CHAP.III. the apo stles. The latter part of this sentence does not suffer Year after one to think that Camden did in the former part of it mean that Constantius was really a Christian, (but only that he favoured the Christians, and had himself virtues something like those of a good Christian;) for Christian emperors were not often deified by the heathens. And accordingly, when Fuller had, in his Church History,' at the year 305, reflected on this saying of Camden, as going too far; since Constantius was no otherwise a Christian than by that rule, He that is not against us, is on our side:' Heyliny in his Animadver'sions' on that book, though he rebuked Fuller, as being too tart upon so great a man as Camden, yet grants the thing, viz. that Constantius was not a thorough paced Christian. What Camden spoke, he spoke only by the by. But some antipædobaptists do go about seriously to justify this, and make an argument of it for their tenet. And if only Danvers had done so, I should not have taken any notice of it: for he is used to such arguments. But Mr. Stennet also has not shewn the candour to throw away such a false prop to their cause: but reckons Constantine among those whose not submitting to this ordinance till they were adult, though born of Christian parents, 6 * ['The Church History of Britain,' fol. Lond. 1655. Book i. p. 20.] y [See Examen Historicum, or a discovery and examination I of the mistakes, falsities, and defects in some modern histo'ries.' (by P. Heylin) 8vo. London, 1659. part i. p. 20.—See likewise Fuller's reply to this remark of Heylin, in his Appeal ' of injured Innocence-in a controversy between Dr. P. Heylyn, ' and J. Fuller.' fol. 1659. part i. p. 71.] stles. shews, he says, that infant-baptism was not uni- CHAP.III. ⚫versally received.' Answer to Russen, p. 47. Of year after the rest that he there reckons up, I must speak in the apothe following sections; but Constantine they ought of their own accord to have left out; for it does but hurt their cause to build on a supposal, which almost every one knows to be a mistake in matter of fact. • man.' Yet something Mr. Danvers has to say for this too, that Constantius was a Christian. He takes out of the Magdeburgenses' a piece of a sentence of Eusebius, where speaking of Constantine, he, says he, was bonus a bono; pius a pio;' a good man, * son of a good man; a pious man, son of a pious It is not worth the while to look whether this be truly quoted or not. It is certain that Eusebius, out of his desire to honour Constantine, and all that belonged to him, did stretch his expressions to further reaches than this: as where he says, Constantine became a follower of his father's piety for pious favour, or respect] toward our religion. And at another place, He considered unto • what God he should address, &c., and so he resolved to reverence his father's God only.' These places being picked out by themselves, would make one think that Constantius had professed Christianity. But whoever reads the whole account will (whether he be prejudiced for one or the other side of this controversy) agree, that all that is meant by these compliments amounts but to [The words occur in the Centur. Magdeburg. Cent. iv. cap. 3. sect. De tranquillitate Ecclesiæ sub Constantino,' tom.ii. p. 61. edit. Basil. 1560.] a Hist. lib. viii. c. 13. De Vita Const. lib. i. c. 27 the apo stles. CHAP.III. this; that at the time when his fellow emperors did Year after bitterly persecute the Christians, he on the other side favoured them, and screened them as much as he could, and on all occasions shewed a good opinion of them and their religion. And so it is in the places themselves explained; not that he ever made it his own religion. He died a heathen; and that he was by the heathens deified after his death, appears not only by the coins, but also by Eusebius' words. And besides, Eusebius himself determines this matter clearly and fully (as far as concerns our purpose) in the place before recited; when having related Constantine's baptism, he adds, That he was the first of all the emperors that ever were, that being regenerated,' &c. And again, That he only, of all that had been, did profess the Gos'pel of Jesus Christ with great liberty of speech",' i. e. did make open profession of it. So little do some scraps of sentences picked here and there out of authors for one's purpose signify, to give an account of their true meaning. Beside that, if Constantius had embraced the 204. Christian religion when he was emperor; yet there is no appearance that he had any inclination to it 174. when his son Constantine was born, which was thirty years before. As for Helena, Constantine's mother, though the inquiry concerning her religion be not very material; because not many, especially great men, suffer their wives to choose what religion their sons shall be entered into; yet I made some inquiry. And after I had, in order to discover her religion, searched e De Vita Const. lib. iv. c. 62. d Ibid. cap. 75. the apo into the accounts of her condition and parentage, CHAP.III. which are so variously given, (some making her a year after Bithynian, others a Briton, (but these last martes their own story by relating her to be a king's daughter; whereas all about that time speak of her as one of a mean quality, she being in scorn called Stabularia,) some taking her for a wife, others for a concubine, others for an absolute harlot to Constantius, and those that call her a wife, must consequently grant that he had two at a time, or else that Helena was divorced when he married Theodora) I found it was needless to inquire any further, when I saw that Eusebius, a witness unquestionable in this matter, says, that her son Constantine first brought her to be a godly woman [or Christian], which she was not before.' In her old age all agree that she proved a very zealous Christian. And it does something excuse her former way of living, that it was before her Christianity. III. And as for Constantius the son of Constantine, what has been said of Constantine's late baptism does without more ado satisfy us of the reason why his son Constantius was not baptized in infaney. Constantine probably was not resolved what 217religion to be of, but certainly was not baptized when Constantius was born, nor a long time after. And concerning Fausta, the mother of this Constantius, the daughter of Maximianus Herculius, (the bloodiest enemy the Christians ever had,) whom Constantine was forced to marry for reason of state; there is no probability that she was a Christian when * Orosius, lib. vii. c. 25. Nicephorus Hist. Eccles. lib. vii. e. 18. * Lib. iii. de Vita Const. c. 47. Year after the apo CHAP.III. this son was born, and very little that she was ever so at all; for Constantine put her to death not long after. On the contrary, some histories speak of her endeavours to alienate her husband's mind from that religion'. stles. So Constantius not having been baptized into the Christian religion in infancy, (as it was impossible he should,) but coming afterward to the knowledge of it, and approving it, yet he did as his father had done before, i. e. he deferred his baptism to the end 261. of his life; for it was but just before his death that he was baptized by Euzoius, the Arian bishop of Antioch. About five or six years before, Lucifer, bishop of Calaris, had wrote his mind very plainly and bluntly to him in defence of Athanasius, whom he grievously persecuted; and told him, that instead of abusing Athanasius, he had great need to 'desire that holy priest of God to pray to God for him for the forgiveness of his impieties, as 'Job's friends desired Job; and to procure himself 'to be baptized by him, or some of his fellow bishops.' And St. Hilary had complained that he, credendi formam ecclesiis nondum regeneratus imponeret: should pretend to prescribe a form of 'faith to the churches, when he was not yet regene'rated [i. e. baptized] himself.' f Mich. Glycas, Annal. lib. iv. [p. 248. edit. Paris, 1661.] g Athanas. de Synodis,-§. 31. Socrat. Hist. Eccl. lib. ii. cap. ult. h Lucifer pro Athanasio, lib. i. [§. 46. apud Biblioth. Patrum, tom. ii. edit. Colon. 1618.] i Hilarius de Synodis, prope finem. [§. 78. p. 1184. edit. Benedict.] |