some imperial officers, followed by a mingled mob of pagans and Arians, broke into the great church when crowded with worshippers on another special occasion, and were not ashamed to subject the women to atrocious indignities and savage cruelties, still declaring that they had the sanction of the Emperor. After this came one George, an illiterate and brutish person who had been suddenly invested with the title of Bishop, and armed with a letter of authority,—a letter penned by the same hand which, but lately, when writing under the dread of Constans, described the now ejected Bishop as "most reverend and most holy." Now, in language far more earnest, because more sincere, it has written the bitterest invectives. The soldiers and the mob are called the people of Alexandria. They are flattered as being the chief interpreters of wisdom, the first to understand who the real God is (πρώτους δὲ Θεὸν τὸν ὄντα συνιέντας). The closing sentences tell better than any narrative could set forth how genuine was the hatred of Constantius and the Arians.

"Then do you manfully leave those mean and earthly things, and rise to what is heavenly, under the guidance of the most reverend George, a man in affairs of this kind exceedingly accomplished, by whose aid you may act, hoping the best for the future, and living most easily for the present. O, that all in this city would depend upon his word as on a sacred anchor, that we might have no need to proceed with slayings and burnings against persons of corrupt mind! whom, however, we earnestly exhort to break off their attachment to Athanasius, and not even to remember his excessive babbling, or they will find out, when it is too late, that they have brought themselves into great danger, out of which I do not think the eloquence of any of those stirrers up of sedition will deliver them. For it would be absurd to drive away this pestiferous Athanasius, chasing him from country to country, as one convicted of the most shameful crimes, for which he never could suffer punishment enough, even though he were killed ten times over, and then to permit his adherents and agents, villains, and men of such a sort that it is a shame to name them, to raise tumults,-men whom the judges have already had orders to put to death, but who perhaps may not have to die if they repent of their past crimes, even though it be too late now for them to depart from the ways in which that most wicked Athanasius has been leading them, himself a plague to the public, and one who has laid his impious and impure hands upon the most holy men." *

Bishop George and his party, although aided by a military force, did not kill any more persons; but, under pretence of searching for the "most wicked Athanasius," they broke into many houses of the most respectable citizens, committing wanton depredations, and treating the "virgins," or religious women, with gross indignity. The

* Athanasii ad Imperat. Constant. Apologia.

Catholic Bishops of Egypt, about ninety in number, were required to renounce their faith, or depart from their dioceses. Nearly half of them gave way, and professed Arianism; the others withstood the temptation, and were banished. Many of these, and many presbyters who fled with them, perished in their flight. Other persons, of the same sort as George, were intruded into the sees; and thus Egypt was by force made Arian.

Athanasius wisely retreated from the scene of conflict, where he could not possibly withstand brute violence, and hid himself among the monks far away in the desert. To borrow from Gregory of Nazianzus, making some allowance for the rhetorical excess of language, "He betook himself to those sacred and Divine monasteries of Egypt, where men separated from the world, and embracing solitude, live to God more than any others whose conversation is in the body. Some of them dwelt in perfect solitude, while others were at once monks and Cenobites, now holding intercourse with other men, and mingling in their affairs, and again seeming to be extinct and dead, as if they would make sport of others, and of themselves also, by sudden and frequent changes. To themselves they were a world, provoking one another to the continual exercise of virtue. Plunging into the heart of this wild society, he adapted himself to their habits, gave to their wandering community the benefit of an indomitable zeal and powerful intellect, readily combining 'practical silence and silent activity,' and thenceforth lending his example to persuade the world that the profession of a monastic life consists rather in gravity and constancy of conduct, than in mere bodily repose."

Monasticism of this kind,-if monasticism it might be called,—

*We use the word Catholic in the sense of orthodox, a meaning which it bore during the Arian controversy, and for many ages afterwards. We use it in the sense it bears in the Apostolic, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds. Passing by innumerable authorities, we quote at length an imperial edict which stands at the head of the Code of Justinian, compiled and published under the care of that Emperor about the middle of the sixth century. As this was part of the civil law of Europe, it may be accepted as an authoritative explanation of a word too precious to be resigned to the exclusive possession of the Church of Rome.

"All the peoples whom the empire of our clemency governs we wish to live in that religion which St. Peter the Apostle delivered to the Romans, as the religion which was introduced by himself still declares, and which it is evident the Pontiff Damasus followed, and Peter, Bishop of Alexandria," (of whom we have spoken as present in the Council of Nicæa,) "a man of apostolic sanctity. That is to say, that according to the apostolic discipline, and evangelical doctrine, we believe in one Godhead of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, under equal majesty and holy Trinity. Following this law, we command the name of Catholic Christians to be received (amplecti); but judging others unreasonable and unsound (dementes et vesanos) to lie under the infamy of heretical doctrine, that which is Divine being first vindicated, and, after such decision as by Divine pleasure we shall take, to be punished accordingly."— Cod. Justin., lib. i., tit. 1.

involuntary abandonment of home and country, the life of men hunted like partridges upon the mountains, real poverty, denial of self preferred to denial of Christ and truth, brave confessors taking shelter in dens and caves of the earth, until the fury of a tempestuous persecution should be past, is distant as pole from pole from the habited and ordered brotherhoods and sisterhoods of Rome, or their feeble imitations in England. Those brave soldiers of Christ, driven by main force from the banks of the Nile, went away westward to the wastes of Nitria; and there maintained, as it were, a guerilla warfare with persecution, having Athanasius as their captain: as did the Waldenses, the Lollards, and the Huguenots in later times. We have not space to review the acknowledged writings of this great man, composed during six years of "practical silence;" but must observe that his mental character was inevitably influenced by the habits and associations of this period. His former banishment into France, his frequent perilous journeys and close conflicts with unscrupulous enemies, his abandonment by false brethren and unprincipled patrons, his contempt of dishonesty, hatred of false men and false doctrines, could not result in a smooth mould of mind, free from all ruggedness, and inoffensive to some of our gentle bookworm critics. But they did produce a grandeur of spirit which in this world is just now sadly wanting. And let us just note, by the way, that Athanasius has been unjustly claimed as a patron of monkery. We remember to have partly perused, and thrown aside with disgust, a "Life and Polity of our holy Father Anthony, written and sent to the Monks in the strange Land (év tŷn έén) by our sainted Father, Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria;" convinced that such a production from his pen was not possible, and were afterwards glad to find it counted by some critics, at least, among the spurious writings dishonestly circulated under his venerable name.

One writing, however, the Apology for his flight, deserves attention. It contains a full narrative of the persecution under Constantius, and was drawn from him by the intelligence that the Arians had reproached him with cowardice for having eluded their pursuit. To justify his flight he recounts their atrocities, exhibits a long list of illustrious victims of their malice, and concludes by observing that, if it is disgraceful to flee, it is much worse to pursue the fugitive; for if the one hides himself, it is that he may not die, while the other pursues that he may kill. Then as to flight, it is permitted in Scripture; but if he who seeks to kill transgresses the law, much more does he transgress it who compels another to flee for life. Therefore, if they reproach another for taking to flight, much rather should they be ashamed of themselves for compelling him to flee; and, if persecutors would cease from persecution, they who now flee would soon be at rest in their homes.

Constantius the Arian, yet unbaptized like his father Constantine, presumes to account himself a Christian, but has advanced a step

beyond his father in antichristian sympathies. Now that Athanasius is out of sight, and Egypt is made Arian, he fancies that the whole world may be swept clean of orthodoxy. To this end he summons two Councils, which are to be attended by all the bishops of East and West. One in Rimini, a town in Romagna, on the shore of the Adriatic; the other in Seleucia, the ruins of which city yet remain in the neighbourhood of Selefkeh, a town near the sea-coast of Asia Minor, north of Cyprus. At Rimini the assembled bishops were commanded not to entertain any question relating to their brethren of the East, and thus were prevented from speaking of him in whose suffering for Christ's sake they might have manifested a lively interest. The Seleucian assembly, being Arian, were free to discourse as it might please them. In each of these Councils a new creed was drawn up; and, as must have been expected, the creed of Rimini was Trinitarian, and that of Seleucia Arian. Both documents were laid before Constantius by delegates appointed for the purpose. The Seleucian delegates presented their creed, which was instantly approved. The delegates from Rimini sent up theirs, and asked an audience, but gained it with difficulty; being pressed to communicate with their more favoured brethren, and to consent to a revision of their creed which might make it harmonize with the other. They resisted at first, but threats of the Emperor's displeasure and offers of favour overcame their constancy. They erased the words substance and consubstantial from their creed, and the work was done. The Nicene Creed was for the time cast aside. Great was the exultations of the Arians, and unutterable the sorrow and mortification of the Catholics. A few less conspicuous members of the Western Council withheld their signatures to the revised creed, and escaped with a sound conscience; but the majority set down their names. "If their spirit fell not into heresy, their hand consented to it. They were tarnished by the smoke of heresy, if they were not consumed by its fire."*

About two years after this calamity Constantius died, and Julian succeeded him. It was the policy of Julian, who soon renounced Christianity, and offered sacrifices to his gods, to recall the bishops whom Constantius had banished, and, amongst them, Athanasius and the Catholic bishops of Egypt. He protested before his gods that he would not kill the Galileans, nor suffer any one to hurt them; but neither would he show them any favour. Favours would be reserved for "the pious;" and the Galilean folly, as he said, should be left to away by its mere insignificance. Under these dismal auspices Athanasius came back to Alexandria. Before his arrival, the pagans, provoked by some unjust proceeding, had murdered Bishop George, whose outrageous conduct towards persons of all classes made it impossible for even the Arians to admit his name into the catalogue

die

* Greg. Naz., Orat. 21.

of martyrs. Once more Athanasius entered into the city of Alexander amidst the rejoicings of the people; and although six years had passed away since they had seen him, or known whether he was dead or alive, their gladness was not less than on the occasion of his first return. The population of Egypt sent down a flood of men which filled Alexandria, and not a murmur of unkindness was breathed against him. The churches occupied by Arians were thrown open again to the clergy whom Constantius had ejected. Happy in the recovery of his position, Athanasius bent his utmost efforts towards the restoration of order, and for the edification of the Christian society for so long a time depressed and scattered. Anxious to repair the wide-spread ruin into which the church of Christ had fallen during the prevalence of heresy, he assembled a Council in Alexandria, and presided over it, for the consideration of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity in opposition to the errors of Macedonius and Apollinarius. The former of these innovators taught that the Holy Ghost was a creature, and his followers treated the subject with revolting and profane frivolity. To discountenance this heresy the Council of Alexandria declared the Holy Spirit to be God. Apollinarius imagined that the Divine Word took the place of soul in the person of the incarnate Saviour, and that the humanity of Christ was con-substantial with the Godhead ;-that the Godhead died upon the cross. The sect which took his name maintained, as Athanasius affirms in his treatise on the Incarnation of Christ, that the body of the Saviour, though capable of suffering, was uncreated.* The same Council condemned this heresy also.

But if ever any man could say, with a full perception of the truth of the saying, "Here have we no continuing city," that man was Athanasius. The revival of Christianity was so rapid, and so visibly was Alexandria the central point of the revival, that Julian the Apostate dropped his mask of humanity, and wrote furious letters to the people of Alexandria, reproving them for their leaning towards Christianity, and for suffering the Christian Bishop, who had been permitted to return to his native place, to presume to take possession of "the episcopal see, as they call it," instead of retiring into obscurity as a private person. Under peril of the severest punishment, which would have been nothing less than death, Athanasius was commanded to quit the city, and not only the city, but to depart from Egypt. Once more he bowed his head in calm submission, and bade his friends take heart and dry their tears, assuring them that the present indig nation of the pagan was but a passing cloud that soon would vanish. Attended by a few of his choicest friends, he took a boat and proceeded up the Nile with the intention of hiding himself in the wilds of Upper Egypt. Landing for refreshment, as usual, they heard that

* Πῶς τὸ ἄκτιστον, παθητὸν λέγετε; ἢ πῶς τὸ παθητὸν, ἄκτιστον ὀνομάζετε ;-De Incarnatione D. N. J. Cti contra Apollinarium.