Imatges de pàgina
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Retrospect.

Cent. 6.

East, where their churches remain to the present day. Notwithstanding the suffrage of a catholic council might cast out Nestorius and his followers, we are not to cut them all off from the true church, for they opposed error, and rendered themselves hateful by refusing to call Mary the mother of God; a great sin in the eye of the orthodox.

Upon a retrospect of the century, little can be gathered favourable to the religion of Jesus Christ. A proud and antichristian hierarchy is set up--the pale of which is extended to Britain: the most corrupt and foolish rites are adopted, and the church is become a den of thieves; the righteous are few in number, obscure in situation, and the true spiritual church is left to deplore the loss of primitive manners and primitive ministers.

SEVENTH CENTURY.

CHAPTER I.

Extent of the Catholic Church in England-On the Continent-in China.

We have seen for some time since, but especially during the last century, the rising expectation of the Roman see. Nothing sort of universal bishop and supreme dominion can suffice; hence the outward visible church, or established hierarchy, may with propriety be denominated, by way of distinguishing it from the true spiritual body of Christ, the catholic church. Notwithstanding, individuals are to be found in the bosom of this corrupt establishment, who are men fearing God, and lovers of Christ. The wrath of man shall praise God, and the remainder of wrath he shall restrain. Hence we premise one thing more, that God can over-rule the attempts of the superstitious, and even restrain them in the propagation of error, while he makes them instruments of extending and building up his own church. The catholics hold the grand fundamentals of Christianity, though sadly debased and obscured by human inventions. God can separate the precious from the vile, bless his own truth, and fasten only that upon the conscience of the hearers which is worthy of himself. There are some superstitious errors which do not destroy the Christian character, nor render it altogether

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English Church.

Cent. 7.

unprofitable. Upon this ground, we have ventured to hope that some real good was done in Britain last century, by the labours of Austin and his companions. The same will apply in the case of other missions ; and indeed the labours performed by the ministers, at a distance from courts, and cathedrals, and councils are more likely to partake of the Christian spirit than those performed around the chair of the pontificate; the great difficulty lies in forming a distinction; however, we had better err with the meek and the charitable than with the severe and the captious.

Austin, the apostle of England, died early in this century, and was succeeded in his see by Laurentius, who with similar zeal carried forward the work of his predecessor; but the death of Ethelberd and the succession of Eadbald proved no small hindrance, and was likely to have brought the whole enterprise to destruction. Eadbald returned to the old idolatry, and was exceedingly vicious in his disposition; and but for the sagacity and application of Laurentius, Christianity had been driven out of his dominions. The stand made by the archbishop had not only the desired effect in preserving the church, but it is said to have produced the reformation and conversion of the prince; after which the church extended its pale; all the seven Anglo Saxon kings gave it their countenance--multitudes of their nobles and subjects were baptized. Among these kings Edwin of Northumberland stands foremost, bearing features somewhat attractive. He heard many sermons, attended many conferences, and communed much with his own conscieuce, on the subject of Christianity, before he aspired to baptism. Similar were the measures adopted by Coifi, the high-priest, and similar the result; both were admitted to fellowship by the rite of

Chap. 1.

Spread of Christianity.

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baptism; and idolatry through their means was discountenanced, and Christianity propagated in its stead. The gospel continued spreading through the country during the remainder of the century, and we hope a good portion of the savour of Christ was spread among the people; but it is too evident, that the much greater share of success, tended to promote the cause of superstition and of Rome.

From England, passed many monkish missionaries to the continent, and by their labours some faint glimmerings of the gospel were scattered through Germany, Batavia, Friesland, Denmark. Among these the famous Willebrod, an Anglo-Saxon, distinguished himself, by embarking with eleven colleagues. Batavia and Friesland were the principal scenes of his labours, and in reward for his services he obtained Utrecht for an archbishopric. In these exercises, the Scots and the Irish were not mere spectators; considerable success is aseribed to their labours. By the zeal and diligence of the Nestorians, who dwelt in Syria, Persia, and India, some faint beams of gospel truth were emitted throughout many parts of Asia, in which blessings China seems to have shared a part. From this general spread of the Christian name, it is evident that the power of persecu tion was broken, and its fury considerably allayed. Well had it been for the best interests of men, had the professed ministers of Christ availed themselves of this propitious season to have propagated pure and simple truth, instead of founding monasteries and archbishopries. The way of God is in the sea, and his path in the great waters. We have now to attend the appearance and achievements of one of the most extraordinary persons the world ever saw.

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CHAPTER II.

Mahomet.

"In the beginning of this century arose the famed MAHOMET, a man endowed with every talent for lifting himself to eminence in this world: deep contrivance, a noble person, ready elocution, invincible perseverance, and intrepid courage. He had exercised the business of a merchant in Arabia, and by travelling had gained a thorough knowledge of the country and its inhabitants. The Christianity there professed had been debased by superstition, and mixed with heathenism. He conceived, therefore and executed the vast project of erecting the fabric of a new religion, of which he was ambitious to be regarded as the founder and prophet. Adopting the leading articles of the Christian and Jewish faith, the Unity of the Godhead, and manifesting the highest reverence for the only Jehovah, he marked every species of polytheism and idolatry with the deepest abhorrence. He pretended a divine commission for reforming the prevalent abuses among the Jews and Christians, and to bring them back to the pristine and patriarchal religion. But knowing those with whom he had to do, and the general practice of polygamy in the East, and among the Arabs, he ingrafted this eustom into his religious system, and thus connected the most plausible point of doctrine with the most seductive and indulgent practice."

In maturing this plan, Mahomet spared neither time nor pains. From the period of his first asserting his divine authority, A. D. 608, to the season of his grand experiment, 622, fourteen years elapsed; during this

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