Imatges de pàgina
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of his kindred; and he in doing the like, and also in persecuting the Catholic Christians) that it is no wonder if a guilty conscience kept them from baptism, till they could find in their heart to repent of such barbarities; and when the Papists object to us our Reformation begun under such a king as Henry the Eighth, they may reflect, that Constantine, by whose means the allowed profession of Christianity itself was brought into the world, has not a much better character; and that it does not please God always to chuse good men, but sometimes to make wicked kings instruments of bringing his pur pose to pass.

There is, I think, no Christian writer that presses so hard upon the credit of Constantine in this matter as Baronius, and they of the church of Rome that follow him. They strike in with that scandalous story which the Heathen writers of that time did dress up, on a purpose of spite and slander to the Christian religion, and to Constantine for embracing it; which was, that he, after the murder of his son Crispus, and his wife Fausta, and his sister's son Licinius, &c. was terrified in conscience, and sought among the Heathen priests for some body that would expiate him, and give him hopes of pardon; but that these told him, that they had rites of expiation for very great sins, and for ordinary murders, but none for such parricide as his was; and so left him in despair; and that then it was that he was informed what large offers of pardon the Christian religion made to all comers that would be baptized; and embraced that, not out of any liking to its doctrines, bul because no other would receive him.

It is questionless no discredit to any religion, but the excellency of it, to have such sacraments to which is annexed the promise of forgiveness of the greatest sins,provided it does lay severe injunctions against practising the same for the future; yet since this story is set on foot by Zosimus * and other Heathens, out of spite to Constantine and the Christian religion, and is false;

Zos. lib. 2.

and is shewed to be so by Sozomen *, and other Christian historians (for Constantine favoured Christianity and made laws in favour of it before this time) it discovers an ill bias in Baronius, who, to make the fable of his baptism at Rome more probable, embraces it; but the men of that court make no scruple to advance the repute and pride of it, by treading not only on the necks of present emperors, but also on the credit of the most ancient ones; for, according to this character, What difference is there between Constantine and Julian?save that the one did actually go over to Heathenism, and was willingly received by Pagan priests;-the other would have done the same, but was not admitted by them.

Of Gratian and Valentinian the Second.

There is no proof that their Father, Valentinian the First,
was a baptized Christian when they were born.

The import of some sayings of the authors which I shall have occasion to produce in the case of these two emperors, will not be so well understood by the ordinary reader, unless I first give a short history of their father and them, as far as concerns this matter.

Valentinian the First came from a mean original † to the imperial dignity. He gained his preferment by degrees in the army: he is not taken notice of by the historians till such time as being an officer in the guards, when Julian came to the crown [261], he lost his place for his religion; for Julian being resolved to set up the old religion again, gave order that none should serve (especially in those places nigh his person) but such as would go to the Heathen sacrifices, and partake of them.

There were a great many in the army, by this time, well instructed in the Christian religion, who rather than go to this sort of mass, would leave their places.

* H. E. lib. 1, c. 5.

+ Socrat. lib. 4, c. I.

*

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Among the rest, this Valentinian and Valens his brother threw away their sword-belts [264]. Three years after, both these brothers came to be emperors; for Valentinian being chosen by the army, chose his brother his partner; and leaving him to govern the east, went himself to govern Rome and the western parts.

A reader that is not well acquainted with the custom, that persons converted in those times had of delaying their baptism, would think, by the zeal for Christianity that they shewed under Julian, that they both had been at that time baptized; but it is certain they were not both; for we find Valens baptized afterward [269]. His baptism is mentioned by the historians, because of an unusual and wicked circumstance of it. He was by his wife, who was an Arian, persuaded to be baptized by Eudoxius, the Arian Bishop of Constantinople; and they together prevailed on him to swear t at his baptism, that he would always continue to be on the Arians side, and expel the Catholics out of the churches. An impious practice! Instead of baptizing into the Christian religion, as Christian, to baptize into

a sect.

Valentinian's baptism is not mentioned at all by the historians, neither should we be sure whether he was ever baptized, were it not for a passage in a letter of St. Ambrose, which I shall have occasion to cite by and by. He was born in Pannonia [217]: a country where Christianity had at that time but little footing; and, probably, of Heathen parents. Who, or what they were, we hear no more than that bis father's name had been Gratian, that he was nicknamed Funarius; and that he had been an officer in Britain, in the time of Constantine.

Now, as to his sons. Gratian was born [259] to him before he was emperor ‡, and on the fourth year [267] of his reign was taken by him into partnership; but Valentinian, his younger son, was born to him the

*Socrat. lib. 3, c. 13.

Socrat. lib. 4, c. 10,

+ Theodoret. Hist. lib. 4, c. 11, 12.

third year of his reign [266]; so that he was nine years old when his father died [275]. Ammianus Marcellinus says he was but four [275]; but it must be a mistake, both because Socrates* names the consuls of the year in which he was born, which were Gratian and Dagálaiphus, for the year of Christ 366; and also because the third year after, 369, this young Valentinian was consul himself (according to the custom of those times) which was before the year on which Am. mianus makes him to be born.

When Valentinian the Elder died [275], the army proclaimed this young Valentinian Emperor, together with his brother [278]; so they ruled the west, and their uncle Valens the east; and when Valens died [279], Gratian quickly after chose Theodosius to govern the east.

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Four years after [282], the usurper Maximus set up in Britain for Emperor; and when Gratian marched against him, his army deserting, he was overcome by Maximus, and slain [283]. Valentinian kept Italy and some other countries for a few years; during which time, being ruled by his mother Justina, a bitter Arian, he favoured the Arians, and persecuted the Catholics, particularly St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan.

Among other indignities, he summoned St. Ambrose to come and dispute before him, concerning the faith, with Auxentius, the Arian; and he, with his courtiers, would judge between them. To which summons St. Ambrose answers in a letter to him ; which has this passage in it to our purpose:

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When did you hear, most gracious Emperor, that laymen have past judgment on a bishop in a matter of faith? Do we then, by a sort of fawning, so debase ourselves, as to forget what is the privilege of the sacerdotal office? and that I should commit that into the hands of another, which God has entrusted with me myself? If a bishop must be taught by a layman, what

* Lib. 4, c. 9.

+ Epist. 32.

will follow? Then let a layman preach, and the bishop give attention; let a bishop learn of a layman.

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This is unquestionable, that if we search either into the tenor of the holy Scriptures, or into the account of past times, there is none can deny that, in matters of faith, I say, in matters of faith, bishops are wont to judge of emperors that are Christians, and not emperors of bishops.

"You will, by the grace of God, arrive to a better ripeness of age; and then you yourself will pass an estimate what sort of man for a bishop he must be that will put the sacerdotal right under the judgment of laymen.

"Your father, a man, by God's mercy, of a more advanced age, said, It does not belong to me to judge between bishops. Does your Grace now say, It does belong to me to judge? And he, though at that time baptized in Christ, yet thought himself unable to bear the weight of so great a judgment. Does your Grace, for whom the sacrament of baptism is yet reserved to be obtained by you, take upon you the determination of matters of faith, when as yet you are not partaker of the sacrament of faith?"

This scuffle, between the court on one side, standing for the Arians, and the major part of the people on the other, for their religion, their church, and their bishop, increased so far (the Emperor demanding the church for the Arians, the people continuing day and night in it ; the court giving out that Bishop Ambrose meant to set up for an usurper*,- St. Ambrose declaring, that, as he abhorred the thoughts of resistance †, or of stirring up the people, so he could not, on the other side, run away from his church and flock in that danger of their souls, but was ready to suffer death quietly) that Maximus, the usurper, who had already, since the defeat and death of Gratian, settled himself in Britain and France, and gaped for an opportunity of invading Italy, took his advantage of these discontents; and he

* Ambrosii Epist. 33.

VOL. II.

+ Idem Oratione in Auxentium.

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