Christianity, which had been but partially exhibited, as it were through a mift. (1559) The Magdeburgh Centuriators, as they were called, published their account of the first centuries from authentic records, which much strengthened the Protestant cause: and (1565) Bishop Jewel in England preached a celebrated fermon at St. Paul's Cross, in which he challenged all the Romanists to produce any one paffage from any author of the fix firft centuries in favour of the controverted points. They perceived the neceffity of defending themselves; and towards the end of the fixteenth century, appeared the voluminous Annals of Baronius, the labour of twenty years, executed under the express patronage of the Papacy, and with the avowed design of supporting it on the credit of primitive documents.

While the appeal to antiquity was profecuted by both parties, the controversy took a new turn; the Proteftants perhaps feared, that by this recurrence to the Fathers and records of the Churchy, they derogated too much from

x Collier, Ecclef. Hift. vol. ii. p. 461.

Thefe fears were not groundless. A Dr. Cheney, Bishop of Glofter, (1568,) was accused of being popishly inclined. He afferted that the fenfe of Scripture was to be tried by the confent of the Fathers only: "Let them bring 66 me the consent of the Fathers for these things now in "controverfy: otherwise I will not yield to them, nor be "of their judgment." Collier, vol. ii. p. 519.

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Scripture, the only infallible rule of faith and practice. In the year 1631 M. Daillé, a reformed Minifter of Paris, published a work of great celebrity, the effects of which are probably still felt. His profeffed His profeffed defign is to prove, that as the Reformers place the standard of orthodoxy in Scripture, and the Papists in tradition, the primitive writings are not the proper media for fettling the points in dispute between them; each party having an appeal to a separate higher tribunal. Salmafius, Blondel, and Chillingworth advanced the same opinions, which are in the main juft. But befides this propofition, Daillé's treatise contained articles respecting the mistakes of the Fathers, and their disagreement with each other and with themselves. Pious minds were fomewhat shocked at the tenets of this school, as tending injuriously to throw into difcredit the primitive writings, and their authors; while hitherto a degree of veneration almoft facred had attached to both. Yet the intention of this eminent Critic feems to have been far otherwife; for as the refult of his inquiries he estimates the authority of the Fathers fecond only to Scripture, term ing it a subordinate fence and protection of divine truth," repagulum fecundum poft Scrip"turas"."

Meanwhile the Proteftants themselves

a

unhappily split into different focieties; fome of whom systematically rejected any appeal to human authority in religious matters. Moderate men faw that these continual innovations had a tendency to introduce an extreme, oppofite indeed to Popery, but not lefs dangerous. To check and counteract this reftlefs and inordinate spirit, many Divines in England endeavoured to restore a due and proper estimation to the primitive writings: and of these none occupy a more diftinguished place than Bishop Bull and Dr. Cave. The latter indeed was accused, by the learned Le Clerc, of partiality, of writing rather panegyrics upon the Fathers, than their lives; but notwithstanding this cenfure, his Hiftoria Literaria, which contains an

a

Abp. Ufher (1612) continued Bishop Jewel's challenge against the Romanifts, with reference to the writers who lived from the feventh to the tenth century; and he also discovered and edited fome writings of the Apoftolic Fathers. Archbishop Wake tranflated into English all the works of the Apoftolic Fathers. Bishops Fell and Pearson, and Dr. Grabe, diftinguished themselves as editors and vindicators of the primitive writings. Mr. Dodwell, in his differtations upon St. Cyprian, and particularly in those upon Irenæus, turns the authority of thefe Fathers against the Papifts, and attempts a refutation of M. Daille's pofitions, with learning more than equal to his other powers. Though he estimates at too high a rate the value of the primitive writings, he was one of the first who turned his attention to the juft and important principle, that the canon of Scripture and the genuineness of tradition both rest upon the early memorials of the Christian Church.

account of all the records of the Chriftian Church for fifteen centuries, is a wonderful monument of indefatigable labour, erudition, judgment, and piety; and will I believe be found one of the best guides extant to the ftudy of genuine Christian antiquity..

A fimilar spirit operated among the Romanifts, who perceived that their advocates, following the steps of Baronius, had gone too far; had vindicated not the faith, but the court of Rome; not the catholic religion, but the Papacy. A more moderate and more worthy defence appeared in the ecclefiaftical memoirs of the first fix centuries by M. Tillemont, an author, who though not free from the imputation of fuperftition, is yet of acknowledged fidelity. A ftill greater work is Fleury's History of the Church, which contains a more accurate and luminous fummary of the primitive writings than I have elsewhere seen. His preliminary difcourfes are candid, judicious, and edifying, and breathe an unction of devotion and charity, worthy of primitive times, and in the best spirit of the Romish Church.

Notwithstanding these efforts, and the 'exertions of editors in different parts of Christen

b Dr. Cave in his Prolegomena, fect. vii. obferves, that the editions of the Fathers that appeared from the time of the invention of printing until the year 1517, the beginning of the Reformation, "auro contra non charæ

dom, it should feem that, fince M. Daillé's publication, the writings of the Fathers have not recovered in public estimation that veneration which before attached to them.

A fevere attack was made upon their credit and value in a work published under the

estimari debent;" because they suffered no interpolations or convenient corrections. Yet the labours of the Benedictine Monks much facilitated the study of the primitive writings. The "Dogmata Theologica" of Petavius, a French Jefuit, (1650,) is confidered a work of immense erudition: but his statement of the fentiments of the Fathers of the three first centuries has afforded an unintended and unfounded triumph to the Unitarians. The design of Petavius is to exalt the authority of oral tradition, and confequently the power of the Church of Rome, at the expence of the credit of the Fathers. Milton, with the very oppofite view of overthrowing prelatical power, and of establishing the discipline of Calvin, depreciates, in a tract published in 1641, the primitive writings, which he seems to have read curforily. The reader may judge of the style of this treatise from the following fentence: "Whatso"ever time or the heedlefs hand of blind chance hath "drawn down from of old to this present, in her huge drag"net, whether fish or fea-weed, shells or shrubs, unpicked, "unchofen, thofe are the Fathers." Thus the Theologians of the oppofite parties, of the Church of Rome, and of Presbyterianism, agree in disparaging the Fathers: in both cafes they perceived that the faith and practice of the primitive Church, as recorded in these early and authentic writings, were repugnant to their peculiar

tenets.

C

By Dr. Conyers Middleton in 1748. His ftatements have been well refuted in Mr. Kett's Bampton Lectures, to which the reader is referred.