who complained of too much lenity at Rome, and defended two extremes, it is hard to fay which is the worse, with equal pertinacity within the compafs of two years. The Roman clergy thought it high time to ftem the torrent. They had for fixteen months* with fingular piety and fortitude governed the church during one of its moft ftormy feafons. Schifm was now added to perfecution; to be chofen bishop of Rome was plainly for a man to expofe himfelf to martyrdom; for Decius threatened bishops with great haughtiness and afperity. Sixteeen bishops happening to be then at Rome, ordained Cornelius as the fucceffor of Fabian. He was very unwilling to accept of the office; but the election of a bishop to withstand the growing fchifm appeared neceffary, and the people who were prefent approved of his ordination. Novatian procured himself to be ordained bifhop, in oppofition, in a very irregular manner ‡, and vented calumnies against Cornelius, whofe life appears to have been worthy of the gospel. Thus was formed the first body of chriftians, who, in modern language, ought to be called Diffenters, that is, men who feparate from the general church, not on grounds of doctrine, but of difcipline. The Novatianifts held no opinions contrary to the faith of the gofpel. It is certain, from fome writings of Novatian extant, that their leader was found in the doctrine of the Trinity. But the confeffors, whom his preter.fions to fuperior § purity had feduced, returned afterwards to *Fleury, B. 6. the See in Eufebius, B. 6, Cornelius's letter concerning Novatian whom Eufebius confounds with Novatus by miftake. +-See Waterland's Importance of the Trinity, § Epif. 48 and 49. the communion of Cornelius, and wept over their own credulity. In a letter of Cornelius to Fabius, bishop of Antioch, we have occafionally the men tion of a few circumftances which may give an idea of the church of Rome at that time*. There were under the bifhop forty-fix priefts, feven deacons, feven fub-deacons, forty-two acolyths fifty-two exorcifts, and readers with porters, widows, and impotent perfons, above 1050 fouls. The number of the laity was, fays he, innu merable. I don't know fo authentic a memorial of the numbers of the chriftians in those times. In his letter he charges Novatian, perhaps without fufficient warrant, with having denied himself to be a priest during the heat of the perfecution, and with obliging his feparatifts, when he adminiftered to them the Lord's fupper, to fwear to adhere to him. He was daily more and more forfaken, and the party at Rome loft ground. In Africa, whither Novatus returned, the party held up its head, and ordained Nicoftratus the deacon, the only perfon of note, who was feduced at Rome by Novatian, and who refused to return to communion with Cornelius. Confcious of fcandalous crimes, he fled from Rome and became bishop of the Novatians in Africa. It would not have been worth while to have detailed thefe events thus diftinctly, but to mark the symptoms of declenfion in the church, the unity of which was now broken for the first time; for it ought not to be thought that all the Novatians were men void of the faith and love of Jefus. The artifices of Satan alfo, in pushing forward oppofite extremes, are worthy of notice. He tried both the lax and the fevere method in point of C c difcipline. About the middle of the third century. The Novatians called themselves Cathari, pure people. difcipline. The former he finds more fuitable to the ftate of chriftianity among us. But it could gain no folid footing in the third century. The Novatian fchifm ftood at laft on the ground of exceffive severity, a certain proof of the ftrictnefs of difcipline then fashionable among chriftians, and of courfe of great purity of life and doctrine having been prevalent among them; but to refufe the re-admiffion of penitents was a dangerous inftance of pharifaical pride, though in justice to Novatian it ought to be mentioned that he advised the exhorting of the lapfed to repentance, and then leaving them to the judgment of God. But extreme aufterity and fuperftition, were now growing evils, and cherished by falfe philofophy. On the fame plan Novatian alfo condemned fecond marriages. At length Cyprian ventured out of his retreat and returned to Carthage. In what manner he there conducted himself shall be the fubject of the next chapter. СНАР. Х. CYPRIAN'S SETTLEMENT OF HIS CHURCH AFTER HIS RETURN, AND THE HISTORY OF THE WESTERN CHURCH TILL THE PERSECUTION UNDER GALLUS. THE HE prudence of Cyprian had been fo remarkable during the whole of the perfecution of Decius, that we may fairly conclude he had ceased to apprehend any perfonal danger when he appeared again in public at Carthage. In fact, it was not the ceffation of malice, but the the distraction of public affairs, which put an end. to the perfecution. Decius, on account of the incurfion of the Goths, was obliged to leave Rome, and God gave a breathing-time to his fervants, while men of the world were wholly taken up with refifting or mourning under their calamities. After Eafter a council was held at Carthage, and the eyes of Chriftians were turned toward it, in expectation of fome fettlement of the very confused ftate of the church under the aufpices of Cyprian and the other bishops of Africa. There at first, for want of exact information of circumstances, fome delay was made before Cornelius was owned as legitimate bishop of Rome. But when the truth of things was laid open, the regularity of his appointment and the violation of order in the fchifmatical ordination of Novatian, by fome perfons who were in a state of intoxication*, there was no room to hesitate. Novatian was rejected in the African fynod, and Feliciffimus, with his five prefbyters, was condemned. And now the cafe of the Japfed, which had given fo much difquietude, and which Cyprian had fo often promited to fettle in full council, was finally determined, and with men who feared God it was no hard thing to adjust a due medium. A proper temperature was ufed between the precipitation of the lapfed and the ftoical feverity of Novatian. Hence penitents were restored, and the cafe of dubious characters was deferred, and yet every. method of christian charity was used to facilitate their restoration. · Fortunatus preferved ftill a fchifmatical af fembly. But both his bishop and his flock fhrunk foon into infignificance. The christian authority of Cyprian was reftored. The Novatian party Cc 2 See Cornelius's letter in Eufeb. alone alone remained a long time after; in Africa and elsewhere, numerous enough to continue a distinct body of profeffing chriftians. The little light which chriftian annals afford of these diffenters (and it is very little) fhall be given in its place. I feel not the leaft inclination to partiality concerning them, for I am confcious that God is not confined to any particular modes of church-government. The laws of historical truth have obliged me indeed to obferve that their feceffion could not be juftified; but that does not render it impoffible that the Spirit of God might be with fome of this people during their continuance as a distinct body. of chriftians. Thus did it pleafe God to make use of the vigour and perfeverance of Cyprian in recovering the church of Carthage from a state of moft deplorable declenfion. First fhe had loft her purity and piety to a very alarming degree, then was torn with perfecution, and fifted by the ftorm fo much that the greatest part of her profeffors apoftatized; afterwards convulfed by fchifms because of men's unwillingness to submit to the rules of God's own word, in wholefome difcipline and fincere repentance. On Cyprian's return however, and the new train of difcipline established by the council, Carthage, and moft probably Africa, affumed a new face; unity was reftored in a great measure; and though we want the accounts of particular inftances, there is all reafon to believe that the church of God was much recovered in these parts. Decius loft his life in battle in the year two hundred and fifty-one, after having reigned thirty months. A prince not deficient in abilities and moral virtues, but distinguished, during this whole period, by the moft cruel perfecution of the church of God: he was bent on its ruin, but perished himself: |