of the victory, which he when on earth had gained over death. At the fame time, they explained to him the causes of his coming, and the doctrine of his incarnation. From that time Conftantine firmly believed the truth of Chriftianity. He would have acted irrationally, if he had not; and it were an inexcufable want of candour to afcribe to motives merely political a courfe of conduct in favour of Christianity, in which he perfevered to his death; and which was begun, at a time when the afcendant both of the Chriftian caufe and the fuccefs of his arms, as connected with it, were extremely dubious. He began after this to read the Scriptures, and zealously patronized the paftors of the Church all his days. Whether he really loved the gofpel, and felt its influence on his own heart is a doubtful queftion; but that he believed it to be divinely true, is certain, if a confiftent and long course of actions be admitted as evidence.

It belongs to civil history to defcribe the civil and military tranfactions of this warlike and magnanimous prince. He was no fooner made malter of Rome by the deftruction of Maxentius, than he honoured the crofs by putting a fpear of that form into the hand of the ftatue erected for him at Rome. He now built churches, and fhewed great beneficence to the poor. He encouraged the meeting of bishops in Synods, he honoured them with his prefence, and employed himself in continually aggrandizing the church. In the mean time his partner in the Eaft, Licinius, began to perfecute it.

Not

trine of the Divinity of Chrift, which will be confidered hereafter, his words are τον μεν είναι θεον, θες τε ενός και μονο μονοΓενη παιδα.

* His victory over the tyrant was providentially ftriking; and the credulity of Maxentius and the failure of the heathen oracles, which encouraged him to proceed against Conftantine, are no less remarkable, But this is civil hiftory.

A D.

325.

Notwithstanding the proofs which this man had had of the divine interpofition in favour of the gofpel, during his conteft with Maximin, the force of old prejudices imbibed under Galerius operated at length, in conjunction with the native depravity of the human heart, to induce him to renew the perfecution. He prohibited Chriftian Synods in his dominions, expelled believers from his court, and forbad the women to attend the public affemblies of men, and ordered them to furnish themselves with feparate teachers of their own fex. He difmiffed from his armies thofe who refufed to facrifice, and forbad any fupplies to be afforded them in their neceffities. He proceeded ftill further. He murdered bishops, and deftroyed churches.

At

Amafia, in Pontus, his cruelty was particularly diftinguished. He ufed inchantments, and once more Satan made a feeble attempt to recover by his means the ground he had loft. It was not probable, that Licinius fhould take thefe fteps without quarrelling with Conftantine, and a war commenced foon between the two princes. Licinius put the truth or falfehood of the gospel on the event of the war. It was an unwarranted appeal, but God anfwered him in his own way. He loft in the iffue both his empire and his life. It is remarkable, that one of Conftantine's foldiers, who parted with the banner of the crofs in battle to fave his life, loft it, while he, who in his room fupported and upheld the banner, was preferved. It were to be wifhed, that there had been as much zeal at this time to fupport the doctrines and realize the power of the crofs, as there was to honour its formalities. But this was far from being the cafe.

For neither in Conftantine, nor in his favourite bishops, nor in the general appearance of the church, can we see much of the fpirit of godlinefs. Pom

pous

pous apparatus, augmented fuperftitions and unmeaning forms of piety, much fhew and little fubftance appears. This is the impreffion, which the account given by Eufebius has left on my mind. As the matter of my history is very scanty here, I shall endeavour to comprefs it into a small compafs, chiefly with a view to catch the face of Christianity at this period, and to pave the way for a more complete understanding of the great controverfy, which muft foon arreft our attention.

If we look at the external appearance of Chriftianity, nothing can be more fplendid. An emperor, full of zeal for the propagation of the only divine religion, by edicts reftores every thing to the Church of which it had been deprived, indemnifies those who had fuffered, honours the paftors exceedingly, recommends to governors of provinces to promote the gospel, and though he will neither oblige them nor any others to profefs it, yet he forbids them to make ufe of the facrifices commonly made by prefects, he erects Churches exceedingly fumptuous and ornamental, with diftinctions of the parts correfponding in fome measure to thofe in Solomon's Temple, difcovers with much zeal the fepulchre of Chrift at Jerufalem, real or pretended, and honours it with a most expensive facred edifice. His mother Helena fills the whole Roman world with her munificent acts in fupport of religion, and after the erection of Churches and travelling from place to place to evidence her zeal, dies before her fon, aged eighty years. Nor is the Chriftian caufe neglected even out of the bounds of the Roman empire. Conftantine zealously pleads, in a letter to Sapor king of Perfia, for the Chriftians of his dominions, he deftroys idol temples, prohibits impious pagan rites, puts an end to the favage fights of gladiators, ftands up with refpectful

spectful filence to hear the fermon of Eufebius, biihop of Cæfarea, the hiftorian, furnishes him with the volumes of the Scriptures for the ufe of the churches, orders the obfervation of the feftivals of martyrs, has prayers and reading of the Scripture at his court, dedicates churches with great folemnity, makes Chriftian orations himself, one of which of a considerable length is preserved by the hiftorian his favourite bishop, directs the facred obfervation of the Lord's day, to which he adds that of Friday also, the day of Chrift's crucifixion, and teaches the foldiers of his army to pray by a fhort form made for their ufe.

It may feem invidious to throw a fhade on this picture; but though the abolition of lewd, impious, and inhuman cuftoms must have been of great advantage to fociety, and the benefits of Chriftianity compared with paganifm to the world appear very strong by thefe means, yet all this, if found principle be wanting, is but form and fhadow. As it was difficult to clear Origen of depreciating the divinity of Chrift, fo it is ftill more difficult to exculpate Eufebius, with whom he was a favourite author. Not to anticipate what will more properly pafs under examination hereafter, there feems in him and fome of his friends, and probably in the emperor himself, a difpofition to have been filently foftered, of leffening the honours of the fon of God. In his oration at the dedication of the church at Tyre, he diftinguishes between the first and the fecond cause, and feems very careful to give the fupreme title exclufively to the Father. His fermons breathe little of Christianity, fo far as I have feen them. He largely affigns various caufes for the coming of Chrift into the world, and though among thefe he gives fome place to the work of redemption and facrifice for fin, he speaks of them flightly, and as it were, by the bye. I have observed

obferved also that, in one place of his writings, he speaks in a very fubordinate manner of the Holy Ghoft, though it must be confeffed, he is fo rhetorical, and indiftinct in his theological difcourfes, that it is difficult to extract any determinate propofitions from him.

But the great defectiveness of doctrine failed not to influence the practice as ufual. External piety flourished, monaftic focieties in particular places were also growing; but faith, love, heavenly mindedness, appear very rare; yet among the poor and obfcure Chriftians I hope there was far more godlinefs, than could be feen at courts, and among bishops and persons of eminence. The doctrine of real converfion was very much loft, or external baptism was placed in its ftead; and the true doctrine of juftification by faith, and the true practical use of a crucified Saviour for troubled confciences, were fcarce to be feen at this time. There was much outward religion, but this could not make men faints in heart and life. The worst part of the character of Conftantine is, that as he grew older, he grew more culpable, oppreffive in his own family, oppreffive to the government, oppreffive by eaftern fuperfluous magnificence, and the facts to be difplayed will fhew, how little true humility and charity were now known in the Chriftian world, while fuperftition and felf-righteoufnefs were making vigorous fhoots, and the real Gofpel of Chrift was hidden from men who profeffed it.

The fchifm of the Donatifts, as its history throws fome light on the manners of Chriftians, will deferve a few words in this place. During the ceffation of the perfecution in the Weft, while it raged ftill in the Eaft, on the death of Menfurius bishop of Carthage, a council of neighbouring bishops was called, for the appointment of his fucceffor. The VOL. II.

Ꭰ .

council