Imatges de pàgina
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19. ch. 41.

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used no bath, nor so much as washed their feet. They A. D. 395. worked as long as they were able; used no remedies for diseases, but received them as a great blessing; nor did they ever stir out of their enclosure. When Euphrasia, the widow of one Antigonus, a man of high rank, offered them' a yearly ['ut oretis revenue of twenty or thirty pounds of gold, the Abbess re- gono. See fused it, and could accept only some oil for the lamps, and supr. bk. incense for the Oratory. Euphrasia or Euphraxia, her note b.] daughter, was admitted here at seven years of age, and miama] became famous for her virtue and miracles. Near Antinous [* § 8.] there were twelve monasteries of women, one among the rest governed by the Abbess or Amma, Talida, who had led a monastic life eighty years. She had with her sixty young virgins, who had so great love for her that the monastery was never locked up, as others were; so inseparably were they united to her by affection, and her holy instructions. They went out to church on Sundays, to receive the Communion; c. 138. but one of them, named Taor, who was very beautiful, never stirred out at all, but stayed always in the monastery at work, clothed in rags.

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5

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7

Pall. Laus.

c. 137.

14. ch. 31.

c. 76.

Supr. bk.

16. ch. 36.

In Egypt properly so called, near Arsinoë, the Abbot Serapion had the government of about ten thousand Monks; Supr. bk. and there were five thousand in fifty monasteries in the desert ad fin. of Nitria'. They had a church and eight Priests", of whom Pall, Laus, the eldest only officiated, the other seven not performing any of the sacred functions during his life. Near that place was the monastery of Cellæ, and the mountain of Pherme, in- ' Pall. c. 23. habited by about five hundred Monks. Among these was Paul, who said three hundred prayers' a-day, counting them 1 ibid. by so many little stones, which he had in his bosom, and dropping one at every prayer. Next to this was the monastery

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Pall. c. 7.

16. ch. 37.

Supr. bk.

of Scetis, where lived the two Macarii, and St. Arsenius; ? Supr. bk. and where Cassian abode some time. In the neighbourhood of Alexandria3 were about two thousand Monks in different Pall. c. 7. monasteries. At Canopus there were many monasteries, among the rest that of Metanoa. At Pelusium also were some Monks, among whom was the famous St. Isidore, who lived at this time. This was the state of the monasteries of 3. 15.] Egypt at the end of the fourth century. The number of all the Monks, as here set down, amounts to above 76,000, and

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19. ch. 31.

[Bingh. 7.

A. D. 395. that of religious women to about 20,700; without reckoning those monasteries in which the number of inmates is not expressly mentioned. I omit several particular persons of great fame, an account of whose virtues may be seen in the writings of Evagrius, Palladius, and other collections of the lives of the Fathers.

X.

The De

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The death of the Emperor Theodosius did not put a stop struction of to the progress of religion; on the contrary, those that goHeresies. verned, imputing to his piety the defeat of Eugenius and Soz. 8. 1. other tyrants, endeavoured to follow his example. They confirmed the laws which he had made in favour of religion, Cod. Th. and added new ones. We have a law of Honorius for main[16. Tit. 2.] 1. 29. de taining the privilege of churches, in 395'; seven of Arcadius, Episc. Cod. Th. six against heretics, one against the pagans; part of them [16. Tit.5.] dated at Constantinople in 394, during the life of his father, who was at that time employed about his affairs in the West, Cod. Th. and part after his death in 395; most of them directed to Ruf[16.Tit.10.] finus, the Prætorian Præfect of the East, and, as is supposed, drawn up by his advice, as he then possessed the greatest authority. But being suspected of aspiring to the empire, Gibbon, he was slain on the twenty-seventh of November, in the ch. 29.] Marcell. same year®.

I. 23, 25

29. de

Hæret.

I. 13. de

Pagan.

Chron.

A.D. 395.

The pagans were converted, and the heretics returned to [Roncall. the Catholic Church', particularly the Eunomians and the p. 272.] Socr. 6. 1. other Arians; whose divisions among themselves had opened 7 Soz. 8. 1. their eyes, and led them to conclude that truth could not be Supr. bk. on their side. The Macedonians had no Bishops at Con19. ch. 35. stantinople, and were governed only by Presbyters since

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Eudoxius had taken away their churches; which contributed much to weaken their party. The Novatians were also disturbed by the schism of Sabbatius; but they supported themselves at Constantinople by the reputation of their [See bk. Bishop Sisinnius'; a man of talent, and remarkable in his 18. ch. 26.] time for many quick and ingenious replies. He was much extolled for his learning and virtue, although his manner of life was soft and effeminate; he used the bath twice a-day, and was clothed in white; whereas religious persons used to wear black garments .

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19. ch. 54.

con. c. 56.

In Africa the divisions of the Donatists' still continued; A. D. 395. they abused the laws made against heretics, to persecute one Supr. bk. another. In execution of the Council of Bagaia, held by 2 S. Aug. 3. the Primianists, the time by them granted to the Maxi- contr. Cresminianists to be reconciled to them having now expired two [p. 466.] months, the Primianists presented a petition to the Proconsul of Carthage, against Felicianus of Musti, and Prætextatus of Assurita, both Maximinianists, on the second of March 3953, to procure their expulsion from the churches; [ 3rd of and this persecution lasted till the twenty-second of December Honor. of the year following, 396. The Primianists affirmed that they were Catholics, and for proof of it, produced their Council, where the Maximinianists were condemned, and demanded that they should be excluded from their churches', S. Aug. in by virtue of the imperial laws against heretics. The judge, § 15. either by connivance or ignorance, passed sentence in their [ al. cofavour; and the Maximinianists were in many places turned connivens] out by legal authority.

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Arc. 2nd of

A. D. 394.

Bened.]

Psalm. 57.

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A. D. 395.] ['solemni

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St. Augustine continued in the Priest's office at Hippo, XI. under the Bishop Valerius, and preached with great success. gustine The festival of St. Leontius, Bishop of Hippo, approaching, preaches the people murmured, that they should not be permitted to Agapæ. 6 Ep. 29. ad keep it with the usual rejoicings, that is, to make their Alyp. [scr. feasts in the church, which degenerated into drunkenness and debauchery. For the Council of Hippo, held in 393, tas, quam had decreed, that the people should be hindered from keeping nomithese feasts by all possible means. St. Augustine, who had Supr. bk. advised this regulation, hearing that the people murmured, began, on Wednesday before the festival, to discourse on this subject, taking occasion from the Gospel for the day, in which was this passage: Give not' that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine. He compared 7. 6. to dogs, such as quarrel with and bark at the commands of GOD; and to swine, those who wallow in unclean pleasures, and would commit in the church that which renders them unworthy of holy things.

Preaching is a delegated privilege to the Priest, which he exercises only by permission of the Bishop, who has authority to withdraw his commission,

if he thinks fit. Bingham, 2, 3, 4. See
Heylyn's Life of Archbishop Laud.
Introduct. § 10.

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19. ch. 41.

Ep. 29. §

2.

St. Matt.

7.6.

4

quam dies

quadra

St. Matt.

21. 12.

§ 4.

A. D. 395. As this discourse was made to a small' audience, [from 1 $ 3. whose report it was spread abroad,] and many spoke against postea- it, he made another' on the same subject to a larger congregation, when that part of the Gospel had been read, about gesima driving the buyers and sellers out of the temple3. He read illuxisset] it over again himself, and shewed how much more zealous our LORD would have been in banishing from the temple dissolute feasting, than a traffic, which was in itself innocent. He added, that the Jews, though they were still carnal, made no feasts in that temple, where the Body and Blood of our LORD was not yet offered; and that it was never related that they became drunken under pretence of religion, but Exod. 32. only at the festival of the making of an idol'. Whereupon he read to them the whole passage out of Exodus; for he had got ready beforehand the books and texts of Scripture. He afterwards took St. Paul, and read those words where he 1 Cor. 5. reckons drunkenness among the greatest sins, and the works of the flesh', which exclude men from the kingdom of GOD. Galat. 5. Having read these passages over again, and many others, with great fervency, he returned the book', and bade the whole people pray, and resumed his discourse with all the vehemence he could command; representing to them the common danger, not of the people only, but of the priests, who are to give an account of their souls to the Chief Shepherd: "I humili-conjure you," says he, "by His humiliation', His sufferings, "His crown of thorns, His cross, His blood: at least have

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pity on us, and consider the charity of the venerable "Valerius, who hath not feared to impose upon me, for your "sakes, the dangerous task of preaching to you the words of "truth. He is glad that I am come hither, but not to see

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me die with you, or be a spectator of your death, but that we may strive together for eternal life. In short, I trust "in Him who cannot lie, that if you despise all that I have "said to you, He will visit you with His scourges, and will not suffer you to be condemned with the world." spoke in so moving a manner, that he drew tears from his hearers, and could not refrain from weeping himself.

He

On the morrow, which was the feast-days, he understood

Easter-day in A. D. 395, fell on the festival of the Annunciation of our

Lady. Consequently this festival of
St. Leontius was in February and in

that certain persons still murmured, and said: "What would A. D. 395.

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'they have now? Were not they Christians who suffered "this custom?" St. Augustine, despairing of finding any thing of greater avail to move them, had resolved to read the words of Ezekiel': If the watchman warn the wicked of his1 Ezek. 33. way to turn from it, if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but the watchman hath delivered his soul; and then to shake his garments and withdraw. But before he got into the pulpit', they who had made these complaints, [exhedram. came to seek him. He received them kindly, and with a few Supra, bk. 19. ch. 14.] words brought them to a right mind. When it was time to preach, he forbore reading what he had intended, as it was now no longer necessary; and he answered the objection, "Wherefore now?" by the retort, "At length now;" but to vindicate those who had borne with it so long, he explained to them the necessity that first introduced it. After the persecutions had ceased, the heathen, who were converted in crowds, were with difficulty brought to renounce the feasts made in honour of their idols. Regard was had to their weakness in this particular, and they were permitted to make some such rejoicings in honour of the Martyrs, till they were capable of joys purely spiritual. Thus we find that St. Gregory Thaumaturgus" acted, as St. Gregory of Nyssa relates h. [A.D. 254. Supra, bk. "But now," added St. Augustine, "it is time for men who 19. ch. 41. "dare not deny that they are Christians, to begin to live P. 225.] "according to the Will of CHRIST, and, now being Christians, "to reject what was only allowed that they might become Thaum. "Christians." He afterwards' proposed to them the example [Tom. 3. of the Churches on the other side of the sea, that is, of Italy, 10. p.573,574.] where this custom was either never allowed, or had been abolished by pious Bishops'; among others, by St. Ambrose, [ Supra, as St. Augustine himself declares elsewhere. The people bk. 18. ch. 51.] objected the example of the Church of St. Peter's at the 7 Confess.6. Vatican, where these feasts were observed every day; and c. 2.

Lent, (§3). This seems improbable, and by a slight alteration in the text, (viz. Quadragesima for Quadragesima, marg. supr.) it may be identified with another festival in honour of St. Leontius, about Ascension-day. (Vid. Serm. 262. al. 13. de Divers. tom. 5. p. 1069, habitum in Basilica ab eodem Leontio exstructa).

Cf. Not. Bened. ad Ep. 29. §
§ 8.

h Pope Gregory the Great gave
(A. D. 601.) similar directions to Mel-
litus, afterwards Bishop of London, with
a view to the conversion of the British.
Lib. 11. Ep. 76. (al. 9. Ep. 71). See
Spelman. Conc. 1. p. 89. Ep. 23.

note b.

Vit. S.

p. 1006. C.

ibid. and

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