fity of choofing a bishop grew more and more urgent; yet a bishop of Rome muft, of course, be in the moft imminent danger of martyrdom; --for Decius threatened all bifhops with great haughtiness and afperity. Sixteen of them happened to be then at Rome, and thefe ordained Cornelius as the fucceffor of Fabian. He was very unwilling to accept the office; but the people, who were prefent, approved of his ordination; and no ftep was to be neglected, which might be useful in withstanding the growing fchifm.-The life of Cornelius appears to have been worthy of the Gofpel: Novatian, however, not only vented many calumnies against him, but also contrived, in a very irregular manner*, to be elected bishop in oppofition. Thus was formed the firft body of Chriflians, who, in modern language, may be called DISSENTERS; 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 pretenfions to fuperior purity had feduced, returned afterwards to the communion of Cornelius, and mourned over their own credulity. In a letter of Cornelius to Fabius, bishop of Antioch, a few circumftances are occafionally mentioned from which an idea of the ftate of the Church of Rome, at that time, may be collected §. There were under the bishop forty See in Eufeb. B. 6. Cornelius's letter concerning Novatian whom Eufebius confounds with Novatus by miftake. See Waterland's Importance of the Trinity. t Epif. 48 and 49. About the middle of the third century. forty-fix priests, seven deacons, seven sub-deacons, forty-two acolyths, fifty-two exorcifts, readers, and porters, and upwards of fifteen hundred widows, and infirm or difabled perfons.-"The number of the laity was," fays he, " innumerable."-I don't know fo authentic a memorial of the numbers of the Chriftians in thofe 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 adminif tered to them the Lord's fupper, to fwear to adhere to himself.-The party, however, at Rome daily loft ground: Nicoftratus the deacon was among the very few perfons of note there who, after being feduced by the arts of Novatian, did not return into communion and peace with Cornelius. -Confcious of fcandalous crimes, this fchifmatic fled from Rome into Africa;-whither Novatus himfelf alfo returned: and there the Novatians found many adherents, and are faid to have elected for themselves, as a fort of counter-bishop, a prefbyter, named Maximus, who had been, lately, fent as deputy from Rome by Novatian, to inform Cyprian of the new election in oppofition to that of Cornelius.-This fame deputy Cyprian had rejected from communion. It would not have been worth while to have detailed thefe events fo diftinctly, but for the purpofe of marking the fymptoms of declenfion in the Church, the unity of which was now broken. for the first time: for it ought not to be concluded 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: * The Novatians called themfelves Cathari, pure people. notice: The skilful tempter tries both the lax and the fevere method of difcipline. The former he finds more fuitable to the state of Christianity in our times; but it could gain no folid footing in the third century. The Novatian fchifm stood at laft on the ground of exceffive feverity;—a certain proof of the ftrictnefs of the ecclefiaftical government then fashionable among Chriftians, and, of courfe, of great purity of life and doctrine having been prevalent among them: To refufe the re-admiffion of penitents was a dangerous inftance of pharifaical pride: but, in juftice to Novatian, it ought to be mentioned, that he advised the exhorting of the lapsed to repentance, though, he thought, that they should then be left to the judgment of God." On the fame plan he alfo condemned fecond marriages Extreme aufterity and fuperftition were growing evils in this century; and they were cherished by falfe philofophy. At length, Cyprian ventured out of his retreat and returned to Carthage. In what manner he there conducted himself fhall 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 perfecu tion of Decius, that we may fairly conclude he had ceafed to apprehend any personal danger when he appeared again in public at Carthage. In fact, it was not the ceffation of malice, but the distraction of public affairs, which put an end to this perfecution. Decius, on account of the incurfion of the Goths, was obliged to leave Rome; and God gave a refpite to his fervants, while men of the world were wholly taken up with refifting or mourning under their fecular calamities.-After Eafter a council was held at Carthage, and the eyes of Chriftians were turned toward it: The Church was in a very confused state; and fome fettlement of it was expected under the aufpices of Cyprian and the other bifhops of Africa. At first, a fhort delay was occafioned on account of doubts which arofe refpecting the validity of the election of Cornelius*. But an exact information of the circumftances laid open the truth: 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 appeared See Cornelius's letter in Eufeb. fo fo clearly that no room for hesitation was left: Novatian was rejected in the African fynod ;Feliciffimus, with his five prefbyters, was con-demned; and Cornelius was owned as legitimate bishop of Rome.-And now the cafe of the lapfed, which had given fo much difquietude, and which Cyprian had fo often promised to settle 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, tried penitents were reftored, and the cafe of dubious characters was deferred; and yet every method of Chriftian charity was used to bring about and facilitate their repentance and re-admiffion. Fortunatus preferved ftill a fchifmatical affembly. But both this bishop and his flock fhrunk foon into infignificance. The Chriftian authority of Cyprian was restored. The Novatian party alone remained a long time after, in Africa andelsewhere, numerous enough to continue a distinct body of profeffing Chriftians. The very little fatisfactory light, which Chriftian annals afford concerning thefe diffenters, fhall be given in its place. And, as I am convinced that the Almighty has not limited his creatures to any particular and strictly defined modes of Church-government, I cannot be under much temptation to partiality. The laws, indeed, of historical truth have obliged me to ftate facts which prove their feceffion to have been unjuftifiable; but that circumftance does not render it impoffible that the Spirit of God might be with fome of this people during their continuance as a diftinct body of Chriftians. Thus did it pleafe God to make use of the vigour and perfeverance of Cyprian in recovering the |