1822.] The Ant.-Difficult Passage in Ecclesiasticus. in small hillocks of earth, raised by them for the purpose, or in the act of loosening the soil to receive the infant tribe; the whole of this is removed by a spade, and placed in a pail or box on which there is a lid or cover to prevent the anxious parent from convey ing away their young, which, when disturbed, they will do with surprising activity. It is a curious circumstance, not to be easily accounted for, that upon removing this lid once or twice in the day, or oftener, the inside surface will be found entirely covered with eggs, attached to it by some fine filament or mucus, while the Ants themselves remain in the earth beneath; and thus it will be so long as an egg remains to be removed; and this is the more extraordinary, because these ova are as large, or indeed, in common larger than the parent insect. Although we cannot discover in this little fact, any circumstance to shew, according to our notions, any pecuculiarly wise provision of nature for the safety, protection, or nourishment of the creature, which are the universal objects of instinct in the irrational animal, yet do I consider it worthy this short notice, as a matter of curious and not useless entertainment. Yours, &c. Mr. URBAN, FORMICA. March 1. THE apocryphal book of Ecclesias ticus, declared in our modern translations of the Bible to have been composed by Jesus the son of Sirach, and which in the Prologe thereto (as given by Tyndal and all the older translators) he says his grandfather (the High Priest who returned from Babylon with Zorobabel) did write in Hebrew, and he himself interpreted or translated the same, in the time of Ptolomy Euergetes (more than two hundred years before the birth of our Saviour), being held by the Western Churches in great esteem, was introduced by our first Reformers, and also by the Compilers of the Articles of the Established Church, into the public service. I find on the authority of divers antient writers, that the Hebrew copies are all lost, and that the Greek translation by the grandson is the present only original. The occasion of my present address to you arises out of the GENT. MAG. April, 1822. 313 forty-third chapter of this excellent Λογισμῷ ἀυτοῦ ἐκόπασεν ἄβυσσον, καὶ ἐφύτευσεν αυτὴν Ἰησοῦς,” supporting the old translators (before Archbishop Parker) in the introduction of the name of Jesus. The Latin translations of 1478, 1519, 1529, 1578, and 1590 (all by different printers), render the twentythird verse by the words, " in cogitatione sua placavit abyssum, et plantavit illum D'n's Jesus." The translation of Tremellius, &c. has "Sermocinatione ejus quiescit abyssus, et in ea insulas plantavit;" and the more elegant translation by Castellio gives "Ille æquor mente sua pacat, et in eo plantavit insulas." My first question arising out of these facts is, on what authority has the name of Jesus been introduced into five old English and five old Latin translations of the Bible? or omitted in Parker's and the modern Bibles? Secondly. What is the meaning of the word, as used by the son of Sirach (if he did use it)? Thirdly. 314 History of the Christian Church. HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. (Continued from p. 220.) Christians, under the Emperor Adrian, which began in A. D. 126, and continued under Antoninus Pius, who succeeded to the empire in A. D. 138, while Adrian tarried at Athens, happening to be initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries, he expressed such zeal about the heathen superstition, that many put the former edicts against the Christians in execution. By this means the persecution became so hot, that they were obliged to remonstrate, particularly Quadratus Bishop of Athens, and Aristides a Philosopher in that city, who presented apologies to Adrian, wherein they defended the Christian religion against the objections of its adversaries; and in confirmation of its divine original, strenu ously urged our Lord's miracles, particularly his curing diseases and raising the dead. These apologies, which are now lost, together with letters from Serenius Granianus, representing the injustice of the procedure against the Christians, greatly assuaged the Emperor's zeal, and made him write to the Governors of the Provinces, and particularly to Minucius Fundanus, Proconsul of Asia Minor, commanding that "no Christian should be disturbed on account of Religion. And that whosoever accused them, without alleging any other crime against then, should be punished." (Euseb. Eccl. Hist. Lib. 4. c. 8, 9.) Adrian having thus began to entertain a favourable notion of the Christians, did not stop here. He caused a great many temples to be built without images. These Lampridius, a heathen writer, tells us he dedicated to Christ, intending to receive him among the Gods; which temples remained in the time of Lampridius, and from Adrian were called Adriani. Alexander Severus also, who obtain ed the purple in A. D. 222, had the [April, image of Christ in his private chapel, with those of Abraham and Orpheus, and had conceived the design of building him a temple, had not the priests, after consulting the Auspices, found that if what he proposed were accom. plished, all men would become Christians, and the other temples would be deserted. (Lamprid. apud Hist. Aug. Scrip. p. 439, D. p. 351 E.) (See Macknight's "Truth of the Gospel Hist." 4to. 494, 510.) The persecution of Christians arose pagan idolatry and superstition, which the perpetrators of those measures had sufficient penetration to foresee would soon yield to the faith of the Gospel: and placing therefore their whole reliance on their false Gods, referred all their efforts to the support of their national errors-" they observed that no stop had been put to their conquests until Christianity began to prevailin proportion to the spreading of this faith, the calamities of the empire had multiplied; they therefore referred the whole greatness of their state to the favour of the Gods anciently worshipped, and all its misfortunes to the neglect of the primitive religion and the prevalence of Christianity." Ibid 515. The Christians had flourished so much in Nicomedia, in Bithynia, as to have erected and maintained several churches, and a cathedral church opposite to the Imperial palace; but when Dioclesian, who had during the course of a prosperous reign favoured the Christians, arrived at Nicomedia, he listened to the persuasion of Galerius, who was their enemy, and gave orders in A. D. 303 for demolishing that church-a Christian publicly tore the edict, and was punished: a few days afterwards, part of the Imperial palace was consumed by fire, and the Christians were supposed to be the incendiaries; upon this, Dioclesian published an edict, commanding the Christian churches to be demolished, their bibles to be burned, those who had obtained any office in the magistracy to be degraded, and the meaner sort to be sold as slaves-this was the cause and commencement of the tenth per secution. Ibid. 516. Galerius afterwards published an edict, directing that the Christians should thenceforth be spared, and their churches and meetings be allowed them; entreating, at the same time, that 1822.] History of the Christian Church. that they would put up public prayers for the Emperor. They suffered both favour and persecution alternately, under Licinius; and at length (A.D. 306) Constantine became emperor, and was the first who openly declared himself a Christian. (Zozimus, Lib. 2. 102.) He allowed to all men liberty of conscience-and as Christians were accustomed to observe the first day of the week as a festival, in memory of the resurrection of Jesus (Euseb. in vitâ Const. 1. 4, c. 18,) he commanded that on that day throughout the Roman dominions, no court of justice should be opened, and no work or business of any kind be done, except that of agriculture; this law is still extant. (C. lib. 3, de feriis, tit. 12.) (Macknight, 518.) It is evident from the nature of things, that the introduction of the Gospel upon the ruins of the established religion, must in all countries have been effected in opposition to the sword of the Magistrates, the craft of the Priests, the pride of Philosophers, and the humours, passions, and prejudices of the People, all closely combined in support of the national worship, and to crush the Christian faith, which aimed at the subversion of heathenism. Ibid. 521. In the progress of the third century, we find the Bishops assuming an authority which they had not before possessed; they are said to have violated the rights of the people, and to have made gradual encroachments on the privileges of the presbyters. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, defended this official dignity with more zeal and vehemence than had ever been hitherto employed in that cause, though not with an unshaken constancy and perseverance, for in difficult and perilous times, necessity sometimes obliged him to yield, and to submit several things to the judgment and authority of the Church. (Mosheim, 266.) The evil effects of this conduct, and the numerous offices into which ecclesiastical duties were divided, the indolence of some, and the overstrained activity of others, gave the victory to ambition over Christian humility-and opened the way to a growing Hierarchy instead of the primitive simplicity of Gospel truth. The Bishop of Rome had assumed the supremacy, and was denominated Pontiff, and issued decrees for the persecution of heretics, and for 315. deposition against such as delivered doctrines not acceptable to his own. In most of the Provinces, in the same century, there were certain fixed places set apart for public worship among the Christians - -nor is it therefore improbable that these churches were, in several places, embellished with images and other ornaments-the times and forms of celebration seem to have continued-but the sermons and discourses were very different from those of earlier times, and had degenerated from ancient simplicity; but Origen was the first who explained the Scriptures in his lengthened discourses. The ceremony of the Lord's supper was admimistered with enlarged pomp-vessels of gold and silver were introduced, and those who were in a state of penitence, and had not been baptized, were deemed not fit to be admitted to it-these exclusions were in imitation of the practice in the heathen mysteries. Baptism was administered to proselytes after long trial and preparationand the remission of sins was given to the imposition of hands, conferring the sanctifying gifts of the holy spirit as necessary to a life of righteousness and virtue. (Eusebius. Eccl. 7, 8.) (Mosheim, 1.291.) Fasting and prayer were generally practised, and the sign of the cross was considered as the surest defence against the snares and stratagems of malignant spirits-and hence no Christian undertook any thing of moment without arming himself with the influence of this triumphant sign. P. 294. In the third century, while persecution followed many of the Christian sects, yet it was in general foreborneat court, and in all the orders of the nation, there was a considerable number who lived entirely unmolested, and their religious persuasion was become no obstacle to their preferment. They held their worship openly in houses for the purpose, with the knowledge of the Magistracy, and many of the Emperors were very favourably inclined towards them and in the case of both the Philips, it is still a subject of critical controversy, whether they embraced the light of the Gospel, or doubted or rejected it. (See Origen, lib. 1. against Celsus. Eusebius, Eccles. lib. 6. c. 5. Homily on Luke 7. Mosheim, Cent. 3.) : The sacred writings were generally read, and translated into several lan guages; 316 History of the Christian Church. guages;-and the labours of Origen and other pious Christians greatly assisted in enlarging the bounds of the Church: and their charity and virtuous example every where excited amongst the Pagans not only an admiration, but a desire to embrace it. Paris, Tours, Arles, Cologn, Treves, Mentz, and probably Scotland, were added to the number of states in which churches were founded by the zeal of the Christian teachers and converts. While history records the cruel severity of the emperor Severus Maximus, Decius Gallus, Volusianus, Valerian, and their servants, it also enumerates the names of suffering piety and zeal which no subsequent times have surpassed. It must ever remain a glorious triumph to the honour of these early sufferers that the Church of Christ, though discouraged, was not subdued, through their perseverance. In the persecution under Diocletian, at the opening of the fourth century, his own ignorance and cruelty yielded to the persuasion and misrepresentation of the enemies to the Christians, for the edicts which he issued, not only of torture, slaughter, and blood, but also of the pulling down their churches, burning all their books and writings, and taking from them all their civil rights and privileges, and rendering them incapable of any honours or civil promotion. (1 M. 315.) But the tranquillity of the Church was restored by the revolution, which called Constantine, the son of Constantius Chlorus, who died in Britain, to the Imperial throne, and deposed Galerius, A. D. 304. He soon after gave them liberty to live according to their own laws and institutions, and during his march to reduce Maxentius, he embraced Christianity, in consequence, it is said, of his vision of a sacred cross. He began by tolerating all other religions, but he soon became convinced that Christianity alone maintained the possession of heavenly truth, and of a divine origin;- and he used the utmost power of his authority in the abolition of the ancient superstition. But he reserved for the close of his life his edicts for destruction of the temples, and for prohibiting the Pagan sacrifices (p. 322); and it was not till a few days before his death that he received the ceremony of baptism at Nicomedia, from the hands of Eusebius, bishop of that place. It was the [April, common practice to defer baptism until the last hour, that they might ascend pure and spotless to the mansions of life and immortality. The Emperor Constantine thus became the first monarch who espoused Christianity, and he had sufficient influence with his army, his ministers, and his people, to induce them to second his views. Pagan altars and su perstitions were thrown down, but they could not fall without the stain of severity and blood,-they could not yield their power over the minds of the people without vindicating their antient claims, and calling aloud for vengeance against their destroyers. Philosophers and rhetoricians employed all the arts and eloquence of persuasion to bring back their superstitious authority; and some of milder disposition invented means by which both religions might, as they conceived, be acceptable together; they taught that the Pagan and the Christian were the same, and that the latter had always been exemplified by the rites of the former, that Jupiter was God,— that Juno in her obstinacy shewed the character of antient Israel,-the chaste Diana was a type of the Christian Church,-and the two serpents that Hercules strangled in his cradle were the Pharisees and Sadducees. Such ideas were ascribed to Amminius, Marcellus, Chalcidius, and Themistius ;but these and many such were soon lost in their ephemeral conceits. The true knowledge of God and of his blessed Redeemer was gone forth, and could not be recalled,—the Gospel now had its triumph, and it must ever be lamented that its zealous promoters did not always follow the mildness of its doctrines;-human power too often shows its weakness in the midst of physical strength. The additions of pomp and cere. mony, which increasing power and authority considerably tended to esta blish, had advanced so much in the sixth century, that Mosheim says an incredible number of temples were then erected in honour of the saints, both in Eastern and Western provinces. The places set apart for public worship were already very numerous, but it was now that Christians first began to consider these sacred edifices as the means of purchasing the favour and protection of the saints, and to be persuaded that these departed spi 1822.] History of the Christian Church. rits defended and guarded against evils It may rather be said that the festivals of the Pagan mythology were wisely converted to Christian use; many were abolished; for the system of idolatry was far more prolific of these days of religious observance, than the simplicity of the Christian system would adopt; but many were retained and happily converted into solemn commemorations of the principal events which had established the Christian faith, both in the time of its Divine Founder and of his succeeda plan ing apostles and martyrs, which contributed greatly at those days, as it does in modern times, to keep alive in the remembrance and pious gratitude of those who profess the name of Christians, a sense of the great things that have been done for them, and without which they would be too apt to either disregard or totally forget them. These have been considerably diminished in number in the Reformed Church; and whoever candidly reads the single prayer which is the only devotional part of the Liturgy that designates the peculiar day, will find that the charge is not founded in fact, which some who dissent from the Established Church have as serted, that prayers on those days are addressed, like those of the Roman Missal, to the saints themselves. The establishment of a Hierarchy in Great Britain bears date A.D. 596. King Ethelbert having married Bertha daughter of Cherebert, King of Paris, who was a Christian, he became favourable to it; and Gregory the Great sent Augustine with 40 Benedictine Monks, who, with the Queen's influence, converted the King, changed the heathen temples into churches, erected Christ Church at Canterbury into a cathedral, founded the Abbey of St. Augustin, received episcopal ordination from the primate of Arles, was invested by Gregory with power over all the British Bishops and Saxon prelates, and was the first Archbishop of Canterbury.-(Mosheim, II. 97.) 317 In the seventh century, after the es- During the whole of the 11th century, all the European nations were most diligently employed in rebuilding, repairing, and adorning their churches; actuated by a dismal apprehension in the preceding century, that the world was approaching to its final dissolution; but when these fears were removed, the tottering temples were rebuilt, and the greatest zeal, attended with the richest and more liberal donations, was employed in restoring the sacred edifices to their former lustre, or rather in giving them new degrees of magnificence and beauty.-(Mosheim, II. Cent. 11. Part 2, c. 5, s. 3.) It appears from ecclesiastical history that previous to the Reformation in the 16th century, the face of Religion was remarkably changed, the divisions that had formerly perplexed the Church increased considerably; and the Christian societies that relinquished the established forms of divine worship, and erected themselves into separate assemblies, upon principles different from those of the Roman Hierarchy, multiplied from day to day.-(Mosheim, IV. Introd.) This grand revolution, which arose in Saxony from small beginnings, not only spread itself with the utmost rapidity through all the European_provinces, but also extended its efficacy more or less to the most distant parts of the globe; and may be justly considered as the main and principal spring which has moved the nations from that illustrious period, and occasioned the greatest part both of those civil and religious revolutions that fill the annals of history down to our times. The |
