Chapter M: Aurelius, Eleutherius, Commodus (7)

This Point being settled, to prevent all Suspicion of Deceit, or underhand Dealings, Pope _Gregory_ XIII. declared, in 1582. his Intention of having the Cause of _Felix_ impartially examined. [Sidenote: _and his Cause reexamined._] In order to ? this, he appointed _Baronius_, employed at that Time in reforming the _Roman_ Martyrology, to put in Writing whatever could be objected against _Felix_, and Cardinal _Santorio_ to answer his Objections, and collect likewise in Writing all that could be said in favour of his new Client, that the Pope might be thoroughly acquainted with the Merits of the Cause before he came to a final Decision. This Conduct in _Gregory_ has been censured by some over-zealous Divines of the Church of _Rome_, as if he had thereby given the World Occasion to think that he questioned the Infallibility of his Predecessors, who had honoured _Felix_ as a Saint[793]. But _Gregory_ well knew what he was doing, and how the Whole would end. In Compliance with his Orders, _Baronius_ writ a Dissertation, which he himself calls a Volume, and not a short one[794], to prove that _Felix_ was neither a Saint nor a Martyr. As he had Truth on his Side, Cardinal _Santorio_, though a Man of Learning, could neither answer his Arguments, nor offer any thing in so desperate a Cause worthy of himself. He often addressed himself in his Prayers to his Client, intreating him to undertake his own Cause, by suggesting to him what might be alleged in his Defence. But the Client was no less at a Stand than the Advocate. Some other Person therefore must interpose: And whom did the carrying or losing such a Cause more nearly concern than the Pope, since his Authority in a most essential Point was at Stake? This was a nice Affair, and to be managed with great Art and Dexterity. _Gregory_, therefore, having often heard both Sides, in a full Congregation of Cardinals, without betraying the least Partiality for _Felix_, appointed them to meet for the last time on the 28th of _July_, the Eve of the pretended Saint’s Festival, judging that the most proper Time to play off with good Success the Trick, which he had kept the whole Time _in petto_. [Sidenote: _His Sanctity and Martyrdom confirmed by the Discovery of his Body._] The Cardinals met on the Day appointed; _Baronius_ quite silenced his Adversary; the whole Assembly was fully convinced, that _Felix_ was no Saint, no Martyr; the Pope himself seemed to fall in with the rest, and accordingly rose up to declare, as was thought, the unhappy _Felix_ fallen from Heaven; when a great Noise was all on a sudden heard at the Door, and immediately a Messenger entered, who, after uttering these Words, _Holy_ Felix, _pray for us_, acquainted the Pope and the Cardinals, that the Body of _Felix_ was just discovered. Hereupon they all repaired in great Haste to the Church of _Cosmas_ and _Damianus_, where the miraculous Discovery had been made; and there saw, in a Marble Coffin of an extraordinary Size, on one Side the Bodies of _Mark_, _Marcellianus_, and _Tranquillinus_; and on the other that of _Felix_, with this Inscription on a Stone that lay by it, _The Body of Saint_ Felix, _who condemned_ Constantius[795]. Hereupon the _Te Deum_ was sung with great Solemnity for the Triumph of Truth: _Felix_ was declared worthy of the Veneration and Worship that had till then been paid him, and a Place was allowed him among the other Saints in the _Roman_ Martyrology, where it is said, that _he was driven from his See for defending the Catholic Faith, by_ Constantius _an_ Arian _Emperor, and privately put to Death at_ Cere, _now_ Cervetera, _in_ Tuscany. _Baronius_, transported with Joy, as he himself declares[796], at so miraculous and seasonable a Discovery, immediately yielded, not to his Antagonist _Santorio_, but to _Felix_, who had evidently interposed; and, taking that Interposition for a satisfactory Answer to all his Arguments, he immediately retracted whatever he had said, and consigned to the Flames whatever he had written in Opposition to _Felix_[797]. Thus, to maintain a chimerical Prerogative, they sport with Truth; betray into Error those who confide in them; and, turning the worst of Men into Saints, honour Vice with the greatest Reward they can bestow on Virtue.

[Sidenote: _His Legend proved to be fabulous._]

That this pretended Discovery was nothing but a Contrivance to confirm the Martyrdom of _Felix_, and impose upon the World, is manifest; and that the Pontifical, and his Acts, on which his Martyrdom was originally founded, were a no less palpable and gross Imposition, may be easily demonstrated. For, in the first place, _Marcellinus_ and _Faustinus_, who lived in the Time of _Felix_ and _Liberius_ at _Rome_, tell us, in express Terms, that _Felix, who had been substituted to_ Liberius, _died on the 22d of_ November 365[798]. that is, Four Years after the Death of _Constantius_, by whom he is said, in his Acts, and in the Pontifical, to have been martyred. _Athanasius_ assures us[799], and with him agree _Philostorgius_[800], and the Chronicle of _Alexandria_[801], that _Constantius_ was not baptized till at the Point of Death, when he received that Sacrament at the Hands of _Euzoius_, the _Arian_ Bishop of _Antioch_. And yet both the Acts of _Felix_, and the Pontifical, will have him to have been twice baptized before his Death; for it was on this Account that _Felix_ is said to have declared him an Heretic. This Declaration _Baronius_ improves into a solemn Excommunication; and, being become, after the above-mentioned Discovery, a most zealous Advocate for _Felix_, tells us, that the holy Martyr was no sooner placed on the Throne of St. _Peter_, than, changing his Conduct, he separated himself from the Communion of those by whom he had been raised, and boldly thundered an Anathema against the Emperor himself[802]. [Sidenote: _He did not excommunicate_ Constantius.] What a Pity that _Athanasius_ was not better acquainted with the Conduct of _Felix_! for if he had, he would never have styled him _a Monster placed on the See of_ Rome _by the Malice of Antichrist_. Such an Attempt, unheard of till that Time, must have made a great Noise; and yet I find it was heard by none but _Baronius_, who lived at so great a Distance. I may add, that there was no room for an Excommunication against _Constantius_, who was still a Catechumen, and consequently did not partake of the sacred Mysteries.

[Sidenote: _Whether a lawful Pope or an Antipope._]

The _Roman_ Catholic Writers, to save the Credit of _Felix_, maintain him to have been, at least for some time, lawful Pope. But, to confute whatever has been or can be said by them in his Favour, without entering into a Detail of the many sophistical and unconclusive Arguments, false Assertions, and groundless Suppositions, with which they endeavour to disguise the Truth, and confound their Readers, I argue thus: That _Liberius_ was lawfully chosen, and _Felix_ unlawfully, is past all Dispute. Now, upon the Fall of _Liberius_, either there was, or there was not, a new Election: if there was not, _Liberius_ continued to be lawful Bishop; or if by his Fall he forfeited his Dignity, as some think he did, the See became vacant; for nothing subsequent to the unlawful Election of _Felix_ could render it lawful. If there was a new Election, and _Felix_ was lawfully chosen, _Liberius_ from that Minute either ceased to be Pope, or there were two lawful Popes at a time. The latter they will not admit, lest they should turn the Church into a Monster with Two Heads. They must therefore allow _Felix_ to have been lawful Pope, and _Liberius_ an Antipope, till the See became vacant by the Death of the former. [Sidenote: Felix _an Antipope._] But on the other hand, this new Election is quite groundless, highly improbable, and absolutely repugnant to what we read in the antient and contemporary Writers. It is quite groundless; for though _Bellarmine_ speaks of a new Election with as much Confidence as if he had been one of the Electors[803], yet we find not the least Hint of it in any of the Writers of those Times, who would not have passed over in Silence so remarkable an Event, had it come to their Knowlege. It is highly improbable; for _Liberius_ was greatly beloved by the whole People, and the far greater Part of the Clergy, and _Felix_ hated to such a Degree, that of all the Inhabitants of _Rome_, not one ever appeared in the Church while he was in it[804]; nay, he was by all avoided, even in the Streets and other public Places, as if he had carried about with him a Contagion[805]. Is it not therefore altogether improbable, that the People and Clergy should depose the Man, whom in a manner they adored, for communicating with the _Arians_, and appoint one in his room, who likewise communicated with them, and was universally detested, avoided, and abhorred? And yet all this is gravely supposed by _Bellarmine_[806]. Lastly, the Election of _Felix_ is repugnant to what we read in the antient Writers, who all speak of him as an Antipope, and an Intruder. _Optatus_, who lived at that very Time, and St. _Austin_, who flourished soon after, have not allowed him a Place in their Catalogues of the Bishops of _Rome_. _Theodoret_ takes no notice of him in his Catalogue of the Bishops of the chief Cities. St. _Jerom_ and _Prosper_ count _Liberius_ the Thirty-fourth Bishop of _Rome_, and _Damasus_, who succeeded him, the Thirty-fifth; a plain Indication that they did not look upon _Felix_ as lawful Bishop. Among the Moderns, _Onuphrius Panvinius_, in his Lives of the Popes, printed in 1557. some Years before the Discovery of _Felix_’s Body, calls _Novatian_ the First Antipope, and _Felix_ the Second. But his Book was prohibited in 1583. the Year after the Second Canonization of _Felix_. The Writers, who came after, took Warning; and such of them as thought it base to concur in deceiving Mankind, since it was not safe to undeceive them, chose to wave this Subject, but not without giving some broad Hints of what they believed in their Hearts. Thus F. _Labbé_[807], and Cardinal _Bona_[808], take no notice of this _Felix_, but call Pope _Felix_, who was raised to the See of _Rome_ in 485. the Second Pope of that Name. _Felix_ I. was martyred under _Aurelian_ in 274. as we have related elsewhere[809]. F. _Labbé_, at the Death of _Felix_ II. which happened in 492. adds, that he was the Third of that Name, according to _Baronius_[810]. [Sidenote: _Acknowleged as such by some_ Roman _Catholic Writers_.] Had _Felix_ never been canonized, no Man would have been so regardless of his own Reputation as to undertake his Defence; but _Gregory_ having declared him a Saint, and, by such a Declaration, linked his Cause with Infallibility in a most essential Point, the hired Champions of that See found themselves under an indispensable Obligation of entering the Lists; which I need not say they have done to no Purpose.

[Sidenote: _The Emperor undertakes the establishing of_ Arianism.]

The Fall of the Bishop of _Rome_, who was at the Head of the Orthodox Party, inspired the Emperor with great Hopes of succeeding in the Design he had formed of utterly abolishing the Orthodox Faith: he found there were but few Bishops whose Virtue was Proof against the Frowns and Resentment of the Court. In the Council held at _Arles_ in 353. they had all to a Man chosen rather to communicate with the _Arians_, than be driven from their Sees: in that which was convened Two Years after, at _Milan_, only Three Bishops were found, _viz._ _Dionysius_ Bishop of that City, _Lucifer_ of _Cagliari_, and _Eusebius_ of _Vercelli_, who, equally unmoved by Threats and Promises, had maintained the Truth with the Loss of their Dignity. The Example of the Bishop of _Rome_ had been followed by the far greater Part of the Bishops of _Italy_. But what above all encouraged the Emperor to pursue the Scheme he had so much at heart, was the Fall of the celebrated _Osius_ Bishop of _Cordoua_, in the Hundredth Year of his Age, and Sixty-second of his Episcopacy. As the Name of _Osius_ is one of the most famous in the Ecclesiastical History of those Times, and his Fall is alleged by the Antients as a memorable Instance of the Weakness of human Nature, however strengthened and improved by a long Practice of the most eminent Virtues, a succinct Account of so remarkable an Event will not, I hope, be unacceptable to the Reader, or thought foreign to the Subject in hand.

[Sidenote: _A succinct Account of the Life of_ Osius _Bishop of_ Cordoua.]

_Osius_ was a Native of _Spain_[811], born, according to some, in _Cordoua_, about the Year 256. and raised, in regard of his extraordinary Merit, to the See of that City in 295[812]. He was even then conspicuous for the Firmness of his Faith, and the Purity of his Life, says _Sozomen_[813]. _Athanasius_, who was well acquainted with him, speaks of him with the greatest Respect and Esteem, calling him a Man truly holy, according to the _Greek_ Signification of his Name; one in whose Conduct even his most inveterate Enemies could discover nothing that was not commendable, his Life being irreprehensible, and his Reputation unspotted[814]. _Theodoret_[815], and _Eusebius_[816], extol him on Account of his extraordinary Prudence, Wisdom, and Learning, which gave great Weight to his Opinion in the many Councils at which he assisted, and often presided. In the Year 300. he was present at the Council of _Eliberis_, or _Illeberis_, in _Spain_, famous for the Severity of its Canons; and, in all Likelihood, made even then a considerable Figure; since, in the Acts of that Council, he is named in the Second Place after _Felix_ of _Acci_, now _Guadix_, in _Andalusia_, who probably presided[817]. [Sidenote: _He is imprisoned under_ Maximian _for the Confession of the Faith_.] Three Years after broke out the Persecution of _Maximian Hercules_, in which _Osius_ distinguished himself by his Zeal, his Constancy, and his Sufferings; for, having with great Intrepidity confessed his Faith before the Pagan Magistrates, he was by them imprisoned, and kept under a very close and painful Confinement for the Space of Two Years, that is, from the Year 303. to 305. when, upon the Abdication of _Maximian_ and _Dioclesian_, he was set at Liberty by _Constantius Chlorus_, the Father of _Constantine the Great_[818]. He is honoured by _Athanasius_[819], by the Council of _Sardica_, and by most of the Antients, with the Title of _Confessor_, which was given to such as had suffered Imprisonment, Torments, or Exile, but had not died, for the Confession of the Faith. He was highly esteemed and revered by _Constantine_, not only as a Confessor, but as a Person of extraordinary Wisdom and Probity[820]; whence he is thought to have been one of the Prelates whom that Prince consulted in 311[821]. and kept with him to instruct him in the Mysteries of the Christian Religion. [Sidenote: _He instructs_ Constantine.] Some think that _Osius_ was meant by the _Egyptian_ Priest come from _Spain_, to whom _Zosimus_ ascribes the Change made by _Constantine_ in point of Religion[822]. The Church of _Cordoua_ was, out of Regard to him, enriched by _Constantine_ with many valuable Presents, whence he is said to have been very rich[823]. But what Use he made of his Wealth we may learn from _Athanasius_, who assures us, that no one in Want ever applied to him without being relieved, and receiving the Supply he demanded[824]. In the famous Dispute, which I have taken notice of in its proper Place, between _Cæcilianus_ and the _Donatists_ of _Africa_, _Osius_ undertook, with great Zeal, the Defence of the former, and prevailed in the End upon _Constantine_ to espouse his Cause, and declare against the _Donatists_[825], whom he thenceforth punished with great Severity, taking their Churches from them, and sending the most obstinate among them into Exile. _Constantine_ being become Master of the East in the Year 323. his first Care was to put an End to the unhappy Divisions that reigned in those Churches about the Celebration of _Easter_, and some other controverted Points. [Sidenote: _He is sent by him to compose some Disputes there._] With this View he dispatched _Osius_ into the East, who, upon his Arrival there, summoned a Council to meet at _Alexandria_, which, under his Influence, condemned the Heresy of _Sabellius_, put a Stop to the Schism of one _Colluthus_, and greatly allayed the Animosity of the contending Parties about the Day on which _Easter_ was to be kept[826]. On his Return to Court, the Account he gave of the _Arians_, whose Heresy he had endeavoured in vain to suppress, made so deep an Impression in the Mind of the Emperor, that, for a long time, he continued highly prejudiced against them[827]. It was at the Suggestion of _Osius_ that _Constantine_ assembled the Council of _Nice_ in 325. at which he assisted, and distinguished himself above the rest[828]; for of all Councils he was the Head and Leader, as _Athanasius_ styles him[829]. [Sidenote: _He assists at the Council of_ Nice _and draws up the_ Nicene _Creed_.] By him was worded and drawn up the famous _Nicene_ Symbol or Creed, as we are told in express Terms by _Athanasius_[830]. He presided at the Council of _Sardica_, which, at his Request, was assembled by the Emperor _Constans_ in 347[831]. From that Council he retired to his Bishoprick, and continued there undisturbed till the Year 355. when _Constantius_ seeing himself Master of the West, as well as of the East, undertook to oblige all the Bishops to condemn _Athanasius_, whose Cause was looked upon as inseparable from that of the Orthodox Faith. As _Osius_ had on all Occasions declared highly in his Favour, and the Example of a Prelate so venerable for his Age, for the glorious Title of Confessor, and the Figure he had made for many Years in the Church, greatly prejudiced the World against the Enemies of the persecuted Bishop, the Emperor resolved to deprive, if possible, the Orthodox Party of so powerful a Support. [Sidenote: Constantius _attempts in vain to gain him over to the_ Arian _Party_.] With this View he ordered _Osius_ to repair to _Milan_, where the Court then was, well knowing that he was not, like most other Bishops, to be terrified with threatening Letters. _Osius_, in Compliance with the Emperor’s Orders, set out without Delay from _Cordoua_, notwithstanding his great Age; and, arriving at _Milan_, was there received by the Emperor with all the Respect that was due to the _Father of Bishops_, as he was styled. _Constantius_ entertained him for some Days with the utmost Civility, hoping by that means to bring him into his Views; but he no sooner named _Athanasius_ to him, than the zealous Prelate, well knowing the Drift of his Discourse, and armed against all Temptations, interrupted him with declaring, that he was ready to sacrifice not one, but a Thousand Lives, in so just a Cause; nay, he even reprimanded the Emperor with great Freedom, who, out of an awful Reverence for a Prelate of his Years, Authority, and Figure, heard him with great Patience, and not only forbore offering him any Violence, but gave him Leave to return unmolested to his See[832].

[Sidenote: _His second Attempt to gain him._]

The mild Treatment _Osius_ met with gave great Uneasiness to the _Arian_ Party, especially to the Two Bishops, _Ursacius_ and _Valens_, who thereupon never ceased soliciting the Emperor to proceed with Vigour against the only Man, who, they said, was capable of obstructing his great and pious Designs. They were powerfully seconded by the Eunuchs, who prevailed in the End upon the Emperor, as they bore a great Sway at Court, to try anew the Firmness and Constancy of so celebrated a Champion. _Constantius_ therefore writ several Letters to him, treating him in some with great Respect, and styling him his Father, but menacing him in others, and naming to him the Bishops, whom he had banished for refusing to condemn a Man whom most Bishops, and several Councils, had already condemned[833]. [Sidenote: _His Letter to the Emperor._] _Osius_, inflexible and unmoved, answered the Emperor by a Letter worthy of himself, and the great Reputation he had acquired. It has been conveyed to us by _Athanasius_, and nothing can be said stronger in that Bishop’s Defence; for he there shews unanswerably, that, whatever Crimes might be alleged against him, his only Guilt was a steady Adherence to the Faith of _Nice_[834]. [Sidenote: _He is sent to_ Sirmium.] But _Constantius_, without hearkening to the Reasons he urged in Justification of his own and _Athanasius_’s Conduct, without paying the least Regard to the earnest Prayers and Intreaties, to the paternal Exhortations and Admonitions, of so venerable a Prelate, ordered him to quit his See forthwith, and repair to _Sirmium_, where he was kept a whole Year in a kind of Exile. But, unaffected with the many Hardships he suffered there, with the Loss of his Dignity, with the inhuman Treatment of his Relations, who were all persecuted, stripped of their Estates, and reduced to Beggary on his Account, _Osius_ still stood up in Defence of _Athanasius_, still rejected with Indignation the Proposals of his Enemies[835], striving to induce him at least to communicate with them. They therefore resolved to proceed to open Force, and either to gain over to their Party a Man of his Figure and Rank, or, by removing him out of the Way, to deprive the Orthodox of their main Support[836]. [Sidenote: _Confined and racked._] Accordingly, with the Emperor’s Consent and Approbation, they caused him first to be closely confined, and afterwards to be cruelly beaten; and lastly to be put to the Rack, and most inhumanly tortured, as if he had been the worst of Criminals[837]. [Sidenote: _He yields at last._] Even against such exquisite Torments the Firmness of his Mind was proof for some time; but the Weakness of his Body obliged him in a manner to yield at last, and communicate with _Ursacius_ and _Valens_[838]. _Athanasius_ seems to insinuate in some Places, that he signed his Condemnation[839]; but in another he expresly denies it[840]. _Sulpitius Severus_ thinks he was guilty of no other Crime but that of communicating with the _Arians_[841]. _Athanasius_ only says, that he consented to communicate with _Ursacius_ and _Valens_[842]. [Sidenote: _He signs the_ Sirmian _Confession of Faith_.] However, that he did not stop there, but signed the _Arian_ Confession of _Sirmium_, is but too manifest from several unexceptionable and contemporary Writers. _Phœbadius_ Bishop of _Agen_, in _France_, in his Answer written at this very Time to the _Arians_, bragging that their Doctrine had been approved and embraced by the great _Osius_, allows the Fact; but adds, that he was induced thereunto by Force, and not Conviction[843]. _Marcellinus_ and _Faustinus_, who writ at the same time, say, that _Osius_ set his Hand, but never yielded his Heart, to the _Arian_ Impiety[844]. Nay, _Hilarius_ Bishop of _Poitiers_ supposes the _Sirmian_ Confession of Faith to have been drawn up by _Osius_ and _Potamus_; for he often calls it, _The Heresy, the Blasphemies, the wild and mad Conceits of_ Osius _and_ Potamus[845]. _Vigilius Tapsensis_ ranks _Osius_ with _Ursacius, and the other wicked Men, who composed the sacrilegious Confession of_ Sirmium[846]. _Socrates_ writes, that he signed the _Sirmian_ Symbol[847]; _Sozomen_, that he consented to the Suppression of the Words _Omoousion_, and _Omoiousion_[848]; and _Eusebius_ of _Vercelli_ bestows high Encomiums on _Gregory_ Bishop of _Elvira_, for opposing the great _Transgressor_ Osius[849]. _Potamus_, whom I have mentioned above, was Bishop of _Lisbone_, and a most sanguine Stickler for the Orthodox Party; but upon the Emperor’s yielding to him some Lands of the Imperial Demesne, that lay very convenient for him, he changed Sides, and became a most zealous Champion of the _Arian_ Doctrine[850]; insomuch that he is ranked by _Phœbadius_ with _Ursacius_ and _Valens_, the Two great Apostles of the _Arians_[851].

[Sidenote: _The_ Arians _Triumph_.]

The Fall of the great _Osius_, whom the Orthodox Party looked upon as their invincible Hero, surprised the whole World[852]. Some could not believe it; others ascribed it to his great Age, which might have weakened his Judgment[853]. It was immediately published all over the East, and great Rejoicings were made on the Occasion, by the Bishops in those Parts, who looked upon such a Conquest as a signal Victory over the Orthodox[854]. _Phœbadius_ tells us, that the chief Argument alleged by the _Arians_, in favour of their Doctrine, against the Bishops of _Gaul_, was _the Conversion of_ Osius, as they styled it[855]. Here _Davidius_ pleases himself with ridiculing, and indeed very justly, this and several other Conversions, greatly boasted by the _Arians_; but he must give me Leave to put him in mind, that he ridicules, at the same time, the many Conversions which his Church is constantly boasting, since most of them, especially those thus made in the new World, have been owing to Arguments of the same Nature as that of _Osius_, and other _Arian_ Proselytes, and were not perhaps at all more sincere. [Sidenote: Hilarius _not well informed as to the Circumstances of his Fall_.] _Hilarius_, Bishop of _Poitiers_, who lived at this time in Exile, amidst the _Arians_ in _Phrygia_, seems not to be well informed as to the Circumstances of the Fall of _Osius_; else he had made some Allowance for the barbarous and inhuman Treatment the unhappy Prelate met with, and not reflected on him with so much Bitterness and Severity, saying, that it had pleased God to prolong his Life till he fell, that the World might know what he had been before he fell[856]. That a Man in the Hundredth Year of his Age should yield to most exquisite and repeated Torments, is not at all to be wondered at; and therefore had _Hilarius_ been better informed, he had rather pitied than reproached him. But the _Arians_, among whom he lived, took care to conceal whatever could any ways depreciate their boasted Victory: at least that _Hilarius_ was a Stranger to what _Osius_ had suffered, is manifest, from his ascribing the Fall of that great Prelate not to the Cruelty of his Enemies, but to the too great Love he had for his Sepulchre[857], meaning, I suppose, the Desire he had of dying in his native Country, and not in Exile.

[Sidenote: _He is restored to his See._]

_Osius_ having thus gratified the Emperor, by communicating with the _Arians_, and signing the _Sirmian_ Confession of Faith, he was immediately reinstated in his See, and suffered to return to his native Country, where he gave some Trouble, it seems, to the Orthodox Bishops; for _Gregory_ Bishop of _Elvira_ is highly commended by _Eusebius_ of _Vercelli_, who lived then in Exile, _for opposing the Transgressor_ Osius, as I have observed above. The unfortunate Prelate did not live long after his Fall, but died in the Latter-end of the same Year 357. according to the most probable Opinion. He did not forget the Crime he had committed, says _Athanasius_[858]; but grievously complained, at the Point of Death, of the Violence that had been offered him, anathematized the Heresy of _Arius_, and exhorted, as by his last Will, all Mankind to reject it[859]. To his Repentance _Athanasius_, no doubt, alludes, where he writes, that _Osius_ yielded only for a time[860]; which he says of no other, not even of _Liberius_. As for the Account, which some Writers give of his tragical End[861], it is not worthy of Notice. The _Greek_ Church honours him as a Saint, and his Festival is kept on the 27th of _August_[862]; but they are certainly mistaken in supposing him to have died in Banishment. The Case of _Osius_ deserves, without all Doubt, to be greatly pitied. But it would be still more worthy of our Pity and Compassion, had he been himself an Enemy to all Persecution. But it must be observed, that he was the Author and Promoter of the First Christian Persecution. For it was he who first stirred up _Constantine_ against the _Donatists_; many of whom were sent into Exile, and some even sentenced to Death, nay, and led to the Place of Execution. I dare not interpret the very severe Treatment he met with, or his Fall and Apostasy, as a Judgment; but cannot help thinking him, on that Consideration, less worthy of our Compassion and Concern, than a Man of his Years and Merit would otherwise have been.

[Sidenote: Constantius _appoints a Council to meet at_ Nicomedia;]

_Constantius_, having thus gained over to the Heterodox Party the celebrated Bishop of _Cordoua_, and sent those into Exile, whom he apprehended most capable of traversing his Design, resolved to assemble a Council, not doubting but he should be able, by some means or other, to prevail upon the Members, that composed it, to approve and embrace the Doctrine, which he was labouring with indefatigable Pains to establish. Accordingly he writ to the chief Bishops of each Province, injoining them to meet in the Name of the rest, at an appointed Time, in the City of _Nicomedia_[863]. [Sidenote: _which City is destroyed by an Earthquake_.] In Compliance with his Orders the Bishops immediately set out; but, while they were on the Road, they were stopped by the News that was brought them of the utter Destruction of the City of _Nicomedia_ by a sudden and most dreadful Earthquake. This public Calamity happened on the 24th of _August_ 358[864]. and the _Arians_, in the Account which they transmitted of it to Court, assured the Emperor, that several Bishops, who were for _Consubstantiality_, had been buried under the Ruins of the great Church[865]. It was probably, by this Account, that _Philostorgius_ was deceived and misled, when he writ, that Fifteen Bishops, who were all Defenders of _Consubstantiality_, were crushed to Pieces by the Fall of the Church, together with _Cecrops_ Bishop of the City[866]. But _Sozomen_ assures us, that, when the Church fell, there was not a single Person in it; and that Two Bishops only perished in the Earthquake, _viz._ _Cecrops_, who was an _Arian_, and a Bishop of _Bosporus_[867]. [Sidenote: _The Council appointed to meet at_ Nice.] This Misfortune obliged the Emperor to change the Place of the Council; and accordingly Letters were immediately dispatched to all the Bishops, ordering them to repair to _Nice_, which City was suggested to him by _Basilius_, the _Semi-Arian_ Bishop of _Ancyra_, with a Design, says _Theodoret_[868], to eclipse the Glory and Authority of the First Council by the Confusion of Two. Be that as it will, the Bishops were ordered to meet there early in the Summer of the Year 359. Such as were not in a Condition to undertake such a Journey, on account of their Age or Infirmities, were to send Priests or Deacons, as their Deputies, to vote and act in their Name; and the Council was strictly injoined to transmit to the Emperor such Decrees as they should enact, that he might examine them, and see whether they were agreeable to Scripture: for this Purpose Ten Deputies were to be appointed by the Bishops of the East, and the like Number by those of the West[869]. [Sidenote: _Two Councils appointed to meet instead of one._] But while the World was expecting to see a second Oecumenical Council assembled at _Nice_, the Emperor all on a sudden changed his Mind, and instead of one, resolved to convene Two, the one in the East, and the other in the West[870]. This Change was owing to the Intrigues of the _Anomeans_, or _Pure Arians_, who, finding the far greater Part of the Bishops either for the Orthodox Faith of _Nice_, or, the _Semi-Arian_, as established in a Council at _Antioch_, concluded, that there would be no Means to divert them, when assembled together, from condemning their Doctrine; whereas if they were divided, they did not despair of being able to manage both Assemblies, or at least one of the Two[871]. This Design of dividing the Council they privately imparted to the Eunuch _Eusebius_, their great Friend, and the Emperor’s chief Favourite, who, highly applauding the Scheme, took upon him to get it approved by _Constantius_. [Sidenote: _The Occasion of this Change._] And this he easily effected, by representing, that a General Council would put the Bishops to greater Trouble and Inconveniences than most of them could well bear, and, at the same time, the Treasury to an immense Charge; for on such Occasions their Expences were defrayed by the Emperor[872]. He therefore advised him to assemble Two Councils at the same time, one in the East, and the other in the West, which, he said, would be less troublesome to the Bishops, and less expensive to the Exchequer. To these Reasons _Constantius_ acquiesced; but, as he was a zealous _Semi-Arian_, _Eusebius_ kept him in the Dark, as to the true Motive of such a Change. Thus was _Constantius_, and thus have many Princes been, since his Time, led, as it were, hoodwinked, by some in whom they reposed an intire Confidence, into Measures tending to promote Designs quite opposite to their own.

[Sidenote: Rimini _chosen for the Western Bishops_;]

This Point being settled, to the great Satisfaction of the _Anomeans_, _Ariminum_, now _Rimini_, on the _Adriatic_ Sea, was thought the most proper Place for the Western Bishops to meet at. But the City of _Nice_, where the General Council was to assemble, having suffered much by the late Earthquake, the Emperor desired the Eastern Bishops might not meet there, but in whatever other Place they should agree among themselves to be the most proper and convenient[873]. This _Theodoret_ ascribes to a particular Providence, that would not suffer the great Council of _Nice_ to be ever confounded with a Conventicle of Heretics[874]. [Sidenote: _and_ Seleucia _in_ Isauria _for those of the East_.] As the Bishops could not agree about the Place, and it was not at all probable they should, the Emperor, by the Advice of a few, who were then with him at _Sirmium_, named the City of _Seleucia_ in _Isauria_[875]. And now that the Place was settled for both Councils, _Constantius_ issued an Order, injoining not only the chief Bishops of each Province, as he had done the Year before, but all, without Exception, to repair to one of the Two[876]; nay, he dispatched Officers into the Provinces, with a strict Charge to see his Order punctually obeyed, and put in Execution[877]. The Bishops therefore set out from all Parts; the public Carriages, Roads, and Houses, were every-where crouded with them; which gave great Offence to the Catechumens, and no small Diversion to the Pagans, who thought it equally strange and ridiculous, that Men, who had been brought up from their Infancy in the Christian Religion, and whose Business it was to instruct others in that Belief, should be constantly hurrying, in their old Age, from one Place to another, to know what they themselves should believe[878]. _Ammianus Marcellinus_ complains, that the necessary Funds for the Maintenance of the public Carriages were quite drained and exhausted, by the roaming about of the Christian Bishops[879]. Their Charges were defrayed by the Emperor, as I have observed above; but the Bishops of _Gaul_ and _Britain_, that they might be the more independent, insisted upon travelling at their own Expence; only Three of the latter, not having wherewithal to support themselves, chose rather to be obliged to the Emperor than burdensome to their Collegues, who generously offered to contribute to their Maintenance, every one according to his Ability[880].

The Western Bishops, that is, those of _Illyricum_, _Italy_, _Africa_, _Spain_, _Gaul_, and _Britain_, being assembled at _Rimini_, in all 400 and upwards[881], the Emperor writ to _Taurus_, the _Præfectus Prætorio_ of _Italy_, charging him to be present at all the Debates, and not to suffer the Bishops to separate, till, in Points of Faith, they had all agreed: if he succeeded therein, he was to be rewarded with the Consular Dignity[882]. [Sidenote: _The Emperor’s Letter to the Western Bishops._] At the same time he writ to the Bishops, injoining them to treat only of such Matters as related to the Faith, Unity, and Order of the Church, and forbidding them to meddle, on any Pretence whatsoever, with what concerned the Eastern Bishops, who, he said, would take care to settle their own Affairs, since they were met for that Purpose[883]. This was to prevent their entering upon the Cause of _Athanasius_, whom he well knew the Western Bishops would have declared innocent. The Emperor’s Letter is dated the 27th of May 359[884]. At this Council _Restitutus_ Bishop of _Carthage_ is supposed to have presided, as he was, both for Piety and Learning, the most conspicuous in the Assembly. [Sidenote: _The_ Arians _propose a new Confession drawn up at_ Sirmium;] At their first Meeting, the Two _Arian_ Bishops, _Ursacius_ and _Valens_, appeared with a Paper in their Hands, containing a new Confession of Faith, composed lately at _Sirmium_ by the Emperor, by a small Number of _Arian_ and _Semi-Arian_ Bishops, and several Presbyters and Deacons, who, after a Debate, which lasted the whole Day, had at length agreed to suppress the Word _Consubstantial_; and introduce the Word _like_ in its room; so that the Son was no more to be said _consubstantial_, but _like to the Father in all Things_; the Three last Words _Constantius_ added, and, by obliging all who were present to sign them, defeated, say the _Semi-Arians_, the wicked Designs of the Heretics, meaning the _Pure Arians_[885]. However, excepting those Words, the whole Confession was thought to favour their Doctrine[886]; whence the _Semi-Arians_ held out till Night, when the Emperor, well satisfied with the Words _like in all things_, obliged them to sign it. This Confession of Faith was drawn up, and signed, on the Eve of _Pentecost_[887], that is, on the 22d or 23d of _May_ 359[888]. _Easter_ having fallen that Year on the 4th of _April_[889][N17]. _Ursacius_ and _Valens_ read it to the Council, adding, when they had done, that it had been approved of by the Emperor, and therefore that they ought all to be satisfied with it, without recurring to any other Councils or Creeds, without demanding any other Confession of the Heretics, or inquiring too narrowly into their Doctrine and Opinions, which would be attended with much Trouble, endless Disputes, and eternal Divisions; that the Catholic Truths, which all Men were bound to believe, ought not to be darkened with Metaphysical Terms, but expressed by Words, which all Men understood; and, lastly, that it was quite idle to quarrel and make so much Noise about a Word (meaning the Word _consubstantial_) which none of the inspired Writers had thought fit to make use of in explaining the Mysteries of our holy Religion[890]. What Answer the Council returned, I can find no-where recorded. But a Motion being made soon after to condemn and anathematize the _Arian_ and all other Heresies, _Ursacius_ and his Party opposed it; which alarmed the Orthodox Bishops, concluding from thence, that whatever Expressions they made use of, their Belief was different from that of the Catholic Church. [Sidenote: _which is rejected_;] They therefore resolved to hearken to them no longer; and accordingly, without the least Regard to their Remonstrances and Protestations, they condemned, with one Consent, all Heresies in general, and that of _Arius_ in particular; declared heretical the Confession of Faith presented by _Ursacius_ and _Valens_; confirmed that of _Nice_, and ordered the Word _consubstantial_ to be retained, since the true Meaning of it might be sufficiently gathered from several Passages in Scripture[891]. [Sidenote: _and they condemned and deposed_.] They did not stop here; but, transported with Zeal on the _Arians_ attempting to impose upon them by a Second Confession of Faith, they declared them all, and their Leaders _Ursacius_, _Valens_, _Germinius_, and _Caius_, by Name, ignorant and deceitful Men, Impostors, Heretics, deposed them in the Council, and signed all to a Man this Declaration on the 21st of _July_ of the present Year 359[892].

-----

Footnote N17:

It was signed by the few Bishops, who were present, and by a good
Number of Presbyters and Deacons. The Bishops were _Marcus_ of
_Arethusa_, _George_, who had been intruded into the See of
_Alexandria_, _Basilius_ of _Ancyra_, _Germinius_ of _Sirmium_,
_Hypatianus_ of _Heraclea_, _Valens_, _Ursacius_, and _Pancratius_ of
_Pelusium_[N17.1]. _Valens_, in signing it, added to his Name these
Words; _I believe the Son to be like to the Father_. He was unwilling
to acknowlege the Son like to the Father _in all things_, agreeably to
the Confession, which he was to sign, and therefore suppressed these
Words. But the Emperor insisting upon his adding them, he took his
Will for the Rule of his Faith, and added them accordingly. _Basilius_
of _Ancyra_, suspecting some Meaning contrary to the Doctrine which he
held, to lie concealed and disguised under those Words, declared, that
he understood by them a Likeness in _Substance_, in _Existence_, and
in _Essence_; and that he signed in this, and no other Sense, the
present Symbol. Not satisfied with this Declaration, he writ, some
time after, an Exposition of the Faith that was professed by him, and
the other _Semi-Arian_ Bishops. This Exposition is, by _Epiphanius_,
styled a Letter, and was placed by him after the circular Letter of
the Council of _Ancyra_. The present Confession of _Sirmium_ is
commonly styled the Third, but was, properly speaking, the Fourth: For
before this, Three different Symbols had been composed at _Sirmium_;
_viz._ one intirely Orthodox, in 351. another altogether _Arian_, in
357. a Third _Semi-Arian_, in 358. and the present in 359. The Second
_Liberius_ signed at _Berœa_, and the Third at _Sirmium_, upon his
Arrival in that City.

Footnote N17.1:

Athan. de syn. p. 873. Epi. 73. c. 22. Socr. l. 2. c. 29.

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[Sidenote: _Deputies sent by the Council to the Emperor_;]

With this Act they put an End to the Sessions, and immediately dispatched Ten Deputies to acquaint the Emperor with what had passed, pursuant to his express Command. The like Number was sent by the _Arians_, who had assisted at the Council. These, traveling with great Expedition, arrived at _Constantinople_, where the Court then was, some time before the others; and, being immediately admitted to the Emperor, they prejudiced him to such a Degree against the Orthodox Party, that he would not so much as see their Deputies, pretending to be wholly taken up with the Affairs of the State. They were therefore obliged to deliver the Letter, which the Council had written on this Occasion, to one of his Ministers[893]. They expected every Day to be admitted to an Audience, or, at least, to receive an Answer, and be dismissed. [Sidenote: _who leaves_ Constantinople _without seeing them_.] But, after they had been thus kept for some time in Expectation, the Emperor all on a sudden left _Constantinople_, in order to head his Army against the _Barbarians_, who had broken into the Empire. He was no sooner gone than one of the Ministers came to acquaint them, that it was the Emperor’s Pleasure they should repair forthwith to _Adrianople_, and there wait his Return[894]. However, before he set out, he writ to the Council, giving them notice of his sudden Departure from _Constantinople_; and alleging, by way of Excuse for not having seen or heard their Deputies, the present Situation of public Affairs, which had engrossed his whole Attention, whereas, the discussing and settling of spiritual Affairs required a Mind quite free and disengaged from all worldly Cares. [Sidenote: _He endeavours to tire their Patience with Delays._] He concluded his short Letter with intreating them not to think of separating till he was at Leisure to settle, in Conjunction with them, Matters of so great Importance to the Church, and the whole Christian World[895]. The Design of the most wicked _Constantius_, as _Athanasius_ styles him[896], was to tire out the Bishops with such Delays, hoping they would, in the End, chuse rather to sign the last _Sirmian_ Confession, which he was bent upon establishing in the room of the _Nicene_, than to be long kept, as it were, in Exile, at a Distance from their Sees[897]. But this he could not compass for the present, the Bishops declaring, in their Answer to his Letter, that they could not, and hoped they never should, upon any Consideration whatsoever, depart from what they had so unanimously settled and decreed[898]. _Socrates_ writes, that the Bishops, after having waited some time in vain for the Emperor’s Answer to their Letter, left _Rimini_, and retired to their respective Sees[899]. And here he ends his Account of that Council. It were greatly to be wished, that nothing else could be said of it; but several contemporary and unexceptionable Writers, and _Hilarius_ among the rest[900], assure us, that _Constantius_ _changed at last the Faith of the Western Bishops into Impiety_. Of this deplorable Change they give us the following Account.

[Sidenote: _Their Deputies ordered to_ Nice _in_ Thrace;]

The _Arians_, taking Occasion from the last Letter of the Bishops at _Rimini_ to incense _Constantius_ against them, prevailed upon him to order their Deputies to a City in _Thrace_, known at that Time by the Name of _Nice_, but formerly called _Ostudizus_, and placed by _Sanson_ a few Leagues to the East of _Adrianople_. This Place they chose, that the Symbol, which they designed to impose upon them, might be confounded by the ignorant People with that of the great Council of _Nice_ in _Bithynia_[901]. The Deputies no sooner arrived there, than a Confession of Faith was proposed to them intirely agreeable to the last made at _Sirmium_, except that in this new Creed the Son was declared _like to the Father_, without the Addition of the Words _in all Things_. This they rejected at first with great Resolution and Intrepidity; but the _Arians_ were no less resolute, and therefore left nothing unattempted they could think of to carry their Point[902]. But finding Hope and Fear, Threats and Promises, equally ineffectual, they proceeded at last to open Force and Violence[903]. What Kind of Violence was employed against them, the Author does not tell us; but _Marcellinus_ and _Faustinus_ ascribe their retracting what they had declared to be holy, and approving what they had condemned as impious, to the Love of their Sees, and the Dread they were in of being driven from them[904]. [Sidenote: _where they sign the_ Sirmian _Confession_.] Be that as it will, it is certain, that they yielded at last; that they accepted and signed, without the least Limitation or Restriction, the above-mentioned Confession of Faith; consented to the Suppression of the Word _Consubstantial_; declared void and null all the Acts and Proceedings of the Council of _Rimini_; anathematized, as heretical, all Opinions contrary to the Doctrine contained in the said Confession; and, finally, admitted to their Communion _Ursacius_, _Valens_, _Germinius_, and _Caius_, whom they had not long before deposed as Heretics[905]. _Restitutus_, Bishop of _Carthage_, and one of the most eminent Prelates at that Time in the Church, signed the first, and the other Deputies after him, according to the Dignity of their Sees. The Emperor, transported with Joy at the News of their Compliance, which he looked upon as a signal Victory, gave them immediately Leave to return to _Rimini_. At the same time he wrote to _Taurus_, charging him anew not to suffer the Bishops to depart till they had all signed the same Confession of Faith, and impowering him to send into Exile such as by their Obstinacy should distinguish themselves above the rest, provided they were not above Fifteen in Number[906]. [Sidenote: Constantius _orders the Bishops at_ Rimini _to suppress the Words_ Substance _and_ Consubstantial.] He likewise writ to the Bishops, commanding them, on Pain of incurring his Indignation, to suppress for ever the Words _Substance_ and _Consubstantial_, severely reprimanding them for presuming to depose _Ursacius_ and his Collegues, and assuring them, that they should not be allowed to return to their Sees, till they had intitled themselves to his Favour by an intire and unreserved Compliance with his Will[907]. To this Letter the _Arians_, who had assisted at the Council, to the Number of Eighty, returned a most submissive Answer, and even thanked the Emperor for the great Pains he took to establish the true Doctrine[908]. However, _Taurus_ declared that he could by no means suffer them to depart till the rest had agreed with them, and the whole Assembly was of one Mind. The orthodox Bishops shewed at first some Resolution, and even refused to communicate with their own Deputies. But this Resolution soon vanished; they were eager to return to their Sees; the Emperor was inflexible; _Taurus_ took care to render the Place both inconvenient and disagreeable to them. [Sidenote: _The greater Part yield._] Some therefore fell off, others followed their Example, the rest began to waver, and, being so far got the better of, yielded soon after, and went over to the _Arian_ Party in such Crouds, that in a very short time the Number of the orthodox Bishops, who continued steady, was reduced to 20[909]. At the Head of these was _Phœbadius_, the celebrated Bishop of _Agen_, who seemed invincible; but nevertheless was overcome in the End, not by the Menaces of the Emperor, or his Prefect, but by the Craft and Subtilty of _Ursacius_ and _Valens_, who, finding they could by no other Means prevail upon him to accept the _Sirmian_ Confession, declared, that to put an End to the unhappy Divisions that had so long rent the Church, they had at last resolved to agree to such Alterations and Additions as should be judged proper and necessary by him and his Collegues. This Declaration was received by all with great Joy: _Phœbadius_ triumphed, thinking he had carried his Point, and saved the Reputation of the Council. [Sidenote: _The others imposed upon by the_ Arians.] To the Symbol were immediately added several Anathemas against the _Arian_ Heresy, and an Article declaring _the Son equal to the Father, without Beginning, and before all Time_. When this Article was read, _Valens_ desired, that, in order to leave no room for new Disputes or Chicanery, they would add, that _the Son was not a Creature like other Creatures_[910]. This was evidently supposing the Son to be a Creature only exalted above all other Creatures; so that by admitting such an Article they condemned the Doctrine which they designed to establish, and established that which they designed to condemn. And yet of this neither was _Phœbadius_ aware, nor any of his Party, as they afterwards solemnly declared[911]. A most unaccountable Oversight, and hardly credible! But _Theodoret_[912], _Ambrose_[913], _Sulpitius Severus_[914], and _Fulgentius_[915], took it upon their Word, and so must we. Neither Party could brag of the Victory; for the _Arians_ had anathematized the Heresy of _Arius_; and on the other hand the orthodox Bishops had deliberately agreed to the suppressing of the Words _Substance_ and _Consubstantial_, and inadvertently acknowleged the Son to be a Creature; which was all the _Arians_ aimed at, or could desire. The Council being thus ended, new Deputies were sent to acquaint the Emperor with what had passed, who being highly pleased with the Report made by _Ursacius_ and _Valens_ (for they were at the Head of the Deputation) immediately granted the Bishops Leave to return to their respective Sees, after they had been about Four Months at _Rimini_.

The Council no sooner broke up than the _Arians_ began to proclaim aloud the Victory they had gained, bragging, that it had not been defined in the Council of _Rimini_, that the Son was not a Creature, but only that he was not like other Creatures; and declaring it was, and had always been their Opinion, that the Son was no more like the Father, than a Piece of Glass was like an Emerald[916]. [Sidenote: _They discover their Mistake._] _Phœbadius_, and the other Bishops who had adhered to him, were returned to their Sees with great Joy, flattering themselves that they had sufficiently established the Catholic Doctrine, and prevented all future Disputes: but, finding that the _Arians_ pretended their Tenets had been confirmed by this very Council, and seriously reflecting on the Articles, which they themselves had agreed to, they discovered at last how grosly they had been imposed upon, and publicly retracted all they had said, done, or signed, repugnant to the Truths of the Catholic Church[917]. However, _Gregory_ Bishop of _Elvira_ refused to communicate with any of the Bishops who had assisted at the Council of _Rimini_, and was on that account commended by _Eusebius_ of _Vercelli_[918]. [Sidenote: _Are judged Guilty by the exiled Bishops._] The exiled Bishops, and those who lay concealed, agreed among themselves by Letters, to declare them for ever incapable of performing any Episcopal or Sacerdotal Functions, and to admit them to the Communion of the Church only in the Capacity of Laymen[919]. When Peace was restored to the Church by the Death of _Constantius_ in 361. most of the orthodox Bishops were for deposing all those of the Council of _Rimini_, and placing others in their room. But this Sentence the People would not suffer to be put in Execution, rising every-where in Defence of their Pastors, and in some Places insulting, beating, and even killing, those who came to depose them[920].

[Sidenote: _Great Disagreement in the Council of_ Seleucia.]