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Review of the Century.

Cent. 8.

of the times would allow. From the circumstances of England's superiority in point of godliness, I should think more favourably of those missions from hence to the continent, than of those from the continent hither. In this century, several monks passed over to the continent, and in various parts published the word of life.

Under the auspices of Charlemagne, some attempts were made against the idolatrous practice of image-wor ship. The Caroline books, written against image-worship, are ascribed to him. Some other things towards regulating papal authority were espoused by this prince, but the spirit of the times was too antichristian for any thing short of Divine influence to effect a change.

In turning our eye back, we discover nothing in the retrospect to regale the heart, or to brighten the visive faculty. We have seen the steril burning sands of Ara bia extending their fruitlessness over countries formerJy like the garden of Eden. We have looked into the chamber of imagery, and beheld every form of abomination, and all the idols of the house of Israel pourtray. ed upon the wall round about, and above all the rest, and above all that is worshipped, we saw the beast with seven heads and ten horns, and the woman that sat thereon, having a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication; yet a little while and God shall accomplish his wrath upon her; the angel shall go forth, crying " Babylon is fallen, is fallen! Amen; Allelujah!"-Let us not forget the remnant preserved in the vallies of Piedmont. They that go forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them.

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NINTH CENTURY.

CHAPTER I.

State of the Roman and Greek Churches-Transubstan

tiation.

THE outward pale of the church during this century received considerable additions by the labours of monks and missionaries, on the one hand, and great were her losses by the triumphs of the common enemy on the other. Under the patronage of Constantinople, a number of monks, among whom was the devoted Cyril, issued from their cells, and spread the Christian name through Mæsia, Bulgaria, Bohemia, and Moravia. The Russians also received from the Easterns a company of missionaries, who made considerable progress in that country. Among the Westerns, ANSCARIUS, or Ansgar, a monk of Corbie, distinguished himself by his unwearied labours in Sweden, and in countries adjacent: by these labours, we trust some of the precious seed of the kingdoin was scattered in those hitherto barren lands, and that it took root and bore some fruit sweet to the Master's taste. But it is really a sorrowful case that so much labour in these days went to so little purpose; the far greater part of these operations only contributed to the establishment of superstition and priestcraft, monkery and fraud. A striking proof of this we have in the bitter contests between the bishops of Rome

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Corruption of the Clergy.

Cent. 9.

and Constantinople on the subject of dividing the fruits of these missionary labours.

The arms of Mahomet were still triumphant; they kept possession of all those countries they had gained on the Mediterranean, and threatened even the reduction of Rome itself. The Christian pale suffered considerably from a host of new adversaries-Normans, including Danes, Norwegians, and Swedes: who proved a great scourge to the maritime inhabitants of Germany, Gaul, Spain, and Britain; they even penetrated the heart of Italy, carrying every thing before them with fire and sword. These pirates and plunderers miserably harassed the Christians, by pillaging their churches, and laying waste their countries.

The internal state of the church exhibits a scene of every abomination; the Roman pontiff, at the head of all authority and rule, dealing out life and death, blessing and cursing Next in order bishops, who by their intrigue and love of the world had inveigled the great and the noble out of their estates to save their souls, assumed the titles of dukes, counts, marquisses; and uniting the regalia of their several domains with the priestly habiliment, they glittered in courts, vaunted in camps, and wallowed in luxury. Nor were the inferior orders of the clergy, in the spirit of their minds, a whit behind them-the religious houses shared in the plunder: while priests and monks could hold men's souls in bondage, they failed not to lavish the ill-gotten gain upon their depraved lusts.

As to the heresies and schisms of this age, we can hardly tell what to say of such things, as they have heretofore been understood in the church. A heretic, in former centuries, was one that denied the faith, or brought in an erroneous doctrine; a schismatic was one

Chap. 1.

Transubstantiation.

225

that made a rent in the church, a division in the body of the faithful. It hardly appears possible to be guilty of either, as the church now stands; there are scarcely any good principles to deny, or any possibility of adding to the enormous mass of error and fraud, with which it is already overborne. The system is so far separated from any thing like Christianity, that to break from it, and to teach others so to do, is rather a virtue than a crime. But the course of historical events, however, furnishes us with a proof that the monstrous pile of error is capable yet of receiving addition. In this century was brought forth that absurd and gross doctrine,

TRANSUBSTANTIATION.

A monk, named Paschasius Radbert, was the profound finder-out of this mystery. It afforded the polemics of the day a matter for dispute, which controversy lasted till the thirteenth century, when it was dropped, and the doctrine incorporated with that august symbol, the sacrament of the altar. This doctrine asserts that the elements of bread and wine, after consecration by the priest, become the real body and blood of Christ, the appearance and form only of bread and wine being left.

The moral effect of all these superstitions upon the lives and common transactions of men, was truly deplorable. The prineiples of right and wrong were become equivocal; every thing depended upon the sanction of the priesthood;-hence cases between man and man, which ought to have been tried and determined in a court of justice, were brought to the trials of ordeal, both by fire and water, and also by the eruel and uncertain decision of single combat. That

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Alfred the Great.

Cent. I.

the clergy should preside at such barbarous practices, and even on such occasions celebrate the holy sacrament, is really horrible, but not more horrible than true.

CHAPTER II.

State of Religion as it appears in the several Histories of Alfred the Great-Godeschalcus-Frederic, Bishop of Utrecht-Claudius, Bishop of Turin-The Valdenses-The Moravians.

DARK as the scene is which lies before us, yet some few are preserved of Israel to keep the coal alive. But real religion is to be found with individuals, not with communities, or at least, if any body of people maintain the life of godliness, they are to be found under the imputation of heresy or schism.

One illustrious character this century brings to our view, ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF ENGLAND, was, without doubt, a man fearing God, and working righteousness. He had learned the rare and happy art of rearing the fabric of greatness upon the sure foundation of goodness. For the history of Alfred as a monarch, we refer the reader to secular annals. Alfred was a member of the catholic church, but not a blind devotee to all the abominations of Rome; the scenes of his calling lay far off from that seat of corruption and violence, and his active labours were of a kind extremely different from those of papal hirelings. This wise and serious prince lamented the ignorance and irreligion of the times; he was a reformer in his day; church minis