Eufebius bishop of Nicomedia, one of the most diftinguished of any in that age, both for his learning and moderation., The emperor Conftantine, having endeavoured in vain to compose these differences in the religion which he had lately profeffed, and especially to reconcile Arius and Alexander, at length called a general council of bishops at Nice, the first which had obtained that appellation, and in this counsel, after much indecent wrangling, and violent debate, Arius was condemned, and banished to Illyricum, a part of the Roman empire very remote from Alexandria, where the controverfy originated. But notwithstanding this condemnation, fo far were the chriftians of that age from having any opinion of the infallibility of councils, that the doctrine of Arius triumphed both over the decrees of this celebrated affembly, and the authority of the emperor, who was afterwards induced to think better of Arius. He, therefore, recalled him from banishment, and ordered Alexander his bishop to admit him to communion. But Arius died before the order could be executed. Conftantius the fucceffor of Constantine, and also fome others of the emperors, favoured the Arians, and in those reigns their doctrine was by far the most generally received throughout the Roman Empire. The bishops of that profeffion G held held many councils, and they are acknowledged to have been very full. But at length Arianifm was in a great measure banished from the Roman empire by the perfecutions of the emperor Theodofius, who interested himself greatly in favour of the Trinitarian doctrine. The Arians took refuge in great numbers among the Burgundians, Goths, Vandals, and other unconquered barbarous nations, whom they were a great means of bringing over to the chriftian faith, and all of them, without exception, profeffed the Arian doctrine, till it was overpowered by the influence and authority of the bishops of Rome. The Vandals were long the support of Arianifm in Africa, but it never recovered its credit after their extirpation from that province by the arms of the emperor Juftinian. * So far was the council of Nice from giving general fatisfaction, that Hilary, presently afterwards, complains of the Arians as being in all the provinces of the Roman empire; and in the next reign Arianism was very near becoming the univerfal doctrine of the chriftian church, and of courfe would have been deemed orthodox. The debates occafioned by this famous council made a great revolution both in the language, and in the opinions of those who were deemed * De Trinitate, Lib. vi. p. 99. orthodox. orthodox. It is the natural effect of controverfy to push men as far as poffible from that extreme which they wish to avoid, fo as often to drive them into the oppofite extreme. This was remarkably the cafe on this occafion; and no controversy ever interested fo many perfons, and those so deeply, as this did, and indeed continues to do to this day. In order to keep quite clear of Arianism, which made Chrift to be a mere creature, those who approved of the decrees of the council began to exprefs themselves as Mofheim acknowledges*, in fuch a manner, as that they really fubftituted three Gods inftead of one. And many of them feemed to imagine that they fufficiently maintained the unity of the Godhead, by afferting that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, were each of them, of the fame divine nature, as three or more men have each of them the fame human nature. This was certainly giving up the unity of the divine nature; and yet being obliged by the whole tenor of revelation to maintain the doctrine of only one God, in conjunction with this new doctrine of three separate Gods, fuch a manifeft inconfiftency was introduced, as nothing could cover but the pretence that this doc rine of the Trinity was inexplicable by human reason. And then the word mystery, which had before been applied to the doctrine of the Trinity, in common with other things which were fimply deemed facred, began to be used in a new fenfe, and to fignify, not as before, a thing that was fecret, and required to be explained; but fomething abfolutely incapable of being explained, fomething that must be believed, though it could not be understood. But the whole doctrine, as it was afterwards generally profeffed, and as it now ftands in every established christian church, was not finally fettled before the compofition of what is called the Athanafian Creed, and its reception into the offices of public worship. When this creed was made, and by whom, is uncertain. It appeared about the end of the fifth century, and is by some ascribed to Vigilius Tapfenfis*. Though this creed contains a number of as direct contradictions as any perfon, the most fkilled in logic, can draw up, it ftill keeps its ground, guarded from all human inspection, like the doctrine of transubstantiation, by this new but thin veil of mystery. But before I proceed to give a more particular account of this farther change in the doctrine, I must note by what steps the Holy Spirit came to be reckoned a distinct perfon in this Trinity. *Jortin's Remarks, Vol. iv. p. 313. SECTION SECTION VII. Of the Doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit. THERE is very little in the fcrip tures that could give any idea of the distinct perfonality of the Holy Spirit, befides the figurative language in which our Lord fpeaks of the advocate, or comforter, as we render it (wapanλn) that was to fucceed him with the apostles after his afcenfion. But our Lord's language is, upon many occafions, highly figurative, and it is the less extraordinary that the figure called personification fhould be made ufe of by him here, as the peculiar presence of the spirit of God, which was to be evinced by the power of working miracles, was to fucceed in the place of a real perfon, viz. himself, and to be to his apostles what he himself had been, viz. their advocate, comforter, and guide. That the apoftles did not understand our Lord as fpeaking of a real perfon, at least afterwards, when they reflected upon his meaning, and faw the fulfilment of his promise, is evident from their never adopting the fame language, but fpeaking of the Holy Spirit as of a divine G-3 power 1 |