"laden with provisions to such places as abound with poor A. D. 388. people. It is unnecessary to say more of a matter so well "known." This is the description which St. Augustine gives of the Monks who lived in the East in his time, and especially in Egypt; and he twice challenges the Manichees to contradict it'. 1 3 § 68. § 69. He afterwards proceeds to the religious women', and then to the clergy3. "How many Bishops," says he, " do I know "that are most virtuous and most holy? How many Priests, "Deacons, and other ministers of the Church? whose virtue seems to me so much the more praiseworthy, as it is more "difficult to preserve, in the midst of people, and in a life of activity." He speaks of the communities of religious 'c. 33. § 70. people in the cities. "I have seen," says he, " at Milan, a numerous household' of saints, who were governed by one [diversorium.] "most virtuous and learned Priest. Several I know at Rome. They are chargeable to no man, not even the superiors, "who, after the example of those of the East, and according "to the Apostle's authority, maintain themselves by the "work of their own hands. I have been told too, that many "practise incredible fasting, not only by making but one "meal towards night, which is every where most customary, "but spending three days together without eating or drinking, "and even a longer time. However no body is forced to § 71. austerities, which he cannot bear; nothing is imposed upon any person which he refuses, nor do the rest condemn those "who confess themselves unable to follow their example." 6 He afterwards owns that there are many weak and superstitious Christians', even in the true religion, and such as c. 34. were so given up to their passions, as to forget what they had promised to God. "I know," says he, "that there are many "who adore sepulchres and pictures; I know that there are 8 lib. i. many who drink to excess on occasion of burials, and then "make great feasts under pretence of religion." It is not the respect paid to saints and their relics that St. Augustine blames here; he explains himself too clearly in several other places, to leave room for the least doubt as to that point. Neither can we say, that he condemns the use of pictures, since he himself mentions those in which our Saviour was represented with St. Peter and St. Paul; and they were ch. 44. de Cons. Evang.c.10. § 16. tom.3. pars 2. p. 8. Vide infra. A. D. 358. commonly used in the Churches both of the East and West. Those therefore whom he styles worshippers of sepulchres and paintings, are those who confine themselves in too gross a manner to the tombs and images of the saints, without raising their minds to the saints themselves, who are reigning in heaven: the Church reproves and instructs such, without forsaking her holy practices. XVIII. Manners of chees. * c. 13. § 29. [3 meracis potionibus.] In the second book which is entitled, Of the Manners of the Mani- the Manichees, St. Augustine confutes their capital error, conc.10. § 19. cerning the nature and origin of Evil; he then examines' into what they called the three seals of the mouth, the hands and the breast, which comprehend all their abstinences and superstitious customs; and at last relates several crimes, of which they were convicted. In speaking of abstinence from meats, he shews that all its value proceeds from the motive. "If one man," he says, "is contented with only one meal in a day, and then is served with herbs seasoned only with "a little bacon, of which he eats merely to appease his hunger, taking two or three draughts of unmixed wine", which " is requisite for his health and if another tastes neither flesh nor wine, but eats twice, at three in the afternoon and again towards night, and on both occasions makes a full repast of delicate and uncommon grains', seasoned abundantly "with spices and served up in a variety of dishes, and if [Smulsum.] "he drinks honeyed draughts, or mulled wine, or sweet num.] "raisin wine, or cider, or the like which are sufficiently like [passum. "wine, or even more delicious in taste, if he drinks as much passum.] "as he likes, and makes his daily meals upon these delicacies "when he is under no necessity to do it; which of these two "do you think seems to observe the strictest abstinence?" It is plain that St. Augustine here is only attacking the superstition of the Manichees, who condemned wine and flesh, as bad in themselves, while they took full liberty in [ fruges.] 6 care al.carenum [ Can. Apostol. 50, 52.] Matter (Hyle) and Evil were, with the Manichees, co-extensive. The grosser the matter in this world of mixed material, the more of evil. Hence their Elect abstained from flesh. But delicacy of taste would vary inversely with the grossness of the food: hence the more delicate, the more fit to be the food of the Elect; so far as to quality; as to quantity, the Elect were supposed to set free the spiritual part of the food they ate and to restore it to the Kingdom of Light; hence the more they ate, the more fully (so far) they acted according to the purpose of God. Such were the inferences drawn (and legitimately) from Manes' principle, by his followers; and it is to these St. Ambrose refers. Gieseler § 59. and Library of the Fathers, vol. 1. note A. those meats and drinks of which they allowed the use. But A. D. 388. he makes it sufficiently appear in this work, how much he esteemed the abstinences practised in the Church, which were performed in a spirit of self-mortification, particularly those of the Monks; and he himself', after he was Possid. made Bishop, usually ate nothing but herbs and pulse. 1 c. 32. A.D. 388. 4 c. 16. He moreover composed at Rome a dialogue between Retract. 1. Evodius and himself, in which he examines several questions A.D. 388.] c.8.[written relating to the soul. But because its size is there exactly discussed in order to shew that it is not extended like matter, the title of the whole book is, Of the Quantity of the Soul. It was likewise at Rome that he began his three books On Free-will, against the Manichees, arising from the question c.9. [begun about the origin of Evil. After an accurate examination we finished A. D. 395.] find that it proceeds only 'from the Free-will of the creature". This work is full of excellent metaphysics, and in it we find an3 answer to the most specious objections to the providence lib. 2. and goodness of the Creator. St. Augustine composed only c. 2, &c. the first book at Rome, he finished the second and third in Africa, while he was a Priest. It is throughout a dialogue between himself and Evodius. After having stayed more than a year at Rome he returned into Africa about the "Possid.c.3. year 389, with certain of his friends and countrymen, who served God like himself. 5 init. 3. 7 tiff.in Siric. Synodal. p. 651. It was the Pope Siricius' who procured from the Emperor Lib. PonTheodosius the banishment of the Manichees; and as they [Baron. dissembled their profession and mixed with the Catholics in A. D. 389. § 63.] the churches, he ordered that care should be taken not to [ Epist. let them receive the Communion, nor touch the body of our s. Siric. Lord with their impure lips. He required the same even Coustant. of those who were converted; banishing them into monas- A. D. 386. Jan. 6.] teries, there to spend the rest of their lives in fasting and prayer; and permitted them only to receive the Viaticum * at their death, after a strict probation. He ordered in general, that heretics should be received by imposition of hands, and reconciled in the presence of the whole Church. This we find ordered in particular with respect to the Novatians, and [A.D.386.] the Montenses or Donatists of Rome, in a council which was there held by this Pope, with eighty other Bishops, on the ['after.] 8th of the ides of January under' the consulate of Arcadius and Bauto, i. e. on the 6th of January A. D. 386. There remains a synodical epistle of that council, containing nine canons concerning discipline, and addressed to the Bishops of Africa22. 2 tom. 2. Conc. p. 1028. [tom. 3. p. 669. Mans.] XIX. Another council3 of Rome, held about the time of Theodosius' ation of Jo- journey or soon after, condemned the heretic Jovinian. Condemn vinian. [ A. D. 390.] 4 S. Ambr. Ep. 42. §9. He had spent his youth in the austerities of a monastic life, fasting, living upon bread and water, going barefoot, wearing a black garment, and labouring with his hands. But he left his monastery, which was at Milan, and went to Rome, where he began to spread his errors. The chief of them may be reduced to four, viz. 1. That those who had been regenerated by Baptism with full faith, could not be any more vanquished by the devil: 2. That all those who shall have preserved the grace of Baptism, shall have the same reward in heaven: 3. That virgins have no more merit than widows or married women, unless their works distinguish them in other respects; 4. That there is no difference between abstaining from meats, S. Ambr. and using them with thanksgiving. He likewise denied' that Ep. 42. § 4. S. Aug. in the Holy Virgin Mary continued unimpaired in bearing the Jul. (1.c.2.) Lord; and pretended that to maintain the contrary was to tom. 10. p. attribute an imaginary body to Christ, like the Manichees. 4. c. 122. 1208. et De Hæret.c.82. tom. 8. p. 24. in Jovin. 1. tom. 4. Pt. Jovinian lived according to these principles. St. Jerome addressing him, says, "Once, your foot was bare; now it has S.Hieron. "not only a shoe, but an ornamental one. Then you wore (c.25.c.13.) "a shabby tunic and a black vest; you were in mourning 2. p. 183. garb, pale in face, and rough in hand; now you parade in Bened. scr. « linen, in silk, in the figured stuffs of Atrebates', and the Cf. S.Hier. " attire of Laodicea. Your cheeks are red; your skin is A. D. 371. "sleek; your hair is dressed behind and before; your paunch 393-4. Chron. 66 "is protuberant; your shoulders are round; your throat is "full; and your jaws are so fat that your words are almost strangled. Certainly, in such a contrast of food and y So called (and Campita) because they first assembled at Rome in a cave, among the hills outside the city. Vid. Optat. de Schism. Don. lib. 2. § 4. and the note. Du Pin, Par. 1700. z Not primarily to the Bishops of Africa, but to the Bishops of the Roman Council who were absent, and then sent to the different Churches. We have the Epistle from the Acts of the Council of Telepta (A.D. 418); hence the error. Coust. Monit. § 8. 1 ibid. 2. c.23. clothing, there must be fault on one side or the other. [A.D.393-4] "Not that I will impute sin to food or to dress; but that "the variation and change for the worse is next door to a "reproach'." However he still boasted of being a Monk; S. Hieron. and observed celibacy that he might avoid the inconveniences of matrimony. Since he preached so easy a doctrine, he had a great many followers at Rome; many persons of both sexes, after having lived a long time in a state of continence and mortification, married and returned to a soft and unrestrained life. But there was no Bishop who suffered himself to be seduced by Jovinian. p. 214. tom. 2. Ep. 2. § 3. He even met with some opposition from several laymen, illustrious by their noble birth and piety, and amongst the rest Pammachius is mentioned. They carried a writing to S. Siric. Pope Siricius, in which Jovinian had published his errors, and asked him his opinion. The Pope assembled his Clergy3, Conc. p. and the doctrine was found to be contrary to the Christian law, si 3. p.663.] and with the advice of all that were present, as well Priests and Deacons, as other clerks, Jovinian was condemned with eight others, as authors of a new heresy; and it was decreed' that they should be cut off from the Church for ever. et apud p. 965.] nostro ju 5 fratres et 6 Jovinian and the rest that were condemned went to Milan, presbyteto which place the Emperor had returned. But Pope Siricius rio. [1 divina sent thither three Priests, Crescens, Leopardus, and Alex- sententia et anders, with a letter to the Church of Milan, which contained dicio.] the condemnation of these heretics, and a brief confutation compres of their errors. byteros So that they were rejected there also by meos.] every body with horror, and the Pope's Legates caused them S. Ambr. Ep. 42. § 13. to be driven out of the city. The Bishops who happened to Conc. 3. p. be then at Milan with St. Ambrose, condemned them according 3. p. 667. to the sentence of Siricius, to whom they wrote a synodical B. Mans.] letter. They in it applaud his pastoral vigilance; and then con- compres fute Jovinian's errors by Scripture, more particularly anxious stri.] to prove that the Virginity of the Holy Mother of Goda a This title of the Holy Virgin is in this place given by Fleury, not taken from St. Ambrose. "Part of the he 66 resy of Nestorius was the denial of "this EOTÓxos, and the whole was "nothing else but the ground of that "denial." See Bishop Pearson on the third Article of the Creed. St. Ephraim, Patriarch of Theopolis (i. e. Antioch, so called by Justinian) A. D. 527, says 435. [tom. 7 fratres et byteri no |