صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

But, 5th-The most exceptionable and offen. sive part of this work is the author's virulent and abusive treatment of the ancient fathers, and some of the modern Reformers of the Christian church. "IRENEUS, to give himself consequence, pretended to have been a disciple of POLYCARP, who pretended to have been a disciple of JOHN." (P. 213.) "CYPRIAN was an ignorant fanatick, and as great a tyrant as ever existed. The correspondence between him and CORNELIUS, bishop of Rome, is a system of the most atrocious tyranny; and it is astonishing, if government had any knowledge of their practices, that patience deferred their martyrdom so long." (Pp. 179, 190.) "ORIGEN was one of the most mischievous men, that ever set foot in the Christian church; and his pretended learning was a publick misfortune." (P. 339.) The church order of CYCIL, bishop of Jerusalem, was "a system of fraud and violence." The church under his care "filled the holy city with every thing except morality; for idolatry, adultery, theft, assassination, and every kind of iniquity, were openly practised there." (P. 220.)

"EPIPHANIUS wrote slander in folio." (P. 167.) "The little credit due to the history of EUSEBIUS, is due only to such parts as are attested by others more credible than himself." (P. 209.) Indeed, says Mr. R. all "the Fathers are miserable evidences of the truth of facts, as well as incompetent judges of right." (P. 208.)-But none of the patriarchs of the Christian church are treated so unmercifully under the hands of our historian as the great AUSTIN. This person, we are informed, "took up the ministry as a

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

trade;" was metamorphosed into a bishop ;" and was never backward to sound his own fame." He "was a crafty, irritated man;" who was "too insignificant to obtain distinction in the state," and whose name has sunk below contempt in every free country." "He became a merciless tyrant;" who "formed cabals, named councils, and placed virtue in cursing and killing good men." He "truckled to the bishop of Rome, only for the sake of playing Jupiter in Africa." He was the scourge of all good men within his reach, whose confiscations, banishments, and death, together with the ruin of their families, lay at his door." "Barbarous AUSTIN! If a man were driven to the necessity of choosing one saint of two candidates, it would not be AUSTIN, it would be Saint Balaam, the son of Bosor!" "Who can be grieved to see the Vandals come forward, and subvert all the labours of AUSTIN'S life?" (Pp. 127, 195, 206.)-This is that distinguished and excellent Christian, whose name has descended to modern times, as "the GREAT LUMINARY" of the age in which he lived. And those, whose names are given above, are the men, generally, to whom the apostles transmitted the concerns of the church. They were "men of approved fidelity and gravity; stood the fiery trial of some of the severest persecutions ever known; testified their love to the Lord Jesus in the most striking manner;" and, in most instances, sealed their testimony with their blood. Their crime was, they adored the Trinity; believed what are now termed the doctrines of grace; and inculcated and practised infant baptism. This was sufficient to subject them to the

Tash of Mr. Robinson, and to that abusive treatment which we have above described. Nor is this historian any respecter of persons. For a similar offence, he has inflicted on more modern Christians a similar castigation. The council of Girona, which had the misfortune to ordain, among other things, the baptism of infants, is described as consisting of "a low, illiterate, mongrel sort of African, Jewish Christians." (P. 252.) Pray, what sort of Christians are these ?-JOHN KNOX was "filled with Calvinistical fury." The people of Scotland, "inspired with fury by him, raised a civil war," and committed all sorts of outrages in the name of the Lord." (Pp. 388, 389.) The Seminaries of Zurich and Geneva, under the inspection of the great reformers ZUINGLIUS and CALVIN, are styled “barbarous schools," out of which the good English reformers received the doctrines of sprinkling and blood-shedding for the faith. (P. 391.)

My feelings, in view of this part of our history, I dare not attempt to express. I will only remark, that had it not been for these reformers, Mr. R. might have lived and died, immured in the darkness and delusion of Popery.

It is hoped the admirers of this author will not be, in all respects, his imitators. And it is justly matter of rejoicing that we live in a period when the ancient asperity of religious controversy is as unpopular as it is unbecoming.

« السابقةمتابعة »