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him as the first preacher of Christianity in England; but the absurdity of the whole story is fully established by Stillingfleet*.

§. 3. Many English writers refer the conversion of this country to the reign of king Luciust, of whom the old book of Llandaff says, that he sent Eluanus and Medwinus to Eleutherius, the twelfth bishop of Rome, requesting that he might be made a Christian through his instruction; and that on the return of these messengers, Lucius and the chief of the Britons were baptized, and bishops consecrated for the dissemination of Christianity. So many improbabilities have been engrafted on this relation, that the very existence of such a king, and the whole tale, has, without much reason, been questioned. The circumstance of his sending ambassadors to request instruction corresponds with the supposition already made, that the country had before received the truths of Christianity; and the disagreement between the two relations is the less important, as it amounts only to this, whether we suppose that the Christian religion was now first established, or that, having made but little progress, since its first foundation, it was now reformed and renewed; and the want of any sufficient testimony must preclude the idea of deciding this question. We may nevertheless assume as an undoubted fact, that Christianity was established here very generally before the end of the second century : for

* Orig. Brit. 6, &c.

Ibid. 50.

t Ibid. 66.

Tertullian says*, that the kingdom of Christ was advanced in Gaul and Britain, and that Christ was solemnly worshipped by the inhabitants. From this time we meet with little concerning the British churches till we learn that England was not free from the trials to which Christianity was subjected during the third century, and the fate of Julius, Aaron and St. Albana, who has transferred his name to Verulanumt, where he suffered, proves that the Dioclesian persecution extended thus far into the provinces which were subject to the Roman power.

Constantius Chlorus, when he was declared emperor, put an end to these persecutions; and upon his death, which took place at York in the year following, his son Constantine the Great began his reign, in which it pleased God that most of the outward miseries of his Christian servants should terminate. (A. D. 307.)

§. 4. The British church seems to have flourished at this period †; for at the council of Arles a there were three English bishops present; and it may be observed, that the manner in which that council communicated its canons to the bishop of Rome

a St Alban, the first British martyr, had served in the Roman army, and on his return, having been converted to Christianity, was put to death. A monastery was afterwards raised to his honour by Offa king of Mercia.

a The council of Arles was assembled by Constantine against the Donatists, who had fallen into schism on account of the election of a bishop of Carthage. The canons of it may be found in Collier, i. 26. * Tertull. c. Jud. ch. 7. † Stillingfleet, 70.

Ib. 74.

proves that the representatives of the churches there assembled esteemed themselves quite independent of his authority *

It seems probable that there were English bishops at the council of Nice” in Bithynia t, but the subscriptions preserved are so imperfect, that no names of British bishops can be distinguished. Their presence, however, at Sardicac and Ariminium [ is more clearly established ; and it is related, with regard to this latter council, that the British bishops generally refused to receive the allowance made to them from the emperor, while three of them only accepted it; a proof at once of the number and wealth of the British bishops who were there,

b The council of Nice was assembled by Constantine against the Arians. The anathema of it is, " The catholic and apostolic “ church anathematizes all who say, that there was a time when " the Son did not exist, that he had no existence previous to his “ birth, and that he was created out of nothing, or who say " that he was formed or changed from another substance or “ essence, or that he is capable of change;" see Pearson on the Creed, p. 134. This council did not make the Nicene Creed as it now stands, which was published at the first council of Constantinople, 381; it settled that Easter should be held the first Sunday after the fourteenth day of the ecclesiastical new moon. The doctrines of Arius seem to have made some progress in England.

c This council was assembled at Sardica in Thrace, 347, to judge between the Arians and Athanasius ; see Collier, i. 30, &c. where more arguments against the right of appeals to the pope may be found. Stillingfleet, 84. + Ibid. 89. Ibid. 135. $ Fuller, 24.

9.5. The introduction of Pelagianism“, which took place about the same time *, filled the church with tumult and distraction. The opinions connected with this heresy were generally diffused in England; and so strongly were its advocates fortified with arguments, or so weakly were they opposed, that the British divines, finding themselves unequal to the task of convincing their heretical adversaries, were twice forced to call † in the assistance of Germanus, a Gallican bishop . He was accompanied in his first visit by Lupus, and in his second by Severus, and on each occasion successfully refuted the errors of his opponents. As the best means of put

a The Pelagian heresy had its origin from Morgan, who is generally called a Welchman, but probably was Scotus, i. e. a native Irishman. (Stillingfleet, p. 181.) His name in the old British language signifies sea-born, and from hence is derived his classical appellation. He was of considerable rank, and possessed much learning and natural genius; his life was exemplary. He travelled to Rome, and from thence to Africa, and died somewhere in the east. (See Collier, i. 41.) He denied the doctrine of original sin, and the necessity of grace, and asserted that man could attain to perfection. His opinions were opposed by St. Augustin, bishop of Hippo, and condemned in the person of Cælestius, his disciple, at councils held at Carthage and Milevum in the year 416: no less than thirty councils are said to have been held concerning them. As the doctrines of Pelagius are of such a character that every man's own heart will naturally suggest them, unless he be guided by the grace of God, we need not wonder at their general reception. Pelagius taught and gave a name to that to which all of us are of ourselves disposed, “self-reliance in spiritual things.”

* Stillingfleet, 187.

+ Ibid. 194:

Ibid. 189.

ting an effectual stop to these heresies, St. German seems to have attempted to introduce into the island the study of sound learning and theology *; and his disciples Illutus and Dubritius established schools famous in their generation. The monastery of Banchor † near Chester was probably a seminary of this description, rather than one formed after the model introduced from Egypt, in which the monks were bred up to labour, and in ignorance; for Bede, who is not generally favourable to British establishments, confesses that it was furnished with learned men at the coming of Augustin into England.

These bishops are said to have brought with them into the British churches f the use of the Gallican liturgy s, which was derived probably from St. John through Polycarp and Irenæus. The prin

b The first monks were persons who in solitude, and afterwards in private houses of their own, led more pious and retired lives than their neighbours. The wild fancies of certain visionaries who established themselves in Egypt can hardly be accounted the origin of the later institutions of this sort. Such instances of fanaticism and ignorance, often combined with some portion of knavery, are common to all periods and religions, and among Christians might have tended to pervert the minds of those who aspired after the highest degrees of sanctity. Individuals first dedicated themselves to the service of God in this manner : societies were afterwards formed, who lived under a head or abbot, and conformed to certain rules. They were originally mere laymen, but subsequently many of them were adopted among the clergy, and rose to the highest offices in the church.

* Stillingfleet, 204. + Ibid. 205. Ibid. 216. § Jobnson's

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