarchs. Pelagius was received at Hippo, in Auguftine's abfence, where his stay was very fhort. The Bishop of Hippo faw him once or twice at Carthage; but was himself very bufy in fettling a conference with the Donatifts, and nothing material paffed between them. Pelagius leaving Africa paffed over into Palestine: there his labours attracted the attention of Jerom, who lived a monaftic life in the fame country, and wrote against his opinions, juftly calling on him to speak clearly what he meant, and complaining of his ambiguities.

In the mean time Cœleftius in Africa more openly discovered his fentiments, and made fuch attempts to propagate them in Carthage itself, that he was fummoned to appear before a fynod, which was held by Aurelius, bishop of that city. He was accused of denying original fin, and when he was preffed with the custom of the church in baptizing infants, as a proof of her belief in all ages that infants needed redemption, he declared that they had

no