The seventh century was the age of papal corruption. Austin called a council, at which the British clergy were induced to attend by the advice of a hermit, in order to judge from the humility or pride of the archbishop, whether he was from heaven or from beneath.* The grand discussion was what Beza derides as quæstio lunatica, a lunatic dispute, on what day of the moon Easter should be kept. For the sacred Scriptures, being ignorant of Easter altogether,* had not, of course, decided the time of celebration: and thus a pious queen in this age was left to fast for the crucifixion of the Saviour, at the same hour as her royal consort of different faith was rejoicing in his resurrection. These ecclesiastics were also sitting in council to determine in what manner they should shave their heads, whether in the form of a crown or a will, and I live." "I will raise storms, and cover you with darkness," cried the Druid Broichan. "All things," replied the Christian, "are under the controul of the omnipotent God, and I am guided by him." Columba displayed an extraordinary spirit of devotion and diligence in his ministry. He studied the Scriptures with intense application, and required his disciples to prove every doctrine by producing texts from the inspired word. Hence they were preserved from the growing corruptions of popery, and were, for many ages, the asylum of truth and pure religion, when other parts of the British isles were grovelling in darkness and superstition. We shall again have occasion to notice the light which missionaries from this college diffused in other parts of Britain. Columba died on the Sabbath, at midnight vigils, in the place of worship, on the ninth of Jane, five hundred and ninety-seven, in his seventy-seventh year. His writings are said to have been numerous, but those which are extant, are chiefly hymns for divine service in monkish Latin rhyme. -Dr. Smith's Life of St. Columba, passim. Spanheim. Mosheim. *Fuller, b. II. P. 61. + It is well known, that the mention of the word, in Acts xii. 4. is a mere error of the translators; for the Greek should have been rendered passover. cross. At length, Austin, unable to bow our stubborn Britons to a foreign yoke, excommunicated those who possessed what little religion yet remained. He then sought to indemnify the Roman communion by the conversion of the Pagan Saxons whom he is said to have baptized in crowds. In the course of this century, indeed, all the kings and nations of the heptarchy were brought into the Roman, if not the Christian fold. Austin having died about the year six hundred and ten, was buried at Canterbury; and as Ethelbert departed this life shortly after, his son and successor, with many of his subjects, shook off the profession of Christianity. Laurentius, who succeeded Austin, was preparing to follow those priests who had fled from our apostate isle, when St. Peter was sent to chastise his cowardice, by a severe nocturnal flagellation. He then presented himself before Eadbald, the Pagan king, black and blue with apostolic stripes; which so wrought upon his majesty, as to induce him to renounce his incestuous amours, and embrace the Christian religion*. Such are the tales with which the history of these times abounds. Theodore, a native of Tarsus, in Cilicia, was sent over by the pope, as archbishop of Canterbury, but, alas, a bishop of a different spirit from his countryman Paul. He reduced, by his visitations, the whole of the Saxon empire to the Roman uniformity; though a great part of his life was spent in hunting out Wilfrid, archbishop of York, who was unhappy enough to excite his jealousy. Theodore is renowned as the best scholar, and greatest promoter of schools that Britain had ever known. He was celebrated, through all the western church, * Fuller, b. II. p. 79. for writing a penitential, or treatise to direct what penance shall be enjoined for certain crimes; a book which now excites only contempt and disgust*. All communion with the Scotch, or British bishops is forbidden, and their orders pronounced invalid; though if there were any real Christians among us at that time, they were the ment. Yet, by an uninterrupted succession from Theodore and his Popish monks, some now claim the exclusive validity of their ministry. Sigebert, king of the east Angles, is extolled as a pious prince, whose zeal for learning founded the university of Cambridge; though Oxford denies this, A Northumbrian chief, called Oswald, sent for some, Scotch preachers from the monastery of Columba at Iona, to teach his subjects the doctrines of the Gospel. The first who came was too rough to succeed with the rough; but, afterwards, Aidan and Finan, with some others, are celebrated as worthy men, who won many to the knowledge and love of Christ. They are particularly praised for the same excellence for which their countrymen have since been distinguished, the knowledge of the sacred Scriptures; and from every thing recorded concerning their spirit, their conduct, and their labours, they appear to have been burning and shining lights in this dark and depraved age. St. Columbanus, from Ireland, who has, been frequently confounded with Columba of Iona, * The fragments which lie before us are too impure to be presented. to the public eye in a modern tongue. Persons newly married are commanded to abstain from entering a church for thirty days, and to repent for fifteen. Animals caught in a net must not be eaten. The profane laity are not allowed to sing the sacred word Allelujah. † Spanheim Introd. ad Histor. Sacr. vol. II. p. 385. Willebrod, an Anglo-Saxon, and eleven others, went on a mission to Batavia, and afterwards spread the Gospel in the countries on the shores of the Baltic*. The eighth, though a century of vice, is celebrated as the æra of great men. Wilfrid, the quarrelsome prelate of York, was called the Athanasius of his day; rather because he withstood all the world, than for his heroism in maintaining any important point. While kings were imitating the mortifications of hermits, he displayed the pomp of kings. Athelmus, the first bishop of Sherbourne, was also the first Englishman who wrote in Latin: he taught his countrymen to compose Latin verset. But the venerable Bede may be called, in sacred language, "a light that shineth in a dark place." He wrote on various learned subjects. By his ecclesiastical history of England, he rescued the period which we have reviewed, from total oblivion. His homilies were, for some time, read in all the churches; but his translation of the Gospel of John, into English, conferred greater advantages on the church+. Alcuinus was the instructor of his age, and the glory of our island. Himself taught by the venerable Bede, he instructed Charlemagne, emperor of the West, in rhetoric, logic, mathematics, and divinity, and was called the emperor's delight. Sextus Senensis pretended that his book on the Trinity was written by Calvin, and published under the name of Alcuinus§. With the aid of Clement, a Scot, he established the French *Mosheim, p. 231. Fuller, book II. p. 94. Millar's Propagation of Christianity, vol. II. p. 141. Spanheim, Mosheim. Lampe's Synopsis, p. 82. universities at Paris, Soissons, and Tours, in addition to an academy at Charles's court, for the instruction of the emperor, and his nobles. It was a proverb among the learned of his day: "A man born in a remote corner of the world has astonished the whole globe with his genius*." These two illustrated the sacred Scriptures, and opposed the growing corruptions of image-worship, though this idolatry was sanctioned by the second council of Nice. We'indulge the pleasing hope, that some of these names will be found written in the book of life. May we not presume, that men who laboured to translate and explain the Scriptures, drew their own principles from these sacred sources? More than one of them incurred the hatred of churchmen; and Clement, while abused by Baronius, is honoured by Spanheim for asserting, that we should confess our sins to God rather than man. But with these exceptions in favour of good sense and religion, all ranks were infected with the mania of monkery. Kings and queens were eager to exchange their royal robes for the habit of some religious order; not merely those who had lived to see the world retire from them, but even youthful queens and princes at the summit of their glory. As it was the fashion to hunt for relics, the body of St. Alban was discovered, and disturbed with superstitious honours. Several councils were held in England during this age and early in the following: one more famous than the rest met at Cleveshoo, in Kent. Their canons afford melancholy proofs of the ignorance and impurity of the age; ignorance, which made it a merit for the priests to know the creed and Lord's prayer; and impurity, which * Lampe's Synopsis, p. 82. VOL. I. |