a

wife Gallican. I will here, mention Two; Avitus of Vienne in Gaul, and Cafarius of Arles I have fet their words in the Margin. b 7. The oldest Commentator upon it, tho' an Italian by Birth and Education, had yet travelled into France, and was at length Bishop of Poitiers. 8. The Number and Antiquity of the Manuscripts of this Creed found in France confirm the fame Thing: which has made feveral very learned Men fubfcribe to This Opinion, that the Athanafian Creed came first from

a The Words of Avitus Viennenfis, who was Bishop in 490. died in 523

De Divinitate Spiritus Sancti, quem nec factum legimus, nec creatum, nec genitum- Nos vero Spiritum difcimus ex Patre Filio procedere- Sicut eft proprium Spiritui Sancto a Patre Filioque procedere, iftud Fides Catholica etiamfi renuentibus non perfuaferit, in fuæ tamen Difciplina Regula non excedit. Sirmond. Op. Vid. Le Quien Panopl. contr. Schifm. Græc. p. 241.

Non nifi ex eodem Symbolo, quod jam ante receptum effet, Avitus Viennenfis alicubi fcribebat De Divinitate Sp. S. &c. Le Quien. Differt. Damafcen. p. 98.

b The Words of Cæfarius, who was Bishop in 503. died in 543. Rogo & admoneo vos, Fratres cariffimi, ut Quicunque vult Salvus effe, Fidem rectam & Catholicam difcat, firmiter teneat, inviolatamque confervet. Deus Pater, Deus Filius, Deus & Spiritus Sanctus: fed tamen non tres Dii, fed unus Deus. Qualis Pater, talis Filius, talis & Spiritus Sanctus. Attamen credat unufquifque Fidelis quod Filius aqualis eft Patri fecundum Divinitatem, & minor eft Patre fecundum Humanitatem carnis, quami de noftro affumpfit. Cafar. Arelat. apud Auguft. Op. Tom. V. App. P. 399.

N. B. The Editors of St. Austin adjudge This to Cæfarius; as does alfo Oudinus: Comment. de fcript. Eccl. Vol. t. p. 1348.

c Cæterum cum ex allatis fupra Teftimoniis videatur in Galliis primum celebrari cœpiffe Hoc Symbolum, haud abs re conjectant éruditi viri, in Galliis illud fuiffe elucubratum. Quod idem forte

Gaul:

Gaul. And it is certain, that no other Country, or Church in the World has fo fair, I may now fay, fo clear a pretence to it: Many Circumstances concur to make good their Title, as we have already feen; and more will appear in my next Chapter, when I come to inquire who was the Author.

LET it be allowed then, for the present, that our Creed was originally Gallican, and made between 420, and 430: We may next confider, whether we cannot come a little nearer towards fixing the Time of it's Compofition. We muft point out fome Season when St. Austin's Works were known, and ftudied, and well efteem'd of in Gaul; and when the Circumftances of the Place might the most probably give occafion for the compiling fuch a Creed. Now, it is obfervable that about the Year 426, St. Auftin held a very close and intimate Correfpondence with

fuadeat antiquiffimus ille in Galliis & in Anglia Mos Symboli alternatim concinendi; itemque MSS. Gallicanorum Copiá & Antiquitas. Montfauc. Diatrib. p. 726.

E Gallis primum prodiiffe Symbolum Athanafianum animadvertimus, tum quod a Gallis fcriptoribus ante omnes celebratum, a Synodis Epifcopifque Galliarum receptum, & commendatum antiquitus fuerit, tum etiam quod Treviris in Galliarum Metropoli illud lucubratum fuifle opinio increbuerit. Quapropter Pithoeus, ac Voffius, aliique eruditiffimi viri Gallum Hominem Symboli Parentem opinati funt; Antelmius vero, hac potiffimum ratione ductus, non Vigilium in Africa Epifcopum, fed Vincentium Lirinenfem Opufculi hujus Auctorem affirmavit. Lud. Murator. Tom. 2 p. 229.

the

the Gallican Churches. Leporius had for fome Time fpread false Doctrine in Gaul, chiefly relating to the Incarnation. His Herefy was much the fame with what Neftorius's was afterwards. The Gallican Bifhops cenfured Him; and He was forced to quit his Country, having given general Offence to all there. He took his leave of Gaul, and paffed over into Africa, with feveral Others of the same Party; and Principles: where lighting upon Aurelius Bishop of Carthage, and St. Austin, He was by Them brought to a Senfe of his Error, and induced to fign a full Recantation, called Libellus Satisfactionis; whereupon St. Austin, and Aurelius, and other African Bishops became Interceffors with the Bifhops of Gaul, in favour of Leporius, that He might be again receiv'd and restored by them. One can fcarce imagine any more likely Time, or more proper Occafion for the compiling fuch a Creed as the Athanafian is. All the Lines and Characters of it fuit extremely well with the Place, the Time, the Occafion, and other Circumstances; which concur to perfwade us that the Creed was, in all Probability, compofed in Gaul, fometime between the Year 426, and the Year 430: So that now we are confined to the narrow Compafs of four or five Years, upon the most probable Conjecture, and upon fuch Evidences as a Cafe of this Q 2 Nature

Nature can admit of, where more cannot be expected.

IF

Of the Author of the Creed.

F we have hitherto gone upon fure Grounds, about the Time, and Place, we cannot long be at a lofs for the Author of This Creed. Who were the most confiderable Men, and beft qualified for fuch a Work, at That Time in Gaul? Antelmius will point out Vincentius Lirinenfis. But I have feveral Reasons to perfwade me that it was not, or could not be Vincentius. No Contemporary of his, nor any antient Writer ever gives the least Hint of his compofing fuch a Work. Antelmius fuppofes it to be after his Commonitory, that is, after 434; which if it had been, we should undoubtedly have found the Creed more particular, and explicite against the Neftorian Herefy: We should have read in it Mother of God, One Son only, and fomething of God's be ing born, fuffering, dying, or the like; It cannot therefore be justly afcribed to Vincentius. Not to mention, that such a Work appears to have been much fitter for a Bishop of a Church,

Church, than for a private Presbyter; in as much as Bishops generally were obliged to give an Account of their Faith, upon their first Entrance upon the Epifcopate: And They had the Privilege likewife of making Creeds, and Forms of Prayer, for their respective Dioceffes: For which Reasons, cateris paribus, this Creed ought rather to be afcribed to fome Bishop of that Time than to an inferior Presbyter. And who more likely to compofe fuch a Creed than Hilary Bishop of Arles, a celebrated Man of That Time, and of chief Repute in the Gallican Church? His Title to it will stand upon the following Circumstances.

1. HE was made Bishop in Gaul within the Time mention'd, about the Year 429. 2. He is allowed to have been a Man of great Parts and Capacity, of a neat Wit, and elegant Style, for the Age He lived in; infomuch that Livius, a Poet, and a celebrated Writer of that Time, did not fcruple to fay, that if Austin had come after Hilary, He would have been judged his Inferior. 3. Gennadius's Character

a Quid plura dicam? Nifi dicendi Paufa defuper eidem adveniffet, fermonem finire non potuerat, tanta gratia exundante, & miraculo & ftupore crefcente, ut peritiffimis defperationem tunc Autoribus fæculi ejus inferret Oratio: in tantum ut Livius Temporis illius Poeta, & Autor infignis, publicè proclamaret; Si Auguftinus poft Te fuiffet, judicaretur inferior. Honoratus, in Vita Sti Hilarii p. 740. Edit. Quefnell.